Middle East

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service BAGHDAD, IRAQ (BosNewsLife)-- Thousands of Christians are fleeing Iraq amid an upsurge in violence and eligious extremism in Iraq, the country's most senior church leader says.

(ADDS MORE COMMENTS, REACTIONS) By BosNewsLife Middle East Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos CAIRO, EGYPT (BosNewsLife)--Egypt's election commission said Sunday, June 24, that Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood movement has won Egypt's first free elections since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, adding to international concerns over the future of minority Christians.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani who faces execution for refusing to abandon his faith in Christ and embrace Islam was still alive Thursday, March 29, "through the power of Jesus Christ and prayers", an official assisting him told BosNewsLife.

(ADDS MORE REACTIONS, BACKGROUND) By BosNewsLife Middle East Service TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- The only presidential candidate who pledged to work for religious minorities has won Iran's presidential elections, first results showed.

By BosNewsLife Africa Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos CAIRO, EGYPT (BosNewsLife)-- Hundreds of mainly Christian refugees from Eritrea are jailed or or held by kidnappers in Egypt, where they face torture, beatings and sexual assault, according to Christian aid workers who contacted BosNewsLife.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Five members of Iran's largest house church movement face a court after nearly five months behind bars, a representative told BosNewsLife Thursday, March 7.

By George Whitten, BosNewsLife Senior Middle East Correspondent reporting from Israel JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (BosNewsLife)-- Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called on Muslims around the world to mobilize their troops alongside Iran against Israel and the United States to prepare for the coming of the "Mahdi" seen as "the savior of Islam".

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Iranian Christians have urged prayers for three Christian converts in the coastal city of Rasht who have appealed against a sentence of 80 lashes for drinking wine at a communion service and two fellow believers in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison who are threatening to go on hunger strike, well-informed Christians told BosNewsLife.

By George Whitten, BosNewsLife Chief Middle East Correspondent reporting from Jerusalem JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (BosNewsLife) -- Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni urged rightist Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday, February 11, to join a national unity government after official results gave her Kadima party a narrow lead.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos