King of Jordan prioritises interfaith work

THE King of Jordan, Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, has denounced people who “preach a hate-filled message about Islam”, and has urged communities to resist exclusion. “Economic growth, peacemaking, protecting the environment, global security . . . all these critical goals require that people of faith co-operate, and combine our strengths to our common benefit,” he said in Singapore last week, at the International Conference on Cohesive Societies.

Church calls for justice for survivors in South Sudan

SURVIVORS of conflict-related sexual violence in South Sudan are being condemned and rejected by their families, and marginalised by society, the South Sudan Council of Churches has warned. In February, the United Nations reported that sexual violence in Unity State, South Sudan, had remained “endemic”, despite a peace agreement there (News, 22 February). In a statement to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, on Wednesday, read by the Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, Archbishop Justin Badi Arama, the Churches said that survivors had gone “silent with stigma” and called on the Government to bring justice to the victims, the Anglican Communion News Service reports.

Christians in India flee to avoid forced conversion

SEVEN Christian families have been forced to flee their village in Jharkhand, India, after facing “intimidation, harassment, and threats” from the fundamentalist group Hindu Jagran Manch (HJM), Christian Solidarity Worldwide has reported. Three other families had been forced to convert to Hinduism, it said. HJM is affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party led by President Modi, who retained power in recent elections. The families have sought refuge in other villages.