Burkina Faso terrorism

Pray for the authorities to thwart these evil men and do much better than in Nigeria:

“Flee, convert or die!” Help faithful Christians in Burkina Faso, standing firm for Christ Donate now

Flee, convert or die – this is the stark choice repeatedly laid before the Christians of Burkina Faso by Islamist terrorists. One of our project partners received a message: “Stop doing the church services and turn to Islam, you and your congregation, or we will visit you and kill you.” He and his extended family fled just in time, but four other local Christians were killed a few hours later when the terrorists arrived. Thousands of Christians in Burkina Faso are displaced and destitute, having fled from murderous terrorists who threaten them: “Flee, convert or die.” Christians the primary target of the terrorists Terrorist violence began in Burkina Faso in 2015, but in 2019 Christians became the primary target of the terrorists. Clinging faithfully to Christ, at least 59 of His followers have been killed by terrorists this year, singled out because of their active commitment to the Lord. Thousands of others have fled. Barnabas Fund has not heard of any who have converted to Islam. The men of violence – better armed than the Burkina Faso army – are infiltrating from neighbouring Mali. They have declared they will kill all the Christians in Burkina Faso, except any who become Muslims. “If the world continues to do nothing the result will be the elimination of the Christian presence,” said a senior church leader. “We are desperate and we need help” Barnabas is providing food, clothes, medical care and other needs of displaced Christians in Burkina Faso – will you help meet their practical needs? “We don’t have money, nor food, nor house, nor land [to grow crops, which is how most people in Burkina Faso feed themselves]. How can we live like this? We are desperate and we need help. We are tired and sick almost every day.” This appeal came from Burkina Faso Christians to Barnabas Fund. Displaced and destitute, Christians who have fled terrorist violence need our help. They have nothing! Their farm animals and their food stocks from the last harvest have been left behind, most likely burnt by the terrorists. Christians elsewhere in Burkina Faso are donating food and clothes, but it is not enough. What will ­you give? Will you help Barnabas Fund provide rice, millet, sorghum, beans, milk and cooking oil to feed hungry Christians? Or soap, mosquito nets, clothes and shoes to keep them healthy and warm? We are also funding medical care for women and children, including psychiatric help for the most traumatised. Looking to the future, we are providing seeds of millet, beans, maize and sorghum to help displaced families become self-sufficient again.

More Iranian arrests

Eight converts from Islam to Christianity were arrested in the
Iranian city of Bushehr on 1 July. Their Bibles, laptops and phones were also seized by Ministry of Intelligence agents. Computer hard drives and CCTV footage were taken from the workplaces of some. Khatoon (aged 61) was released the same day, but the younger ones were put into solitary confinement without access to lawyers. Please pray for Sam (36), his wife Maryam (35), Sasan (35) and his
wife Marjan (33), who are Khatoon’s sons and daughters-in-law, also Pooriya (27) and his wife Fatemeh (27) and Habib (38).

Illegally Detained Christian Tortured to Death in Custody in Pakistan, Family Says

Pray for justice!

VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

Pakistan (Morning Star News) – Police in Lahore, Pakistan tortured to death the Christian father of 14-day-old and 7-year-old sons, relatives said.

Officers on Aug. 28 illegally detained 28-year-old Amir Masih on a false charge of theft and tortured him for four days before he died in a hospital on Sept. 2, his brother Sunny Masih told Morning Star News.

Interrogating officers in the 96-percent Muslim country “urinated on Amir’s face and body and mocked his Christian faith” while trying to torture him into a false confession, Masih said.

After filing an application with police on Aug. 31 alleging forced disappearance of Amir Masih, a member of the Church of Pakistan, relatives were informed that he had been taken into custody by a sub-inspector identified only as Zeeshan in connection with a theft case. Their repeated attempts to meet Sub-Inspector Zeeshan were blocked. They did know of Amir…

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The Burning Bush

This Pakistani believer reads Exodus 3 about Moses encounter at the burning bush which for centuries was and still is the emblem of the church-“Aflame but unconsumed!”

Kidnapped Baptist Pastor in Nigeria Freed after 17 Days of Torture

More Nigerian anarchy.

VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

Muslim Fulani herdsmen injured Baptist pastor Elisha Noma while holding him captive. (Morning Star News)

Nigeria (Morning Star News) – A Baptist pastor kidnapped and tortured last month in Nigeria was released over the weekend after his family and Christian leaders paid a ransom, sources said.

Muslim Fulani herdsmen in Kaduna state who abducted the Rev. Elisha Noma on Aug. 14 received 3 million naira (US$8,181) before freeing him on Saturday (Aug. 31), the chairman of the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) told Morning Star News.

“He was released after a ransom was paid following a series of negotiations with the bandits on the ransom,” the Rev. Joseph Hayab told Morning Star News in a text message. “We thank God for his mercies. We pray for God’s intervention in the calamity that seems to have befallen us as a nation.”

Pastor Noma, 60, of…

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More Eritrean Oppression.

ERITREA: Crackdown continues as eighty more Christians detained

On Sunday 18 August, Eritrean security officials raided a home church and detained eighty Christians in Godaif district, near Asmara airport. Men, women and children were taken to the local police station, and have been held there ever since.

The raid is yet another incident in 2019’s crackdown on Christian activities. This crackdown, which dashes Eritrean Christians’ hopes that last year’s peace agreement with Ethiopia would bring any lasting freedom, has affected the Eritrean Orthodox Church, which is permitted, as well as outlawed denominations. In 2002, the Eritrean government banned all religious groups except the Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches and Sunni Islam.

Faith Mission prisoners face harsh conditions

On 23 June, security officials raided a Faith Mission Church meeting in Eritrea’s second city, Keren, 90 km northwest of Asmara. Officers detained seventy members, including 35 women and ten children, and took them to Ashufera prison, 25 km from Keren. They also confiscated property found at the venue.

The prison is a vast underground tunnel system and conditions are very harsh. A local source told World Watch Monitor that its location, far from a main road, “means that anyone who wants to visit loved ones there will have to walk a minimum of thirty minutes to reach the entrance. Inmates are forced to dig additional tunnels when officers need extra space for more prisoners.”

The local source, whose identity is withheld for security reasons, said that the government officials also closed the church-run school.

The Faith Mission Church was the last church still open in the Muslim-majority city. Established more than sixty years ago, it once had schools and orphanages all over the country and had been waiting for registration since submitting an application in 2002.

On 16 August, six other Christians from Keren, all government employees, were taken to a court in Asmara, where the judge told them to renounce their faith. The local source said the six Christians responded that they would “not negotiate their faith” and would “continue following Jesus”, and added: “Reportedly, the judge angrily told them to leave while he considers the next steps. They don’t know when to expect his decision.”

The source said that the government crackdown has sent other Christians in Keren into hiding.

 (Release Eritrea/UN News/World Watch Monitor)

One Pastor Killed, Another Kidnapped in Separate Attacks in North-Central Nigeria

Ongoing Nigerian anarchy!

Nigerian church leaders and their families targetted by kidnappers 

A wave of recent kidnappings across Nigeria appears now to be targeting church leaders and their families. Several abductions in Kaduna state this month suggest that militants have launched a devastating new campaign against church leadership.
Release partner Stefanos Foundation reports that kidnappers have struck three times in a fortnight in Kaduna, kidnapping a pastor, a pastor’s wife and three children – and demanding huge ransoms.

Please pray for the swift release of all those who have been kidnapped.

On August 4, gunmen shot and killed a pastor with Living Faith Church in Romi New Extension, and kidnapped his wife; she was freed after a ransom was paid. Ten days later, Pastor Elisha Numan and his son, from Nagarta Baptist Church in Unguwan Makere, were kidnapped. And on August 17, the children, aged nine and 19, of a bishop were abducted; no further details have been released.
Kidnappings targeting Christians have been going on for some time, according Rev Joseph Hayab, chairman of the Kaduna state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). He says that more than 500 Christians have been abducted in the past two years and CAN has paid out more than 300 million Naira (almost £700,000) in ransoms.

• Please pray that God will strengthen, protect and comfort those who have been abducted and their families.
• Pray that He will make a way for families to be reunited, without the need for ransoms to be paid.
• Pray that the Nigerian authorities will respond to calls for greater protection for Christian communities and church leaders’ families, in Kaduna and across Nigeria.

