India: Persecution Briefs

India: Persecution Briefs
India ranks No. 31 on the 2013 World Watch List, a ranking of the 50 countries where living as a Christian is most difficult. The list is created annually by Open Doors International, a worldwide ministry to Christians who live under pressure because of their faith. Most Christians live openly . . . Read More

Widest church grouping raises funds for Boko Haram’s almost 800 victims during 2012

Widest church grouping raises funds for Boko Haram’s almost 800 victims during 2012
The most dangerous country for a Christian to live during 2012 was, arguably, Nigeria. That’s what research for the 2013 edition of the World Watch List shows up: it’s produced by the global Christian organisation Open Doors, whose researchers monitor the persecution of Christians worldwide. “Between November 2011 and October . . . Read More

Islamists bomb three churches in Kaduna, Nigeria

Islamists bomb three churches in Kaduna, Nigeria
Suspected Islamic extremists bombed three churches in Kaduna state this morning, the third consecutive Sunday that worship services in Nigeria have ended in lethal bloodshed. In a predominantly Christian area of Zaria known as Wusasa, a suspected Islamic extremist crashed a car into a barricade at an Evangelical Church Winning . . . Read More

Uptick in church closures, attacks in Indonesia

Uptick in church closures, attacks in Indonesia
The number of violations of Christians’ religious rights in Indonesia reached 40 in the first five months of the year, nearly two-thirds the amount of anti-Christian actions in all of last year, according to the Jakarta Christian Communication Forum. The Christian minority in Indonesia faced 64 cases of violations of . . . Read More

India briefs: recent incidents of persecution

India briefs: recent incidents of persecution
About 100 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers led by A. Raja and another identified only as Chidambaram on April 21 beat 15 Christians for proclaiming Christ in Paganeri, Shivagangai. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that the Hindu extremists beat them, burned their Bibles and tracts, seized their . . . Read More

Crackdown hits official churches

Crackdown hits official churches
In a rare crackdown on a concentrated area, Iranian authorities have arrested Christians living in the country’s third largest city in what is seen as a tactic to discourage Muslims and converts to Christianity from attending official churches. Since last month officials have arrested about 12 Christian converts in Isfahan, . . . Read More

Indonesia: anti-Christian incidents nearly doubled in 2011

Indonesia: anti-Christian incidents nearly doubled in 2011
Acts of violence and intolerance against Christians in Indonesia almost doubled in 2011, with an Islamist campaign to close down churches symbolizing the plight of the religious minority. The Indonesian Protestant Church Union, locally known as PGI, counted 54 acts of violence and other violations against Christians in 2011, up . . . Read More

India Briefs: Recent Incidents of Persecution

India Briefs: Recent Incidents of Persecution
Police arrested a Christian after Hindu extremists on Dec. 22 accused him of forceful conversion in Nagarcoil. The Global Council of Indian Christians reported that Hindu extremists accused Sagaya Dass of forceful conversion after he and students from SP Hindu College organised a Christmas program. The extremists filed a police . . . Read More