LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – Pakistani Christians who have fled the country due to persecution were relieved to hear the government has reversed its decision to stop issuing or renewing passports to those seeking asylum abroad. The government announced the decision this week following Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s June 5 statement that the […]
Pakistan Reverses Ban on Passports for Asylum Seekers
Collective sigh of relief from Christians fleeing persecution.
Faith of Christian on Death Row in Pakistan Shines in Studies
‘Blasphemy’ convict focuses on prayer, Bible and academic excellence.
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – A Christian sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan despite lack of evidence has demonstrated his faith by excelling academically even in prison, sources said. Nouman Masih, 24, recently passed his high school board examination with a very high score, demonstrating his faith in God for a future […]
Pastor and Family Devastated by Death of Son in India
Higher-caste Hindu takes brutal revenge on Christian.
NEW DELHI (Morning Star News) – Pastor Sushil Kumar and his wife rose at 3 a.m. on July 8 in their village in northern India as always to pray. They came out of their house 90 minutes later to find their 22-year-old son’s body hanging from the bamboo ceiling of a nearby animal shed. Nilesh Kumar […]
Christian Father, 29, Gunned Down by Muslims in Pakistan
Catholic was sole provider for family with four children.
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – A Catholic father of four children was gunned down by Muslim neighbors last week after he objected to their harassment of Christians in the area, his family said. Marshall Masih of the Patiala House area in Lahore was the sole breadwinner for his elderly parents, wife and four […]
Hindu Extremist Attack Shuts Down Church’s Services in India
Police inaction contributes to closure.
HYDERABAD, India (Morning Star News) – Worship services at a church in a village in central India’s Madhya Pradesh state have been suspended since Hindu extremists attacked the congregation on June 1, sources said. The mob of about 20 villagers led by members of the Hindu extremist Bajrang Dal intruded into the house of Pastor Madia […]
Pakistan among Worst Violators of Religious Freedom, US Body Says
USCIRF again recommends designation as ‘Country of Particular Concern.’
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) again has recommended that the State Department designate Pakistan as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), citing the country’s blasphemy laws as a prime source religious freedom violations. The U.S. State Department does not accept all USCIRF recommendations in its […]
Christian Girl, 14, Taken for Sham Conversion/Marriage in Pakistan
Neighborhood butcher, 27, arranged kidnapping, father told.
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – Another Christian girl in Pakistan, this one 14 years old, has fallen victim to forced conversion/marriage by a Muslim kidnapper, sources said. Khalid Masih, a 48-year-old Catholic sanitation worker in Islamabad, said that a butcher in his neighborhood, Haider Ali, took his daughter Alina Khalid from their home in […]
Relatives Kill Christian Woman with Axe Blows, Stones in India
Uncle claimed she had no right to land because of her new faith.
NEW DELHI (Morning Star News) – A tribal religion villager in India killed his 32-year-old niece with axe blows and stones last week, claiming she and her relatives had no right to ancestral farmland because they had become Christians, sources said. Bindu Sodi of Toylanka village, Kotewarpara in Dantewada District, Chhattisgarh state had been the sole […]
Christian Sentenced to Death under Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law
Kiln worker convicted without evidence, attorney says.
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Saturday (June 29) handed the death sentence to a Christian for allegedly sharing a “blasphemous” video on a social media platform despite lack of evidence, his attorney said. Sahiwal District Anti-Terrorism Judge Ziaullah Khan delivered the sentence to 27-year-old Ehsaan (nickname “Shan”) […]
Shattered Widow of Christian Lynched in Pakistan Dies
Trauma, depression follow killing incited by false blasphemy accusation.
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – Not a day passed when Allah Rakhi Bibi would not cry for her husband Nazeer Masih Gill, beaten to death at 74 by a Muslim mob on a false blasphemy accusation a month ago. On Friday (June 21), the grieving widow could bear the suffering no longer, and […]