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16-Dec-2003

Subject: PERSECUTION REPORT FOR DECEMBER 16, 2003.

Date: Sun, 14 Dec 2003 19:41:26 -0800

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

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

CC: "John M. Lindner" <jml@christianaid.org>

PERSECUTION REPORT FOR DECEMBER 16, 2003.

The Voice Of The Martyrs provides these incidents of Christians suffering for their faith in Christ.

Pakistan:

Christian Arrested Under Blasphemy Law

On November 28, a Christian labourer, Anwar Masih, was arrested and charged for blasphemy after a heated discussion with an acquaintance, Naseer Ahmad, who had converted to Islam three months earlier. According to news reports, the complainant, Ahmad was visiting his Christian mother in the town of Shadhra on the outskirts of Lahore when he got into a discussion on Islam with his mother's neighbour, Masih. During the discussion, Ahmad alleged to police, Masih became angry and blasphemed Mohammad.

When Ahmad told other neighbours about the discussion, they gathered a mob together and attacked Masih's home, pelting it with stones. When police arrived, they arrested Masih, ignoring the attack on his home. According to one report, there had been prior enmity between Ahmad and Masih's family and it is believed that these charges are intended as an act of revenge. If convicted of blasphemy under section 295c, Masih could face the death penalty.

Sri Lanka:

Buddhist Mobs Attempt to Close Churches

Over the weekend of November 29-30, the National Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka reports that there were several incidents of gang attacks on Christian churches, primarily in the areas of Homagama and Horana.

On the morning of November 29, the factory premises where the "Jeevana Diya" branch Church meets in Moragahahena, Horana was broken into by a large mob led by several Buddhist monks. Two caretakers were on the premises at the time. Scripture verses were torn from the walls and burned, along with Bible tracts. Bibles, hymnals, and documents, including lists of cell group members, were stolen.

In the same town that evening, the home of Pastor Wickramasinghe, who leads the United Christian Fellowship Church in Piliyandala, was broken into. No one was home at the time. Bibles, notes and other belongings were stolen, along with money collected for a children's program. A death threat was painted on the wall, demanding that he leave the area immediately.

Also that evening, a large crowd, led by Buddhist monks, attacked a house church in Gonapola, Horana, threatening the life of the pastor if he does not stop holding services. Christians in the area report that they have received anonymous phone calls, saying their homes will be burned or they will be killed if they do not renounce Christ.

The next afternoon, a mob, led by about twenty Buddhist monks, was responsible for two separate attacks in Homagama. At around 1:30 p.m., they attacked the home of the Assembly of God pastor, where they found his wife and three other Christian women. They demanded that the pastor and his family leave the community immediately or face physical violence. They also demanded that the landlord evict the family from their home. Files, including the membership list, were taken. The mob then went to the Katuwana Road Catholic Church where they broke the cross off the top of the church and raised a Buddhist flag in its place and planted a sacred Bo tree. Membership records were also taken from this church. It is also reported that "Kithu Himi Sevana" church was attacked by a mob that day. The church building, furniture, and musical instruments were damaged.

The Assembly of God pastor in Ambalangoda has also faced repeated threats and had been asked to leave his home, which he agreed to do. However, as he was packing on November 30 to move to another house in the community, a mob arrived, demanding that he completely leave the area or face death. When the police arrived, they took him to the police station, leaving the mob at his home. Though the police also asked that he leave the area, in the interest of keeping the peace, he has refused to leave.

The Evangelical Alliance informed VOM that there were several additional attacks this past weekend. We are awaiting further details concerning these incidents.

Vietnam:

Students Detained for Distributing Tracts

Vietnamese police report they detained more than seven Christians in Hanoi on December 4 for handing out Christian flyers on the eve of the South East Asian Games. According to ABC Radio Australia, police deny that the Christians have been arrested, but are being held for questioning to determine the origin of the materials. A police spokesman said that the Christians were breaking the law because they were distributing material without the authority of the organizing committee for the South East Asian Games.

While Christianity is officially legal in Vietnam, there is extreme repression of all religions, particularly those who are not officially state-sanctioned.

Vietnam:

Christian Risks Torture After Extradition

In 1997, Ma Van Bay was a church elder responsible for the collections received from a small congregation in northern Vietnam. When police raided his home, they found the money and accused him of stealing it. He faced up to twelve years in prison but escaped, fleeing to the highlands in southern Vietnam. While there, he was involved in the translation of Christian materials into the Hmong language.

