Free Republic

The New York Times: “I don’t exclude that the murder is connected to the fact that he preached among and baptized those who belong to Muslim culture.”

A Russian Orthodox priest, Fr. Daniel Sysoyev, who carried out missionary work among immigrants from ex-Soviet republics, many of them Muslims, received over a dozen death threats before his murder on Thursday, a Russian paper said. Fr. Daniel of St. Thomas Church in Moscow foresaw his death, writing in his internet diary that he had received telephone threats from Muslims. Fr. Daniel’s evening ‘talks’ for inquirers included several especially designed for Muslims.

Monday, November 16, 2009 Islamic Extremists Kill Somali Church Leader Thirteenth Christian Assassinated This Year By Jeremy Reynalds Correspondent for ASSIST News Service WASHINGTON, D.C. (ANS) -- A human rights group has learned that members of al-Shabab (a Somali Islamic extremist group) have killed yet another leader of an underground church in the Somalia capital of Mogadishu. Washington-based International Christian Concern (ICC), reported that on Oct. 10, Pastor Ali Hussein Weheliye was returning home from a worship service when two masked members of al-Shabab ambushed and shot him. He was later taken to Darful Shifa Hospital where he died of...

Kazakhstan: Christian Fined, Deported Two Christian brothers, Viktor and Didrikh Leven, have been convicted of participating in religious worship without state registration in Akmola Region, Kazakhstan, according to Forum18 News. On Oct. 14, Viktor, who was born in Kazakhstan but holds German citizenship, was found guilty of "carrying out missionary activity without local registration" under Article 375-3 of Kazakhstan’s Administrative Code. The charge is punishable by a fine and/or deportation for individuals who are not citizens. Viktor was fined a total of 6,480 Tenge (US $43) and ordered deported. He successfully appealed his sentence, and his fine and deportation have...

BEIJING - As President Barack Obama prepares for his first visit to China, leaders of the unapproved churches there are condemning his administration for indifference to the increasing persecution they are facing. The latest example of that persecution came Sunday as followers of an unapproved church in Beijing were again forced by the government to find a new place to worship. Worship in China, governed by the officially atheist Communist Party, is allowed only in state-approved churches, but millions of people belong to unregistered churches that often face official harassment.

SNIPPET: ""Moreover, freedom in America is indivisible from the freedom to practice one's religion. That is why there is a mosque in every state in our union, and over 1,200 mosques within our borders. That's why the United States government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab and to punish those who would deny it." -- Barack Obama, Cairo, June 4, 2009 But what about the rights of women like this one -- the right not to wear the hijab? Who is standing up for them? "BREAKING NEWS: Somalia Militants Kill...

High school student Chad Farnan, 17, speaks at a campaign fundraiser for Shawn Black, a GOP candidate for the 70th Assembly District, earlier this month. The legal group that represents Farnan, Advocates for Faith & Freedom, has been ordered to pay $19,688 in legal fees. SANTA ANA – In a legal twist that challenges the notion of what a prevailing party is, a federal court clerk on Friday awarded $19,688 in court-related fees to the attorneys who represented high school teacher James Corbett, sued two years ago for making anti-Christian comments in class. Milli Borgarding, the deputy in charge of...

Several parents - named as victims in the indictment against three Baptist Union leaders now on trial in Tashkent - have told the court that statements that their children were taught the Baptist faith against their wishes were fabricated or dictated by Investigator Anatoli Tadjibayev, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. The head of Uzbekistan’s Baptist Union Pavel Peichev and two colleagues went on trial on 24 September accused of teaching religion illegally to children at church-run summer camps and evading tax on profits from the camp. They deny all the charges - which carry punishment of up to three...

Washington -- SNIPPET: "Rev. Zaheer Khan, pastor of Maghoo Memorial Church, Rev. Aamir Azeem, pastor of United Christians Church and Rev. Zafar Akhter, pastor of United Presbyterian Church each received a copy of threatening letter. The Islamists sent the letters to the following Christian institutions: St Peter's Middle School, Sargodha Institute of Technology, Sargodha Catholic High School, St John's Primary School and Fatima Hospital. Besides the Christian institutions, the letter was also sent to the main Immam-Bar-Gha (Shiite Muslim's gathering hall). Shiites are a minority Muslim group in Pakistan where the majority of the population is Sunni Muslim. ICC's Jonathan...

