President and Mrs. Trump visit the John Paul II Shrine prior to the President signing the Executive Order. (Photo credit: LifeSite News)
05
June
A Huge Step for Advancing International Religious Freedom
President Trump has issued an executive order “Advancing International Religious Freedom.” The Institute on Religion and Democracy commends the President for his ongoing commitment to defend persecuted Christians and other religious believers.
04
June
The Gospel According to Xi
Beijing considers publishing official translations of holy texts like the Bible. (requires a log in)
AP Video Screenshot. Terrence Floyd condemns violent riots, asks for peaceful protests
02
June
George Floyd's Brother Condemns Riots: 'He Would Not Want You All to be Doing This'
George Floyd’s younger brother is begging for the violence to stop.
"Do this peacefully, please," he pleaded on Monday as a crowd of grieving protesters gathered at the site where his brother died after being pinned under a police officer’s knee.
Left to right: Khalil Dehghanpour, Mohammed Vafadar, Kamal Naamanian, Hossein Kadivar.
02
June
Iranian House Church Leaders Summoned to Begin Five-Year Prison Sentences
Four Iranian Christian converts have been summoned to begin their five-year jail sentences for leading house-churches, for which they were convicted of “acting against national security.”
01
June
Nigerian Bishop Abducted by Gunmen, Christian Organization Urges Officials to Take Action
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is urging officials to take all necessary steps to see that its chairman of the Nasarawa State unit, Bishop Joseph Masin is safely released from his captors.
31
May
48 State-Run Churches Shut Down in One County in Two Weeks
Protestants in Jiangxi Province’s Yugan county have been suffering CCP’s persecution for the past few years. Attacks renewed after coronavirus lockdown was lifted.
Romina Ashrafi reportedly told police that she feared for her life if forced to return home
27
May
Outrage in Iran after girl murdered 'for eloping'
Police in Iran have arrested a man accused of murdering his 14-year-old daughter in a so-called honour killing that has sparked widespread outrage.
23
May
Ugandan Muslim Father Burns Christian Daughter
A young woman converts to Christianity during a business trip with her father, who upon hearing what happened attempted to burn her. The woman escapes, shielded by the man's sister.
18
May
GOD TV spat exposes tensions between Israel, evangelicals
An evangelical broadcaster who boasted of miraculously securing a TV license in Israel now risks being taken off the air over suspicions of trying to convert Jews to Christianity.
18
May
620 Nigerian Christians Killed So Far This Year by Muslim Militants Boko Haram, Fulani Herdsmen
620 Nigerian Christians Killed So Far This Year by Muslim Militants Boko Haram, Fulani Herdsmen
17
May
Iranian Christian Converts Imprisoned
Four Iranian Christian converts who were arrested in February have been sent to Lakan Prison after they were unable to afford the bail ($30,000 each) established by Branch 10 of the Revolutionary Courts.
16
May
Pastor in Nepal charged with 'Outraging Religious Feelings' and 'Proselytizing'
A pastor arrested in Nepal in March on charges of giving false information for saying prayer could heal COVID-19 was released last month – and then immediately re-arrested on new charges, sources said.
15
May
In Jerusalem, Ramadan Restrictions Last Seen During the Crusades Return
The coronavirus pandemic has done what the intervening centuries had not: largely emptying the often crowded and chaotic spaces of Islam's third holiest site, where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.
15
May
The Fire of Faith
There is no religious freedom in the wider Middle East region. There is instead a tyranny of the majority over the minority in all walks of life, be it the religious, political, social, cultural, or economic sphere.
Wang Yi (left) with his wife, Jiang Rong (right) (Photo: ChinaAid)
15
May
Church member advised to mind "regulations"
Authorities in Chengdu, Sichuan, introduced a state-approved pastor to house church Christian Liu Hongliang. Liu and his wife attend the often-persecuted Early Rain Covenant Church. Their pastor, Pastor Wang Yi, is in prison.
Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, has tried to stamp out any religion in the Hermit Kingdom but that hasn't stopped outside missionary groups from sending Bibles and other messages of hope in. (The Voice of the Martyrs)
14
May
North Korea 'church' doesn't look like any other but it exists: watchdog
Being a Christian in North Korea means using secretive, spylike tactics to read the Bible, facing threats of the death penalty, and circumventing propaganda with tales of believers harvesting organs, according to persecution watchdog groups.
13
May
Newborn babies, their mothers, nurses killed in terrorist attack in Afghanistan
Armed assault in a maternity section of a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan left at least 16 people dead. Among the victims were newborn babies, their mothers and the nurses.
12
May
Muslim Gang Killed Christian Man Because He Kept 'Preaching the Gospel of Jesus' to Them
A kidnapped seminarian was murdered by a Nigerian gang leader earlier this year because he would not stop preaching the gospel to his Muslim captors, the gang leader says.
09
May
Christianity Inflicting 'Enormous Harm' on China, Warns Communist Party
A local government communications agency in China recently held a seminar to discuss with Communist Party members the "enormous harm" Christianity is to the atheist nation and identify ways to stunt its growth.
In the video, Xingguang Church attendees were seen as they attempted to block the entrance as police "officers confiscated phones and used brutal force against some Christian women as well
07
May
Violence erupts as Chinese officials raid Christian church, drag out members
Video footage from inside a Christian church in China shows officials raiding, violently dragging out members mid-service.
A wave of Islamophobic posts was unleashed on social media by right-wing Hindus, some of them employed in Gulf countries [File: P Ravikumar/Reuters]
30
April
Why Arabs are speaking out against Islamophobia in India
Anger in Gulf region as right-wing Hindus target Muslims, accusing them of a 'conspiracy' to spread coronavirus.
16
April
Christians continue to come under attack in Nigeria despite coronavirus
Several fatal attacks have taken place on Christian communities in Nigeria since the start of April even as the coronavirus spreads across the country.
Pope Francis greets faithfuls as he arrives to lead a Holy Mass at Freedom Square in Tallinn, Estonia September 25, 2018.
13
March
The Religious-Freedom Revolution
As the world has turned its attention to addressing the coronavirus, a slow but persistent revolution is underway in an area of policy that usually has flown under almost everyone's radar. That issue is international religious freedom.
29
January
China Bans Christian Funerals
Communist officials throughout China are using regulations that restrict religious freedom to also prohibit religious-themed funerals, even going so far as to arresting family members and stopping ceremonies mid-service.
An Assyrian woman attends Mass inside the Ibrahim al-Khalil church in Jaramana, eastern Damascus, Syria, in 2015. (Omar Sanadiki/Reuters)
28
January
A New Ranking of Nations Where Christians Are Persecuted Most
The ranking covers the worst 50 nations with respect to religious persecution of Christians. Most nations on the list are perennials, the details vary a bit year by year, but the outcome of this tragic sport rarely changes much.
