Archive | April, 2012

NIGERIA. Gunmen Attacked University Church Service killing 26 Christians (Update)

Gunmen who stormed an early morning Christian worship service in Bayero University Kano, BUK, yesterday, killing two professors, five academic doctors and 9 others came fully armed with improvised explosive devices, (IEDs), and AK-47 rifles. An eyewitness, who said he narrowly escaped death in the hands of the killers, said the attackers came with the […]

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Iran. Christian has been sentenced to six years prison, while another believer has been set free

A Christian convert from Islam has been sentenced to six years in prison, while another believer has been unexpectedly set free after six months behind bars in Iran. Farshid Fathi was arrested by the security forces in Tehran on 26 December 2010 as part of a major crackdown on the country’s house church movement in […]

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Nigeria. Powerful explosion rocked Bayero University where Christian students hold their services

Attackers armed with bombs and guns opened fire at outdoor church services at a Nigerian university Sunday, killing around 20 people as worshippers tried to flee, witnesses and officials said. A powerful explosion and gunfire rocked Bayero University in the northern city of Kano, with witnesses reporting that two church services were targeted as they […]

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Maldives. Islamic fundamentalism on the rise

The Maldives, long known as a tropical paradise destination for the rich and famous and held up as a democracy good news story, has recently taken a democratic nosedive, says its ousted president who is now looking for international help. Mohamed Nasheed ushered in what he termed the “dawn of democracy” when he was elected […]

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Mali. Western Africa. Rebels release Christian social worker Beatrice Stockly

Separatist Islamist rebels released a Swiss Christian woman kidnapped by a private militia on April 15 amid political turmoil in Timbuktu, Mali, according to a Swiss foreign ministry statement. Armed members of the militant Islamic group Ansar Dine handed Beatrice Stockly to Swiss diplomats on Tuesday (April 24), Reuters reported. Before rebels captured Timbuktu on […]

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India. Hindu extremists tried to stop burial of Christian and threatened to kill Mourners

Hindu extremists trying to stop the burial of a convert to Christianity last week in Chhattisgarh state beat a pastor and other Christians, including children and two 60-year-old women who fell unconscious, sources told Compass. Jaikant Pawar, 31, of Balgal village, Kanker district, died on April 20 en route to a hospital; an asthma sufferer, […]

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China. Blind Human Rights Activists escape from house arrest

It could hardly have come at a worse moment for a ruling Communist party whose public affairs seem to resemble a mafia war more each day. The extraordinary escape from house arrest of one of China’s most famous legal and human rights activists, blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng, has all the elements of a police thriller. […]

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IRAN. Security forces destroyed a 200-year-old Christian cemetery

KERMAN PROVINCE (south-east of Tehran). According to Iranian Christian news agency, Mohabat News, a historical graveyard in the Ghal’e-dokhtar area in Kerman province “has completely demolished”. Based on this report, local people estimate that this cemetery has existed for more than two hundred years. The news service of a cultural heritage organization quoted Mohammad Mehdi […]

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Nigeria. Islamic extremists attacked a TV viewing center in a Christian area

One person was killed and nine others were injured last night after suspected Islamic extremists attacked a TV viewing center in a Christian area of Jos where a crowd had gathered to watch soccer. At about 10:15 p.m. at the viewing center, one of many such establishments popular in Nigeria for watching soccer matches, the […]

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Sudan. Christians faced increased hostilities over the past few weeks

JUBA, South Sudan — Christians faced increased hostilities in Sudan over the past few weeks, culminating in an attack on a Christian compound in Khartoum by a throng of Muslim extremists armed with clubs, iron rods, a bulldozer and fire. Breaking down the compound wall with a bulldozer, the assailants on Saturday (April 21) set […]

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