In May, American and Nigerian forces collaborated to eliminate Abu Musab al-Minuki, a leader in ISIS and its Nigerian affiliate, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Killing al-Minuki is an important step in both Nigeria’s quest for stability and President Donald Trump’s efforts to expand coordination with the West African state and protect its persecuted Christians.
For America to…
On its surface, Polis III Nona’s installation ceremony bore all the hallmarks of a thriving church. The new patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, Iraq’s largest Christian denomination, was flanked by clergy, adorned with traditional vestments, marking the transition to a new era for one of the world’s oldest Christian communities. Yet the congregation he inherits has all but vanished since…
The story of humanity can only be told through civilizations. In this context, the British sociologist Anthony D. Smith argued in his book Ethno-symbolism and Nationalism: A Cultural Approach that culture and politics play a complementary role in the creation of civilizational narratives around which nations and states are shaped. Myths, songs, popular history, and folklore have all contributed…
Nigeria’s Christians are among the most persecuted in the world. They face threats from Muslim Fulani herdsmen who have raided villages and killed hundreds of believers. They also face threats from terror groups known around the world for their brutality, such as Islamic State (ISIS), against which a significant victory was recently achieved.
In a joint operation on May 16, U.S. and Nigerian…
The latest offensive in Mali, led by al-Qaeda–linked Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) in coordination with the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), should be a wake-up call to the international community; it signals not just another attack, but a shift toward territorial control and governance.
Because several areas JNIM controls are among the worst places in the world for…
The Chinese Communist Party is rewriting the Bible.
As part of Xi Jinping’s “Sinicization of Christianity” campaign, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) plans to ensure Christianity in China is instilled with “core socialist values.” Pursuant to that effort, the CCP is currently working on its own translation of what it calls the “Chinese Christian Bible.” While it has yet to complete the project,…
Allan Hertzke’s Why Religious Freedom Matters: Human Rights and Human Flourishing is a welcome overview of the vital importance of religious freedom by a veteran writer of informed studies on the subject over the last 30 years.
The book comes at a critical time since both religious freedom and knowledge of its salience are both sadly being eroded. He reviews a wide range of arguments on its…
Last week, news broke that the Hong Kong government is working to confiscate millions from Hong Kong democracy advocate and devout Catholic Jimmy Lai, 78, funds that it claims are tied to his “crimes.” Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February for alleged violations of the Chinese Communist Party’s national security policy. According to his daughter Claire, his access to holy Communion…
On Easter Sunday, the White House issued a press release stating that under President Donald Trump’s leadership, “the U.S. is once again a beacon of religious liberty — honoring the biblical values and heritage that built our nation.”
Other presidents have addressed this issue, but not like Trump. On the eve of World War II, Franklin Roosevelt identified the “freedom of every person to worship…