UPDATE: Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani refuses to recant, faces execution
2011-09-29 Christian Girl, Family In Pakistan Expelled Over Misspelling
2011-09-29 Iranian Christian Pastor Death Sentence may be Overturned
2011-09-29 Iranian Pastor Stands Firm in Faith, Faces Execution
2011-09-28 Muslim Extremists in Nigeria Kill Christians in Two States
And this from the moderate Muslim country, Algeria:
Algerian Christian to be Given Five Year Prison Sentence for Blasphemy
Algerian Christians are requesting our prayers on behalf of Siagh Krimo, an Algerian Christian who is scheduled to appear in court today to see if his five year prison sentence for blasphemy will be upheld.
Krimo was arrested on April 14, 2011 and held for three days for giving a CD about Christianity to his neighbor. He was later summoned to the Criminal Court in the Djamel district of Oran on May 4 and charged with blasphemy. The court tried Krimo based solely on the neighbor's accusation that Krimo attempted to convert him to Christianity even though the neighbor himself failed to appear at the hearing. The prosecutor, losing his lone witness and the bulk of his evidence, reportedly asked the judge to have Krimo's sentence reduced to two years imprisonment. However, to the surprise of many, the judge sentenced Krimo beyond the prosecutor's recommendation, giving him a five year prison sentence, the maximum punishment one can receive for blasphemy.
Krimo's conviction was in accordance with Article 144 bis 2 of Algeria's Penal Code which criminalizes acts that "insult the prophet and any of the messengers of God, or denigrate the creed and precepts of Islam, whether by writing, drawing, declaration, or any other means."
"Brother Krimo is in stress and anxiety over his wife and their beautiful baby girl," an Algerian church leader and a friend of Krimo's told ICC. "Their whole life was turned upside down overnight just for preaching the gospel to a Muslim. But in all this, we are more than conquerors in Christ who is our hope and our strength. Psalms 135:6 says, 'All that the Lord wants, he does, in heaven and on earth, the seas and in the abyss.' They need prayer and support so they don't feel alone and abandoned."
