Christian Persecution

Urgent Appeal to Halt Execution of North Korean Christians

YUNNAN PROVINCE, PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (ANS) — Christian Solidarity Worldwide is raising urgent concern for a group of North Koreans who are in the process of being sent back to North Korea, where they are in danger of execution.

Pakistan’s Christians Told to ‘Protect Themselves’

ISTANBUL, September 9 (Compass) — In the wake of two more deadly terrorist attacks against Christian institutions in Pakistan in early August, government security officials have advised local church leaders to arm themselves for possible assaults by Muslim extremists.

Pakistan Sentences Another Christian to Death

ISTANBUL, July 1 (Compass) — Another Christian was sentenced to death in Pakistan two days ago, joining Ayub Masih in the line-up of Pakistani Christians on death row for alleged blasphemy against Islam.

Christians Secretly Forced to Re-Convert to Hinduism in India

BANGALORE, India (Compass) — The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Organization, VHP) is secretly conducting large-scale conversion drives in India’s Marxist-ruled state of West Bengal. More than 16 tribal Christians were forced to re-convert to Hinduism on April 22 at a purification ceremony in Chopra village in the Malda district about 300 kilometers from Calcutta, NGO sources said. Ten other animist tribals were also converted to Hinduism in the village.

Mob Destroys Church in South Sulawesi, Indonesia

SOUTH SULAWESI, INDONESIA (ANS) — A mob has destroyed a church in the predominantly Muslim city of Makassar in South Sulawesi, according to a report from The Barnabas Fund.

U.S. Missionary Hostage Killed in Philippine Rescue Attempt

AUSTIN, Texas, June 7 (Compass) — Kidnapped American missionary Martin Burnham was killed today in a Philippine military raid to rescue him, his wife, Gracia, and a Filipina nurse, New Tribes Mission (NTM) has confirmed.

Vietnam: Christians Denied Right to Exist

Christians in Vietnam are virtually being denied the right to exist, according to a visit there by a representative of a Washington, DC, based ministry recently.

Vietnam: Hmong Believers in Crucible of Persecution

Reports out of Vietnam indicate that tribal believers, especially among the Hmong, are being cruelly pressured by the government to give up their faith and return to animism.

Vietnam: 14 Tribal Pastors Sent to Undisclosed Prison

A confidential contact told Christian Aid Monday that 14 Vietnamese pastors were arrested in that country’s Central Highlands in the last two weeks. The exact location of these pastors is not certain.

Open Doors Asks For Prayers After Church in Turkey Forced to Close its Doors

SANTA ANA, CA (ANS) — Turkish security police ordered a Protestant Christian congregation meeting for 40 years in the southeastern port city of Iskenderun to close its doors in mid-June, declaring the church had “no legal basis” and that its activities were harmful to society, Compass Direct reported today.

Turkish Pastor Put On Trial In Diyarbakir

ISTANBUL, May 7 (Compass) — Protestant pastor Ahmet Guvener goes on trial in Turkey’s southeastern city of Diyarbakir in late May, accused by the state prosecutor of making illegal changes in the architectural plan of his nearly completed church building.

Two Foreign Christians Remain Held by Saudi Authorities

SANTA ANA, CA (ANS) — Terry Madison, U.S. president and CEO of Open Doors with Brother Andrew has said that Saudi Arabia’s treatment of two expatriate Christians is further proof of why this desert Kingdom is among the world’s worst persecutor of Christians.

Last Two Christian Prisoners Deported From Saudi Arabia

ISTANBUL, April 1 (Compass) — An Ethiopian and Filipino Christian jailed since last summer in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah were released and deported to their home countries over Easter weekend.

Russia: Protestants Evicted From Rented Halls

In mid-April four Protestant churches – the charismatic Cornerstone Church and Free Church, the Baptist Free Bible Church and an unregistered Pentecostal congregation – were all evicted from state premises which they had been renting for worship services in the capital of Tatarstan, Kazan.

Uzbekistan: Harsh Measures Against Protestants in Karakalpakstan

he authorities in Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic in the north-west of Uzbekistan, are trying to halt the spread of Christianity among Karakalpakstan’s native peoples (Uzbeks, Kazakhs and Karakalpaks, who are historically Muslims),

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