Join our Community
Support ToI and remove all ads
Learn more

ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 426

Christians in the Middle East

Franciscan friars and sisters pray during a mass for the Feast of the Ascension on The Rock of the Ascension at The Chapel of the Ascension in Jerusalem on May 20, 2020. The Feast of the Ascension commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
June 24, 2024, 8:37 am
Churches protest Israel’s demand they pay property tax, say it’s undoing status quo
Though they’re major landowners, churches traditionally were exempt from property taxes; leaders call warning letters a ‘coordinated attack’ on Christian presence in Holy Land
By Julia Frankel
A screenshoot from video footage taken from a CCTV camera, shows two masked men holding guns inside Santa Maria Church in Istanbul, Turkey, January 28, 2024. (IHA via AP)
January 29, 2024, 12:58 pm
Islamic State claims responsibility for deadly shooting at Istanbul church
Group says it carried out attack on ‘gathering of Christian unbelievers during their polytheistic ceremony’; two gunmen arrested
By ROBERT BADENDIECK
Turkish police officers stand guard in a cordoned off area outside the Santa Maria church after a shooting, in Istanbul, Turkey, January 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
January 28, 2024, 3:21 pm
Worshiper shot dead in targeted attack on church in Istanbul
Country’s interior minister says manhunt launched to catch attackers; motive of shooting unclear, but Istanbul mayor says gunmen only fired at victim
By Agencies
Sheikh Majid bin Saud Al Mualla, chairman of the Umm Al Quwain Department of Tourism and Archaeology, front right, with Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of Culture and Youth, during a visit to the ancient Christian monastery on Siniyah Island in Umm al-Quwain, United Arab Emirates, November 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
November 13, 2022, 5:57 am
Sands of time: Christian monastery, possibly pre-dating Islam, found in UAE dunes
Finding on Siniyah Island in emirate of Umm al-Quwain sheds new light on history of Christians in Gulf region, which then — like today — was ‘a melting pot of nations’
By Jon Gambrell
File: Iranian Christians attend Christmas mass at a church in Tehran, Iran, December 25, 2007. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
December 10, 2018, 11:25 pm
Iran said to arrest over 100 Christians in crackdown on conversions
While the Islamic Republic permits religious practice by its Christian minority, defection from Islam is a punishable offense
By ToI Staff
Restoration experts work on a mosaic inside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank City of Bethlehem, December 6, 2018. (Majdi Mohammed/AP)
December 10, 2018, 3:43 pm
Church of the Nativity renovation lifts Christmas spirit in Bethlehem
West Bank site is undergoing $17 million restoration of mosaics, frescoes, and infrastructure, in a move Christian authorities hope will boost tourism, reduce emigration
By AP and ToI Staff
PM Netanyahu addresses a summit of Christians United for Israel in Washington, DC, July 23, 2018. (Twitter)
July 23, 2018, 10:20 pm
Netanyahu vows ‘complete solidarity’ with Christians persecuted in Iran
Addressing Christians United for Israel’s annual summit, PM thanks US Evangelicals for recognizing ‘fundamental truth’ about Jerusalem
By Raphael Ahren
Pope Tawadros II, the 118th pope of the Coptic Church of Egypt, is greeted by Egyptian Christians as he prepares to lead a midnight Mass at St. Mark's Cathedral in Cairo, Egypt, in January 2013 (AP/Amr Nabil)
July 8, 2018, 4:51 am
Middle East’s Christians are dwindling despite deep roots
Today, members of the faith make up only 4% of the region’s population, down from 20% before WWI
By AFP
Pope Francis arrives to host a daylong prayer for peace in the Middle East with an unprecedented gathering of Orthodox patriarchs and Catholic leaders in Bari, southern Italy, Saturday, July 7, 2018 (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
July 7, 2018, 2:06 pm
Pope denounces ‘complicit silence’ on Mideast attacks against Christians
Francis and Orthodox patriarchs pray for peace in region ‘covered by dark clouds of war, violence and destruction’
By Trisha Thomas and Nicole Winfield
An Iraqi man, from the Shabak community, stands amidst the rubble of a house which was destroyed by Islamic State (IS) group jihadists in the village of Baz Gerkan east of Mosul on January 10, 2018. (AFP Photo/Ahman Al-Rubaye)
January 16, 2018, 1:15 pm
Minorities in north Iraq look to post-jihadist future
With victory declared against the Islamic State group, ethnic and religious minorities are reclaiming their place within the country’s fractured society
By Sarah Benhaida
Elias Zarina
December 29, 2017, 2:38 pm
Elias Zarina
The Mideast haven of Israel
I live in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, and it’s true: only the Jewish state treats us Christians well
Illustrative: A 2008 photo of Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran, where a number of foreigners and dual nationals have been detained over the years. (CC BY-SA 2.0 Ehsan Iran/Wikipedia)
August 11, 2017, 1:17 pm
US religion monitor welcomes release of Iranian Christian
Maryam Naghash Zargaran, a Christian convert from Islam, was jailed ‘simply due to her Christian faith,’ says US government watchdog
By AFP
Haitham Behnam, a 34-year-old Iraqi Christian man who fled the violence in Mosul after Islamic State (IS) group militants seized control of the northern Iraqi city, stands at his auto repair workshop where he works as a mechanic in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, on July 20, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / SAFIN HAMED)
July 21, 2017, 9:37 am
‘No security, no protection’ for Mosul’s Christians after Islamic State
Forced to flee their homes, Iraqi Christians refuse to return to their hometown, prefer stability in Kurdish capital of Arbil
By Tony Gamal-Gabriel
Rachid, a Christian convert who did not wish to give his full name, leads prayers at a house in Ait Melloul near Agadir on April 22, 2017. (AFP Photo/Fadel Senna)
April 30, 2017, 1:52 pm
Morocco’s Christian converts emerge from the shadows
Growing minority demands right to practice faith without being condemned for ‘apostasy’ against Islam, the state religion
By Hamza Mekouar
Immigration activists demonstrate against US President Donald Trump's policies on March 2, 2017 in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images/AFP)
March 3, 2017, 1:23 am
Trump’s new travel ban sees delays amid reduced sense of urgency
President initially portrayed new restrictions on immigration as time-critical, but legal difficulties and shifting priorities appear to have changed his tune
By Jonathan Lemire
Load More
Sign in or Register
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By registering you agree to the terms and conditions
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Register
I forgot my password / Send me a sign in link
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.
Never miss breaking news on Israel
Get notifications to stay updated
You're subscribed
image
Register for free
and continue reading
Registering also lets you comment on articles and helps us improve your experience. It takes just a few seconds.
Already registered? Enter your email to sign in.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. Once registered, you’ll receive our Daily Edition email for free.
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Register
I forgot my password / Send me a sign in link
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.