Monthly Archives: August 2016

© AFP 2016/ Bulent Kilic A group of 25 Iraqi refugees refused asylum in the Czech Republic (CR) and headed to Germany. Half of them have already received asylum in Germany for religious reasons, while the others, who were refused protection, have vanished after being told to return…

Chiqui Guyjoco Three priests ordained in the Iraqi refugee camp of Erbil gives hope to thousands of Christians to stay in the war-torn country despite threats of imminent danger. A Syriac-Catholic Church in Aishty 2 refugee camp in Erbil marked Friday — a day before the second year anniversary since the Islamic State of Iraq…

Chiqui Guyjoco Many of the displaced Iraqi Christians said they would rather migrate abroad than return home where religious-driven violence could potentially spring up anytime. Saturday marked the second year anniversary since tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians fled their homes as the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL, also known as…

by Madeleine Davies Star appeal: the actor and UNICEF Ambassador Ewan McGregor meets displaced children at the Debaga IDP camp, in northern Iraq at the end of July, where he called for help for children “ripped from their homes” MINORITY communities in Iraq are “on the verge of disappearance”, a report from the…

Chiqui Guyjoco11 A Middle Eastern Christian woman tells Western Christians not to pray for persecution’s end but for God to endow them with the spirit to stand as God’s witnesses. The woman, identified only as “Maryam” for security purposes, visited Sunday the MeadowBrook Baptist Church in Gadsden, Alabama, where she asked the…

SAL Visual Viewpoint cartoon 0812 (Photo: William Day) Iraqi Yazidis marked a bitter anniversary on Aug. 3. Two years ago, ISIS fighters drove off Kurdish Peshmerga militiamen defending the Yazidi town of Sinjar and took control. The ISIS force quickly killed 2,000 Yazidi men. All told ISIS fighters would massacre some 5,000 Yazidi men in…

Yazidi women cry at a demonstration in a refugee camp in Diyarbakir, Turkey, to mark the second anniversary of what has been termed a genocide against Yazidis by ISIS, Aug. 3, 2016. (Reuters) AFP, Washington Wednesday, 10 August 2016 The United States on Wednesday denounced the “genocide” carried out by ISIS against…

Lorraine Caballero Christians in Iraq say their homeland will still not be a safe place for them to live in even after the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is defeated. ISIS is currently suffering a series of military defeats as the Iraqi government forces intensify their efforts to retake the terror group stronghold…

A team of Iraqi army ranger students practice urban operations at Camp Taji, Iraq, July 19, 2016. By Renad Mansour Read bio As the Islamic State returns to urban terror attacks, Iraqi security agencies must learn to work with each other.…

Associated Press In this Aug. 8, 2016 photo, Raad Bahnam Samaan’s son looks out the window as his sister stands outside the caravan where their family has been living in Irbil, Iraq. The family was forced to flee their hometown of Qaraqosh when Islamic State militants took control of the place two years ago. (AP…

Sydney’s South West 11th August 2016 On Sunday August 7th 2016 hundreds of people came together to commemorate Assyrian Martyrs Day in Sydney, Australia. The day’s events were organised by the Assyrian Universal AllianceAustralian Chapter in cooperation with the Assyrian Australian National Federation.…

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research’s Media In the aim at reformation and systematizing the education process at the private institutions and universities in Kurdistan Region and improving their qualities, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research released the instruction of number 11 for the year of 2016-2017 in 2016 which is…

Iraq: Christians ‘see no future here’ as ISIS continues campaign of destruction carey-lodge Carey Lodge Christian Today Journalist Reuters Before the US invasion in 2003, there were around 1.5 million Christians living in Iraq. There are now thought to be fewer than 300,000…

This Muslim woman devotes her life to caring for Christians: ‘My Islam is a religion that believes in helping others’ Hazel Torres (Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East) Dr. Sarah Ahmed (right), director of operations for the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East, talks to Iraqi refugees in their…

Asharq Al-Awsat The inner courtyard of Mar Matti, a 1600-year-old monastery on Mount Alfaf, near Mosul, Iraq Beirut-Naufal House of Publishing and “Hachette Antoine” for Publishing have issued “Yuliana,” a novel by Iraqi writer Nizar Abdul Sattar. The book is composed of 256 pages and talks about a story that took place between Keremlis and…

By BALINT SZLANKO, Associated Press In this Monday, Aug. 8, 2016 photo, Christian women gather at an Assyrian church in Irbil, Iraq to mourn the death of a member of their community who died in Europe. (AP Photo/Alice Martins) IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — As operations to retake the militant-held city of Mosul ramp up, Iraqi…

Archaeologists find debris from two years of looting and destruction by ISIS, after 4,000-year old Tel Ajaja’s recapture by Kurdish rebels. Philippe Bohstrom Pits dug in Tel Ajaja show where ISIS looked for archaeological artifacts.Ayham al-Mohammad…

Balint Szlanko, Associated Press In this Aug. 8, 2016 photo, Raad Bahnam Samaan’s son looks out the window as his sister stands outside the caravan where their family has been living in Irbil, Iraq. The family was forced to flee their hometown of Qaraqosh when Islamic State militants took control of the place two years…

Photo: Alice Martins, Associated Press Christian women gather at a memorial service at an Assyrian church in Irbil, Iraq. Religious minorities say liberating the area from the Islamic State group won’t ensure their safety. IRBIL, Iraq — As operations to retake the militant-held city of Mosul ramp up, Iraqi Christians displaced from the area by…

UNESCO’s response to the Kurdistan Regional Government’s appeal emphasized that the Kurdish Regional Government was not a state. The tomb of the Prophet Nahum and his sister Sara . (photo credit:COURTESY KURDISH JEWS AFFAIRS REPRESENTATION) The crumbling of the 2,700-year-old tomb and synagogue of the biblical prophet Nahum…