Today’s Headlines:

OFFICIALS IN REMOTE AREA OF CHINA ISOLATE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES

CHURCH IMPLICATES PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT IN MURDERS OF 14 CHRISTIANS

Today’s Top Stories:

Officials in Alexandria, Egypt, continue to hold seven Christian men without charges following April’s fatal knife attacks that sparked two days of violence. The Christians were apparently randomly grabbed during the violence that began as a funeral procession for a Christian man who was stabbed by a Muslim the previous day. Most of the prisoners have since been released. The family of one man, Hesham Azmy Iskender, reported that the men have been “beaten and treated badly,” especially one young man who fought back as police beat him and hurtled curses on Islam in response to his captors’ curses on Christianity. Believers in Alexandria plan to sue the country’s Interior Ministry for the men’s release as well as for damages to Christian-owned shops and churches that were attacked while police forces watched. A special council formed to investigate the incidents still has not visited Alexandria, citing fears of provoking more violence. One Coptic Christian member of the council has resigned in protest to what has been called a “lousy manner of operating.” (Compass Direct)

OFFICIALS IN REMOTE AREA OF CHINA ISOLATE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES

Christians in northwestern China’s remote Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region are facing government efforts to isolate religious communities from any ties to fellow believers in other countries and regions. Officially recognized Christian religions of the region include the Three Self Patriotic Movement (Protestant), the Patriotic Catholic Association and two registered Orthodox communities. Any missionary activity, especially by foreigners, has been swiftly halted, and the Orthodox believers have been instructed to not communicate with foreigners. This includes the Internet which Chinese officials continue to censor nationwide. Orthodox believers face special challenges due to their omission from the list of five state-sanctioned “patriotic” religions. Orthodox priests are refused entry, and religious students are not allowed to study the priesthood abroad. Religious restrictions in the region extend equally to Buddhism and the majority religion, Islam. (Forum 18 News Service)

CHURCH IMPLICATES PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT IN MURDERS OF 14 CHRISTIANS

The Uniting Church, the third largest Christian denomination in Australia, released a report on Wednesday, Aug. 16, following a two-year investigation into the deaths of 14 clergy and members of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. The report found no one had been charged in any of the murders and that evidence suggests the involvement of the country’s police and military. “That faithful and nonviolent Christians are the target of such sustained violence amounts to an organized regime of Christian persecution with, at the very least, the tacit approval of the Philippine government,” the report concluded. The report was released one day after an Amnesty International report expressed concern that a “politically motivated pattern of killings” could lead to spiraling violence during conflicts with communist rebels. The organization reported 51 political killings in the first six months of this year compared with 66 for all of 2005. The Philippine ambassador to Australia denied the allegations. (WorldWide Religious News)