(Christian Solidarity Worldwide) — Iranian Christian Fatemeh Bakhteri (Aylar) was released from prison on April 12. Bakhteri, 35, from the city of Rasht, is from a Muslim background and is a member of the Church of Iran denomination. She was sentenced to 12 months in prison on Sept. 22, 2018 after being found guilty of […]
(Evangelical Focus) — Confinement due to the coronavirus world crisis does not prevent people from serving others. A group of women from the Buenas Noticias (Good News) evangelical church in the Spanish city of Lugo are an example of that. A few weeks ago, one of the women in the church learned of the […]
(International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that a house church pastor in China’s Hunan province was arrested on April 2, after being criminally detained since March 14 for “inciting subversion of state power.” On April 11, Bethel Church sent out an urgent prayer request for its pastor, Zhao Huaiguo, asking for […]
(Morning Star News) – When a convert from Islam in Iran was sentenced to two years in exile in Sarbaz last year, the judge warned him that religious extremists in the remote desert town would treat him harshly. When Ebrahim Firoozi arrived in November to southwest Iran near the border with Pakistan, though, he discovered […]
JOS, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Muslim Fulani herdsmen in north-central Nigeria on Tuesday (April 7) killed a pastor and three members of his congregation, including a 10-year-old boy, sources said. In an attack on Ngbra Zongo village, near Miango in Plateau State’s Bassa County, the herdsmen shot and killed Matthew Tagwai, pastor of an Evangelical Church […]
(Morning Star News) – Intelligence officials in Cuba have increased harassment of an independent journalist, summoning the Christian and his mother twice in the past two weeks to threaten harsh consequences if he continues reporting on human rights issues, sources said. As part of his Christian calling, Yoe Suárez has reported for non-state media outlets […]
(International Christian Concern) – On March 24, India’s Prime Minister announced a 21-day lockdown to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. This sudden announcement gave India’s 1.3 billion citizens only hours to prepare for the lockdown that is widely considered the largest and strictest in the world. Among the activities prohibited by the national lockdown are religious gatherings of […]
(The Christian Institute) — A Christian minister is suing a Belfast hotel after it ordered him to halt a public meeting in support of [biblical] marriage. Hotel staff interrupted the event, attended by more than 50 members of the public, and told Harry Coulter to finish immediately. Coulter told The Christian Institute, who is supporting […]
(International Christian Concern) – Responding to a February letter from International Christian Concern, Sam Brownback — U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom — wrote this week to express his alarm over the October 2019 abduction of Huma Younus, a 14-year old girl from Pakistan who was kidnapped, forced to convert from Christianity to […]
(The Christian Institute) — A baby in England who underwent pioneering in-womb spina bifida surgery has celebrated her first birthday at home in lockdown. Kieron and Bethan Simpson from Essex refused to have an abortion after their daughter was diagnosed with the condition. Bethan described Elouise as “happy and smiley” and said her future is […]