Syria

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- Muslim rebels linked to terror group al-Qaida are forcing Christians in a besieged historic Christian town to convert to Islam or face death, residents confirmed Wednesday, September 11.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- Christians in war-torn Syria have marked one month since the kidnapping of two bishops near the Turkish border with a new appeal for their release, amid mounting concerns about the leaders' safety and health.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- At least four people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in a Christian area of the Syrian capital Friday, June 28,  amid warnings from investigators that the country's minority Christians are becoming victims of "disproportionate violence and abuse" in a war that has claimed as many as 100,000 lives.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- Two Syrian Orthodox bishops remained missing Wednesday, April 24, after they were kidnapped by suspected Islamic gunmen who also killed their driver, church officials and local Christians said.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewslife reporting from Dobova, Slovenia DOBOVA, SLOVENIA (BosNewsLife)-- Christians are among record numbers of refugees rushing to Europe despite questions whether the European Union’s pledged assistance can come quickly enough to make a difference as winter sets in. Slovenia’s Prime Minister Miro Cerar has even warned that if some immediate and concrete actions on the ground is not delivered within the next few days and weeks the European Union and Europe as a whole will start falling apart.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)— Fighters of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group have released another 37 Assyrian Christians who had been kidnapped nine months ago, but hundreds of other Christian hostages remain detained, Christians confirmed Friday, November 20.

By Martin Roth, BosNewsLife Senior Columnist MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (BosNewsLife Columns)-- One of the modern-day saints of the Middle East is Father Douglas Bazi, a Chaldean priest who endured nine days of captivity and torture after being kidnapped by the al-Qaida terror group. During my Skype interview with him last year, I was startled at how surprisingly cheerful and relaxed he appeared when recalling his harrowing experiences.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service with additional reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- A Catholic priest has been publicly beheaded by suspected Islamic militants in northern Syria after accusations of collaborating with President Bashar Assad's government, BosNewsLife established Tuesday, July 2.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- Minority Christians in Syria's embattled city of Homs and surrounding areas were among those facing a major humanitarian crisis Saturday, March 3, but Christian aid activists told BosNewsLife they were trying to reach them.  

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos DAMASCUS, SYRIA (BosNewsLife)-- Syrian Christians fear that a prominent priest has become the latest victim of ongoing kidnappings by Islamic militants, though dozens of believers were reportedly released by the Islamic State group on Christmas Day.