Indian Pastor brutally beaten up while conducting a prayer meeting

By James Varghese, Special Correspondent in India for ASSIST News Service

KARNATAKA, INDIA (ANS) – An Indian pastor was brutally attacked by a group of Hindu radicals on Monday, March 8, 2010 at Mysore in Karnataka State. Read the rest of this entry »

Iranian Pastor Tortured, Threatened for ‘Converting Muslims’

By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST Ministries

ISFAHAN, IRAN (ANS) – Compass Direct News (CDN) is reporting that an Assyrian pastor the Iranian government had accused of “converting Muslims” is being tortured in prison and threatened with execution, sources close to the case said.

The CDN story said that State Security agents on Feb. 2 arrested the Rev. Wilson Issavi, 65, shortly after he finished a house meeting at a friend’s home in Isfahan, 208 miles (335 kilometers) south of Tehran. Read the rest of this entry »

Pakistani Christian couple gets 25 years in jail for ’defiling the Quran’

By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST Ministries

KASUR, PAKISTAN (ANS) – A Pakistani court on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 sentenced a Christian couple to 25 years in prison for defiling the Quran, the Muslim holy book, ANS has learned.

According to the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) UK Munir Masih and Ruqqiya Bibi were accused of touching Quran with unwashed hands. Read the rest of this entry »

Christian Believers Attacked and Beaten By Hindu Radical

By James Varghese, Special Correspondent in India for ASSIST News Service

MYSORE, INDIA – A group of 300 Hindi radicals entered the homes of Christian believers in a slum located in Mysore, Karnataka state on February 17, 2010, and assaulted them for their faith in Christ. Read the rest of this entry »

Prayer Meeting Attacked, Pastors and Participants Beaten and Jailed

By James Varghese, Special Correspondent in India for ASSIST News Service

CHHATTISGARH, INDIA (ANS) — A group of 30 radical Hindus belonging to Shiva Sena (Army of Shiva) and Bajrang Dal, a right-wing Hindu organization which is the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), attacked a prayer meeting at Korba in Chhattisgarh on Friday, January 22, 2010, injuring three pastors and a dozen believers.

According the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), an advocacy group, the attack took place at about 8.30 PM as the prayer meeting progressed. Read the rest of this entry »