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Istanbul, first Islamic prayer in Chora: Christian frescoes and mosaics covered
The first Muslim rite is scheduled for Friday 30 October in the former Christian basilica, later turned into a museum. A story similar to the even more famous Hagia Sophia. A white veil drawn over original symbols of the building. But there is no shortage of criticism: risk of destroying “its nature and the artistic value".
Christian leaders call on Trump to impose sanctions on Turkey
Publication Date: 19/10/2020
Source: Ahval News
Christian human rights leaders called on U.S. President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Turkey over its involvement in the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict and its animosity towards Christians, the Catholic News Agency reported.
The call came during a panel discussion late Friday entitled “Turkey is Committing Another Christian Genocide. Why is the Trump Administration Silent?”
The panel was attended by Defense of Christians President Toufic Baaklini, the Armenian National Committee of America director Aram Hamparian, director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council Endy Zemenides and Michael Rubin, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, the news agency said.
World Evangelical Alliance Calls on Turkey To Review Decision to Expel 60 Protestants
Author: Derek Kim
Publication Date: 12/10/2020
Source: Christanity Daily
Wissam al-Saliby of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) demanded that Turkey "review its decisions to effectively expel and ban 60 Protestant church members" at the 45th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (Geneva, Switzerland).
The WEA is a global organization of evangelical Christian churches that serves over 600 million evangelicals. The alliance holds Special Consultative Status in the Economic and Social Council of the UN and is uniquely positioned to advocate for evangelical beliefs and help the poor and needy on an international scale.
Muslims, Christians unite against Macron's Islamophobic hate speech
Publication Date: 26/10/2020
Source: Daily Sabah
French President Emmanuel Macron's Islamophobic remarks continue to witness an outrage all around the world as not only the Muslims but also the Christian communities raise voice against the hate speech.
Arab Christians on Sunday joined those condemning recent statements by French authorities against Islam and Prophet Muhammad.
Macron on Wednesday said he won’t prevent the publishing of insulting cartoons of Prophet Muhammad under the pretext of freedom of expression, a statement that sparked outrage in the Arab and Muslim world. France recently launched an extensive witch hunt against the Muslim community following Macron calling Islam a problematic religion that needs to be contained. Many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and mosques have been shut down in the last two weeks, while assaults against Muslims have peaked.
Christians in Turkey nervous as country moves in Islamic and nationalistic direction
Publication Date: 22/10/2020
Source: Open Doors
The repurposing of two historic churches in Turkey from museums to mosques over the summer has reinforced concerns amongst Christians over the Islamic and nationalistic direction the country is moving towards.
In July, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared that the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul – a church built in the sixth century and converted to a mosque in the 15th century before being turned into a museum in 1935 – would again be turned into a mosque. Two weeks later, the building opened for Muslim prayers.
A month later, the former Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora was also turned from a museum into a mosque.
Turkish ultranationalists storm Armenian neighbourhoods in Istanbul as fighting rages in Nagorno-Karabakh
Author: Djamel Belayachi
Publication Date: 15/10/2020
Source: The Observers
Turkey’s Armenian community is becoming increasingly fearful about reprisals as fighting rages in Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory claimed by both Armenia and Azerbaijan, which has the support of the Turkish government. On October 5, a convoy of Turkish ultra-nationalists stormed the Kurtulus neighborhood, home to a large Armenian population. Photos posted on Twitter show Azeri and Turkish flags draped on the roofs of their vehicles.
In the past few weeks, between 300 and 400 people have been killed in a flare-up in fighting over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought over for decades. Turkey has thrown its support behind Azerbaijan in the dispute. It’s in this climate of heightened tension that a group of Azeri supporters stormed Istanbul’s Kurtulus neighborhood, home to numerous Armenians.
The Coptic senator who became the Egyptian Senate's first female undersecretary
Publication Date: 20/10/2020
Source: Egypt Today
A Coptic woman from Ismailia was elected by the people to be a member in the Egyptian Senate, and was elected again inside the council to be its undersecretary.
It may have been expected that someone like Phoebe Fawzy, a Coptic woman who is not from Cairo, was appointed by the president to be in her position. But Fawzy of the People's Republic party was elected by the people twice to be the first woman and Coptic to occupy that position. She garnered 199 votes out of the 300 hundred members of the Senate.
Egypt licenses 100 churches, service buildings
Publication Date: 19/10/2020
Source: Ahram Online
A cabinet committee in charge of licensing churches operating without a permit has legalised the status of 45 churches and 55 service buildings since May, the cabinet’s spokesman, Nader Saad, said.
This brings the total number of churches and related service buildings legalised by the committee since its establishment in 2017 to 1,738, Saad added.
The announcement came during a meeting headed by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and attended by a number of state officials, including Minister of Justice Omar Marwan and Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawy.
The officials have reviewed the status of churches and related buildings which have submitted requests for legalisation since the committee’s last meeting on 18 May, Saad said.