DHAREMA, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- A Christian schoolgirl in Pakistan's Punjab province was recovering Sunday, October 11, after she was allegedly "ruthlessly beaten" with a bamboo stick by a Muslim headteacher for saying she is "a Pakistani" citizen. The bedridden Nadia Iftikhar, 11, told BosNewsLife she was seriously injured when the teacher of the local evening coaching school 'Bright Future Academy' in the town of Dharema got angry because she challenged her views on Islam. “Our teacher was teaching us about the culture of Pakistan and Pakistani people and quoted a sentence from the text book saying 'We are Pakistani and all...

Note: Photos included. Note: The following text is a quote: Friday, October 16, 2009 Nationalists target Calvary Chapel Kaharlyk in Ukraine with firebomb attack By Peter Wooding Special to ASSIST News Service KAHARLYK, UKRAINE (ANS) -- The pastor of Calvary Chapel Kaharlyk, just south of Kiev in Ukraine, is thanking God for His protection, after their church building, where his family lives, was hit by a firebomb attack by suspected nationalists. In the early hours of Wednesday October 14th the attackers sprayed painted on the church wall: “Out with Sects” “ОУ�” an abbreviated name for a Ukrainian Nationalist movement. Pastor...

As I read online, I notice that there are plenty of people who believe that Egypt is some kind of "moderate" Islamic country where non-Muslims are treated fairly. The reality is that Muslims of Egypt, preach hatred towards Jews, and have been persecuting the Coptic Christians there for centuries. Yet the US government has poured billions of dollars into Egypt. Unfortunately we ask for little in return.

Al Shabaab extremists shoot 69-year-old after finding Bibles on him at checkpoint. NAIROBI, Kenya, September 18 (CDN) - The faith journey of a long-time underground Christian in Somalia ended in tragedy this week when Islamic militants controlling a security checkpoint killed him after finding Bibles in his possession. Militants from the Muslim extremist al Shabaab killed 69-year-old Omar Khalafe on Tuesday (Sept. 15) at a checkpoint they controlled 10 kilometers from Merca, a Christian source told Compass. A port city on the Indian Ocean 70 kilometers (45 miles) from Mogadishu, Merca is the main city of the Lower Shabele region....

Alexandria, Egypt (AINA) -- At dawn on Saturday, October 3, 2009, Egyptian State Security forces arrested a group of Christian Copts in different parts of the city in Alexandria, after severely assaulting them in front of their neighbors. Their wives were also arrested, but because of intense objection protests by neighbors at the way they were handled and of the screams of their terrified children, they were released. The men who were arrested are relatives of Rafaat Girges Habib, a man who helped a Coptic father free his kidnapped daughter from her Muslim husband's home. The arrests continued until Habib...

Bantu woman shot after wife of militant confirmed she had Bibles. NAIROBI, Kenya, October 1 (CDN) — Islamic militants in Somalia this week killed a woman who led an underground Christian movement in the war-torn country. Sources told Compass that a leader of Islamic extremist al Shabaab militia in Lower Juba identified only as Sheikh Arbow shot to death 46-year-old Mariam Muhina Hussein at 2 p.m. on Monday (Sept. 28) in Marerey village after discovering she had six Bibles. Marerey is eight kilometers (five miles) from Jilib, part of the neighboring Middle Juba region. Local sources said that on Sunday...

09/30/2009 10:46 BANGLADESH SNIPPET: "Christian convert from Islam and family threatened with death After Friday prayers a group of zealots attacked the house of William Gomes, a young Muslim who converted to Christianity and human rights activist. The police takes no steps to ensure his protection." SNIPPET: "Dhaka (AsiaNews) - William Gomes, a Catholic convert from Islam, is in mortal danger. For the past several days he has been the target of Muslim extremists who want to kill him because of his new faith."

