Muslim protesters formed a human chain to block Christian worshipers from attending a planned Christmas worship service on Dec. 14, 2025, near the capital city of Jakarta, Indonesia. Videos on social media show the group holding anti-Christian banners and shouting jihadist slogans. Some protesters held or pushed Christians who tried to get through the line. “We only want to worship peacefully,” one Christian said in a video. “We have no intention of disturbing anyone.”
Read MoreA front-line worker visited a remote part of northern Sierra Leone to participate in the first baptismal service of a newly planted church. Reaching the church required traveling by truck and then motorcycle for hours over a series of rough dirt roads and paths. After the worker arrived and participated in a church service, the congregation walked to a river for the baptism ceremony. By the time they arrived, the sun had set. “So, using the motorcycle’s lights, we had a beautiful baptism ceremony in which 31 believers entered into the baptism waters,” the front-line worker said.
Read MoreA Christian convert from Islam who is now a pastor received facial surgery as he continues to recover from an attack 15 years ago. Pastor Umar Mulinde, a former Muslim leader, left Islam to follow Christ in the 1990s. While on his way to a Christmas party with his church members on Dec. 24, 2011, he was attacked by a radical Muslim who poured acid on his face. Since then, Umar’s wounds have continued to cause pain and discomfort.
Read MoreA Muslim religious leader is seeking truth about Christ after encountering a Bible for the first time. Mustafa is an imam of his local mosque, but he discovered a Bible in his son’s room. He became curious about what the Bible teaches as he noticed many in his community turning away from Islam. “When I open any pages and read, this book continues to give truth that I never heard,” he said.
Read MoreTwo Christian couples in northern India were assaulted by a Hindu mob when they visited another Christian family to pray for them. Pastor Jehovah Das, 65, and Vinod Masih, 42, and their wives visited another family’s home to pray for their new baby. A group of radical Hindus found out about the visit and gathered a mob of about 50 people. They broke into the house and dragged the Christians out, slapping, punching and kicking them for several hours. They then searched the visitors’ car, pulled out Bibles and Christian literature, and forced the Christians to set fire to the materials.
Read MoreIslamists belonging to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) continue to attack and kill Christians in targeted assaults in the DRC. One pastor said his village has been attacked by the ADF three times over the last year, and every building belonging to Christians has been destroyed. In the first attack, the ADF killed 15 people inside his church and kidnapped 20. In the next attack, the ADF killed six people, including a church elder. When the ADF attacked a third time, the pastor said they were specifically looking for him.
Read MoreIn 2025, a 16-year-old Pakistani Christian named Reena took a job at a restaurant to help support her family. An older Muslim man who worked there tried to convert her to Islam repeatedly, but she refused. In January 2026, as she was walking home, she was grabbed and forced into a van. Her family told authorities and tried to confront the man at her workplace but were told Reena had converted to Islam and married him.
Read MoreSince the beginning of 2026, more than two dozen Christians, including converts and church leaders, have been arrested and detained without any charges in a Middle Eastern nation. “Family members haven’t been able to contact them,” said a front-line worker, adding that at least three Christians disappeared without anyone knowing what happened to them. “The situation is bad. Families are struggling.”
Read MoreOn Dec. 24, 2025, Muslim leaders insisted on an official ban and pressured a local pastor in West Java province to cancel his church’s planned holiday worship services. Religious and government leaders cited the potential for attacks from radical Islamist groups but could not identify a specific threat. While a public announcement was made that the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations were canceled, the 70-member church decided to continue their services as planned. “I was indeed under pressure in the video [announcing the ban],” said Pastor Irianto Budy.
Read MoreKazakh church leaders are reporting an upswing in harassment during church services by government officials. “In four different churches on the outskirts of Almaty since the end of December, police have showed up, interrupted services and demanded names and IDs,” said a front-line worker. He said that this seems like a new tactic: “In the past, pressure from the government has mostly been against radical Islam, not against churches.”
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