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Showing posts from January, 2022

Pakistan Sentences Muslim Woman to Death for Blasphemy

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In the city of Rawalpindi, Pakistani Muslim woman Aneeqa Ateeq was sentenced to death for the crime of "blaspheming Islam."  In May of 2020, Aneeqa was officially charged with blasphemy by Pakistani courts.  The incident began when Aneeqa began communicating with a Muslim man by the name of Hasnat Farooq over WhatsApp.  The two met through a popular online game and began communicating with each other.  Hasnat accused Aneeqa of sending him offensive images of Muhammad over WhatsApp and went to the authorities and accused her of blasphemy.  According to Judge Adnan Mustaq, "The blasphemous material which was shared are totally unbearable and not tolerable for a Muslim.   This is only the latest of many cases in which people are imprisoned, often for years on end, when accused of Blasphemy.  Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi spent over 8 years on death row when accused of this.  Only through International Pressure did the Pakistani Supreme Court ove...

Chinese Pastor Li Sentenced to Five Years for Defying Communist Regime

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For years Pastor Li Juncai led a large church in the Henan Province of China that was part of a network of government controlled churches.  However, as time went on he grew increasingly uncomfortable as he began to understand how much control that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had over the churches.  In China, the CCP monitors who attends the churches and regulates what the Pastors are permitted to preach.  In time, Pastor Li realized that the congregation had to choose their loyalty.  It either had to be with God, or the CCP.  They chose God.   Pastor Li and his congregation chose to leave and join an unregistered church known as the Yuanyang County Central House Church.  It soon grew to over 700 worshippers.  However, in the early 2000's, the CCP launched a new wave of persecution against the unregistered churches.  In 2014, over 4,000 crosses were removed from church buildings in the Zhejiang Province.  Pastors who resisted t...

Iranian Government Comes After Pastor Soodmand's Son

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 On Dec. 03, 1990, the Iranian Regime executed Pastor Hossein Soodmand for the crime of "Apostasy."  Born to a Shia Muslim family in 1940, Hossein converted to Christianity and became a Pastor for the Assemblies of God Church.  After the 1979 Revolution, the Iranian government began a massive crackdown on all Christian churches and institutions in the country.  Despite this, Hossein continued his work, operating churches underground and baptizing Muslim converts.  Due to his actions, Hossein was charged with being an enemy of the state and ultimately executed.   Pastor Ramtin Soodmand and the Grave of his Father Hossein Soodmand Despite the ongoing persecution, Hossein's son, Ramtin, vowed to continue his fathers work.  Despite having to witness his father's execution at the age of 16, Ramtin Soodman stepped forward and for 30 years served as a leader in Iran's house church movement.  Over that time, Ramtin and his fellow believers were conti...

Tattoo Artist Uses His Talent to Fight Human Trafficking

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When tattoo artist Chris Baker became a born-again Christian, he began to question his chosen profession as a tattoo artist.  Though he loved his work and had a great talent for it, he wasn't sure if this was a path that God would want him to continue on.  Like many who are unsure about which direction to go, Christ prayed to the Lord for guidance.  A few days later, Chris went to work at his warehouse job and a few of his coworkers complimented him on his tattoos while complaining that the only tattoos that they have are leftover gang tattoos that they desperately wanted to get rid of.  It was at this moment that Chris realized that the Lord was answering his prayer.   Chris approached law enforcement officers about using his talent to help former gang members ( Link to Video ).  He learned during his work how these former gang members were having such a hard time leaving their old lives behind.  Their tattoos were a sinister mark of their previo...