Persecuted for their faith

India: Police watch as Christians Suffer mob attack: As police officers stood by and watched, hundreds of people attacked 14 Christians in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on October 30. The violent incident occurred after the victimized followers of Jesus refused to abandon their Christian faith, despite orders from tribal leaders to do so. Having been beaten with wooden rods by participating members of the volatile mob, the assaulted believers suffered various injuries in the aftermath of the attack, such as head trauma and broken bones. The perpetrators also demolished the Christians’ homes and destroyed their harvested crops.

Pakistan: Vigilante groups orchestrate online blasphemy cases: While accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan are common and can be motivated by interpersonal conflicts or business disputes, there has been an increase in allegations based on social media posts. According to the research findings of the AFP news agency, many such cases are taking place as a result of organized “vigilante groups” led by lawyers and the support of volunteers scouring the Internet for offenders. In some cases, unsuspecting social media participants are duped by strangers into sharing content that could be deemed blasphemous, resulting in police reports being filed against them.

Sudan: Displaced Christians driven from their homes: Residents of the Al-Makniya area of Sudan’s River Nile state drove 34 displaced Christians from their homes on October 19. Those responsible for the displacement explained that they did not want any Christians nor black people in the area. The recently expelled Christians had previously fled conflict in Omdurman, a city located near the capital of Khartoum, before seeking shelter in the Al-Makniya area. According to one of the affected believers, some of the local residents falsely accused the Christian refugees of stealing livestock and “violating public morals.” However, police later confirmed that the hostility towards the believers was religiously motivated and had nothing to do with those accusations. Initially, about 30 people from the neighbourhood approached the Christians, asking them to leave. When that did not work, the opposing villagers returned with more supporters. Some days later, when the Christian refugees were approached for a third time, the majority of originating Al-Makniya community members rallied together against them. Given only three days to vacate the area, the refugees were forced to leave without any help or protection from the authorities.

China: Coordinated raids on Beijing church meetings: On the morning of October 20, multiple branches of the Beijing Zion Church had gathered for their usual worship services when police and religious affairs officials simultaneously forced their way into the meetings. The identities of everyone present were recorded and 12 people, including pastors and church members, were taken into custody. By eight o’clock that evening, most of the detained Christians had been released. However, Elder Qin Guoliang from the church’s Guomao branch was kept in custody and given a 14-day administrative detention for “organizing illegal gatherings.” These raids are a continuation of the authorities’ harassment towards the Beijing Zion Church and other unregistered places of worship in China.

China: Preacher of Early Rain Church faces harassment: Since December 2018, the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China, has been subjected to repeated raids and ongoing oppression from Communist Party authorities who seek to shut down the influential unregistered church. Though the church’s pastor, Wang Yi, is serving a nine-year prison sentence, members of the church continue to boldly reach out with the Gospel message. One church member, Preacher Wu Wuqing, has experienced persecution several times. In June 2021, he and his family were locked in their home and prevented from leaving or having any visitors. Since confining the church leader to his home had failed to dissuade him from continuing his Christian activities, the authorities blocked the family – along with numerous other church members – from entering their apartment complex in 2023. Additionally, following numerous raids on his church gatherings, Preacher Wu has been repeatedly detained. After a 14-day detention in February 2024, his wife simply stated: “14 days is nothing. We are so happy to gather today, and when [my husband] returns in 14 days, we will gather again.”

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