Syria: Monk Abducted from Monastery
A Syrian Catholic monk of the Mar Elian Monastery has been abducted by armed jihadists.
Christian Persecution – Middle East
Iran Threatens Imprisoned Pastor
Iranian authorities have been threatening to hold an imprisoned American-Iranian pastor in prison indefinitely, according to Morning Star News.
Syrian Christians killed, wounded in Aleppo
Armenians in Aleppo — the largest city in Syria — have been under siege since Holy Week from rocket attacks that have killed 30 and injured almost 60.
ISIS Demands $30 Million to Free Christian Hostages
Islamic State militants are demanding up to $30 million in ransom to release the hundreds of Christian hostages in Syria, according to an officer within the Assyrian leadership.
“Iran Must Know Where We Stand”
Naghmeh Abedini said the world was waiting to see if America’s leaders would protect religious freedom while her husband, Pastor Saeed Abedini, remained imprisoned for his faith in Iran, according to CBN News.
Iranian Christian Still Imprisoned After Sentence Ends
An Iranian convert to Christ who should have been released after completing his sentence on Jan. 13 continues to be held in Rajaei-Shahr prison in Karaj, according to Barnabas Aid.
Syrian Christian sends Desperate Letter from Aleppo
A Christian doctor in Aleppo has recently updated Barnabas Fund about the desperate conditions in Syria after almost four years of continuous civil war.
House Church Leader’s Whereabouts Unknown
Pastor Ebrahim Hossin-Zadeh was arrested last month in Shiraz, Iran, by officers from the Ministry of Information, according to Barnabas Aid.
Convictions Overturned, Two Iranian Christians Freed
An Iranian court has overturned the six-year sentences handed down to three converts to Christ for being members of a church, according to International Christian Concern.
Christian families are stranded in ISIS-controlled Raqqa
The Islamic State is forcing the remaining Christian families in Raqqa to pay the jizya or protection tax, according to Christian Today.
Attacks on Jerusalem Church Met with Official Indifference
Police have refused to respond to a series of crimes ranging from theft to an assault in October that bloodied three Christians, according to Morning Star News.
ISIS Militants Booby-trap Christian Homes
A Christian who fled his village in northern Iraq claimed that ISIS jihadists are placing explosives in Christian homes just in case they decide to return, according to the Christian Post.
IS Publish Prices for Christian Slaves
The Islamic State has published the prices that captured Christian and Yazidi women and children are to be sold for, according to Barnabas Aid.
Despite ‘Reform,’ Iran’s non-Muslims Face prison, execution
According to a soon to be released UN report, Iran’s Islamic Republic has raided worship services, shut down licensed churches, arrested Christians and subjected converts to Christ to death threats and psychological abuse.
Iranian Christians Sentenced to Six Years in Prison
Authorities have sentenced Behnam Irani and two other Christian leaders to six years in prison for their involvement with Iran’s underground house churches, according to Morning Star News.
Deported Messianic Jew to Appeal Supreme Court
A British messianic Jew deported from Israel last year for participating in an evangelistic outreach will appeal his case to the nation’s supreme court, according to Morning Star News.
Iraq: Nothing Done for Displaced Christians
An Iraqi bishop whose community has taken in more than 70,000 displaced Christians is dismayed that the government in Baghdad has failed to offer any assistance, according to Patheos.
Christian Women Raped by ISIS
Barnabas Aid has learned that women and girls being held captive by ISIS at Mosul’s Badush Prison have been given the choice to either convert to Islam, or suffer rape on a daily basis until they change their minds.
Islamic State Destroys Armenian Church
Jihadists from the Islamic State have destroyed a Syrian church that memorialized the Armenian Genocide in which more than a million Armenian and Assyrian Christians died at the hands of Turkish Muslims.
Attacks on Church in East Jerusalem Increase
Attacks by violent Muslims have increased in intensity against a Christian congregation in East Jerusalem.