Christians Still Suffering Intense Persecution in North Korea One Year After Leadership Change

Leader Kim Jong-Un Sending More Spies into China to Search for Christians Helping Refugees

SANTA ANA, Calif., Dec. 4, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un allows women to wear pants in public, likes to see Mickey Mouse and his friends perform, and experiments with light agricultural reform, but he hasn't made any essential changes in the first year after his father Kim Jong-Il's death.

In fact, he has been preoccupied with building his image and tightening security. He increased the number of spies in China who search for Christians and organizations helping North Korean refugees. The use of television, radio and cell phones by North Koreans has also been thoroughly investigated and Christians report no changes in their situation of being isolated from the outside world.

2012 must have been a busy year for North Korea's "propaganda department." The "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-Il announced three years ago that in 2012 North Korea would once again be a strong and prosperous country. He died on Dec. 17, 2011 and left the country to Kim Jong-Un, who most likely is in his late twenties. The regime tried to model its new leader after his grandfather, Kim Il-Sung. His appearance and his public speeches mirror North Korea's "eternal president." There are differences. Kim Jong-Un's attendance of performances with Disney figures, female musicians in miniskirts and an orchestra playing music from a Rocky movie were widely televised. However, the dream of a strong and prosperous nation is still far from reality.

The number of trained North Korean spies in China is growing. They are searching for human rights activists and Christians helping North Korean refugees. Border patrols have been taken over by the National Security Agency, which put pressure on captured smugglers to disclose information about Christians helping defectors.

In at least one region in North Korea, but possibly more, citizens are pressured to confess their crimes. A North Korean person told a reporter from DailyNK.com, "They are gathering people by factory, school and people's units and telling them to write letters confessing precisely what foreign media they have viewed. When they give you the paper they warn you, saying they know everything anyway so just write it down -- when, where and what you saw, where and from whom you got it and your impression of it."

Open Doors' Christian contacts inside North Korea have reported no changes in their circumstances, indicating there are no signs that Kim Jong-Un will improve freedom of religion in the communist country. In fact, some arrested Christians were tortured and then released in order to betray their brothers and sisters or to serve as bait.

"This is extremely tragic," says a Open Doors co-worker involved in ministry among North Koreans. "It's so dangerous to help Christians who have been released by the government. Some have been tortured so severely they cannot walk anymore. Often we cannot help them because that would bring too much risk to us. We can pray for them. We know that Jesus will not leave them, nor forsake them."

Jerry Dykstra, Open Doors USA Media Relations Director, states: "Scrutiny of the estimated 200,000 to 400,000 brave underground Christians inside North Korea has increased during the last year. Of the estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people living under horrific conditions in prisons, there are 50,000 to 70,000 Christians. Also, many North Koreans are chronically malnourished and unemployed.

"Christians who escape to China from North Korea are hunted down and expatriated to their country where they face prison and often death. Christian groups which help the refugees are also under more scrutiny. But we know that Christians living under the most brutal regime in the world will be celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ this Christmas -- most of them only in their hearts."

Open Doors' focus has been to strengthen and support believers inside North Korea, which has topped the Open Doors World Watch List of the 50 worst persecutors of Christians for 10 years in a row. Open Doors' ministry in North Korea is carried out in secrecy under highly dangerous conditions.

An estimated 100 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with millions more facing discrimination and alienation. Open Doors supports and strengthens believers in the world's most difficult areas through Bible and Christian literature distribution, leadership training and assistance, Christian community development, prayer and presence ministry and advocacy on behalf of suffering believers. To partner with Open Doors USA, call toll free at 888-5-BIBLE-5 (888-524-2535) or go to our Website at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org. 

Okene church tries to move on after massacre

‘We . . . should strive to overcome evil with good,’ archbishop says

Okene, Nigeria, 4 September 2012, (Open Doors News) — The church is still empty. Clothes and bibles remain scattered throughout the sanctuary. Dried blood stains the floor.

One month after gunmen opened fire inside Deeper Life Bible Church in Eika-Adagu, a suburb 12 kilometers from the town of Okene in central Nigeria’s Kogi state, members of the church have yet to resume worship services and other activities.

“All of us are traumatized by this attack. [There is] no family in this church that is not affected by this incident,” Stephen Imagejor, an assistant pastor, told Open Doors News. Imagejor’s wife, Ruth, was killed. Their two daughters, Amen, 12, and Juliet, 9, were hit by bullets and hospitalized. In all, 19 died.

Police have played down widespread suspicion that the militant group Boko Haram was behind the attack, and the group itself has not claimed responsibility, as it has after other deadly outbursts. Members of the church, however, say they have no doubt it was Boko Haram that came after them specifically because of their Christian faith. They may have been a target, they say, because some of the dead include former Muslims who had converted to Christianity. And in the aftermath, church leaders say members struggle with the Gospel’s admonition to forsake revenge.

“Many are now saying that they can no longer come to the church,” Imagejor said. “But we will eventually try to see how we can get those of us that have survived the attack to return to the church for worship services. But, I do visit them to encourage them to remain steadfast in the faith in spite of the persecution.”

 Aug. 6, 2012

It was a Monday. Bible-study day.

Deeper Life members and their families gathered at the church in the evening. Pastor Williams Kumuyi, general superintendent of the Church, was delivering a message via satellite broadcast. It was 7:30 p.m.

Outside the building, a Toyota van rolled up. A group of men — some news reports said as many as 10 — got out. Some carried assault rifles.

“Suddenly the lights in the church went off,” said Faith Isaac Yusuf, who was inside. “A member went out to find out what the problem was and just as we waited for the lights to be fixed, we heard a voice shouting at us to hands up. And then they began shooting us.”

The gunfire lasted 20 minutes.

“I ran out of the church. Honestly I cannot say how I got out, but I know I escaped from the church as the guns burst out with fire and bullets,” Yusuf told Open Doors News in her house at Eika-Adagu.

Her son, Matthew Isaac Yusuf, a high school student, was killed. Another son, Michael Isaac Yusuf, was injured.

When the shooting began, Imagejor hit the floor. “I crawled out as the gunmen began shooting. I crawled along the wall in the dark until I broke through a zinc sheet used to block a door in the children’s section and out of the church. That was how I escaped.”

Outside, he looked across the road. His eyes found Jesse, his 8-year-old son.

“His was a miraculous escape as I saw him across the road without knowing how he got out of the place,” Imagejor said.

Too many others did not get out: Martha Joseph. Aderuwa Joseph. Lydia Michael. Mary David. Emmanuel Ambe, a senior pastor of the Church, who was visiting for a brief meeting.

“I was hit on the leg, while my wife, Grace, was shot death,” said Samuel Ayodele Yusuf, one of the pastors at Deeper Life.

Church member Stephen Isaiah Yusuf survived the attack. His mother, Mary Isaiah Yusuf, did not. Still in shock a month later, he could not recall details.

Seventeen members of the church were killed on the spot. Two died in the hospital. About thirteen members remain in two hospitals: General Hospital, Okene; and  Lokoja Federal Medical Centre.

‘We cannot run away’

Immediately, suspicion fell upon Boko Haram, the militant group that has waged violence across Nigeria in an attempt to topple the government in favor of an Islamic state. Boko Haram has attacked Christian churches elsewhere, mainly in the northern portions of Nigeria. The assault on Deeper Life Church was farther south than typical.

Police have made a handful of arrests, but have not revealed whether any of the suspects have ties to Boko Haram. The police commissioner for Kogi state, Mohammadu Katsina, flatly ruled out any religious motive:

"There is no Boko Haram in Okene,” Kastina told the Nigerian newspaper This Day. Instead, he said the deadly events of Aug. 6 were "a pure case of armed robbery and political attack.”

The surviving members of Deeper Life aren’t buying it.

“No member of our church has been involved in politics and there is, therefore, no justifiable reason for anyone to attack us,” said Samuel Ayodele Yusuf. “So the claim that it is not Boko Haram is not acceptable to us.”

The attack in Okene was too similar to others to dismiss suspicion of Boko Haram out of hand, said the Most Rev. Emmanuel Egbunu, The Anglican Archbishop of Lokoja Province of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, and the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Kogi State Chapter.

“This is not the first time that a Church is being attacked in this state, as there have been attempts in the past to bomb churches here,” Egbunu told Open Doors News. “We are not surprised about this attack because attack on churches has been the trademark of this Islamic sect, Boko Haram.”

“There are claims by security agencies that the attack may be politically induced,” he said, “but the question we have been asking is why should the Church become the target of an attack when the Church is not involved in politics? We believe that this attack is premeditated.”

One reason why, church members said, is the fact that several of the Deeper Life members who were killed had previously converted from Islam to Christianity.

“My wife, Ruth, 46, became a Christian in 1988,” said Imagejor, the assistant pastor. “She was a Muslim before she converted to the Christian faith. And through her life in Christ, her mother and two of her Muslim sisters also converted to Christianity.”

Mary Isaiah Yusuf was a former Muslim, too, said her husband, Isaiah. “She became a Christian when she heard the gospel preached to her. She also shared the gospel with her relations who in turn, gave their lives to Christ.”

He said the two married in 1982 in the city of Kaduna when Mary became a Christian. The couple had six children, and Mary was involved in the church’s team of prayer warriors. She was responsible for the daily cleaning of the church sanctuary.

“We were living in Kaduna in northern part of the country, but the religious crisis caused by the forceful implementation of the Islamic law, Sharia, forced us to relocate to Kogi state in 2001,” Isaiah said. “We thought we were fleeing persecution up north, but now this attack has shown us that we cannot run away from it.”

 The challenge of the Scripture

The attacks on churches are taking a toll on Christian life. Churches are changing from houses of welcome to houses of suspicion, Archbishop Egbunu said. Money that should go to evangelism instead is being channeled into security measures. As the sectarian violence creeps southward into Nigeria’s predominantly Christian regions, he said, worries grow about the country’s ability to police itself.

Egbunu said it’s creating a situation where Christian leaders will not be able to contain the anger building in the hearts of some Christians.

“As Church leaders we preach and tell Christians not to avenge these attacks,” he said. “But it is possible that we may not be able to restrain them for a long time. Things are getting out of hand. We as leaders may restrain ourselves, but Christian youths may not be able to bear things for long. But our message has been that we should not be overcome with evil, but should strive to overcome evil with good, as we are taught in Romans 12:1.”

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Rom. 12:1 NIV

END

 

VIDEO LINKS

1.      An associate pastor of the church describes how the attack on the church was carried out by the gunmen.

2.      This video clip shows the interior of Deeper Life Church

3.      This clip showing the bloodstained floor of the church. NOTE: This video contains images that some viewers may be disturbing

4.      Isaiah Yusuf gives a testimony about how his wife before being killed, shared the gospel with her Muslim relations and won some of them to Christ.

5.      Isaiah Yusuf says the church has never had disagreement with the Muslim community in the area.

6.      Faith Isaac Yusuf describes that there were three pastors in the church on the day the church was attacked. One of the pastors was killed, the second was injured and the third escaped unhurt.

7.      Faith Isaac Yusuf describes how gunmen stormed her church and killed 18 Christians, including her son.

8.      A father, Isaac Yusuf, tells how his son was killed.

9.      Bishop Egbunu on the impulse toward revenge

10.  Bishop Egbunu speaks  about measures being taken to protect Christians from attacks.

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Copyright 2012 Open Doors News

14yr old girl released on bail into protective custody

Islamabad, Pakistan, Sept. 7 (Open Doors News) — A court has ordered that Rimsha Masih, the 14 year old accused of blasphemy, is to be released into protective custody, on bail security of approx. $10,500. It’s rare that bail is granted in a blasphemy case, partly for the defendant’s own safety, but Masih’s lawyers pleaded that she was a juvenile. The girl is expected to be released shortly, after which a further application will be made to drop all charges against her.  Robinson Asghar, aide to the Minister for National Harmony, told Reuters she is expected to re-join her family in a secret location. Asghar said there are no plans to send Masih abroad. Prosecution lawyers said this was a risk, as a result of the prominence the case has received in international media. Asghar’s boss, Minister Paul Bhatti, is closely concerned with the girl’s security after his brother Shahbaz, then himself Minister for Minorities, was shot dead in March 2011 for challenging the blasphemy laws.

Rimsha’s original accuser, her neighbor Malik Ammad, was supported by the local mosque leader, Khalid Jadoon. In Friday’s hearing, Ammad’s lawyers argued that Rimsha should not receive bail, as she had confessed. However, Pakistan’s leading daily ‘Dawn’ reports that, on Wednesday, police interviewed Rimsha again for an hour, during which she is reported to have denied all charges. The mosque leader has now been charged with blasphemy by planting pages of the Quran among burnt papers in Rimsha’s  bags.  He denies the charge, seen as desecration of the Quran, carrying a sentence of life imprisonment. He could also be convicted of falsely accusing a minor.  Jadoon remains in custody until Sep 16^th.

Human Rights Watch and civil society groups welcomed the decision. The Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement, speaking to Open Doors News, hailed this as a landmark case.  

  

Rimsha, resident in a sector of Islamabad, G12, where many poor Christian families live, was reported to police on Aug. 16 on the testimony of neighboring Muslims who accused her of carrying burned pages of Quranic verses. Her defense has argued she is too young to face blasphemy charges as an adult, and too mentally handicapped to even understand the concept of blasphemy.

Her case has taken several dramatic turns.

On Aug. 28 a medical report determined the girl to be 14 years old. Her attorneys considered the medical opinion to be powerful evidence that would persuade the court to shift Rimsha’s case to the juvenile courts, where potential penalties are less severe.

Instead, the court delayed a decision and agreed to a new medical exam at the insistence of lawyer representing Rimsha's accuser. The lawyer hinted strongly that there would be violence if the girl were released on bail and her case transferred out of the adult court system:

"This girl is guilty,” said Rao Abdu Raheem, a lawyer for the man who has accused the girl of blasphemy against Islam. “If the state overrides the court, then God will get a person to do the job.”

One of the girl’s attorneys, Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, said Raheem's remarks amounted to "an open threat."

The most dramatic development yet occurred Sept. 2 when police, acting on information provided by members of a local mosque, arrested a Muslim cleric on suspicion of supplying Rimsha with the torn Quranic pages she was later accused of desecrating herself. The new twist forced yet another delay in a determination whether Rimsha would be released on bail.

Rimsha’s attorneys say she and her family never could return to their home, in the Mehrabad sector of Islamabad.

Rimsha’s arrest has prompted widespread international condemnation of Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy laws. Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has ordered an investigation, and has said the law must not be used to settle personal scores. Prominent Muslim clerics in Pakistan urged the courts not to rush to judgment under public pressure, though the law is widely popular among many ordinary Pakistanis.

The laws have been especially in the spotlight since a Christian mother-of-five, Asia Bibi, was sentenced to death in November 2010 for insulting the Prophet Muhammad. She remains in prison.

In Jan 2011, two months before the death of Shahbaz Bhatti, the powerful Governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, was killed by his own bodyguard forpublicly urging reform of the blasphemy laws. His assassination divided Pakistani opinion, with many hailing the bodyguard as a hero for what he’d done. 

END

Pakistani Christian Parents worry about ‘the next Rimsha’

Hushed conversations amid the country's renewed debate

LAHORE, Pakistan, Sept. 3 (Open Doors News) — Nabil was out pretending to wash his father’s car, as an evening breeze cut through Pakistan’s monsoon humidity. Together with his father and a Christian neighbor, they had made their way out of the house late last week on this everyday pretext. In reality, they were trying to prevent their Muslim neighbors and the women in their families from overhearing or worrying over their conversation.

As he wiped the car, Nabil spoke in hushed tones to their friend from two blocks away and his father, a pastor in Lahore. Nabil had come home to spend the summer with his family. Natrually, the topic was Rimsha Masih, the young Islamabad Christian girl arrested Aug. 16 after Muslim neighbors told police she was carrying burned pages of Quranic texts.

Because of the vulnerability of Christians in Pakistan, especially when questioning the country's blasphemy law, Open Doors News is not publishing his real name.

"I live and work in the Middle East, so I am able to send my children to school here in Pakistan," Nabil said. "But I am seriously thinking of coming back now. What happens if my little Zari becomes the next Rimsha, or my wife the next Aasiya (Bibi, the first woman sentenced under Pakistan’s blasphemy law)? What good is school, if she will only graduate into prison?”

Nabil’s conversation echoed questions being raised across Pakistan. He said there is little that will change in terms of Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy law.

"God’s word has told us that there will be trials and tribulations, and that there will be persecution for Christians,” he told the neighbor, who questioned how Pakistani Christians could have any hope for a future.

"That is our future before we go to heaven. Either we accept that difficulty will come, or we pretend we have the right to something outside of the Word of God. Let us just seek His grace and hope.”

The conversation continued in low tones. All three were afraid their voices might carry to the neighbors. Nabil’s family lives on the second floor of a home that belongs to a Muslim landlord who lives directly below them. He is always concerned that his children will say something to cause them to be falsely accused of blaspheming against the prophet Mohammad, the Quran, or Islam.

The story of Rimsha has shaken Christian families across Pakistan, and has re-ignited national debate on the blasphemy law. Immediately after Rimsha's arrest, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari warned against misuse of the law. The Sept. 2 arrest of a Muslim cleric on suspicion of placing the religious texts into the girl's possession has elevated tensions to a high pitch.

"President Zardari has finally spoken! Thank goodness someone came to the rescue, although it seems a meager and useless attempt,” the neighbor said with some skepticism, because Rimsha’s ordeal follows three particularly devastating cases.

After being falsely accused and arrested in June 2009, Aasiya Bibi became the first woman in Pakistan sentenced to death under the blasphemy law. She has been languishing in a Pakistani prison and solitary confinement ever since. Her controversial case prompted criticism of the blasphemy law from Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and Federal Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, who were subsequently assassinated. Threats also have been leveled at Sherry Rehman, the Pakistan Ambassador to the United States.

END

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Copyright 2012 Open Doors News

What Next for Christians in Egypt?

By Aidan Clay, International Christian Concern (www.persecution.org)  
Special to ASSIST News Service

CAIRO, EGYPT (ANS) -- A few weeks ago, Christians believed a Muslim Brotherhood victory in Egypt’s presidential election would mark the end of religious freedoms and abolish any hope they still had of living a peaceful existence in post-revolution Egypt. However, all that changed just days before the mid-June election when Egypt’s military council dissolved the Islamist-dominated Parliament and stripped the president of most of his powers. Now, despite the presidential victory of Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi on Sunday, the remaining hope of many Christians is in the military, which they view as their final source of protection against Islamists.

Mohammed Morsi declares victory

For Christians, post-revolution Egypt was defined not by democratic progress and greater freedoms, but by the political rise of Islamists and large-scale attacks on their community and places of worship. Many Christians determined to flee the country, but they were holding out for the results of the presidential election to see if secularist Ahmed Shafiq could, by chance, defeat the Islamist Mohammed Morsi.

Shafiq, considered by many to be loyal to the regime, was not the ideal presidential choice of most Christians, but at least, they thought, he was not an Islamist. Islamists already held 75 percent of Egypt’s two houses of parliament. A Brotherhood presidential victory would give Islamists complete control of the government which, Christians feared, would transform Egypt into an Islamic state.

The Islamic agenda of the Brotherhood was made clear during the presidential campaign. In May, Morsi was allegedly quoted by the popular Egyptian website, El Bashayer, as saying: “We will not allow Ahmed Shafiq or anyone else to impede our second Islamic conquest of Egypt.

They [Christians] need to know that conquest is coming, and Egypt will be Islamic, and that they must pay 'jizya' or emigrate.” Furthermore, the Brotherhood demanded that Islamists should draft the new constitution and center it on Sharia law. It appeared to Christians that there would no longer be room for them in Egyptian society if Morsi was elected president.

All that changed, however, only days before Morsi was officially recognized as Egypt’s president. On June 14, the Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that the Islamist-dominated Parliament should be dissolved. And, after election booths closed on June 17, the military further announced a constitutional declaration that expands their power over civilian politicians, including the president, and grants them authority to draft a new constitution. The military was effectively retaking control from the Islamists and many Christians, viewing the military as their last hope of protection, were relieved by the decree.

“Christians are happy, because they were afraid the Muslim Brotherhood was taking over the Parliament,” Athanasious Williams, a Coptic Christian human rights lawyer in Cairo, told Compass Direct News. “But now they feel that there might be a better chance for a secular government.”

Despite the support of Christians, however, is a potential military takeover worth the risk of safeguarding Egypt’s Christian community? A similar situation occurred in Algeria when the army staged a coup just before elections to stop the Islamic Salvation Front from gaining victory in 1991. The result: 150,000-200,000 people were killed in a decade-long civil war. Similarly, Egypt’s Islamists will not back down quietly. The Brotherhood has vowed to “fight in the courts and the streets to reinstate the Parliament,” according to The New York Times. Also, Islamists have the support of more than half of the country’s population, taking into account that 75 percent of registered voters voted for Islamists in the parliamentary elections and 52 percent voted for them in the presidential elections. Although civil war is unlikely, the country remains divided and all calculations on Egypt’s future have been thrown to the wind. Anything can happen.

The question all Egyptians are now asking is: What role will the president and Islamists have in Egypt’s future? Will Morsi be stripped of his presidential powers by the military, making him nothing more than a figurehead? Or, will the Brotherhood and other Islamists continue to demonstrate in Cairo’s Tahrir Square or, less likely, embark on a campaign of armed resistance until the military steps down? It is the answer to these questions that will inevitably determine the fate of Egypt’s ancient Christian community.

---

Aidan Clay is the Middle East Regional Manager for International Christian Concern (ICC), a Washington, DC-based human rights organization that exists to support persecuted Christians worldwide by providing awareness, advocacy, and assistance (www.persecution.org). Aidan is a graduate from Biola University in Southern California. Prior to joining ICC, Aidan worked with Samaritan’s Purse in South Sudan and has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East, Africa and Europe. He and his wife currently live in Nairobi, Kenya. For more information, contact Aidan Clay at clay@persecution.org 

Islamists Bomb Three Churches in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Blasts in two churches in Zaria, one in Kaduna city kill dozens of Christians.

By Abdias Pasoville

 

 The bombed Shalom Church in Kaduna city.
(Photo Courtesy: Compass Direct News)

JOS, Nigeria, June 17 (Compass Direct News) – Suspected Islamic extremists bombed three churches in Kaduna state this morning, the third consecutive Sunday that worship services in Nigeria have ended in lethal bloodshed.

 

In a predominantly Christian area of Zaria known as Wusasa, a suspected Islamic extremist crashed a car into a barricade at an Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) church at around 9 a.m., setting off explosives that killed at least 24 people and wounded 125, according to one unconfirmed report citing an anonymous state official. A few minutes later, suspected Islamic extremists set off explosives at Christ the King Catholic Church in the Sabon Gari area of Zaria.

 

An eyewitness told Compass that at least 10 corpses were removed from the cathedral, with dozens of people injured, many critically. At press time the Nigerian Red Cross Society reported the death toll from the blast at the Catholic church had reached 16.

 

A short while later, a Pentecostal congregation called Shalom Church in the Trikania area of Kaduna city was bombed, killing at least 10, according to the Red Cross. Retaliatory attacks reportedly killed several others.

 

The attacks were believed to have been carried out by the Boko Haram Islamic sect, which took responsibility for similar attacks in Plateau and Borno states on June 10 and in Bauchi state on June 3.

 

Andrew Gani-Ikilami, executive director of the Wusasa Business School in Zaria, said many victims were arriving at the area hospital.

 

“One of the churches is an ECWA church located here in Wusasa where we are, and many children are affected,” he said.

 

Dr. Taylor Adeyemi, medical director at St. Luke’s (Anglican) Hospital Wusasa in Zaria, confirmed that many of the victims were children.

 

“40 injured Christians have been brought to the hospital, and the majority of them are children,” Adeyemi said. “Three have died, and others are still being treated.”

 

John Shiklam, a journalist in Kaduna city, said a 24-hour-curfiew made it difficult to obtain more information on the blast there.

 

“All I can say is that it is true there were attacks on three churches in the state, and as a result, a fight broke out between Muslims and Christians,” Shiklam told Compass by phone.

 

Besides the bombing of a church in Jos, Plateau state last Sunday, gunmen also attacked  a church in the town of Biu in Borno state, killing two Christians (see www.compassdirect.org, “Suicide Bombing Hits Another Church in Jos, Nigeria,” June 10).

 

On June 3 in Bauchi state, a Muslim suicide bomber from the Boko Haram sect attacked the Living Faith church in Yelwa, a Christian settlement on the outskirts of the northern Nigerian city of Bauchi, killing 13, with allegations following that authorities killed eight others who were protesting the lack of security. The blast also collapsed a wall of the nearby Harvest Field Church of Christ, leaving three people in critical condition (see www.compassdirect.org, “Blast Wreaks Bloodshed on Two Churches in Bauchi, Nigeria,” June 3). 

 

Boko Haram has killed at least 560 people this year alone, according to a county by The Associated Press. Literally meaning “Forbidden Book” and translated as “Western education is forbidden,” the Islamist sect has targeted churches, state offices, law enforcement sites and some moderate mosques in its effort to destabilize the government and impose a strict version of sharia (Islamic law) on all of Nigeria.

 

Nigeria’s population of more than 158.2 million is 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 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.

 

www.compassdirect.org

 

END

 

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Copyright 2012 Compass Direct News

Southern Sudanese Christians Fear Forced Repatriation

Khartoum gives them until Sunday to apply for citizenship or be deported.

JUBA, South Sudan, April 6 (CDN) — Christians from South Sudan who have until Easter Sunday (April 8) to try to become citizens of Sudan or be deported fear authorities will use the occasion to rid the country of Christianity, church leaders said.


More than 500,000 citizens of southern ethnic origin who have been living in Sudan for decades – some of them born there – will be considered foreigners after Sunday. Human rights organizations have called on Khartoum to grant them more time to either leave or apply for citizenship.


Christian leaders expressed concern that local media such as the daily Al Intibaha newspaper have been stoking hatred against predominantly Christian southern Sudanese, describing them as “cancer cells in the body of Sudan, the land of the Arab and Islam,” and calling on the government to deport them.


“The local media are becoming very hostile toward us who are still in the north,” one Christian told Compass by phone on condition of anonymity.


Gov. Ahmad Abbass of Sennar state in central Sudan vowed to deport southern Sudanese from his state “without regret,” according to Alsahafa, an Arabic daily. Banners have appeared in Khartoum streets calling on the government and Muslims in general to harass and expel southern Sudanese, some of whom are also Muslims.


“Why are they still here? The government should expel them from the country,” one banner asserts.
 

South Sudan seceded from Sudan in a referendum last July 9. The government of Sudan has begun issuing national numbers to designate citizens of Sudan, denying the designation to Sudanese of southern origin. Without a national number, southern Sudanese have no citizenship rights to work or education.


Churches in Sudan have already suffered losses in numbers as many members prepare for forced repatriation, Christian leaders said.


“We are monitoring the situation and praying to God to protect us,” said a church leader who spoke on condition of anonymity.  


As Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has pledged to base the new Sudan more deeply on sharia (Islamic law), ethnic southerners are faced with a difficult choice, Elizabeth Kendal writes in the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin.


“The message essentially is this: Submit to sharia or get out,” she writes. “Churches may well be targeted immediately and aggressively, starting 9 April. All across the Sudan, churches have been emptying as ethnic southerners – including those born and raised in the north – flee south. This could eventually become a pretext for closing them.”


At the same time, police have been mistreating some of the more than 113,000 southern Sudanese who are living in open spaces in Khartoum after having fled conflict in South Sudan. Officers have removed their make-shift housing, including temporary latrines, according to Jovana Luka, deputy chairperson of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission in South Sudan, who recently returned from Khartoum.


Southern Sudanese may not be welcome in South Sudan, either, as increased competition for scarce resources leads to greater tribal conflict, and their fate depends on the mercy of both the Sudan and South Sudan governments, the Rev. Karlo Aika of Khartoum’s St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church told 98.6 FM radio station on Sunday (April 1).


He said he was concerned about security for southern Sudanese whether they stay or return to South Sudan.


“We fear too because we do not know why these things are happening,” he said.



END

Two Christians Prosecuted for Reading the Bible in Public

MURRIETA, Calif., March 29, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- Yesterday, a trial court in Riverside County, California, heard arguments why the prosecution's case should be dismissed in the case of People v. Brett Coronado. Advocates for Faith & Freedom are defending Pastor Brett Coronado and Mark Mackey on misdemeanor charges after they were arrested in front of a California DMV while Mr. Mackey was reading the Bible out loud. The incident took place on February 2, 2011, in front of a group waiting for the DMV to open for business. 

This case has generated national news, such as the story that ran on Fox News Channel today. Additionally, a YouTube video of the incident and arrest can be viewed by typing in "Hemet Pastor Arrested for Reading Bible". Both men have been spit on and threatened at other locations in the past when engaging in similar activities. As a result, it is their practice to video their evangelism to protect them from false accusations -- just as appears to be occurring in this case. 

Initially, when Mr. Mackey was arrested, the CHP officer stated that it was illegal to "preach to a captive audience." After the defendants were placed in jail and upon learning that no such penal code prohibits preaching to a "captive audience," the officer issued a citation for "impeding an open business" with threats or intimidation under Penal Code Section 602.1(b). However, the district attorney again changed the charges claiming trespass after the government realized the business was not actually open and, presumably, saw the video showing no threats or intimidation.

Unfortunately, the trial judge declined to dismiss the case. Advocates vows to appeal the decision because the trespass law the CHP is currently relying on is unconstitutional. In fact, other federal courts that have reviewed the same statutory language used in the California Penal Code have been declared unconstitutional. 

"This is an abuse of power on the part of the CHP," said Robert Tyler, Associate General Counsel for Advocates for Faith & Freedom. "The arresting officer could find no appropriate penal/ code to use when arresting these men. The purpose of the arrests appears to have been to censor them."

Advocates for Faith & Freedom has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of these three men for violation of their right to free speech and for unlawful arrest, but that case has been stayed pending the resolution of the state court prosecution. Also, join us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date on our progress in this case and others.

Status of Iranian pastor is in question

Iran (MNN/ASN) ― A well-known publication recently wrote an article stating that Iranian authorities claim Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani will not be executed. Jason DeMars of Present Truth Ministries (www.presenttruthmn.com) which has been following Nadarkhani's case, says that "while this appears to be great news, we cannot trust it."

According to Assist News, DeMars says, "We have documented many instances that Iranian media and government authorities have lied about this case to the public. They have recently acknowledged that Nadarkhani is charged with Christian activities but [authorities] continue to deny that he has been convicted of apostasy."

"We have copies of his written verdict that can easily be found online stating that his only charge is apostasy. In addition, his attorney, Mr. Mohammed Dadkhah, has clearly stated that the only charges levied against his client are apostasy," DeMars said.

DeMars added that Iran wants Nadarkhani's case to disappear from the news so that they can do as they wish with him, but "we will not forget, and we will keep praying and working until he is released."

There also have been rumors circulating once again that Youcef was executed, says DeMars. "These rumors are completely false. We are thankful to be able to confirm that as of March 16, Youcef was still alive. Keep praying and spreading the word to everyone you know; ask your friends and your pastors to do the same."

Meanwhile, a Twitter campaign on behalf of Pastor Nadarkhani has reached one million people worldwide, according the Christian Post.

Pastor Nadarkhani preached to a congregation of 400 before he was arrested by authorities in Oct. 2009. Now the story of his standing for Christ against enormous odds reaches far and wide around the globe.

An online article by Katherine Weber for the Christian Post states that the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has been at the forefront of Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani's court case, and the group's many endeavors--namely its "Tweet for Youcef" campaign and congressional petition--have seen substantial results.

The article says those who sign up for the "Tweet for Youcef" campaign allow the ACLJ to use their Twitter accounts to post a daily Nadarkhani update, which includes the number of days Nadarkhani has been imprisoned, facts about his court case, and a link back to the ACLJ's Nadarkhani information page.

Since the campaign began in mid-February, it has gained a substantial following, now reaching 1.1 million Twitter users per day in 89% of the world's nations, the Christian Post (CP) reported. Of those nations, 35 are mostly Muslim populated or governed by some form of Shariah law -- including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt, and Libya, the ACLJ told CP via an e-mailed statement.

"The ability for people all over the world to express their support for Pastor Youcef is remarkable. We're delighted that the 'Tweet for Youcef' campaign expanded so quickly, reaching one million Twitter accounts daily -- truly an important milestone," Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the ACLJ, told CP. "But we're not stopping there. The number now exceeds 1.1 million -- a vital tool in providing information, support for Pastor Youcef, and pressure on Iran to release him without delay."

The Christian Post goes on to report that celebrity icons have pledged their support for Nadarkhani using the ACLJ's "Tweet for Youcef" campaign. On March 1, Matt Hasselbeck, NFL quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, tweeted his support for the Iranian pastor.

Donald Trump, Megyn Kelly, Actress Julie Benz, Michelle Malkin, Rep. Michele Bachmann, and Ann Coulter have also tweeted their support for the ACLJ and Nadarkhani.

Actress Patricia Heaton from "Everybody Loves Raymond" has signed up for the "Tweet for Youcef" campaign, allowing the ACLJ to use her Twitter account to post Nadarkhani tweets, providing information on his imprisonment and how viewers can do more, the Christian Post article stated.

"We're grateful that a number of high-profile individuals -- including those in the business, media, sports and political worlds -- want to help spread the word about Pastor Youcef's plight," Sekulow told CP. "It's clear that this social media campaign transcends all boundaries -- geographic, political and ideological -- all joining together with one goal in mind: to stand up for human rights and religious freedom, and demand the release of Pastor Youcef immediately and unconditionally," Sekulow added.

The ACLJ also successfully issued a petition to free Nadarkhani, gaining 189,000 signatures in just two weeks. The petition called on Congress to pass House Resolution 556, which condemned Iran for its human rights violations and demanded Nadarkhani's immediate release. The Resolution was passed March 1.

Jordan Sekulow traveled to Brazil recently to raise awareness for Nadarkhani's plight. There, he spoke with Brazil's Vice President Michel Temer, who promised that the Brazilian government will continue to stand in solidarity with Nadarkhani.

Although the ACLJ has confirmed that Nadarkhani was alive as of March 3, there has been no further information on the state of his execution order, which is believed to have been issued in late February.

Libyan Islamists Destroy 150 British Graves From WWII, Tear Down Crosses One Year After Begging For Their Help…

How and why did they do it?

By Lisa Gibson
Special to ASSIST News Service

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (ANS) -- I was saddened when I heard the news about the Islamists in Libya who destroyed the graves of British soldiers at a World War II cemetery in Libya. In my culture it is wrong to desecrate a grave. I would imagine it is wrong in Islam as well, which is why they did it. But even more scandalous was the desecration of the cross that hung above the graves of the soldiers who died there. As Christians, that speaks a very clear and hate filled message.

When I saw the copy of the self- promotional video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=E49R8zMJb5s&feature=youtu.be) created by the vandals that was so brazenly aired on YouTube, I was caught off guard. The vandals wore no masks to cover their faces while committing the crime. Instead, they openly and unabashedly engaged in the crime and destruction while all along chanting “Allahu Akbar”, God is great.

Tearing down a cross in the cemetery

The reason for the act was simple, revenge. It was in response to the US burning of the Koran in Afghanistan. Perhaps the Libyan’s hadn’t gotten the whole story of the secret spy codes in Koran’s that were burned, or even heard that the US and even President Obama himself apologized for burning their holy books. But either way, I am confident God wasn’t behind either act of destruction so rather than chanting “God is great” while committing the crime, let’s keep his name out of it.

What saddened me most about this act, is that the actions don’t reflect the sentiment of the majority of Libyans. In fact, many of the progressive leaders I have worked with in Libya in recent months also have concern about the growing fundamentalist influence and the propaganda that is being spread among the Libyan people, especially as the June elections approach.

Lisa teaching conflict resolution in Libya in January

I was just in Libya in January. We held a two-week leadership training course for 100 medical, business and governmental leaders in Benghazi in ethics, leadership, conflict resolution, and administration. It was the first of many trainings to come, in civil society and capacity building. It was all very new information and designed to help transform wrong patterns of thought that were indoctrinated into the minds of the people during 42 years of tyranny. The leaders were challenged, but greatly appreciated the material and were given concrete skills to apply immediately in their workplaces and lives.

In my experience, the majority of Libyans are peace-loving people who want change and prosperity. They aren’t looking for another civil war, or to continue fighting. But just like you have the Taliban in Afghanistan and Al Qaeda in Iraq, you have militant leaders in Libya who are trying to seize power for their own agenda and purposes. They use hate rhetoric and half-truths to stir up discontent among the poor people in the country who are still struggling and not seeing the life altering changes that they believed the revolution would bring. Change doesn’t happen overnight. This breads discontent. Discontent can lead to hate and abuse. We have seen this play out time and again through history.

I haven’t given up on Libya. Despite the lopsided articles I read in the media, I don’t believe it is imploding or bound for ultimate demise. I have a great deal of hope for the future of Libya. They are a people dearly loved by God, who have gone through 42 years of abuse by a brutal regime and they need to learn there is a better way of doing things. They need the western world to go and help them develop, transform and become peaceful and prosperous.

Even though the vengeful acts of destruction make me angry. I refuse to fight with the enemy’s weapons. I want to see the vandals brought to justice, so it creates deterrence of future bad behavior. But more than that, I want to see forgiveness and reconciliation reign. Matthew 5:9 says “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” The reason is simple. The only way to effectively fight hate, is through love!

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Lisa Gibson is the Founder and Director of the Peace and Prosperity Alliance (www.peaceandprosperityalliance.org). She is an ambassador of forgiveness and reconciliation, also an attorney, mediator, public speaker and author of the Award Winning book “Life in Death: A Journey From Terrorism To Triumph.” Lisa has a unique voice on global terrorism having lost her brother on the 1988 terrorist bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. As a result of this tragedy she is overcoming evil with good by serving the people of Libya, the country found responsible for her brother’s death. Her story of forgiveness made the headlines when she met with and forgave Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi, the world’s most notorious terrorist and the man responsible for her brother’s death. She can be contacted by e-mail at: Lisa@peaceandprosperityalliance.org

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