Indian Christians released from prison in Saudi Arabia

Two Indian Christians -- Vasantha Sekhar Vara, 28, and Nese Yohan, 31 -- have been released from prison in Saudi Arabia, reports BosNewsLife.

They were arrested and charged with proselytizing in January 2011 after officials raided their house church of mainly Indian expat workers (for more information, click here).

Vara was pressured to convert to Islam in prison, but he refused. The men were deported to India on July 24.

Saudi Arabia is officially 100 percent Muslim. However, as in other Arabic countries, there have been reports of a growing interest in Christianity and many foreigners in the country are Christian.

Please pray:

• Praise the Lord for the faith of these men! 
• Pray they will continue to serve and worship the Lord boldly. 
• Pray that the Lord will shine through them as they follow Him.

Eritrean Christian could be deported from Saudi Arabia

A Christian man charged with proselytizing
in Saudi Arabia could be deported to Eritrea.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is reporting that an Eritrean Christian man who escaped the death penalty for proselytising in Saudi Arabia could be returned to Eritrea. If deported, Eyob Mussie could face imprisonment, torture and possible death.

Eritrea is a repressive nation which only recognizes four Christian communities. All others are subject to arbitrary imprisonment. The government often imprisons its own citizens who face deplorable conditions as well as torture.

Mussie, 33, was arrested on February 12, on charges of proselytizing, a Saudi capital offense.

You can read the full article here.

Algerian Christians arrested for proselytizing and blasphemy

Two Algerian Christian men are scheduled to appear in court on charges of proselytizing and blasphemy, reported International Christian Concern.

Sofiane and Krimo were arrested in Oran on April 14 after sharing their Christian faith with their neighbours. Sofiane was released a day after their arrest, while Krimo was imprisoned for three days.

After the arrest, Algerian police searched Krimo's home for Bibles and other Christian material. Krimo was known to hold weekly prayer services at his home, which local Christians suspect were being closely monitored by the police.

A court hearing, initially scheduled for April 27, was postponed to a later date.

Algerian Christians are fearful that a law introduced in 2006—requiring religious services to obtain a government permit to worship—will be applied, which may result in a five-year imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 Algerian dinars ($1,337 CAD). Church leadership has expressed frustration over the government's negligence to lay out a set procedure to register a church or to approve a permit quickly.

Please pray for a favourable outcome for Sofiane and Krimo at the next court hearing. Pray the Lord will use this case and their testimony to encourage the faith of other believers in Algeria. Pray those in authority will recognize the lack of religious freedoms in the country and make changes accordingly.