A court in Iran has reduced the five-year prison sentences of three Iranian Christians who were appealing against their convictions for engaging in anti-Islamic propaganda, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports. Amin Khaki, Milad Goudarzi, and Alireza Nourmohammadi each saw their prison sentence reduced to three years, although their overall appeal was denied.
...continue reading this storyTraumatized by the invasion of ISIS in 2014, Christians in Iraq remain nervous of outsiders, International Christian Concern reports. Constituting one of the oldest believing communities in the world, the Christians of Bartella near Mosul are reportedly wary of the influx of new arrivals to their district.
...continue reading this storyChristians in Iran meeting mostly in secret house groups to avoid detection by police face new challenges as the Islamic government seeks more internet restrictions, according to sources familiar with the situation.
...continue reading this storyJews and others believing in Jesus as the Messiah reportedly face attacks in southern Israel by followers of a strict Orthodox sect. Details of the incident in Arad emerged Thursday, with rights investigators blaming the Gur Hasidim group.
...continue reading this storyAround two-thirds of Syria’s Christians have had to escape the war-torn country over the last 10 years, Kurdish news outlet Rudaw reports. Prior to the start of the civil war in 2011, Christians constituted between 8%-10% of Syria’s population; they now make up about 3%.
...continue reading this storyIran’s judiciary has granted itself powers that will likely make life substantially more harsh for Christian converts who are already persecuted in this predominantly Islamic country, International Christian Concern reports.
...continue reading this storyIt is estimated that there are around 1.2 million Christians living in Saudi Arabia, although citizens’ conversion from Islam to Christianity is punishable by death, Christian Headlines reports. Most believers in Saudi Arabia are Filipino expatriates who are allowed to work in the country, but are not citizens.
...continue reading this storyA former Muslim who embraced faith in Christ has been ordered to begin a ten-month prison sentence for “propaganda against the Islamic Republic,” Worthy News learned Wednesday.
...continue reading this storyThe wife and children of a Christian in Saudi Arabia have left the country after he was fined on charges such as “attempting to convert” Muslims to Christianity, Worthy News learned.
...continue reading this storyThree former Muslims in Iran are the first Christians to be given prison sentences under Article 500, a new amendment to Iran’s penal code that aims to block the spread of the Gospel in the country, Morning Star News reports. Iran ranks 8 on the US Open Doors Watch List of countries that persecute Christians.
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