Tag: Quran

Pakistan: 106 charged with murder

May 27, 2015 Pakistan Blasphemy, Pakistan, Quran, Shahzad Masih, Shama Bibi

Pakistan has charged 106 people with murder, more than six months after a Christian couple were beaten and burnt to death by a mob, reports the BBC. Shahzad Masih, 26, and his five-month pregnant wife Shama, 24, were accused by the mob of burning pages of a Qur’an, as reported . . . Read More

Death sentence for killers of Afghan woman

May 6, 2015 Afghanistan Afghanistan, Kabul, Quran

Four Afghan men have been sentenced to death for the mob killing of a woman falsely accused of burning a copy of the Qu’ran. The 28-year-old woman, called Farkhunda, got into an argument with a man selling amulets outside Kabul’s Shah-Du-Shamshaira shrine when the accusation was made. The amulet seller . . . Read More

Pakistani Christian couple ‘still alive’ when thrown into kiln – coroner

December 23, 2014 Pakistan Bonded labourers, Gojra, Kasur, Punjab, Quran, Shahzad Masih, Shama Bibi

Christians at a church in Punjab, Pakistan; Sept. 2014 World Watch Monitor A lawyer for the state of Punjab, Pakistan has described the murder of a Christian couple by a mob of at least 500 to 600 as “brutal and barbaric”. The post-mortem report on their twin deaths (first . . . Read More

Death sentence for Asia Bibi confirmed

October 16, 2014 Pakistan Asia Bibi, Blasphemy, Islamic extremism, Lahore, Pakistan, Prophet Muhammad, Quran

Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian woman accused of blasphemy and sentenced to death in 2010 has today had her sentence confirmed by the Lahore High Court. She is the first Christian woman to be given the death penalty under Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws, and her case sparked global condemnation. She was accused of . . . Read More

What’s the threat of Islamic State to the Church worldwide?

September 25, 2014 Global News -- No Particular Country Al-Qaeda, Bartella, Dohuk, Erbil, Hizb ut-Tahrir, Iraq, Islamic extremism, Islamic State, Israel, Jizya, Jordan, Kurds, Lebanon, Muslim Brotherhood, Qaraqosh, Quran, Salafism, Sharia, Sunni, Syria

While Islamic State is wreaking havoc in Iraq and Syria, its ambitions do not stop there. Moreover, several world leaders are saying it is one of the biggest threats they are facing. But exactly how does Islamic State fit into the global picture of Christians under pressure for their faith . . . Read More

Turkish Assassination Plot Suspects on Trial

June 23, 2014 Turkey Diyarbakir, Izmit, Protestants, Quran

Pastor Emre Karaali of the Izmit Protestant Church outside the courthouse after the first trial hearing.The sign behind him says, ‘Justice is the foundation of the state.’ Izmit, Turkey; April 1, 2014 World Watch Monitor Testimonial evidence at a court hearing concerning a plot to assassinate a Turkish Christian . . . Read More

Boko Haram targets Christian girls

November 19, 2013 Nigeria Boko Haram, Kidnapping, Nigeria, Quran, Women

Boko Haram is abducting Christian women, converting them to Islam on pain of death and then forcing them to marry its fighters, reports Reuters. Reuters tells the story of 19-year-old Christian Hajja, who was abducted by the Islamist group in July and was then forced to work as their slave. . . . Read More

Afghan MP wants converts executed

September 9, 2013 Afghanistan Afghanistan, Apostasy, Converts, Islamic extremism, Quran, Sharia

An Afghan MP has said that any Afghan who converts to Christianity should be executed, reports Mohabat News. MP Nazir Ahmad Hanafi said many Afghans have left the country to convert, with a particularly high number fleeing to India. “Afghan citizens continue to convert to Christianity in India,” he said. . . . Read More

Maldives elections unlikely to improve religious freedom

September 6, 2013 Maldives Abdulla Yameen, Elections, Islamic extremism, Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, Quran, Religious freedom

Known for its golden sands and crystal waters, the Maldives is perhaps not the first country that springs to mind when one considers locations lacking in religious freedom. However, for more than 10 years the island chain in the Indian Ocean, south-west of Sri Lanka, has been in the top . . . Read More

Pakistan Supreme Court confirms decision to drop blasphemy case

January 16, 2013 Pakistan Blasphemy, Islamabad, Pakistan, Paul Bhatti, Punjab, Quran, Rawalpindi, Rimsha Masih, Salmaan Taseer, Shahbaz Bhatti

The Pakistan Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out an appeal to reopen a blasphemy case against a Christian teen who had been accused of burning pages containing verses from the Quran. Rimsha Masih had been acquitted of the charges in November by the High Court in Islamabad. The lower court’s decision was appealed . . . Read More

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