KAMPALA, UGANDA (ANS) — You can find them by following the sounds of the singing. The familiar tune of “What A Friend We Have In Jesus” carries over the crying of children, the honking of the horns, and the general confusion created by cramming 25,000 people into one run down slum.
Christians, including four clergymen, who were taking part in a prayer procession for peaceful elections were arrested in Zimbabwe.A total of 11 Christians were arrested in the city of Bulawayo on February 16 after taking part in the ecumenical procession.
MADA, Nigeria (Compass) — Two Nigerian Muslims who converted to the Christian faith in Mada village of northern Nigeria’s Zamfara state are missing, possibly at the hands of Muslim fundamentalists seeking to kill them for changing their faith.
The Malawi Council of Churches – a mother body of prostestant churches in the country – has issued a statement asking the ruling party United Democratic Front (UDF) and the government at large, to curb acts of violence committed against the clergy.
A Church building belonging to the Mountain of Fire Ministries in Gusau, capital of Zamfara State, northern Nigeria was set ablaze by suspected Islamic fanatics.
by Geoff Stamp ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (Compass)– A leading member of Ethiopia’s Protestant church says that freedom to practice religion is only “constitutional.” Yet despite ongoing persecution, Protestant churches are experiencing significant growth. “During the former regime of communist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, the persecution came from the Marxist government authorities. Now we may have freedom on paper, but I can say that persecution has doubled and it is coming from the Orthodox Church and the Muslims,” the church leader told Compass. Even in the capital, Addis Ababa, there have been several recent incidents of people throwing stones at churches … Read more
ISTANBUL, February 11 (Compass) — Coptic Orthodox Christians who gathered yesterday to celebrate their first Sunday Mass in a small village church were attacked with rocks and firebombs by a Muslim mob near El-Minya, 140 miles south of Cairo.
The appointment of former Senator John Danforth as special envoy to Sudan could result in positive action, according to The Voice of the Martyrs, a ministry organization focussed on serving the persecuted church.
A mob of Orthodox Church members led by priests attacked and killed an evangelical Christian pastor in his home two weeks ago in Merawi, a town in northwestern Ethiopia.
Sudanese Christian refugees living in the Maagi Refugee Camp in the Adjumani Resettlement area of Northern Uganda were attacked by 1200 members of the “Lord’s Resistance Army” on Wednesday, July 17th. Five refugees were killed and 200 were rendered homeless as LRA Rebels burned and looted over 180 homes. About 190,000 Sudanese refugees live in the Adjumani Resettlement District. The survivors of the attack sought refuge in an AIC church compound located in the camp.
Christians in the Plateau State of central Nigeria have been killed and forced from their land by extremist Islamic militants.
Katsina State Stops Christian Religious Education by Obed Minchakpu ABUJA, Nigeria (Compass) — Muslim leaders aim to eradicate Christianity in northern Nigeria, says Nigeria’s Defense Minister, Lt. General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma. Danjuma told a gathering of the Northern (Nigeria) Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) on April 20 in Abuja, the federal capital, that Christians are now under severe pressure. He urged the Christian leaders assembled at the All Saints Anglican Church not to be intimidated. “Our religion is under assault in our country. If Christians are not careful, there will be a time that the propagation of the teaching of Jesus … Read more
Two Nigerian Muslims who converted to the Christian faith in Mada village of northern Nigeria’s Zamfara state are missing, possibly at the hands of Muslim fundamentalists seeking to kill them for changing their faith.
Fourteen Churches in Zamfara State, in Northern Nigeria are now facing demolition threat by the state government, which claims that there are too many Christian worship centers in the state. Zamfara state, which spearheaded the adoption of Islamic law in northern Nigeria contrary to the country’s secular constitution, is predominantly Muslim, populated with less than a five percent Christian population.
Four Examples of Courage and Faith in 2001
There is no such thing as a “typical” persecuted Christian. Yet among the millions of persecuted believers worldwide, some qualities might be considered typical: courage, patience, persistence, and faithfulness. Below are the stories of four Christians currently under great pressure for their faith. They and their families have come to typify those very qualities. They would not claim to be “persecuted Christians of the year” or even desire it. They would only ask not to be forgotten.
Islam and Church Disunity Combine to Dull the Impact of the Church by Geoff Stamp BAMAKO, Mali (Compass) — For some time, Muslim city authorities in Magnambougou planned for a beautiful new mosque in this new suburb of Bamako, the Malian capital. They acquired land in the middle of the urban dwellings and began to build a mosque that would dominate the area and accommodate more than 2,000 Muslims for prayers, much to the distress and dismay of local Christians. The authorities had rejected the Christians’ repeated requests for permission to build new churches. “It is becoming harder as every … Read more
ZARIA, Nigeria (Compass) — Five Christian students died during a clash between Muslim and Christian students of the Kaduna State Polytechnic University in Zaria city in northern Nigeria.
The conflict broke out on Monday, August 27, during students’ union elections of the school, which saw the Christian students’ candidates sweeping the polls.
Expanding from 14 churches in 1993 to 50 today, one native ministry in Uganda reports that the gospel of Jesus Christ is making headway in that central African nation.
WASHINGTON (BP)–The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom received in its first hearing a variety of recommendations on halting the religious persecution and civil war in Sudan, but there seemed to be widespread agreement on one sentiment — the United States can do more.
LAGOS, Nigeria (Compass) — The head of the Nigerian Bible Society recently released the casualty figures of Christians killed and churches destroyed during the February and May religious clashes between Muslims and Christians in Kaduna, the capital city of northern Nigeria’s Kaduna state.