Christian Killed in Muslim Land Grab

Posted on October 23, 2011 by jacob

Saqib Masih (22) was killed on the spot

A young Pakistani Christian man was shot dead in a violent Muslim takeover of land allocated to a Christian village by the government. Saqib Masih (22) was killed on the spot, and 37 people, including a one-year-old and seven other children, were seriously injured as a mob of around 60 Muslims descended on the village in Mian Channu, Punjab, on October 5th.

The wounded were taken to hospital; six of them were described as being in a critical condition. The Muslim aggressors came to the Christian village to claim a plot of land that had been allocated by the government to house a resident workman. It had been illegally sold to two Muslims by the worker who was being accommodated there; he then fled with the proceeds of US$1,500.

The “buyers” arrived along with around 60 armed accomplices and attacked the female members of one family. As other villagers rushed to their aid, the assailants opened fire on them. Source

Pastors accused of forced conversion

Posted on October 16, 2011 by jacob

Four Pentecostal pastors in Madhya Pradesh were recently beaten and arrested on charges of forced conversion, spending a night in jail before making bail. It was the latest act of aggression by Hindu nationalists of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh against Christian ministers.

After Pastors Ramesh, Balu and Ashok baptised 11 Hindus according to the Pentecostal rite, RSS activists armed with sticks along with local police broke-up a prayer meeting following the baptism. After arresting the pastors for forced conversion, the police interogated the newly baptised, attempting to coerce them into filing false charges against the pastors. However, the new Christians flatly refused, stating that they wanted to be baptised.

“Madhya Pradesh is a rogue state that does not guarantee any rights of the Constitution in this community. The anti-conversion law of 1968 serves as a pretext to intimidate Christians,” said Sajan K. George.

Iranian Pastor Faces Death Penalty

Posted on October 9, 2011 by jacob

Imprisoned Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, originally sentenced to death for apostasy and refusing to renounce Christianity, is now in even greater danger of being put to death in light of reports in state-run media of other charges, including being a Zionist and a threat to national security. “The charge of being a Zionist and thus a traitor is among the most serious accusations that can be made in Iran,” said Jordan Sekulow. “Unfortunately, we know that this is the charge Iran levies to justify executing people who were actually arrested, imprisoned and tried on completely different charges.” In a ruling from the Iranian Supreme Court, Nadarkhani was sentenced to execution by hanging for breaking Islamic law by conducting Christian worship and baptizing himself and others. His appeals trial began last month in Gilan Province and he refused to renounce his religion, according to rights groups monitoring the trial. Full Story

Orphans threatened for faith in Laos

Posted on September 18, 2011 by jacob

Voice of the Martyrs reports that after attending a local church and becoming a Christian, one of the orphans at a government-run orphanage shared the gospel with his peers. Soon, 10 other orphans turned to Christ and began regularly attending church. When the principal heard of the conversions, he told the children multiple times to stop attending church, according to VOM contacts. In mid-August, he called the orphans into his office, forbidding them to go back to church. If they do not obey, the children may have to leave the orphanage, according to VOM contacts. Seven of the orphans promised they would stop attending church, but none of them have renounced their faith. The remaining four orphans continue to attend church and refuse to bend under the pressure. So far they have not been kicked out of the orphanage. Full Article

Pastor’s Father Beaten Unconscious

Posted on July 24, 2011 by jacob

Pratapgarh, Rajasthan India – Pastor Shantilal Ninama of Believers Church told Compass that Hindu extremists beat his 65-year-old father until he fell unconscious in an attack last month. On the evening of June 8, after agreeing to do no further harm to Pastor Ninama and his family in exchange for him dropping police charges he’d filed over a previous attack, the enraged Hindu extremists stormed into his home and began beating and stoning his father, sister, wife and three children, he said. As he sought police help, his father fell unconscious and his wife and two of his children ran out into the darkness.“The next day, I asked one Hindu extremist, Bhim Shankar Sharma, to give me a copy of our agreement,” Pastor Ninama said. “But he got angry with me, and verbally abused me and my faith, saying that I am an unclean person because Christianity is an unclean and foreign religion, and that Christians are not worthy to stay in India. He caught me by my collar and slapped my face.” Full Story

