Islamic State to Christians in Mosul: Convert or Die
The Islamic State have distributed leaflets to Christians in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul threatening to kill them if they don’t convert, according to Breitbart News.
Christian Persecution – Middle East
Christian Pastor Arrested in Iran
Iranian security forces have arrested three Christians including a pastor, according to Christian Today.
Patriarch Appeals for Missing Nuns, Orphans
Iraq’s Patriarch has appealed for the release of two nuns and three orphans who have been missing in Mosul, according to Yahoo News.
Islamic State Demands Tax From Christians; Rapes Those Who Can’t Pay
The Islamic State (IS) has been brutally enforcing Islamic laws in Mosul, according to the Assyrian International News Agency.
Iran: Pastor Irani Returned to Prison
Pastor Behnam Irani, who was assaulted by his own guards and transferred to a then unknown location on June 7, has been returned to Ghezal Hesar Prison, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
ISIS Begins Imposing Poll Tax on Christians in Mosul
The High Commission for Human Rights in Iraq has confirmed that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant has begun imposing the jizya or poll tax on Christians in Mosul, according to the Assyrian International News Agency.
Christian Refugees Flood Out of Mosul
Bodies of Christians covered the streets of Iraq’s second-largest city after Sunni jihadists seized a town that Iraqi Christians had thought was their last refuge, according to Christian Headlines.com.
Iran: Pastor Irani Beaten in Prison and Taken to Unknown Location
Christian Solidarity Worldwide has learned that imprisoned Pastor Behnam Irani — who was sentenced in 2011 to six years on political charges — was beaten and transferred to an unknown location Saturday.
Status of Six Christians Detained in Tehran Uncertain
Six Farsi-speaking Christians who were arrested while celebrating Easter are still being held in custody at an unknown location, according to Mohabat News.
Syria: Maaloula’s Christian Sites Sacked By Rebels
An official report by the Directorate General of Antiquities has documented the destruction inflicted on Maaloula and its historical sites by Islamist rebel fighters after pro-Assad forces had regained the Syrian city, according to International Christian Concern.
Iranian Pastor Injured by Prison Guards
An imprisoned Iranian pastor was injured in an attack by his own guards last week, according to Barnabas Aid.
Mental Torture is Common in Iranian Prisons
Life for minorities in Iran is deteriorating as the Islamic Republic continues to restrict religious non-Muslims by closing their churches, through mass arrests with lengthy sentences, or even exile to remote locales, according to Mohabat News.
Homes of Christians Fleeing Iraq Seized by Gangs
Gangs in Baghdad are seizing homes left vacant by Christian families who have been forced to flee from sectarian violence, according to Barnabas Aid.
Abedini: God has chosen us for this ordeal
The wife of an American pastor serving eight years in Iran for his Christian faith said God had chosen their family for this ordeal to reach people in despair.
Syrian Islamists Kill 80 Christians, Displace Thousands More
Eighty Christians were killed and thousands more displaced after Islamic militants attacked the strategic Syrian town of Kessab near the Turkish border on March 21, according to Barnabas Aid.
Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
During a press conference in Geneva this month, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran released his latest report, according to Barnabas Aid.
Christians Warned Not to Support Assad
Using the Twitter social networking site, Lebanon’s March 14 General Secretariat Coordinator warned Christians that backing President Bashar al-Assad would backfire on their own communities, according to NOW news.
Twenty-two Christians killed in Nigeria
International Christian Concern has reported that 22 Christians were killed in an assault on a worship service in northeastern Nigeria Sunday morning.
Call to Protect Syria’s Christians
The World Evangelical Alliance has called for the protection of Syria’s Christian population ahead of the upcoming peace conference in Geneva, according to International Christian Concern.
Lebanon: Historic Christian-owned library torched
A blasphemy allegation may have led to an arson attack on an historic library owned by a church leader in Lebanon this month, according to Barnabas Aid.