Results for "Persecution"

DAPCHI, Nigeria – Leah Sharibu is 15 years old. She is one of more than a hundred Nigerian school girls who are either missing or held in captivity by the Boko Haram. Although the terrorist group, known for kidnapping school girls en masse, agreed to return the girls in exchange for the release of several… Continue reading Nigerian Girl Refuses to Renounce Christ Remains Captive of Boko Haram

Turkish Army Takes Afrin, Syria from Kurds AFRIN, Syria – Turkish forces have overtaken the Syrian town of Afrin, driving the Kurdish forces out. To most readers in the Western Hemisphere, this news has little relevance. Most us have no idea who’s who or what is where in the conflict in Syria. The situation for… Continue reading Christians Concerned About Turkish Presence in Syria

SHYMKENT, Kazakhstan – A Christian Kazak woman who had been charged with “illegal missionary activity” was acquitted on 13 March by the South Kazakhstan Regional Court. Her illegal activity? Showing another woman how to download a Bible app on her smartphone. The woman for whom she downloaded the app then file a complaint with the… Continue reading Kazakh Woman Not Guilty of Illegal Missionary Activity

ISLAMABAD – It has been a rule of law that citizens of Pakistan must self-identify their religion on their passports. Now a judge on the Islamabad High Court has extended the rule to greater lengths. In a ruling delivered on Friday, 09 March 2018, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui has ordered that Pakistan citizens must also… Continue reading Pakistan Judge Rules Citizens Must Declare Their True Religious Faith

NASHVILLE – Mohabat TV, the media arm of Heart4Iran, has received the highly-coveted 2018 International Impact Award from the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) at their annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee. Mohabat TV and Heart4Iran work in collaboration with more than 80 other ministries to spread the Gospel in the Middle East. The satellite TV network… Continue reading Mohabat TV Receives International Impact Award

Syrian Christians are part of one of the oldest churches in the world. They used to be one of the major political forces in Syria , until ISIS started coming after Christians because they believe in an all Islamic state, also known as a Caliphate. BBC explains, “The founder of the Baath Party, which has ruled… Continue reading Syrian Christians Displaced But Helping Others in Need

In October 1967, Richard Wurmbrand wrote a book called Tortured for Christ, which marked the beginning of Voice of the Martyrs, a ministry which seeks to equip those who are persecuted to share Christ’s love with those around them. Tortured for Christ is the account of Wurmbrand’s life in Communist Romania at the time of… Continue reading Voice of the Martyrs Celebrates its 50th Anniversary

QARAQOSH, Iraq – If home is where the heart is, what happens when you are forced to leave your home, then return to find it destroyed? That is what has happened to Christians under siege in Iraq returning to their homes in Qaraqosh on the Plains of Nineveh in the aftermath of the conflict with… Continue reading Open Doors Restoring Homes Destroyed by War in Iraq

LA PAZ, Bolivia – Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales Ayma, addressed a national television audience on January 21st, following protestations by representatives of the country’s National Association of Evangelicals opposed to a section of a new penal code that would have made it a crime to evangelize. Section 88.11 of the code stated, “whoever recruits, transports,… Continue reading [UPDATE] Bolivia’s President Requests Repeal of New Penal Code

PAKISTAN – Earlier this month officials in Abbottabad closed six unregistered house churches within the district for security reasons. It had not been clear what those security issues were. Meetings between officials and members of the All Pastor Association Abbottabad have clarified the security issues. As a further result, officials agreed to re-open the churches… Continue reading [Update] Pakistan House Churches Reopen

PAKISTAN – Earlier this month officials in Abbottabad closed six unregistered house churches within the district for security reasons. Abbottabad is located about 75 miles north of Islamabad, the district captured the attention of Americans when it was discovered that Osama bin Laden had been residing there. The district is home to the Pakistan Military… Continue reading Officials May Close All House Churches in Pakistan

Police in the aftermath of the attack. (Source: BBC, EPA) CAIRO (MENAFN – Jordan Times) – Egypt will extend its nationwide state of emergency for three months from January 13th to help tackle ‘the dangers and funding of terrorism,’ state news agency MENA said on Tuesday. Egypt first imposed the current state of emergency last… Continue reading UPDATE: Egypt Extends State of Emergency after Coptic Church Attack

News from the nation’s capital has Americans attuned to the battles between Republican and Democrats and liberals and conservatives over immigration, tax reform, healthcare, and government spending. Regardless of the subject at hand, until the recent passage of the tax reform bill, issues that many believe should be of major importance to America and the… Continue reading President Trump’s Nominee for Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Stalled

Hyderabad, India – When Jesus told his disciples that the gates of Hell would not prevail against the church, He didn’t say that the church would never come under attack. The concept of prevailing implies attack. Christianity has been under attack for 2,000 years. There is no indication, from the Bible or from current events,… Continue reading Evangelical Entrapment Growing in India

Photo by aflaanta std In March, there was an attack on a boat holding Somali refugees. At least 46 people were killed and 39 were injured. CNN reported, “At least 42 people died and 39 were injured in the Friday incident, the United Nations’ refugee agency said. Some 160 people reportedly were on board, according… Continue reading Somali Refugee Boat Shot

