ASSIST News (ASSIST) reports that Vietnamese Christian leader "Nguyen Hong Quang narrowly escaped injury from a motorcycle accident staged by police on December 9 in a clumsy assassination attempt." After being imprisoned for 24 hours, he launched a prayer and fasting vigil for many pastors who had been arrested for doing street evangelism during the South East Asian Games that were hosted in Vietnam.

Upon his release, Quang reportedly said, "At this time I want the official government of Vietnam to release these church members." He continued, "The government has two choices. Either they shoot me so I can meet the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven, or they resolve the issue of freeing the churches so they can worship the Lord."

Radio Free Asia reported last week Friday that 15 of those arrested had been released. Despite these releases, ASSIST reported that police in Ho Chih Minh City (Saigon) assaulted a number of Christians. ASSIST also reports that "Ms. Le Thi Thanh Tuyen was arrested, bound and beaten." She was released 24 hour later.

The Barnabas Fund (BF) reports that two Christians from Alexandria, Aziz Zakher Sarkis and Sharif Kameel Nazer, who were originally arrested in October but then released, have been rearrested by the police. Both arrests were made without a warrant. The BF says: "are accused of helping Muslim converts to Christianity obtain new identities." The BF continues, "Officer Sayed Zaki presided over the arrests and he is known for his particularly aggressive attitude towards converts." The two were incarcerated at 8:00pm on Tuesday, November 16 and as of now no official charges have been made.

The two were initially arrested with about 20 other believers, were arrested in October in what the BF described as "a widespread sweep targeting converts from Islam and those who helped them obtain new identities." All those arrested were released and, with the exception of Aziz and Sharif, are still out on bail. "In the wake of this latest development," says the BF, "converts throughout Alexandria are now living in a state of dramatically heightened fear believing they could be next."

FOX News reports that computer technician, Zhang Shengqi, "who posted articles online supporting China's unofficial Christian church has been arrested." According to FOX, he "has been charged with leaking state secrets." It is believed that he is currently being held in a prison in Hangzhou where two other Christians, arrested in a separate crackdown, are also being held. FOX says, "Zhang's arrest appeared to be related to police suspicions that he helped church historian Liu Fenggang post information on the Internet about the Hangzhou crackdown." Liu Fenggang is a veteran human rights campaigner and is also currently in prison on the same charges.

FOX states: "Zhang's case could be more complicated because it brings together two key security concerns for China's secretive communist rulers: Unauthorized religious activity and political use of the Internet."

"The Christian population is under constant attacks of Buddhist majority community in different provinces of Sri Lanka," says the Pakistan Christian Post (PCP). According to the PCP, "churches have been desecrated, Holy Bibles burnt and clergy attacked by the processions led by the Buddhist monks." The PCP continues saying, "the recent wave of attacks on Christians in Sri Lanka are great danger to the integrity of this Island."

The PCP cites a series of attacks that have occurred in Sri Lanka. An old factory that serves as a Church was attacked by a procession led by Buddhist monks. At the time of the attacks no one was their so the property and scriptures were desecrated. United Methodist minister, Pastor Wickramasinghe, was attacked in his home and his property damaged. It is also reported that in a mob attacked the home of an Assembly of God pastor when the wife of the pastor and female parishoners were present. The landlord was asked to evict them from their home and Church member registration forms stolen and submitted to the police.

These are merely examples of the spate of attacks that Christians have been victims of.

"November," says the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), "was a dangerous month for Christians in Iraq." CBN continues, "A key Christian judge was killed in Mosul, bombs were found at two Christian schools, and many Christian students and families received notes to convert to Islam, or else." According to CBN, there is a radical Islamic movement spreading across Iraq and this movement is causing a lot of fear in the hearts and minds of Christians. CBN quotes the Presbyterian minister of a Church in Baghdad who said, "We are afraid of the future."

