ISIS Uses Christians as Human Shields to Enclircle Capitlal

Assyrians Attend Mass in Solidarity with Christian Assyrians Abducted by ISIS

By Russ Read

The Daily Caller News Foundation

The Islamic State has barred Christians from leaving its de facto capital of Raqqa in an apparent move to use them as human shields as the terrorist group’s enemies in Syria begin to surround the city.

Activist-journalist group Raqqa Is Being Silently Slaughtered (RBSS) reported via social media Tuesday that ISIS officials are forcibly preventing the city’s few remaining Christians and Armenians from leaving, just as Syrian government forces and various other U.S.-backed militias continue to retake territory from the terrorist group.

“The suffering of Christians began with ISIS control of Raqqa,” said RBSS on its website. “ISIS looks at Christians as infidels loyal to the West more than their loyalty to their homeland which they live.”

According to RBSS, approximately 43 families remain in Raqqa, each comprising two to three individuals. Prior to the rise of ISIS, Christian families numbered as many as 1,500. The Syrian city has existed as a de facto capital for ISIS since its rise in 2014.

Christians once made up as much as 30 percent of the Syrian population, but their numbers have dwindled for some time. In Iraq, Christians numbered 1.6 million prior to the U.S. invasion in 2003, today that number is closer to 300,000. In addition to massacring Christian groups, ISIS is also known to have used them as sex slaves. Those fortunate enough to avoid slavery and death are ostracized from society in the caliphate, pay extra taxes (known as a jizya) and are forced to live in the shadows.

“The members belonging to [ISIS] told the Christian and Armenian families in Raqqa that they should pay tribute to the organization or get out,” said Jameel, a resident of Raqqa, to RBSS. The option to “get out” has since been restricted.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2016/03/31/

Islamic State Planning Imminent Attack on Turkey Jewish School

'This is a more than credible threat. This is an active plot'

Exterior of Istanbul’s Neve Shalom Synagogue in Galata

By Times of Israel Staff

Intelligence source cited by Sky News says concrete threat to Istanbul synagogue and community center, after Turkey and Israel both warn of increased danger for Jews and Israelis.

Islamic State terrorists are planning an imminent attack on Jewish kindergartens, schools and youth centers in Turkey, according to a report by Britain-based Sky News Monday.

According to Sky News, citing an "intelligence source", terrorists are plotting to attack a synagogue which also doubles as a school and community center in the Beyoglu neighborhood of Istanbul.

The source said the threat was imminent and could happen at any moment.

“This is a more than credible threat. This is an active plot,” the source said. “We don’t know when it’s scheduled for. It could be in the next 24 hours or next few days.”

The report was likely referring to the Neve Shalom synagogue, Istanbul’s largest, serving many of the country’s estimated 17,000 Jews. 

The synagogue has been the site of two previous deadly attacks: a 1986 shooting and a 2003 bombing. 

The source said the intelligence was related to the capture of a group of Islamic State operatives, including a suicide bomber, in Gaziantep, in southern Turkey, last week, and added that security was being beefed up along with increased anti-terror measures. 

On Saturday, Turkish police warned of possible Islamic State attacks against Christians and Jews over the weekend. 

The police issued a nationwide alert warning of possible attacks targeting churches during Easter on Sunday, as well as synagogues, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported. 

Injured people get assistance on the scene of an explosionon
the pedestrian Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on March 19, 2016

Israeli officials followed up that warning Monday by raising the terror risk in Turkey from level 3 (basic concrete threat) to level 2 (high concrete threat). 

The Prime Minister’s Office cited a March 19 attack in central Istanbul in which three Israelis were killed and several others wounded.

Read more: http://www.timesofisrael.com/

God Is Performing ‘Supernatural Interventions’ to Protect Embattled Christians Across the Globe, Christian Leader Says. Here Are Just Some of the ‘Miraculous’ Stories.

By Billy Hallowell
The Blaze

The head of an organization that works to combat Christian persecution across the globe recently shared some stories with TheBlaze that he believes show God’s “miraculous intervention” in difficult and life-threatening situations across the globe.

“We’re hearing supernatural interventions going on all around the world,” said Dr. Jason Peters, associate vice-president of connection for the Voice of the Martyrs — an organization that has been working since 1967 to help besieged Christians.

Among a number of harrowing stories, Peters shared how he believes that God once intervened to help protect a missionary serving in Vietnam.

He described how that missionary felt as though God was calling him to minister in a certain part of town — an area where he did not have access or permission to visit. Despite those barriers, he decided to head there and share the Christian gospel anyway.

“As it began to get dark, he realized they were putting up a checkpoint and he didn’t know how he was going to get back [home],” Peters recounted.

Instead of turning back, the man prayed to God and said that, though he was uncertain, he would forge on and trust in the Lord. And that’s when a man on a motorbike randomly pulled up and asked, “Hey, do you need a ride?”

The missionary, though uncertain and slightly uncomfortable, agreed to ride with the stranger — but what happened next made him even more leery.

“The man on the motorbike drives directly to the police station,” Peters said, noting that he instructed the missionary to sit on the bike and wait for him to return from inside the building.

The missionary, who worried that the man might be getting police to arrest him, was left thinking, “Lord, should I stay or should I go?” But he felt as though God was telling him to remain, so he did.

When the man emerged from the police station, he was in a cop uniform with a fair amount of rank. Once again, the missionary was panicked, as he did not realize that the stranger was a cop. Rather than arrest him, though, the policeman made good on his offer to drive him to the designated area of town, and the situation concluded without incident.

After the missionary had time to consider the kind gesture, he decided to thank the cop — but there was just one problem.

“He made his way when it was safe to the police station … and as he began to describe the man, they said, ‘How much rank did you say this guy had?’” Peters recounted. “And they said, ‘There’s never been anyone with that much rank at this police station.’”

The man was told that this individual did not exist (at least not at the station), which truly shocked the missionary, leaving him convinced that it was an angel who assisted him that night. Whether that’s true or not, of course, cannot be substantiated, though the story certainly resonates with the faithful.

This is just one of the many stories that Peters said that the Voice of the Martyrs has collected over the years, as the group works in 68 countries and has extensive reach into communities through on-the-ground field workers who collect information from various groups and individuals.

Many of these stories are recounted in “I am N: Inspiring Stories of Christians Facing Islamic Extremists,” a new book that was recently released by the Voice of the Martyrs.

“The theme of the book really is, ‘We’re not going to let them suffer in silence, nor will we let them stand alone. We’re going to stand with them and help them to stand strong for Christ,’” Peters said.

Story continues:  http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/03/30/

ISIS 'Threatened to Crucify Catholic Priest on Good Friday' after Kidnapping Him from Old People's Home where Four Nuns were Shot Dead

By Sara Malm
Daily Mail

The Indian Catholic priest kidnapped by ISIS-linked terrorists in Yemen earlier this month was crucified on Good Friday, it has been claimed.  Father Thomas Uzhunnalil, 56, was taken by Islamist gunmen, reportedly linked to ISIS, who attacked an old people's home in Aden, southern Yemen, killing at least 15 people, on March 4.

The terrorists reportedly carried out the heinous murder on Good Friday, after threatening to do so earlier in the week, according to the Archbishop of Vienna. It was reported last week that several religious groups had received threats that Father Thomas would be crucified on Good Friday, but this was denied by his church in hometown of Bangalore.

However, the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, told a congregation gathered in St. Stephen's Cathedral in the Austrian capital that the priest had been crucified.

'The cardinal doesn't himself have any sources that have confirmed the death of Father Tom. Thus, for the time being, there's still basis for hope that Father Tom is alive,' said Mr Prüller.

Yemeni authorities have blamed ISIS for the March 4 attack on the refuge for the elderly operated by Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in main southern city Aden.  Four gunmen posing as relatives of one of the guests at the home burst inside, killing four Indian nuns, two Yemeni female staff members, eight elderly residents and a guard.