Forget Lions and Tigers The Latest in Big Game thelastcrusade.org Somalia (MNN) ― Somalia's Muslim militants are hunting down converts to Christianity. According to Voice of the Martyrs Canada, Al-Shabaab members have murdered 14 believers since July 15. Compass Direct News reports the September 15 shooting death of 69-year-old Omar Khalafe, an underground Christian who had Bibles in his possession.On the day of his death, Khalafe was carrying 25 Somali Bibles he hoped to deliver to an underground fellowship in Somalia. At a checkpoint controlled by al Shabaab--a rebel group linked with al Qaeda which has taken over large...

Marauding bands of guerrillas have "crucified" seven Christians during a series of raids on villages in Sudan, with one man tied to a tree and mutilated while six other victims were nailed to pieces of wood and killed. Villagers who found their bodies near the town of Nzara said it was like a "grotesque crucifixion scene", the Catholic Herald reports. Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio is appealing for international help to stop the cycle of violence and attacks by members of the Lord's Resistance Army, saying the government at home appeared powerless against it. In one instance guerrillas stormed...

widespread human rights violations, including mutilation, torture, rape, the abduction of civilians, the use of child soldiers, and a number of massacres. In recent months there has been an increase in violent incidents across provinces of southern Sudan, especially near the Ugandan border. "Everywhere, people are being killed" including at least one church leader, said Bishop Daniel Deng Bul Yak in remarks aired by Radio France International (RFI), monitored by BosNewsLife. "This is why we are appealing to the United Nations and governments in the world like the U.S. Germany and Norway. They should come in now, so that peace...

Flagstaff, AZ – Just a week after Jim Pouillon was shot and killed for his public stand against abortion, 69-year old Johnny Wallace was attacked by two women as he held two non-graphic, text-only signs protesting abortion in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Saturday. Wallace was alone in front of City Hall on the busiest street in town at the time of the attack with signs that read, “Abortion kills more black Americans in four days than the Klan killed in 150 years,” and “Life begins at conception and ends at Planned Parenthood.” Wallace was known to protest at that location every...

Cairo - SNIPPET: "He said that a man repeatedly stabbed local shopkeeper George Abdu, 63, in the abdomen and the neck, killing him, then fled on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The archbishop said that the killer drove 4 kilometres to the village of Bamahai and repeatedly stabbed a cobbler, who suffered wounds to the head and lung. The suspect then drove to another nearby village, Mit Afifi, and stabbed a third Christian man, Hani Barsum, in the neck. Barsum and the cobbler were hospitalized, Stefanos said.... Wednesday's attacks resembled a string of attacks in April 2006 in Alexandria that led to...

Christian held for blasphemy ‘commits suicide’ LAHORE: Fanish Masih, a Christian youth who was imprisoned in Sialkot for allegedly desecrating the holy Quran last Saturday, committed suicide on Tuesday, police said. However, rights activists and the victim’s family believe he was tortured to death.

Oklahoma police found the naked, mutilated body of a murdered pastor stretched out in a "crucifix position" behind her church altar last Sunday, sources close to the investigation told The Oklahoman. The bloodied corpse of 61-year-old Carol Daniels appeared to have been left in the form of a cross with both arms outstretched at her sides. Her head was nearly decapitated by the force of deep stabs to her neck and throat, according to forensic pathologist Dr. William Manion, who reviewed her autopsy report. Daniels' clothing had been removed, possibly to hide evidence or as a kind of trophy from...

TASHKENT CITY, Uzbekistan (ABP) -- Authorities in Uzbekistan cracked down on Baptists after a government-sponsored news agency ran articles alleging illegal religious activity at a summer camp for children. Forum 18, a Norway-based news service that monitors alleged violations of religious freedom, reported July 28 that Pavel Peichev, head of the Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists of Middle Asia, faces criminal charges of unlawfully teaching children religion and misusing resort facilities. Local Baptists fear huge fines, confiscation of the property, imprisonment or some combination of penalties if Peichev is convicted

Iran: Women: We Love Christ! UPDATE: On Aug. 8, Marzieh and Maryam were summoned to an Iranian court and ordered to deny their faith verbally and in a written statement, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. Marzieh and Maryam were pressured to recant their faith after the chief interrogator recommended they be charged with apostasy. Praise God, they stood firm and replied, “We love Jesus. We will not deny our faith.” VOM contacts reported the deputy prosecutor, Mr. Haddad, aggressively questioned the women during the court proceedings. Haddad asked them if they regretted becoming Christians. They replied they...

