From angry mobs livestreaming their attacks on Christians to laws changing the definition of national citizenship, the many manifestations of religious nationalism in South Asia are working to pressure and eliminate Christianity’s influence throughout the region.
Under growing religious nationalism and Islamic extremism, Christians increasingly face discrimination and violence. Strict blasphemy laws in Pakistan and some Indian states are weaponized against Christians, leading to violence and imprisonment. In South Asian countries, Christian women and girls are vulnerable to forced conversions and marriages. Law enforcement often neglects to protect Christians, emboldening extremist groups. ICC’s 2025 Global Persecution Index featured Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan.
Despite all of this, Christians in South Asia continue to proclaim the gospel of Christ, even to their persecutors. See regional updates and projects below.
Our Efforts
Our Emergency Relief Program supplies immediate aid to Christians who have suffered violence and persecution. Relief packages cover medical expenses, groceries, child support, and living expenses for up to three months.
Amid rising persecution and tightening anti-conversion laws, front line Christian workers urgently need practical tools to stand firm in their calling and respond wisely to hostility. We prepare pastors on how to respond well when they face persecution.
Across rural India, many Christian children face systemic educational barriers, poverty, and marginalization. Our Hope Houses break these cycles by creating safe spaces where children can thrive.
The incubator is a nonprofit initiative to help young Christians build business ideas into real-world startups. Through the incubator, students develop entrepreneurial skills and grow their ideas under experienced mentors.
The Vocational Training Center that ICC partners with provides free, comprehensive training in high-demand fields, empowering students to secure better-paying jobs and creating stronger families and communities.
Read more inspiring testimonies of faith
August 18, 2026 ICC News — On Aug. 13, the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) said it opposed directives requiring the singing or playing of the Hindu-nationalist song “Vande Mataram” at official events in India. The...
August 17, 2026 ICC News — India’s Parliament has temporarily delayed action on a proposed amendment to the country’s foreign-funding law that could significantly affect Christian ministries and other organizations receiving foreign contributions. India’s Lok Sabha...
August 14, 2026 ICC News — A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has secured its first conviction over the devastating 2023 Jaranwala riots, sentencing a Muslim man to a decade in prison for the demolition of two churches....
August 13, 2026 ICC News — Under the guise of a literary launch for a book about a Hindu monk in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, a Hindu religious leader issued a definitive, public call to...
August 3, 2026 ICC News — Seven Christians from India’s Madhya Pradesh state have been sentenced after a court found them guilty of forceful conversions during a birthday party. The convictions, which follow a legal battle...
July 30, 2026 ICC News — India’s Parliament is considering a sweeping amendment to the country’s foreign-funding law that critics warn could give the government unprecedented authority over the assets of NGOs, including Christian ministries, hospitals,...
July 27, 2026 ICC News — The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) of Pakistan has ordered a review of its controversial ruling that previously upheld the marriage of 13-year-old Maria Shahbaz to her abductor, Shehryar Ahmad. During...
July 27, 2026 ICC News — For the first time, the Christian community in India expressed its solidarity with a non-political students’ agitation movement against alleged irregularities in the country’s top educational competitive testing system. The...
July 24, 2026 ICC News — The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ordered the release of the final three men on death row in the 2014 murder case of a Christian couple, Shahzad Masih and his...
July 24, 2026 ICC News — The Supreme Court of India, on July 15, heard a petition that highlights the rising hate speech against Christians, especially vigilante violence during Christian festivals. Commonly known as the “Violence...
July 20, 2026 ICC News — Overcome by thirst after working under the sweltering summer heat in Pattoki, Pakistan, a Christian brick kiln worker reached for the closest water cooler and took a sip. Doing so...
July 17, 2026 ICC News — The European Parliament condemned Pakistan on July 7 for its violation of human rights, citing a 13-year-old Christian Pakistani girl who is still fighting for her freedom from the 30-year-old...
July 17, 2026 ICC News — Following the August 2024 ousting of Bangladesh’s longtime leader Sheikh Hasina, the country fell into a power vacuum. Amid the ensuing upheaval, some people in this nation of 175 million...
July 13, 2026 ICC News — On July 8, the government of the Indian state of Maharashtra ordered a time-bound, statewide audit of land parcels owned by churches and Christian missionary organizations to identify illegal encroachments,...
July 9, 2026 ICC News — A statewide mobilization program to counter an alleged surge of fabricated social media content and false allegations of mass religious conversions has been announced by West Bengal’s top Christian body...
July 8, 2026 ICC News — Nadeem Masih, a visually impaired Christian accused of blasphemy, has been acquitted by a court in Lahore, Pakistan, after spending 10 distressing months in prison. Lahore Additional Sessions Judge Saad...
June 30, 2026 ICC News, Project Highlight — Two years after Manish left Hinduism to follow Jesus in 2008, he began sharing the gospel full-time in local Hindu communities in India. Recently, Hindu nationalists have started to push...
June 29, 2026 ICC News — On June 22, the government of India issued two notifications, one of which explicitly bars non-governmental organizations from using foreign funds for proselytizing. The notification explicitly prohibits the use of...
June 25, 2026 ICC News — European Union officials quietly hosted a delegation of Taliban representatives in Brussels this week, marking the first known visit by Taliban officials to EU headquarters since the Islamist group seized...
June 22, 2026 ICC News — A recent government order to recite Hindu chants and prayers in public schools in Chhattisgarh, India, has caused an uproar over the violation of fundamental principles of secularism and disregard...
