Fatwa proves costly for ministry in India's Kashmir region

India (MNN) ― A self-styled Sharia Court is doing its best to silence the Gospel in India. The panel of Muslim clerics expelled three pastors from Kashmir state over allegations of forcible conversions.

However, the row created by the situation has believers raising the alarm. In mid-January, Muslim clerics issued a fatwa against them for "luring the Valley's Muslims to Christianity."

David Bast with Words  of Hope says, first, "The Sharia court is not an official institution. It's not a government court. This is simply a group of Muslim clerics who set themselves up and say, 'We will dictate what happens because Kashmir is Muslim.'" 

Second, the current crisis was sparked by video, posted in October 2011, of a pastor baptizing Kashmiri Muslim youth. There were calls to kill the pastor and to burn down churches and schools in the Valley.

Within hours of the warning, the pastor was arrested. The panel also accused two other Christian workers of being accomplices. As a result, says Bast, "Active ministry has ceased for the moment, as far as we know, and the Christians who were involved in that have had to flee for their lives."

Specifically, the expulsion is costly in terms of outreach. "Our team has experienced directly the results of that ruling because one of those three was heading up the work that we're involved in. The report we're getting from the direct for South Asia where Words of Hope is involved is basically that Christian ministry has shut down in Kashmir."

Bast goes on to say that before this happened, there was one above-ground church in the capital city. Now, there are none. It's unlikely that the situation will improve much. The Sharia court has also called on the government to take over management of missionary schools. There are several media reports indicating the Sharia court wants to introduce Islamic prayer and to allot classes for Islamic studies at these schools.

Jammu/Kashmir is India's only Muslim-majority state; Muslims account for 67% of its population. In the Valley, Muslims are the overwhelming majority constituting 97% of the population.

Bast notes that although there is dispute with Pakistan over the region's identity, "Legally, it's part of India, so it should be governed by the constitution of the state of India which guarantees religious freedom, but that's not happening there right now."

Words of Hope's ministry includes Gospel broadcasts in eight languages to four countries. It is the only region where Words of Hope broadcasts to audiences which are predominantly Hindu (Hindi, Bhojpuri, Dogri, Garhwali, Nepali), Buddhist (Tibetan, Dzongkha) and Muslim (Kashmiri).

Please pray for Words of Hope's continued efforts in South Asia. Bast requests, "Pray for the believers that are still there. They are very much under pressure. They're probably mostly underground. They're being intimidated, so pray that they'll be strengthened, that they'll be courageous, that they'll be able to stand."

Ethiopian Convert from Islam Dodges Dangers in Kenya

Muslim extremists try to kill him; others threaten his life.

NAIROBI, Kenya, February 1 (CDN) — A Christian convert from Islam who fled hostilities in his native Ethiopia has faced attempted murder and ongoing death threats in Kenya.


Somali Muslim extremists in Kenya kidnapped and tried to kill Barack Hussein Kedir in July 2010, and most recently Kenyan-born Islamic extremists in contact with their co-religionists in Ethiopia sent a death threat to his cell phone on Dec. 3, the Christian told Compass. Since then, Hussein has reported the threatening text message to police, and his wife has fled the country with their two children.


“Although I have been experiencing all these countless problems, suffering persecution and merciless harassment both in my own country and outside of the country, I have never given up or lost my hope in serving the Lord,” Hussein said. “Muslims have tried to murder me several times, even here in Kenya.”


Born to Muslim community leaders in Arsi Negelle district in southern Ethiopia, Hussein had been a zealous Islamic youth coordinator who once harassed Christians before his conversion – a long process that led his father to shoot him in the leg for his commitment to Christ, he said.


Hussein had fled to Kenya in 2003 but secretly returned to his rural home in Ethiopia in June 2009 to help establish three new churches. When area Muslims discovered his work, they started looking for him with intent to kill him, forcing him to return to Kenya, he said.


Shortly after midnight on July 8, 2010, Muslim extremists in Nairobi slipped a CD under his door containing information on how they kill Christians and burn church buildings, along with a threatening letter in the Arabic and Somali languages, he said. The next evening at about 7:30 p.m., presumed Muslim extremists rammed their car into the driver’s side door of the car he was driving and told him they would kill him.