LAOS - "LAO SOLDIERS DECAPITATE TWO-MONTH-OLD GIRL AHEAD OF SENATOR WEBB'S VISIT Infant used as target practice during military attacks that leave 26 civilians dead." August 20, 2009

This story is tragic and really leaves me speechless when I consider the extent of what happened to this woman. The Assyrian International News Agency and International Christian Concern are reporting on the story of a pregnant Christian woman who was beaten and dragged naked through the Pakistan police station. The police knew she was pregnant and still treated her this way. Her crime? She was accused of theft, along with a Muslim woman, by their employer. However, the Muslim woman was not treated harshly in the same manner as the Christian woman, despite there being nothing proven to convict...

August 16, 2009 SNIPPET: "MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (BP)--Twelve Christians, including three pastors, were killed and 20 churches were demolished in Nigeria amid escalating religiously motivated violence, prompting a call for government intervention." SNIPPET: "In a report Aug. 6, ICC said the attacks that occurred July 26 in Maiduguri were instigated by Boko Haram, a group that opposes Western education and fights to impose sharia law throughout Nigeria, including areas that are largely Christian. Sabo Yakubu, a husband, father of seven and pastor of a Church of Christ congregation, was hacked to death by a machete, ICC said. Also killed were Sylvester...

Note: The following text is a quote: Friday, August 14, 2009 International Attorneys Urge Pakistan to End the Violence and Religious Persecution Caused by its Blasphemy and so-called ’Defamation of Religion Laws’ By Michael Ireland Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service WASHINGTON, DC (ANS) -- An international organization of staff and volunteer attorneys this week joined many in the international community urging Pakistan to end the mob violence and religious persecution caused by its blasphemy and other so-called 'defamation of religion laws.' Advocates International is an international organization of staff and volunteer attorneys in over 150 nations, including Pakistan, who seek...

The Muslim girl that converted to Christianity is in Florida. Turned out her daddy threatened to kill her and she fled here. link to article

MUSLIM POLICE TORTURE PASTOR, TWO OTHERS Muslim leaders prompt officers to arrest, abuse evangelistic team. thelastcrusade.org DHAKA, Bangladesh, August 4 (Compass Direct News) – At the urging of local Muslim leaders, police in western Bangladesh have tortured a pastor and two other Christians for legally proclaiming Christ. Habibur Rahman, 45, pastor of Boalia Spiritual Church (Boalia Ruhani Jamat) in Boalia in Cuadanga district, 220 kilometers (136 miles) west of Dhaka, said he was about to meet with 11 others for a monthly meeting on evangelism at 8 p.m. on June 8 when local police stormed in and seized him...

Note: The following text is a quote: Saturday, August 1, 2009 Eight Pakistani Christians burned to death as Muslims torched 50 houses -- Local Christians have refused to bury dead until Punjab Chief Minister visits them -- Pakistan Provincial Law Minister blames violence and killings on Police apathy By Dan Wooding and Sheraz Khurram Khan Special to ASSIST News Service GOJRA, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- In a fresh incident of violence by hardline Muslims against Pakistani Christians at least eight Christians have been burned alive and many others injured as a Muslim mob estimated to be over 1500 in number set...

"ISLAMABAD — Days of rioting between Christians and Muslims in eastern Pakistan following allegations that a Quran was defiled escalated Saturday, leaving six Christians dead, including a child, authorities said. Members of a banned Muslim organization began torching Christian homes in the Punjabi city of Gorja on Thursday after accusing them of desecrating pages from Islam's holy book, Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti said. "There is no truth in the allegation," he told The Associated Press, adding that he had himself visited Gojra on Friday and asked police to provide protection to Christians who were facing threats. He accused...

. FREE Mennonite Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh of Pleiku, Vietnam .

