(Worthy Insights) – Two young men were shot dead Tuesday night near the western Iranian city of Hamadan, as the regime struggles to suppress growing public dissent amid a widening crackdown. A video from their funeral Thursday shows crowds chanting “Death to the dictator,” highlighting a surge of public outrage.

During the funeral processions, hundreds of young Iranians gathered, chanting slogans against the regime and singing Iran’s pre-revolution national anthem. Among the chants: “They lied to us that America is the enemy – our enemies are right here.”

According to Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian security forces suspected an SUV carrying three passengers near the Tarikh-Dareh area, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of Hamadan, around 2 a.m. local time. This followed a report of drone activity in the area. When the vehicle attempted to flee, the security forces first fired warning shots, then opened fire, killing two of the occupants and wounding the third. [

SEOUL (Worthy News) – Concerns remained Wednesday about likely more restrictions on groups trying to spread the Gospel in North Korea and support Christians there, after the arrest of six Americans in South Korea.

The six U.S. citizens were reportedly taken into police custody Friday after attempting to send 1,600 bottles filled with Bibles, USB data storage devices for computers, money, and rice by sea to North Korea.

They were detained on South Korea’s front-line Gwanghwa Island before throwing the bottles into the sea and floating them toward North Korean shores on the tides, according to local police.

Officials said the Americans are being investigated for allegations that they “violated the law” in managing safety and disasters.

Gwanghwa police explained that they hadn’t found what was on the USB sticks. The U.S. Embassy in South Korea had no immediate public comment.

For years, activists have sought to float plastic bottles or fly balloons across the border carrying Bibles as well as anti-North Korea propaganda leaflets and USB devices with South Korean dramas and South Korean-style K-pop songs.

The latest incident comes as South Korea’s new liberal government seeks to ease friction with Pyongyang and restart long-dormant talks, observers said.

VIOLATING RULES

Though well-meaning, the actions of the Americans “violated South Korean ordinances banning balloon and sea-based launches to the North,” ordinances aimed at reducing tensions, stressed Christians working in the region.

They added that the six detained Americans acted without consulting local organizations “experienced in such work.”

Eric Foley, who represents Christian advocacy group Voice of the Martyrs Korea (VOMK) explained that “One of the challenges that we see with people, groups doing work [trying to help those] inside North Korea is that they often don’t think about the Christians that are inside North Korea, to begin with.”

He also told broadcaster Mission Network News (MNN), adding that, “There are an estimated 30,000 North Koreans in prison for their faith” in Christ.

VOMK urged “global intercession” [prayers] for those suffering under North Korea’s hardline government and for South Korea as a nation both” before God and, likely, “before the government.”

Additionally, “Listen to the people who are in a country. Listen to how they tackle the problem, how they ask for partnership, how they believe that those things can best be done,” VOMK stressed.

 (Worthy News) – More than 30 Christians were injured in a brutal mob attack during a peaceful prayer gathering in Odisha’s Malkangiri district, with no arrests made nearly two weeks after the incident, according to multiple rights groups and local sources.

The violence unfolded on June 21 in Kotamateru village, where around 20 Christian farming families had gathered to bless seeds ahead of the planting season. The prayer event turned chaotic when an estimated 400 individuals, reportedly armed with axes and sticks, stormed the gathering in a coordinated assault.

According to Christian Solidarity International (CSI), at least 20 people sustained serious injuries and were hospitalized. A local pastor, alerted by one of the victims, contacted Malkangiri Police, who arrived at the scene to evacuate the wounded. Other community members fled to a nearby church, which is now serving as a makeshift relief center.

The U.S.-based International Christian Concern (ICC) reported that the victims were attacked while eating lunch, and that the assault involved Christians from three nearby villages. Eyewitnesses claim that Hindu nationalist groups were behind the violence.

However, Malkangiri police offered a different version of events. Inspector Rigan Kinda told The Telegraph that the clash began as a personal dispute between two brothers–one Christian and the other Hindu–that escalated over religious differences.

Christian leaders have firmly rejected the police account, calling it a cover-up. They allege that the Bajrang Dal, a right-wing Hindu nationalist group, orchestrated the assault. Bajrang Dal’s local leader denied direct involvement but admitted to growing “spontaneous” resistance to what he described as religious conversions by Christians.

Tensions have reportedly risen since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a Hindu nationalist political party, gained power in Odisha’s state government in June 2024. A local pastor told CSI he has received repeated threats and has stopped going to work due to fear for his safety. A video circulating on social media allegedly shows a Hindu leader warning Christians of consequences if they continue proselytizing.

Christian organizations including Rashtriya Christian Morcha, Malkangiri District Christian Manch, and the Council of Evangelical Churches in India have visited the victims and demanded swift action from local authorities. Despite filing a formal complaint, police have not applied more serious charges such as attempted murder or religious hate crimes, sparking outrage among community leaders.

On June 23, the Malkangiri Pastors Fellowship submitted a memorandum to the district police chief, urging the establishment of a permanent police outpost in Kotamateru and nearby areas. As of July 2, no arrests have been made, and no additional security measures have been implemented, according to CSI.

Bishop Pallab Kumar Lima, who heads the Odisha chapter of the Rashtriya Christian Morcha, described the aftermath as “a grave humanitarian crisis.” He has called for state-sponsored relief under the Odisha Victim Compensation Scheme.

This incident is part of a larger pattern of rising violence against Christians in India. Between March and April 2025, fact-finding teams documented escalating anti-Christian attacks across several districts in Odisha, including Nabarangpur and Gajapati. One particularly disturbing case involved the exhumation of a young Christian man’s body, with his family assaulted while police allegedly stood by.

India witnessed one of its worst anti-Christian pogroms in 2007-2008 in the Kandhamal district, where over 100 churches were destroyed and thousands displaced.

Meanwhile, a recent report by the United Christian Forum (UCF) indicates that, on average, two attacks on Christians occur daily in India. The UCF recorded 313 incidents from January to May 2025, involving physical assaults, social boycotts, destruction of religious property, and threats.

Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh–both governed by the BJP–have emerged as major hotspots for such violence. UCF said 64 incidents were reported in Chhattisgarh and 58 in Uttar Pradesh. The organization noted that many cases go unreported due to fear of retribution in what it described as an environment of “impunity and political patronage.”

UCF’s national convenor, A.C. Michael, accused elements within the law and justice systems of complicity. He warned that without urgent political and legal intervention, the identity and survival of India’s Christian community could be at serious risk.

India currently has anti-conversion laws in 12 states–many of them BJP-ruled–which Christian leaders argue have been weaponized to target minorities. The strictest such law is in Uttar Pradesh, with other states like Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh expected to adopt similar provisions.

As the Kotamateru victims await justice, Christian leaders continue to press the government for protection and accountability, warning that the cycle of violence will only worsen without decisive action.

(Worthy News) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to take up two cases in its next term on laws banning transgender women from participating in girls and women’s sports, based on biological sex.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J. The cases come out of Idaho and West Virginia, respectively, where individual athletes filed suit in the states alleging discrimination on the basis of sex.

