| Latest need |
| "Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow": Bringing hope and aid to Christians in Iraq |
Iraq's Christian population continues to dwindle as sectarian violence remains rife; please help Barnabas Fund as we support our brothers and sisters struggling to survive in their homeland despite brutal anti-Christian violence.
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| Iraqi Christian children at a church-run camp for displaced Christians in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, for which Barnabas Fund provides support |
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| Latest international news |
Putin Signs Draconian Anti-Christian Provisions into Law
Last week we reported that President Vladimir Putin had until 20 July to decide whether to enact an anti-terror bill into law – which, despite protests from churches, includes many clauses that are strongly anti-Christian. In fact the bill, which is primarily aimed at anti-terrorist activities, was signed into law by President Putin on Sunday 3 July. Protestant Christians in Russia fear that the new law will be chiefly enforced as a weapon against them and not used against the Orthodox Church, which Mr Putin has favoured in the past. |
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| The Kremlin in Moscow, seat of Russian power for centuries |
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Senior Christian leader helps accident victim, finds himself wrongly accused of causing fatality
An African Christian has been arrested in Mozambique on a false charge of causing a fatal accident. He is a senior mission leader within the country, who was due to be attending a continent-wide conference for church leaders which Barnabas Fund is running at present. He has been held for four nights so far, despite a promise that he was to have been released.
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| Christian leaders in Mozambique at a training course supported by Barnabas Fund |
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Pattern of persecution for Christians continues in Egypt despite efforts of President al-Sisi as more Christian homes are attacked
President Al-Sisi has done much to try to improve the situation of the Christian minority in Egypt, restoring church buildings damaged by Muslim extremists, affirming them by attending Christmas worship services, and replacing the Muslim Brotherhood's Islamic Constitution with a civil one which gives full rights to Christians. But Christians in Egypt still face much harassment and persecution from hostile Muslims at a local level. This includes the Christian community in the village of Qaryat Al Bayda, south of Alexandria, who were attacked last month and have now, despite their protestations, been forced to agree to "reconciliation" meetings.
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| Christians in Egypt still face much harassment and persecution from hostile Muslims at a local level |
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Egyptian Christians attacked by Muslim extremists for the second time in two weeks as a result of church building rumours
For the second time in two weeks, Christian homes in Egypt have been attacked by Muslim extremists. On Wednesday 29 June, a crowd set fire to the houses of four Christian families in the village of Kom Al Lufi, 150 miles / 250 kilometres south of Cairo, following false rumours that one of the houses undergoing construction was to be converted into a church. The attack is a repeat of an incident which occurred on 17 June in the village of Qaryat Al Bayda near Alexandria, 250 miles north of Kom Al Lufi.
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| It is still illegal to build a church in Egypt without presidential permission. A new law to ease building restrictions is under discussion in the Egyptian Parliament, but opposition at a local level can be fierce, even violent |
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Egyptian church minister murdered by Islamic State in northern Sinai for "fighting Islam"
On Saturday 30 June a minister in Egypt's northern Sinai was gunned down as he prepared to return home following a church service. Raphail Moussa was shot four times in the head by multiple gunmen, according to police. Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility on social media for his murder, posting that "Islamic State soldiers were able to successfully target the priest Moussa Azmi, known as Rafael [sic], who fights Islam."
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Christian Pharmacist stabbed, decapitated in attack during Ramadan
On July 4 Magdy Attia, a Christian pharmacist living in Tanta (65 miles/100 kilometres north of Cairo), was stabbed and then beheaded by attackers, said to be Muslims, who left his remains lying in one of the apartments in a block to which he had been delivering medicines. To date no arrests have been made. The murder of Magdy Attia is one of a string of attacks against Christians in Egypt that have taken place during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan (6 June to 6 July).
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| Magdy Attia |
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Amnesty International highlights persecution of Christian migrants and refugees in Libya
A report by Amnesty International has catalogued the serious abuses experienced by Christian migrants and refugees during their attempts to reach Europe. Christians attempting to travel to Europe from Libya face acute danger and are targeted by both people traffickers and Islamist groups within the country.
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