Washington, D.C. (July 29, 2009) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Islamic extremists killed a pastor and razed five churches in the city of Maiduguri, Nigeria, on July 27. The extremists also attacked two churches in the Nigerian city of Potiskum. Yakubu Sabo, a husband and father of seven, was hacked to death with a machete by members of a violent Islamic militant group know as Boko Haram (which means “education is prohibited”). Sabo pastored a Church of Christ congregation in Maiduguri. Deeper Life Church, Evangelical Mission, and Church of the Brethren are three of five other churches...

SNIPPET: "In some parts of the world it can be very dangerous to convert from Islam to Christianity, or any other faith. Sometimes Christians are killed by radical Muslims or sometimes by the state which sanctions death or prison. Somalia, like some other Muslim majority nations, clearly does not believe in religious freedom and the small Christian population faces an uphill struggle to survive. Therefore, it is essential to remember these martyrs because organizations like Al Qaeda would like to spread this tyranny to every nation." SNIPPET: "Turning back to Somalia it is now "open season" to kill Christian converts...

DETROIT, MI - A coach who's in the Michigan Wrestling Association Hall of Fame has filed a federal lawsuit against Dearborn Public Schools and the principal of Fordson High School. Gerald Marszalek claims he was fired after 35 years because of his Christian beliefs. Marszalek says his troubles began in 2005 when a minister lost his job as a volunteer assistant coach after introducing Muslim students to Christianity during a private off-campus wrestling camp. Marszalek, who also is Christian, said his contract wasn't renewed in 2008 because of his religious beliefs and his association with the minister. Dearborn has a...

The interior of the Cathedral of the Assumption in Kathmandu Rome, Italy, Jul 16, 2009 / 12:37 pm (CNA).- Following the recent bomb attack on the Cathedral of the Assumption, which was attributed to the Hindu group Nepal Defense Army, extremists are now threatening priests and religious in Nepal with death if they do not leave the country “within one month.” The Apostolic Vicar of Nepal, Bishop Anthony Francis Sharma, said the threats were made to the associate vicar, Father Pius Perumana.  L’Osservatore Romano reported that the police have beefed up security at the diocesan chancery in Godavari, where Father...

I have continually spoken out about Christians being persecuted across the Islamic world, in countries such as Egypt and Iraq. All the while it seems that most Christians are silent on the issue, willing to ignore the plight of their fellow Christians. Some getting angry at me for even bringing up the subject. Well now that the left leaning Huffington Post has even spoken up, I think that it is time for Christians to take a look in the mirror and find the strength to stand up for their own people. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Seoul, South Korea, Jul 25, 2009 / 01:49 pm (CNA).- Last month North Korea publicly executed a Christian woman for distributing the Bible, South Korean activists said on Friday. Her parents, husband and three children have reportedly been sent to a prison camp. Ri Hyon Ok, 33, was also accused of spying for South Korea and the United States and organizing dissidents, Fox News reports. According to a report from an alliance of several dozen anti-North Korea groups, her execution took place on June 16 in the northwestern city of Ryongchon near the Chinese border. Her relatives were sent to...

An elderly Christian priest and his wife were hacked to death with machetes in Indonesia, police said Monday. Frans Koagow, 64, and his wife, Femy Kumendong, 73, were found in the priest's home in Manado city, North Sulawesi province, Saturday with deep slash wounds to their heads and necks, provincial police spokesman Benny Bella said. "The priest was cut from behind in the neck while his wife was cut in the head while she lay down sick with a stroke," Bella said. "The priest had been squatting down to tie his shoes when he was attacked... there was no time...

Baghdad (AsiaNews) - A series of car bombs targeted seven Chaldean and Orthodox churches of Baghdad tonight. The worst hit church is the Chaldean Church of St Mary, in Sharaa Philistine, where the patriarchal vicar of Baghdad, Mgr. Sleimon Wardouni officiates. The car bomb exploded on the road that runs alongside the church and left four dead and dozens wounded many seriously. The other churches, because of their distance from the road, suffered slight damage and some wounded, other churches have not reported damage to people or buildings. The other churches targeted were: the Chaldean Church of Saint George in...

SNIPPET: "Hanna, a Christian, was driving with his daughter in Kirkuk when gunmen pulled him from the car and shot him dead, police there told the German Press Agency dpa. His daughter witnessed her father's murder, which took place in the predominantly Christian neighbourhood of Dumiz, police added...."