In Idaho, the 2020 Fairness in Women’s Sports Act placed a categorical ban on participation of transgender women and girls from competing in women’s and girls sports across all ages and levels of competition. The act also allowed any student to “dispute” the sex of any student participating in female athletics and required that athlete to undergo medical procedures to verify sex.

Lindsay Hecox, a transgender athlete, sued the state and an Idaho district court enjoined the order on the basis of sex discrimination. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court’s judgment and prevented the Idaho law from going into effect.

In West Virginia, the Save Women’s Sports Act prevented biological males from competing in girls and womens sports across the state. Becky Pepper-Jackson, a 13-year-old transgender girl, challenged the law.

Pepper-Jackson said she identified as transgender since third grade and was taking puberty-blocking medication. The law prevented Pepper-Jackson from participating on the cross-country team.

The West Virginia district court decided the case did not discriminate on the basis of sex and the state’s law was constitutional. On appeal, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s decision.

The Supreme Court took up the West Virginia case in 2023 and decided to vacate the circuit court’s decision, sending it back to the lower court.

In each case, the state governments filed petitions to the Supreme Court and were granted a hearing.

Sarah Parshall Perry, vice president at the advocacy group Defending Education, celebrated the court’s decision to take up each case.

“To those of us who have been advocating for common sense athletic policies separating boys and girls based on notions of fairness, safety, equality, and the black letter text of Title IX – we are, today, breathing a sigh of relief,” Perry said.

“It appears the grownups are finally in the room, and the Court is likely to – based on its recent jurisprudence – overturn the decisions of the 4th and 9th Circuits striking down women’s sports protection laws,” she added.

The court’s next term will begin in October. Arguments are likely to be heard in the fall with a decision coming out in spring 2026.

‘We look forward to continuing to vigorously defend the cause of educational equality in the coming months until all women and girls can reclaim their rightful spots on athletic fields across the nation,” Perry said.

(Worthy News) – The U.S. State Department has approved a $510 million arms deal with Israel for the sale of precision-guided bomb kits, following recent Israeli and U.S. military operations targeting Iranian nuclear infrastructure. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the proposed sale on Monday.

The package includes 3,845 KMU-558B/B JDAM kits for BLU-109 bunker-buster bombs and 3,280 KMU-572 F/B kits for MK 82 bombs, along with engineering, logistics, and technical support services. These kits convert unguided bombs into GPS-precision munitions and are expected to bolster Israel’s ability to defend its territory and infrastructure.

The DSCA stated the deal supports U.S. national security interests by enhancing Israel’s defense capabilities and promoting regional stability. Officials added that the sale will not alter the overall military balance in the Middle East.

The announcement follows Operation Rising Lion, in which Israel struck Iranian nuclear sites, and Operation Midnight Hammer, a U.S. strike on Iranian facilities authorized by President Donald Trump. At a recent press briefing, Trump said he would “absolutely” consider future strikes if Iran resumes nuclear enrichment.

Boeing will serve as the primary contractor, with some items potentially coming from existing U.S. stockpiles. No offset agreements are currently proposed, though any such deals would be negotiated between Boeing and Israel directly.

U.S. officials confirmed that the sale would not require additional American personnel in Israel and would not affect U.S. military readiness. The deal underscores ongoing U.S. support for Israel’s military modernization in the face of growing threats from Iran and its regional proxies.

 “Indeed, Allah has bought from the believers their lives and their wealth, because the garden will be theirs, they will fight in the way of Allah and will kill and be killed. It is a promise that is binding on him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur’an. Who fulfills his covenant better than Allah? Rejoice then in your bargain that you have made, for that is the supreme triumph.” (Qur’an 9:111)

The Torah and the Gospel actually do not promise paradise to those who fight in the way of God and kill and are killed. That idea is in the Qur’an only.

Even after this, however, no law enforcement or intelligence officials will dare to consider the possibility that the Qur’an itself is the source of “radicalization.”

New Orleans ISIS terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar had bomb-making station and Quran open to chilling passage in his home, new photos reveal,” by Jennie Taer, Chris Nesi and Alex Oliveira, New York Post, January 2, 2025:

HOUSTON – ISIS-inspired New Orleans terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar kept a bomb-making workbench in his ramshackle Texas trailer home — where a Quran was left open on a page about “slaying” in the name of Allah, exclusive photos obtained by The Post show.
Jabbar’s north Houston home was filled with chemical residue and chemical bottles, while an inventory of items seized by the FBI — left behind by investigators who raided his house on Wednesday — included a long list of compounds used in bomb-making.
His Quran was propped atop a bookshelf, a centerpiece in his living room, and open to a passage reading, “they fight in Allah’s cause, and slay and are slain; a promise binding…”
That passage, Verse 9:111, expounds on Muslims’ responsibility to kill Allah’s enemies, and to be willing to die for that mission in return for eternity in paradise.
Numerous books about Islam were also on the shelf and around the squalid home, while a prayer rug was rolled up nearby.
FBI officials on Thursday said Jabbar posted five disturbing videos on Facebook on his drive from Houston to New Orleans just hours before he unleashed carnage on Bourbon Street, leaving 14 innocent pedestrians dead.
In the first disturbing video — posted at 1:29 a.m. — the US Army veteran said he had initially planned on murdering his family and friends, but changed his mind over concerns that the resulting media coverage wouldn’t focus on the “war between the believers and disbelievers,” FBI counterterrorism official Chris Raia said.
In other videos, he said he had joined ISIS “before this summer” and showed off his last will and testament.
Investigators confirmed that Jabbar, 42, was ideologically aligned with ISIS and that he specifically chose Bourbon Street as the target of his monstrous act of terror.
However, they have yet to piece together what precisely brought about his radicalization….
The FBI revealed that Jabbar acted alone in the attack after poring over his social media accounts, conducting “hundreds” of interviews with witnesses and searching three cellphones and two laptops recovered from an Airbnb on Mandeville Street in New Orleans linked to the terror suspect….

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JAKARTA (Worthy News) – Dozens of residents, including Christians, have been rescued from a halfway house in Indonesia’s West Java province after local Muslims stormed the building because it had been used for church services, Christians told Worthy News.

Footage obtained by Worthy News on Sunday showed a large crowd storming the complex, taking away a wooden cross and smashing windows inside the house in Cidahu District’s Tangkil Village in the Sukabumi Regency area of West Java.

Witnesses also said the garden area was damaged, “the gazebo behind the house was destroyed, and the rear toilet facilities were damaged” in Friday’s incident.

Residents reportedly pushed a black Honda Beat motorbike into the nearby river, and the masses broke down the house’s gate.

“The spontaneous action was triggered by the suspicion that the house was often used as a place of worship for Protestant Christians without permission,” a local source said.

As many as 200 residents flocked to the location, Christians said. “They demanded that the worship activities be stopped. There was an act of vandalism against several facilities at the halfway house,” Christians explained.

“We have been conducting mediation since April 2025. But the worship activities still continued,” added a local community leader who did not want to be named.

