Tag: Christians

  • President Trump urged to confront Iranian regime over repression of Christians

    President Trump urged to confront Iranian regime over repression of Christians

    Iran is reported to have launched a new crackdown against Iranian Christians this month following the re-arrest of two men.

    According to a Feb. 10 report on the website of the U.K.-based NGO Article18, which seeks to protect religious freedom in Iran, “Two Christians in their 60s who were released after a combined six years in prison on charges related to their leadership of house-churches have been re-arrested.”

    Iranian regime intelligence agents re-arrested the two Christians, Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh and Joseph Shahbazian, and incarcerated both men in Tehran’s brutal Evin Prison. Gol-Tapeh is reportedly on a hunger strike over “unlawful re-arrest,” noted Article 18, which advocates on behalf of persecuted Iranian Christians.

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    A huge mural of Iran’s supreme leader on Motahari Street on March 8, 2020, in Tehran. (Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images)

    Article18 said a “number of other Tehran Christians were also arrested at the same time and remain in custody.”

    Iranian-Americans and Iranian dissidents are urging the Trump administration to shine a spotlight on the ubiquitous Iranian regime human rights violations while imposing punitive measures on the clerical state in Tehran.

    Alireza Nader, an Iran expert, told Fox News Digital, “Christians in Iran are relentlessly persecuted by the Islamist regime. The Trump administration should highlight their plight publicly while putting maximum economic and diplomatic pressure on the regime.”

    Wahied Wahdat-Hagh, a German-Iranian political scientist, who is a leading expert on religious minorities in Iran, told Fox News Digital, according to the Christian advocacy organization OpenDoors 2025 annual report, “Christian discrimination in Iran remains extremely severe, scoring 86 out of 100 points and ranking 9th among the worst countries for Christian persecution.”

    He added, “The government views Christian converts as a threat to national security, believing they are influenced by Western nations to undermine Islam and the regime. As a result, Christian converts face severe religious freedom violations, including arrests [and] long prison sentences.”

    STUDENTS IN IRAN CONTINUE PROTESTS OVER 19-YEAR-OLD’S MURDER ON CAMPUS FOR SECOND DAY

    Christianity in Iran

    A girl lights a candle in St. Thaddeus Monastery in Chaldoran, Iran. (Adis Easaghlian/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

    Wahdat-Hagh continued, “Those who leave Islam to follow Christianity are the most vulnerable. They are denied legal recognition and are frequently targeted by security forces.”

    One Iranian Christian who fled Iran to Germany to practice her faith free from persecution is Sheina Vojoudi.

    She told Fox News Digital, “As the belief in Islam keeps going down in Iran, the important growth of Christianity has deeply alarmed the Islamic Republic, a theocratic dictatorship. Iran has seen an outstanding rise in the number of Christian converts, despite the decidedly oppressive environment. International human rights groups often consider Christian converts to be political prisoners of conscience, meaning that even after arrest and release, they remain in constant danger of re-arrest and severe punishment.”

    The dire situation of Iranian Christians prompted the U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Mai Sato, to sound the alarm bells in a video presentation organized by Article 18. “The situation of Christians in the Islamic Republic of Iran is a matter of serious concern that demands our continued attention,” she said.

    IRAN PROXIES ENGAGED IN ‘INVISIBLE JIHAD’ AGAINST CHRISTIANS IN MIDDLE EAST, REPORT WARNS

    The most recent U.S. State Department report on religious freedom in Iran (2023) states, “The government continued to regulate Christian religious practices. Christian worship in Farsi was forbidden and official reports and state-run media continued to characterize private Christian churches in homes as ‘illegal networks’ and ‘Zionist propaganda institutions.”’

    The number of Christians in Iran is difficult to pinpoint because of the widespread repression of the faith. According to the State Department report, the Iranian regime’s Statistical Center claims there are 117,700 Christians of recognized denominations as of the 2016 census.

    Iranian women prisoners sit inside their cell in Tehran's Evin prison, June 13, 2006.

    Iranian women prisoners sit inside their cell in Tehran’s Evin prison, June 13, 2006. (Reuters/Morteza Nikoubazl )

    Boston University’s 2020 World Religion Database notes there are roughly 579,000 Christians in Iran, while Article 18 estimates there are 500,000 to 800,000. Open Doors reports the number at 1.24 million.