On July 27, 2010, four Somalis, presumed Muslim extremists, forced him into a car at about 9:30 p.m. in Nairobi and, at gunpoint, made him take a detergent (Jik) mixed with powdered soap (Omo), and he fell unconscious and was pushed out of the car, he said. Passers-by took him to a hospital, where staff determined that he must have been thrown out of the car at high speed.


The Somalis, whom he did not know, objected to his preaching Christianity, he said.


Hussein converted to Christianity in 1995 after a series of life threatening episodes that began in 1990. Previously he had traveled to various regions teaching about Islam and developed hostility toward other religions; he harassed many Christians, stealing their food and trying to burn some church buildings, he said.


“While I was practicing and spreading Islamic faith in the country like wildfire, something amazing happened to me,” Hussein said. “I converted to Christ in an unusual way, when Jesus revealed Himself to me through difficult circumstances in which I almost lost my life.”


In 1990 he was mysteriously blinded, he said. After hospital treatment and the prayers of Muslim leaders were of no avail, he said he heard the voice of Jesus saying He loved him.


“In response I said, ‘No, I do not need your help, go away,’” he said. “The voice then said to me, ‘Do you need to get back your health?’ I said, ‘Yes, but I do not need you.’”


Hussein told Compass he later became hopeless and heard the voice again bidding him to ask to be healed, but that again he declined.


“That very evening I saw a white image, and there came the sign of the cross, and I rebuked it,” he said. “The house shook like there was an earthquake. I then decided to cover myself inside the blanket. Everyone inside the house was frightened. Then came again the cross. This time I wanted to catch the cross. My eyes then got opened, though I could not see well. It was very red. Then another voice came to me saying, ‘I am Christ Jesus, follow Me. I am the one who made you blind. I now have healed you.’”


Still skeptical about the healing, he left for a predominantly Christian area to preach Islam, he said, but he lost all sight again and was also paralyzed for seven months.


“I was then taken to my rural village to die there,” Hussein said. “I used to lie on the floor, helping myself [to food or drink] right where I was lying. The place became filthy and smelly. Death dominated my thoughts. I questioned Allah, why he does not want to heal. I then contemplated committing suicide. At that point my eyes got opened and a voice called me again, ‘Barack, I love you. I caused you to be paralyzed. I love you. I am Jesus Christ. Follow Me.’”


The voice directed him to a location about 200 kilometers (124 miles) away in order to regain his health.


“I found this to be very difficult,” he said. “People said I was going crazy. I was then put on a horse and traveled for one hour to reach the bus station. Before reaching the destination, in a vision, I saw a narrow road and a white sword in front, and fire. I got afraid thinking that it wanted to kill me. That time I was barefoot. Then I was woken up, for I had reached the destination. There a cross sign was handed over to me and the message came, ‘Follow Me.’ I got healed miraculously, then returned back with the cross.”


When he arrived home with the cross sign, his father shot him in the leg, forcing him to try to take refuge in a church building – where he was initially rebuffed as an enemy of the faith.


“After a while I was accepted and was taken by the church to Jimma Bible College,” Hussein said. “There I had the seal to preach the gospel within the Jimma vicinity. Soon things turned bad. With my miraculous healing, especially carrying the cross sign around, I faced persecution from my own family as well as the community. It would have been safer for me to either kill myself or recant the Christian faith, but I endured it all, and finally I fled to Kenya in 2003.”


He was admitted to Pan Africa Christian University, and after earning his degree went on to obtain a Master of Leadership from the Nairobi International School of Theology. He is now pursuing another master’s degree, this one in peace and international relations, at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa.


“God has called me to a precious life,” he said. “I have no regrets, and I thank God for delivering me from Islam. I know I have to pay the price, since those who wish to live a godly life must be ready to face persecution.”


