Persecuted Christians

12/09/2026

https://evangelicalfocus.com/world/35914/more-than-30-christians-slain-in-plateau-state-nigeria

Christian leaders in Nigeria said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians’ lands and impose Islam.

09/09/2026

Father in Uganda Beaten by Muslim Sons for Accepting Christ
Adult children learned of conversion from mosque leader.

By Our East Africa Correspondent
NAIROBI, Kenya, September 3, 2026 (Morning Star News) – A 52-year-old Christian in eastern Uganda was recovering from injuries after his Muslim sons attacked him for leaving Islam, sources said.

In Nakalama village, Iganga Town Council, Kibirige Abumusa returned home on Aug. 9 after an extended stay in Jinja City, where he had put his faith in Christ on June 1. One of his adult sons, 28-year-old Kibirige Budallah, confronted him about his conversion, said neighbor and eyewitness Alice Naigaga.

Abumusa converted to Christianity after attending an open-air evangelistic event organized by Pastor Zakalia Sserwada of Evangel Church in Jinja City. A business colleague and member of True Worship Centre Church had encouraged Abumusa to attend the event.

Abumusa accepted Christ after attending the meetings for three days and later attended True Worship Church Centre in Jinja, where he stayed for discipleship until his return to his village in Iganga District on Aug. 9, according to the colleague, whose name is withheld for security reasons.

Abumusa’s son, Budallah, had learned about his conversion from Imam Kisige Musitafa of Jinja mosque, which Abumusa had previously attended. The imam had accompanied Abumusa to the evangelistic event, according to the friend. Immediately after Abumusa’s conversion, the imam informed Budallah, the source said.

Budallah questioned his father upon his return about abandoning Islam, calling him a kafir (infidel), and told him that he did not deserve to live because of his decision to leave Islam, Naigaga said. Budallah struck Abumusa with a stick, and his four other sons joined in beating him, said Naigaga, who took photographs of the attack from a distance before calling for neighborhood help.

By the time neighbors arrived, Abumusa was weak, bleeding from the nose and had wounds on his hands, legs and back, she said.

Naigaga said she heard Budallah referring to Islamic teachings concerning Muslims who leave Islam and claiming that killing such persons would earn the killer paradise.

Abumusa was taken to Iganga Hospital, where he received treatment for about a week. After being discharged, he took refuge at a friend’s house in another village, where he was continuing to recover.

Abumusa said he has not reported the assault to police, fearing his sons could further endanger him. He remained concerned about his safety in the face of hostility of his sons, his friend said.

Abumusa’s wife died in an accident in 2022, he said.

The attack was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.

Uganda’s constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate one’s faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Uganda’s population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit https://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?

Photo: Kibirige Abumusa after sons beat him on Aug. 9, 2026 for accepting Christ in Uganda. (Morning Star News)
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Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription, contact [email protected]; to make tax-deductible donations, visit https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

09/09/2026

More than 30 Christians Slain in Plateau State, Nigeria
Attacks on villages of one area also leave injuries and destruction.

By Christian Daily International-Morning Star News
ABUJA, Nigeria, September 8, 2026 (Christian Daily International-Morning Star News) – Suspected Fulani herdsmen killed more than 30 Christians in one area of Plateau state, Nigeria in the past month, sources said.

The latest attack in Mangu County took place on Saturday (Sept. 5), where three Christians were killed in two villages, said area resident Leo Lawrence.

“A Christian was killed in Fungtim community, while two other Christians were killed in Kinat community,” Lawrence told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “In total, three Christians were killed by suspected Fulani terrorists in these attacks.”

On Thursday (Sept. 3), two Christians were slain in predominantly Christian Kinat and Kop-Naanle villages, said area community leader Tubwot Sunday.

“Two Christians were killed in separate attacks by Fulani militants on two Christian villages,” Sunday said. “Mr. Bulus Danladi, 78, was killed in Kop-Naanle village, while Mr. Kwopnaan Lot Yunana, 33, was killed in Kinat village.”

On Aug. 18 in the predominantly Christian village of Bin-Per, Fulani herdsmen killed 25 Christian in an attack at about 3 a.m., area resident Nelson Dogara said in a text message to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.

