One of the homes burned in assault on 13 villages in Plateau state, Nigeria Oct. 8-17. (Morning Star News)

JOS, Nigeria (Morning Star News) – The church elder in Plateau state, Nigeria saw the Muslim Fulani herdsmen storm into his village at 11 p.m. the night of Oct. 13, shooting in all directions.

“Every one of us ran to save his life,” Dauda Samuel Kadiya, 38, of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Zanwrua, told Morning Star News. “I was shot at, but the bullet only bruised my hand. You can see the wound yourself.”

The assailants destroyed eight houses in the attack, one of several assaults in Plateau state that went on uninterrupted from Oct. 8 to Oct. 17, killing 48 Christians, survivors said.

“All Christians in villages around here have been displaced, and worship buildings have been abandoned,” Kadiya said. “Some of the church buildings were destroyed by the attackers.”

In Zanwrua village, 62-year-old Agado Aura recounted how he and his wife narrowly escaped death.

“Myself and my wife were still sitting in front of my house chatting at about 11 p.m. in front of my house when the attackers came,” Aura, a member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Tafigana but a resident of Zanwrua, told Morning Star News. “We could not go to bed early, because the previous night a village near ours, Tafigana, was attacked by the herdsmen. Suddenly, we heard gunshots from the eastern part of the village. We ran into some of the nearby rocks close to my house and hid there.”

ECWA church elder Dauda Samuel Kadiya. (Morning Star News)

The armed herdsmen came to his house and started shooting, he said.

“They broke the doors to our rooms and then set fire on my house,” Aura said. “Having set fire on my house, they went to the next house and did the same. They continued burning houses until they were done, before they left. I was watching all they were doing from my hidden spot behind those rocks you see over there.”

Area Christian leaders told Morning Star News how armed herdsmen, apparently accompanied by terrorists from Islamic extremist groups, attacked communities just a few kilometers from a Nigerian army facility, the Rukuba Military Cantonment outside Jos, for nine days.

Moses Tsohu, a Zanwrua village leader and ECWA member, lamented that the attacks were carried out in spite of the presence of soldiers stationed at check points on the Jos-Miango Highway.

“In the past few weeks, our people have been attacked by Muslim Fulani herdsmen who are collaborating with armed terrorists to invade our communities,” Tsohu told Morning Star News. “These attacks are being carried out daily. Every blessed day we witness the invasion, killing of our people, and the destruction of their houses.”

The attacks on 13 Christian communities in the north-central state also wounded nine people and ruined 249 homes, survivors said. Herdsmen began the assaults on Oct. 8 on Nkie Dongwro village, where one Christian was killed and another wounded.

Tsonhu said a 2-year-old was among those killed over the course of the attacks. He gave the names of Christians killed in Nzherenvi, Nzherivo, and Aribakwa as Arivure, 2; John Audu, 25; Kure Dah, 31; Sunday Vire, 22; Voh Te, 20; Garba, 28; Zhu, 41; Jerry Simon, 34; Tegwi Mba, 30; and Wura Hwei, 27.

Hundreds of Christians who have been displaced were taking refuge in Miango and in Jos, Tsonhu said.

Survivors told Morning Star News that two Christians were killed in Hukke; one in Kpachudu; two in Nzhweruvo; one in Tafigana; six in Taegbe; one in Chuvorivireh; four in Aribakwa; one in Arichaka; and 30 in Nkyie Doghwro, which was attacked twice.

They said nine Christians were injured in two villages, five in Taegbe and four in Nkyie Doghwro. In addition, the herdsmen kidnapped one Christian from Rotsu village.

“We have continually woken up to news of attacks each day leaving tears, sorrow, despair and apprehension,” Sunday Abdu, president of the Community Development Association of the predominantly Christian Irigwe ethnic group, said at a press conference in Abuja.

Abdu said that there was a prior attack as well: after Sept. 8 attacks on Ancha that killed at least 20 Christians, on Sept. 9 two persons were killed, including a soldier, in Hukke. The Oct. 8 assault began in Nkie Dongwro, killing one Christian and wounding another, he said.

Abdu said that a young man in Kpachudu, Solomon Elisha, was killed on Oct. 10; three people were killed and houses razed on Oct. 11 in Nzhweruvo and Tafigana; On Oct. 12, Muslim Fulani herdsmen razed houses in Rikwe Chongu; on Oct. 14 in Taegbe, six people were killed, five injured and houses destroyed; in Nkyie Doghwro on Oct. 16, 29 people were killed and three injured at a school used as a camp where security forces were present.

“It is painful to note that all these happened despite useful, timely information provided to security personnel, regarding movement and mode of operation of the assailants,” he said.

The 13 villages attacked across nine days were Hukke, Kpachudu, Nzhweruvo, Tafigana, Rikwe Chongu, Taegbe, Zanwrua, Nchetahu, Chuvorivireh, Aribakwa, Nshuariba, Arichaka, and Nkyie Doghwro.

Christians make up 51.3 percent of Nigeria’s population, while Muslims living primarily in the north and middle belt account for 45 percent.

Nigeria ranks 12^th on Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List of countries where Christians suffer the most persecution.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.  

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at http://morningstarnews.org/donate/?   

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© 2017 Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News.  

Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription or to make tax-deductible donations, contact editor@morningstarnews.org, or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

The post Christians Recount Terror of Herdsmen’s Nine-Day Massacre in Plateau State, Nigeria appeared first on Morningstar News.

Case filed anew against pastor Yohana Madai of Tomondo, Zanzibar, Tanzania. (Morning Star News)

NAIROBI, Kenya (Morning Star News) – A judge failed to show up at a hearing for a pastor facing accusations of child abuse in a case in Zanzibar that Muslims have kept alive after charges were twice dismissed, sources said.

