Malaysia: Indigenous Group Sues Over Demolished Church
An indigenous church community has filed a lawsuit against local authorities in the state of Kelantan over the demolition of their church building on June 4, 2007.
Year: 2008
Egypt: Tempers Flare into Melee at Convert’s Hearing
An Egyptian judge is scheduled to rule next week on the case of a Muslim-born convert to Christianity whose court hearing threatened to turn into a brawl earlier this month, the convert’s lawyer said.
Protestant Pastor Shot Dead In Philippines
Christians in the Philippines on Saturday, January 26, mourned a Protestant pastor after police confirmed he was shot and killed, the second member of the Philippine clergy to die violently in nine days.
House Church Members Flee Somaliland Amid Government Crackdown
Members of a house church in the breakaway Somali republic of Somaliland have fled to neighboring Ethiopia after hearing that the government wants to arrest them as part of a crackdown on evangelical Christians, an influential human rights group said Thursday, January 24.
Bangladesh: Elderly Christian Woman’s Home Set Ablaze
Unknown attackers tried to burn a 70-year-old woman to death on January 7 after learning that she would be baptized as a Christian next month.
China Releases More House Church Leaders From Labor Camp
China on Wednesday, January 23, released three female house church leaders "unconditionally" from their labor camp in Hubei province, in what their supporters described as "another legal stunning victory."
Death Toll Rising In Orissa Refugee Camps; Violence Spreading
An elderly pastor in India’s Orissa state, who fled the deadliest Hindu-violence against Indian Christians there in recent memory, has died in a government-run refugee camp, a well-informed rights group confirmed Tuesday, January 22.
Nearly 100 Christians Injured In New Attacks In India
An uneasy calm returned to a Christian missionary camp and another area Sunday, January 20, in India’s Chhattisgarh state where up to 100 Christians were injured in attacks this week carried out by suspected Hindu militants, BosNewsLife learned.
Iraq: Serial Attacks on Churches Continue
A car-bomb exploded outside a Chaldean church in northern Iraq yesterday, injuring two people, a Baghdad bishop said. The blast is the 10th reported attack on Iraqi churches in two weeks.
China Releases Church Leaders From Labor Camp
Four Chinese house church leaders spent another day in freedom Saturday, January 19, after they were unexpectedly released from a labor camp following an "unprecedented legal victory" a Christian advocacy group involved in the case said.
Malaysia: Government Confiscates Christian Children’s Books
Adding to the furor over whether non-Muslims have the right to use the word "Allah" in their publications and religious practice, on January 11 online news agency Malaysiakini reported that officials confiscated English-language Christian children’s books because they contained images of prophets.
China Launches “Secret” Crackdown On House Churches, ‘Open Doors’ Says
A leading group supporting Christians "persecuted for their faith" has launched a global prayer campaign for China where, it says, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been waging "a secret" crackdown on unregistered house churches.
Christian Leader in Xinjiang Province Arrested
China Aid Association learned that a House Church leader in Kashi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was secretly detained on January 12. According to an eyewitness, Mr. A Li Mu Jiang was taken away from his home by State Security Bureau agents for an accused "national security issue." His wife was also taken from her home for interrogation in the evening of the same day.
China Expels Children From Christian Orphanage
Children and their caretakers spent another Sunday, January 13, in uncertainty after they were expelled from their Christian-run orphanage in China’s Hubei Province, as part of a crackdown on Christian activities by local authorities, an official said.
China Detains Prominent House Church Leaders In Gansu Province
At least two prominent church leaders of a main house church in China’s Gansu Province remained detained Wednesday, January 9, after Chinese security forces raided a worship service, fellow Christians said.
China Releases Christian Bookstore Owner And Employees
Chinese authorities have released on bail the owner of a Christian bookstore near Beijing’s Olympic Village and fellow workers, amid international pressure, after detaining them last month on charges of "illegal printing and distribution of Christian literature," BosNewsLife learned Tuesday, January 8.
Missionaries Concerned After Church Attacks In Russia
Christian missionaries have expressed concerns about the situation of Protestant Christians in Russia after attacks on a Baptist and Pentecostal church outside Moscow, apparently by members of a group supporting President Vladimir Putin, BosNewsLife established Tuesday, January 8.
India Hindu Militants Attack House Church
Hindu militants have attacked a house church in the Indian state of Rajasthan, seriously injuring several worshippers, the latest in reported attacks against Christians across India, local believers told BosNewsLife Tuesday, January 8.
Turkey Releases Teenager Planning “Massacre” In Church
A Turkish teenager who vowed to kill the pastor of a Protestant church and "massacre" Christians in the Black Sea coastal city of Samsun has been released by a local court because he is "to young" Turkish media reported Tuesday, January 8.
Iraq: Coordinated Blasts Rock Churches
Four Iraqi churches and three convents were damaged in coordinated bomb blasts yesterday morning, the day many Iraqi Christians celebrate either Epiphany or Christmas Eve according to some Eastern liturgical calendars. At least six people were injured, one seriously.