By Ken Chitwood NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) While the smoke that hung over the Westgate Shopping Mall has dissipated, a quiet tension still lingers in the air throughout the capital. Last month’s attack by al-Shabab militants on a mall frequented by Westerners in the capital city, left at least 67 dead. But the burning of a…
By Monique El-faizy CAIRO — After decades of polarization along religious lines, Christians and Muslims in Egypt are coming together to rally behind their flag. The country is in the midst of a swell of nationalism that began during the revolution in 2011 and intensified when citizens took to the streets in June of this…
By Stoyan Zaimov A number of Christians in Syria are deciding to stay behind and heed what they say is God’s call to reach out to their Muslim neighbors despite the violent attacks against them, persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA has shared. “There are some Christians who are fleeing because they have no other…
By Patrick Sookhdeo Pay the jizya, convert to Islam, leave or be killed. That is the impossible choice facing Christians in parts of Egypt that remain Islamist strongholds over two months after the ouster of President Mohammad Morsi. The jizya is, on the face of it, a protection racket; it is a humiliating tax or…
(Editor’s Note: The name of the pastor, his church and the church where notes for this article were taken is being withheld to protect all involved from potential violent retribution.) Unity. Prayer. Revival. Those were the themes of the Christian pastor from a church in Cairo, Egypt, while visiting a supporting Presbyterian congregation in the…
By Jamshid Ghazi Askar During the days and weeks since Egypt’s military government removed President Mohammad Morsi from power on July 3 and subsequently clamped down on supporters of the ousted Muslim Brotherhood administration on Aug. 14, dozens of Christian churches in Egypt have been burned and desecrated. “Drenched in sweat and covered in ash,…
World Watch Monitor Mass no longer is being celebrated at The Church of St. Mary. Police officers guard the entrance. Throughout the Egyptian town of Eastern Bani Ahmed south of Cairo, the Christian-owned shops are closed. At least seven Christian homes, and even more of their vehicles, have been ransacked, burned or both. At least…
ASSIST News Service According to the Assyrian International News Agency, Assyrian Christians who have fled from an area of Syria called al-Thawrah (also known as al-Tabqah), have been told by rebels, “If you want to come back, convert to Islam, or you will be killed.” An AINA story said, “Accounts by Assyrian refugees from reveal…
By Stoyan Zaimov Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram is being accused by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) of possible crimes against humanity, which includes the deaths of thousands of Christians and Muslims in the African nation. “The information available provide a reasonable basis for believing that in July 2009 Boko Haram launched…
By Rupert Short The encounter was revealing. Stuck in traffic on a recent visit to Cardiff, I began to put the world to rights with my Afghan cab driver. Yes, we agreed, the invasion of Iraq was worse than a crime: it was a mistake. Yes, the United States in particular had given an unwitting…