ICC Global Digest: Time is Running Out

        Source:                       www.persecution.org
Date:                            May 19, 2025

A WEEKLY SUMMARY OF CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION NEWS

Time is Running Out

Pray that Ghasemzadeh can find a country that will accept her before her visa expires. 

Pray for the many others who are seeking asylum after having fled persecution and brutal dictatorships, among other things.

FEATURED ARTICLE

Iranian Christian Refugee in Panama Faces Deadline to Find Asylum

Artemis Ghasemzadeh must find a haven by June 7, when her two-month humanitarian visa expires. Otherwise, she will be returned to Iran, where she will face extreme persecution for leaving Islam.

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Pray for greater religious freedom in China, where the communist governmen stifles religious freedom and heavily persecutes Christians.

Pray for Pope Leo as he starts his papacy. 

BREAKING NEWS

Pope Leo XIV Inherits Tense State of Affairs for the Catholic Church in China 

Much has been written about Pope Leo XIV’s role in restoring unity to a Catholic church globally divided along theological and political lines. From political issues like immigration to theological questions around gender and the role of women in the church, many are watching to see how he will bridge divides and unify the church.

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Pray that Syria's new president will enact laws that allow for religious freedom. 

Pray for the church in Syria as it rebuilds and the new government continues to establish itself.

BREAKING NEWS

U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Syria Despite Uncertain Future for Human Rights 

President Donald Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia last week. The encounter marked the first meeting between an American and a Syrian head of state since Bill Clinton met with Hafez Assad in 2000, and was accompanied by broad promises that the U.S. would ease sanctions.

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Pray for the relatively few believers inside Mauritania, who face persecution from multiple sources.  

Pray especially for those who've left Islam to follow Christ, as doing so is illegal and punishable by death.

BREAKING NEWS

ICC Releases Report Highlighting Mauritania’s Complex Religious Freedom  

In a newly released country brief, International Christian Concern (ICC) explores the nuanced and often overlooked reality of religious freedom in Mauritania, one of the few countries in the world where apostasy from Islam is punishable by death.

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Pray for Pranathi as she continues her education and follows her dreams of being a doctor.

Pray for Pranathi's family members, who are among the few Christians in their community. 

ICC PROJECTS

Faces of the Persecuted | Pranathi

Although Pranathi knows she wants to be a doctor when she grows up, she must overcome the stigma associated with being a Dalit Christian to reach her goals. Pranathi attended one of ICC’s Hope Houses in her country for a year. Doing so gave her hope that she could achieve her dream. 

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