A Demand For Action

A Demand For Action (ADFA): From a Social Media Campaign to an International Human Rights Advocacy Group and Aid Organization

[Nadine Maenza @nadinemaenza]

Patriarch Abune Mathias of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church urges the government to stop the attacks on Christians in Oromia, where more than 50 people have reportedly been killed with churches & property destroyed.

The international community cannot continue to look away. https://t.co/C7KT2oFmzt

[Christian Emergency Alliance @ChristianEmerg1]

Ethiopia: Dozens of Christians were slaughtered in recent days by ethnic militants in the Oromo region.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Christian community was intentionally targeted.

This evil must be stopped and those responsible brought to justice.

Pray for the afflicted.

[A Demand For Action @DemandForAction]

Congratulations to His Beatitude Mar Paul III Nona, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church. Barekh Mor! @ChaldeanNation @KyrkansTidning @chaldeanpress @Dagen @cnalive @chaldean #chaldeanchurch

[The Nobel Prize @NobelPrize]

In an area of Iraq destroyed by ISIS, Hana Khider leads an all-female team of Yazidi deminers in their attempts to clear the land of mines. Their job involves painstakingly searching for booby traps in bombed out buildings and fields, where one wrong move means certain death.

'Into the Fire' is one of a five-part short documentary series made in partnership with @grainmedia celebrating the ongoing impact and influence of Nobel Peace Prize laureates around the world.

Watch the film in its entirety: https://t.co/LdAU9wgqZZ

[A Demand For Action @DemandForAction]

The filmmaker and reporter team Daniel Allott and Jordan Allott went to Syria on a mission together with A Demand For Action to explore the situation of ethnic and religious minorities and indigenous people in Syria. See the full report via the link in the comments.

Yesterday’s news from Bab Touma, the predominantly Christian part of Damascus, made this reporting important once again. In a rally, chants of Eid takbirs were heard while marchers moved through Bab Touma. What is alarming is that similar scenes were reported in Alawite neighborhoods in Latakia and Jableh yesterday and today.

The world must open its eyes to the reality of Syria. Behind the headlines claiming that things are moving in the right direction lies the daily reality faced by Syrians.

We will continue to raise awareness about the situation and continue advocating for a Syria for all Syrians.

[A Demand For Action @DemandForAction]

Nuri Kino Cited in Canadian Report on Syria’s Minorities

The article, written by award-winning Canadian journalist Susan Korah for The Catholic Register, highlights growing concern over the worsening situation for Christians and other minorities in Syria.

ADFA’s founder Nuri Kino is cited warning about escalating persecution and insecurity facing Christians, Druze and Alawites in the country.

The article examines criticism directed at Canada’s ambassador to Syria, Gregory Galligan, after he presented an optimistic assessment of the post-Assad government before Canada’s House of Commons. Activists, survivors and humanitarian organizations argue that such statements ignore the reality faced by minorities on the ground.

Kino spoke about a foiled bomb attack targeting a Christian funeral in Aleppo on May 13.

“We are deeply concerned, and outraged,” Kino told The Catholic Register. “We called our contacts in Syria immediately and spoke to two witnesses to the incident. Now we can only thank Our Lord that the bomb did not detonate.”

He also warned that Syria’s ancient Christian community may disappear entirely unless the international community acts.

“What’s happening now is ethno-religious cleansing. A slow systematic removal of minorities through fear, violence and dispossession. The world must wake up now and demand stronger protection for Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities.”

The article also reports on massacres targeting Alawite and Druze communities, widespread displacement, collapsing healthcare and growing accusations that Western governments are relying too heavily on the Syrian regime’s own narrative while independent witnesses describe an increasingly dangerous reality for minorities. Link to article in comment.

[A Demand For Action @DemandForAction]

https://t.co/MJLBxa1Z2H

[A Demand For Action @DemandForAction]

Nuri Kino Cited in Canadian Report on Syria’s Minorities

The article, written by award-winning Canadian journalist Susan Korah for The Catholic Register, highlights growing concern over the worsening situation for Christians and other minorities in Syria.

ADFA’s founder Nuri Kino is cited warning about escalating persecution and insecurity facing Christians, Druze and Alawites in the country.

The article examines criticism directed at Canada’s ambassador to Syria, Gregory Galligan, after he presented an optimistic assessment of the post-Assad government before Canada’s House of Commons. Activists, survivors and humanitarian organizations argue that such statements ignore the reality faced by minorities on the ground.

Kino spoke about a foiled bomb attack targeting a Christian funeral in Aleppo on May 13.

