Religious freedom in Pakistan is facing unprecedented threats as Muslim extremist groups increase their hold on public officials, according to a report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).
India’s famed Emperor Ashoka was an ancient convert from Hinduism to Buddhism. He demonstrated that a person is NOT forced by others to convert from one religion to another. Today, “religious conversions are forced,” is the flawed premise of all anti-conversion laws of India. Who could have forced mighty Emperor Ashoka to change his religion? The Emperor’s famous religious conversion was his choice.
The situation for Iranian people is more dangerous now than before the recent war with Israel and the United States of America. Even more so for Christians who represent a growing minority religion in the staunchly Shia theocracy. Under threat, the ruling regime has increased its morality terror with brutal force.
In a perfect world, where legal systems hold political power to account and protect minorities against human rights abuses we might expect an end to persecution. But we do not live in a perfect world. People with power continue to act with impunity against those who think and live differently to them. Christians have a way to cope with this reality and a real and living hope for a future free of persecution.
New political winds are blowing with increasing force as the push-back against globalization grows with increasing nationalisms. The demand to pledge allegiance to something other than God in Christ will put renewed pressure on the Church and we need to be prepared to hold true to our faith. Here is a stern warning that Christians must take to heart.
Amnesty International this week called for the "quashing" of the convictions of 11 Christians in Libya sentenced to prison under charges that included “insulting Islam.”
In a significant move aimed at curbing discrimination and intolerance against religious minorities of Pakistan, a provincial legislative assembly on Aug. 11 unanimously recommended that the term “minority” be removed from the Constitution of Pakistan and replaced by language that reflects equality and dignity for all citizens irrespective of their religion, caste or creed.
Police in Vietnam on Monday (Aug. 11) cut electricity at a home where a Catholic Mass was underway and raided the service, advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported.
A new scholarly volume examining the theological and missiological dimensions of religious persecution has been released as the third installment in the Christians under Pressure series. Published jointly by the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF) and Culture and Science Publ. (VKW), Religious Persecution: Perspectives from Theology and Missiology is now available for free download, with a printed edition to follow on Sept. 1.
Police in England have declined a pro-life advocate’s formal complaint that officers are keeping her under close surveillance for praying silently outside an abortion clinic, according to a legal advocacy organization.
On the eve of Pakistan’s annual National Minorities Day, a human rights advocate on Sunday (Aug. 10) called on parliament to address an alarming increase in false blasphemy allegations.
Personal tributes are pouring in for Chuck Girard, a pioneering voice of the 1970s Jesus Movement whose music shaped contemporary Christian worship, as friends and family prepare to celebrate his life on Aug. 26 in Franklin, Tennessee. Girard, known for his songs “Sometimes Alleluia” and “Rock ’N’ Roll Preacher” and for co-founding the band LoveSong featured in the film Jesus Revolution, died Aug. 11 after a battle with cancer. He was 81.