“Bin-per village is bleeding as Muslim Fulani herdsmen have killed 25 Christians in an overnight attack,” Dogara said.

Jeremiah Dakahap, spokesman for the Mangu Local Government Council, confirmed the killings.

“We are still grieving the tragic killing of 25 Christians in Bin-Per village in Mangu Local Government Area,” Dakahap said. “The chairman of Mangu Local Government Council, Emmanuel Bala Mwolpun, is saddened with the killing of 25 Christians by Fulani in early hours of Tuesday, Aug. 18.”

Resident Daniel Musa confirmed that 25 Christians were killed, that several others sustained serious injuries and houses were burned down and crops destroyed.

“Most of the victims were women and children,” Musa said. “The dead were buried the same day in a single grave, while the injured victims were taken to public health facilities for medical care in the city of Jos.”

On Aug. 18 in Sabon Layi, Mangu County, soldiers drafted to the area shot and killed a Christian who along with other Christians was protesting the killings in the area, said community leader Jonathan Yusuf.

On Aug. 15, Jwak and Murish villages were attacked, and on Aug. 9 a Christian was slain in in Jakatai community. Yusuf said Fwangshak Dawuk was killed by soldiers while he and other Christians were guarding their village against herdsmen.

“We mourn Fwangshak with profound grief, but we also use this solemn occasion to renew our call for justice, accountability and immediate government action,” Yusuf told mourners at the funeral for Dawuk. “The circumstances surrounding the death of Fwangshak Dawuk, particularly reports alleging that he was a militia, are completely false. Fwangshak was killed while performing his community vigilance responsibilities.”

Yusuf said the community demanded a transparent, independent and impartial investigation into the circumstances of his death.

“The military exists to protect citizens, and whenever allegations arise concerning the unlawful killing of a civilian, the public deserves to know the truth,” Yusuf said.

He said that Fulanis on Aug. 12 killed 20-year-old Moses Emmanuel Panse in Murish village, Bwai District.

“His death further deepened the grief among our people,” he said. “Similarly, in Jwak Maitumbi, Mangu District, 38 houses were burned down on the same day, while farmlands were invaded and crops destroyed. These acts of destruction represent not only the loss of homes and property, but also a direct threat to the livelihoods and food security of affected families.”

These incidents cannot be treated as isolated events or be reduced to competing narratives, he added.

“We cannot continue to bury our community members while perpetrators remain unidentified, unarrested and unprosecuted,” Yusuf said, demanding immediate investigation of the killings and destruction of property.

Alfred Alabo, spokesperson for state police command, said some assailants in the Mangu area have been arrested. Plateau Gov. Caleb Mutfwang visited some of the affected villages, describing the attacks as barbaric and unacceptable.

“We will do everything within our powers to ensure that you remain on your land. Nobody will take over your land,” Mutfwang said.

More Christians were killed in Nigeria than in any other country from Oct. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2025, according to Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List. Of the 4,849 Christians killed worldwide for their faith during that period, 3,490 – 72 percent – were Nigerians, an increase from 3,100 the prior year. Nigeria ranked No. 7 on the WWL list of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a 2020 report.

“They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity,” the APPG report states.

Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians’ lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.

In the country’s North-Central zone, where Christians are more common than they are in the North-East and North-West, Islamic extremist Fulani militia attack farming communities, killing many hundreds, Christians above all, according to the report. Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), among others, are also active in the country’s northern states, where federal government control is scant and Christians and their communities continue to be the targets of raids, sexual violence, and roadblock killings, according to the report. Abductions for ransom have increased considerably in recent years.

The violence has spread to southern states, and a new jihadist terror group, Lakurawa, has emerged in the northwest, armed with advanced weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda, the WWL noted. Lakurawa is affiliated with the expansionist Al-Qaeda insurgency Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM, originating in Mali.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit https://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?

Photo: Plateau state Gov. Caleb Mutfwang. (Screenshot from Arise News interview on YouTube)
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© 2026 Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. https://morningstarnews.org

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Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription, contact [email protected]; to make tax-deductible donations, visit https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

09/09/2026

https://bitterwinter.org/china-if-you-defend-house-churches-we-will-shut-down-your-law-firm/

An attorney was forced to leave China after representing Beijing’s Zion Church. Authorities told her and her colleagues they should dissolve their firm—or else.

02/09/2026

Muslim’s Custody of Christian Girl in Pakistan Condemned
Alleged kidnapper accused of forcibly converting and marrying 13-year-old.

By Christian Daily International-Morning Star News
LAHORE, Pakistan, August 31, 2026 (Christian Daily International-Morning Star News) – Christian rights advocates on Saturday (Aug. 29) condemned a Pakistani court’s decision to give custody of a 13-year-old Christian girl to a Muslim accused of abducting, forcibly converting and marrying her.

Warning that the ruling could expose Amber Nadeem to further abuse and coercion, the advocates along with the girl’s mother, Nadia Nadeem, called on authorities to protect the child.

At the Faisalabad Press Club, Minorities Alliance Pakistan Chairman Advocate Akmal Bhatti, Voice of Justice Chairman Joseph Janssen, Advocate Haroon Michael and Sadaf Adnan joined Nadia Nadeem to object to the July 25 ruling made by an additional district and sessions judge in Faisalabad, Punjab Province despite unresolved questions over Amber’s age and circumstances surrounding her alleged conversion and marriage.

Amber was allegedly abducted on June 12 by Mohsin Liaqat, according to Janssen. Following a police report, authorities recovered her and placed her in protective custody at a Gender-Based Violence Unit. Liaqat was arrested in connection with the case.

During initial proceedings before a judicial magistrate on June 27, Amber allegedly told the court that members of Liaqat’s family had pressured her to claim that she was an adult. The defense subsequently produced conversion and marriage certificates stating that Amber was 18 and giving her date of birth as June 2008.

Her family and legal representatives disputed the documents, pointing out that Amber’s parents were married in 2012. The magistrate, citing discrepancies over her age, ordered a medical examination to establish her actual age and directed that she remain in a government shelter pending the results.

Janssen said the age examination had not been submitted to the magistrate when Judge Rana Sohail subsequently granted Amber’s custody to Liaqat, whom the defense described as her husband, and granted him bail.

The judge accepted a newly submitted affidavit in which Amber stated that she had voluntarily converted to Islam, married Liaqat of her own free will and had not been abducted, according to Janssen.

The government prosecutor, Muhammad Anwar Naz, strongly opposed the bail application and urged the court to consider the existing case record, Janssen said.
He also alleged that defense lawyers warned Amber during the proceedings that she could face punishment for apostasy if she withdrew her conversion.

“The allegation has raised concerns that her statements may have been influenced by intimidation or coercion,” Janssen added.

Amber’s mother told reporters that the family had applied for registration of a criminal case over allegedly forged birth documents used to alter the ages of Amber and her sister, Jennifer.

The family has submitted a verified Family Registration Certificate that it says contradicts the disputed birth records. It has also filed a civil suit seeking cancellation of the marriage certificate and a declaration that the marriage is illegal and void, Nadia Nadeem said.

Janssen said the case illustrated the vulnerability of religious minority girls when allegations of abduction, conversion and child marriage intersect. He called on law-enforcement agencies and the judiciary to ensure that legal protections for children are applied without discrimination.

“Amber’s case is not only about one child; it is a test of whether Pakistan’s child-protection laws, constitutional guarantees and commitments to religious freedom are applied equally to every child, regardless of her religion,” Janssen said.

Akmal Bhatti of MAP told reporters that the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2026 provides stronger legal protection for children and criminalizes child marriage and related offences.

He said a child’s alleged consent or statement should not, by itself, determine custody or protection when there are credible allegations of abduction, grooming, coercion, intimidation or manipulation.

“The best interests, safety, dignity and long-term welfare of the child must remain paramount,” Bhatti said.

Rights advocate Sadaf Adnan called for comprehensive legislation criminalizing forced religious conversion, particularly when minors are involved. She also urged independent investigations into allegations of forced conversion, abduction, child marriage and sexual exploitation.

