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Nigerian Christian schoolgirl ‘escaped’, only to be sent back to Boko Haram

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Leah Sharibu, 14, was abducted by Boko Haram on 19 February 2018. (Photo from family)
The only Christian among the 110 Nigerian schoolgirls abducted last month by Boko Haram ran away from her kidnappers but was caught and brought back three days later, according to fellow captives, reports the UK’s Guardian newspaper. Leah Sharibu, 14, and two other girls walked for three days and, hungry and exhausted, . . . Read More

Egypt: Copt killer’s death sentence confirmed

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Egypt: Copt killer’s death sentence confirmed
An Egyptian court ruled on Easter Sunday that the murderer of a Coptic man, who was targeted because he sold alcohol, will be executed, reports Egypt-based Copts United. Adel Aboul Nour Suleiman was sentenced to death last year for killing Youssef Lamei in January 2017. Sunday’s ruling rejected an appeal against . . . Read More

Brownback: Now is a ‘critical moment’ for religious minorities

Global News -- No Particular Country , , , ,
Sam Brownback was confirmed as Ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom in January.
The US Ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom has called for politicians to work more closely together towards greater religious freedom around the world, reports the Catholic News Agency. “We are at a critical moment for the future of religious minorities globally. It is more dangerous now than any time in . . . Read More

Contrasting freedoms for Vietnam’s Christians

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Contrasting freedoms for Vietnam’s Christians
The growth of Christianity in Vietnam has been charted by World Magazine, which says religious freedoms enjoyed by those living in cities are in stark contrast to the country’s rural areas. Catholicism has a centuries-old history in Vietnam, but Protestant churches only sprang up last century, the Christian publication notes, . . . Read More

Saudi school textbooks still ‘promote hatred toward religious minorities’ – USCIRF

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A school complex in Medina, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Ikhlasul Amal via Flickr; CC 2.0)
School textbooks in Saudi Arabia still include content “promoting violence and hatred toward religious minorities and others”, according to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Even though the Saudi government has been “engaged in textbook reform for the last 15 years”, a new study by USCIRF found . . . Read More

China’s Communist Party increases control over religious affairs

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The opening ceremony of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, held in October 2017. The Congress is the most important political event in China where decisions taken by the Central Committee are endorsed. (Photo by Prachatai via Flickr; CC 2.0)
China’s Communist Party has disbanded its Religious Affairs Bureau to bring religion under the control of the party’s Central Committee, in what some observers see as a further tightening of the belt. The State Administration of Religious Affairs (SARA) is to be absorbed by the United Front Work Department, an . . . Read More