Iranians In Chains: Sounds From Hell And Of Resistance

These prisoners are not only eyewitnesses to what happened inside Iran’s prisons. They are also earwitnesses: people whose knowledge of imprisonment comes partly through what they heard when they could not see.

25 Years Later, The World That Made 9/11 Still Casts A Shadow

The 9/11 attacks are often remembered as a single event. That morning, 19 terrorists turned commercial airliners into weapons and the modern era of terrorism began. A total of 2,977 people died in the terrorist attacks, the deadliest to ever take place on U.S. soil. To understand 9/11, one need to take a look at the Islamic radicalization of a movement that few in the West took seriously.

5 Years Of The Taliban’s Return To Power In Afghanistan: What’s Next?

(ANALYSIS) As the situation in the country continues to deteriorate, important questions must be asked about where to go from here. What is the future of Afghanistan for women and religious minorities?

Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox Divide Tests The Meaning Of Citizenship

(ANALYSIS) As Israel enters its third year of war on multiple fronts, the question of whether ultra-Orthodox men should be exempt from mandatory military service has become a much larger argument about citizenship itself: Who bears responsibility for defending the Jewish state?

Students Advocate For Clarity: Hindu Swastika Different From Nazi Symbol

(ESSAY) It is one of Hinduism's oldest and most sacred symbols, representing peace, prosperity, good fortune and well-being. But Hitler hijacked it, turning it into a universal symbol of hate. My Hindu classmates and I advocated for our history classes to accurately teach the difference.

What Would It Look Like To Try And Build A Utopia?

In times of unrest, our impulse is to seek solutions in painfully precise increments. But what if the only way to bring lasting change is to shoot for the stars?

Iranian Christians Face Rising Persecution As Dozens Killed, Hundreds Arrested

Dozens of Christians connected to Iran Alive Ministries have been killed and hundreds arrested amid escalating persecution in Iran, ministry leaders report. Despite imprisonment, surveillance and criminalization of Christian broadcasts, the underground church continues growing, with thousands reportedly converting to Christianity and imprisoned believers sharing the Gospel.

ChinaAid Petitions For Trump’s Help In Bringing Detained Pastor Home To US

ChinaAid is seeking 100,000 signatures petitioning President Donald Trump to urge Pastor John Cao’s safe passage to the U.S. when President Xi Jinping visits Washington in September.

Why Nepal’s Political Mood Has Become Religiously Charged

(ANALYSIS) Nepal underwent major political upheaval just a year ago, toppling the government in a fashion few could have imagined. An even more dramatic development followed. Voters handed a near-supermajority to the Rastriya Swatantra Party, which was founded only four years earlier. Its senior leader, Balendra Shah, became the youngest prime minister in Nepal’s history.

As Religious-Based Violence Rises, What Needs To Be Done To Stop It?

(ANALYSIS) News from around the world gives little hope for the prospects of addressing violence based on religion or belief — nations need to act now in accordance with UN policies to ensure everyone has freedom of religion.

‘A Sacred Land’: India’s Religious Pluralism Has Deep Historical Roots

(ANALYSIS) India’s religious diversity has deep historical roots, reflected in the experiences of Hindu soldier Sitaram Pande and Muslim poet Mirza Ghalib. Their writings portray sacred landscapes shaped by multiple traditions while revealing identities that crossed religious boundaries, challenging contemporary claims that religious purity justifies anti-minority rhetoric or violence.

‘Peak Of Permissiveness’: Is America Really Morally Bankrupt?

(ANALYSIS) To believe a lot of the commentary, especially on the right, you would think America is headed, if not already sinking, into a bottomless moral abyss. But a recent report tells a rather different story. If America was on an immoral path, it is now slowly correcting course. Emphasize slowly.

‘Fear And Regret’: Former Boko Haram Fighters Seek God — And A Place In Society

Boko Haram, an Islamic terrorist group, warps Muslim theology into an extremist ideology in order to attract young men to its ranks. Now, a unique program aims to de-radicalize former fighters through counseling and showing them how to live a peaceful Muslim life.

A Pitch For Hope: Persecuted Yazidis Build Their Own Soccer Stadium In Iraq

They’ve survived ISIS, genocides and persecution. Their homeland has been destroyed. Now the Yazidis in Iraq are rallying together to build their own soccer stadium — a symbol of resilience and hope despite their difficult past.

Why The Pentagon’s Count Of Religious Groups Plunged From 216 to Just 31

(ANALYSIS) The Pentagon needs to define America’s religious categories due to chaplains’ responsibility to handle the spiritual needs of soldiers as effectively as possible. The problem is that Americans’ religious choices are pretty much uncountable.

Christian Lawyers Aid Nigeria’s Families Targeted For Their Faith

Terrorism that began in northeast Nigeria with the founding of Boko Haram in 2002 spread to the northwest, has become common in the Middle Belt and is now spreading to southern Nigeria — leaving safe for daily living only perhaps 20 to 40 percent of Nigeria, the largest nation in Africa and the sixth most populous in the world. Nigeria is the deadliest country for believers globally.

‘We Don’t Feel Safe’: West Bank Christian Village Faces Escalating Attacks

On hills just east of Ramallah is the village of Taybeh. Its population has fallen to 1,200 today, while more than 80% of the town's sons and daughters now live abroad. What sets Taybeh apart from every other village in the West Bank is that all of its residents remain Christian — Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic and Latin — making it a symbol of a presence that is fading but refusing to disappear.

Did Ann Widdecombe Die A Political And Catholic Martyr?

(ANALYSIS) In her student days, Ann Widdecombe's first Oxford Union presentation was an attack on censorship, even if practicing free speech turned out to be risky or painful. A half-century later, the former Conservative MP and outspoken Catholic returned to the legendary debate club to address the same subject, at one point explaining why she once agreed to share a speaker's platform with an Irish Republican Army activist.

Rising Cost Of Dying: Egyptians Struggle To Pay For Funerals

In a country with a deep history of ritual and respect for the dead, it is becoming increasingly impossible for everyday families to properly bury their loved ones. The wealthy are able to purchase premium amenities, while working class residents are unable to afford basic services at all. “Where am I supposed to take the body?” one man asked.

Lawyer Who Defended China’s Persecuted Christians Released From ICE Custody

Christian Chinese human rights lawyer Wu Shaoping, who represented persecuted religious believers and other victims of government repression before fleeing China, was released on bond July 24. He had spent nine days in federal immigration custody despite having been granted asylum in the U.S.

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