Advocate Michael appealed to the Punjab government, police and judiciary to intervene to protect Amber, investigate the alleged fabrication of documents and other offenses and ensure that the case is decided according to law and the best interests of the child.

Janssen also referred to a July 9 resolution of the European Parliament that called on Pakistan to investigate allegations of forced conversion and child marriage involving minors, prosecute perpetrators and accomplices, ensure the safe recovery and protection of victims, strengthen judicial capacity and fully implement child marriage laws.

The press conference came shortly after members of the U.S. Congress urged the Pakistani government to protect an 18-year-old Christian woman whose family says she was abducted and forcibly converted to Islam.

In an Aug. 20 letter to Pakistan’s Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, 11 members of Congress expressed concern over the legal proceedings involving Neha Faqir, according to Christian Solidarity International (CSI), which is supporting her family.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-New Jersey) and Reps. James P. McGovern, French Hill, Gus Bilirakis, Andy Harris, Maria Elvira Salazar, Riley Moore, Randy Weber, Michael Cloud, Brad Sherman and Blake Moore signed the letter.

According to CSI, Faqir disappeared on March 24 after leaving her family home in Kot Radha Kishan, in Punjab’s Kasur District, to attend a course at a nearby sewing center. An attorney assisting the family later traced her to an Islamic seminary in Lahore, where the family learned that she had converted to Islam several days after her disappearance, CSI stated.

Faqir’s family disputes the validity of the conversion and says she had never expressed an intention to change her religion.

The lawmakers urged Tarar to ensure Faqir’s physical safety and well-being, provide her with confidential access to independent legal counsel, and allow her to communicate freely and privately with her family. They also called for any further judicial proceedings to be conducted in conditions that would allow her to express her wishes “freely and without intimidation or undue influence.”

Rights organizations have long raised concerns over allegations of abduction, forced conversion and forced marriage involving Christian and other religious minority girls and women in Pakistan. A report titled Stolen Girls, presented by advocacy organization Jubilee Campaign at the European Parliament on July 14, documented 210 cases involving alleged abduction, forced religious conversion, child marriage and sexual violence against Christian and other minority girls between 2019 and 2025.

The report said the cases pointed to a broader pattern of abuse allegedly facilitated by fraudulent documentation, manipulation of legal processes and institutional failures. Of the 210 cases documented, 186, or 88.6 percent, occurred in Punjab Province, while 22, or 10.5 percent, were recorded in Sindh Province and two, or 1 percent, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, according to the report.

More than 83 percent of the victims were under 18. The report identified 134 victims aged 14 to 17, 41 younger than 14 and 35 adults. The average age of the victims was 12.8 years, while the average age of alleged perpetrators was 35.8 years. In several cases documented by Jubilee Campaign, the age difference between the alleged victim and perpetrator exceeded 30 years.

The report’s figures represent cases documented by the organization and do not constitute a comprehensive count of all alleged abduction, forced conversion or child-marriage cases involving religious minorities in Pakistan.

Pakistan ranked eighth among the 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution in Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List, which cited systemic discrimination, mob violence, forced conversions, bonded labor and gender-based abuses. The organization also said weak law enforcement and widespread impunity have enabled perpetrators of anti-Christian violence to escape accountability.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit https://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?

Photo: Minorities Alliance Pakistan’s Akmal Bhatti speaks alongside other rights advocates and Nadia Nadeem at press conference on Aug. 29, 2026. (Christian Daily International-Morning Star News)
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© 2026 Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. https://morningstarnews.org

Tweet: https://twitter.com/morningstarnewz/

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Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription, contact [email protected]; to make tax-deductible donations, visit https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

02/09/2026

Muslim Mobs Attack 10 Church Buildings in Ethiopia
Unprecedented religious destruction in town sparked by false rumor.

By Our East Africa Correspondent
NAIROBI, Kenya, March 1, 2019 (Morning Star News) – Christians in a town in southern Ethiopia were stunned when local Muslims attacked 10 church buildings on Feb. 9, destroying one and burning the property inside all the structures, according to aid agencies.

