by CFI Field Staff on October 21, 2011
Youcef Nadarkhani, age 34, has been in trouble for years.
Although born a Muslim, Youcef converted to Christianity at a young age — an act that would become the most dangerous thing he would ever do in his life. It was the reason that this husband and father of two children was first imprisoned in December 2006 and again in October 2009, where he has remained ever since. His crime, according to the laws of his homeland of Iran, is so grave that he has been sentenced to death and… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on October 14, 2011
On a Mission
When Adoniram Judson first traveled to Burma as a missionary in the mid-1800s, he was crossing into one of the most wild, untamed, and hostile lands on earth. But as he settled in Burma as his mission field, he was determined to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ among the natives at whatever cost.
Although Judson only converted one man throughout his life in Burma, that lone believer helped launch the spread of Christianity in the ethnic Karen tribe. Today, thousands of Karen people profess Jesus Christ… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on October 13, 2011
The 2010 International Religious Freedom Report has revealed that Christian churches and schools no longer exist in Afghanistan.
The report, which is published annually by the U.S. State Department, states that the last remaining church was demolished in March 2010 and that only “[Private] chapels and churches for the international community of various faiths are located on several military bases…and at the Italian embassy.”
Religious freedom has been steadily eroding in Afghanistan, a country that is almost entirely made up of Muslims, while those in the nation’s minority Christian population… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on October 11, 2011
Just days after St. George’s Church in Egypt was burned to the ground, thousands of Egyptian Christians are now left to deal with the aftermath of last Sunday’s riots that killed at least 24 believers and injured 200 others.
More than 1,000 Christians, who were protesting the church burning by staging a peaceful demonstration in front of a TV station in Cairo, were violently assaulted when attackers began throwing stones and firing pellets at them. Although security forces arrived on the scene when the confrontation escalated, eyewitness reports claim that… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on October 7, 2011
Iranian authorities have issued a statement proclaiming that Christian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been charged not with apostasy, as previously reported, but rather with the crimes of rape and extortion.
The statement claims that the pastor is “a convicted rapist and extortionist,” and that “this individual is guilty and his crime is not attempting to convert others to Christianity, rather his crimes are of a security nature.” The report then goes on to contradict itself by stating that “there is no execution order” and Nadarkhani’s “verdict has not been finalized.”… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on
“The Copts, their lives and their churches are in danger.” It was the gist of an urgent message sent days ago to a governmental authority by Dr. Naguib Gabriel, head of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organizations.
Gabriel had good reason to be alarmed. In the village of Merinab in the Aswan province, the 100-year-old St. George’s Church was being demolished and burned to the ground by thousands of angry Muslims. After setting fire to the church building, which had been in the process of renovation, the crowd proceeded… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on October 4, 2011
CFI has many ways of disseminating timely news regarding the persecuted church: e-mail alerts, Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. While these online methods have grown remarkably popular in recent years, our most effective news source continues to be our free newsletter. Each month, CFI’s newsletter contains reports of critical happenings in restrictive countries like Burma, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, as well as updates on CFI projects that minister to persecuted believers. Filled with captivating photos and articles, each issue is designed to inform — and even inspire — thousands of CFI supporters… Read more
