Men on Rescue Mission Beaten Up In a Red Light District In India

By Jacob Philip
Assistant Correspondent in India for ASSIST News Service

PUNE, INDIA (ANS) -- Undercover rescuers from the Indian Rescue Mission (IRM), who had gone to rescue minor girls forced into prostitution inside one of the brothels of Pune, India, were thrashed by a gang on Wednesday night, February, 22, 2012.

A scene in the Pune red light district

According to organization sources, two of their undercover operatives were trying to trace two minor girls trafficked into one of the brothels in the red light district of this city which is the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai.

It happened that a group of people, mostly women and hooligans, gathered on the ground floor of a brothel building and as soon as IRM team members reached the ground floor, the mob pounced on them and beat them up.

One of the attacked member, Mr. Kamble, said, “One boy punched me in the face, giving me a bloody nose.”

According to Kamble, the attackers called the police and tried to mislead them by branding the activists as “extortionists.”

Kamble told ANS, “After the police noticed that we were the victims who were manhandled by the mob, they asked us to lodge a complaint against the attackers.”

James Varghese with girls after a previous rescue conducted by his organization

U K Yadav, the Sub-Inspector of the Faraskhana Police Station said, “The duo did not disclose their identity which led to the tension in the area. We have taken preventive action against Ghanashyam Dnyaneshwar Kulapalli (27) of Bhavani Peth who had allegedly beaten the staff member.”

Reacting to the episode, James Varghese, Founder of the Indian Rescue Mission, and also an ANS correspondent, said, “We are deeply disturbed by this incident and we feel that we who help the people of the society should be given protection. We condemn this act and we request the police to act swiftly and bring the attackers to book.”

For more details on IRM’s work visit them at:www.indianrescuemission.org

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Jacob Philip works as a correspondent for an Indian newspaper and also serves as the Assistant Correspondent in India for ASSIST News Service. Jacob lives in Bangalore and runs a software development business.


 

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Nigerian Christians on High Alert After Vicious Boko Haram Attacks

SANTA ANA, Calif., Jan. 18, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- This week's halt to a nation-wide strike over fuel prices came as a relief to the Open Doors team in Nigeria.

Since the week before Christmas, Open Doors workers have been swamped in efforts to confirm and address the most urgent needs of Christian believers affected directly by the latest onslaught of attacks against the church by Boko Haram, a militant Islamist sect demanding the rule of strict Muslim law in Nigeria.

Boko Haram's bold, deadly campaign during the Christmas season left Northern Nigeria reeling, causing many to say that Nigeria was tumbling into full-scale civil war. Then last week's five-day strike over the government's decision to cancel fuel subsidies spiraled into violent clashes between demonstrators and police, compounding the situation considerably. The Open Doors team has confirmed that more than 50 Christians have been killed in the violence since the beginning of January.

Despite a military presence in the Boko Haram-affected areas, coupled with the government's apparent intention to clamp down on perpetrators of violence, the Boko Haram leader's vow to "cleanse the north of Christianity" has kept the affected areas in the grip of uncertainty. A short cell phone text message circulated to warn Christians that more attacks would follow caused more fear. In a recent video posted on YouTube, the sect leader declared their attacks were "reprisals" for alleged earlier attacks by Christians against Muslims.

In reaction, the government called on Christians not to be alarmed by the threats of Boko Haram, assuring them of protection. Many church leaders joined the president in calling for calm, urging members to remain in prayer. However, the leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Ayo Oritsejafor, told Christians to take appropriate action to protect themselves.

This atmosphere of fear and mistrust across the North complicates the work for Open Doors teams, which need much wisdom and discernment in their decision-making process. If staff teams are caught up in the violence themselves, this would compromise urgently needed assistance even further.

At the end of last year, some Open Doors training sessions were disrupted by Boko Haram violence. While a training seminar was going on in Maiduguri, 10 bomb explosions occurred in different locations of the city within three days. Two of the participants in the seminar were gunned down by Boko Haram members after returning home. One of them was a pastor of the local Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) congregation. Despite the great shock to all the participants and the ongoing danger, they persisted to complete the training. In one instance, it was confirmed that the movements of an Open Doors relief team were being monitored by members of Boko Haram.

For now the priority of the team is to confirm data and reach the believers who are in the greatest need of assistance.  From a quick scan of secular media reports, it is clear that there is a lot of contradictory information circulating. Despite the fact that the Open Doors team is very well connected with the local church in Nigeria, it poses a challenge to make sense of the plethora of information.

In prioritizing assistance, Open Doors workers have confirmed that at least some of the Christians affected by the Christmas Day attacks in the Abuja area have been helped by the government. Open Doors is assessing the needs of those Christians who are not receiving any assistance. 

Reportedly the most urgent needs are among the large number of Christians from Potiskum and Damaturu in Yobe state who have fled to Nassarawa. Christians in Kano and Katsina say they have nowhere to go, so have stayed put, and the team is investigating their needs. Some Christians have fled across the border to the Republic of Niger, but it appears that they are being cared for to some degree.