According to Compass Direct, on November 17, he was arrested and on November 29 was extradited back to his home province of Ha Giang on the border with China where Christian sources fear that he will face severe torture.

Turkmenistan:

Baptist Church Faces Harassment

On November 10, a new religion law came into effect in Turkmenistan, making all unregistered religious activity illegal. Penalties for breaking the law include up to one year of "corrective labour." The only religious communities who have been able to be registered are Sunni Muslims and the Russian Orthodox Church.

Forum 18 reported on December 9 that this new law was put to use when police raided a Baptist service in Balkanabad on November 30. Everyone, including children, were taken to the police station. They were told that the first two times they break the law, they will face a fine equal to ten times the minimum wage. After that, they will face criminal charges. One of the women was threatened that her children would be taken from her.

The Baptists in Balkanabad had faced harassment and fines before the introduction of the new religion law, but there are fears that this incident may be an indication of increasing pressure with the legal backing of the new regulations.

Updates:

The following are the latest updates on stories previously reported on in the Persecution and Prayer Alert.

A Christian widow in Jordan is facing increasing delays in trying to retain custody of her children. For more details, go to http://www.persecution.net/news/jordan9.html

More than twenty converts from Islam to Christianity were arrested in Egypt in October. The last has been released. For more details, go to http://www.persecution.net/news/egypt11.html.

An Egyptian Christian with a valid immigration visa to Canada has been refused the right to leave and to join his wife and has been arrested for a second time. For more details, go to http://www.persecution.net/news/egypt12.html

Please go to http:.//www.persecution.net to learn more about oppression around the world and how to give help to those believers.

Christian Aid Mission reports this incident of persecution.

Indonesia:

Youths shot while singing christmas carols

Six youths were shot at last Friday night while singing Christmas carols on the street, wounding two and renewing fears of terrorist acts against Christians.

The attack occurred at 8:15 p.m. December 5 in the city of Poso as six youths-two Pentecostals and four from the Reformed Church-sat playing a guitar and singing Christmas carols in front of the Indonesian Christian Church. In Indonesia Christmas is celebrated the whole month of December and these youths wanted to express their faith and unity in Christ.

Suddenly two men on a motorcycle armed with a military-style pistol shot at the youths six times from a distance of about six feet and sped off. The bullets hit one youth, Hidayat Guru, 20, in the wrist and another, Fifien Rumapar, 16, in the calf as the youths dove for cover. They were treated at the hospital and released into the care of their families.

After weeks of increasing violence and the circulation of pamphlets calling for the extermination of Christians "whenever and wherever you find them," the government had increased security, made commitments to crack down on anyone with weapons, and brought in extra troops to guard 46 locations where attacks were thought probable. This brought a feeling of increased security to the Christian community, and the youths felt they were safe singing Christmas carols in front of the church.

In response to the attack, authorities are sending in an additional 500 military men to Poso. Christians worldwide are invited to pray for the Christian community in Poso, still targeted by individuals or bands of al-Qaeda type terrorists.

For background information, see last week's extensive article, "Indonesian Christians Face Renewed Attacks," http://www.christianaid.org/insider/insider-4-48.asp#2

Please check http://www.christianaid.org for missions news and ways to become involved.

ASSIST News presents these bulletins of Christians being persecuted.

C.I.S.:

Situation for Evangelicals deteriorate in ex-Soviet Union

Evangelicals warned Friday, Dec. 12, that Russia may be heading toward dictatorship as news emerged that Baptist and Pentecostal churches elsewhere in the ex-Soviet Union, including Belarus and Turkmenistan, were raided and fined by police.

An official of the evangelical organization Russian Ministries, Surgey Rakhuba, told Christian broadcaster Mission Network News (MNN) that the election victory of President Vladimir Putin's allies could also mean the end of foreign missionary work in Russia.

Analysts point out that Putin is trying to protect what he sees as Russia's Orthodox identity and that Protestant missionary organizations, including the Salvation Army, have in the past experienced persecution by local authorities.

"He controls the Parliament at the same time he has an unlimited executive power in Russia today. It gives him a chance to change (the) constitution and take further action," against voices of democracy, said Rakhuba.

The developments in Russia, seen as a leading political and security force in the region, are closely followed in other republics such as Turkmenistan and Belarus, where police are cracking down on several Baptist and Pentecostal churches, ASSIST News Service (ANS) monitored Friday, Dec. 12.

Church Raid

Forum 18 News (F18News), which investigates religious persecution, said police raided a Baptist Sunday service last month in one of the first known attacks against believers under Turkmenistan's recently introduced harsh new religious law.

Everyone, including children, were said to have been detained during the police raid on the church in Balkanabad, in the west of the country, which was apparently ordered by the town's mayor. They were "accused of breaking the new religion law by worshipping without state registration and warned they would be fined 10 times the minimum wage for the first two such cases in a year, and then face criminal charges," said F18News.

One woman was reportedly threatened that her children would be taken from her and then put in a children's home, resembling the Communist era. Turkmenistan only allows Sunni Muslim and Russian Orthodox communities to have state registration amid reported fears of authorities to lose control over society.

Among Toughest Countries

Turkmenistan, with just over 4 million people, is among the world's toughest countries for Christians, according to Open Doors, an international ministry supporting the suffering church world-wide, with North Korea topping the list.

"The government has incorporated some aspects of the majority religion, the Islamic tradition, into its effort to redefine a national identity. The Turkmen society is characterized by the personality cult around President Saparmurat Niyazov," said Open Doors recently.

Having re-named himself 'The Father of all Turkmen', the country's president is seen as running an oppressive regime, and those who refuse to bow down to his portrait are reportedly often harshly punished.

Similar Oppression

In Belarus, which human rights workers say is experiencing similar religious oppression, a pastor of the Pentecostal Church in Kobrin near Brest was fined Thursday Dec. 11, for organizing an unregistered church service, F18News reported.

Despite the pressures Pastor Nikolai Rodkovich told F18News his congregation, in south western Belarus, will continue to operate. "We have no intention of halting our services. We're ready for anything," he was quoted as saying.

American Evangelists David Wilkerson and his son Gary have recently encouraged evangelical church leaders in Belarus to continue their struggle for Christ.

Prophetic Word

"In Minsk...there was a 'prophetic word' from my father that there was a statue of (former Soviet Union leader) Lenin on what was known as Independence Square," Gary Wilkerson told ANS after his Minsk trip in Budapest earlier this year.

"The president of that nation (Alexander Lukashenko) changed it back to Lenin Square. My father got up and said: "this is a word from the Lord that in the near future a crane will come and take that statue out. The regime will fall down, and there will be complete freedom for Belarus, hundreds of churches will be starting (revival) and there will be a great move of God."

Gary Wilkerson recalled how "up to that moment it was very quiet in the building, because they are kind of reserved people. But after (my father) said that, people shouted and thanked the Lord. It was like a breakthrough and a powerful moment."

For more background information see Forum 18's latest religious freedom survey at http://www.forum18.org/

North Korea / U.S.A.

Button (badge) campaign for persecuted Christians.

Thanks to reporting by courageous defectors, human rights advocates, and mission workers, more information is available regarding the ugly realities of Kim Jong Il's prison camps, policies of brain-washing and starvation, and persecution of Christians and dissidents.

"Now, despite Kim Jong Il's best efforts to maintain a closed, repressed society, the truth is being revealed," stated IRD (Institute on Religion & Democracy) president, Diane Knippers. "We can offer more informed prayer on behalf of the Church in North Korea. The goal of our advocacy is justice and freedom for all North Korea's suffering people."

It is estimated that each day almost 400 North Koreans die from starvation and nearly 50 are executed. Freedom of movement, assembly, speech, and association are denied.

"As nightmarish as conditions are in general, they are even worse for Christians," McDonnell declared. "The deceased 'Eternal President' Kim Il Sung and his son 'Dear Leader' Kim Jong Il are deified and worshipped. Faith in a greater power is ruthlessly repressed, and even the word for God 'Ha na nim'has been banned in North Korea." She noted that the exceptions to this prohibition are three government-controlled "show" churches in the capital city,Pyongyang, where gullible visitors to North Korea remark at the 'freedom of worship' they experience.

When Christians or other dissidents are discovered, they and their families may be killed outright or sent to prison camp.

Sources such as Amnesty International, the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, and Christian Solidarity Worldwide indicate the North Korea regime targets family members of dissidents to the fourth generation. "In camps, Christians are constantly pressured to renounce their faith, even as they are being worked to death," says McDonnell. Defector Soon Ok Lee witnessed the killing of elderly Christians in prison camp by being burned to death with molten lead.

McDonnell reported that LINK will work to equip church members and other concerned citizens across the United States for grassroots advocacy on North Korea. "Our mobilization, in concert with the North Korea Freedom Coalition, will raise awareness of the dire situation in North Korea," she said. "We will provide information and resources on such issues as the need for close monitoring of the food aid given to North Korea; advocacy for North Koreans who are denied refugee status when they escape to China; and on public policy initiatives such as the recently introduced North Korea Freedom Act that was introduced in the Senate by Senators Sam Brownback and Evan Bayh, and in the House by Representatives Jim Leach, Eni Faleomavaega, and Chris Smith to promote human rights and democracy in North Korea."

"During this holiday season, we encourage concerned citizens to wear our Korean Christmas buttons as an act of solidarity with persecuted Christians who are not able to observe Christmas in North Korea," Knippers said. "The buttons are a symbol of our hope for a future of freedom for all Koreans."

Information about LINK and how to obtain the Korean Christmas buttons is available on the IRD web site, www.ird-renew.org. (The full version of this story is also on the ASSIST web site.)

Vietnam:

House church leader survives assassination attempt

Prominent house church leader Nguyen Hong Quang narrowly escaped injury from a motorcycle accident staged by police on December 9 in a clumsy assassination attempt. Following a 24-hour imprisonment, he subsequently launched a prayer and fasting vigil for 48 pastors recently arrested by police for distributing Christian literature.

"He has been persecuted by the Vietnamese government for years for leading the underground church," says Vu Nguyen, founder of Mucsu.net, a web site for training Vietnamese Christians and church leaders. "In the last few days they have arrested many of his pastors who do evangelism now in Vietnam," Vu Nguyen says. "He is currently fasting to pressure the government to release his group."

Troubles began on December 5 during the 22nd Southeast Asia Games. A number of house church leaders viewed the athletic competition as an opportunity for street evangelism, distributing tracts and literature featuring testimonies by Christian athletes, according to information received from Compass Direct.

"There were 18 pastors and 30 associate pastors attending theology school arrested in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)," says Vu Nguyen. "Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang was arrested December 9, but they released him 24-hours later due to pressure from the public," he says.

Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang made the following statement following his release: "At this time I want the official government of Vietnam to release these church members. The government has two choices. Either they shoot me so I can meet the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven, or they resolve the issue of freeing the churches so they can worship the Lord." Pastor Quang has threatened the authorities with street demonstrations unless the government releases the detainees.

On December 5, Ms. Le Thi Thanh Tuyen was arrested, bound and beaten in the Ben Nghe police station in Ho Chi Minh City where she was held for 24-hours before being released, according to Compass Direct. On December 7 four evangelists were arrested and beaten on Dong Khoi Street, in the heart of the tourist area. Evangelist Dang Quoc Tuan, one of the four, was stripped of his clothes and beaten on the street by about 10 policeman before being taken to the Ben Nghe police station, according to Compass Direct.

Please see http://www.assistnews.net for Christian- oriented news stories.

Forum 18 reports these religious rights violations.

Uzbekistan:

Death row prisoners denied clergy access

Uzbekistan is denying clergy access to death row prisoners, Tamara Chikunova, head of the Uzbek NGO Mothers Against the Death Penalty and Torture, has told Forum 18 News of the Uzbek Criminal Code, which specifically allow those sentenced to death the right to meet a member of the clergy.

Father Nikolai Rybchinsky, of the Central Asian diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, told Forum 18 that in the case of two death row prisoners "so far at least, Orthodox priests have not been allowed access to these prisoners. We have made an official appeal on this matter to the state administration for carrying out punishments, but have received no reply from there."

FrRybchinsky also said that "in general, priests face significant difficulties gaining access to prisons." Forum 18 has learned that death row prisoners are denied access to religious literature. When a Muslim death row prisoner asked a senior prison official to give him a Koran, the official reportedly replied: "Are you joking? After all, that is a political thing."

Mongolia:

No changes to religion law - for now

At present there are no official plans to change Mongolia's 1993 religion law, Forum 18 News Service has been told. Some of its existing restrictive provisions are apparently unenforced, such as the article prohibiting religious activities organised outside Mongolia "to introduce foreign religions within Mongolia." Reportedly Buddhist-backed proposals,however, have included a ban on all unregistered religious activity and authority given to local councils to determine the percentage of minority religious organisations in relation to Buddhist organisations. Concerns have been expressed about Christian activity in Mongolia, partially due to suggestions from some Buddhists that "Christians teach that if someone commits suicide they receive eternal life."

A Mongolian member of parliament commented to Forum 18 "So what can be done? Be concerned, that's all."

Please go to http://www.forum18.org to learn more about religious rights violations in communist and post- communist lands.

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email: ve6xtc@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca