By Jeremy Reynalds Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service
IRAN(ANS) -- Imprisoned Iranian-American Pastor Saeed Abedini's attorney is speaking out against what he calls the uncertain situation of his client and calling on Iranian judicial authorities to clear things up.
Saeed and Naghmeh Abedini
According to a story by Mohabat News, Abedini was arrested during a trip to Iran to visit his family and continued efforts to establish an orphanage in Iran.
Abedini was later sentenced to eight years in prison in branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court chaired by Judge Pir-Abassi. His attorney filed an appeal, and the case was transferred to branch 36 of the appeal courts in Tehran.
However, Mohabat News said there's been no progress on that front and he has not been granted bail. That despite Iranian judicial authorities promising Abedini's family several times they would release him on bail.
Abedini's trial was held behind closed doors on Jan. 22 of this year.
Meanwhile, Abedini's wife Naghmeh believes the delay in the appeals court is a good sign regarding her husband's case.
Naser Sarbazi, Saeed Abedini's attorney, also said he is hopeful that the Iranian authorities will soon clear up the situation in an appeals court.
Sarbazi said, "The courts should handle cases of those who are in pr ison out of turn, but no decision has been made in this regard."
Mohabat News said Naghmeh expressed hope that the appeals court will make a fair review of the case, and release her husband soon.
After Abedini was sentenced to eight years in prison, Victoria Nuland, then spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, and Jay Carney, White House Press Secretary, expressed the U.S. government's deep concerns over Abedini and promised to make every effort to secure his freedom. They also called on Iran to honor Abedini's human rights and release him from prison.
Mohabat News said Abedini is suffering from a scar on his abdomen which needed medical care. According to reports, he was transferred to a private hospital on July 20. After being examined in hospital, doctors said he needed continuous medical care to treat the scars caused by beatings.
Abedini, who spent his 34th birthday in prison, was arrested for establishing house churches and therefore "disrupting Iranian national security.." He has been held in w ard 350 of Evin prison since Sept. 26 2012.
In the past few years, human rights advocacy groups and western governments have expressed ongoing concerns over the violation of religious minorities' rights in Iran.
GOJRA, PAKISTAN(ANS) -- The Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), an interdenominational organization working for religious freedom in Pakistan, is calling for justice four years to the day since a horrific attack on the Christian town of Gojra in Pakistan.
Pakistani men celebrating the burning of Christians homes in Gojra
It was on August 1, 2009 that a Muslim mob went on the rampage in the town, burning eight people to death, including children, and torching dozens of homes. The attack was triggered by reports that local Christians had desecrated the Koran, a crime punishable by life imprisonment under Pakistan's blasphemy laws.
"Some eye witnesses claimed that the police stood by and ignored pleas for help from the Christians as the attack unfolded. In the immediate aftermath, there were promises that the perpetrators would be caught and punished," a spokesperson for CLAAS-UK told the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net). "Yet no one has ever been brought to justice for the crime and Christians are wondering if anyone ever will."
A preliminary investigation, soon after the attack, concluded that the Koran had "not been desecrated" as alleged.
Christians digging through the wreckage of their homes after the violence four years ago
Police also arrested dozens of suspects, yet no one was ever brought to trial or imprisoned. There were reports that witnesses were intimidated and that police drew up a charge sheet attempting to reframe the attack as an instance of communal violence between Christians and Muslims, rather than an attack by Muslims on Christians.
"The Gojra judicial tribunal was set up to investigate the attack and recorded the statements of some 580 people," said the spokesperson. "However, the Punjab government has so far refused to publish the report into its findings.
"It is believed the report proposes amendments to the blasphemy laws and pins the blame largely on the failure of the police to respond adequately to the attack."
He added, "CLAAS is deeply distressed that after four years, so little has been done to bring the perpetrators of one of the worst attacks on Pakistani Christians to justice."
Nasir Saeed, Director of CLAAS UK, said: "The inaction and bewildering lack of urgency in holding the culprits of the Gojra violence to account has set a dreadful and terrifying precedent - that those who attack and murder Christians in Pakistan are likely to get away with it.
A Christian women in Pakistan visit her house that was destroyed by a mob in Gojra (Photo: PA)
"Persecution of Christians will continue so long as there is no deterrent to stop radical Muslims doing what they like and taking the law into their own hands. It is imperative that the authorities do whatever it takes to see the perpetrators caught, tried and punished. Otherwise we can expect more innocent blood to be shed."