SECURITY OFFICERS

Police rushed to the scene and asked the demonstrators to disperse. “Security officers successfully evacuated 36 residents of the halfway house and three cars to a safe place. This was done to avoid clashes and further damage,” police said.

Authorities put up police lines around the halfway house, which guarded it to anticipate further actions, witnesses said

There were no reported fatalities in this incident, but concerns remained about Maria Veronica Ninna, who owns the safe house.

The material losses are estimated to be quite large, Christians said. The incident highlighted broader concerns over pressure on devout Christians in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim nation.

Several (home) churches have had their worship services stopped by angry Muslims and extremist groups or did not receive official permissions to operate, Worthy News learned.

Christian leaders say more than 10 percent of Indonesia’s 282 million people identify as ‘Christian,’ though the real figure could be higher.

(Worthy News) – A Christian summer camp nestled in the Rocky Mountains will continue to operate in accordance with its religious convictions after reaching an agreement with Colorado officials over the state’s anti-discrimination rules.

Camp IdRaHaJe — short for “I’d Rather Have Jesus” — has dropped its federal lawsuit against the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) following a resolution affirming the camp’s exemption from new state rules requiring accommodations based on gender identity. The lawsuit had challenged the department’s February mandate that residential camps allow children to use restrooms, showers, and sleeping facilities according to gender identity, not biological sex.

The agreement clarified that Camp IdRaHaJe qualifies for a religious exemption under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. The CDEC also committed to publishing a memo stating that “places principally used for religious purposes,” including churches, mosques, and synagogues, are not considered “places of public accommodation” and therefore not subject to the gender identity rules.

“We are glad to support Camp Id-Ra-Ha-Je’s understanding of their ability to provide a Christian camp experience to kids,” said Lisa Roy, executive director of CDEC. She emphasized that the department had not taken enforcement action against the camp nor threatened its closure.

Founded in 1948, Camp IdRaHaJe has hosted generations of youth aged 6 to 17 for faith-based summer adventures that include hiking, swimming, horseback riding, and whitewater rafting. The camp opened for the 2025 season on June 8, shortly after the lawsuit was filed.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which represented the camp, hailed the outcome as a victory for religious liberty.

“Government officials should never put a dangerous ideology ahead of kids,” said Andrea Dill, legal counsel for ADF. “This agreement allows Camp IdRaHaJe to operate as it has for more than 75 years — as a Christian summer camp that accepts all campers without fear of being punished for its beliefs.”

According to the agreement filed Wednesday, the camp can continue to house campers by biological sex, aligning with its religious teachings on sexuality and gender — a practice the state now acknowledges falls outside the scope of its regulations.

The resolution marks a significant development in the national debate over the boundaries of anti-discrimination laws and religious freedom in youth programming.

(Worthy Insights) – Mon B, a singer and street preacher in the U.K., is standing firm for her faith after an officer with the British Transport Police attempted to shut her down, telling her sharing the Gospel was “all wrong.”

“God’s plan,” Mon B wrote in an Instagram post, sharing news of her confrontation with law enforcement officials outside King’s Cross, a railway station in London. “God cannot be mocked.”

In a separate post, the street preacher continued, “The GOD I serve is very real and HIS name is JESUS! He cannot be mocked. Don’t stop His servants from doing what He loves. To see souls saved. I pray this is a wake up call to all those who don’t believe and for Christians who have slumbered. CHURCH ARISE!”

ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – The family of a young Christian teenager was still searching for their daughter Tuesday after she was abducted by a Muslim man in Pakistan’s Punjab province earlier this month, Christians told Worthy News.

Elishba Adnan, 14, was abducted by a 26-year-old Muslim man, publicly identified as Babar Mukhtar, according to sources familiar with the situation.

The June 11 kidnapping in her home city of Burewala, in Punjab’s Vehari District, shows “the growing crisis of forced conversions and marriages of Christian girls in Pakistan”, said Sardar Mushtaq Gill, a prominent human rights advocate.

The Pakistani activist, the founder of advocacy group LEAD Ministries Pakistan, says he has “handled numerous” such cases.

He told Worthy News that her father, Adnan Masih, a sanitary worker by profession, filed a complaint with the local police after his daughter went missing.

“However, there are reports suggesting police were reluctant to register a First Information Report (FIR),” Gill said.

Police cited a “widely held but controversial belief that many such cases involve Christian girls eloping with Muslim men due to romantic relationships. That eventually led to conversion and marriage,” Gill recalled.

SYSTEMATIC ABUSE

“LEAD Ministries Pakistan has been actively working to combat the systemic abuse of Christian girls and women in Pakistan through forced marriages and conversions.”

Worthy News has a policy of not naming victims of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly without duress. In the case of the girl, it was not clear whether she had become a victim of an assault, and she had been named publicly.

Pakistani Pastor Imran Amanat, who currently leads LEAD, stressed that these narratives of “love affairs” are often used to dismiss the coercion involved in such incidents.

“Christian girls, coming from poor and marginalized communities, are seen as easy targets,” he told Worthy News.

“They are often lured with promises of a better life, but the reality they face after conversion is one of abuse, neglect, and often abandonment.”

Gill recalled that he saw “countless Christian girls forced into marriage, isolated from their families, and pressured to convert to Islam. Many of them are eventually abandoned or mistreated, and the so-called marriage turns into a life of suffering. These are not love stories—they are tragedies.”

The reported forced conversions in Pakistan, particularly of underage minority girls, haveled to international concern. “Despite constitutional protections and growing calls from civil society, legislative action has been slow.”

PROVIDING SHELTER

He noted that “Rights groups have long demanded clearer laws and enforcement mechanisms to protect minority women and girls from religiously motivated violence and coercion.”

LEAD Ministries says it will provide “legal aid and shelter to victims of such cases, advocating for justice and legislative reforms.”

The organization urged the government of Pakistan, a mainly Muslim nation, and international human rights bodies “to intervene and ensure the protection of religious minorities in the country.”

As the case of Elishba Adnan unfolds, LEAD Ministries vowed to pursue justice for her and other victims of forced conversion.

“We will not be silent,” Pastor Amanat declared. “Every girl’s life and faith matter. No one should be forced to change their religion or enter a marriage against their will.”

 Several thousand Christians marched on the streets and blocked highways in the eastern Indian state of Odisha to demand justice and protection from increasing attacks against them by Hindu mobs.

Protest rallies, attended by 1,000 to 5,000 Christians, were held in 20 out of 30 district centers in the state on July 1, according to Aravind Kachhap, an organizer and president of the Rashtriya Christian Morcha or National Christian Front.

Some 5,000 people walked through the state’s capital, Bhubaneswar, and blocked a road, according to Father Ajay Kumar Singh, a social activist from the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar archdiocese.

"It was the first time Christians had rallied in such huge numbers and blocked a road in the capital city," he said. 

“Normal life was disrupted in many cities and towns, sending a clear message that Christians will not tolerate any more attacks,” Singh said.

