
Christian in hiding acquitted of blasphemy in Pakistan
A court in Pakistan in September acquitted a Christian charged with blasphemy, but his supporters did not reveal it until this month due to security concerns, his lawyer said.

A court in Pakistan in September acquitted a Christian charged with blasphemy, but his supporters did not reveal it until this month due to security concerns, his lawyer said.
Nigeria's socio-religious conflicts have a long and complex history, with numerous factors influencing the current violence. Whatever the cause, it cannot be denied that Christians are being disproportionately affected by the brutal violence that continues to result.
Accused of orchestrating or tolerating attacks on Christians, top representatives of India's RSS went mute. A video of the scene went viral. For India to fulfill its promise in this century, its most influential non-governmental organization must lead by example in transparency, accountability and permitting space for freedom of religion.
Sudan's civil war continues to rage after three years of devastating conflict and Sudan's two million Christians face particular peril. Yet this conflict is largely overlooked compared to other conflict zones. It seems to be a crisis too complex, too distant, and too African to hold the Western gaze. God sees, however, so let us pray for peace in Sudan and protection especially for Jesus' followers among the Sudanese.
Hungarians celebrating a change in government last week reminds us that freedom can be recovered through democratic means and that illiberal systems are reversible and autocratic leaders are removable. Yet for followers of Jesus our hope is not in political change. Freedom is an inner reality that we must cultivate.

A global evangelical leader underscored the urgency of religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue during a major international conference in Uzbekistan on Nov. 15, urging deeper commitments to peaceful coexistence amid rising conflict and violations of religious freedom around the world.

A Canadian House of Commons committee on Tuesday (Dec. 9) removed a “religious belief defense” from a hate crime bill, a move a Christian body had warned against as detrimental to legal protections for religious expression by Christians and others.

In two landmark rulings, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday (Dec. 9) banned employers from seeking only Christians for sanitation jobs and called for safety measures for sewage cleaners, most of whom are Christian.

A Presbyterian pastor who survived an attack in September was gunned down by an unidentified assailant outside his home in front of his daughter last week, his family said.

Gunmen on Sunday (Dec. 7) attacked Christians in southeast Nigeria as they were gathering for worship, killing an Anglican priest’s wife and another church member and abducting another priest, sources said.

Citing a dramatic escalation of targeted attacks against Christians and other minorities in their countries, human rights advocates from South Asia called for stronger European Union (EU) engagement on freedom of religion or belief at conference in Brussels on Dec. 4.