Australia is viewed as “the promised land” by persecuted Catholics in the Middle East. An Iraqi Catholic priest says Australia has led the way in welcoming thousands of Christians who have been forced to leave their homes because of violence from radical militant groups such as the Islamic State. Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Islamic state’
Islamic State attacks on Christians will escalate
Monday, May 8th, 2017
An anonymous Islamic State (IS) spokesperson is warning Muslims in Egypt to stay away from Christian gatherings and Western embassies because of probable IS attacks. He said the attacks are part of the “war on infidels” IS is fighting. He also claimed his group was responsible for the suicide bombings that struck two Coptic Christian Read more
Pope says “mother” shouldn’t describe a bomb
Monday, May 8th, 2017
Pope Francis has spoken out about the name “mother of all bombs” saying the word “mother” shouldn’t be used for a weapon. Speaking to a group of students visiting the Vatican on Saturday, Francis told them how ashamed he is of the bomb’s name. Mothers give life, not death, and suggesting a bomb could also Read more
Christian heritage monastery ransacked
Friday, November 25th, 2016A Christian heritage monastery in Mosul was ransacked during Islamic States’ two-year occupation. They were finally ousted last weekend. Much of the heritage artifcats, including books, were burnt. Read more
Nauru website blocked for propagating Islamic State
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016
A website whose domain is registered in Nauru has been blocked in India by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for propagating the ideology of the Islamic State (IS). “We have blocked the website as it propagated and tried to influence Indian youth into joining IS. “It had some traffic from India because of which we blocked Read more
Pope Francis prays for victims of Istanbul bombing
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016
Pope Francis expressed “prayerful solidarity” with victims of the suicide bombing in Istanbul on Saturday. “[Pope Francis grieved] to learn of the casualties caused by the bombing in Istanbul … and he expresses his prayerful solidarity with all touched by this tragedy,” read a telegram to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan from Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Read more
IS falsely claims Muslim theological tradition
Friday, March 4th, 2016
For Muslims around the world, it’s become an almost daily heartbreaking experience to see Islam associated with all the shades of cruelty and inhumanity of so-called Islamic State (IS). It’s tempting to dismiss the group as lying beyond the boundaries of Islam. But this way of thinking leads down the same route IS has taken. Read more
Did the Crusades lead to Islamic State?
Friday, February 26th, 2016
In 1996, late US political scientist Samuel P. Huntington published the book The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. Following the collapse of communism in 1989, he argued, conflicts would increasingly involve religion. Islam, which Huntington claimed had been the opponent of Christianity since the seventh century, would increasingly feature in geopolitical Read more
Europe Parliament: ISIS killing of Christians is genocide
Tuesday, February 9th, 2016The European Parliament has recognised as genocide the Islamic State’s killing of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East. This is the first time the European Parliament has acknowledged an ongoing conflict as genocide. Lars Adaktusson, the Swedish MEP who tabled the resolution, said the significance of the move is the obligations that Read more
Turkey’s new neighbour – DAESH (Islamic State)
Friday, December 18th, 2015
President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey must feel like a chess grand master playing several games simultaneously. He has far more neighbours and different cultures to contend with than most leaders: eight in all. They are a mixed bag across more than 2600 kms of borders – Iran, Iraq, Syria, Armenia, an Azerbaijan enclave, Georgia, Bulgaria Read more