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Hassan Podo was a 28-year-old imam from the village of Kerekerene in eastern Uganda. However, after having missed prayers at the mosque for three consecutive weeks, and seen entering a church building on March 16th, he was subjected to interrogation by his family.

When entering the family home that evening of the 16th, his brothers surrounded him, carrying sticks. They wouldn't allow him to finish answering their questions, but began shouting and beating him, calling him an "infidel" and an enemy of Islam. Fortunately, Hassan's wife and two children were able to escape to a nearby Christian's home.

As the pastor and congregation of the Christian Family Church in Galgamuwa prepared to begin their Sunday worship service on the morning of February 24th, a mob consisting of around 200 people, led by Buddhist monks, forced their way into the church premises.

In October 2018, a young Christian, Eldos Sattar uuly, sustained a broken jaw and other injuries after a violent attack in the Issyk-Kul Region of Kyrgyzstan (see this report). While those responsible were charged, they were sentenced to house arrest, which is not being enforced.

Earlier this month, we reported on a devastating attack on the churches of Alaba Kulito, a town located in southern Ethiopia (see this report). Following the attack, a support representative travelled to the community on February 21st to gain more details and determine what could be done to provide necessary assistance.

Coordinated bombs at a cathedral in Jolo, southern Philippines, killed at least 20 people and injured over 80 on January 27th. The first bomb went off during the church service; the second exploded outside the door, as people fled and troops responded to the disaster. Those killed included five soldiers. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the incident, and the Philippines military has been conducting raids in an effort to track down those responsible.

Twenty Christians were seriously injured after a mob stormed the prayer meeting they attended. According to local reports, more than 150 believers were gathered together on July 2nd when 25 Hindu villagers attacked them, beating them with wooden rods. When the mayhem finally concluded, 20 Christians were severely injured; some with broken bones. Ten motorcycles were also damaged, along with furniture and musical instruments.

Seventeen Liberian believers are being persecuted by their families after having converted from Islam to Christianity. They have been threatened, beaten and ordered to stop attending church and listening to Christian music. As a result of the persecution, many of them have fled to nearby villages for safety.

These young believers placed their faith in Christ after hearing the Gospel from visiting pastors who also gave each of them a pocket-sized Bible. Although they were initially afraid to listen to the pastors for fear of persecution, the new believers continued attending night meetings. The relatives noticed that they had stopped going to the local mosque and eventually learned of their conversions to Christianity.