(Source: Stefanos Foundation)

VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

Photo of Rev. Jeremiah Omolewa of Living Faith Church in the city of Kaduna, Nigeria, was killed and his wife kidnapped on Aug. 4, 2019. (Morning Star News via Living Faith Church)

No relief for Nigerian Christians subjected to continuous Muslim Fulani brutality.

(Morning Star News) – Muslim Fulani herdsmen killed a Pentecostal pastor and abducted a Baptist pastor in a spate of kidnappings this month in Kaduna state, Nigeria, sources said.

“The herdsmen, about 20 of them, shot into our house and broke the doors of the house,” said Emmanuel Noma, who along with his father, 60-year-old pastor Elisha Noma, was kidnapped at 1 a.m. on Aug. 14. “They forced us out of the house at gunpoint and took us away. After two hours they released me, with the demand that I should go and raise 20 million naira [US$55,155] for them before they will release my…

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Outreach to Muslims with lessons for all of us.

Latest MERF newsletter

https://www.powerofchristatwork.net/component/edocman/2019-08-august-caring-for-muslim-neighbors

 

What do you know of the unreached?

Unreached means too few or zero Christians able to reach the group and no missionaries.

Ever wondered why AsiaLink focuses on the continent of Asia?

Three quarters of all unreached people live in Asia. No other part of the world has such a high concentration of people who have never heard the gospel and are unlikely to hear the gospel unless something changes.

#mission #prayforasia

Pray for labourers……pastor-missionaries and lay supporters to be thrust out from the over-churched West! (Matthew 9:38)

Long overdue

Nigerian Church Leader Calls for Gov’t Protection After Gunmen Kill Pastor, Abduct His Wife by VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED (CBN) A Nigerian pastor was reportedly killed and his wife abducted for ransom by unknown assailants Sunday evening while traveling on a highway. (CBN) A Nigerian pastor was reportedly killed and his wife abducted for ransom by unknown assailants Sunday evening while traveling on a highway where being attacked by criminals has become a common occurrence. The Punch reported Jeremiah Omolara, the pastor of Living Faith Church in Romi New Extension, a suburb of Kaduna state, was shot and killed when the attackers ambushed his vehicle on the Abuja-Kaduna Highway. In addition to Omolara’s wife, the couple’s son was also in the vehicle. He was able to escape, according to news reports. The assailants are demanding a ransom in the amount of more than $138,000 for the pastor’s wife. Omolara’s murder and his wife’s abduction were confirmed by Rev. Joseph Hayab, chairman of the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). Hayab urged the Nigerian government to tighten security in the state, according to to the Daily Post Nigeria. He also told of how kidnappings in the Kaduna are on the rise, especially the abduction of clergy. “Just last week a clergyman was attacked in Kasuwan Magani,” Hayab explained. “The security man was killed immediately as they struggled to find their way into the house. Thank God, the gunmen could not gain entrance into the room.” He also added the daughter of a Baptist pastor was recently abducted and the kidnappers are demanding a huge ransom. “Now the Living Faith Church pastor was killed along Kaduna-Abuja in the presence of his wife, who was later abducted,” Hayab told the newspaper. “That tells you that the new trend is to attack us in our homes or in our churches or on the roads. We are just not safe anywhere and we are asking the same question we have been asking: ‘Where are our security agencies?’” “Are we being told tactically that we should defend ourselves?” he continued. Nigerians at risk are often told by authorities to become vigilantes and protect their own villages. “If we start defending ourselves, it means that we no longer have security or we no longer have government. Or is this government only for those they love and they don’t care about others?” “We don’t want a situation where we will be forced to think of how to protect ourselves, we believe that government is there to protect us,” Hayab concluded. As CBN News has reported, hundreds of Christians have been killed in Nigeria by radical Islamic militias, including the Fulani herdsmen. “Nigeria is now the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian,” explained attorney Emmanuel Ogebe. “What we have is a genocide. They are trying to displace the Christians, they are trying to possess their land and they are trying to impose their religion on the so-called infidels and pagans who they consider Christians to be.” This applies: https://mobile.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+94&version=KJV VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED | August 9, 2019 at 9:23 am |  https://wp.me/p31ExU-5QN Comment    See all comments    Like Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser:https://voiceofthepersecuted.wordpress.com/2019/08/09/nigerian-church-leader-calls-for-govt-protection-after-gunmen-kill-pastor-abduct-his-wife/ Thanks for flying with  WordPress.com

Indonesian student in jail for blasphemy

Martinus Gulo is serving four years for blasphemy over a social media post. Hardline Muslims are using an act to persecute believers as in Pakistan.

