Persecuted Church News

Gunmen kill Pastor in Brazil

2014-01-13T12:05:00.001-08:00

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

BRAZIL (ANS) -- Police in Brazil say two gunmen have fatally wounded an evangelical pastor at his church in the city of Belo Horizonte.

via BBC

According to a story by BBC News, the gunmen reportedly entered the city's Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, and shot him in the head before fleeing by car.

Police said there was no evidence the men were robbers. The pastor, Charles Vidal de Souza, 34, died shortly after arriving at hospital.

It is not clear whether the pastor was the intended target of the assault.

He was found in an office in the church where there were signs of a struggle, according to police.

According to the BBC, the killing occurred in a middle-class neighborhood of Belo Horizonte, the state capital of Minas Gerais.

The city is around 400 miles south-east of the capital, Brasilia.

Gun violence is high in Brazil, but attempts at banning the sale of guns have failed in the past.

The BBC said a 2005 referendum on the issue was defeated by a sizeable majority.

Christians face internal conflicts in South Sudan

2014-01-12T04:10:00.002-08:00

Sudanese refugees recently celebrated Christmas
in Egypt. (Photo courtesy of e3 Partners/8thirty8)

South Sudan (MNN) — Africa’s newest country and the world’s newest state is the site of extreme violence brought on by internal conflicts.

According to BBC News, at least 1000 people have been killed since mid-December. Many of these are civilians. More than 200,000 people have left their homes due to the fighting and mass killings.

e3 Partners shares on their Facebook page the reactions of two pastors in the midst of the violence. One pastor plans to get his family to a safe place along with the thousands of other South Sudanese fleeing the region. Then he wants to return to minister in South Sudan.

The other pastor says, “I am fully convinced that this is the best time for evangelism, missions, and discipleship here in South Sudan, regardless of the risks. God has already taken care of them. Now is the time to preach about the Sovereignty of God in suffering, God’s grace in our sufferings, and why God appoints suffering for His saints. HOPE…the best of things! Waiting for the morning, during the long night of weeping.”

Many Christians see the darkness of trials as the place where God’s light shines the brightest. They do not falter because they know the importance of God’s work, and they rely on His strength.

According to The Christian Post, Roman Catholic Priests and Protestant pastors in S. Sudan are doing their best to protect both the Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups. Some are opening their homes and risking their lives to save these people, ignoring the danger they are in. The division between the Dinka and Nuer is often credited with the heightened violence, including mass killings.

e3’s Facebook page, 8thirty8, is founded on Roman’s 8:38-39 — “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The hope is that Christians will pray at 8:38 pm each day before they go to bed. Many Christians are just getting ready to face a new day of trial and persecution while we in the West are preparing to lie down for a peaceful sleep.

As you watch other believers step up and do Kingdom work despite the risks, consider how you can be involved in a big way. e3′s mission for this region is to plant as many healthy churches in Sudan as they can, so that the discipleship can occur right in the country.

e3 encourages Christians to pray for their fellow believers in South Sudan, who on top of persecution by Muslims must now face this deadly war. Pray also for those remaining in South Sudan to reach many ears with the Gospel truths.

e3 recognizes that at this moment, Muslims around the world are more open to the Gospel than they ever have been. Don’t waste that opportunity. If you’d like to support e3 in a tangible way, check out their “Get Involved” page.

Libyan Christians have reason to fear

2014-01-12T03:57:00.001-08:00

Libya (MNN) — Christians in Libya are concerned following the announcement that Libya’s new constitution will follow Sharia, or Islamic Law.

Christians have reason to fear as Cabinet of the interim government meets.

According to reports, the General National Congress released a statement that said, “Islamic law is the source of legislation in Libya. All state institutions need to comply with this.”

Todd Nettleton with the Voice of the Martyrs says since Islamic law will be the source of legislation, Christians have reason to fear. “What’s going to happen to those people who used to be Muslims who are now following Jesus Christ in Libya? This says the state law is going to follow Islamic law, which says those people are apostates and should be killed.”

Nettleton says Christians are asking important questions. “How is this fair? How is this democracy if all of the laws, all of the rules, are based on one religion and not open to the others?” Many Christians feel promises of democracy after President Moammar Qaddafi’s fall have been broken. NATO actually went to war with Qaddafi under that premise.

While the constitution isn’t completed, it doesn’t look hopeful. The only thing Christians in the west can do is pray. Unfortunately, few Christians in the west know what to pray about.

The Voice of the Martyrs offers a free monthly newsletter to help you follow stories of persecution more closely. Nettleton says, “We’re called Scripturally to remember those in prison as if we were in prison with them. We can’t do that if we don’t even know that they’re there.”

Get the newsletter and more information here.

Church in Iran closes its doors to Farsi speakers

2014-01-11T05:57:00.001-08:00

Church in Iran closes their doors to Farsi-speaking
church attenders in Iran. (Mohabat photo)

Iran (MNN/Mohabat News) — Increasing pressure from the government has forced a church to do something no church ever wants to do: it told certain attenders to stay away. The church in Iran closes its doors to Farsi speakers.

According to Mohabat News, the pastor of a church in Tehran was forced to announce that Farsi-speaking Christians are not welcome anymore. The news service reports this is just another in the list of churches where Farsi-speaking Christians are not allowed anymore.

The pastor made the announcement to the majority Farsi-speaking attendees. Some have been attending the church for more than 20 years.

Just one week after the announcement, the church’s custodian prevented a few of the Farsi-speaking members from entering the church. Those prevented included Sunday school teachers, ministers, and elders of the church. They were told they cannot enter the church building even for purposes other than attending the service.

Iranian churches are under pressure from government–more specifically Revolutionary Guard Intelligence–to stop their service in Farsi.

Earlier, the Ministry of Intelligence asked members of this church to submit their ID cards and personal information to the ministry. This was done to intimidate church members and keep them from attending church services.

It is noteworthy that only a few Armenian and Assyrian families attend this church. It’s unlikely this church can continue with so few attenders remaining.

Some analysts believe that Assyrian Member of Parliament, Yonatan Betkolia, is behind this prohibition order. Past experiences have clearly shown his close cooperation with the Ministry of Intelligence. Through this cooperation, he has been able to convince a number of Assyrian and Armenian pastors to close the doors of their churches on Farsi-speaking Christians.

Since 2011, pressure and restrictions on Iranian churches have increased dramatically.

Many Christians, especially newly-converted Christians, have faced imprisonment, pressure, and harassment in the past few years. Iranian intelligence and security forces have recently focused their efforts to close down more churches around the country. Among the already closed churches are the Assemblies of God Church in Ahwaz, the Farsi-speaking church of Janat-Abad, and Central Assemblies of God Churches in Tehran. The Central AG Church was the largest Farsi-speaking Church in Tehran which was completely closed down during the past presidential election campaigns in Iran.

Even a Latin Catholic Church in Tehran was forced to ban Farsi-speakers from attending, although only small parts of their services were held in Farsi. Government authorities threatened church officials and warned them against allowing Farsi-speaking Christians in their services.

There are a few other churches across the country, as well, that are ordered to prohibit Farsi-speaker attendance. They are also banned from registering new members.

The real story in North Korea

2014-01-11T05:52:00.000-08:00

North Korea (MNN) — While the reports of the execution of Kim Jong-un’s uncle were verified, the method of execution was open to speculation.

Then, a report surfaced last week about Jang Song Thaek and his advisers being fed to wild dogs. Major news sources picked up the story, and even as it picked up headlines, the debunks were being published in equal force.

Todd Nettleton, spokesman with the Voice of the Martyrs USA, says, “It was traced back to a Chinese newspaper and then eventually to a social media post that may or may not have been satire. So everything that comes out of North Korea, really, we need to look at carefully. We need to cross reference between multiple sources to see what’s true and what’s not.”

(Photo courtesy Voice of the Martyrs USA)

Reports coming out of the recluse nation have to be examined closely because “it’s just so difficult to get information out of the country. Anything that does come out needs to be questioned: ‘What’s the agenda behind it?’ ‘Who released it?’ ‘Is it a credible source?’”

The problem was that the stories debunking the urban legend had little more than ‘it probably didn’t happen that way.’ Experts doubted the veracity, noting the detail in the report, the numbers of dogs, victims, and more. Yet they also noted that this form of execution was used in North Korea to punish prisoners. Nettleton says one thing it DOES prove: “Just the fact that we think that it MIGHT be true says how terrible things are in North Korea.

“If Kim Jong-un will kill his own uncle, he will certainly kill anyone else who crosses the regime or who is perceived to be disloyal,” Nettleton adds.

Within North Korea, those perceived disloyal include anyone who worships someone other than Kim Jong-un. Nettleton explains, “It’s treason. It undermines the very legitimacy of the North Korean government. That’s why Christians are persecuted so severely.”

