March 9, 2021 David Eubanks of Free Burma Rangers shares this disturbing story. We walked into a small jungle clearing to see children sitting under the trees reading their lessons. They were intensively focused on their books and learning their subjects. One little boy was reading an English lesson and one girl looked up from her reading and gave us …
Eyes on Egypt: Why the Ongoing Persecution of Coptic Christians Warrants Our Attention
February 16, 2021 By 21Wilberforce Associate Emma Hodges Violent attacks, arbitrary detentions, and a growing culture of impunity for crimes committed against the Coptic community in Egypt should raise international consternation—yet the persecution continues with few consequences. Recognizing an unbroken succession of Patriarchs since Saint Mark himself, the Coptic Church has remained a vibrant presence in Egypt since its founding. …
Congressman Frank Wolf and Ambassador Sam Brownback: Friends and Human Rights Champions for Four Decades
November 18, 2020 ByEmma Hodges, 21Wilberforce Fall Associate This year, 21Wilberforce awards Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback its 3rd annual Frank Wolf Award for International Religious Freedom. While in Congress, former Representative Frank Wolf was a tireless advocate for religious freedom. In like manner, this award honors those who champion freedom of conscience around the world. Ambassador Brownback …
A Uyghur Muslim Reveals the Horror of Prison Camp She Escaped in China
September 22, 2020 A Uyghur Muslim woman who was forced into a Chinese ‘re-education center’ so she could teach the inmates has revealed the full horror of life at the prison camp after she escaped. Sayragul Sauytbay, 43, was forced to spend five months at one of the camps in Xinjiang province between 2017 and 2018 where she taught other …
You’re a Refugee. Now You Face COVID-19.
May 14, 2020 Refugees, who face impossible situations even in better times, are being pushed beyond human endurance by the coronavirus pandemic. By Susan Korah “It has always seemed to me that what I write about is humanity in extremis, pushed to the unendurable, and that it is important to tell people what really happens in wars …” – Marie Colvin, …
A Pivotal Meeting for a Somali Human Rights Advocate
February 27, 2020 Dr. Abdullah Hashi Abib, Founder and Executive Director of the Rass Institute for Policy Analysis, a non-partisan policy think tank in Mogadishu, grew up in Somalia. The country was ravaged by civil war which left his family committed to do what they could to rebuild their country. They helped launch a university. They raised money to rebuild medical …
Training an Advocate for Change in China
December 16, 2019 “My parents were raised in a traditional Chinese family who practiced Buddhism. Their marriage was arranged and during that time a husband and wife were separated forcefully by the Chinese government. My father was sent to work in a remote province 4,000 miles away and he was only allowed to see my mother 15 days a year. …
The Power of Publishing
November 11, 2019 Machiko Sato was born and raised in Japan where she is a professor in the School of International Relations at the University of Shizuoka. Among the courses she teaches are Cold War history, US government, and U.S. foreign policy. During a recent sabbatical, Machiko came to the U.S. to conduct research and study at Georgetown University. Her …
Courage Comes With a Price
October 1, 2019 Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi and his wife, Gloria, live in Jos, Plateau State, in northern Nigeria which has had numerous outbreaks of religious violence. For several years, Boko Haram, one of the deadliest terrorist groups in the world, has spawned unrest, displacement, and death in northern Nigeria, particularly against Christians. The Archbishop has been outspoken and openly critical …
The Fifth Anniversary of Chibok Abduction and the Staying Power of Boko Haram
April 12, 2019 Sunday, April 14, marks the day five years ago that Boko Haram kidnapped 276 Chibok schoolgirls in Borno State, Nigeria. Fifty-seven girls escaped in the first 24 hours, and in the last five years, 164 girls have been found, escaped, or were released after negotiations. Sadly, the terrorists still hold 112 Chibok girls, including Dorcas. At 15 …
Survivors breathe new life into religious freedom movement
March 28, 2019 Nadia Murad had dreams of being a teacher, not a sabia — not a slave. In one horrific August afternoon in 2014, ISIS terrorists invaded her village in Northern Iraq and shattered those dreams. The militants slaughtered hundreds of Nadia’s neighbors in a single hour, including six of her brothers and stepbrothers. She and the other young women who remained were …
Will future generations defend freedom of belief?
February 12, 2109 Religious persecution is on the rise around the world according to data from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the U.S. State Department, Freedom House, and Open Doors among others. Former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom David Saperstein says “enemies of religious freedom have grown alarmingly strong worldwide. We are confronted with the fierce urgency …
INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ROUNDTABLE IN NIGERIA RELEASES OPEN LETTER TO NIGERIA PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
January 31, 2019 Nigeria’s upcoming presidential election on February 16 was cast into doubt late last week when President Muhammadu Buhari suspended the country’s chief justice on the eve of the appointment of new election judges. The action is the latest threat to what many have hoped would be a reprise of the successful 2015 election. In response to this …
World Watch List of Global Persecution
January 17, 2019 The 2019 World Watch List has just been released. If you’re not familiar with it, the Open Doors’ World Watch List is a comprehensive report ranking the 50 most dangerous countries to be a Christian. Their researchers spend months tracking the data, pouring over reports, and numerous hours preparing this in-depth information. Watch their video and download …
Faith Strengthened by Persecution
December 4, 2018 In the early morning hours of Christmas 2010, Iranian government forces arrested scores of Christian home-church leaders in surprise raids around the country. Among those arrested was a newly married couple, Yousef and Rozhin*. Incarcerated in separate locations, Yousef and Rozhin were repeatedly told by their captors that the other had denounced their faith. In fact, both …
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