Tag: Religious Persicution

John 15:18–20

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Bible open to John

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

In these verses we can see that Jesus prepared His disciples for the reality that following Him will not always be accepted by the world. He reminded them they should not be surprised when they are rejected, opposed, or even persecuted because the world first rejected Him. When we are followers of Christ it means we belong to Him rather than needing to conform to the values of the world. When we encounter criticism or rejection because of our faith, and we will, we can be encouraged, knowing that Christ experienced the same suffering, remained sinless, and still walks with us through it.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, protect me from deception and ground me in your truth. Help so that I do not believe everything that makes me feel good. Help me to always be able to discern what is truth and what is deceptive. In Jesus Name Amen.

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2 Timothy 3:12 

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted Paul was reminding Timothy that following Christ does not guarantee an…

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John 15:18–20

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love…

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Galatians 1:6-10

“When truth becomes negotiable, faith becomes vulnerable so know the Gospel, stand on God’s Word, and seek His approval above the world’s applause.” “I…

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Proverbs 21:23

Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. This verse emphasizes that people who carefully watch what they say will…

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Psalm 5:8

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Police in Algeria Arrest 12 Christians during Worship

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Special force police in Algeria raided a worship service at a humanitarian shelter on Sept. 4, arresting all 12 Christians present on suspicion of holding an unauthorized, non-Muslim religious service, sources said. The House of Refuge shelter in L’Ayaida, 36 kilometers (22 miles) east of Oran, serves as a haven and restoration center for vulnerable women and their families. It housed a worship hall before authorities ordered its administrative closure in October 2019, but Christians have continued to meet for church services in one of the separate apartments on the shelter premises.

The premises have been under surveillance for some time, sources said. After law enforcement officers raided the site with a search warrant, the 12 detained Christians were transferred to the Bethioua police station about 40 kilometers from Oran. During the operation, police seized all Christian literature, mobile phones and identity cards of those present, said the sources, unidentified for security reasons. The women were released to be questioned the following morning, while the men were held until late at night, some until 3 a.m. Christians fear the detainees could be charged under Ordinance 06-03 governing non-Muslim worship in Algeria, which heavily criminalizes collective worship outside the officially approved state framework or any action deemed to “shake the faith of a Muslim.” 

The restrictive law exposes them to heavy fines and substantial prison sentences. Punishment under the 2006 law can range from two to five years in prison and fines of 500,000 to 1 million Algerian dinars ($3,745 to $7,490). It requires non-Muslim worship buildings to be licensed, but all applications to do so have remained unattended. The arrested Christians were not yet brought before a prosecutor, who would then quickly take them to court for judgment. Christian support group Open Doors has reported that nearly all of the 47 official churches affiliated with the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA) have received administrative closure orders or have been sealed by the authorities.

More than 50 Christians have been prosecuted for their faith in recent years, according to the organization. The Sept. 4 raid was part of a long-standing pattern of judicial harassment against Christians in Algeria, particularly in the Oran Region. In 2021, authorities convicted Pastor Rachid Seighir and Nouh Hamimi and closed their bookstore. Also notable were the harsh five-year prison sentence handed down to Hamid Soudad, imprisoned for January 2021 to July 23 as part of a five-year sentence for “insulting Islam” related to Facebook caricature, before he was ultimately pardoned in 2023.

EPA Vice-President Youcef Ourahmane was sentenced on appeal in May 2024 to one year in prison simply for organizing a spiritual retreat; originally he had been sentenced to two years and a fine. Pastor Ourahmane is the founder of the Timothee School and the L’Ayeida refuge center. These cases and significant events all attest to the persistence of a policy aimed at criminalizing the Christian faith and its structures within the country. According to Christians in the Béjaïa, Tizi Ouzou, and Bouira regions, authorities in the past month have been seeking to permanently resolve the “church issue” in Algeria. To this end, special envoys were appointed and sent across the country to meet with various leaders who were not affiliated with the EPA.

Their mission was to identify and approach congregants, urging them to join a new Christian association project intended to replace the EPA. This maneuver aims to orchestrate a reorganization under strict state control, paving the way for the potential reopening of places of worship subject to conditions rigorously imposed by the government. The number of Christians in Algeria is estimated at about 150,000 people, 0.3 percent of the total population of 48 million, according to Open Doors.

There are 8,000 Catholics, while Methodists, Anglicans and Mennonites are made up mostly of foreigners, including diplomats. Algeria ranked 20th on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

Source: Police in Algeria Arrest 12 Christians during Worship – Morningstar News

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

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Muslim Shoots Christian Woman to Death in Pakistan

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A married, 21-year-old Christian woman was shot dead inside her home in Rawalpindi last week by a Muslim neighbor whose advances she had rejected, reflecting an attitude among many Pakistan Muslims that crimes against Christians will go unpunished, sources said. Saba Mehboob, who separated from her husband a year ago, was shot in the forehead at about 9 p.m. on Thursday (Sept. 3), after the alleged assailant, Adnan Butt, entered the house in Dhoke Ratta locality with a pistol, according to her brother, Joshua Mehboob. The suspect then abducted her teenage stepbrother and pressured him to falsely confess to the killing, according to the victim’s family.

Joshua Mehboob, a member of a local Full Gospel Assemblies church, said Butt accused his sister of dishonoring him before shooting her in front of her 16-year-old stepbrother, Anoosh. “According to Anoosh, he and his paternal uncles, Michael and Nomi, were in a room when Butt suddenly entered with Saba, loudly abusing her,” Mehboob said. “He pointed his pistol at Michael and Nomi and ordered them to leave. He then slapped Saba repeatedly while shouting that she had dishonored him and been disloyal to him.” Butt then shot Saba in the forehead, killing her instantly, Mehboob said. Butt subsequently forced Anoosh outside at gunpoint, where another man was waiting on a motorcycle, according to Mehboob. The two men allegedly took the teenager to the home of Butt’s brother-in-law, where several other people were present.

Mehboob said the men threatened to kill Anoosh if he told police that Butt had killed his sister and pressured the adolescent to confess to the murder. “Anoosh was kept in their custody until about 5 p.m. on Sept. 4,” Mehboob said. “Meanwhile, Butt also threatened Anoosh’s father and other family members with death if they registered a case against him.” He said Anoosh was released after his father and uncles agreed not to file a police complaint. After his release, Anoosh went with relatives to the district headquarters hospital to receive his sister’s body, Mehboob said. Police arrived there to record his statement and, after hearing his account, asked him to become the complainant in the case, he said.

Police subsequently took Anoosh and his father into protective custody, according to Mehboob. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered, but Butt later obtained pre-arrest bail from a court, he said. Mehboob alleged that Butt had been harassing and threatening Saba Mehboob for some time. He said she twice had slapped him after he blocked her way in a market. “I think Saba’s rejection fueled his anger, leading him to murder her,” he said. Saba Mehboob’s killing prompted a protest in Dhoke Ratta, where Christian and Muslim residents reportedly called for Butt’s arrest. Rawalpindi-based journalist Tariq Chaman said members of Saba Mehboob’s family and local residents alleged that police were pressuring Anoosh to accept responsibility for his sister’s death. “Police have denied the allegations and said the teenage boy is being kept in custody for his protection,” Chaman said.

“His father has also been kept with him because the boy is a minor.” The family and local elders are demanding the release of Anoosh and his father and calling for the investigation to be transferred from Dhoke Ratta police station to a senior police officer, Chaman said. His sources indicated that additional circumstances surrounding the case could emerge as the investigation progresses and potentially affect the direction of the murder inquiry. “Local sources have claimed that Butt and his family have criminal histories, and it’s possible that the victim’s family may succumb to their pressure at some stage,” Chaman said. Human rights advocates have long raised concerns about the vulnerability of religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly in cases involving sexual violence, forced conversion and allegations of blasphemy.

Rights groups have also documented cases in which victims or their families face intimidation and pressure to settle disputes outside the formal justice system. Mehboob told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News that his sister was one of five children born to his mother from her first marriage to Mehboob Masih. After Masih died several years ago, their mother remarried Yaqoob Masih and had five more children with him, including Anoosh. Saba Mehboob married Zeeshan Mehmood about six years ago, but she separated from him more than a year ago because of his severe drug addiction and moved back to live with their mother in Dhoke Ratta with her two daughters, Joshua Mehboob said.

