Persecution

The drug-related violence that has plagued Mexico since 2006 has claimed another victim – this time a pastor.

Church of God pastor Neftali Leiva was allegedly gunned down south of the Mexican border by drug traffickers associated with the Zetas, one of Mexico's most notorious drug cartels. It remains unclear what prompted the killing.

Leiva was shot as he was en route to a meeting with other ministers in an area of Guatemala near the Mexican border, according to an account by Bishop Jose Clara Vela. more >>

Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, called Wednesday for national unity and an end to persecution in Egypt on the first anniversary of the revolution that brought more democracy to the nation but also increased violence against Christians.

Wednesday marked one year since Egyptians rose up Jan. 25, 2011, in revolution. Over 800 deaths later, Egypt has a new, democratically-elected, an mostly Islamic government and is starting to make its way towards putting the country's economy back on track.

The bishop offered prayers for the victims who died during pro-democracy protests in Tahrir Square and elsewhere in Egypt, evoking also Coptic Christians who died in separate incidents after the toppling of Egypt's president of nearly 30 years, Hosni Mubarak. Next to some follow-up protests against military rule, the country saw a different kind of fresh violence in the aftermath of the revolution - violence against the Coptic community, one of Egypt's oldest religious groups. more >>

Members of the German parliament have joined the global community in pressuring the Iranian government to free evangelical Christian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who remains in prison with a pending death verdict for alleged apostasy.

A commission in the German Bundestag (the national parliament) recently gathered signatures from Parliament members in a petition for Nadarkhani's release, local media have reported. Parliament members reportedly asked the Iranian government to overturn Nadarkhani's death sentence and to exonerate the embattled pastor – who has now become almost an international poster child for Christian martyrs – according to Iranian Christian news agency Mohabat News.

At the same time, signatories noted in the petition the existence of "restrictions that limit them in influencing the Iranian regime regarding political and Human Rights issues," the agency reported. more >>

Mystery still surrounds an audio file released by a Middle Eastern media outlet alleging that a Kuwaiti prince has converted to Christianity.

Earlier this month, an Arab satellite channel called Al-Haqiqa released an audio file allegedly recorded by a Prince Abdullah Al-Sabah. In the recording, he says he has left Islam for Christianity and added, "I believe if I am killed, I will be with Jesus Christ forever."

In the recording, Al-Sabah also speaks critically of Jihadist organizations, including those who recently won a majority of the seats in Egypt's new parliament. more >>

As the terrorist attacks decimating Nigeria continue, its citizens are blaming the government for failing to protect them and asking why President Goodluck Jonathan is not doing more to save the Christians under attack by Islamist extremists.

These latest calls mark a stark reverse of public opinion for President Goodluck Jonathan, who was hailed as the "Nigerian Barack Obama" as he took office in May 2010, for his promise to bring change and prosperity to the most populous African country.

Jonathan, a Christian and whose middle name Ebelechukwu means "God's Mercy," has admitted that members of his own government that he helped form might have sympathies toward Boko Haram, the Islamist terror group that has been attacking churches and government offices, a CNN report revealed. Citizens have become so angry with these revelations that they have even taken to the streets carrying mock coffins and placards calling him "President Badluck." more >>

One month after security forces raided their Assemblies of God Church (AOG) in Ahwaz in western Iran two days before Christmas – which resulted in the arrest of the entire congregation, including children – there is still no word regarding the whereabouts of the church's pastor and three of its congregants. Everyone, but these four, were released from jail not long after the raid.

The church was raided on Dec. 23, in a "pre-organized manner," according to Mohabat News – a Christian news agency in Iran and one of the very few sources reporting on the persecution that the state exercises on its Christian minority.

All attendees at the weekly service were arrested and transferred by bus to an unknown location, the agency reported at the time. The security officials reportedly had their faces covered during the raid and treated the children "badly" during the arrest. All detainees except for the four were freed a few hours later, once their personal details such as home addresses were recorded. However, Pastor Farhad Sabokroh, his wife Shahnaz and Naser Zamen-Dezfuli and Davoud Alijaniare, were reportedly still being held in custody by the Ministry of Intelligence. No reliable information has been made available regarding their health and the condition of the places where they are being held, Mohabat News reports. more >>