A number of Muslim groups are actively seeking a Caliphate, although their conceptions of it differ. These groups include Al-Qa’ida, Daesh (IS), Hizb ut Tahrir, and the Muslim Brotherhood.

A large proportion of the Christian minority in Pakistan became sanitation workers for historical reasons. Sweeping in pre-Partition India was a job reserved for the lower castes.

“We believe Bhatti is innocent and will be freed by the high court, but it will take several years for his case to be heard by the high court”, an advocate says.

The man and his wife were selling girls for over 10 years.

Another concern is the governmental regulation of religious groups to stifle the freedom to worship. The report also takes aim at the genocide against Christians carried out by Daesh and Boko Haram.

Many lawyers had gathered to mourn a colleague shot dead earlier in the day. A faction of the Pakistani Taliban has said it was behind the bombing.

The state-approved textbooks and curricula portray non-Muslim citizens as “outsiders, unpatriotic, and inferior.”

Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar have also enacted similar laws, with Nepal going so far as to include them in the recently adopted constitution.

6 in 10 slaves live in one of these five countries: India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan.

Syria, Central African Republic, Egypt, Iraq, and Vietnam are also among the “countries of particular concern.” For the first time, Western Europe is in the list as a place that “deserve monitoring.”

Believers of churches in Córdoba (Spain) gathered after the Sunday worship services to pray and demand action “against terrorism, and in favour of Christian minorities”. Media should inform fairly about persecution.

Assemblies of God pastor: “There is no security, our non-Christian neighbours insult us almost daily, and we are scared.” 

Taliban faction Jamaat ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the attacks. "The target were Christians", they said. Al least 72 have died, 29 children.

Nearly three hours after the attack began, firing had stopped but troops were searching Bacha Khan University campus in Charsadda. 

Pakistan’s Supreme Court has called on the state to ensure that hundreds of people facing imprisonment under controversial blasphemy laws have not been falsely charged.

More than 60 Christian families have been denied help after the flood, just because they have not left their faith.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court decided to repeat the trial against the Christian believer, accused of “blasphemy.” Lawyer hopes she will be cleared of all charges.

Both the media and mosques have been accused of escalating the situation with hate messages. Riots erupted in reaction to explosions which killed at least 14 in two churches. Christians have asked the government to take real action to protect churches.

Taliban bombers are said to have detonated their explosives near the gates of St John's Catholic Church and the Protestant Christ Church.