A petition challenging the Presidential (Scheduled Castes) Order, issued on August 10, 1950, is now pending in the Supreme Court. (Representative image of the Supreme Court in New Delhi)
10
August
70-year wait for Dalit Christians, Muslims on SC verdict over caste status
Five days before India celebrates her 73rd anniversary of Independence, Dalit Christians and Muslims will mark a grimmer anniversary of the date when the Presidential (Scheduled Castes) Order was issued on August 10, 1950.
17
July
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Targets Catholic Officials in Hong Kong with Phishing Campaign
A phishing campaign that targeted the leaders of the Hong Kong Catholic Church in May was recently traced to hackers employed by the Chinese government.
A monitor displays the words "Commission on Unalienable Rights" behind Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as he speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, Wednesday, July 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)
17
July
Pompeo says US should limit which human rights it defends
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has argued for a more limited U.S. view of global human rights advocacy based on the principles laid out by America's Founding Fathers, a suggestion critics assumed meant stepping away from more modern concepts.
16
July
Swastikas, ‘Death to Jews’ Written on Graves in France
Some 20 graves in France were vandalized with swastikas and the words “Death to Jews” and “Death to the French,” the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports.
Portraits of Mao Zedong are replacing religious symbols in homes of believers.
16
July
People on Social Welfare Ordered to Worship CCP, Not God
The coronavirus outbreak has significantly affected China’s economy and livelihoods, primarily low-income households. Without much help from the state, religious residents are also coerced to renounce their faith, or their welfare benefits are cut.
15
July
SUDAN - Death Penalty Abolished for Apostasy
The Sovereignty Council of Sudan officially abolished the death penalty for apostasy in July after the Chairman of the Council, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, signed several new laws and amendments.
Pastor Munshi Devu Tado with wife Jaini, and one of their children in Gadchiroli District, Maharashtra, India. (Image credit: Morning Star News)
14
July
Pastor in India Murdered by Maoists
Maoists in the Maharashtra state of India killed a Christian church pastor, becoming the fourth Christian to die for their faith in the South Asian country in the last two months.
President Erdogan declared the building a mosque and said the first prayers would be held there within two weeks [Murad Sezer/Reuters]
14
July
Turkey to cover Hagia Sophia's Christian icons during prayers
Governing party's statement comes days after Ankara turned the iconic monument from a museum into a mosque.
13
July
Bangladesh restricts public Eid prayers amid pandemic
Bangladesh has barred congregational prayers on the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha on traditionally-designated open grounds to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to senior officials.
A Hindu temple in Mithi, Pakistan.Credit...Rizwan Tabassum/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
08
July
Islamists Block Construction of First Hindu Temple in Islamabad
A Hindu temple planned for Islamabad, the city’s first, was supposed to be a symbol of tolerance. Instead, violence and controversy have turned it into an emblem of Pakistan’s troubled relationship with its religious minorities.
08
July
City to pay $50,000 to evangelist banned from park
The Portland, Oregon city government has paid a street evangelist $50,000 after acknowledging last fall it was wrong to ban the man from a downtown park for preaching.
Darbar Sahib By Marsmux Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
03
July
Sikhs Blocked on Instagram and Facebook
Sikh users of Facebook and Instagram discovered they could not post messages if they used the #sikh hashtag.
30
June
New Law in Iran Threatens More Arrests of Christians, Rights Advocates Say
Legislation passed by parliament in Iran could make it easier to arrest and imprison Christians and other religious minorities, rights advocates said.
Cancelling the Hajj would be unprecedented in modern times, but curbing attendance from high-risk areas has happened before [Saudi Press Agency via Reuters]
20
June
Indonesia to skip Hajj pilgrimage over coronavirus fears
Largest contingent of worshippers will not be doing the annual trip to Saudi Arabia.
The Cox's Bazar camps are home to nearly a million refugees(Photo: Tearfund)
20
June
Fears for Rohingya refugees as Covid-19 reaches camps
There are fears for hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh after the first confirmed cases of Covid-19 were reported in the camps this week. The Cox's Bazar camps are home to over 850,000 Rohingya refugees.
19
June
Hopes Wilt for Teaching Christianity in Schools in Sudan
Hopes that the transitional government in Sudan would bring back Christianity as a school subject alongside Islam wilted when officials omitted it from an academic schedule released last week.
Rahim Akhundov, 2016 c. Rahim Akhundov [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0]
18
June
AZERBAIJAN: Will fired parliamentary staffer be reinstated?
Former parliamentary staff member Rahim Akhundov, who says he was dismissed from his jobin December 2018 on the orders of the secret police because of his Christian faith, will take his suit for reinstatement to Azerbaijan's Supreme Court.
17
June
YouTube censors John Piper's audiobook, 'Coronavirus and Christ'
YouTube has censored the audiobook version of Reformed theologian John Piper's new book, Coronavirus and Christ, claiming it violated "community standards."
Iranian authorities target at least 77 Baha’is across the country in recent weeks despite the present health crisis.
11
June
Escalation in persecution of Baha’is in Iran
Iranian authorities have escalated their persecution of the Baha’is, targeting at least 77 individuals across the country in recent weeks despite the present health crisis afflicting the country.
Pastor Acharya and his family (c) Morningstarnews.org
09
June
Nepalese police arrest pastor for preaching about COVID-19
In Nepal, praying in public could mean prison time. Recently, the police arrested a pastor for allegedly spreading misinformation about Corona virus and praying for his congregation in fear of the pandemic.
AP Video Screenshot. Terrence Floyd condemns violent riots, asks for peaceful protests
02
June
George Floyd's Brother Condemns Riots: 'He Would Not Want You All to be Doing This'
George Floyd’s younger brother is begging for the violence to stop.
"Do this peacefully, please," he pleaded on Monday as a crowd of grieving protesters gathered at the site where his brother died after being pinned under a police officer’s knee.
Left to right: Khalil Dehghanpour, Mohammed Vafadar, Kamal Naamanian, Hossein Kadivar.
02
June
Iranian House Church Leaders Summoned to Begin Five-Year Prison Sentences
Four Iranian Christian converts have been summoned to begin their five-year jail sentences for leading house-churches, for which they were convicted of “acting against national security.”
01
June
Nigerian Bishop Abducted by Gunmen, Christian Organization Urges Officials to Take Action
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is urging officials to take all necessary steps to see that its chairman of the Nasarawa State unit, Bishop Joseph Masin is safely released from his captors.
31
May
48 State-Run Churches Shut Down in One County in Two Weeks
Protestants in Jiangxi Province’s Yugan county have been suffering CCP’s persecution for the past few years. Attacks renewed after coronavirus lockdown was lifted.
Romina Ashrafi reportedly told police that she feared for her life if forced to return home
27
May
Outrage in Iran after girl murdered 'for eloping'
Police in Iran have arrested a man accused of murdering his 14-year-old daughter in a so-called honour killing that has sparked widespread outrage.
