Christians in Bhutan Seek to Dispel Regime’s Mistrust

Church leaders call for dialogue to defend against accusations of unethical evangelism.

By Vishal Arora

 

THIMPHU, Bhutan, September 9 (Compass Direct News) – Christians in this Buddhist nation have been awaiting a decision on whether they will receive official recognition, but it appears they will first see a measure against fraudulent conversion that the prime minister acknowledges is essentially designed to deter evangelism.

 

In this tiny country tucked between China and India in the Himalayan Mountains, Bhutan’s parliament is considering an amendment to the penal code that seeks to penalize conversion by coercion or inducement. Under proposed Section 463 of the Penal Code, “a defendant shall be guilty of the offense of proselytization if the defendant uses coercion or other forms of inducement to cause the conversion of a person from one religion or faith to another,” according to the government-run Kuensel newspaper.

 

Prime Minister Jigmi Yoser Thinley told Compass the proposed clause in the penal code was “essentially… to deter conversion,” saying there was no reason why Christians should seek to induce others to join their faith.

 

“There are a few Christians and followers of other faiths as well [in Bhutan], and there is no difficulty with that,” Thinley said. “That is good… we promote diversity of cultures. But then, when there are those who try to convert others without understanding the values, the principles, and the essence of the other religion, we have here what constitutes the worst form of discrimination.”

 

In an exclusive interview in his office, Thinley said Christians seek to convert other Bhutanese citizens with the power of money and an attitude of spiritual superiority, accusations that Christian leaders in the country denied.

 

Thinley said “inducing a poor person” by “manipulating the social and economic disadvantages and circumstances of that person, to accept your religion, on the ground that it is superior to mine,” divides society.

 

“And I have seen families being divided in the country,” he said. “I have seen communities being divided.”

 

The government of Bhutan commands an unusually high level of respect from its people. Christians, estimated to be between 6,000 and 15,000, equally admire the country’s leaders, who in recent months appeared willing to grant them legal recognition but remain indecisive.

 

Christian leaders said they were distressed with the government’s notion of Christians and Christianity, which they said was “far from true.”

 

“No evidence of such allegations has come to our knowledge, but still we will never try to defend anyone who indulges in unethical conversions,” said a Christian leader from Thimphu on condition of anonymity. “There might be some who are doing this, and the authorities must deal with them strictly for breaking the law of the country.”

 

Several other pastors and leaders sitting with him nodded in agreement.

 

The prime minister, who has headed Bhutan’s first fully democratic government since 2008, said Christianity can be beneficial to society.

 

“Having read most of the books [of the Bible], having attended church in my young days every Sunday, and then again every weekday when I was in school except for Saturday, I know that it is a good moral and ethical framework for the functioning of a good society,” he said. “But just as I would not encourage and not think well of a Buddhist trying to convert a Christian, I think I feel the same way [about a Christian trying to convert a Buddhist].”

 

Thinley stressed that religion was “all about ethics and morality,” but that when it is spread through immoral and unethical acts, “it’s a crime against humanity.”

 

“When a dying patient is being whispered into the ear, [to the effect that ] the only way to survive is to disown your religion and to accept this new faith, and when this whisper is being done by a doctor or by an attending nurse, I think it is the greatest sin one can commit,” he said. “When a poor parent is being told that, ‘Look, your child cannot go to school; you change your faith and we will provide you the possibility to ensure that your child can attend school,’ that is corruption. And when a poor family is being told that, ‘Why don’t you embrace our faith because then you don’t have to bear any cost for the burial of this person who is about to die in your family – it will be free,’ that’s corruption; that’s bribery.”

 

Some Buddhist sects in Bhutan expect their adherents to have elaborate, expensive funeral rituals.

 

Christians said officials were wrong to view them negatively and called for dialogue with the government. Compass learned that there has been no formal interaction between the government and Christians leaders apart from some individual pastors occasionally meeting an official.