Islam, if it really had a god that requited blasphemy as our God does, would let him act as Gideon’s father said to the mob baying to pay back his son from tearing down their idolatrous statues to Baal. ” If he be a god let him plead for himself.”

VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

Agung Kurnia Ritonga, 22, a student at the University of North Sumatra in Medan, was found guilty of insulting Islam and is facing 18 months in jail. (photo supplied-ICAN)

Prosecutors demand 18-month term for Christian youth accused of mocking the burning of an Islamic flag.

Prosecutors in Indonesia have demanded an 18-month jail term and a $715 fine for a Christian student accused of insulting Islam. 

Agung Kurnia Ritonga, 22, a student at the University of North Sumatra in Medan, is currently on trial for insulting Islam in an Instagram post by mocking the burning of an Islamic flag in October last year. 

Three Muslim youths in Garut, West Java burned a tawhid flag presumed to belong to Hizb ut-Tahrir, a banned militant group on Oct. 21, 2018. 

Ritonga’s Instagram post on Oct. 24, was said to have insulted the tawhid flag that has script describing the monotheistic God in Islam and God himself. 

“What’s the matter if the tawhid…

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Pray for Pastor Abraham, Charged with Blasphemy

This man has been released! Jan. 04, 2018 | Indonesia Pray for Pastor Abraham, Charged with Blasphemy An Indonesian pastor was charged with blasphemy recently after he shared his Christian faith in a taxi. In a widely circulated video, Pastor Abraham Ben Moses is heard speaking with a taxi driver about the Prophet Muhammad’s teachings on marriage. He can also be heard asking the driver to convert to Christianity. Pastor Abraham’s Internet evangelism has also been cited as a basis for the blasphemy charges, which were filed against him after Indonesia’s second-largest Islamic organization complained to authorities. The pastor, who is from Tangerang, Java, faces the possibility of five years in prison if convicted. He is the first member of the Christian clergy in Indonesia to be charged with blasphemy. Pray that justice will be served and that Indonesian Christians will not become too timid to share their faith.   Pastor Abraham Ben Moses (Photo Credit: UCA News) Update May 19th 2019 Christian prisoner released  We are delighted to report that Abraham Ben Moses, also known as Saifuddin Ibrahim, a well-known former Muslim and Christian apologist in Indonesia, has been released from prison. Abraham, who was active in Internet evangelism and debates with Muslim groups, was arrested in December 2017 after a video showing him sharing his faith with a Muslim taxi driver was widely circulated. Read his Prisoner profile here. Find out how to support Christian prisoners of faith here.

ICOMMITTOPRAY  •  © 2018 THE VOICE OF THE MARTYR

At last signs of resistance to terror in Nigeria.

