News
PAKISTAN: Violent Death of Girl in Pakistan Spurs Push for Justice
A daring protest and a high-profile funeral here on Monday 25 January for a 12-year-old Christian girl who died from torture and malnourishment has cast a rare spotlight on abuse of the Christian poor in Pakistan. In an uncommon challenge in the predominantly Muslim nation, the Christian parents of Shazia Bashir Masih protested the unresponsiveness of police to the alleged violence against their daughter by Muslim attorney Chaudhary Muhammad Naeem and his family and his attempt to buy their silence after her death. [more...]
IRAN: Christians Detained without Legal Counsel
At least 14 Christians have been detained in Iranian prisons for weeks without legal counsel in the past few months as last year’s crackdown has continued, sources said. Three Christians remained in detention at Evin prison after authorities arrested them along with 12 others who had gathered for Christmas celebrations on 24 December in a home 20 kilometres southeast of Iran’s capital, Tehran, according to a source who requested anonymity. While the others were released on 4 January, remaining at Evin prison were Maryam Jalili, Mitra Zahmati and Farzan Matin, according to the source. [more...]
BHUTAN: Why Royalists Fear Christianity
Bars, pubs and discos have become legal in Bhutan – a cause of concern for the older generation – but construction of worship buildings other than Buddhist or Hindu temples is still prohibited. The prohibition remains in force even though Christians abide by Bhutan’s codes of conduct, speaking the Dzongkha language as well as the Nepali language at church gatherings, and wearing the national dress. The National Assembly of Bhutan banned the practise of non-Buddhist and non-Hindu religions through edicts in 1969 and in 1979. But Christians do meet for Sunday worship, with attendance of more than 100 Christians in an underground church not unusual. [more...]
TANZANIA: Arrested Evangelists Say Muslims Colluded with Police
Two Christian evangelists in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, have been arrested after Muslims invited them to debate religion but instead called in security agents who charged the evangelists with illegal preaching. Anglicans Eleutery Kobelo and Cecil Simbaulanga, released on bail and facing a hearing on 11 February, told Compass that Christian and Muslim groups organised the inter-faith debate that was planned for a neutral venue in October of last year in the Kariakoo area of Dar es Salaam. Kobelo said no Muslims showed up at the debate until Islamists arrived with government security agents who charged them with “using religious sermons to incite Muslims and Christians into viewing each other with suspicion.” [more...]
TURKMENISTAN: Worship without State Registration "Illegal"
Turkmenistan continues to raid Protestants meeting for worship in different parts of the country. One such raid was led by Turkmenistan's former Chief Mufti, Rovshen Allaberdiev, who is now imam of Dashoguz Region as well as being the senior regional Gengeshi (Council) for Religious Affairs official. Allaberdiev and accompanying officials confiscated Christian books during the raid, including personal Bibles. All 22 people present were taken to a local government building, questioned and pressured to sign statements not to attend the church in future. [more...]
INDONESIA: Two Partially Constructed Church Buildings Burned
Suspected Islamic extremists burned two church buildings under construction in a village in North Sumatra on 22 January. The attackers came from outside the area to burn the partially constructed buildings of the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan Church (HKBP) and the Pentecostal Church in Sibuhuan village, Padang Lawas Residency, during daylight hours, said the Rev S Lubis of the HKBP church. “Hundreds of people arrived on motorcycles and burned the empty church,” he said. “After that, the mob moved 200 metres down the road and burned the empty Pentecostal church.” No people were hurt in the fires. [more...]
INDONESIA: Imprisoned Christian Teacher Released
After serving one year in gaol, Wilhelmina Holle, 49, regained her freedom on 10 December 2009. “When I was going out, all I did was cry and thank God for my release,” she said. Holle, a Christian elementary school teacher, was falsely accused of defaming Islam while giving private lessons to her students on 10 November 2008. [more...]
