Lebanon

The Candidates to the Protestant Seat in Parliament in the Upcoming General Elections Will Need to Remember that they Are Called to be “Stewards not Lords, Servants not Masters”

On Friday, the 15th of January 2018, the Lebanese Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Nouhad Al-Mashnouk, signed the draft electoral decree and referred it to the Secretariat of the Prime Minister’s Office, for elections to take place throughout Lebanon on Sunday the 6th of May 2018, after taking place earlier in the countries of the Lebanese diaspora.
Though the Lebanese Parliamentary mandate is for a period of four years, it is worth noting that the last General Elections took place nearly a decade ago in 2009. Thus, the Lebanese political scene is now buzzing with the activity of a multitude of political parties and movements that have begun to organize their ranks and to appoint their candidates for the upcoming elections. Others, who fear that the new electoral law will not play in their favor, are trying to find loopholes in the law and to create obstacles, in an attempt to delay or derail the elections. Nevertheless, Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri, has insisted that parliamentary elections will be held as scheduled. Read more

Palestine-Israel

The Pursuit of Peace Without Justice in the Palestine-Israel Conflict Is Little More than an Absurd Debate Concerning the Peace Process’ Exact Hour of Death

Given US President Donald Trump’s assertion of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and everything that followed, the ensuing reaction of the Palestinian leadership was inevitable.
Speaking before an emergency meeting of the Palestinian Central Council, held the 15th of January 2018, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pronounced the death of the once celebrated Oslo Accords, declaring:
Today is the day that the Oslo Accords end. Israel killed them. We are an authority without any authority, and an occupation without any cost. Trump threatens to cut funding to the authority because negotiations have failed. When the hell did negotiations start?!. Read more

Iraq

The dehumanization of ISIS members through political rhetoric leads to flagrant breach of Geneva Convention in post-ISIS world

Following the rapid demise of ISIS over the past few months, there have been discussions about the fate of ISIS fighters. The number of foreign fighters alone has been estimated to be around 30,000. The number of local fighters is much harder to estimate, as they more easily blend back into Iraqi and Syrian society. Iraqi courts have been expediting judicial processes in make-shift courtrooms, and sentencing thousands of young men to death for their suspected involvement or collaboration with the group. Through this, the Iraqi government hopes to prevent former fighters from blending back into the Iraqi population, and they seek to reaffirm the authority of the law. Human Rights Watch has also reported evidence of Iraqi soldiers executing suspected ISIS members before they have the opportunity to receive a proper trial. Read more

Egypt

Modest Policy Shifts toward the Copts by al-Sisi’s Egyptian Government Offers Little More than a Respectable Veneer of Religious Freedom

The situation of Egypt’s Coptic Christians has long been a concern among human and religious rights advocates. Murderous attacks on Coptic churches and busloads of Christian pilgrims by Muslim fundamentalist groups capture media attention and spotlight an ongoing crisis.
This concern prompted a resolution adopted by certain US members of congress titled “Expressing Concern over Attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt” (H.Res.673). The resolution was drafted as a response to a memorandum issued by US-based “Coptic Solidarity,” which advocates for equal rights for Coptic Christians as Egyptian citizens. Read more

Sudan

Addressing Poor Economic Policies in Sudan Will Take More than Simple Alignment with International Monetary Fund Austerity Requirements

In an effort to comply with International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommendations, the government of Sudan significantly cut subsidies in its 2018 budget, including those on wheat. In response, bread prices spiked. Ali Ahmed, a baker, told Al-Jazeera that a bag of flour which cost him $22 last month now costs him $57, almost triple the price. This has led to an increase in the prices of basic commodities. Read more

Algeria

The Global Body of Christ Must Stand for All Religious Minorities in Algeria Who Are Suppressed for Their Faith

Religious minorities in Algeria are facing increased pressures, even persecution, from government authorities regarding their freedom of expression and worship, as well as being denied permission to use their worship buildings.

Open Doors, an organization with a presence in 60 countries and which monitors the conditions of Christians worldwide, publishes an annual World Watch List, ranking countries by the severity of persecution faced by Christians for actively pursuing their faith. In its annual 2018 report, Open Doors classified Algeria among the “orange-colored” countries, indicating a specific degree of persecution. The report highlighted the fact that Christians in Algeria suffer from various restrictions and challenges imposed by both the state and society. There exist laws that regulate non-Muslim worship and also ban conversion. In addition, Christians in all parts of the country suffer from harassment and discrimination at the hands of family and neighbors, pressuring them to adhere to Islamic norms. Read more