CLAAS then told ANS that the recent arrest of a Christian couple in Gojra for blasphemy "shows that very little has changed for the area's Christians."
Shafaqat Masih, 35, and his wife, Shagufta, face an uncertain future after being arrested for supposedly sending blasphemous text messages to a local Muslim. A local human rights advocate says Shafaqat told him he had been "forced into confessing his guilt."
Nasir Saeed said, "The blasphemy laws are being misused time and time again. The Pakistani government must amend the blasphemy laws so that they can no longer be used to make false accusations against innocent people. People who committed no crime are literally losing their lives because of these unjust laws."
About CLAAS:
The Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) is an interdenominational organization working for religious freedom, Christians and other religious minorities who are being persecuted because of their faith in Pakistan. CLAAS works for religious freedom, to stop persecution of Christians in Pakistan because of blasphemy and other discriminatory laws, raise awareness, disseminate information and highlight the plight of Christians and other religious minorities on an international level. CLAAS provides free legal aid to victims of religious intolerance in Pakistan, as well as shelter and financial support for the victims and their families.
Bill on hold for now as opposition considers vote of no confidence against BJP
Protesters gather in Jhabua, a town in the west of Madhya Pradesh, on July 24.
World Watch Monitor
Madhya Pradesh state in central India awaits the outcome of proposed amendments to its ‘anti-conversion law’, which would lengthen prison time and fines for anyone convicted of forcing someone to change their religion.
With state elections looming before this government ends its term in October, some observers claim the move is an attempt by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to appease Hindu hardliners.
The Christian minority now awaits the verdict of the state Governor, Ramnaresh Yadav, who must sign the bill before it can become law.
The amendment was one of a number of topics considered during a two-week local assembly meeting beginning on July 8 and scheduled to finish on July 19.
However, local sources told World Watch Monitor that proceedings were halted on July 11, while the opposition prepared a no-confidence motion against the present BJP government.
The Governor has therefore delayed his response to the proposed amendment and called for another meeting of the local assembly.
The Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, introduced in 1968, prohibits forcible conversion, but critics say the law has been abused by those who wish only to prevent others from changing their religion. As such, they have been widely labelled ‘anti-conversion laws’.
Dr. John Dayal, a member of the National Integration Council for the Government of India and Secretary General of the All India Christian Council, says that rather than promoting freedom of religion, laws such as the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act of 1968 are in fact “violations of the religious freedom guaranteed by the constitution”.
“It is a deliberate attempt to polarise society and to keep Dalits and other marginalised groups in serfdom,” he says. “We are determined to challenge such black laws.”
As punishment, the 1968 Act recommends a fine of up to 5,000 rupees ($83) and imprisonment of up to one year. In the case of a conversion involving a child, a woman or member of a ‘scheduled caste or tribe’ (those recognised in India’s Constitution as ‘historically disadvantaged’ by background), prison term and fine can be doubled.
The proposed amendment recommends maximum punishment of three years’ imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 rupees ($830), or four years and 100,000 rupees ($1660) in the case of a child, woman or member of a scheduled caste or tribe.
The amendment also introduces the requirement for both the converter and would-be convert to obtain state permission at least 30 days prior to conversion.
For this purpose an application would need to be filed with the district magistrate, who may then ask the police to investigate.
Those failing to obtain prior permission – both convert and converter – could face one year’s imprisonment and a 1,000-rupee fine.
ProtestsChristian leaders in Bhopal, the state capital, met Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan before the July 8 congress and petitioned him to reject the bill, while hundreds of Christians have attended protests across the state.
“We will not lay back, we will fight,” said protest organiser Indira Iyengar, Chairperson for non-profit organisations Mahashakti Seva Kendera, Jan Shikshan Sansthan Jhabua and Alirajpur Madhya Pradesh.
Protesters line the streets in Jhabua.
World Watch Monitor
“For us this bill is very important. The poor community in Madhya Pradesh will face a situation like Gujarat [a state in the west of India, where the law is particularly severe] if this amendment is made.”
Iyengar said that meetings had been held in every district in Madhya Pradesh and petitions signed against the amendment. Non-religious groups such as the centrist Bahujan Samaj Party (Majority People's Party) also attended the protests.
“Never were the Christian community so united as at this time,” she said.
BackgroundIn 2006, a comparable amendment to the state’s ‘anti-conversion law’ was reported internationally as ‘passed’, but then former Governor Balram Jakhar twice refused to give his approval.
