From the category archives:

Persecution

June 2, 2010

New India Martyr: Ajit Bansi

http://bit.ly/bDtpHb - Ajit Bansi was constructing a new church in Assam when he was killed by an extremist anti-Christian group on May 20. He had gone to a nearby town to purchase materials for the final phase of construction but never returned.

May 24, 2010

Increasing persecution in Morocco

http://bit.ly/a4IDoc – Voice of the Martyrs analyzes the increase in persecution and attributes it to the appointment of two new government officials who intend to crack down on Christian work.

May 24, 2010

Iran: Maryam & Marzieh acquitted

http://bit.ly/9blnan – 14 months after being arrested for their faith & activities, Maryam & Marzieh have been acquitted of all charges by the Iranian judicial authorities, but warned any future activity would be seriously dealt with.

May 14, 2010

New Somali Martyr

http://bit.ly/cG9xrc – Somali militants murder Christian father of 3. At least 15 Christians were murdered by militants in 2009.

May 4, 2010

The trouble with missionary movements

http://bit.ly/bbTkgO – ”We’ve never seen a church planting movement without persecution.”

April 22, 2010

Effort to change blasphemy law in Indonesia halted

Indonesia blocks faith law change, offending rights activists. In BBC.

April 18, 2010

Hidden martyrs in Egypt

The Assyrian International News Agency reports the growing number of attacks on the Egyptian Christian population by Islamic radicals: 24 in 2008, 29 in 2009. Coptic Christians number about 7 million or 10% of Egypt.

April 15, 2010

Somali group bans Christian bells

An Islamist group has banned bells at the end of classes, saying they are Christian (BBC). They also banned music (WSJ).

April 1, 2010

Eritrea: still imprisoned for faith

http://bit.ly/dBcTIc – 2,200 Christians imprisoned i Eritrea for practicing their faith in unregistered groups. Number has dropped as many released due to poor health or drafted into military for war against Ethiopia.

March 29, 2010

Somalia: new martyr

Somali Militants Kill Pastor, Crack Down on ‘Non-Muslim’ Culture. Militants track down an underground church leader and kill him. In Crosswalk.com.

March 23, 2010

India: 1,000 attacks on Christians in 500 days

Christians Face 1,000 Attacks in 500 Days in Karnataka, India. From Worldwide Religious News, quoting Compass Direct. Gives a brief chronology of the persecution wave.

March 22, 2010

Christians attacked in Egypt

23 Christians Wounded in Egypt, Bishop Says when extremist Muslims attacked a community center in a western province. In FoxNews.

March 22, 2010

Morocco cracking down on expats

Several sources are reporting Morocco has been suddenly cracking down accusing foreigners of proselytizing and expelling them. See ICC for a brief summary. Could be related to an earlier set of expulsions.

March 22, 2010

New martyrs in Nigeria

Second Wave of Attacks Near Jos, Nigeria Leaves 13 Christians Dead (Religion News Blog). The attacks are more political in nature: Christian politicians in Plateau state have blocked many Muslims from being legally recognized as citizens (CBSNews.com). Update: Steve has further analysis.

February 13, 2010

Persecution: counting the cost in India

Erich Bridges records the story of two men who lead a growing movement of Muslim-background believers in Mumbai, India, and the persecution they endure.

January 25, 2010

Religious strife in Jos, Nigeria

This information comes via the World Evangelical Alliance. From: Gideon Para-Mallam Date: Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 12:43 AM Subject: Fw: UPDATE ON THE JOS CRISIS AND CALL FOR HELP Dear Friends This is an urgent call to prayer and action from us to the international Christian community. Please find attached a write-up from certain [...]