General

Christian woman killed in Nigeria’s Kaduna state

December 20, 2011 Nigeria ECWA, Fulani herdsmen, Kaduna, Nigeria

A Muslim villager in Kaduna state allegedly helped Fulani herdsmen and other Muslims from nearby Kafanchan to ambush a Christian settlement, resulting in the death of one woman and gunshot wounds to two other Christians on Dec. 10, area sources said. Musa Blak, 60, told World Watch Monitor how gunmen . . . Read More

Indonesian mayor’s defiance ‘shows government’s weakness’

December 19, 2011 Indonesia Bogor, Churches, GKI Yasmin, Indonesia, Java, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

The Bogor mayor’s refusal to obey a Supreme Court order to restore a congregation’s permit casts doubt on the ability of the Indonesian government to enforce the rule of law, according to a leading rights group. Muslim demonstrators and area police have continued to obstruct the services of the Indonesian . . . Read More

Lao officials arrest eight Christian leaders

December 19, 2011 Laos Laos, Savannakhet

Police early this morning traveled to Boukham village in Laos’ Savannakhet Province to meet with officials about the arrest on Friday (Dec. 16) of eight Christian leaders who had gathered some 200 church members for a Christmas celebration, an advocacy group reported today. Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom . . . Read More

Algeria stalls appeal of convicted Christian

December 15, 2011 Algeria Algeria, Oran, Protestant Church of Algeria

A judge’s decision this month to indefinitely postpone the appeal of a Christian sentenced under Algeria’s defamation and anti-proselytizing laws shows how the judicial system keeps Christians in limbo without officially punishing or acquitting them, according to sources. In May a judge in Oran, 470 kilometers (292 miles) west of . . . Read More

Christian areas of Jos, Nigeria bombed, killing one

December 15, 2011 Nigeria Church of Christ in Nigeria, Jos, Nigeria, Plateau

Joshua Dabo, like other young Christians in this city in central Nigeria, had dreams for his life. He had graduated from a Christian high school, Mt. Olives Secondary School, and at 31 was finally looking forward to attending university. Apart from commitment to his fellowship at Nasara Baptist Church at . . . Read More

Christians in Kashmir, India increasingly fearful, report says

December 14, 2011 India India, Jammu and Kashmir

A fact-finding mission to India’s Kashmir Valley found that Muslim leaders’ increasingly shrill opposition to conversions has instilled fear among the Christian minority, which has been threatened as Christmas nears. Christians in Srinagar, the summer capital of India’s northern-most state of Jammu and Kashmir, are “really scared,” said Dr. John . . . Read More

Somali Muslims in Kenya attack another Christian

December 13, 2011 Kenya East Africa, Islamic extremism, Kenya, Somalia

Young Muslim men of Somali descent beat a 23-year-old Somali Christian unconscious last week in Kenya, less than six weeks after a related gang attacked his older brother. Ibrahim, 23, whose surname is withheld for security reasons, was beaten by seven Somalis born in Kenya who stopped him near his . . . Read More

Pakistani mother condemned for ‘blasphemy’ allegedly beaten

October 20, 2011 Pakistan Asia Bibi, Blasphemy, Islamabad, Minorities, Mumtaz Qadri, Pakistan, Prisons, Salmaan Taseer, Sheikhupura

A female prison officer assigned to provide security for a Christian mother of five who was sentenced to death on “blasphemy” charges beat her earlier this month, sources said. Sources in Pakistan’s Sheikhupura District Jail said Asia Noreen, also known as Asia Bibi, was beaten on Oct. 5 by a . . . Read More

Suspected Islamists kill Pakistan’s Christian cabinet member

March 2, 2011 Pakistan Al-Qaeda, Asia Bibi, Blasphemy, Islamabad, Islamic extremism, Minorities, Pakistan, Salmaan Taseer, Shahbaz Bhatti, Taliban

Unidentified gunmen in Islamabad today shot dead Federal Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s only cabinet-level Christian and an outspoken critic of the country’s widely condemned “blasphemy” laws. Suspected Islamic extremists from Pakistan’s Taliban and al Qaeda reportedly left a letter at the scene saying those who try to . . . Read More

Jailed Pakistani mother living in constant fear, husband says

January 19, 2011 Pakistan Asia Bibi, Blasphemy, Islamic extremism, Minorities, Pakistan, Salmaan Taseer, Sheikhupura

A mother of five sentenced to death on “blasphemy” charges has lived in constant fear since the killing of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, her husband told Compass as he came out of Sheikhupura District Jail after meeting with her last week. Ashiq Masih said his wife, Asia Noreen (alternatively spelled . . . Read More

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