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Pakistani Christian dies after being set on fire by Muslim in alleged dispute over who should convert

April 23, 2018 Pakistan Marriage, Pakistan, Punjab, Sialkot, Women

A Christian woman from north-eastern Pakistan has died from her injuries after being set on fire by a Muslim man, who claims it was an accident and followed a discussion about which of them should convert if they were to marry. Asma Yaqoob, 24, died in a Lahore hospital yesterday . . . Read More

Egypt church application triggers attack

April 19, 2018 Egypt Beni Suef, Churches, Copts, Egypt, Islamic extremism, Luxor, Qena

Egypt’s Prime Minister Sherif Ismail has called for the process of legalising unlicensed churches to be “speeded up” after granting a second batch of church buildings official status this week. The government has legalised 219 churches and church-affiliated buildings this year, but 3,511 others remain on the waiting list. The . . . Read More

India: major faiths reject use of religious identity for political gain

April 9, 2018 India Beef, BJP, Goa, Hindutva, India, Maharashtra, Narendra Modi

Dressed in the saffron colour, groups such these are promoting the nationalist cause for India to be a Hindu-nation. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

Leaders of six major faiths have issued a joint call condemning the use of religion for political ends, ahead of India’s 2019 general election. Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Muslim and Sikh leaders met in the western state of Goa on 5 April to discuss rising communal tensions in several areas . . . Read More

Nigerian Christian who lost husband in Fulani attack: ‘I returned to encourage other women to do the same’

March 29, 2018 Nigeria Adamawa, Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen, Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria

Shaforon village in north-east Nigeria’s Adamawa state is all but deserted. Residents fled to the bigger cities of Numan and the state capital, Yola, when the village was attacked by Fulani herdsmen in December. Hanatu Solomon, whose husband died during the attack, is one of the few to have returned. . . . Read More

Egyptian mob celebrates blocking application for new church

March 26, 2018 Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Copts, Egypt, Qena, Upper Egypt

Mob rule has stopped hundreds of Christians in a village in Upper Egypt building their first church, World Watch Monitor has learned from local Copts. The nearest church for the 500 Copts living in El Toud, in Qena Governorate, is 10km away. So, since 2007, they have used the home . . . Read More

Pakistan Christian escapes death for ‘clearly fabricated’ blasphemy

March 22, 2018 Pakistan Blasphemy, Gujranwala, Pakistan, Punjab

A Pakistani Christian sentenced to death for blasphemy nearly two years ago has been acquitted. The case against him – brought by a police officer whose protection he sought against two blackmailers – was “clearly fabricated”, his lawyer said after the 13 March acquittal. Anjum Sandhu, from the north-eastern city . . . Read More

Turkey: date set for trial of US pastor Andrew Brunson

March 21, 2018 Turkey Andrew Brunson, Coup, Fethullah Gülen, PKK, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey

A photo of the Rev. Andrew Brunson during his time in prison. Photo courtesy of World Witness

Imprisoned US pastor Andrew Brunson is set to stand trial before a Turkish criminal court on 16 April on espionage- and terrorism-related charges that could jail him for up to 35 years. Seventeen months after the pastor’s arrest in the port city of Izmir, a formal indictment accepted by the . . . Read More

Easter banner torn down from Pakistan church

March 20, 2018 Pakistan Burewala, Christmas, Churches, Easter, Pakistan, Punjab

Armed violence broke out in eastern Pakistan on Sunday, 18 March, over an Easter banner hung outside a church. The incident took place in a Christian colony in Burewala, Punjab province. Police intervened and arrested three Muslim suspects, while seven injured Christians were taken to a local hospital. The church’s . . . Read More

Hmong Christians hospitalised after mob attack in Vietnam’s northwest

March 15, 2018 Vietnam Catholics, Central Highlands, Hmong, Human rights, Vietnam

Four Vietnamese Christian families – 24 people in all – have been attacked by a mob led by the village chief, local sources have revealed to World Watch Monitor. Four people were hospitalised for eight days after the 1 March attack, with injuries to their heads and arms. All four families are . . . Read More

Indian policeman joins 50-strong Hindu mob’s attack on churches

March 12, 2018 India Hindu Munnani, Hindu nationalism, India, Tamil Nadu

A Hindu mob raided five churches in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu yesterday (11 March), attacking and abusing Christians as they worshipped. Several women were stripped and beaten. The attackers, who according to witnesses were accompanied by a state-provided police officer, were part of Hindu Munnani, a Tamil . . . Read More

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