Shortly after charges were filed on the semi-autonomous island off the coast of Tanzania in November 2014, police closed the case against pastor Yohana Madai of the Free Pentecostal Church of Tanzania in Tomondo village, near Zanzibar Town. They cited lack of evidence and witnesses, according to the Pastors Alliance of Zanzibar.

The accusers got the case re-opened last April in order to slander the pastor and drain the 70-member church resources, according to the alliance.

“The court is dragging this case out, which is really becoming costly and hurting the church,” Pastor Madai said. “Why should a hearing be called off at the last minute?”

The pastor and his attorneys were given no reason for the judge failing to show up at the Oct. 16 hearing, sources said. The next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 21.

“I am hurt by the alleged assault labeled against me, which is stressing my family members as well as the church,” Pastor Madai told Morning Star News. “Some of my members have left the church due to bad soil that the Muslims have smeared on me.”

The charge against him has been dropped twice. A 9-year-old girl pounded on the door of his church building on Nov. 10, 2014 with intent to disrupt worship, according to the alliance. The pastor ran out and took her to local government leaders to give her a warning, and village leaders resolved the issue after meeting with her mother, Gladness Mohamed Ngaa.

The next day, however, Ngaa went to police and filed a charge of child abuse, saying the pastor had touched her daughter’s breast and removed her veil – a crime that carries a prison sentence of 30 years.

Police summoned Pastor Madai for a statement, but when he arrived, the officer-in-charge jailed him without taking a statement or listening to anything he said, according to the alliance. The next day leaders from his church registered a complaint about his incarceration, and he was released on condition that he report back to the police station.

When Pastor Madai reported back to the station a few days later, according to the alliance, the officer-in-charge told him that investigations had turned up no evidence of wrongdoing and no witnesses, and that the case was closed.

When that officer was transferred to the Tanzania mainland earlier this year, however, the girl’s mother – now accompanied by a sheikh (Islamic teacher) and other Muslims – filed the charges against him again in Zanzibar, the alliance leader said.

The pastor was summoned for a court hearing in Mwanakwerekwe, on the outskirts of Zanzibar Town, on the child abuse charges in early March, but again the accuser was unable to produce any evidence or witnesses, he said. Two other hearings with the same outcome took place, and a judge again dismissed the charges on April 6.

He was ordered set free, but when the case was dismissed, one of the Muslims accompanying Ngaa rushed out to meet with his associates and police officers waiting outside the courtroom, according to the alliance. As Pastor Madai left the courtroom, they promptly arrested him on unspecified charges.

“We as a church read mischief in the handling of our pastor’s case, which is intended to cause a lot of harm and stress to our pastor as well as our church,” said a church leader who requested anonymity. “Muslims are now magnifying the issue, saying that our church has an immoral pastor.”

The burden on the church is huge, he added, as members must pay for the pastor’s legal fees along with his living expenses.

Area Muslims are harassing the congregation in other ways.

“Our church members who are in the rental houses with Muslim neighbors are not allowed to turn on their radios and TVs or listen to Gospel music,” the pastor said. “If you do, you are threatened with having these items destroyed, and there is pressure to vacate the premise. My church members have been taken captives. To make the matter worse, some of our ladies were beaten for putting on short dresses.”

Christians find it difficult to receive a fair court hearing in Zanzibar, where several land cases are pending, he added. Pastor Amos Lukanula of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God has been battling area Muslims in court since 2007, when they issued a court-ordered stop to his church erecting a building despite having met all legal requirements to do so. The church lost the case in July 2017 after spending $100 dollars monthly since 2007.

The pastor needs prayers along with financial and legal assistance, according to the alliance.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.  

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at http://morningstarnews.org/donate/?   

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© 2017 Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News.  

Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription or to make tax-deductible donations, contact editor@morningstarnews.org, or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

The post Muslims Target Pastor with Criminal Accusation in Zanzibar, Tanzania appeared first on Morningstar News.

Sudanese Church of Christ building in Omdurman previously demolished on Feb. 17, 2014. (Morning Star News)

JUBA, South Sudan (Morning Star News) – In an ongoing bid by the government of Sudan to take over leadership of the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC), police on Sunday (Oct. 22) arrested five SCOC church leaders after they refused to comply with an order to refrain from worship, sources told Morning Star News.

Police officers arrived at the SCOC-Harat church in the Hai Al Thawra West area of Omdurman and ordered the Christians to cancel the worship service. Omdurman lies across the Nile River from Khartoum. When the church leaders refused, police arrested them, the sources said.

One source told Morning Star News that they were charged with disturbing the public before they were released late last night. Angry police spoke harshly to them during the arrest, threatening that they would not be released, the source said, but after questioning they were released at 11 p.m.

Three pastors were detained – the Rev.  Ayoub Tiliyan, SCOC moderator; the Rev. Ali Haakim Al Aam, pastor-in-charge of the block 29 congregation; and pastor Ambrator Hammad, sources said. Two evangelists, Habill  Ibrahim and elder Abdul Bagi Tutu, a member of the SCOC presbytery, were also arrested, they said.

 The harassment came after police in Sudan detained and questioned another church leader in Omdurman last month and, in August, seven other church leaders were arrested, interrogated and released on bail. Elder Mahjoub Abotrin of the SCOC was arrested from his home in Omdurman on Sept. 22 and was interrogated before he was released. Sources said he was arrested because of his refusal to hand over SCOC leadership to government-appointed leadership.