Hussein submitted his application for asylum to a third country on July 19, 2010 to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Officials there interviewed him on Nov. 4, 2010, and also last year, but to date he has not received a determination. A letter to the UNCHR requests that he not be returned to a country where he faces threats on his life or freedom.


A decision is expected at a scheduled May 17 appointment.


END

International Petition Drive to Help Pastor Persecuted For Conducting Baptisms

By Michael Ireland
Senior International Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

SRINIGAR, INDIA (ANS) -- The president of the Global Council of Indian Christians is trying to raise international awareness of the case of an Indian pastor arrested on charges 'disturbing communal peace.'

In a media update, Ann Buwalda, Executive Director of Jubilee Campaign, says that Sajan George is highlighting the case through a petition drive.

Jubilee Campaign says Rev. Chander Mani Khanna, pastor of All Saints Church in Srinagar was on November 19th, 2011 arrested on charges 'disturbing communal peace.'

The arrests of Khanna and two others came after a local Muslim clerical association calling itself a 'Sharia court' accused Rev. Khanna of 'luring' Muslims into converting from Christianity. Their only evidence was a YouTube video of Rev. Khanna baptizing seven believers from a Muslim background.

Jubilee Campaign says that after 11 days in, jail Rev. Khanna was released on bail, but the so-called Sharia court issued a fatwa of expulsion, ordering him and two other Christian workers to leave the state.

In the media release, Buwalda says: “This case represents a worrying continuation of a dangerous trend Jubilee Campaign has seen in India for some time. Over the past several years radical Hindu leaders have reacted to the massive growth of Christianity with frequently accusations that Christians are 'luring' poor Hindus into converting by bribing them or lying to them. It was this sentiment which led to the passage of anti-conversion laws in several states of northern India and led to the 2008 violence against Christians in Orissa.”

Buwalda explained the causes of this sentiment are “complex and specific to the traditional Hindu society where political and economic power was based around the caste system.”

Buwalda said: “The Muslim view on conversions is more explicitly theological, as indicated by the term apostasy. Nevertheless the Hindu response to conversions, which involves baseless accusations of misconduct resulting in vigilante killings of religious minorities is very similar to the Muslim response that we have seen in Pakistan and elsewhere.”

Buwalda went on to state: “This attempt by the Kashmir Muslims to activate the radical Hindu lobbying in support of their actions has been at least partially successful judging by the response of a high-ranking Indian official.

“Of more immediate concern is to the local Christian community is the way that the Sharia court was able to enforce its fatwa of expulsion against Rev. Khanna and the two other Christian workers,” she said.

Buwalda added that, emboldened by their success, groups of local Muslims have been pressuring the families of converts, causing several other converts and Christians workers to flee.

In response, Sajan George, the president of the Global Council of Indian Christians, is trying to raise international awareness through the petition.

Jubilee Campaign urges concerned believers to sign the petition calling for the government of India to respect its own laws and stop the unjust persecution of Rev. Khanna.

Support Rev. Khanna and the Christian Minority in Kashmir, by signing the Petition here:http://tinyurl.com/774gh3m  

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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.

A Pakistani Christian leader had told the believers of his country, ‘We need to come out of our self-pity and minority syndrome’

By Rodrick Samson 
Special to ASSIST News Service

RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- A Pakistani Christian leader, has told believers of his country that there is a lack of unity in the Christian community, and stressed the importance of education.

Christians protesting in Pakistani led by Joseph Francis from CLAAS

Speaking at a special event in Rawalpindi, Pakistan last Thursday (January 26, 2012), Zeeshan Joseph of the All Pakistan Christian League (APCL), a political party, went on to say, “We need think tanks. We have to make our weakness [into] our strength. We need to come out of our self-pity and minority syndrome.”

Joseph was one of many speakers at a six-hour seminar on the “Challenges faced by the Christians in Pakistan and their solutions.... How religious freedom and human rights can be ensured in the present scenario of Pakistan,” a well-attended event organized by overseas Christian Pakistanis and held in a local hotel.

Christian political parties, clergy and human rights activists all participated in the event.

