Tightening of restrictions felt by Kazakh religious community with prayer room bans

(Photo by Irene)

Kazakhstan (MNN) ― A month after two new religion laws came into effect, Kazakhs are beginning to feel the ever-tightening squeeze of restrictive legislation.

The laws introduced in October cover a great deal of ground in an attempt by the government to eradicate extremism. New restrictions imposed range from registration regulations for religious groups, to fewer rights for children involved with religious activities, to the banning of prayer rooms in public places.

The latter bit of legislation has caused an uproar in Kazakhstan over the past weeks, according to Forum 18 News and Slavic Gospel Association (SGA).

Joel Griffith with SGA explains: "We've seen increasing restrictions being enforced, and it's going across the board, from what we've seen. Not only evangelical churches and Orthodox churches [are affected], but also Islamic mosques are being shut down and prayer rooms being shut down in prisons. And they're citing basically these two laws in doing so," explains Griffith.

Forum 18 reports that prayer rooms in care facilities have already been closed. In one instance, a prayer room that was closed for renovation is simply not being reopened. The hospital claims that it needs the space for beds, but dozens of religious leaders have said otherwise.

Religious leaders argue that prayer rooms are greatly needed in hospitals when people are looking for hope in difficult circumstances. But, church leader Aleksandr Suvorov says, "The government argues that having such prayer rooms allows them to be exploited by extremists."

Griffith says this mentality could be extremely harmful to ministry---prison ministry in particular. Prayer rooms in prisons are being removed in compliance with the laws as well, which could be detrimental for Kazakh prison ministries.

"A lot of churches actually are formed behind prison walls, and these prisoners basically have their own congregations behind prison walls," explains Griffith. "It seems now like [with] some of the prayer rooms, these new laws are being cited by the government to shut them down. And obviously we're concerned if this is the case...it's obvious that prison ministry is going to be made a lot more difficult."

On top of these concerns, as the laws make their presence known throughout Kazakhstan, SGA remains uncertain about children's ministry. "It remains to be seen, now with Christmas coming up, just how are these laws going to be used to impact maybe children's ministries?"

Kazakhstan is just beginning to feel the weight of these new laws. Believers are determined to continue to spread the Gospel, but outreach is getting harder and will likely continue to do so.

"We here as Christians in the West need to not only continue supporting our Kazakh brothers and sisters, but to really engage in intercessory prayer that the Lord would change hearts and that this law would not be as rigorously enforced as it could be. If there would be a change of heart, pray that maybe the constitutional court there would overturn the law or that the law would be repealed. Certainly the Lord can accomplish anything through the power of prayer." 

Appeal to help Christians affected by Syria unrest

Pro-Syrian regime protesters outside
 the Syrian foreign ministry, November 14AP

There are growing concerns for the future of Christians in Syria and the thousands of Iraqis seeking refuge there.

President Bashar al-Assad continues to defy calls to step down amid international outcry over his regime’s crackdown on the uprising that has gripped Syria for the last eight months.

The UN estimates that at least 3,500 people have been killed at the hands of the military since anti-government demonstrations broke out.

The worsening situation prompted the Arab League to suspend Syria on Saturday. Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan are the latest leaders to say the Syrian President should go.

Christians in the country, however, fear that if Assad falls, Syria will descend into the same chaos as Iraq did post-Saddam Hussein.

While the influence of militant Islamists was restrained under Saddam, they were virtually free to wreak havoc on Iraq’s Christian community after his demise.

The scale of the violence, which has included deadly bomb attacks on churches, has caused thousands of Christians to flee Iraq, many of them ending up in Syria.

A Syrian church leader and coordinator of Barnabas Fund’s food programme for Iraqi Christian refugees in Syria said: “Most of the Iraqi Christians living in Syria are worried because they do not want to see Syrian Christians passing through the same path as happened with them in Iraq.

“They are lifting their prayers for a safe and secure Syria and for it to continue to be a safe haven.”

Barnabas Fund said many Christians in Syria had stayed away from the protests because of the reasonable amount of religious freedom they have enjoyed under President Assad.