The current leadership expires on March 2018. The SCOC constitution calls for a general assembly every three years to appoint church leaders.

On Aug. 23, seven church leaders were arrested, jailed for six hours and interrogated for refusing to comply with a government order to hand over church leadership to the government’s committee. The leaders were released on bail after authorities told them to comply with the government order, which they roundly rejected.

The Rev. Kwa Shamaal (also transliterated Kuwa Shamaal), SCOC head of missions, and the Rev. Ayoub Mattan, SCOC moderator, were among the church leaders arrested. Pastor Shamaal was previously arrested on Dec. 18, 2015 and acquitted on Jan. 2 this year of charges ranging from spying to inciting hatred against the government.

Pastors Mattan, Shamaal and the others are still members of the legitimate executive committee of the SCOC.

Another SCOC pastor, the Rev. Hassan Abdelrahim Tawor, had received a 12-year sentence earlier this year after being charged with spying and trying to tarnish Sudan’s image, but he was freed along with Abdulmonem Abdumawla of Darfur on May 11 after receiving a presidential pardon.

He had been arrested along with Pastor Shamaal in December 2015. They were convicted on baseless charges of assisting Czech aid worker Petr Jasek – pardoned and released on Feb. 25 – in alleged espionage, causing hatred among communities and spreading false information, according to their attorney.

Foreign diplomats and international rights activists took notice of the case after Morning Star News broke the story of the arrest of pastors Abdelrahim Tawor and Shamaal. Their arrests were seen as part of a recent upsurge in harassment of Christians.

Most SCOC members have roots among the ethnic Nuba in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan’s South Kordofan state, where the government is fighting an insurgency. The Nuba along with other Christians in Sudan face discrimination and harassment, as Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir has vowed to introduce a stricter version of sharia (Islamic law) and recognize only Islamic culture and Arabic language.

In its campaign to rid the country of Christianity, Sudan has designated 25 church buildings for destruction, and on Aug. 2 it demolished a Baptist church in Omdurman. On May 7 Khartoum state authorities in Sudan demolished a church building in the Khartoum suburb of Soba al Aradi, which began as a refugee camp for south Sudanese. A bulldozer sent by Jebel Aulia locality and the Ministry of Planning and Urban Development destroyed the SCOC building.

Authorities had notified church leaders of the impending demolition just a week prior. The government reportedly claimed the churches were built on land zoned for residential or other uses, or were on government land, but church leaders said it is part of wider crack-down on Christianity.

Harassment, arrests and persecution of Christians have intensified since the secession of South Sudan in July 2011. The Sudanese Minister of Guidance and Endowments announced in April 2013 that no new licenses would be granted for building new churches in Sudan, citing a decrease in the South Sudanese population.

Sudan since 2012 has expelled foreign Christians and bulldozed church buildings on the pretext that they belonged to South Sudanese. Besides raiding Christian bookstores and arresting Christians, authorities threatened to kill South Sudanese Christians who do not leave or cooperate with them in their effort to find other Christians.

Sudan fought a civil war with the south Sudanese from 1983 to 2005, and in June 2011, shortly before the secession of South Sudan the following month, the government began fighting a rebel group in the Nuba Mountains that has its roots in South Sudan.

Due to its treatment of Christians and other human rights violations, Sudan has been designated a Country of Particular Concern by the U.S. State Department since 1999, and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended the country remain on the list in its 2017 report.

Sudan ranked fifth on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List of countries where Christians face most persecution.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.  

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at http://morningstarnews.org/donate/?   

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© 2017 Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News.  

Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription or to make tax-deductible donations, contact editor@morningstarnews.org, or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

The post Five Church Leaders in Sudan Arrested after Refusing to Cancel Worship Service appeared first on Morningstar News.

Port Sudan, Sudan. (Wikipedia)

JUBA, South Sudan (Morning Star News) – Authorities in Sudan have detained a container of Bibles in Port Sudan without explanation for at least two years, a source said.

A Bible Society in Sudan representative told Morning Star News the container was one of two containing Arabic Bibles detained more than two years ago. The other container was released shortly after appeals to port authorities.

The detained shipments were destined for Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, said the source, who asked to remain unnamed for security reasons. At present the Bible Society in Sudan does not have a single copy of an Arabic Bible available in Khartoum, he said.

Other shipments of Bibles at Port Sudan, on the Red Sea, have also been detained over the past two years, he added.

A church leader said availability of Bibles and Christian literature in the country is increasingly limited.

“There is difficulty in getting Bibles in the country,” he said.

The Bible Society in Sudan representative said a port official in the past week has been more willing to consider releasing the shipment. Sudan links Christianity with the West, and Christian leaders speculated that Sudan may be opening to releasing the shipment as the U.S. administration lifted sanctions on Oct. 12. The sanctions had been in place since 1997 for Sudan’s terrorist ties and human rights violations.

Port officials were unavailable for comment.

Other international Bible providers have also complained of Sudan detaining shipping containers full of Bibles – usually due to corruption, but in some cases also to keep Judeo-Christian scripture out of the country.

Detainment of Bibles in Sudan also took place before 2011, with one shipment held up for nearly four years, the Bible Society source said.

Following the secession of South Sudan in 2011, President Omar al-Bashir vowed to adopt a stricter version of sharia (Islamic law) and recognize only Islamic culture and the Arabic language. Church leaders said Sudanese authorities have demolished or confiscated churches and limited Christian literature on the pretext that most Christians have left the country following South Sudan’s secession.

The Sudanese Minister of Guidance and Endowments announced in April 2013 that no new licenses would be granted for building new churches in Sudan, citing a decrease in the South Sudanese population.

