Late into the evening of April 23rd, Islamic militants set fire to several homes and shops owned by Coptic Orthodox Christians in the village of Al-Fawakher, which is located in Egypt's southern Minya province. Although the attackers attempted to prevent the occupants from leaving their burning homes, thankfully there were no reported fatalities.

On March 8th, the body of Pastor Y Bum Bya was found hanging from a tree at a cemetery near his home in the Dak Lak Province of Vietnam. Though local authorities declared the Christian leader's death a suicide, reports indicate that his body showed signs of torture. The believer's death happened shortly after he had been summoned to meet with police.

During a recent Sunday sermon, Pastor Gilbert Lumoindong made mention of Islamic prayer and compared the practice of almsgiving with Biblical tithing. After being posted online, the sermon quickly gained attention on social media. According to Jumzar Rahman, who serves as the head of the South Sulawesi Arimathea Forum, offence was taken by some Muslim viewers. "The video hurt us," he states. "We Muslims feel offended." Consequently, two complaints were filed with the police, claiming that Pastor Gilbert had blasphemed against Islam.

Ebrahim Firouzi, an Iranian convert who was arrested several times for his Christian activities, unexpectedly passed away on February 20th from a heart attack. The Christian man's body was found in his home by his brother, who went to check on the believer after not hearing from him for a few days. Ebrahim was only 37 years old.