The organisation, which supports persecuted Christians, said more funds were desperately needed to help meet the practical needs of Christians affected by the crisis.

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund, said: “Syria has been very much a safe haven for Christians in the Middle East, one of the few Arab countries where they were treated with respect and had equality with the Muslim majority.

“Syria also has a history of welcoming in persecuted Christians from other countries. But I greatly fear that within the near future we will see a new Iraq developing in Syria.

“Barnabas Fund is standing with our brothers and sisters during this tumultuous time through both prayer and practical support. Please help us to help them.”

To donate to the Barnabas Fund appeal, click here

Evangelist Shot Dead in Pakistan

Christian who wanted to serve the poor had received threats from area Muslims.

KARACHI, Pakistan, November 18 (CDN) — An evangelist was shot dead here on Wednesday (Nov. 16) by an unidentified gunman in what his family believes was a radical Muslim group’s targeting of a Christian.


Zahid Jameel, 25, told Compass that his father, Jameel Saawan, and a helper were opening the doors of their cosmetics shop in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal area of Pakistan’s commercial hub of Karachi on Wednesday morning when a young man appeared and shot his father, first in the neck and then in the face.


The assassin fled on a motorcycle on which two people were waiting, keeping watch for him, Jameel said.


“We firmly believe that my father was killed because of his preaching of the Bible, because there is no other reason,” Jameel said.


His father had not spoken of any threats on his life in recent weeks, though he had received threats after voicing his desire to start a welfare organization for poor Christians in the Essanagri area of Karachi two years ago, Jameel said.


“That could not materialize after he started receiving threats from some unknown forces,” Jameel said. “We do not know who threatened him, but my mother persuaded him not to put his life in danger, for our sake.”


Nevertheless, Jameel said that his father continued to preach and was widely respected for being a vocal supporter of the Christian community.


“We live in a rented apartment and our shops are also on lease – we don’t have any property, and no enemies, which is why we are shocked by our father’s killing,” he said. “It wasn’t a robbery, because the assassin only walked towards my father and shot at him.”


Zahid said that his mother was in a state of shock, as were his three sisters and older brother, Shahid.


“Our father has been gunned down for no reason at all,” Jameel said. “He used to share the Word with Muslims, but I have never heard that he entered into an argument with any person.”


Jameel said that the family had moved to Karachi from Quetta about 10 years ago, with his father starting the cosmetics business two years later.


“My father was a very religious man, and some years ago he decided that it was time for him to reach out to the people and share the Good News with them,” he said. “Every day he would visit several families to share the Word of God and was very content with his life.”


His father used to sit with him at his shop from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., then go off to visit Christian families to share the Bible, Jameel said. On the day of the murder, however, his father reached the shop 15 minutes ahead of him.


“The young boy who helps me in my shop told us that he was opening the locks of the other door when he heard a gunshot,” he said. “The boy then saw my father trying to grasp the assailant, but the man fired another bullet that hit my father in the cheek and exited from the back of his head, killing him instantly.”


Michael Javed, a former member of the Sindh provincial assembly, told Compass that he had known the victim for several years, as both of them are from Quetta.


“Saawan was a very good man and was always eager to help his community,” Javed said. “I also think that he was killed by some religious forces, because he had shared with me once that he was receiving threats from some quarters.”


The former legislator said that no one had come forward to record statements with the police because of fears for their security, and it was highly unlikely that Saawan’s killers would be caught.


“There used to be quite a few cases of such nature in Sindh, but now the situation for minorities is worsening,” he said. “The government needs to make efforts to provide security to our people.”


Napolean Qayyum of the Pakistan People’s Party Minorities Wing told Compass that the PPP-led Sindh government would make all possible efforts to apprehend Saawan’s killers.


“President Asif Zardari’s spokesman has told me that the president had tasked Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan to investigate the incident and report back to him,” he said, adding that Wassan was likely to visit the family today.


Sharing Life Ministry’s Sohail Johnson said he regretted that the killing of the evangelist would instill further fear in Christians in the city.


“Pastor Saawan’s brutal murder shows that the forces of extremism and intolerance will go to any extent to disrupt peace and harmony in Pakistan,” he said.