Sudan since 2012 has expelled foreign Christians and bulldozed church buildings on the pretext that they belonged to South Sudanese. Besides raiding Christian bookstores and arresting Christians, authorities threatened to kill South Sudanese Christians who do not leave or cooperate with them in their effort to find other Christians.

Sudan fought a civil war with the south Sudanese from 1983 to 2005, and in June 2011, shortly before the secession of South Sudan the following month, the government began fighting a rebel group in the Nuba Mountains that has its roots in South Sudan.

Due to its treatment of Christians and other human rights violations, Sudan has been designated a Country of Particular Concern by the U.S. State Department since 1999, and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended the country remain on the list in its 2017 report.

Sudan ranked fifth on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List of countries where Christians face most persecution.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.   

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at http://morningstarnews.org/donate/?   

###

© 2017 Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News.  

Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription or to make tax-deductible donations, contact editor@morningstarnews.org, or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

The post Port Authorities in Sudan Detain Bible Shipment without Explanation appeared first on Morningstar News.

Hindu deity Keshav Dev at temple bearing his name in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India. (Wikimedia)

HYDERABAD, India (Morning Star News) – A Christian teenager in northern India was jailed for 12 days after anti-Hindu comments appeared on a fake Facebook account in his name, sources said.

Sandeep Kumar, 18, christened Karan Anthony, was released on bail 12 days after being arrested on Aug. 23 and charged with posting anti-Hindu comments on Facebook in Uttar Pradesh state. The University of Allahabad student of agricultural sciences was arrested when members of the Hindu extremist Rudra Sena in his home area of Kasganj District filed a complaint with police.

“I did not make any posts on Facebook,” Anthony told Morning Star News. “It was my good friend who falsely framed me by joining hands with Rudra Sena activists.”

He said he has not used Facebook in months.

“Whenever I posted something about Jesus, my friend Sathin and other classmates started sending abusive comments,” he said. “They were expressing hatred in vulgar language, and I did not like it. I deactivated Facebook immediately and never logged in after that incident.”

The chief complainant, Sathin Gaur, was a former classmate and friend of Anthony, the Christian’s father, pastor Shriniwas Gautam, told Morning Star News.

Kasganj District police registered a First Information Report (FIR) charging Anthony with “promoting enmity between classes” (section 153A of the Indian Penal Code), punishable by three years of prison and/or a fine, and “publishing or transmitting obscene material” (Section 67 of the Information Technology Act), punishable by imprisonment of up to three years and/or a fine of 500,000 rupees (US$7,725).

He was also charged with accessing a computer without the permission of the owner and doing so dishonestly or fraudulently (Section 66 of the Information Technology Act), punishable by up to three years and/or a fine of up to 500,000 rupees (US$7,725).

Attorney Suresh Sahu, who represented Anthony before the district’s Criminal Magistrate Court, said police are continuing to investigate.

Anthony said he has long been a target of his Hindu friends because they know his father is a pastor.

“Before this Facebook row, they got me into trouble twice,” he said. “They beat me severely, alleging, ‘You are Christian, you are from low caste.’”

He had lost contact with his old high school friends after beginning university, he said. While in police custody, he said, he discovered a fake Facebook account had been set up with his name and photo.

“Somebody was using this account to post abusive, anti-Hindu content – I told the police it is not me,” Anthony said. “I was not at all aware about the fake Facebook account. I was only focusing on my studies, and we have worship services on the campus also every morning and evening, so I was spending most of my time with Christian friends here and never felt the need to open a social media account.”

The FIR lists the complainants as members of Hindu extremist groups Rudra Sena and Hindu Yuva Vahini, along with Hindu nationalist student political party presidents and vice-presidents, Pastor Gautam told Morning Star News. He added, “Karan Anthony for them is a Christian boy from lower castes, and now that he secured admission in an esteemed university, they are not happy with it.”

Gaur signed the FIR along with Vaibhav Kumar, vice president of the Hindu Yuva Vahini (Vajpayee Nagar); Amar Dubey, Patiali vice president of the Rudra Sena; Vikas Pratap Singh, Patiali vice president of the Hindu Yuva Vahini; Amar Chauhan, president of the Rudra Sena in Patiali; Jacky Yadav, president of the Student Union in Patiali; and Rudra Sena members Ramendra Mishra, Rishab Shakya and Rohit Solanki.

The complainants badgered his mother into calling him back to his home village in Kasganj District, he said, where police took him into custody. He did not receive anything to eat the first two days, Anthony said.

“I knelt down and prayed a day after I was presented before the court,” he said. “When I was in jail, every day I was spending time in prayer; the other prisoners did not understand what was going on, they asked me many questions like, ‘What is this you are doing, why are you knelt, what are you murmuring?’ It was an opportunity the Lord had given me to share the gospel with them.”

The other inmates were happy to hear about Christ, he said, and they discussed Jesus daily.

“I felt so light, like all my burdens vanished at once,” he said. “I even invited them to our church in Patiali town, Kasganj.”

After 12 days in jail, he was weak and ill from malaria and typhoid, he said.

“I am praying every day for Sathin and the other complainants,” Anthony told Morning Star News. “I have forgiven them. I want Sathin to recognize the Lord’s love. Through all these hardships, the Lord is with me, and I want them to see this.”

Local media have published false reports that his father and members of his family are guilty of forcible conversion, he added.

“Nobody tried to find out the truth,” he said.

His father said he also has faced persecution, in his case for leading worship services in Kasganj villages.

“I too was beaten and arrested,” Pastor Gautam said in tears. “They even stripped my wife and insulted her.”

Anthony’s brother, Kuldeep Kumar, said Anthony is a brilliant student and very friendly with all people.

“He shares with his friends about Jesus and His second coming,” Kumar told Morning Star News. “He boldly shares his testimony. He will never abuse or pass any hurtful statements, neither on social media nor directly. He is a very good friend and brother.”

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took power in May 2014, the hostile tone of his National Democratic Alliance government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), against non-Hindus has emboldened Hindu extremists in several parts of the country to attack Christians, religious rights advocates say.

India ranked 15^th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List of the countries where Christians experience the most persecution.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.  

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at http://morningstarnews.org/donate/?   

###

© 2017 Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News.  

Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription or to make tax-deductible donations, contact editor@morningstarnews.org, or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

The post Christian Teenager in India Arrested for Comments on Fake Facebook, Sources Say appeared first on Morningstar News.

Assailant arriving at warehouse door in pursuit of Coptic Orthodox bishop on outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. (Screen grab of security footage)

CAIRO (Morning Star News) – A Coptic Orthodox bishop from Upper Egypt was slain outside Cairo, Egypt yesterday.

The assailant struck Bishop Samaan Shehata in the head, neck and torso with a machete in the El Salam area near El Marg District on the outskirts of Cairo, according to local reports. Shehata was born in 1972.

While a security spokesman said the suspect, Ahmed Saeed Ibrahim, was mentally ill, neighbors reportedly denied this, saying he was a Muslim who had been “radicalized” a year ago. Since then, they said, Ibrahim had begun praying in the street, shouting loudly and calling Christians infidels.

The suspect walked calmly out of the warehouse after killing Shehata, according to security camera footage. Captured by people on the street and now in custody, Ibrahim had reportedly approached Shehata wielding the large knife while the bishop was waiting for another clergyman in his car.

Visiting from his Church of St. Julius Akfazi in Ezbet Girgis village, in Beni Suef Governorate, Shehata was waiting for another priest, the Rev. Beimen Moftah, when Ibrahim accosted him and attacked him, eyewitnesses told local press. Reports conflicted on whether Moftah, of the Church of the Arch Angel Malak in Ezbet Francis, Mattay village, was injured, but he did reportedly confront the assailant.

Stabbed in the neck and torso near the Virgin and Bishop Shenouda El Daeiry church, the wounded Shehata fled on foot into the warehouse, according to security camera footage obtained by El Youm el Sabe News agency, which shows the assailant following with the machete.

Police said eyewitnesses reported that the assailant had seen Shehata in his car, forcibly stopped him, ordered him out and then started to stab him in the neck and torso. Shehata fled, and the attacker followed him into the warehouse and finished his attack there with several blows to the head, they said.

Shehata’s driver, identified as Gerges Kamel, reportedly said the bishop had gotten out of the car to retrieve his cell phone at the warehouse when the assailant stopped him and stabbed him in the side, neck and skull. Kamel said the assailant used the bishop’s blood to form a cross on his forehead, according to a local newspaper.

An ambulance didn’t arrive until 90 minutes after the assault, according to Kamel, who added that the bishop was alive for half an hour after being struck and could have been saved if the ambulance had arrived timely.

He denied that the suspect was mentally ill.

Local press reported that the suspect was 19 years old and had joined a Salafi jihadist group three months prior. After his arrest, Ibrahim reportedly claimed that he was mentally ill and suffered from epileptic seizures. A piece of paper was reportedly found in his pocket saying, “the mission is done successfully.”

A preliminary autopsy reportedly showed the cause of death to be blows to the head with a long knife (machete), causing a longitudinal deep crack in the skull and internal bleeding in the abdomen.

Area residents said on social media that the suspect was known for insulting numerous Christians, picking fights with them and assaulting them. Christians made several complaints to police, which were largely ignored, according to local reports.

Shehata had reportedly worked for years to obtain a permit to construct a church building for his parishioners, who otherwise met in a small room of an association building, with most of the worshippers standing in the street. Recently the bishop found a 1,000-square-meter site on which to build, and he was reportedly in Cairo to collect donations for the building. Local press reported that residents had filed 18 police statements objecting to his church building plans.

Sheikh Abbas Shooman, dean of preeminent Islamic authority Al-Azhar University in Cairo, denounced the attack on Shehata, writing on Facebook, “An assault that religions reject…the treacherous attack on bishop Samaan Shehata, priest of the Church of St. Julius Akfazi in the village of Ezbet Girgis in the province of Beni Sueif, an attack rejected by the law of heaven and above all our religion.”

Ordained a priest in 1999 and promoted to bishop in 2001, Shehata served at Church of St. Julius Akfazi. According to the Coptic Orthodox Church Network, St. Julius of Agfahs (Akfazi), who lived in the late third and early fourth centuries, was martyred after writing a biography of church martyrs.

Another Priest Attacked

Another priest, whom local press identified as the Rev. Mikhail Melad Tawadrous, 67, of the Arch Angel Michael in Qoft, Qena Governorate, was seriously injured on the same day.

A Muslim vegetable vendor reportedly attacked Tawadrous with heavy objects, leaving him with cuts on his hand, bruises on his chest and blood in his lungs. When the priest called out for help, bystanders reportedly encouraged the suspect, Saad Mohamed Mahmoud Hassan, to kill him.

Hassan had been jailed 12 for years before, and a few days before the attack, he had insulted another priest. Authorities reportedly tried to persuade Tawadrous to drop charges, claiming that the attacker is mentally ill, and the priest refused. Hassan was held for questioning and released.

Egypt is ranked 21^st on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List of the countries where is it is most difficult to be a Christian.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.  

