(Morning Star News) – A month after a Christian family in Salavan Province, Laos lost their home and were expelled for their faith, officials in another province on Sunday (Oct. 1) disrupted the worship service of a house church and threatened to arrest them, according to a rights group. In Savannakhet Province’s Khampou village, Assaphone […]
Local Officials in Laos Stop Worship, Expel Christians
Family barred from returning to village.
October 3, 2023 By -
Iran Punishes Christians with Harsh Prison Sentences
House churches considered threat to national security.
October 16, 2022 By -
(Morning Star News) – When authorities in Iran summoned a Christian couple in Tehran on Aug. 13, the house-church members supposed it concerned the return of their confiscated belongings. Instead, Homayoun Zhaveh and his wife Sara Ahmadi were detained in Tehran’s Evin Prison, notorious for its harsh treatment of people deemed political enemies of the […]
China ‘Liquidates’ House Church as Part of Crackdown
Pastors and other workers arrested.
August 26, 2022 By -
(Morning Star News) – Authorities in China on Aug. 19 officially “liquidated” an historical house church in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, as part of a crackdown on churches that refuse to join the state-controlled Three-Self Church, rights advocates said. The Church of Abundance, which began about 30 years ago, had been targeted as a “cult” that […]
Killer of Coptic Priest in Egypt Sentenced to Death
Convict said to have shouted jihadist slogan as he stabbed clergyman.
June 12, 2022 By -
(Morning Star News) – The convicted killer of Archbishop Arsanious Wadid in Alexandria, Egypt was sentenced to death on Saturday (June 11), according to Copts-United. Nehru Abdel Moneim Tawfiq was sentenced to death after a long session in which the 22nd District Alexandria Criminal Court headed by Waheed Sabry watched surveillance camera video of the […]
Online Crackdown Threatens Christians in China
Draconian measures contravene constitution, attorney says.
February 14, 2022 By -
(Morning Star News) – Unregistered house churches that have relied on online gatherings and teaching to survive the COVID-19 pandemic and persecution will have that option taken away under draconian measures taking effect on March 1, sources said. Churches, seminaries and other ministries have been shaken by the government announcement on Dec. 20 that all […]
Egypt’s Claim of Killing Suspected Executioners of Christian Suspicious
Government statement raises more questions than it answers.
April 25, 2021 By -
(Morning Star News) – The Egyptian Interior Ministry’s claim – a day after Islamic terrorists released a video showing the execution of a 62-year-old Christian grandfather – that police had killed three of the suspects in the killing seems suspicious at best. The Egyptian government didn’t bother to say on what date the three members […]
Clear Vision Needed against Unchecked Violence in Nigeria
Media obfuscate religious motives while Islamists aim for civil war.
February 12, 2021 By -
(Morning Star News) – Renowned French film-maker, journalist and philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, hardly a right-wing “Islamophobe,” is among those who have made reports that indicate funding from Islamist organizations abroad is behind the radicalization of mosques in Nigeria. Radical mosques and Islamic schools (madrassas) contribute to the kind of violence perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen, leading […]
Church Building in Cuba Demolished, Re-Openings Blocked
Government harasses those opposed to social policies, Christian leaders say.
November 15, 2020 By -
(Morning Star News) – Authorities in Cuba have demolished a church building and are blocking other churches from re-opening after the lifting of pandemic restrictions, sources said. Having demolished an Assemblies of God building in the Abel Santa Maria area outside Santiago de Cuba on the southeastern part of the island, officials are blocking church […]
Christian Flogged in Iran, Pastor and Wife Forced to Flee
Harsh sentences reflect dark times for both recognized and underground churches.
October 27, 2020 By -
(Morning Star News) – The flogging an underground Christian in Iran received and the harsh prison sentence upheld for the pastor of a legally recognized church reflect the growing dangers of Christian faith in the country. Mohammad Reza (Youhan) Omidi on Oct. 14 received 80 lashes for drinking Communion wine. Alcohol is forbidden only for […]
Christians in China Forced to Replace Christian Items with Portraits of President
84-year-old man is told to pray to Communist Party leader.
August 12, 2020 By -
(Morning Star News) – An 84-year-old Christian in Shanxi Province, China was among people in at least five provinces ordered to remove Christian imagery from their homes and replace them with pictures of President Xi Jinping, religious rights magazine Bitter Winter reported. “The township [Chinese Communist] Party [CCP] secretary asked me to take down and […]