Christian leaders at the rallies demanded an end to Hindu groups' oppression, discrimination, and violence against Christians, who belong to indigenous and Dalit (formerly untouchable) communities.

The rallies were organized by the Christian Front along with Bharat Mukti Morcha or Indian Freedom Front, a movement that supports the rights of backward and minority communities. 

“We are protesting against violence committed by Vishva Hindu Parishad [World Hindu Council] and its youth wing, the Bajrang Dal, which are linked to the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Kachhap said.

Prasan Bisoyi, a Catholic leader from Kandhamal district, which experienced the worst riots in 2008, said that normal life came to a complete halt in Rakia, Bamunigaon, and Daringbadi towns, with traders shutting their shops on July 1.

He said the rallies sent a clear message to the BJP [that also rules the state] that people want peace and justice.

Bishop D. B. Hruday of the All India Christian Community Churches said that the mobilization of indigenous Christians, Dalits, and tribals in Odisha started last year and is now gaining momentum.

“Previously, protests were local, now it has brought people together to fight for their rights at the state level,” the prelate said.

Bishop Pallab Lima, who leads the United Believers Council Network of India, participated with some 5,000 Christians in a rally at Malkangiri town.

Malkangiri district experienced violence on June 21 when a Hindu mob of approximately 400 people attacked Christians in the remote village of Kotamateru, injuring 30, many severely.

“The rallies highlighted to the public and government authorities the urgent issues such as forced church closures, criminalization of faith practices under vague laws, denial of burial grounds, and violent attacks against their members,” Lima said.  

Odisha reported 40 major attacks on Christians in 2024, according to the United Christian Forum (UCF), a New Delhi-based organization that tracks persecution cases against Christians in India.

Odisha’s Kandhamal district experienced its worst anti-Christian riot in August 2008, where over 100 Christians were killed over the course of seven weeks.

It also left 300 churches destroyed, 6,000 Christian homes looted and plundered, and over 56,000 Christians homeless.

In the past six months alone, the state has documented over 60 targeted attacks on Christians.

Christians make up 2.77 percent of the state’s 42 million people, with some 90 percent being Hindus and indigenous people.

 China (International Christian Concern)  –  The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government is rewriting portions of the Bible in an effort to increase its control over religion in country, according to U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI).  In a meeting of the House Select Committee on the CCP, Rep. Gallagher stated that Chairman Xi Jinping is on a “quest to make the faithful serve the party rather than God.”

Rep. Gallagher referenced a statement from Chairman Xi during the 19th Party Congress in 2017 that declares the intent to pursue “the Sinicization of Chinese religions and provide active guidance for religion and socialism to coexist.” Besides attempting to control Christian doctrine and practice, the CCP is persecuting other Buddhist and Muslim ethnic minorities, according to Rep. Gallagher.

The CCP sees itself as possessing absolute authority over religion in China. For example, in 2018, the Vatican compromised with the CCP on the prerogative to appoint Roman Catholic clergy in China. Multiple sources have warned that the CCP aims to select the next Dalai Lama—the supreme leader of Tibetan Buddhism. Thus, the CCP forcing the church to be subservient to the state infringes the Western conception of religious liberty, which is founded on the Christian understanding of the church and the state as distinct institutions ordained by God.

Rep. Gallagher cited two cases of the CCP rewriting portions of the Bible. The first from the account in the Gospel of John of Jesus telling the woman caught in adultery to “go, and from now on sin no more,” after telling the scribes and Pharisees, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her (John 8:3-11, ESV).” A textbook from a Chinese university appeared in 2020 with the account from the Gospel of John rewritten to end with “Jesus himself stoning the adulterous woman to death,” according to Rep. Gallagher.

The second is a report that CCP authorities in Henan province “forced Protestant churches to replace the Ten Commandments with Xi Jinping quotes,” changing the first commandment from, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” (Exodus 20:3, KJV) to, “Resolutely guard against the infiltration of Western ideology.”

Two Christian pastors at the Congressional meeting testified on persecution in China, noting that many Chinese pastors and Christians are undeterred. International Christian Concern (ICC) recently published a report describing the growth of the underground church in Iran, where government repression seems to cause the church to grow rather than stifle it.  As the early church father Tertullian wrote, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

"Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of prisoners might be at risk of executions." — Mahmood Amiry Moghaddam, director of the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization, June 26, 2025.

Iran... has reportedly executed 1,700 people in 2025 alone -- and it is not even August.US President Donald J. Trump deserves every credit for bombing the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan uranium enrichment plants. However, forcing Israel to terminate its "Operation Rising Lion," just as it was finally giving the Iranian people a glimpse of hope for freedom in the course of destroying Iran's nuclear program and its key institutions of oppression, was a terrible move. It left Iranians abandoned to a gruesome fate under a regime that had been likely weeks away from facing total destruction. Why? For another 46 years of "fake talks"?The Trump administration cannot thank Qatar enough for "helping" to negotiate every transition. Qatar is doubtless delighted to help, to make sure that none of its well-funded clients gets hurt. Qatar does not want regime change in Iran. Qatar has also promised Trump more than a trillion dollars in investments in the US.By rescuing Iran's regime, is Trump signaling to the people of Iran that actual peace in the Middle East might be just a dream; that more than 90 million Iranian people are seemingly not worthy of the same freedom that other nations have and that they should suffer unspeakable persecution forever?Throughout the war, most Western leaders aside from Trump, from their comfortable clubs, called for "ceasefires" and "de-escalation", while Israel was fighting for its existence -- and theirs. Would they have preferred to wait for the ballistic missiles Iran was launching at Israel to be nuclear-tipped?Iran's mullahs are not going to put their country back in shape: they are going put their nuclear weapons program, war machine and private militia, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), back in shape. The mullahs must be congratulating themselves on how much better it is to be America's enemy than its friend.Trump's newfound generosity towards the Islamic Republic of Iran -- whatever happened to "maximum pressure"? -- will only allow it to strengthen its hold on power, rebuild its terrorist proxies, establish additional terrorist sleeper cells in the West, continue arming Venezuela, all while the Iranian people will see neither freedom nor prosperity. In addition, it will guarantee further war later on, not only in the Middle East, but also in the West.

The day after Israel began to strike Iran on June 13, the Islamic Republic ratcheted up its crackdown on the captive Iranian people The only activity at which Iran's regime seems to excel is brutally attacking its innocent, unarmed population.

Since then, at least 1,295 people have been arrested on security-related charges, including "espionage for Israel," according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. In addition, it noted, "at least 301 individuals were detained nationwide for sharing content, expressing opinions, or participating on social media."

The Iranian regime also began to round up its Jewish citizens and other minorities. They interrogated at least 35 Jews over their ties with Israeli relatives, while security forces raided at least 19 homes of the minority Baha'i community. Fox News reported that "in the past 48 hours, the Iranian Regime has executed more of its own civilians than were killed in the entire Twelve-Day War with Israel."

According to Mahmood Amiry Moghaddam, director of the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization:

"After the ceasefire with Israel, the Islamic Republic needs more repression to cover up military failures, prevent protests, and ensure its continued survival... Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of prisoners might be at risk of executions."

Executions of political prisoners, minorities and others are a daily occurrence in Iran, which has reportedly executed 1,700 people in 2025 alone -- and it is not even August.

The head of the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, said that arrested Iranians should be "very swiftly tried and punished according to wartime conditions," while Iran's parliament approved two "urgent" bills prescribing the death penalty for "espionage or collaboration with hostile states, including the US government."

US President Donald J. Trump deserves every credit for bombing the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan uranium enrichment plants. However, forcing Israel to terminate its "Operation Rising Lion," just as it was finally giving the Iranian people a glimpse of hope for freedom in the course of destroying Iran's nuclear program and its key institutions of oppression, was a terrible move. It left Iranians abandoned to a gruesome fate under a regime that had been likely weeks away from facing total destruction. Why? For another 46 years of "fake talks"?

Trump's decision, taken at the height of Israel's impressive campaign, literally saved the Ayatollahs' regime, called by the US State Department the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism, 39 years in a row, since 1984. Trump seems to think that Iran's mullahs might be interested in becoming their own direct opposites in everything they have stood for since 1979, the year Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei led the Islamic Revolution in Iran while promising "full rights for religious and ethnic minority, and a reduction in military spending."

Iran's regime, unable to put up any resistance to the Israeli strikes on its military and nuclear facilities, found itself abandoned by its allies, China and Russia, which refused to intervene on its behalf. The regime also found itself abandoned by its own terrorist proxies, notably Hezbollah, which is in no shape to take Israel on again. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, apparently aware of the probability of meeting his end in the war, cowered in a bunker, its location known to Israel and the US. He had named three possible successors.

Iranians, probably still leery, were secretly celebrating the imminent demise of their Islamist tormentors. The Israel Defense Forces destroyed the entrance gate to Tehran's notorious Evin Prison where thousands of political prisoners are held – and then Trump swooped in with his untimely demand for a ceasefire.

Trump first said he did not want regime change in Iran; then tweeted that he might want regime change if it could "Make Iran Great Again: MIGA!!!" Then, he imposed a ceasefire.

Now Iran could very well get worse.

Qatar, the master-funder of virtually every Sunni Islamic terrorist organization and, through its Al-Jazeera broadcasting empire, the megaphone of the Muslim Brotherhood organization, whose doctrines underpin effectively all of the Sunni Islamic terrorist organizations from ISIS to Al Qaeda and the Taliban, remains a close ally of Iran.

The Trump administration cannot thank Qatar enough for "helping" to negotiate every transition. Qatar is doubtless delighted to help, to make sure that none of its well-funded clients gets hurt. Qatar does not want regime change in Iran. Qatar has also promised Trump more than a trillion dollars in investments in the US.

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani reportedly spoke with Trump shortly before the president called off the Israeli strikes, imposed a ceasefire, and then, unbelievably, drew a false moral equivalence between Iran and Israel, likening them to fighting children whom he had to straighten out. Iran, however, has been the naked aggressor for nearly half a century, attacking Israel non-stop both directly and through its proxies, culminating in the seven-front war it launched through Hamas on October 7, 2023.

Iran has also been attacking the US since 1979, starting with taking 66 members of the US Embassy staff hostage in 1979, then, in 1983, bombing the US Marines barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 241 Americans. In just the last four years, Iran has launched 350 attacks on American troops and assests in the Midde East, without America lifting a finger in protest.

Iran's regime, since its inception, has actively sought global hegemony. "We shall export our revolution to the whole world. Until the cry 'There is no god but Allah' resounds over the whole world, there will be struggle," said Khomeini. To that end, Iran sponsored proxy terror organizations in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, in a noose of fire encircling Israel.

The regime has made the lives of more than 90 million Iranians hell for decades, and has infiltrated the West with sleeper terrorist cells from Europe to South America and the US. Israel's attack on Iran was about making Israel and the entire world safe from Iran's Islamic Revolution.

By rescuing Iran's regime, is Trump signaling to the people of Iran that actual peace in the Middle East might be just a dream; that more than 90 million Iranian people are seemingly not worthy of the same freedom that other nations have and that they should suffer unspeakable persecution forever?

Is Trump also signaling that the Middle East should remain a hotbed of Iranian terrorist proxies, endangering not only Israel, but also the oil-rich Arab countries in the Gulf (except for Iran's consigliere, Qatar) and the places that Iran's mullahs exploit to act as their human shields: Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq?

Did Trump suddenly forget that hundreds of Americans have been killed by Iran and its proxies in recent decades?

Rescuing Iran's regime also displayed, unfortunately, that the Iranian people, who have risen up fearlessly and unarmed over the years, have been abandoned yet again by a West that seems to think that the only lives worth saving in the Middle East are those of terrorists and their paymaster, Qatar.

Had the rest of the West stood with the Iranian people and exhibited any sort of pressure on the Iran's regime, it might have prevented this confrontation -- but the West did not. Where was their intelligence sharing or cyberattacks, or taking out Iranian state media channels, as Israel did? The West, through Elon Musk, might have helped Iranians to organize themselves by supplying Starlink satellite internet terminals, in a country that barely has any uncensored internet.

The West has donated so many billions of dollars to its own demise by funding Palestinian terrorist groups in the Palestinian Authority and Gaza, but is unwilling to fund and arm those Iranians who could neutralize the regime that has orchestrated so much of the terror unleashed on the West in past decades?

Throughout the war, most Western leaders aside from Trump, from their comfortable clubs, called for "ceasefires" and "de-escalation", while Israel was fighting for its existence -- and theirs. Would they have preferred to wait for the ballistic missiles Iran was launching at Israel to be nuclear-tipped?

Iran's regime appears determined to rebuild its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. Trump seems to be hoping they will prefer trade. Perhaps Iran's regime will use trade to get rich again to fund its nuclear weapons program.

"Iran's nuclear program... will proceed from now on more rapidly... [IAEA] officials will be prohibited from entering until the security of the nuclear facilities and scientists is assured," said Mohammad Qalibaf, speaker of Iran's parliament on June 25, amid cheers of "Death to America."

Defiant and delusional, Khamenei declared "victory" over Israel. Innocent Iranians are paying the price. Iran is already rebuilding and regrouping, and in the near future will again be on the cusp of acquiring nuclear weapons. Trump appears to be about to directly help the war machines of America's enemies, Iran and China, by allowing Iran to sell oil to China.

"They [Iran] just had a war. The war was fought. They fought it bravely... They're in the oil business... They're going to need money to put that country back in shape. We want to see that happen... If they're going to sell oil, they're going to sell oil," Trump said on June 25.

Iran did not fight "bravely." Iran, unprovoked, attacked Israel through its proxy Hamas on October 7, 2023, murdering 1,200 Israelis, mass rape and kidnapping, and other atrocities. Iran itself deliberately targeted and killed Israeli civilians with barrages of ballistic missiles, a war crime, and hit a hospital, another war crime. Iran broke every rule in international law.

