Thailand Aims to Reform Tough Refugee Policy After Saudi Asylum Case

January 21, 2019 — 01/21/2019 Thailand (International Christian Concern) – The 18-year-old Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed Al-Qunun's quest for resettlement as an asylum-seeker might inspire better treatment for Thailand’s refugee community. On January 11,...

Iranian Judges Pressure Christians to Renounce their Faith

January 21, 2019 — 01/21/2019 Iran (International Christian Concern) – Iranian judges Hassan Babaee and Ahmad Zargar presided over the January 15th final appeal hearing for Christians Saheb Fadaie and Fatemeh Bakhteri. These two judges asked...

Vietnamese Government Ignores Displaced Residents in Predominantly Catholic Area

January 20, 2019 — 01/20/2019 Vietnam (International Christian Concern) – About 100 displaced residents from Loc Hung in Tay Ninh Province have gone to the offices of the city government, the Communist Party of...

Egyptian Authorities Deny Church Closures

January 20, 2019 — 01/20/2019 Egypt (International Christian Concern) – Egypt’s Media Center of the Council of Ministers has issued a statement that denies there is any truth to the recent church closures in the...

Malaysian Christians Skeptical about Report Claiming Less Discrimination

January 19, 2019 — 01/19/2019 Malaysia (International Christian Concern) – Despite Malaysia being praised as among three countries globally that show “signs of hope” for Christians in 2019, as mentioned in Open Doors’ latest...

Arabian Peninsula Prepares for Historic Papal Visit

January 19, 2019 — 01/19/2019 UAE (International Christian Concern) – Pope Francis is preparing for the first papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula next month by attending an international interreligious conference in the United Arab...

Chinese Christians Forced to Make Choice Between Welfare Benefits or Belief

January 18, 2019 — 01/18/2019 China (International Christian Concern) – Chinese Christians in poor health who depend on the government’s welfare benefits are forced to choose between their belief or social benefits. According to...

Turkish MP Demands Investigation into Insulting Turkishness

January 18, 2019 — 01/18/2019 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – According to Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, anyone who is convicted of insulting Turkishness can face imprisonment of up to two years. Diyarbakir...

Cross Shape Lights On a Building in Malaysia Stirs Debate

January 17, 2019 — 01/17/2019 Malaysia (International Christian Concern) – The lights at the Grace Residence building in Jelutong, Penang were recently tested since the installation was nearly completed. However, when onlookers saw the...

Iraqi Christian Village Withstands Turkish Airstrikes

January 17, 2019 — 01/17/2019 Iraq (International Christian Concern) – The Amedi district in northern Kurdistan was bombed by Turkey 98 times during the past year, killing at least 12 people, according to the Kurdish...

EU Court Finds Turkey Violated Religious Freedom

January 16, 2019 — 01/16/2019 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Turkey has violated the right of freedom of association by refusing to recognize a religious group, according to a ruling by the European Court of...

Kachin IDPs Were Able to Enjoy a Peaceful Christmas

January 15, 2019 — 01/15/2019 Myanmar (International Christian Concern) – This last Christmas, thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in Myanmar's Christian-majority Kachin State were able to celebrate Jesus’ birthday peacefully as the...

Nigerian Bishop Released from Captivity

January 15, 2019 — 01/15/2019 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – Clement Ekpeye, the Nigerian Bishop of Ahoada, was released from captivity after being kidnapped five days earlier. Details of his abduction remain scarce. However, according...

Iran Attempts to Deflect from Its Own Persecution of Christians

January 15, 2019 — 01/15 /2019 Iran (International Christian Concern) – Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, has completed a tour of Iraq. During this trip, he highlighted his meetings with representatives of Iraq’s religious...

Sichuan’s Stream of Life House Church Raided by Police

January 14, 2019 — 01/14/2019 China (International Christian Concern) – One of the earliest urban house church in Sichuan was harassed and raided by police on the night of January 10, as members were...

Egypt Extends State of Emergency

January 14, 2019 — 01/14/2018 Egypt (International Christian Concern) – Egypt has extended its nationwide state of emergency for yet another three months, marking the 7th time that the government has made such a...