Tags

Harassment

• Threatened Christian Mother of Five in Shelter

  

  A Christian woman and her five children have been forced into hiding after receiving death threats demanding that she convert to Islam. Despite these warnings, Naseem Bibi has refused to abandon her faith, even though it means having to flee home with her five children, who range in age from eight to 22.

• Community Members Pressured to Reject Christians

  

  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.

• Ongoing Harassment for Exiled Christian

  

  In 2016, Slimane Bouhafs was arrested and sentenced to five years in an Algerian prison for alleged blasphemy in a Facebook post. After various appeals, the sentence was eventually reduced for the accused Christian man, resulting in his release during April 2018 (read more).

• Christians Arrested After Church Raid

  

  On the morning of March 16th, agents from the religious affairs bureau, along with public security officers, raided the Renai Reformed Church in Guiyang, taking more than ten Christians into custody.

  Over the years, the church of less than a hundred members has faced ongoing harassment from Chinese Communist Party agents for refusing to join the government-sanctioned Three-Self Church. In September 2018, they lost their facility after being banned from meeting for worship services. Subsequently, the congregation began holding services in restaurants and hotels where they were raided at least three more times.

• Christians Expelled and Homes Destroyed

  

  Evangelical Christians in the San Cristóbal municipality of Chiapas State have faced opposition from other villagers for several years. In May 2016, 84 homes in the area were looted and partially destroyed, forcibly displacing 350 evangelicals. A year ago, these believers were prevented from constructing a church building and again forced to leave. In the latest incident, the homes of five Christian families in the community of Mitzitón were destroyed on January 10th, and 30 people were expelled.

• Increasing Pressure from Hindu Nationalists

  

  For many years, the Hindu Nationalist organization RSS has been an influential factor in Indian politics, particularly within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). One of the goals of the RSS is to change India from a secular democracy to a nation governed by Hindu polity. One way this is being achieved is through the passing of anti-conversion laws to prevent people from converting from Hinduism.

• Close Monitoring of Pastor's Wife and Son

  

  Pastor Wang Yi of the Early Rain Covenant Church is presently serving a nine-year prison sentence. He was arrested, along with his wife, in December 2018. While Pastor Wang's wife, Jiang Rong, was released on bail, the authorities have barred her from interacting with family, friends, and church members. She is being constantly monitored by security agents and essentially has no freedom of movement.

• Accused as Criminals for Bible Distribution

  

  When missionaries first arrived in Korea in the late 19th century, they discovered that the Gospel message had already preceded them. Koreans who had been assisting with Bible translation in China consequently came to faith in Christ. By smuggling portions of the New Testament into their homeland, they were also able to lead others to Christ. The resulting believers came to be known as "Bible Christians."

• Pastor Arrested During Online Meeting

  

  Pastor Luo was taking part in a "Proclaim Jesus Gospel Gathering" via Zoom when police took him away for questioning. At around noon on May 23rd, police entered the Nanjing Road Church in Wuhan and began searching the building. After finding Pastor Luo, they took him for interrogation which lasted more than four hours.

• Bible Launches Met with Resistance

  

  For several years, The Voice of the Martyrs Korea has helped get Bibles into North Korea. Typically, this was done through the launch of large balloons, which would strategically drop the contained materials across the border. Recently, members of the ministry team have also begun using bottles filled with rice, vitamins and small Bibles to bless those residing in North Korea. These bottles were systematically sent while the timing of the tide was just right so they would float along the western coast to their intended destination.