Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
In today's edition:
- Coptic Children Arrested for Defiling Quran in Egypt
- Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy: 'We Support Biblical Families'
- India: Hindu Extremists Break Up Prayer Meeting, Detain Four Christians
- Venezuela's Hugo Chavez Says He'd Vote for Obama
Coptic Children Arrested for Defiling Quran in Egypt
Two Coptic Christian boys in Egypt, ages 9 and 10, were arrested on Sunday for allegedly desecrating pages of a Quran, International Christian Concern reports. Mina Nady Farag, 9, and Nabil Nagy Rizk, 10, were detained Sept. 30 when a local imam from their home village of Ezbet Marco in Beni Suef province accused them of tearing pages of a Quran. They are being held in a juvenile detention center until their scheduled court appearance on Sunday. Accusations of insulting Islam have increased since violent protests swept the Middle East last month over a U.S.-produced film that ridicules Islam; at least 17 people in Egypt have been charged with blasphemy following the release of the film. "However, it is not the film that should be blamed for the influx of blasphemy cases," said Aidan Clay, ICC regional manager for the Middle East. "Rather, it is extremists who have used the film as an excuse to press their Islamic agenda, arguing that banning blasphemy means standing up for Islam. The battle is being waged by Islamists who want their interpretation of religion to be declared as the only acceptable version. Sadly, the Islamists are getting their way, and blasphemy charges, like those filed against the two young boys, will inevitably increase."
Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy: 'We Support Biblical Families'
Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy voiced his support for "biblical families" in one of his first interviews since this summer's controversy over his comments in support of traditional marriage, Yahoo! News reports. Cathy told Atlanta TV station WXIA in an interview released Wednesday that families were important to "those of us who are concerned about being able to hang on to our heritage. ... We support biblical families, and they've always been a part of that."
India: Hindu Extremists Break Up Prayer Meeting, Detain Four Christians
A mob of about 50 Hindu extremists broke up a prayer meeting held for the HIV-positive and the blind in Karnataka, India, on September 18, according to the Karnataka Legal Aid Cell, Open Doors News reports. Led by the president of the local Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, the attackers destroyed the dinner prepared for the worshippers and attempted to capture the pastor, identified as Raju. They forced four worshippers, at least one of them blind, to the local police station, and filed a complaint accusing the pastor of forcible conversions to Christianity. The four Christians were detained through the night. Christian leaders in the area have intervened to defend the believers.
Venezuela's Hugo Chavez Says He'd Vote for Obama
Hugo Chavez, the socialist dictator of Venezuela, has given President Obama his seal of approval, WORLD News Service reports. Last weekend Chavez said, "If I was from the United States, I'd vote for Obama." He went on to say: "Obama is a good guy. I think that if Obama was from Barlovento or some Caracas neighborhood, he'd vote for Chavez." Conservative pundits had a field day with this statement. Gary Bauer, for example, said: "It's obvious why Hugo Chavez supports Obama and thinks Obama would support him. Chavez certainly knows a fellow socialist when he sees one, and he also knows a weak-kneed American president when he sees one."
Publication date: October 5, 2012
