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        <title>Christian Daily International | Religious Freedom</title>
        <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/religious-freedom</link>
        <description><![CDATA[Follow global news on religious freedom, from Christian persecution to legal battles over faith and worship. Explore reports on human rights, church-state relations, and efforts to defend freedom of belief worldwide.]]></description>
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        <copyright>Christian Daily International © 2026</copyright>
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                <title><![CDATA[Bill to curb child marriage passes in Punjab, Pakistan]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/bill-to-curb-child-marriage-passes-in-punjab-pakistan</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/bill-to-curb-child-marriage-passes-in-punjab-pakistan</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Christian Daily International / Morning Star News]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Punjab Province, Pakistan Gov. Saleem Haider Khan.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ TheGuyFromPindi, Creative Commons ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Punjab Province, Pakistan Gov. Saleem Haider Khan. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:24:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The Punjab Province Assembly in Pakistan on Monday (April 27) passed a landmark bill aimed at curbing child marriage following a heated debate between government and opposition lawmakers.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The Punjab Province Assembly in Pakistan on Monday (April 27) passed a landmark bill aimed at curbing child marriage following a heated debate between government and opposition lawmakers.
The Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026 was approved by a majority vote after being introduced by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman. The legislation had earlier been cleared by the provincial assembly’s Standing Committee on Local Government and Community Development on April 13, and goes into effect upon signing by Punjab Gov. Saleem Haider Khan.
Christian rights advocates welcomed the move, calling it a significant step toward protecting underage minority girls from sexual exploitation linked to forced religious conversions and marriages.
The new law brings Punjab in line with Sindh and Balochistan provinces and the Islamabad Capital Territory, all of which have set 18 as the minimum legal age of marriage. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains the only province without similar legislation.
The bill replaces provisions of the Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929, which allowed girls to marry at 16 and boys at 18, and sets 18 as the minimum age for both sexes.
Lawmakers also unanimously adopted an amendment requiring the “best interests of the child” to be a primary consideration in all proceedings under the law, including investigation, bail, sentencing and custody. The amendment was introduced by Christian lawmaker Ejaz Alam Augustine and co-sponsored by members across party lines.
It further clarifies that a child involved in a marriage cannot be treated as an offender, and that any purported consent by a minor, particularly in cases involving coercion or abduction, will not be considered determinative in custody or protection decisions.
The legislation drew strong opposition from some lawmakers, who argued it conflicted with Islamic principles and societal norms. They proposed referring the bill back to committee, but the assembly rejected the motion.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Zahid Bokhari defended the bill, questioning whether critics would accept early marriages for their own daughters. She argued that legal consistency requires marriage decisions to be made at adulthood, noting that citizens cannot enter into contracts before the age of 18.
Bokhari also highlighted the health risks associated with early marriages and stressed the importance of mental and physical maturity, as well as proper age verification through official documents.
Treasury lawmaker Zulfiqar Ali Shah cautioned against prioritizing legislation over “societal values” and raised concerns about the moral implications of restricting early marriages. Bokhari rejected those arguments, pointing to harmful practices such as using girls to settle disputes. She also noted that the Federal Shariat Court had previously upheld similar legislation enacted in Sindh.
A proposal by Augustine to declare all child marriages void was withdrawn after Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan urged further consultation, citing legal complexities including the status of children born from such unions.
Another amendment by Augustine, seeking to make the Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) mandatory proof of age, was also withdrawn after government assurances that the requirement would be incorporated into implementing rules.
Augustine said the law would help curb abduction and forced conversion cases involving minority girls.
“While we sought annulment provisions, we recognize the complexity of the issue,” he told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “However, leaving such marriages legally valid risks enabling perpetrators to reclaim custody once the victim reaches adulthood.”
Christian rights groups welcomed the legislation but warned that effective enforcement would be critical.
Samson Salamat, chairman of Rawadari Tehreek or Movement for Equality, said authorities must ensure that police and courts handle such cases with sensitivity, particularly when religious conversion claims are used to obscure criminal conduct.
“We appreciate the Punjab government for taking a step in the right direction. However, the real test will be to enforce this law in letter and spirit. In this regard, it is important that the government ensures that the police and judiciary exercise more caution in cases involving minority girls as these children are exploited in the guise of religious conversion, turning a crime into a religious issue,” Salamat told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
Tehmina Arora, ADF International’s director of advocacy for Asia, described the law as a critical safeguard, noting that child marriage violates international human rights standards, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
“We congratulate the Government of Punjab and all civil society groups, who have advocated for this cause, on the historic passage of this bill,” Arora said in a statement to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “This marks a landmark moment not only for Punjab Province but for every girl child across Pakistan whose right to childhood, education and a life free from forced early marriage has far too long been denied.”
She emphasized that while the legislation marks a significant policy shift, its effectiveness will depend on consistent enforcement and institutional accountability.
On April 22, independent experts appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council also urged Pakistan to strengthen efforts against forced conversions and child marriages. They recommended raising the minimum marriage age nationwide, criminalizing forced religious conversion and ensuring accountability through prompt investigations.
The Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026 introduces strict penalties for those involved in underage marriages. Child marriage is classified as a cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable offense. Individuals who contract, facilitate or promote such marriages face up to seven years’ imprisonment and fines of up to 1 million Pakistani rupees ($3,500).
Marriage registrars, or nikah khawans, are prohibited from registering marriages involving minors. Violations carry penalties of up to one year in prison and fines of 100,000 rupees ($357).
Adults who marry minors face two to three years’ rigorous imprisonment and fines of up to 500,000 rupees ($1,787). Cohabitation resulting from a child marriage is treated as child abuse, punishable by five to seven years in prison and a minimum fine of 1 million rupees, regardless of purported consent.
The law also criminalizes child trafficking linked to marriage and imposes liability on parents or guardians who facilitate or fail to prevent underage marriages. Such offenses carry penalties of two to three years’ imprisonment and fines of up to 500,000 rupees.
All cases under the law will be tried in Courts of Session and must be concluded within 90 days, a measure aimed at expediting justice.
Pakistan ranked eighth on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. The report cites forced conversions, abductions and gaps in legal protections among key concerns.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Charges dismissed against grandmother in abortion clinic buffer zone case in Scotland]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/charges-dismissed-against-grandmother-in-abortion-clinic-buffer-zone-case-in-scotland</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/charges-dismissed-against-grandmother-in-abortion-clinic-buffer-zone-case-in-scotland</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Chris Eyte]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Rose Docherty was arrested in September 2025 for offering conversation near an abortion clinic in Scotland.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ ADF International ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Rose Docherty was arrested in September 2025 for offering conversation near an abortion clinic in Scotland. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:04:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A judge in Scotland cleared a 75-year-old grandmother of criminal charges Monday (April 27) after her arrest for standing in an abortion clinic “buffer zone” with a sign offering “consensual conversation.”]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A judge in Scotland cleared a 75-year-old grandmother of criminal charges Monday (April 27) after her arrest for standing in an abortion clinic “buffer zone” with a sign offering “consensual conversation.”
Sheriff Stuart Reid dismissed two charges of “influencing” against Rose Docherty at Glasgow Sheriff Court. The charges stemmed from a September incident outside Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, where Docherty held a sign reading: “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.”
The dismissal follows video footage of four police officers arresting her, with one helping Docherty to crawl into a police van because they were unable to provide a step she requested. 
“This is a major victory for free speech in Scotland and the U.K.,” Docherty said after the hearing. “It shows that peacefully offering consensual conversation on a public street can never be a crime.”
Docherty spent more than two hours in a jail cell following her arrest. She described the seven-month legal process as a “form of punishment” for exercising her rights.
“Simply for being available for the lonely, the afraid and the coerced, I have been treated like a violent criminal,” she said.
Reid ruled the charges “irrelevant” and a breach of Docherty’s Article 10 free speech rights. He noted the prosecution failed to disclose an offense known to Scottish law. The court dismissed the case “pro loco et tempore,” meaning prosecutors could technically reopen the matter if they discover new evidence.
During an April 20 hearing, prosecutors admitted they possessed no evidence that Docherty influenced anyone accessing the clinic. Legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, which coordinated Docherty’s defense through the law firm Lindsays, argued the charges were not “prescribed by law” because they failed to identify any person present for abortion services at the time.
“The prosecution of Rose has no place in a free and democratic society,” said Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF International. “No one should ever be criminalized for peaceful speech, least of all for making a peaceful and consensual offer to speak.”
Igunnubole called the case emblematic of a “deepening free speech crisis” and urged Parliament to repeal buffer zone legislation.
The Scottish law, enacted in 2024, forbids “influencing” anyone within 200 meters (656 feet) of a hospital providing abortion services. Similar legislation exists in England and Wales under the Public Order Act 2023.
Docherty’s case previously gained international attention when U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance highlighted her arrest as a matter of concern during the Munich Security Conference in February 2025.
ADF International maintained that Docherty did not approach individuals, speak about abortion, or engage in harassing behavior. This marked the second time authorities targeted Docherty; police arrested her in February 2025 for similar conduct, though prosecutors did not proceed with that case.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Bill in India smooths way for government to seize church assets]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/bill-in-india-smooths-way-for-government-to-seize-church-assets</link>
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                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[A view of Central Baptist Church in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk district.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Getty Images ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ A view of Central Baptist Church in Old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk district. Christian leaders in India warn that proposed amendments to the country’s foreign funding law could give the government greater control over foreign-funded assets belonging to churches and Christian-run schools, hospitals and charitable institutions. ]]>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Pastor Ramesh Ahirwar and his wife Sakhi Ahirwar say they were falsely accused in March 11, 2024 conviction of forcible conversion in Madhya Pradesh, India. ]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Morning Star News) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Pastor Ramesh Ahirwar and his wife Sakhi Ahirwar say they were falsely accused in March 11, 2024 conviction of forcible conversion in Madhya Pradesh, India. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:01:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A sweeping foreign funding bill in India could hand the government control over faith-based schools, hospitals and charitable institutions built over decades, church leaders said.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A sweeping foreign funding bill in India could hand the government control over faith-based schools, hospitals and charitable institutions built over decades, church leaders said.
While the bill’s reach includes charitable institutions as a whole, not just faith-based ones, Christian bodies are mobilizing on multiple fronts as parliament prepares to reconvene in July.
The government of India introduced the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament) on March 25, describing it as a technical fix to close gaps in how foreign-funded assets are managed when an organization loses its registration.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), the All India Catholic Union (AICU) and the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) responded with immediate and formal objections. Opposition political parties, Muslim organizations, legal experts and civil society groups across the country also protested.
In Parliament, members of the Congress party, Samajwadi Party, the Indian Union Muslim League and several other parties staged protests and demanded the bill’s withdrawal. Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Manish Tewari called it “arbitrary, malafide, and capricious.” Muslim social and educational organizations in Kerala state warned about its implications for minority institutions. Legal experts warned of sweeping executive overreach and the near-total absence of judicial oversight.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on April 1 announced the bill’s deferral to the next parliamentary session, expected in July. For Christian leaders, the reprieve is welcome but insufficient, as the bill has not been withdrawn.
The Rev. Vijayesh Lal, general secretary of EFI, said Christian institutions have no quarrel with the principle of accountability.
“For us, accountability, transparency, and integrity are not concessions to the State; they are convictions rooted in our faith,” he told Christian Daily International (CDI). “At the same time, in a climate like this, concern must be expressed with credibility and restraint.”
John Dayal, veteran journalist and human rights activist, sees the 2026 amendments in a longer and darker arc.
“The FCRA was born in the emergency of 1975 to silence inconvenient voices,” Dayal told CDI, referring to the period of authoritarian rule under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during which civil liberties were suspended and political opposition suppressed. “It has been sharpened by successive governments ever since. This bill is not a departure from that history. It is its logical destination. What it proposes is expropriation dressed in the language of accountability.”
The FCRA has regulated how Indian non-governmental organizations receive foreign donations since 1976 and was substantially rewritten in 2010. Organizations wishing to receive foreign funds must register with the Ministry of Home Affairs and renew that registration every five years. About 16,000 organizations are registered and receive approximately 22,000 crore rupees (approximately $2.6 billion) in foreign contributions annually.
Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government came to power in 2014, the cancellations have accelerated sharply. As of March 26, a total of 21,933 organizations had lost their FCRA licenses according to Amnesty International, depriving them of essential funds and often resulting in their closure or severe restrictions on their activities.
The impact on Christian organizations has been disproportionate. According to Ministry of Home Affairs data analyzed in January 2022, more than 72 percent of religious-category NGOs that had lost their FCRA status at that point were aligned with Christian programs, a pattern that church leaders say has continued and intensified since. Hindu-aligned NGOs were a distant second at 11 percent, Muslim-aligned at 8.6 percent.
Among the Christian organizations that have lost licenses in recent years are World Vision India, the Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action, the Church of North India’s Synodical Board of Social Service and the Evangelical Fellowship of India itself.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, who introduced the bill in the Lok Sabha, defended it as necessary to prevent the misuse of foreign funding for activities against national security and public order, specifically citing forced religious conversions as a concern.
The bill is not, however, creating something entirely new, according to senior experts on NGO compliance and FCRA law. The vesting of assets in a government authority was already present in Section 15 of the 2010 Act. What the bill does is operationalize and dramatically expand that framework.
It creates a dedicated government-appointed “designated authority” empowered to take provisional control of an organization’s foreign-funded assets whenever its FCRA registration is cancelled, surrendered, or lapses, including in cases of simple non-renewal, or even where registration is merely suspended pending a final decision. If the organization fails to restore its registration within a prescribed period, the assets vest permanently in the designated authority, which may then transfer them to government ministries or local bodies, or sell them with proceeds credited to the Consolidated Fund of India, the government’s main public account.
The Rev. Asir Ebenezer, general secretary of the NCCI, termed the bill “intrinsically unconstitutional.”
“It strips institutions of assets without any judicial process, no court order, none of the due process we extend even to those accused of tax violations,” he told CDI. “An Income Tax Officer is known, gives notice, and is open to tribunal and court challenge. Here, someone sitting somewhere does something to someone else, and an institution built over generations disappears into government hands.”
The lack of due process runs deeper than the asset vesting mechanism itself. In a detailed memorandum submitted to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on March 31 and signed by Anil J. T. Couto, metropolitan archbishop of Delhi and secretary general of the CBCI, the bishops’ conference argued that the bill conflicts with Article 300A of the Constitution, which protects the right to property and requires that any deprivation be just, fair and reasonable, and with Articles 25 and 26, which guarantee freedom of conscience and the right of religious denominations to manage their own institutions. The memorandum also pointed out that organizations are routinely denied renewal without being told what deficiencies exist in their applications or given any opportunity to address them.
“Provisions enabling the Centre to take control of the foreign funds and assets of NGOs upon the expiry of their FCRA registration are undemocratic, unconstitutional, and contrary to the principles of natural justice,” the CBCI stated.
Ebenezer told CDI that the bill criminalizes what is most often innocent administrative failure.
“Most cancellations have arisen not from fraud but from misunderstandings, technical interpretations, petty causes, a beneficiary detail missing from a report, a document not legible when uploaded online,” he said. “The bill treats these with the same severity as deliberate wrongdoing. It criminalizes charitable intent.”
He added that the bill’s ambiguity compounds the injustice.
“How do you determine foreign contribution percentages in a property built from mixed sources?” he said. “The bill does not answer that. It simply gives the government the power to decide, and to take.”
Assets created even partly from foreign contributions vest wholly in the designated authority, and the organization must apply separately to recover any domestically funded portion, a process experts describe as practically unworkable. The bill also broadens the definition of “key functionary” to include anyone exercising control over an organization, making them personally liable for FCRA violations unless they prove due diligence, effectively reversing the presumption of innocence.
Lal said that if the bill passes, the impact at the grassroots level would be swift and direct.
“Many organizations operate with limited resources but deep local trust, running small schools, health initiatives, or community support programs,” he told CDI. “If funds or assets can be taken over even in cases of procedural issues, the consequences can be immediate, and communities that depend on these services are the first to be affected.”
EFI’s own experience gives that warning concrete weight. In December 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs denied EFI’s FCRA renewal on the stated ground that the organization would “prejudicially” affect “public interest” and “harmony between religious, racial, social, linguistic, regional groups, castes or communities.”
The EFI, India’s evangelical umbrella body and a charter member of the World Evangelical Alliance, has now been without FCRA registration for almost three years.
Lal said the government’s characterization bears no relationship to what EFI actually does.
“It is deeply troubling that the umbrella body of evangelical Christians in India, an organization whose central work includes inter-faith engagement, reconciliation and charitable service to bless this nation, is officially deemed a threat to social harmony,” he said. “We have spent decades building bridges across religious and social divides. To be labeled as working against harmony is not only inaccurate, it turns the truth on its head.”
The timing of both the bill’s introduction and its deferral raised troubling questions. Kerala state, where Christians form nearly 18 percent of the population, was heading into an Assembly election on April 9. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India’s ruling party, has been actively cultivating Christian voters there for several years. Political observers noted that the bill was put on hold because of backlash from Christian bishops in Kerala, adding that the BJP had used the legislation almost like a pressure tactic, withdrawing it when the electoral costs became visible.
On April 1, hours after the deferral announcement, BJP Kerala president Rajiv Chandrasekhar convened a press conference assuring the public that the government would factor in churches’ concerns before proceeding.
A delegation that included Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, Cardinal Anthony Poola, Archbishop Couto and other senior church leaders On April 8 met Kiren Rijiju, who also holds the portfolio as the Union Minister for Minority Affairs, in New Delhi. He assured them that wider consultations would take place before the bill is finalized.
The AICU was unconvinced. In a press statement, AICU National President Elias Vaz said the deferral offered neither relief nor satisfaction.
“Such a temporary suspension would constitute nothing more than political expediency, revealing a tactical approach rather than a principled adherence to constitutional values,” Vaz said.
Dayal s said the deferral should not be mistaken for a change of direction.
“The government’s deferral was a tactical retreat forced by Kerala’s election arithmetic, not a principled withdrawal,” he told CDI. “The bill remains on the table. Parliament reconvenes in July. The community would be wise to use these months not for reassurance-seeking but for preparation, legal, political and ecumenical. The Constitution guarantees these rights. The courts must be asked to enforce them.”
Faith-based institutions – including Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox denominations – run thousands of schools, hospitals, orphanages and rural development centers across India, particularly in states where the government’s own reach has historically been limited. The NCCI has also warned that assets built using funds from friendly foreign governments could end up administered by the Indian state, potentially exposing India to international legal challenges.
Ebenezer said the human cost must not be lost in the legal debate.
“Who ultimately bears the consequences? The poor,” he told CDI. “The communities that depend on mission schools and hospitals where the state has never reached. Some argue this bill will stop ‘forced conversions.’ To say so is a gross intelligence failure. Conversion will not stop with this bill being passed. What will stop is service to the most vulnerable. In principle the bill has broader implications for all of civil society. But most of the properties that will be taken are those of Christian missions. That must be stated clearly and on record.”
Lal said his most significant concern goes beyond any single amendment.
“Over time, the regulatory framework has moved in a direction that raises wider questions about proportionality, due process and the space available to civil society,” he said. “What may now be required is not further tightening, but a careful review of the framework itself, so that accountability is upheld without constraining legitimate service.”
Senior experts on NGO compliance broadly agree. In their assessment, renewal should become automatic where compliance records are in order; organizations should be given a chance to correct procedural shortcomings before renewal is denied; and assets built by an organization should remain with it regardless of FCRA status, since an organization is a separate legal entity whose right to own property cannot be conditional on holding a government license.
The CBCI, NCCI and EFI have all called for the bill to be referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee for detailed scrutiny, with the NCCI additionally calling for a Joint Parliamentary Committee review. Legal observers note that constitutional writ petitions – formal challenges before India’s higher courts – remain a live option if the bill passes without significant modification.
The three major Christian bodies are already involved in legal battles on related fronts. The EFI has challenged anti-conversion laws in the high courts of Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka since 2011. The CBCI filed a Supreme Court petition in December challenging Rajasthan’s anti-conversion law. And in February, the NCCI filed the most sweeping challenge yet, a writ petition before the Supreme Court targeting anti-conversion laws in 12 states simultaneously, on which the court has already issued notices to the central and state governments.
The CBCI memorandum captures where they have drawn the line.
“India’s development has always been a shared partnership between the State and civil society,” it states. “Regulation is necessary, but it must not become excessive control or result in unintended expropriation.”
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                <title><![CDATA[Forum examines how North Korea reshaped Christian culture into state ideology]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/forum-examines-how-north-korea-reshaped-christian-culture-into-state-ideology</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/forum-examines-how-north-korea-reshaped-christian-culture-into-state-ideology</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Speakers participate in an April 27 panel discussion at the Brookings Institution in Washington examining the relationship between power, religion and ideology in North Korea, including the regime’s use of personality cult narratives and its suppression o]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Speakers participate in an April 27 panel discussion at the Brookings Institution in Washington examining the relationship between power, religion and ideology in North Korea, including the regime’s use of personality cult narratives and its suppression of independent religious activity. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 06:42:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Speakers at a recent forum in Washington examining religion and ideology in North Korea argued that the country’s ruling Kim family adopted elements of Pyongyang’s historic Christian culture and reshaped them into a political system centered on loyalty to the regime.]]></description>
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Speakers at a recent forum in Washington examining religion and ideology in North Korea argued that the country’s ruling Kim family adopted elements of Pyongyang’s historic Christian culture and reshaped them into a political system centered on loyalty to the regime.
The discussion, reported by Christian Daily Korea and available on YouTube, took place April 27 at the Brookings Institution under the theme “Power, Religion and Ideology in North Korea.” Participants included Jonathan Cheng, China Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, and Jung Pak, Distinguished Associate Fellow of the Centre for Security, Diplomacy, and Strategy at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
According to Cheng, whose latest book “Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea’s Personality Cult” was published earlier this month, North Korea’s leadership did more than suppress Christianity after the country’s division and the rise of the communist state. He argued that aspects of Christian religious culture in Pyongyang were adapted to strengthen the personality cult surrounding founder Kim Il Sung and his successors.
Pyongyang was once known as the “Jerusalem of the East” because of its large Christian population and its role in the 1907 Korean revival movement. Cheng said Kim Il Sung grew up in that environment and was exposed to church life from an early age.
“Kim Il Sung grew up within the Christian culture of Pyongyang,” Cheng said during the forum, according to Christian Daily Korea. He noted that Kim reportedly participated in church activities including Sunday school and choir programs during his youth.
Cheng argued that the regime later mirrored some of religion’s structures and emotional dynamics while simultaneously outlawing independent religious practice.
“He hijacked the pure passion believers had for God and designed a false religious system that made people worship him as a ‘living god,’” Cheng said.
North Korea officially guarantees religious freedom in its constitution, but international human rights organizations and Christian advocacy groups have long accused the government of severely restricting religious activity outside state-controlled institutions. Several watchdog groups consistently rank North Korea among the world’s most restrictive countries for Christians.
Pak said the regime uses suffering and hardship to reinforce political loyalty and ideological control. Referring to the famine of the 1990s, commonly known as the “Arduous March,” she said the government framed national hardship through a narrative centered on devotion to the ruling leadership.
“North Korea transforms even the worst disasters, such as the ‘Arduous March,’ into a religious narrative of salvation claiming that ‘only the Supreme Leader can guide people to paradise,’” Pak said.
She also argued that the regime redirects blame for economic hardship away from leadership failures and toward citizens themselves.
“The regime makes residents blame themselves by attributing the cause of starvation not to the incompetence of the leadership but to each individual’s lack of loyalty,” Pak said. “It injects the false message that only Kim Jong Un is the sole savior.”
Participants at the forum also discussed why the North Korean government views religion as a threat to state authority.
Pak said religious belief creates forms of loyalty and community that exist outside government control. Recognition of a higher spiritual authority, she argued, directly challenges the absolute authority claimed by the ruling family.
“Religion allows people to share their hearts without state control and acknowledges the authority of an absolute God higher than the Supreme Leader,” she said.
Pak additionally called for human rights concerns to play a more central role in international engagement with North Korea.