This was also the case for a proposed amendment to the respective law in the mountainous northern state of Himachal Pradesh, which was quashed last year after protests led by the Evangelical Fellowship of India and Act Now for Harmony and Democracy.
Christians comprise a tiny fraction of the population of Madhya Pradesh (the 2001 census put the figure at around 170,000 people, or 0.3%) and just 2.3% of the total population of India (2011 census).
In the vast and diverse country, Christians often live freely. However, India ranks among the 50 countries where life as a Christian is most difficult, according to Open Doors International, a global ministry that serves Christians who are pressured because of their faith.
The country is No. 31 on Open Doors' 2013 World Watch List, largely because of a streak of Hindu nationalism, or Hindutva, that envisions India as a purely Hindu state.
Earlier this week, World Watch Monitor reported a number of specific examples of attacks against India’s Christians in recent months.
Catholic church in Nzérékoré following deadly violence two weeks ago.
World Watch Monitor
Judicial authorities in Guinea are investigating an outburst of deadly violence two weeks ago that left 95 people dead and 130 wounded. The murder of a suspected thief on July 14 in Koulé, a city 40 kilometres from Nzérékoré, the regional capital of Forested Guinea, has led to acts of retaliation and a wave of violence between members of Guerzé and Konianké ethnic groups.
Very quickly, the incidents became a sectarian conflict between Christians and Muslims, with the destruction of a number of Christians’ properties, including several churches.
In Nzérékoré, about five churches, four houses of pastors, and an undetermined number of shops and properties were burned or looted, witnesses told World Watch Monitor. A mosque was also reported burned and one Muslim cleric killed. In Beyla city, 150 kilometres northeast of Nzérékoré, attacks targeting Christians were particularly violent, according to a Catholic priest contacted by World Watch Monitor.
“The two Catholic and Protestant churches have all been ransacked and burned,” said the priest, identified as Fr. Joseph. “Almost all the houses and shops belonging to Christians or people affiliated with Christians, have not escaped the fury of attackers.''
The offices and other buildings within the Catholic compound, including the Presbyter and the nuns’ quarters, were looted or burned.
Elsewhere in Beyla, the Center for Youth Development, an internet café, a conference room, a library and a primary school were ransacked.
The priest said a physician and Beyla’s regional deputy of health services, Dr. Tolon Loua, was killed during the violence.
''He was inside of his house when the assailants arrived and set it on fire,” he said. “Badly burned, he was transported to the hospital where he was later declared dead.''
An undetermined number of people remain missing. Several Christian families found refuge in military camps and surrounding villages. Churches and local NGOs are trying to place them with other families.
Similar acts of violence were reported in the neighbouring city of Moribadou, home to workers for the mining giant Rio Tinto, and in the city of Sinko. In total, some 10 churches were destroyed in that violence, which lasted nearly three days.
The violence has a strong religious dimension, said David Foromo Guilavogui, Secretary General of the Fellowship of Evangelical Students in Guinea. Islamic fundamentalism is on the rise in southeastern Guinea, he told World Watch Monitor.
The inhabitants of Forested Guinea are mainly Christians or animists. Of the country’s 10 million people, 85 per cent are Muslim. Christians represent 4 per cent and animists 11 per cent.
"Until past wounds are treated well, southeastern Guinea will not experience a lasting peace."
--David Foromo Guilavogui, Fellowship of Evangelical Students in Guinea
A number of Islamic fundamentalist groups are established in the southeast region, particularly in Beyla, a city perceived as a centre of Islam in Guinea. Beyla was one of the main cites of Wassoulou Empire, an Islamic state founded in the 17th century by Samori Touré, a military and political leader known for his opposition to the French colonial occupation. Today the city is 99 per cent Muslim, and Christians are a tiny minority of workers.
“These incidents have served as a pretext for Islamist groups to assert their opposition to the Christian presence,” Guilavogui said.
The sectarian tension also has deep roots, he said. In 1991 more than 200 people were killed in post-electoral violence. It was followed by other deadly sectarian clashes, such as the bloody 2011 episode between Christians and Muslims in Galakpaye that killed at least 25 people.
“The problem is that each time a crisis breaks out, the authorities merely try to calm the tension without resolving its profound causes,” Guilavogui said. ‘‘Until past wounds are treated well, southeastern Guinea will not experience a lasting peace.”
The region’s isolation and poor roads haven’t helped matters. Military reinforcements took two days to reach the scene of the fighting earlier this month.
A Methodist church burned in Nzérékoré.