 

Several stories have appeared in Bhutan’s newspapers claiming that converts were being paid money by other Christians from Western countries. Compass met many journalists who sincerely believed that foreign Christian groups were offering money for converts.

 

“Perhaps this is what has created such mistrust between us and our government,” said the Christian leader. “We hope the government would give us a chance to defend ourselves. We are more than willing to address the government’s concerns.”

 

He added that journalists should speak to pastors and other church leaders to verify stories about inducements to convert.

 

“We will extend full cooperation, as we do not believe in using coercion or inducement to convert others – it is against our Christian tenets,” he said, adding, “We do not fear the penal code amendment.”

 

Bhutan Minister for Home and Culture Minjur Dorji told Compass that the passing and implementation of the penal code amendment “may take some more time, due to procedures involved.” Asked if some could misuse the law to make false allegations and thereby create religious disharmony, as in Indian states with similar anti-conversion legislation, Dorji promised he would not allow that to happen.

 

Official Recognition

Dorji said his department had yet to decide whether Christians could be recognized officially.

 

“There is no legal provision for that,” he said. “It’s not in the constitution, and not in the Religious Organizations Act.”

 

The Religious Organizations Act states that one of its main objectives is to “facilitate the establishment of ROs [Religious Organizations] in order to benefit the religious institutions and protect the spiritual heritage of Bhutan [which is Buddhism, according to the constitution].” Only Buddhist and Hindu organizations have been registered by the country’s authority regulating religious organizations, known as the Chhoedey Lhentshog.

 

Roughly 75 percent of Bhutan’s population of 708,484 is Buddhist, and Hindus, mainly ethnic Nepalese, account for around 22 percent, according to Operation World.

 

The constitution of Bhutan allows religious freedom. Article 7(4) states, “A Bhutanese citizen shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion,” and Article 3(2) says, “The Druk Gyalpo [King of Bhutan] is the protector of all religions in Bhutan.” Christians say they are thankful to their political leaders and the country’s highly revered king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, for granting religious freedom to all communities. But no church or Christian organization is a legal entity yet.

 

“The church in Bhutan is not underground any longer; we meet regularly on Sundays without any interference by the authorities,” said the Christian source. “But we are not allowed to function as an organization with a legally recognized status.”

 

Until Christian groups are legally recognized, their rights will remain ambiguous, he added.

 

“Legal status is also imperative for us to be able to actively engage in nation-building,” said another Christian leader. “We love our country as much as other Bhutanese do. And we are equally proud of our nation’s distinct culture.”

 

One of the world’s most isolated countries until recent years, Bhutan began to open up to the outside world in the 1970s. Former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck envisioned democracy in the country in 2006, after the rule of an absolute monarchy for over a century.

 

www.compassdirect.org

 

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*** A photo of Prime Minister Jigmi Yoser Thinley is attached for subscribers, to be used with credit to Compass Direct News. A high-resolution photo is also available; contact Compass for transmittal.

 

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Copyright 2011 Compass Direct News

9/11 a reminder to reach out to suffering believers

International (MNN) ― A flood of emotions, frustrations, and realizations swept over the United States on September 11, 2001. And when the tide subsided, much of the nation's happy naivety was washed away.

"We were in large measure--prior to September 11, 2001--blissfully ignorant of the hatred that was brewing in the extremist minds of terrorists around the world," notes Carl Moeller, president and CEO of Open Doors, USA.

Now it was more than just American war veterans who understood how ugly the world could be. All of America was suddenly aware of what it felt like to experience a direct attack, to experience something so much of the world was already privy to.

And yet, Moeller says despite that trauma, many believing Americans have tried to ignore the notion that others suffer daily, too.

"Since [9/11], we no longer have the luxury of that ignorance," reflects Moeller. "The reality is: one of the things we've stubbornly remained ignorant of is the fact that there are Christians in many of the countries that we hear about on our news every day who are facing a storm of persecution."

Just as the States were defiled by an attack ten years ago, over 100 million believers are attacked daily for their faith. Christians are jailed, beaten, even killed for their faith.

