#WePersevere is a weekly roundup of national and international stories highlighting spiritual and religious freedom.

Week of 6/3/2016:

In Syria and US: Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) said Thursday that it was “unconscionable” that of the record 499 Syrian refugees admitted to the United States in the first three weeks of May, not one was a Christian. Read more…

In India and US: A fresh wave of violence against India’s Christian community broke out across India following the US Commission for International Religious Freedom’s release of its annual report, which heavily criticized India as a Tier 2 violator of religious freedom. “Ultra-Hindu Nationalists have [a] clear mandate, extensive support from Sangh leaders and a very good network in place to vandalize churches and beat up pastors…”  Read more…

In US Higher Education: “In a column a few weeks ago, I offered “a confession of liberal intolerance,” criticizing my fellow progressives for promoting all kinds of diversity on campuses — except ideological. I argued that universities risk becoming liberal echo chambers and hostile environments for conservatives, and especially for evangelical Christians.” Read more…

In Pakistan: Suleman Hadayat Masih, 14, was the latest Christian child known to have been murdered by extremists in Pakistan. The attacks have been linked by activists and family members to their faith in Jesus Christ. Investigators say he was killed and then hung to create the impression of a suicide. Read More…

In Uganda:  A Muslim villager in eastern Uganda is suspected in the poisoning death of 61-year-old Baptist pastor Micah Byamukama on Sunday, May 15. The pastor had asserted that “the true God is the God of the Lord Jesus Christ, who conquered the power of Satan including the Islamic Jinn,” an area source said. Read more…

In Pakistan: “Blasphemy” charges are often used to take revenge on neighbors for personal infractions; the penalty is usually imprisonment or death. This week, a Pakistani Christian woman living in Pakistan who stood her ground despite being accused of “blasphemy” by her Muslim neighbor has miraculously been acquitted of all charges. Read More…

For Your Bookshelf:

They Say We Are Infidels, by Mindy Belz

“For the past decade, journalist Mindy Belz has returned again and again to the Middle East, following Iraqi Christians fleeing from rape, murder, kidnapping, and suicide bombing. Belz brings the stark reality of this escalating genocide to light, sharing the stories of real-life Christians who refuse to abandon their faith—together with the hope that still lives, even in the face of terror.” Learn more: http://theysayweareinfidels.com

We Persevere is curated by K.A. Ellis, pioneer of the Persevering Church campaign. She is Ambassador for International Christian Response, a Swiss organization providing support for church planters in hostile