Attacks on places of worship in Manchester and Peacehaven did not arise in a vacuum. Political leadership is urgently needed. 

A man drives a car into a crowd of people outside an Orthodox synagogue on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. He proceeds to attack those gathered outside, fatally stabbing one before being shot dead by police, who also tragically killed another whilst attempting to neutralise the attacker. 

Two days later, two individuals in balaclavas set fire to the entrance of a mosque and a car parked outside it in what police are treating as a hate crime. Mercifully no-one was killed, with the two people who were inside the mosque able to escape.

At CSW, our work often involves reporting on attacks like these on places of worship in a number of countries – and often particularly in situations of conflict – around the world.  

Continue reading “Attacks on places of worship in Manchester and Peacehaven did not arise in a vacuum. Political leadership is urgently needed. “

Pakistan must be made to end its decades-long tolerance and encouragement of the violent persecution of the Ahmadiyya community 

At 2.30pm on 16 May, Dr Sheikh Mahmood arrived at Fatima Hospital in Sargodha, Punjab Province, Pakistan and proceeded to attend to his patients as per his routine. A highly respected gastroenterologist and hepatologist, Dr Mahmood was widely known for his dedication, professional excellence and compassionate nature.  

But on this day – as he walked through the corridor of the hospital that he had worked in for the past seven years – an unidentified gunman opened fire on him from behind before fleeing the scene while openly brandishing a pistol. He sustained two gunshot wounds and was immediately transferred to Civil Hospital Sargodha, where he succumbed to his injuries. He leaves behind a mother, wife, two daughters and two sons. 

Dr Mahmood, 58, had no known personal enmities and Sargodha police have yet to confirm the motive behind the killing, however recent developments in Pakistan give much and highly-concerning reason to believe that he was likely targeted because of his faith – that is, because he was an Ahmadi Muslim.

Continue reading “Pakistan must be made to end its decades-long tolerance and encouragement of the violent persecution of the Ahmadiyya community “
MYA Video footage shows St Patrick's Cathedral on fire on 16 March. CREDIT RVA Kachin Facebook

An attack on St. Patrick’s Cathedral the day before St. Patrick’s Day is yet another indicator of the remorselessness of the Myanmar military

17 March is a significant date for the community of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the Banmaw diocese of Myanmar/Burma’s Kachin State.  

It is, of course, the feast day of the church’s patron saint – a day of prayer and celebration in honour of one of the most revered figures in Catholic Church history.  

This year, however, the community was unable to mark the occasion as they normally would have done, as on the evening of 16 March the cathedral was set on fire by soldiers from the State Administration Council (SAC), which falls under the authority of Myanmar’s ruling military junta. 

Continue reading “An attack on St. Patrick’s Cathedral the day before St. Patrick’s Day is yet another indicator of the remorselessness of the Myanmar military”

‘We go into the streets with fear’: After the murders of two pastors, Christians in northern Colombia no longer feel safe

Many Christians in the north-central part of Colombia encompassing the neighbouring regions of Magdalena and Cesar are on edge after the targeted assassinations of two church leaders in the space of two weeks. On 29 December, an entire family of four – Pastor Marlon Lora, his wife Yurlay, and adult children Ángela and Santiago – was shot to death following a Sunday morning service at the service at the Missionary Bible Church in the Villa Paraguay neighbourhood of Aguachica, Cesar Department.

On the evening of 8 January, Iván García, a 28-year-old church leader and husband of a pastor, died after being shot six times, after leaving a religious service. In both cases, the killings were carried out by masked hitmen on motorcycles.

Mr García was followed by the hitmen as he was walking home along a dark, rural road with his 14-year-old stepdaughter and six other individuals following a spiritual celebration at the People of God Christian Vision Church, where his wife, Pastor Karen Nierles, had been invited to lead a Bible study. Pastor Nierles leads the New Rebirth in Christ Church in the village of Garital, in the Banana Cultivation Zone, in Magdalena. According to the witnesses, after being shot the young preacher fell to his knees and raised his hands in thanks to God. The hitmen left the scene without speaking.

Continue reading “‘We go into the streets with fear’: After the murders of two pastors, Christians in northern Colombia no longer feel safe”

‘Salimos a la calle con miedo’: tras el asesinato de dos pastores, los cristianos del norte de Colombia ya no se sienten seguros

Muchos cristianos de la zona centro-norte de Colombia, que abarca las regiones vecinas de Magdalena y Cesar, están nerviosos tras el asesinato de dos líderes religiosos en el espacio de solo dos semanas. El 29 de diciembre, una familia entera de cuatro personas, el pastor Marlon Lora, su esposa Yurlay y sus hijos adultos Ángela y Santiago, fue asesinada a tiros tras un servicio religioso dominical por la mañana en la Iglesia Bíblica Misionera en el barrio de Villa Paraguay de Aguachica, departamento de Cesar.

En la tarde del 8 de enero, Iván García, un líder religioso de 28 años esposo de una pastora, falleció tras recibir seis disparos, tras salir de un servicio religioso. En ambos casos, los asesinatos fueron llevados a cabo por sicarios enmascarados que iban en motocicletas.

El Sr Ivan García fue seguido por los sicarios cuando caminaba hacia su casa por un camino rural oscuro con su hijastra de 14 años y otras seis personas después de una celebración espiritual en la Iglesia Visión Cristiana del Pueblo de Dios, donde su esposa, la Pastora Karen Nierles, había sido invitada a dirigir un estudio bíblico. La pastora Nierles dirige la Iglesia Nuevo Renacimiento en Cristo en la comunidad de Garital, en la Zona de Cultivo de Banano, en Magdalena. Según los testigos, después de recibir el disparo, el joven predicador cayó de rodillas y levantó las manos en agradecimiento a Dios. Los sicarios se marcharon del lugar sin decir palabra.

Continue reading “‘Salimos a la calle con miedo’: tras el asesinato de dos pastores, los cristianos del norte de Colombia ya no se sienten seguros”