Tag Archives: Christian

Gender, Religion + Belief

Pakistan News | Christian Women

Aside
Death sentence temporarily stayed for Pakistani Christian woman charged with blasphemy
  • Pakistan’s Supreme Court issued the decision as they prepare to hear an appeal against the conviction of Asia Bibi, a mother of four who became the first woman sentenced to death under the law.
  • Blasphemy laws are ill-defined in Pakistan and often connected to personal conflicts and extortion, making the rate of convictions high.
  • Two politicians who intervened on behalf of Bibi were murdered, inhibiting calls for legal reform.

Read the full story at Al Jazeera.

(Image Credit: EPA, via Al Jazeera)

Religion + Belief, Sexual + Gender Minorities

Philippines News | LGBT

Aside
Manila church provides haven for gay Filipinos
  • The Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) offers sanctuary to Manila’s downtrodden in the red-light district of Cubao.
  • While other religious proscriptions like divorce and abortion are legally enforced, the Catholic-majority Philippines has seen a gradual increase in the social visibility and acceptance of its gay population.
  • The Manila church is one of five operated in the Philippines by the MCC, a network of churches founded in the U.S. under the mission of social justice and inclusion.

“I don’t have illusions of assimilation into the mainline Catholic Church. They will always resist anything that disrupts their order. … We have a long way to go… but we must never lose hope, fighting for what is right and what is ours.”

Read the full AFP story at The Jakarta Post.

(Image Credit: Noel Celis/AFP, via The Jakarta Post)

Religion + Belief

U.A.E. Feature | Religious Minorities

Dubai’s Religious Minorities

Though strict in terms of public expression, Dubai has allowed rich, diverse communities to develop behind the walls of churches, temples, and other non-Muslim houses of worship.  The BBC examines the growth of Dubai’s minority religious communities–including various Christian sects, Hindus, and Sikhs–and the extent of the freedoms they enjoy in the rapidly modernizing city.

Read the full feature at the BBC.

(Image Credit: BBC)

Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

U.S. News | Interfaith

Muslim and Arab-American groups rally to support black churches affected by recent spate of arson
  • Organized by the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative, the Arab-American Association of New York, and Ummah Wide, the “Respond With Love” campaign has sought to provide financial support towards the reconstruction of damaged or destroyed houses of worship in Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
  • The campaign has raised almost $25,000 from more than 500 individual supporters.
  • Although the fires have not been deemed hate crimes, campaign leaders note that black churches have historically been particularly vulnerable targets of oppression and persecution by hate-motivated individuals.

“It doesn’t matter to us how or why these churches burned down, we want to help our Black sisters and brothers get back in to their houses of worship as soon as they can. … Ramadan is a time of giving and what better cause to give to than one that rebuilds houses of worship where God’s name is constantly called, remembered and loved.”

Read the full story at the Huffington Post.

Nationality + Migration, Religion + Belief

Qatar News | Christian Immigrants

Evangelical mega-community in Qatar granted construction permission for church
  • The Evangelical Churches Alliance Qatar (ECAQ), home to a multi-ethnic community of 1,200, will construct its building outside of central Doha.
  • The granting of building permits to churches is a recent phenomenon, with the first officially sanctioned church since pre-Islamic times going up in 2008.
  • Only Abrahamic faiths are officially recognized in Qatar, and within Christianity, churches must belong to a select group of sects or receive sponsorship from one of the recognized sects.

“They have supported us throughout. … The government has been very supportive in providing us permissions to hold worship sessions, meetings and other celebrations like our Family Days over the years.”

Read the full story at Doha News.

Nationality + Migration, Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

U.K. News | Hongkonger Immigrants

Hong Kong immigrants now constitute part of the largest ethnic minority in Northern Ireland after weathering the Troubles
  • Numbering between 6,000 and 8,000, Chinese immigrants are Northern Ireland’s largest minority, with the mostly Cantonese-speaking Hongkongers comprising around three-quarters of those immigrants.
  • The immigrants began arriving just before the start of Northern Ireland’s three decades of ethno-political conflict, remaining religiously neutral during the conflict that turned sectarian at times.
  • Now, residents thrive as restauranteurs, students, and politicians, including the UK’s first East Asian elected to a legislative body, and the Belfast Chinese Christian Church stands as a pillar of the growing Chinese evangelical community.

Read the full story at EJInsight.

(Image Credit: Mark O’Neill/EJI)

Religion + Belief

Nigeria News | Muslims & Christians

Boko Haram attacks on mosque, church, and other city spaces in central Nigeria bring death total to more than 250 over the last week
  • A suicide bomber killed at least five when she entered a crowded Christian church in Jos, followed soon by two bombs exploding at a mosque and restaurant that killed 44 people.
  • Boko Haram agents also returned to villages in the northeast, going on a rampage leading to villagers’ deaths, burning churches, and destroyed homes.
  • The attacks come as the Islamic State, to which Boko Haram has expressed allegiance, has called for mayhem during the month of Ramadan.

Read the full story at the Guardian.

Religion + Belief, Sexual + Gender Minorities

U.S. News | LGB

U.S. Episcopal Church assembly votes to enable clergy to perform same-sex marriages
  • Episcopal leaders overwhelmingly voted in favor of the change to gender-neutral language from “man and woman” in its marriage canon.
  • The vote does not compel clergy to perform same-sex marriages, only allows for their doing so without repercussion.
  • The Episcopal Church joins the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church in allowing all of its clergy to perform marriages regardless of partners’ gender.

