Hanifan Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman, faces persecution at the hand of her husband who converted to Islam. She remains firm in her faith despite the challenges she has been facing.
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Archive for March, 2012|Monthly archive pageMap reflects the 30 most recent Persecution Reports. Click HERE for the Map Legend.Pakistan Christian Woman Fights For Her Family And Her Religious FreedomSaturday, March 31st, 2012Sudan’s Aerial Bombing Aims At Churches In Nuba MountainsSaturday, March 31st, 2012Mosques also razed as civilians continue to be targeted in Khartoum’s ‘ethnic cleansing.’ Hundreds of Dissidents Released As Pope Leaves CubaSaturday, March 31st, 2012Caridad Caballero, a Catholic dissident from Holguin, was arrested along with another woman, Isabel Peña Torrez, on their way to Mass last Sunday morning. Caballero told Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) that the arrest was carried out by a mob of state security agents, male and female, who violently pushed the two women against the car. “We were never told we were under arrest, but were threatened with violence if we did not cooperate.” Seminar On Christian ‘Threat’ Sparks Outcry In MalaysiaSaturday, March 31st, 2012It is illegal in Malaysia to try to convert Muslims to another religion. Muslim leaders said the government of Muslim-majority Malaysia has a duty to defend the religion while Christian leaders called the seminar inflammatory. Ongoing Persecution of Syria’s ChristiansSaturday, March 31st, 2012“Syrian President Basher Assad isn’t the only target of Syrian rebels as Syria’s Orthodox Christian Church reports ‘ongoing ethnic cleansing of Christians’ by al-Qaeda-linked Islamist militant groups in the embattled Syrian city of Homs,” FrontPageMag reports. Iraq: Our land is a Land of Abraham – An interview with an Iraqi Archbishop about the plight of the churchSaturday, March 31st, 2012“There are so many reasons to attack the Christians,” Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda told Aid to the Church in Need. “There are people who discriminate and attack Christians because they are Christians; there are other groups that attack the Christians because it makes international news - to show the whole world that the political process in Iraq is a failure; there are people who attack Christians out of social interest and finally others for economic reasons. This last group threatens Christian families forcing them out of their homes simply in order occupy the abandoned houses.” Despite Protests, Islamists to Draft New Egyptian ConstitutionSaturday, March 31st, 2012“As the Muslim Brotherhood continues building a future for Egypt that would place that nation in the ranks of the radical Islamist regimes, the U.S. State Department is still downplaying the course of events in the aftermath of the Arab Spring,” the New American reports. While an Islamist-led panel prepares to draft the country’s new constitution, the outlook for Christians looks grim. Christian Human Rights Lawyer Gao Zhisheng Confirmed AliveFriday, March 30th, 2012Gao was sentenced on Dec. 22, 2006, to a three-year suspended prison term for “subversion” and was placed on probation for five years. On Dec. 16, 2011, just days before the end of the five-year probation period, China’s central government announced through the official Xinhua News Agency that the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court had sentenced Gao to a three-year prison term because he “had seriously violated probation rules for a number of times, which led to the court decision to withdraw the probation. Persecution Builds Against Christian T-Shirt CompanyFriday, March 30th, 2012A Christian clothing company in Kentucky which refused to provide clothing for an upcoming gay pride festival has been sued for discrimination. The Lexington, Kentucky school district has also halted purchases of clothing from the Christian company. Central Asian Pastor Better Able to Reach Muslims After Receiving a New CarFriday, March 30th, 2012ICC and a partner recently provided Pastor B, a pastor from Central Asia, with a new car so that he could better reach his congregation and spread the Gospel to the Muslim community. Click here to read a letter Pastor B sent ICC describing his ministry and how God is using him to reach Muslims! The Plight Of Egypt’s Coptic ChristiansFriday, March 30th, 2012“Coptic Christians are… living as an oppressed minority, denied religious freedom and equal status in Egyptian life. The Copts are routinely denied meaningful employment and may not hold positions in the Egyptian Civil Service. Copts are refused permission to build new churches... Recently, there have even been calls for a return to collecting Jizya from the Copts, a tax that the Qur’an instructs Muslims to charge to all Dhimmis (non-Muslims) whenever Muslims are in power,” the Inquisitr reports. Iraqi Christians Still in Danger, Feel Neglected by Al-Maliki GovernmentFriday, March 30th, 2012“The year 2011 did not bring respite for Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq as hundreds of thousands of migrants who fled the country are still unwilling to risk returning due to reports of continued discrimination, fear of renewed violence and the government's apparent inability to protect citizens,” the Christian Post reports. Briefs: Recent Incident Of PersecutionFriday, March 30th, 2012Christians in India continue facing persecution at the hands of Hindu radicals. They don't get protection from the police. It is hightime for India to respect religious freedom for its Christian minorities. Tunisian Salafists: Who Are They?Friday, March 30th, 2012“In the following interview, Samir Amghar, a specialist of Islamist movements, states that the ruling Tunisian Islamist party Ennahda and the Tunisian Salafists groups are complementary, with ‘a sort of implicit division of the political work, between the two movements,’” the Gatestone Institute reports. The radical ideology of Tunisia’s Islamist dominated government will have devastating repercussions on the country’s minorities, including Christians. Pakistani Girl Begs Court To Stop Forced Conversion And MarriageFriday, March 30th, 2012Every year, close to 300 Christian and Hindu girls are kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam in Pakistan. Pakistan must address this growing persecution of religious minorities. Christians Being Forced Out Of SudanThursday, March 29th, 2012Researcher Petrus De Kock speaks about the sitution of Christians in northern Sudan. Some reports indicate that government of Sudan is forcing Christian south Sudanese to leave Sudan. Bull’s-Eye Placed On European ChristiansThursday, March 29th, 2012Report counts more attacks than people of any other faith
Palestinian Authority Declares Baptist Church Illegitimate in West BankThursday, March 29th, 2012The Palestinian Authority declared that the First Baptist Church of Bethlehem, which is adjacent to the site of Jesus' birthplace, is illegitimate, the Christian Post reports. The spread of Christianity in AfghanistanThursday, March 29th, 2012Mohabat News reports on the growth of the Afghan church. Kuwaiti Man Threatened With Death for ‘Offending’ Prophet Muhammad on TwitterThursday, March 29th, 2012“Kuwaiti authorities arrested a man Tuesday for insulting the Prophet Muhammad via his Twitter account, based on a Sharia-based blasphemy law,” the Christian Post reports. Two New International Religious Freedom Commissioners AppointedWednesday, March 28th, 2012Comprised of nine commissioners, USCIRF monitors and advocates for religious freedom abroad wherever that right is being abused. USCIRF also offers policy solutions to improve conditions at the critical juncture of foreign policy, national security, and international religious freedom standards. Vietnam Revokes Visas Of 3 Church DelegatesWednesday, March 28th, 2012There are 6 million Roman Catholics in Vietnam, the second largest Catholic community in Southeast Asia after the Philippines. However, tensions have existed for decades between Catholics and the Hanoi government over church property seized by the Communists and other issues. Forced Conversions Hike Pakistan Minorities’ FearsWednesday, March 28th, 2012Christians, Hindus and other religious mionrities face forceful conversion at the hands of Muslims in Pakistan.The government of Pakistan must address the serious violations of rights of religious minorities in the country. Turkmenistan: Four fines for Bibles, prisoner transferredWednesday, March 28th, 2012“After the local police officer in Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabad found Bibles in the possessions of three guests at a local Protestant's home, all four were taken to the government's Council for Religious Affairs for questioning, then held for an hour in an overcrowded detention cell, before being taken to court,” Forum 18 News Service reports. Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani Still Alive Despite False Execution RumorsWednesday, March 28th, 2012Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is alive in Iran as of March 26, 2012. However, false rumors that Youcef was executed are detrimental to his case and release, the American Center for Law and Justice reports. Syrian violence drives 50,000 Christians from homesWednesday, March 28th, 2012“Almost all Christians in the conflict-torn Syrian city of Homs have fled violence and persecution, amid reports that their homes have been attacked and seized by ‘fanatics’ with links to al-Qaida,” Catholic News Agency reports. Setting up Triage in Syria: Strategies to Save a Struggling Nation’s MinoritiesWednesday, March 28th, 2012Christians in Syria are fearful that the overthrow of President Bashar Assad will lead to an Islamist-dominated government and increasing attacks on Christians (similar to what happened to Christian in Iraq after Saddam Hussein and what is happening now to Christians in Egypt following Hosni Mubarak’s ouster). Kurt J. Werthmuller, a research fellow at the Hudson Institute, discusses the steps that must be taken to save Syria’s minorities. Vietnam Sentences Christian Pastor To 11 Years For Having Unregistered House ChurchTuesday, March 27th, 2012The one-day trial in Gia Lia province has left many questioning the role of faith and Vietnam’s communism. But ultimately, the case, which saw Chinh admit to being in charge of the Mennonite church in the Central Highlands, has left Christians fearful that a backlash, even violence, could become more common. Burma Army Ransacks Church In Kachin StateTuesday, March 27th, 2012"soldiers from the 33rd battalion of the Burma Army’s 88th Infantry Division burned bibles, destroyed church property, and stole a video player, loudspeakers and villagers’ belongings. The soldiers claimed that the property belonged to a Kachin Independence Army outpost. They also took money from the church donation boxes." Christian Victims Of Orissa Violence Still Waiting For JusticeTuesday, March 27th, 2012Hindu radicals killed more than 100 Christians in Kandhamal district of Orissa. The radicals also burned down Christian homes and forced over 55,000 Christians to leave their homes. Christian victims are still waiting for justice more than two years after the attacks. |
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other projectsICC is constantly monitoring the state of Christian persecution in countries around the world and looking for ways that we can act as bridge between our supporters and the persecuted church. Beyond the projects you see above, we are working in many other areas to provide practical assistance to our brothers and sisters in Christ. View our other projects page to understand more of our work and keep up to date on our current projects.
