Persecution

An international Christian organization has voiced its concern over news that the Muslim Brotherhood's leader is to become the speaker of Egypt’s newly-minted Parliament, a move that heightens fears that Egypt's Christian community could very well be in danger.

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) nominated its Secretary-General, Mohamed Saad al-Katatni, to lead the country's first Parliament chosen since the ousting of former President Hosni Mubarak during the Arab Spring uprisings. 

It is the first time in decades that an Islamist is taking over that post, according to CNN. more >>

Christians in Syria have found themselves faced with a moral dilemma. On the one hand, many feel they have an obligation to oppose President Bashar al-Assad, despite calls from protesters for a toppling of his authoritarian regime. Others, however, are concerned with the possibility that if they do support the pro-democracy protests, believers could eventually find their lives threatened by Muslim extremists.

Although President Assad, who has been in power since 2000, is seen as a dictator, his regime is considered secular, according to experts. Syria has also been a safe haven for religious minorities in the Middle East.

While individual Christians may be unsure of where to place their support, church officials, on the other hand, have uniformly expressed support for the government, having called for an end to protests and a move toward reconciliation. more >>

As Nigeria continues to deal with prolonged violence from terror sect Boko Haram, persecuted Christian and Muslim communities are beginning to work together to root out the terrorist group and curb its mounting influence and destruction in their country. 

Thousands of Christians and Muslims protected each other from possible terror attacks while taking prayer breaks during a protest of high fuel prices this weekend (as seen below).

The unifying events at the protest coincide with a new initiative from the Nigerian Muslim group, Concerned Citizens of Kano State, that puts Muslims in Christian churches to ease any misdirected tensions between the two religious groups. more >>

For many critics, Indonesia’s religious persecution is exemplified by the GKI Yasmin Church, which is an example of the local government’s continued apathy towards the plight of the Christian minority.

The GKI Yasmin Church, located in Bogor, Indonesia, has suffered a round of attacks in the past years. The most recent attack happened on Sunday, Jan. 15, when two members of the country's House of Representatives, Eva Kusuma Sundari and Lily Wahid, joined the GKI Christian congregation during their morning service.

The service was interrupted when members of Muslim hardline groups, the Indonesian Muslim Communication Forum (Forkami) and the Islamic Reform Movement (Garis), assaulted the Christian worshippers. more >>

Today marks national Religious Freedom Day, enacted in 1993 by then-President George H.W. Bush to address the importance of both freedom of conscience and separation of church and state.

Historically, the day marks the anniversary of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, passed Jan. 16, 1786.

"Almighty God hath created the mind free," reads the statute, rooted in former President Thomas Jefferson’s philosophy of religious freedom and separation of church and state. more >>

In another violation of religious freedom, Iran has once again asked imprisoned Christian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani to renounce his faith in Christ and accept the prophet Muhammad as his savior, all with the promise of securing his release. Nadarkhani has refused.

International Christian news agency BosNewsLife claims to have received information from persecution watchdog Christian Solidarity Worldwide Friday, confirming that Nadarkhani had refused an offer to be released from prison in exchange for his public acknowledgement of the prophet Muhammad as “a messenger sent by God,” as believed by adherents of Islam.

“The latest attempt to pressure Pastor Youcef to acknowledge Muhammad as a messenger of God violates both the Iranian Constitution and various principles of international law, to which Iran is obliged to uphold,” Tiffany Barrans, international legal director at American Center for Law and Justice, told The Christian Post. more >>