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Discrimination

  • Politician Claims Associating with Religious Minorities ''Will Destroy You''
    Worship service in India - Photo: World Watch Monitor
    Pray that Christians in India will be
    encouraged by the Lord's faithfulness.
    Photo: World Watch Monitor

    A member of the legislature in Madhya Pradesh is facing backlash from religious minority leaders after cautioning Hindus from keeping company with Christians or Muslims. Rameshwar Sharma, a member of the ruling BJP Hindu nationalist party, even urged Hindus to stop using the phrase, "Good morning," a greeting he associates with Western culture and Christianity. The comments were made while Sharma was speaking at an annual Hindu festival on October 17th.

    Religious leaders have expressed concerns about this prevalent attitude among members of the BJP since such comments serve only to drive a wedge between communities. Catholic archbishop Leo Cornelio said that the remarks "hurt the sentiments of peace-loving people" and divert from important issues such as illiteracy, malnutrition and unemployment.

  • House Church Denied Reopening
    Amparo Gallo's congregation - Photo: VOM USA
    Amparo Gallo's congregation (before pandemic restrictions).
    Photo: VOM USA

    Following an ease of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the Cuban government announced that churches could begin meeting again in person as of Sunday, October 10th. However, two days before the restrictions were scheduled to be lifted, a house church led by Amparo Gallo received word that they would not be allowed to meet. The house church, located in the city of Santa Clara, presently has approximately 1,000 members.

  • Christians Protest Proposed Legislation and Pastor's Arrest
    A church in India - Photo: Unsplash
    Pray for wisdom as believers in India navigate
    these troublesome developments.

    Hundreds of Christians in India participated in a peaceful rally on October 25th in protest against proposed anti-conversion laws, as well as a recent mob attack on a church that resulted in the arrest of the pastor.

  • Christian Escapes the Country
    A road in Saudi Arabia - Photo: Unsplash / Abdulla Dhahri

    Over the past several months, Christians around the world have been following reports about a Saudi Arabian Christian referred to as "A" or "Adam." For more information, see our previously published reports, which are available at our country report.

  • Community Members Pressured to Reject Christians
    Zhang Fan's wedding - Photo: WeChat via ChinaAid
    Taken at Zhang Fan's wedding
    Photo: WeChat via ChinaAid

    Two separate incidents that recently took place in Chengdu, the capital of the Chinese province of Sichuan, demonstrate the effectiveness of the Chinese Communist Party authorities in dividing communities to bring about harassment of Christians and, in particular, members of the Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC). The first incident involved the wedding of a congregation member from the church.

  • Evicted Church Warned to Stop Parking Lot Meetings
    Pastor Goncharenko - Photo: YouTube / New Life Church
    Pastor Goncharenko preaching outside.
    Photo: YouTube / New Life Church

    Since purchasing a former cowshed in 2002 and converting it into a church building, the New Life Church in Minsk, Belarus, has faced opposition from government agencies. After years of court battles, officials accompanied by bailiffs forcefully entered the place of worship on February 17th, 2021, evicting church members from the building. For more information on the eviction, including a video clip, go to this report.

  • Legalization of More Churches
    St. Markos Church in Cairo
    Photo: Flickr / Andrew A. Shenouda (cc)

    Until 2016, it was nearly impossible for churches in Egypt to obtain the required licensing to build or restore a building for worship. As a result, many structures were built without a license. With the passing of legislation in September 2016, a government committee was established to work through the large number of applications that were submitted for the legalization of unlicensed church buildings. Although the committee received 3,730 applications, and officially began the approval procedures a year later, the process has been exceedingly slow. See this report for further coverage of this situation.

  • Three Elderly Pastors Arrested
    Georgio Gebreab and Samuel Okbamichael - Photos: Church in Chains
    Georgio Gebreab and Samuel Okbamichael
    Photos: Church in Chains

    Three semi-retired pastors in the Eritrean capital of Asmara were arrested towards the latter part of July. Since they were all over 70 years old, and only occasionally conducted funeral or wedding services, it is unclear why these elderly Christian men had been targeted for arrest.

  • Young Victim’s Funeral Raided by Perpetrators
    Fulani militants - Photo: Voice of America
    Fulani militants
    Photo: Voice of America

    On July 27th, Celina Ishaku's son was murdered by Fulani militants, the same group that had killed her husband two years earlier. The next day, friends and family gathered to bury the boy. Rather than allow those at the funeral to grieve in peace, however, the assailants attacked the community once again, raiding the service and shooting at the mourners. Along with the destruction of ten homes and multiple farms, three youths were killed in the ambush.

  • Christian Medical Worker Forced to Decline Promotion
    Riaz Gill - Photo: Facebook
    Riaz Gill
    Photo: Facebook

    In recent months, a number of healthcare workers in Pakistan have faced opposition because of their Christian faith. In April, two nurses were charged with blasphemy after following instructions from their supervisor (see this report). In another instance, a nurse was accused of blasphemy by her co-workers for no apparent reason and subjected to abuse (read more). The latest reported case involves a Christian man who had been threatened and assaulted after receiving a promotion to a leadership position at his place of employment.