(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 […]
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 - Leave a Comment
Court in Iran Denies Christians Custody of Adopted Daughter
Verdict upheld on appeal because parents converted from Islam.
October 1, 2020 By - Leave a Comment
(Morning Star News) – A appeals court in Iran last week denied a Christian couple custody of their adopted daughter after they faced criminal charges for their faith. Sam Khosravi and Maryam Falahi, converts from Islam, had adopted 3-month-old Lydia from an orphanage in February 2019. Before a welfare organization finalized the adoption, government security […]
Turkey Deporting Foreign Christians or Banning Their Return, Sources Say
Government appears to be targeting Protestant community.
August 2, 2020 By - 1 Comment
JERUSALEM (Morning Star News) – Dozens of foreign Christians in Turkey have been forced to leave the country or been banned from returning in what appears to be government targeting of the Protestant Christian community, rights advocates say. Many, like Carlos Madrigal of Spain, have been serving in leadership roles in Protestant churches in the […]
New Law in Iran Threatens More Arrests of Christians, Rights Advocates Say
Legislation could enable regime to ban any group as a ‘sect.’
June 30, 2020 By - 1 Comment
(Morning Star News) – Legislation passed by parliament in Iran could make it easier to arrest and imprison Christians and other religious minorities, rights advocates said. Under amendments to articles 499 and 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, those found guilty of “deviant psychological manipulation” or “propaganda contrary to Islam,” whether in the “real or […]
Some Prisoners Released, but Iran Continues Crack-Down on Christians
After brief lull, converts still targeted.
June 1, 2020 By - 1 Comment
(Morning Star News) – The COVID-19 crisis in Iran has resulted in freedom for several Christians among the roughly 85,000 people released from prison, but convictions have continued in spite of a short-lived lull in actions against converts to Christianity, sources said. The release of imprisoned Christians as part of the regime’s efforts to curb […]
His Exile Extended 11 Months, Christian in Iran Finds Warm Welcome
Ebrahim Firoozi’s term of forcible relocation now nearly three years.
April 13, 2020 By - 1 Comment
(Morning Star News) – When a convert from Islam in Iran was sentenced to two years in exile in Sarbaz last year, the judge warned him that religious extremists in the remote desert town would treat him harshly. When Ebrahim Firoozi arrived in November to southwest Iran near the border with Pakistan, though, he discovered […]
Coptic Christian Family Attacked in Upper Egypt; Adult Son in Intensive Care
Muslim assailant told them Christians forbidden to sit outside.
November 19, 2019 By - Leave a Comment
CAIRO, Egypt (Morning Star News) – A Coptic Christian is in critical condition after he, his mother and brother were stabbed in Egypt on Sunday night (Nov. 17), according to media reports. The Muslim assailant in a village in Upper Egypt’s Minya Governorate first told them that Christians must not sit outside before attacking them, […]
Christian Begins Sentence of Exile in Remote, Islamist Area of Iran
Convert from Islam convicted of evangelizing.
November 18, 2019 By - Leave a Comment
(Morning Star News) – A Christian in Iran convicted of conducting evangelistic activities began a mandated two years in exile this month in a remote area on the border with Pakistan, sources said. As part of a larger prison sentence delivered in 2013, Ebrahim Firoozi, 33, was sentenced to two years in exile in Sarbaz, […]
Priest from Northeastern Syria Killed as Christians Suffer in Turkish Offensive
Syrian church facing violence from both Islamic State and Turkey.
November 13, 2019 By - Leave a Comment
(Morning Star News) – Islamic State (IS) militants claimed responsibility for killing an Armenian Catholic priest and his father on Monday (Nov. 11) in eastern Syria, where they had traveled from their home in a northeastern town hit by Turkish air strikes and terrorist bombs. In the wake of a Turkish military operation into Syrian […]
Coptic Christian Arrested for Allegedly Insulting Islam on Facebook in Egypt
Muslim extremists ransack his parents’ home.
June 18, 2019 By - Leave a Comment
CAIRO, Egypt (Morning Star News) – A young Coptic Christian man has been arrested near Cairo, Egypt for allegedly insulting Islam after a hacker posted material on his Facebook page, he and family members said. Fady Yousef, 25, was arrested early in the morning of June 11 in Giza, southwest of Cairo, despite having posted a […]