The ancient Yazidi minority and many Christian communities face destruction, reports Middle East Concern. During the night of 6-7 August, Islamic State (IS) militants attacked towns and villages to the east and north of Mosul with mortars and heavy weapons. The protecting Kurdish Peshmerga forces withdrew, leaving the area to be seized by the IS….
After Christians were forced to leave Mosul and other areas that fell under the control of the Islamic State (IS), Kurdish and Shiite dominated cities opened their doors to receive them. Religious authorities adopted stances supporting Christians, as they called on residents to host and help their brothers in the country. The Imam Al-Khoei Foundation,…
Overnight the Islamic State (IS) group captured a major centre for the Christian minority, Qaraqosh in Nineveh province, after the withdrawal of Kurdish forces. A majority of Nineveh inhabitants left their homes overnight, according to an international Christian organisation based in Paris. As many as 100,000 people are believed to be fleeing toward the autonomous…
The 25th anniversary of Tiananmen Square last month has provoked a fresh look at human rights in China, especially religious freedom. Katrina Lantos Swett, chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, and M. Zuhdi Jasser, a USCIRF Commissioner, write in The Washington Post. “From repressing Muslims to bulldozing churches and tearing down crosses,…
Human rights abuse in Pakistan is still extremely serious with deadly attacks on different faith groups throughout the country, according to the United Nations. Christian Aid issued a parliamentary briefing on the country, the sixth most populous country in the world, following the publication of a US Commission report on international freedom. Blasphemy is punishable…
A UN Expert investigating religious freedom during a fact-finding trip to Vietnam found his quest blocked after individuals he wanted to meet were intimidated. Heiner Bielefeldt, U.N. Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, feared ‘serious violations’ of faith freedoms in the country, he said on 31 July, after people he was meeting faced…
Mother-of-two Meriam Ibrahim who was freed from jail after she faced Sudanese court sentences of flogging and death-by-hanging for her Christian beliefs has flown from Italy to the USA to start a new life with her family – arriving yesterday, 31 July. The Mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, greeted her in person and called her…
A married church pastor who was a father to eight children was kidnapped and then killed by suspected members of Islamic militant group Boko Haram, from a location in the north of Cameroon. Pastor Kesvere Jean Marcel, a missionary connected to the Fraternal Lutheran Church, was grabbed and then slaughtered by the fanatics at the…
US Secretary of State, John Kerry, has submitted the 2013 International Religious Freedom annual report to the US Congress which said there were great challenges around the world. The report said: “In 2013, the world witnessed the largest displacement of members of religious communities in recent memory. In almost every corner of the globe, millions of Christians,…
Islamic State (IS) extremists slaughtered 1,500 people in Iraq on 29 July, according to Canon Andrew White, the Vicar of St George’s Church in Baghdad. Canon White wrote the following Facebook update on 30 July:- “Over 1500 killed by Islamic State yesterday. “Sorry FB is not working here so I am sending this message via…