UK: Local Muslims Persecute Converts from Islam
Two British converts from Islam have been plagued by the persistent presence of mobs outside of their home in Bradford.
Christian Persecution – Europe
Armenian Turks Convert back to Christianity
Twelve Armenians who were baptized last month in Istanbul were among the many former Muslims who are now openly embracing Christ after their ancestors were forced to follow Islam during the Armenian and Assyrian genocides that killed millions of Christians one century ago.
Turkey: Arson Attack at Bible Correspondence School
An electrical fire in Istanbul’s Bible Correspondence School on Dec. 7 is thought to have been from an arson attack after security cameras caught a man leaving the building just after the fire started, according to Barnabas Aid.
Turkey: Land Grab Threatens Return of Minorities
A lawyer in Diyarbakir estimated that land grabs have targeted thousands of Christians and Yazidis in southeastern Turkey, according to Al-Monitor.
Bakers Who Won’t make “Gay” Cake May Face Legal Action
A Christian bakery in Northern Ireland must pay compensation or face legal action after an equality commission declared that it was guilty of committing “unlawful religious, political and sexual orientation discrimination” for declining to bake a “gay” cake, according to Christian News.
Sweden: Midwife Fired for Refusing to Perform Abortions
A Scandinavian rights group has filed a lawsuit against the Swedish government on behalf of a Christian midwife who was fired for refusing to perform abortions, according to International Christian Concern.
Turkey: Church Website Blocked as ‘Porn’
A Turkish legislator is demanding an investigation into why the website of a Turkish church was classified as pornography and blocked online from Turkey’s Grand National Assembly, according to Morning Star News.
Police Probe “Incendiary” Church Sign
A Baptist church in the UK was recently investigated by police after displaying a sign suggesting that unbeleivers would “burn in hell,” according to the Mail Online.
Church of Scotland to debate ordination of gay people
Last year, the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly decided that it couldn’t condone same-sex marriages or civil partnerships, yet its commissioners approved a proposal that allowed individual congregations to hire gay ministers while the assembly continues to debate their ordination.
New Hungarian Law Strips Registration from Churches
The European Court of Human Rights recently ruled that a Hungarian law had violated the rights of churches and other religious groups by stripping them of their state registrations, according to Barnabas Aid.
Turkey: Confessed Killers of Christians Freed on Bail
Under a new Turkish law, five confessed Christian killers slated to be released on bail will instead remain under house arrest, according to Morning Star News.
Detained for distributing Greek New Testaments in Greece
Almost 60 Christians from around the world were detained last month for distributing Greek New Testaments to Greeks, according to Assist News Service.
Hungarian Constitutional Changes Threaten its Religious Freedom
The Hungarian government has been criticized for changes to the country’s constitution that threaten religious freedoms and other rights.
UK: Landmark victory in legal battle
A Christian woman has won a court case concerning her right to visibly wear a cross in the workplace.
Wolves in sheep’s clothing foiled in plot to kill Shepherd
Two wolves who infiltrated a Turkish congregation were among more than a dozen suspects arrested as police foiled a plot to assassinate the pastor.
Turkey: Prosecutor pulled from murder trial
A prosecutor probing a possible link between the assassination of a Christian newspaper editor and the Malatya murders of Turkish Christians was abruptly transferred last week to another court.
Pakistan Among World’s Worst Violators of Religious Freedoms
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended that the Secretary of State name Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern in its 2012 Annual Report.
After years of “red tape,” Christians in Turkey finally open House Church
Protestants in the eastern Turkish province of Van have finally succeeded in opening a house church after seven years of struggling with local bureaucracies, yet they are still concerned by the hostile rhetoric coming from their local officials.
British Christian Doctor Faces Dismissal Over Faith Talk
A British family doctor defended suggesting faith in Jesus Christ to a patient last year despite facing disciplinary action and concerns he could lose his job.
Kazakhstan Christians Face Hardship After Presidential Poll, group says
Kazakh Christians gathering without government approval were expected to face more punishments after officials said Kazakhstan’s long-time President Nursultan Nazarbayev won Sunday’s presidential poll.