| Latest international news |
Barnabas Fund sends £34,000 for Christian victims of Easter Day Lahore bombing
Thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters, Barnabas Fund has been able to send £34,000 to Christians affected by the suicide bombing at the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park in Lahore, Pakistan, on Easter Sunday (27 March). The attack, which was targeted at Christians, killed at least 74 people and injured more than 370 others.
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| The Rt. Rev. Irfan Jamil, along with other members of the Diocese, has been visiting hospitals to provide support for the injured |
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Teenage Christian girl released by IS, just one captive from Khabur River still held
It is with joy that Barnabas Fund can report the release on 27 March of a Christian girl abducted by Islamic State (IS) more than a year earlier. Maryam David Talya was one of 253 believers captured by the militant group from their villages in the Khabur river area of north-eastern Syria in February 2015.
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| Maryam David Talya's release has been greeted with widespread joy |
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Egyptian Christian declared innocent after spending three years in prison
An Egyptian Christian, Bishoy Kameel Garas, has been declared "innocent" after spending more than half of his six-year sentence in jail. Bishoy was jailed in September 2012 for alleged defamation of Islam, as well as Egypt's then President Mohammad Morsi and a Muslim sheikh's sister. The charges all related to a fake Facebook page opened in his name.
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| Bishoy Kameel Garas |
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Malaysian Christian allowed to have "Islam" removed from identity card
A Malaysian Christian who was brought up as a Muslim has been allowed by a court to have the word "Islam" removed from his identity card. Like many Muslim majority countries Malaysia requires a person's religion to be stated on their identity card. This can create many problems for anyone from a Muslim background who embraces the Christian faith. Although the Malaysian constitution guarantees freedom of worship (although this of course is only one aspect of freedom of religion) the states that make up the country have a dual legal system of both civil courts and sharia courts.
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| Identity cards in Malaysia must include a person's religion |
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Egyptian courts rules it is illegal to demolish any Church
A court in Alexandria has blocked the demolition of a church and in doing so set an important legal precedent. The case arose out of a land dispute as to who owned the property the church was built on. However, the Egyptian court not only blocked the demolition of this particular church building, but also established a wider legal precedent that effectively banned other churches from being either destroyed or converted for other uses.
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| A church in Alexandria, Egypt |
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Liberation of Syrian town reveals damage and destruction to churches and Christian buildings
In yet another blow to the Christian community in Syria, the recent liberation of Qaryatain from Islamic State (IS) control has revealed that many of the town's churches and Christian buildings have either been destroyed or badly damaged. The ancient town, which used to have a large Christian population, had been under IS rule for seven months until it was recaptured by government troops and local militia on Sunday (3 April).
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| Churches in Syria are frequently targeted by the Islamists |
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Blasphemy laws will not be amended, Pakistani government promises protesters
A four-day sit-in in Islamabad attended by thousands of Muslim extremists dispersed last Wednesday night (30 March) after the government assured them that the country's "blasphemy laws" will not be amended.
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