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Islam

• Shot for Buying a House in a Muslim Area

  

  Two members of a Christian family were shot and wounded after buying a house in a Muslim neighbourhood. Nadeem Joseph purchased a house in Peshawar's TV Colony and moved in with his family in late May. However, when a neighbour named Salman Khan found out they were Christians, he told them they must leave immediately, claiming Christians are enemies of Islam.

• Christian Woman "Converts" after Kidnapping

  

  Rania Abd al-Meseh was kidnapped on April 23rd by two veiled women in the Monufia Governorate. Three days later, a video began circulating in which she allegedly announces her conversion to Islam. Those who know her, however, are convinced that she was under duress at the time of the videotaping, based on her body language.

• Kidnapped Girl Successfully Escapes

  

  On the night of January 5th, Sadiya Amos had just finished a New Year's celebration when she was abducted. Two days later, her father was forced to attend a Sharia court where he was accused of preventing Sadiya from converting to Islam. A fake birth certificate was presented as evidence that she was 19 years old, rather than her true age of 17. Throughout the proceedings, the court refused to allow the teen's parents any access to her, nor let them know where she was located.

• Kidnapped Pastor Executed

  

  A leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and pastor of a Brethren church, Lawan Andimi, was executed by Boko Haram terrorists on January 20th. Pastor Lawan was kidnapped during a raid in the town of Michika on January 3rd (read more). Shortly after, a video was released in which the pastor speaks of his faith in God's sovereignty despite the situation. He told his family: "God is still alive.... Don't cry, don't worry, thank God for everything." News of his death also came via video, sent to the same journalist, showing the beheadings of Pastor Lawan and an unnamed soldier.

• Churches Ordered to Close

  

  Churches in Algeria continue to face court-ordered closures, as the Algerian authorities tighten restrictions on non-Islamic places of worship (also see this page). Over the past year, most churches affiliated with the Algerian Protestant Church Association (APCA) have been visited by officials, reportedly to check for safety code violations. As part of their inspection, they also ask to see their licenses -- officially designating their buildings as non-Muslim places of worship. However, the government has yet to issue any such licenses under this regulation.

• Sunni Islam Declared Official Religion

  

  Constitutional reforms approved in a referendum on July 30th have created concerns in the African island nation of Comoros. Opposition leaders called on people to boycott the referendum, believing that it was not legitimate.

  Along with extending the power and term of the president, one area of particular concern to religious minorities in the country is the removal of a clause separating religion and state. Previously, the country was considered an Islamic state, but the constitutional change now officially declares it as such with the following declaration: "The state draws from this religion the principles and rules of Sunnite observance."