General

72 Assyrian Christian families captured, 50 besieged by IS after Syria attack

February 25, 2015 Syria Assyrians, Hasakah, Islamic State, Khabur, Qamishli, Syria

2009 Easter service at St Mary’s Church, Hassaka. Now only 200 Christian families remain in nearby villages.Photo: World Watch Monitor Sources from Syria’s embattled Hassaka province confirmed at midnight on Tuesday, Feb. 24, that at least 72 Assyrian Christian families – thought to be around 200 people – from three . . . Read More

IS invades 35 Assyrian towns in Syria

February 24, 2015 Syria Assyrians, Hasakah, Islamic State, Qamishli, UN

Militants of the self-proclaimed Islamic State launched a fierce offensive before dawn Feb. 23, targeting 35 Assyrian Christian villages in the northeast corner of Syria. The surprise attacks along a 40-kilometer stretch of the Khabour River in Hassaka province forced some 3,000 Christians to flee their homes. A teenage . . . Read More

Indian priest kidnapped in Afghanistan released after eight months

February 23, 2015 Afghanistan Afghanistan, Bamiyan, Herat, Kabul, Kidnapping, Taliban

Indian Jesuit priest Alexis Prem Kumar who was kidnapped in June 2014 in southern Afghanistan was released and reached New Delhi on February 22 with the intervention of the Indian government. “Delighted at securing the release of Indian Jesuit priest Father Alexis Prem Kumar from captivity in Afghanistan,” tweeted Indian . . . Read More

After ‘Charlie’: latest incident of Pakistani Christians targeted by Muslim anger

February 21, 2015 Pakistan Charlie Hebdo, Jamaat-e-Islami, Karachi, Kasur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Lahore, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Madrassas, Mardan, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Multan, Pakistan, Pashtun, Peshawar, Prophet Muhammad, Punjab, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Taliban

Protests over their latest Charlie Hebdo cartoon depiction a weeping Prophet Mohammed holding a sign saying, 'I am Charlie', led to violence in the West African nation of Niger over the weekend January 18, 2015.

World Watch Monitor

The publication of Charlie Hebdo’s ‘memorial edition’, with its depiction of the Prophet Muhammad crying, sparked – in one or two countries – a violent backlash against Westerners in general and Christians in particular. It was notable in Niger, where 70 churches were destroyed, Algeria where police and protestors clashed, . . . Read More

Shooting of witness threatens trial of Coptic Christians’ murderers

February 19, 2015 Egypt Copts, Islamic extremism, Luxor, Upper Egypt

Taken during the funeral of Shahid Nasemis SaroufimWorld Watch Monitor It’s happening several times a week now, particularly in the towns and villages of Upper Egypt. Just a brief news report, citing an isolated killing here and there of a Coptic Christian by “unknown gunmen.” Another statistic, usually just . . . Read More

India’s Modi breaks silence on protecting minorities, but urged to ‘walk the talk’

February 18, 2015 India BJP, Delhi, Hindu nationalism, Kerala, Narendra Modi, Vishva Hindu Parishad

Indian Prime Minister Modi shakes hand wtih Cardinal Alencherry while holding a memento of twin saintsWorld Watch Monitor Critics of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were ‘pleasantly surprised’ by his unequivocal assertion of the right to freedom of religion while addressing a major church event in New Delhi on . . . Read More

Fears growing for two South Sudan pastors held by Sudan intelligence

February 18, 2015 Khartoum, Protestants, South Sudan

Fears are growing for the welfare of two South Sudanese church leaders who are being held in unknown locations by Sudan’s intelligence services. Pastor Yat Michael and Pastor Peter Yen (also named as David Yein Reith in some reports) have now each been held for over a month after being . . . Read More

Egypt seeks international help against IS after 21 Christians beheaded

February 16, 2015 Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Al-Azhar, Bishop Angaelos, Churches, Copts, Egypt, Islamic extremism, Islamic State, Libya, Minya, Samalut, Terrorism, Wahhabism

Egypt began seven days of national mourning after Islamist militants released a graphic video on 15 February, depicting the mass beheading of 20 Coptic Christians and a Ghanaian Christian in Libya. Originally it was believed that all 21 men were Coptic Egyptians, but on 25 February MidEast Christian News confirmed . . . Read More

A battle lost, a campaign still to win

February 16, 2015 Malaysia 'Allah', Catholics, Jill Ireland, Kuala Lumpur, Lawrence Andrew, Malaysia, Sarawak, Selangor, The Herald

After a seven-year legal battle, Malaysia’s courts finally ruled against him. As of Jan. 21, Rev. Lawrence Andrew no longer can call God by the name “Allah” in his Catholic weekly newspaper, the Herald. In a country of 30 million people that is 60 percent Muslim, the courts agreed “Allah” . . . Read More

Kachin rebels snub Myanmar ceasefire deal after women’s murders

February 13, 2015 Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi, Baptists, Converts, Kachin, Karen, Marriage, Minorities, Myanmar, Panglong, Rape, Shan, Women

What most people know about Myanmar is that Aung San Suu Kyi has been prevented from becoming its leader, despite her overwhelming popularity. That may finally change in elections later this year. Myanmar is made up of eight major ethnic groups, who all hoped for autonomy after gaining independence after . . . Read More

Catching Our Eye