Catholic Bishops in Nigeria have called on the government to protect the lives and property of its people, as militants intensify their killing spree across the country. In a statement ‘‘While Nigeria bleeds and burns’’ the Bishops urged the authorities to carry out their ‘primary duty’ to protect the life of every Nigerian, irrespective of tribe,…
The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, speaking at the UN General Assembly this week, said the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine demand a revitalized United Nations where member states put their responsibility to protect persecuted peoples above personal interests and thoroughly apply international law. Cardinal Parolin said the blood of the many…
Eleven members of the U.S. Congress have urged President Barack Obama to discuss the issue of freedom of religion or belief in India during his bilateral meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently visiting the United States. India’s Financial Express reports that in the letter sent to the US President, the lawmakers…
Yesterday evening in Manchester Christians on the Left held a candlelit vigil for Christians and other minorities persecuted in Iraq and Syria. Prayers were also said for the wider Middle East, including Israel/Palestine. Christians on the Left has delegates attending the Labour Party Conference who are highlighting the plight of Christians and others in the Middle…
The NGO Movement for Solidarity and Peace (MSP) has called for action having published a report finding that between 100 and 700 Christian women ‘are abducted, converted to Islam, and married to the abductor or third party’ every year in Pakistan. The investigative report, entitled ‘Forced Marriages & Forced Conversions in the Christian Community of…
A liberal Muslim scholar, accused of blasphemy for a speech he gave during a visit to the United States, was shot and killed in Karachi on Thursday. The scholar, Muhammad Shakil Auj, was the dean of Islamic studies at the University of Karachi. Dr. Auj was shot in the head and neck and died immediately,…
Despite the promise of greater protections for religious minorities, there have been over 600 attacks on Muslim and Christian groups during the first 100 days of the new Indian government’s rule, reports Christian Today. In response to the increase in violence, Christians and activists are planning a public protest in New Delhi on October 4,…
Last Friday the House of Commons debated government strategy on IS. Stephen Pound MP (Ealing North) (Lab) asked the minister if the UK was willing to support the creation of a safe haven for persecuted minorities from Iraq. Mr Lidington replied that the Government was committed to doing everything that it could to safeguard the…
On 1st and 2nd September five Christians were arrested in Esfahan. Bibles, computers and mobile phones were confiscated and Mohammad Taslimi, Hamidreza Borhani and his wife Zainab Akbari, Moluk Ruhani and her sister, Sepideh Morshedi, were arrested and taken to Dastgerd prison, Esfahan. They have yet to be charged. Prior to this on August 12th…
The Islamic State has destroyed several Sufi Muslim shrines and tombs in the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zor. The Sunni Muslim group, which enforces a strict interpretation of Islamic law in territories under its control in Iraq and Syria, has destroyed dozens of shrines, tombs and Shi’ite Muslim mosques. Sites affiliated with the Sufi…