Sudanese convert from Islam loses wife, kids
KHARTOUM, Sudan (BP) -- A 38-year-old Sudanese man who converted from Islam to Christianity has lost his wife and children, solely because of his new faith. He eventually could face apostasy charges, punishable by death.
Church bombing in Nigeria kills 2, injures 40
JOS, Nigeria (BP) -- An Islamic extremist ran a car full of explosives at a Pentecostal church in Jos Sunday (June 10), killing at least two Christians and injuring more than 40 others, military and police officials said.
In Nigeria, bombing of churches injures dozens
BAUCHI, Nigeria (BP) — Nigerian soldiers were responsible for at least eight of 21 deaths after a suicide bombing of two churches Sunday, June 3, local sources claim, according to a Compass Direct News June 7 report. Many of those injured from the blast and alleged military shooting have been in critical condition, Compass noted. […]
Messianic family: Justice lacking in bomb case
JERUSALEM (BP) — A Messianic Jewish congregation leader whose son was nearly killed by a bomb planted by an ultra-right wing Jew said he feels like the Israeli criminal justice system has abandoned him. The Jerusalem District Court approved a plea agreement May 28 for the man accused of bombing pastor David Ortiz’s home. Ortiz […]
In Egypt, Christian sentences cloud election
CAIRO, Egypt (BP) -- An Egyptian judge has sentenced 12 Coptic Christians to life in prison for their alleged part in a riot that left two Muslims and one Christian dead in the village of Abu-Qurgas. Eight Muslims charged with the same crimes in the same riot were acquitted.
Pakistan murder inquiry called into question
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (BP) — The investigation into the 2011 murder of Shahbaz Bhatti, the only Christian in Pakistan’s cabinet, has come under fire from Bhatti’s family as well as the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, according to a report by Compass Direct News. Lax investigations, a series of freed suspects and lack of coordination across law […]
Pakistanis’ life terms for ‘blasphemy’ dropped
LAHORE, Pakistan (BP) -- A court has acquitted a Christian couple of blasphemy charges, overturning their life sentences.
Islamist claims refuted by Nigerian churches
JOS, Nigeria (BP) -- The Nigerian military's raid of a Muslim terrorist base stocked with explosives and ammunition in Jos refutes Islamist claims that Christians have been bombing their own churches, a local pastor told Compass Direct News.
Repressive era looms in Aceh, Indonesia
JAKARTA, Indonesia (BP) -- The election of a hard-line Islamic governor in Indonesia's Aceh Province in early April appears to have opened the way for a crackdown on the minority Christian community, which saw 17 churches sealed shut in early May.
Strife in Sudan stretches into several regions
JUBA, South Sudan (BP) -- Security agents in Sudan's South Darfur state have closed the offices of the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC) and relief group Sudan Aid in the state's capital, Nyala.