Church Building Demolished, Two Christians Arrested in Sudan

May 8, 2017  Morning Star News

Authorities in Sudan demolished a church building yesterday (May 7) as Christians were preparing to worship.

Authorities notified church leaders of the impending demolition just a week prior. It was one of at least 25 the government designated for destruction in an order last year claiming the churches were built on residential or government land.

Mohamad el Sheikh Mohamad, a general manager in the Ministry of Planning, urged that it be implemented immediately.  It targets a wide range of denominations, from Catholic to Pentecostal.

Christians in Sudan complain that the Islamist government of Omar al-Bashir is targeting their buildings while favouring Muslims and their mosques.

The Sudanese Ministry announced in April 2013 that no new licenses would be granted for new churches in Sudan, citing a decrease in the South Sudanese population after South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011, when Bashir vowed to adopt a stricter version of sharia (Islamic law) and recognize only Islamic culture and the Arabic language.

Sudan ranks fifth on Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List of countries where Christians face most persecution.

News Source – George Thomas, Undisclosed Location, Aug 2014

Christians are the most persecuted religious minority group in Iran. Iranian believers who convert from Islam to Christianity, face even more scrutiny.

 Now one television channel operating from multiple secret locations is beaming messages of hope directly into the Islamic country.

 Since 2006, Mohabat TV has been beaming Christian programmes via satellite to the Middle East, Europe, and parts of Asia. But the channel’s main focus is the Islamic nation of Iran.

 “We are seeing a huge, huge number of Iranians who are reaching out to our channel to find out more about Jesus,” Mike Ansari, who oversees the popular channel, said.

 “Many of our viewers claim that Islam has not delivered to their expectations. When they turn the channel on and see Mohabat TV they hear a new message of Jesus, of forgiveness, of love, of acceptance,” Ansari said.

Attacks on Indian Christians

Amanda Casanova | Religion Today May 18, 2017

Violent attacks on Christians in India are increasing, according to a new report.  In 2016, attacks against Christians jumped by about 20 percent, while physical violence is up about 40 percent.

The All India Christian Council says that there is an anti-Christian attack every 40 hours as the governing Hindu nationalist party tries to create a “Hindu nation” in India.  The violence has spread to 23 states.

The attacks are described as physical beating, torching of churches, vandalism, burning of Bibles, death threats and forcing Christians to renounce their faith and convert to Hinduism.

In February, an evangelist in India reportedly fell into a coma after he was harassed by Hindu nationalists for publicly distributing copies of the New Testament.