Category: World

Eritrean officials on Sunday arrested 30 Christians for praying at a private house in the capital city of Asmara. Some … Read More

Following the arrest of 11 Christians at gunpoint on Tuesday (Jan. 4), three house church leaders remain behind bars for “holding a secret meeting,” according to advocacy group Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF).

Lao authorities today released six of the house church Christians, including two children ages 4 and 8, from Khammouan Provincial Prison, central Laos. Two other men were released yesterday (Jan. 5).

The charge against the three church leaders is a political offense punishable by law, HRWLRF said. It identified the three men only by their given names as Pastor Wanna from Nakoon village church, Chanlai from Tonglar village church and Kan from nearby Nahin village church, all in Hinboun district, Khammouan Province.

Armed police have arrested 20 Christians found worshiping in the home of a Laos village pastor. Arrested on Jan. 4 … Read More

The case of Asia Noreen, the first Christian woman sentenced to death in Pakistan on blasphemy charges, suffered a major … Read More

North Korea ranks number one in the Open Doors World Watch List for the ninth straight year, but Islamic countries … Read More

China’s population has drawn foreign companies looking to cash in on retail opportunities. But it’s also drawing ministries seeking to … Read More

In many ways, 2011 is starting off just like 2010 ended. Indeed, Christian persecution promises to remain a running theme … Read More

At least 21 people were killed and scores were wounded on Saturday when a bomb outside a church in Alexandria, … Read More

As Lee Grady noted in his “Year in Review” article, Christian persecution increased around the world in 2010. Now, a new list has emerged chronicling the top 10 anti-Christian acts in America last year.

DefendChristians.org, a ministry of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission, just offered up its list based on an online poll of Christians. According to Dr. Gary Cass, Chairman and CEO of DefendChristians.org, the results demonstrate a double standard is being applied against Christians and their faith, values, and liberty.

“If these same types of actions were taken against other groups one would call it bigoted,” Cass says. “We are exposing the shameful behavior of bashing Christ and biblical values for what it is, “Christophobia,” the irrational fear and hatred of Christ and His Word.”

Christians in India faced a spike in attacks in the past decade, suffering more than 130 assaults a year since … Read More

Granted permission only five hours before a scheduled Christmas event, house church leaders turned an empty field into a rudimentary … Read More

Tensions continued to mount in the Christian community in Maiduguri, capital of Borno state in northern Nigeria, following the killing … Read More

Jerusalem church leaders believe alleged arson case is latest attack on believers. A fire destroyed three rooms in a Jerusalem … Read More

Although folk medicine and Voodoo practices play a big role in Haitian culture, the persevering faith of the Haitian people … Read More

Haiti’s first death from cholera came in early October. By Nov. 15, German news agency Spiegel Online reported 1,000 people … Read More

One of Haiti’s biggest obstacles to recovery has been its own governmental red tape, which has often slowed down foreign … Read More

It took just 90 seconds to bring Haiti to the brink of destruction. One year later, the Caribbean island still struggles … Read More

One of the two main political parties of the indigenous people in Bangladesh’s southeastern hill tracts prevented Christians from celebrating Christmas, sources said.

The United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF), which has demanded that Christian converts return to Buddhism, threatened tribal Christians of at least seven churches in Khagrachari district, some 300 kilometers (180 miles) southeast of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

A source requesting anonymity told Compass that a local leader of the UPDF, a regional party seeking autonomy, warned Christians not to hold a Christmas gathering.

In a quest for peace, more than 400 Muslim, Christian and Jewish leaders from across Palestine and around the world gathered on Wednesday at the first International Islamic-Christian Conference in Bethlehem.

Organized by Religions for Peace – Palestine, in cooperation with the Palestinian Islamic Christian Commission, the event aimed to advance dialogue and cooperation among Christians and Muslims in Palestine, and to enhance the culture of co-existence and mutual respect.

In a case many see as the “Roe v. Wade of Europe,”  the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that the document contains no right to abortion. That’s the Thursday decision in the case A, B and C v. Ireland.

A loss would have forced all countries in the Council of Europe to allow abortion or face large financial penalties in damages if sued. The case is pivotal because the lawsuit was decided in the Grand Chamber of the ECHR and the judgment is therefore binding on all lower chambers and member states.