The fact that three young men were on terrorist watch is encouraging-every village I would say needs armed and trained young men to guard it!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Another Attack Targets Christians in Plateau State, Nigeria Three Young Men Wounded During Fulani Militant Ambush 08/07/2019 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on Thursday evening, August 1, 2019, Fulani militants ambushed and shot three young men, all members of the Baptist church in Ancha village of Miango District in Nigeria’s Plateau State. The three men were serving as part of the community volunteer watch. Thankfully, all three survived; however, they all suffered gunshot wounds and had to be admitted to the local hospital. The three survivors, Akore Joseph (19), Nuhu Ishaya (21), and Achi Danjuma (22) shared their story with ICC. Akore began, “We had gone on patrol earlier [that day], and had left my mobile phone battery to be recharged in the next village. So I asked my friends to come with me to go and get it.  On our way back from picking it up, we were walking and talking [when]… all of a sudden, sporadic gunshots erupted from the corn farms. I turned to flee. It was as I fled that a bullet hit me.” Akore was shot in his right shoulder. After fleeing, the three men hid from their attackers until they felt it was safe. Corroborating the incident, Nuhu Ishaya said, “We tried to hide as secure as we could.  They searched for a while, but didn’t locate us so they went away. We were bleeding. We eventually ran to the nearest village and told the villagers what happened to us.”Nuhu was shot twice, once on the left wrist and also on his upper thigh. Achi Danjuma, the third survivor, recalled that they had been talking about a previous attack that took place in the village of Hukke, which they were returning from. As they discussed it, they were then attacked themselves. He explained, “The militants recently killed some boys at Hukke village.  It was the memory of that attack that came upon us and we became uneasy and talked about it along the way.” A bullet struck Achi on his right arm. Pastor of the local Baptist church, Rev. Nanchwat Laven, lamented about the toll that the attacks have taken on his congregation. Yet, he continues to look up to God to intervene and bring them relief and peace. He said that after he learned about the attack, he called Nuhu Ishaya’s cellphone. Someone else answered and eventually told the pastor that he was Fulani, and that they were attacking the Irigwe (the major tribe in Miango), because they are proving “stubborn” by not letting the Fulanis’ cattle graze freely. Nathan Johnson, ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, said, “This attack is deeply concerning. Ancha village is a small community that has suffered on numerous occasions. They lost 20 lives during an attack in 2017 and have suffered several other smaller attacks since. I have personally prayed over the mass graves in Ancha that these attacks have created. The Nigerian government must intervene, protect their citizens, and prosecute those who are killing wantonly.”

China update

 We thank and praise You, heavenly Father, for the growth of the Church in China, and we rejoice that there are now far more followers of Your Son than members of the Chinese Communist Party. May those who have newly come to faith in Him learn to be mature believers, walking closely with their Saviour and Lord. May all Your people in China be salt and light in their communities, sources of love, truth and harmony. May their patient and loving response to harassment and persecution bring glory to Christ, in whose Name we pray.

CHINA: Prisoner Updates

Pastor Wang Yi (pictured on the left) is facing a new charge of “illegal business activity” in addition to the existing charge of “incitement to subvert state power”. A local Christian said the new charge is probably due to the fact that there is scant evidence to support the subversion charge. Read Wang Yi’s Prisoner Profile

Pastor John Cao (pictured on the right) had his appeal dismissed today and his seven-year sentence upheld. His appeal hearing was originally scheduled for August, but it was changed into a “trial session on paper only” instead of an actual hearing. Read John Cao’s Prisoner Profile

Please keep praying for these two pastors who need our support now more than ever!

CHINA: Tiananmen Square – thirty years on

Thirty years ago this week, on 4 June 1989 the Chinese government sent troops and tanks to crush a peaceful pro-democracy student demonstration in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. The number of demonstrators shot and crushed to death has never been confirmed, but is believed to be in the hundreds or, more probably, thousands, and many others were injured. Memorial vigils have been held around the world (including Hong Kong, pictured) but not in mainland China, where extra security was deployed around Tiananmen Square and internet censorship increased.

In the aftermath of the massacre, the government tightened its control over religion, forcing churches to register with state patriotic religious associations (the Three-Self Patriotic Movement for Protestants and the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association For Catholics) or risk punishment as “evil cults”.

Despite this increased control, the Chinese church experienced spectacular growth in the following thirty years, and it is estimated that there may now be over 100 million Chinese Christians, the majority practicing their faith in unregistered churches, outside government control. When this growth came to the notice of the authorities, especially the enormous growth of some unregistered urban churches, they decided to crack down, with the intent to restrict church growth, to force unregistered churches to register or close, and to “sinicise” the church (make it Chinese in character and bring it into submission under the Chinese Communist Party).

Persecution of Christians intensified following the implementation on 1 February 2018 of new Regulations for Religious Affairs. At least 5,000 Chinese Christians were detained and over five hundred pastors were sentenced and imprisoned in 2018, with several prominent pastors receiving long prison sentences, and some unregistered urban megachurches were shut down. In central Henan province, which has a relatively high concentration of Christians, 10,000 Protestant churches were ordered to close, even though most were registered.

Bob Fu (pictured), founder and president of China Aid, described 2018 as “the worst year of religious persecution in perhaps forty years. I have not seen this level of persecution, both in quantity and in the degree of persecution, since the end of the Cultural Revolution.”

China Aid has downloaded internal documents inadvertently posted by the government that reveal its intent to “contain the overheated growth of Christianity”.

