Attacked Pakistani Christian Widow Detained For Blasphemy
Christians in Pakistan’s Punjab province remained concerned Sunday after a Muslim mob reportedly tried to kill a Christian mother of two accused of blasphemy while also targeting her sister.
Christian Persecution – Asia
Afghanistan: The Church Is In a “Precarious” Position on Third Anniversary of Taliban Takeover
The Islamic extremist Taliban have been in power in Afghanistan for three years (since the US withdrawal in August 2021), and the Afghan church is in a “precarious” position, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Burma Releases Jailed Church Leader
A prominent church leader in military-ruled Burma, also known as Myanmar, has been released by local authorities while serving a lengthy prison sentence for allegedly violating the Asian nation’s controversial anti-terrorism legislation, Worthy News established Wednesday.
Laos Pastor Killed Amid Mounting Anti-Christian Sentiments
Christian investigators say they are concerned about a series of attacks against Christians in Laos, including the recent killing of a pastor and the earlier murder of another church leader.
Pakistan: Christian Mother Brutally Attacked for Alleged Desecration of Quran
Residents of Punjab Province, Pakistan have reported that a mob of Muslims attacked and tried to kill a young Christian mother-of-two whom they accused of harming Islamic sentiments earlier this month, Morning Star News reports.
300 American Christian Leaders Call on US Government to Help Persecuted Believers in India
More than 300 American Christian clergy and lay leaders have publicly called on the United States government to take action in holding the government of India accountable for ongoing, chronic human rights abuses against Indian Christians at the hands of Hindu nationalists.
Vietnam: Christians Raise Concerns About Country’s New President
Christian advocates have expressed concern that the August 3 election of communist President To Lam as Vietnam’s new leader will make life more difficult for Vietnamese believers. Even before Lam’s election, Communist-ruled Buddhist-majority Vietnam ranked 35 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
Indonesia: Authorities Foil Planned Suicide Bombing of Two Churches
Security officials in Indonesia have thwarted an Islamic terrorist plan to suicide bomb two church sites in East Java, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
India: Dozens of Tribal Christians Forced to Return to Hinduism, “Christians Who Convert From Hinduism Are the Most Vulnerable to Persecution”
Local Hindu leaders have forced more than 100 tribal Christians in eastern India’s Odisha state to undergo a formal ceremony symbolizing a rejection of Christianity and a return to Hinduism, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
India: Pastor Arrested on False Accusation of Bribing Hindus to Convert
A pastor in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state has been arrested by Hindu authorities who falsely accused him of bribing Hindus to become Christians, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
India: Kerala State High Court Rules in Favor of Christians
In a rare move of encouragement for Christians in India, the High Court of the south Indian state of Kerala ruled that two young adults can have the religion cited on their official documents changed from Hindu to Christian, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Laos: Six Christians Released After a Month in Detention Without Charge
Officials in Laos are continuing to harass Christians by arresting them and then imprisoning them without charge for several weeks before releasing them. Amid intensifying persecution of Christians, the communist-led Buddhist-majority nation now ranks 21 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
India: House Church Members Violently Attacked by Hindu Extremists
Members of a house church congregation in India’s Uttarakhand state were violently attacked by a mob of around 150 Hindu extremists on July 14, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Laos: Evangelist Murdered Execution-Style, “Despite Increased Persecution, the Church is Rapidly Growing”
An evangelical pastor in Laos who had been told to cease his “Christian activities” was murdered execution-style at his home last week, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Pakistan: Young Christian Man on Death Row Shows Remarkable Faith and Hope in Jesus
A young Christian man who is on death row in Punjab Province, Pakistan, for alleged blasphemy has drawn admiration from those around him for displaying such hope in Christ that he passed a high school examination with an eye to the future, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Hindu Nationalists Attack Christians in Central India, “This Hostility is Often Driven by a Belief That Indians Ought to be Hindu”
Hindu nationalists violently attacked or threatened Christians on three occasions in the same area of central India within the last month, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Indonesia Church Threatened With Eviction
Lutheran Christians on the outskirts of Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, faced eviction from their church on Sunday, but their supporters told Worthy News they have appealed for prayers as they want to maintain a presence in this area of the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
Pakistan: Young Christian Father Shot Dead in His Home by Enraged Islamic Neighbors, “Our Lives Do Not Matter”
A young Catholic father of four was murdered by his Islamist neighbors in Lahore, Pakistan last week after he objected to their harassment of Christians in the area, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Vietnam: 11 Christians Imprisoned for Their Faith Have Disappeared
Six Protestants and five Catholics in Vietnam have disappeared after being imprisoned by the ruling communist government for religious activity deemed threatening to “national unity.”
Pakistan: Islamist Abducts 14-Year-Old Christian Girl and Forces Her Into Marriage, “May God Have Mercy on Us and Save Our Child!”
A 14-year-old Catholic girl in Islamabad, Pakistan, has been kidnapped from her parents’ home by a local Islamist who forced her to “marry” him, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.