All NewsMap reflects the 30 most recent Persecution Reports. Click HERE for the Map Legend.Find a specific storyFatwa Issuing Death Penalty for Converts Worries Morocco’s ChristiansFriday, May 17th, 2013Morocco’s highest religious authority has issued a fatwa calling for the execution of Muslims who leave Islam, raising questions about its possible outcomes and leaving Christian converts fearing for their lives. Baptists in Azerbaijan Win: Fines Violating Religious Freedom OverturnedFriday, May 17th, 2013Two Baptists in Azerbaijan had been punished for exercising their right to religious freedom have had their fines overturned. They had violated Article 299.0.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences which punishes "clergy and religious associations holding special religious meetings for children and young people, as well as the holding by religious bodies of literature circles or other specialised groups.” Though the fines are overturned, they are still not allowed to meet together for worship, as the country has refused them registration. Nigeria’s State of Emergency Unlikely to Help Persecuted ChristiansFriday, May 17th, 2013Church leader expresses solidarity with BangladeshFriday, May 17th, 2013With the persecution of Christians increasing in Bangladesh the World Council of Churches has reached out to believers in the country to express solidarity. Christian Teacher’s Arrest Highlights Egypt’s Oppressive Blasphemy LawFriday, May 17th, 2013A Christian schoolteacher detained for allegedly insulting Islam was released on bail by an Egyptian court on Tuesday. The case follows the arrests of dozens of Christians for blasphemy after Egypt’s 2011 revolution and adds to concerns that Islamists are using their newly gained power to stifle freedom of expression. Christians Uneasy in Morsi’s EgyptFriday, May 17th, 2013Since Egypt’s revolution in 2011, more than 80 Christians have been killed and several churches have been destroyed, prompting more than a hundred thousand Christians to seek immigration and leave their homeland permanently. The revolution, which hoped to instill democratic change and greater freedoms, has instead given unprecedented freedoms to Islamists—with the Muslim Brotherhood at the forefront—to impose a radical Islamic agenda on Egyptian society. Church Damaged, Bishops Wounded in PakistanFriday, May 17th, 2013A car bombing following Pakistan’s elections significantly damaged a church and wounded several Christians, Agenzia Fides reports. Eight people were killed in the attack, which was politically motivated and unlikely meant to target the church. Church Demolished by Mob in IndiaThursday, May 16th, 2013Christian Leader in Nigeria Shot Dead by Suspected Boko Haram GunmenThursday, May 16th, 2013Christian Teacher Accused of Blasphemy in Egypt Released on BailThursday, May 16th, 2013Dimyana Obeid Abd Al-Nour, a 23-year-old elementary schoolteacher in Al-Edisat, located in Luxor Province, was arrested on May 8 after three students complained that she made blasphemous comments in the classroom. On May 11, Al-Nour’s incarceration was extended an additional 15 days, but she reportedly paid 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($2,870) on Tuesday for her release while an investigation takes place, Morning Star News reports. Al-Nour’s court hearing is set for May 21. Pakistan’s Tyrannical MajorityThursday, May 16th, 2013“The candidates [who campaigned] in this election, rather than arguing for the rights of all Pakistanis, have further marginalized religious minorities and given license to those who attack them,” Manan Ahmed Asif writes in a op-ed for the New York Times. Days after Pakistan’s elections, Asif reports on how religious minorities have been treated, including Christians, by the “tyrannical majority” following the country’s independence. Christian Businesses Damaged by Mob in EgyptThursday, May 16th, 2013Christian-owned businesses were reportedly attacked by a mob this week in Minya, Egypt, according to Mideast Christian News. ICC has yet to verify the incident and the details behind the attack. Kidnapping of Bishops Threatens Future of Syrian ChurchWednesday, May 15th, 2013The kidnapping of Syria’s most senior Christian clerics highlights the severity of the conflict in the war-torn nation, inspiring a Christian exodus and threatening the very presence of the church in Syria. New Report Details Grave Challenges Still Faced by Christians, Religious Minorities in BurmaWednesday, May 15th, 2013Although Burma has moved away from a military controlled dictatorship in recent years and opened up the country in many ways, including greater freedom of the press and the release of hundreds of political prisoners, "grave challenges" remain for Christians and other religious minorities across the country. In a new in-depth report Christian Solidarity Worldwide reveals some of the most horrific human rights violations, including torture of Christians Kachin's, yet recorded in the country. Police Slow to Investigate Murder of Indian Catholic PriestWednesday, May 15th, 2013Mystery surrounds the