Sudan Releases 13 Christians Arrested in Darfur after Torture, Threats

One church member said to be in critical condition.

JUBA, South Sudan (Morning Star News) – After torturing them and threatening to charge them with serious crimes, authorities in Sudan have released 13 Christians arrested in the Darfur Region, sources said. Personnel from Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) released 12 of the Christians by Sunday (Oct. 21) and freed church leader Tajaldin Idriss […]

Dozens of Christians Killed in Muslim Attack on Market in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Church building set on fire in assault that escalated, residents say.

JOS, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Muslims attacked a market in Kaduna state, in north-central Nigeria, on Thursday (Oct. 18), killing dozens of Christians and burning a church building, sources said. Area residents said a Muslim at the market in Kasuwan Magani, 36 kilometers (22 miles) south of the city of Kaduna, began yelling “Thief!” in […]

Beaten, Kidnapped, Arrested – and Forced to Stop Evangelizing

In Rajasthan, India, pastor faces one injustice after another.

NEW DELHI (Morning Star News) – When Pastor Mathai Varghese was beaten and abducted by Hindu extremists in Rajasthan state, India, police gave chase and arrested the kidnappers – as well as the pastor. His car ruined and his body bloodied, he spent a night and the next day in jail with serious injuries unattended before […]

Violence, Discrimination against Christians Escalate in Sri Lanka

Hindu extremism emerging along with Buddhist aggression, advocates say.

NEW DELHI (Morning Star News) – Attacks and other actions against Christians in Sri Lanka have escalated this year, with Hindu extremism beginning to take root along with long-time Buddhist aggression, according to rights advocates. “Last month there have been more incidents that have been documented than previous months,” an attorney with the National Christian Evangelical […]

Another Church Building Sealed Shut in Algeria

Compliance with building codes not enough to prevent closure.

TIZI-OUZOU, Algeria (Morning Star News) – Authorities in Algeria sealed shut a church site on Tuesday (Oct. 16) even after Christian leaders complied with orders to meet building codes, sources said. In Azaghar village near Akbou, about 185 kilometers (114 miles) east of Algiers in Bejaia Province, Kabylie Region, eight policemen sealed shut the doors of […]

Christians in Darfur, Sudan Arrested during Combined Worship of House Churches

Whereabouts of converts from Islam unknown.

JUBA, South Sudan (Morning Star News)– Security officials in Sudan last week arrested 13 Christians during a worship service in the Darfur Region, sources said. Personnel from Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) interrupted the worship service the afternoon of Oct. 10 in Nyala, capital of South Darfur state in western Sudan’s Darfur Region and […]

Policeman Sexually Harasses Christian Woman in Sudan, Sources Say

Officer says he has mandate to target ‘indecently dressed’ women.

JUBA, South Sudan (Morning Star News) – A young Catholic woman has discovered personally that many Public Order Police in Muslim-majority Sudan believe they have a mandate to sexually harass those they deem inappropriately dressed. Nyankiir Kual Mayen, a 24-year-old university student in Al Qadarif in eastern Sudan, filed a complaint with police two days after […]

Leah Sharibu Kept as Slave, Aid Worker Killed as ‘Apostate,’ in Nigeria, Report Says

Boko Haram’s Islamic law allows ‘infidels’ to be enslaved, group says.

(Morning Star News) – Islamic extremist group Boko Haram has killed an aid worker as an “apostate” from Islam and vowed to keep kidnapped high school girl Leah Sharibu as a “slave for life,” Nigerian news outlet The Cable reported. Leah, kidnapped along with more than 100 schoolgirls from Dapchi, Yobe state in February but […]

Fear Grips Churches in Northeastern Kenya as Muslim Extremists Kill Two Christian Teachers

In coastal Kenya, economic persecution, residents say.

NAIROBI, Kenya (Morning Star News) – Islamic extremists suspected to be Al Shabaab militants on Wednesday at 1 a.m. (Oct. 10) killed two Christians in northern Kenya, sources said. In Mandera East, in Mandera County on Kenya’s border with Somalia, more than 20 suspected Somali Al Shabaab rebels detonated an Improvised Explosive Device at the block […]

Crack-Down on Christians in Iran Continues with Two More Prison Sentences

Regime threatened by rampant growth of Christianity, advocates say.

JERUSALEM (Morning Star News) – Rights groups learned last week that two Christians in Iran have been sentenced to prison, the latest in a series of convictions on fabricated charges. Saheb Fadaei, already serving a 10-year prison sentence in Tehran, and Fatimeh Bakherti, both converts from Islam, were sentenced on Sept. 22 to 18 months and […]