During an era of rising global hostility toward Christians, a U.S. Air Force veteran has been named to lead one of the leading groups advocating for the persecuted church worldwide. On Wednesday, the Washington, D.C.-based International Christian Concern (ICC) announced Shawn Wright, 54, as its new president after an extensive search process. ICC Board of Directors Chair Ed Wormald said that Wright’s “leadership experience and unique gifting” made him the clear choice.| The Roys Report
Civil society organizations in northwest India’s Rajasthan state have protested the rising attacks on Christians just weeks after an anti-conversion law was passed by its government in the legislative assembly. Following the passage of the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2025 in the state assembly on Sept. 9, the civil society groups documented nine recent incidents of harassment and assault on Christians. A coalition of 12 civil society organizations met poli...| The Roys Report
A priest of the Anglican Church of Sudan who stayed in El-Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur, to serve Christians remaining there is now homeless after paramilitary violence forced him out of his church. The Rev. Daramali Abudigin, 44, kept his St. Mathew Episcopal church open, even as bombs, stray bullets and hunger killed members of his flock. Recently, he found himself assisting 130 to 150 families from different Christian denominations in the city after all other clerics fled th...| The Roys Report
On Wednesday, Sept. 10, Iraqi Christian Ashur Sarnaya was traveling late to his apartment in Lyon, France. While in his wheelchair, he started a livestream on TikTok, sharing his faith in Arabic. When he reached his apartment building, an unknown perpetrator stabbed him in the neck. Sarnaya, 45, later died from cardiac arrest. Sarnaya and his sister fled Iraq in 2014 after the Islamic State group threatened Sarnaya for his Christian beliefs. He and his sister settled in Lyon, France.| The Roys Report
About 20 men identified as Muslim adherents again prevented the congregation of the Indonesian Bethel Church (GBI) in Gerendeng Pulo, Karawaci District, Tangerang City, Indonesia, from holding a Sunday morning service. Footage of the incident, which occurred on Sept. 21, shows a crowd of Muslim residents engaging in dialogue with the congregation under police supervision. The footage is on social media. This is not the first such occurrence. On Sunday, Sept.| The Roys Report
Ruth Abah, 28, no longer walks to her local church, St. Paul’s, which now lies in ashes. Instead, the mother of two locks her doors and prays with her children, fearful the next attack could come at any moment. On Aug. 11, suspected Fulani herdsmen stormed the compound of the Catholic church in the village of Aye-Twar, in central Nigeria, setting the church, rectory and parish offices ablaze along with vehicles and other property. Earlier raids had already forced the parish’s 26 outstatio...| The Roys Report
In an escalation of its already tight grip on religious freedom, China introduced a sweeping set of regulations that strictly control how clergy of officially recognized religions can operate online. The new rules – released by the State Administration for Religious Affairs on Sept, 15 – are a continuation of Beijing’s long-term campaign to control religious practices in an effort to reshape faith so it aligns with the Chinese Communist Party. The 18-article document, titled “Code of ...| The Roys Report
Mehran Shamloui, a Christian convert, has been denied a retrial for his case by the Iranian Supreme Court. Shamloui was arrested in 2024 and sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in prison in March 2025 for participating in a house church. The charges against him included “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law,” and “membership in groups opposing the state.” He was released from jail after he posted bail in late 2024.| The Roys Report
(Analysis) “America remains today substantially what it has always been, namely a Christian country. That observation can sound aggressively partisan or intolerant, since some extremists believe that Americans are a Christian people who require a Christian government, with all that implies about religious exercises in schools and public displays. I make no such assertion, since I believe that religion flourishes best when it is kept farthest away from any form of government intervention, ev...| The Roys Report
On Tuesday morning, an attack by militants shattered the Congolese Christian community in North Kivu province, leaving 71 civilians dead.| The Roys Report