suspicious murder of a Catholic Priest in the southern city of Bangalore, even as police come under scrutiny for a slow investigation to find the culprits and the motive. Survivor of Church Bombing in Tanzania Recounts His Terrifying ExperienceWednesday, May 15th, 2013Nigeria Declares a State of Emergency as Boko Haram Continues to Kill ChristiansWednesday, May 15th, 2013Two Families in India Beaten and Robbed for Converting to ChristianityWednesday, May 15th, 2013Kazakh Pastor Harassed with Attempts to Discredit MinistryWednesday, May 15th, 2013A new form of persecution seems to be emerging in Kazakhstan through staged attempts to frame and discredit Christians. In at least one such case, a pastor was forced to take his case public and speak out against the perpetrators. Egypt intensifies crackdown on ChristiansWednesday, May 15th, 2013Demyana Emad, a 23-year-old Christian schoolteacher, was detained in Upper Egypt for allegedly insulting Islam. Emad denied the allegations, saying that several Islamic "extremists" had incited school students to testify against her. Similar accusations were made against Bishoy Kamel, another Christian schoolteacher, last year, Patheos reports. Kamel was sentenced to six years in prison. Arrests for ‘insulting Islam’ have skyrocketed in Egypt following the country’s revolution and the political rise of Islamist parties. Christian girl abducted and forcibly married in PakistanWednesday, May 15th, 2013Rozi Munir, a 14-year-old Christian girl in Pakistan, was abducted and forcibly married to a Muslim man on May 3, the Pakistan Christian Post reports. According to the article, her birth certificate was forged to make the marriage legal. The kidnappings of Christian girls in Pakistan are often accompanied by acts of extreme violence, including rape, beatings, and other forms of physical and mental abuse. Once abducted, the girls are often never heard from by their families again. Saudi Arabia Sentences Men to Prison, Lashings for Role in Woman’s Conversion to ChristianityTuesday, May 14th, 2013Two men accused of helping a young woman flee Saudi Arabia after her conversion to Christianity were sentenced to prison terms and lashes with a whip by a Saudi court on Sunday. Chinese Christian Dissident’s Health Declines Even as Guards Cut MealsTuesday, May 14th, 2013In this brief update from ChinaAid, it appears that Zhu Yufu, a Christian dissident and activist, is suffering from serious health concerns in prison even as prison authorities tighten restrictions on him. Zhu Yufu was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment last year after posting a poem online deemed "subversive" by the Communist government. North Korea Reveals American Was Sentenced to 15 Years Hard Labor for Missionary WorkTuesday, May 14th, 2013Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American and devout Christian, was arrested in North Korea in April for unspecified crimes. It has now been revealed by an official North Korean news source that Bae was involved in "covert" missionary activities and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. For the North Korean regime, spreading Christianity amounts to treason and many North Koreans have faced life imprisonment or even execution when accused of this crime. It is uncertain what, if anything, the U.S. can do to try to secure Bae's release. Violent Islamists in Bangladesh Declare: Kill all the InfidelsTuesday, May 14th, 201320 Year Old Charged in Connection with Church Bombing in TanzaniaTuesday, May 14th, 2013Boko Haram Takes Women and Children Hostage as they Continue to Fight Christians in NigeriaTuesday, May 14th, 201370% of Christians Murdered in 2012 were Killed in NigeriaTuesday, May 14th, 2013Christians Imprisoned for Conversion in IranTuesday, May 14th, 2013An Assemblies of God (AOG) pastor, his wife and two church workers were arrested for the second time on May 1 on charges for “propagation against the Islamic regime through evangelism" and for converting to Christianity, Christians Solidarity Worldwide reports. The Christians had also been arrested in December 2011 and imprisoned for a year after authorities raided their Christmas church celebration in Ahwaz and detained everyone attending, including children. Jail Time Extended for Christian Teacher Accused of Blasphemy in EgyptTuesday, May 14th, 2013Dimyana Obeid Abd Al-Nour, a 23-year-old Christian schoolteacher, will remain in jail for at least 15 more days while police investigate whether or not she committed blasphemy by insulting Islam in the classroom, Morning Star News reports. Amnesty International condemned the detention and demanded Al-Nour’s release. Blasphemy laws in Egypt, which were rarely enacted prior to the country’s revolution, are disproportionately used against Christians. “Forty-one percent of blasphemy cases taken to court from Jan. 25, 2011, to Dec. 31, 2012, were filed against Christians, who make up only about 10 percent of Egypt’s population,” the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights told Morning Star News. |
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