Iran's mullahs are not going to put their country back in shape: they are going put their nuclear weapons program, war machine and private militia, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), back in shape. The mullahs must be congratulating themselves on how much better it is to be America's enemy than its friend.

Trump's newfound generosity towards the Islamic Republic of Iran -- whatever happened to "maximum pressure"? -- will only allow it to strengthen its hold on power, rebuild its terrorist proxies, establish additional terrorist sleeper cells in the West, continue arming Venezuela, all while the Iranian people will see neither freedom nor prosperity. In addition, it will guarantee further war later on, not only in the Middle East, but also in the West.

In 135 A.D., following the suppression of the revolt by the Maccabees, the Roman overlords of what was then called Judaea decided to change its name to “Syria Palaestina” — “Syria of the Philistines” — which was then shortened to “Palestine.” The Romans wanted to efface, through a change of toponym, the connection of the Jews to the land that was made obvious in the place name “Judaea.” They also attempted to change the name “Jerusalem” to “Aelia Capitolina” but, unlike “Palestine,” that place name never caught on.

During the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, the Arab Legion of Jordan — led by British officers under John Bagot Glubb (“Glubb Pasha”) — managed to seize and hold onto the territory that had been known, for more than 3,000 years, not just to the Jewish people but to everyone in the Western world, as “Judea and Samaria.” It would never do, the Jordanian Arabs believed, to continue to use the toponyms “Judea and Samaria,” which would remind people of who had inhabited that territory for millennia. So, like the Romans with their toponymic change — “Judaea” becoming “Palestine” — nearly 1800 years before, the Jordanians, after a year of reflection (the war officially ended in 1949), in 1950 decided to replace “Judea and Samaria” with the place name “West Bank.” It is a most peculiar appellation. After all, the riparian zone along a river is usually envisioned as of a uniform width, but the Jordanians’ “West Bank” is shaped like an ear. The Jordanians, and their fellow Arabs, by dint of repetition, made sure that “West Bank” was used so often, came more trippingly off the tongue than “Judea and Samaria” (it helped that people were uncertain whether “Judea and Samaria” were two distinct places, inked by a conjunction, or constituted one territory) and stuck so well in the popular mind, that it pushed “Judea and Samaria” out of common usage, save by the Israelis themselves. Even non-Israeli Jews now use the term “West Bank.”

People outside of Israel, including orthodox Jews and evangelical Christians, who persisted in using “Judea and Samaria,” found that “West Bank” had become so widely adopted that it was they who experienced a certain self-consciousness about using “Judea and Samaria.” “West Bank” is now used everywhere; it is up to us to undo that offense to history. When the Western media reports on Israelis, especially on those much-maligned “settlers,” they are often described as “using the Biblical terms Judea and Samaria,” as if that made such usage illegitimate. In other words, the fact that these place names had been used for three millennia by Jews and the rest of the Western world was not a point in their favor, but rather, was held against them. Amusing, isn’t it, that those people who would dismiss the use of “Judea and Samaria” because they are Biblical names have no objection to using the toponym “Gaza,” which is also a place name found in the Bible.

Now Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Congresswoman Claudia Tenney of New York have introduced a bill requiring the U.S. government to drop that preposterous “West Bank,” and to use the venerable, correct, imbued with history, place names “Judea and Samaria.” It’s an important bill; if it passes, it will put back into general circulation, by government fiat, “Judea and Samaria.” If every time a government official, from Trump and Rubio on down, gives a press conference, or holds a Congressional hearing, uses the terms “Judea and Samaria,” it will be an important victory, with the world being reminded that this territory has for more than three millennia been linked to the Jewish people; it was in Judea and Samaria, not in Haifa and Tel Aviv, where their history was made.

More about the legislation introduced Tom Cotton when he announced his resolution can be found here.

Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today introduced the Retiring the Egregious Confusion Over the Genuine Name of Israel’s Zone of Influence by Necessitating Government-use of Judea and Samaria (RECOGNIZING Judea and Samaria) Act, legislation to require all official U.S. documents and materials to use the historically accurate term “Judea and Samaria” instead of the “West Bank”. This bill would require the use of historically accurate terminology and align U.S. policy language with the geographical and cultural significance of the region. This legislation was introduced in the House by Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (R-New York).
“The Jewish people’s legal and historic rights to Judea and Samaria goes back thousands of years. The U.S. should stop using the politically charged term West Bank to refer to the biblical heartland of Israel,” said Senator Cotton.
“The Israeli people have an undeniable and indisputable historical and legal claim over Judea and Samaria, and at this critical moment in history, the United States must reaffirm this,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “This bill reaffirms Israel’s rightful claim to its territory. I remain committed to defending the integrity of the Jewish state and fully supporting Israel’s sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.”

To some this will seem a minor matter. “Words, words, words,” as Hamlet said to Polonius. It is not. It is important to escort back into common usage the words, including place names, that the Arabs have managed to push aside and replaced with others that diminish or efface altogether, the Jewish link to the land. Senator Cotton and Congresswoman Tenney deserve the gratitude of all those who care about history and the truth.

Striking “West Bank’” And Inserting “Judea and Samaria”

The bill making this change of place-name mandatory throughout the American government has now been introduced by Senator Tom Cotton (D.-Ark) and Representative Claudia Tenney (D.-NY). It can be found here.
A BILL
To prohibit the use of materials that use the term ‘‘West Bank’’, and for other purposes.
1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Retiring the Egregious   Confusion Over the Genuine Name of Israel’s Zone of Influence by Necessitating Government-use of Judea and Samaria Act’’ or the ‘‘RECOGNIZING Judea and Samaria Act’’.
118TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION
Striking “West Bank’” And Inserting “Judea and Samaria”
The bill introduced by Senator Tom Cotton (D.-Ark) and Representative Claudia Tenney (D.-NY) can be found here. https://www.cotton.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/west_bank.pdf
A BILL
To prohibit the use of materials that use the term ‘‘West Bank’’, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SEC.1 SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Retiring the Egregious   Confusion Over the Genuine Name of Israel’s Zone of Influence by Necessitating Government-use of Judea and Samaria Act’’ or the ‘‘RECOGNIZING Judea and Samaria Act’’.
118TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
2  It is the sense of Congress that the United States Government—
(1) should refer to the land annexed by Israel from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War by its historical names of ‘‘Judea and Samaria’’, with the land south of Jerusalem being considered ‘‘Judea’’
and the land north of Jerusalem being considered ‘Samaria’’; and
(2) should no longer use the term ‘‘West Bank”  in official government materials.
2. SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON USE OF MATERIALS THAT USE THE TERM ‘‘WEST BANK’’.

