As the Islamic State continues to push into the majority Kurdish town of Kobane in northern Syria, broad regional battles start to surface, it seems that geopolitics will prevent international assistance beyond limited airstrikes by coalition forces.The Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in an interview with CNN said, ‘We will not interfere on the ground as long as the US strategy does not include intervention against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.’ Many believe international coalition airstrikes are incapable of defeating IS in the vicinity of Kobane, and there is a need for Turkey’s involvement. There is a contradiction between the international and Turkish visions.  US strategy seeks first to eliminate the enemy slaughtering Western hostages. The Turkish Kurdish political division goes back to the failure of applying an agreement to share management between the Syrian Kurdish political parties.

Many Chinese Christians are saying that China is facing its worst persecution since the Cultural Revolution. However, Pastor Huang Yizi of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province said he is ‘grateful’ for the opportunity to go to jail; ‘Prison is a mission field with so many hungry and thirsty souls waiting to listen to the Gospel.’ He could face up to seven years in jail after being accused of gathering to assault a state organ. (he criticised police violence against churches}. His lawyer Zhang Kai said, ‘Judging from the evidence I don't think Huang's actions constituted any crime. Personally, I believe his arrest is directly related to the general crackdown on churches in Zhejiang.’ Salvation Church is just one of hundreds to be targeted in Zhejiang province. At least 360 have already been completely or partially demolished, ostensibly as a result of defying building regulations.

They dedicate their lives to saving others, but as Ebola spreads worldwide, healthcare workers must also focus on saving themselves. At least 416 health care workers have contracted Ebola and at least 233 have died. Doctors and nurses have described working conditions no one should endure. Every single move they make in treating a patient must be perfect. One slip-up - a torn glove or the smallest splat of infected fluid that gets on them  - could cost them their lives. Some wake up every morning with a sore throat from constantly breathing in chlorine fumes. In a profession that already demands much emotionally and physically, these caregivers are pushed to the edge in both respects. They have lost friends, colleagues and patients. All this as they beat back their own understandable paranoia and fear. In a clinic in Monrovia (Liberia's capital) patients lie on stretchers on filthy floors near open buckets with objects and substances in them.

Committed Christian, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said, ‘When you meet circumstances that you don't understand and can’t control, you have to turn to God and that's a deep rooted Liberian experience.’ The Ebola crisis has driven many to their knees. Churches are overcrowded with people pouring out their hearts before God. Bethel Cathedral of Hope is one such church experiencing unprecedented attendance. ‘Liberia is not a stranger to crisis and so we have that resilience by the grace of God to be hopeful and to rise up in the midst of impossible situations,’ said Bishop Wollo Belleh. A few weeks after the Ebola crisis erupted, Liberian Vice-president Joseph Boakai helped launch weekly prayer meetings encouraging Christians to take hold of God. ‘My prayer is that God would help us overcome this in the shortest time possible, console the bereaved, help us to understand our predicament and work as a nation,’

A number of the 120,000 Christians who fled Mosul and the Nineveh plains to areas like Kurdistan had the Arabic letter N ('noon') painted on their homes by IS to identify them as Christians (Nazarenes). IS view Christians as non-believers, but refugee Christians in Kurdistan have written a song to explain that being 'N' means  ‘unconditional love, to build bridges of peace, to believe in Jesus Christ, to teach, to forgive regardless of the crimes against you’. In Sept 2014 at SAT-7 a current affairs programme 'Bridges' visited Christian refugees from Mosul and Qaraqosh in Iraqi Kurdistan. As well as describing their losses and hopes these believers with the label of N hanging over them sang this remarkable song. The song, musicians, images and the words of love, belief, peacefulness, and forgiveness translated into English can be viewed by clicking the 'More' button.

Bishop James Johnston says Missouri State’s non-discrimination bill discriminates against people of faith and forcing believers to recognise same-sex relationships violates their religious freedoms and essentially makes Christians criminals. The leader in the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Catholic Diocese issued a letter opposing the measure. ‘Does the government have a compelling interest in forcing every member of our society to participate in the celebration of same-sex relationships?’ Meanwhile a new study revealed that 1/3 of American workers say they have seen or experienced religious discrimination at their workplace according to a new study that asked more than 2,000 Americans about religious freedom at work. 32% of white evangelicals said others look down on them because of their beliefs, while 31% of non-religious workers said the same.  See 

It can be costly to own religious literature in Uzbekistan. On 5 September, Artur Alpayev was fined 50 times the minimum monthly wage for storing religious literature at his home. The literature was seized when his home was raided during a prayer meeting. When sentencing Artur the judge said, ‘We will continue fining you unless you stop storing religious literature in your home.’ Local Christians complained that Artur’s right to ‘search, receive and spread any information, except that which is aimed against the Constitutional order’ under Uzbekistan’s constitution, is not being respected. Police also recently raided the homes of two other Christian couples in search of religious literature. In Uzbekistan all religious literature is subject to compulsory censorship before it can be owned. However, there is no law banning individuals from owning religious literature unless it encourages people to change their beliefs.

In September believers from Muslim backgrounds were arrested. In October, Moluk Ruhani, Hamidreza Borhani and Zainab Akbari were released though Mohammad Taslimi and Parsa Dadkhah remain in Dastgerd prison. Sepideh Morshedi’s whereabouts is unknown. On 27 September security officers entered the house of Shahram Ghaedi and arrested him, Heshmat Shafiei, and Emad Haghi. Shahram Ghaedi is the actor portraying Jesus in the Iranian version of the Jesus Film. Meanwhile a British Law student, Ghoncheh Ghavami, currently in Evin Prison for ‘propaganda against the regime’ has gone on hunger strike. She was visiting family and working for a charity in June when she was arrested for attempting to attend a men-only volleyball match. Her brother has over 500,000 signatures on a petition urging the British government to help bring Ghavami home. The government said they are unable to do much because of limited diplomatic relationship with Iran. See also: 

Father Hanna Jallouf and about twenty of his parishioners were taken from the convent in the village of Knayeh by the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front on Sunday. Nuns at the convent have taken refuge in nearby homes. Many nuns, monks and priests have been kidnapped or killed in Syria since 2011. A senior Franciscan official said Fr Hanna and the other Christians had been accused of being ‘collaborators’ with the government. ‘We don't know what to do. We don't know with whom to talk, we're totally unable to get in touch with anyone.’ he said. Christians have tried to avoid taking sides. However, they are gradually being drawn into the conflict. Many fear that if the secular government is overthrown they will be targeted by groups calling for an Islamic state and Christian communities will be destroyed