You can email us HERE. Click HERE to contact us

Click here for World News and comments with a Christian perspective

   

25-Nov-2003

Subject: PERSECUTION REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 25, 2003.

Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2003 22:18:25 -0800

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

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

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

PERSECUTION REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 25, 2003.

Mission Network News provides this account of Christians martyred for their faith.

Indonesia:

Three Christians murdered

Thousands of security personnel are on alert in a bid to prevent religious violence in Central Sulawesi province from spreading after the murders of three Christians.

The area has an undercurrent of sectarian violence that threatens to disregard a standing peace accord. Most recently, a Christian church official Oranye Tajoja and his nephew were dragged from their car and killed by attackers in the Poso Pesisir area on Saturday.

In a separate incident, an angry mob of Muslims hacked a 23-year-old Christian man to death during a protest.

The killings took place shortly after police shot dead a Muslim man, Hamid Suddin, suspected of involvement in deadly October attacks on Christian villages near Poso.

Open Doors asks believers to pray for the protection and safety of Christians in remote Indonesian villages.

Please go to http://www.mnnonline.org for missions news and a weekday audio broadcast.

The Voice Of The Martyrs provides these stories of Christians being persecuted.

Egypt:

Attack Leaves Christians Injured; Buildings Destroyed

Reports from Egypt indicate that, on November 7 around 8:00 p.m., a Muslim mob attacked a number of Coptic Christians in the town of Gerza south of Cairo. They destroyed homes, crops and businesses and injured several people. At least five hospitalized. It appears that Islamic militants were angry about plans for a church building in the town.

It was several hours before authorities arrived to intervene. According to one report, those who were taken to hospital were unable to receive treatment until the next day while others who were injured did not go for treatment for fear of leaving their children and homes unprotected.

Violence and discrimination against Christians by Muslims in Egypt is common. They regularly face threats, loss of jobs, and even kidnapping and murder.

Iraq:

Christians Face Intimidation and Violence

Christians in Mosul in northern Iraq are facing serious acts of intimidation and violence, according to November 17 report by Zenit. It is believed that at least some of the violence comes from militant Wahabi Muslims, a very strict Islamic sect centered in Saudi Arabia.

Last week a bomb, made up of a cluster of hand grenades, was found in front of a Catholic school in Mosul. Thankfully it was defused before it could explode, but the school was forced to close for at least a week. Also last week, the residence of the Syro-Antiochian bishop was shot at with an assault rifle. Again, no injuries were reported.

It is unknown whether there is any connection between these attacks and the increasing violence against the occupying forces in Iraq, but these were clearly directed specifically against Iraqi Christians.

We encourage you to read this month's newsletter feature article on Iraq and Iran, available on line at http://www.persecution.net/nlarticle1.htm.

Israel/Jordan:

Christian Pilgrim Killed by Terrorist

According to the Jerusalem News Wire (http://www.jnewswire.com), a group of Christian pilgrims from Ecuador were deliberately targeted by a Palestinian terrorist as they prepared to enter Israel at the Eilat-Aqaba border crossing today (November 19, 2003). One was killed and four others wounded.

The shooter was shot to death when an Israeli security guard killed the gunman after he had opened fire on the tourists as he stood approximately twenty metres from the entrance of the terminal. A senior security official told The Jerusalem Post that the attack had all the signs of an al-Qaeda operation.

Please visit http://www.persecution.net to learn about persecution and how to help those suffering it.

Christian Aid Mission supplies these reports of persecution.

India:

Two Missionaries Attacked

Two missionaries suffered separate attacks recently. One required hospitalization; the other escaped without injury.

In Karnataka state, a gospel preacher returning by bicycle from a believer's house was attacked by several fanatical young men, who beat him until he was unconscious. The youths then prevented the believers from taking the man to a nearby hospital. The police helped the believers take the injured missionary to a hospital in the next town, but the hospital staff refused to treat him. The believers then drove their fallen hero to a hospital 60 miles (100 km.) away, where he finally was admitted and treated.

Authorities were notified and the culprits were rounded up by the police. However, when mission representatives stopped to file an official report of the incident, another mob gathered and the police told the Christians to leave before the mob burned their jeep.

"Things are getting out of hand and the authorities are unable (and some unwilling) to control the mobs ... led by fanatic Hindu extremists," the mission leader said.

Another mission leader in Tamil Nadu, returning by car from a church meeting said he was surrounded by militant Hindus on motorbikes who kicked his car and cursed him all the way into town. "God sent His angels and protected His servants," he said.

To learn how to assist ministries under persecution in India, write insider@christianaid.org and put MI-446 600-PERS on the subject line.

Africa:

Muslims Come to Christ

An indigenous missionary in West Africa reports Muslim Africans are responding to the gospel despite strong persecution from family members.

The missionary told Christian Aid he had made friends with many shopkeepers and teachers. As a result, many of them, including Muslims, were turning to the Lord Jesus Christ--but not without cost.

"It was very hard for the adults who welcomed Jesus to stand up and come to our fellowship without undergoing violence from their Muslim relatives on the way," the missionary said. "Many of the converts have been thrown out of their homes."

The missionary now fears for his life. "The Muslims hate me so much that they would kill me if they could. But the hand of God is upon me," he said.

The missionary requests prayer that he could continue to minister effectively among Muslims in this West African country. Sorry, due to security reasons, names cannot be given.

To learn how you can support this ministry, write insider@christianaid.org and put MI-446 548-CPM on the subject line.

Please check http://www.christianaid.org for missions news and for info on how to fund the spread of the gospel.

Forum 18 has these religious rights violations to report.

Georgia:

"We want legal status!" Say minority faiths

Leaders of many religious minorities have told Forum 18 News Service that they want legal status, as without this they cannot own property, maintain bank accounts, or go to law as communal entities. "All confessions were equal until the concordat with the Patriarchate was adopted," Tamaz Papuashvili of the State Chancellery told Forum 18, "then the Patriarchate was given special privileges." A seemingly disused Soviet-era legal quirk punishes refusal to register congregations and organising religious work with young people. But police recently cited it in a letter to Pentecostal Pastor Nikolai Kalutsky banning him from using his home for religious services without special permission and warning him that if he did this, he would be fined twice the minimum monthly wage. Kalutsky has been prevented from holding services at his home by self-styled Orthodox mobs.

Baptist Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili points out that major politicians have not publicly spoken up for religious freedom and believes the political climate has worsened since the election. "We question the genuineness of the pro-Western, democratic political forces - none of them have raised their voice against religious violence, for example," he told Forum 18.

Georgia:

Voluntary 'religion and culture' classes compulsory, parents complain

Parents of children in Georgian schools have complained to Forum 18 News Service that voluntary "Religion and Culture" school classes are confessionally Orthodox in nature and are compulsory. However Zurab Tsokhvrebadze, of the Orthodox Patriarchate, denied that religious education is confessional Orthodox. "Schools are state-run and religious education is general Christian education," he told Forum 18. "Teachers have to follow the state syllabus. It is impossible for teachers to propagandise for any one faith, including Orthodoxy." Tamaz Papuashvili, of the State Chancellery, is critical of the system. "It is only compulsory in that teachers give pupils the lowest possible mark if they don't go." and said that pupils are sometimes required to pray.

"I haven't visited these classes, but parents tell me this," he told Forum 18. "Some think it's good, others think it's bad. I believe prayer should be in church, not in school."

Georgia:

Can religious minorities publish religious literature?

The Salvation Army, True Orthodox Church, and Pentecostals have told Forum 18 News Service that they cannot print religious literature in Georgia, as publishers refuse to accept it without the blessing of the Orthodox Patriarchate. Giorgi Andriadze, parliamentary secretary of the Orthodox Patriarchate denies that it has any influence over what publishers may produce. "They can publish what they like," he told Forum 18. Tamaz Papuashvili, of the State Chancellery, told Forum 18 that his office has received complaints about the difficulty of printing religious literature, but says Protestants and others should simply ignore the Patriarchate. "They know perfectly well that the Patriarchate is not a state organ." Latin-rite Catholics, Assyrian Chaldean Catholics, Yezidis, and Baptists have not encountered problems in printing publications.

Georgia:

Orthodox permission needed for religious literature imports

Baptists, Pentecostals, Lutherans, Muslims and Jehovah's Witnesses have told Forum 18 News Service that importing religious literature can be difficult and expensive, or even impossible, due both to obstruction from the Orthodox Patriarchate and also to corruption amongst officials. There is repeatedly said to be an unpublished instruction to Customs officials from Patriarch Ilya banning the religious literature imports without his permission. Giorgi Andriadze of the Patriarchate told Forum 18 that the Patriarchate only objects to large quantities of non-Orthodox literature being imported. "It's a question of proselytism. If groups bring in millions of books, that means they intend to proselytise. If they bring in enough for their own followers, it's their right." The Armenian Apostolic and Jewish communities have not had any problems with literature importation.

Georgia:

Religious minorities concerned by "voluntary" 'religion and culture' classes

Leaders of the Yezidi, Jehovah's Witness, Pentecostal, True Orthodox, Latin-rite Catholic, and Assyrian Chaldean Catholic communities have all told Forum 18 News Service of their concerns about school "Religion and Culture" classes being compulsory and confessionally Orthodox, not voluntary and informational. Forum 18 found only one school in Tbilisi offering non-Orthodox religion classes, Rabbi Avimelech Rosenblath of the capital's synagogue describing a state school offering Jewish classes, and some Russian-language schools in the city do not have religion classes. Catholic Bishop Pasotto told Forum 18 that some schools in southern Georgia offer Catholic religion classes. Surprisingly, unregistered Baptists have not complained about the Orthodox classes.

Belarus:

Lingering legacy of militant atheism

Forum 18 News Service has found indications that the influence of Soviet-era atheist ideology on Belarus remains strong. Many of the officials who worked for the Soviet-era Council for Religious Affairs reportedly continue to staff the State Committee for Religious and Ethnic Affairs, which has a far more extensive network of officials than similar bodies in Russia. Also, texts used for instruction in state education maintain, for example, that "Religion's promises to give a person everything that he seeks in it are but illusion and deception." and that "no religion was accorded any preference or subjected to any form of oppression" in Belarus after 1918. Pentecostal Assistant Bishop Naum Sakhanchuk has told Forum 18 that the current repression of non-Orthodox confessions is much more closely connected with this atheist legacy than with state support for the Belarusian Orthodox Church. An anonymous Orthodox source agreed, commenting to Forum 18 that the 2002 religion law was not in fact designed to benefit the Patriarchate. "Now the atheists say it is against sects, but they are waiting for the day when they can persecute everybody."

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

ASSIST News service provides these stories of Christians suffering for Christ.

Peru:

Colonel David de Vinatea released from prison

Colonel David de Vinatea, a decorated officer in the Peruvian army and an evangelical Christian, regained his freedom Wednesday after serving eight years and 10 days in prison for alleged drug trafficking.

De Vinatea walked out of the gates of Lima's Lurigancho Prison at 4:15 p.m., accompanied by his wife Chely, his sister, Mrs. Maria Elena Mazzerini, and his three adult children, David, Daniel and Pamela.

Later, friends and family members greeted the de Vinateas at their Lima home with a surprise homecoming celebration, complete with confetti and yellow balloons.

"Right now, I feel kind of strange," de Vinatea said, commenting on his long-awaited freedom. "Everything looks so new, so lovely, because when you lose your liberty, you lose everything.

"The good thing is, the Lord has protected and sustained us. My wife and my children have been strengthened and I was able to survive. Thank God, all that is over now."

Arrested on November 9, 1995, while commanding an army base in the Amazon jungle, de Vinatea was sentenced in December 1997 to 16 years in prison for alleged involvement in cocaine trafficking.

Observers who closely followed the case became convinced that de Vinatea was not only innocent of the charges, but that high-ranking officials in the government of former president Alberto Fujimori falsely accused the respected army officer of wrongdoing in order to cover up their own illicit activities.

An international coalition of Christian organizations lobbied the Peruvian government to undertake a judicial review of the case. Largely due to their efforts, President Alejandro Toledo decided last year to commute de Vinatea's sentence, opening the way for his release today.

"We have seen a lot of cases of Christians going to jail for believing in Christ," said Open Doors Latin America director Richard Luna. "In David's case, he went to jail for obeying Christ. I think that we are going to see more of this kind of thing in the future."

During his incarceration, de Vinatea maintained a strong Christian witness, leading Bible studies for inmates and pastoring a small church inside Lurigancho.

"The most emotional moment for me today came as we were leaving David's cell block," Chely de Vinatea told Open Doors. "The inmates formed themselves into two lines on either side of the passageway, in a type of farewell salute to my husband. They said so many nice things to David as he walked out between them."

When asked what he plans to do over the next few days, David de Vinatea responded, "Rest. Maybe after eight years I will be able to sleep through an entire night. In prison, you don't sleep very well.

"Of course, after a few days' rest, I'm going to get in touch with Open Doors. I owe the Lord so much. I plan to dedicate myself as much as I can to the Lord's work."

De Vinatea had one final word for Christians around the world who supported him and his family with prayers and letters during their long ordeal.

"I once said that those letters were like oxygen for us. Every letter that arrived was a tremendous joy for me, because I knew there were brothers and sisters around the world praying.

"I used to tell the brothers in the church in there that we enjoyed a real luxury, the luxury of knowing that 24 hours a day, Christians in different continents and countries and time zones were praying for us. Praise the Lord!"

An estimated 200 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with another 200 to 400 million facing discrimination and alienation. Open Doors, founded almost 50 years ago by Brother Andrew, author of the best-selling book "God's Smuggler," serves and strengthens the Persecuted Church in the world's most difficult areas through training, Bible and literature distribution, community development and personal encouragement.

To partner with Open Doors call 949-752-6600 or go to our USA web site at www.odusa.org. To request a complimentary six-month subscription to our monthly newsletter Frontline Faith and prayer bulletin Prayer Force Alert call 888-5-BIBLE-5 or register on-line.

Egypt:

Army attacks centre for handicapped kids

Egypt's Army carried out "a totally unprovoked attack" on the Patmos Christian Centre, which provides care and support for mentally and physically handicapped children and orphans outside Cairo, ASSIST News Service (ANS) monitored Thursday November 20.

"Just after midnight in the early hours of Tuesday 18 November an army dump truck was driven repeatedly into the perimeter wall surrounding the Patmos Christian Centre," 30 kilometres east of the Egyptian capital," said The Barnabas Fund. There were no reports of injuries.

The organization, which supports persecuted Christians, said it was the eighth attack on the centre in the past six and a half years.

"Soldiers from the local army unit are seeking to destroy the wall supposedly in order to conform to a new law passed" earlier this year, The Barnabas Fund said. The new legislation requires all buildings to be at least 100 metres from the Cairo-Suez road.

Wall

"The wall stands 50 metres from the road and was built ten years ago in full accordance with the law at the time," while other buildings in the area, including mosques, are even closer to the road, The Barnabas Fund added.

The organization quoted Church leaders as saying that the Minister of Defense has been opposed to the centre since 1997 and ordered "extreme and conservative Muslim officers from the local army unit to enforce the law on the Patmos Centre."

However government representatives, including the President's office and the Ministry of the Interior, "have intervened positively in the past to protect the centre from intimidation and attacks by the military," The Barnabas Fund said.

Violence

Yet human rights groups have also complained that the government is not doing enough to stop the anti Christian violence. The latest tensions have been linked by human rights watchers to growing anti Christian sentiments among Muslim extremists.

Ex- Muslims who changed their faith and other Christians have been imprisoned and are often subjected to torture or sexual abuse, The Barnabas Fund and other organizations reported.

The Patmos Centre has been serving the local community in Egypt for fifteen years and The Barnabas Fund has urged Christians to " pray for the safety of the staff and (500-1000) visitors a day to the Patmos Centre. It also asked prayers so that "Muslim fundamentalist elements within the military will have their activities curtailed."

The Barnabas Fund can be reached at: The Old Rectory, River Street, PEWSEY, Wiltshire, SN9 5DB, UK. E-mail: info@barnabasfund.org or web site: http://www.barnabasfund.org

Iraq:

Christian children threatened with death

Christian schools in Iraq received leaflets with threats demanding their students should become Muslims or face death, while two schools were nearly blown up by explosives, a human rights group said Thursday, November 20, amid reports of more bloodshed.

The Barnabas Fund, which investigates the plight of persecuted Christians in especially Muslim countries, said "bombs" were discovered in two schools, one in Baghdad and another in the northern town of Mosul last week.

It said the "bomb at St Thomas' School in Mosul was discovered on November 11" as "a cluster of low explosive hand grenades that could have caused significant injury or even death." The school in Mosul has around 500 pupils "of whom about 450 are Christian and 50 are Muslim," the well organization explained in a statement send to ASSIST News Service (ANS).

"Thankfully the bombs in both schools were successfully defused," said The Barnabas Fund, after the institutions apparently "received intimidating written warnings demanding that the children should become Muslims."

Warnings

If they failed to do so, the warnings read, they should expect to be killed. It is thought that a Saudi backed Wahhabi Sunni group are responsible for both the warnings and the bombs, said The Barnabas Fund.

It quoted one Muslim leaflet, distributed among Christian families, as saying that "in the name of God: the Merciful, the Compassionate "Do not adorn yourselves as ignorant women did before the time of Islam (Sura 33.33)."

The note warned that "the leadership of the Islamic Badr Brigade hopes that the head of this noble family will stand with the Muslim brethren and follow basic Muslim rules. The veil should be worn and the honourable teachings of Islam that have come to us from ages past must be adhered to. We are Iraqis and Muslims; we will not tolerate sin."

Punishment

It also threatened that "if this announcement is not complied with we shall either inflict some unbearable punishment, kill offenders, kidnap them, or destroy them in their homes with fire or by bombing. "This order applies to the daughters of this family, their mother and the little girl," said the leaflet which was signed by. "The Islamic Badr Brigade, Najaf"

News about the threats toward Christians, which Muslim extremists have linked to the U.S. led coalition, came as two car bomb exploded Thursday, November 20 killing at least seven people. A former and well informed Iraqi diplomat told ANS he expected these kind of attacks to continue.

He warned this could lead to "a war like in Vietnam" against American forces and their supporters adding that "not Iraqis but foreign insurgents" were responsible for the violence, "with direct links with the Al Qaida" terrorist network(see full article at the web site)

Please visit http://www.assistnews.net to read Christian-oriented news stories.

Click here for World News and comments with a Christian perspective

   

email: ve6xtc@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca