Resources
Archeparch Nassar: Syrian Christians lost their main assets, family and vocations
Publication Date: 31/7/2023
Source: Asia News
Syrian Christians lost two important assets, the family and vocations, as a result of the country’s brutal civil war and the serious economic crisis that followed, compounded by Western sanctions against the regime of President of Bashar al-Assad, this according to Maronite Archeparch Samir Nassar of Damascus.
Explainer: From Stella Maris to St. Elijah, what is happening with the Christians in Haifa
Author: Ibrahim Husseini
Publication Date: 1/8/2023
Source: The New Arab
Over the past several months, members of an ultra-orthodox Jewish sect known as Berslav Hasidim have been making unwelcome visits to the Catholic monastery of Stella Maris in Haifa. The sect's followers believe that the grave of an Israelite prophet called Elisha is in the ancient monastery.
Blunting the Militia Campaign Against Iraq’s Christian Leaders
Author: Yaqoub Beth-Addai, Michael Knights
Publication Date: 25/7/2023
Source: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
A U.S.-sanctioned, Iran-backed militia leader aims to sideline the country’s Chaldean Patriarch and take over billions of dollars’ worth of Christian property.
SYRIA: Archbishops demand West lift sanctions crippling Christian community
Author: Amy Balog
Publication Date: 27/7/2023
Source: Aid to the Church in Need
Syriac-Catholic leaders told a member of the Italian government that the economic sanctions against Syria are crushing the country’s Christian community and must be relaxed.
Archbishop Jacques Mourad of Homs, west Syria, said that the embargo imposed by western nations negatively impacts the general population and Christians in particular, while having no effect on the government, its intended target.
Evangelical Alliance Accepts Iran Invite. Critics Claim Broken Engagement.
Author: Jayson Casper
Publication Date: 10/8/2023
Source: Christianity Today
Last June, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) received a peculiar invitation. On the sidelines of the 53rd meeting of the United Nation’s Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, the government of Iran organized a forum entitled “The Role of Religions in Promoting Human Rights.”
Freedom Focus Report: Despite Government Persecution, the Iranian Church Grows
Publication Date: 24/7/2023
Source: Persecution - International Christian Concern
Escalating civil unrest in Iran has led to intensifying governmental pressure on Christians. Increasingly stricter laws concerning the hijab, which could land those “encouraging lax hijab” up to 10 years in prison for “moral corruption,” have sparked furious protests, leading to brutal repression through deadly force by the government.
Renewed crackdown on Christians in Iran underway
Author: Georgia Gilholy
Publication Date: 17/8/2023
Source: Catholic Herald
Britain is an increasingly impoverished society: spiritually and financially. Still, anyone born here has won the historic lottery relatively speaking. It is easy for us to forget that harsh persecution, especially of a religious type, is the global norm, not the exception.
More than 50 Christian converts arrested in Iranian cities
Publication Date: 18/7/2023
Source: Release International
More than 50 Christian converts have been arrested in five Iranian cities in July. And there are warnings that number could increase as fresh reports emerge.
The arrests occurred at the homes and house-churches of at least 51 Christians in Tehran and four other cities, Karaj, Rasht, Orumiyeh, and Aligoudarz. Many remain in custody, while some have been released on bail.
