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After death of Mahsa Amini, Christians condemn oppression and discrimination in Iran
Author: Christian Today
Publication Date: 4/10/2022
Source: Christian Today
As the death of Mahsa Amini continues to stir global protests, Iranian Christians are adding their voices to the condemnation being expressed over the treatment of women and enforced wearing of the hijab in Iran.
Angry protests have been held in Iran, the UK and other countries after the 22-year-old died in the custody of Iranian morality police. Amini was arrested on 13 September for supposedly wearing an "improper" hijab.
Egypt church fires resurface matters of rights, restrictions and discrimination against the country's Christian minority
Author: Thaer Mansour
Publication Date: 1/9/2022
Source: The New Arab
The series of church fires erupting in Egypt in a matter of eight days brought to the surface the restrictions imposed on Christians to have equal rights with the Muslim majority and build new worship premises flexibly.
On 14 August, a shocking incident took place when a major fire broke out in the Egyptian Abi Sefien Coptic church at Imbaba's working-class neighbourhood in Giza, west of the capital Cairo, claiming the lives of 41 people, including the priest and 15 children.
Even though the official narrative identified the causes of the blaze as short circuits and other unintentional reasons, The New Arab talked to a high-level source at the state security agents who confirmed otherwise.
Iranian Christians on Iran’s Extraordinary Protests
Publication Date: 7/10/2022
Source: Radical
Milad and Rouhafza are a young Iranian couple who fled their home country after facing relentless pressure and harassment from Iranian authorities because of their Christian faith. That’s not an uncommon experience for the small Christian population in a country of 86 million people in the strict Islamic state.
Women, Christians and Their Powerful Resistance to Iran's Fanatical Regime
Author: Lela Gilbert
Publication Date: 30/9/2022
Source: Newsweek
On a mid-September afternoon, the world was introduced on Twitter to a beautiful 22-year-old Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, also known as Jina Amini. She first appeared in hospital photographs, comatose and connected to life-support equipment, with bleeding visible in her right ear. Before long, earlier and happier photos of Mahsa were also posted, notably with her dark hair mostly covered but partially revealed.
Iranian Christians demand truth and justice for Mahsa Amini
Publication Date: 27/9/2022
Source: Asia News
Iranian Christians have joined the battle for truth and justice following the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman who died in custody from injuries sustained at the hands of Iran’s morality police.
Christians in Syria's Idlib hold major Mass
Publication Date: 4/9/2022
Source: Al Monitor
Christians in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib celebrated Saint Anna’s Day Aug. 28 at an Armenian Apostolic Church dedicated to the saint, 10 years after the church was closed.
Religious rituals and hymn singing accompanied the inaugural celebration that was held in a joyful climate, amid security measures from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which controls the province.
Syrian Christians Suffer From International Actors
Publication Date: 2/8/2022
Source: International Christian Concern
In recent weeks, Russian forces have executed airstrikes in multiple Christian-majority villages in the Idlib province of northwestern Syria. Tragically, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the July 22 strikes killed seven civilians, four of whom were children, and injured another 13. The four children killed in the blasts were siblings. Their hospitalized father, completely heartbroken, told AFP, “My children are gone […] the dearest people to my heart are gone.”
“We are ambassadors of Christ”: making hope last in Syria
Publication Date: 23/8/2022
Source: Open Doors
“It’s a prolonged crisis, without seeing an end,” says Pastor Edward, an Open Doors partner in Syria. “On the other hand, we experience divine light amid darkness.”
That’s his answer when asked about the situation – for Syria, but also for the whole persecuted church in the Middle East. You might remember meeting Pastor Edward at the beginning of Open Doors’ seven-year Hope for the Middle East campaign, in 2016. The initial vision for the campaign was to keep hope alive for the church through emergency relief for survival, and long-term help to rebuild shattered lives, through income-generation, leadership training and trauma counselling. That vision remains strong today.
