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Subject: Persecution report for March 11, 2003.

Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 08:52:00 -0700

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

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

CC: <insider@christianaid.org>

Mission Network News reports the following incidents of Christians being persecuted.

India:

Oppression against Christians isn't easing in India.

That's the message from Mission Evangelism's Adrian Jones who just returned from preaching in the state of Kerala where his life was threatened. "A gang of men had sworn to kidnap me and kill me. So, when I got to the crusade site, it was surrounded by police and soldiers with machine guns. It was sort of a hair-raising time for the team." Jones says religious freedom in India may be changing. "The state of Kerala is getting ready to pass a no conversion law. As I understand it, if you go in there on a tourist visa they won't allow you to come in and preach at all. You can go in on a preaching visa if they will give that to you, but they're saying they won't give that to you either. So, the door is closing." 67-thousand people heard the Gospel -- nearly two-thousand people made professions of faith."

Philippines:

3 Southern Baptist workers killed in bomb blast.

Another tragedy has hit the world's missions community in the Philippines. Last week, a bomb exploded at the airport in Davao City killing at least 17 people and injuring 100 others -- three of the victims were with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board.IMB's Van Payne. "Bill Hyde, 59, died in surgery from severe head and leg injuries. Barbara Wallis Stevens, 33,was slightly injured and her 10-month-old son, Nathan, also was wounded. Our hearts go out to these families and their coworkers. We are moving quickly to assist the missionaries affected by this tragedy." Payne says this violence isn't new. "That's been going on for decades. These folks were simply going about their lives and were in the wrong place at the wrong time. We're grieved at the loss of Bill and certainly we're praying for the Stevens family, but the brunt of this was felt by the Filipino people." Payne says it doesn't appear to be an attack against Christians or Americans.

India:

Village and police gang up on national missionary.

Christian Aid Mission reports that police in a village in northern India recently joined radical Hindus in expelling a native missionary from the area. In the last two years, he established a congregation of more than 40 believers, had another 40 who were being prepared for baptism, and held evangelistic meetings where about 500 people came and heard the Gospel. Hindu radicals went to the missionary's village, threatened him and took him by force to the police station,accusing him of converting Hindus to Christianity.

India:

Anti-conversion laws were an issue in February 26th election.

Anti-conversion laws are one element in the campaigns of the politicians who sought the public vote.Dayspring International's John Gilman explains what's at stake in terms of government charter. "It's very sad that this great nation that has a constitution that allows religious freedom, that they're being restricted, marginalizing Christians, attempting, in some cases, to characterize Christians as 'guests' in the country of India. These are people who are native born, that may have chosen to follow Christ." Gilman says while beatings are common, their film teams vow to continue showing the all-Indian acted story of the life of Christ on film. He asks believers to remember ministry takes place in the shadow of an anti-conversion law. "Pray for this government that presently exists, that there will be a transformation. There are nearly 100 court cases dealing with religious liberty in India and we need to see some movement, that laws of the land and the constitution will be upheld in this country."

Tanzania:

Converts bullied into recanting their faith.

In spite of the persecution toward Christians in Tanzania, Africa Inland Mission reports that God continues building his church. AIM team members have been the target of many rumours among the Datooga people. New believers face increased pressure to convert back to the Datooga ways and reject their Christianity. Because of that pressure five professed believers recently renounced their faith in Christ while at the same time others are responding to the Gospel message.

Cambodia:

Militant Buddhists protest Christian reference in a school book.

Cambodia's Buddhists are not taking kindly to evangelistic efforts. A recent teachers' protest took place because of a Christian word found in a text. Book of Hope's Ken Huff says they're still working, but it's a race against time. "The major opposition leader who's running for prime ministers' election is in July, also started running on an almost anti-Christian campaign, trying to raise votes by speaking out against Christianity. "Huff says their student translation of the book should be finished in April, but the outreach coincides with getting government permission. All that hinges precariously on the politics, elections and sentiment of the moment, barring prayer." The Book of Hope distribution would be hampered. We would be able to give it out in the schools and try to get it to the children if the prime minister doesn't say 'yes'. So, we're just praying for favour with the head man, because whatever he says goes, and if he says we can hand it out, then it will become an incredible opportunity to get this book out."