I WILL DIE FOR CHRIST
“Lord, if you truly exist, please heal me. I offer my life to you and will serve you,” Trung prayed one night as he knelt in his room. The message he had heard in church that day about Jesus healing miraculously turned over in his mind, giving him a glimmer of hope. In 1985 Trung was conscripted into the Vietnamese army and sent to Cambodia for two years. He caught malaria and became extremely ill, but medicine seemed to have no effect and he was eventually sent home. Trung’s health continued to deteriorate and he thought he would soon die. One day, childhood memories of hearing about Jesus resurfaced and Trung felt compelled to find a church.
After he prayed for healing, Trung lay down and went to sleep. At about midnight, Trung heard the Lord call his name. He was startled and as he sat up in bed, he felt God’s peace come over him. “It seemed to bring healing and in the morning I felt well,” Trung said. “The Lord had answered my prayer and I have remained malaria-free to this day.” [more...]
NIGERIA: Death Toll of Christians in Jos Clash Hits 48
Two pastors and 46 other Christians have been confirmed killed in the outbreak of violence 10 days ago in Jos, Plateau state in Nigeria, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). In the Muslim/Christian clash, triggered when Muslim youths on 17 January attacked a Catholic church, 10 church buildings were burned and 27 Christians are still missing, CAN officials said at a press conference in Jos today. [more...]
BHUTAN: Despite Democracy, Christians Remain Underground
In this distant and isolated nation in the eastern Himalayas, known as the “Land of the Thunder Dragon,” almost everything looks uniformly Buddhist. There are no visible signs of Christians’ tiny presence, but they do exist. Christians, whose only official identity falls in the “others” category in the census, are estimated to range in number between 3,000 and 6,000. They live out their Christian lives underground – no church buildings, Christian cemeteries or Christian bookstores are yet allowed. [more...]
BURNMA: Karen Refugees Hunted and Slain In Burma
The Karen people in Burma, half of whom are reported to be believers, are constantly harassed by Buddhist and Burmese armies. In Karen refugee camps, horrific stories of persecution are told coupled with reports of steadfast faith. The Burmese army captures Karen men and boys, forcing them to become slaves and porters. Karen women are raped and burned to death. Despite traumatic attacks and persecution, the Karen persevere in God. Orphans wake up at 4 am to have devotions for two hours. They also have nightly worship. [more...]
ALGERIA: Church Continues in Spite of Burnt Building
Members of a church in Algeria’s Kabylie region gathered to worship last Saturday 16 January in their new building despite a protest, vandalism and a fire that damaged the building the previous weekend. Local Muslims bent on running the congregation out of the neighbourhood set fires inside and outside the building on 9 January. Before setting it on fire, the assailants ransacked the Tafat Church building in Tizi Ouzou, a city 100 kilometres east of Algiers. [more...]
NIGERIA: Anglican Archbishop Kidnapped
Gunmen are still holding the Anglican archbishop of Benin diocese in southern Nigeria’s Edo state after abducting him on Sunday 24 January. Peter Imasuen, who is also the state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, was abducted in front of his official residence on his way back from a church service. The kidnappers are reportedly demanding $750,000 for his release. [more...]
SOMALIA: Islamic Militants Murder Christian Leader
Islamic extremists shot the leader of an underground church to death outside the capital city of Somalia this month and have threatened to kill his wife, his tearful widow told Compass. Having learned that he had left Islam to become a Christian, Somali militants from the Islamic extremist al Shabaab murdered 41-year-old Mohammed Ahmed Ali at about noon on 1 January, Amina Ibrahim Hassan said. He was killed sometime after leaving his home in Hodan, on the outskirts of Mogadishu, she said. [more...]
PAKISTAN: Christian Sentenced to Life in Prison For Blasphemy
A 26-year-old Christian who was beaten by Muslims for allegedly burning verses from the Koran and another Arabic book in July 2009 has been sentenced to life in prison. On 11 January, the judge handed down the sentence to Imran Masih under Article 295-B, commonly known as the blasphemy law, claiming he burned the materials to deliberately "stir up religious hatred and offend the feelings of Muslims." Imran has also been sentenced to an additional 10 years in detention and fined 100,000 rupees ($A1,300) under section 295-A of the Penal Code. Source: VOM Canada [more...]
VIETNAM: Update on Father Nguyen Van Ly
On 12 December, Father Nguyen Van Ly, who had suffered a severe stroke on 14 November, was sent back to prison after several weeks of treatment in a hospital. Father Van Ly's sister said, "His situation is a bit better now, but his life is not normal yet. We don't know why they decided to transfer him back to prison, as he still needs help." At last report, he is partially paralysed and is able to walk only a few steps with a walking stick. Please pray for Father Van Ly. Also pray for his persecutors. Source: VOM USA [more...]
CHINA: Update on Gao Zhisheng
Since mid-December, 2009, ominous rumours have circulated about Gao Zhisheng, hinting that he has died after brutal torture in prison. However, no reports have been confirmed.
Gege, Gao's daughter, had been reportedly "pale and tired-looking" with worry for months. After hearing a rumour of Gao's death just before Christmas, Gege became so emotionally distraught, she was forced to be hospitalised. She remains fragile and under medical watch in a New York hospital. Last week, after searching out the policeman who originally detained Gao Zhisheng back in February, 2009, Gao's brother Zhiyi was told that Attorney Gao allegedly "went missing while out on a walk" on 25 September, 2009. Gao's wife refused to comment, but was reported to be extremely upset after hearing the news. [more...]
PAKISTAN: Two Christians Critically Wounded at Wedding
Two Pakistani Christians who were shot at a wedding on 26 December for refusing to convert to Islam are still receiving treatment at a hospital intensive care unit, but doctors are hopeful that they will recover. In low, barely audible voices, Imran Masih, 21, and Khushi Masih, 24, told Compass that two Muslims armed with AK-47s in Punjab Province’s Chak (village) 297-JB, in Toba Tek Singh district, shot them in their chests after they refused orders to recite the Islamic creed signifying conversion. [more...]
VIETNAM: Forced Recantations of Faith Continue in Vietnam
A Vietnamese man violently forced to recant his fledgling Christian faith faces pressure from authorities and clansmen to prove his return to traditional Hmong belief by sacrificing to ancestors next month. Sung Cua Po, who embraced Christianity in November, received some 70 blows to his head and back after local officials in northwest Vietnam’s Dien Bien Province arrested him on 1 December 2009, according to documents obtained by Compass. His wife, Hang thi Va, was also beaten. [more...]
NIGERIA: Christians in Jos, Fear Further Attacks
Gunshots and smoke continued to alarm residents of Jos in central Nigeria, with the Christian community fearing further violence from Muslim youths who on Sunday 17 January attacked a Catholic church and burned down several other church buildings. [more...]
IRAQ: Elderly Christian man killed in Mosul
A 75-year-old Christian was shot and killed in Mosul, Iraq on 11 January. Hikmat Sleiman had just returned home from closing his grocery shop when a group of assailants opened fire, killing him instantly. Local Christians see his murder and the string of other attacks against believers in recent months.
Source: VOM Canada [more...]
YEMEN: Negotiations Begin for Release of Christian Hostages
Authorities in Yemen have reportedly started negotiations for the release of six Christian hostages -- a family of five from Germany and a British engineer -- who were kidnapped along with three other women in June. The bodies of the women, Rita Stumpp (26), Anita Gruenwald (24) and Eom Young-sun (33), were found shortly after the kidnapping. Until recently, however, the state of Johannes (37), his wife Sabine (37) and their children, Lydia (5), Anna (3) and Simon (1), as well as Anthony was unknown. The kidnappers have demanded a ransom of $2 million USD as well as immunity, free passage and a guarantee that they will not be handed over to neighbouring Saudi Arabia. Source: VOM Canada
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EGYPT: Coptic Christians Gunned Down after Christmas Service
In spite of threats of violence from Muslims in an area of Egypt wracked by sectarian violence, police declined to increase security for a Coptic Christmas Eve service on 6 January, and six Christians were shot to death after leaving the church. Three men suspected to be Muslims, including one with a criminal record sought by police, were in a moving car from which automatic gunfire hit Coptic Christians who had attended services at St. John’s Church in Nag Hammadi, 455 kilometres south of Cairo. [more...]
CHINA: Korla Police and Farm Leaders Burn Bibles and Persecute Elderly Christians
On 25 December, Puhui Farm leaders and policemen arrested several elderly and ailing Christians in Korla City, Xinjiang. Like many around the world, members of Corps house church were celebrating Christmas Day. In the middle of the celebration, a band of farmers and Security policemen disrupted the gathering of believers during their fellowship celebration. The Chief of Security, Yu Fagan, seized Wang Qiuyue, a 71-year-old widow, who had been a known Christian for over 45 years. Yu Fagan threw her roughly against a police car, like a rejected sack of garbage. The group wore hats of bearing the title "People's Police." They proceeded to dismantle and burn elderly Sister Wang's furniture before her eyes. [more...]
MALDIVES: Legislators Seek to Increase Pressure on Non-Muslims
The People’s Majlis (Parliament) of the Maldives have been debating a bill to ban non-Muslim places of worship. According to Maldivian sources the bill, proposed by Ibrahim Muttalib MP, would make it illegal to build non-Muslim places of worship or to practise non-Muslim faiths in public, although foreigners would be allowed to worship in the privacy of their homes. Punishment would be a gaol term of three to five years or a fine of between $A3000 and $A5000. [more...]
PAKISTAN: Child Beaten for Claiming to Be a Christian
Christians in Pakistan have reported the ordeal of an 11-year-old Christian school girl in the town of Dharema, Punjab province, in October 2009. Nadia Iftikhar was beaten unconscious by the Muslim teacher at her evening coaching school “Bright Future Academy” after she said she was both a Pakistani and a Christian. [more...]
CHINA: 30 Chinese House Church Alliance Leaders Detained, Facing Administrative Detention
Thirty leaders of the Chinese House Church Alliance (CHCA) were detained in Handan city, Hebei province on 8 January. According to one detained pastor, who was able to use his mobile phone briefly to notify an outside contact. A group of officers from the Handan City Public Security and Religious Affairs Bureaus broke into their leaders' meeting place where the 30 men and women were having a Bible study, and forcefully took them to an unknown interrogation centre within the city. [more...]
IRAN: Arrests, Coerces Christians over Christmas Season
A wave of arrests hit Iranian house churches during the Christmas season, leaving at least five Christian converts in detention across northern Iran, including the mother of an ailing 10-year-old girl. Security officers with an arrest warrant from the Mashhad Revolutionary Court entered the home of Christian Hamideh Najafi in Mashhad on 26 December and took her to an undisclosed location, according to Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN). [more...]
INDIA: Christians Faced Three Attacks per Week in 2009
After unprecedented large-scale attacks on Christians in the previous two years, 2009 brought hardly any respite as the minority faith faced an average of more than three violent attacks a week. There were at least 152 attacks on Christians in 2009, according to the “Partial List of Major Incidents of Anti-Christian Violence in India” released by the Evangelical Fellowship of India. The north-central states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Orissa in the east, Gujarat in the west and Himachal Pradesh in the north have anti-conversion laws, which Hindu hardliners routinely use to arrest Christians on spurious accusations of “forcible conversion.” [more...]
PAKISTAN: Delivered from Slavery
Shafia, now 20, grew up in a Christian family and was baptised in 2002. Her father died when she was a child and her older brother Rafi worked in a cotton factory to support the family. Rafi led his siblings and mother in prayer each evening. He stood up for the Christians in their community and publicly confronted Muslims who tormented young Christian women. On 3 July 2004, three Muslim men came to speak with Rafi. They gave him a drink spiked with sleeping pills, and he passed out. One of the men shot Rafi in the head, killing him. [more...]
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A daring protest and a high-profile funeral here on Monday 25 January for a 12-year-old Christian
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