Middle East

Latest

• 6 min read

  

  Global Religious Freedom Church & Missions Bible & Theology

  Former WEA head sounds alarm over declining global Christian engagement in defending persecuted believers

  By CDI Staff

  Amid rising concerns over global violations of religious freedom, former World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) Secretary General Bishop Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher has warned that major Christian networks are retreating from advocacy for the persecuted church.

• 3 min read

  

  Middle East Society & Culture

  Hamas frees final hostages as Trump visits Israel to back ceasefire plan

  By CDI Staff

  Hamas released all 20 remaining living hostages in Gaza on Monday (Oct. 13) as Israel began freeing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners under a U.S.-backed ceasefire that has paused two years of war and paved the way for U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East — a moment of relief that regional church leaders say must become the start of a “true, lasting peace rooted in justice, mercy, and truth.”

• 4 min read

  

  US & Canada Middle East Society & Culture

  Israel and Hamas agree to Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal brokered by Trump

  By CDI Staff

  Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement to exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, a long-awaited breakthrough that U.S. President Donald Trump said could mark the first step toward ending the two-year war in Gaza.

• 4 min read

  

  Middle East Society & Culture Church & Missions

  ‘True security lies in protecting all Syrians,’ Patriarch Aphrem tells human rights leaders following first post-Assad elections

  By CDI Staff

  Leaders of the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) met Monday (Oct. 6) with His Eminence Ignatius Aphrem II, Syriac-Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, in Damascus to discuss the challenges facing Syria’s Christian communities following the country’s first parliamentary elections since the fall of the Assad regime.

• 5 min read

  

  Middle East Education Church & Missions Bible & Theology

  In inaugural address, Wissam Nasrallah outlines vision for Arab Baptist Theological Seminary as ‘Kingdom outpost’ serving Arab world

  By CDI Staff

  The Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS) in Beirut marked a historic leadership transition on Sunday (Sept. 28) as Wissam Nasrallah officially assumed the presidency, succeeding longtime leader Dr. Elie Haddad. In a passing the baton ceremony, Nasrallah outlined a vision centered on worship, Scripture, critical thinking, and servant leadership as the seminary enters a new season of ministry across the Middle East and North Africa.

• 2 min read

  

  Global Bible & Theology Data Church & Missions Religious Freedom

  Report finds 100 million Christians worldwide lack access to a Bible: ‘A modern famine of the Word’

  By CDI Staff

  A new global assessment has found that an estimated 100 million Christians live without access to a Bible, revealing both legal restrictions and severe shortages across dozens of countries. The Bible Access List, released Thursday by the Bible Access Initiative, combines data and expert analysis from 88 countries to identify where Scripture is most difficult to obtain.