News

Christians flee Pakistani village after pastor accused of blasphemy

  September 12, 2013 Pakistan Blasphemy, Lahore

Dozens of Christian families have fled from their homes in a village near Lahore after a pastor was accused of blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad. In a discussion with a Muslim man on August 24, Pastor Sattar Masih, 37, was accused of saying that Muhammad was a brutal man who . . . Read More

Christian woman raped and murdered in Madhya Pradesh

  September 10, 2013 India Hindutva, Madhya Pradesh

Four men were today convicted of the fatal gang rape of a medical student in Delhi – a story that has grabbed the world’s attention. Meanwhile, a little further south, the case of a Christian woman who suffered the same fate has gone relatively unnoticed. The 30-year-old was raped and killed . . . Read More

Pastor taken hostage in Philippines rebel attack

  September 9, 2013 Philippines Bangsamoro, Mindanao, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Philippines, Zamboanga

A pastor has been taken hostage and several Christians are among the many injured in an attack by a rebel group in the Philippines. The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) is suspected of carrying out the attack this morning (September 9) in Zamboanga, Mindanao province, which left at least six . . . Read More

Moroccan Christian jailed for evangelising

  September 9, 2013 Morocco Aïn Aïcha, Mohamed el Baldi, Morocco, Proselytism, Rabat

A Moroccan Christian man has been jailed for two-and-a-half years and fined for evangelising. Mohamed el Baldi, 34, from the town of Ain Aicha, near Fes, was ordered to pay 5000 dirhams ($600) for “shaking the faith of a Muslim”, at a court hearing on September 3. He was arrested . . . Read More

Maldives elections unlikely to improve religious freedom

  September 6, 2013 Maldives Abdulla Yameen, Elections, Islamic extremism, Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, Quran, Religious freedom

Known for its golden sands and crystal waters, the Maldives is perhaps not the first country that springs to mind when one considers locations lacking in religious freedom. However, for more than 10 years the island chain in the Indian Ocean, south-west of Sri Lanka, has been in the top . . . Read More

Renewed day by day

  September 4, 2013 Egypt Copts, Minya, Muslim Brotherhood, Protestants

On Aug. 14, the Egyptian Army moved against large groups of protesters who had set up camp in Cairo. They had been in the streets since July 3, when the military removed Mohamed Morsi from the presidency and the Muslim Brotherhood from power. Using helicopters, tanks, tear gas and live ammunition — . . . Read More

Dozens of ‘noisy’ churches silenced in Cameroon

  September 3, 2013 Cameroon Bamenda, Cameroon, Catholics, Churches, Nigeria, Pentecostals, Proselytism, Protestants, Yaoundé

The government of Cameroon has ordered the closure of dozens of churches in an attempt to put an end to what it considers to be anarchy among some Christian organisations. The measure, which authorities began to impose on August 23, targets Pentecostal churches, which are not officially recognised. The minister . . . Read More

40 Pakistani Christian families face hunger after Gojra elopement dispute

  September 2, 2013 Pakistan Blasphemy, Gojra

Last month was the fourth anniversary of one of the worst outbreaks of violence against Pakistan’s minority Christian community in the country’s recent past. In August 2009, seven Christians were burned to death in Gojra, while more than 100 houses were looted, ransacked and then set on fire. Four years . . . Read More

North Korea rescinds invitation to U.S. envoy

  August 30, 2013 North Korea Kenneth Bae, Pyongyang, USA

North Korea has rescinded its invitation to a special U.S. envoy who had planned to visit Pyongyang with hopes of bringing jailed American Kenneth Bae home. “We are surprised and disappointed” at the decision, according to a statement released Friday by U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf. “We have sought . . . Read More

Viewpoint: A troubling call from Syria

  August 29, 2013 Syria Assyrians, Bashar al-Assad, Lebanon, Syria, Tabqa

Nuri Kino is a Sweden-based independent investigative reporter, filmmaker, author, Middle East and human-rights analyst. His report, titled ‘The Camp‘, which examined the construction of a massive refugee camp for Syrian Christians inside Turkey, appeared on May 5 at World Watch Monitor. Aug. 26 Early this morning I received a phone . . . Read More