Displaying items by tag: Worldwide

Global persecution of Christians has risen for the fourth year in a row and is on a "rapid rise" in Asia fueled by "extreme religious nationalism," a new report warns.

The report from Open Doors UK, released Wednesday, offers a stark picture of Christian persecution around the world.

"Religious nationalism is sweeping the globe according to figures released today as part of the Open Doors 2017 World Watch List," said Lisa Pearce, CEO of Open Doors UK & Ireland, Catholic News Agency reported.

"Persecution levels have been rising rapidly across Asia and the Indian subcontinent, driven by extreme religious nationalism which is often tacitly condoned, and sometimes actively encouraged, by local and national governments."

According to the report, all top 10 countries with the worst persecution of Christians are in Asia and Africa.

North Korea is still the most difficult place in the world to be a Christian, with Somalia ranking second, followed by Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and Eritrea, the report found.

Other "key findings" were:

• Islamic extremism is the main engine of persecution in 14 out of the most hostile 20 countries in the World Watch List, and 35 of the top 50.
• In the Middle East, Christians face pressure under both radical and autocratic regimes.
• Over 200 million Christians in the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian experience high levels of persecution because of their faith.

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/christian-persecution-middle-east-africa/2017/01/12/id/768326/

Let’s pray for the rejection and overthrow of religious nationalism and for our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially in the countries listed, who continue to suffer great abuse and even death for their faith.

It has been reported that Theresa May was told about the test of a Trident missile that misfired less than a week before she held a House of Commons vote on renewing the £40bn nuclear system. This week she repeatedly refused to deny reports that a serious malfunction had occurred, saying the Government would not get into operational details. Downing Street is facing growing accusations of a cover-up, because on 18 July the Prime Minister stood up in the Commons to ask MPs to vote for the renewal of the Trident programme without telling them about any possible problems. In that debate, Mrs May said she would be willing to authorise a nuclear strike that could kill 100,000 people, and the Commons voted overwhelmingly to replace the programme.

The International Justice Mission operates in many places around the world, seeking to assist in the conviction of traffickers of adults and children. They currently seek prayer support for teams in Kenya, Uganda, Philippines, Guatemala, Thailand, and Cambodia. Their urgent request today is for a team in South Asia who are seeking to help anti-trafficking police rescue 20+ men from slavery. A recent success story is the conviction of eight men in India, after a three-year trial, for torturing and chopping off the right hands of two innocent men whom they tried to enslave. All eight were sentenced to life imprisonment, the longest sentences ever in an Indian bonded-labour case.