As American Christians, in particular, reflect on what they've learned since September 11, 2001, they can no longer remain silent about others who are experiencing attacks. Moeller says just as first responder firefighters and policemen stood in the gap for Americans 10 years ago, the church in America and throughout the world needs to stand in the gap for the persecuted church.

"The idea of standing in the gap is to make a difference in a place where there is no one," says Moeller. Open Doors is encouraging people to stand in the gap through their "One With Them" campaign.

Believers are invited to join in solidarity with the persecuted church by wearing a silicon, barbwire-shaped bracelet reminding Christians to encourage, advocate and pray for believers suffering across the globe. The campaign will culminate with the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on Sunday, November 13.

In volatile nations, Christians are the ones who can stand in the gap, returning the hatred of extremists with the love of Christ. We need to then stand with these believers who are boldly proclaiming the Truth. Since 9/11, American Christians in particular have been without excuse. To learn more about how you can stand with our persecuted brothers and sisters, visit www.OneWithThem.com.

5 Months & 600 Arrests Later, Chinese Church Still Defying Beijing

Baptist Press reports that on August 28, five members of a house church in Fangshan, China, woke at 4 a.m. and traveled for two hours to a public square in Beijing in order to worship with members of the embattled Beijing Shouwang house church. On their arrival at 7 a.m., waiting police sent the five back to their local police station. Officials then urged them to sign documents repenting of their decision to support the Shouwang church. All five refused but were eventually released. The Fangshan five are part of a growing wave of house church Christians determined -- despite the consequences -- to support Shouwang Church in its five-month-long stand for greater religious freedom. Shouwang members have attempted to meet in the outdoor venue every Sunday since April 11, after government officials repeatedly denied them access to a permanent worship place. Church leaders prayerfully decided on this course of action as a means of forcing the government to resolve their dilemma. More than 600 arrests have been made over the last 22 weeks, including 15 on Aug. 28 and 12 arrests on Sept. 4. Police arrest the Christians before the service even starts and typically free them within 24 hours. More than 160 people were arrested at the first outdoor meeting of Shouwang Church.

Christian Nurse in Pakistan Boldly Opts to Report Videotaped Rape

Colleague tries to blackmail her into converting to Islam, marrying him.

By Murad Khan

 

LAHORE, Pakistan, September 8 (Compass Direct News) – A Christian nurse here filed a police report on Saturday (Sept. 3) alleging she was raped by a Muslim colleague who filmed the act in an attempt to blackmail her into renouncing her faith and marrying him, she and hospital sources told Compass.

 

Shaista Samuel, a 27-year-old nurse at the Services Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS), filed a First Information Report (FIR) at Shadman police station accusing Ali Adnan, an assistant accounts officer at the hospital, and an armed accomplice of abducting her at gunpoint from the government hospital on Aug. 21 and taking her to a house in Lahore where Adnan’s accomplice filmed the rape.

 

“[Adnan] was holding my arm tightly and forcibly led me to a white car in the parking lot,” Samuel said in tears, adding that as they approached the car, Adnan’s accomplice came out of the shadows and placed a handgun to her head. “Adnan said that they would shoot me if I raised my voice. I was in complete shock … my senses went numb, and I could not believe this was happening to me. They took me to a house in WAPDA Town [for housing Water and Power Development Authority workers in Lahore], where Adnan raped me while his friend filmed the entire incident. They ruined my life completely.”

 

Christians have little legal or societal standing in Pakistan, and Muslim criminals tend to assume they will not be prosecuted if their victims are Christians.

 

Samuel said she had worked several years at the hospital on good terms with Adnan.

 

“I thought of him as a good friend, since we were working together… he used to visit my home often and was known to my family,” she told Compass.

 

Recently, however, Adnan had begun acting strangely toward her, she said.

