General

Islamists bomb three churches in Kaduna, Nigeria

June 17, 2012 Nigeria Bauchi, Boko Haram, Churches, ECWA, Islamic extremism, Jos, Kaduna, Nigeria, Pentecostals, Sabon Gari, Sharia, Zaria

Suspected Islamic extremists bombed three churches in Kaduna state this morning, the third consecutive Sunday that worship services in Nigeria have ended in lethal bloodshed. In a predominantly Christian area of Zaria known as Wusasa, a suspected Islamic extremist crashed a car into a barricade at an Evangelical Church Winning . . . Read More

Christians hail dissolution of Egyptian parliament

June 14, 2012 Egypt Copts, Egypt, Elections, Hosni Mubarak, Islamic extremism, Muslim Brotherhood

Christians in Egypt welcomed today’s court decision to dissolve the Islamist-controlled parliament due to election irregularities. The decision offered hope for Christians, many of whom were convinced the country was about to be handed over to Islamists who would stifle religious freedom and persecute non-Muslims. “Christians are happy, because they . . . Read More

Gutted church building leaves Egyptian Copts with debt

June 14, 2012 Egypt Cairo, Copts, Egypt

A hasty, inadequate renovation of a church building that Salafi Muslims largely gutted a year ago has left the congregation with staggering debt from additional repairs, church members said. Waiting inside the main hall of the Virgin Mary Church in Imbaba, Cairo on Sunday (June 10), a woman looked at . . . Read More

Police in Pakistan decline to prosecute rape suspects

June 12, 2012 Pakistan Kidnapping, Narowal, Pakistan, Rape, Women

Police have refused to arrest Muslims accused of causing the miscarriage of twin girls by beating their mother, even though a judge cancelled the suspects’ interim bails, according to the woman’s husband. Officers in Punjab Province’s Narowal district are biased in siding with Muslims accused of causing the miscarriage and . . . Read More

Lao police arrest pastor for proselytism

June 11, 2012 Laos Converts, Laos, Luang Namtha, Luang Prabang, Proselytism, Savannakhet

A 53-year-old Lao pastor remains behind bars today after Lao police arrested him on Wednesday (June 6) for encouraging others to convert to Christianity, a spokesman from the group Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF) confirmed to World Watch Monitor this morning. The arrest of Asa, identified by . . . Read More

Suicide bombing hits another church in Jos, Nigeria

June 10, 2012 Nigeria ECWA, Jos, Nigeria, Pentecostals, Plateau

An Islamic extremist ran a car full of explosives at a Pentecostal church in this Plateau state city this morning, killing at least two Christians and injuring more than 40 others, military and police officials said. In Borno state also today, gunmen reportedly killed at least two Christians during church . . . Read More

Iranian authorities shut church in Tehran

June 8, 2012 Iran Ahwaz, Armenians, Assyrians, Behnam Irani, Churches, Farshid Fathi, Iran, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Shiraz, Tehran

Authorities in Iran this week ordered the closure of a church in the capital, Tehran, amid a government campaign to crack down on the few recognized churches offering Farsi-speaking services, according to a human rights group. The order came from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard’s Intelligence branch on Tuesday (June 5). The . . . Read More

Injuries severe after Bauchi, Nigeria suicide bomb attack

June 7, 2012 Nigeria Bauchi, Nigeria

Amid allegations that soldiers were responsible for at least eight of 21 deaths after the suicide bombing of two churches here on Sunday (June 3), sources told World Watch Monitor that most of those injured from the blast and alleged military shooting were in critical condition. A statement reportedly from . . . Read More

Christians in Pakistan allege seizure of graveyard

June 6, 2012 Pakistan Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League, Punjab

Christians in a village in Punjab Province are fighting to save their decades-old graveyard from being converted into farmland by a retired army colonel, sources said. Because of the military man’s influence, police have refused to address the complaint by Christians of Bhondary Wala village in Narang Mandi in spite . . . Read More

Uptick in church closures, attacks in Indonesia

June 5, 2012 Indonesia Aceh, Banten, Bekasi, Churches, Indonesia, Jakarta, Java, Pentecostals, Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Tangerang

The number of violations of Christians’ religious rights in Indonesia reached 40 in the first five months of the year, nearly two-thirds the amount of anti-Christian actions in all of last year, according to the Jakarta Christian Communication Forum. The Christian minority in Indonesia faced 64 cases of violations of . . . Read More

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