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at http://morningstarnews.org/donate/?   

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© 2017 Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News.  

Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription or to make tax-deductible donations, contact editor@morningstarnews.org, or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

The post Coptic Orthodox Bishop Killed outside Cairo, Egypt appeared first on Morningstar News.

Arsalan Masih’s mother mourns over his body. (Morning Star News courtesy of attorney)

LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – Police in Pakistan beat a 14-year-old Christian boy to death on Monday (Oct. 9) because he had gotten into a fight with a Muslim classmate who tried to bully him into renouncing his faith, sources said.

Mushtaq Masih, father of Arsalan Masih, said that his son was a student at a private center in Jhabran Mandi village, Sheikhupura District in Punjab Province. Arsalan was at the center when seven policemen from the Bahu Chowk Police Post arrived at about 5 p.m. in their official vehicle and stormed the premises, Masih told Morning Star News.

“Arsalan was attending his tuition classes at the Ideal Science Academy when Head Constable Imtiaz, Driver Rashid, Constable Arshad and some other unidentified policemen kicked open the door and dragged him out of the classroom,” Masih said. “Sardar, alias Billu, a police constable, helped them to identify the boy. With this, they all started beating Arsalan with fists, kicks and rifle butts.”

Teacher Farhan Ali tried to stop the assault, but the officers shoved and slapped him and continued beating the boy, Masih said.

“Rashid struck Arsalan’s head with a pistol, and he started bleeding,” he said. “When they bundled him into the police van, Arsalan collapsed and died. Later the police team threw Arsalan’s body on the roadside and fled.”

Numerous bystanders witnessed the assault, but the policemen threatened them if they intervened, he added.

Four months ago Arsalan had fought with a Muslim boy after the classmate tried to bully him into renouncing his Christian faith, said Masih, a member of the Presbyterian Church in Pakistan.

“I did not know about the fight until recently,” he said. “Arsalan had reportedly beaten up a boy whose uncle, Sardar alias Billu, is a constable in the Sheikhupura District police. Billu nurtured a grudge against Arsalan, and that’s why he brought his police friends with him to teach the poor boy a lesson.”

Masih said that he had registered a case (No. 653/17) with the Sheikhupura Saddar Police Station against seven officers, but that police had so far been unable to arrest them.

Accused Police Flee

Sheikhupura Superintendent of Police Sarfraz Virk told Morning Star News that he had ordered the registration of a case against the accused policemen and also suspended the in-charge of the Bahu Police Post for negligence in official duties.

“We are trying our best to arrest the nominated accused, who have fled the area since the day of the incident,” he said. “The boy was not wanted in any case, and it’s quite clear that the policemen had gone there on their own and misused their official authority.”

Sub-Inspector Safdar Javed of the Bahu Police Post told Morning Star News that he had just taken charge and was investigating the case.

“So far, no accused has been arrested,” he said. “My investigation till now has revealed that no case or complaint was registered against Arsalan with the Bahu police. The policemen transgressed their authority and will be brought to justice at all costs.”

He said investigators were taking into consideration the family’s claim that the killing was religiously motivated.

The maternal grandfather of the Arsalan, identified only as Pastor Shafqat, said that there were 300 to 400 Christian families in the Jhabran Mandi area.

“Fights do take place among boys from both communities over petty issues, but this is the first time a boy has lost his life,” he said. “The murderers didn’t even [have pained conscience] for a second that they were ruthlessly beating a 14-year-old boy. What had he done to deserve such a brutal death?”

The case has been taken up by the Pakistan Center for Law and Justice (PCLJ). Attorney Kashif Naimat of the PCLJ told Morning Star News that police were initially reluctant to register a First Information Report (FIR) against their colleagues.

“However, the police were forced to register the FIR after Arsalan’s family and other Christians blocked the main highway for several hours on Monday night in protest,” he said. “PCLJ has taken up the case voluntarily, and we will do our best to bring perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice regardless of their influence.”

In August, another Christian student was killed. On Aug. 27, 17-year-old Sharoon Masih was killed by a Muslim classmate during school hours in Punjab’s Vehari District because he had drunk water from a glass used by all students – an act many Muslims hold in disdain as they regard Christians as “unclean.”

Christian rights activists said the killing showed that religious intolerance was seeping into all sections of society, including government departments. Rufus Solomon, a leading Christian rights advocate, said it was tragic that another Christian boy had fallen victim to “extremist Islam.”

“The situation won’t improve for Pakistani Christians until the government repeals the blasphemy laws,” he said. “These laws promote extremism and encourage Muslims to force their views on members of the minority communities, particularly Christians. No government in Pakistan has the spine to take on religious extremism therefore our people will continue to suffer losses, both human and material.”

It is highly likely that police will favor their own colleagues even though the murder of the Christian boy took place in front of numerous witnesses, he said.

“Arresting the accused is one thing, taking the matter to its logical end is another,” he said, adding that like other departments, the Pakistani police too had double standards when it came to issues involving members of the minority communities.

Napolean Qayyum, another Christian rights activist, echoed Solomon’s views, saying he saw little hope for justice for the family of the slain boy.

“How many people actually believe that the police will build a strong prosecution against their own fellows? Not many, I’m sure!” he said, adding that no Christian political leader had shown interest in assisting the family in the case.

Pakistan ranked fourth on Christian support group Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.  

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at http://morningstarnews.org/donate/?   

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© 2017 Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News.

Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription or to make tax-deductible donations, contact editor@morningstarnews.org, or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

The post Police in Pakistan Beat Christian Boy to Death, Father Says appeared first on Morningstar News.

Letter from chairman of the Tirinyi Local Council requesting help from Tirinyi police for 20-year-old Christian allegedly beaten by his father. (Morning Star News)

NAIROBI, Kenya (Morning Star News) – The young man did not answer after his father asked him if he had ditched Islam to become a Christian.

Magale (also called Mabala) Hamidu, 20, of Nanoko village in eastern Uganda, had become a Christian seven months before. He had been failing to attend mosque prayers, and his father had learned that twice a Christian pastor had visited him at their home.

As Hamidu kept quiet, his father began beating him with a stick, sources told Morning Star News. They said other family members picked up sticks and joined in.

Hamidu’s screams on that day, Sept. 20, alerted neighbors who managed to pull the bleeding young man away. He was rushed to a community clinic in Tirinyi Sub-County, Kibuku District, where he was treated for injuries to his head and right hand and discharged, they said.

A neighbor told Morning Star News that Hamidu’s father, Kasani Mubali, said he wants to kill his son.

“I will rest only after getting rid of Hamidu – he has become a big embarrassment to my family,” the neighbor said Mubali told him.

After being discharged from the hospital, Hamidu was taken to Pastor Joseph Kisense of New Valley Baptist Church in Kiryolo. Pastor Kisense said he reported the alleged assault to the chairman of the Tirinyi Local Council, who in turn notified Tirinyi police.

The pastor said he is consulting with police officers about whether to arrest Mubali, as they believe it would trigger Islamist attacks on him or his church because several Muslims have come to Christ through his ministry.

Pastor Kisense said he has been receiving threats from area Muslims.

“We are aware that several of our Muslim members are being accommodated by your church, and if you continue housing them, then be informed that your church and life has been marked, and expect something serious to happen soon,” read one anonymous message, he said.

After a friend persuaded Hamidu to attend an open-air, evangelistic event on Feb. 15 near the church site in Kiryolo, Hamidu had felt a deep sense of sinful mortality and spoke with Pastor Kisense afterwards. The pastor took him to the church building, where Hamidu prayed to receive Christ as Lord and Savior.

For months the young man secretly attended the church before he was discovered. He is now in hiding.

Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Uganda’s population, with many concentrated in the eastern part of the country. In August, a woman in eastern Uganda who put her faith in Christ went into hiding after her husband beat her for leaving Islam, sources said.

Sophia Nakisaala, 35, turned to Christ on Aug. 7 after her daughter was healed when a street preacher she’d heard in Bulopa village, Kamuli District, prayed for her, she said.

Earlier this year Muslims began monitoring pastor Christopher James Kalaja of Nakabale village, Kaderuna Sub-County, because he filed a court case against those who recently destroyed his farm, home and church building, his wife told Morning Star News.

The incident is one of many recent attacks by non-state figures on Christians in eastern Uganda. Uganda’s constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate one’s faith and convert from one faith to another.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at http://morningstarnews.org/donate/? 

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© 2017 Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News.  

Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription or to make tax-deductible donations, contact editor@morningstarnews.org, or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

The post Muslim Father in Uganda Drives Son from Home for Becoming Christian appeared first on Morningstar News.

Liu Zigeng (left) threatened to kill a Christian family whose land he and others had seized, according to China Aid Association. (China Aid)

(Morning Star News) – While a government-hired thug in China threatened to kill a Christian family, officials in a neighboring province arrested a pastor, her daughter and her 3-year-old grandson, sources said.

In Xinning, Hubei Province in the central part of the country, police and religious affairs officials upset by a house church’s outreach arrested pastor Xu Shizhen, her daughter Xu Yuqing, and Xu Yuqing’s 3-year-old son, Xu Shouwang, on the night of Sept. 22, according to advocacy group China Aid Association.

The pastor and her daughter had taken part in an evangelistic effort by their unregistered congregation, Zion Church, to proclaim Christ in public parks and squares, according to China Aid. In the outreach, which included song, dance and music on bamboo instruments, the women shared the gospel even as local religious affairs, public security, and national security bureau authorities frequently interrupted them, China Aid reported.

Family members who inquired of police about the detainees on Sept. 24 discovered that officers had separated the women from the small child, keeping him at the station while transferring his mother and grandmother to other sites, according to China Aid. The organization reported that no one knew whether the women were under criminal or administrative detention.

Previously, on Sept. 13, Deputy Director of Xianan District Religious Affairs Bureau Yang Haijun led a group of police officers to Change Square, where Xu Shizhen and other church members had gathered to talk with people about Christ.

“The officials detained three Christians and drove the evangelists from the square,” Christian Aid reported.

The religious affairs bureau on Aug. 23 had sent Xu Shizhen a notice accusing the church of violating Regulations on Religious Affairs and ordered her to stop the missionary work, according to the advocacy group.

Xu previously pastored Hongqiao Church, a house church that became part of the official Three-Self Church in April 2012 after officials forcibly occupied its building and damaged its property. China Aid reported that when she left to start a new church, police continued to harass her and her congregation.

Family Threatened

In Nanyang, in neighboring Henan Province, an official on Sept. 21 threatened to kill a Christian family for attempting to harvest peanuts on a field that government-hired thugs had seized last year.

When Bai Fengju, a Christian, and relatives arrived at the field that morning, the gang prevented them from gathering peanuts from last year’s planting.

“Liu Zigeng, a man who headed the same gang to confiscate a portion of Bai’s property in a government-backed bid to build a road leading up to a Buddhist temple, threatened to kill all of Bai’s family should they gather the peanuts,” China Aid reported. “According to Feng Haiqin, Bai’s daughter-in-law, ‘[Liu] said he was supposed to collect the peanuts, not us.’”