    The Trump administration re-imposed, in early February, its maximum economic pressure campaign on Iran’s regime to reverse Tehran’s drive to build a nuclear weapon and stop its spread of Islamist terrorism.

    Vojoudi, an associate fellow at the U.S.-based Gold Institute for International Strategy, told Fox News Digital, “Now is the time for European nations and the United States to take meaningful action, not only by holding the Islamic Republic accountable for its support of terrorism and extremist groups, but also by prosecuting it on the international stage for violating one of the most fundamental human rights: the freedom of religion.

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    “This is critical not only for the safety of Christian converts but also to reaffirm the values of freedom and human dignity that these nations claim to uphold.” 

    Multiple Fox News Digital press queries to Iran’s foreign ministry and its U.N. mission in New York were not returned. Fox News Digital asked if the government would release Iranians imprisoned for merely practicing their Christian faith.

  • Ed McCaffrey reveals rooting order for 3 NFL sons; excited for Christian’s return after injury-riddled season

    Ed McCaffrey reveals rooting order for 3 NFL sons; excited for Christian’s return after injury-riddled season

    Some parents may think Ed McCaffrey has a tough task on his hands, but he has an easy solution.

    The three-time Super Bowl champion has two sons, Christian and Luke, playing in the NFL, and another one, Max, coaching in it.

    No, McCaffrey has not been in the shoes of, say, the Kelce family, picking between his boys in the Super Bowl… yet.

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    SiriusXM host Ed McCaffrey and Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers take photos during day 2 of SiriusXM at Super Bowl LIV on Jan. 30, 2020, in Miami, Florida.  (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

    But, he has seen two of his sons on the field at the same time – Christian’s Niners and Max’s Dolphins faced off in December, and in 2026, Luke’s Commanders will go up against San Fran. 

    So, who did, and will, he root for?

    “They’re all even. I love all my kids evenly, man,” he quipped in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. “It’s a sensitive thing as a dad – occasionally, my kids’ teams play each other. But I root for my kids.”

    So yes, McCaffrey does have three favorite teams. He admitted that the Denver Broncos, where he spent nine of his 13 seasons and won two of his three Super Bowls, have been left out of the rotation, despite them being his “extended family.”

    “I still root for the Broncos, but I root for my kids first,” he admitted.

    McCaffrey was unable to do much rooting for Christian, his middle son, on the field this season. After winning Offensive Player of the Year last year, CMC suited up in just four games of the 2024 campaign. He missed most of training camp and the first eight games of the season with Achilles tendinitis. Then, in a snowy Buffalo, he injured his knee.

    Christian McCaffrey sidelines

    San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey watches injured from the sidelines during the New York Jets game at Levi’s Stadium. (David Gonzales-Imagn Images)

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    “Yeah, the year sucked, really,” McCaffrey put it bluntly. “You put everything you have into getting ready for season, and then he got hurt early in training camp… And he did everything he could to get back on the field, then as fate would have it, he hurt his knee.”

    But while he couldn’t cheer for his son on the field, he was certainly able to do so off of it.

    “Sometimes life doesn’t go as planned. I’m so proud of him for his resilience, his toughness, the guy wants to be on the field more than anybody I’ve met in my entire life,” McCaffrey added.

    The knee injury, McCaffrey said, could also possibly be a blessing in disguise for the 2025 season.

    “He’ll have his first full offseason in years…” he said, noting that Christian played in the Super Bowl last year and the NFC championship game in 2023. “Your offseason gets cut a month and a half, two months when you play in a Super Bowl… 

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    “It sucks to get hurt. It’s the worst part playing the game. Missing time, sitting on the sideline is frustrating. But you can’t change the past, and all you can do is work hard each and every day to be the best you can be.” 

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  • Trump announces new DOJ task force to ‘end the war on Christians’

    Trump announces new DOJ task force to ‘end the war on Christians’

    President Donald Trump announced at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., on Thursday that he will sign an executive order instructing the Justice Department to create a new task force to “eradicate anti-Christian bias.” 

    Trump praised new Attorney General Pam Bondi as a “great person,” saying she would lead the new task force. 

    “About time, right? Anti-Christian bias. Yeah, I never heard of that one before, right? But there is,” Trump said. “The mission of this task force will be to immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government, including at the DOJ, which was absolutely terrible. The IRS, the FBI, terrible, and other agencies.” 

    The president said the task force will also “work to fully prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism in our society and to move heaven and earth to defend the rights of Christians and religious believers nationwide.” 

    WHITE HOUSE CALLS DEMOCRAT CRITICISM OF DOGE ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ AND ‘INCREDIBLY ALARMING’

    President Donald Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

    “While I’m in the White House, we will protect Christians in our schools, in our military, in our government, in our workplaces, hospitals and in our public squares, and we will bring our country back together as one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all,” Trump said. “Throughout history, those who have sought control and domination over others have always tried to cut the people off from the connection to their creator. At the same time, every nation with big dreams and great ambition has recognized that there is no recourse more precious than the faith in the hearts of our people. It’s the thing that makes our nation great and makes other nations great. When you don’t have it, you don’t see great nations. Without God, we are isolated and alone, but with God, the Scripture tells us, all things are possible,” Trump said. 

    Fox News Digital is told that Trump will sign the executive order Thursday afternoon to “end the war on Christians” and protect Americans’ “fundamental right to religious freedom.” 

    The White House said what will be known as the “Task Force to End the War on Christians” will be comprised of members of the president’s Cabinet and key government agencies, and the order seeks to “end the anti-Christian weaponization of government.” 

    The White House told Fox News Digital that the task force will review activities of all departments and agencies to “identify and eliminate anti-Christian policies, practices, or conduct.” The task force will also gather input from various stakeholders to ensure “broad perspectives are considered,” including faith-based organizations and Americans affected by “anti-Christian conduct.”

    The task force is also directed to identify and address gaps in law enforcement that have “contributed” to that conduct.

    The executive order will also ensure that federal law enforcement remedy any “failures” to fully enforce the law against acts of anti-Christian hostility, vandalism and violence.

    Trump speaks at Capitol

    President Donald Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

    “The previous administration engaged in an egregious pattern of targeting peaceful Christians while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses,” the White House said.

    “President Trump will not tolerate this abuse of government and is taking action to ensure that any unlawful and improper anti-Christian conduct, policies or practices are identified, terminated, and rectified.”

    The executive order comes after nearly two dozen pro-life Christians were charged and sentenced for demonstrating outside abortion facilities during the Biden administration.

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    It also comes after an FBI memo asserted that traditional Catholics were domestic-terrorism threats and suggested infiltrating Catholic churches as “threat mitigation.” The House Judiciary Committee and its Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government first discovered and investigated that memo.

    Speaking at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Trump invoked his own faith in discussing the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

    “Well, look at me. I’m standing before you today. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be here. A lot of people said I shouldn’t have been here,” Trump said. 

    “It was God that saved me,” Trump added, garnering applause. 

    Trump at Capitol prayer breakfast

    President Donald Trump speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast at the Capitol, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

    Earlier, the president spoke at another prayer breakfast Thursday at the U.S. Capitol, where he announced that he would sign an executive order to create a new national park called the “National Garden of American Heroes.” 

    “The stories of legends like Washington, Winthrop, and Williams remind us that without faith in God, there would be no American story,” Trump said. “Every citizen should be proud of this exceptional heritage. We have an unbuilt, livable heritage, and we have to use that and make life better for everyone.” 

    As the United States approached the 250th anniversary of its founding next year, Trump said he would sign an executive order to “resume the process of creating a new national park full of statues of the greatest Americans who ever lived.” 

    “We’re going to be honoring our heroes, honoring the greatest people from our country,” Trump said. “We’re not going to be tearing down. We’re going to be building up.” 

    Trump also remembered the 67 lives lost during the fatal midair collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet landing at Reagan airport in D.C. last week. The president said he would be speaking with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to come together on a “single bill” to upgrade U.S. air traffic control systems in the wake of the disaster.

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    It would have just never happened if we had the right equipment,” Trump said. “When I land in my plane privately, I use a system from another country because my captain tells me – I’m landing in New York and I’m using a system. I won’t tell you what country, but I use a system from another country – because the captain says, ‘This thing is so bad, it’s so obsolete,’ and we can’t have that. So we’re going to have the best system.”

