NEWS SUMMARIES:

August 2008

• Book objecting to double standard in Egypt banned
• Son of top Hamas leader reveals conversion
• Political conspiracy may be behind Malatya murders
• Yemeni authorities continue to hold Christians
• Custody up in air over kidnapped Christians
• Age contested in forced conversion of Pakistani girl
• Conference held on loving neighbor has implications for Muslims and Christians
• Eight highschoolers locked in Eritrean shipping containers
• Freedom deteriorating in Yemen
• Muslim suspects arrested in "suicide" of Pakistani Christian
• Second Egyptian Muslim convert seeks official ID change
• Iranian Christians die from injuries in police raid
• Saudi Arabia deports 15 Christians

July 2008

• Widespread abuse of domestic workers in Saudi Arabia
• Diabetic Iranian imprisoned Christian critically ill
• Pakistani court takes over supervision of Christian children in disputed conversion case
• Iran should halt executions of children, says HR groups
• Eritrean Christian dies in prison
• HR group objects as Bahriani king warns subjects against Western HR alliances
• Iraqi reporter murdered
• Beaten Christian flees Iran
• Tunisian journalist released
• Release protesters,investigate torture in Egypt, says HR
• Christians across Pakistan persecuted
• Pakistiani couple appeals custody decision in conversion case.
• Hearing in Algerian blasphemy case postponed
• Coptic Christians protest at White House
• President Bush says religious freedom belongs at center of foreign policy
• Majority of U.S. Christians believe religious freedom should be priority in foreign policy
• Alleged missionary cell members arrested in Yemen
• Pakistani Christian father fights for custody of young daughters who were forced to convert to Islam
• Demonstration in Washington in defense of persecuted Coptics set for July 16th
• Turkish defense lawyers turn murder trial's focus on Christian missionaries
• Iranian converts still detained two months later
• Christians fear backlash following mass kidnapping in Pakistan
• After arrest/beating, Iranian Christian released temporarily
• Two Muslim converts convicted in Algeria
• Morocco should drop criminal charges against human rights defenders
• Jordan should withdraw new laws on NGOs says HR group

June 2008

• Charges under review in insulting Turkishness trial
• US Christians call for Presidential ban on torture
• Iranian police torture newly converted couple
• Iran should open court proceedings for Kurdish activists
• Eritrean Christian tells of torture
• Muslim rioters target Copts in Upper Egypt
• Egyptian police arrest 20 following attack on Christians
• Nine Pakistani Christians kidnapped
• Messianic Israelis claim harrassment
• Middle Eastern leaders seek to restrict broadcasters
• Need to debate religious freedom in Algeria
• Algerian convert targeted
• Eritrean refugees deported by Egypt face torture
• Jordanian minister calls for peace between Muslims and Christians
• More trials for Algerian Christians
• Mentally disturbed young girl allegedly raped by Muslims in Pakistan
• Ethiopia sentences Muslim church attackers to life
• Lybian government should release activists
• Syria continues to oppress HR activists
• Saudi wants to help other nations install religious policing agency
• Three accused of blasphemy in Pakistan in one month
• Turkish police threaten to shut down church
• Yemenite HR activist sentenced to six years
• Wave of arrests against Christians in Iran
• Jordanian court annuals convert's marriage
• Attack on Christians in Egypt following disappearance of convert from Islam
• Jordan designates site for celebrating Jesus' baptism
• Tehran house-church leader arrested
• Iran denies political prisoners medical care
• Christian school attacked in Gaza
• Two Iranian converts released
• Algerian court fines Christians
• Egyptian blogger released - claims tortured

May 2008

• Algerian police interrogate former Muslim
• Iraqi pastor jailed
• Calls for advocacy on behalf of Algerian Christians
• Algerian authorities seek two-year sentence against converts
• Iranian police won't release Muslim convert
• Reasons for Algerian crackdown on Christians
• Christian found with Bibles facing prison in Algeria
• New Testament book burning ignites concern in Israel
• HR advocates demand Saudis release activist
• Southern Iranian city crackdown against converts
• Petition circulating to release Yemen freedom advocate
• Algerian Christians plea for help from HR advocates
• Turkish HR advocate receives freedom prize
• Iraqi church leaders against death penalty
• Christian doctor arrested in Pakistan - accused of blasphemy
• Police arrest six Christians in western Algeria
• Saudis should dismiss cases against two for insulting Islam.
• Beirut violence affecting Christian broadcasting
• Algerian Bible-toter given one-year suspended sentence
• Protestant Turkish church and pastor threatened
• Pakistan's religious minorities seeking more freedom

April 2008

• Insulting Turkishness reforms do not go far enough
• Islamists kill Somalian convert
• Saudi Arabian Blogger released
• Jordanian accused of apostasy may lose custody of his children
• American Islamic group condemns book - "Why We Left Islam"
• Crackdown in Egypt on journalists following food protests
• Israel's Supreme Court rules Messianic Jews have same rights to citizenship
• Four Christian teachers murdered in Somalia
• Blame shifts to one in Turkish murder trial
• UN investigates alarming deterioration in religious freedom in Algeria
• Algerian Christian sentenced for proselytising
• CIA sent 14 suspects to Jordan for torture says HR group
• Assyrian priest shot dead in Iraq

