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.
Christian Persecution
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.
Nigeria: Prominent Christian Politician Found Dead After Abduction From Church
Prominent Nigerian evangelist and politician Joan Onyemaechi Mrakpor, who was abducted from her church in Nigeria’s Delta state on July 30, was found dead in a river on August 1, her body naked and showing signs of torture, the Gist Mania news outlet reports.
Rwanda: Authorities Close More Than 4,000 Churches on Health and Safety Grounds
Authorities in Christian-majority Rwanda have closed more than 4,000 small churches in the last month, on the grounds they did not comply with health and safety regulations, BBC News 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.
Nigeria: Fulani Terrorists Murder Christian Farmers, “The Government’s Failure to Protect Christians Has Strengthened the Militants”
Fulani jihadist herdsmen murdered two Christian farmers and severely wounded three others during attacks on Christian-owned farms in northern Nigeria last week, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
China: Evangelical Christian Leader Sentenced to Five Years in Prison
An evangelical Christian leader in Guizhou Province, China has been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on unfounded charges of fraud and “inciting subversion of state power,” Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports.
Uganda: Muslim Father Burns Christian Daughter With Flat Iron for Leaving Islam
A newly Christian 19-year-old girl in Uganda was burned with a flat iron by her Muslim father after he learned she had left Islam, Morning Star News reports. Christianity is legal in Uganda but converts from Islam are vulnerable to violent attacks from Muslim extremist relatives if they choose to leave Islam for Jesus.
Chinese Christian Leader Arrives in US for Medical Care after 16 Years in Jail, “I Pray Constantly”
Chinese Christian leader and veteran political dissident Zhu Yufu, 71, has arrived in the US for urgent cancer treatment after spending 16 years in prison in China, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Somalia: Christian Convert violently assaulted by Islamic relatives, “Pray for our protection in this hostile anti-Christian community”
A Christian convert in Somalia has been repeatedly brutally attacked by Muslim relatives demanding he return to Islam, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Iran’s New President Not Expected to Relieve Christian Persecution
Christians in Iran are not expecting the country’s new president to improve the harsh persecution they face at the hands of the Iranian Islamic extremist regime, 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.
Nigeria: Fulani Terrorists Massacre 18 Christians in Their Beds
Fulani Islamic terrorists massacred a further 18 Christians in central Nigeria on Friday (July 19), Morning Star News (MSN) reports. With Islamic extremism taking root in Nigeria since 2009, tens of thousands of Christians have been murdered with impunity by jihadist terrorists including Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram, and Islamic State West Africa Province.
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.
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.
DRC: Islamic Terrorists Murder Three Christians, “We Are Praying to God to Bring This to an End”
Continuing a campaign of slaughter and horror against Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), terrorists affiliated with Islamic State murdered three Christians and kidnapped others during an attack on their village near Mamove on July 16, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.