A young Christian man was set on fire by a Muslim man in Egypt after a rumour circulated that he had had a relationship with the Muslim man’s sister.
Yasser Ahmed Qasim approached 25-year-old Sabri Shihata and poured gasoline on the Coptic Christian and then set him on fire, reported the Voice of the Copts on Friday. The young Copt tried to put out the fire by throwing himself into a nearby canal, but the burns were too severe and he later died.
His 60-year-old father, Sabri Shihata, later arrived at a village rally where a group of Muslims stabbed him to death. One stab reportedly entered his back and came out of his abdomen below the rib cage, according to Voice of the Copts. The elder Shihata was taken to the hospital but died from the attack.
The Muslim group also attacked the Coptic man’s younger brother, 22-year-old Rami Sabri Shihata, causing a serious injury to his head.
Local police have arrested those involved in the attack, including Yasser Ahmed Kassem. The perpetrators are charged with deliberate homicide.
Security forces have also surrounded the victims’ house and extra security has been deployed throughout the village of 60,000 people.
A media blackout has been put in place as the prosecution and the State Security Services continue investigation.
In Egypt recently, sectarian violence has been on the rise as Christian-Muslim relations have been strained by conversions to Christianity and government opposition to recognising the conversions.
Furthermore, changes in living arrangements have also contributed to increased tension between the two groups. Previously, Christians and Muslims used to live peacefully in mixed communities, but recently the two groups have tended to live separately only among their own religious communities and there have been less interaction between the two groups.
Egypt has the largest Christian population in the Middle East with an estimated 10 million Copts in Egypt, making up about 10 percent of the country’s population.
Click Here For Original Story
Source: Christian Today
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Three Christians killed in Eritrea for refusing to denounce faith
International Christian Concern (ICC) reports that three Christians have been tortured and killed in Eritrea for refusing to denounce their faith.
Eritrea's one-party communist regime has reportedly arrested around 2,000 Christians since 2002 and often imprisons them in metal containers. The country is listed ninth on the ICC Hall of Shame, which lists the worst persecutors of Christians in the world.
The three latest victims of the regime were arrested because they were not members of one of the approved Christian churches in the country - the Roman Catholic Church, the Eritrean Orthodox Church and the Eritrean Lutheran Orthodox Church.
ICC said one of those killed was a woman who was tortured until she was given the option of being killed or signing a document denying her faith. Two men were also given the same choice.
Two of the three victims were deliberately exposed to malaria and offered medicine if they denied their faith. ICC said all three refused the offer and have been killed.
ICC is calling on Christians to remember the victims of persecution and their families in their prayers.
Click Here For Original Story
Source: Christian Today
Eritrea's one-party communist regime has reportedly arrested around 2,000 Christians since 2002 and often imprisons them in metal containers. The country is listed ninth on the ICC Hall of Shame, which lists the worst persecutors of Christians in the world.
The three latest victims of the regime were arrested because they were not members of one of the approved Christian churches in the country - the Roman Catholic Church, the Eritrean Orthodox Church and the Eritrean Lutheran Orthodox Church.
ICC said one of those killed was a woman who was tortured until she was given the option of being killed or signing a document denying her faith. Two men were also given the same choice.
Two of the three victims were deliberately exposed to malaria and offered medicine if they denied their faith. ICC said all three refused the offer and have been killed.
ICC is calling on Christians to remember the victims of persecution and their families in their prayers.
Click Here For Original Story
Source: Christian Today
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Megachurch Pastors Joel, Victoria Osteen to Release 'Hope for Today' Bible
Megachurch pastors Joel and Victoria Osteen will release their very own Bible next month ahead of their church’s 50th anniversary.
The Hope for Today Bible, scheduled to hit the shelves on Mar. 10, is presented in the New Living Translation and features insights, notes, and encouragements from the ministers of the 38,000-large Lakewood Church in Houston – the largest church in the nation.
Also included are specific verses to guide people in prayers for their relationships, their children, their finances, and their health, as well as "HopePoints" – key words and supporting scriptures related to topics such as favor, forgiveness, anger, depression, loneliness, and self-control, among others.
Click Here For Full Story
Source: The Christan Post
The Hope for Today Bible, scheduled to hit the shelves on Mar. 10, is presented in the New Living Translation and features insights, notes, and encouragements from the ministers of the 38,000-large Lakewood Church in Houston – the largest church in the nation.
Also included are specific verses to guide people in prayers for their relationships, their children, their finances, and their health, as well as "HopePoints" – key words and supporting scriptures related to topics such as favor, forgiveness, anger, depression, loneliness, and self-control, among others.
Click Here For Full Story
Source: The Christan Post
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)