Prolonged Detention of Farshid Fathi

Posted on July 3, 2011 by jacob

Farshid Fathi is one of the new believers from Tehran, who is still in the 209 section of notorious Evin prison held without any charge. Farshid was arrested on December 26, 2010 by intelligence agents in Tehran. Security agents said believers where under arrest for apostasy, promoting Christianity and having contact with foreign Christian organizations. Farshid Fathi who was in solitary confinement for months was informed few days before Persian New Year that he can be freed for $200.000 bail. His family provided the bail with a lot of struggle and gave it to the prison officials, but when Farshid was almost ready to get out of prison and join his family at the door, the chief interrogator from the sixth branch of public prosecutor’s office Mr. Naseri ordered him to go back for further interrogations just for physiological torture of him and his family. Farshid Fathi is 32 years old and has a 7 year old daughter and 2 and half year old son. Full Story

Sudan Christian Couple Persecuted

Posted on June 26, 2011 by jacob

In Khartoum Sudan, a Christian couple with the newborn said they have come under attack for converting from Islam to Christianity. Omar Hassan and Amouna Ahamdi, both 27, said they fled Nyala, 75 miles southwest of El-Fashir, for Khartoum in June 2010, but knife-wielding, masked assailants on May 4 attacked the couple after relatives learned that they had converted from Islam to Christianity. The knife pierced the palm of Ahamdi, who said her brother also had stabbed her three times in the stomach nine months ago seriously injuring her spleen after she told him she had become a Christian. Hassan told Compass that he and his wife were renting a house from her uncle in Khartoum, but he ordered them to leave after learning they had left Islam. Being jobless and no where to go Hassan and Ahamdi depend on friends to provide them occasional food, she said. They sometimes go without eating for two days. Full Story

Missionary and Family Violently Beaten

Posted on June 19, 2011 by jacob

Sukhwinder, his wife and two of their children

The neighbors of missionary Sukhwinder Das turned on him and his family and beat them on Wednesday June 8th. Sukhwinder, supported by Gospel for Asia, has lived and ministered to a village in Asia with his family for the past four years. However, just in the last few weeks, he and his family started experiencing opposition among the local villagers. In the past week, the unrest among the locals increased, and Sukhwinder started experiencing threats and even violence. Finally, the tension climaxed to its peak four days later. At 8 p.m. on June 8, the village elders stormed into Sukhwinder’s home and attacked him, his wife, and his elderly father, and even hurled stones at his three young children. Sukhwinder’s father suffered very serious injuries and was beaten until he lost consciousness. The village police arrived while Sukhwinder and his family were being attacked, but they refused to stop the perpetrators or protect the family. Full Story

Pastor Shestakov Released But Not “Free”

Posted on June 12, 2011 by jacob

Barnabas Fund Prayer Focus Update June 2011 – On January 21st, 2011 Pastor David (Dmitri) Shestakov was released from prison in Uzbekistan after serving four years at a remote labor camp. David was arrested during a Sunday service at his church, and in May 2007 he was found guilty of “incitement to religious hatred”. David had been active in outreach to Muslims in his community, prompting the authorities to target him and regularly raid Christian gatherings. During his imprisonment, he endured harsh conditions and suffered severe health problems due to lack of food and extreme temperatures. He refused to renounce his faith, despite coming under pressure to do so. Since his release, he has been placed under “administrative supervision”, which includes a curfew and a ban on visiting public places. Local Christians fear this is being done to suppress David and his church and have expressed concern that the police will do all they can to bring another case against him and send him back to prison.

Algerian Christian Sentenced to Prison

Posted on June 5, 2011 by jacob

ICC has learned that an Algerian Christian was sentenced to five years imprisonment for blasphemy in Oran on Wednesday after sharing his Christian faith with a neighbor. The verdict came days after authorities forced the permanent closure of seven Protestant churches in Algeria’s Béjaia province. Krimo, who is married with a nine month old child, was arrested on April 14, along with another Christian, Sofiane, after sharing his Christian faith with a neighbor. Sofiane was released soon after the arrest, while Krimo was detained for three days. Krimo was known to hold weekly prayer services at his home, which Algerian Christians suspect were being closely monitored by the police. The prosecutor, doubtful he would win the case, reportedly asked the judge to have Krimo’s sentence reduced to a two year imprisonment. However, some believe that higher authorities in the Algerian government were involved in reaching the final decision. Full Story

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