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 September 30, 2011
An Iranian pastor is scheduled to be executed as early as Friday for refusing to convert back to Islam.
Youcef Nadarkhani, who was arrested in 2009 for the crime of apostasy, has reportedly been given three opportunities to recant his Christian faith. Although no verdict was reached after the pastor’s last hearing on Wednesday, September 28, some reports from the region suggest that he may be put to death by the end of the week.
His case has ignited worldwide interest and concern, as humanitarian and Christian rights groups, as… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on August 10, 2011
Nearly a third of the world’s population lives in countries where it is becoming more difficult to freely practice religion, a private US research group reported on Tuesday. Most of these incidents occur against Christians, and it is getting worse.
The Pew Research Centre’s forum on religion and public life said government restrictions and public hostility involving religion grew in some of the most populous countries from mid-2006 to mid-2009.
The Pew Centre looked at laws or other government policies aimed to ban particular faiths, limit preaching, give preference to… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on May 5, 2011
May 1, 2011…one of the most unforgettable days in recent history. It was the day when the United States announced to the world that special military forces successfully carried out the assassination of Osama bin Laden, the FBI’s most wanted terrorist, in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
His death has been considered an enormous victory for America’s decade-long war on terror. And while many believe that al-Qaeda may be plotting retaliation against the United States, there are millions of individuals overseas who are also at risk of becoming the victims of more ruthless… Read more
