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Persecution Report 12-Nov-2002

Mission Network News reports this incident of believers being persecuted.

India:

5 Dalits lynched.

Acts of violence against Christians have increased in light of recent legislation forbidding religious conversions.The law was in response to a mass renunciation of the Hindu faith by the Dalits, or untouchables. Gospel For Asia’s K-P Yohannon says because of the Hindu oppression, violence is increasing. "There is a huge uprising going on throughout the whole country. 300-million Dalits—these untouchables are saying, ‘We are cursed under Hinduism, we are slaves, we are not even human beings’." Yohannon says the most recent incident involved the lynching of five Dalits by the upper caste. But, even in that, he says there is evidence of a hopeful future. "Again, this is the tip of the iceberg that says God is working behind the scenes. These millions and millions of Dalits are seeking a way out of the Hindu caste system, we are believing God that million will turn to the Lord for true freedom."

Please go to http://www.mnnonline.org where you can find missions news and a weekday audio newscast.

The Voice Of The Martyrs reports these persecution incidents.

Mongolia:

Criminal charges for unregistered church.

Elders of the Church of All Nations in the Bayangol district of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia are facing criminal charges and possible confiscation of all tithes and offerings. On November 1, The Voice of the Martyrs received a report that a criminal investigation has been launched against the church and two of the elders for non-payment of taxes. If convicted, they could face eight years in prison. The Church of all Nations has applied for registration with the government in 1999 and 2000. In 2001 they faced an investigation for not paying taxes but, since they were not registered, there was no way for them to submit the taxes. Mongolia is a predominantly Buddhist country and the communist government is heavily influenced by Buddhism. As a result, Christian churches have often faced opposition from officials.The church is asking for our prayers.

Cote D’Ivoire:

Civil war supported by Islamic militants.

Since rebel forces failed in a coup attempt on September 19, the African nation of Cote D’Ivoire has been embroiled in civil war with rebels fighting to overthrow the government while taking control of the mainly Muslim north. Increasingly, it appears that the rebel forces are receiving funding from outside of the country; either from another nation or from a militant Islamic network. There are some indications that Libya and the alQaeda network are involved. In September, rebels captured a boarding school for missionary children in Bouake. All 200 students were later released unharmed. In October, those living in mainly Christian villages in rebel-controlled areas fled,fearing for their lives.

While Muslims make up around 26% of the population of Cote D’Ivoire, the large and primarily Muslim immigrant population means that over 50% of those living in the country are Muslim. Cote D’Ivoire has a secular government with freedom of religion and a significant and growing Christian population. There are, however, ethnic and religious divisions within the country which were intensified when the courts ruled that the opposition leader, Alassane Ouattara, was not Ivorian and, therefore, could not run in the 2000 presidential election.The rebels are calling for the resignation of the president and new elections. Peace talks were set to resume in Togo on Monday but the rebels failed to show. Talks resumed on November 6, but increasingly the hope for peace is diminishing. For now, there is an uneasy cease-fire monitored by French troops. There are fears that if the Islamic rebels take control of the country, this would have serious implications on not only Cote D’Ivoire, but also other African nations with strong Christian populations.

Please check http://www.persecution.net to learn more about these stories and what can be done to help the suffering saints.

Keston News Service reports these examples of religious rights violations.

Belarus:

Full Gospel Church to defy religion law.

The Full Gospel Union of Pentecostal churches in Belarus has declared publicly that it will defy the repressive new religion law signed by President Aleksandr Lukashenko on 31 October. "The entry of this law into force will be a blow to freedom of conscience, one of the fundamental freedoms given to individuals by God and on which basic democratic institutions are founded," the head of the Union declared in a 1 November statement received by Keston News Service. Other Belarusian religious and human rights organisations, together with the US State Department, have similarly condemned the new law.

Georgia:

Violent priest’s trial a "charade."

Mikhail Saralishvili, officer manager of the Georgian Bible Society who was attacked by a mob led by violent True Orthodox priest Vasili Mkalavishvili in March 2001, has withdrawn in disgust from the criminal trial of the priest now underway in the capital Tbilisi. Saralishvili is angered by the attitude of the authorities who have, he believes, deliberately failed to take Mkalavishvili’s crimes seriously. As well as the Georgian Bible Society, the Jehovah’s Witnesses are also dissatisfied, stating that the authorities have deliberately chosen cases where the victims suffered minor injuries. Whatever the outcome of the trial, violence against religious minorities has continued in recent months and shows no sign of declining.

Russia:

Latest destruction of Orthodox Church "The first times the authorities took any notice."

Though not the first such incident in Naberezhnyye Chelny, the destruction of the Orthodox Church of St Tatyana on 1 October "was the first time the authorities took any notice," Keston News Service has been told. Naberezhnyye Chelny is the second largest city in the republic of Tatarstan, one of the strongest Islamic areas of Russia. A preliminary wooden chapel was burnt down in May 1999, but no one was arrested. Neither did police officers arrest those who attempted to remove masonry at the site of a subsequent, stone church building on 17 July 2002. In 1996 no one was detained for acts of arson against wooden crosses at the building sites of Churches of St. George and St Serafim of Sarov, even though the latter is only 200 metres (yards) from a police station.

Belarus:

Resignation and defiance greet repressive religion law.

Minority religious communities and human rights groups, along with a few parliamentary deputies, have greeted the president’s signature on the repressive new religion law with a mixture of resignation and defiance, Keston News Service has learnt in a survey of opinion. The Russian Orthodox Church leadership has strongly backed the new law, but there are many priests and lay people in the Church who do not support its restrictive provisions. Keston has learnt of one Orthodox priest who opposed the new law, who was told during the summer by a more senior clergyman not to voice his dissatisfaction publicly as the Orthodox Church had put great efforts into having the law adopted.

Please go to http://www.keston.org to learn more about religious persecution in communist and post-communist lands.

   

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