Asia/Pacific

By BosNewsLife Asia Service ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- A Muslim man in Pakistan kidnapped, raped and forced a 13-year-old girl to convert to Islam and marry him at gunpoint, the latest in "growing trend" of attacks against Christian women in the country and other Islamic nations, Christian rights investigators told BosNewsLife Thursday, March 5.

By Santosh Digal, BosNewsLife Southeast Asia Correspondent reporting from India with additional reporting by BosNewsLife's George Whitten NEW DELHI, INDIA (BosNewsLife)-- Tensions remained high Wednesday, September 15, in several parts of India where reports of Koran burning in the United States sparked deadly attacks against Christian institutions.

By Santosh Digal, BosNewsLife Asia Correspondent NEW DELHI, INDIA (BosNewsLife)-- Christians in India's troubled state of Orissa cautiously celebrated Christmas Friday, December 25, amid fears of more anti-Christian violence that since 2007 killed over 100 people here.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- Rights activists say there has been "a dramatic increase" in the number of Christian girls and women facing "brutal assaults" in Pakistan, with local police often refusing to intervene.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos LAHORE, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- Pakistan's highest court has suspended the death sentence of Asia Bibi, the Christian mother of five who faces execution by hanging under under the country's controversial blasphemy legislation.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife LAHORE, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- Christian and Muslim rights activists have launched a New Year campaign in Pakistan to tackle the massive abduction and abuse of Christian girls and young women who are often forced to marry Muslims and convert to Islam. “The kidnapping of Christian girls and forcibly marrying them to a Muslim is the most common procedure for forced conversion to Islam,” complained Sardar Mushtaq Gill, national director of the Pakistan-based advocacy group Legal Evangelical Association Development (LEAD).

By BosNewsLife Asia Service NEW DELHI, INDIA (BosNewsLife)-- Twenty Christian missionaries in India are recovering after they were attacked by police and local residents over evangelism activities, BosNewsLife learned.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service reporting from Pakistan RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN (BosNewsLife)-- The government of Pakistan's most populous province announced an investigation Sunday, March 21, into reports that a Christian man was burned and his wife raped by local police and Muslim religious leaders for refusing to convert to Islam.

By BosNewsLife Asia Service HANOI, VIETNAM (BosNewsLife)-- A five-day tour by Australian Christian evangelist and motivational speaker Nick Vujicic in Vietnam has sparked discussion about faith among Vietnamese youth and could pressure the government to rethink the state’s tight control of religious activities, rights activists said in comments seen by BosNewsLife Monday, June 17.

By Christopher R. Altieri with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos VATICAN CITY/LAHORE (BosNewsLife)-- Pope Francis on Sunday, March 15, appealed for peace and solidarity with Pakistan's "persecuted" Christian minority after bombings at two churches in Lahore left at least 14 people dead and scores of others wounded. He also accused the world of trying to hide the persecution of Christians.