  • Kash Patel vows to end Biden-era ‘targeting’ of Christians: ‘Sacred trust’

    Kash Patel vows to end Biden-era ‘targeting’ of Christians: ‘Sacred trust’

    President Trump’s FBI director nominee Kash Patel pledged in his confirmation to end the “targeting” of Americans by the government specifically as it relates to citizens who were in the crosshairs of the Biden administration for religious reasons.

    “Is it appropriate for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to attempt to recruit spies or informants into religious institutions in this country, particularly Catholic parishes?” GOP Sen. Josh Hawley asked Patel in his confirmation hearing on Thursday.

    Patel responded, “I don’t believe so, senator.”

    “Mr. Patel, are you familiar with the recent actions of the FBI in this regard, including this memo that I have right here making a list of Catholic churches and parishes that they regard as potentially suspect and directing the potential recruitment of informants and other spies, let’s be honest, into those parishes,” Hawley asked.

    GRAHAM GRILLS FBI NOMINEE PATEL OVER ‘DISGUSTING’ AND ‘CORRUPT’ CROSSFIRE HURRICANE PROBE

    Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. ((AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite))

    Patel told Hawley is familiar with the memo leading the Missouri Republican into his next question.

    “Mr. Patel, would you commit to me that you will, if you are confirmed, that you will finally and officially withdraw this memo and make it clear that this is not only unacceptable, but that it is an absolute violation of the First Amendment, that every American voice under the Constitution of the United States,” Hawley asked.

    “If I’m confirmed, Senator, yes,” Patel said back. 

    KASH PATEL FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEM SENATOR AFTER BEING GRILLED ON J6 PARDONS: ‘BRUTAL REALITY CHECK’

    Sen. Josh Hawley speaks from the podium in a Senate hearing.

    WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 28: Sen. Josh Hawley. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

    Will you also commit to me that you will conduct an investigation and find out who wrote this memo, who spread this memo?” Hawley asked. “The field offices involved in this memo, because I can tell you, we’ve had your predecessor sit right where you’re sitting. And he has repeatedly, repeatedly lied, there’s no other word for it, lied to this committee. He told us initially that it didn’t happen, that the FBI didn’t make any list of churches. That’s not true. We have it. A whistleblower brought forward the list for us.”

    “He said then that only one field office had worked on, it turns out we know from another whistleblower, multiple field offices worked on it, worked on it. He said that it was never posted on the internal system. It turns out it was. We believe it’s still in effect. Will you find out who was involved in this gross abuse of Americans First Amendment rights? And will you discipline them? And if you possibly can, will you fire them? Mr. Patel, consistent with Department policy and law?

    Patel told Hawley that the senator has his “commitment” to “investigate any matters such as this” that “are important to Congress.”

    Kash Patel

    President-elect Donald Trump has named longtime ally Kashyap “Kash” Patel, who has been a frequent and harsh critic of the FBI, to serve as the bureau’s next director in the new administration. (Reuters)

    “I will fully utilize, if confirmed, the investigative powers of the FBI to give you the information you require, and also to hold those accountable who violated the sacred trust placed in them at the FBI,” Patel told Hawley.

    Hawley responded, “I’m glad to use the word sacred trust, because that’s exactly what it is. The FBI’s the most powerful law enforcement body in this nation, arguably the most powerful law enforcement body, at least in a free nation in the world and to have this body corrupted politically such that it is targeting people of faith in this country and then lying about it to this committee and the American people is unimaginable.”

    “I’ll be honest with you, I never thought this would happen in the United States of America, I just didn’t. If you had told me five years ago we’d be reading memos like this, I would have said, no way, no way. That’s bad fiction. In fact, it’s a horrible reality. The department needs to be cleaned up.”

    The exchanges comes on the heels of Trump’s recent announcement that he would pardon pro-life activists convicted under the FACE Act during President Joe Biden’s administration.

    Kash Patel Donald Trump

    A side-by-side of Kash Patel and President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)

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    The pardons, first reported by The Daily Wire, would apply to activists convicted of protesting near abortion clinics during various demonstrations. The details and scope of the pardons have yet to be revealed.

    Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has also introduced legislation that would dismantle the FACE Act. Many lawmakers have argued that Democratic administrations have weaponized it against pro-life groups and Christians.

    Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report