by J.D. Conor Mauro
Relatives of Copts killed during a bus attack attend their funeral service at Ava Samuel Monastery in Minya, Egypt, last Friday. (photo: Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Coptic Christians describe bus attack in Egypt: 'Even the little children were targets' (Washington Post) The passengers on the bus heard a noise and thought a tire had exploded. One young man got up to see what had happened, and why there was so much smoke. But before he could open the door, a bullet smashed the glass and hit him in the head. Several gunmen dressed in military-style uniforms then sprayed the bus with gunfire. "In a second, they [the gunmen] got inside and shot at every living and moving object they could see," said the driver, Boshra Kamel, 56, who was shot several times but survived by playing dead. "Even the little children were targets to them." The passengers — a group of Coptic Christians — were on their way to a monastery in the Minya region, 150 miles south of Cairo, when the gunmen attacked last Friday, killing at least 30 people and wounding 26. It was the latest incident in rising violence targeting the country's minority Christians, who make up 10 percent of the population…
ISIS fighters seal off Mosul mosque preparing for last stand (Daily Star Lebanon) ISIS militants have closed the streets around Mosul's Grand al Nuri Mosque, residents said, apparently in preparation for a final showdown in the battle over their last major stronghold in Iraq…
Iraqis demand compensation from U.S. for bombing that killed more than 100 civilians (Christian Science Monitor) On 17 March, United States forces reportedly targeted two ISIS snipers in a single building, which set off a series of explosives in the house that killed many civilians. Iraqi officials, however, say that there were only civilians killed in the blast, and that there were no hidden munitions…
For Syrian refugees in Jordan, a path to financial independence (Christian Science Monitor) As part of a new initiative spearheaded by the World Food Program, the United Nations is giving educated Syrians and Jordanians training in business and IT skills, equipping and encouraging them to open their own start-ups in Jordan…
What I've seen in 30 years of reporting on the Israeli occupation (Haaretz) I began to write about the occupation almost by chance. Dedi Zucker, at that time a Knesset member, suggested that we go see a few olive trees that had been uprooted in the grove of an elderly Palestinian, who was living in the West Bank. That was the beginning, gradual and not planned, of exactly three decades of coverage of the crimes of the occupation. Most Israelis didn't want to hear about it and still don't want to hear about it. In the eyes of many citizens, the very act of covering this subject in the media is a transgression…
Protests break out after India bans cattle slaughter (Vatican Radio) Church leaders in India say the government's ban on sale of cattle for slaughter across the country is a violation of human rights. The nationwide ban has alarmed minority groups and led to protests in several states. Beef is a cheap source of protein for Muslims and Christians who together form 20 percent of India's population, as well as Adivasi and Dalit people…
Tags: India Iraq Egypt Israel Violence against Christians