Although police registered the case on Wednesday (Nov. 16), they have yet to make any progress in the investigation, sources said.


Saawan’s family was preparing for his burial today, still holding onto some hope that one day his killers will be brought to justice.



END

Pakistan Telecom Authority bans ‘offensive’ text messages including the use of ‘Jesus Christ’

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

LONDON, UK (ANS) -- A Pakistani Christian leader has attacked The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) who is reported to have told mobile phone companies to begin blocking text messages containing “obscene” words including “Jesus Christ.”

Wilson Chowdhry asks, “How long until we see signs like this on Pakistani highways?”

Mobile phone companies Telenor Pakistan and Ufone confirmed to the BBC that the PTA has sent them a “dictionary” of banned words and expressions.

The PTA has reportedly ordered operators to begin screening text messages by November 21, 2011.

“Ufone say they are now working on how to block the offending words,” said a BBC story. “A letter dated November 14, apparently written by Muhammad Talib Doger, an official at the PTA, has been leaked to Pakistani media.

“It states that mobile phone operators should begin screening the words, provided on a list attached to the letter, within seven days.”

The BBC went on to quote Anjum Nida Rahman, corporate communications director for Telenor Pakistan, as saying, “We have received both the dictionary and the memo and we're discussing a way forward.”

Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman, British Pakistani Christian Association, has told the ASSIST News Service that one of those “offending” words is “Jesus Christ.”

In a message sent to ANS, he said that among the words and expressions that have to be blocked are:

* Athlete’s foot
* Flatulence
* Jesus Christ
* Monkey crotch
* Back door
* Bewaquf (foolish)
* Bakwaas (nonsense)
* Wuutang (a presumed reference to American rap group the Wu-Tang Clan.)

“The inclusion of the name of Jesus Christ within this list of offensive words is another example of the intense hatred that resonates within Pakistan towards Christians,” stated Chowdhry.

Baroness Caroline Cox: Peer for the Queensbury London seat at the House of Lords at a 2009 demonstration in London about religious persecution in Pakistan. Wilson Chowdhry is in the background and Alex Chowdhry, his brother, is nearer the front of the picture

“Such censorship would be received with great animosity in the democratic countries of the West. Moreover such intervention flies in the face of the freedoms of expression that Pakistan's Government has committed the nation too.

“It beggars belief that Jesus Christ could be considered a word offensive to Muslim's as he is written about as a great prophet in the Quran. It would seem that Pakistani Muslim majority hatred for Christians exceeds the love for one of their own prophets. The selection of other words raises further questions. I am baffled at terms such as 'Athletes foot' and 'flatulence' receiving a ban when they are commonly used medical terms.”

Pakistan has seen a big increase in mobile phone use in recent years with 100m Pakistanis are now estimated to be mobile phone users.

I wonder how many of them who are Christians will risk using “Jesus Christ” in a text message and, if they so, what the punishment will be?

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Dan Wooding, 70, 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 200 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. Two of the latest include 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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** You may republish this story with proper attribution.

Kerala Church in shock at nun’s killing

By Michael Ireland
Senior International Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

KERALA, INDIA (ANS) -- Church leaders in Kerala, India have expressed shock and outrage over the killing this week of tribal rights campaigner Sister Valsa John. The 53-year-old nun from the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary was hacked to death at her home in the remote Pakur district of the east Indian state of Jharkhand, according to www.ucanews.com.

According to reports, a mob of around 50 people gathered outside her home in the early hours of Wednesday morning (local time) shortly before her death. Earlier reports had said the nun had been shot dead.

UCA News says Major Archbishop and head of the Syro-Malabar Church, George Alencherry, and Curia Bishop Bosco Puthur yesterday visited Sr John’s family in Vazhakala, near Kochi, Kerala’s commercial hub.

After offering his condolences the Major Archbishop paid tribute to the slain nun, the website said.

Major Archbishop said Sister Valsa John had “given her life to the poor and fought a long battle to try and safeguard their rights. She had shown the world how to care for the poor and dedicated her life to the Church and her faith.” He also called for those responsible for her death to be brought to justice.

Sr. John’s brother, M. J. Baby said he had warned her not to return to Jharkhand when she came home for a holiday at the end of August.

“I told her not to go back after she told me about threats she had received,” he said.

UCA News says the family believe the nun was killed by people connected to a mining company she was campaigning against.

Offering his praise to the dead nun, Kerala regional Latin Catholic Council president, Archbishop Maria Calist Soosapakiam said: “With her exemplary life and courage to fight evil, Sr John has shown us that we need to rededicate our lives for our faith and work for the poor.”

Earlier reports said the 53-year-old nun from Kerala who led campaigns to defend tribal rights was shot dead Nov.15 in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand.

Sister Valsa John, who belonged to the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary, was killed during an alleged encounter near her home in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Pakur district, near the city of Dumka.

Bishop Julius Marandi of Dumka said Wednesday the circumstances surrounding her death are not yet clear.

According to Sister Lilly Mary, the dead nun’s congregation provincial, Sister John was working with people belonging to the Santhal tribe and was living alone.

She had been protesting against mining corporations that were exploiting the tribal people of the region, she said.

UCA News said the nun, who hailed from Eranakulam in Kerala, was arrested in 2007 for protesting against a coal mine on tribal land that had allegedly been acquired illegally in Jharkhand’s Pakur district.

The provincial, however, said that case had been settled.

The Catholic bishops’ conference spokesman, Father Babu Joseph, said the local church will demand a thorough investigation into the tragedy by the state government.

Sister John’s funeral was scheduled for Thursday, he added.

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** Michael Ireland is the Senior International Correspondent for ANS. He is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB UK, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649, at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can make a donation online under 'Donate' tab, then look for 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' under 'Donation Category' to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.' Michael is a member in good standing of the National Writers Union, Society of Professional Journalists, Religion Newswriters Association, Evangelical Press Association and International Press Association. If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please contact him at: ANS Senior International Reporter

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** You may republish this story with proper attribution.

No Longer A Secret Christian

Gospel for Asia
For Immediate Release

Women’s Fellowship teams visit families like Veenu’s, who may not receive encouragement in their faith from other sources.

SOUTH ASIA (ANS) -- As a poor farmer with several children, Veenu blended right in with the rest of the people who lived in his village. But he was keeping a secret. His neighbors noticed Veenu seemed to always be sick or too busy when it was time for the traditional religious festivals, but no one cared that much.

So when three women, part of a Gospel for Asia Women’s Fellowship team, visited Veenu’s village, it was time to reveal his secret. They gave Veenu a Gospel tract and started to introduce him to the Lord.

Veenu listened to the women for a while and then made a confession: He already was a believer. Veenu explained how he came to know the Lord when another missionary visited him in 1998.

The women were surprised but continued listening to Veenu’s story.

He had been excited about his new faith in 1998, but when the missionary moved on to another area of ministry, Veenu was left with no other believers for fellowship and encouragement. Over time, he grew more and more afraid of the other villagers who were ardent worshipers of their ancient traditional gods. Veenu didn’t want people mocking and rejecting him if they found out he was a Christian. So, he never told anyone. He would make up excuses when his neighbors wanted him to join in their religious observances.

Veenu didn’t want people mocking and rejecting him if they found out he was a Christian. So, he never told anyone.

The women’s team members were empathetic toward Veenu’s plight, so they encouraged him from the Bible.

As they studied together, Veenu was ashamed he’d hidden his faith in Jesus, but he was filled with gratitude that someone could at last help him in his walk with the Lord. He asked the women to come and help his family study the Bible.

The women’s team started a prayer meeting at Veenu’s house, helping the entire family to grow in their faith.

The instruction and encouragement meant so much to Veenu. He declared that no matter what happened, he would never again compromise his faith in the Lord by hiding his light.

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Gospel for Asia’s Women’s Fellowship is reaching many hurting people in Asia.

 http://www.gfa.org/womens-ministry/womens-ministry-about/

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Gospel for Asia is an evangelical mission organization based in Carrollton, Texas, involved in sharing the love of Jesus across South Asia.