Middle East

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent VIENNA/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- Some 100 mostly Christian Iranians stranded in Austria face imminent deportation back to Iran where they could face detention, torture, and even death after the United States rejected their asylum applications, rights activists told BosNewsLife Thursday, March 1.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent, BosNewsLife

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife JERUSALEM (BosNewsLife Columns)-- A man claiming to be the Messiah rose up from death Sunday, March 27, after He died at a cross on Golgotha hill near Jerusalem's walls, friends said. Jesus Christ had been tortured and crucified to death Friday, March 25, by Roman forces, after Jewish crowds rallied against him for claiming he is the Heavenly King who will sit "at the right hand" of his Heavenly Father, giving eternal life to everyone who believes in Him.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife with reports from Bethlehem BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK (BosNewsLife)-- Palestinian officials are hindering court cases involving Coptic nuns attacked in the Westbank town of Bethlehem, activists say. The trials relate to violence on April 30 last year in and around the St Mary's Coptic Church and Convent in Bethlehem, the Biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ, explained advocacy group Middle East Concern (MEC).

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Eight members of Iran's largest evangelical house church movement have been sentenced to years imprisonment on charges that include "“action against the national security” and “propaganda against the order of the system,” Christian rights activists confirmed late Thursday, July 18.

(ADDS MORE BACKGROUND, CHANGING LEAD) By BosNewsLife Correspondents Joseph DeCaro and Stefan J. Bos BAGHDAD, IRAQ (BosNewsLife)-- The immigration status of thousands of Christians fleeing bloodshed and persecution in Iraq remained uncertain Monday, November 28, due to new security measures in the United States following fresh terrorism concerns, aid workers said.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Christians in Iran have appealed for prayers after missionaries, pastors and other devoted Christians received long prison terms and faced lashes as part of a government effort to halt the spread of Christianity in the Islamic nation, trial observers and activists told BosNewsLife.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos Three Iranian Christians were due to appear before Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court Sunday, February 4, to appeal against lengthy prison terms on charges of "conducting evangelism" and carrying out "illegal church activities."

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Senior Mission Correspondent Dr. John M. Lindner and Stefan J. Bos ALEPPO/DAMASCUS (BosNewsLife)-- Minority Christians in Syria's largest city Aleppo said Friday, December 7, they face starvation after dozens of believers already died in targeted attacks rocking Christian areas of the war-torn country.