Islam

A new pioneer report, released Tuesday, sheds light on the often deliberately ignored problem of Christian women in Egypt being abducted, forced into Muslim marriages and coerced into converting to Islam.

Released by Christian Solidarity International and the Coptic Foundation for Human Rights, “The Disappearance, Forced Conversions and Forced Marriages of Coptic Christian Women in Egypt” report documents dozens of real cases of Christian women who were lured and then violently forced into marriage, often after being raped.

Report research was done in Egypt by American anti-trafficking specialist Michele Clark and Egyptian women’s rights activist Nadia Ghaly. Based on research findings, the report contends that the violence against Egypt’s Christian women corresponds to the internationally recognized definitions of human trafficking. more >>

The largest church that gives open, public services in Iran will no longer hold Friday worship services due to government pressure, local sources reported this past week.

According to reports, authorities had threatened the Rev. Sourik, the bishop and overseer of the Assemblies of God Churches in Iran, to completely shut down the Central Assemblies of God Church in Tehran unless it stopped holding Friday services by the deadline, Oct. 31.

Sourik, who had resisted the demands of authorities, finally relented and announced at the end of a Friday afternoon worship on Oct. 30 that there would no longer be Friday gatherings but only Sunday services. more >>

A ministry that supports persecuted Christians launched a campaign Thursday to press Iran to release two young female converts who have been detained for eight months in one of the most notorious prisons in the country.

Open Doors USA is calling on people to send a “respectful” message to Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Mohammad Khazaee to request that Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad, 30, be released immediately.

 “Maryam and Marzieh are suffering in an Iranian prison simply for refusing to recant their belief in Jesus Christ…they truly are modern heroes of the faith,” said Open Doors USA President/CEO Dr. Carl Moeller. “We must speak out against this injustice.” more >>

Malaysian authorities have seized more than 15,000 Bibles that refer to God as “Allah” in recent months, said church officials Thursday.

About 10,000 Bibles from Indonesia were confiscated by authorities on Sept. 11, according to the Rev. Hermen Shastri, general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia, according to The Associated Press. The other 5,100 Bibles, also from Indonesia, were seized in March, according to an official from the Bible Society of Malaysia, who requested that AP not identify him to avoid angering the government.

In Malaysia, Christian publications cannot use the word Allah to refer to God. The government contends the word “Allah” is exclusively for Islam, but church officials argue that Allah is not exclusive to Islam because it is an Arabic word that existed before the religion. more >>

National governments should be wary of “over-legislation” when it comes to religious criticism and incitement, warned the U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.

Furthermore, education and dialogue among religious leaders and youth of different faiths is more effective at reducing religious tensions than blasphemy laws, Asma Jahangir told the press Tuesday after presenting her latest report to the General Assembly’s Third Committee.

Jahangir’s comments were made as the General Assembly considers a resolution sponsored by the Organization of Islamic Conference that would criminalize words or actions that are deemed defamatory towards a particular religion. more >>