(Photo courtesy Voice of the Martyrs USA)

In fact, for the 12th year in a row, North Korea tops the 2014 World Watch List, released yesterday by Open Doors USA. The WWL is a ranking of the 50 countries where persecution of Christians is the most severe.

In the report, Open Doors says believers must hide their decision to follow Christ. Being caught with a Bible is grounds for execution or a life-long political prison sentence. An estimated 50,000 to 70,000 Christians live in concentration camps, prisons, and prison-like circumstances under Kim Jong-un.

And yet, there IS a Church. The Voice of the Martyrs has been active in North Korea for decades, including launching tens of thousands of “Scripture Balloons,” helium filled balloons that are printed with Scripture passages and other Gospel messages.

It’s a message that gets through in a country where very little else does. Nettleton says far

(Image courtesy Voice of the Martyrs Canada)

from being helpless, you can “pray for the protection and safety of our Christian brothers and sisters. Pray for opportunities to witness, and then I think it’s fair to pray for a government that respects its own people and values their safety and their health.”

There are more ways you can take action and inject truth into North Korea. Click here for more.

Jubilee Campaign and the Nigerian Working Group Join With Survivor to Mark Anniversary of Nigeria Terror Massacre and Seek U.N. Humanitarian Response

2014-01-11T05:48:00.003-08:00

By Dan Wooding, who was born in Nigeria
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

WASHINGTON, DC (ANS) -- Several US organizations advocating on Nigeria have marked the official start of the anti-Christian genocide in northern Nigeria on January 6, 2012, according to a news release from Jubilee Campaign USA.

Some of the victims of Boko Haram's Mubi Massacre

“From the time it issued an ultimatum, shortly after blowing up churches on Christmas day, demanding that Christians leave Northern Nigeria in January 2012 or die, Boko Haram has prosecuted a pernicious and systematic campaign of extermination,” said the release monitored by the ASSIST News Service.

“Funerals for randomly killed non-Muslim ‘others’ have been attacked, companies have been raided and non-Muslims summarily executed by shots to the head, buses have been stopped with the occupants separated and systematically slaughtered. More Christians were killed in northern Nigeria in 2012 than throughout the rest of the world.”

Ikenna Nzeribe

The Working Group on Nigeria has joined with Ikenna Nzeribe, the sole survivor of Boko Haram’s Mubi massacre of January 6th 2012 to remember the estimated 2000 Christians who have been killed since then. 14 Christians were killed when they gathered to mourn another murdered Christian in Mubi in northern Nigeria. After being medivaced abroad, Ike continues to undergo surgery for shots to his head - a hallmark of Boko Haram's vicious attacks.

The release went on to say, “While we commend the designation by the United States of Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) during an Africa sub-committee congressional hearing in November 2012, as Congressman Chris Smith noted then, ‘What I learnt on the trip (to Nigeria) was that victims of the terrorism are not receiving ... assistance from the international community including the United States. Individual private voluntary charitable groups ...are stepping up to the plate... but in nowhere near approximating the need of these individuals who are now IDPs and have PTSD problems.’”

Last week Canada also designated Boko Haram as an FTO, joining the United States and England.

Accordingly the group has asked the following:

A Boko Haram fighter

1. That the United Nations Security Council impose sanctions to restrict terror financing flows to Boko Haram. This is only logical now that the UK, US and Canada are amongst the countries whose governments have done so.

This is even more necessary since the majority of permanent members of the U.N. Security Council have lost citizens to the Boko Haram (France, UK, China). Furthermore Boko Haram has in fact bombed U.N. offices itself in August 2011 killing 25 people.

2. That the U.N. reimburse Nigeria for the cost of rebuilding its bombed office by setting up a Victim Compensation Fund to provide compensation and humanitarian assistance to victims. It is unfair for the U.N. to benefit from this tragedy while poor victim citizens are deprived of similar restitution. The U.N. should pay its bills and give back to its hurting hosts.

3. That the US, EU and other international partners similarly assist victims to help mitigate the potential for violent escalation.

Members of the Working Group on Nigeria who signed the letter to the United Nations are:

Organizations:

Jubilee Campaign
Religious Freedom Coalition
The Institute on Religion & Democracy
Igbo League
The Westminster Institute
Justice for Jos
African Christian Fellowship USA
Christian Association of Nigerian Americans
Red Eagle Express
Advocates International

Individuals:

Andrew E. Harrod, Ph.D (Independent Writer & Researcher)
Ikenna Nzeribe (Sole Survivor of Boko Haram's Mubi Massacre, January 6, 2012)

Soldiers Join Slaughter of Christians in Nigerian Village

2014-01-10T16:10:00.002-08:00

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

RIYOM, NIGERIA (ANS) -- Survivors of the Jan. 6 slaughter of 33 Christians in a village in Nigeria's Plateau State said Special Task Force (STF) soldiers stationed to protect them turned their weapons on those fleeing the attack.

Bata Badugu, 75, and granddaughter Lydia, both injured in Shonong attack. (Morning Star News).

According to a story by Morning Star News, speaking from her hospital bed with bullet wounds in her legs, Antele Alamba, 25, told the news agency that hundreds of Muslim Fulani herdsmen armed with guns and machetes attacked Shonong village in Riyom Local Government Area. They did so unprovoked, burning homes and butchering women and children.

"The soldiers stationed in the village to protect us joined the Fulani herdsmen in shooting, and in the process most of our people were killed," Alamba said as tears dripped down her cheeks.

She added, "I was shot by soldiers I ran to for protection. We were all trapped in the village as there was no way of escape for us. We ran to the premises of the church, and some soldiers followed us there.

They were shooting, and the herdsmen were shooting too. It was chaos and confusion everywhere."

Morning Star News reported sources said pastors of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) conducted a funeral service on Jan. 7 for the 33 slain C hristians amid tight security provided by soldiers.

Alamba, receiving treatment at Vom Christian Hospital near Jos, said the herdsmen killed the first Christian on Jan. 5.

The next morning, word reached the village that Fulani herdsmen accompanied by a soldier had attacked a local Christian, Andrew Bature, his wife and others when he went to his farm.

"He and the women were attacked, and he was killed by Muslim Fulani herdsmen," Morning Star News reported Alamba said. "His wife and the women who ran back to the village said Andrew Bature was killed by a band of Muslim herdsmen led by one of the soldiers stationed in our village by the name Aminu."

Villagers went to the farm and brought back Bature's body, she said.

"In less than 15 minutes of their return with the remains of Andrew Bature, hundreds of Fulani herdsmen armed with guns surrounded our village and began shooting everyone they saw," said Alamba. "They set fire on houses and either shot or butchered our women, children and the elderly."

Alamba, a student of environmental health at the School of Health Technology, Zawan, near Jos, said she miraculously escaped and trekked to neighboring Fang village, where Christians took her to the hospital. Residents of Fang had come to Shonong to help defend them against the attackers.

Alamba said the soldiers who had been shooting into the air and shouting on Sunday night (Jan. 5) had demanded that area resident Jidauna Mwangwong open his shop to provide them alcoholic drinks, but that he had refused because of the late hour.

They forced another resident to open his shop, but not before insulting Mwangwong and telling them that ""hey would see how he will open his shop" the following morning, she said.

"After the soldiers drank themselves out, they went back to their duty posts and continued with the shooting into the air," Alamba said.

Another survivor, Edward Iliya, 22, said the raid was a collaborative effort by the soldiers and herdsmen.

"Twenty of us went to the farm of Andre w Bature to retrieve his corpse minutes before the attack occurred, and I was almost shot by one of the soldiers because he pointed his gun at me to shoot me when I dived for cover and scampered away," Iliya told Morning Star News.

He added, "I was in the village at the time of the attack. We were trapped in the village with no hope of escaping as the rampaging herdsmen attacked us in all directions. God in His infinite mercies caused Christians from our neighboring village of Fang to rush here to assist us. They repelled the Fulani gunmen, and we found ways to escape from the attackers."

Iliya, a student at Federal College of Land Resources Technology, Kuru, near Jos, said David Gwong, 22, son of the Shonong COCIN pastor, was among those killed in the attack. The pastor has fled the village, he said.

"Right now the entire village has been destroyed, and there are no more houses to return to," said Iliya, uninjured but assisting victims at the hospital. "When we (were) there yesterday for the burial of our dead relatives, there were only three houses left that were not burned by the attackers."

Rev. Yakubu Fom, pastor of the COCIN congregation at Riyom town, told Morning Star News that the victims' bodies were recovered amid charred houses and surrounding bushes.

Fom lamented that soldiers and other members of security agencies stationed in Shonong village did not keep Muslim attackers from murdering elderly Christian women and children in their homes.

"One wonders what the soldiers were doing in the village while the Muslim Fulani herdsmen killed and set fire on homes of our members without the soldiers repelling them," Morning Star News reported Fom said.

All of those killed, she said, were members of the Shonong COCIN congregation.

The church has about 300 members. Shonong also has a local congregation, Evangelical Church Winning All.

For more information about Morning Star News visit http://morningstarnews.org< /a>

Syrian pastor and family terrorized

2014-01-10T15:59:00.002-08:00

Syria (MNN) — It started off as an Urgent prayer request on Facebook. A Syrian pastor and family were terrorized by armed thugs as the country’s civil war continues. Being a Christian in this lawless nation puts life at risk.

Syrian Pastor and family were terrorized. E3 Partners is asking for prayer. (File photo from E3 Partners)

Middle East expert with e3 Partners Tom Doyle says a Syrian pastor saw his life flash before his eyes. “Three terrorists came into his house, demanded money. Of course, he didn’t have any. They forced him to sign a statement that he would [get some]; they were going to shoot him.”

That wasn’t the end of the terror. “Then they began mocking him and saying, “‘You’re a Christian, your God can do nothing.’ Then one of the gunmen clicked his gun. It was not loaded when he pointed it, but he said, ‘Your God can do nothing.’ Click.”

The terrorists threatened to kill the whole family if they didn’t come up with the money.

Doyle says this is a twist to the popular kidnapping technique to raise money. “Kidnapping was popular among the terrorist groups. But then they’re stuck with people, and they have to wait for money, and that takes too long now. So they’re not doing the kidnapping: they’re actually finding people, going into their homes, breaking in, holding them at gunpoint, demanding the money right then. That’s the new wave.”

Doyle says the pastor and his family members are safe right now in a safe-house. However, Doyle is concerned. “This is a new phenomenons in Syria, in that people living there are hearing about a new terrorist group weekly. There are so many splinter groups trying to gain control of this Sunni-Muslim front.”

Mission Network News posted an urgent prayer request over the weekend on Facebook and at MissionNetworkNews.org, and thousands of you prayed.

Doyle says Syria is in utter chaos today, but he’s thankful for your prayers. “Thanks to believers here in America for praying. [Syrians] said they could feel it, and they just sensed Christ’s presence in the midst of this terrible situation.”

Christians need a break. Please continue to pray for Christians there. “It is open warfare in the street continually, 24/7.”

Doyle likens it to gang-warfare with major weapons.

What can we do? Doyle says prayer is most important. Join the 8Thirty8 movement on Facebook to keep up-to-date on prayer needs in the region. You can also financially support pastors in the Middle East by clicking here.

Persecution of Christians increases in Failed States

2014-01-10T15:57:00.001-08:00

(Photo courtesy Open Doors USA)

International (ODM/MNN) — The Fund for Peace Failed States Index and the Open Doors World Watch List resemble each other this year.

According to Open Doors USA*,overall the top 10 countries where Christians faced the most pressure and violence in 2013 are: North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Pakistan, Iran, and Yemen.

A major trend which the Open Doors World Watch List (WWL) tracked in 2013 was a marked increase in persecution for Christian communities living in “failed states.” A failed country is defined “as a weak state where social and political structures have collapsed to the point where government has little or no control.” (For the complete list, go to www.worldwatchlist.us.)

(Image courtesy Open Doors USA)

This year’s WWL Top 10 contains six failed states: Somalia (#2), Syria (#3), Iraq (#4), Afghanistan (#5), Pakistan (#8), and Yemen (#10). Another newly failed, war-torn state–the Central African Republic (CAR)–made the list for the first time at #16. Libya (#13) and Nigeria (#14) remain very high.

Open Doors USA president and CEO David Curry explains, “What we see are situations where there’s large political unrest, where there are dictators that are falling, where there are systems that have been in place a long time that have been replaced by up and coming regimes, and it has brought pressure against Christians.”

It is notable that North Korea, for the 12th consecutive year, remains the world’s most restrictive nation in which to practice Christianity. However, the trend of “failed states” shows that 2014 may not be much of an improvement in terms of the persecution of Christians. Curry says, “Nine of those top 10 are in the Middle East. We’re seeing large trends where Islamic extremists are trying to exterminate Christianity.”

“Failed States” usually equal chaos and corruption. The combination of those two elements usually means a lot of things go under the radar, including “religicide.” As a result, Christians are being persecuted nearly out of existence in some places. “We’re seeing a drop in the percentage of the population from over 20% 100 years ago, to 4% or less today.”

The data also brought a surprise from Nigeria. The ranking actually improved during a year that started with Boko Haram church attacks nearly every Sunday. Says Curry, “It’s dropped because the incidents and the intensity in the other countries is so much greater.”

(Photo courtesy Open Doors USA)

Overwhelmingly, the main engine driving persecution of Christians in 36 of the top 50 countries is Islamic extremism, with the most violent region being the states of the African Sahel belt (a semi-arid zone extending from Senegal on the Atlantic Ocean eastward to Sudan and the Red Sea) where a fifth of the world’s Christians meet one seventh of the world’s Muslims in perilous proximity.

This year’s World Watch List is the most comprehensive study of the systematic persecution of Christians ever done. Curry adds, “The 2014 WWL is a wakeup call to Americans to become more aware of these atrocities and restrictions on religious freedom.”

A total of 2,123 Christians were martyred in 2013 compared to 1,201 the previous year. Syria had the most martyrs with 1,213, followed by Nigeria 612, Pakistan 88, Egypt 83, Kenya 20, Angola 16, Niger 15, Iraq 11, CAR 9, and Colombia 8.

The death total in North Korea is not available due to the extreme difficulty to obtain public information from the secluded country. Curry concludes that if nothing is done, more freedoms will erode. “People are attacking Christians for their faith. We need to make this a point of public policy. Christians need to stand up and let their voice be heard.”

Dr. Ronald Boyd-MacMillan, head of Strategy and Research for Open Doors International, says, “It is our intent through the WWL to encourage more people and organizations to carefully study the needs and stories of persecuted Christians, and as a result, deepen the passion to pray for them.

Most importantly, “The WWL is more than a set of numbers. It must also be seen as a human document, reflecting millions of sad but also amazing stories of strong faith.” As Open Doors partners continue to tirelessly share the Word of God, they will be targets of the extremists. Prayer is essential in spiritual warfare, but resources mean that Open Doors teams can still respond in times of need. More often than not, believers who aren’t living in these nations simply don’t know what’s happening. Share their story. There are links on how you can get involved here.

*Open Doors is an international ministry which has been supporting and strengthening persecuted Christians around the world for almost 60 years.

Yet Another Nigerian Tragedy

2014-01-09T05:55:00.005-08:00

Once Widowed Christian in Nigeria Loses Second Husband to Muslim Extremists Mother of six, 14-year-old girl also killed

By Dan Wooding, who was born in Nigeria
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

BOKKOS, NIGERIA (ANS) -- Morning Star News (http://morningstarnews.org), is reporting that Muslim extremists had once prior widowed Faith Kore Usman, a 29-year-old mother of five children, before Fulani herdsmen killed her second husband on New Year's Eve.

After losing her second husband to Muslim extremists, Faith Kore Usman says she is trusting God. (Morning Star News)

The Nigerian correspondent of the news service says that as 34-year-old Kore Usman and other Christians were praising God in a field near their church building in Maihakorin Gold village, near Bokkos in central Nigeria's Plateau state on Dec. 31, ethnic Fulani gunmen arrived and shot at the congregation.

Besides killing Usman, the assault also killed a 41-year-old mother of six children and a 14-year-old girl.

"I have placed my faith in God and am waiting on Him to comfort me and keep me and these five children," Usman's widow told Morning Star News.

She said she and her second husband had been married for nine years.

"My first husband, Davou Philip, was killed by Muslim Fulani herdsmen in Jol Village in Riyom Local Government Area in 2002," she said. "I had only a son with him. However, God brought me and Kore Usman together, and we got married. God has blessed us with four children. I thought my burden has been lifted as a widow, and now, again my second husband has been killed by Muslim gunmen."

Eyewitnesses said that as the Christians were praising God for his faithfulness in 2013, about five Muslim Fulani gunmen stormed the Christian community at about 9 p.m., shooting at the Christians gathered on the field near their worship auditorium.

Luka Tejan's wife Naomi was killed in the attack on the congregation. (Morning Star News)

The husband of the slain Naomi Tejan, 47-year-old Luka Tejan, also expressed his faith in God to Morning Star News.

"We see these killings of Christians as evil acts aimed at truncating the spread of the gospel in this country," he said. "The devil has been using these Fulanis to kill Christians. The good thing is that we have hope that in spite of the pains, the suffering and the tears, we shall overcome in Jesus' name."

Of the couple's six children, one is 25 and two are 20-year-old twins. The others are ages 12, 7 and 3.

"Usman's widow called on the gunmen to repent of their unprovoked killing of Christians," said the story.

The 14-year-old girl killed was Nandi Jamok, according to the Rev. Danlami Yatu, pastor of COCIN congregation in Maihakorin Gold village, 43 miles (69 kilometers) south of Jos. Twelve other Christians were wounded, he said, identifying them as Marium Random, 35; Tyamol Maram, 14; Uvwat James, 15; Shagul James, 32; Rita James, 8; Yibal Philemon, 8; Mashat Geofrey, 10; Macif Mabul, 17; Alex Yunana, 41; Emmanuel Ishaku, 30; Malo Marium, 50; and Victor Barnabas.

The Rev. Danlami Yatu, pastor of COCIIN congregation in Maihakorin Gold village, Plateau state. (Morning Star News)

"Myself and other members of the elder board of my church were holding a meeting in the church auditorium while our parishioners were outside the church building, on the field, singing and dancing in praise worship, thanking God for his blessings on our lives throughout the year, when suddenly gunmen we believe are Muslim Fulani herdsmen shot at our members and killed the victims," Yatu said.

It was the fourth attack on the community in the two-plus years that he has served as pastor, he added.

"During the first attack in 2011, the Muslim attackers came here and attacked homes, but they were repelled by security agents," he said. "So also, another attack was carried out against us in 2012. A member of my church, Alex Yunana, was injured, and our church secretary too, Sunday Mabas, was attacked in his home, but he escaped unhurt miraculously."

In the third incident, the pastor's home and that of another church member, Joel Mafyil, were attacked, he said.

"Spirited efforts by our members in repelling the attackers saved us," Yatu said.

Fulani herdsmen on a rampage

The story went on to say that the wounded Christians in the New Year's Eve attack were being treated in the Plateau Specialist Hospital in Jos and the Barkin Ladi General Hospital, he said.

Hosea Haruna, assistant church secretary for the local congregation, and Jemimah Isaac, a leader of the Women's Fellowship in the church, told Morning Star News that the 500-member church's daily Bible study programs and fellowship activities have ceased due to the attack. The church began 22 years ago.

Haruna and Isaac appealed to the Nigerian government to takes measures to end the terrorist attacks not only on their community but against all Christians in northern Nigeria.

Note from Dan Wooding: Having been born in northern Nigeria to British missionary parents, Alf and Anne Wooding, both from Liverpool, my heart aches for the courageous believers of this part of the country of my birth.

Please join with me in prayer for them as they daily face such violence.

Fines for "Extremist" Books in Kazakhstan

2014-01-08T03:27:00.000-08:00

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

KAZAKHSTAN (ANS) -- Two Protestants in Kazakhstan's capital Astana were fined nearly four weeks' average wages in Dec. 2013 for possessing Christian texts which the court found to be "extremist."

That's according to court documents seen by Forum 18 News Service, which in a story by Felix Corley wrote that one of the books had been banned as "extremist" one month after it was seized from one of those fined.

Kazakhstan is a country in Central Asia, with its smaller part west of the Ural River in Eastern Europe.

However, Forum 18 was unable to find a court decision banning any of the other texts as "extremist."

Protestants have repeatedly rejected to Forum 18 accusations by state bodies that works confiscated from them are "extremist," and deserve to be banned.

Unannounced hearings

Because court hearings to rule whether materials are "extremist" take place unannounced and because no published list of banned books appears to exist, people in Kazakhstan remain unaware of what has and has not been banned.

Forum 18 said the unannounced nature of court hearings also makes it impossible for book publishers, distributors, readers or free speech advocates to challenge court-ordered bans.

The government's Agency of Religious Affairs (ARA) - which is often represented in "extremism" court hearings - does not publish on its website a list of religious books banned by the courts as "extremist."

Forum 18 has repeatedly asked the ARA for such a list, most recently on Jan. 6, but has not received a copy.

Saktagan Sadvokasov, the ARA spokesperson, declined to tell Forum 18 where people can get a copy of the list. He insisted that such bans were imposed by the courts, not by his Agency.

For more information visit www.forum18.org

Revolutionary Court Sentenced a Christian Convert to One Year in Prison

2014-01-07T12:08:00.002-08:00

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

IRAN (ANS) -- While Christians all around the world celebrated Christmas and the New Year, many Christian families in Iran missed their loved ones who are in prison.

Untitled graphic in Mohabat News story

According to a story by Mohabat News, Karaj Revolutionary Court sentenced Farsi-speaking Christian convert Hossein Saketi Aramsari to one year in prison.

Judge Asef Hosseini convicted him in Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Karaj.

Human rights activists said Saketi had appeared in court several times before receiving his prison term. While the court sentenced him to a year in prison, he had earlier been granted bail.

However, Mohabat News said, "For unknown reasons, judicial authorities prevented his family from posting the bail for his conditional freedom."

Iran's Ministry of Intelligence had arrested Saketi on July 23 2013 in Golestan province.

Saketi (known by his friends as Stephen), was then transferred to a jail in Jajrom county and from there to the Intelligence Office in Bojnord, in the Northern Khorasan province.

After 15 days in solitary confinement, and making the claim that the court in Bojnord did not have the required jurisdiction to judge him, Saketi's case was transferred to Alborz Province Revolutionary Court.

The charges in Saketi's case, Mohabat News said, were related to Christian evangelism.

Saketi was handed over to the Intelligence Office in Karaj on Aug. He was held in solitary confinement in Ward 8 of Rajaei-Shahr prison until Oct. 26 and eventually taken to Ward 7 of Karaj Central Detention House, where he is being currently held.

Religious dissidents in Iran, especially Christian converts, are under increasing pressure and suffer "inhumane" treatment from Iran's Islamic government.

These pressures have peaked in the last three years and resulted in arrests and the imprisonment of a large number of Iranian Christians, as well as the closure of many Farsi speaking churches and house fellowships across the country.

Mohabat News said these government pressures are intended to stop the spread of Christianity in Iran.

For more information about Mohabat News visit www.mohabatnews.com

Authorities strike Bible Society of Malaysia

2014-01-07T11:40:00.000-08:00

(Image courtesy Eric Toah via Flickr)

Malaysia (MNN) — The “Allah” issue continues to unfold in Malaysia. According to Malaysiakini.com, authorities recently raided a Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) office in Selangor and confiscated hundreds of Malay-language Bibles.

BSM president Lee Min Choon told the Web news group that the state Islamic Religious Department (Jais) confiscated 321 copies of Scripture and 10 Bibles in the Iban language on Thursday.

“We don’t know what will happen, but I guess this is something to do with the ‘Allah’ word fiasco,” Choon told Malaysiakini.com.

Choon and two other Bible Society members were arrested during the raid. Although they were later released on bail, the trio was told to report to Jais on Friday for further investigation.

“The word ‘Allah’ is the common word for God,” explains Voice of the Martyrs USAspokesman Todd Nettleton.

“It is used by both Muslims and Christians, but now the government is saying, ‘Hey, Christians are not allowed to use that word; these Bibles that are printed with the wordAllah inside them are now illegal.’”

Islamic officials reportedly used a 1988 state law as support for their decision to raid the BSM office. The enactment puts a blanket ban on non-Muslims’ use of 35 Arabic religious words, including Allah.

However, lawyers told TheMalayMailOnline.com on Friday that the Jais raid, and use of the 1988 law to support their actions, was unconstitutional.

“The constitution does not say we can’t use these words at all, it just [says] the state law may restrict propagation of other religions on Muslims,” said human rights lawyer Andrew Khoo.

Root Cause

A Baba Malay Bible in the Peranakan Museum.
(Photo: Jerry Wong via Flickr)

Allah tensions between Malaysia’s Muslim and Christian communities trace back to a 2009 court case involving a Roman Catholic newspaper, “The Herald.” They wanted the right to use the wordAllah in their publications, and a Christian judge ruled that it was okay, thereby granting Christ-followers permission to use Allahin reference to God.

However, Islamic parties fought back, claiming Allah was strictly a Muslim word, and the Home Ministry filed an appeal in 2010. In October, an upper court overturned the 2009 decision, making Allah strictly an Islamic word.

The case is still before Federal Court, and a hearing is expected to take place on February 24, according to TheMalayMailOnline.com.

Below the Surface

Nettleton says the Allah debate and issues stemming from this case all point to a deeper conflict.

“The Malay people are considered to be, by the government at least, 100% Muslim,” he states.

“They [the government] don’t want the Malay people to be evangelized, so they want to make it as difficult as possible for Christians to communicate the Gospel message in the Malay language.”

Most Christians in Malaysia are not ethnic Malays, Nettleton explains, and he says the government “wants to keep it that way.” Many states have written legal codes that give religious minorities basic freedoms, such as using Allah to describe God or owning religious texts. But, the majority draw a line at evangelism.

“The government very much wants to keep the Malay people Muslim,” Nettleton explains. He says it’s officially illegal to proselytize–share the Gospel with–a Malay Muslim.

Pray that government efforts to stop Gospel work will backfire.

Nettleton notes human nature plays an interesting role in this case because “if something is forbidden, it [becomes] interesting.

(Photo courtesy Bible League Malaysia)

“We can pray that, among the Malay people, they will wonder, ‘Well, what’s all the fuss about this Book that they don’t want us to read?’ and perhaps even get a copy and start reading it. I think this can be a time where seeds are planted, a time where people are interested in the Gospel.”

Pray for courage and strength for the Body of Christ in Malaysia. Pray for BSM as they contest the raid on their office.

“We can pray for that process, but I think just mostly pray for the believers to continue to be bold witnesses for Christ, in spite of this pressure and persecution that they’re facing.”

Imprisoned Pakistani Catholic Asia Bibi Writes to Pope Francis Saying Only God Can Free Her

2014-01-07T09:56:00.001-08:00

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

KARACHI, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- The Catholic Pakistani mother sentenced to death for blasphemy, has written to Pope Francis saying that only God can liberate her.

Asia Bibi

According to an article in the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines News Service (CBCP News) relying on a Dec. 31 report in the Italian daily Tempi, Asia Bibi said, "I also hope that every Christian has been able to celebrate the Christmas just past with joy. Like many other prisoners, I also celebrated the birth of the Lord in prison in Multan, here in Pakistan."

She continued by saying that "only God will be able to free me" and made a point of thanking the 'Renaissance Education Foundation" that helped make her "dream come true" to live Christmas with her husband and children by bringing them to Multan.

Pope Francis greets pilgrims in St. Peter's Square
before the Wednesday general audience Dec. 11, 2013. (Credit: Kyle Burkhart / CNA).

"I would have liked to be in St. Peter's for Christmas to pray with you," she told Pope Francis, "but I trust in God's plan for me and hopefully it will be achieved next year."

Bibi is awaiting the conclusion of an appeals process after being incarcerated for four and a half years without trial.

Working as a farmhand in June 2009, she was asked to fetch water for some of her co-workers.

She complied, but some of her Muslim colleagues refused to drink the water as they considered Christians to be "unclean."

CBCP News said arguments followed (there was already a running feud between Bibi and a neighbor over property damage), and witnesses maintain that Bibi verbally abused the two women, their religion, and the prophet Muhammad.

A few days later, complaints were made to a cleric about these alleged derogatory comments, resulting in a mob coming to her house and beating her and members of her family.

Bibi was rescued by the police but, under pressure from the crowd, they charged her under Section 295 C of the Pakistan Penal Code, the country's notorious anti-blasphemy law.

"I am very grateful to all the churches that are praying for me and fighting for my freedom," CBCP News said she continued in the letter.

Bibi added, "I do not know how long I can go on and on. If I am still alive, it is thanks to the strength that your prayers give me. I have met many people who speak and fight for me. Unfortunately still to no avail. At this time I just want to trust the mercy of God, who can do everything, that all is possible. Only He can liberate me."

Bibi was also grateful to all the people who work and raise funds for her cause. She then talked about her daily hardships.

"This winter I am facing many problems: my cell has no heating and no suitable door for shelter from the bitter cold," CBCP News said she told the Pope. "Also the security measures are not adequate, I do not have enough money for daily needs, and I am very far from Lahore so my family cannot help me."

She concluded by asking Pope Francis to accept her best wishes for the new year. "I know you pray for me with all your heart," she wrote. "And this gives me confidence that one day my freedom will be possible. Certain to be remembered in your prayers, I greet you with affection. Asia Bibi, your daughter in the faith."

Assyrian International News Agency Says Sources Dispute Claims of Christian Casualties in Iraq Christmas Day Bombings

2014-01-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

BAGHDAD, IRAQ (ANS) -- On Dec. 25 2013, multiple news agencies (including the Assyrian International News Agency, or AINA) reported twin bombings in Dora.

The aftermath of the bombing outside
St. John Catholic Church. (via AINA)

That's a formerly Assyrian (also known as Chaldean and Syriac) and Christian neighborhood in southern Baghdad.

According to a story by AINA, one bombing occurred outside St. John Catholic Church.

The explosion killed 27 and wounded 56. A second bomb exploded in an outdoor market, killing 11 and wounding 21.

AINA reported that according to the wire reports, dozens of Christians were killed in the bombings.

AFP quoted a police colonel as saying, "The attack targeted the church, and most of the martyrs are Christians. The attack happened when worshipers were leaving the church."

Reuters reported a police officer as commenting, "A car parked near the church exploded when the families were hugging each other goodbye before leaving. The blast was powerful...Bodies of women, girls and men were lying on the ground covered in blood. Others were screaming and crying while they were trying to save some of their wounded relatives."

However, AINA said, the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church, H.H.. Louis Sako, issued a st atement saying the attack was not directly targeted at the church.

Archdeacon Temathius Esha, an Assyrian priest in Dora, told AFP, "The church has nothing to do with the attack; the attack was against the market."

AINA said there is no doubt that these bombings occurred and that dozens of persons were killed. However, questions were raised about the number of Assyrian/Christian fatalities, beginning with Patriarch Sako's statement.

AINA said the agency contacted two Assyrians in Iraq to gain a clearer understanding of the situation.

According to Pascale Warda, Iraq's former Minister of Displacement and Migration, no attacks against churches occurred and there were no Christian casualties.

AINA reported Pascale said, "What some media reported was not right because the attack in Dora was in the market, where some other poor people were wounded, but not a single Christian was hurt, and no church was attacked."

The priest of St. John Catholic Church, Father Firas, told Warda the attack was far fro m the church and there were no Assyrian casualties.

Father Tima, of the Assyrian Church in Dora, also told Warda that his church had not been attacked.

The Christmas mass at St. John ended at 9 a.m. and the attack occurred at 11 a.m.

According to Susan Patto, an Assyrian in Baghdad, because of previous church attacks, all churches have discontinued midnight mass and conduct mass very early in the morning, from 7 to 9 a.m.. Parishioners are also discouraged from congregating outside the church after mass.

The explosion happened after 11 a.m., Patto said.

AINA said she added, "There is a police station about 500 meters from St. John, and the car bomb targeted the police station. The church was closed and no one was there. The story about the church being attacked was first reported by Al-Sharqiya news channel and picked up by other news agencies. Most of (the) fatalities were in the second explosion in the market, while the targeted police station had only few casualties. There are no known Assyrian ca sualties."

According to Warda, the news of Christian casualties was spread by those "who are unhappy with any establishment of security in Iraq."

The Dora neighborhood was formerly a Christian neighborhood, with over 150,000 Assyrians living there.

AINA said beginning in 2004 a sustained series of church bombings, kidnappings and killings by Al-Qaeda affiliated groups forced most the residents to flee, most with literally just the clothes they wore, as they were not allowed to take any of their belongings with them. Now there are only about 3000 Assyrians remaining in Dora.

According to AINA, 73 churches have been attacked or bombed since June 2004. That's 45 in Baghdad, 19 in Mosul, eight in Kirkuk and one in Ramadi.

On Oct. 31 2010 Al-Qaeda terrorists attacked Our Lady of Deliverance Chaldean Catholic Church in Baghdad on Sunday evening during a church service. When police raided the church the terrorists set fire to their explosives, ultimately killing 58 parishioners, including two priest s.

For information about the Assyrian International News Agency visit www.aina.org

Death Penalty Order Deepens Hard-line Islamist Trend in Pakistan, Critics Say Ruling could broaden powers of Federal Shariat Court, they fear

2014-01-07T09:47:00.003-08:00

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

LAHORE, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- Morning Star News (http://morningstarnews.org) is reporting that compliance with an order that only the death sentence can be given to those convicted of insulting Islam's prophet will further endanger Christians and increase the powers of the Islamic court that issued it, critics said.

Muslim mobs attack a Christian area of Lahore after blasphemy allegation in March.(Morning Star News, M. Ali)

Its Pakistan Correspondent says, "While Christians fear that government compliance with the Federal Shariat Court's (FSC) Dec. 4 order to remove life imprisonment as a punishment for insulting Muhammad could usher in a new era of persecution, some critics said the greater concern is that it could broaden the powers of the controversial court.

"Section 295-C of Pakistan's blasphemy laws calls for either death or life imprisonment for persons convicted of insulting Muhammad. The FSC has given the government a "couple of months" to implement, through parliament, the order to remove life imprisonment as a possible punishment.

"The FSC order comes less than three years after assassinations of two government officials silenced most criticism of the blasphemy laws."

