Terrorist Attacks against Christians increase 309% in Africa

A statement by Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations in Geneva explains the terrorist attacks against Christians have increase to 309% in Africa, Middle East and Asia.
In a speech given by the Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations in Geneva, Mons. Silvano Tomasi, he noted that 2.2 billion people face this problem worldwide.

He says that Christians are not the only victims, but the numbers are hard to ignore. About 70 percent of the world's population faces religious restrictions. Terrorist attacks on Christians in Africa, the Middle East and Asia have increased 309 percent between 2003 and 2010.Tomasi said religion is not a threat, but a resource. The problem, he says, rises when governments and extremists consider minority religions harmful and offensive because they differ from a country's main religion.

When it comes to developed countries, mostly in the West, the persecution is not necessarily violent, but cultural. It's usually seen when people face hostility, scorn and even ridicule for their beliefs. It's a situation faced by many, but above all, says Tomasi, by Christians.

Terrorist Bashir jailed for 15 years for terrorist acts

On Monday Indonesia's top court upheld a 15-year jail term against Islamist militant Abu Bakar Bashir for terrorist acts; reversing an earlier decision to slash the sentence to nine years.

Indonesia's top court has upheld a 15-year jail term against Islamist militant Abu Bakar Bashir for terrorist acts, reversing an earlier decision to slash the sentence to nine years.

Bashir is regarded as a spiritual leader of militant Islam in Indonesia -- the world's most populous Muslim country -- and is an outspoken supporter of Al-Qaeda-style jihad, but the 73-year-old has always denied being a terrorist.
In June last year a lower court sentenced him to 15 years in jail, but upon appeal the High Court slashed it to nine, citing lack of evidence and old age."Abu Bakar Bashir is proven to be guilty officially and convincingly of committing terrorist acts," the Supreme Court said in its ruling, which is final.

UN Security Council condemns ‘terrorist attack’ on Israeli

On Thursday the UN Security Council condemned a “terrorist attack” against an Israeli diplomat in India, without making any mention of allegations against Iran.

The 15-nation council said in a statement that it “condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in New Delhi” on February 13 in which an Israeli diplomat was badly injured.
The council also condemned an attempted attack in the Georgian capital which followed. An Israeli embassy employee found a bomb on his car and contacted police who defused the device.

U.S. slaps terrorism authorizes on Iranian intelligence agency

The Obama administration is slapping sanctions on Iran’s ministry of intelligence and security, claiming that it supports global terrorism, commits human rights abuses against Iranians and participates in ongoing repression in Syria.

On Thursday the Treasury Department announced that it added the ministry to its list of specially designated global terrorists. The step freezes any assets the group may have in U.S. jurisdictions, bars Americans from doing business with it and bans ministry employees from travel to the United States. The effect of the sanctions will be largely symbolic as it is not known to have holdings in the U.S.
The announcement said the ministry had helped al-Qaida agents in Iran and provided then with identity cards and passports and had given money and weapons to al-Qaida in Iraq.