“We must restore human rights — the Achilles’ heel of the Kim Jong Un regime — as a central agenda item in North Korea policy,” she said.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Christian groups raise alarm as court restores NGO foreign funding rules]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/christian-groups-raise-alarm-as-court-restores-ngo-foreign-funding-rules</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/christian-groups-raise-alarm-as-court-restores-ngo-foreign-funding-rules</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/41/4130.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Lahore High Court, Pakistan.]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ Raki_Man, Creative Commons ]]>
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                                                                                        <media:description type="plain">
                                    <![CDATA[ Lahore High Court, Pakistan. ]]>
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                                                    </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:09:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Rights groups, including Christian organizations advocating for persecuted communities, are warning that a recent high court ruling in Pakistan could significantly expand government oversight of civil society and restrict the ability of nonprofits to operate, particularly those reliant on foreign funding.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Rights groups, including Christian organizations advocating for persecuted communities, are warning that a recent high court ruling in Pakistan could significantly expand government oversight of civil society and restrict the ability of nonprofits to operate, particularly those reliant on foreign funding.
The decision, issued April 13 by the Lahore High Court, reinstates a federal policy regulating how non-governmental and nonprofit organizations receive and use international financial support—reversing an earlier ruling that had struck down the framework as unconstitutional. Advocates say the move could narrow civic space in a country where rights groups already face mounting pressure.
A two-judge bench comprising Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal and Justice Syed Ahsan Raza Kazmi allowed three intra-court appeals filed by the federal government, overturning a September 2024 decision by a single-judge bench that had invalidated the policy for lacking legislative authority.
The restored framework, titled the “Policy for Local NGOs/NPOs Receiving Foreign Contributions 2022,” sets out procedures for the receipt, use, monitoring and accountability of foreign funding by civil society organizations, a mechanism critics say grants authorities broad discretionary powers over registration and financial approvals.
Several organizations, including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Dastak, and the Cecil and Iris Chaudhry Foundation (CICF), had challenged the policy before the court. They argued that the cabinet-approved framework lacked legislative backing and violated constitutional guarantees, including freedom of association and the right to conduct lawful business.
On Sept. 5, 2024, Justice Asim Hafeez accepted these arguments, ruling that the federal cabinet could not exercise legislative authority without explicit legal authorization, and struck down the policy. The federal government appealed the decision, maintaining that the policy constituted a lawful exercise of executive authority under the Constitution and had been approved in accordance with the Rules of Business, 1973.
In its judgment, the division bench framed two central questions: whether the federal government has the authority to regulate NGOs receiving foreign contributions, and the extent to which constitutional courts may intervene in executive policymaking.
The court answered both in favor of the government, holding that under Articles 90 and 99 of the Constitution, the federal government is empowered to conduct its affairs and formulate policy. It further noted that the Rules of Business, 1973—framed under constitutional authority—provide a binding framework for executive decision-making.
The bench observed that the policy had been duly approved by the federal cabinet and issued by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which it described as the competent authority to regulate foreign assistance and related financial flows to NGOs.
Describing the framework as a “comprehensive regulatory instrument,” the court said it establishes criteria for eligibility, registration, monitoring, suspension and accountability of organizations receiving foreign funds.
On judicial review, the bench emphasized that courts should exercise restraint in policy matters unless there is clear evidence of violations of fundamental rights, statutory provisions, constitutional limits or bad faith.
“In the absence of such violations, policy-making remains the exclusive domain of the executive,” the judgment stated, adding that courts cannot substitute their own assessment regarding the “wisdom, suitability or adequacy” of executive policies.
The court also underscored the central role of the federal cabinet in a parliamentary system, stating that it cannot be reduced to a “rubber stamp” and must remain the primary decision-making body of the executive.
Allowing the appeals, the bench set aside the Sept. 2024 judgment and restored the 2022 policy, effectively reviving the regulatory regime governing foreign funding of NGOs and NPOs in Pakistan.
Advocate Saqib Jillani, counsel for the petitioners, expressed disappointment with the ruling, arguing that the policy, like a similar 2013 framework previously struck down by courts, lacks statutory backing and infringes constitutional protections.
“The federal government cannot regulate NGOs through executive policy alone. Such matters require parliamentary legislation under the constitutional scheme of separation of powers,” he said.
He added that the policy imposes unreasonable restrictions on civil society organizations and violates Article 17 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of association subject to reasonable limits. He also noted that existing legal frameworks already provide mechanisms to regulate NGOs and foreign funding.
In a statement to Christian Daily International, CICF President Michelle Chaudhry described the restored policy as “overly bureaucratic and discretionary.”
“The NGO policy and MOU procedure with the Economic Affairs Division undermine constitutional guarantees of freedom of association, expression and civic participation,” she said. “Rather than enabling civil society to operate as an independent partner in development and rights-based advocacy, the system is bureaucratic, opaque and discretionary, with extensive controls over registrations, renewals and foreign funding approvals.”
She further alleged that the mechanism is being used to delay, restrict and indirectly pressure organizations, particularly those working on sensitive issues such as human rights, governance accountability and minority rights.
Asher Sarfaraz, chief executive of Christians’ True Spirit (CTS), echoed these concerns, warning that smaller rights organizations may struggle to operate under the restored framework. CTS provides legal aid and shelter to Christian women and minor girls affected by forced conversions and marriages, abductions, and sexual violence.
“CTS is already registered with the Economic Affairs Division, and we have not faced significant hindrance in receiving funds,” he said. “However, several NGOs and ministries operate without EAD approval, and the restored policy may be used to restrict their operational capacity.”
Pakistan ranked eighth on the 2026 World Watch List published by Open Doors, which tracks countries where Christians face severe persecution. The report cited forced conversions, abductions and gaps in legal protections among key concerns.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[‘Discipled by the persecuted church’: Faith Without Frontiers explores resilience and identity in the Middle East]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/discipled-by-the-persecuted-church-faith-without-frontiers-explores-resilience-and-identity-in-the-middle-east</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/discipled-by-the-persecuted-church-faith-without-frontiers-explores-resilience-and-identity-in-the-middle-east</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/45/4506.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[FWF Episode 3]]></media:title>
                                                                                </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The third Episode of Christian Daily International’s podcast Faith Without Frontiers featured a wide-ranging conversation with Carla Miller, who serves churches across the Middle East from her base in Lebanon, helping young people build resilience in the face of pressure and persecution.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The third Episode of Christian Daily International’s podcast Faith Without Frontiers featured a wide-ranging conversation with Carla Miller, who serves churches across the Middle East from her base in Lebanon, helping young people build resilience in the face of pressure and persecution.
Hosted by Gordon Showell-Rogers, the episode traces Miller’s journey from a multicultural upbringing in the United Kingdom to life in Beirut, where she and her husband have lived for the past six years. Born to a British father raised in Brazil and a mother of Caribbean heritage, Miller reflects on growing up as part of a visible minority — and as a pastor’s daughter — in a predominantly white English community. The experience, she says, brought a strong sense of pressure to “be perfect” and to counter assumptions placed on her family.
That tension continued into her teenage years, when she describes living a “double life” — involved in church while also exploring the freedoms and risks typical of adolescence. A turning point came at age 16, when she began reading the Bible for herself. What followed was a transformative period in which, as she recalls, the message of Scripture suddenly made sense in a new and personal way. “There was no coming back from that,” she says, describing a faith that shifted from inherited to deeply owned.
From there, Miller’s story becomes increasingly shaped by a growing awareness of Christians facing persecution globally. Through stories, prayer, and later work with a UK-based organization, she says she was “discipled by the persecuted church,” learning from believers who remained steadfast under pressure. That experience would eventually lead her toward the Middle East — a calling she says remained constant for nearly a decade before becoming reality.
Now based in Beirut, Miller works with local churches and organizations across the region, focusing on how to support young people whose faith is tested in complex cultural and social environments. She explains that while persecution is often understood in terms of violence against church leaders, its impact on youth is different and often overlooked. Many young people, she notes, experience pressure before they have fully formed their own convictions, making resilience both more difficult and more essential.
Drawing on the biblical example of Daniel, Miller describes how identity, belonging and faith are often contested in subtle but powerful ways. Her work, she says, involves helping churches become places of safety and restoration — environments where young people can wrestle honestly with their faith without fear of shame or rejection. “If the church was the safest place for young people,” she reflects, “can you imagine what that would do?”
The episode also offers a sobering glimpse into life in Lebanon over recent years. Since arriving in 2019, Miller and her husband have lived through political upheaval, economic collapse, the Beirut port explosion and ongoing regional tensions. She recounts moments of real danger and uncertainty, alongside what she sees as repeated experiences of God’s protection and provision.