The story goes on to say that while the ruling could further encourage extremists to attack those they believe are insulting Muhammad, the FSC order may have little specific legal impact since judges have tended to issue death penalty sentences for such convictions anyway, according to Yasser Latif Hamdani, who practices law in superior courts.

"This is a guideline that the courts have already followed," Hamdani told Morning Star News. "The problem is that it has symbolic significance. It opens the door for the Federal Shariat Court to exercise greater influence on the legal system. Will the FSC also rule that insanity is not a defense?"

Hamdani said he hoped that the order would land before the Supreme Court's Shariat Appellate Bench, "which may take a more positive and liberal view," he said.

Attorney Shoaib Salim of the Lahore High Court also expressed hope that it could be reversed.

"The FSC is only empowered to examine and determine whether the laws of the country comply with sharia [Islamic law] or not," Salim said. "The ultimate decision rests with the parliament."

He said it was unlikely that the government would implement an order that would further incite religious hatred and persecution in Pakistani society. The blasphemy laws have been routinely abused to settle personal vendettas as antagonists can easily level false accusations that ruin lives.

Since its establishment in 1980, the FSC has been the subject of criticism and controversy. Created as an Islamization measure by the military regime of Gen. Muhammad Zia-ul Haq, and subsequently protected under the controversial 8th Amendment, the FSC has opponents who question its existence and usefulness.

Comprising eight Muslim judges, including three required to be Islamic law scholars (Ulema), the court exercises jurisdiction over criminal courts deciding Hudood cases, which involve punishments prescribed by Islamic writings.

"Critics say the FSC merely duplicates the functions of superior courts and contravenes the authority of parliament. They allege that the way its judges are appointed and retained is tainted, and that the court does not fully meet criterion for an independent judiciary," said the Pakistan Correspondent.

"The FSC's decisions are binding on high courts as well as on subordinate judiciary. Appeals against its decisions lie with the Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court, consisting of three Muslim judges of the Supreme Court and two Islamic scholars appointed by the president."

Criticism Silenced

Misuse of the blasphemy laws in Pakistan has long been debated, but the assassination of two top government officials and a senior judge in the last decade and a half has silenced even the most vocal critics.

Salmaan Taseer meeting with Asia Bibi before he was gunned down

Former Punjab Gov. Salmaan Taseer's own police bodyguard gunned him down on Jan. 4, 2011 for calling for a review of the blasphemy laws and giving moral support to Asia Bibi, a woman sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy. Two months later, on March 2 of that year, Federal Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti was assassinated in Islamabad; members of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility. He had faced threats on his life for voicing opposition to the blasphemy laws.

The Rt. Rev. Michael Nazir-Ali, former Lord Bishop of Rochester, United Kingdom, and current president of the Oxford Centre for Training, Research, Advocacy and Dialogue, said the FSC verdict is a cause of concern for Pakistani Christians.

"Everyone knows how the blasphemy laws are misused in this country," Dr. Nazir-Ali, on a visit to Pakistan, told Morning Star News. "During several of our engagements with the Pakistani government, we have repeatedly asked them to deal with blasphemy cases with utmost care and consideration to ensure that there's no miscarriage of justice. No blasphemy case should be registered without proper investigation at the highest government level regardless of whether the accused is a Christian or of another faith."

Islamist Clerics Defiant

Morning Star News stated that Pakistan's top Islamist clerics, meantime, have not only pushed for greater FSC powers but declared that they will not tolerate any amendments to the blasphemy laws.

A few days after nearly 150 Christian homes were burned to the ground in March by violent Muslim mobs in Lahore's Joseph Colony over allegations that a Christian youth had insulted Muhammad, top Sunni Islamist clerics led by Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Mufti Muneebur Rehman recommended that all persons accused of blasphemy should be tried by the FSC.

The clerics also opposed the imposition of penalty for the accusers in such cases, arguing that no punishment existed for falsehood in other cases. Mufti Muneeb also demanded that defamation of sacred religious personalities should be declared a crime under international law.

Pakistan Christians protesting he blasphemy laws

Punishment for false witness does have some advocates. After much lobbying, in September Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Allama Tahir Ashrafi strove to make the country's top religious body, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), recommend the death sentence for those making false blasphemy accusations. Ashrafi believes that such a law was necessary as a deterrent.

Hardliners in the CII, however, shot down Ashrafi's initiative.

"I have been relentlessly protesting the misuse of the blasphemy laws," Ashrafi said. "This is not only bringing a bad name to Pakistan but also the entire Muslim Ummah [community]. It's a pity that the other religious leaders failed to understand the importance of a strong deterrent for false accusers. Those making a false accusation needed to face death penalty because the words attributed to the accused were actually uttered by the accuser."

CII Chairman Maulana Muhammad Khan Sheerani said a majority of the CII members believed there was no need to amend the blasphemy laws.

"We don't want to discourage people from coming forward and lodging complaints against blasphemers," he said. "There's already a law - Section 194 of the Pakistan Penal Code - which envisages punishments for lodging a false FIR."

Sheerani, who believes the FSC order removing life in prison for those convicted under Section 295-C was in line with Islamic injunctions, said the FSC was the right forum to decide blasphemy cases.

"Laws relating to Islam should be decided by the FSC," he said. "Our senior clerics have already recommended that such cases be decided within three months. If the suspect is found innocent, the false accuser can be tried under the relevant section of the PPC [Pakistan Penal Code]," he said.

Napolean Qayyum, a Christian rights activist, said the ruling would usher in a new era of persecution.

"We have seen people taking the law into their own hands and deciding for themselves what the punishment should be," Qayyum said. "This ruling will only embolden elements who use the blasphemy laws to target the weak and marginalized communities of this country. How many more innocent lives would it take for the government to realize that it needs to do something to bring an end to this victimization?"

Attorney Aneeqa Maria, head of Christian rights group The Voice Society, told Morning Star News that Pakistan's blasphemy laws have no standards for evidence or for proof of intent, even though intent must be shown for a conviction, as well as no procedural safeguards to penalize those who make false allegations.

"They are a constant sword hanging over our heads, and no government has so far been able to stop their blatant misuse," Maria said. "Everyone knows how these laws are used as a tool for settling personal disputes, and now the FSC has taken this skeleton out of the closet after so many years. I believe this would encourage the accusers to try and get their victims implicated under Section 295-C."

Iranian Christian Converts Arrested as They Celebrated Christmas

2013-12-30T01:45:00.001-08:00

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

IRAN (ANS) -- Iranian security authorities raided a house where a group of Christians had gathered to celebrate Christmas on Dec. 24.

They and arrested house owner Mr. Hosseini , Ahmad Bazyar, Faegheh Nasrollahi, Mastaneh Rastegari, and Amir-Hossein Ne'matollahi.

A story by Mohabat News Iranian Christian News Agency said The Committee of Human Rights Reporters reported that during the raid, plain clothes security insulted and searched people there, carefully searched the house and seized all the Christian books, CDs and laptops they found there. They also took the satellite TV receiver with them.

Authorities also searched the house of one of Mr. Hosseini's neighbors. Mohabat News said they insulted and beat the father, and told those there not to say a word about what they had seen.

There is no news on the whereabouts or condition of the Christians who were arrested.

In recent years, Mohabat News said, authorities have intensified their pressure and threats against Christians around Christmas. That has included arresting a number of Christians, and increasing their surveillance on churches.

While Christmas is a time of celebrations f or Christians worldwide, Mohabat News said "with threats from the Islamic government, Christmas is a different experience for Iranian Christians."

Mohabat News said while his government continues to harass Iranian Christians and curtail their freedom, ironically, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sent Pope Francis Christmas greetings on Dec. 25.

For more information visit www.mohabatnews.com

Verdict for Moroccan Convert from Islam Sentenced for "Proselytism" Expected Feb. 6

2013-12-30T01:42:00.000-08:00

Hastily convicted Mohamed El Baladi received 30-month prison term.

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

Fez, Morocco. (Wikipedia, Zimaal)

TIZI OZOU, ALGERIA (ANS) -- A Moroccan appeals court on Dec. 26 heard arguments for a Christian convert from Islam hastily sentenced to prison for alleged "proselytizing," sources said. The Court of Appeal in Fez is expected to deliver a ruling on Feb. 6.

According to a story by Morning Star News, Mohamed El Baladi was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Sept. 3, just a week after his arrest on Aug. 28, in a court in the northern town of Taounate, 50 miles from Fez.

Unlike that occasion, when the court convicted him before police allowed him to obtain legal representation, several defense lawyers were on hand at the hearing.

Authorities on Sept. 26 released him from prison after international outcry over his conviction. El Baladi, 31, was charged with encouraging young Muslims to convert, punishable by six months to three years in prison and a fine of up to 500 dirhams (US$60), according to Article 220 of Morocco's penal code.