'According to our information, the extremists who attacked the elderly care home in Aden have kidnapped priest Tom Uzhunnalil, a 56-year-old Indian, who was taken to an unknown location,' a Yemeni security official said.

Story continues: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/

Bill Seeks to Prevent Religious Indoctrination in Schools

By Melanie Balakit
The Tennessean

A state lawmaker filed a bill Wednesday to quell statewide concerns about religious indoctrination in public schools.

Middle school students learn about major world religions in social studies, and in recent months, some parents and officials have raised concerns about how and what students learn about Islam.

The bill enables local school boards to set guidelines on how religions are taught in school, among other things.

"I'm not opposed to teaching religion. I am opposed to indoctrination and proselytization," said Rep. Matthew Hill, R-Jonesborough, who co-sponsors HB1905 with Rep. Timothy Hill, R-Blountville, and Rep. Micah Van Huss, R-Johnson City.

The bill requires local school boards to draft and set policy by next school year on how religion should be taught in school. The policy process must include time for public comment.

The bill also requires school districts to provide parent access to course curriculum, course pacing and required major assignments in all social studies, science, math and English courses in grades 6-12; requires teacher training institutions to instruct educators how to teach religious content in an objective manner; and seeks to codify state reviews of social studies standards.

Read more: http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/education/

Tennessee Lawmaker: ISIS Should be Allowed to Recruit at Colleges

Tennessee Rep. Martin Daniel

By Joel Ebert

The Tennessean

A Knoxville-based Republican lawmaker on Thursday defended his comments that free speech rights on college campuses should offer protections, even to groups like ISIS.

Speaking on the House floor, Rep. Martin Daniel said he supports people’s constitutional rights to free speech, even if he disagrees with the message.

“I just wanted to confirm and clarify that I will always respect the right of persons and organizations to speak,” he said. “That however is different from agreeing with the content of that speech. I will never apologize for defending the First Amendment. I will always cloak myself in it and defend others’ right to speak.”

Daniel’s defense comes one day after he fielded a question about whether he believed people should be able to stand in the middle of university campuses and “recruit for ISIS.

“So long as it doesn’t disrupt the proceedings on that campus. Yes sir,” Daniel told the House Education Administration and Planning Subcommittee on Wednesday. “They can recruit people for any organization or any other cause. I think it’s just part of being exposed to differing viewpoints.”

On Thursday, Daniel elaborated, saying, “The remedy for disagreeable speech is not silence that speech — it is more speech.”

Some members of the House applauded Daniel after he offered the explanation.

In an email to The Tennessean, Daniel said he was simply trying to offer a legal opinion that “any organization has the simple right to recruit membership in any public space, including public higher education campuses.”

“If that speech should cross the line so that it becomes an imminent threat to someone, including our country, that would not be protected speech,” he wrote, citing Brandenburg v. Ohio, a 1969 Supreme Court decision that made inflammatory speech, which could incited “imminent lawless action” illegal.

While discussing the issue from his inside his legislative office, Daniel said he did not want his remarks to lead people to believe he supports the terrorist group.

Article continues: http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2016/03/17

ABA Scolded on Plan to Punish Attorneys for Religious Beliefs

By Bob Unruh
World Net Daily

Chief Justice Roy Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court, which recently ruled in opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court’s marriage decision, blasted the American Bar Association for elevating “sexual behavior, appetites, and self-styled identity to the level of unchanging characteristics such as race, sex, ethnicity and national origin.”

“I am under no illusions that the ABA is a conservative or even an apolitical organization, but I would expect it to defend the sanctity of the attorney-client relationship rather than punish attorneys who have sincerely held religious or traditional beliefs and wish to obey God and their conscience,” Moore wrote to members of the ABA Ethics Committee, care of ethics counsel Dennis Rendleman.

