Teresa Kok, a six-time MP with the Democratic Action Party, which is part of the ruling coalition, is in the crosshairs for questioning a proposal seen as too burdensome for small businesses. During questioning, she stressed that she did not “disrespect Islam”.
The local Church celebrated the 75th anniversary of the first pilgrimage to the Marian place of worship and the inauguration of the grotto of the Virgin. At least six worshippers died in road accidents, while police foiled an attack by a group of Islamic extremists. Some observers call for greater road safety and better facilities for pilgrims, including sanitary facilities.
Archbishop Martinelli stresses to AsiaNews the link that makes the declaration signed yesterday in Jakarta and the 2019 text on human fraternity‘different and complementary’. In a world marked by war ‘the danger is getting used to dehumanisation’. Strong ‘symbols’ such as the Tunnel of Friendship or the Abrahamic House are essential. From the Pope also the call to look in depth’ in interreligious dialogue, returning “to the question of God as a fundamental human question”.
Those arrested include preacher Li Yingqiang and three other church members. The authorities have imposed 14-day administrative detention for the "troublemakers", but the measure is likely to turn into “criminal” charges without release. In Guangzhou, a 30-year-old Christian woman was arrested for developing a religiously themed music application.
Investigative journalist Uzay Bulut pens an article published by the Gatestone Institute that looks at a narrative that turns “history on its head", one that denies that Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks are indigenous in Anatolia. As Turkish children become adults, they parrot “the lies taught to them in their schools.”
Enforcement is overseen by the Ministry of Morality. Over the past year more than 13,000 people detained, half of them held for 24 hours. Specific rules are also provided for the media, such as a ban on showing images of living beings. Sanctions include counseling, warnings of divine punishment, verbal threats, confiscation of property, and detention.
At the center of criticism in the UN experts' report is the trial of about 100 members of the Christian minority. The proceedings allegedly failed to meet standards and showed summary charges, torture and mistreatment. Also in the crosshairs are the stages of the trial and the role of the media. No comment from the government.
The appeal to the High Court to obtain documents related to “Lot 6” where the Canossian Convent of Banda Hilir has stood for 120 years. The area is also home to a primary and secondary school that accommodate hundreds of students. The title deed was lost during World War II with the Japanese invasion.
A new report by a UN fact-finding mission exposes the repression endured by Iran’s ethnic and religious minorities. In the Islamic Republic, persecution on gender grounds intersects with persecution on ethnic and religious grounds. Even children are victims of particularly serious violence. The hijab hides “gender apartheid”.
In early August 2014, the advance by the Islamic State sparked the great Christian flight from Mosul and the Nineveh Plain. This tragedy is still etched in the victims’ memory and only 60 per cent have returned to their lands. The Chaldean primate calls for a move away from "fear and despair" by stopping the conflicts that ravage the region.
In Shanxi, a court president illegally keeps three Protestant leaders in prison without trial. But the law can also be used to show that religious freedom conforms with the law, this according to Feng Xuewei, a legal expert who worked on China’s entry in the WTO.
Two places of worship in Malang were the targets. Police dismiss claims that the planned attack was linked to Francis’s upcoming apostolic trip to Asia-Pacific. Three people were arrested, including one man known as "Hok" suspected of affiliation with the extremist group Daulah Islamiyah. Explosive materials used to make the "Mother of Satan" bomb were confiscated.
In Madhya Pradesh a misunderstanding during a school lesson is exploited by Hindutva group to attack school run by the Sisters of Sain t Elizabeth. Bishop Athikalam slams the shameful violence against women who have been serving the community for 50 years, “working towards nation-building.”
For almost two months a priest, a Protestant bishop, and some principals have been in prison on charges of collecting exorbitant school fees. The increase was calculated on the first COVID-19 year, when prices had been reduced by order of local authorities. “We've done nothing in mala fide,” said Bishop Arasu speaking to AsiaNews. “We're willing even to approach the Supreme Court.”
The Commission for Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism (Ccide) has promoted a ‘Sabeel’ for the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community. Events included a ‘walk’ in the cathedral area and the distribution of cold drinks to break the fast. The annual interfaith caravan of the Rwadari Tehreek Pakistan reached Karabla Gamay Shah.
