Nina Shea

Latest

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  May 8, 2014

  American Christians Pledge Solidarity with Persecuted Christians in Egypt, Iraq and Syria

  On Wednesday, May 7, history is being made. On behalf of the suffering churches of Egypt, Iraq and Syria, a broad array of American Christians, with a degree of unity rarely seen since the Council of Nicaea in 325, have joined together in a "pledge of solidarity and call to action."

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  Mar 21, 2014

  Obama and the Churches of Saudi Arabia

  When President Obama visits Saudi Arabia next week, he will have an opportunity to follow through on his inspiring words at the Feb. 6. National Prayer Breakfast. There, he told thousands of Christian leaders that "the right of every person to practice their faith how they choose" is central to "human dignity," and so "promoting religious freedom is a key objective of U.S. foreign policy."

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  Mar 4, 2014

  Syrian Jihadists Are Forcing Christians to Become Dhimmis Under Seventh-Century Rules

  The religious persecution in Syria deepened this week, as evidenced by a written ultimatum purportedly distributed by the rebel jihadist group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) to Christians in the northern provincial capital of Raqqa. Rejecting conversion to Islam or death, some 20 Christian leaders of that city held firm in their faith and submitted to the Islamists' demands to live by as dhimmis.

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  Dec 26, 2013

  Persecution at Christmastime

  During this holy season, Christians turn their thoughts to that first Christmas and to the early Christians. This year, we should prayerfully reflect on the fact that those church communities founded by Thomas, Mark, Paul, Andrew, and the other disciples of Jesus, communities that have remained faithful for 2,000 years, are now suffering mightily for their faith.

• Dec 9, 2013

  Missing Syrian Nuns Appear on Al Jazeera Video

  A group of 13 Greek Orthodox nuns who were abducted by a jihadist militia that raided their town in Syria on December 1 were seen attesting to their well being in a video aired on Al Jazeera Friday afternoon.

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  Nov 26, 2013

  Saudi Arabia Should Withdraw from U.N. Human Rights Council

  At the very moment that the U.N. General Assembly was voting to elect Saudi Arabia to the Human Rights Council earlier this month, Saudi police officers, assisted by vigilante mobs, launched an iron-fisted effort to round up and deport millions of undocumented foreign workers. The campaign reportedly entailed imprisoning, killing, and raping African and Asian migrants within its borders and provoked a violent protest by some migrants in the capital.

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  Nov 1, 2013

  Syria's Christian Community Cries Out for Help

  The Vatican news agency Fides reports today that two new mass graves containing a total of 30 bodies were found in Sadad, an ancient Christian town of some 15,000 people between Damascus and Homs, bringing to 45 the number of residents killed there by Islamist militias since October 21.

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  Oct 11, 2013

  Muslim Girl, Malala Yousafzai Deserves Nobel Peace Prize for Her Courageous Stand

  Malala Yousafzai is the Pakistani teenager shot in the head by the Taliban in October 2012 for advocating the education of girls in her homeland. Thursday she won the European Parliament's prestigious Sakharov Prize for her courage. The world waits to see if, on Friday, October 11, she will also become a Nobel Peace Laureate, too.

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  Sep 30, 2013

  Will Senate Act to Help Persecuted Christians Worldwide?

  In various parts of the Muslim world, religious minorities are facing a reign of terror. In the Middle East, persecution has become so terrible and widespread some experts are predicting that non-Muslims may be entirely driven from the region known for millennia as the cultural crossroads.

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  Sep 7, 2013

  'Damascus Plan' Imperative for Syria's Christians, Other Minorities

  Our allies among the Syrian rebels have issued a memorandum to the State Department on strategies for the day after Assad falls. David Ignatius reports in his column today that the Free Syrian Army (SFA) has outlined a "Damascus plan" for "handling the power vacuum in case of a sudden Assad collapse." This plan is grossly flawed.