3. (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available after the date of the enactment of this Act may be obligated or expended to prepare or promulgate any policy, guidance, regulation, in this section if the Secretary—determines that is in the interests of the United States to do so; and
(2) submits to Congress an explanation for the waiver not later than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary makes the determination.
  SEC. 4. CONFORMING CHANGES TO UNITED STATES LAW. FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1961.—The For- Assistance Act of 1961 is amended as follows:(1) In section 620K(f)(3) (22 U.S.C. 2378b(f)(3)), by striking ‘‘the West Bank’’ and inserting ‘‘Judea and Samaria’’.
(2) In section 620L (22 U.S.C. 2378c)—
(A) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘THE WEST BANK’’ and inserting ‘‘JUDEA AND SAMARIA’’; and
(B) by striking ‘‘the West Bank’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘Judea and Samaria’’.
(b) TAYLOR FORCE ACT.—Section 1004 of the Tay- lor Force Act (22 U.S.C. 2378c–1) is amended—
(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘THE WEST BANK’’ and inserting ‘‘JUDEA AND SAMARIA’’; and
(2) by striking ‘‘the West Bank’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘Judea and Samaria’’.
(c) MULTINATIONAL FORCE AND OBSERVERS PAR- TICIPATION RESOLUTION.—Section 2 of the Multinational Force and Observers Participation Resolution (22 U.S.C. 3421) is amended by striking ‘‘the West Bank’’ and inserting ‘‘Judea and Samaria’’.
(d) OMNIBUS DIPLOMATIC SECURITY AND ANTITERRORISM ACT OF 1986.—Section 414 of the Om- nibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986 (22 U.S.C. 4862) is amended—
(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘WEST BANK’’ and inserting ‘‘JUDEA AND SAMARIA’’; and
(2) by striking ‘‘the West Bank’’ and inserting ‘‘Judea and Samaria’’.
(e) UNITED STATES-ISRAEL FREE TRADE AREA IMPLEMENTATION ACT OF 1985.—Section  9 of the United States-Israel Free Trade Area Implementation Act of 1985 (Public Law      99–47; 19 U.S.C. 2112 note) is amend-ed by striking ‘‘the West Bank’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘Judea and Samaria’’.
(f) IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 9/11 COMMISSION ACT OF 2007.—Section 2021(i) of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (22 U.S.C. 2151 note) is amended by striking ‘‘the West Bank’’ and inserting ‘‘Judea and Samaria’’.
(g) FOREIGN RELATIONS AUTHORIZATION ACT, FIS-CAL YEAR 2003.—Section 699 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107– 228; 22 U.S.C. 2301 note) is amended—
(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘WEST BANK’’ and inserting ‘‘JUDEA AND SAMARIA’’; and
(2) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘the West Bank’’ and inserting ‘‘Judea and Samaria’’.
(h) NITA M. LOWEY MIDDLE EAST PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE ACT.—Section 8005 of the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act (division K of Public Law 116–260) is amended by striking ‘‘the West Bank’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘Judea and Samaria’’.

Got it?  STRIKE “West Bank” and INSERT “Judea and Samaria.”

O where? Here, there, and everywhere.

“At least 81 Palestinians have been killed” in 24 hours in Gaza, the BBC reported on June 28, 2025, citing the “the Hamas-run health ministry”.

There was nothing extraordinary about this at first glance beyond the way that the media had become comfortable building stories around claims from an Islamic terrorist group.

Why 81 dead? Perhaps that seemingly random number is how many people were really killed.

And yet five months earlier, on January 16, 2025, the New York Times reported that, “Gaza’s health ministry said on Thursday morning that at least eight Israeli attacks in the territory had killed 81 people… over the previous 24 hours.”

What were the odds of exactly 81 people being killed in 24 hours on two different dates in Gaza?

Better than you might think.

In 2024, the United Nations passed on the claim by the Hamas “Ministry of Health in Gaza, 81 Palestinians were killed” in 24 hours between February 28 and 29.

A few weeks later, on Mar 18, 2024, the Daily Telegraph reported that the latest Hamas ‘Ministry of Health’ official “toll includes at least 81 deaths in the previous 24 hours.”

No one seemed all that surprised at the Israeli precision that had managed to kill precisely 81 people in 24 hours on 4 different occasions.

And then two months later it happened again.

“81 Palestinians killed in 8 Israeli massacres in Gaza in 24 hours,” the Palestinian Authority’s Wafa reported on May 26, 2024.

The media was claiming that Israel had killed 81 people in February, March and May.

If you think that’s incredible, consider the odds of Israel killing 81 people exactly a year apart.

“Medical sources told Al Jazeera that at least 81 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on various parts of Gaza,” the Qatari terrorist news agency claimed on May 26, 2025.

CNN backed up that same number and date contending that a “total of 81 people have been killed… in Gaza in the last 24 hours, the health ministry in Gaza reported.”

Israel had killed 81 people on the same dates in 2024 and 2025. Truly unprecedented.

But Israel kills 81 people fairly often on Al Jazeera, which also reported on July 22, 2024  that, “at least 81 Palestinians killed after Israel launched new military operation in Khan Younis.”

Why does Israel keep killing 81 people in 24 hours specifically? Obviously it’s not.

Forensic accountants (and high school teachers) look for the repetition of certain unlikely numbers as evidence of fraud. People faking their ledgers usually try to avoid round numbers and so they pick an odd number. But they often repeat that same number again and again.

People fall into patterns and having cited “81 people in 24 hours”, Hamas fell into the rut of picking the same number on multiple occasions creating the wildly improbable scenario in which Israeli air strikes kept killing 81 people.

But when people think that they’re being random, they’re actually following patterns. Some people have lucky numbers, a former address, a winning score or a wedding date, that naturally comes to mind whenever they’re asked to pick a random number. That’s something mentalists and magicians know how to exploit. And that may have also been the case with Hamas.

Numerology is a major matter in Islam and ‘81’ is seen as one of Islam’s ‘magical’ numbers. Muslims think of ‘81’ as a special number because they believe that they can see the numbers ‘18’ and ’81’ on their hands written in Arabic and that these numbers together form ‘99’ which is the total of names for their deity ‘Allah’. Thus ‘81’ plays an important role in their prayers.

Hamas may not have intentionally planned to cite ‘81’ repeatedly, but as devout Muslims, the number was already on their minds and when picking a figure out of thin air, they chose 81.

They may have been at it longer than anyone realizes because the earliest media mention of 81 in Gaza dates back to July 2014 when a CNN report claimed that, “At least 81 killed in Gaza.”

It’s possible that after this article comes out, they will stop, but also equally possible that they will keep it up because no one in the media had noticed it and no one will comment on it now.

CNN passed on Hamas claims that 81 people had been killed in Gaza beginning in 2014 and, since Oct 7, on Oct 20, 2023, May 26, 2024 and Jan 16, 2025 without doing a double take.

And the rest of the media is no better.

What’s at stake here is more than ‘81’, it’s the entire war propaganda narrative of tens of thousands of dead women and children delivered to the media by Hamas. If that narrative collapses, the push for a ‘ceasefire’ that leaves the terrorists in power, a mission that has become the core political activity of both Islamists and the far left, will also fall apart.

The media can’t allow itself to spot even the more obvious ‘tells’ of fraud. Including Israel somehow repeatedly killing precisely 81 people on different dates and operations.

To Muslims, 81 is sacred, but to everyone else it ought to be a measure of the Big Lie.

