An advocacy organization reported this week that Chinese authorities now accuse a Beijing businessman of being a “dangerous religious element” – which a long-time friend dismissed as contrary to Christian bookstore owner Shi Weihan’s gentle, patriotic nature.
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Open Doors USA is calling for prayers for the suffering people in the hard-hit Sichuan province in China. According to reports, a massive earthquake of 7.8 magnitude struck on Monday, May 12, 2008. It is reported that 80% of the buildings in Beichuan County have collapsed. The earthquake hit at 2:28 in the afternoon, when schools and office buildings were full.
The shaking was felt as far away as Vietnam and Thailand, and has caused power outages, no running water, lack of telephone communication, and evacuation of hospitals, offices and housing. Landslides have caused roadblocks, slowing the rescue effort.
“The effects of the tragedy caused by this earthquake have rippled across the entire world with mourning for the loss of life, while also eliciting an immediate response from the compassionate,” says Open Doors USA President Dr. Carl Moeller. “As the reports indicate, the death toll could exceed 9,000. There are thousands left homeless..."
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On Friday, April 25, the Supreme Court of Nigeria confirmed the death sentence for Abdullahi Ada and others involved in the murder of Abdullahi Umaru, condemned for “blasphemy” of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, in Kebbi state in 1999.
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The Hindu nationalist government in Rajasthan state has closed a police investigation into a televised attack on pastor Walter Masih a year ago today after withdrawing the more serious charges against the accused.
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Former police and security officers in North Korea told a U.S. government body that their superiors had instructed them to play the role of Christians and infiltrate “underground” prayer meetings in order to incriminate, arrest, imprison and sometimes execute believers in North Korea.
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The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat state has implemented an “anti-conversion” law passed in 2003, increasing Christians’ fears that it will open the door to false accusations by Hindu extremists.
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In a report released this month by a U.S. government body, refugee testimonies confirm severe persecution of Christians throughout North Korea.
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A year after the martyrdom of three Christians in Malatya, Turkey’s tiny Christian community gathered this past week to honor their memories and pray for their sorrowing families.
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On trial for converting from Islam to Christianity, a Jordanian man may lose legal custody of his children and have his marriage annulled if found guilty of “apostasy.”
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