Oct 1, 2024 | News & Stories
Surveillance in China is intense. Video cameras with facial recognition technology monitor everyone, inside and outside. As an ICR field worker walked down the street in a major city, he watched the cameras turn to follow him. Inside high-rise apartment buildings,...
Sep 16, 2024 | News & Stories
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, persecution against Christians in Uzbekistan was intense for several decades. But today, that’s less of a focus for the government. Instead, those who decide to follow Jesus encounter trouble from their families, friends, and...
Sep 12, 2024 | News & Stories
Most people in Uzbekistan are Muslim, though they are not necessarily devout. Being Muslim is sometimes more of an identity than a religion. One young man, Davron, was a heavy drinker. His mother, however, was a believer. She prayed for him all the time and often...
Sep 10, 2024 | News & Stories
Almost every Sunday after church, Dilara’s husband beats her. He beats her relentlessly until he’s breathless and tired. Only when he is completely spent, does Dilara, 33, seize the moment to share Jesus with him. He’s willing to listen when he’s completely exhausted...
Sep 9, 2024 | News & Stories
It’s not illegal to be a Christian in Uzbekistan. The president declared that as a secular state, Uzbekistan would not make laws about religion. However, the government has not approved registrations for any church buildings since 2022 and only about 30 churches have...
Aug 19, 2024 | News & Stories
Christians in Gaza continue to suffer the effects of the ongoing war. The brutal conflict has ravaged the region, leaving many without homes, food, or clean water. As the infrastructure collapses, the need for immediate humanitarian aid has become critical. “Many...
Aug 13, 2024 | News & Stories
“Carrying the Bible is like a death sentence,” believers in Chhattisgarh, India, told their pastor. AFTER HINDU RADICALS FORCED CHRISTIANS to close their church, Christians gathered in each other’s homes for prayer and worship. But the radicals figured out what they...
Aug 5, 2024 | News & Stories
More than a year after massive riots in the Manipur area of India, more than 60,000 Christians remain homeless. The violence that began in May 2023 continued sporadically throughout the rest of the year. Meanwhile, authorities did little to resolve the situation. And...
Jul 12, 2024 | News & Stories
“Hello, I’m Heidar,” the voice on the phone said. “I’m a 19-year-old shepherd in Iran. I’ve been listening to your channel. Can you tell me more about this Jesus of yours?” You might picture a call center full of people offering tech support. But the call center...
Jul 11, 2024 | News & Stories
“Iran happens to be one of the most complicated, problematic regions across the Middle East,” an ICR partner from Iran said. But God is not hampered by political problems. For at least the last 10 years, Iran has also had one of the fastest growing churches among...
Jun 25, 2024 | News & Stories
Sister N. was anxious. There was nothing left for her or her three children to eat in their house in southeastern Afghanistan. Meanwhile, her husband was in hiding in another province. One of her husband’s coworkers suspected he was a Christian and told him he was...
Jun 20, 2024 | News & Stories
After two decades of fighting, the US withdrew from Afghanistan in 2020 and the Taliban seized control on Aug. 15, 2021. More than two years of extremist rule has resulted in national food insecurity and more than 2 million internally displaced people. The national...