Liu had destroyed bean sprouts owned by Bai’s family and bulldozed his farmland in order to build a road connecting a Buddhist temple to an area outside the village, the group reported.

“When Bai tried to defend his land, Liu threatened to beat him to death,” China Aid reported. “Even though Bai repeatedly complained to local government departments, Liu was allowed to keep occupying his land and making threats against his family members.”

Zhao Yushan, the village secretary for the region, told China Aid on Sept. 23 that the conflict had been resolved. Feng, Bai’s daughter-in-law, said that an official invited Liu to his home on Sept. 21 to discuss the matter, but that she didn’t know the outcome.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.   

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at http://morningstarnews.org/donate/?   

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© 2017 Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News.

Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription or to make tax-deductible donations, contact editor@morningstarnews.org, or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

The post Authorities in China Detain Pastor, Daughter and 3-year-old Grandson appeared first on Morningstar News.

Remains of Sudanese Church of Christ in North Khartoum demolished in 2014. (Morning Star News)

JUBA, South Sudan (Morning Star News) – A month after seven church leaders were arrested, interrogated and released on bail, police in Sudan detained and questioned another church leader in Omdurman on Friday (Sept. 22), sources said.

Elder Mahjoub Abotrin of the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC) was arrested from his home in Omdurman, across the Nile River from Khartoum, and was interrogated before he was released. It was not clear if he was charged with any offense, but sources said that he was arrested because of his refusal to hand over SCOC leadership to government-appointed leadership.

The current leadership expires on March 2018. The SCOC constitution calls for a general assembly every three years to appoint church leaders.

Rev. Kwa Shamaal (also transliterated Kuwa Shamaal), SCOC head of missions, confirmed the arrest of Abotrin to Morning Star News.

“We cannot allow them [government-appointed committee members] to take over the church,” Shamaal said.

On Aug. 23 seven church leaders were arrested, jailed for six hours and interrogated for refusing to comply with a government order to hand over church leadership to the government’s committee. The leaders were released on bail after authorities told them to comply with the government order, which they roundly rejected.

Shamaal and the Rev. Ayoub Mattan, SCOC moderator, were among the church leaders arrested. Pastor Shamaal was previously arrested on Dec. 18, 2015 and acquitted on Jan. 2 this year of charges ranging from spying to inciting hatred against the government.

Pastors Mattan, Shamaal and the others are still members of the legitimate executive committee of the SCOC.

Another SCOC pastor, the Rev. Hassan Abdelrahim Tawor, had received a 12-year sentence earlier this year after being charged with spying and trying to tarnish Sudan’s image, but he was freed along with Abdulmonem Abdumawla of Darfur on May 11 after receiving a presidential pardon.

He had been arrested along with Pastor Shamaal in December 2015. They were convicted on baseless charges of assisting Czech aid worker Petr Jasek – pardoned and released on Feb. 25 – in alleged espionage, causing hatred among communities and spreading false information, according to their attorney.

Foreign diplomats and international rights activists took notice of the case after Morning Star News broke the story of the arrest of pastors Abdelrahim Tawor and Shamaal. Their arrests were seen as part of a recent upsurge in harassment of Christians.

Most SCOC members have roots among the ethnic Nuba in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan’s South Kordofan state, where the government is fighting an insurgency. The Nuba along with other Christians in Sudan face discrimination and harassment, as Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir has vowed to introduce a stricter version of sharia (Islamic law) and recognize only Islamic culture and Arabic language.

In its campaign to rid the country of Christianity, Sudan has designated 25 church buildings for destruction, and on Aug. 2 it demolished a Baptist church in Omdurman. On May 7 Khartoum state authorities in Sudan demolished a church building in the Khartoum suburb of Soba al Aradi, which began as a refugee camp for south Sudanese. A bulldozer sent by Jebel Aulia locality and the Ministry of Planning and Urban Development destroyed the SCOC building.

Authorities had notified church leaders of the impending demolition just a week prior. The government reportedly claimed the churches were built on land zoned for residential or other uses, or were on government land, but church leaders said it is part of wider crack-down on Christianity.

Harassment, arrests and persecution of Christians have intensified since the secession of South Sudan in July 2011. The Sudanese Minister of Guidance and Endowments announced in April 2013 that no new licenses would be granted for building new churches in Sudan, citing a decrease in the South Sudanese population.

Sudan since 2012 has expelled foreign Christians and bulldozed church buildings on the pretext that they belonged to South Sudanese. Besides raiding Christian bookstores and arresting Christians, authorities threatened to kill South Sudanese Christians who do not leave or cooperate with them in their effort to find other Christians.

Sudan fought a civil war with the south Sudanese from 1983 to 2005, and in June 2011, shortly before the secession of South Sudan the following month, the government began fighting a rebel group in the Nuba Mountains that has its roots in South Sudan.

Due to its treatment of Christians and other human rights violations, Sudan has been designated a Country of Particular Concern by the U.S. State Department since 1999, and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended the country remain on the list in its 2017 report.

Sudan ranked fifth on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List of countries where Christians face most persecution.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.  

If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at http://morningstarnews.org/donate/?   

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© 2017 Morning Star News. Articles/photos may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News.  

Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that relies solely on contributions to offer original news reports of persecuted Christians. By providing reliable news on the suffering church, Morning Star News’ mission is to empower those in the free world to help and to encourage persecuted Christians that they are not forgotten or alone. For free subscription or to make tax-deductible donations, contact editor@morningstarnews.org, or send check to Morning Star News, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624, USA.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

The post Sudan Detains, Interrogates Elder in Campaign to Take over Church appeared first on Morningstar News.