Read the full story at BuzzFeed.

(Image Credit: Rick Bowmer/AP, via BuzzFeed)

Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

U.S. News | Black Christians

Arsonists strike predominantly black churches across southern U.S.
  • Four churches were burned in the last week in Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, with at least three suspected to be the result of arson.
  • Investigators have not ruled any of them as being a hate crime yet, although investigations are ongoing.
  • The fires have occurred less than a week after the massacre at the historic black Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, that left nine dead.

“The most important thing is people. … We’re going to build it back better than ever.”

Read the full story at BuzzFeed.

(Image Credit: Larry Wood/Twitter photo, via BuzzFeed)

Ideology + Affiliation, Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

Thailand News | Montangard Christians

Thailand’s military government bans Human Rights Watch event in Bangkok discussing Vietnamese persecution of ethnic Montagnards
  • Having stepped up censorship and public assembly bans since its 2014 coup, the junta justified the shutdown by claiming such an event would damage relations with Vietnam.
  • The event is the third to be shut down in the last month at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand.
  • The predominantly Christian Montagnards have fled religious and political persecution in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, seeking asylum in neighboring countries like Cambodia.
“Thailand is choosing to side with dictatorships in ASEAN while further stepping up repression at home.”
Read the full AFP story at AsiaOne.
Nationality + Migration, Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

Italy News | Refugees & Interfaith

In Milan, Holocaust memorial doubles as accommodations for African refugees
  • With the help of Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim community partners and volunteers, the Holocaust Memorial has dedicated part of its space to sheltering the refugees, providing food, beds, and washing facilities.
  • The Memorial stands at the site of Platform 21, the only remaining intact deportation site from the Holocaust that had part of its plan converted into a museum in 2013.
  • The Italian Jewish community–including famed Holocaust survivor Liliana Serge–has drawn parallels between the situations and indifference faced by Holocaust-era Jews and African migrants fleeing violence, persecution, and hardship.

“When I was expelled from school, very few people noticed that my seat had suddenly been emptied; very few people didn’t turn their faces when they ran into me on the streets. Today I witness with astonishment what is happening to these migrants who are seeking help from our opulent Europe, where people waste food and are obsessed with buying new things even if their houses are already full.”

Read the full story at the Times of Israel.

(Image Credit: Rossella Tercatin/The Times of Israel)

Age, Nationality + Migration, Religion + Belief
Refugee camp in Erbil, Iraq, tries to bring hope to displaced youth through education
  • Led by Father Douglas al-Bazi in the neighborhood of Ankawa, the Mar Elia camp provides youth with a library, music lessons, games, organized trips, and English courses in addition to the standard education curriculum, funded by private donations.
  • The camp opened in Iraqi Kurdistan last year, initially taking in 500 displaced Christians.
  • With larger populations and few to no private resources, neighboring camps struggle to provide basic services like basic education and medical services, making a spot in Mar Elia a prized commodity in the region.

“When the kids arrived here, they were completely lost for the first two weeks, angry and selfish. I remember the first time we offered them toys; within five minutes they destroyed them all. … Our kids, if they don’t have education, if they don’t have someone to look after them, do you think they are going to work for NASA? I don’t think so. It’s easy for IS to thrive among abandoned people.”

Read the full story at Al-Monitor.

(Image Credit: Sebastien Chatelier, via Al-Monitor)

Religion + Belief
Pope Francis apologizes to Waldensian Protestants for historical persecution by the Catholic Church
  • During the first-ever visit by a Pope to a Waldesnian church, the Pope asked for forgiveness for the persecution of the sect that included a papal order of extermination in the late 15th century and the execution of 1,700 Waldensians in the 17th century.
  • The Waldensians now number roughly 30,000 worldwide, located mostly in Italy and Latin America.
  • The outreach comes ahead of the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation in 2017, for which the various sects of Christianity have yet to announce any joint plans.

“On behalf of the Catholic Church, I ask forgiveness for the un-Christian and even inhumane positions and actions taken against you historically. … In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, forgive us!”

Read the full story at Reuters.

(Image Credit: Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters)

Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief
Thousands rally in Charleston in show of solidarity following last week’s mass murder at the Emanuel AME Church
  • While organizers expected 3,000 to participate in the Bridge to Peace unity chain, police estimate around 10,000 attended the demonstration.
  • Local public servants helped organize the event, which took place across the iconic Ravenel Bridge connecting Charleston and Mount Pleasant.
  • The event followed the reopening of the church for Sunday services.

Read the full story at BuzzFeed.

(Image Credit: Mladen Antonov/Getty Images, via BuzzFeed)

Religion + Belief
Recent attack on Candomblé followers fuels fears of religious intolerance amongst Brazil’s growing evangelical population
  • An 11-year-old and her family and friends, followers of the Candomblé religion, were attacked by a group of evangelicals while returning from temple.
  • The incident is one of a string of incidents in recent years involving abuse, beatings, forced evictions, and anti-Candomblé rhetoric.
  • Monitors have observed evangelical preachers espousing anti-Candomblé rhetoric to fortify their congregations, which have grown in share to 22% of the population from just 9% two-and-a-half decades ago.

“They want to make people ashamed to practise Candomblé, so they feel they have to turn to the church. …But how can you be a Christian with such hate in your heart?”

More on this story at The Guardian.

(Image Credit: Douglas Engle/AP, via The Guardian)