Author archives: Faith Matters

German police seek tips after arson attack on Oldenburg synagogue
April 14, 2024 By Faith Matters

German police seek tips after arson attack on Oldenburg synagogue

Police have launched an online portal seeking tips about an arson attack on a synagogue in the northern German city of Oldenburg last Friday that prompted widespread outrage. An incendiary device was thrown at the front door of the synagogue. Two janitors at a neighbouring cultural centre discovered the fire and extinguished it. No one […]

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Asylum seeker accused of murdering pensioner ‘motivated by conflict in Gaza’
April 14, 2024 By Faith Matters

Asylum seeker accused of murdering pensioner ‘motivated by conflict in Gaza’

An asylum seeker accused of murdering a pensioner in the street told police he was motivated by “the conflict in Gaza and to further his desire that Palestine would be free from the Zionists”, a court has heard. Ahmed Alid, 45, denies murdering Terence Carney, 70, in Hartlepool town centre, as well as the attempted […]

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Iran clamps down again on headscarf offences
April 14, 2024 By Faith Matters

Iran clamps down again on headscarf offences

Iran is again taking tougher action against violations by women of strict Islamic dress codes, with the start on Saturday of a new drive on observance of the regulations in the Gulf state. Controls were tightened nationwide and women disregarding the requirement to wear a headscarf in public remain guilty of a criminal offence, the Iranian news agency Tasnim […]

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Netanyahu says Israel must retain control of security in Gaza after the war
December 6, 2023 By Faith Matters

Netanyahu says Israel must retain control of security in Gaza after the war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the military would have to retain open-ended security control over the Gaza Strip long after the war against Hamas ends. The remarks came as Israel’s military said its troops had entered Gaza’s second-largest city in its its pursuit to wipe out the territory’s Hamas rulers. The war […]

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Calls to UK counter-terrorism hotline have doubled since Hamas attack on Israel
November 8, 2023 By Faith Matters

Calls to UK counter-terrorism hotline have doubled since Hamas attack on Israel

Reports to a UK police counter-terrorism hotline have more than doubled since the Hamas attack on Israel. Police said that between October 7 and 25 the anti-terror hotline received around 1,350 reports, more than twice the number of contacts compared to the same period last year. The number of reports with information useful to investigators […]

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Jewish-Arab school in Israel wins global prize for overcoming adversity
November 4, 2023 By Faith Matters

Jewish-Arab school in Israel wins global prize for overcoming adversity

A bilingual and integrated Jewish-Arab school in Israel has won a global education prize in recognition of its efforts to heal longstanding divisions. The Max Rayne Hand In Hand Jerusalem School – where Jewish and Arab students learn together in both Hebrew and Arabic – has been crowned winner of the T4 Education World’s Best […]

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Sunak announces £3m extra to protect British Jewish community after Hamas attack
October 12, 2023 By Faith Matters

Sunak announces £3m extra to protect British Jewish community after Hamas attack

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced £3 million in extra funding to protect schools, synagogues and other Jewish community buildings in the UK in response to Hamas’ attacks in Israel. The money will be given to the Community Security Trust (CST) after the group, which acts on the behalf of British Jews on matters of […]

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Minister wishes no revenge after bombers killed his mother and 19 relatives
September 21, 2023 By Faith Matters

Minister wishes no revenge after bombers killed his mother and 19 relatives

A minister whose mother and 19 other family members were murdered by terrorists a decade ago has told of how he was able to resist revenge. Rev Aftab Gohar says he found peace through Jesus Christ after a double suicide bomber attack at All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan on September 22 2013. There were […]

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Vatican honours Polish family murdered by Nazis for sheltering Jews
September 11, 2023 By Faith Matters

Vatican honours Polish family murdered by Nazis for sheltering Jews

The Vatican has made the unprecedented move of beatifying an entire Polish family for their “gesture of hospitality and care” in sheltering Jewish people during the Second World War. The family-of-nine — a married couple and their small children — were murdered by the Nazis in 1944 after they were apparently betrayed. Speaking during a […]

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Clashes erupt in Swedish city after another Koran burning
September 5, 2023 By Faith Matters

Clashes erupt in Swedish city after another Koran burning

Clashes have erupted in an immigrant neighbourhood in Sweden’s third largest city after an anti-Muslim protester set fire to the Koran, police have said. Police in Malmo said they were pelted with rocks and dozens of cars were set on fire, including in an underground garage, describing the events that started on Sunday and lasted […]

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