Myanmar — The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) convened a hearing on Feb. 27 to discuss the continuing deterioration of religious freedom in Myanmar.

During his opening remarks at the hearing, USCIRF Vice Chair Meir Soloveichik stated that “over the past four years, Myanmar has sunk into a human rights and humanitarian abyss.”

The Southeast Asian nation holds a Buddhist majority population, and its government has, for many years, pushed a Buddhist nationalist agenda.

On Feb. 1, 2021, the government of Myanmar was seized and overthrown by a military group that established illegal authority in the nation and began attacking religious minorities, including Christians. The group established the State Administration Council (SAC) as its governing body and began attacking religious minorities in the form of airstrikes, killings, and arrests.

The right to freely worship Christ in the Southeast Asian nation has become extremely challenging and, at times, even life-threatening.

Soloveichik pointed out that “on Jan. 7, 2024, the military launched airstrikes in the Sagaing region, killing 17 civilians, including nine children, as they gathered to worship at Saint Peter Baptist Church in Kanan village.” And this is just one of many incidents being reported of Christians being arrested, killed, or otherwise persecuted for their faith.

Christian pastor Thian Lian Sang continues to be held by authorities since his arrest in September 2021 for his “leadership role” as a Baptist pastor, according to the USCIRF. He received a sentence of 23 years in prison in December 2022.

Salai Za Uk Ling, executive director of the human rights group, the Chin Human Rights Association, testified at the hearing that the situation for Christ followers in the country is dire.

“Since the military coup in Burma (Myanmar) four years ago, we have witnessed a systematic campaign of religious persecution, particularly targeting the Christian population in Chin State,” Ling stated. “These actions include the destruction of churches, the unlawful killing and enforced disappearance of pastors, the arrest of religious leaders, and severe restrictions on free worship and assembly.”

The situation for Christians in Myanmar has flown under the radar for many years and remains largely unreported by mainstream media.
Sources:persecution

http://theendtimeradio.com

Pakistan  – Shahida Bibi is now free to return home to her father and to her Christian faith after a court in Pakistan annulled her forced conversion and marriage to her stepfather’s brother. Bibi was 11 years old when her mother eloped with a Muslim man, who then “gave” Bibi to his brother. Bibi went on to give birth to two children, and the brother contracted Islamic Nikah, or a marriage union, to Bibi when she turned 18 in order to escape prosecution under the anti-child marriage law.

In February 2025, a civil court in Bahawalpur, Pakistan issued a decree in favor of Bibi and ordered that Bibi’s forced marriage be dissolved on all identification documents. Bibi was issued new documents that correctly state her religion as Christianity. ADF International and allied attorneys supported Bibi’s legal defence.

Globally, 100 million girls are at risk of being forced into child marriage over the next decade, according to UNICEF. The threat for girls from religious minorities, particularly in certain parts of Asia and Africa, of also being coerced into changing their religion in connection with a forced marriage is particularly acute. In Pakistan, for example, more than 1,000 girls from religious minorities are forced into conversion and marriage every year.

“Nobody should suffer the horrors of abduction and forced marriage, further being forced to give up their faith,” said Tehmina Arora, Director of Advocacy, Asia for ADF International. “We are grateful that Shahida Bibi has received justice over her captor. Shahida is now free and able to begin the process of healing from this ordeal. These cases are a tremendous violation of these young women’s basic human rights, including their religious freedom.”

ADF International and allied lawyers are engaged in supporting women and girls suffering from forced marriage in light of the recurring issue where women and girls, often Christian, are forced to convert to Islam for their marriage to be validated by a Sharia court.

Girls from minority religions face acute risk globally

Under Sharia law, which permits marriage at the age of puberty, the marriage age is lower than the official marriage age, which varies between 16 and 18 years in different Pakistani states. When girls are forced to convert, their parents often are unable to stop the violation from happening. These women and girls often are fearful for their lives and those of their families, preventing them from denouncing their captors.

“While these forced conversion and marriage abuses happen across the globe, they are especially prevalent in Pakistan. In coordination with our allied lawyers in the country, we are taking every step possible to prevent these situations from occurring. The government has an opportunity to make a difference, and they should start by implementing a uniform age for marriage to prevent these forced kidnappings and marriages from happening in the first place. Every person under international law has the right to freely choose and live out their faith without fear of violence. Every state, including Pakistan, must ensure that their laws and policies are in line with their commitments to protect religious freedom under international law, and that the laws they do have in place to protect girls from these violations are enforced,” Arora continued.

International spotlight on Pakistan

The victory in Shahida Bibi’s case comes as human rights leaders from across the globe are turning their attention to Pakistan’s egregious human rights violations.

In January 2025, officials from the European Union issued a warning to Pakistan regarding their human rights violations, including blasphemy laws, forced conversions, and other targeted persecution against religious minorities. If not addressed, Pakistan’s trade relations with the EU could be jeopardized.

In 2024, Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), James Lankford (R-OK), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced a bipartisan resolution that called for the U.S. to “leverage all diplomatic and sanctions tools available to the United States Government to hold religious freedom violators accountable for their actions”. The resolution specifically points to religious freedom violations, including forced marriages and conversions, in Pakistan, among other countries. The resolution was widely supported by religious freedom advocates and organizations from across the globe.
Sources:ADF International

http://theendtimeradio.com

United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk is calling for an investigation into what he called “extremely disturbing” reports of mass killings in Syria’s Latakia Province, home to minority Alawites, Christians, and others who are not part of the Sunni majority in Syria. Stories have emerged of entire families being murdered in their homes, with civilian casualties comprising the majority of the death toll.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also condemned the killings by what he called “radical Islamic terrorists” and said the US “stands with ethnic minorities, including Christian, Druze, Alawite, and Kurdish communities.”

Charmaine Hedding, president of the Shai Fund, has worked for years on behalf of persecuted minorities in the Middle East and specializes in helping people at risk in complex emergencies, including refugees.

Hedding tells CBN News that her contacts on the ground in Syria report a much higher number of atrocities than the 800 to 1,000 reported in the major media.
Sources:BREAKING CHRISTIAN NEWS

http://theendtimeradio.com