You can email us HERE. Click HERE to contact us

Click here for World News and comments with a Christian perspective

   

Subject: Persecution report for June 10, 2003.

Date: Sun, 8 Jun 2003 20:45:32 -0600

From: "Bruce Atchison" <ve6xtc@telusplanet.net>

To: "Ted" <thilts@help-for-you.com>

Freedom Quest reports these acts of persecution against Christians.

Sudan:

Truce broken, paster burned to death, and more christians murdered.

Military forces led by Sudan's militant Islamist regime burned to death a Christian pastor and his family in a massacre of 59 unarmed villagers, a relief group working in the area reported.

The simultaneous attack on 10 villages in Eastern Upper Nile took place as Secretary of State Colin Powell met with Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail to discuss Sudan's removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Sudan's cleric-backed National Islamic Front regime in the Arab and Muslim north declared a jihad on the mostly Christian and animist south in 1989. Since 1983, an estimated 2 million people have died from war and related famine. About 5 million have become refugees.

The May 22 attack was completely unprovoked, according to Seattle-based Servant's Heart, as no members of the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army were in the area.

The militia also wounded 15 and abducted 10 children and 6 women. The forces used a combination of rocket-propelled-grenade launchers, .50-calibre heavy machine guns and assault rifles.

Many villagers were burned alive as they hid in their homes from the government-led forces, Servant's Heart said.

Jacob Gadet Manyiel, pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Sudan, and his wife and four children were burned to death as government soldiers stood outside their house and threatened to shoot anyone trying to escape.

Meanwhile, on the day of the attack, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said, "We think there is a real prospect to reach a just and lasting conclusion to the [Sudanese] civil war."

Khartoum's Ismail said after meeting with Powell his government "would sign a peace agreement with the SPLA as quickly as possible, maybe next month."

However, the attack last week violates the current cease-fire between Khartoum and the SPLA. It also breaches the agreement facilitated by former Sen. John Danforth, which forbids attacks against civilians and non-combatants.

Please click here for http://www.freedom-quest.ca for the full story about the situation in Sudan.

The Voice Of The Martyrs reports the following persecution incidents.

Pakistan:

Christian Acquitted of Blasphemy Charges.

After serving four and a half years in prison for alleged blasphemy against Islam, Pakistani Christian Aslam Masih was acquitted today by the Lahore High Court. Masih was arrested in November 1998 for allegedly giving a charm to Khadim Hussain, a Muslim, containing verses from the Quran to be hung around a dog's neck.

In his appeal trial, however, the prosecution's main witness completely denied the statement attributed to him. He stated that the police had invented his testimony. The remaining evidence against Masih was second and third-hand testimony. According to a source cited by Compass Direct, Justice Najam ur-Zaman is reported to have taken "a very aggressive attitude against the prosecution" because of the flimsy circumstantial evidence.

This decision overturns a double life sentence given to Masih in May 2002 by a lower court. He will be released once this decision is passed on to the lower court. Security plans are being arranged to protect him once he is released, since those acquitted often face death threats.

India:

One Killed; Another Wounded in Grenade Attack.

One teacher was killed and another wounded on May 22 when a grenade was thrown at the gates of Saint Lukes Convent School in Nai Basti, 50 kilometres from Srinagar, the capital of the troubled state of Kashmir. Two women, Sister Kamlesh and Sister Mary Sipkota, both from West Bengal, were injured and taken to hospital. On route, Kamlesh died of her injuries. There have been no arrests, though militant Islamic groups are suspected to be responsible. Muslim clergy and militant Islamic groups in the area have been speaking out against Christians lately because of reports of up to 20,000 converts to Christianity in the past eight years.

Sipkota told The Indian Express, "We left our campus at St. Lukes at around 7:15 p.m. to go to a phone booth. We wanted to call our homes in West Bengal and just then a grenade hit us from nowhere."

Sudan:

Pastor Released from Prison.

On May 14, the Persecution and Prayer Alert reported on a pastor who had been sent to prison indefinitely until he either destroyed his church or paid for the land on which the church had stood for eleven years. (see http://www.persecution.net/pnparchive/arch3.htm for more details). * We were delighted to learn on May 30 from Compass Direct that Rev. Samuel Dobai Amum had been released after the full purchase price had been raised. Local Sudanese Christians had managed to raise 2.6 million dinars ($1365 CDN). A delegation from Calvary Chapel, a church in California, covered the remaining amount. On the evening of May 21, Rev. Amum was able to walk through the door of his home into the arms of his wife and children. * Amum credits the prayers of Christians around the world, along with the direct intervention from Calvary Chapel, for his release. Lawyers for the Anglican Church in Sudan have been working since his release to finalize the details for the transfer of title.

Jordan:

Court Case Gives Hope to Christian Widow.