El Baladi's fine of 1,500 dirhams exceeded the maximum. Police also took 5,000 dirhams from his home during the raid, a source said.

According to Morning Star News, sources said police in the remote town of Ain Aicha, Taounate Province, arrested him for alleged proselytizing, vilified him for leaving Islam and pr essured him to reveal names of other converts to Christianity. Strict sharia (Islamic law) condemns apostates from Islam to death.

Mohamed Oulad Ayad of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights reportedly said he hopes the sentence will be reduced to a one-month suspended sentence and fine of no more than 500 dirhams.

Human rights advocates say El Baladi's conviction and sentencing violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Algeria is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which implements provisions of the UDHR.

Along with the 5,000 dirhams police stole, gendarmerie also seized several Christian CDs, books and magazines, Morning Star News reported sources said.

The West has generally applauded Morocco's new constitution of 2011, which provides for a fair trial and presumption of innocence until proven guilty for those accused of breaking the law.

While police monitoring and harassment of Christians is common in Morocco, El Baladi's case come s as Christians have become increasingly unsettled by persecution and violations of religious freedom.

Morocco's King Mohammed VI is seen as a moderate, but Islam is the official religion of the state, and the king's titles include, "The Defender of the Faithful."

Morning Star News said Christians are also suspicious as his government shares power in a coalition that includes the Justice and Development Party, considered to have links with the Muslim Brotherhood. The party calls for a society governed by Islam.

On Dec. 28, 2005, Christian convert Jamaa Ait Bakrim was sentenced to 15 years in prison for proselytism and for destroying the goods of others by burning two abandoned telephone poles touching his property.

In March 2010, the government expelled at least 33 Christian foreign residents from the country. Among them were 10 adult Christians, along with their children, who were running The Village of Hope, a foster daycare center for orphans. The foster children were turned over to the care of peopl e they did not know.

In addition to the expulsions, Morning Star News reported, about 81 people were declared "persona non grata" for alleged proselytizing.

There are about 8,000 Moroccan Christians out of a population of almost 35 million people, according to the 2012 International Religious Freedom Report of the U.S. Department of State.

For more information about Morning Star News visit http://morningstarnews.org

Report claims 30,000 Eritreans kidnapped in 5 years

2013-12-12T03:56:00.001-08:00

Total of $600 million extorted in ransom payments

Asmara, Eritrea.
Carsten ten Brink / Flickr / Creative Commons

A report presented to the European Parliament shows that around 30,000 Eritreans have been kidnapped since 2007 and taken to the Sinai while ransom payments are demanded.

The report says that a total of around $600 million (€468m) was extorted from families and that Eritrea's Border Surveillance Unit (BSU) and Sudanese Security officials are among the “actors” collaborating with the gangs that hold people hostage in Sinai.

The Eritrean military was also blamed for abducting young people and forcing them to join the National Youth Service, while the Eritrean government came under fire for its inability to protect its citizens.

Christian Convert Transferred to Evin Prison's Ward 350; Two Christian Bloggers Arrested

2013-12-12T03:48:00.000-08:00

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

IRAN (ANS) -- Mohabat News says human rights sources are reporting that an Iranian Christian convert, Rasoul Abdollahi, has been transferred to Ward 350 of Evin Prison to serve his three year prison term.

In the meantime, as part of a new wave of arrest of bloggers and cyber-activists, Revolutionary Guard authorities arrested two Christian bloggers.

On Dec. 4, an Iranian senior judicial authority said that intelligence forces in Revolutionary Guard identified 16 Internet activists in Kerman who were in contact with foreign agents.

Abdollahi, an Iranian Christian convert, accused of "collusion against the government and evangelism," had earlier been sentenced to three years in prison.

Mohabat reported that Abdollahi had also been arrested during an organized raid on a Christmas celebration on Dec. 26 2010 in Tehran.

This raid resulted in the arrest of a number of other Christians including Farshid Fathi. Fathi was kept in prison for 15 months without any official charges, and then sentenced to six years in prison. He is currently serving his term in Evin Prison's Ward 350.

According to a report by the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, Revolutionary Guard authorities on Dec. 4 arrested two Internet acti vists/bloggers; Kiavosh Sotoudeh and Jamshid Jabbari, in front of Kerman University. They were taken to an unknown location.

There are no updates available on the reason for these arrests.

Mohabat News said media state that these two Internet activists have ties with house church and evangelistic groups.

There was news recently that indicated a new Revolutionary Guard campaign to crackdown on internet activists.

Mohabat News said in addition, Fars News agency, which is supported by the Revolutionary Guard, reported that Intelligence agents of the Revolutionary Guard have arrested several Internet activists.

An intelligence authority told Fars News that these individuals are accused of cyber crimes, desecrating Islamic holy figures, and contact with foreigners. He also claimed that they were part of a complex security media network.

Other reports also indicated an escalation in the arrest of reporters, religious dissidents, student and political activists.

For more information about Mohabat News visit www.mohabatnews.com

Rumour of tryst triggers anti-Christian violence in Egypt village

2013-12-12T03:42:00.001-08:00

One killed; homes burned in trouble-plagued province

The Minya province in Upper Egypt has been
afflicted by anti-Christian violence since August.
World Watch Monitor / David Degner / Getty Images

The way Christians in the Egyptian town of Nazlet El-Badraman describe it, the deadly rampage that engulfed their village grew out of an unfounded rumour.

When it finally blew over, one person was dead, nine were wounded, nearly 20 houses had been burned, and a teen-aged girl had been hurled from a building, breaking both her arms. And it was just one of many violent anti-Christian episodes in Egypt’s Minya province since the July removal of President Mohamed Morsi, head of the Muslim Brotherhood.

It began Nov. 25 when a 20-year-old Nazlet El-Badraman woman left the town and went to Cairo. That fact is among the few not in dispute.

Fr. Srapamon Agban, a priest at Mar Gerges Church in Nazlet El-Badraman, told World Watch Monitor that the woman paid a visit to Shenouda Louis Habib, who is a neighbour to the woman, but who works in Cairo.

The woman is Muslim. The man is a Coptic Christian.

Mideast Christian News, one of the few news services to report on the incident, reported that the woman visited two men — Habib and his brother — not one. MCN said the woman’s father dispatched a family member to his daughter in Cairo, “where she was checked to see if she was still a virgin”. The news service reported that “a medical examination of the girl revealed she had not been harmed”, and both the woman and Habib were warned any further contact would result in a fine for both of them.

The woman returned to Nazlet El-Badraman the following day, Nov. 26, Agban said. By then, he said, rumours were flying.

Two days later, he said, relatives of the woman went to the home of Shenouda’s father, Louis Habib Hanna. There was a quarrel.

Soon afterward, the houses of Louis Habib Hanna and his brother, Nabil, were burned. Several of the Christian inhabitants were injured, Agban said.

On that same night, a Muslim resident of the village, whom Agban identified as Hamada Saber Abdullah, 39, died in a motorcycle accident. Soon, he said, another rumour spread: The Christians killed him.

Mar Gerges Church finished mass quickly the next morning. “We finished the mass of Friday very early at 8:30 andcancelled all the Friday children meetings, and closed all the doors of the church because of were afraid of the Muslims’ attacks,” Agban told World Watch Monitor.

The attacks began after mourners had buried Abdullah. Marchers processed from the funeral to the Christian neighbourhood. Some threw firebombs from the roof of an elementary school, Agban said. Others looted homes.

“I received a great deal of calls from the Christians whose homes were ransacked and destroyed,” the priest said. He said more than 10 homes were fully burnt, and more than 30 were ransacked. One man was killed, MCN reported. Attackers attempted to break into the church, but failed, Agban said.

The attackers entered the home of Bushra Ekladios, grabbed his 14-year-old daughter, Yvonne, and threw her from the second floor of the house. MCN published a photo of a bruised girl, her broken wrists bandaged and both arms in a sling.

Agban told World Watch Monitor that police did little to stop the attacks, and that several Christians were arrested, though “they didn’t do anything”. MCN reported several of the victims were arrested, and that police used tear gas to chase off the attackers.

Christian children haven’t returned to school since the violence, Agban said. Ten families have left the town, and those who remain are afraid to venture out of their homes, he said.

“There is a situation of panic and fear among the Christians here”, he said. “We are afraid that they can attack us again, especially after the security forces leave the village".

Minya, south of Cairo in the region known as Upper Egypt, has the country’s highest concentration of Christians. It also is home to some of Egypt’s most militant Islamic sects. Following the August military crackdown on pro-Morsi demonstrations in Cairo, angry Muslims burned scores of churches in Minya, destroying more than 30. Numerous Christian homes and businesses were looted and burned; kidnappings have been epidemic.

