India: NGOs Forced to Not Engage in Religious Conversion
India’s Home Ministry announced new, stricter rules regulating the activities of foreign-funded NGOs where all individuals working for NGOs much pledge, on a notarized paper, that they will not engage in religious conversions or promote sectarian discord.
Iran: Bookseller Arrested for Selling Christian Literature
Mustafa Rahimi, an ordinary shopkeeper and unassuming citizen of the Islamic Republic of Iran, was arrested for the second time since June for selling Bibles in his bookstore, an illegal act in Iran.
Sudan: Despite Hopeful Signs, Sudan Fails First Test of Democracy
Sudan’s new transitional failed its first test of democracy, as police and government officials denied its people to peacefully assemble and to protest. Instead, they beat them with batons and shot tear gas into the crowds.
Pakistan: Christians Find Hope in Recent High Court Decision
On August 2, the Lahore High Court returned a Christian girl who had been forcefully converted to Islam to her parents. According to her family, Muskan, age 14, was taken from them after being forcefully converted to Islam by her Muslim employer.
China: Ten Commandments in Henan Replaced with Xi’s Quotations
According to Bitter Winter magazine, a state-run Three-Self church in a county of Luoyang city in the central province of Henan has replaced the Ten Commandments with President Xi Jinping’s quotes after repeated demands.
United States: Congress Needs to Reauthorize USCIRF
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is up for reauthorization by Congress, which will need to pass legislation funding the Commission’s mission for the years to come. USCIRF was created by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act and was last reauthorized in 2015.
Burkina Faso: Christians Victims of Growing Extremism
Over the past several years Burkina Faso has seen rising extremism coming south from its porous border with Mali. Although previous attacks have targeted government and
Pakistan: Christian Activists Under Threat
In the past month, International Christian Concern has documented multiple cases of Christian activists in Pakistan being targeted for speaking out against the oppression of their community.
India: Prime Minister Modi in Houston
On Sunday, September 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India will be in Houston, Texas for an event hosted by the Texas India Forum (TIF). Tens of thousands of individuals are expected to attend the “Howdy Modi” event at the NRG Stadium.
India: Church Requests Government Action
St. John Berchmans Inter College, a Jesuit school and hostel located in India’s Jharkhand state, has appealed to the government for help following an attack last week.
Iran: Government Considers Banning Christian Students
Iran’s Minister of Education, Mohsen Haji Mirzaei, commented at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that children who profess an unrecognized faith should be banned from school. He justified this suggestion by saying that these children are engaging in propaganda.
Vietnam: Six-Year-Old Girl Beaten Over Parents’ Faith
A six-year-old girl in Vietnam was savagely beaten because her parents decided to follow Christ, according to Christian persecution watchdog Open Doors UK.
India: Young Father Shocked at Why Relatives Attacked His Daughter and Him and Killed His Wife
An argument with his father escalates to a violent attack on a young man’s family, leaving his wife dead and his daughter traumatized in eastern India.
Somalia: Increased UN Sanctions on Al-Shabaab Denied
Kenya asked the United Nations to increase sanctions on al-Shabaab, the terrorist organization based in Somalia. This request was denied by six countries on the UN council, including Germany Belgium, Poland, France, Kuwait and the US.
Iran: Two Christians Begin Harsh Imprisonment
Two Iranian Christians were imprisoned by a religiously-biased national judiciary for their faith in Christ Jesus. In these past few years, the Christian community of the Islamic Republic of Iran has seen growing levels of popular and state-sponsored persecution.