"Please pray with me about the deteriorating situation in Nigeria," said Open Doors USA President/CEO Dr. Carl Moeller. "The goal of Boko Haram is to spread Sharia law throughout Nigeria. We must storm the gates of heaven with our prayers to prevent this from happening. The millions of Christians -- as well as the Open Doors team -- need our support now."

Nigeria is ranked No. 13 on the Open Doors 2012 World Watch List of 50 countries which are the worst persecutors of Christians. Last year it was ranked No. 23.

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.

Nigeria: Boko Haram Kills Four Christians and Threatens Village Attacks

This home-grown terrorist group is conducting a brutal campaign that has claimed the lives of many Christians in Nigeria, and the killing continue

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

YORBA LINDA, CA (ANS) -- Boko Haram gunmen on Thursday, January 12, 2012, shot dead four Igbo Christian men in Potiskum town in Yobe State, and threatened to launch an attack on two nearby villages later that evening.

Boko Haram gunmen

“The four men were reportedly shot in a vehicle as they were migrating southwards to rejoin their families, who had already moved to that area to escape the violence. Previous attempts to join them had been hampered by the indefinite general strike against fuel subsidy removal, which has brought the nation to a halt,” said a spokesperson for UK-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

“On the same day, Boko Haram also threatened to attack Kukargadu and Dagare villages, both of which have large populations of indigenous Christians. However, extra security personnel were deployed to the villages, which were consequently kept safe through the night.”

The CSW spokesperson went on that say that on Tuesday, eight men and a woman were killed by suspected Boko Haram gunmen in Potiskum. All nine are thought to have been Christians. The group, which included a lecturer at the Federal College of Education/Technical in Potiskum, four policemen and a young man employed by Jam'a Clinic, were in a bar in the Dorawa Ward when they were shot at by gunmen who escaped on motorcycles. On the previous day, two Christians were also shot at by gunmen on a motorcycle in the Barracks area of Potiskum, but escaped unhurt by falling to the ground and playing dead.

A 24-hour curfew has now been imposed in Yobe, and motorcycles have been banned due to Boko Haram’s regular usage of these vehicles.

The deteriorating security situation has led to rising speculation that Yobe State could soon be entirely emptied of its Christian population as entire lorry-loads of people have been departing the state. One source, who informed CSW-Nigeria he was assisting over two hundred families of indigenous Christians with relocation, said, “If this continues unabated, in the next few months or weeks there may be no Christians in Yobe State. Though our houses, jobs and churches are here, we have no choice but to leave”

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In several instances, added the CSW spokesperson, fuel subsidy removal protests are being used for alternative agendas.

On Tuesday, a fuel protest in Gusau, Zamfara State, degenerated into an attack on Ebenezer Baptist Church as rioters removed equipment and other valuables from the premises and set them on fire. A 24-hour curfew was imposed in Kaduna City and its environs yesterday, after Muslim youths went to the governor's official residence on Tuesday claiming they wanted to seize control.

On Wednesay, a 6am to 6pm curfew was imposed in Niger State after rioting broke out in the capital, Minna, and the governor's campaign headquarters was attacked.

Meanwhile, retaliatory attacks on Hausa-Fulani neighborhoods in Benin City in southern Nigeria on 9 and 10 January during fuel protests resulted in five deaths, mass displacement and the destruction of an Islamic School attached to the central mosque. This worrying development follows a week of violent events in Adamawa State that left at least 37 people dead in which southerners were specifically targeted.

Mervyn Thomas

CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said, “CSW is deeply grieved by the continuing deaths, injuries and displacements across Nigeria. The fact that an entire local Christian population is being forced to flee from their homes and the deliberate targeting of the Igbo population by a terrorist group are appalling manifestations of religious and ethnic cleansing. We call on the state and federal officials and security agents to do everything in their power to end Boko Haram’s reign of terror and bring an end to the ongoing violence, which constitutes an immediate threat to the unity of this multi-religious and multi-ethnic nation.”

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is a Christian organization working for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice.

Note: Boko Haram, is a terrorist organization based in the north east of Nigeria, in the areas predominated by the Kanuri ethnic group founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2001or 2002, the group is a Muslim sect that seeks to “abolish the secular system and establish an Islamic state” and “establish Sharia system of government in the country.”

For further information or to arrange interviews please contact Kiri Kankhwende, Press Officer at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 (0)20 8329 0045 / +44 (0) 78 2332 9663, emailkiri@csw.org.uk or visit www.csw.org.uk.

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Dan Wooding, 71, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 48 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. He now hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on KWVE in Southern California which is also carried throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on Calvary Chapel Radio UK and also in Belize and South Africa. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 192 countries and also provides a regular commentary for Worship Life Radio on KWVE. You can follow Dan Wooding on Facebook under his name there or at ASSIST News Service. He is the author of some 44 books, one of which is his autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth”, which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, press this link. Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, has also recently released his first novel “Red Dagger” which is available this link.

