Government authorities in Tajikistan appear to be enforcing an existing law that prohibits religious instruction for children. According to Christian contacts in the country, officials from the KGB and the Committee of Religion visited several churches recently, issuing written warnings against children’s religious education. Although
A Christian teenager was abducted and forcefully converted to Islam last month. The abductors are now using Pakistan’s legal system to keep the abducted Christian girl, who they claim has embraced Islam. On 6 February, Sadaf Maish, age 13, of Cholistan, Wichra Bangla, Bahawalpur was
UPDATE 22 March 2019: Thank you for your prayers, our brother has now had surgery. Please pray for his recovery and his safety. Our persecuted brother in Vietnam is in need of our prayers for healing. Brother Y was recently released from prison after serving
Four Christian women from the Farooq-e-Azam neighbourhood of Karachi, Pakistan were falsely accused of blasphemy on 19 February. Following the false accusation, a mob of enraged Muslims attacked the Christian-majority neighbourhood, leading to the displacement of Christian families. The incident began in January, when Fayaz
Iranian cleric Hujjat al-Islam Naser Rafiei delivered a speech in Qom (home to the largest Islamic seminary in Iran) which warned against the spread of Christianity throughout the country. He specifically named house churches and evangelical networks as an attraction for Iranian youth whose faith
An Indian man who had become a Christian last year was killed and beheaded in eastern India earlier this month. On 11 February, Anant Ram Gand, 40, was taken from his home in the village of Raigarh Tehsil, in the district of Nabarangapur, Odisha, by
On 19 February 2018, at 5:30pm, Boko Haram entered the town of Dapchi, Nigeria, wearing military uniforms and driving trucks mounted with machine guns. They approached the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College (GGSTC) and ordered 110 schoolgirls to enter their trucks. They then disappeared
The town of Alaba Kulito in southern Ethiopia was the scene of a horrific attack against Christians on 9 February. According to a VOM Canada source, at least 13 churches were burned — some completely destroyed — along with other church-owned property. While there were
Pastor Leider Molina, 24, had just finished preaching in his church in Caucasia, Antioquia state in north-west Colombia, on Friday 9 February. As he stepped outside, he was hit by five bullets. Molina was known as a passionate preacher and an active youth leader working
Pastor Tun Nu was last seen alive on the evening of 19 January, when an armed rebel group forced him to leave his home, telling Nu their leader wanted to question him. Pastor Nu had been a missionary with Gospel for Asia in a troubled
A government office in Henan province announced on 28 January that a hotline has been established to report “illegal religious activities”. The announcement from the Wenfeng Street Community Office promised confidentiality and offered cash rewards. The announcement also threatened fines of up to $41,350 AUD
As the government tightens its control of religious life in Cuba, Christians there expect it to become more difficult to bring Bibles into the country. The need for Bibles continues to increase as more people come to Christ through the faithful witness of the local
A Pakistani lower court acquitted a Christian of blasphemy after a three-year trial – for lack of evidence against him. Normally blasphemy cases are passed along to higher courts. However, on 19 January, a lower court judge accepted the application for acquittal, though allowing the
Mrs Han, a North Korean defector, is determined to share her faith with her countrymen. After defecting a few years ago, Mrs Han came to know Christ in South Korea. She then joined a VOM training program for defectors that teaches the basic tenants of
Iranian Christians request prayer for two converts who were recently arrested and detained. On 23 January, Sina Moloudian, was arrested in Esfahan and then on 25 January Ismaeil Maghrebinejad was arrested in Shiraz. Iranian intelligence agents arrived at the house of Sina Moloudian (26) without
Pakistan’s top court has rejected a challenge to the acquittal of a Christian woman on blasphemy charges. The Supreme Court upheld its decision to overturn Asia Bibi’s conviction and death sentence. She was originally convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting the Prophet Mohammed
Christians in Algeria request prayer for a congregation in the Kayblie region, which faces ongoing pressure from the authorities. After officials sealed the church building in October, the congregation continued to meet for worship in a tent erected in the church yard. On 28 January,
A Christian family living just outside Nairobi, Kenya has been facing attack and threats by a local group of Muslims. Hassan has been beaten on multiple occasions, the most recent attack occurred on 19 January. His family has received constant death threats and bribes to
Two years after an attack by radical Hindus left him nearly comatose, Dr Anjaneya Swami is gradually improving. The evangelist was hospitalised with a brain haemorrhage in 2017 following the attack and subsequent police interrogation. He had been distributing Gospel tracts near a Hindu temple
Three months after her acquittal of a blasphemy charge, Asia Bibi is still living like a prisoner, hiding from angry mobs in Pakistan who want her dead. A friend of Bibi who wasn’t identified has stated that the Christian mother of five ─ who was
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