Chanting the jihadist slogan, “Allahu akbar [God is greater],” Muslims in Halaba Kulito targeted worship buildings belonging to eight denominations, reported Scotland-based aid agency Steadfast Global and Voice of the Martyrs-Canada. Kale Hiwot Galeto church’s building was razed.

“The incensed crowds comprising Muslim residents of all ages from across the town made their way to the churches chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ after being given false information that a mosque in the surrounding countryside had been fire-bombed,” said a Steadfast Global representative who requested anonymity. “The contents of all the churches were removed from the buildings and set on fire on the street.”

Except for some minor vandalism, Christians in the town have not suffered such attacks to this extent, he said. But Halaba Kulito, in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR), is a predominantly Muslim town with nearly all Christians there having moved from surrounding villages for work reasons, creating an underlying tension, he added.

He learned from witnesses that an Islamic conference was held in Halaba Kulito about week before the trouble flared that included speakers suspected of holding extremist views, but he said he had no information on what was said at the conference.

Witnesses indicated that the assailants were clearly instructed to target only property and not Christians, he said.

One of the attacked churches, Meserete Kristos Church, has since been vandalized again, and area Christians have faced intimidation and threats, he added.

While Kale Hiwot Galeto church building was destroyed in the Feb. 9 attack, aid workers believe the other nine church buildings were not set ablaze only because of the risk to neighboring Muslim-owned properties.

Municipal police were present during almost every attack but took no action, the agencies reported.

The attacks lasted about five hours, with state police arriving in town in the early afternoon and restoring order. A number of the assailants were said to be arrested and placed in custody, and the aid agencies believe they will be charged and tried.

More than 9,900 worshippers are estimated to attend the 10 churches. A small number of Christians sustained minor injuries and returned home after receiving hospital treatment, including two that were more seriously injured, according to the aid agencies.

Huge amounts of property were destroyed, including Bibles, song books, instruments, benches and chairs.

Despite the destruction, all of the congregations managed to meet for worship the following Sunday, the agencies reported. At the same time, after the attack a significant number of Christians chose not to gather for worship out of fear, they learned. The local government has allocated a police guard to each of the attacked churches.

Most of the churches are gathering contributions from their members to try to replace damaged items, but they will need help from the wider church, according to the aid agencies, which have distributed emergency funds and are studying ways for ministry partners to help restore and rebuild.
If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?

Photo: Remains of Kale Hiwot Galeto church building in Halaba Kulito, Ethiopia, after attack on Feb. 9, 2019. (Steadfast Global)

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Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription, contact [email protected]; to make tax-deductible donations, visit https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? or send check to Morning Star News, 5062 Cortona Way, Meridian, ID 83646, USA.

28/08/2026

https://bitterwinter.org/cash-for-accusations-how-china-rewards-those-reporting-illegal-religious-activities/

When reporting a neighbor’s religious activities can bring financial gain, believers inevitably begin to worry: Are the people around me still worthy of trust?

26/08/2026

Church in Indonesia Told to Halt Use of Building
Muslims pressure officials to stop worship services.

By Our Indonesia Correspondent
SURABAYA, Indonesia, August 25, 2026 (Morning Star News) – Muslim residents of a village in East Java Province, Indonesia have pressured officials into halting a church’s use of its building, claiming worship services there could cause social tension, sources said.

The church held worship services in a traditional Indonesian prayer house, which requires no permits, but residents of the Sukalipuro area of Dermo village, Bangil District, Pasuruan Regency, on July 20 pressured regency officials to halt services there of the East Java Christian Church (GKJW), rights advocates said.

Muslim residents argued that the building held no official permits, stood close to a small Muslim prayer hall (mushala) and was located in a predominantly Muslim neighborhood, conditions they said could trigger social tensions.

Rights advocates and area sources said that opposition also may be rooted in resentment over the church acquiring the venue through a bank auction after its former owner or heirs were unable to repay a bank loan.

Representatives of Sukalipuro residents on July 20 met with some members of the Pasuruan Regency Legislative Council to object to the GKJW using the prayer house, saying the building had originally been a residence and was later used for Christian worship, according to the council’s website, setwandprd.pasuruankab.go.

