Christian couple sentenced to death for ‘blasphemous’ texts

Christian couple sentenced to death for 'blasphemous' texts
Shaguftah Emmanuel, left, and her husband, Shafqat, in separate and undated photos.Contributed photos   A Pakistani court has sentenced to death a Catholic couple convicted of blasphemy for insulting the Prophet Mohammed and the Qur’an. The sentence came a week after Sawan Masih, another Christian, was sentenced to death on . . . Read More

UN chief calls for immediate international action to halt ‘deplorable atrocities’

UN chief calls for immediate international action to halt 'deplorable atrocities'
The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon says that immediate action is needed to stop the killing in the Central African Republic (CAR), citing “grave and deplorable atrocities”, and “to prevent the further separation of communities that have lived together for centuries”. Its Human Rights chief said that, on a recent . . . Read More

3000 Syrian Christians flee Armenian village as Islamist rebels take control

3000 Syrian Christians flee Armenian village as Islamist rebels take control
An Armenian* Syrian pastor, whose family is from Kessab, close to Syria’s northern border with Turkey, has reported that they have fled the village after Syrian rebel jihadists took control of the area. The fighting in the predominantly Armenian Christian town started Friday March 21st. World Watch Monitor has seen . . . Read More

Sara got married

Sara got married
On March 8, International Women’s Day, many of the people in southeastern Turkey only want to discuss one thing. She is Sara, an 18-year-old Assyrian/Syriac woman, who was allegedly kidnapped by sympathizers of Huda-Part, Allah’s party, the Kurdish equivalent to Hezbollah. Others say she merely followed her heart and converted . . . Read More

Bombs heighten fears that Zanzibar autonomy movement targets Christians

Bombs heighten fears that Zanzibar autonomy movement targets Christians
A series of bomb blasts in Tanzania’s island of Zanzibar is stoking fears that an Islamist breakaway movement is increasingly targeting Christians. Since 2010, the cases have been on the increase and Christians and their leaders — many of them originally from mainland Tanzania — say they are anxious. In . . . Read More