Section

persecution

19 articles in this section

Middle Eastern Christians praying together by candlelight in a stone church

Barnabas Aid: Christians across the Middle East call for urgent prayer as regional conflict intensifies

Christians in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon are facing displacement, imprisonment, and violence as regional conflict deepens — and Barnabas Aid is calling the global church to pray.

29 March 2026Source: Barnabas Aid

Barnabas Aid Middle East Persecution Prayer

A person carrying a large wooden cross up a steep mountain path at dawn

Persecution

Release International CEO to carry a cross up Scafell Pike in solidarity with persecuted Christians

Paul Robinson, CEO of Release International, is training to carry a heavy wooden cross to the summit of England's highest mountain in June, raising awareness and funds for the persecuted church worldwide.

29 March 2026Release International

A woman in a headscarf sitting by a window in a sparse room, looking with quiet determination

Persecution

Exiled but not silenced: Zakie's story of faith, flight, and ministry after fleeing the Taliban

Zakie and her husband fled Afghanistan after the Taliban discovered their Christian faith. Now a refugee in Central Asia, she teaches other women about the God who gave her new life.

29 March 2026Open Doors UK & Ireland

A woman sitting in prayer amid earthquake rubble in Myanmar, expression of quiet peace

Persecution

Open Doors: Myanmar Christians find peace amid earthquake and military conflict

Open Doors tells the story of Thiri, a Christian in Myanmar navigating the double trauma of a military coup and a devastating earthquake, finding peace through faith and the solidarity of the global church.

27 March 2026Open Doors UK

Myanmar persecution earthquake

A person in prayer with hands clasped in a church or prayer room, symbolising religious freedom and conscience

Persecution

India's 13th Anti-Conversion Law: Christian Solidarity Worldwide Raises Alarm

Maharashtra has become the 13th Indian state to pass anti-conversion legislation, criminalising religious change. CSW warns the law violates fundamental rights to conscience and privacy.

25 March 2026Christian Solidarity Worldwide

A cross standing in a devastated African village landscape, dramatic sky

Persecution

Seventeen Christians Killed and 100 Abducted in DR Congo: A Call to Urgent Prayer

Islamic State's Central Africa Province has claimed responsibility for killing 17 Christians and abducting around 100 others in north-eastern DR Congo, burning homes in the village of Mushasha.

24 March 2026Barnabas Aid

A woman in prayer with hands clasped, soft light, Indonesian setting

Persecution

Arrested for Sharing the Gospel: Denda's Story from Indonesia

Release International reports that Denda, a former Muslim woman in Indonesia, was arrested and interrogated by police for sharing the gospel — and asks the global Church to pray for her peace and protection.

24 March 2026Release International

PersecutionGlobal

Christians Across the Middle East Call for Prayer as Conflict Intensifies

As conflict spreads across Iran and neighbouring countries, Barnabas Aid is reporting that Christians in the region are calling for urgent prayer — cautiously hopeful about potential freedoms, but deeply concerned about displacement and extremism.

22 March 2026Barnabas Aid

Barnabas Aid Middle East Iran

PersecutionGlobal

Indian Pastor Beaten as Police Stand Aside — Release International Reports Escalating Hindu Nationalist Violence

A pastor in India was subjected to brutal mob violence by Hindu nationalists while police stood aside and watched. Release International is calling for urgent prayer and international pressure on the Indian government.

22 March 2026Release International

Release International India persecution

Map of the world with highlighted persecution hotspots

PersecutionInternational

Persecution Trends 2026: Release International Warns of Rising Pressure on Christians Worldwide

Release International's annual Persecution Trends Report warns that Christians worldwide face increased persecution in 2026 from oppressive governments and religious extremists, with Nigeria and China among the most concerning regions.