The ABA has proposed a change in its rules that would make it ethical “misconduct” for a lawyer to consider “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” in the attorney-client relationship.

Moore noted that one week ago, he issued an opinion in agreement with the four dissenting U.S. Supreme Court justices in the Obergefell vs. Hodges “same-sex marriage” case, describing the decision as “immoral, unconstitutional and tyrannical.”

“I predicted that the ‘consequences for our society will be devastating, and its elevation of immorality to a special ‘right’ enforced through civil penalties will be completely destructive of our religious liberty,'” he continued.

“As Justice Alito warned, Obergefell ‘will be used to vilify Americans who are unwilling to assent to the new orthodoxy’ and ‘exploited by those who are determined to stamp out every vestige of dissent.'”

Read more: http://www.wnd.com/2016/03/

VISION OF CHRIST SAVES MUSLIM GIRL IN HORN OF AFRICA

By Janelle P in Aftrica
Open Doors

Hawa* grew up in a wealthy Muslim family in the Horn of Africa. Her parents had great plans for her. They wanted to send her to an Arab country for spiritual instruction. She was also engaged to a Muslim man who lives in America. However, everything was put on hold when she became very ill.

While in hospital, she had a life-changing spiritual experience. “I had a dream [in which] I saw a man who was smiling and crying at the same time. I somehow knew he was weeping for me.” None of her family could explain the dream. However, her mosque leader, who was a secret follower of Christ, told her it was about the Messiah and he gave her a Bible. “I read the Bible continually, and little by little, I learned about the love of Jesus for all men. It changed me from the inside.”

Hawa kept her faith a secret, but one day, her family discovered her Bible. Her father was furious and beat her and later chased her away. “You are dead to us!” Her fiancé also broke off the engagement. Hawa was very sad, but says, “The love of Christ was of more value to me than the love of my family.”

Her sister, Zulfa*, had learned enough about Christ from Hawa by now to join her on her road of suffering. All of a sudden, these young women who had always been so sheltered were destitute. They had no money, no home and no friends, and they were hated by their extended family.

To make matters worse, Hawa broke one of the discs in her spine one day as she tried to get away from an angry uncle and fell into a ditch next to the road. Zulfa tried to provide an income for them by baking hundreds of flatbreads on smoky fires. The fumes and smoke she was exposed to damaged her eyes so much they feared she would lose her sight.

Hawa and Zulfa went through a very dark time of suffering. But thankfully they receive great support from Christians around them. Open Doors provided medical care for Zulfa and then helped them start a small business. Their cafeteria generates a good income that helps them cover all their costs and even make some profit.

Hawa looks back on her time of suffering and says that Open Doors’ help brought light to their darkness. “The light is increasing day by day. I thank you for your help. God bless you.”

https://www.opendoorsusa.org/

CONVERTS FROM BUDDHISM FORCED FROM THEIR VILLAGE IN MYANMAR

By Janelle P in Asia 
Open Doors

Burmese pilgrims and tour busses filled with foreigners flock to a massive limestone cave near the town of Pindaya in the heart of Myanmar. Inside the caverns are more than 8,000 golden statues of Buddha collected over more than 240 years. Just a few miles away, hidden in plain sight among modest cement and brick homes lives a missionary pastor. During the week, he earns a meager living making and selling liquid soap—Open Doors provided the initial investment for the business. On Sundays, his home becomes a church for 12 former Buddhists who are now disciples of Jesus.

One couple that attends regularly is Aung* and his wife Phyu.* Aung is a small, wiry man, 59 years old, who has made his living as a carpenter. Until his conversion in 2012. “I was very faithful to Buddha,” he says through an interpreter. “I would collect money for the monks and did construction for monasteries and pagodas without any charge.”

Devout Buddhists constantly work to earn “merits” through a variety of good deeds. One is to sponsor boys as temporary monks. He also practiced regular mediation and even learned rituals for casting out evil spirits.

