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Pakistani policeman beats up church leader over ‘loudspeaker music’

Pakistani policeman beats up church leader over ‘loudspeaker music’
The Pentecostal United Church in Lahore, Pakistan, where Riaz Rehmat is pastor.World Watch Monitor   A church leader in Lahore was beaten up during his Sunday service by a policeman, during a dispute over whether or not music was being played over his church loudspeaker. Lahore has the largest concentration . . . Read More

Mexican Protestants continue to face pressure for leaving ‘traditionalist’ churches

Mexican Protestants continue to face pressure for leaving ‘traditionalist’ churches
Lauro Pérez Núñez has been arrested and detained several times since leaving ‘traditionalist’ church.Coordinación de Organizaciones Cristianas   Mexican Christians who branch away from the “traditionalist” village churches, which blend aspects of indigenous paganism and popular Catholicism, continue to face pressure to return to the fold or leave their villages. . . . Read More

‘Refer Eritrea to ICC for crime against humanity of persecution’

‘Refer Eritrea to ICC for crime against humanity of persecution’
In 2015, Eritreans made up 25 per cent of the migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. gettyimages.com A new report from the United Nations says “systematic, gross and widespread crimes against humanity”, including abuses of religious freedom, have been committed in Eritrea and should be investigated by . . . Read More

Iraq: Why Najiba can’t go home

Iraq: Why Najiba can’t go home
Najiba in her portacabin – her home as an IDP for the last two years, 2016World Watch Monitor   Two years on from Mosul falling to Islamic State, World Watch Monitor hears from Najiba, a woman forced to flee her home on the frontline of fighting between the jihadist group . . . Read More

Nigeria considers giving Islamic appeals courts authority to take criminal cases

Nigeria considers giving Islamic appeals courts authority to take criminal cases
A Sharia court in northern Nigeria.Courtesy of Open Doors   The situation Nigeria’s National Assembly is considering a change to the country’s constitution that would expand the scope of jurisdiction of the country’s Islamic Sharia courts of appeal. Currently, the constitution limits those appellate courts to matters concerning family law. . . . Read More

Malaysian bill amendment to tighten Sharia punishments alarms non-Muslims

Malaysian bill amendment to tighten Sharia punishments alarms non-Muslims
On the last day of Malaysia’s latest session of Parliament, a member of the ruling coalition, UMNO (United Malays National Organisation), had a bill amendment approved which has provoked an outcry in the country. That’s because it aims to tighten the implementation of Sharia; and critics claim it intends to . . . Read More

Freedom of religion or belief ‘undermined’ in corrupt countries

Freedom of religion or belief ‘undermined’ in corrupt countries
Corruption is increasingly seen as a factor behind the persecution of minority Christians around the world, and the world leaders who gathered at an Anti-Corruption Summit in London in May showed they are beginning to pay more attention to the effects of corruption on freedom of religion or belief. Evidence . . . Read More