Man Slain at Catholic Church in Turkey was Muslim, Official Says

ISIS claims responsibility for shooting.

The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for a shooting at a Catholic Church service in Istanbul, Turkey on Sunday (Jan. 28) that killed a Muslim citizen, news agencies reported. Authorities in Turkey have detained the two gunmen, both foreigners, who targeted a Turkish Muslim attending the service at the Italian Santa Maria Catholic Church in […]

German Pastor Hopeful in Fight to Remain in Turkey

Wave of expulsions leaving many churches without leaders.

(Morning Star News) – A German pastor fighting expulsion from Turkey is hopeful that he may be the exception to a wave of foreign Christian leaders expelled from the country as “threats to national security.” Though Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has applied the label to pastor Michael Feulner, he told Morning Star News said […]

Turkey Deporting Foreign Christians or Banning Their Return, Sources Say

Government appears to be targeting Protestant community.

JERUSALEM (Morning Star News) – Dozens of foreign Christians in Turkey have been forced to leave the country or been banned from returning in what appears to be government targeting of the Protestant Christian community, rights advocates say. Many, like Carlos Madrigal of Spain, have been serving in leadership roles in Protestant churches in the […]

Priest from Northeastern Syria Killed as Christians Suffer in Turkish Offensive

Syrian church facing violence from both Islamic State and Turkey.

(Morning Star News) – Islamic State (IS) militants claimed responsibility for killing an Armenian Catholic priest and his father on Monday (Nov. 11) in eastern Syria, where they had traveled from their home in a northeastern town hit by Turkish air strikes and terrorist bombs. In the wake of a Turkish military operation into Syrian […]

Morning Star News’ Top 10 Persecution Stories of 2016

Jihadists fight under the radar in Africa.

(Morning Star News) – While war in the Middle East dominated international headlines, Islamic extremists in the shadows were taking jihad to Christian civilians in Africa with unprecedented intensity in 2016. In Nigeria, Muslim ethnic Fulanis looked less like nomadic herdsmen and more like well-armed, well-funded jihadist militants. Close Muslim relatives and Islamist village mobs […]

Emergency Order Broadens Turkey’s Powers to Deport Foreigners

After deportation of two U.S. Christians, expatriate Christians further unsettled.

(Morning Star News) – An emergency order issued over the weekend makes it significantly easier for Turkey to deport expatriates, further unsettling  foreign Christians after the government this month ordered the deportation two U.S. Christians. The directive eliminates the need for a court decision before a foreigner can be deported, amending sections of the 2013 […]

Authorities in Turkey Arrest Killers in Malatya Slayings

Five nationalists had been freed after conviction, sentencing.

ISTANBUL, Turkey (Morning Star News) – Authorities in Turkey last night arrested the five Muslim nationalists convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the torture and murder of three Christians in southeast Turkey in 2007. A source told Morning Star News of the arrests last evening, and advocacy group Middle East Concern (MEC) confirmed it […]

After Nine Years, Killers in Malatya, Turkey Slayings Are Convicted, Sentenced

Five nationalists remain free while life sentences are appealed.

ISTANBUL, Turkey (Morning Star News) – After a nine-year legal saga, a Turkish criminal court today sentenced five men to life in prison for the torture and murder of three Christians in southeast Turkey in 2007. The Malatya First Heavy Penal Court found Salih Gurler, Cuma Ozdemir, Abuzer Yildirim, Hamit Ceker and Emre Gunaydin guilty on […]

Detained U.S. Evangelist in Turkey Released, Ordered To Be Deported

David Byle is declared a ‘danger to public order.’

ISTANBUL, Turkey (Morning Star News) – Turkish authorities have released a U.S. evangelist who was detained last week and ordered to be deported, sources said. Declaring David Byle “a danger to public order,” authorities in Turkey took him into custody on April 6 after asking him to report to the immigration office in Istanbul regarding his […]

Anti-Christian Hatred Seen in Attack on Church Building in Samsun, Turkey

Police release suspects caught on video.

ISTANBUL, Turkey (Morning Star News) – Four men detained by police for attacking a church building in the Black Sea region of Turkey last week shouted jihadist slogans when released from jail, a marked departure from past harassment, church leaders said. Shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 25, the four Muslims went to a building rented […]