It was Aung’s older sister who changed the course of his life. She had become a follower of Jesus and sent her brother a Bible and a movie about Jesus. Aung was skeptical. Then his sister invited him and his wife to an evangelistic meeting. There they heard about the miracles of Jesus, including how he cast out demons with only a word—He didn’t need incense, candles or special chants. When Phyu surrendered her life to Jesus, Aung immediately followed.

Trouble started as soon as the couple returned home. Their village consists of about 200 households, all Buddhist. Aung was “invited” to the monastery to explain where he and his wife had been. One man declared that Aung and his wife had three days to decide to return to Buddhism.

Story continues: https://www.opendoorsusa.org/

Muslims Responsible for ‘Worst Year in Modern History of Christian Persecution’

By Pamela Geller

The media, cultural and political elites’ silence on the extermination of Christians in the Middle East is as evil as this unfathomable genocide. Their vicious persecution of those of us who dedicate our lives to exposing the ideology behind this vicious slaughter is, in and of itself, a war crime. History will not be kind to these accomplices.

And Pope Francis sanctions bringing this hatred and violence to the West. The Pope says that the “Arab invasion” of Europe is a social fact … and a good thing.

Muslims Responsible for ‘Worst Year in Modern History of Christian Persecution’ By Raymond Ibrahim, Front Page Magazine, March 7, 2016: The driving force behind 82% of the world’s persecution of Christians.

Open Doors, an organization that advocates for persecuted Christians, recently released its latest World Watch List—a report that highlights and ranks the 50 worst nations to be Christian. It found that 2015 was the “worst year in modern history for Christian persecution.”

Who claims the lion’s share of this unprecedented persecution? Muslims—of all races, nationalities, languages, and socio-political circumstances: Muslims from among America’s closest allies (Saudi Arabia #14 worst persecutor) and its opponents (Iran #9); Muslims from economically rich nations (Qatar #21) and from poor nations (Somalia #7 and Yemen #11); Muslims from “Islamic republic” nations (Afghanistan #4) and from “moderate” nations (Malaysia #30 and Indonesia #43); Muslims from nations rescued by America (Kuwait #41) and Muslims from nations claiming “grievances” against the U.S. (fill in the blank __).

The report finds that “Islamic extremism” is the main source of persecution in 41 of the top 50 countries—that is, 82 percent of the world’s persecution of Christians is being committed by Muslims. As for the top ten worst countries persecuting Christians, nine of them are Muslim-majority—that is, 90 percent of nations where Christians experience “extreme persecution” are Muslim.

Still, considering that the 2016 World Watch List ranks North Korea—non-Islamic, communist—as the number one worst persecutor of Christians, why belabor the religious identity of Muslims? Surely this suggests that Christian persecution is not intrinsic to the Islamic world but is rather a product of repressive regimes and other socio-economic factors—as the North Korean example suggests and as many politicians and other talking heads maintain?

Here we come to some critically important but rarely acknowledged distinctions. While Christians are indeed suffering extreme persecution in North Korea, these fall into the realm of the temporal and aberrant. Something as simple as overthrowing Kim Jong-un’s regime could lead to a quick halt to the persecution—just as the fall of Communist Soviet Union saw the end of religious persecution. The vibrancy of Christianity in South Korea is suggestive of what may be in store—and thus creates such fear for—its northern counterpart.

In the Islamic world, however, a similar scenario would not alleviate the sufferings of Christians by an iota. Quite the opposite; where dictators fall (often thanks to U.S. intervention)—Saddam in Iraq, Qaddafi in Libya, and ongoing attempts against Assad in Syria—Christian persecution dramatically rises. Today Iraq is the second worst nation in the world in which to be Christian, Syria fifth, and Libya tenth. A decade ago under the “evil” dictators, Iraq was ranked 32, Syria 47, and Libya 22.

The difference between Muslim and non-Muslim persecution (e.g., communist) of Christians is that the latter is often rooted in a particular regime. Conversely, Muslim persecution of Christians is perennial, existential, and far transcends this or that regime or ruler. It is part and parcel of the history, doctrines, and socio-political makeup of Islam—hence its tenacity; hence its ubiquity.