It is believed that since the first Gulf War, the number of Christians in Iraq have dropped from 2 million to a mere 800 000. The rise of radical Islam, which has for months now been forewarned, will, it is believed, place the current Christian community in Iraq, under tremendous pressure.

In a recent interview with Christian Pastors in Laos Compass Direct learned that although Christians in the cities may face intimidation for not worshipping in official Churches, Christians in Villages face a more difficult time. In an interview, Pastors from Laos said that foreigners can only visit Christians in rural villages if the Chief of the village and the governor of the province are both sympathetic. It was also learned that any financial aid to persecuted Christians should be channeled through the local Church who will distribute in small amounts according to specific needs so as note to draw unwanted attention.

According to the Pastors, "The situation is changing in Laos. The government knows that all things are reported to the outside, so arrests are decreasing and people are only held for a short time. But in reality, Christianity is not allowed in Laos. The hearts and minds of the government have not changed."

The Hindu Times reports that the "Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has launched a fresh drive against Christian missionaries and conversions in Chhattisgarh" The VHP has asked the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) state government to "bring comprehensive legislation in the state assembly to check forced conversions." According to the HT, the VHP "has asked them (missionaries) to shun 'anti-Hindu' activities, keep away from conversion practices and restrict themselves only to their basic religious duties." It is reported that Ramesh Modi, the VHP state president in Chhattisgarh, said the "continuous suppression of Hindus in Chhattisgarh by churches guided and controlled by those have roots in foreign countries" would not be tolerated by Hindu organizations in Chhattisgarh.

According to the HT, "VHP officials said the Hindu rightwing organisation would also launch an agitation against churches and organise over 1,000 purification programmes for those wanting to reconvert." The VHP are proposing "anti-conversion legislation be similar to those passed by Tamil Nadu and Gujarat."

From Forum 18: "Moscow city's justice department has failed to explain to Forum 18 News Service why it allowed the founding document of a Methodist Church to be altered without the knowledge or consent of the church, thus facilitating the "sale" of the building to new "owners". Guards hired by these "owners" have seized the building, with the pastor and church officials remaining inside. Aleksandr Buksman, head of the local city registration department for religious organisations, has claimed to Forum 18 that the demands of Russia's religion law "were fully observed by the religious organisation". This claim is very strongly disputed by the church, which points out to Forum 18 that a "meeting" Buksman refers to was not authorised by the church, did not involve church members, and was not held on church premises. Buksman has failed to explain why his department did not check any of this with the church leadership."

International Christian Concern (ICC) reports that the "description of the violence in Sudan as a civil war is itself a misnomer, suggesting that counter political claims - rather than unilateral religious extremism - lie at its core." ICC continues saying, "the inhabitants of southern Sudan are, in fact, unknown victims of the world's longest-running jihad." ICC continues saying, "the persistence of widespread slavery into the twenty-first century is almost completely unreported" and that people who try to expose the presence of slavery in Sudan, like Francis Bok, are discredited by the Sudanese government.

ICC says, "Behind the political scenes, a growing coalition of American groups has labored to focus the resources of the U.S. government on the tragedy in Sudan." ICC continues saying, "Khartoum's failure to recognize - let alone accept responsibility for - gross human rights abuses, the continued attacks against Bok and anti-slavery activists, the absence of the issue of slavery from the peace agenda; all are reasons why hopes for peace in Sudan may be misplaced."

This Christmas, as many of us celebrate Christmas with family and friends, thousands of Christians around the world will be suffering for their faith in Jesus. It is our hope and prayer that Christians who are able to worship freely will, during this Christmas season, remember their persecuted brothers and sisters. It is hoped that during the merriment and time spent with family, intercession and commitment to praying for those who are persecuted for their faith are not forgotten. We are also encouraging believers a congregations to remember their suffering brothers and sisters during their Christmas services. If you feel drawn into providing practically for those who are suffering for their faith, then please (as the Lord leads) donate money to reputable charities that work for those who are afflicted for their faith.