Asia

India Christian persecution: Violent mob attacks prayer meeting in private home

A violent mob of around 70 people attacked a prayer meeting in a private home in India’s Chhattisgarh state Monday, destroying property, assaulting those gathered, and hospitalizing at least six believers with serious injuries, CSW reports. Chhattisgarh is one of nine states with controversial anti-conversion laws that are often used to harass and intimidate religious minorities from sharing their faith.

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India: Christian leaders criticize repressive anti-conversion law

Christian leaders in India’s Uttar Pradesh state have publicly criticized a new bill that oppressively restricts and regulates conversion from one faith to another, International Christian Concern reports. Passed on February 24 by the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, the new bill violates Article 25 of India’s constitution, which provides that citizens have the right to profess, practice, and propagate the religion of their choice.

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Pakistan's Christian Widows and Children Facing Starvation

Hundreds of Pakistani Christian widows and their children rely on monthly food parcels in impoverished Pakistan amid Christian persecution and an ongoing coronavirus pandemic, aid workers told Worthy News Sunday.

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India: Christian couple refuse to renounce faith in face of death threats and banishment

A husband and wife who refused to renounce their new-found faith in Christ have been banished and threatened with death if they return to their village home in India’s Odisha state, International Chrisitan Concern (ICC) reports. Jaga Padiami and his wife were driven from their home in the Malkangiri municipality after becoming Christians in December 2020.

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Indonesia: Pentecostal congregation allowed to build a church as local official calls for religious tolerance

A Pentecostal church in Yogyakarta, Indonesia has again been granted permission to build a worship center after a previous construction permit (IMB) was revoked by local authorities in 2019, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Renewing permission to build a church, the local regent also called for tolerance of other religions in the community.

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India: Hindu nationalists attack separate church gatherings on same day; pastor arrested

Two Christian congregations in central India were attacked on the same day by around 100 radical Hindu nationalists who stormed each of their worship gatherings on February 7, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. While there are no reports of the attackers being arrested, the pastor of one of the churches attacked was arrested and detained before being released on bail.

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Malaysia: Abducted Pastor now missing for four years: “Please pray for justice”

A pastor who was abducted by Malaysia state police on February 13, 2017, has not been seen or heard of since, Open Doors UK reports. The fourth anniversary of the abduction of Pastor Raymond Koh has just passed and his family still has no answers as to why he was kidnapped or what has happened to him.

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