HEADLINES IN THE NEWS - FOR CHRISTIAN'S PERSECUTED
While this site is mainly focused on the persecution of Chirstians; We will highlight any persecuted group.
Christians Forced from Village From: Compass Direct News
Traditionalist Catholics in Puebla state threaten to kill Protestants.
MEXICO CITY, September 16 (CDN) — About 70 Protestant Christians lived in the village of San Rafael Tlanalapan, Puebla state, until Monday (Sept. 12), when they faced a frightening ultimatum – leave immediately or be “crucified or lynched.”
Traditionalist Catholics in the village, near the municipality of San Martín Texmelucan about 60 miles from Mexico City, reportedly threatened to burn down or otherwise destroy their homes.
The Protestants left.
The traditionalist Catholics, who practice a blend of indigenous and Catholic rituals, reportedly asserted that 20 years ago an assistant village president had vowed that no temple of any non-Catholic faith would ever be permitted in San Rafael Tlanalapan. Protestants in Puebla, Hidalgo, Chiapas and other states sometimes refuse to help pay for and participate in traditionalist Catholic festivals, which often include drunken revelry and what they regard as idolatrous adoration of saints.
In 2006, the Protestants in San Rafael Tlanalapan asked for government help after Catholics led village authorities to cut off their water supply.
Full Story - Here
MEXICO CITY, September 16 (CDN) — About 70 Protestant Christians lived in the village of San Rafael Tlanalapan, Puebla state, until Monday (Sept. 12), when they faced a frightening ultimatum – leave immediately or be “crucified or lynched.”
Traditionalist Catholics in the village, near the municipality of San Martín Texmelucan about 60 miles from Mexico City, reportedly threatened to burn down or otherwise destroy their homes.
The Protestants left.
The traditionalist Catholics, who practice a blend of indigenous and Catholic rituals, reportedly asserted that 20 years ago an assistant village president had vowed that no temple of any non-Catholic faith would ever be permitted in San Rafael Tlanalapan. Protestants in Puebla, Hidalgo, Chiapas and other states sometimes refuse to help pay for and participate in traditionalist Catholic festivals, which often include drunken revelry and what they regard as idolatrous adoration of saints.
In 2006, the Protestants in San Rafael Tlanalapan asked for government help after Catholics led village authorities to cut off their water supply.
Full Story - Here
Christians in Syria targeted in series of kidnappings and killings; 100 dead (barnabasfund)
Country: Middle East and North Africa, Syria
The Christian community in Syria has been hit by a series of kidnappings and brutal murders; 100 Christians have now been killed since the anti-government unrest began.
The future of the Church in Syria
is under threat
Image: Jan Smith / CC BY 2.0 A reliable source in the country, who cannot be identified for their own safety, told Barnabas Fund that children were being especially targeted by the kidnappers, who, if they do not receive the ransom demanded, kill the victim.
And the source provided detailed information – some of which cannot be made public for security reasons – about incidents that have taken place since Christmas. Two Christian men, one aged 28, the other a 37-year-old father with a pregnant wife, were kidnapped by the rebels in separate incidents and later found dead; the first was found hanged with numerous injuries, the second was cut into pieces and thrown in a river. Four more have been abducted, and their captors are threatening to kill them too.
On 15 January two Christians were killed as they waited for bread at a bakery. Another Christian, aged 40 with two young children, was shot dead by three armed attackers while he was driving a vehicle.
These latest reports are reminiscent of the anti-Christian attacks that have become commonplace in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion, and heighten concerns about the future for Christians in Syria as the anti-government protests there continue.
The Christian community in Syria has been hit by a series of kidnappings and brutal murders; 100 Christians have now been killed since the anti-government unrest began.
The future of the Church in Syria
is under threat
Image: Jan Smith / CC BY 2.0 A reliable source in the country, who cannot be identified for their own safety, told Barnabas Fund that children were being especially targeted by the kidnappers, who, if they do not receive the ransom demanded, kill the victim.
And the source provided detailed information – some of which cannot be made public for security reasons – about incidents that have taken place since Christmas. Two Christian men, one aged 28, the other a 37-year-old father with a pregnant wife, were kidnapped by the rebels in separate incidents and later found dead; the first was found hanged with numerous injuries, the second was cut into pieces and thrown in a river. Four more have been abducted, and their captors are threatening to kill them too.
On 15 January two Christians were killed as they waited for bread at a bakery. Another Christian, aged 40 with two young children, was shot dead by three armed attackers while he was driving a vehicle.
These latest reports are reminiscent of the anti-Christian attacks that have become commonplace in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion, and heighten concerns about the future for Christians in Syria as the anti-government protests there continue.
100 U. S. Mosque's Surveyed For Violence-Promoting Literature
A survey made on 100 random mosque's, noted in the 'Middle East Forum' by 'The Middle East Quarterly', looked at 12 behavior's that are Shari'a adherent. And the study found that out of 100 mosque...51% contained (severe) violence-promoting literature...30% contained (moderate) violence-promoting literature...and 19% contained 0 violence-promoting literature.
From the Middle East Forum:
"The survey found a strong correlation between the presence of severe violence-promoting literature and mosques featuring written, audio, and video materials that actually promoted such acts. By promotion of jihad, the study included literature encouraging worshipers to engage in terrorist activity, to provide financial support to jihadists, and to promote the establishment of a caliphate in the United States. These materials also explicitly praised acts of terror against the West; praised symbols or role models of violent jihad; promoted the use of force, terror, war, and violence to implement the Shari'a; emphasized the inferiority of non-Muslim life; promoted hatred and intolerance toward non-Muslims or notional Muslims; and endorsed inflammatory materials with anti-U.S. views."
You can see their results in completion at the Middle East Forum.
College 'sacked head and wife for being white Christians'
12/30/11 UK (The Telegraph)-Proffessor Malory Nye, 47 claims he was dismissed from his job at the Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education in Dundee, Scotland, because it's hierarchy viewed his race and religion as a threat to it's Muslim values. ICC
HAVANA, CUBA (Worthy News)-- A Cuban pastor who was imprisoned and then granted asylum by the United States was denied permission to leave Cuba.
