US Christian groups call on Congress to act on behalf of persecuted Myanmar Christians
US Christian groups are urgently calling for Congress to address Myanmar’s military junta’s ongoing persecution of Christians, Baptist News Global (BNG) reports. Ruled by the Buddhist extremist Tatmadaw army, which overthrew the country’s democratically elected government in a military coup in 2021, Myanmar ranks 14th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
India: More than 500 attacks Hindu nationalist attacks against Christians recorded in 2023
There have been 525 attacks by Hindu nationalists against Christians across India this year alone, Christian Today (CT) reports. Ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, India ranks 11TH on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
India: Pastor kept in jail for 23 days on anti-conversion charges with no witnesses
Bowing to pressure from Hindu extremists, and with no evidence or witnesses, authorities in India’s Uttar Pradesh state charged Pastor Bajarang Rawat with forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity, and jailed him for 23 days before releasing him on bail, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Pakistan Christian Couple Longer In Jail Despite Doubts Over Blasphemy
A Christian couple remains in jail in Pakistan’s Punjab province as a judge decided to keep them behind bars for allegedly desecrating the Koran, deemed a holy book by Muslims, sources told Worthy News.
India: Christian orphanage denied renewed operating permit in Madhya Pradesh state
In a move perceived by local church leaders as hostility toward Christianity, authorities in India’s Madhya Pradesh state have refused to renew the permit of Christian orphanage to receive international charitable funding, the Christian Post (CP) reports.
Pakistan: Christian couple detained, charged with blasphemy in Punjab Province
A Christian couple in Punjab Province, Pakistan have been charged and detained under the country’s notoriously harsh blasphemy laws, just weeks after mobs of Islamic extremists attacked more than 80 Christian homes and churches in the region, the Christian Post (CP) reports.