Iraq and Philippines Christians join Red Wednesday religious freedom solidarity display

Iraq and Philippines Christians join Red Wednesday religious freedom solidarity display
Landmarks in the UK, Ireland, Iraq and the Philippines are due to be floodlit in red today (22 November) to highlight the persecution of faith groups for their “peacefully held beliefs”. The “Red Wednesday” initiative is in its second year and has been pioneered by Aid to the Church in . . . Read More

Philippines: Catholic priest free but over 40 hostages still held in Marawi

Members of the Philippine army are clearing Marawi City of the last fighters of the insurgent Maute group. (Photo: Getty Images)
Catholic Filipino priest Teresito “Chito” Suganob may have been freed, but the war in the southern city of Marawi is not over yet, as 40 hostages are still being held by militants in the city, while almost half a million Marawi residents are internally displaced. Father Suganob arrived in the . . . Read More

Three months on, Islamists still hold Christian hostages, as Marawi residents start to rebuild

The siege of the city of Marawi in Mindanao by Islamists one year ago, displaced many people. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)
More than three months after it first attacked the city of Marawi in the southern Philippines, the Maute terrorist group is on the run, while still apparently holding 46 hostages, including Catholic priest Teresito “Chito” Suganob and 13 children. Almost half a million Marawi residents are displaced as a result . . . Read More

Philippines: Islamist separatists endorse fatwa denouncing extremist violence

Philippines: Islamist separatists endorse fatwa denouncing extremist violence
The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group has backed a fatwa against violent extremism issued by a senior Islamic religious leader in the troubled southern region of Mindanao. Sheikh Abehuraira Abdulrahman Udasan, mufti of the influential Bangsamoro House of Opinion in Mindanao, issued the Islamic legal ruling “against the entry and . . . Read More

Islamic extremism causing fresh concerns in the Philippines

Islamic extremism causing fresh concerns in the Philippines
Christians in the Philippines are concerned at a rise in Islamic extremism in the country. A local church leader, who wished to remain anonymous, told World Watch Monitor about a recent meeting of around 3,000 Islamists on one island – the name of which he wouldn’t say, for fear of . . . Read More