Tag: Islamic extremism

Iraqi Christian: ‘IS made me spit on a Cross and convert to Islam’

January 18, 2017 Iraq Islamic extremism, Islamic State, Karamles, Mosul, Nineveh Plains, Qaraqosh

One of the major themes explored in Martin Scorsese’s film, Silence, is the question of how to respond when faced with a choice between denying one’s faith or facing death. Christians in 17th century Japan were given this choice, and it’s the same for Christians in many parts of the . . . Read More

Iranian and Afghan Christian converts face deportation from Germany after ‘clueless’ questioning

January 16, 2017 Afghanistan, Apostasy, Asylum seekers, Baptism, Berlin, Converts, Denmark, Germany, Iran, Islamic extremism, Pakistan, Protestants, Refugees, UK

An Iranian convert to Christianity attends a course in Berlin preparing him for baptism. Germany’s Ministry for Immigration and Refugees (BAMF) is rejecting many applications for asylum from Iranian and Afghan converts from Islam to Christianity, following “kangaroo court”-style hearings, according to a Berlin pastor. Rev. Gottfried Martens, who has . . . Read More

Christian removed from role after Muslim protests

January 16, 2017 Indonesia Ahok, Blasphemy, Indonesia, Islamic extremism, Yogyakarta

Indonesian authorities have removed a Catholic from his role as the head of a sub-district after protests from Muslim residents at the appointment of a Christian. Yulius Suharto, head of the Pajangan sub-district in the Bantul Regency of the Special Region of Yogyakarta, was only appointed on 30 December but . . . Read More

UN report highlights Islamists’ role in DRC violence

January 13, 2017 Democratic Republic of the Congo ADF, Beni, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eringeti, Islamic extremism, North Kivu, Sharia, UN

Over the Christmas weekend, more than 40 people were killed in the city of Beni and neighbouring communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Now a new report by the UN Panel of Experts on the DRC sheds new light on the presence of Islamist militants, which has caused . . . Read More

Nationalism in Asia, Islamic extremism in Africa – the 2017 World Watch List

January 11, 2017 Global News -- No Particular Country Afghanistan, Africa, Asia, Bhutan, BJP, Ethiopia, Hindu nationalism, India, Iran, Iraq, Islamic extremism, Kenya, Libya, Narendra Modi, Nepal, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Yemen

One of the greatest increases in animosity towards Christians last year took place in India as a result of religiously motivated nationalism, according to the latest annual survey of the 50 countries in which it is most difficult to live as a Christian. Since the rise to power of Narendra . . . Read More

Pakistani Christian accused of blasphemy after ripped Qur’an found outside home

January 6, 2017 Pakistan Asia Bibi, Blasphemy, Imran Khan, Islamic extremism, Lahore, Mumtaz Qadri, Salmaan Taseer, Shaan Taseer, Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan

A Pakistani Christian could face 10 years in jail or even the death sentence after torn pages from a copy of the Qur’an were found outside his home, with his name written on them. Babu Shahbaz Masih, 40, from the Kamahan district of Lahore, was arrested on 30 December after . . . Read More

Egypt: bombed church restored in less than a month

January 3, 2017 Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Cairo, Copts, Egypt, Islamic extremism, Pope Tawadros II

The Egyptian church in which a suicide bomber killed 27 people has been fully restored less than one month after the attack, reports Coptic news site Watani. The Boutrossiya chapel, which is adjacent to the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral of St. Mark in Cairo, was restored following a pledge from President . . . Read More

Murder of Fulani Christian mayor in Mali increases concerns over creeping Islamic extremism

December 16, 2016 Mali Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Ansar Dine, Bamako, Beatrice Stockly, Islamic extremism, Sahel, Timbuktu, Tuareg

The motive behind the murder of a Fulani Christian politician in Mali last month remains unknown, but locals suspect an Islamist agenda. Moussa Issah Bary, the 47-year-old deputy mayor of Kerana (near the Burkina Faso border), was shot dead by six unidentified men on motorbikes on 16 November. He is . . . Read More

Sudanese pastors pressured to ‘inform’ or stand trial

December 16, 2016 Sudan Abdulmonem Abdumawla, Apostasy, Blue Nile, Darfur, Hassan Taour, Islamic extremism, Khartoum, Kuwa Shamal, Nuba Mountains, Omar al-Bashir, Petr Jašek, Refugees, Sharia

Forty-eight-year-old father of three Rev. Yamane Abraha received an ultimatum in Khartoum following a trip to Ethiopia in the autumn of 2015. “[Sudanese government] security threatened me, saying I would have to appear in court either as a witness, or an accused,” the Evangelical Baptist Church of Khartoum pastor told . . . Read More

Indonesia: Islamists stop Christmas celebrations

December 14, 2016 Indonesia Ahok, Bandung, Blasphemy, Christmas, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, Islamic extremism, Jakarta, Java

An Indonesian church’s Christmas celebrations were stopped on 6 Dec. by members of a local Islamist group in Bandung, who protested that such services should take place in a church, not a public space. The mayor of Bandung, capital of the West Java province, wrote on his official Instagram account: . . . Read More

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