Couple Beaten, Congregation Member Missing in Persecution of Church in China

Authorities abuse, humiliate Christians.

(Morning Star News) – Following the arrest of 44 worshipers from house church meetings in southwestern China in February, police in Chengdu this month arrested a married couple from the church and beat them during interrogation, the church reported. The couple, identified as Liu and his wife Xing, of Early Rain Covenant Church, were visiting […]

Cathedral Bombing Appears to Make Terrorist Statement after Referendum in Philippines

Islamic State-affiliated group responsible, officials say.

MINDANAO, Philippines (Morning Star News) – Christians in the insurgency-scarred southern Philippines who hoped for peace after the region won official status as an autonomous, Islamic sub-state last month received a mortifying message when Islamist terrorists bombed a Catholic cathedral on Jan. 27. Members of the Islamic extremist rebel group Abu Sayyaf, which claims allegiance to […]

Discrimination against Christians in Egypt Reflects Deeper Issues

Attempt to do away with religious designation on ID cards fails.

JERUSALEM (Morning Star News) – A wan effort to do away with the religious designation on ID cards in Egypt reflects the enormity of the discrimination Christians face in a country regarded as a leader of Middle Eastern Islam, rights advocates said. ID cards are required for almost every aspect of public life in Egypt, and […]

Church Leaders in Nigeria Not Giving Up on Rescue of Leah Sharibu

Government fears paying high ransom could hurt national security, report says.

JOS, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Following the announcement by Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram that it will keep a Christian high school girl as a slave, church leaders in Nigeria said they are not giving up on pressing for her rescue. Leaders of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) have intensified discussions with government officials […]

Closure of Large Church in Beijing Deepens Shadow on Religious Freedom in China

Crack-down escalates significantly, advocate says.

(Morning Star News) – The growing crack-down on unofficial churches in China deepened on Sunday (Sept. 9) when authorities closed one of the largest churches in Beijing, according to reports. The Beijing Chaoyang District Civil Affairs Bureau informed Zion Church that it was “legally banned” for organizing events without registering as an official Three-Self Patriotic […]

How Muslim Mobs Attack Christian Churches in Egypt with Impunity

Copts coerced into out-of-court settlements that close worship sites.

(Morning Star News) – Christians coerced into an out-of-court settlement following an Islamist attack on a church building in Egypt recently saw the usual outcome – a closed church – a practice that has long oppressed Christians, according to Middle East observers. Members of an armed Muslim mob that attacked a church building in Meinin […]

Christians in Malaysia to Fight for Rights after Court Ruling on Conversion

Legal clarity remains elusive.

(Morning Star News) – In the wake of the highest court in Malaysia refusing to hear an appeal by four Christians wanting to officially convert out of Islam, Christian leaders continued to hold hope for change. In a country where there is no legal way to leave Islam, the four people were asking the Federal […]

Reporter’s Notebook, Nigeria: A Journey to Kidnapping Central

As kidnappings increase, Christians are often targeted.

KADUNA, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – At first the commercial motorcycle drivers I needed clamored for my business, but when they found out I was going to Kwanti village, in northern Nigeria’s Kaduna state, they all dispersed without haggling over prices. Kwanti and its surrounding villages of large estates inhabited mostly by farmers have been taken […]

Government of Pakistan Bows to Islamists on ‘Blasphemy’ Suspects, Critics Say

Last chance for saving Aasiya Noreen (Asia Bibi) put in jeopardy.

LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – The Pakistan government’s surrender to demands of an Islamic extremist group jeopardizes the last chances for Christian mother Aasiya Noreen (Asia Bibi) to overturn her death sentence for “blasphemy,” sources said. The government’s inability to withstand the violent protests and demands of the upstart, Muslim extremist Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah […]

China Tightens Control on Churches, Enforces Law Against Teaching Children

Officials order house-church members to stay home.

(Morning Star News) – China has tightened its “choke-hold” on churches across the country in recent weeks, according to advocacy group China Aid. Recent bans on unregistered church worship and on teaching Christianity to children, “as if intending to eliminate all house churches at once,” have startled Christians, a China Aid source reported. In Guangzhou, […]