Hong Kong:

New law in Hong Kong could threaten the spread of the Gospel and religious freedom.

Voice of the Martyrs says since HongKong's return to China in 1997, China has taken more control of the government than what was agreed upon.In light of that, the new legislation may target groups in Hong Kong that have ties to groups already outlawed in the mainland. While targeting criminal activity, VOM fears the law's enforcement will eventually include house church movements.

India:

Another missionary has been beaten for sharing his faith.

Gospel For Asia's John Beers says the incident happened in north-east India to one of their film teams. Beers says villagers were open to the story of Jesus, but an extremist group didn't like it." They began to beat the team. They grabbed the leader,a young man named Titus. They grabbed him by the scarf (and) began to strangle him. (They) beat him, punched him, kicked him until he fell unconscious. But, by God's grace one of the villagers who was a Christian took him to his house and tried to take care of him." Titus was able to escape a second beating and is recovering. According to Beers, this violence is common against Christians and prayer is needed. "These are brothers. They're flesh and blood just like us. And, they have fears and they have difficulties and they have struggles, but by God's grace they've made the commitment to continue to go forward. In fact, some of our leaders in a meeting, they said, if it means martyrdom it's okay we're going to go. And so, they're continuing to go forward even in the midst of the threat."

Uzbekistan:

American government intervenes on behalf of ministry.

Recent reports indicate several Central Asian governments were coming down hard on believers. However, Educational Services International's Jennifer Teske says they were spared from a government crackdown in which the Uzbek government threatened to expel Christian groups. "The government sent out a notice that they were going to evaluate everyone's work there, and they were hinting that they were going to throw everyone out. The American government actually intervened on behalf of a lot of these Christian groups, and for now, we're still there, and hopefully that will continue, but we'll have to see what happens." Teske says while teaching skills to the Uzbek people is one part of their mission, there is another part. "They want to get to know you, they want to know what makes you tick, and so, they will spend time with you and it's a real time of fellowship. So, as you grow closer to these people then the door is opened for you to share that what makes you tick is the love of Christ."

Please visit http://www.mnnonline.org to learn about missions news and to hear a weekday audio newscast.

The Voice Of The Martyrs reports these occurrences of believers being oppressed.

Egypt:

Court Convicts Two and Acquits 94 in El-Kosheh Riots.

Doubts are being expressed by Egyptian Christians about the impartiality of the Egyptian court system after only two of ninety-six defendants were convicted on February 27 in a retrial for the killing of twenty-one Christians during three days of violent rioting that started on New Years Eve 1999 in El-Kosheh, Egypt. Thirty-three others were wounded and dozens of homes and businesses destroyed as Muslims from El-Kosheh and neighbouring communities went on a rampage started by a dispute between a Muslim trader and a Christian shop owner. In the original trial, ninety-six people were on trial; thirty-eight for murder. When the original verdict came on February 5, 2001, four people were convicted of weapons charges only. The prosecution appealed the verdicts, which led to this retrial in which only two men were convicted; both of murder and assault. One received fifteen years in prison, while the other received three and a half years. Many observing the trial are concerned about the very light sentences given for murder and the message it could send about the seriousness of killing Christians. Glenn Penner, spokesman for The Voice of the Martyrs commented, "This ruling is, of course, very disappointing and demoralizing for the church in El-Kosheh and for all who seek justice. The lives of so many were shattered in January 2000 and this ruling will do nothing to heal the wounds that still remain. Nor will it provide assurance that such attacks will not happen again. The events in El-Kosheh have provided ample evidence over the last few years that Christians cannot count on having the same level of protection by the police or in the courts that Muslim citizens have. We want to assure our sisters and brothers in El-Kosheh of our continued support and prayers. We have not forgotten them."

China:

Visiting Officials Launch Propaganda Attack.

While visiting American officials, a Chinese government delegation has "clarified" their case against Pastor Gong Shengliang. Using fact sheets and photos of those claimed to be victims of Gong and his followers, Ye Xiaowen, director of China's State Administration for Religious Affairs, laid out their case against Gong and the South China Church. According to a report by the Xinhua News Agency yesterday, Ye claimed that some who had refused to join Gong's church or who disagreed with him were beaten. Gong was also accused of raping some of his followers and is presently serving a life sentence for rape and assault. Ye claimed that Christian leaders in China denounce Gong as "Satan" and "devil." The delegation insists that Gong was sentenced to life imprisonment because of his criminal offenses, not normal religious activities.

As reported in a previous Persecution & Prayer Alert (www.persecution.net/pnparchive/arch1.htm), this Chinese delegation has been meeting with church and government leaders in Canada and USA to dialogue on religious and human rights in

China.

Pastor Gong

The Voice of the Martyrs has been covering the story of Pastor Gong and the South China Church (SCC) for over a year because of several arrests based on misrepresentation and false accusations against Gong and his followers. Responding to this latest round of attacks on the reputation of Pastor Gong and the SCC, Bob Fu, VOM's China analyst, denounced it as "slander" and offered the following rebuttal:

The SCC is a recognized evangelical group with a sound doctrinal footing. The are not an "evil cult." They have been under brutal persecution because they refuse to come under the control of the Religious Affairs Bureau of the Communist Party. Though there have been some cases of emotional response by members against their persecutors, there has never been a case where Pastor Gong has encouraged any type of revenge against persecutors. There is undeniable evidence, including affidavits, showing that the women who were supposedly raped by Pastor Gong confessed and signed under severe torture even to the point of death in the case of sister Zhongju Yu. - The delegation continued to talk about the SCC as a cult, even though the court in Hubei dropped the charge of "evil cult" against the SCC. To this day, thousands of members are still experiencing daily persecution.

In a related story in the People's Daily On-line on February 24, Cao Shengjie, a member of the delegation from China and president of the official China Christian Council, acknowledged the rapid growth of Christianity in China and stressed that there is religious freedom for all Chinese citizens. Speaking in the US, she told people to "go to China and see for yourself" to get a clear picture of the religious situation in China.

Those who have gone to China in recent years have often come back with a significantly different story than presented by this delegation. Fu states that Cao has no credibility, since she is a direct tool of the Chinese Communist Party.

Iraq:

Convert to Christ Gunned Down.

A Kurdish Christian taxi driver, Ziwar Mohamad Ismaeel, was shot dead February 17 in the city of Zakho in the Kurdistan region of Iraq when he refused to deny Christ. Ziwar came to faith in Christ seven years ago and was very open about his faith. Several times he had received threats on his life. "With Jesus on my side, I have nothing to fear," he told friends. "Even when they kill me, I will never deny Christ."

After his conversion, the local Muslim mullah advised his family that he should be killed as an apostate. He was taken captive by relatives who threatened to kill him if he did not recant. He refused and was rescued by friends. He had been arrested twice in recent years in connection with his faith but was never charged. Last June, after having been arrested again for two weeks, he lost his job and started working as a cab driver.

Apparently, on Monday, he received a call from a client. Sitting down with a cup of tea, the client asked him to renounce his faith and return to Islam. When Ziwar refused, the man shot him 28 times with a machine gun shouting, "Allah u Akbar!" Other taxi drivers reportedly apprehended his assassin after the shooting. Ziwar was married with five children. According to a report from Open Doors on February 20, his family had refused to claim his body and bury him.

Russia, Qatar, Colombia:

Praise from Around the World.

As we report on challenges facing Christians around the world, we are thankful to be able to report positive developments. Join with us in praise and prayer about the following stories from around the world:

Russia: On February 18, the Salvation Army won a case brought by the city government that sought to close down the religious group's Moscow chapter for failing to reregister. Vladimir Ryakhovsky, lawyer with the Slavic Legal Centre said that he was pleased with the Tagansky municipal court's ruling. The Salvation Army's legal battle began in 2000 when Moscow city authorities repeatedly turned down their re-registration application. The officials then sought to close the chapter for failing to register. Last year the Russian Constitutional Court ruled that religious organizations could not be shut down for failing to register.

