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Persecution Report Tuesday, 26-Nov-2002

Mission Network News has these incidents of persecution to report.

Lebanon:

Missionary stalked and murdered!

An American missionary was murdered on November 21. Mission Network News’ Ruth Bliss has more. "Initial reports indicate that a lone gunman followed 31-year old Bonnie Weatherall into the prenatal clinic where she volunteered at around 8 a.m. local time Thursday and shot her. U.S. Embassy officials are continuing their investigation into the shooting and have released little as to the motive. Police officers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Weatherall, a nurse married to a Briton, had been working at the Christian clinic for a year and a half. The centre provides medical care and aid to Lebanese and Palestinian refugees. Bonnie’s husband, Gary, issued a statement saying, "My wife died because of her love for the church and because she loved helping the people of Sidon and Lebanon." Ruth Bliss, Mission Network News."

Vietnam:

Persecution increases but believers endure.

There’s good news and bad news coming out of Vietnam. Jerry Kitchel, of Open Doors with Brother Andrew just returned from that communist nation. Kitchel says the bad news is persecution is increasing against Christians. "Pastors have been beaten, property has been confiscated, and in recent weeks, there have been over 350 churches in the Central Highlands that have been closed...which means 128,000 believers are without a church." Kitchel says the good news is Christians are steadfast in their faith and are hungry for God’s word. He says believers exercise their faith with caution. "They have to be more on guard. (They have to be) by far, more discrete in their communication and their contacts. We need to be upholding them in prayer and just praying that the Lord will just break the strongholds of Satan and that the church will again be able to multiply their numbers without paying tremendous hardship for their faith."

USA:

Gospel blocked in a park.

An Indiana Evangelism Explosion team was recently working in a local park, when authorities stopped them. As the team from Lebanon’s Grace Baptist church fought to claim their First Amendment rights, the issue was forced to a lawsuit. We spoke with E-E team member, Charles Hodges. "I think this is a matter of a growing culture in our country of church persecution; not that we are persecuted in any way, shape or form, like people are overseas. I mean, good grief, we have freedoms that other people can only dream about today. But, those freedoms are being infringed upon and gradually eroded by people who really have not been elected." The park board is holding an executive session tonight, followed by a public meeting with a vote on the ‘free speech zone’ issue. Hodges asks people to pray. "Pray for our city government, and pray for our park board and our church. Actually, God has been blessing our church throughout the whole process of this-we’ve been seeing people come to know Christ as the result of our Evangelism Explosion. But, we really do want to see our freedom preserved."

Nepal:

Missionary’s appeal postponed.

Here’s an update on a missionary in Nepal who’s serving a 20-year prison sentence for a crime he didn’t commit. According to Gospel For Asia, Manja Tamang is appealing his murder conviction to the Supreme Court. Last week’s hearing before the high court was postponed and rescheduled for November 21. No word was given on that court appearance. Agency officials say while this appears to be a setback, it does give Christians around the world more time to pray. Since being imprisoned, he’s led at least four inmates to Christ.

Please check http://www.mnnonline.org for missions news and a weekly audio news broadcast.

The Voice Of The Martyrs reports the following persecution incidents.

Belarus:

Protestors face potential fines.

Two Catholics are expecting large fines and possible imprisonment as a result of protests against the new religion law in Belarus. According to Keston, Igor Zakrevsky and Sergei Peskin were briefly detained after publicly protesting the new law on November 8. They walked the central streets of Minsk with placards saying, "The authorities want to control our souls," and then stood by the statue of Lenin opposite the Parliament building, where they were arrested. The two are due to face trial within two months and may face fines up to $2840 CDN or 15 days in prison. The fine is the equivalent of up to 300 times the minimum monthly wage in Belarus. The harsh punishment is expected because they have been previously charged for earlier street protests under Article 167 part 2 of the Administrative Code, which punishes "unsanctioned meetings." The religion law, which became official Saturday, November 16, forbids any unregistered religious activity, requires censorship of religious literature, does not allow foreign church leadership, and puts severe restrictions on what organizations can be registered.

Vietnam:

Renewed persecution for Montagnards.

