General

Trump’s pledge to persecuted Christians – welcome news or harmful to those he seeks to protect?

February 1, 2017 Bishop Angaelos, Donald Trump, Iraq, Islamic extremism, Migrants, Refugees, Syria, Terrorism

Donald Trump has spoken of the need to prioritise refugees from persecuted faith groups – especially Christians – at the same time as he has halted immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. World Watch Monitor summarises the response of Christian opinion leaders in America and elsewhere. US President Donald Trump’s executive order . . . Read More

Pakistan court acquits all suspects in 2013 arson of Christian neighbourhood

January 31, 2017 Pakistan Blasphemy, Gojra, Joseph Colony, Lahore, Punjab, Sawan Masih, Sweepers

A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Saturday (28 Jan) acquitted every one of the more than 100 suspects accused of ransacking, looting and then burning a Christian neighbourhood in Lahore in March 2013. Pakistani Christians gather outside the Joseph Colony in Lahore on 10 March 2013, the day after more than . . . Read More

Pakistan PM premature in saying country will soon be ‘minority-friendly’

January 31, 2017 Pakistan Blasphemy, Jamaat-e-Islami, Minorities, Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party, Punjab, Sindh

Pakistan’s Prime Minister has said “the day is not far off when Pakistan will internationally be known as a minority-friendly country”. Pakistani Christians hold candles at a rally in Lahore on 29 March, 2016, after a terrorist attack claimed the lives of more than 70 people celebrating Easter. Meanwhile, a . . . Read More

Historic roots of treatment of Pakistan’s religious minorities as ‘second-class’

January 31, 2017 Pakistan Minorities, Sweepers

The problems for religious minorities in Pakistan date back to its formation. When the British left the Indian subcontinent, it was divided between Pakistan and India. Partition led to millions crossing borders: Muslims to Pakistan and Hindus and Sikhs crossing over to India. Hence, over time, India became thought of . . . Read More

‘Many years’ before Mosul stable enough for Christians to return

January 30, 2017 Iraq Islamic State, Mosul, Nineveh Plains

Christians and other non-Sunni Muslims from Mosul, northern Iraq, waiting to return after their city’s liberation from Islamic State is completed, may have many years to wait, and their chances of doing so depend on the actions of the Iraqi Government, a leading researcher has warned. Iraqi forces man a . . . Read More

Four Ethiopian teenagers leave prison ‘in good health’ after sentence for giving out Christian book

January 30, 2017 Ethiopia Babile, Harar, Proselytism, Women

Four Ethiopian teenagers given a one-month jail sentence for distributing Christian literature are reported to be in “good health” following their release from prison on 22 December. The girls were found guilty of “inciting religious violence” and started their sentence on 25 November, despite three of them being minors. Gifti, . . . Read More

Christians ‘excluded’ from Iraq’s reconstruction plans

January 27, 2017 Iraq IDPs, Islamic State, Mosul, Nineveh Plains, Qaraqosh, Refugees

Christians are being excluded from the reconstruction plans for northern Iraq, further eroding the likelihood of their return once Islamic State has been militarily defeated there, an alliance of UK-based charities has warned. Iraqi Christians firmly believe that Iraq is their spiritual homeland; their presence dates back at least to . . . Read More

Fifth murder of an Egyptian Copt in two weeks

January 25, 2017 Egypt Cairo, Police, Upper Egypt

The murder of another Coptic Christian in Egypt, this time in the centre of the capital, makes this the fifth death over a 13-day period. Ishak Ibrahim Fayez Younan, 37, was found dead by his brother on 16 January, at Ishak’s flat in the old part of Cairo. He leaves . . . Read More

Indian evangelist suffers brain haemorrhage after police grilling

January 24, 2017 India Anti-conversion law, BJP, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Hindu Yuva Vahini, Hyderabad, Madhya Pradesh, Narendra Modi, Odisha, Telangana, Vishva Hindu Parishad

K.A. Swamy.World Watch Monitor An Indian Christian has suffered a brain haemorrhage after he was interrogated by police about his role in distributing Bibles and other Christian literature in the city where he works as a professor of engineering. K.A. Swamy, 47, was marched to the police station at . . . Read More

US missionary receives award for ‘changing hearts’ among Colombia’s FARC

January 24, 2017 Colombia Arauca, Communism, FARC, Juan Manuel Santos, Latin America, Missionaries, Russ Stendal

Russell Stendal, right, meets with FARC negotiators Yuri Camargo, left; and Noel Pérez, center, in Cuba in Early 2015.

Russ Stendal.World Watch Monitor An American missionary has received an award for his decades of work ministering to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or the FARC, whose 50-year fight against the government had been the world’s longest continuous war when it ended in a peace agreement last August. . . . Read More

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