Yesterday the prime minister received a delegation led by the president of the Bishops' Conference (Cbci). In the letter, besides the ritual congratulations for the new mandate, all the concerns for Christians from the attacks in Manipur to the quota issue. Among the topics also Pope Francis' visit to India.
According to the prosecution, the sect, declared deviant by the Islamic religious authorities in 2019, operates clandestinely throughout the country. It believes in the existence of a new prophet, recites an alternative shahādah and seeks to merge Islam, Judaism and Christianity into a single faith. Notebooks, a laptop computer and mobile phones were also seized during the arrests.
A report by the Freedom of Belief Initiative shows the extent of the problem. After Christians come Jews, Alevis, Yazidis, and atheists. Especially targeted are cemeteries, places of worship, homes, and schools linked to religious groups. Anti-Jewish violence has escalated since Israel's war in Gaza.
The country's Churches have been pushing for this measure to counter the problem of early marriages, often linked to abductions. “We hope the government will take further steps to criminalise forced religious conversions," the Bishops' Conference said.
Shrouded in mystery is the fate of 11 Christians, including six Protestants (Degar) and five Catholics from the Ha Mon community. They had been sentenced in the past, when their sentences expired 'there is no news' and 'they seem to have disappeared'. The basis of the sentence was 'religious activity or affiliation'. Concerns about these repressions persist in spite of openness towards the local Church and the Holy See.
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council today released its annual report on the persecution of ethnic-religious minorities in the country. About 1,045 incidents of violence were recorded in the past year, with 45 deaths. For lawyer Rana Dasgupta, “The environment for free religious practice has been completely narrowed.”
The Vicar of Southern Arabia officiated at the inauguration of construction work on a new pastoral centre in Ghala. Msgr. Martinelli: 'For children, young people and adults to grow in the faith'. The sultanate's diplomatic work in a conflict-torn Middle East. There are still steps to be taken in the area of rights and gender equality.
In Trieste for the Social Week of Italian Catholics, the brother of Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s Minorities Minister killed in 2011, spoke about a recent trial that has reopened wounds for the country’s Christian community over its blasphemy rules. For Paul Bhatti, the government must ensure that “no one can teach a person to kill or die in the name of religion.”
An evangelical community that prayed in a private home battered and detained after Hindu extremists accused them of 'forced conversions'. In the district of Jabalpur, an investigation into book prices inflated by a publisher sent to prison only the leaders of the most renowned Christian schools, including a Protestant bishop and a Catholic priest.
The WUC has organised various events to honour the victims of China’s most violent crackdown against the Muslim minority. Activist denounces policies that result in “crimes against humanity and genocide.” No Muslims from Xinjiang has been allowed to join the Hajj. Sinicisation and re-education camps have been set up for the Eid holiday.
A Punjab court issued a surreal verdict in connection with the brutal attack against a Christian neighbourhood in August 2023, handing down a death sentence against Ahsan Masih, a young man who, like thousands others, shared a post on a social media that was construed as “instigating” violence. By contrast, 135 people arrested for involvement in the incident have walked free. For Fr Khalid Rashid Asi, the sentence was issued under extremist pressure, but eventually “truth will win”.
An AsiaNews source recounts the life of Catholics. One million people, mostly economic migrants, celebrate their faith "in private". The bond with the universal Church and the hope of one day being able to gather and pray in a church. The Internet has strengthened community relations and facilitated attendance at services. A "long history" of "discreet" presence in the region.
This was emphasised by the auxiliary of the Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia in the Mass celebrated for the feast of 29 June. The embrace between Catholic and Orthodox brothers offers "the opportunity to experience the joy of encounter". The city is still in serious difficulty, it seems "hit by heavy bombardment". And the final appeal: religious and fidei donum are needed to help keep Christianity alive in Turkey.
After several complaints and a video that went viral, the police opened an investigation against the controversial leader Firdaus Wong. In a video that went viral on social media, he talks to a teacher giving instructions on how to make children pray and hide their conversion from their parents. Malaysian activist: the teacher's behaviour is also contrary to the 'relationship of trust' with families.
The Vatican Secretary of State is on a five-day visit in the Mideast country at the invitation of the president of the Lebanese Association of the Sovereign Order of Malta. Yesterday, at the Mass for the feast of Saint John the Baptist, he renewed the appeal to fill the void of this Christian voice “that would undoubtedly make a difference” even amid the winds of war blowing dangerously in the region. The Church continues to play a key role in assisting the needy.
