Newsfeed
Religious freedom commission hits Algeria on treatment of Christians
Author: John Burger
Publication Date: 24/6/2021
Source: Aleteia
USCIRF concerned about sentences for blasphemy and proselytizing.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) this week condemned several court decisions in Algeria that restrict Christians’ religious freedom in the country.
The Church flourishes in Algeria - despite many pressures
Author: Rami Dabbas
Publication Date: 19/6/2021
Source: Christian Today
The people of Algeria first came to know about Christ in the early centuries, and many embraced the Christian faith, building places of worship throughout the country.
However, several centuries later the number of Christians began to decline due in large part to the Islamic invasion, which led to their displacement as they were faced with the difficult choice of converting to Islam, paying a heavy tax (Jizya), being killed or leaving their homes and fleeing to safety elsewhere. Many chose the latter.
Christian converts put on trial in Iran for threatening state
Publication Date: 23/6/2021
Source: The Jerusalem Post
Three Christians are standing trial in Iran after a new amendment to the Iranian penal code was passed through the legislature, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
The Christian defendants of the Church of Iran denomination of Christianity were put on trial in Karaj in northern Iran on Monday after converting to Christianity, being charged with "sectarian" activities.
Persecution of Iran’s religious minorities; a glimpse on May 2021 record
Publication Date: 2/6/2021
Source: Iran Human Rights Monitor
In May 2021, the persecution of Iran’s religious minorities continued; Members of religious minorities were sentenced to long prison terms on trumped-up charges and in some cases were summoned and detained.
The clerical regime has particularly stepped-up pressure on the Baha’i community in Iran, making many arrests, handing down heavy sentences, and imprisoning others.
Iranian Christian Begins 9-Month Prison Sentence
Publication Date: 9/6/2021
Source: Persecution - International Christian Concern
Iranian Christian convert Reza Zaeemi submitted himself to Karaj Central Prison for his nine-month prison sentence on June 2. Zaeemi received a summons last month for his sentence for “propaganda against the Islamic Republic by promoting evangelical Christianity”.
Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi to open in 2022
Author: Robin Gomes
Publication Date: 15/6/2021
Source: Vatican News
The Abrahamic Family House, which encloses a synagogue, a church and a mosque in a single complex, and which is scheduled to be inaugurated in 2022, is 20 percent complete, the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity (HCHF) said in a statement on Tuesday. The Committee, which is also supervising the project , said it is inspired by the 2019 Document on Human Fraternity. Constructed on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the project is closely followed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb of al-Azhar, who endorsed the design, the HCHF said.
Mauritania extremists create hit-list of Christian leaders
Author: Kevin Zeller
Publication Date: 28/5/2021
Source: Mission Network News
In the Northwest African country of Mauritania, Islamic extremists have created online hit-lists of Christian leaders.
Greg Kelley of World Mission says, “It’s basically a call to warfare against people that are propagating and sharing the Gospel in Mauritania. There’s a number of key Christian leaders that we’re working with whose names are on this list. And it’s just a green light to take them out.
Iraqi Armenians: Minority on the Brink of Extinction
Author: Saman Dawood
Publication Date: 15/6/2021
Source: Daraj
Having lived in Iraq for many centuries, today only 7,000 to 20,000 Armenians remain. They struggle for better political representation and recognition of the 2015 Armenian Genocide. “My spiritual homeland is Iraq more than Armenia,” said Krikor Hagopian, who stems from an Armenian family that immigrated to Iraq following the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
Fears for Christians in Iran after hardliner Raisi wins election
Author: Donna Birrell
Publication Date: 19/6/2021
Source: Premier Christians News
There’s concern over the future for Christians in Iran after the hardliner, Ebrahim Raisi, won the country’s presidential election.
Many Christians chose to boycott the voting saying Raisi would be bad news for Iran's minority Christians, who are already facing extreme persecution.
Chaldean Patriarch Sako: "The road to church unity is not easy"
Publication Date: 10/6/2021
Source: Agenzia Fides
The path to restore full unity between Churches and ecclesial communities "is not as easy as some imagine", said Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon. In a statement published by the official channels of the Patriarchate, the Iraqi Cardinal admits that the question of restoring full sacramental unity among the baptized is a "complex question".