Pervaiz Rafique, a Member of the Provincial Assembly, spoke about the lack of “political and spiritual leadership” in Pakistan telling those there, “We have to stop looking at others and instead do something ourselves. The spiritual leaders should make our Christian community spiritually strong, rather than trying to participate in political activities. We need to unite on our national issues, when was the last time a 100,000 Christians gathered to raise their voice?”

Mumtaz Qadri after his arrest

He then raised the case of Mumtaz Qadri, who on January 4, 2011, assassinated Salmaan Taseer, the 26th Governor of the Province of Punjab, after disagreeing with Taseer's opposition to Pakistan's blasphemy law and his support of Asia Bibi, a mother-of-five who had been sentenced to death for alleged apostasy.

One of Taseer's bodyguards, Qadri shot him 27 times with an MP5 sub-machine gun at Kohsar Market, near his home]in Sector F6 of Islamabad, as he was returning to his car after meeting a friend for lunch

“Qadri is supported by over 2000 lawyers who are willing to fight the case for free, and thousands have shown their solidarity with him. It is a shame that no Christian lawyer is willing to fight for the Christians for free, [and that] no Christian lawyer is even willing to take the initiative for the community,” said Rafique.

The church being demolished

Another speaker, Bishop Ijaz Inayat Masih of Karachi, who is said to be the only Bishop of the Church of Pakistan who is openly campaigning against sales of church properties in Pakistan, said, “The Church Property Ordinance 2002 needs to be amended as it is not being implemented and Church properties are being sold unchecked. Recently the church at Gosh-e-Aman in Lahore was demolished [and desecrated) with claims that it was sold to… [a Trust). We need to make laws that would ensure the protection of the Church Properties.”

Father Anwar Patras from the Catholic Diocese of Rawalpindi said, “It is nice to see that we have the major political parties, the clergy from the Catholic, the Anglican Church and the Presbyterian Church under one roof. We all share the same faith, such seminars must be encouraged. I feel that this initiative should have been taken by the Catholic Church. We support an amendment in the Church Property Ordinance and it should be implemented.”

Joseph Francis from CLAAS (Center for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement) then said, “Pakistan was founded by the decisive vote by S.P. Singha, a Christian. That letter is still available at the national library Lahore. The minorities have been facing constitutional discrimination, they are not been given the rights they deserved. The Government talks about religious freedom and rights, they make minority parliamentarians but in reality the minorities are titled as rubber stamps and have no say in their parties.”

Professor Salamat Akhtar added, “Rawalpindi is a city of the martyrs. In 1971 the Christians of Rawalpindi fought for their lives and gave their lives for the cause. The Christians should demand dual vote for themselves, the Muslims in the subcontinent were given the right of dual vote in 1910, 1941 and 1946 as they were a minority. Now why can’t the Muslims give us the right of the dual vote. We need to focus on education and get our children in the public services so that that can be in position for policy making one day and be able to make a difference.”

Albert David, an activist from the British High Commission said, “We all agree on Jesus Christ, and so we need get united. I do agree about the idea of sending our children in public services that is where the policies are made. I wouldn’t encourage going after the political parties, instead do something about the policy making.”

Cornelius Mohsin from the Pakistani Christian Alliance USA said, “Today’s event was made possible by the overseas Pakistani Christians who are away from their homeland, but love their country and want to do something for the Christians in Pakistan. One of the major challenges we face is that we don’t even know our exact population. Some say its 1.5% , 3% or 5 %... do we have anything documented? Have we ever stressed on having a census?

“As far as I know, there are around 17-20 Christian populations where the Muslim politicians win on the Christian votes. Why don`t we demand election on a general seat for our candidates instead of getting them selected. If we have 17-20 strong candidates we will be able to have a voice in the parliament. If MQM (Muttahida Qaumi Movement, a liberal-secular political party of Pakistan] can make a government with 17 seats, then why can’t the Christians become strong by having seats in the parliament?”

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Rodrick Samson is a freelance journalist based in Pakistan.

Christians fear being kicked out of unreached areas

Africa Director Rae Burnett took this
 photo of a Kanuri woman who just
 heard the gospel for the first time
from indigenous missionaries. 

