France: migrants leave Calais
21 Oct 2016
Migrants have had to leave the ‘Jungle’ camp as the French government is about to bulldoze the area. They were given free suitcases to pack up their belongings and leave. Some queued for food handouts, while one man was pictured receiving a haircut by another migrant. On the fringes of the camp a coach-load of refugee families, including young children, left Calais ready to start new lives in the south of France. Among the first to claim a seat were Naqeebullah Noorzada from Afghanistan, his three children (aged eight, six and ten), and his sister-in-law. He paid people-smugglers £24,000 to get his family out of his war-torn country via Iran and Turkey before reaching Europe by boat. Mr Noorzada said, ‘There are many problems here, particularly if you have children, so we are moving to the south near the Spanish border. We had to escape the Taliban. I want my children to have an education.’
EU/UK freedom of press?
21 Oct 2016
Russia Today (RT) UK news channel has its offices in England and covers global, political, business, sport and current affairs. On Monday they were told that their bank accounts will be frozen. John Laughland, Director of Studies at the Institute of Democracy and Cooperation in Paris, believes this decision is politically inspired. He said, ‘My suspicion is that it's part of a coordinated and Europe-wide policy of harassment against organisations associated with Russia’, adding that a decision made six months ago at an EU summit to restrict ‘Russian propaganda and disinformation’ is being implemented. The EU has established a special unit specifically designed to combat Russian disinformation - particularly RT, which they say has irritated people in the West because of its strong editorial policies.
Syria: points for prayer
21 Oct 2016
What began five years ago as a peaceful uprising by Syrians complaining about high unemployment, corruption, lack of political freedom and a state repression under President Bashar al-Assad has now left 250,000+ dead. A key factor in the escalation of violence has been intervention by regional and world powers. The military, financial and political support for government and opposition by Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, USA and the UK has contributed directly to the intensification and continuation of the fighting, which has turned Syria into a battleground. The UK has sent £100m through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund for non-humanitarian purposes, and heavily-armed members of the SAS have been photographed on patrol inside Syria. British special forces, operating from Jordan, have been working since the spring with the Syrian rebels to open a new southern front against IS. See:
Iraq: fears as government troops attack Mosul
21 Oct 2016
As the attacks on Mosul intensify, concerns mount over the scale of potential civilian injuries or deaths. The Red Cross said that they are prepared for chemical weapons being used. 200,000 civilians are expected to be displaced in the early weeks of the campaign, possibly the largest humanitarian operation this year. A total of eleven camps, to provide shelter for 120,000, will be ready soon. On Wednesday, Iraqi forces advanced further and retook Qaraqosh, a majority-Christian town captured by IS in 2014: at that time the expulsion of its residents sparked concern over the future of Christianity in the region. The UN reported that thousands of Mosul residents were trafficked to Syria’s Al Hol refugee camp. Refugees will use Al Hol as a staging-post before moving back across the border to a safe Iraq location. Al Hol will eventually take up to 50,000 people. The camp currently has just 16 latrines and no clean water. See:
Asia: persecution increasing
21 Oct 2016
The high-end estimate for the number of Christians killed for their faith in the world every year, which comes from the Centre for the Study of Global Christianity, is around 100,000. The Global Council for Indian Christians, a largely Protestant body in India, estimates for the last decade that there has been an average of one violent assault on a Christian in their country every other day. It also condemned a recent attempt by radical Hindus to storm the United Theological College in Bangalore, and all other acts of violence against Christian institutions. In Indonesia on 18 October it was reported that a Muslim woman was flogged 23 times in the province of Aceh for standing too close to her boyfriend. She was one of 13 people flogged recently for breaking Sharia law in Aceh. Floggings have spiked in the province.
Scripture and the Church’s history give us many examples of the great impact when a whole community undertakes prayer and fasting together. All Christians everywhere are invited to unite for a month of prayer and fasting in parishes, schools and homes across Australia during the month of October 2016. It is hoped that this time of national conversation on the subject of marriage will be used to encourage everyone to pray for the well-being of marriages and families, and in a particular way for people who are ‘same-sex attracted’ or ‘gender-questioning’ to think deeply. Resources for the month include a parish and school resource kit, bulletin clips and prayers for each Sunday, a poster, prayer cards, and a downloadable resource kit.
UNESCO, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, at its executive board meeting in Paris passed a Palestinian-backed measure with 24 votes in favour, 6 against and 26 abstentions, referring to the Temple Mount as Al Haram Al Sharif (the Islamic name) without mentioning that it is the holiest site in Judaism. It also used the term Buraq Plaza for the Western Wall Plaza, denying the Jewish connection to the site. Hebron’s Tomb of the Patriarchs is called al-Haram al-Ibrahimi, and Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem called the Bilal ibn Rabah Mosque. Israel’s delegate to UNESCO said, ‘Israel and the Jewish people don’t require UNESCO’s or any other country’s confirmation of the special connection between the Jewish people and the State of Israel. There is no connection of another people to another place in the world that comes close to the strength and depth of our connection to Jerusalem from a religious, historical and national perspective.’
Pakistan: Aasia Bibi appeal adjourned again
21 Oct 2016
Since 1987 more than 1,300 people in Pakistan have been charged with blasphemy, with the number of accusations in a single year rising to over a hundred in 2014. A disproportionate number of those accused are Christians. A lawyer, a judge and two leading politicians have been assassinated for taking a stand against the blasphemy laws. Aasia Bibi's appeal against her death sentence for apostasy has been adjourned again, following the decision of a leading judge to withdraw from the trial on the grounds of conflict of interest. The blasphemy laws are being used to fuel the flames of intolerance and must be repealed but it will take immense courage to withstand intimidation and release Aasia Bibi - a fact underlined by the large number of riot police at the court. 150 Muslim clerics have issued a fatwa warning the government not to release Bibi, and threatening to kill anyone who helped any person accused of blasphemy.