Despite the Iranian government’s ongoing crackdown of Christians living in the primarily Islamic country, the number of Muslims converting to become Christians is growing at an explosive rate, according to the persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA. There is even talk of witnessing a Christian revival, especially among young people living in the country, say…
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Mosque loudspeakers calling the faithful to pre-dawn prayers can irritate non-Muslims being jerked from their slumber — particularly in Israel, where Muslims, Jews and Christians live near each other. Now the Arab village of Manshiya Zabda is testing a simple solution in a pilot project in response to complaints from Jewish neighbors. It’s replaced the…
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A little more than a year ago, as the Arab Spring swept through North Africa, people in the region began experiencing a taste of freedom. That was certainly true in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo, where Egyptian Muslims and Christians celebrated the downfall of President Hosni Mubarak, who had been in power for more than…
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The school employing a teacher from Lancaster County gunned down in Yemen has denied accusations that he was proselytizing Christianity. A text message that circulated by mobile phone in Yemen said that “holy warriors” had killed “a senior missionary” in the central city of Taiz, shortly after the teacher was shot dead Sunday by two…
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The New York Times published an advertisement carrying the headline “It’s Time To Quit The Catholic Church” on March 9. Placed by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, the ad was a scathing attack on the Catholic church and encouraged liberal and nominal Catholics to abandon their faith. “We invite you to free yourself from…
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In a rare crackdown on a concentrated area, Iranian authorities have arrested Christians living in the country’s third largest city in what is seen as a tactic to discourage Muslims and converts to Christianity from attending official churches. Since last month officials have arrested about 12 Christian converts in Isfahan, 340 kilometers (211 miles) south…
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An Iranian envoy has denied an execution order was issued for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, but revealed a list of charges against the evangelical Christian that allegedly make him guilty of “offending Islam.” The envoy’s denial was prompted by human rights investigator Ahmed Shaheed, who on Monday openly condemned Iran’s imprisonment of Nadarkhani in a 36-page…
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Saudi Arabia’s highest religious official announced Monday that Christianity will not be tolerated in the Arabian Peninsula, proclaiming it “necessary to destroy all the churches of the region,” Bikyamasar reported. Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, the grand mufti, based his statement on the Islamic belief which states that only Islam and no other religion should…
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Energy-drink maker Red Bull said it has dropped an advertisement in South Africa after an outcry from both Christians and Muslims for its portrayal of Jesus Christ walking on water. South Africa’s Roman Catholic bishops urged Christians not to drink Red Bull in traditional fasting for Lent ahead of Easter celebrations next month, stopping short…
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The Taliban promised revenge Monday for the alleged massacre of 16 Afghan civilians by an American soldier, an incident which may pose the biggest threat yet to the shaky U.S. alliance with Afghanistan’s government. U.S. forces have boosted security in Kandahar province, where the shootings happened on Sunday. There is a fear of reprisal attacks…
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