Photo by Firdaus Latif Pope Francis traveled to visit the Rohingya in Myanmar to see the conditions they live in. There he prayed for them and condemned the violence against them. Per CNN, “Pope Francis prayed for Rohingya refugees during a general audience on Wednesday, decrying violence against them ‘simply because they uphold their Muslim… Continue reading Pope Visits Rohingya

Photo by Yaroh Dauda In May, 82 of the Chibok girls that were kidnapped by Boko Haram were released by their kidnappers. Per CNN, “Eighty-two Chibok schoolgirls have been released after negotiations between the terrorist group Boko Haram and the Nigerian government, the President’s office said.” One father was skeptical of the news of their… Continue reading 82 Chibok Girls Released

SA 3.0 Kim Jong Un sends laborers into countries such as Russia to work and make a profit for the government. Per Fox News, “Brutal North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is shipping tens of thousands of impoverished citizens to Russia for the hard currency his cash-strapped regime desperately needs, Fox News has found.” The… Continue reading Kim Jong Un Sends North Korean Slaves to Russia

Photo by currybet Recently, it was uncovered that Qatar, a Middle Eastern country, has ties to Hamas. Hamas is a Palestinian terrorist group, which seeks to eradicate the Israeli state. Qatar provides funding for Hamas. Per CNN, “‘Qatar is quite important for Hamas,’ said H.A. Hellyer, a senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council. ‘Qatar… Continue reading Qatar Supports Hamas

Photo by PH1 R. ORIEZ There has been a Civil War raging in Somalia between the Somali military and a terrorist group, known as Al-Shabaab. In June, Al-Shabaab attacked two restaurants in a car bombing and sniper attack. Per Fox News, “Al-Shabab, a Somalia-based extremist group that often targets popular areas in the country’s capital,… Continue reading Terrorist Group Attacks Restaurants

Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas Last November, a terrorist in Indonesia bombed a church. This was not the first time he had done terrorist activities. In this case, the terrorist threw a Molotov cocktail at the church. Per Time Magazine, “A man formerly convicted of terrorist offenses has been arrested for allegedly throwing a Molotov… Continue reading Indonesian Church Bombing

  By Kok Leng Yeo from Singapore Last August, North Korea was flooded. This was due to Typhoon Lionrock hitting the country. Fox News reports, “Typhoon Lionrock, amplified by a low-pressure system in the region, created floods that submerged, severely damaged or destroyed 30,000 homes and displaced 70,000 people.” North Korea tried to get aid, only… Continue reading Flooding in North Korea

Photo by Christiaan Briggs Iraqi refugees have returned to their homes in the Nineveh region. Yet, what they discovered deeply grieved them. According to Fox News, “There were gasps, followed by tears at a small church in northern Iraq as a group of Christians returned to their parish Sunday to find that everything had been… Continue reading Iraqi refugees return home

  Photo by Medina Dauda One of 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram along with their baby returned to Chibok. According to NewsWeek, “One of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by jihadist group Boko Haram from their school in northeast Nigeria’s Chibok in 2014 has been found by soldiers, a Nigerian army spokesman said on… Continue reading Chibok girl and baby released from Boko Haram

Foudeelau China used to be on a one-child policy until 2016, when they realized the population was decreasing, due to the fact most of the population was elderly. Per CNN, “But the low birth rate created a number of serious demographic challenges. Today, China faces a rapidly aging population and a shortage of working-age residents,… Continue reading China’s Two-Child Policy

The Myanmar military is cracking down on Myanmar’s minorities, particularly the Rohingya. Many of them flee into Bangladesh. CNN reports, “Authorities in neighboring Bangladesh said dozens of people have attempted to flee across the border in recent days.” Those in Myanmar think that the Rohingya are Bangladesh citizens and as such are there illegally, even… Continue reading Myanmar’s crackdown on ethnic minorities

By Agência Brasil Fotografias The Rio refugee team was the first of its kind in the Olympics. Never before had there been a team of refugees in Olympic history. UNCHR reports, “Hailing the first-ever refugee team as “true Olympians”, UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Kelly T. Clements has praised its 10 members of for helping to… Continue reading The Rio Refugee Team

In a national vote, Colombians rejected a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People’s Army, also known as FARC, which was intended to end 52 years of guerrilla warfare. The referendum’s failure to pass follows four years of negotiations between President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC, which Cuba hosted and facilitated. Colombians rejected… Continue reading Colombia peace deal with rebels rejected

In the midst of chaos and destruction caused by ISIS in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere, reports of Christian conversion among ISIS fighters are emerging thanks to the distribution of Bibles by Open Doors. One pastor reports about an angry man coming to his door and threatening to behead him. The pastor remembered the words of… Continue reading ISIS recruits hearing about Christ, coming to faith

After a wave of gruesome violence that included hacking victims to death, the Bangladesh government has arrested more than 11,000 people. Among those arrested were 150 members of Jama’atul Mujahedin Bangladesh, an Islamist group that the country had previously banned. The targeted victims include Hindus, Christians, Sufi Muslims, activists and foreigners. The group’s actions have… Continue reading Bangladesh government cracks down on terrorism

  After an estimated 2,500 refugee drownings in the Mediterranean Sea and scores of immigrants settling in makeshift camps throughout Paris, Mayor Anne Hidalgo has announced a new plan for her city. “Paris will not stand by and do nothing as the Mediterranean becomes a graveyard of refugees,” Hidalgo said as she announced the establishment… Continue reading Paris Mayor announces new refugee resettlement center as “The Jungle” closes