Despite these challenges, Miller speaks with deep affection for Lebanon and the wider region. She describes a strong sense of connection with local communities and a profound respect for the long-standing Christian presence in the Middle East. “It feels like such an honor,” she says, “to be part of what God is doing here.”
Listen to the conversation to hear how Miller reflects on faith, identity and perseverance, and how her work among young people is shaped by both the challenges and the hope she encounters in the Middle East.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[CEOs of persecution ministries launch joint prayer effort, emphasize unity at global consultation]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/ceos-of-persecution-ministries-launch-joint-prayer-effort-emphasize-unity-at-global-consultation</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/ceos-of-persecution-ministries-launch-joint-prayer-effort-emphasize-unity-at-global-consultation</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/39/3997.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[WWL 2026]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ Open Doors International ]]>
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                                                                                        <media:description type="plain">
                                    <![CDATA[ The Open Doors World Watch List 2026 highlights regions where Christians face the most severe persecution. A new joint prayer initiative by ministry leaders aims to strengthen unity in responding to these challenges. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 02:48:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Senior leaders of Christian ministries serving persecuted believers have begun a new joint prayer initiative, bringing together chief executives from multiple organizations in a move aimed at strengthening cooperation across the sector.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Senior leaders of Christian ministries serving persecuted believers have begun a new joint prayer initiative, bringing together chief executives from multiple organizations in a move aimed at strengthening cooperation across the sector.
The effort, initiated by International Christian Concern (ICC), was shared during remarks by its president, Shawn Wright, at the recent annual consultation of the Religious Liberty Partnership (RLP).
According to participants, nine ministry CEOs met online for prayer on April 27, with plans to continue meeting regularly. The initiative is intended to foster deeper alignment among organizations serving an estimated 388 million Christians facing persecution worldwide.
The announcement came days after the RLP marked its 20th anniversary during its consultation in Prague, held April 20–23. The network, founded in 2006, connects dozens of Christian organizations working in religious freedom advocacy and support for persecuted believers, emphasizing collaboration, information-sharing and coordinated response.
Wright presented the prayer initiative as one expression of that broader collaborative ethos, encouraging leaders to move beyond institutional silos.
“I believe God gave me a burden for ICC to holistically serve 10 million persecuted Christians,” Wright said, describing a period of prayer and discernment early in his tenure. Reflecting on that figure, he said it led him to consider the wider global need.
“What about all the other persecuted Christians? How can we choose not to help them?” he said.
While many organizations are already engaged in what Wright described as “God-ordained, meaningful projects,” he noted that efforts can at times overlap or lack strategic coordination.
The joint prayer gatherings, he said, are intended as a starting point—bringing leaders together spiritually before exploring practical collaboration.
“To first pray together, then discuss and partner on initiatives from the global field to Capitol Hill and everywhere in between,” Wright said.
The initiative builds on existing cooperation within the RLP, which was established to encourage trust and partnership among ministries working in complex and often sensitive environments.
Over the past two decades, the network has facilitated joint advocacy efforts, shared research and coordinated responses to crises affecting Christian communities. Its annual consultations provide a forum for leaders to exchange information and identify opportunities for collaboration.
The new CEO-level prayer meetings, Wright said, represent a further step in that direction, with a particular emphasis on unity at the leadership level.
“Because Jesus did not envision a divided effort,” he said. “He makes His expectation crystal clear … ‘that all of them may be one.’ Unity is not optional.”
“Our unity is not just about effectiveness — it is about our witness,” Wright added. “When we are aligned, the world believes. When we are divided, the message is damaged.”
As the RLP enters its third decade, the emphasis on unity—expressed through both longstanding partnerships and new initiatives such as the CEO prayer gatherings—was highlighted as a continuing priority for Christian organizations seeking to respond to the global realities of religious persecution.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Council of Europe body underreports anti-Christian attacks, ECLJ says]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/council-of-europe-body-underreports-anti-christian-attacks-eclj-says</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/council-of-europe-body-underreports-anti-christian-attacks-eclj-says</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Chris Eyte]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[The PACE resolution on freedom of religion was based on a report by Francesco Verducci of Italy, a member of the Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group in the Parliamentary Assembly.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ PACE ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ The PACE resolution on freedom of religion was based on a report by Francesco Verducci of Italy, a member of the Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group in the Parliamentary Assembly. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:34:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) this month criticized the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for underreporting attacks against Christians in Europe.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) this month criticized the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for underreporting attacks against Christians in Europe.
Thibault van den Bossche, an ECLJ advocacy officer, said an April 21 PACE resolution highlights antisemitism and Islamophobia but fails to “fully acknowledge the reality of attacks and discrimination against Christians in Europe.”
“Such an imbalance weakens the overall coherence of the resolution and raises questions about the equal treatment of different religious groups,” Van den Bossche said in a press statement.
The most recent mention of anti-Christian activity in the resolution dates to 2015, Van den Bossche said. The resolution was entitled, “Combating discrimination based on religion and protecting freedom of religion or belief in Europe.”
The Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe) has documented more recent incidents, including the arrest this month in Barcelona, Spain of a man from North Africa on April 11 for assaulting a Christian woman on the city’s famed La Rambla boulevard.
The 19-year-old man allegedly shouted “Christian whore” and assaulted the woman after she acknowledged her faith. She suffered minor injuries, and emergency responders treated her at the scene.
“The suspect was later located nearby and arrested by local police,” OIDAC Europe reported. “Authorities then brought him before judicial officials as the alleged perpetrator of offenses including violation of fundamental rights on religious grounds and bodily harm.”
Van den Bossche said the PACE resolution maintains a “clear imbalance in the treatment of different religions.”
“It fails to fully acknowledge the reality of attacks and discrimination against Christians, which the ECLJ has extensively documented,” he said.
The resolution affirms “essential principles” of religious freedom but still reflects an imbalance in how European institutions address attacks against Christians, according to Van den Bossche.
“This imbalance is not merely rhetorical: it reflects an implicit hierarchy of forms of religious intolerance and reveals a persistent difficulty in fully acknowledging anti-Christian attacks,” he said.
The resolution references antisemitism following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in Israel by Palestinian militants and the subsequent conflict in Gaza, as well as an increase in Islamophobic incidents. Van den Bossche said two 2022 resolutions focused exclusively on Judaism and Islam, demonstrating what he described as “once again the most exclusive focus of European institutions on these phenomena.”
“It is necessary to go back to 2015 for Christians to be mentioned, and even then only marginally, in the resolution,” he said.
Van den Bossche also pointed to a lack of explicit representation for Christians in the mandate of the Council of Europe’s special representative on antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred and all forms of religious intolerance.
He cited OIDC Europe figures of 2,211 anti-Christian hate crimes in Europe in 2024, and said it calls for “equally explicit recognition.”
Acknowledging that PACE recognizes discrimination against Christians in limited terms, Van den Bossche noted that the report states “intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief affect both majority and minority religious groups in Europe” and that “the expression of faith is sometimes unjustifiably restricted by national legislation and policies.”
“This wording deserves to be highlighted,” he said. “It introduces an implicit but real recognition of the attacks suffered by Christians, including in societies where they remain the majority. It also reinforces the ECLJ’s analysis concerning certain excesses of secularism, particularly in France, when it leads to a disproportionate restriction of Christian expression.”
The resolution calls on states to collect data on religious intolerance and discrimination. The ECLJ supports that objective but says accurate documentation remains essential.
Van den Bossche identified three limitations. First, some Christian victims underreport attacks because they fear they will “appear victimized, lack Christian charity, or inflame social tensions.” Second, he said public authorities often underreport anti-Christian crimes unless they identify a clear political motive.
Third, he said countries inconsistently transmit data to international institutions such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.
“These limitations contribute to rendering a significant portion of the violence and discrimination suffered by Christians in Europe invisible,” he said.
Van den Bossche also called for stronger protections for conscientious objection, citing the example of a nun who refuses to perform euthanasia in a Catholic hospital. He added that the resolution does not include specific provisions to protect places of worship despite a reported rise in vandalism and attacks against churches in Europe.
“To guarantee effective protection, attacks and discrimination against Christians must be recognized and addressed without bias,” he said, citing protections under the European Convention on Human Rights. “This implies a balanced consideration of the harm suffered by Christians, as well as concrete responses.”
