Persecuted Christians

05/09/2017 Washington, D.C. ( International Christian Concern ) - International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as "Ahok," has been convicted of blasphemy against the Quran and sentenced to two years in jail. The sentence was harsher than expected since even the prosecution recommended only a "suspended" jail...
Read More About Christian Governor of Jakarta Given Jail Sentence for "Blasphemy" »

04/27/2017 Washington D.C.  (International Christian Concern) - On April 15, around 7:30 p.m., while villagers were gathered to worship, Fulani militants entered Asso village in Kaduna State and killed 13 people. The security forces stationed nearby did nothing to stop the massacre, repeating the story of so many previous Fulani attacks. The governor of Kaduna state, El-Rufai, sent...
Read More About More Than 1.5 Million Have Been Displaced by Muslim Militants in Northern Nigeria »

She saw forced abortions, infanticide, and  harsh treatment of Christians — By Mark Ellis —             She entered Kaechon Prison a loyal communist, but lost her faith in the godless ideology of North Korea under horrifying conditions, then found faith in Christ after her release and a daring escape to freedom in South Korea. ...
Read More About Communist woman in North Korea endured prison, found faith in Christ after her release »

Global trends in persecution as revealed by the World Watch List 2017 In some ways the 2017 World Watch List has a depressingly familiar feel. For the fourth year in a row, the level of overall persecution has risen. North Korea is still number one. Islamic extremism continues to strangle the expression of the Christian faith. Millions of Christians around the world now live their...
Read More About CLOUDS OF DARKNESS, GLIMMERS OF LIGHT »

14 February 2017 Iranian Christians request further prayer for three Christian converts in Rasht, who are appealing against a sentence of 80 lashes for drinking wine at communion, and two Christian converts in Evin Prison, Tehran, who are threatening to go on hunger strike. ARRESTED FOR TAKING COMMUNION   Yaser Mosibzadeh, Saheb Fadayee and Mohammad Reza Omidi were...
Read More About IRAN: CHRISTIANS SENTENCED TO 80 LASHES FOR TAKING COMMUNION »

20 January 2017 Pyongyang, North Korea's capital city, was known as 'the Jerusalem of the East' in 1907. There was a great revival, and hundreds of churches were started. Over a century later, that's hard to believe. North Korea is now the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian. Anyone who is even suspected of following Jesus faces imprisonment, torture - even death. ...
Read More About NORTH KOREA: RISKING IT ALL »

09 January 2017 A Pakistani Christian could face 10 years in jail or even the death sentence after torn pages from a copy of the Quran were found outside his home, with his name written on them. Babu Shahbaz Masih, 40, from the Kamahan district of Lahore, was arrested on 30 December after a Muslim resident reported him to the police. Masih's elder brother, George, a local...
Read More About PAKISTAN: CHRISTIAN MAN ACCUSED OF BLASPHEMY AFTER TORN QURAN FOUND »

By Mark Ellis   The death toll from the December 11 th  attack on a Coptic church in Cairo rose to 26 this week after ten-year-old Maggy Moemen died nine days after the blast, which killed mostly women and children. It seems the 22-year-old terrorist with a suicide vest exploded himself on the side of the church where women and children sat, separated from the...
Read More About The night before church blast in Cairo, woman had premonition of her death »

Families Fear Imminent Threats by Local Radicals 12/15/2016 Washington, D.C. ( International Christian Concern ) - International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that four Christian girls, unjustly imprisoned in the largely Muslim town of Babile, Ethiopia, were released on December 15, 2016. Martha Solomon Kebede, 18, Miheret Abera Mulat, 17, Gifti Dabesa Fekyisa, 17,...
Read More About Teenage Girls Imprisoned for Sharing Faith Released in Ethiopia »

29 November 2016 For decades, the church in Cuba has experienced persecution and oppression. In the past that meant beatings, imprisonment and sometimes murder; today, it is generally in the form of harassment, strict surveillance and discrimination, including occasional imprisonment of leaders. Despite this, the Cuban Church has grown. Now the architect of much of that oppression,...
Read More About CUBA: CASTRO'S DEATH NOT LIKELY TO CHANGE MUCH FOR CHRISTIANS »

Farshid was one of several evangelical pastors held in Building 350 of Evin. Two of them, Saeed Abedini and Youcef Nadarkhani, are internationally known—their stories can be found on the internet. Youcef was sentenced to death and Saeed to eight years in prison. Farshid was—and always will be—one of the happiest people I’ve ever met. I don’t mean just in prison; I mean my whole life. He...
Read More About Stories Of Others: Farshid’s Friend »

German language Punkt 9 Übergriffe auf Flüchtlinge in anderen EU-Staaten   Deutschland hat europaweit die weitaus höchste Zahl an Flüchtlingen aufgenommen.69 Deshalb ist es naheliegend, dass auch die Problematik der religiös motivierten Übergriffe hier am häufigsten auftritt. Dennoch liegen auch aus anderen europäischen Ländern vergleichbare Berichte...
Read More About Erhebung Mangelnder Schutz religiöser Minderheiten in Deutschland – ein Teil »

