Tags

death

• Woman Killed for Her Faith

  

  A Christian mother in Uzbekistan was killed by her husband on February 9th because she had recently accepted Christ. The attack happened at the Tashkent airport as she was attempting to flee the country.

  Problems for "Umida" (not her real name) began when her husband discovered that she had asked a friend for a Bible. In addition to locking Umida in their home to prevent her from going to church, he also banned her from seeing their two-year-old son. Eventually she was able to go live with her parents, along with their daughter. While living there, Umida attended church but continued to face threats.

• Kidnapped Pastor and Others Assassinated

   

  

  Pastor Tun Nu, who served with Gospel for Asia in Rakhine State, was kidnapped by five gunmen on January 19th. Despite searches conducted by church members, police and military, there was no trace of his whereabouts. Regrettably, he was found shot to death on February 1st, along with others who had also been kidnapped. Members of a rebel army in the area are believed to be responsible.

   

• Bomb Blasts Kill At Least Twenty

  

  Coordinated bombs at a cathedral in Jolo, southern Philippines, killed at least 20 people and injured over 80 on January 27th. The first bomb went off during the church service; the second exploded outside the door, as people fled and troops responded to the disaster. Those killed included five soldiers. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the incident, and the Philippines military has been conducting raids in an effort to track down those responsible.

• Tribal Leader Kidnapped and Executed

  

  Nigerians from various areas of the country are facing threats and attacks from members of the Boko Haram terrorist group. Last month, a market in Kaduna erupted into violence and threats, leading to clashes between Christian and Muslim youth. As a result, 55 people were killed and, subsequently, numerous arrests have been made.

• Two Teachers Killed in Bombing

  

  Two Christian teachers in Kenya were killed when al Shabaab militants threw an explosive device at the house in which they were living. The two victims were staying in a home specifically for non-local teachers of the Arabia Boys Secondary School located in Mandera County near the border with Somalia.

• Murdered for Not Reciting Islamic Creeds

   

  

   

  Two bus passengers were executed on September 14th when they failed to recite Muslim prayers. The men were travelling to the town of Garissa when their bus was pulled over by seven Al-Shabaab militants. The passengers were ordered to show ID and three non-locals were pulled from the bus for questioning.

   

• No Remorse Shown Ten Years After Massacre

  

  When Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati was murdered on August 23rd, 2008, rumours were started that this was a Christian conspiracy. Hindu militants stirred up mobs, creating a horrific massacre in the Kandhamal region of Odisha state (then named Orissa). The violence continued for seven weeks, killing at least 91 victims. Hundreds of villages were looted, over 5,000 houses and 300 churches destroyed, and 56,000 Christians were forced to flee -- often ending up in refugee camps. More details on the 2008 attack, including numerous reports and videos, are available at our India Country Report.