Tag: Churches

Nigeria churches unite for first time to address violence in north

February 22, 2016 Nigeria Boko Haram, Christian Association of Nigeria, Churches, Samuel Dali, Trauma

The region of Africa that today is northern Nigeria has been governed by Muslim sultans and emirs for centuries, through British colonial rule and the arrival of Christian missionaries in the 19th Century, and into independence in the 1960s. The northern Christian population grew rapidly, to the point where Christians . . . Read More

Kuwait: MPs reject building new churches

January 28, 2016 Kuwait Churches, Islamic extremism, Kuwait, Sharia

Kuwait has backtracked on plans to build new churches, reports Christian Today. News that a number of sites had been allocated for church building was reported to the local press by Ahmad al-Manfoohi, general director of the Municipality. But after some Kuwaiti members of parliament announced they will reject the . . . Read More

2016 World Watch List drawn from world headlines

January 13, 2016 Global News -- No Particular Country Africa, Bibles, BJP, Boko Haram, Central Asia, Charlie Hebdo, Churches, Egypt, Hindu nationalism, India, Iraq, Islamic extremism, Islamic State, Kenya, Libya, Middle East, Mosul, Niger, Nigeria, Nineveh Plains, North Korea, Paris, Sub-Saharan Africa

Some of the most urgent headlines of the past 12 months, from the global spread of jihadist violence to North Korea’s test of a putative atomic weapon, intersect with an updated list of the most difficult places to live as a Christian. For the 14th straight year, North Korea is . . . Read More

Egypt: President promises to rebuild churches

January 8, 2016 Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Churches, Copts, Egypt, Middle East, Mohamed Morsi, Pope Tawadros II

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has apologised to his nation’s Christians for the violent attacks in August 2013 that damaged or destroyed at least 65 churches and Coptic properties, including businesses, across Egypt. Coming after the ouster of President Morsi, the wave of violence was said to be the worst . . . Read More

2 years’ labour for Kazakh Christian

January 6, 2016 Kazakhstan Astana, Baptists, Churches, Kazakhstan, Seventh-day Adventists, Yklas Kabduakasov

A Kazakh Christian has been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment at a labour camp, after an initial seven-year sentence of restricted freedom at home went to an appeal. Yklas Kabduakasov, 54, a Seventh-day Adventist, was convicted of inciting religious hatred while talking to others about his faith. He and his . . . Read More

China church raided during opening ceremony

December 23, 2015 China China, Churches, Guiyang, Guizhou, Huoshi Church, Yang Hua

One of the biggest churches in China’s Guizhou province is coming under increasing pressure from the authorities. Huoshi Church in Guiyang, which has around 300 members, was raided by police during the opening ceremony of its new venue in commercial premises, attended by hundreds of guests, including several foreigners. The . . . Read More

After Aung San Suu Kyi’s election win, Myanmar’s displaced Kachin are hopeful they can go home for Christmas

December 16, 2015 Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi, Baptists, Christmas, Churches, Elections, Kachin, Refugees

As democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi prepares to assume power in Myanmar, two Baptist leaders among the country’s ethnic Kachin refugees are cautiously expecting more freedom to live their Christian faith, perhaps as soon as this Christmas. More than 100,000 ethnic Kachin, displaced due to civil war that broke . . . Read More

Syria: 11 churches attacked since February

December 15, 2015 Syria Assyrians, Churches, Civil War, Islamic State, Khabur, Syria

The Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) has released a list of the names of Syrian churches and monasteries destroyed by ISIS and other jihadi groups since February. “On February 23, ISIS attacked the 35 Assyrian villages on the Khabur River in [Al-Hasakah], Syria, capturing 253 Assyrians. In the subsequent months . . . Read More

Egypt army rebuilds church destroyed by Islamists

November 25, 2015 Egypt Churches, Copts, Egypt, Mohamed Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood, Pope Tawadros II

A Coptic Orthodox church destroyed by Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers in August 2013 has been rebuilt by the Egyptian army. St Theodore’s church in the Upper Egypt city of Minya was destroyed by Islamist extremists after the Muslim Brotherhood leader, Mohamed Morsi, was deposed from the Egyptian Presidency. In retaliation for . . . Read More

Renovated church re-opens 30 miles from IS

November 23, 2015 Turkey Assyrians, Churches, Islamic State, Mardin, Protestants, Religious freedom, Turkey

The re-opening of an abandoned church in Mardin, SE Turkey, just 30 miles from Islamic State territory, is a symbol of “universal religious freedom”, worshippers were told at the renovated building’s dedication service on 7 November. Local politicians and leaders of all denominations were at the reopening ceremony “as a . . . Read More

Catching Our Eye