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Karnataka Most Dangerous State in India for Christians

Detail of painting symbolic of assaults on Christians in India,
 displayed at exhibition in New Delhi last year.
(Photo: Compass)

Southern state remains most volatile place for third straight year.

NEW DELHI, January 13 (CDN) — Attacks on Christians accelerated over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays in the south Indian state of Karnataka, which was identified as the most unsafe place for the religious minority for the third consecutive year in 2011.

With 49 cases of violence and hostility against Christians in 2011, Karnataka remained the state with the highest incidence of persecution, according to the Evangelical Fellowship of India’s annual report, “Battered and Bruised…”

The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), which is based in Karnataka’s capital of Bengaluru and initially reported most of the incidents, also documented at least six anti-Christian attacks between Christmas Eve 2011 and New Year’s Day.

On the evening of Jan. 1, about 20 men disrupted the New Year’s Day worship service of the Blessing Youth Mission Church at the house of a believer in Hunnur village, in Jamkhandi division of Bagalkot district. Suspected Hindu extremists from the Bajrang Dal, the men manhandled pastor Siddu Seemanth Gunike, accusing him of forcibly and fraudulently converting Hindus. Local police intervened and rescued the pastor and other Christians.

On New Year’s Eve, more than 10 men trespassed onto the premises of the Karnataka Calvary Fellowship Church, in the Ganeshgudi area in Joida division of North Canara district, and disrupted a service of thanksgiving. Believed to be Hindu nationalists, the men forced the church to stop the service. Police arrived but only to summon the pastor, identified as P.R. Jose, to the police station the following morning. After GCIC’s intervention, however, a senior police official assured the Christians of security.

On the evening of Dec. 28, 2011, a group of men from the nationalist Hindu Sriram Sene disrupted the prayer meeting of the Divyadarsana Ministry Church at the home of a Christian, Bima Naik, in SS Layout in Davanagere city, the headquarters of the central Davanagere district. Alleging the meeting was to convert Hindus, the men tried to manhandle the Christians. Police arrived, but instead of detaining the intruders took pastor Raju Doddamani, Naik and three other Christians to the police station for interrogation. They were released late at night.

The same day, unidentified persons burned a Christmas tree and a crib that were part of Christmas celebrations by local Catholics in Maripalla area in Bantwal division of the Dakshina Kannada district. Police arrested two men, but their identities were not disclosed.

Police reportedly said the decorations were burned over suspicion of “conversions.” Evangelizing and conversion are legal in India.

Also on Dec. 28, suspected Hindu nationalists ransacked and broke windows of the Hebron Assembly Church in the Haleangadi area of Mangalore division in Dakshina Kannada district. The attackers also destroyed household items in the house of the pastor, identified only as Prasanna. Police registered a case against the attackers, but at press time no one was reported to have been arrested.

On the evening of Dec. 25, about 20 people beat Christians with stones and wooden clubs as they celebrated Christmas at a house in the Maindguri area, near Surathkal, a few miles from the city of Mangalore, in Dakshina Kannada district. The attackers, allegedly from a local extremist Hindu Jagran Vedike (Hindu Revival Forum), attacked the Christians, including women and children, indiscriminately.

A 27-year-old man identified only as Joyson fractured his leg; a pastor’s wife identified as Lata, sustained chest injuries; a 29-year-old woman identified as Roshini and another woman identified as Annamma received head injuries; and a 23-year-old man identified only as Deepak broke his nasal bridge in the attack. A local Christian told Compass by phone that police arrested five of the attackers, but that they had been released on bail.

The attacks on Christians in Karnataka are “shameful” and “a blot on the secular and democratic India,” GCIC President Sajan K. George said. The local government and authorities were “complicit in the persecution against Christians,” he added.

Anti-Christian attacks increased in the state after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to sole power in May 2008. At least 28 attacks were reported in less than two months in August and September of that year. In 2009, Karnataka witnessed at least 48 attacks, and the number grew to 56 in 2010, according to the EFI.

In its 2010 report of Christian persecution in India, the EFI had warned about increasing attacks on Christians in Karnataka, remarking that “although in 2007 and 2008 two major incidents of violence occurred in eastern Orissa state’s Kandhamal district and hit headlines in the national as well as international media, little efforts have been taken by authorities in India to tackle the root causes of communal tensions, namely divisive propaganda and activities by powerful right-wing Hindu groups, who do not represent the tolerant Hindu community.”

The violence in Kandhamal district during Christmas week of 2007 killed at least four Christians and burned 730 houses and 95 churches, according to the All India Christian Council (AICC). These attacks were preceded by around 200 incidents of anti-Christian attacks in other parts of the country.

Violence re-erupted in Kandhamal district in August 2008, killing more than 100 people and resulting in the incineration of 4,640 houses, 252 churches and 13 educational institutions, according to the AICC.

Christians account for about 2.3 percent of India’s population, which is more than 1 billion.

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