World in Brief

Earlier this year, Oasis International launched the Africa Study Bible, with notes by more than 300 African pastors and scholars.

The Study Bible uses the New Living Translation and contains more than 2,600 features casting light on Scripture from an African perspective. Christian ministry African Christian Textbooks is a ‘cornerstone partner for the distribution’, according to Oasis.

A Christian imprisoned in Algeria for three years for ‘insulting Islam and the prophet Muhammad’ in his social media posts received a partial presidential pardon in July.

Slimane Bouhafs was arrested in July 2016 for posting a message on social media about the light of Jesus overcoming the ‘lie’ of Islam. His sentence of three years imprisonment has been reduced by 16 months, following a partial pardon granted by the Algerian president on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of Algeria’s independence.

The Australian state of Queensland’s Education Department caused major concern in July after it sent directives to school principals to take action against children who talked about Jesus or gave out Christmas cards in primary school.

Australian Christian Lobby’s Queensland director, Wendy Francis, called on the Education Minister to rescind the new rules, saying: ‘It is hard to understand what is so dangerous about Jesus that the Queensland Government has to ban children from talking about him’.

A Cuban pastor was barred from working as a church leader on 31 July, and instead assigned a new job checking for mosquitoes in the water supply of local houses.

Pastor Ramon Rigal and his wife decided to home-school their children because they felt that state school teaching emphasised a Marxist-Leninist atheist ideology which conflicted with their Christian faith. Pastor Rigal’s daughter had also reported being bullied at school and punched in the stomach by another student.

More than 1,600 Coptic Christians in a village in Upper Egypt are still waiting for a new church building, five years after their previous building was closed the same month it was opened.

Ever since the Copts started looking for a new venue, they have experienced fierce opposition from their Muslim neighbours, who say they should build their church outside the village, where they can ‘pray in peace’.

The churches of Egypt temporarily shut down their activities over the Summer, due to terrorism fears.

Dr Andrea Zaki, president of the Protestant Churches of Egypt said that he asked all their churches and conference centres to cancel their trips and events for three weeks because there was news that they could be targeted by radicals.

Assam is experiencing another year of monsoon flooding. Torrential rains in 25 of its 33

districts caused local rivers to overflow. In July it was reported that 65 people had died and more than 1.7million people are affected.

In one district of Assam, 100 believers belonging to churches led by Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastors have been affected. Ten church buildings were under water, while four GFA-supported centres had to close for five days because of the flooding.

Police in Uttar Pradesh, India, detained six Christians in late June under ‘unlawful assembly’ laws, for worshipping together. Sources also said police berated and slapped a pastor for reading the Bible instead of Hindu texts.

After travelling from Etah village to a church in nearby Pujaripurvah, the six Christians were detained for nine days before they were granted bail on 5 July.

A new report on freedom of religion or belief in Indonesia warned in July that religious minorities in the country are increasingly fearful of rising religious intolerance.

The report follows a CSW visit to Indonesia after the verdict was delivered in the blasphemy trial of the former governor of Jakarta. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama is a double minority as an ethnic Chinese Indonesian and a Christian. He was falsely charged with blasphemy during his re-election campaign.

Elam Ministries were praising God on 1 August because Maryam Naghash Zargaran (also known as Nasim) was released from prison in Iran. She had been incarcerated in Evin prison in Tehran for over four years on charges related to her Christian faith.

The organisation encouraged ongoing prayer for Nasim’s physical and emotional restoration after this time of intense trial and suffering, as well as for wisdom as she looks to the future.

More than 200 Iranians and Afghans were baptised in July, Elam Ministries reported, in a country near to Iran.

Many had been believers for years and waited a long time for the chance to be baptised. ‘When I came out of the water, it was like I was born again,’ reflected Faraz, who was baptised in early July. ‘It was such a great feeling, I cannot put it into words. Now I am even more committed to Jesus and his church.’

Thousands of children were separated from their families during the nine-months-long battle for the city of Mosul in Iraq.

The Christian Post reported that the conflict broke apart many families and, now that the Islamic State has been mostly driven out of Mosul, displaced children need help reconnecting with their families and communities. The chaos that overtook Mosul and surrounding areas in the past months included air strikes, oppression by the Islamic State, suicide bombings and fighting in the streets.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested under the blasphemy laws of Pakistan in July, for disrespecting the Islamic prophet Muhammed, which automatically generates a death sentence.

The boy Shahzad’s family had to flee a potential mob lynching after hate speech was preached from a local mosque, calling for the death of Shahzad and his family. His brother said the police station where Shahzad is being held refuses to confirm he is there and will not permit family access.

A Christian man, who was sold into slavery, was poisoned in July after he sought freedom from his contract.

Police are refusing to investigate the death and have reported it as a suicide – but family members report a history of mistreatment and have called for a murder inquiry.

On 11 July, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas decreed a new law which allows the imprisonment of anyone sharing or ‘liking’ Facebook or other social media posts that the Palestinian Authority leadership disapproves of.

The new Cyber Crime Law was enacted solely by President Abbas himself without review by the Palestinian Legislative Council. President Abbas may use the new law to crack down on political opponents, but it is in reality a social media Islamic blasphemy law.

A government commission in South Africa recommended in July that it be made compulsory for all ‘religious practitioners’ to register with the state.

The chairperson of the investigation into the Commercialisation of Religion and Abuse of People’s Belief Systems stated that being a religious leader was an occupation that should be regulated by law, adding: ‘We are convinced the majority of reasonable religious leaders will agree with us’.

The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke strongly to the President of Sudan about religious freedom for Christians, in July.

Archbishop Welby told a news agency: ‘In England, the Church of England often seeks to protect Muslims when they are under pressure.’ The agency said this suggests that he expected the same in Sudan when it came to protecting Christians. The Archbishop met with President Omar al-Bashir the day after a ceremony to inaugurate the global Anglican Communion’s 39th Province, Sudan.

Mission Network News reported in July that a Muslim extremist was miraculously converted in Syria.

The Muslim man reportedly decided to give his life to Christ after witnessing a Christian church service. Although the Islamic State is losing ground in Syria and other areas of the Middle East, many families who were forced to flee the area and who are now returning are finding that their homes and communities are destroyed.

A pastor in Tajikistan was jailed for three years in July, after he was arrested in April and authorities threatened family members, friends and church members if details of the case were revealed.

The 42-year-old prisoner of conscience Kholmatov, who is married with three children, was first held in secret police custody after his 10 April arrest. While on trial he was held in custody, and he has now been moved to an unknown prison.

A Bible verse will remain on display in a US courthouse after a mayor rejected the demands of an atheist group to remove it in July.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) claimed displaying the verse – in sight for more than 50 years – is ‘inappropriate’ because ‘it conveys government support for religion’. The verse in question, Psalm 89.14, reads: ‘Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face’ – King James Version.

A leading American newspaper claimed in July that US State Department lawyers are systematically removing the word ‘genocide’ from government material relating to the slaughter of Christians, Yazidis and other minorities in Iraq.

The Washington Free Beacon quoted Nina Shea, an international human rights lawyer who directs the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom, as saying: ‘I don’t think for a minute it’s a bureaucratic decision – it’s ideological.’

A Paralympic runner knelt and prayed with his fellow athletes following a race at the World Para Athletics Championships in July.

South African sprinter Charl du Toit, who finished second in the men’s T37100m final, gave thanks and praise to Jesus in his prayer, which was beamed to millions of viewers around the world. He was heard saying: ‘I thank you for your help to finish the race and we love you Jesus, thank you very, very much. Amen!’