21 March 2026Release International

Release International persecution 2026

Young woman praying in a simple Sri Lankan church

PersecutionInternational

"I Will Look to Him": Sunisha's Story of Steadfast Faith Under Pressure in Sri Lanka

Sunisha, a 17-year-old Christian in Sri Lanka, faces pressure from Buddhist nationalist neighbours who have tried to force her family to abandon their faith. Her story of quiet, steadfast faith is an inspiration to the global Church.

21 March 2026Open Doors UK & Ireland

Open Doors Sri Lanka persecution

PersecutionInternational

200 Christians Slaughtered in Borno State, Nigeria — Barnabas Aid Calls for Urgent Prayer

Around 200 civilians were slaughtered by Islamist terrorists in the Christian-majority town of Ngoshe, Borno State, Nigeria, on March 4. At least 300 people were abducted and churches and schools were burned.

21 March 2026Barnabas Aid

Nigeria Borno State Barnabas Aid

PersecutionInternational

Pray for Us: Christians Across the Middle East Call for Intercession as Conflict Intensifies

Christian communities across Iran, Lebanon, and Iraqi Kurdistan call for prayer as conflict intensifies and persecution increases.

20 March 2026Barnabas Aid

Woman in South East Asia praying quietly in a simple home, soft light through a window

PersecutionInternational

"I Feel Reborn": Vannida's Story of Faith After Tragedy in South East Asia

Vannida's husband was killed for his faith. Open Doors partners visited, prayed, and brought encouragement — and something shifted. "I feel reborn," she says.

19 March 2026Open Doors UK

open doors persecution south east asia

Candlelit prayer vigil for a persecuted Christian family in Pakistan

PersecutionInternational

Christian Labourer Murdered in Pakistan — Barnabas Aid Supports Bereaved Family

Marqus Masih, a young Christian farm labourer in Punjab, was found dead in circumstances that a postmortem confirmed as murder. Barnabas Aid is providing legal support to his bereaved family.

19 March 2026Barnabas Aid

barnabas aid pakistan persecution

Candles lit in prayer for persecuted Christians in India

Persecution

Indian Pastor Beaten by Nationalist Mob as Police Stand Aside

Pastor Bipin Bihari Naik was brutally attacked by a nationalist mob in Odisha, India. The mob placed a garland of footwear around his neck, forced him to walk on thorns, and tried to make him worship a Hindu deity. Police were slow to respond and initially threatened to file a case against the pastor himself.

19 March 2026Release International

Release International India Persecution

Students gathered in prayer in a Middle Eastern setting, candlelight, sense of solidarity and faith under pressure

Persecution

As If You Were There: IFES Calls the Church to Pray for Students in the Middle East and North Africa

Imagine trying to run a Christian student group in a city where bombs fall and universities close without warning. Imagine gathering for Bible study knowing that some of your members have lost family members in the past week. Imagine trying to speak of hope when the evidence of despair is visible fr

17 March 2026IFES

Candlelit prayer vigil for persecuted Christians in DR Congo, congregation holding candles in a church

PersecutionInternational

17 Christians Killed and 100 Abducted in DR Congo as ISCAP Violence Escalates

Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) has claimed responsibility for killing 17 Christians and abducting approximately 100 others in the village of Mushasha in north-eastern DR Congo on 13 March 2026. The attack is part of an escalating pattern of violence that has claimed at least 850 Christian lives since December 2024.

16 March 2026Barnabas Aid

Barnabas Aid DR Congo Persecution

Young Iranian Christians gathered in a house church, praying together by candlelight with Bibles

PersecutionInternational

Fear and Faith: Young Christians in Iran Navigate Grief, Isolation, and Persecution

Open Doors UK shares the story of Amir, a local partner who reconnected with young Iranian Christians navigating profound grief, fear, and isolation amidst national turmoil and persecution. Internet shutdowns, government monitoring, and the scattering of house churches have left many young believers feeling cut off from both the global church and from God.

16 March 2026Open Doors UK

Open Doors Iran Persecution