by CFI Field Staff on May 7, 2013
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recently stated: “The flight of Christians out of the region [Middle East] is unprecedented and it’s increasing year by year.” Some experts even believe that in our lifetime: “Christians might disappear altogether from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Egypt.”
CFI President Jim Jacobson, has said, “over 1 million Christians lived in Iraq in 2003, ten years later less than 400,000 can be counted. Christians in the Middle East are under siege.”
Across the Middle East, in countries like Iraq, Egypt, Syria, and elsewhere, attacks on… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on April 12, 2013
From our contact in Syria….
“Greetings,
The Greek orthodox church that was shelled by the Assad regime in Jisr
Al’Shaghour region.
Just today, these villages and several others were shelled again by the (Syrian) regime forces that are isolated in the last town the regime is holding. I haven’t been told how many are dead yet.
Many, many for these people are our brothers and sisters.
Please pray for us…”
Please Join Christian Freedom International in lifting the persecuted Christians of Syria in prayer durning this time of great need.… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on August 13, 2012
Christian Freedom International (CFI), a Michigan-based ministry that supports persecuted Christians around the world, is one of the first selected nonprofit organizations to participate in the Giving Library, an innovative project being launched by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.
The Library, which has been officially released today, is an online resource for philanthropists that seek detailed information about 501(c)(3) charities and ways to support their causes. To help donors make informed decisions about strategic, charitable giving, the Library features video interviews with key leaders of participating organizations, as well… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on August 2, 2012
New reports from Egypt indicate that the trends of assault and kidnapping against the Christian community are far from subsiding.
On Friday, July 27, Muslim thugs broke into the home of Mounir Eskander in Qalyoub City, wounding him and his three sons in the ensuing attack. All three men are currently hospitalized.
On Saturday, July 28, a Muslim mob abducted 24-year-old Maryam Fareed Saleh and her 3-year-old child, Beshoy, from a province in Upper Egypt. On the same day, 17-year-old Sandy Naeem Nady was kidnapped by several armed men, while… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on July 17, 2012
A CFI-supported church in Orissa, India continues to grow, despite the ongoing persecution and hardship suffered by its members. “By God’s grace, we arranged one more water baptism,” said CFI’s Orissa co-worker in a recent report. “Thank God day by day, the believers for His kingdom…are increasing. Of course, it’s hard and many problems rise up when we plan for and arrange for baptism programs, but thank God He is able and makes everything possible for His people. Keep praying for these new believers and newcomers to the Church.”
CFI’s… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on July 10, 2012
In 2010, a series of powerful protests spread like wildfire throughout the Middle East, in a movement that soon became known as the Arab Spring Revolution. Tragically, while the Revolution symbolized freedom and new opportunities for some, it also ushered in a new era of strife and religious persecution for others.
CFI has spent the past two years highlighting the growing injustice and discrimination against Christians in many Arab Spring nations — particularly Egypt, where followers of Christ are now routinely subject to intimidation, fear, harassment, and violence. In the… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on June 19, 2012
CFI’s co-worker in Bangladesh, known fondly as Bakar, is requesting urgent prayer for his pregnant wife.
Last week, Bakar’s wife developed intense pain in her abdominal area and was subsequently taken to the hospital for examination. Although the doctor recommended that she remain hospitalized, unfortunately, she had no choice but to leave the facility because the family did not have adequate funds to pay for further treatment. She has also been diagnosed with chicken pox – a condition that is potentially dangerous for both mother and child.
Because of unexpected… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on May 15, 2012
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Support Christians In Egypt Today
CFI recently received news of Christians being abducted and church property destroyed in Egypt:
Almahe Fareed Isa, a 25-year-old Christian girl, was abducted by a Muslim mob in the village of El Masarch;
Mina Abdo Shahat, a 23-year-old pharmacist, was abducted at gunpoint in the city of Sadfa. The Muslim group responsible for the abduction then called the young man’s father, demanding a ransom of 5,000 Egyptian pounds. They also threatened to kill his son and burn the pharmacy if the police were called;… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on April 17, 2012
Let’s face it — news travels quickly.
Most of us don’t hesitate to “spread the word” about things we read online or hear about on TV, such as celebrity gossip or the latest NFL trades. But how often do we share with others the critical news about Christian persecution — the kind of persecution that claims the lives of thousands of suffering believers around the world every day?
The fact is, CFI’s ministry relies on people like you to share what you know about the persecuted church with others —… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on March 28, 2012
Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, the Saudi Grand Mufti, recently issued a statement declaring that “it is necessary to destroy all churches” in the region of Kuwait.
The leader’s statement supported a law to be drafted by a member of Kuwaiti legislature, which calls for the removal of all churches in Kuwait. The ruling is based on the hadith, or Islamic saying, that “there are not to be two religions in the [Arabic] Peninsula,” and therefore Islam should be the only practiced religion.
International reaction to the shocking statement, however,… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on February 17, 2012
Fear is spreading throughout many regions in Egypt as Christians become the recent victims of numerous kidnappings and attacks by fundamental Muslims.
CFI’s co-worker in the region recently reported that three Christian doctors have been kidnapped in El Minya, and three more doctors have received threats by telephone.
Another report indicates that four Coptic Christians have been kidnapped in the cities of Qena and Nag Hammadi. In Nag Hammadi, the Christians were taken as churchgoers were gathered around the Church of the Archangel Naga Hammadi, after the attackers set fire… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on October 7, 2011
“The Copts, their lives and their churches are in danger.” It was the gist of an urgent message sent days ago to a governmental authority by Dr. Naguib Gabriel, head of the Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organizations.
Gabriel had good reason to be alarmed. In the village of Merinab in the Aswan province, the 100-year-old St. George’s Church was being demolished and burned to the ground by thousands of angry Muslims. After setting fire to the church building, which had been in the process of renovation, the crowd proceeded… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on August 8, 2011
In a new episode of violence against minority Christians, a car bomb that detonated outside a Syrian Catholic church in central Kirkuk has injured 23 people.
The bombing took place in the early morning hours of Tuesday, August 2, severely damaging the church as well as nearby homes. Only one person, parish leader Rev. Imad Yalda, was inside the building at the time of the explosion. He, along with 22 other individuals whose homes were hit in the blast, was wounded in the attack.
Police have reported that two other… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on June 29, 2011
A mob of angry Muslims surrounded the St. George’s Church in Upper Egypt last week, threatening to kill the priest for defying a ban that restricted church construction.
Father George Thabet, who was serving morning mass, was locked inside the church along with numerous parishioners, while the mob outside reportedly began yelling chants to “kill the priest” and to “cut him to pieces.” The incident stemmed from an earlier conflict in March 2011, when Muslims had first begun pressuring church officials to stop construction on the building, despite the fact… Read more
by CFI Field Staff on February 23, 2011
CAIRO, EGYPT – A CFI coworker in Cairo (for security reasons the CFI coworker’s name must remain anonymous) affirmed that on February 19, “Muslims broke into the home of a Christian family and abducted their 18 year old daughter, Nesma Sarwat.”
The abduction occurred in Talbiya, within the Omraniya neighborhood of Giza.
During the abduction, the abductors painted messages on the home’s wall. One of the messages proclaimed, “Islam is the solution,” the slogan for the Muslim Brotherhood.
According to AINA News, the abductors also wrote the names of the… Read more