One of Jordan's top law firms has filed a case to have Siham Qandah restored as legal guardian of her two minor children, Rawan (15) and Fadi (14). According to a May 30 report from Compass Direct, the case is to present evidence that Abdullah al-Muhtadi, the current Muslim guardian and Qandah's estranged brother, has embezzled at least 13,000 Jordanian dinars (over $24,000 CDN) from the orphan benefits held in trust for the children.

The children's father died in 1994 while serving with UN peacekeeping forces in Kosovo. After his death, documents, apparently falsified, were presented stating that he had converted to Islam. As such, the children were legally considered Muslims and required a Muslim guardian to receive the orphan benefits. In order to receive and administer them, Qandah asked her brother to become the children's legal guardian. He agreed and for three years functioned in this role, although he only occasionally gave the money to the family. In 1998, al-Muhtadi began legal proceedings to take the children from his sister's custody. Two separate courts have since ruled in his favour, including the Supreme Court in 2002.

Canada:

Hate and Sexual Orientation Up For Final Reading.

In November 2002, the Persecution and Prayer Alert reported on a private ember's bill, Bill C-250, presently before the Canadian Parliament that wold add "sexual orientation" to the current list of identifiable groups (i. e. colour, race, religion and ethnic origin) in the "hate propaganda" sections of the Criminal Code of Canada.

This Friday, June 6, Bill C-250 is set for debate on its third and final reading before the House of Commons. The bill, initiated by the Honourable Svend Robinson, was slated to be debated later on the House's agenda, but Robinson traded places with another Member of Parliament who was higher on the list. If the bill is debated this Friday, it could be voted on before Parliament rises for the summer. If passed, this bill would make advocating genocide, public incitement of hatred and the willful promotion of hatred against people based on their sexual orientation illegal.

While The Voice of the Martyrs believes that the deliberate incitement of hatred towards any identifiable group is inexcusable, we join with groups such as The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, The Catholic Rights League and The Christian Legal Fellowship in expressing concern about this particular bill, since it could potentially limit the freedom of expression of religious groups.

It is the position of The Voice of the Martyrs that the Bible clearly opposes homosexual activity and that believers are called upon to see homosexuality as sin. We are of the opinion that this bill is vague enough to allow for a case-to-case interpretation of what would constitute a hate crime against someone of a particular sexual orientation. Potentially, we belief this bill could lead to the criminalization of the public reading of Scripture passages that speak out against homosexuality, sermons that decry sexual sin and any other printed literature against homosexuality.

The Voice of the Martyrs urges Canadian Christians to write to their MPs and to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, The Honourable Martin Cauchon regarding this bill. Contact information can be found through a link to the House of Commons directory at www.persecution.net/links.htm. Before doing so, however, we encourage all Canadian Christians to go to http://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/social/initiatives.asp and http://www.christianlegalfellowship.org/Articles/thebill. html for more information.

Please check http://www.persecution.net for archived reports and for ways in which these Christians can be helped.

Mission Network News has this incident to report.

Bangladesh:

An update to the missionary kidnapping story.

Gospel for Asia's K-P Yohannan says one of their national missionaries has been kidnapped. "One of our brothers in leadership, supervising an entire district of church planting missionaries, (was kidnapped). On the 28th of May we received the news that he may be kidnapped. Just hours ago, (June 3rd) we got a note from the terrorist group, demanding very large sums of money." Yohannan says the missionary's name and the terrorist group aren't being released for security reasons. He says while this oppression is hard, Yohannan believes it helps the church. "We find that the co-workers, and the missionaries and the pastors become much more bold to share the love of Christ. There is such power in (their) willingness to suffer and die for Christ's sake, which becomes an incredible witness."

Please see http://www.mnnonline.org for missions news and to hear a weekday audio newscast.

Forum 18 reports these incidents of religious rights violations inflicted upon Christians.

Belarus:

Pentecostal evangelist to challenge fine.

After a night-time visit by two police officers and a religious affairs official to an address rented by the Pentecostal Union in Zheludok, local evangelist Mikhail Balyk was fined 13 US dollars for allegedly conducting worship services in the town. Balyk told Forum 18 News Service that no worship services were taking place at the address cited - a domestic residence - and is preparing to appeal. His lawyer Nina Shavtsova told Forum 18 that unregistered religious organisations are often fined in this way, up to a maximum of 35 dollars. The main victims are small, established groups in rural areas.

Georgia:

Violent priest to challenge temporary detention order.

Violent Old Calendarist priest Basil Mkalavishvili is to challenge a 4 June district court order that he be held in "preventive detention" for three months. His appeal is to be heard on 9 June at Tbilisi city court. The Baptists have been told that the closed preliminary hearing was connected with the case against Mkalavishvili for raiding a Baptist warehouse and burning copies of the Bible in February 2002. "I don't think they're going to arrest him,"Malkhaz Songulashvili, head of the Baptist Union, told Forum 18 News Service. Levan Ramishvili of the Liberty Institute was equally sceptical. "If they had wanted to arrest him it would not have been difficult." Mkalavishvili - who has gone into hiding - has expressed defiance in a television interview, cursing his enemies and warning that Georgia will be struck by earthquakes if he is detained.