Christian Persecution Magazine
ASTANA, KAZAKSTAN (Worthy News)-- Pastor Yerzhan Ushanov of New Life Protestant Church in Taraz is looking at two years' imprisonment if criminal charges for injuring an individual's health ever come to court, Christian rights investigators said.
Ushanov is facing prosecution under Criminal Code Article 111 -- "causing severe damage to health due to negligence" -- for allegedly hurting the health of Aleksandr Kereyev by praying for him, New Life members told Forum 18. Article 111 carries a very large fine, or community service of up to 200 hours, or up to two years' imprisonment. Christian Persecution Magazine
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (Worthy News)-- Saudi police arrested 42 Ethiopian Christians attending a prayer meeting in Jeddah Thursday.
Saudi police and security officers raided a private prayer meeting at the home of an Ethiopian Christian in the Al-Safa district of Jeddah; attendees were reportedly beaten before being arrested and then taken to an undisclosed location. Christian Persecution Magazine
Saudi police and security officers raided a private prayer meeting at the home of an Ethiopian Christian in the Al-Safa district of Jeddah; attendees were reportedly beaten before being arrested and then taken to an undisclosed location. Christian Persecution Magazine
BANGALORE, INDIA (Worthy News)-- Hindu militants twice attacked evangelical Christians in India's southern state of Karnataka, injuring several believers, including women and children, Christians told Worthy News. Christian Persecution Magazine
ABUJA, NIGERIA (Worthy News)-- Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency as northern parts of Africa's most populous nation amid mounting concerns about attacks by Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, against especially the Christian population. Christian Persecution Magazine
Change the Status Quo of Religious Persecution
If you are a Baha’i in Iran, chances are good that you are in jail. If you are a Copt in Egypt, your church may have been burnt to the ground in the past few months. If you think Pakistan’s blasphemy laws violate basic human rights, you will likely be...
For the full story, read at: The Christian Post
For the full story, read at: The Christian Post
Sudan
Lynsey Addario for The New York Times Updated: July 11, 2011
Recent Developments
After decades of fighting for independence from the north, southern Sudan secededon July 9, 2011. Southern Sudan is now called the Republic of South Sudan.
In June 2011, Sudanese Army and its allied militias began an unsparing rampage to crush rebel fighters in the Nuba Mountains of central Sudan, bombing thatch-roofed villages, executing elders, burning churches and pitching another region of the country into crisis, according to United Nations officials and villagers who have escaped.
Read more @ The New York Times
Recent Developments
After decades of fighting for independence from the north, southern Sudan secededon July 9, 2011. Southern Sudan is now called the Republic of South Sudan.
In June 2011, Sudanese Army and its allied militias began an unsparing rampage to crush rebel fighters in the Nuba Mountains of central Sudan, bombing thatch-roofed villages, executing elders, burning churches and pitching another region of the country into crisis, according to United Nations officials and villagers who have escaped.
Read more @ The New York Times
IRANIAN PRISONERS HELD EVEN AFTER EXTENSIVE BAIL HAS BEEN PAYED
Article is courtsey of ICC
The Ambiguous Status and Detention of a Christian Prisoner: Farshid Fathi
ICC Note: Iranians are being held in solitary confinement for months and being repeatedly tortured both physically and phychologically. These Christians are being forced to pay outrageous bails and are still kept in prison even after they have posted the high bail rate.
07/01/2011 Iran (MohabatNews)-Farshid Fathi is one of the new believers from Tehran, who is still in the 209 section of notorious Evin prison from December 26, 2010 without any charge. His ambiguous status has made a lot of concerns among his family and children.
According to the article 128 in the Iranian Criminal law, the prisoners who are waiting for their trial are entitled to choose lawyers but for some reason, judiciary officials denied him his right for legal advice. Read More @ ICC
ICC Note: Iranians are being held in solitary confinement for months and being repeatedly tortured both physically and phychologically. These Christians are being forced to pay outrageous bails and are still kept in prison even after they have posted the high bail rate.
07/01/2011 Iran (MohabatNews)-Farshid Fathi is one of the new believers from Tehran, who is still in the 209 section of notorious Evin prison from December 26, 2010 without any charge. His ambiguous status has made a lot of concerns among his family and children.
According to the article 128 in the Iranian Criminal law, the prisoners who are waiting for their trial are entitled to choose lawyers but for some reason, judiciary officials denied him his right for legal advice. Read More @ ICC
AS ISLAMISTS FLEX MUSCLE, EGYPT'S CHRISTIANS DESPAIR
ICC Note:
"When they were beating me, they kept saying: 'We won't leav any Christians in this country.' Here, there is a war against the Copts, "Ayman Anwar Mitri, a coptic Christian whose ear was cut off by Islamists that accused him of renting an apartment to loose Muslim women, told The Wall Street Journal.
By Yarsolav Trofimov
6/11/2011 Egypt (The Wall Street Journal) - Five weeks after the fall of the Egyption regime, Anman Anwar Mitri's apartment was torched When he showed up to investigate, he was bundled inside by bearded Islamists. Read More @ ICC
"When they were beating me, they kept saying: 'We won't leav any Christians in this country.' Here, there is a war against the Copts, "Ayman Anwar Mitri, a coptic Christian whose ear was cut off by Islamists that accused him of renting an apartment to loose Muslim women, told The Wall Street Journal.
By Yarsolav Trofimov
6/11/2011 Egypt (The Wall Street Journal) - Five weeks after the fall of the Egyption regime, Anman Anwar Mitri's apartment was torched When he showed up to investigate, he was bundled inside by bearded Islamists. Read More @ ICC
Pastor, Church Official Shot Dead in Nigeria Courtesy of Compass Direct News
The Rev. David Usman and his wife in 2009
The Rev. David Usman and his wife during his ordination in 2009. Muslim militants of Boko Haram blamed for killings in Borno state.
JOS, Nigeria, June 10 (CDN) — Muslim extremists from the Boko Haram sect on Tuesday (June 7) shot and killed a Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) pastor and his church secretary in Maiduguri, in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno state.
The Rev. David Usman, 45, and church secretary Hamman Andrew were the latest casualties in an upsurge of Islamic militancy that has engulfed northern Nigeria this year, resulting in the destruction of church buildings and the killing and maiming of Christians.
The Rev. Titus Dama Pona, pastor with the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Maiduguri, told Compass that Pastor Usman was shot and killed by the members of the Boko Haram near an area of Maiduguri called the Railway Quarters, where the slain pastor’s church is located.
Pona said Christians in Maiduguri have become full of dread over the violence of Boko Haram, which seeks to impose sharia (Islamic law) on northern Nigeria.
“Christians have become the targets of these Muslim militants – we no longer feel free moving around the city, and most churches no longer carry out worship service for fear of becoming targets of these unprovoked attacks,” Pona said.
Officials at COCIN’s national headquarters in Jos, Plateau state, confirmed the killing of Pas-tor Usman. The Rev. Logan Gongchi of a COCIN congregation in Kerang, Jos, told Compass that area Christians were shocked at the news.
Gongchi said he attended Gindiri Theological College with Pastor Usman beginning in August 2003, and that both of them were ordained into pastoral ministry on Nov. 27, 2009.
“We knew him to be very gentle, an introvert, who was always silent in the class and only spoke while answering questions from our teachers,” Gongchi said. “He had a simple lifestyle and was easygoing with other students. He was very accommodating and ready at all times to withstand life’s pressures – this is in addition to being very jovial.”
Gongchi described Usman as “a pastor to the core because of his humility. I remember he once told me that he was not used to working with peasant farmers’ working tools, like the hoe. But with time he adapted to the reality of working with these tools on the farm in the school.”
Pastor Usman was excellent at counseling Christians and others while they were at the COCIN theological college, Gongchi said, adding that the pastor greatly encouraged him when he was suffering a long illness from 2005 to 2007.
“His encouraging words kept my faith alive, and the Lord saw me overcoming my ill health,” he said. “So when I heard the news about his murder, I cried.”
Motives
The late pastor had once complained about the activities of Boko Haram, saying that unless the Nigerian government faced up to the challenge of its attacks, the extremist group would consume the lives of innocent persons, according to Gongchi.
“Pastor Usman once commented on the activities of the Boko Haram, which he said has un-dermined the church not only in Maiduguri, but in Borno state,” Gongchi said. “At the time, he urged us to pray for them, as they did not know how the problem will end.”
Gongchi advised the Nigerian government to find a lasting solution to Boko Haram’s violence, which has also claimed the lives of moderate Muslim leaders and police.
The Railway Quarters area in Maiduguri housed the seat of Boko Haram until 2009, when Nigerian security agencies and the military demolished its headquarters and captured and killed the sect’s leader, Mohammed Yusuf, and some of his followers.
The killing of Pastor Usman marked the second attack on his church premises by the Muslim militants. The first attack came on July 29, 2009, when Boko Haram militants burned the church building and killed some members of his congregation.
On Monday (June 6), the militants had bombed the St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, along with other areas in Maiduguri, killing three people. In all, 14 people were killed in three explosions at the church and police stations, and authorities have arrested 14 people.
The Boko Haram name is interpreted figuratively as “against Western education,” but some say it can also refer to the forbidding of the Judeo-Christian faith. They say the word “Boko” is a corruption in Hausa language for the English word “Book,” referring to the Islamic scripture’s description of Jews and Christians as “people of the Book,” while “Haram” is a Hausa word derived from Arabic meaning, “forbidding.”
Boko Haram leaders have openly declared that they want to establish an Islamic theocratic state in Nigeria, and they reject democratic institutions, which they associate with Christianity. Their bombings and suspected involvement in April’s post-election violence in Nigeria were aimed at stifling democracy, which they see as a system of government built on the foundation of Christian scripture.
Christians as well as Muslims suffered many casualties after supporters of Muslim presidential candidate Muhammudu Buhari lost the April 16 federal election to Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian. Primarily Muslim rioters claimed vote fraud, although international observers praised the polls as the fairest since 1999.
Nigeria’s population of more than 158.2 million is almost evenly divided between Christians, who make up 51.3 percent of the population and live mainly in the south, and Muslims, who account for 45 percent of the population and live mainly in the north. The percentages may be less, however, as those practicing indigenous religions may be as high as 10 percent of the total population, according to Operation World.
END
JOS, Nigeria, June 10 (CDN) — Muslim extremists from the Boko Haram sect on Tuesday (June 7) shot and killed a Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) pastor and his church secretary in Maiduguri, in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno state.
The Rev. David Usman, 45, and church secretary Hamman Andrew were the latest casualties in an upsurge of Islamic militancy that has engulfed northern Nigeria this year, resulting in the destruction of church buildings and the killing and maiming of Christians.
The Rev. Titus Dama Pona, pastor with the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Maiduguri, told Compass that Pastor Usman was shot and killed by the members of the Boko Haram near an area of Maiduguri called the Railway Quarters, where the slain pastor’s church is located.
Pona said Christians in Maiduguri have become full of dread over the violence of Boko Haram, which seeks to impose sharia (Islamic law) on northern Nigeria.
“Christians have become the targets of these Muslim militants – we no longer feel free moving around the city, and most churches no longer carry out worship service for fear of becoming targets of these unprovoked attacks,” Pona said.
Officials at COCIN’s national headquarters in Jos, Plateau state, confirmed the killing of Pas-tor Usman. The Rev. Logan Gongchi of a COCIN congregation in Kerang, Jos, told Compass that area Christians were shocked at the news.
Gongchi said he attended Gindiri Theological College with Pastor Usman beginning in August 2003, and that both of them were ordained into pastoral ministry on Nov. 27, 2009.
“We knew him to be very gentle, an introvert, who was always silent in the class and only spoke while answering questions from our teachers,” Gongchi said. “He had a simple lifestyle and was easygoing with other students. He was very accommodating and ready at all times to withstand life’s pressures – this is in addition to being very jovial.”
Gongchi described Usman as “a pastor to the core because of his humility. I remember he once told me that he was not used to working with peasant farmers’ working tools, like the hoe. But with time he adapted to the reality of working with these tools on the farm in the school.”
Pastor Usman was excellent at counseling Christians and others while they were at the COCIN theological college, Gongchi said, adding that the pastor greatly encouraged him when he was suffering a long illness from 2005 to 2007.
“His encouraging words kept my faith alive, and the Lord saw me overcoming my ill health,” he said. “So when I heard the news about his murder, I cried.”
Motives
The late pastor had once complained about the activities of Boko Haram, saying that unless the Nigerian government faced up to the challenge of its attacks, the extremist group would consume the lives of innocent persons, according to Gongchi.
“Pastor Usman once commented on the activities of the Boko Haram, which he said has un-dermined the church not only in Maiduguri, but in Borno state,” Gongchi said. “At the time, he urged us to pray for them, as they did not know how the problem will end.”
Gongchi advised the Nigerian government to find a lasting solution to Boko Haram’s violence, which has also claimed the lives of moderate Muslim leaders and police.
The Railway Quarters area in Maiduguri housed the seat of Boko Haram until 2009, when Nigerian security agencies and the military demolished its headquarters and captured and killed the sect’s leader, Mohammed Yusuf, and some of his followers.
The killing of Pastor Usman marked the second attack on his church premises by the Muslim militants. The first attack came on July 29, 2009, when Boko Haram militants burned the church building and killed some members of his congregation.
On Monday (June 6), the militants had bombed the St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, along with other areas in Maiduguri, killing three people. In all, 14 people were killed in three explosions at the church and police stations, and authorities have arrested 14 people.
The Boko Haram name is interpreted figuratively as “against Western education,” but some say it can also refer to the forbidding of the Judeo-Christian faith. They say the word “Boko” is a corruption in Hausa language for the English word “Book,” referring to the Islamic scripture’s description of Jews and Christians as “people of the Book,” while “Haram” is a Hausa word derived from Arabic meaning, “forbidding.”
Boko Haram leaders have openly declared that they want to establish an Islamic theocratic state in Nigeria, and they reject democratic institutions, which they associate with Christianity. Their bombings and suspected involvement in April’s post-election violence in Nigeria were aimed at stifling democracy, which they see as a system of government built on the foundation of Christian scripture.
Christians as well as Muslims suffered many casualties after supporters of Muslim presidential candidate Muhammudu Buhari lost the April 16 federal election to Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian. Primarily Muslim rioters claimed vote fraud, although international observers praised the polls as the fairest since 1999.
Nigeria’s population of more than 158.2 million is almost evenly divided between Christians, who make up 51.3 percent of the population and live mainly in the south, and Muslims, who account for 45 percent of the population and live mainly in the north. The percentages may be less, however, as those practicing indigenous religions may be as high as 10 percent of the total population, according to Operation World.
END
Jewish Worshipers Attacked - Video
West Bank: Arabs burn Jewish holy books
June 10, 2011
'Rape' in Abyei, Darfur camps denied aid: UN envoy (HERE)
June 8, 2011
Algerian Christian Sentenced Beyond Prosecutor’s Request
Courtsey of Compass Direct News
Five-year prison term handed down for ‘insulting’ Muhammad despite lack of evidence.
ISTANBUL, May 30 (CDN) — Convicting a Christian convert for insulting the prophet of Islam, a judge in Algeria last week stunned the Christian community by sentencing him beyond what a prosecutor recommended.
In Oran, 470 kilometers (292 miles) west of Algiers, a criminal court in the city’s Djamel district on Wednesday (May 25) sentenced Siaghi Krimo to a prison term of five years for giving a CD about Christianity to a neighbor who subsequently claimed he had insulted Muhammad. Krimo was also fined 200,000 Algerian dinars (US$2,760), according to Algerian news reports.
The prosecutor had reportedly requested the judge sentence him to a two-year prison sentence and a fine of 50,000 Algerian dinars (US$690).
The court tried Krimo based solely on the complaint filed by his neighbor, who accused him of attempting to convert him to Christianity.
“He gave a CD to a neighbor, and for that he has to spend five years in prison,” said the president of the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA), Mustapha Krim, trying to contain his disbelief. “The hearing went well, and the lawyer defended well, yet in the end the judge gave him the maximum punishment.”
Authorities arrested Krimo on April 14 and held him in jail for three days. On May 4 he appeared before the court in Djamel, where the prosecutor requested the two-year sentence in the absence of the neighbor who had accused him – the only witness – and any evidence.
The punishment the prosecutor requested is the minimum for Algerians found guilty of insulting Muhammad or “the messengers of God,” or anyone who “denigrates the dogma or precepts of Islam, be it via writings, drawings, statements or any other means,” according to Article 144 of the Algerian Penal Code.
Krim said that if the courts start interpreting the law as it did in Krimo’s case, then the future of Algeria’s Christians is grim.
“If they start applying the law like that, it means there is no respect for Christianity,” Krim said, “and pretty soon all the Christians of Algeria will find themselves in prison. If the simple fact of giving a CD to your neighbor costs five years in prison, this is catastrophic.”
Defense lawyer Mohamed Ben Belkacem told Compass that the judge’s verdict was unexpected and heavy, indicating the legal system’s prejudice against Christians.
“We did not expect this verdict at all,” Ben Belkacem said. “It was a heavy sentence. The judge punished the ‘Christian,’ not the ‘accused.’ There was no proof, and despite that, the court granted him no extenuating circumstances.”
The lawyer said he plans to appeal the case. Krimo is not required to serve his prison sentence until the court hears his appeal and upholds the conviction.
“My client denied having insulted the prophet, and there is no material proof that supports this accusation,” Ben Belkacem told Compass before the May 25 hearing, “but these types of cases are full of unexpected, last-minute developments, so it is difficult for me to envision the outcome.”
At the time of his arrest, authorities detained another Christian convert along with Krimo but released him the same day. Authorities first took Krimo to his house, which they ransaked, confiscating his Bible, CDs, computer and flash discs, according to sources. His wife was able to retrieve the items the next day.
Krimo had “good contact” with his neighbors and sometimes answered questions about Christianity, according to sources. Krimo and his wife have a baby daughter.
The court delivered its verdict the same week that the governor of the province of Bejaia ordered the closing of seven Protestant churches.
Asked if he thought the court had instructions from higher officials to hand down such heavy punishment to Krimo, Krim responded with no hesitation: “It’s certain!”
Churches Still Meet in Bejaia
Over the weekend (May 27-29) authorities did not interfere with the scheduled worship meetings in the district of Bejaia, despite the governor’s order for all the churches of the area to close and threats that police could use force.
“The services proceeded normally, with no police intervention,” said Krim. “So we are continuing and waiting to see if they decide to act otherwise.”
On May 22 the governor of Bejaia sent a statement to Krim informing him that all churches in the province were illegal because they were unregistered. Registration is required under controversial Ordinance 06-03, but Christians report the government refuses to respond to or grant their applications for registration.
“I know about the closure of all the Christian gatherings of the EPA in Bejaia,” Ben Belkacem said. “It’s an illegal and arbitrary decision on the part of the governor of Bejaia.”
According to a report from Christian support organization Open Doors, on April 23 authorities sited Ordinace 06-03 to order a pastor in Maakouda, a city near Tizi Ouzou, to close down his church within 48 hours. When the pastor refused, authorities called him to the police station, where he presented documentation of his affiliation with the EPA.
The police commissioner claimed it was not legal proof of authorization to operate the church. Compass has learned that the issue has not been resolved, but that Christians there continue to meet.
The controversial law was introduced in 2006 to regulate non-Muslim worship. In 2008 the government applied measures in accordance with Ordinance 06-03 to limit the activities of non-Muslim groups, ordering the closure of 26 churches in the Kabylie region because they were not registered.
EPA members argue, however, that the law is impossible to implement as officials refuse to register their churches despite efforts to comply. They said the authorities only use the law to harass churches.
“It is clear that there is discrimination,” Ben Belkacem said. “Christians are seen negatively by the political system of Algeria, and the judiciary is but an instrument of the system.”
Despite efforts to comply with the ordinance, no Protestant churches or groups have received official approval to operate, and the government has not established administrative means to implement the ordinance, according to the U.S. Department of State’s 2010 Report on International Religious Freedom.
Though no churches have closed since 2008, their status remains questionable and only valid through registration with the EPA.
“Christians live in a very difficult situation in Algeria,” Ben Belkacem said. “They are just tolerated for the sake of foreign politics and in reality have no liberty to worship, since no association is recognized despite the many efforts taken.”
There are more than 99,000 Christians in Algeria, less than 0.3 percent of the total population of 35.4 million people, according to Operation World. Muslims make up more than 97 percent of the population.
END
ISTANBUL, May 30 (CDN) — Convicting a Christian convert for insulting the prophet of Islam, a judge in Algeria last week stunned the Christian community by sentencing him beyond what a prosecutor recommended.
In Oran, 470 kilometers (292 miles) west of Algiers, a criminal court in the city’s Djamel district on Wednesday (May 25) sentenced Siaghi Krimo to a prison term of five years for giving a CD about Christianity to a neighbor who subsequently claimed he had insulted Muhammad. Krimo was also fined 200,000 Algerian dinars (US$2,760), according to Algerian news reports.
The prosecutor had reportedly requested the judge sentence him to a two-year prison sentence and a fine of 50,000 Algerian dinars (US$690).
The court tried Krimo based solely on the complaint filed by his neighbor, who accused him of attempting to convert him to Christianity.
“He gave a CD to a neighbor, and for that he has to spend five years in prison,” said the president of the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA), Mustapha Krim, trying to contain his disbelief. “The hearing went well, and the lawyer defended well, yet in the end the judge gave him the maximum punishment.”
Authorities arrested Krimo on April 14 and held him in jail for three days. On May 4 he appeared before the court in Djamel, where the prosecutor requested the two-year sentence in the absence of the neighbor who had accused him – the only witness – and any evidence.
The punishment the prosecutor requested is the minimum for Algerians found guilty of insulting Muhammad or “the messengers of God,” or anyone who “denigrates the dogma or precepts of Islam, be it via writings, drawings, statements or any other means,” according to Article 144 of the Algerian Penal Code.
Krim said that if the courts start interpreting the law as it did in Krimo’s case, then the future of Algeria’s Christians is grim.
“If they start applying the law like that, it means there is no respect for Christianity,” Krim said, “and pretty soon all the Christians of Algeria will find themselves in prison. If the simple fact of giving a CD to your neighbor costs five years in prison, this is catastrophic.”
Defense lawyer Mohamed Ben Belkacem told Compass that the judge’s verdict was unexpected and heavy, indicating the legal system’s prejudice against Christians.
“We did not expect this verdict at all,” Ben Belkacem said. “It was a heavy sentence. The judge punished the ‘Christian,’ not the ‘accused.’ There was no proof, and despite that, the court granted him no extenuating circumstances.”
The lawyer said he plans to appeal the case. Krimo is not required to serve his prison sentence until the court hears his appeal and upholds the conviction.
“My client denied having insulted the prophet, and there is no material proof that supports this accusation,” Ben Belkacem told Compass before the May 25 hearing, “but these types of cases are full of unexpected, last-minute developments, so it is difficult for me to envision the outcome.”
At the time of his arrest, authorities detained another Christian convert along with Krimo but released him the same day. Authorities first took Krimo to his house, which they ransaked, confiscating his Bible, CDs, computer and flash discs, according to sources. His wife was able to retrieve the items the next day.
Krimo had “good contact” with his neighbors and sometimes answered questions about Christianity, according to sources. Krimo and his wife have a baby daughter.
The court delivered its verdict the same week that the governor of the province of Bejaia ordered the closing of seven Protestant churches.
Asked if he thought the court had instructions from higher officials to hand down such heavy punishment to Krimo, Krim responded with no hesitation: “It’s certain!”
Churches Still Meet in Bejaia
Over the weekend (May 27-29) authorities did not interfere with the scheduled worship meetings in the district of Bejaia, despite the governor’s order for all the churches of the area to close and threats that police could use force.
“The services proceeded normally, with no police intervention,” said Krim. “So we are continuing and waiting to see if they decide to act otherwise.”
On May 22 the governor of Bejaia sent a statement to Krim informing him that all churches in the province were illegal because they were unregistered. Registration is required under controversial Ordinance 06-03, but Christians report the government refuses to respond to or grant their applications for registration.
“I know about the closure of all the Christian gatherings of the EPA in Bejaia,” Ben Belkacem said. “It’s an illegal and arbitrary decision on the part of the governor of Bejaia.”
According to a report from Christian support organization Open Doors, on April 23 authorities sited Ordinace 06-03 to order a pastor in Maakouda, a city near Tizi Ouzou, to close down his church within 48 hours. When the pastor refused, authorities called him to the police station, where he presented documentation of his affiliation with the EPA.
The police commissioner claimed it was not legal proof of authorization to operate the church. Compass has learned that the issue has not been resolved, but that Christians there continue to meet.
The controversial law was introduced in 2006 to regulate non-Muslim worship. In 2008 the government applied measures in accordance with Ordinance 06-03 to limit the activities of non-Muslim groups, ordering the closure of 26 churches in the Kabylie region because they were not registered.
EPA members argue, however, that the law is impossible to implement as officials refuse to register their churches despite efforts to comply. They said the authorities only use the law to harass churches.
“It is clear that there is discrimination,” Ben Belkacem said. “Christians are seen negatively by the political system of Algeria, and the judiciary is but an instrument of the system.”
Despite efforts to comply with the ordinance, no Protestant churches or groups have received official approval to operate, and the government has not established administrative means to implement the ordinance, according to the U.S. Department of State’s 2010 Report on International Religious Freedom.
Though no churches have closed since 2008, their status remains questionable and only valid through registration with the EPA.
“Christians live in a very difficult situation in Algeria,” Ben Belkacem said. “They are just tolerated for the sake of foreign politics and in reality have no liberty to worship, since no association is recognized despite the many efforts taken.”
There are more than 99,000 Christians in Algeria, less than 0.3 percent of the total population of 35.4 million people, according to Operation World. Muslims make up more than 97 percent of the population.
END
Beijing Ministerial Prayer Fellowship Interceding in Prayer for Beijing Shouwang Church (8) [on site]
May 27, 2011
American Detained During Raid on House Church in Liaoning Province [on site]
May 27, 2011
Published: Friday 13 May 2011
Obama fails to take action against persecution of Christians Country: UNITED STATES
By Pete Souza / CC BY 3.0
US President Barack Obama has failed to designate a single "country of particular concern" for religious freedom violations since he took office, despite the brutal persecution of Christians around the world.
President Barack Obama in the Oval Office
By Pete Souza / CC BY 3.0 The term is grounded in the US International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, which was intended to commit US foreign policy to the promotion of religious freedom. It requires that each year the president designate as a "country of particular concern" any in which the government has "engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom." Specific actions, including sanctions and diplomatic protests, must be taken against CPCs.
Obama has not designated any CPCs or taken action against those that have already been identified by previous presidents. This may put him in breach of federal law.
In 1999, soon after the legislation came into effect, President Bill Clinton designated Burma, China, Iran, Iraq and Sudan as CPCs. The most recent list of CPCs, confirmed by outgoing President George W. Bush in January 2009, comprised Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan. All of these still stand, although two of them, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan, have indefinite waivers that prevent the imposition of sanctions.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan federal body that monitors abuses of religious liberty abroad, makes recommendations to the president regarding the designation of "countries of particular concern" (CPC).
The USCIRF wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in January 2010 and again this year urging her to take action on CPC designations, but nothing has happened. USCIRF chairman, Leonard Leo, said:
The Obama administration continues to rely on the prior administration's designations but hopefully will make new designations and apply meaningful actions very soon in order to underscore America's resolve in bolstering the freedom of religion or belief around the world.
Egypt is one of the latest countries to be recommended for CPC designation; other recent suggestions include Nigeria, Vietnam and Pakistan, where Christians have repeatedly come under attack. The USCIRF renewed the call for action against Egypt following attacks on churches and Christian property by Islamists that resulted in the deaths of 12 people and injuries to more than 200 last weekend.
Mr Leo said:
The Egyptian government has failed to protect religious minorities from violent attacks, particularly Coptic Orthodox Christians, including during the post-Mubarak transitional period when minority communities have proven to be increasingly vulnerable. This fact, when combined with the ongoing climate of impunity in Egypt, explains why USCIRF recommended last month, for the first time, that Egypt should be designated a country of particular concern, or CPC, for engaging in and tolerating religious freedom violations.
President Barack Obama in the Oval Office
By Pete Souza / CC BY 3.0 The term is grounded in the US International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, which was intended to commit US foreign policy to the promotion of religious freedom. It requires that each year the president designate as a "country of particular concern" any in which the government has "engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom." Specific actions, including sanctions and diplomatic protests, must be taken against CPCs.
Obama has not designated any CPCs or taken action against those that have already been identified by previous presidents. This may put him in breach of federal law.
In 1999, soon after the legislation came into effect, President Bill Clinton designated Burma, China, Iran, Iraq and Sudan as CPCs. The most recent list of CPCs, confirmed by outgoing President George W. Bush in January 2009, comprised Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan. All of these still stand, although two of them, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan, have indefinite waivers that prevent the imposition of sanctions.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan federal body that monitors abuses of religious liberty abroad, makes recommendations to the president regarding the designation of "countries of particular concern" (CPC).
The USCIRF wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in January 2010 and again this year urging her to take action on CPC designations, but nothing has happened. USCIRF chairman, Leonard Leo, said:
The Obama administration continues to rely on the prior administration's designations but hopefully will make new designations and apply meaningful actions very soon in order to underscore America's resolve in bolstering the freedom of religion or belief around the world.