Note: The following text is a quote: 09 July 2009 EGYPT ARRESTS TERRORIST CELL OF 25 MEMBERS CAIRO, July 9 (Xinhua) The Egyptian authorities have arrested a terrorist cell of 25 members, 24 Egyptians and one Palestinian, for plotting to carry out terrorist attacks in Suez Canal, Egyptian Interior Ministry said in statement issued on Thursday. According to the statement, the members of the cell who believe in Jihad (Holy War) were located in Cairo, Alexandria and Daqahlia governorates and communicated through internet with other terrorist groups outside Egypt. The cell's members, mostly engineers, were developing high-tech and electronic devices...

Note: Photos included. Note: The following text is a quote: Thursday, July 2, 2009 Victims of June 30 Muslim violence continue to receive threats About 100 Christian homes and churches were set on fire By Dan Wooding and Sheraz Khurram Khan Special to ASSIST News Service KASUR, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- The Muslim anger over a blasphemy accusation against Christians has not apparently subsided, as Christian villagers from Bhamniwala, which is located in the district of Kasur in Punjab province, Pakistan, continue to face threats from radical Islamists. Christians of Bhamniwala village await justice The local Christians were attacked by 500...

Father refuses to give al Shabaab extremists information about house church pastor. Islamic extremists have beheaded two young boys in Somalia because their Christian father refused to divulge information about a church leader, and the killers are searching Kenya’s refugee camps to do the same to the boys’ father. Before taking his Somali family to a Kenyan refugee camp in April, 55-year-old Musa Mohammed Yusuf himself was the leader of an underground church in Yonday village, 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Kismayo in Somalia. He had received instruction in the Christian faith from Salat Mberwa. Militants from the Islamic extremist...

Muslim Mob Burns Down 100 Christian Homes in PakistanJuly 1, 2009, 02:01:44 PMCountry:PakistanMuslim Mob Burns Down 100 Christian Homes in PakistanRiot Incited via Mosque Loudspeakers; Mob Throws Acid on Women and Children07/01/09 Pakistan (International Christian Concern) - This morning 100 Christian houses and churches were set on fire by local Muslims in the city of Kasur South, east ofLahore, Pakistan. The riots were incited by broadcasts from local mosques. This incident issimilar to a February 1997 attack when thousands of Christian houses and churches wereburned and hundreds of Christians were injured.ICC partners received the news this morning and went...

Note: The following text is a quote: YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report Warden Message: Mauritania Kidnapping Threat CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS Sub-Saharan Africa - Mauritania 27 Jun 2009 U.S. Embassy Nouakchott released the following SMS Warden Message on June 27: Embassy advises American citizens in Nouakchott of a credible threat of a kidnapping attempt tonight, June 27. Americans should exercise utmost security and remain securely locked in their residences and take extreme caution while in vehicles or offices. RELATED REPORTS 23 Jun 2009 WARDEN MESSAGE: MAURITANIA SECURITY AWARENESS FOLLOWING U.S. CITIZEN MURDER 12 Jun...

Polish engineer's refusal to convert costs him his life Posted : Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:29:39 GMT Author : DPA Islamabad - Piotr Stanczak did not exhibit the slightest hint of hesitation when the Pakistani Taliban asked him to choose between execution and conversion to Islam. Whether the Polish geologist acted out of pride or religious conviction, he decided to pay through his blood to save his faith, a choice that bewildered his killers and keep them talking about him with respect after his murder. Stanczak, 42, was kidnapped September 28 on his way to survey for oil exploration in...

Fear of massacre grips Christian village in Egypt Whenever Muslims are seen “dancing and chanting ‘Come to Jihad’ and the ‘Cross is the enemy of God” outside the homes of grossly outnumbered indigenous Christians, who are further oppressed by the state, massacres become very real possibilities. More on this story. “Fear of Massacre Grips Christian Village in Egypt; Crops Destroyed,” from AINA, June 24: (AINA) — Fears of an impending massacre has gripped the Christian Copts in the village of Ezbet Boshra, El Fashn, which was scene to Muslim mob attacks on Copts on Sunday (AINA 6-22-2009). Egyptian State Security...