Tag: Converts

Egypt’s Hegazy sentenced to one year in prison

December 30, 2014 Egypt Apostasy, Converts, Egypt, Islamic extremism, Minya, Mohammed Hegazy, Upper Egypt

Mohammed Hegazy, the first Egyptian citizen to attempt to change his legal religious identity from Muslim to Christian, was sentenced to a year in prison on one charge and acquitted of two other charges at a Dec. 28 hearing in the Misdemeanor Court in Minya, Upper Egypt. According to Mideast . . . Read More

In Malaysia, Christmas decried as ‘ploy’ to lead Muslims astray

December 25, 2014 Malaysia 'Allah', Bibles, Borneo, Christmas, Converts, Hizb ut-Tahrir, Hudud, Kuala Lumpur, Najib Razak, Selangor

A billboard in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, appeals to national unity in a February 2014 photo. Rising fundamentalist Islam put increased pressure on minorities in the country’s famously multicultural society during the year.Courtesy Open Doors International For Malaysian Christians, 2014 has been a year when they had to dig deep . . . Read More

Egyptian bishop advocates for convert rights

December 11, 2014 Egypt Churches, Constitution, Converts, Egypt, Religious freedom

Bishop Mounir Hanna Anis of the Episcopal Diocese of Egypt has declared that Egyptian Muslims who become Christians should be issued identity cards and other official documents, just as they are granted to citizens who convert to Islam from other religions. “The Egyptian Constitution guarantees freedom of belief. However, not all . . . Read More

Bail granted for pastors nearly mobbed for sharing their faith in Bangladesh

November 18, 2014 Bangladesh Bangladesh, Baptism, Converts, Islamic extremism, Jamaat-e-Islami, Lalmonirhat, Sharia

Two Bangladeshi pastors have been released on bail today after having been arrested and nearly mobbed by about 200 Muslims who gathered to attack a Christian meeting they were leading in northern Bangladesh. Around noon on Nov 9, in a village in the northern district of Lalmonirhat, locals were outraged . . . Read More

India minister says no special caste status for Christians

October 27, 2014 India BJP, Caste, Converts, Dalits, Haryana, Maharashtra

Winnowing grain in a Dalit village near Madurai, Tamil Nadu. 2006 photo.Matteo / Flickr / Creative Commons India should not extend government job and education assistance to the country’s poorest Christians, India’s social justice minister, Thavar Chand Gehlot, said this month. For one thing, he said, there are no . . . Read More

Amidst political turmoil, continuing blasphemy charges for Pakistani Christians

October 2, 2014 Pakistan Blasphemy, Converts, Faisalabad, Islamic extremism, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Punjab, Sweepers, Taliban

Naja Maish his wife and family with TVS TeamCourtesy of The Voice Society Christians have continued to be accused of blasphemy against Islam, in three separate recent cases in Pakistan. In one, a group of 35 was briefly accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammed before the charge was quickly . . . Read More

An old story under India’s new government

September 7, 2014 India BJP, Converts, Elections, Hindu nationalism, Narendra Modi, Seventh-day Adventists, Uttar Pradesh

The Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, is the political home to India’s Hindu nationalist movement. Following rallies such as this one in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, in May, the BJP rolled to landslide victories in national parliamentary elections.Narendra Modi / Flickr / Creative Commons More than 600 attacks on minority . . . Read More

Indian villages outlaw Christian practices

July 17, 2014 India BJP, Chhattisgarh, Converts, Hindutva, Vishva Hindu Parishad

Several villages in central India have outlawed the open practice of Christianity – a move of questionable legality yet one that worries church leaders who say it already has encouraged anti-Christian violence. “The situation is becoming worse. The anti-Christian propaganda is becoming stronger,” Arun Pannalal, president of Chhattisgarh Christian Forum, . . . Read More

Afghani Christian convert being hunted

July 1, 2014 Afghanistan Afghanistan, Apostasy, Converts

The NY Times has a story about Josef a former Muslim, from Afghanistan, who converted to Christianity and is now fleeing for his life for having changed his faith. He spent a year seeking refuge in four European countries, but at each stop he was rejected. He has no protection . . . Read More

Egyptian convert appeals 5-year sentence for misdemeanor

June 26, 2014 Egypt Converts, Luxor, Mohammed Hegazy

Mohamed Hegazy, left, with his lawyer, Karam Ghobrial.World Watch Monitor An Egyptian man who captured video of clashes between Muslims and Christians has been sentenced to five years in prison. Mohamed Hegazy was convicted June 18 for failing to obtain permission to film demonstrations in the Egypt’s Minya governate, . . . Read More

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