March 2008

• Advocacy sought for detained Syrian HR activists
• Founder of LivePrayer threatened with death from irate Muslims
• Algerian government orders three churches to close
• Egyptian ruling allowing recoversions blocked by appeal
• Need for more protection for suspects in Saudi Arabia says HR group
• Kidnappings continue against Iraqi Christians
• Journalists group demands Iran disclose info on Afghan journalist
• Egypt's court considers appeal on freedom of expression
• Trial against accused murderers of Christians postponed again
• Algerian churches ordered to cease activity
• Efforts to prolong trial of Turkish converts
• Egyptian Christian bookstore raided by police; worker arrested
• Body of murdered Archbishop found - calls for US to do more to protect Christians
• Egyptian blogger innocent claims HRinfo
• Arrests in 6-year-old Pakistani murder case
• 400,000 Iraqi Christians have fled
• HR activist charged with denigrating Turkish army
• Reporters beaten in Tunisia
• Iranian-American journalist sentenced in absentia
• Egyptian receives right to remarry
• Three buried following bishop's kidnapping
• Kidnappers demand huge ransom for Christian Iraqi leader

February 2008

• Bloggers hold workshop on Internet/HR.
• Lawyers of slain Christians demand judges be replaced
• Jordan continues deporting Christians
• Arab governments should reject restrictions on media
• Turkey may reinterpret Islam
• Blogger starts second year in Egypt's prison
• Media freedom may be supported in Pakistan
• 14 armed men attack YMCA in Gaza
• HR condemns Arab council media regs
• Kidnapped Christian doctor received death threats
• Atmosphere of fanaticism in Egypt cause of defamation harrassment suits
• Martyred Gazan's wife gives birth - Islamists killers still at large
• Crackdown on Algeria Churches
• Student leader for freedom in Iran tortured.
• Iraqi reporter murdered.
• English Archbishop continues commentary on Sharia law.
• Reconversion case approved in Egypt court
• Media campaign targets Algerian churches
• Iran may bring death penalty for converts
• English archbishop advocates sharia law.
• Iran considering death penalty for those leaving Islam.

January 2008

• Two historical verdicts issued in Egyptian court
• Egyptian judge says Islam last religion - conversions not allowed
• Egypt's Baha'is win case
• Islamists publicize list of Egyptian "evangelists"
• Egyptian court hearing over convert turned nasty
• Bush praises Egypt, angers Human Right advocates
• Egyptian Christian faces torture if deported from U.S.
• U.S. judge rules Egyptian's fear of torture if deported credible
• Barnabus Fund revises response to Muslim letter
• Editors/journalist denounce Turkish law
• Egypt orders release of woman jailed because father converted to Islam
• Reporters call on Bush, Sarkozy to press Egypt for reforms
• Journalists ask Bush to press for release of joggers
• Turks set free teen who threatened pastor
• Iraq's Christians targeted by bombers
• Suspected militants kidnap five Christians in Pakistan
• Head of California Copts presses Bush on attacks against Christians in Egypt
• Iran uses security laws to suppress dissent
• Turks arrest suspect plotting to kill pastor

December 2007

• Egyptian convert may be under police pressure
• Murder suspects and connection with Turkish military?
• Egyptian editor accused of defamation
• Italian priest stabbed in Turkey
• Copts arrested for collecting donations to rebuild church
• Jeddah blogger arrested
• Egypt compensates Copts
• Mohammed Hegazy's case urgent
• Egyptian convert to Christianity still held in mental ward unless he recants faith
• More human rights activists arrested in Egypt
• "Golden Whip" festival exposes Egyptian torturers
• Interactive human rights map available on the web
• YouTube restores blogger's account

November 2007

• No coincidence Islamic riots occur on Fridays
• Syrian Orthodox priest kidnapped
• Case contrived against converts for insulting Turkishness
• English PEN concerned for Egyptian blogger
• Ibrahim Issa's case to stay in Cairo
• Pakistani Christians suffering in fight against harsh laws
• Reporters protect arrest of Tunisian journalist
• Turkish prosecutors accused of sloppy investigations
• Tunisia sacrificing human rights
• Christian falsely accused in bribery attempt by Egyptian mayor
• Egypt delays investigation into torture of blogger
• Egyptian Christian jailed over decades-ago conversion of father to Islam
• Journalist in Turkey charged with not telling police people were shouting slogans
• Algerian exile who denounced terrorists arrested in Spain
• Muslim convert arrested on wedding anniversary
• Lashings doubled for Saudi rape victim
• Hamas should hold security forces accountable
• Egypt should cease returning Sudanese asylum seekers

October 2007

• Militants threatened to bomb Christian family
• Egypt silencing press
• 500 lawsuits estimated against Egypt's journalists yearly
• Killing of Iraqi journalist condemned
• Torture in Egypt
• Muslim converts focus IDOP
• Iraqi Christians freed
• Egyptian government summons six
• Worldwide Free Kareem rally
• Five Egyptian journalists sentenced
• Tunisian human rights activist freed
• Negotiations to free Iraqi victims
• Two sentenced - "insulting Turkishness"
• Support in court case of convert
• Human rights is subject poorly covered in Arabic language
• Bible Society worker killed in Gaza
• Turkish converts' case prolonged
• Widow of Turkish martyr suffers

ANALYSIS OF RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION ISSUES

Egyptian ID cards cause of suffering for religious minorities

An Egyptian news article -- Islamic Experts Call for Mohammed Hegazy's Death -- is a revealing window into what religious minorities face in Egypt.

We are concerned that Middle Eastern Christians fleeing persecution are having more difficulty obtaining asylum in the United States. Click here to find out why.

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June 2008

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December 2007

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October 2007