Open Doors, a Christian organization that monitors persecution, ranked Pakistan eighth in its 2026 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the greatest difficulty. The organization cited systemic discrimination, mob violence, forced conversion and weaknesses in law enforcement among the factors contributing to risks faced by Christians in Pakistan.

Source: Muslim Shoots Christian Woman to Death in Pakistan – Morningstar News

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luke 12:32

Isaiah 45:2

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Change to law for faith-based schools gives rise to religious freedom

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Brass balance scale holding a book labeled Faith on one side and a book labeled Law on the other.

Australia are under increasing threat after the release of the Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) highly anticipated report on faith-based schools on Thursday. The subject of widespread public commentary in the weeks leading up to its release, the report included the ALRC’s expected recommendation to the Federal Government that the Sex Discrimination Act be amended to remove exemptions for faith-based schools from laws making it illegal to expel or fire LGBTI+ students and staff based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. While LGBTQI+ groups have urged the government to implement the ALRC’s recommendations, the report has been condemned by faith groups as another example of the erosion of religious freedoms. A coalition of more than twenty Christian, Muslim, and Jewish organisations sent a letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese late last week urging him to reject the report’s recommendations, writing that removing the exemptions would “prevent the overwhelming majority of faith-based schools from preferring persons who share and authentically live out their faith” and potentially “extinguish their distinct and authentic character”.

The Australian Christian Schools Alliance (AACS) called the report “a direct attack on faith and freedom of belief in Australia” and warned that adopting the recommendations would mean that “Christian education as we know it will cease to exist”. Labelling it “a line in the sand moment not just for Christian schools, but for all people of faith and for the principle of religious freedom across Australia”, AACS Executive Officer Vanessa Chen said, “If these ALRC recommendations are adopted, it means the government can tell Christian schools who we can employ, what we can believe and teach.” “It sets a scary precedent, and the question Australians need to ask is ‘who’s next’? Will they dictate to any other religious group or organisation what they can believe?” Saying that the issue was not about discrimination, Ms Chen said it was about the right of parents to choose a school that was aligned with their values and beliefs. Polling released by the AACS in the fortnight leading up to the report’s release showed that an overwhelming majority of Australians think schools should be able to employ teachers and other staff who support the clearly stated values and values of the institution, with a Compass Polling survey of 1,713 adults finding that 80% of respondents believed that schools should be able to hire and fire teachers based on their religious belief and behaviour.

However, the Federal Government is under growing pressure from lobby groups to fulfil its pre-election promise to remove the exemptions and implement a separate religious discrimination bill. The issue of religious freedom has also increasingly become a hot-button topic in the culture wars after the previous Coalition government failed to pass proposed legislation that would have enshrined protections for religious belief and expression. Concerns have only been exacerbated by recent moves to pass new laws around misinformation and hate speech that religious groups say threaten the place of faith in society. In an opinion piece published in The Australian, a major national newspaper, Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, warned that the report was the latest sign that the ability of Australians to “gather, speak freely, pray together and undertake works of service for others” was being reduced “slice by slice”, and called political leaders to come together to protect religious freedoms. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sought to defuse attacks from both sides of the debate, announcing that he would only proceed with any amendments to the Act if Labor received bipartisan support from the Federal Opposition. ”I think Australians don’t want to see the culture wars and the division out there. I want this to be an opportunity for unity going forward, and that’s why we’ve provided the legislation to the opposition,” Mr Albanese said.

However, both the Coalition and minor parties rejected trying to bypass normal procedures or debate over the laws. ”With the Greens and independents, there is a solid progressive majority in parliament to get this done now and it is a tragedy to watch Labor throw this chance away,” David Shoebridge, justice spokesman for the Australian Greens, said. “We can stop students being discriminated against because they are queer or trans.” Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said that the legislation would need to progress through parliament like any other legislation, including facing the scrutiny of a Senate committee if needed. ”Concerns have been raised by the Christian, Catholic, and Islamic schools and they should be addressed,” Miss Ley said.

Source: Change to law for faith-based schools gives rise to religious fre | ChristianToday Australia

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).
Ephesians 2:4-5

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