World Watch Monitor
Forested Guinea is a volatile area bordered by Sierra Leone and Liberia to the west, and the Ivory Coast to the east – each of which have waged civil wars during the last two decades. In addition to receiving an influx of refugees, the region served as a rear base for fighters, and the area remains thick with weapons.
Southeastern Guinea is rich with potential. It hosts the Simandou site, one of the world's richest iron deposits. In recent years, access to land has become a major source of tension between indigenous communities, the Guerzé, and members of Konianké ethnic group, who migrated from other regions.
Politicians play to these tensions, Guilavogui said.
“Politicians in search of votes tend to use the ethno-regionalist arguments,” he said. “Such practice is amplifying divisions between communities. The current list of candidates for parliamentary elections due in three months, is an illustration.''
The challenge for Christians now, Guilavogui said, is to avoid continuing the cycle of violence.
“The pastors and bishops must preach a message of love based on God’s Word,” he said. “They must consider everyone on the same footing and encourage their followers to pardon sincerely.” The inter-Christian Council of Guinea, which includes Catholic, Anglican and Evangelical churches, can serve as a framework in this effort of reconciliation, he said.
NEA IRAKLITSA, GREECE(ANS) -- Some 57 people from various countries were detained by local police in Greece last Saturday, July 27, 2013. The reason? They were distributing New Testament scriptures to the local population.
Distributing Bibles door to door in Greece
This may seem bizarre, but a group of priests of the Orthodox Church in Greece have mounted a concerted effort to prevent the distribution of copies of God's Word in modern Greek to homes throughout northern Greece.
For the past week nearly 400 volunteers from 25 countries have gathered in a town near ancient Philippi. They are participating in a mass Bible distribution project called Operation Joshua 6.
Although the New Testament was written in Greek, very few Greeks own a copy of the New Testament, and even fewer have ever read it. If they do have a copy, it is likely to be in a form of older Greek that most contemporary Greeks would not understand. The Bible is viewed as a book which can only be understood and interpreted by the local priest, theologians or academics.
However, Greece does have its own Greek Bible Society which produces Bibles for the Greek people. This includes a modern translation which has been approved by the Greek State church. Three prominent bishops of the church sit on its board while other members of the board are also members of the Greek Orthodox State Church. This modern translation is the edition which is being distributed by Hellenic Ministries during their Operation Joshua campaign. It contains endorsements from 4 patriarchs of the Orthodox Church from around the world.
Group photo of 380 volunteers at Philippi
Included with the Orthodox approved hardbound copy of the New Testament which has been translated and produced by the Greek Bible Society is an audio version of this New Testament read by a prominent Greek Orthodox member.
Also included is the personal story of a Greek whose life was transformed by the message of the gospel from a life of gambling.
Included in the Bible gift bag, is also a disclaimer to point out that this is a Christian group that holds to the teachings of the Bible and of the historical church creeds. In addition people are encouraged to read the Bible and to attend their local church.
One would have thought that this sort of project would be welcomed by any Christian church or group committed to following the truths of the Bible. Not so. This effort has been opposed by both civic and religious leaders. Hellenic Ministries has been condemned as a sect and a cult. This despite the fact that there has been no attempt to enlist members in the movement; there has been no attempt to divert from the teachings of the Bible or of the early church fathers which are so dear to the Greek Orthodox Church.
Some priests have gone so far as to instruct their parishioners to burn the copies of the scriptures that have been given to them by our volunteers. Since, "it cannot be a holy book if it is distributed by heretics." In other cases, priests have voiced their threats that they will press legal charges and if necessary, use physical force.
Johnathan Macris, President of Hellenic Ministries, and Bishop Anthimos
Not all Greek Orthodox priests have been quite so antagonistic towards the movement. Some have even encouraged their members to read the Bibles that have been given to them. During a similar campaign last year held in Alexandropolis on the north-eastern border of Greece, the area bishop, Bishop Anthimos attended one of the devotional meetings and brought a word of encouragement to the workers. Amongst other things, he said that the problems of Greece were not principally economic or financial but that the Greeks had abandoned Holy Spirit.
Steve Dutton, International Director of Hellenic Ministries
Steve Dutton, International Director of Hellenic Ministries, finds it difficult to understand the logic of both the religious and civic leaders.
"The economy of Greece is all but bankrupt," he said. "We are gathering almost 400 volunteers, who come to join us at their own expense, they bring much needed foreign exchange, they spend money on food, accommodation, and transportation; they enjoy the glorious country with its rich historical heritage and return home as ambassadors for Greece.