Article continues:  http://pamelageller.com/2016/03/

MUSLIMS TURN TO CHRIST IN UNPRECEDENTED NUMBERS PART 2

"God gave me peace in my life and He gave me joy."

By Janelle P
Open Doors

Muslims in the Middle East are turning to Jesus in unprecedented numbers. This is what several pastors shared with Open Doors.

Somewhere in Lebanon we meet with a young woman named Karima*, a refugee from Aleppo. She still covers her hair, but the change in the way she dresses compared with when she first arrived in Lebanon is obvious. She became a Christian more than two years ago. Karima and her husband, also a convert, are now working with one of the churches in Lebanon, both as teachers to Syrian refugee children. They had their doubts about Islam before they came to Lebanon. She saw miracles happen in her life because the pastor of a church prayed for her. God provided a place for them to live, a job and even healed her seriously sick son.

“Up until now, my parents didn’t know about my conversion because they fled to another country. My family is very conservative; they are Shiites. If they heard about my conversion, they would kill me. We would lose our children.”

Since her conversion, she has participated in discipleship groups. “The biggest change in my life is that I know I have eternal life. My name is written in the book of life. God gave me peace in my life and He gave me joy. Life is beautiful, even in the midst of all the trouble.”

Her husband Fadi* became a Christian because he read the New Testament. “I read about the teachings of Jesus, the high values and virtues. The high standards Jesus teaches are the biggest evidence that these are teachings of God. What also attracted me is the loving environment of the church; that is something impossible to find outside. The man who discipled us considers us his family, he is ready to protect us.”
After becoming a Christian, Fadi was attacked by two people. “They hit me, and one of my eyes was damaged as a result. My parents know that I am a Christian and because of that they rejected me.” The couple wants to move abroad with their two children. “We applied for visas to a Western country. We cannot go back to Syria as believers from a Muslim background. A normal life for us as converts will be impossible; they could take away our children.” Karima isn’t surprised by the persecution. “The Bible teaches us that we as Christians will be persecuted.”

Story continues: https://www.opendoorsusa.org/

‘Senseless and Diabolical Violence’: Four Nuns Slaughtered in Yemen Retirement Home; Officials Blame Islamic State

A Yemeni soldier guards the Missionaries of Charity
retirement home in Aden after the attack. 

By Kathyrn Blackhurst
The Blaze

VATICAN CITY (TheBlaze/AP) — The Vatican says Pope Francis was “shocked and profoundly saddened” by a murderous attack at a home for the elderly in southern Yemen that killed 16 people, including four nuns.

The Vatican secretary of state said in a condolence message on Saturday that the pontiff “prays that this pointless slaughter will awaken consciences, lead to a change of heart, and inspire all parties to lay down their arms.”

Officials and witnesses in Yemen said gunmen on Friday stormed Missionaries of Charity, which was established by Mother Teresa in Kolkata, moving room to room handcuffing the victims before shooting them in the head. Although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, some Yemeni officials have blamed the Islamic State for the shootings.

The pope sent prayers for the dead and expressed his spiritual closeness to those affected by this “this act of senseless and diabolical violence.”

Sunita Kumar, a spokeswoman for Missionaries of Charity, said that the charity’s members were stunned at the ruthless killing inside the retirement home.

“The sisters were to come back, but they opted to stay on to serve people,” Kumar said, adding that two of the nuns were from Rwanda, one was from India and one from Kenya, according to the Guardian.

The attackers allegedly had asked the guard to open the gate, saying that they were visiting their mothers at the retirement home.

“On entering inside, [they] immediately shot dead the gatekeeper and started shooting randomly,” said Vikas Swarup, a spokesman for India’s external affairs ministry, adding that the assailants escaped directly after the attack, the Guardian noted.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/03/05/

Faithkeepers Official Trailer

Clarion Project - Challenging Extremism | Promoting Dialogue

Faithkeepers is an upcoming documentary film about the violent persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East.