Residents questioned the building’s permit status and claimed that its use as a worship venue had not been adequately communicated to the surrounding community, Surabaya.kompas reported.

Bangil District Head Eddy Santoso, however, said the local government had facilitated seven mediation meetings between residents and the church since 2023. The latest meeting on May 22 reportedly included residents, church administrators and a pastor; its results were submitted to Pasuruan’s National and Political Unity Agency.

Before the May 22 meeting, the Bangil District head held a meeting with residents and church leadership in which council member Najib Setiawan said the establishment and use of a house of worship should comply with prevailing regulations. He urged authorities to examine the legality of the prayer house and called on the congregation not to hold worship services there while the matter was being addressed, Faktapasuruan.com. reported.

A church pastor identified only Teguh said the house began to be used for prayers in April after the church received oral permission from a Pasuruan regent.

The congregation, said to consist of about 60 Christian families with roots in the area going back to the 1950s, had long lacked ownership of its own worship venue. For decades, the congregation reportedly rented a Protestant Church of Western Indonesia (Gereja Protestan Indonesia Barat, GPIB) site in Bangil, a small town near Pasuruan city.

The congregation reportedly purchased the Sukalipuro building through a BRI bank auction, used it initially for non-worship church activities, and only later began holding limited prayer gatherings there, faktapasuruan.com. reported.

In the face of residents’ opposition, the Pasuruan Inter-Church Consultative Body subsequently on July 28 issued a letter ordering GKJW Bangil to temporarily halt worship activities at the Sukalipuro prayer house. The call drew criticism from civil-society groups and Christian organizations, which argued that an administrative dispute should not result in suspension of religious worship.

Arnold L. Panjaitan, chair of the East Java provincial board of the Indonesian Christian Youth Movement (Gerakan Angkatan Muda Kristen Indonesia, GAMKI), expressed regret over the halt.

“We deeply regret that a prayer house used by believers for worship has had to stop its activities,” Arnold said, according to gamki.or.id. “Freedom of worship is the right of every citizen, guaranteed by the constitution. Therefore, this right must be respected, protected and guaranteed in its implementation.”

Criticism also came from the East Java Anti-Discrimination Islamic Network (JIAD), which stressed the importance of tolerance, due process and the constitutional protection of religious freedom.

Tension over Purchase
Brigade Gus Dur, a Muslim youth group inspired by the late Indonesian president and Nahdlatul Ulama leader Abdurrahman Wahid, widely known as Gus Dur, on July 30 held a discussion with rights advocates, Non-Governmental Organization representatives, journalists and legal practitioners.

Muhammad Muslimin, head of the Pasuruan’s Brigade Gus Dur, said the forum had found indications that the controversy involved resentment over the house’s previous ownership.

“There appears to be sentiment related to the house now used as a place of worship,” he said, according to Faktapasuruan.com. “In the background, there are heirs who feel that their asset was pledged to a bank, could not be redeemed, was auctioned, and then bought by another party. There may be hurt feelings that were later turned into an issue.”

A GKJW figure identified only as Genuk said opposition intensified after the church began using the building for prayer and worship, including during Easter. She reportedly said the congregation had conducted worship only on a limited basis, once or twice a month.

Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution protects freedom of religion and worship, but construction and formal establishment of houses of worship are governed by the 2006 Joint Ministerial Regulation-Religious Affairs Ministerial Regulation No. 9/2006 and Home Affairs Ministerial Regulation No. 8/2006. It requires a list of at least 90 prospective worshippers and support from at least 60 local residents, alongside recommendations from the local Religious Affairs Office and the Interfaith Harmony Forum (Forum Kerja Sama Umat Beragama, FKUB).

The regulation also contains provisions concerning temporary use of a non-worship building as a worship venue and assigns local governments a role in mediating disputes.

Indonesian society in recent years has adopted a more conservative Islamic character, and churches involved in evangelistic outreach are at risk of being targeted by Islamic extremist groups, according to Open Doors.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit https://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?

Photo: Al-Akbar National Mosque in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. (Lasthib, Creative Commons)
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© 2026 Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News. https://morningstarnews.org

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Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription, contact [email protected]; to make tax-deductible donations, visit https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.