religious persecution

13 Stories

Christian Woman Who Faced Execution Arrives in US

Philly mayor greets Sudanese woman, gives Liberty Bell replica as liberation gift

(Newser) - Being called a "world freedom fighter" by the mayor is a nice way to be greeted when you land in Philly. Meriam Ibrahim Tehya Ishag, the woman who came perilously close to being hanged in Sudan for renouncing Islam, marrying a Christian, and converting to Christianity, arrived in the...

In Karachi Slum, a 5K-Seat Megachurch

Despite facing violence, extremism, Christianity keeps toe-hold in Pakistan

(Newser) - Despite Pakistan's religious extremism and violence, a new Christian church, the largest in Pakistan, has just opened in Karachi, reports the AP . St. Peter's of Karachi, which opened on Nov. 9, is a domed, three-story building in the heart of a sprawling slum in Pakistan's largest city,...

Muslims See More Workplace Discrimination

Even before mosque flap, Islamophobia was on the rise

(Newser) - A growing number of Muslims were reporting discrimination in the workplace even before the so-called “Ground Zero mosque” hysteria swept the country, the New York Times reports. In the year that ended last September, 803 Muslims filed federal complaints, with many alleging that co-workers had called them “Osama”...

GOP Candidate: Islam a 'Cult' We 'Have to Face'

Tennessee Lt. governor afraid new mosque will spread Sharia law

(Newser) - Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey is mighty ‘afeared of them thar Muslims. In this video, spotted by Politico , of a campaign stop in Chattanooga, Ramsey was asked how he felt about the “presence invading our country from the Muslims.” Ramsey replied that he’d been getting that...

Right Goes Nuts Over Ground Zero Mosque
 Right Goes Nuts Over 
 Ground Zero Mosque 
OPINION

Right Goes Nuts Over Ground Zero Mosque

Even though the Imam is a moderate who works with FBI

(Newser) - Remember Tea Party honcho Mark Williams' “ monkey god ” outburst? Well he's not the only right-winger spewing flames over the proposed Muslim community center being built a few blocks from Ground Zero. The imam behind the center says it's designed to “bridge and heal a divide” and says...

Tea Party Head Apologizes for 'Monkey God' Comment...

...To Hindus who do worship a monkey god

(Newser) - Tea Party Express leader Mark Williams today apologized profusely for saying that Muslims worship a “ monkey god .” But not to Muslims. “I owe an apology,” he wrote on his blog , “to millions of Hindus who worship Lord Hanuman, an actual Monkey God. Hanuman is worshiped...

Hate Crimes Up Just 2%, But Gay-Bashing Soars: FBI

Religiously motivated crimes also surge

(Newser) - The incidence of reported hate crimes in the US rose 2% in 2008, with huge surges in religion- and sexual orientation-based offenses. The FBI compiled the stats but cautions that an increase in reporting—not in crime itself—could be responsible. The AP looks at some numbers:
  • Of 7,783
...

Swiss to Vote on Minaret Ban

Referendum this month sparks fear of Muslim backlash

(Newser) - Swiss government and business leaders are having a panic attack over a referendum that would ban minarets on mosques—and, they fear, make the country a target for Islamic terrorism. The handiwork of the anti-immigrant Swiss People's Party, infamous for an earlier campaign poster showing a white sheep kicking a...

UK Man Worships at Church of Climate Change
 UK Man Worships at 
 Church of Climate Change 

RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION?

UK Man Worships at Church of Climate Change

And claims his belief deserves protection just like Islam or Judaism

(Newser) - You can't force a Muslim to eat pork, or a Jew to pray to Jesus, and a UK man is claiming in court that his religious belief deserves similar protection. Climate change, that is. Tim Nicholson of Oxford is suing for religious discrimination after an employer, annoyed with his attempts...

Zimbabwe Police Wage War on Anglican Church

Services broken up for three Sundays straight

(Newser) - Zimbabwe riot police stormed an Anglican service this week, swinging batons to clear the pews, even striking a grandmother who bent to retrieve a fallen Bible. It wasn’t the first time, the New York Times reports. For three straight Sundays, Zimbabwe’s rulers have sent police to break up...

Pope Knocks China on Good Friday

Catholic leader reflects on Church's 'dark hour of persecution'

(Newser) - Pope Benedict took aim at China's lack of religious freedom at a Good Friday procession in Rome today, Reuters reports. "In many parts of the world, (the Church) is undergoing the dark hour of persecution," the Pope said, using words penned by a cardinal who has blasted China's...

Vatican Goes to Confessional in an Art Museum

Church reveals Inquisition artifacts

(Newser) - Sure, thousands of accused witches and blasphemers were burned and tortured during the Roman Catholic Church’s centuries-long Inquisition in the Middle Ages—but, with the help of a new art exhibition, the Vatican hopes to show that it wasn't so bad after all, Newsweek reports. The “Rare and...

Gaza's Few Christians Are Fleeing
Gaza's Few Christians
Are Fleeing

Gaza's Few Christians Are Fleeing

After murder, religious minority fearful under Hamas rule

(Newser) - It's a grim Christmas for Gaza's tiny Christian population of about 3,000, with celebrations muted in the Hamas-controlled territory, the AP says. Instead of decorating trees, many of the faithful are packing to leave the strip for good. After the murder of a prominent Baptist activist, many Christians say...

13 Stories