The film features exclusive footage and testimonials of Christians, Baha’i, Yazidis, Jews, and other minority refugees, and a historical context of the persecution in the region.

Due to be released this spring, the film also follows the story of a 24-year-old Christian student from North Carolina on her journey of understanding, discovery and solidarity with persecuted brothers and sisters in the Middle East.

Faithkeepers – the movie and the movement – will awaken, enlighten and inspire all people of faith to stand up and take action.

Use this link to view  this trailer on YouTube or watch it below.

 


Clarion Project's award-winning movies have been seen by over 50 million people. They grapple with issues such as religious persecution, human rights, women's rights, the dangers of a nuclear Iran and what the concept of jihad means for the West.

Muslims Turn to Christ in Unprecedented Numbers Part 1

 “I saw Jesus Christ. He was dressed in white. He said to me
 ‘I am your Savior. You will follow me.’” 

By Janelle P in Middle East
Open Doors

The Islamic State has been filling the headlines for a long time and filling the hearts of many people in the Middle East with fear. But in the midst of all this, the church in the Middle East is showing the love of Christ to those who fled their homes. Muslims in the Middle East are turning to Jesus in unprecedented numbers.

Before the war, it was rare that a Muslim would become a follower of Jesus Christ. The war has changed everything. According to one of the Christian workers of a church in Lebanon, many new converts say they had their doubts about Islam before they converted. “Doubt is many times the key to start a change,” says the church worker.

We meet with Amir*, Rasha* and their two children, who fled from Homs. Proof of the extraordinary change lies in her arms sleeping —a five month old baby girl with the very Christian name Christina.

“Since 2012, we have been living in a tent,” Amir shares. “It is not an easy life. About a year ago my wife’s mother was killed by a sniper when she went out to have some fresh air. My wife’s brother was killed on his way home.”

The life of this family was and is still hard, but recently they found light in their life. “About three months ago, I was given a vision of Jesus Christ,” Rasha shares. “I was sleeping and all of a sudden I saw Jesus Christ in white. He said ‘I am Christ. You will have a beautiful daughter.’ I was eight months pregnant, and a month later we received our beautiful daughter.” At about the same time the husband had a dream, too. “I saw Jesus Christ. He was dressed in white. He said to me ‘I am your Savior. You will follow me.’”

“We’re Afraid Now”

Both Amir and Rasha made a bold decision after these dreams. “We decided to follow Him. We named our baby Christina. We left our old Islamic customs.” Amir stopped going to the mosque, but Rasha still dresses as a Muslim woman with her head covered by a veil. “Our clan is very big; we’re afraid now. They might kill us,” says Rasha.

Amir continues: “Our family knows we are Christians now. Becoming a Christian is, for them, the same as if I had destroyed the Kaaba in Saudi Arabia. It is because we walked in the darkness and are now in the light. I want to protect my family.”

Their story continues:  https://www.opendoorsusa.org/

Charity Under Attack

Four sisters of Mother Teresa's congregation killed in Aden, Yemen 

L'Osservatore Romano 

Four Missionaries of Charity – the congregation founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta – were killed this morning in the city of Aden, Yemen.

A group of heavily armed men attacked a home for the elderly run by the sisters. Citing local sources, Chinese news agency Xinhua reports that a total of 17 people were killed. According to Doctors Without Borders 15 victims have been confirmed. Yemite sources cited by the Chinese news agency attribute the attack to a group affiliated with the so-called Islamic State (IS), however no one has claimed responsibility yet. After killing the security guards, the terrorists entered the house located in the Sheikh Osman district of the city. In addition to the sisters, a driver and at least two Ethiopians volunteers were killed. However the superior survived. According to the AP, the terrorists set the sisters apart from everyone else after handcuffing the elderly and the sick. They then opened fire. 

This article can be found at L'Osservatore Romano.