Persecution

The three men connected with the 2010 Our Lady of Salvation church attack in central Baghdad, Iraq, which killed 52 people, have had their death sentences confirmed.

They were initially sentenced to death on Aug. 2, 2011, with an accomplice receiving 20 years in prison, and now the Iraqi appeals court confirmed that the men will be executed for their crimes, AFP reported.

The Islamic State of Iraq, an affiliate of al-Qaida, accepted responsibility for the attacks, where militants stormed the Our Lady of Salvation church on Oct. 31, 2010, and killed 44 worshipers, two priests and seven security guards, as well as wounding dozens of others. more >>

Four Christian pastors have been expelled from Kashmir, Northern India, after they were accused of trying to convert youths into Christianity by bribing them with money.

Religious tensions in the Muslim-dominated province have historically been high, with a court system actively in place barring any attempts by missionaries to turn people towards Christ through financial means. Many stories circle the region of pastors being accused of bribing Indians with money.

The four local pastors in question, CM Khanna, Gayoor Massi, Chandra Kanta and Jim Borst, who were convicted of bribery on Jan. 19 and told to leave the province for "luring" Muslims to Christianity, were apparently exposed by a video filmed last year that shows one of the pastors baptizing Kashmiri boys, OnIslam.com reported. more >>

An Iranian Revolutionary Court sentenced Iranian Christian convert Leila Mohammadi to two years in prison earlier this month.

Mohammadi's trial was held on Jan. 18, and the court charged the young woman with "collaboration with foreign-dependent groups, broad propaganda, deceiving citizens by formation of what is called a house church, insulting sacred figures, and actions against national security."

Mohammadi was arrested on July 30, 2011 when Iranian police officials stormed her home located in east Tehran, confiscated her belongings, and threw her in solitary confinement at Tehran's infamous Evin prison. more >>

Three Americans are hiding in the U.S. Embassy in Cairo fearing that Egyptian authorities are looking to put them under arrest.

The U.S. citizens, one of whom is International Republican Institute Egypt Country Director Sam LaHood, have said they were "afraid of their lives" and have been prevented from flying out of Egypt, a CNN report revealed.

Egyptian security forces are reportedly looking for them after raiding the offices of several non-governmental organizations last month looking at groups that may have received illegal foreign funding and may have been operating without government licenses. more >>

As the eradication of Islamic extremism in Nigeria appears to lag, and the animosity between the Muslim population of the North and mostly southern Christian population fails to cease, many observers call for the Christian community to put a greater pressure on the Nigerian government.

The international Christian community can do a lot to help, by pressuring the Nigerian government to take decisive action to prevent more of the religious violence, Regional Manager for Africa at International Christian Concern (ICC), Jonathan Racho, told The Christian Post recently. ICC is a watchdog group monitoring global Christian communities for instances of persecution.

"At this point Nigerian Christians need a lot of help," Racho said. "People from all over the world should put pressure on their governments so that their governments put pressure on the Nigerian government. The international community needs to push for change in Nigeria." more >>

Humanitarian efforts in Somalia have ceased, as al-Shabaab rebels have announced a ban on International Red Cross (ICRC) workers from providing aid.

The drought that has taken over Somalia is quickly getting worse, and the ICRC ban will deeply concern aid workers and organizations in the region. Al-Shabaab claims that the ICRC has "repeatedly betrayed the trust conferred on it by the local population and, in recent weeks, falsely accused the Mujahideen [al-Shabaab fighters] of hindering food distribution."

A statement from al-Shabaab said, "A thorough inspection of ICRC warehouses and food depots throughout the Islamic Administrations governed by the Mujahideen has revealed that up to 70 percent of the food stored for distribution by the organization was deemed unfit for human consumption." more >>