The ECLJ has launched a petition urging PACE’s president to take a firmer response to attacks and discrimination targeting Christians.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Pakistan urged to end forced conversions/marriages]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/pakistan-urged-to-end-forced-conversions-marriages</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/pakistan-urged-to-end-forced-conversions-marriages</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Christian Daily International / Morning Star News]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/45/4503.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[The National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) renewed call to criminalize forced conversions in Pakistan in new report.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ NCJP ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ The National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) renewed call to criminalize forced conversions in Pakistan in new report. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:23:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A U.N.-appointed body on Wednesday (April 22) urged Pakistan to intensify efforts to eradicate forced conversions/marriages, noting that young minority girls consistently fall victim to Islamist coercion.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A U.N.-appointed body on Wednesday (April 22) urged Pakistan to intensify efforts to eradicate forced conversions/marriages, noting that young minority girls consistently fall victim to Islamist coercion.
To prevent forced conversions/marriages, the independent experts appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) urged Pakistan to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 across all provinces and territories, criminalize forced religious conversion as a distinct offense and enforce laws related to human trafficking and sexual violence.
They also echoed recommendations from U.N. treaty bodies calling for prompt, impartial investigations into all allegations and accountability for perpetrators.
“We are deeply concerned that law enforcement authorities often dismiss complaints lodged by victims’ families, fail to investigate or prosecute forced conversions in a timely manner, or neglect to properly assess the age of victims,” the panel concluded in a statement.
The statement called for comprehensive, gender-responsive support services for survivors, including safe shelters, legal aid, psychological counseling and reintegration programs.
Pakistan has yet to adequately address underlying drivers such as gender inequality, poverty, social exclusion, religious intolerance and discrimination against minorities, they said in the statement.
“Freedom of religion or belief and equality must be ensured for all without discrimination,” they said.
Voicing concern over the continued and widespread abduction and forced religious conversion of women and girls from minority communities in Pakistan, the panel warned that impunity was allowing the practice to persist. They said conversions carried out in the context of marriage must be free from coercion and based on full consent – conditions that cannot be met in cases involving minors.
“Any change of religion or belief must be genuinely free from coercion, and marriage must be based on full and free consent, which is not legally possible when the victim is a child,” the panel stated.
The statement was endorsed by the U.N.’s Tomoya Obokata, special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery; Nazila Ghanea, special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief; Nicolas Levrat, special rapporteur on minority issues; Siobhán Mullally, special rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; Claudia Flores (Chair), Ivana Krstić (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Haina Lu, and Laura Nyirinkindi of the working group on discrimination against women and girls; and Reem Alsalem, special rapporteur on violence against women and girls.
Last year, about 75 percent of reported victims of forced conversion through marriage were Hindu, while 25 percent were Christian, the panel stated. Nearly 80 percent of these incidents were recorded in Sindh Province. Adolescent girls between the ages of 14 and 18 were identified as particularly vulnerable, though some victims were reportedly even younger.
The panel highlighted that poverty and social marginalization further increase the risks faced by minority women and girls.
“These women and girls endure a continuous sense of terror, face coercion and are deprived of their freedom of religion or belief and autonomy under patriarchal and political pressures. This must stop,” they stated.
The scale and persistence of such violations indicate systemic discrimination against non-Muslim women and girls, who are often compelled to convert to Islam in order to marry Muslim men, the panel stated.
At the same time, the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) renewed its call for legislation criminalizing forced conversions, following the recent release of a report entitled, “Captive Souls: The Untold Story of Pakistan’s Minority Girls.”
The report, based on cases involving Christian girls between 2021 and 2025, found that conversions were consistently carried out through coercive means, including threats, intimidation, deception and economic pressure.
“In many cases, individuals are compelled to convert in order to escape discrimination, violence, or social marginalization, or to resolve economic pressures such as debt,” the report stated.
NCJP Executive Director Naeem Yousaf Gill said Pakistan lacks a specific law criminalizing forced religious conversion and called for formal state recognition of the issue as a first step toward reform.
“Only then can the state earnestly tackle the problem through comprehensive legislation designed to protect the rights of religious minorities, particularly girls and women,” he said.
Gill proposed safeguards including due process in conversion cases, a minimum age requirement for conversion, strict penalties for coercion, independent verification mechanisms, victim support services and specialized courts for expedited proceedings.
The report also criticized a Feb. 3 ruling by Pakistan’s Federal Constitutional Court that upheld the Islamic marriage of a 13-year-old Christian girl, Maria Shahbaz, with a 30-year-old Muslim accused of abducting her, despite official documentation indicating she was below the legal marriage age.
Catholic Church leaders, including Catholics Bishops Conference President Bishop Samson Shukardin and NCJP National Director Bernard Emmanuel, said such cases raise concerns about inconsistent application of child marriage laws.
“Courts are not consistently applying legislation that prohibits the marriage of anyone under 18 years of age,” a joint statement said. “This selective application of the law is deeply troubling.”
They emphasized that while judicial independence must be respected, courts are obligated to ensure that cases involving forced conversion and underage marriage are handled transparently and in line with constitutional and international human rights standards.
Pakistan ranked eighth on Open Doors' 2026 World Watch List of countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. The report cited forced conversions, abductions and gaps in legal protections among key concerns.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Algeria shuts protestant churches as Christians are pushed underground]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/algeria-shuts-protestant-churches-as-christians-are-pushed-underground</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/algeria-shuts-protestant-churches-as-christians-are-pushed-underground</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Vincent Matinde]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/45/4500.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Algerian Pastor Youssef Ourahmane pastor arrested]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ ADF International ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Pastor Youssef Ourahmane, a Christian convert and pastor in the Protestant Church of Algeria, was arrested in 2024 and sentenced to heavy fines and a prison sentence for the so-called crime of “illegal worship” for leading his church. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 03:45:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Nearly all Protestant churches in Algeria have been forced to close, pushing thousands of Christians into private homes and informal gatherings as authorities tighten control over non-Muslim worship.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Nearly all Protestant churches in Algeria have been forced to close, pushing thousands of Christians into private homes and informal gatherings as authorities tighten control over non-Muslim worship.
The closures, which have been systematic from 2017, are not isolated incidents but part of what a 2026 report by the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) describes as “a restrictive legal and administrative system incompatible with international standards on freedom of religion.” 
The report documents what it calls a widening gap between Algeria’s constitutional guarantees and the lived reality of its Christian minority.
Since 2006, at least 58 Protestant churches have been shut down by authorities, including nearly all those affiliated with the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA). By January 2025, the last remaining evangelical churches had effectively ceased operations. 
The result is a quiet but sweeping transformation of Christian life. Prayer meetings now take place in private homes, improvised spaces or outdoors. Some believers gather in what the report describes as “house churches,” while others meet in remote areas, “churches under olive trees.” 
“We try to live our fellowship as best we can; the most important thing is to be together,” an EPA representative said in testimony cited by the report. 
Algerian law requires non-Muslim worship to be authorized by the state, but Christians say such approvals are rarely granted.
Under a 2006 ordinance, any religious activity must take place in officially approved buildings, while a 2012 law requires religious associations to register with authorities, a process critics say has been effectively blocked.
“In practice, the Algerian authorities have refused all applications for the opening of new places of worship,” the report states. 
Without legal recognition, even small gatherings can be treated as violations.
Pastors and worshippers have faced prosecution for holding services without authorization, while police raids on prayer meetings have led to detentions and interrogations.
In one recent case, a group of Christians was detained for hours following a religious gathering, underscoring the risks associated with communal worship. 
Beyond restrictions on worship, the report highlights laws that criminalize certain forms of religious expression.
Algerian legislation makes it an offense to “undermine the faith of a Muslim” or attempt to convert Muslims, with penalties including prison sentences and fines. The scope of these provisions is broad.
“Any expression of Christian faith may be regarded as an attempt to ‘undermine the faith of a Muslim’… and may result in prosecution,” the report notes. 
Authorities have used these laws to pursue cases involving social media posts, distribution of religious materials and public discussion of Christianity.
Christians often avoid displaying religious symbols or speaking openly about their beliefs, fearing legal consequences or social backlash.
Growing underground Christian community
Despite mounting restrictions, Algeria’s Christian population has grown in recent decades, particularly among evangelical Protestants.
The community now numbers an estimated 156,000 people, or about 0.3 percent of the population, according to figures cited in the report. 
Much of this growth has occurred in Kabylia, a region with a distinct cultural identity and a history of religious diversity.