Qatar: The government of Qatar has authorized the construction of churches in the country, something unprecedented in this Arab Gulf state, according to a report from ZENIT on February 25. A government representative said that this is part of "Qatar's conviction in favour of freedom of worship." Though Islam is the dominant religion in Qatar, there are thousands of Christians, many of them immigrant workers.

Colombia: Colombian guerrillas have released a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, Gonzalo Cardona after holding him captive for six months. The pastor of an 800-member church in Uraba in northwestern Colombia was abducted Aug. 19 while travelling in his car with his family. According to a report from Adventist News Network, he has undergone stress tests and is suffering a mild case of malaria, but he is very thankful to the Lord for his release. The feature article of the March edition of The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter will focus on the courage and plight of Colombia's courageous Christians.

For more information on how to receive a free subscription, go to www.persecution.net/nlonline.htm.

Please check http://www.persecution.net to learn more about these stories and how to help those believers who suffer for the sake of Christ.

ASSIST Ministries presents this persecution account.

Philippines.

Fourteen killed in attack on christian village in the Philippines.

Michael Ireland reports that fourteen Christians, including three children, have been brutally killed in an attack on a Christian village in the southern Philippines by Islamic separatists. According to The Barnabas Fund, some 50 rebels entered the village, located on the Zamboanga peninsula, on the southern island of Mindanao, on February 19 and rounded up the defenceless villagers before opening fire on them. One child is reported to have died in his mother's arms, three others were injured and three more are reported missing. Grenades were also thrown into homes, others were raked with bullets and set ablaze.

The Barnabas Fund reports that Islamic separatists in the majority-Christian Philippines have been fighting for an independent Islamic homeland in the south of the country for the 5 million Muslim Filipino community since 1972.

Two Islamic militant groups, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), mainly operative on Mindanao, and the smaller and more extreme Abu Sayyaf, mainly in Basilan and Jolo, are at the forefront of the current violence.

The army began a new offensive against the MILF in Mindanao on February 10 in which some 200 rebels are reported to have been killed and over 80,000 local residents displaced. The attack on the Christian village is believed to have been staged in response to this, although no group has claimed responsibility.

Christian ministers and missionaries have in the past been singled out for particular torture and gruesome execution because of their faith.

The full story is on the www.assistnews.net web site.

Christian Aid Mission reports this story about the trials of Christians.

Indonesia:

Papua Christians Fear Islamization.

On 19 February 19, the South China Morning Post published an article by John Martinkus entitled, "Islamic extremism gains a foothold in Christian Papua." This article confirms widely held suspicions that while the Laskar Jihad did disband in Maluku, it did not disband in Papua. In fact the SCMP article paints a picture of escalating levels of co-operation between the Indonesian military, Korpussas and the Laskar Jihad.

Commenting on the co-operation between the Indonesian military and the Laskar Jihad, Johannes Bonay, the head of ELSHAM, a group that monitors human rights abuses in Papua, says, "The rhetoric of the Laskar Jihad groups fits comfortably with the aims of the Indonesian military in Papua. One of their objectives is to protect the unity of Indonesia in Papua. They are using Islam to claim they are fighting against the Kaffir here in Papua." (Over 90% of the indigenous population of Papua is officially Christian - mostly Protestant. Operation World 21st Century Edition.)

The Indonesian military is using the issue of separatism (which in Eastern Indonesia is very non-threatening) as their reason for pursuing increased powers. In Papua, both the military and the Islamists are motivated by their humiliation and anger over the loss of East Timor. Clearly, predominantly Christian Papua is a conflict-in-waiting.

We also note that Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has signed a controversial presidential decree to expedite the dividing of Papua into three provinces, weakening its autonomy and opening the door for the isolation of the Christian majority in one eastern province, enabling the other provinces, and eventually the entire region, to be gradually Islamised.

Please visit http://www.christianaid.org to read many interesting stories about missions work.

Note: Missions Insider refrains from mentioning names that could make the subjects targets of anti-Christian activity. Names are sometimes mentioned of ministries conducting work commended by authorities or located in areas of greater religious freedom.

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