In recent years, Nigeria has seen a surge in kidnappings and violent attacks. Christians living in the country’s five southeast states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo have said violence has affected their religious lives.
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(ANALYSIS) Sudan has filed an application instituting proceedings against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) with regard to a dispute concerning alleged violations by the UAE of its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention) in relation to the Masalit group in Sudan, most notably in West Darfur.
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During a typical week, readers (or podcast listeners) send me emails or messages through various social-media platforms. Often, these people are frustrated or even angry. Most folks are not upset with me. More often than not, they are ticked off about something they have seen — or failed to see — in mainstream press coverage of the news.
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March 8 holds painful memories for Ezekiel Batsi Batende, pastor of Swahili Baptist Church at Woodmont. On that day in 2008, he and his family fled their home in the Democratic Republic of Congo as rebels burned Machumbi village.
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(REVIEW) Researcher and author Diana Darke argues that the connections between Islamic and Christian cultures during the medieval period were stronger than commonly believed. This cross-fertilization of cultures had an impact on society, religion and culture. Her extensive research, covering hundreds of buildings across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East led her to propose replacing the term “Romanesque” with “Islamesque.”
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(ANALYSIS) Last month, the U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a resolution agreeing to establish a fact-finding mission on the serious human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law committed in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
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Pastors have reported that they have been forced to shelter rebels inside their churches as well as within their surrounding communities. The rebels are well aware that hiding in these sanctuaries guarantees them protection, given the government’s longstanding commitment to ensuring that attacks do not target civilians, churches or hospitals.
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From a contemporary marketing perspective, the centenary of the discovery of Pharaoh Tutankhamen’s 3,200-year-old tomb found on Nov. 26, 1922 would have been the ideal date for the inauguration of Cairo’s spectacular Grand Egyptian Museum. In contemporary Egypt, life crawls at the pace known as shuwaya, shuwaya (meaning little, little). Not surprisingly, the much-delayed GEM — more than two decades in the making — is set to have its grand opening on July 3.
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While the president takes a beating on social media for his USAID cuts, African pastors are silencing those blaming Trump for it. “President Trump is doing what must be done for the good of his country,” said Tinashe Hungwe, a cleric in Zimbabwe. “It is high time to make our governments accountable and provide for their people not to blame the U.S.”
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For decades, the Nyachuru family has hoped for closure, which has proved to be elusive. When the scathing Makin Report released this past November — which ultimately resulted in the resignation of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby — recommended that the Church of England also probe the atrocities committed by Smyth in Zimbabwe, the family was hopeful.
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The beheaded bodies of 70 Christians were found in a Protestant church in North Kivu Province in the Congo around Feb. 15, several religious freedom advocates said, blaming the extremist Allied Democratic Forces. The ADF is accused of approaching homes in Mayba, in the Lumbero territory, beginning Feb. 12 and capturing as many as 100 Christians through Feb. 15.
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Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born Dutch-American activist, author and thinker, has become best known for her outspoken views on Islam, women's rights and the societal consequences of secularism. Her religious journey to becoming one of the most prominent critics of Islam into her recent conversion to Christianity has been shaped by personal experiences of suffering, political activism and intellectual transformation.
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(ANALYSIS) This past Feb. 15 marked the 10th anniversary of Daesh (the Islamic State group or ISIL) releasing the video of the murder of 21 men on a beach in Libya. The majority of them were Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christians who were abducted from Sirte, Libya, between December 2014 and January 2015. One of the men was from Ghana and chose to stay with the Coptic men and face the same fate.
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Dikembe Mutombo’s towering presence on the basketball court made him a household name. With his signature finger wag and shot-blocking ability, he dominated the NBA for nearly two decades. But it’s his legacy off the court that set him apart as an icon of compassion and service. His parents, both Baptists, instilled in him values of kindness, humility and service to others. These principles would shape Mutombo’s identity as a man and player.
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About 50 Christians were killed, dozens kidnapped and homes destroyed since late January in several attacks spanning southern to northern Nigeria, Christian persecution watchdog groups said. At least three pastors were killed in attacks in Kaduna in north-central Nigeria and Gombe in northeastern Nigeria.
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Last year, a handful of Salesian nuns worked to keep a small school and religious center in Khartoum open. As siege-like conditions worsened, they coordinated with Sudanese officials for an escape. An investigation by Religion Unplugged has revealed new details about the operation that were previously undisclosed.
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The church’s initiatives involve venturing into coffee farming to transform unused land into productive agricultural spaces, mass registration of untitled church land, issuing spiritual warnings and pursuing legal action against land grabbers. The plan will safeguard property and contribute to economic growth — ensuring that church land remains a valuable resource for future generations.
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Many of the 500-plus wards of the Center for Nutrition and Education of Children Foundation were orphaned by Boko Haram killings in northern Nigeria. Others were sent to this northeastern town by relatives to escape ongoing violence. Some came from vulnerable situations in the surrounding villages.
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To achieve this, many churches have embraced technological advancements, including mobile mission vans, online services, loudspeakers, radio, and television, to share the gospel directly with the community. Others have organized crusades and preached on the streets as part of the growing outreach program.
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(ANALYSIS) On Jan. 31, United Nations agencies called for an end to the violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as fighting between government forces and the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group intensified. The call comes after M23 rebels have already seized Goma, the provincial capital.
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