Tags

Attack

• Car Bomb Attack on Church

  

  On July 11th, the Syrian-Orthodox church in Qamishli was the target of a car bomb attack. Although there were no known fatalities, at least eleven people were injured. Cars and buildings in the area, including the church facility, sustained serious damages. According to one source, the injuries would have been far worse had the attack happened 30 minutes earlier when the vespers (evening prayers) had ended.

• Family Left Homeless After Attack

  

  A Christian pastor, his wife, and college-aged daughter are thankful to be unharmed after they were attacked by a mob of 34 men. A police officer happened to be passing by at the time and rescued the family. Although they escaped with only minor injuries, they are now left homeless, as the attackers seized their property.

• Multiple Attacks Against Christians

  

  On April 28th, a church in Sirgadji was attacked by armed assailants who pulled six Christians, including a pastor, behind the building and then shot them. (For more information about this situation, see our previous report.) Since then, the violence has continued, with at least two more deadly attacks taking place during church gatherings.

• Imam Faces Wrath After Conversion

  

  Hassan Podo was a 28-year-old imam from the village of Kerekerene in eastern Uganda. However, after having missed prayers at the mosque for three consecutive weeks, and seen entering a church building on March 16th, he was subjected to interrogation by his family.

  When entering the family home that evening of the 16th, his brothers surrounded him, carrying sticks. They wouldn't allow him to finish answering their questions, but began shouting and beating him, calling him an "infidel" and an enemy of Islam. Fortunately, Hassan's wife and two children were able to escape to a nearby Christian's home.

• Mob Disrupts Worship Service

  

  As the pastor and congregation of the Christian Family Church in Galgamuwa prepared to begin their Sunday worship service on the morning of February 24th, a mob consisting of around 200 people, led by Buddhist monks, forced their way into the church premises.

• Violent Attacks Against Christians

  

  In October 2018, a young Christian, Eldos Sattar uuly, sustained a broken jaw and other injuries after a violent attack in the Issyk-Kul Region of Kyrgyzstan (see this report). While those responsible were charged, they were sentenced to house arrest, which is not being enforced.

• Report on Church Attacks

  

  Earlier this month, we reported on a devastating attack on the churches of Alaba Kulito, a town located in southern Ethiopia (see this report). Following the attack, a support representative travelled to the community on February 21st to gain more details and determine what could be done to provide necessary assistance.

• Bomb Blasts Kill At Least Twenty

  

  Coordinated bombs at a cathedral in Jolo, southern Philippines, killed at least 20 people and injured over 80 on January 27th. The first bomb went off during the church service; the second exploded outside the door, as people fled and troops responded to the disaster. Those killed included five soldiers. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the incident, and the Philippines military has been conducting raids in an effort to track down those responsible.

• Prayer Meeting Attacked; Twenty Injured

  

  Twenty Christians were seriously injured after a mob stormed the prayer meeting they attended. According to local reports, more than 150 believers were gathered together on July 2nd when 25 Hindu villagers attacked them, beating them with wooden rods. When the mayhem finally concluded, 20 Christians were severely injured; some with broken bones. Ten motorcycles were also damaged, along with furniture and musical instruments.