The Nov. 28 violence in Nazlet El-Badraman prompted the secretary for Coptic Pope Tawadros II to appeal directly to Egypt’s interior minister to protect the town’s Christians. The minister promised immediate reinforcements, MCN reported.

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World Watch Monitor is distributed to raise awareness of Christians worldwide under pressure for their faith. Articles may be reprinted, with attribution.

Nigeria's Boko Haram strikes again in Cameroon

2013-12-09T04:40:00.000-08:00

Missionary killed, churches torched around time of French priest's kidnapping

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

CAMEROON (ANS) -- A missionary has been killed and several churches set ablaze in attacks by Nigeria's Islamist group Boko Haram in neighboring Cameroon.

In April last year, churches were targeted by suspected Boko Haram militants. Some victims had their throats cut, while others were beaten to death or burned alive. This is one of the survivors, whose name is being withheld to protect his security. (via Cameroon Human Rights Monitoring)

According to a story by the World Watch Monitor (WWM), the Nigerian missionary, David Dina Mataware, with the Christian Missionary Foundation (CMF), was killed on Nov. 13 by suspected Boko Haram militants in Ashigashia. That's a village which straddles the Nigeria-Cameroon border.

He was murdered on the same day as the kidnapping of a French priest, Father Georges Vandenbeusch. However, the death was not reported by the media, a church leader told WWM, even though both incidents happened in the same area.

The kidnap was claimed by Boko Haram "in an operation co-ordinated with Ansaru," its spokesman told Agence France Presse.

Ansaru is a Boko Haram splinter group that has attacked several Western and Nigerian targets. It claimed responsibility for the kidnap and murder of seven international construction workers earlier in 2013.

WWM said Mataware had worked with CMF since 2010. CMF is a Nigeria-based mission agency active in Cameroon since 1989. Its ministry is focused on the tribes of Mandara, Kanouri and Guem ergou in the district of Mora in northern Cameroon.

"An undetermined number of armed men crossed the border and entered into Cameroon at midnight. On their way back, they attacked the CMF compound. Unfortunately, one of the six missionaries had his throat cut. Five others managed to flee,"

said the church leader, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Cameroon is a secular country in Central Africa. Approximately 70 per cent of the population is at least nominally Christian and most of its population in the North are Muslims.

Over the weekend of Nov. 15-17, a number of incidents took place alongside the porous border of Nigeria and Cameroon.

Local sources contacted by WWM said dozens of properties, including Ewy church in Tourou (in Cameroon) were attacked while at least one church was set ablaze and destroyed on the Nigerian side of Ashigashia.

At least four people were killed and many others wounded and transferred to health centers. Despite the reinforcement of security forces in the area, villagers f ear continued attacks from Islamist militants from Nigeria.

Bible translator killed in Central African Republic

2013-12-09T04:36:00.000-08:00

By Mark Ellis
Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (ANS) -- A Bible translator in war-ravaged Central African Republic (CAR) was shot and killed this week as he attempted to escape mounting violence in Bangui, according to Wycliffe Bible Translators.

Elisee Zama

Elisée Zama, who served as a translator with ACATBA, Wycliffe's partner organization in the CAR, was shot as he was transporting family members to the relative safety of a hospital compound.

Violence began intensifying in CAR following a coup in March 2013. Many humanitarian organizations have withdrawn from the country or cut back services and government health clinics have largely been abandoned.

"Reprisals against Christians in particular in Bangui are of great concern," said Larry Robbins with SIL, a Wycliffe partner in CAR.

"There have been . . . reprisals in certain neighborhoods of Bangui, resulting in thousands seeking refuge on the airstrip of the international airport," he said.

Assemblies of God Pastor and Minister Released from Iran's Sepidar Prison in Awaz

2013-12-09T04:31:00.003-08:00

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

IRAN (ANS) -- Two Christian prisoners were released from Sepidar Prison in Ahwaz after 214 days.

Farhad Sabokrouh and
Naser Zamen-Dezfuli

According to Mohabat News, two Christian prisoners, Farhad Sabokrouh, Pastor of the Assemblies of God Church in Ahwaz, and Naser Zamen-Dezfuli, a church minister, were released on Dec. 4 2013 after 214 days in Sepidar Prison.

On Dec. 23, 2011, Iranian security authorities raided a Christmas celebration at the Assemblies of God church of Ahwaz and arrested everyone in attendance. All those arrested were transferred to an unknown location in two buses.

Everyone arrested was were threatened and released after being interrogated and their personal information taken.

However, Mohabat News said, Sabokrouh, his wife Shahnaz Jayzan, and church ministers, Naser Zamen-Dezfuli and Davoud Alijani, were held in prison. They were charged for converting from Islam to Christianity, proselytizing Muslims, and propagating against the Islamic regime through evangelism.

Later, the Revolutionary Court of Ahwaz sentenced each to one year in prison. Davoud Alijani was arrested and taken to prison to serve his sentence when he went to the court on May 1, 2013, while the three others were summoned to the court and transferred to prison on May 4.

Sabokrouh and Zamen-Dezfuli have been released while there are still two weeks remaining from their prison term. Mohabat News said Iranian judicial authorities have refused to provide a reason for their slightly early release. As a result, it is not certain whether or not this pardon will include the pastor's wife, and Davoud Alijani.

According to a directive from Iran's Revolutionary Court and as part of the court's policy to further pressure and persecute religious and political prisoners, Christian convicts are not to be granted leave permits while serving their sentences.

The Assemblies of God Church of Ahwaz, which is technically a house turned into a church, is registered and thus under the supervision of Iranian authorities. Despite this, the church has been targeted and subject to unreasonable pressure.

According to Mohabat News, arbitrary arrests and restrictions on Christian converts are not a new phenomenon. All religious minorities in Iran are subject to various forms of discrimination.

After the Islamic revolution of 1979, the situation of religious minorities in Iran has always been a major human rights concern.

Pakistan’s churches increase security after Peshawar blasts

2013-12-06T04:09:00.002-08:00

Officer dies guarding another church in Peshawar

Christians guard the Full Gospel Assemblies
Church in Bahar Colony in Lahore.

Security around churches in Pakistan has increased since the deadly suicide blasts in Peshawar in September and the death of a police guard outside a church last month.

On September 22, two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the All Saints Church in Peshawar when congregants were leaving the church after the Sunday service. Ninety-six people were killed and 133 were injured.

Then on November 19, a police constable, Muhammad Attaullah, was killed during a security operation outside another church in Peshawar.

Samson Simon Sharaf, Central Defence Secretary of Peshawar’s provincial ruling political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), told World Watch Monitor that the Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Association is “providing security to 160 churches and it can be increased further”.

Following the Peshawar blasts, the Pakistani police held meetings with church leaders in Christian areas, such as Bahar Colony in Lahore.

Rev. Dr. Liaqat Qaisar from the Full Gospel Assemblies Church in Bahar Colony said that police were working alongside church members to provide security on Sundays.

“The police instructed us to put barricades on the outside of the church, to keep the entrance clear and, rather than all the congregation leaving at the same time, worshippers should leave in small groups after the church ends,” said Qaisar.

After the death of police constable Attaullah outside the Swati Gate Assemblies of God (AG) church in Peshawar, Deputy Superintendent of Police Fazal Wahid told World Watch Monitor that the incident had no religious dimension; rather that terrorists were attacking police everywhere.

The church administration, however, did not rule out the possibility of another attack on a church and added that the church had employed security guards for a number of years.

“The first time indiscriminate firing took place outside the church was in 2009, after which security has been permanently deployed,” AG General Secretary Dr. Arshad Masih told World Watch Monitor.

He added that another police constable, Muhammad Shehzad, was killed outside the church on July 5.

In Lahore, three men were arrested on October 6, after they were spotted at a wedding in St. John’s Catholic Church in Yahounabad.

The men, Pashtoon in origin, were spotted by security guards, who noticed that they were outsiders to the area and asked why they had come to the wedding. When they could not provide a reason, they were handed over to the police.

Locals say they have noticed Pashtoons (from the north-west region of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan) moving into Yahounabad – one of the largest Christian settlements in South Asia – in recent years. They add that they are concerned not only by possible terrorist attacks, but also of increasing hostilities to the long-term residents, such as trying to manoeuvre them out of this prime area of the city, by buying up land.

Meanwhile, local media reported that there were fears that the Lohari Gate Presbyterian Church in the Anarkali area of Lahore may be a target for terrorist attacks.

PTI Defence Secretary Sharaf added that churches were one of the most likely targets for such attacks.

“Christianity is seen as a symbol of Western cultural imperialism, which is why, after the Shiite and Barelvi [an offshoot of Sunni Islam] worship places, churches are the third target of hardliner terrorist groups,” he said.

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