UK Court: Christian Can’t Be Prosecuted For Criticizing Koran
A British court has thrown out the prosecution of a Christian preacher who was surrounded by an angry Muslim mob for criticizing the Koran, deemed a holy book by Muslims.
Christian Persecution – Europe
Christians Fear Britain Could Introduce Blasphemy Legislation
British Christian leaders and politicians fear a new working group advising the government on “anti-Muslim hatred /Islamophobia” will lead to blasphemy legislation that would further limit freedom of expression.
Britain’s Police Targeting Silent Prayers Near Abortion Clinic (Worthy News In-Depth)
There was concern Thursday that Christians publicly expressing their faith in Britain could face a ‘thought police’ after a Christian woman was forced to leave an area near an abortion clinic for silently praying there.
Europe Saw Over 2,400 “Hate Crimes” Against Christians in 2023, Report
An annual report by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC) shows there were “2,444 anti-Christian hate crimes” across 35 European countries in 2023, Christianity Today (CT) reports.
Turkey Detains Suspects Over Church Shooting (Worthy News Investigation)
Turkish police have detained several suspects over their alleged involvement in the New Year’s Eve shooting of a Protestant church in Istanbul, Turkish officials announced Friday.
German Christians in Mourning Over Christmas Market Attack
Christian churches in Germany are mourning with the loved ones of those who lost their lives or suffered injuries during the terrorist attack on a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg on Friday, Christian Daily International (CDI) reports.
Turkey Has Seen a Rise in Anti-Christian Hate Crimes
Turkey has seen a surge in anti-Christian hate crimes since 2020, International Christian Concern (ICC) warns in a new report. Muslim-majority Turkey ranks 50 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
More than 2,400 Anti-Christian Hate Crimes Reported Across Europe in 2023
A newly published study by the Austria-based Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC) shows there were over 2,400 reported hate crimes targeting Christians in Europe last year.
Britain Convicts Christian For Praying Near Abortion Clinic (Worthy News Focus)
A Christian man is considering appealing his conviction in Britain for silently praying near an abortion clinic.
Hungary condemns Ukraine’s Church Ban (Worthy News Focus)
Hungary has condemned Ukraine for banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church over its alleged complicity in Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country.
Ukraine: Christians in “Dire” Situation Amid Russian Invasion
Religious communities in Ukraine are in an increasingly “dire” situation as invading Russian forces, and authorities harass, blackmail, and threaten violence against ministers and churchgoers, raid, loot, and destroy worship centers, and gather personal data on believers to put them under surveillance, Mission Eurasia reports.
‘Russia Destroys Hundreds Of Churches, Religious Buildings in Ukraine’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia turned hundreds of churches and other religious sites into rubble since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Concerns About Detained Ukraine Priest After Kyiv Bans Pro-Moscow Church
There was fresh concern Wednesday about a Ukrainian Orthodox priest sentenced to 14 years in a Russian labor camp after Kyiv effectively banned the branch of the Orthodox church with links to Moscow.
Turkey: Christian Group Denied the Right to Buy Land for Worship Center
In a move that Christian leaders consider an expression of increased hostility to Christendom in their country, Turkish authorities have denied a request by an established protestant church group to buy land that has already been zoned for religious use to build a worship center, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Church of England Appoints “Overseers” to Support Members Who Do Not Accept Same-Sex Marriage
Amid ongoing division and disagreement over LGBT issues in the Church of England, the CofE Evangelical Council (CEEC) has appointed “overseers” to provide informal alternative spiritual oversight (ASO) to clergy and parishes that do not accept same-sex marriage and who are struggling with their denomination’s progressive moves on the matter, Christian Today (CT) reports.
UK: Islamist Found Guilty of Attempting to Murder Iranian Christian Convert and Murdering Elderly Briton
An Islamist asylum seeker in the United Kingdom has been found guilty of attempting to kill his Iranian housemate for converting to Christianity and for murdering an elderly man he did not know on the street in Hartlepool, northern England, Christian Daily reports.
Ukraine: Christians Are Being Tortured, Expelled by Russian Forces, Church Leaders Say
Amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces have violently persecuted Ukrainian Christians by torturing them and removing them from their positions, a group of church leaders and rights advocates have told United States Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson.
Kosovo Christians Suffer Persecution, “It’s Not Easy For Us”
A Christian rights watchdog organization reports that Christians in Kosovo have been experiencing widespread persecution, Christian Daily reports. A small southeastern European country which separated from Serbia in 2008, Kosovo has a 93% Muslim population; just 6% of the population is Christian.
UK Police Will Pay Damages To Street Evangelist After Trying To Censor His speech
A British police force has agreed to pay damages in settlement of a lawsuit filed by a street preacher whom they ordered to stop making public statements that cast religions other than Christianity in a negative light, CBN News reports.
Britain: London Police Threaten To Arrest Christian Street Preacher
Police officers in the United Kingdom recently threatened to arrest a Christian who was preaching the Gospel of salvation on a London street after they received a call claiming he had made a homophobic statement through an amplifying device, the Daily Mail reports.