LONDON, UK -(ANS)-The British Foreign Office has called on Islamic Republic of Iran to turn down the sentences issued against Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani and his lawyer, Mohammad-Ali Dadkhah.

Open Doors Responding to Syrian Christians’ Pleas for Help with Emergency Relief Packages

SANTA ANA, CA - Christians living in the ravaged city of Homs, Syria, are facing a nightmare that never seems to end.

The target of a savage bombing campaign, Homs has made headlines around the world. But behind the headlines, another story is emerging. There is disturbing new evidence of intimidation and persecution of Christians in the city.

Before the Syrian uprising against the government – which has left 9,000 dead – began over a year ago, there were an estimated 40,000 Christians in Homs. Now less than 5,000 are left. Most fled because of the conflict. But many are now being driven out. Extremist Sunni Muslim groups have recently started to visit Christian families in Homs, telling them to leave, or else be killed.

EGYPT - “We don’t know if our daughter is still alive,” Magda told ICC during a recent visit to Egypt. “We haven’t seen or heard from her in five years… Her kidnapper called us and said she was dead and buried.”

Mary disappeared in June 2007, but to her mother, Magda, it feels like only yesterday that she was sleeping peacefully in her own bed under the loving care of her parents. For those who lose a child, as Magda had, the pain never goes away.

“There were no warning signs. There was nothing we could do, but the guilt doesn’t go away. If only we could have known [what would happen],” Magda explained while fighting back tears.

ESFAHAN, IRAN - The pastor of a church in Esfahan, and nine imprisoned Christians from the city were freed on April 30 and May 1, pending their recall at a future date.

According to the Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN), their family had to put up a lot of money as a guarantee. In addition, new charges were filed against the accused.

According to FCNN, quoting Christian sources in Esfahan, Pastor Hekmat Salimi and nine others were freed after their families paid 50,000 US$ for Salimi, Meysam Hojati and Shahnaz Zarifi, and 30,000 US$ for others.

Pastor Youcef at Greater Risk

WASHINGTON, DC- (ANS) - The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which has been working to secure the release of Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, on Thursday called Iran's decision to imprison Pastor Youcef's attorney, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, "very troubling" - a move that puts the Christian pastor in greater danger.

According to a ACLJ news release, Dadkhah told a news organization that Iranian officials told him that he has been convicted of acting against national security, spreading propaganda against the regime, and is expected to be jailed soon.

IRAN - According to unnamed sources in Tehran, Fariborz Azarm, imprisoned for six months, was freed on April 11 and has now reunited with his family.

According to a story by the Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN), Azarm was arrested by plainclothes agents of the Islamic Ministry of State Security during the early hours of Oct. 17 2011.

Held in an unknown location without visiting privileges for most of his six months of imprisonment, FCNN said Azarm's family was not informed about his condition, and not allowed to visit him for most of his six months captivity. The family had been warned not to publicize his arrest, and as a result were reluctant to contact media.

At press time Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is still alive. A web message and email campaign aimed at protesting Pastor Youcef’s death sentence has erroneously reported that Youcef has already been executed. Sources inside Iran confirm that Youcef is alive. In fact, he was allowed to celebrate his birthday (April 11, 2012) with a prison visit from his family.

Pastor Youcef however remains under orders of execution, and could be executed at any moment by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Youcef was condemned to death in October of 2011 for the charge of apostasy which is defined as converting from Islam to Christianity.

Pastor in Black Sea region's bastion of nationalism feels the hate; slow justice in Malatya

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - Compass Direct News (CDN) is reporting that sentiment against Christians in Turkey has persisted long enough for a U.S. religious rights monitor to recommend it as a "Country of Particular Concern," and pastor Orhan Picaklar knows such anti-Christian hostility first-hand. Picaklar, of Agape Church in Samsun, lives in the Black Sea region, a bastion of Turkey's unique Islamic-imbued nationalism.

"We have been here for 10 years, and people here still treat us like cursed enemies," Picaklar said. Picaklar's son received death threats on Facebook last September, and a man in his early 20s caused minor damage to Picaklar's church building last month.

Hard-line Salafi Muslims cut off Copt’s ear, terrorize his family

UPPER EGYPT - Compass Direct News (CDN) is reporting that a judge in Upper Egypt has dismissed all charges against a group of Salafi Muslims who cut off the ear of a Christian in a knife attack in which they tried to force him to convert.

The Salafists, who say they base their religion on the Islam of the first three generations after Muhammad, had falsely accused 46-year-old Ayman Anwar Metry of having an affair with a Muslim woman, the Christian told Compass.

Praying for the jihadists' support and supply to be cut off

AUSTRALIA - (ANS)- Security is deteriorating rapidly for Christians along Africa's notorious ethnic-religious fault-line: roughly between the 5 to 10 degree north parallels. Genocidal Islamic jihad has displaced Christians in Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Nigeria, Mali and Ivory Coast.

Multitudes of predominantly Christian, ethnically southern Ivorian refugees feel forgotten. Displaced during the French-backed Islamic coup of April 2011, they remain desperate and vulnerable, unable to return home because their homes and farms have been occupied by pro-Ouattara supporters who are being protected by armed 'dozos' from the north. Appointed by Ouattara's Republican Forces (former 'rebels') to crack down on crime, 'dozos' are a 'brotherhood of initiated traditional hunters renowned for their mystical powers'.

SYRIA -(ANS)-Extremist Islamist forces in Syria's opposition movement have attacked local Christians due to the belief that they back the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

According to a report by Fernando Perez of the World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (WEA-RLC), the country's largest denomination, the Syrian Orthodox Church, recently highlighted "an ongoing ethnic cleansing of Christians." The action was allegedly by members of an al-Qaida-linked militant Islamist group, Brigade Faruq, in the city of Homs, an opposition stronghold.

Catholic news agency Fides has reported that over 90 percent of Christians in Homs have fled to Jordan and their homes have been grabbed by the militants.

Boko Haram terrorists, the main suspects

KANO, NIGERIA - (ANS) - Attackers armed with bombs and guns opened fire at church services today (Sunday, April 29, 2012) at a Nigerian university, killing about 20 people as worshippers tried to flee, witnesses and officials said.

"Explosions and gunfire rocked Bayero University in the northern city of Kano, with witnesses reporting that two church services were targeted as they were being held on campus," said a report from the AFP news agency.

One of the services was being held outdoors, while the second was inside a building in a lecture theater, but with an overflow audience outside, witnesses said.

Istanbul church leader has known hostility from Muslims nearly all his life.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - After a memorial service for three Christians who were murdered in Malatya, Turkey five years ago, an Istanbul pastor who was attacked over Easter weekend said he's experienced hostility from Muslims nearly all his life.

According to Compass Direct News (CDN), Semir Serkek, 58, pastor of Grace Church in Istanbul's Bahcelievler district, said he personally knew Turkish converts to Christianity Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel and German Christian Tilmann Geske, who were brutally murdered by five young men in the southeastern city of Malatya on April 18, 2007.

200 Believers Kept Out of Sunday Worship

CARROLLTON, TX - Anti-Christians in South Asia have restricted more than 200 believers who attend Pastor Sayam Chandran's church from attending Sunday worship service. Right now, only 70-90 believers fit in the limited space where the services take place. The Gospel for Asia-supported pastor purchased a piece of land to build a bigger church, but anti-Christian fanatics are not permitting any construction to take place.