Al Qaeda militants took control of a western district of Yemen's main port city of Aden on Saturday night, residents said, in another sign that the group is drawing strength from five months of civil war. The entrance of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula into Aden, once one of the world's busiest ports and the most secular and secure parts of an otherwise restive country, would be one of its biggest gains yet. Meanwhile United Arab Emirates forces based in Aden freed a British hostage who had been held by the group. The hostage, earlier identified by a Yemeni police source as an oil worker abducted in February last year, was taken to the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi on a military plane on Saturday night. Britain's Foreign Office confirmed that the hostage had been rescued in a military intelligence operation and was safe and well.
A journalist writes, ‘For six months, I have been recording stories for a two-year project documenting the long-term impact of conflict on communities and individuals around the world. There are few places that have seen more conflict in recent years than Gaza and the resulting psychological impact on the civilian population, especially on the young, has been well recorded. Less well covered, though, are the effects on the estimated 3,000 children with autism living in the region. There are also many others with learning disabilities and mental health issues. The war and ongoing embargo have affected support networks of schools and outreach programmes for these children. This has put extra strain not just on those living with disabilities, but also on their families and carers. I can never truly express the horrors of some people’s experiences – I’m not sure I even want to try.’
Beatings with iron bars and acid burns are used by security forces in Burundi to extract ‘confessions’ and silence dissent, according to an Amnesty International briefing published on Monday. It highlights an increase in the use of torture since April. The testimonies are devastating and disturbing (torture and ill-treatment are prohibited by the country’s constitution and international and regional treaties to which Burundi is party). Amnesty International said, ‘Such practices must stop and those suspected of perpetrating torture should be suspended immediately pending thorough, independent and impartial investigations and prosecutions.’ People are being tortured for their suspected participation in protests against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s election to a third term in office. A human rights activist and a journalist were also detained and tortured. One detainee said, ‘They told me, “If you don’t confess, we’ll kill you.” But I said, “How can I confess when I know nothing? You’ll have to just tell me what to confess to.”’
According to the Australian Prayer network, Nepali Christians fear that amendments to the new constitution, likely to come into effect after seven years of parliamentary discussions, could render all Christian activity illegal. Attempting to convert someone to another religion is already prohibited in Nepal, but the proposed amendments would mean that anything perceived as ‘evangelistic’ could be punishable by law and pave the way for an ‘anti-conversion clause’ in the penal code, resulting in prison sentences or hefty fines for offenders. Meanwhile on Monday the government enforced a curfew and sent the army to the west of Nepal after demonstrators armed with spears and axes clashed with police, killing at least eight of them, during escalating protests against the proposed new constitution. The charter was meant to draw a line under centuries of inequality, but the draft presented in parliament on Sunday sparked fury among marginalised communities, who say the new borders will limit their political representation.
After official complaints made to Ethiopia’s government about increasing persecution of Christians in Silte (a Muslim-dominated area of southern Ethiopia) surfaced in the media, a district court charged six members of the administrative committee of an Ethiopian Orthodox church with inciting public disturbance, destroying public trust in government officials, and spreading hatred. The court found the men guilty on 7 August and sentenced them to between five and nine years in prison. The men were members of St Mary’s Orthodox church in Kilto, in the Silte zone of SNNP state. The zone came into existence after the Silte people unanimously chose to form a separate zone in a 2001 referendum. A number of Ethiopia’s prominent Muslim politicians come from Silte, including the current Minister of Defence, the Minister of Communications and the current caucus leader for women’s affairs in the federal parliament.
Christians and Muslims in Egypt flocked to churches and monasteries bearing the name of the Virgin Mary to take part in the festivities of the Assumption, which started on 6 August. Churches across Egypt's governorates held prayers and sang hymns and fasted in commemoration of the Assumption for fourteen days, despite the wave of terrorist attacks that have plagued Egypt during the past few months. The festivities appeal to non-Christians as well. In front of an image of the Virgin Mary, Samira Mohammed prayed fervently while holding another image of the Virgin Mary in her hand. She said that she always waits eagerly for the Virgin ceremony; as a Muslim, she knows the Virgin Mary is mentioned in the Quran and is the only woman to whom an entire Surah is dedicated.
Global: Refugee crisis shames us all
27 Aug 2015
The world is failing to give the United Nations the resources it needs to manage the worst refugee crisis in memory. For Palestinians trapped in the ruins of war-ravaged Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, life is ‘a very slow death’ from hunger, barrel bombs or being beheaded. 21-year-old Nidal told the digital media project Syria Deeply, ‘Death’s coming and we cannot stop it. If we don’t get food, we’ll all die of hunger.’ Some sixty million people are on the run in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere from conflict, war and persecution; our collective moral compass seems to be failing us badly. The UN is under strain as never before. It needs $20 billion to get into places such as Yarmouk, to help the millions of refugees in Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and elsewhere who constitute the biggest humanitarian crisis in our lifetime. But its appeal is going largely unheard.
China: Between God and mammon
27 Aug 2015
Alongside all the news this week about Chinese stockmarkets, Global Times tells the story of a wealthy businessman who converted to Christianity. He said that Chinese businessmen who converted to Christianity all had common characteristics - they believed their money was tainted with sin. ‘They wanted inner peace, and transformed their behaviour and their companies by changing their crooked commercial dealings.’ The Bible bans bribery, tax evasion and keeping mistresses - all of which are often considered standard conduct in business circles. The businessman said, ‘The only thought that supported me in continuing my faith was that I was following the teachings of Jesus Christ.’ This man is not unique. A number of Chinese businessmen who became wealthy by cutting corners in China’s booming cutthroat business environment have been turning to Christianity for help and spiritual consolation.