Indonesia: Church allowed to reopen after local Muslims shut it down

In a remarkable piece of good news for persecuted Indonesian Christians, a church in Bandar Lampung has been allowed to reopen after local Muslim village authorities and residents interrupted a worship service and forced it to close down last month, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. The Kemah Daud Christian Church had been in the middle of a Sunday service on February 19 when the disruption and subsequent closure occurred.

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India: Pastor and his wife arrested/imprisoned under Uttar Pradesh anti-conversion laws

A pastor and his wife in India’s Uttar Pradesh state have been criminally charged and imprisoned under harsh local anti-conversion laws for allegedly luring Hindus into becoming Christians, Scroll reports. Ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party since 2014, India ranks 11th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.

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China: Church releases statement detailing torture of imprisoned leaders

An evangelical church in China has released a statement detailing torture and maltreatment inflicted on three of the congregation’s leaders who have been in detention since August last year, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports. China ranks 16th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.

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Uganda: Evangelist attacked after leading 37 Muslims to Christ

An evangelist in eastern Uganda is recovering after being hospitalized by Islamist extremists enraged that he ostensibly led 37 Muslims to Christ during an extended public debate on Islam and Christianity last month, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. While Christianity is legal in Uganda, followers of Christ - especially former Muslims - have come under intense violent attack by Islamic extremists who seek to prevent the Gospel from being shared in the country.

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Uganda: Forty Christian children rescued after abduction by Islamist, “we thank God”

Forty Christian children in Uganda have been rescued after being kidnapped by Islamists who may have planned to sell them to a militant group in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. The children’s abduction is one of many documented examples of the intense persecution of Christians in Uganda.

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Iran: Two Christians pardoned and released from prison

In a rare act of goodwill toward Iran’s Christian community, the Iranian Islamic regime pardoned and released two Christians imprisoned for “acting against national security by organizing house churches and promoting ‘Zionist’ Christianity,” International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. The Christians’ release was part of the government’s annual tradition of pardoning prisoners commemorating Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

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