 

“He started criticizing Christians for not observing the purdah [covering of women] and of following our ‘own brand of religion,’” she said. “One day when I was least expecting it, he told me that he had started liking me and that I should convert to Islam and marry him. I told him that I had always considered him just a friend, and that although I held him in great regard, marrying him was not possible since we belonged to different faiths.”

 

Adnan began harassing her at the workplace and by telephone, she said.

 

“He used to block my way at the hospital, and then one day he forced his way into my house and threatened me and my family, saying that he would not rest until they marry me to him,” she said. “He was acting like a mad man … He started cursing my family and even tried to set the house on fire.”

 

Disturbed by Adnan’s obsessive behavior, Samuel said that she tried her best not to come into any sort of contact with him. On Aug. 21, however, as soon as she entered the hospital he approached her from behind and forced her to sit in a car in the hospital’s parking area, she said.

 

“All this while, he told me not to make a commotion as it would only create an embarrassing situation for me,” she said. “He said he just wanted to talk to me to ‘clear up some misunderstandings.’”

 

He then led her to the white car, and the accomplice appeared. Samuel said the two men held her for over an hour and then dropped her back at the hospital, telling her that if she told anyone about the rape they would send the film to her family and also upload it on social networking sites.

 

In Pakistan, a rape victim is generally considered too shamed to resume a normal life or pursue marriage.

 

“I was devastated,” she said. “I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me. I did not share my ordeal with any person, not even my parents. I did not have the courage to tell them that their daughter had been dishonored, and decided to keep my misery to myself … I could not see my father and brothers face the shame brought by my bad luck.”

 

Her misery did not end there – Adnan began trying to blackmail her by phone, she added.

 

“At first he demanded that I convert to Islam, and only then would he consider forgiving me for refusing his proposal,” she said.

 

When she refused, he began demanding sexual favors and threatening to come to her house and show the film to her family – Pakistanis tend to shame the victims rather than the perpetrators of rape – but Samuel refused to be manipulated by his threats, she said.

 

“My defiance angered Adnan to such an extent that one evening he turned up at my home and showed the film to my parents,” Samuel said. “He then told my shocked family that they had no other option but to hand me over to him ... he told them that he ‘owned’ me now.”

 

Adnan left the house, leaving the family, members of Church of Pakistan-affiliated St. Andrews Church, in deep anguish.

 

“We had a very tough decision to make,” Samuel said. ‘We could have either conceded to his demand or be ready to face the shame and dishonor by reporting his crime, but we chose the latter. Adnan must be punished for ruining my life. I thank God that he rescued me from Adnan’s blackmailing, otherwise I would have remained in mental agony for the rest of my life.”

 

Compass tried to reach Adnan for comment, but he was unavailable as he had turned off his cell phone.

 

Although Shaista and her family have filed an FIR with police, getting justice without higher government help may be difficult. At press time police had yet to arrest the two suspects, who fled their homes soon after the registration of the case and have managed to obtain pre-arrest bail.

 

“The police deliberately gave them time to get interim bails,” Samuel said. “My father and brothers have been going to the police station every day to ask them to record the statements of the accused, but the investigating officer of the case is using delay tactics. I’ve been asked ridiculous questions about the incident, but I will not be discouraged from seeking justice.”

 

Samuel said she was tired of suspicious and questioning eyes at her workplace and has taken leave from the hospital. The administration has formed a committee to probe into the matter.

 

“I am sick and tired of people staring at me and asking questions,” she said, adding that after she took leave, no one from the hospital administration had contacted her though she had heard of the committee’s formation. The two-member committee includes SIMS medical Superintendent Muhammad Javaid and the hospital’s finance director.

 

Javaid told Compass that the committee would record the statements of the complainant and the accused and would also examine the circumstantial evidence.

 

www.compassdirect.org

 

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Copyright 2011 Compass Direct News

Millions to Rally on International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich., Sept. 8, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- As summer comes to an end and autumn approaches, Christians around the world are preparing for the 2011 International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP). 

The IDOP, which was first organized in 1996 by the World Evangelical Fellowship, has evolved into one of the largest worldwide prayer events in existence today. For the past 15 years, thousands of churches and organizations, as well as individuals and families, have participated in the tradition of setting aside one Sunday each November to spend time in intercessory prayer for the millions of Christians around the world who are persecuted, oppressed, and even martyred for their faith each year -- and who, whenever asked, unfailingly place intercessory prayer at the top of their list of needs. 

On a general scale, Christian persecution has become a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions. According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, persecution has become especially prevalent in countries like India and Iraq, while countries of particular concern that have been known for consistent religious and human rights violations include North Korea, China, and Sudan. 

But the United States government is not alone in its monitoring of the crisis. Many Christian ministries and nonprofit organizations have made it their mission to advocate and provide humanitarian support for those in the persecuted church, most of whom suffer a range of abuses from societal or even family ostracism, physical abuse, kidnapping, or false imprisonment on an almost daily basis. 

One such organization is Christian Freedom International (CFI), a Michigan-based organization that works extensively in countries like Burma, Pakistan, and Egypt -- all regions where Christian persecution is steadily on the rise. In addition to its humanitarian support of food, clothing, medical assistance and educational opportunities, CFI has been an outspoken advocate for the persecuted church, providing compelling testimony before Capitol Hill and promoting general awareness of persecution through online petition campaigns. Each year, CFI also actively encourages churches and individuals throughout the U.S. to remember the persecuted and participate in the IDOP. 

Although Sunday, November 13 is the designated 2011 International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, it will be held one week earlier, Sunday, November 6, in the UK and Ireland. 

To learn more about the IDOP and for free, downloadable resources, visit www.dayofprayer.org.

Deadly religious strife in Nigeria continues

Nigeria (MNN) ― At least 14 people died in Jos, Nigeria, in a flare up of Christian and Muslim violence. Reprisal clashes heightened fears of larger-scale attacks in the cycle of violence.

Voice of the Martyrs Canada reports that among the dead was a Christian family of eight, two adults, and six children. Spokesman Greg Musselman explains, "You have these radicalized Muslim youth. It was the end of Ramadan, they were celebrating, and again, violence flared up. They were looking for trouble, and they went after some Christian families.


In the escalating violence, two churches were burnt down. Christian and Muslim religious leaders have appealed for peace. Bombs were placed in front of houses of worship.

In 1999, Sharia law was implemented in 12 northern and central states. The question is: why does Plateau State seemingly crack under tensions more than other states. Again, Mussleman says, "Jos straddles the middle ground in Nigeria between the largely Muslim North and the Christian South. So the city and the nation is divided along religious, tribal and political lines."

Due to violence like this, many Christians have been displaced from Muslim areas, initially in the north, where Sharia -- strict Islamic law -- has been imposed. "There are the Islamic militant groups that have really emboldened since the 9/11 attacks, so even though you have a majority Christian population in Jos, you have the Islamists who want to turn that into a Muslim state."

According to a Reuters timeline of the unrest in the same area, there have been nine major flare-ups of rioting and violence between Christians and Muslims since 2000. In each of these incidents, hundreds lost their lives, churches were burned, and many more injured. "Anything that happens politically or any kind of little flare up is used by these Islamic groups to go after the Christians", explains Musselman. He adds, "That's why so many of them are killed. As much as we pray that it would stop, the current climate shows no sign of that slowing down."

Pray that Christians in Nigeria will demonstrate the love of Christ, in spite of the opposition they face. "This is an ongoing situation. It just seems to pop up every few weeks, and lately it's just becoming more intense," Musselman says.
Lately, however, more churches are throwing off the cloak of silence. "They realize that we really need to share the message, and they crossed the line in the sense of: 'Hey, if I get killed, I get killed, but I'm going to preach Christ.' So the message of the Gospel is going powerfully forward, and many of these Islamists are coming to know Christ."

Voice of the Martyrs Canada teams continue to remain active through their medical work, the aid they give to stranded families persecuted for their faith, and in many ways supportive through the prayer networks around the world.