Tag: Children

Egypt’s disappearing Coptic women and girls

May 1, 2018 Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Beni Suef, Cairo, Children, Copts, Egypt, Giza, Kidnapping, Marriage, Minya, Qalyubia, Qena, Sharqia, Sohag, Women

At least seven Coptic Christian women and girls disappeared in Egypt last month, in what is becoming a recurring phenomenon. In each case, the family of the woman says she was abducted by a Muslim who wished to convert her to Islam and marry her. All of the disappearances have been . . . Read More

Coptic teacher cleared of contempt of religion for questions about Muhammad

April 25, 2018 Egypt Beni Suef, Blasphemy, Children, Copts, Education, Egypt, Islamic extremism, Prophet Muhammad

A Coptic teacher has been found not guilty of contempt of religion, after he was charged last month for including wordplays in a set of questions about Islam’s prophet, Muhammad. During the hearing on 19 April, both the headmaster of the school and a local MP defended the teacher, Magdy Farag . . . Read More

Kazakhstan asks Christian organisations for info on youth members. Their answer: No.

April 13, 2018 Kazakhstan Children, Human rights, Kazakhstan, Youth

Leaders of registered Christian religious organisations received a letter from the Religious Affairs Department of the West Kazakhstan region last month that demanded the personal data of people under 18 who attend their religious services, Forum 18 reports. The government asked for their full names, ages, place of study and . . . Read More

Kidnapped Leah sends message home

April 6, 2018 Nigeria Boko Haram, Children, Dapchi, Leah Sharibu, Nigeria

Leah Sharibu, 14, was abducted by Boko Haram on 19 February 2018. (Photo from family)

Leah Sharibu, the Nigerian Christian girl still being held captive by Boko Haram, reportedly asked her released friends to pass her mother a message, which read: “My mother you should not be disturbed. I know it is not easy missing me, but I want to assure you that I am . . . Read More

Iraq: children wounded in Easter Monday explosion

April 4, 2018 Iraq Bartella, Children, Easter, Erbil, IDPs, Iraq, Islamic State, Nineveh Plains, Qaraqosh

Four children were wounded on Easter Monday when a bomb exploded outside a medical complex in Bartella, east of Mosul, according to Iraqi News. No group has claimed responsibility but it is believed that Islamic State militants were behind it, a source told the news site. Despite its military defeat, . . . Read More

Kazakhstan: Child in church triggers police raid

March 28, 2018 Kazakhstan Children, Kazakhstan, Religion Law

A senior police officer in the southern Kazakh city of Kyzylorda has defended sending anti-extremism officers to investigate the presence of a child in church, reports regional news agency Forum 18. Kuanishbek Urazov, Head of Kyzylorda Regional Police’s Department for the Struggle with Extremism, said it was the police’s “duty . . . Read More

Coptic teacher charged with contempt of religion for questions about Muhammad

March 22, 2018 Egypt Beni Suef, Blasphemy, Children, Copts, Education, Egypt, Islamic extremism, Prophet Muhammad

A Coptic teacher at an Egyptian state school has been charged with contempt of religion after including wordplays in a set of questions about Islam’s prophet, Muhammad. Magdy Farag Samir, 49, a teacher of social studies at Barot Preparatory School for Girls in Beni Suef Governorate, asked his students: “Where . . . Read More

North Korean explains growing up under Kim dynasty, and how his perception of Christianity changed

March 20, 2018 North Korea Bibles, Children, China, Communism, Crosses, Education, Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-Un, Missionaries, North Korea, Pyongyang, USA

Every year, for the birthdays of North Korea’s Kim dynasty founder, Kim Il-sung, and his son and successor, Kim Jong-il, John Choi* would receive a large pack of sweets from his parents. So would all his primary-school peers. However, before unpacking his present, John was told to follow the ritual . . . Read More

UN told to renew mandate of Iran Special Rapporteur on human rights

March 15, 2018 Iran Children, Human rights, Iran, Minorities, Religious freedom, Torture, UN, Women

Asma Jahangir, Member of the International Fact-Finding Mission during the press conference presen's its findings on the implications Israeli settlements have upon the human rights of the Palestinian people. 31 Juanary 2013. Photo by Jean-Marc Ferré

Forty-six Iranian and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have called for the renewal of the mandate of the UN’s Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran. The NGOs addressed a joint letter to all diplomatic missions attending the 37th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, as the US-based . . . Read More

Colombia: the #OfCourseMeToo of Christian women and girls

March 7, 2018 Colombia Children, Colombia, FARC, Religious freedom, Women

In the Arhuaca culture girls as young as 14 are forced to marry men who maintain their indigenous beliefs, to make the girls forget about their Christian religion. (Photo: World Watch Monitor

If Christian women in Colombia could decide on a hashtag, it could be ‘OfCourseMeToo’: many of them also experience sexual violence, facing extra vulnerability because of their religion as well as their gender. Soraya*,15, and her family belong to one of the four tribes that form the indigenous community of . . . Read More

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