Sisters' Stories
Women
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Kidnapped Girl Returns to Family
Farah recuperating from her injuries.
Photo: Morning Star NewsOn Saturday, December 5th, 2020, police in Faisalabad, Pakistan, found 12-year-old Farah Shaheen chained in the home of Khizar Hayat. Five months earlier, Khizar had kidnapped her, taken her to the local mosque to be converted to Islam, and then forced her to marry him. According to police, the dark marks on her ankles indicated that she was chained for most of her time in captivity.
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Nurse Beaten After Blasphemy Allegation
Tabitha enduring the abuse and
accusations of her coworkers.
Photo: YouTube /
Morning Star News (screenshot)A Christian nurse, known for her Gospel singing, has been charged with blasphemy against Islam. Tabitha Nazir Gill was accused by a co-worker on January 28th after a dispute.
The head nurse at Sobhraj Maternity Hospital had issued orders that nurses were not to receive any cash from patients. When one of the nurses was seen collecting money, Tabitha reminded her of the policy; at which time, Tabitha encountered an attack and then was accused of inciting violence, along with blasphemy. Video footage has been released showing Tabitha being beaten, tied up, and locked in a room until police arrived.
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Imprisoned Pastor's Family Facing Harassment
Earlier in 2020, it was reported that Sithong Theppavong, the pastor of a small church in a farming area of Savannakhet Province, received repeated warnings to cease his ministry. On March 15th, 2020, he was arrested without any indication of charges. For more details on his arrest, visit VOMC's previously posted report.
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Militants Attack Pastor's Family
Damaged brick church
Photo: Morning Star NewsOn December 27th, Pastor Moses Nabwana and his wife Naura were beaten because of the recent conversion of a Muslim imam. Pastor Moses was admitted to hospital due to the seriousness of his injuries (read a previous report on this incident). Four weeks later, the family was again attacked.
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Mary Mohammadi Faces New Arrest
Fatemeh (Mary) Mohammadi
Photo: Middle East ConcernFatemeh (Mary) Mohammadi is a Christian blogger who has openly expressed her concerns over the human rights abuses in Iran. She was previously imprisoned for being a member of a house church. In April 2020, she received a suspended sentence, plus ten lashes for "disturbing public order" (see this report).
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Missionary Executed in Captivity
Beatrice Stockli
Photo: World Watch MonitorIn January 2016, Beatrice Stockli was kidnapped in Timbuktu. The militant group, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), has claimed responsibility, stating that Beatrice had "declared war against Islam in her attempt to Christianize Muslims" (read more). Six months after her arrest, and again a year later, videos were released showing that she was alive.
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A Healing Journey Ahead for Arzoo Raja
Arzoo (second from the left) and Syed Ali Azhar (far right) with police in Karachi, Pakistan.
Photo: Sindh governmentOn October 13th, Arzoo Raja was abducted from her family home. She was forced to convert to Islam and marry her kidnapper, even though she was only 13 years old. On November 5th, a court ordered that her age be determined and, in the interim, she be moved to a shelter. (More information on this incident is available here.)
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Kidnapped Pastor Released
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube On October 19th, Rev. Polycarp Zongo from the Church of Christ in Nations went missing, along with two Christian women. Ten days later, it was discovered that the three Nigerians had been kidnapped by militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). This faction is a breakaway from the formerly reported Boko Haram terrorist group.
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Hope for Young Teen Forced into Marriage
Arzoo (second from the left) and Ali Azhar (far right) with police in Karachi, Pakistan.
Photo: Sindh governmentAccording to Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights, the Sindh High Court has ordered that Arzoo Raja, a 13-year-old Christian girl, be recovered by police and moved into a shelter. This comes almost a month after she was abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married against her will to a 44-year-old Muslim neighbour.
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Arrested for "Illegal Business Practices"
Geng Xiaonan
Photo: ChinaAidA well-known Chinese businesswoman has been arrested and charged with "illegal business practices," an accusation frequently used to stifle the criticism of political dissidents. Geng Xiaonan was detained on September 9th, along with her husband Qin Zhen. According to Geng's lawyer, the charges relate to her involvement in 8,000 illegal publications; a number which has since grown to approximately 200,000 and even includes cooking magazines.