Egypt is one of the latest countries to be recommended for CPC designation; other recent suggestions include Nigeria, Vietnam and Pakistan, where Christians have repeatedly come under attack. The USCIRF renewed the call for action against Egypt following attacks on churches and Christian property by Islamists that resulted in the deaths of 12 people and injuries to more than 200 last weekend.
Mr Leo said:
The Egyptian government has failed to protect religious minorities from violent attacks, particularly Coptic Orthodox Christians, including during the post-Mubarak transitional period when minority communities have proven to be increasingly vulnerable. This fact, when combined with the ongoing climate of impunity in Egypt, explains why USCIRF recommended last month, for the first time, that Egypt should be designated a country of particular concern, or CPC, for engaging in and tolerating religious freedom violations.
Article is courtsey of ICC
AFGHAN CHRISTIAN REFUGEES FACE PROBABLE IMPRISONMENT OR DEATH IF DEPORTED BACK TO HOMELAND
Washington, D.C. (May 13, 2011) - International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that seven Afghan Christians and their families who fled their homeland to India and were requesting refugee status were denied their request by the UN in recent weeks and face deportation back to Afghanistan, where they risk arrest and possible execution for apostasy.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) rejected or closed the applications of seven Afghan Christian families and individuals seeking refugee status in Indian after fleeing religious persecution in Afghanistan. Among the applicants was Aman, a husband, and father of four, who has since received a letter authorizing his deportation from the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs.
Aman and his wife converted to Christianity from Islam eleven years ago, after with Aman studied at Zaraphat Bible College in Rawalpindi, Pakistan before returning to Afghanistan to work with an aid organization in Kabul. He fled the country to India after an Afghan television network broadcast footage of Afghans being baptized and participating in prayer services in May 2010. The broadcast led to protests throughout the country and a government crackdown against Afghan coverts to Christianity.
"The UNHCR office brutally closed and rejected some refugee applications of our community," said a leader of the Afghan Christian community in New Delhi. " This is happening after all our efforts to inform and convince the UNHCR office that is is impossible to live as an Afghan Christian in Afghanistan if your Christian identity is revealed to the public and to the Afghan I Islamic Republic. Apostasy is considered as a crime, and illegal action and a sin which is punishable by death by the Islamic Sharia Law that is the base of the Afghan Constitution."
Our community is a persecuted and rejected community," the leader continued. "We left behind all our belongings in Afghanistan just to save our lives by leaving Afghanistan. Here in India we are receiving no legal, and physical protection from the UNHCR office or the Indian Government,. We are harassed, attacked, insulted and persecuted by Indian Muslims and thousands of Afghan Muslim refugees in this city."
Aidan Clay, ICC Regional Manger for the Middle East, said, "As seen in the recent cases of Said Musa, and Shoaib Assadullah, there are severe penalties under Afghan law, including imprisonment and potential execution, for Afghans who convert from Islam to Christianity. Aman, his family, and others whose applications were denied, will likely face a cruel punishment if they are forced to return to Afghanistan. We urge the UNHCR to reconsider these applications and for the Indian government to offer refuge to persecuted minorities who have fled to India for asylum."
Write or call the UNHCR office in New Delhi to express your concern:
Ms. Montserrat Feixas Vihe
Chief of Mission
UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees)
14 Jor Bagh, New Delhi - 110 003
Fax: 0091 1143530460
Tel: 0091 1143530428 / 0091 1143530424
Applicants Name and Application Number: Aman, HCR/PL/513 - 10C01212
For interviews, contact Aidan Clay, Regional Manager for the Middle East: clay@persecution.org
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) rejected or closed the applications of seven Afghan Christian families and individuals seeking refugee status in Indian after fleeing religious persecution in Afghanistan. Among the applicants was Aman, a husband, and father of four, who has since received a letter authorizing his deportation from the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs.
Aman and his wife converted to Christianity from Islam eleven years ago, after with Aman studied at Zaraphat Bible College in Rawalpindi, Pakistan before returning to Afghanistan to work with an aid organization in Kabul. He fled the country to India after an Afghan television network broadcast footage of Afghans being baptized and participating in prayer services in May 2010. The broadcast led to protests throughout the country and a government crackdown against Afghan coverts to Christianity.
"The UNHCR office brutally closed and rejected some refugee applications of our community," said a leader of the Afghan Christian community in New Delhi. " This is happening after all our efforts to inform and convince the UNHCR office that is is impossible to live as an Afghan Christian in Afghanistan if your Christian identity is revealed to the public and to the Afghan I Islamic Republic. Apostasy is considered as a crime, and illegal action and a sin which is punishable by death by the Islamic Sharia Law that is the base of the Afghan Constitution."
Our community is a persecuted and rejected community," the leader continued. "We left behind all our belongings in Afghanistan just to save our lives by leaving Afghanistan. Here in India we are receiving no legal, and physical protection from the UNHCR office or the Indian Government,. We are harassed, attacked, insulted and persecuted by Indian Muslims and thousands of Afghan Muslim refugees in this city."
Aidan Clay, ICC Regional Manger for the Middle East, said, "As seen in the recent cases of Said Musa, and Shoaib Assadullah, there are severe penalties under Afghan law, including imprisonment and potential execution, for Afghans who convert from Islam to Christianity. Aman, his family, and others whose applications were denied, will likely face a cruel punishment if they are forced to return to Afghanistan. We urge the UNHCR to reconsider these applications and for the Indian government to offer refuge to persecuted minorities who have fled to India for asylum."
Write or call the UNHCR office in New Delhi to express your concern:
Ms. Montserrat Feixas Vihe
Chief of Mission
UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees)
14 Jor Bagh, New Delhi - 110 003
Fax: 0091 1143530460
Tel: 0091 1143530428 / 0091 1143530424
Applicants Name and Application Number: Aman, HCR/PL/513 - 10C01212
For interviews, contact Aidan Clay, Regional Manager for the Middle East: clay@persecution.org
UBL's personal journal proves he was not a retired jehadist.
May 13, 2011
Among other treasure's, the Navy SEAL's team found in Usama bin Laden's compound ( pictured left) his person journal, or notes. In it, he outlines how to move forward:
-stirke smaller cities like Los Angeles
-target trains too, not just planes
-calculate how many should be killed to get the American's out of the Middle East,...he suggested 'thousands'.
-longed for another 9/11 style attack, of mass killings
-sow political dissent in Washington
-target 'oppressed' blacks and Hispanics to join terrorist
-strike on 9/11, and July 4th
With all the personal notes, upwards of 100 flash drives, and five computers seized from bin Laden's home, there is a good chance there is more information forth-coming. There are no imminent plots in UBL's journal according to officals.
Two Explosions Kills At Least 80 At Paramilitary Training Center in Pakistan
May 13, 2011
...Local police say two suicide bombers used at least one motorcycle packed with explosives in an early morning attack in the town of Charsadda. The bombers detonated outside a regional base for Pakistan’s Frontier Constabulary, a security force that receives U.S. funds to combat extremists near the Afghan-Pakistan border.
...Witnesses said many of the casualties occurred in the second blast, after people came to aid those injured in the initial explosion. At least one of the bombs contained ball bearings and nails to increase the damage.
Friday’s blast is the biggest attack since the U.S. raid that killed Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Read @ VOA
...Witnesses said many of the casualties occurred in the second blast, after people came to aid those injured in the initial explosion. At least one of the bombs contained ball bearings and nails to increase the damage.
Friday’s blast is the biggest attack since the U.S. raid that killed Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Read @ VOA
Two Arrest Made In Possible Terror Plot Of N.Y. Synagogue
May 12, 2011
Today, NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly announced the arrest of two men, for allegedly plotting to attack a Manhattan Synagogue. Comm. Ray Kelly: "We did not want to risk loosing track of Frahanni, or Mando, when we knew the danger they posed, especially to New York's Jewish community."
Go HERE for video coverage @ Fox News
Go HERE for video coverage @ Fox News
Thursday, May 12, 2011- Nearly 50 Chinese House Churches Praying Weekly for Shouwang Church (on site)
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Follow Up To : Pastor Arrested Because Of Political Correctness? (Original is 2 stories down)In the video to your left, is one of Dearborn Michigan's local news broadcast. They were at City Hall to cover Pastor Terry Jones, who was arrested on Good Friday for 'planning' to protest against Sharia Law in front of the Islamic Center of America. And yes, you read correctly, he was PLANNING to protest.
After his release he vowed to return the following Friday, and so he did just that, and the consequences are as follows in the video. -Personal Note: While Pastor Jones is certainly controversial, the media in this News Release were certainly less that objective. |
Muslim Mob In Pakistan Attacks Seminary, Forces Thousands of Christians to Flee Teir Homes
Washington, D.C. (May2, 2011)- International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on April 30, a Muslim mob attacked a Presbyterian Seminary in Gujranwala, Pakistan after falsely accusing Christian of desecrating the Qur'an. At least 3000 Christians have fled the area fearing for their lives.
The mob accused Pastor Eric Isaac, former pastor of a Presbyterian church, of burning the Qur'an. He has been arrested.
The police were able to prevent the mob, estimated at 4000, from causing further damage to Christian homesand churches in the area. Several police were injured by the violent mob. The police arrested at least 135 of the rioters.
Read More @ International Chrisitan Concern
The mob accused Pastor Eric Isaac, former pastor of a Presbyterian church, of burning the Qur'an. He has been arrested.
The police were able to prevent the mob, estimated at 4000, from causing further damage to Christian homesand churches in the area. Several police were injured by the violent mob. The police arrested at least 135 of the rioters.
Read More @ International Chrisitan Concern
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Pastor Arrested Because Of Political Correctness?
The controversial Florida Pastor, Terry Jones told reporters Saturday that he plans return to Dearborn MI. Friday to protest in fornt of City Hall.
He also stated that his civil, and free speech rights were violated, and that he would be retaining a lawyer. He is working with the Thomas More Law Center of Ann Arbor MI. Jones was arrested for Planning a protest against Sharia law outside the Islamic Center of America on Good Friday. Then went to trial, where the Jury found that it would be a breach of peace. He was ordered to pay a $1 peace bond, when he refused, he was taken into custody. He and another pastor, who was to protest with him and was also arrested, later paid their fines and was released. Rather or not you agree with Pastor Jones, the real question here is were he and his associate denied their constitutional rights, arrested, and prosecuted unlawfully. There was never a crime commited, and his counter-protester's protested in the same place. |
After Palestinian police shot five Jew's, killing Ben Yosef Livnat; Arabs attacked the funeral proccesion. 04/25/11
Palestinian Authority police Sunday morning shot and killed one Israeli and wounded four others after they prayed at Joseph's Tomb (Kever Yosef) around 6 a.m. Sunday (11 p.m. Saturday night EDT). The murder victim (pictured below) was identified as 24-year-old Ben Yosef Livnat, a nephew of Likud Minister Limor Livnat and father of four children.
Arabs attacked the funeral procession with rocks as it proceeded from his childhood home of Elon Moreh where he lived with his wife and four children, to Jerusalem. At least one car windshield was broken in the rock attacks, but no one was injured. People from Elon Moreh stood by the highway in dozens of cars as the funeral procession passed. More Israel News
Arabs attacked the funeral procession with rocks as it proceeded from his childhood home of Elon Moreh where he lived with his wife and four children, to Jerusalem. At least one car windshield was broken in the rock attacks, but no one was injured. People from Elon Moreh stood by the highway in dozens of cars as the funeral procession passed. More Israel News
Related story: Joseph's Tomb set ablaze by PA. Arabs in celebration of murdered Jew
States Move To Change Pro-Abortion Legistation 4/20/11
In April, Democratic lawmakers squashed the effort to cut federal funding of Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion-provider.
At the state level, it's a different story where pro-life laws are flying through many legislatures.
..."In Alabama, there;s four bills pending right now, "... Read, and watch video @ CBN
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