Nigeria (MNN) ― Five more people are dead as Boko Haram continues its spread of terror across northern Nigeria. Churches have been attacked, Christians murdered, and now even Muslims are being targeted. Mostly those who are trying to protect Christians, or are sympathetic to them.

The most recent attack came when the Boko Haram Islamic Sect on Monday night invaded the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, barracks as well as a police station in Maiduguri, Borno State, killing five people including a soldier, two policemen and two civilians.

It's a quest to force the region into Sharia law.

Africa Director for Christian Aid Mission Rae Burnett says missionaries they're supporting are reaching the unreached in these areas, but she's concerned that openness will end. "The fear is that the villagers will get word of this and be afraid to allow the Christian missionaries in. They've seen and appreciated the love of the Christians to be helpful to them. If Boko Haram gets word of it, they'll chase them out."

Up until just recently Boko Haram had been focusing on terror in major cities. But, that's changing, says Burnett. "Some of the villages in the north.

This would destroy the work Christian Aid Mission has been able to do. It's already affected some of their partners. 

"Several of the missionaries have had to leave their fields because of the threats. Of course, these Boko Haram people have relatives everywhere. And if one of them is in one of these villages, then it can cause these missionaries trouble."

Christian Aid Mission supports national Christians who are focused on reaching the unreached. Burnett says, "Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa, and there are many, many areas that have not been reached with the Gospel. The ministry that we have, primarily, helped has been so successful."

Burnett says, "They came into being to reach one particular tribe, and they've grown. Now they're reaching 14 tribes. Most of them are in the north, which has been extremely closed to the Gospel."

Christian Aid Mission supports Nigerian believers who have a plan to reach the unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Your financial support can help keep them work in these areas while the doors are still olpen. Click here to help Nigerian missionaries.

Niger casts a wary eye to the violence in Nigeria

Niger (MNN) ― Clashes continue in northeast Nigeria, the part of the country with the greatest Boko Haram activity.

Boko Haram is an Islamism sect with ties to al Qaeda. The group's name in Hausa means "Western education is sinful."

David Bast with Words of Hope doesn't doubt the flare up of trouble in the neighboring country, but he says there's something else to consider. "I think it's important to note that there's some question about Boko Haram. It's always possible for ordinary criminals or thugs to use that in order to cover their activities, so it's very difficult for us to know what's going on, on the ground."

Either way, the atmosphere across the North remains tense among Christians in Nigeria. Bast says while their Niger team is not being directly affected by the persecution, there's reason to be wary. "The tribal and linguistic group straddles that border--they're Hausa speakers, and something like 40 to 50 million."  

Words of Hope's French programs are trying to influence the region for good. Given that radio is the most important means of mass communication, it's one of the best ways to share crucial information.   

An overwhelming majority of the population has ownership or at least access to radios within their household and listens to radio faithfully. From the survey results, the respondents' favorite radio programs discuss news and religion. That's another plus. The Words of Hope team is producing daily radio programs in Hausa. Bast says, "They're on 30 radio stations throughout the country. They're very positive in the way they present the good news about Jesus. One of the things that they report is that their programming has made it easier for evangelists from the church to enter the villages."

Although Niger is majority Muslim country, the history with Christians has been peaceful. Radio capitalizes on that relationship to introduce Christ. "The Muslim population of the villages has already heard from the church, in effect, through the radio. They like the programs, and so they're willing to give a hearing to the evangelists that come in. It's kind of clearing away misconceptions and maybe popular prejudice."

Over the last five years, the number of listeners has grown exponentially because of what the ministry addresses. As a result, they've heard from missionaries and pastors who say the Muslim community is listening. There are several imams who listen to the programs and appreciate them.

As the situation continues to deteriorate in nearby Nigeria, the Words of Hope program director says despite the uncertainty of the time they're living in, "'We have a great duty which consists in loving our Muslim brothers despite the fact that some of them kill innocents every day. It's also the love that brought Jesus to the cross. We must redouble our efforts to bring the Gospel of peace, restoration, and forgiveness wherever it should be.'"