03 November 2016 When young Susan Ithungu became a Christian, she had to hide her faith. Her father, who was a Muslim witchdoctor, was a dangerous and difficult man. One day, after Susan's father continually refused medical treatment for her seriously ill mother, Susan's mother fled - leaving Susan and her young brother in their father's care. Eventually, he discovered Susan's...
Read More About UGANDA: SUSAN ITHUNGU'S ROAD TO RECOVERY CONTINUES »

October 10, 2016 By Mark Ellis At least 50 Christians in the Middle East directly experienced God’s mighty hand of protection from Islamist militants when He caused a giant dust storm to hide them from their attackers. The story of divine protection began with a baptism held in secret. “By the ever loving grace of God, 24 believers of Jesus Christ from Islam received...
Read More About God brought dust storm to protect new believers from terrorist attack »

21 October 2016 Despite earlier warnings that minority-faith refugees in Germany were being beaten and threatened with death, nothing has been done in a systemic way to give them better protection, according to a group of German NGOs, led by Open Doors Germany, in the report 'Lack of protection for religious minorities in Germany'. The report summarises the findings of interviews...
Read More About HUNDREDS OF CHRISTIAN REFUGEES IN GERMANY EXPERIENCE PERSECUTION »

  10/03/2016 Washington, D.C. ( International Christian Concern ) - Two and a half years ago, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the Hindu nationalist BJP into power. Unfortunately, radical Hindu groups like the RSS, VHP, and Bajrangdal have used the BJP's rise to power as a permission slip to harass Christians across the nation. Recently, radical Hindu groups have...
Read More About Hindu Radicals Use "Siege-Like" Tactics to Choke Christianity Out of Village in India »

07 September 2016 Deborah Shettima has lived in Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram, throughout the insurgency that has gained momentum from 2009. It is a miracle that she has survived the constant battles, suicide bombings and targeted attacks. But an even bigger miracle is that this woman has survived spiritually after losing all of her family members. On the afternoon of 25...
Read More About NIGERIA: UPDATE FROM DEBORAH SHETTIMA »

08/24/2016 Washington, D.C.  ( International Christian Concern ) - International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that radical Muslims have vandalized multiple churches in northern Nigeria after a Christian university student was hospitalized, nearly beaten to death by a mob of Muslim students, accusing him of insulting the Muslim prophet Muhammad.  On Sunday,...
Read More About Mass Riots Follow Attack on Christian College Student Beaten Near Death in Alleged Blasphemy »

09/03/2016 Washington, D.C. ( International Christian Concern ) - Christians in northern Telangana state are under assault as ultra-Hindu nationalists groups are unleashing a fresh dose of violence on the community. Groups like the RSS, VHP and Bajrangdal have attacked pastors and churches, leading to hospitalizations and widespread fear. Meanwhile, the perpetrators continue to enjoy...
Read More About Christians in India Face Fresh Outbreak of Persecution in Northern Telangana »

22 August 2016 In a recent state-level religious meeting, Chairman Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of dealing with religious matters. He reiterated that China shall maintain various religions independent from external influences, avoid being influenced by extreme religious thoughts and assimilate religions with the socialism with Chinese characteristics. As learnt from Chinese...
Read More About CHINA: CHURCHES FACE SCRUTINY »

27 July 2016 Donh*, who has been a Christian for just a year, was beaten by a policeman and a group of youths at the start of July after he refused to give up his faith. Our local partner, Cang*, who has recently visited Donh, says: "The cop used his baton and assaulted Donh on his head and on the back of his neck. The cop came with about 20 young men with clubs and big knives....
Read More About VIETNAM: CHRISTIAN BEATEN FOR REFUSING TO DENY FAITH »

20 July 2016   "Whatever happens, whether we live or die, I will never stop believing in Jesus Christ." These are not just empty words for Kusum; she knows about death and loss. She is just 25, but has already been widowed, and her youngest son has died. Her community and her husband's family blame her Christian faith for their deaths - and her father-in-law has threatened...
Read More About INDIA: "WHETHER WE LIVE OR DIE, I WILL NEVER STOP BELIEVING IN JESUS" »

04 July 2016 An Indian family have been forced into hiding after they faced harassment and beatings from their community for leaving Hinduism to follow Jesus. Jitendra*, who is just 21 years old, told Open Doors partners of how his family came to faith in Christ after he was healed of an illness. "I had done many Hindu rituals but I stayed sick. I joined a Christian at a prayer...
Read More About INDIA: FAMILY HARASSED AND BEATEN FOR FOLLOWING JESUS »

German Language: 24.06.2016 ÄGYPTEN Schließen Islam und Religionsfreiheit einander aus? (KELKHEIM, 24. Juni 2016) – Nicht zufällig hat der leitende Imam der ägyptischen Al-Azhar-Universität, Ahmed el-Tayyib, inmitten des muslimischen Fastenmonats Ramadan im ägyptischen Staatsfernsehen klargestellt: Wer den Islam verlässt, hat die Todesstrafe verdient. Die Aussagen des...
Read More About Ägypten: Oberster Imam fordert Todesstrafe für Konvertiten »

07/01/2016 Washington, D.C.  ( International Christian Concern ) - International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on June 30, 2016, a mob of radical Muslims looted and burned four houses owned by Christians in Kom El-Loufy village, Egypt. The attack occurred after rumors circulated that Ayoub Khalaf Fahmy, a local Christian farmer, was building a church in the...
Read More About Angry Mob of Radical Muslims Burns the Houses of Four Christian Brothers »