India: Christian pastors ordered to cease all ministry

Christian pastors in India’s Uttar Pradesh state were summoned to a police station earlier this month and ordered to cease all house church gatherings and religious activities unless they had a permit from the District Magistrate, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.

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India: Hindu authorities shut down church following complaints about conversions to Christianity

A pro-Hindu news outlet reported approvingly on May 24 that authorities in India’s Odisha state shut down a church following complaints about local tribal residents converting to Christianity. Persecution against Christians in India has intensified greatly since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014.

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Pakistan: Catholic girl abducted, forced to marry Muslim man, family “pleading with police” for help

A 15-year-old Catholic girl in Faisalabad, Pakistan was abducted by a Muslim man earlier this month and has now been forced to marry him, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. Rights groups report that at least 1,000 Christian and Hindu girls and women are forcibly married to Muslim men every year in Pakistan.

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India: Christians wait for authorities to investigate policeman who burned down church building

Christians in India’s Chhattisgarh state are waiting expectantly for authorities to take action against a Hindu police officer who they believe burned down their church building earlier this year because he did not like their worship services, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. As persecution against Christians by Hindu extremists continues to intensify, believers report that obtaining justice is difficult because police officers are being radicalized by Hinduist hardliners.

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US Commission: ‘Afghan Christians Face Death’

The U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) says Afghanistan should be designated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) due to the persecution of Christians and other minorities.

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India: Christians attacked and harassed during Easter weekend, believers treated as ‘less than human’

The intensifying persecution against Christians in India has shown no sign of abating and, during the Easter holidays, Hindu extremists in Odisha and Chhattisgarh states violently attacked believers, destroyed homes and property, and harassed grieving relatives, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.

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