Middle East

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos CAIRO, EGYPT (BosNewsLife)-- The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for bombings that killed at least 43 people and injured many more at two Coptic churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday, one of the most important days on the Christian calendar.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- Christian aid workers and local believers in Syria have urged prayers and assistance after President Bashar Assad's forces were accused of launching a chemical weapons attack killing at least 70 people and injuring many more.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife BAGHDAD, IRAQ (BosNewsLife)-- Iranian Christians are concerned about Maryam Naghash Zargaran after she was reportedly denied urgent medical treatment and fellow believer Ebrahim Firouzi who was told by an Iranian court that his five-year sentence has been upheld. The two Christians both converted from Islam, a move that can be punishable by prison and even death under Iranian law.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service CAIRO, EGYPT (BosNewsLife)-- Christians in Egypt have requested prayer after suspected Islamic militants killed four Christians in recent weeks and threatened to murder more believers, rights activists said Monday, February 20.

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 BosNewsLife Middle East Service CAIRO, EGYPT (BosNewsLife)-- Christians in Egypt are mourning after another believer was murdered in Egypt, the fifth killing in less than two weeks. Ishak Ibrahim Fayez Younan, 37, was found dead by his brother at the victim's temporary residence in the old part of Cairo, the capital. He leaves behind a grieving wife and two children, ages 10 and 12, Christians said.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service CAIRO, EGYPT (BosNewsLife)-- Egyptian prosecutors have thrown out a case brought by an elderly Christian woman against several members of a Muslim mob who stripped off her clothes and paraded her naked through the streets, forcing the family to remain in hiding, BosNewsLife learned.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife BAGHDAD/TEHRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Despite a mass exodus of Christians, "the church" is far from empty in Syria, Iraq, Jordan and other parts of the Middle East as thousands of Muslims turn to faith in Jesus Christ including through radio broadcasts, a Christian group said Thursday January 5.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife NEW DELHI/SANAA (BosNewsLife)-- Christians in the Arabic Peninsula have urged prayers for an Indian priest abducted in Yemen by Islamic militants on March 4, 2016, as New Year's Day was overshadowed by uncertainty over his condition and whereabouts. The appeal came after priest Tom Uzhunnalil was seen begging for his life in video footage published by social media, a day after Christmas.