Tag: Converts

Iranian Christian released by ‘courageous’ judge

July 6, 2018 Iran Amin Afshar Naderi, Babol, Church of Iran, Converts, Gilan, Iran, Mazandaran, Mohammad Reza Omidi, Ramil Bet-Tamraz, Rasht, Saheb Fadaie, Shamiram Isavi Khabizeh, Victor Bet-Tamraz, Yasser Mossayebzadeh, Youcef Nadarkhani

An Iranian Christian has been released from prison after being arrested in April for “propaganda against the [Iranian] establishment”, Middle East Concern reported yesterday, 5 July. Mohammad Ali Yassaghi was kept in Babol Prison in the capital of Mazandaran Province in northern Iran. He is a member of the self-styled Church . . . Read More

Church of Muslim converts told to close in Kyrgyzstan

July 4, 2018 Kyrgyzstan Apostasy, Converts, Islamic extremism, Kyrgyzstan

A church in Kyrgyzstan that is home to many former Muslims has been ordered to cease its Sunday worship. A local source told World Watch Monitor that services at the church, which is led by a convert from Islam, have been interrupted twice in the last few months by a . . . Read More

Indian state’s ‘anti-conversion law’ to be repealed

June 29, 2018 India Anti-conversion law, Arunachal Pradesh, Baptism, BJP, Catholics, Converts, Hindu nationalism, India, Minorities, Missionaries, Narendra Modi, Proselytism, Pune

Christian groups have welcomed a surprise announcement by a nationalist chief minister of a state in north-east India that he will ensure that a law preventing conversions from one faith to another is repealed. Pema Khandu, a Buddhist who heads the nationalist BJP-led state government in Arunachal Pradesh, told an . . . Read More

India ‘world’s most dangerous country for women’, as five activists gang-raped

June 27, 2018 India BJP, Caste, Converts, Dalits, India, Jharkhand, Rape, Women

Indian National Congress party activists hold placards and shout slogans during a protest against the abduction and gang-rape of five women in Jharkhand's Khunti district on 23 June 2018. (Photo: -/AFP/Getty Images)

Five women about to perform a play in a remote area in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, to raise awareness of human trafficking, were abducted and gang raped last week, as a new survey suggests India is now the most dangerous country for women. The incident occurred on Tuesday . . . Read More

Iranian Christian woman pleads with UN to help family overturn ‘false and unjust’ spy charges

June 27, 2018 Iran Assyrians, Converts, Iran, Ramil Bet-Tamraz, Shamiram Isavi Khabizeh, Tehran, Victor Bet-Tamraz

An Iranian Christian woman pleaded with the UN’s Human Rights Council today to urge Iran to overturn “false and baseless charges” imposed on her father, mother and brother. Dabrina Bet-Tamraz’s parents and brother are appealing against lengthy jail sentences they have received for church-related activities. The appeal by her father, . . . Read More

Indian pastor beaten up, then detained, after 11 Hindus convert to Christianity

June 22, 2018 India Anti-conversion law, Bajrang Dal, Converts, Hindu nationalism, India, Uttar Pradesh

An Indian pastor was beaten up by Hindu nationalists, then arrested by police on Monday (18 June) for allegedly forcing some local families in Muzaffarnagar, a city in Uttar Pradesh state, to convert to Christianity, reports The Times of India. Dipender Prakash was reportedly attacked by members of Bajrang Dal, . . . Read More

Tajikistan: Christian convert’s burial delayed as relatives call for husband to return to Islam

June 20, 2018 Tajikistan Apostasy, Burial, Central Asia, Converts, Islamic extremism, Minorities, Tajikistan

When an elderly Christian woman from a Muslim background died last week in a Tajikistan hospital, her husband Mihrab* and children – all of them Christians – organised a funeral ceremony and invited people from their church. But Mihrab’s Muslim relatives also invited local Muslims, including a cleric, who demanded . . . Read More

Tunisians protest against closure of cafes and restaurants during Ramadan

June 15, 2018 Tunisia Ahmed Shaheed, Converts, Egypt, Islamic extremism, Ramadan, Religious freedom, Tunisia

People walking in Medina in Sfax, a city on Tunisia's east coast. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

Non-Muslims in Tunisia have taken to the streets during this year’s Ramadan to protest the closure of many cafés and restaurants, saying they can’t be forced to fast, reports the New York Times (NYT). Around 100 protestors began Ramadan this year by drinking water and eating sandwiches in central Tunis in . . . Read More

Moroccan Christians demand equal marriage rights

June 12, 2018 Morocco Burial, Converts, King Mohammed VI, Marriage, Morocco

A Moroccan couple who converted to Christianity and recently married, ignoring threats from people in their conservative hometown, have demanded legal recognition of their union, Reuters reports. The Maghreb nation, which is 99 per cent Muslim, is officially an Islamic state – King Mohammed VI holds the title of ‘Prince . . . Read More

Convert in Sweden tells of ‘nightmares every night’ amid fears of deportation and Iranian jail

June 8, 2018 Aideen Strandsson, Asylum seekers, Converts, Iran, Sweden

Iranian convert, Aideen Strandsson, is still waiting for an appeal hearing after her asylum request in Sweden was rejected. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

An asylum-seeker stuck in legal limbo in Sweden has said she has “nightmares every night” that police are following her in order to arrest her and deport her to Iran, where her conversion to Christianity could land her in prison. Aideen Strandsson, 37, who took a Swedish surname when she . . . Read More

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