BEIJING, December 5 (Compass Direct News) – Few would deny that, over the past 20 years, there has been genuine improvement in human rights for many Chinese Christians – so long as they register as government-controlled “patriotic” religious

I would like to thank all of you who prayed for Gillian Gibbons to be delivered from the Muslim extremists in the Sudan because she "insulted Islam" by allowing her class to name a teddy bear Muhammad. A few days ago she was pardoned and returned to her home in England.

Seven Indian states now have some form of “anti-conversion” laws, but it is actually only in force in three states—Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa. This legislation, known as the Freedom of Religion Acts – or anti-conversion laws – is designed to prevent religious conversion by force, fraud or allurement. In practice, their main purpose is to prevent conversions from Hinduism to Christianity.

Individuals familiar with Indian culture and life know that Indian society is comprised of numerous people groups. I have known that Dalits were treated badly in Indian society, but I had not realized the severity of the laws unfavorable to Christian Dalits. Recently The Voice of the Martyrs ran the story below, which shows Christians protesting the unfair treatment of Christian Dalits, by the Indian government:

I was in Indianapolis, IN this week on the way to a television interview, and had the great privilege of visiting the offices of Crescent Project. This organization works to train Christians in how to reach out to Muslims and share the message of salvation through Jesus Christ with them. And their focus isn’t necessarily on people who are going to barge into Mecca and hand out tracts, but on people RIGHT HERE IN AMERICA! You can reach your neighbor…your doctor…the exchange student at the university in your town. Crescent Project reminds us that you don’t have to GO to be a missionary…God is bringing the mission field onto our own soil!

The verdict is in for Gillian Gibbons, she has been sentenced to 15 days in prison and then will be deported from the Sudan according to Fox News sources.

One of the news items I wanted to bring to your attention today is the story of Gillian Gibbons (Pictured: Courtesy of Reuters) who is a British teacher who is using her gift of teaching in the Sudan.Recently she was teaching a class of youngsters (in a Christian school) about Democracy and had asked her students to name a teddy bear. After a vote, the children named the bear Mohammed. As a result, some parents were angered and she was eventually charged with "insulting Islam" and "inciting religious hatred" because of the name the children chose.The English Al Jazeera website is reporting that Ms. Gibbons could receive 40 lashes, up to six months in jail and a fine if she is convicted of this crime.If you'd like to read a description of what a person will endure when they receive lashes, please click here to read the account of Gavin Sherard-Smith who was given 50 lashes in 1993 for breaking an alcohol ban. He denied the charges.Please keep Gillian Gibbons in your prayers and also please pray for the leaders who are going to be making the final decision about whether or not this woman should suffer such severe punishment. Ms. Gibbons is 54 years old and she is being supported by the pupil who suggested the name of Mohammad for the bear, simply because it is his name.In Islam naming anything after Mohammad is considered blasphemy.

What is Iraq like for Christians these days? Here are some excerpts from a believer there: