Author archives: Faith Matters

Israeli who abducted, killed Palestinian teen gets life term
May 3, 2016 By Faith Matters

Israeli who abducted, killed Palestinian teen gets life term

An Israeli man convicted of murdering a Palestinian teenager in Jerusalem, a crime that helped trigger the 2014 Gaza war, was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison. Jerusalem District Court sentenced Yosef Haim Ben-David, who organised the killing of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khudair, to life, which in Israel usually means around 25 years, and […]

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Lassana Bathily, the Paris Kosher Supermarket Hero Comes to the UK with Faith Matters
May 1, 2016 By Faith Matters

Lassana Bathily, the Paris Kosher Supermarket Hero Comes to the UK with Faith Matters

Lassana Bathily saved many lives on that fateful day on January the 9th 2015. Unbeknown to him as he carried out his shop duties in the Paris Kosher supermarket, the establishment was about to be targeted by a young man who believed that his ‘Jihad’ was to target Jews as they shopped for Shabbath. Amedy […]

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Thousands mark Greek Orthodox Holy Fire rite in Jerusalem
April 30, 2016 By Faith Matters

Thousands mark Greek Orthodox Holy Fire rite in Jerusalem

Thousands of Christian worshippers celebrated Easter’s Holy Fire Ceremony on Saturday (April 30) at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. They packed into the ancient church, believed to be built on the site of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection. The Holy Fire is considered a miracle occurring every year on Holy Saturday, […]

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Muslim leader in India under fire from activists for supporting FGM
April 30, 2016 By Faith Matters

Muslim leader in India under fire from activists for supporting FGM

The leader of the only South Asian Muslim community known to practise female genital mutilation (FGM) came under criticism on Friday by campaigers who accused him of urging followers to continue the centuries-old custom. Little is known about FGM in India, where it is carried out in great secrecy by the close-knit Dawoodi Bohra community, […]

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Romania to speed up Holocaust-era property restitution
April 26, 2016 By Faith Matters

Romania to speed up Holocaust-era property restitution

Romania is to fast-track claims from Holocaust survivors under an amended law on property restitution which is expected to be passed by parliament next week, legislators said on Tuesday. Romania was an ally of Nazi Germany during World War Two until it changed sides in August 1944, and much of the property seized during the […]

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5-Suspected Islamists kill Bangladeshi gay activist working for US embassy
April 25, 2016 By Faith Matters

5-Suspected Islamists kill Bangladeshi gay activist working for US embassy

Suspected Islamist militants hacked to death a leading Bangladeshi gay rights activist employed by the U.S. embassy and a friend in an apartment in Bangladesh’s capital on Monday, police said. The killings took place two days after a university professor was slain in similar fashion on Saturday in an attack claimed by Islamic State. Five […]

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Damascus celebrates Palm Sunday for 1st time in 5 years
April 25, 2016 By Faith Matters

Damascus celebrates Palm Sunday for 1st time in 5 years

It was a sight that hasn’t been seen in this suburb of Damascus in five years-Orthodox Christians celebrating Palm Sunday. The day is part of a series of observances that culminate in the celebration of the Christian holiday of Easter. Christians make up 11 nearly percent of Syria’s population. The largest Christian denomination in Syria […]

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Pope hears confessions from teens in surprise visit
April 23, 2016 By Faith Matters

Pope hears confessions from teens in surprise visit

Pope Francis surprises youngsters and teenagers who had gathered in St. Peter’s Square to confess their sins to priests, and personally hears the confessions of 16 young girls and boys. Mana Rabiee reports. Pope Francis surprised many in St. Peter’s Square — perhaps most of all the teenagers who had come to the Vatican confess […]

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Attack on Sikh Gurdwara May Indicate the Fusion of Criminality with Extremism
April 21, 2016 By Faith Matters

Attack on Sikh Gurdwara May Indicate the Fusion of Criminality with Extremism

News that the Sikh Gurdwara in the western German city of Essen may have been attacked by young people linked to a local fundamentalist extremist network has shifted focus away from far right groups, who were initially suspected for the attack. Police have suggested that the two suspects arrested have links to a local Salafist […]

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Israeli soldier who shot supine assailant charged with manslaughter
April 18, 2016 By Faith Matters

Israeli soldier who shot supine assailant charged with manslaughter

The Israeli military filed manslaughter charges on Monday against a soldier who shot a wounded Palestinian assailant as he lay on the ground in a killing a poll said many Israelis felt was justified. The defendant – a conscript infantry medic whose name has been barred from publication – was captured on video firing once […]

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