"Yet, the work that they are doing is seemingly opposed at every turn. This sort of attitude is extremely difficult to understand from a country which claims to be a Christian country with ties to the early Apostles, the birthplace of democracy and with a constitution that today guarantees religious freedom."
Christians leaders say Islamic extremist Boko Haram terrorists suspected
By Jeremy Reynalds Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service
JOS, NIGERIA (ANS) -- Terrorists suspected to be part of the militant Islamic extremist group Boko Haram set off four bombs that hit two churches in Kano city on July 29, killing at least 45 people.
Ibrahim Bitrus was killed by Boko Haram in Adamawa state in April.
A story by Morning Star News reported sources said the four devices were detonated minutes apart between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. in the Sabon Gari area of the city.
Rev. Ramsey Noah, chairman of the Kano state chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), told Morning Star News by phone the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were planted near three churches, blasting two of them as well as nearby Christian-owned businesses.
Churchgoers were meeting at Christ Salvation Pentecostal Church when one explosion hit. Christian leaders said 39 bodies were recovered in the area.
Believers were also meeting at St. Stephen's Anglican Church as another bomb went off, and an explosion apparently targeting Peniel Baptist Church did not affect the structure, Noah said.
"On Monday evening at about 9 p.m., four bombs exploded in the Sabon Gari area of Kano," Noah told Morning Star News. "The bombs we believe were targeted at three churches located in the area. There were worshipers in the two churches affected at the time having evening Bible study programs."
Total deaths from the church bombings were unknown at time of writing.
The pastor of Peniel Baptist Church, Rev. John Adeyemohe, told Morning Star News by phone that many Christians were killed.
"The attacks caused confusion and uncertainty in this area," he said. "I cannot for now say how many Christians have died or were injured, but I know that several deaths have been recorded as we saw military personnel moving dead bodies away to various hospitals."
Tobias Michael Idika, a Christian community leader in the Sabon Gari area of the city, told Morning Star News by phone that 45 people had died from attacks believed to have been carried out by Boko Haram.
"On Monday, July 29, between 9 and 9:30 p.m., terrorists we believe are Boko Haram members invaded Sabon Gari, an area we Christians reside in, and planted Improvised Explosive Devices, which exploded almost simultaneously at Enugu/Igbo Road, near the International Ho tel, and on New Road, directly opposite the popular Ado Bayero Square, precisely at No. 38, 39, 40 and 41."
Idika added, "We can confirm 39 deaths along New Road and six deaths along Igbo/Enugu Road. We also can confirm that quite a number of other Christians in the area were injured in the attacks."
Morning Star News said a spokesman for the military's Joint Task Force (JTF) in Kano, Capt. Ikedichi Iweh, issued a media statement on July 30 claiming that 12 people had been killed in the attacks, with another 12 sustaining injuries. No group has taken responsibility for the blasts, but Iweh also said Boko Haram was suspected.
A top Islamic organization, the Jama'atu Nasril Islam (JNI), along with the AREWA Consultative Forum (ACF) condemned the attack.
"We strongly condemn the inhuman and ungodly act in its totality, as it is reprehensible, and we equally call for calm and restraint," JNI Secretary General Khalid Abubakar Aliyu said in a statement. "As it has always been our prayers, whatsoever is the intent/motive of the perpetrators of these contemptible acts, they will never succeed insha'Allah."
According to Morning Star News a spokesman for the ACF, Anthony Sani, said in a statement that the forum was shocked and saddened, and the act desecrated the Islamic month of Ramadan.
Boko Haram has targeted Christians as well as government, police and military installations in its effort to destabilize the government and impose sharia (Islamic law) nationwide.
The group, whose name translates roughly to "Western education is a sin," has said that the sole purpose of its campaign of violence is to establish an "Islamic state like during the time of Prophet Muhammad."
However, Morning Star News said, the U.S. State Department of State insists that the group is motivated by poverty and marginalization.
Advocacy group Jubilee Campaign has stated that Boko Haram has used religion as its primary recruiting tool, and that statements by the Islamic extremist group's leaders reveal their motive for viole nce is "unambiguously waging Jihad.
In an April 29 report the Jubilee Campaign said, "No reference is made in the DOS (Department of State) report to their declared motive," Jubilee Campaign lamented in an April 29 report.
According to Operation World, Christians make up 51.3 percent of Nigeria's population of 158.2 million and live mainly in the south, while Muslims account for 45 percent and reside primarily in the north.