After Oct 7, Hamas took its hostages, retreated to its tunnels and counted on its Muslim Brotherhood parent group and the MB’s network of allies to launch a propaganda campaign based on fake atrocities and an equally fake civilian death toll. The media continues printing every lie sent by Hamas, sometimes at least citing the ‘Gaza Ministry of Health’ as “Hamas-run” and other times misleadingly calling the genocidal Islamic terrorists “Gaza health officials”.

81 is also the degree to which the media chose not to examine the numbers it was getting from Hamas. Why? Because the media wants the terrorists to win and it wants America, Israel and the rest of the civilized world to lose.

The next time you hear another nonsensical death toll out of Gaza, just reply with ‘81’.

6/20/2025 Africa/Latin America (International Christian Concern) — Many Christians across Africa and Latin America continue to suffer for their faith because of Islamic oppression, dictatorial paranoia, and criminal cartel organizations. 

Large populations in Cuba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, and Nigeria are predominantly Christian. Yet, many Christ followers in these nations are often brutally attacked for following Christ, and their governments are failing to protect them. 

Persecution in Africa 

In the DRC, Christians represent roughly 95% of the nation’s population, yet they are being slaughtered at alarming rates. Much of the killing is being done by Islamist groups like ISIS-DRC, also known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), and ISCAP, a militant group of the Islamic State group. 

In March, the European Parliament stated that “ISCAP is now the deadliest armed group in the DRC,” and between January and June 2024, the “Islamic State claimed responsibility for killing a total of 698 African Christians … and ISCAP claimed responsibility for killing 639 Christians.” 

Additionally, the U.S. Department of State cited an incident in the DRC in January 2023 where “ISIS-DRC/ADF detonated an explosive at a church baptism service in Kasindi, North Kivu Province, killing 16 and injuring at least 62. In March [2023], the group killed more than 83 Christians, including children, in attacks on villages in North Kivu.” Moreover, ADF rebels beheaded 70 Christians on Feb. 15, 2025, in a Protestant church in Kasanga. 

Likewise, according to the U.S. State Department, in Mozambique, about 62% of the population is composed of Christians, yet Islamic extremists still target them for their faith. According to Open Doors, these extremists have “target[ed] Christian places of worship, abducting religious leaders and killing numerous believers.” 

According to a May report from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Christians in the northern part of Mozambique are being severely attacked by Islamist extremists.  

“The Christian population of Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique is suffering greatly from terrorist attacks carried out as part of an Islamist insurgency,” the report stated. 

And in Nigeria, Christians account for roughly half the population and are being killed at near genocide levels. Tens of thousands of Christ followers have been slaughtered for their faith in the nation during the past 25 years, with no signs of the persecution slowing down. A great deal of the violence is perpetrated by jihadists and Islamic extremists. According to Open Doors, “These attacks are shockingly brutal in nature. Many believers are killed, particularly men, while women are often kidnapped and targeted for sexual violence. These militants also destroy homes, churches, and livelihoods.” 

Persecution in Latin America 

In Cuba, the Catholic Church estimates that roughly 60% of the population practices Catholicism, though exact numbers are unknown due to the communist government’s secrecy regarding certain statistics. Cuban churches that publicly oppose the government’s human rights abuses are targeted by authorities for harassment and intimidation. Additionally, churches are subjected to random, arbitrary closures by the government if they are considered a threat. 

Similarly, Christians in Mexico account for 88% of the population, according to the 2020 census. Yet, they fear violence and intimidation from local cartels who extort churches and commit attacks of violence against Christ followers for speaking against their activities. According to Teresa Flores, director of the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Latin America (OLIRE), cartels sometimes view churches as a source of financial opportunity. 

“These criminal organizations have obvious financial interests,” Flores stated in a Christianity Today report. “When someone receives donations or has a large amount of tithes, they can become a target.” Additionally, according to the report, “in regions inhabited by Indigenous ethnic groups, who practice a form of Catholicism blended with local spiritual practices, Protestant converts face community retaliation that can turn violent.” 

In Nicaragua, 81% of the population consists of Christians, but in recent years, Christ followers have come under harsh attacks from the socialist regime. Nicaraguan authorities are increasingly imprisoning or exiling Christians who speak out against the government due to dictatorial paranoia. 

The reality of persecution against Christians is an ever-growing one. Nations once viewed as “safely” Christian are now under threat, with new and deepening forms of persecution popping up in unexpected places and at alarming rates. The ripple effect of the suppression of Christians’ human rights the world over will have a lasting influence on future generations. 

Seven people were sent to judicial custody by a court in India's eastern Odisha state for attacking Christian families in villages and forcing them to flee their homes after they refused to give up their faith in Jesus.

The incident was reported from Narayanpatna and Bondhugaon in Koraput district on June 10.

At least 60 indigenous Christians, including women and children, were forced to spend the night in a nearby forest, after which they trekked to their relatives and friends' houses in the area the next day, Church leaders said.

“We are happy that police arrested seven persons on June 12 and a local court remanded them in judicial custody the same day,” said Bishop Pallab Lima, head of the United Believers Council Network India.

In Indian law, judicial custody is the detention of an accused person in jail to prevent potential tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses.

Bihit Lima, a local pastor who is assisting the Christian victims, said the indigenous Christians were preparing to sleep when a mob entered their mud houses and threatened them to renounce their Christian faith if they wanted to stay in the villages.

“When they refused, the mob destroyed their houses and forced them to flee the villages with whatever clothes they had on them,” Lima told UCA News on June 12.

The Christians, after spending the night in the forest and finding shelter elsewhere, approached the police the following day, the pastor added.

Bishop Lima said, “It was rare that the police acted so swiftly after our people complained and arrested the culprits.”

“The police also assured us that the victims would be compensated for their loss,” the prelate told UCA News on June 13.

Church leaders said such intimidation and violence against Christians was on the rise in Odisha, ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power a year ago.

“The primary victims of this organized campaign are Christians of Dalit [former untouchables] and indigenous origins,” they said.

“We have records of 60 complaints filed with different police stations in the state demanding action against right-wing Hindu activists who continue to attack Christians," the prelate said.

Odisha recorded 40 incidents of attacks against Christians in 2024, according to data released by United Christian Forum (UCF), a New Delhi-based ecumenical body that tracks cases of persecution against Christians in India.

Odisha’s Kandhamal district witnessed the worst-ever anti-Christian riot in August 2008, in which over 100 Christians were killed over a period of seven weeks.

It also left 300 churches destroyed, 6,000 Christian houses looted and plundered, and rendered over 56,000 Christians homeless.

The riots were unleashed after the murder of Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati, an 81-year-old Hindu seer, by left-wing Maoist rebels.

However, the murder was dubbed a “Christian conspiracy” by Hindu radical forces, who continue to target Dalit and tribal Christians for their faith.

On June 9, Christians took to the streets in 25 of Odisha’s 30 districts to protest against their persecution.

Christians make up 2.77 percent of the state’s 42 million people, over 90 percent of whom are Hindus and indigenous people.