Kazakhstan:

Criminal case against Baptist pastor withdrawn.

Pastor Sergei Nizhegorodtsev, leader of an unregistered Baptist church in the village of Georgievka in Eastern Kazakhstan region will not now face prosecution for continuing to lead services in defiance of a court-ordered ban. Prosecutors withdrew the criminal case against him on 28 May, local Baptists reported. "The case against Nizhegorodtsev was withdrawn for absence of the substance of a crime," deputy procurator Erzhan Zharylgapov told Forum 18 News Service. He said he had received appeals "from everywhere" in support of the pastor. "Tell people to stop sending these letters!"

Turkmenistan:

Chief mufti joins crackdown on Protestants.

Amid a new crackdown on Protestant churches across Turkmenistan, five members of a church in Abadan have been warned not to meet together. Church members told Forum 18 News Service they were subjected to hours of questioning at the police station and town administration in the wake of a 31 May raid on the flat of two church members. Officials threatened to confiscate the flat. The crackdown has seen at least six other Protestant churches raided during services since the beginning of May. Forum 18 has learnt that chief mufti Kakageldy Vepaev took part in at least four of the raids. OSCE officials in the capital Ashgabad refused to comment on the raids or on Turkmenistan's violation of religious freedom.

Turkmenistan:

Protestants fined as crackdown continues.

Five members of a non-denominational Protestant church in Abadan fined on 4 June for meeting as an unregistered community have vowed they will continue to practise their faith. "The authorities found us guilty of meeting without permission, but we are still going to meet, and they know this," one church member told Forum 18 News Service. The fines followed a raid on a private flat four days earlier where they were meeting. OSCE officials have been too busy to meet the Protestants so far. At least seven Protestant churches across Turkmenistan were raided in May in a new crackdown. One Protestant has written an open letter to President Saparmurat Niyazov, calling for sweeping changes to Turkmenistan's religious policy, an end to the repression of believers and an end to the system whereby an Orthodox clergyman can restrict the rights of other faiths and denominations.

Please see http://www.forum18.org to learn more about religious rights violations in communist and former communist lands.

ASSIST News Service reports the following incidents.

Russia:

American facing five years imprisonment for trying to deliver humanitarian aid.

Regina Spencer Sipple writes that, while the G8 leaders recently gathered in St. Petersburg, Russia, another drama was playing out in Moscow between an American whose desire to help the poor is on a deadly collision course with the KSB (formerly the KGB) and a few corrupt officials. At stake was a young man's freedom and his unwillingness to compromise his beliefs or walk away from the desperately needed donations he was legally carrying into Russia

On March 29th, a quiet, unassuming Harvard graduate student undertook what should have been a clear-cut mission of mercy to deliver funds to help support more than 100 Christian families in Russia. Andrew Okhotin was carrying $48,000.00 in humanitarian aid, and upon his arrival at Shermetyevo Airport, Andrew declared the money, carefully following all Russian laws and regulations. Too much was at stake to make any errors and Mr. Okhotin was scrupulous about observing all of the necessary formalities.

A Russian Customs' Official, Mr. Demakin, filed a protocol stating that Mr. Okhotin had legally declared all of the charitable donations he was carrying and that he had not broken any Russian laws. However, before Andrew could leave the customs area, he was arrested, the money was confiscated and he was subjected to intense interrogation for twelve hours. His requests for food, water and the opportunity to call the American Embassy were repeatedly denied and Andrew was placed under house arrest in Moscow.

In a recent letter to President Vladimir Putin, Andrew stated: "in the interrogation room [there] began numerous 'proposals' about how to solve this question. To the refusal on my part, the interrogator became irritated and started using threats [A court-appointed mediator said] 'If you will pay $15,000, you will receive the entire sum back. The forms will be rewritten and everything will be done in such a way that everything will be returned to you. If you will pay $10,000, you can count on half that amount.'"

It was a shakedown, pure and simple, and Andrew refused to accept any of their "deals" to let him leave the country instead of facing five years of imprisonment under Article 188, Section 1 of the Russian Criminal Code for allegedly smuggling contraband currency. Taking money into Russia is not a crime, nor is it limited, especially when it is a charitable endeavour. Money is not a contraband item as long as it is declared, and possession of Mr. Okhotin's declaration form testifies to the fact that he abided by all Russian Federation laws. Andrew not only would not leave without delivering the charitable support, he decided to fight for the return of this substantial amount of charitable donations to help Russians hit hard by a difficult economy.

Please go to http://www.assistnews.net to read the full version of this article plus other fascinating stories.

Click here for World News and comments with a Christian perspective

   

email: ve6xtc@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca