Tag: Al-Qaeda

Jihad not a war against Christians?

December 11, 2014 Global News -- No Particular Country Al-Qaeda, Barack Obama, Boko Haram, Islamic extremism, Islamic State, Middle East, Nigeria

Christians are certainly under pressure in parts of the Middle East, but it must be emphasised that many more Muslims are killed as a result of jhadist violence, said a spokesman for a new BBC study on deaths attributed to Al-Qaeda and offshoot groups. Asked by presenter Justin Webb on . . . Read More

What’s the threat of Islamic State to the Church worldwide?

September 25, 2014 Global News -- No Particular Country Al-Qaeda, Bartella, Dohuk, Erbil, Hizb ut-Tahrir, Iraq, Islamic extremism, Islamic State, Israel, Jizya, Jordan, Kurds, Lebanon, Muslim Brotherhood, Qaraqosh, Quran, Salafism, Sharia, Sunni, Syria

While Islamic State is wreaking havoc in Iraq and Syria, its ambitions do not stop there. Moreover, several world leaders are saying it is one of the biggest threats they are facing. But exactly how does Islamic State fit into the global picture of Christians under pressure for their faith . . . Read More

IS invades monastery, steals ‘everything’ from Iraqi Christians

July 22, 2014 Iraq Al-Qaeda, Alqosh, Baghdad, Batnaya, Chaldeans, Dohuk, Erbil, Genocide, Iraq, Islamic extremism, Islamic State, Jizya, Kidnapping, Kurds, Louis Raphael I Sako, Minorities, Mosul, Qaraqosh, Sunni, Tel Kaif

After every known Christian is reported to have left Mosul, Islamic State fighters, IS, have now taken over a monastery near the largely Christian town of Qaraqosh, 32 miles southeast of Mosul. According to Agence France Presse IS expelled its three resident monks, a cleric and a few families living there, ordering . . . Read More

Rash of blasphemy accusations after Pakistan church bombings

November 26, 2013 Pakistan Al-Qaeda, All Saints Church, Blasphemy, Gujranwala, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Karachi, Lahore, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Pashtun, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Sunni Tehreek, Taliban, Youhanabad

The remains of a Munawar Masih’s belongings in Michael Town, Karachi, after they were taken from his home and set on fire.World Watch Monitor Two months ago, on September 22, two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside All Saints Church in Peshawar when congregants were leaving the church after . . . Read More

Northern Iraq no longer safe for Christians

October 22, 2013 Iraq Al-Qaeda, Baghdad, Erbil, Kirkuk, Kurds

The Kurdish capital of Erbil is one of a number of cities where bombings have left Christians feeling unsafe.Tom Blackwell / Flickr / Creative Commons An increase in violence against Christians in northern Iraq has increased the flow of Christians leaving the country. The north, generally considered a relatively . . . Read More

Islamist rebels bolt Syrian coalition

September 26, 2013 Syria Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda, Bashar al-Assad, Free Syrian Army, Sharia, Syria

Eleven Islamist rebel groups in Syria have announced they no longer recognise the authority of the main opposition alliance, the National Coalition. Their announcement also calls for the Syrian opposition to unite under an ‘Islamic framework’. Its signatories include members of the Free Syrian Army as well as more radical . . . Read More

Christian village ‘overrun’ in Syria

September 6, 2013 Syria Al-Qaeda, Islamic extremism, Maaloula, Syria

Clashes between Syrian government troops and rebel forces threatened to overrun a Christian village north of Damascus this week, reports the Associated Press. Opposition fighters are reported to have been led by an al-Qaeda-linked rebel faction, which attacked Maaloula on September 4, before pulling out the next day. AP reports . . . Read More

Italian priest ‘kidnapped’ in Syria

August 1, 2013 Syria Al-Qaeda, Bashar al-Assad, Kidnapping, Paolo Dall’Oglio, Raqqa, Syria

An Italian Jesuit priest has been abducted in Syria by Islamists with links to al-Qaeda, Reuters has reported. Fr. Paolo Dall’Oglio was reportedly kidnapped on Monday (July 29) in the rebel-held eastern Syrian city of Raqqa, which, Reuters says, has fallen under the control of militant Islamists. However, the Vatican . . . Read More

Syriac church torched

June 19, 2013 Syria Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda, Deir Ezzor, Syria

A group with links to al-Qaeda set fire on June 19 to al-Wahdah Syriac church in Syria’s eastern city of Deir Ezzor, the Syrian Arab News Agency is reporting. SANA, citing information from “an official source”, reported the responsible group is “an armed group affiliated to Jabhat al-Nusra”. The United . . . Read More

My cousins in Qamishly

April 25, 2013 Syria Al-Qaeda, Free Syrian Army, PKK, Qamishli, Turkey

Correspondent Nuri Kino lives in Sweden. Parts of his family remain in Syria. He writes: It’s mid-April, Friday, almost 9pm. I’ve showered, had a bite to eat and sat down in front of the TV. After a long day of work, I want to relax in front of a good . . . Read More

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