World Watch Monitor

• UPDATE: Chibok girls ‘Not Swapped’ but Released after ‘Careful Negotiation’
  Details have now emerged about the conditions of release of the 21 Chibok girls.
  Friday, October 14, 2016
• Iraqi Christians in Mosul Forgive Persecutors
  One place which has sheltered those fleeing already is one of the oldest Christian monasteries in existence: St Matthews (Mar Mattai), built in 363AD, halfway between Kurdish-held territories and...
  Friday, October 14, 2016
• Boko Haram ‘Releases 21 Chibok Firls’
  Boko Haram has released 21 of the girls kidnapped in Chibok in April 2014 to the Nigerian Army in Maidugiri, capital of Borno state.
  Thursday, October 13, 2016
• Slashed by Machetes and Left for Dead in the DRC
  In the volatile province of North Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a father of three has described how Islamist militants carrying guns and machetes almost killed him.
  Wednesday, October 12, 2016
• 'Peaceful' Buddhism's Violent Face in Sri Lanka
  Thanks to its promotion by figures from Hollywood and Silicon Valley, Buddhism in the West presents a ‘peaceful’ face. Yet Christians in Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka, as well as other minority...
  Monday, October 10, 2016
• Al Shabab Claims 6 Christians Dead in NE Kenya Raid
  The six people killed in this morning’s attack in north-east Kenya by Al Shabab were Christians, according to the militant group’s own radio station, Radio Andalus. The militia attacked at about...
  Thursday, October 6, 2016
• Boko Haram Victims: ‘We are in a Catastrophe’
  Boko Haram insurgency threatens future of Lake Chad Basin.
  Friday, September 23, 2016
• Hungary Opens First Ever Office to Tackle Christian Persecution
  Hungary has become the first government to open an office specifically to address the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Europe.
  Friday, September 16, 2016
• Iranian Converts Await Sentencing for ‘Illegal’ Communion Wine
  Three Iranian Christian converts have been charged with “acting against national security” and illegal consumption of alcohol during Holy Communion.
  Tuesday, September 13, 2016
• What Next for India’s Beleaguered Christian Minority?
  Fifty religious leaders from the Christian and Muslim minorities in India met together last week to discuss the religious freedom challenges facing both groups under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s...
  Monday, September 12, 2016
• Uzbek Pastor: ‘It Will Be Even Worse after Karimov’
  An Uzbek church leader has said he fears life will be even harder for minority Christians after the death of Islam Karimov, the country’s President since 1989.
  Wednesday, September 7, 2016
• In Violence-Racked Baghdad, Few Remaining Christians Struggle to Cope
  As for Baghdad’s once full churches, some had already been bombed a number of times over. Now the empty buildings are a screaming depiction of today’s reality: only a handful of Christians left....
  Tuesday, September 6, 2016
• Iran: Families Fear for Latest 5 Christians Arrested
  Five Iranian Christians were arrested on Friday during a trip to the Alborz Mountains north-east of Tehran – the latest in a recent spate of arrests.
  Wednesday, August 31, 2016
• Sudan Pastors Charged for ‘Claiming Persecution of Christians’
  The trial of two Sudanese church leaders has started in Khartoum. They are among four Christians accused of trying to tarnish the image of Sudan’s government.
  Thursday, August 25, 2016
• Algerian Christian Gets Maximum Sentence for ‘Blasphemy’
  A Christian in Algeria has been sentenced to five years in prison – the maximum term – and given a heavy fine for blasphemy against Islam and its prophet, for a social media post.
  Tuesday, August 9, 2016
• Iraqi Christians Confront Two-Year Trauma with Drama
  Forced out of their home city, Iraqi Christians are acting out their emotions on stage.
  Monday, August 8, 2016
• Unlawfully Detained for Months, Sudan Church Leaders Finally in Court
  After nearly eight months of legal limbo, a Sudanese court has finally seen three detained Christian leaders, while charges against them remain officially "unknown".
  Friday, August 5, 2016
• Nigerian Women Lose Husbands, Homes and Sometimes Their Minds to Extremist Violence
  “Widows are particularly vulnerable in NE Nigeria, the area most affected by the Boko Haram insurgency. For many, the loss of their husband is the beginning of hardship for them and their children,...
  Wednesday, August 3, 2016