Tag: Islamic extremism

Death sentence for Asia Bibi confirmed

October 16, 2014 Pakistan Asia Bibi, Blasphemy, Islamic extremism, Lahore, Pakistan, Prophet Muhammad, Quran

Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian woman accused of blasphemy and sentenced to death in 2010 has today had her sentence confirmed by the Lahore High Court. She is the first Christian woman to be given the death penalty under Pakistan’s notorious blasphemy laws, and her case sparked global condemnation. She was accused of . . . Read More

‘How can I celebrate my birthday with a homeless, scattered family?’

October 3, 2014 Nigeria Abuja, Boko Haram, Borno, Chibok girls, EYN, Gwoza, Islamic extremism, Nigeria, Rebecca Dali

Dr Rebecca Dali is the founder of Centre for Caring, Empowerment and Peace Initiatives.Courtesy of CCEPI Nigerian Rebecca Dali’s birthday is 1 October – the same date as her country’s Independence Day. But this year there was little time for celebration because her home town of Michika is overrun . . . Read More

Amidst political turmoil, continuing blasphemy charges for Pakistani Christians

October 2, 2014 Pakistan Blasphemy, Converts, Faisalabad, Islamic extremism, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Punjab, Sweepers, Taliban

Naja Maish his wife and family with TVS TeamCourtesy of The Voice Society Christians have continued to be accused of blasphemy against Islam, in three separate recent cases in Pakistan. In one, a group of 35 was briefly accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammed before the charge was quickly . . . 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

Nigerian Bishops: ‘Stop playing politics, protect innocent citizens’

September 24, 2014 Nigeria Boko Haram, Catholics, Delta State, Islamic extremism, Maiduguri, Nigeria

Most Rev Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria.World Watch Monitor Catholic Bishops in Nigeria have called on the government to protect the lives and property of its people, as militants intensified their killing spree across the country. In a statement ”While Nigeria bleeds and . . . Read More

‘The work of a generation’

September 24, 2014 Islamic extremism, Islamic State, Tony Blair, UK

UK former Prime Minister Tony Blair has penned a seven-point assessment of what he calls “the issue of our time”: the threat of Islamic extremism. Blair’s essay, posted Sept. 22 on the website of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, has attracted attention for its acknowledgment that Western ground forces likely . . . Read More

Islamists want to ‘wipe out’ Christian presence in northern Mali

September 2, 2014 Mali Africa, Bamako, Gao, Islamic extremism, Mali, Sahel, Timbuktu, Tuareg

It’s not only in the Middle East that the advance of Islamist jihadists is exercising the international community. While attention has been focused on northern Iraq and Syria, the French government has been bombing Islamist militant positions in Africa to stop the emergence of jihadists in the Sahel. Now on . . . Read More

UK Muslim leaders’ fatwa on IS jihadists

September 1, 2014 Iraq, Islamic extremism, Islamic State, Syria, UK

According to the Sunday Times, “some of Britain’s most influential imams have condemned British Muslims fighting alongside ISIS extremists in Iraq and Syria,” and ‘they have issued a fatwa, or religious decree, describing them as ‘heretics’.” This is the first fatwa of its kind to be issued by British Muslim . . . Read More

Attack on nuns said to be first ever in Bangladesh

August 12, 2014 Bangladesh Bangladesh, Islamic extremism, Rangpur

Bangladeshi nun describes the attack to the police.© Diocese of Dinajpur/Aid to the Church in Need A mob of about 60 people armed with machetes, knives and iron rods raided a Catholic convent and beat up its nuns and priest – the Catholic mission in Rangpur district, 280 kilometers . . . Read More

Qaraqosh falls, thousands flee

August 8, 2014 Iraq Ankawa, Genocide, Iraq, Islamic extremism, Islamic State, Kurds, Mosul, Peshmerga, Qaraqosh, Tel Kaif

Map of IS occupation in Iraq as of August 7 2014. Courtesy of Open Doors International Armed jihadists of the so-called “Islamic State” took over Iraq’s largest Christian town, Qaraqosh, and nearby Christian settlements early Thursday, forcing thousands of Christians to flee to Kurdish-controlled areas. Statements of anguish and . . . Read More

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