“We are deeply concerned, and outraged,” Kino told The Catholic Register. “We called our contacts in Syria immediately and spoke to two witnesses to the incident. Now we can only thank Our Lord that the bomb did not detonate.”

He also warned that Syria’s ancient Christian community may disappear entirely unless the international community acts.

“What’s happening now is ethno-religious cleansing. A slow systematic removal of minorities through fear, violence and dispossession. The world must wake up now and demand stronger protection for Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities.”

The article also reports on massacres targeting Alawite and Druze communities, widespread displacement, collapsing healthcare and growing accusations that Western governments are relying too heavily on the Syrian regime’s own narrative while independent witnesses describe an increasingly dangerous reality for minorities. Link to article in comment.

[A Demand For Action @DemandForAction]

Sweden’s Migration Courts are not using key reports. In cases involving religious persecution, @USCIRF and @OpenDoorsSE are ignored. @KinoNuri’s new investigation shows that this leads to wrongful asylum decisions. @Dagen: https://t.co/hgtRFLK7WI @IRFSummit @IrfSecretariat

[Nadine Maenza @nadinemaenza]

Right now, @USCIRF has ZERO Commissioners.

We urge @POTUS and congressional leaders to promptly appoint — or reappoint — Commissioners.

Appointments remaining:
@POTUS: 3
@SpeakerJohnson: 1
@RepJeffries: 2
@johnthune: 1
@SenSchumer: 2

At a time of growing religious persecution and instability around the world, the US cannot allow a gap in this important bipartisan religious freedom institution.

[Nadine Maenza @nadinemaenza]

It’s imperative that @POTUS and both Republican and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate promptly appoint — or reappoint — Commissioners to @USCIRF for new 2-year terms.

USCIRF has become one of the most effective bipartisan bodies in Washington, documenting religious freedom conditions globally and providing important policy recommendations to Congress, the White House, and the State Department.

We cannot afford a gap in this important work.

[Open Doors UK @OpenDoorsUK]

Another bomb attack in #Syria has been foiled – this time as mourners gathered at the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese in Aleppo for a funeral.

At 10.30am yesterday (13 May), following a time of prayer, a car from the funeral company drove into the churchyard to take the coffin to the cemetery. When someone noticed something strange fall from the bottom of the car, closer inspection revealed it to be a real, handmade bomb.

“We thank God that the bomb fell off before it exploded,” said a person who was inside the church. “If it had gone off while we were all inside, it would have been a massacre. We are lucky to be alive.”

Please pray
- Praise God for the diligence, skill and bravery of those involved in foiling this attack
- For a complete end to all threats and planned attacks
- For peace and safety as Christians in Syria attend church.

Read more: https://t.co/9Bmx6XvhBX

[USCIRF @USCIRF]

COUNTRY UPDATE: Religious Freedom and Rule of Law in Syria
https://t.co/vDuYVNgMjq

[A Demand For Action @DemandForAction]

Sweden’s Migration Courts are not using key reports. In cases involving religious persecution, @USCIRF and @OpenDoorsSE are ignored. @KinoNuri’s new investigation shows that this leads to wrongful asylum decisions. @Dagen: https://t.co/hgtRFLK7WI @IRFSummit @IrfSecretariat

[Lord (David) Alton @DavidAltonHL]

Shocking report of Jihadist atrocities in eastern Congo (DRC). Amnesty describes war crimes and crimes against humanity- which are targeted at Christians and non compliant Muslims. Impunity reigns in the absence of protection or justice. @YvetteCooperMP @JennyChapman @dsnorthnorth @pritipatel @timfarron @ThomasFFarr @USCIRF @JubileeC @CSW_UK @acn_uk @NazilaGhanea @volker_turk @SamuelBrownback @SarahChampionMP @NDLawRLC @FCDOGovUK Telegraph report:

[𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢 @ColdBrief]

Reopening of Saint George Cathedral in #Hasakah
His Holiness Patriarch Mar Ignatius Aphrem II inaugurated the beautifully restored Saint George Cathedral in Hasakah yesterday.
The historic church, once heavily damaged during the Syrian civil war (including by ISIS), has been lovingly brought back to life. It now stands as a powerful symbol of hope, resilience, and renewal for Christians across Syria.
Established in the early 20th century by Syriac families who fled the Sayfo Genocide, Saint George Cathedral will continue to serve as a cherished spiritual home and a living testament to the faith and strength of the Syriac Orthodox community in the region.

[A Demand For Action @DemandForAction]

Christians and Turkmens Press for Greater Political Voice in Iraq

ANKAWA, Iraq. Christian and Turkmen parties and organizations are calling for expanded political influence and stronger legal protections in Iraq. The demands appeared in a joint statement issued Monday after a meeting in Ankawa.

The meeting brought together Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac and Armenian representatives alongside Turkmen leaders.

A central demand is the reactivation of the regional parliament in Erbil, which participants called essential to democratic governance and want resumed without delay.

They also pressed for changes to the minority quota system, with the earlier allocation restored: six seats for Christians and five for Turkmens, and only voters from each community permitted to vote for those seats.

The statement was published by Ano Abdoka, minister of transport and communications in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Iraq's Christian population has fallen from an estimated 1.5 million before 2003 to about 150,000 today, according to church leaders and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Participants insisted that Christians and Turkmens must hold real influence in Iraq's next federal government in Baghdad and in the incoming KRG, in line with election results.

The statement was addressed to the leader of the KDP and former president of the region, along with Iraq's parliament and the KRG. A delegation will open talks with Iraqi and Kurdish leaders.

The European Union Agency for Asylum, the U.S. State Department and Human Rights Watch have pointed to provisions in Iraqi law that disadvantage minorities. The constitution guarantees religious freedom but makes Islam the state religion and a key source of legislation.

Advocacy organisations, including the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), have also raised concerns about the situation of Iraq’s Christian communities.

Under the Personal Status Law, a Muslim man may marry a Christian woman, but a Muslim woman may not marry a non-Muslim man. Under the National Card Law, minor children are registered as Muslims if one parent converts, a rule long challenged by Christian and Yazidi groups.

[A Demand For Action @DemandForAction]

After 15 Years: The Church That Survived the Ruins of Deir ez-Zor

For the first time in 15 years, a Christian delegation led by Mor Aphrem II, the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox church, has visited the Church of St. Mary in Deir ez-Zor.

The church now stands as one of the last remaining religious structures in a city largely reduced to rubble during the war in Syria. Years of intense bombardment and fighting, followed by occupation by ISIS, forced the Christian population to flee almost entirely. During ISIS rule, Christians were systematically targeted, facing threats, confiscation of property, and forced displacement that effectively erased their presence from the city.

Now, amid ruins and shattered neighborhoods, a liturgy has been held once again. On the walls of the church, remnants of ISIS symbols and slogans can still be seen, even as the Lord’s Prayer is once again being sung within its damaged structure.

The visit marks the beginning of efforts to restore the church, but also something greater, an attempt to restore a voice to a community that was nearly silenced. In many cases, churches across Deir ez-Zor were damaged, repurposed, or destroyed, underscoring the deliberate nature of the erasure.

Today, almost no Christian presence remains in Deir ez-Zor. The churches that once bore witness to centuries of coexistence lie in ruins. St. Mary’s is an exception, not because it was spared, but because it is still standing.

What is happening now is fragile.
But it is also a sign that the story is not over.

ADFA continues to follow developments and to highlight the situation of religious and indigenous minorities in Syria, where reconstruction is not only about rebuilding structures, but about people, identity, and the right to remain.

[A Demand For Action @DemandForAction]

After 15 Years: The Church That Survived the Ruins of Deir ez-Zor

For the first time in 15 years, a Christian delegation led by Mor Aphrem II, the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox church, has visited the Church of St. Mary in Deir ez-Zor.

The church now stands as one of the last remaining religious structures in a city largely reduced to rubble during the war in Syria. Years of intense bombardment and fighting, followed by occupation by ISIS, forced the Christian population to flee almost entirely. During ISIS rule, Christians were systematically targeted, facing threats, confiscation of property, and forced displacement that effectively erased their presence from the city.

Now, amid ruins and shattered neighborhoods, a liturgy has been held once again. On the walls of the church, remnants of ISIS symbols and slogans can still be seen, even as the Lord’s Prayer is once again being sung within its damaged structure.

The visit marks the beginning of efforts to restore the church, but also something greater, an attempt to restore a voice to a community that was nearly silenced. In many cases, churches across Deir ez-Zor were damaged, repurposed, or destroyed, underscoring the deliberate nature of the erasure.

Today, almost no Christian presence remains in Deir ez-Zor. The churches that once bore witness to centuries of coexistence lie in ruins. St. Mary’s is an exception, not because it was spared, but because it is still standing.

What is happening now is fragile.
But it is also a sign that the story is not over.

ADFA continues to follow developments and to highlight the situation of religious and indigenous minorities in Syria, where reconstruction is not only about rebuilding structures, but about people, identity, and the right to remain.