By Compass Direct News Yesterday’s confidence replaced by fear that judge will yield to mob Confident on Wednesday of Rimsha Masih’s release, her lawyer was apprehensive Thursday after a prosecutor hinted strongly at the likelihood of violence if she is freed. “This girl is guilty,” said Rao Abdur Raheem, a […]
Asia
Christians blockaded in Syrian town
Originally published in barnabasaid Around 12,000 people were blockaded in a predominantly Christian town in Syria for two weeks by anti-government forces, who shot down people trying to leave and refused entry to food and medical supplies. Snipers prevented anyone from leaving the southern town of Rableh, shooting dead three […]
Pakistani teen accused of blasphemy will leave jail, but can’t go home, lawyer says
By Murad Khan — Open Doors News Rimsha Masih is likely to be cleared of the blasphemy charge against her, but never will be able to return home, her lawyer says. Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, who has taken up the defense of the young Christian girl whose case has renewed international […]
China missionary Freddie Sun loses cancer battle
Sun Yi-yin, known in America as “Freddie Sun,” lost his battle with cancer on Wednesday evening. He was 76. From 1992-2012, the Holy Spirit used Sun to organize and help with the operation of 154 Bible institutes and missionary training centers inside China, including Tibet. Serving as native missionaries, more […]
South Korean court upholds abortion ban
Originally published in World Community South Korea’s Constitutional Court has upheld a 59-year-old ban on abortions. The eight-judge panel needed six votes in favor of declaring the law unconstitutional in order to overturn the longtime ban. However, the court said Thursday that four judges voted to keep the ban and […]
Christian Pakistani girl, 11, jailed for ‘blasphemy’
Originally published in Baptist Press Controversy continues to swirl around Pakistan’s blasphemy law after the arrest of a young Christian girl for defiling words from the Quran. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has asked the country’s Interior Ministry for a report about the Aug. 16 arrest of Rimshah Masih, described […]
Iran declining help in aftermath of quakes
Originally published in Baptist Press Iran is declining offers of assistance from other countries after twin earthquakes devastated rural villages in northwest Iran Saturday (Aug. 11), killing at least 306 people, most of them women and children. “Our prayers go out for those affected by these earthquakes. We are asking […]
70 000 Christians locked in concentration camps
Originally published in WND Sources confirm North Korea has eased or lifted a number of restrictions for citizens since Kim Jong Un succeeded his father, Kim Jong Il. Kim Jong Il’s tenure as dictator was marked by intense persecution of Christians, including imprisonment of generations of a family for a […]
South Korean Christians release Gospel balloons into North Korea
Originally published in Religion Today On July 4, four North Korean defectors now living in South Korea joined a Voice of the Martyrs worker to release 10 balloons into North Korea carrying 45 000 gospel flyers plus their personal written testimonies. It was the fifth such balloon launch by the […]
Christians tormented with music, then attacked
By Open Doors News For months, a group of Hindu extremists in southern India had been blasting high-volume movie music at the prayer meetings of a local Christian ministry. In early July, the harassment crossed the line to assault when the Hindus burst into the prayer meeting of End Time […]