Persecution

An Islamist website is offering a $100,000 reward for anyone who kills Iranian hip-hop star Shahin Najafi over a song that it says offended people within the Islamic Republic and was irreverent to a Shi'ite imam.

The website, Shia-Onlin.ir, said the rapper should die for the song posted on YouTube, that "grossly insulted" Ali al-Hadi al-Naqi, one of the 12 imams highly revered by Shi'ite Muslims, according to Reuters.

Najafi, who is apparently living in Germany, said his song does not put the negative spotlight on al-Naqi, nor was it created to put down Islam. more >>

No matter their religion, few lawyers would take on the responsibility of legally defending Christians in Iran, a country that is majority Muslim, with a confusing legal system that treads a fine line between courthouse law and faith-based Shariah law.

Mohammad Ali Dadkhah is one of the few daring human rights attorneys in Iran. Out of the top human rights attorneys in the country, including those who have founded the Center for the Defense of Human Rights, Dadkhah is one of the few who has managed to stay in the country and out of jail.

Aside from defending numerous political prisoners throughout the years, Dadkhah has also committed himself to defending those who are religiously persecuted, including Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, whose high-profile case has attracted worldwide attention. more >>

Iranian Christian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who has become the face of religious persecution throughout the world after being arrested for his beliefs in Oct. 2009, has issued a letter to persecution aid group Present Truth Ministries (PTM).

In the letter, Nadarkhani speaks of his current condition, his dedication and sincerity to God, his thoughts about his persecution, and shares his reaction to Florida Pastor Terry Jones's burning of Qurans in protest of his imprisonment.

Nadarkhani, 34, was arrested in Oct. 2009 for protesting the mandatory teaching of Islam at his children's schools. His charges were later changed to apostasy and attempting to evangelize Muslims. more >>

Defense attorney Mohammad Ali Dadkhah's recent sentencing to nine years in Iranian prison proves to be a dire situation for both Dadkhah, who may face imprisonment in one of the world's worst prisons, and one of his most prominent clients, Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who may no longer have legal representation in court.

The Christian Post spoke to Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice, to get a better understanding of Dadkhah's current situation.

"This is a very bad situation. People don't survive this prison, that's how bad this prison is," Sekulow told CP. more >>

Among the recent cases of most striking persecution of Christians around the world were new attacks in Africa and, notably, the arrest of an attorney who tried to come to the aid of imprisoned Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.

Iran – The attorney representing Iranian Christian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has reportedly been sentenced to nine years in prison for alleged acts violating national security and spreading propaganda against the Iranian regime. Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, who has defended several people on death row in Iran in the past, told the press that he has also been banned from practicing law for 10 years and prohibited from teaching at universities. His imprisonment would place Nadarkhani's case in further jeopardy, according to observers. The Iranian pastor has been accused of apostasy and is facing a death sentence, despite protests from the international community.

Nigeria – The head of Nigeria's Christian community issued a "final" warning Wednesday to the government that it must bring an end to attacks targeting the faithful, after a new surge in deadly violence in recent days. Islamist group Boko Haram has been blamed for scores of attacks that have left hundreds dead in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south. Among most recent attacks, a pastor and at least 20 worshipers were killed when gunmen suspected to be Islamist militants opened fire in two separate incidents targeting worship services in northern Nigeria on April 29. more >>

WASHINGTON – The head of a California-based evangelical religious liberty group stated Thursday that Christianity is presently the most persecuted religion on earth based on evidence gathered.

Dr. Carl Moeller told The Christian Post at an event on rising religious intolerance abroad that Christians are "the most persecuted in the world" when the nonprofit examined religious groups suffering from increased persecution.

"In terms of sheer numbers, the large size of the Christian populations around the world, where they're repressed or restricted… Whether you count martyrs, those killed, or you count those living in regimes, sizable Christian populations live under extreme restrictions in places like China, Indonesia, and of course the Middle East," said Moeller. more >>