Syria

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)—Dozens of Christian families remained missing Saturday, August 8, after Islamic State militants seized their town in central Syria this week, the Syrian Orthodox Church and activists said.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- Rebels linked to terror group al-Qaida captured the Christian town of Maaloula on Sunday, September 8, as part of a campaign to take control of strategic mountains near the capital Damascus, opposition representatives said.

By BosNewsLife News Center with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos BEIRUT/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- Hungary's foreign minister has urged the international community to support Lebanon's stability and protect Christians in the region amid concerns about rising sectarian tensions.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- A Dutch priest, who became known for his insistence on staying in the war-torn Syrian city of Homs, was shot dead there Monday, April 7, by suspected Islamic militants, Catholic sources said.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service BEIRUT, LEBANON (BosNewsLife)-- Christians in Syria remained in the crossfire Sunday, November 18, as rebels captured up to 30 percent of the heavily Islamic nation, a leading Dutch legislator and investigator told BosNewsLife.

By BosNewsLife Americas Service WASHINGTON, USA (BosNewsLife)-- Most Americans agree with the presidential candidates of both parties in calling Islamic State group atrocities against Christians in the Middle East "genocide," according to a poll by the Catholic Knights of Columbus (KofC) order and the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee and Martin O'Malley have all called the situation genocide.

By BosNewsLife News Center in Budapest BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BosNewsLife)-- Devoted Christians in Hungary and the Middle East stood up against Nazism or Islamic extremism this week, while others worshiped Christ behind bars, between bomb explosions and in bitter cold conditions.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos DAMASCUS/BEIRUT (BosNewsLife)-- Thousands of Christians remained trapped in a besieged village in Syria late Friday, August 24, without food and regular electricity, a local leader and Catholic aid workers told BosNewsLife.

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 BosNewsLife Americas Service WASHINGTON, USA (BosNewsLife)-- A key rights official has "praised" a U.S. House of Representatives resolution for the creation of a special diplomatic envoy for religious freedom in the Middle East.