In the last few years, many Christians have fled their home countries due to religious persecution — many of them from the cradle of Christianity. For some, life in Germany is not much better than the places they fled: the threat posed by radical Muslims towards Christians followed them to Europe and it is spreading through some refugee homes.
The Knights of Columbus urges the United States to join the International Association of Genocide Scholars, 60 UK Parliamentarians, 200+ Members of Congress, Pope Francis, the European Parliament, and many other and recognize the genocide against Christians and other minority groups in Iraq and Syria.
Online petition has received over 55,000 signatures since November.
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to take up a case that addresses the question of whether states can exhibit hostility to religion by prohibiting churches and church-run organizations from participating in state programs solely because the groups are religious.
According to the 2015 Open Doors World Watch List, the Middle East Remains Most Violent While Africa Sees Largest Increase in Persecution of Christians.
The report provides an overview of data collected on hate crimes, and of responses to hate crimes. The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe submitted data, from which cases from 12 countries will be included in the final report which will be available online on November 16, 2015.
At the OSCE Conference CIO.GAL/54/15 "Enhancing efforts to prevent and combat intolerance and discrimination against Christians, focusing on hate crimes, exclusion, marginalisation and denial of rights" in Vienna on May 18, 2015, Dr. Gudrun Kugler, director of the Observatory, delivered a keynote address.
Every few years the UN review each of its members with regard to their human rights situation in the so-called Univeral Periodic Review. The Observatory submitted a report on the violations of religious freedom in Austria. Find here the full report.