New Constitution to remove restrictions on churches in Egypt
A 50-member committee tasked with revamping Egypt’s current constitution has removed the document’s repressive restrictions on church construction, according to Barnabas Aid.
Year: 2013
Eritrean Government Imprisons 150 Christians for Praying Together
Eritrean security forces recently raided yet another prayer meeting, arresting about 150 Christians in a suburb of Asmara, the African nation’s capital, according to Religion Today.
Pakistan: Fatwa approves polio vaccine, but …
The fatwa council of Pakistan finally issued a ruling that giving polio vaccine to children is not forbidden by Islam, according to the PakTribune.
Islamist Agenda Enforced in Nigerian States
Although nine of Nigeria’s 37 states are now under Islamic law, its penalties are enforced to different degrees of strictness, according to BarnabasAid.
Iran: 80 Lashes for Communion Wine
This month an Iranian court in Rasht sentenced four members from the Church of Iran to 80 lashes each.
Iran decries plans for synagogue in Temple Mount
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sunday decried an Israeli plan to build a synagogue near the Al-Aqsa Mosque and called on the international community to prevent any further desecration of the Temple Mount, according to the Tehran Times.
Brunei to Intro Stricter Sharia
The Sultan of Brunei has announced the implementation of severe corporeal punishments as his sultanate shifts towards a stricter interpretation of Sharia law, according to The Standard.
Jews arrested for praying on Temple Mount
About a dozen Jewish men were removed by police while touring the Temple Mount after praying and singing Monday, according to The Jewish Daily Forward.
India: Christians Unjustly Jailed for Murder
Seven Indian Christians have been sentenced to life imprisonment after being unjustly convicted of murdering a militant Hindu leader back in 2008, according to BarnabasAid.
CAR Descends into Chaos
Violent and unrestrained Islamist militants have caused the Central African Republic to descend into chaos, according to BarnabasAid.
Kazakhstan re-arrests Pastor
International Christian Concern reports that a 67-year-old pastor was charged with religious extremism and imprisoned just hours after he had been released to house arrest for supposedly harming the health of his parishioners.
No equal rights for Christians in Islamic Republic of Pakistan
The president of Pakistan’s Christian Congress said Christians don’t have equal rights despite claims to the contrary made by Pakistan’s prime minister before the UN General Assembly Friday, according to the Pakistan Christian Post.
Tunisia: Islamist gov’t to step down
Tunisia’s Islamist government is about to resign after the assassinations of two secular opposition leaders led to months of protests, according to BarnabasAid.
Saudi Mufti again calls for destruction of all churches in Arabia
The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia has once again called for the destruction of all churches on the Arabian Peninsula.
Nigeria: Muslim herdsmen kill 15 Christians
Herdsmen killed 15 Christians in Nigeria’s Kaduna state early Saturday morning when Fulani Muslims assaulted the Christian village of Zangang.
Suicide bombing in Peshawar protested at UN
As the Prime Minister of Pakistan was addressing the UN General Assembly Friday, more than one hundred Pakistani Christians at the UN Plaza were protesting the bombing of All Saints Anglican Church by Islamic extremists, according to the Pakistan Christian Post.
Suicide Bombers Kill 78 Christians Outside Pakistani Church
Coming on the heels of a murderous attack by militant Islamists on an upscale mall in Nairobi, Kenya, a pair of suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the entrance of an historic Anglican church nestled within the walled city of Peshawar, Pakistan on Sunday, January 22, just as services were ending, killing 78 Christians and wounding more than 100 others.
Somalia: Scholars issue fatwa against al-Shabaab
An Islamic conference of 160 Somali scholars recently issued a fatwa declaring that al-Shabaab doesn’t represent Islam and Muslims shouldn’t support this militant Islamist group, according to Voice of the Martyrs.
Iran: Christian Women Among Political Prisoners Freed
Two Christian women were among the nearly 100 political prisoners released from Iranian jails before that nation’s newly elected president addressed the UN General Assembly in New York City Tuesday, according to Barnabas Aid.
Lao Officials Threaten Christians
The ruling authorities of several villages in Laos have been threatening to banish Christians unless they renounce their faith in Jesus.