In recent days, The Voice of the Martyrs has received several reports of renewed intensity in the persecution of Montagnard Christians in Vietnam. Compass Direct reported on November 13 that 354 of 412 churches have been forced to close in Dak Lak province. It is expected that the remaining 58 will soon be closed. As of mid-October, about 50 pastors and elders have disappeared or have been arrested. There have been reports that local Dak Lak television has broadcast "Ceremonies of Voluntarily Renouncing Christianity" in which Christians have "voluntarily" given their Bibles and song books to be burned. "Montagnard" means "mountain people" and is a collective name for the many minority tribes in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The Montagnards are strongly evangelical Christian and historically the churches were a part of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South). Last year the ECVN(S) was officially recognized by the communist government, but only a small number of Montagnard churches were allowed to be identified with the ECVN(S). Christians from minorities, especially the Montagnards and Hmong people, are facing frequent persecution including torture, forced sterilization, confiscation of property, and death. The president of the ECVN(S), Rev. Duong Thanh, has written in protest to the government, even though protests in the past by recognized church have resulted in increased pressure and persecution.

Colombia:

Kidnapped bishop released.

Last week the Persecution and Prayer Alert reported on the kidnapping of Bishop Jorge Enrique Jimenez and another priest, Desiderio Orjuela. We are pleased to report that both men were rescued by the army on November 15 after a battle with the FARC rebels holding them. One rebel was killed and another captured.

Canada:

Update on bill C-250.

The Voice of the Martyrs continues to express its concern over proposed Bill C-250 presently before the Justice Committee, which will examine it, recommend amendments and return it to the House of Commons for a final vote sometime during 2003. This private members bill (previously Bill C-415), reintroduced by New Democrat MP, Sven Robinson on October 24, would 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. While The Voice of the Martyrs believes that the deliberate incitement of hatred towards any identifiable group is inexcusable, we join the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and others in expressing concern about this particular bill. It is conceivable that this bill, as proposed, could be used to silence dissenting opinions on homosexuality by organizations promoting agendas of the homosexual community. It is likewise conceivable that parts of religious literature such as the Bible could be classified as "hate literature" under this amendment. 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.

Please go to http://www.persecution.net to learn more about the suffering of the saints and what can be done to help them.

ASSIST Ministries has the following religious rights violations to report.

Egypt:

Copts’ persecution goes undetected by the rest of the world.

In the wake of recent remarks made by Rev. Jerry Falwell, media report the igniting of the "peaceful’ Muslims" fire—including violent demonstrations—in the Middle East.

The protests erupted because of Rev. Fallwell’s comments labelling Mohammed a "terrorist." Name calling, however, is inconsequential next to the sticks and stones of sectarian hate hurled daily at Christians and other non-Muslims in that region. For example, about 10 percent of Egypt’s population are Coptic Christians. While that nation’s constitution establishes Islam as the official faith, it also allows for religious freedom. But don’t try telling that to the Copts, who are consistently robbed of their human rights at many levels and face unrelenting persecution by the Islamic run government. Citizens whose state-issued identification cards list them as "Christian" are routinely harassed by government officials and face bias when applying for jobs.

Want to build a church in Egypt? Presidential approval is required to so much as re-roof a chapel. The police cited one pastor for repairing a toilet that had been on the fritz for two years awaiting the required approval. And while proselytizing is allowed, Muslims who convert to Christianity can be prosecuted for "igniting heavenly strife" and disturbing the peace of the nation. This mind-set against Christianity is ironic considering that for the first six centuries A.D., Christians were in the majority in Egypt. Of course, most Egyptians wouldn’t know this—that era of history is not taught in their schools.

(Things are no better for Christians in Saudi Arabia, where contraband material includes pornography, liquor, drugs—and Christian books. Not to mention anything in the shape of a cross.)

Add to this official bullying the unofficial harassment of Christians by radical Islamic groups. International Christian Concern reports that last February, armed Egyptian Muslims burned a newly built church, along with the homes of 35 Christian worshippers. In April, a 14-year-old Christian girl was kidnapped because her family was thought to be harbouring a Muslim convert to Christianity. The blotter is long. Meanwhile, authorities in Egypt, the No. 2 recipient of U.S. aid, turn a blind eye to the terror.

Any attempt to understand world events and cultural differences must include this reality: And like the Copts, Christians are continually being robbed of their basic human rights in many Islamic nations around the clock—including some once models of tolerance. These persecutors are doing nothing to prove Mr. Falwell wrong.

Nigeria:

Muslim fundamentalists go on a rampage.

Violence in the capital of Nigeria’s Kaduna State was part of demonstrations against the This Day newspaper which questioned Muslim opposition to the Miss World contest.

A Journalist commented in the paper that Prophet Muhammad would not have been averse of marrying one of the Miss World participants, this year in Nigeria, would he be alive today.

That angered thousands of Muslims who chanted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) as they marched to the editorial office Thursday, November 21, to search for This Day Chief Correspondent, Josephine Lohor, CSW said.

"When they failed to find her they set fire to the office, and went on the rampage, attacking at least two hotels and burning down four to ten churches," said CSW, which has been in Nigeria to investigate the plight of Christians.

In a statement to ASSIST News Service, CSW stressed that "Non-Muslims were singled out for the attack, with several people reported to have been burned, bludgeoned or stabbed to death."

The attackers apparently arrived in Kaduca City in a convoy of buses bearing Arabic inscriptions, which CSW said made some observers believe that they belonged to an Islamic organization.

Local Christian leaders have linked these and other violence "to forces of Islam responsible for the bombing of the Twin Towers in America, attacks on Christian churches and Aid workers in Pakistan, and on the nightclub in Bali, Indonesia," CSW said.

Pressured by the protests, This Day has apologized for the article, in an effort to try to calm the situation, but the area remained tense Friday November 22, several news reports said.

Uzbekistan:

Baptist sent to prison.

As a reported crack-down against evangelical groups continues in several former Soviet republics, a Baptist in Uzbekistan received ten days imprisonment, for hosting a Christian meeting in his home, reports said Thursday November 21.

He was apparently led away, November 19, directly from the courtroom to a local prison. "Nikulin...is now serving this sentence" Judge Kurban Nurmatov told the Keston News Service (KNS).

Baptist Nikolai Nikulin, was sentenced on charges that he "illegally" held a gathering of people in his flat in the central Uzbek town of Navoi without registration, said KNS, which is in close contact with persecuted Christians.

Nikulin’s church belongs to the International Council of Churches Evangelical Christians/Baptists, which rejects registration saying that registration leads to unacceptable state interference in church life.

Local Baptists reported that the church that met in Nikulin’s home consisted of just seven people, but under Uzbek law, unregistered religious activity is illegal.

It is seen as the main reason why police raided Nikulin’s flat several times, threatening the Baptists and taking away religious books "for expertise". Major S. Mukhameddinov, working on the struggle with banditry and terrorism, apparently told the Baptists that the books would be destroyed.

The Baptists have called for prayer and appeals on behalf of the "illegally sentenced Nikulin" and urged the authorities to return the confiscated literature, as well as "not to obstruct the meeting of this small group," KNS reported.

It comes amid concern that the former Soviet secret service, the KGB, and related networks are once again following active Christian movements in the former Soviet Union.

Cosovo:

Bombs rock churches as UN Chief arrives.

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan was due to arrive in Kosovo Monday, November 18, shortly after explosions rocked at least two Serb Orthodox Churches over the weekend in the troubled Yugoslav province.

The apparent bombings damaged the interior of a church in Djurakovac, about 50 kilometres (apr.30 miles) west of the provincial capital Pristina, and completely destroyed a second church in the nearby village of Ljubovo, U.N. officials said.

U.N. Spokesman Andrea Angeli told reporters that "no one was injured in the attacks" which occurred late Saturday, November 16, as well as early Sunday, November 17, and that an investigation was underway.

The top U.N. official in Kosovo, Michael Steiner, was set to visit the sites and Kosovo’s prime minister, Bajram Rexhepi, reportedly planned to travel with him.

"We’re outraged," the Reuters news agency quoted U.N. Spokeswoman Susan Manuel as saying. "This is an uncivilized, repulsive act," against the Serb minority.

However the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo, Bishop Artemije, told the Beta news agency that the United Nations and NATO were to blame for the violence, as "lax security measures" made it possible for attackers to act.

"All this shows that the international community is losing its sense of purpose," the bishop said in a statement released by Beta.

He added that the bombings were the latest "in a campaign" that has damaged or destroyed 110 Serb religious sites since the U.N. arrived in 1999 after NATO air strikes ended a Serb-led military crack-down against Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority.

Please see http://www.assist-ministries.org for details on these and other stories

   

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