RELIGION HEADLINES WED 2-25

(SRN NEWS)-

(  )  Christians and other religious-minorities in Sudan may be the victims of genocide.  That’s the conclusion of a report by a United Nations fact-finding team that has just returned from the African nation.  It concludes that the Rapid Support Forces, a rebel group battling for control of Sudan, has carried out a “coordinated campaign of destruction against non-Arab communities in and around El-Fasher, the hallmarks of which point to genocide.”  Christians have suffered at the hands of Muslims in Sudan for many years.  The country ranks fourth on Open Doors’ annual list of the nations where religious persecution is the worst.

(  )  A wide-ranging government investigation is underway in Australia into the shocking rise in anti-Semitism across the country in recent years.  It was spurred by the murder of 15 people at a Sydney Jewish festival in December, allegedly by two Muslims inspired by ISIS.  Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (al-buh-NEE-see) has launched Australia’s most powerful form of public inquiry, known as a royal commission.  Reports of anti-Semitism have increased markedly in Australia since the Hamas attack on Israel three year ago.  In 2024, the government named a special envoy on anti-Semitism to seek answers to the problem.

(  )  The World Council of Churches is condemning the violence in Myanmar where both the government and rebel fighters have targeted Christians.  A predominantly Mennonite village in the western part of the country was bombed earlier this month.  WCC General Secretary Jerry Pillay says “These ongoing attacks are grave violations of international law, of human dignity and the sanctity of life.  We express our deep solidarity with the Mennonite church and with all the suffering communities in Myanmar.”  The country is ruled by a military junta that forcefully seized control from a civilian government five years ago.

(  )  As anti-Semitism surges around the world, the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation has hosted representatives from 26 nations.  They spent several days in Poland this month on an educational tour focused on Holocaust remembrance and confronting bigotry.  During the trip, the dignitaries traveled to Auschwitz, the former Nazi concentration and extermination camp where hundreds of thousands of Jews were murdered during World War Two.  Nearly every country in the world has seen an increase in anti-Semitism ever since Hamas launched its massive attack on Israel in 2023.