“The social fabric was damaged during the civil war, making the ground fertile for religious change,” historian Karima Dirèche is quoted as saying in the report. 
Yet that growth has taken place largely outside official structures, as churches lose legal status and public visibility.
Converts from Islam to Christianity face particular challenges. While conversion is not explicitly outlawed, it is widely perceived as a challenge to Algeria’s religious and social order. The report notes that converts may face pressure from both authorities and their communities. Christians often encounter discrimination within legal and social systems that assume all citizens are Muslim.
Across North Africa, governments generally guarantee freedom of worship while maintaining strong oversight of religious life.
In Tunisia, the constitution protects freedom of belief, but proselytism remains sensitive and converts can face social pressure. In Morocco, the state permits limited Christian activity but restricts efforts to convert Muslims and closely monitors religious groups.
Algeria, however, stands out for the scale of enforcement. The widespread closure of Protestant churches and the consistent use of legal provisions against unregistered worship have created one of the most restrictive environments for Christians in the region.
Algeria has ratified international agreements protecting religious freedom, but the report says these commitments are not fully implemented.
Reactions from international bodies have been “largely symbolic and non-binding,” allowing the situation to persist. 
The issue has drawn renewed global attention in recent weeks following a historic papal visit to the country, which highlighted Algeria’s Christian heritage and emphasized interfaith dialogue.
But on the ground, little has changed.
For many Christians in Algeria, religious life now unfolds beyond public view. Without access to recognized places of worship and under the risk of legal consequences, believers have adapted by forming decentralized, often discreet communities.
The report concludes that the pressures facing Christians are not incidental but systemic.
“The oppression of Christians in Algeria cannot be understood as a series of isolated incidents,” it states, “but rather as the result of a restrictive legal and administrative system.” 
As international attention grows, the future of religious freedom in Algeria remains uncertain and for many believers, increasingly private.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Baptist pastor faces expulsion from Russian-occupied Ukraine]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/baptist-pastor-faces-expulsion-from-russian-occupied-ukraine</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/baptist-pastor-faces-expulsion-from-russian-occupied-ukraine</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Bethel]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/44/4494.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[The Rev. Vladimir Rytikov faces expulsion from his birthplace in Russian-occupied Ukraine.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ © Baptist Council of Churches ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ The Rev. Vladimir Rytikov faces expulsion from his birthplace in Russian-occupied Ukraine. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:02:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The Rev. Vladimir Rytikov faces expulsion from his birthplace in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine after authorities accused him of “illegal missionary activity” and cancelled his residence permit, a rights watchdog reports.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The Rev. Vladimir Rytikov faces expulsion from his birthplace in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine after authorities accused him of “illegal missionary activity” and cancelled his residence permit, a rights watchdog reports.
Officials from the Russian-controlled Migration Service arrived at Rytikov’s home in Krasnodon (Sorokyne), Luhansk Oblast on March 21 and told him they had annulled his permit and that he must leave within two weeks, according to Forum 18.
The rights monitor reported that authorities suggested he leave for another country, including Poland.
Rytikov has led a Council of Churches Baptist congregation in the city for about 30 years.
“I was born here and have lived here for [nearly] 67 years, now I’m being driven out,” he told Forum 18.
Authorities based their decision on his leadership of an unregistered Baptist congregation. Courts have repeatedly fined him under Russian Administrative Code Article 5.26 for conducting “missionary activity.”
Officials intensified pressure earlier in March. On March 9, acting police chief Aleksei Mikhailovsky summoned Rytikov to appear at a police station on March 19 to face charges. On March 11, three officers went to his home and demanded that he go immediately. When he refused and pointed to the summons date, officers grabbed him and forced him into a car without his identity documents before preparing a case against him, according to Forum 18.
Migration officials later confirmed that authorities had annulled his residence permit on Feb. 11. They warned that they would deport him if he refused to leave within the required period. Officials claimed that Rytikov, whom they classify as a foreign citizen, posed a threat to Russia’s constitutional order and security.
Rytikov said officials monitor his communications, telling Forum 18, “My telephone is surveilled and listened to.”
Despite the pressure, Rytikov and his wife, Lyudmila, who still holds a valid residence permit, have decided to remain in their home for now.
“The Lord saw fit for me to perform a ministry in Krasnodon,” he said.
Authorities have repeatedly targeted the congregation he leads. Police and military officers, some carrying automatic weapons, raided a Sunday worship service on Jan. 25 and accused members of meeting illegally without state registration. Officers detained and interrogated Rytikov, Forum 18 reported.
“They said that if we don’t register, they’ll come to every service and stop it taking place,” he said at the time.
Council of Churches Baptists refuse to register with state authorities on principle, which often brings them into conflict with Russian laws that restrict religious activity without official permission.
Other Baptist leaders in Russian-occupied Ukraine have faced similar penalties. Courts have fined pastors, raided services, and opened cases against those who continue to lead unregistered congregations.
Forum 18 reported that officials contacted in Krasnodon and Luhansk did not respond to requests for comment on Rytikov’s case.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Costa Rica president-elect reaffirms role of faith in meeting with Evangelical Alliance]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/costa-rica-president-elect-reaffirms-role-of-faith-in-meeting-with-evangelical-alliance</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/costa-rica-president-elect-reaffirms-role-of-faith-in-meeting-with-evangelical-alliance</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Javier Bolaños]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Presidency of the Republic of Costa Rica]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Presidency of the Republic of Costa Rica ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 05:43:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves and President-elect Laura Fernández met Thursday with leaders of the Federation of the Costa Rican Evangelical Alliance (FAEC) to discuss religious freedom and social policy ahead of the May 8 transition of power.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica — Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves and President-elect Laura Fernández met Thursday with leaders of the Federation of the Costa Rican Evangelical Alliance (FAEC) to discuss religious freedom and social policy ahead of the May 8 transition of power.
The meeting, held in a respectful, cooperative atmosphere, focused on outlining priorities for the upcoming administration, including the role of faith-based organizations in addressing social challenges such as poverty and insecurity.
Chaves emphasizes focus on vulnerable populations
During the meeting, President Chaves said his administration has prioritized vulnerable communities and urged Fernández to continue that approach.
“I’ve told Laura, and I say it to you as well, that my government—and I hope hers continues—has been focused on the forgotten, the nobodies, those who clearly expressed through their vote the need for continuity,” Chaves said.
He also stressed the importance of humility in leadership and said governments should remain attentive to those most in need, including people who have been historically marginalized or neglected.
Fernández pledges religious freedom and inclusion
President-elect Fernández reaffirmed her commitment to freedom of religion and conscience, saying her administration would respect all faith traditions as well as those without religious affiliation.
“People must have full freedom of worship—whether Catholic, Christian, Jewish, or if they choose not to practice any faith at all,” Fernández said. “I will lead a government that respects differences and the beliefs of every Costa Rican.”
She also reflected on the election outcome and her personal faith.
“I thank God and the people of Costa Rica, because the mandate we received at the ballot box was very clear,” she said. “I know I do not walk alone. I know someone walks with me, that I am held in the palm of His hand and protected.”
Role of faith-based organizations discussed
Both leaders discussed the role of Evangelical churches in addressing social issues and agreed that the government cannot operate in isolation from civil society organizations.
Fernández said she plans to lead a government based on dialogue and national unity, grounded in the rule of law.
She also called on religious leaders to contribute to efforts aimed at reducing violence and promoting social development rooted in family and community values.
Transition ahead of May 8
The meeting marked a rare public engagement between an outgoing president, a president-elect, and leaders of a major religious organization as Costa Rica prepares for a change in administration.
FAEC representatives said the dialogue reflected continued openness to incorporating the views of the Evangelical community in national policymaking.
With the transition scheduled for May 8, both leaders signaled an emphasis on continuity, cooperation, and social stability during the handover period.
Originally published by Diario Cristiano, Christian Daily International's Spanish edition.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Court change sought to help kidnapped Christian girls in Pakistan]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/court-change-sought-to-help-kidnapped-christian-girls-in-pakistan</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/court-change-sought-to-help-kidnapped-christian-girls-in-pakistan</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Christian Daily International / Morning Star News]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/43/4388.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Punjab Assembly building in Lahore, Pakistan.]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ Sunni Person, Creative Commons ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Punjab Assembly building in Lahore, Pakistan. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:53:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A Christian lawmaker in Pakistan filed a motion in the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday (April 21) seeking an explanation from the provincial government on why courts were not consistently accepting official age records in cases of abducted and forcibly converted/married girls.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A Christian lawmaker in Pakistan filed a motion in the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday (April 21) seeking an explanation from the provincial government on why courts were not consistently accepting official age records in cases of abducted and forcibly converted/married girls.
Ejaz Alam Augustine, a former provincial minister for human rights and minority affairs, questioned the judiciary’s disregarding of National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) birth record as conclusive evidence, warning the practice increases exploitation of minors.
His motion follows a controversial Feb. 3 ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan, which upheld the marriage of a 13-year-old Christian girl, Maria Shahbaz, to Shehryar Ahmad, a 30-year-old Muslim man whom her family has accused of abducting her.
In its detailed judgment issued on March 25, a two-judge bench questioned the reliability of NADRA and local union council records, citing delayed registration, inconsistencies in documentation and contradictions in statements regarding the girl’s age. The court held that such records, without satisfactory explanation or independent corroboration, could not be treated as conclusive proof.
The bench also alleged that the petitioner, Maria’s father Shahbaz Masih, had failed to adequately explain discrepancies in the documentation. It further observed that Maria appeared “to be of a more advanced age” during court proceedings.
In his motion, Augustine argued that minority communities, particularly Christians, face significant challenges in such cases, as they rely on NADRA-issued documents as primary proof of identity and age. He called on the government to clarify why child registration certificates and family registration certificates are not granted full legal standing in court, what policy measures are being taken to address the issue and how minority communities are being protected.
The motion also requests that NADRA’s director general brief the provincial assembly or a relevant committee.
Augustine said the court’s ruling had caused “deep anguish and unrest” within the Christian community.
“This issue constitutes a violation of the fundamental rights of minority citizens,” Augustine told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “Courts in Punjab are continuing to disregard official birth documents, which has become a barrier to restoring custody of abducted girls to their parents. If courts rely instead on statements about age – often made under duress – it undermines the purpose of official records.”
He further claimed that multiple cases involving the alleged abduction and forced conversion or marriage of minor Christian girls had been reported across Punjab since the FCC ruling.
Augustine on Monday (April 20) submitted a notice proposing amendments to the draft Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2026, which has been approved by a standing committee of the provincial assembly and is expected to be presented for a vote.
While welcoming the bill’s provision to raise the legal age of marriage to 18 for both males and females, Augustine said it contains gaps. He called for mandatory presentation of national identity cards at the time of marriage registration and for marriages involving minors to be declared void from the outset.
“It is inconsistent to criminalize child marriage while continuing to recognize such unions as legally valid,” he said. “This legal gap must be addressed.”
His proposed amendments also emphasize restoring custody of minors to their parents as their natural guardians. Augustine added that several Muslim lawmakers support the proposals, expressing optimism that they could be incorporated into the final legislation.
On April 13, a provincial assembly committee advanced the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026 for further consideration. The bill follows an ordinance promulgated on Feb. 11 by Punjab Gov. Sardar Saleem Haider, which is set to lapse in May if not enacted into law.
The proposed legislation would replace provisions of the Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929. It classifies child marriage as a cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable offense, with penalties including up to seven years’ imprisonment and fines of up to 1 million Pakistani rupees (about $3,500). It also introduces penalties for marriage registrars who facilitate underage marriages, criminalizes cohabitation resulting from such unions as child abuse, and imposes liability on parents or guardians who enable them. Cases would be tried in sessions courts with a mandated 90-day timeframe for resolution.
Despite these measures, rights advocates say enforcement remains a major challenge, particularly in cases involving religious minorities.
Pakistan ranked eighth on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution, citing concerns including forced conversions, abductions and gaps in legal protection for vulnerable communities.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Palestinian Christian prisoner allowed Bible but denied visit from priest]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/palestinian-christian-prisoner-allowed-bible-but-denied-visit-from-priest</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/palestinian-christian-prisoner-allowed-bible-but-denied-visit-from-priest</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Daoud Kuttab]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/44/4484.jpeg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Rami Rizq Fadayel has been imprisoned in the Negev without charges for more than two years.]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ Christian Daily International courtesy of family ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Rami Rizq Fadayel has been imprisoned in the Negev without charges for more than two years. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:20:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Two years after a Palestinian Christian prisoner in the Negev desert requested a Bible and a visit from his priest, Israeli prison officials have agreed to provide Scripture but not the clergy visit, sources said.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Two years after a Palestinian Christian prisoner in the Negev desert requested a Bible and a visit from his priest, Israeli prison officials have agreed to provide Scripture but not the clergy visit, sources said.
Rami Saleh, director of Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC), told Christian Daily International that the family of detainee Rami Rizq Fadayel, of Ramallah, asked his office to help him. After months of intervention, JLAC has finally received approval to make a Bible available to Fadayel, Saleh said.
“We began our legal intervention back in December 2025, making two requests: access to the Holy Bible and access to a priest,” Saleh said. “According to the Catholic faith, a Christian is to be administered the sacrament by an ordained priest and is to be allowed a confession to a priest at least once a year.”
Saleh said that Nafha Prison, a high-security Israeli prison also known as Bir al-Saba Prison in the Negev about 200 kilometers from Jerusalem, had refused both requests. The JLAC approached prison authorities, who stated on Monday (April 20) that they would allow the Bible but not the priest’s visit.
“All prisoners have had access to their religious books, but since October 7th, 2023, all were confiscated,” Saleh said. “The Islamic Quran was returned to prisoners after some time, but not the Bible.”
Saleh noted that National Prison Services made many requirements, including a signed request by the prisoner.
“We had to get his family to give a power of attorney for a lawyer to visit him and obtain his signature on the request for the Bible,” Saleh said.
JLAC is preparing to appeal the decision banning a visit by a priest.
Mona Fadayel, the inmate’s mother, told Christian Daily International that she is happy that he will be able to get the Bible, although it has been more than two years since he has been asking for one.
“He is sitting with nothing to do; the Bible would help him closer to God,” she said. “He is alone, no one is allowed to visit except his lawyer once every 40 days, and I pay the lawyer NIS [New Israeli Shekels] 700 [$250]. I have not been allowed to visit him since his arrest or even talk on the phone to him. Nor has anyone else, including his priest, been allowed to visit.”
Her son has requested she hire an attorney from Israel who is able to appeal to the Israeli High Court, which would require payment of 6,000 New Israeli Shekels ($2,000) to represent him, she said.
Mona Fadayel noted that he has been detained administratively without charge or trial.
“Usually, this is a six-month detention, and it is renewed once or twice,” she said. “He has been held for two years and four months without any charge or trial.”
She said that another Palestinian who was arrested along with him was released, but they extended her son’s detention for another four months.
“Maybe it is because he [Rami] was sent to solitary confinement after discovering he had a pen with him,” Fadayel said.
It is not clear if permission to have a Bible will be granted to other Christians, Saleh said.
“It is not clear if we will have to make a special legal appeal for every case, or if the decision of the National Prison Services will apply to all Palestinian Christian prisoners.”
Two other Palestinian Christian prisoners, Samer Arabid and Johnny Qaqish, have also requested Bibles, he said.
Since June of 2024, the prison administration had stalled the delivery of a Bible to Rami Fadayel, who was taken captive in December 2023, wrote Hind Shraydeh, a Jerusalem journalist specializing in issues related to Palestinian Christians, in Milhilard.org in April 2025.
Rami Fayadel spent “over two years in arbitrary imprisonment, most of it under administrative detention – a detention without charge or trial,” Shraydeh reported. “Since his most recent arrest, the occupation has renewed Rami’s administrative detention order five consecutive times – including on the eve of Christmas 2024. Just two days after that detention renewal, death struck a cruel blow: Rami’s father passed away.”
Bishop William Shomali of the Jerusalem Latin Patriarchate affirmed to CDI that getting a Bible to a prisoner and visiting him is part of Christian belief.
“The Lord Jesus specifically talked about the need to visit prisoners,” Bishop Shomali said. “In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus emphasizes that visiting prisoners is a direct act of service to Him. He identifies with the ‘least of these,’ stating that helping – or neglecting – those in prison is equivalent to doing so to Him.’]]></content:encoded>
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