Registered churches are now required to display the national flag, install surveillance cameras and sing the national anthem at services. They must display portraits of political leaders including Chairman Mao and many have had crosses forcibly removed from outside their buildings. Some pastors of registered churches have been detained.

Henan church to be converted to hotel

On 29 May 2019, China Aid reported that Henan’s authorities have laid claim to a registered church building worth approximately €1.3 million, with the intent of turning it into a hotel.

Officials began by banning the church in 2018 and forbidding members to hold worship services, and the government dispatched personnel to watch the church. The Christians continued to hold meetings, however, prompting officials to reiterate their prohibition in May 2019 and to order some of the Christians to attend the local ethnic and religious affairs bureau, where staff told them of their plan to turn the church into a hotel. Describing this visit, one of the Christians said, “The leaders were polite and didn’t announce they would seize people if we held services again, but we must hand our church over[to them].”

Explaining the predicament facing the church, another Christian commented, “[Government officials] intend to seal our door, but we have no idea how to fight. We shouldn’t have conflicts with them because they are strong police officers. We won’t allow them to seal it, but we are helpless.”

The government has shut off the electricity supply to the church building in the past, and Christians who gathered to try to prevent it from happening were dragged away.

Rural Guizhou church raided

A video posted to Chinese social media platform WeChat shows the authorities raiding a small, rural church in Bijie, a mountainous area of China’s southern Guizhou province. The video shows officials emptying the church of all its belongings and two men using a rod to knock the cross off the roof.

Because the government can access posts on WeChat, Christians are afraid to discuss the incident, and no further details are known.

Rural churches have experienced rapid growth over the past few years – one Christian reported, “People are joining churches by the whole village, one village after another,” adding that it is happening because their limited resources force them to rely on God in their everyday lives. Despite their lack of financial resources, many Christians in these areas donate to the construction of well-made church buildings.

This growth has attracted the attention of the Chinese Communist Party, which has erected large signs in some areas bearing anti-Christian messages, such as the one pictured, which states: “If you go to church every day to learn about the Lord, God still cannot relieve your hardships. Follow the Party and don’t believe in God. The Party can give happiness to all. If your heart is not right, believing in the Lord is useless. Go get more positive energy so that our country will be powerful and families thrive.”

(China Aid/The Epoch Times/Wall Street Journal)

Christians Forced to ‘Reconvert,’ Banished from Village in India

Indian repression and murder of believers.

VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

Christian is forced to undergo “reconversion” rite to tribal religion in Mahuatoli village, Jharkhand state, India on June 14, 2019. (Morning Star News)

India (Morning Star News) – Christians who worshiped privately in their homes in a village in eastern India were dragged to local leaders last month and forced to bow to a goddess idol, sources said.

The mob action on June 14 followed an announcement two days earlier by the heads of Mahuatoli village, Gumla District in Jharkhand state, that 12 Christian families would be banished if they did not return to the tribal Sarna religion, they said.

Threatened with death, most of the Christian families have fled the village.

“Threats have always been there in this area in Gumla District, but it had never escalated to this point that the Sarna extremists vowed to take lives,” said area pastor Boyen Munda. “They are not in…

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7-Year-Old in Nigeria: How Herdsmen Shot Me and Killed My Uncle

More Fulani mayhem with apparent impunity.

VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

Muslim Fulani herdsman shot 7-year-old Christian boy in Gwanje village, Nasarawa state, on May 3, 2019. (Morning Star News)

Nigeria (Morning Star News) – As a Baptist church member tried to fight off an armed Muslim Fulani herdsman in a village in north-central Nigeria, he told his 7-year-old nephew and other relatives to run.

The boy remained, crying and calling for help.

Jerome, whose real name is withheld for security reasons, recalled how gunshots woke him and his family around midnight on May 3 in Gwanje village, 18 kilometers (11 miles) from Akwanga in Nasarawa state. His account of a relatively limited attack gives a glimpse of how hundreds of Christian families have been terrorized by herdsmen.

A neighbor rushed over to tell Jerome’s father that he had received a call that the herdsmen were attacking from the south and coming toward their home north of the village.

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More Nigerian murders

Hundreds homeless after Fulani raids on Nigeria’s Central Belt

Up to 13 people have been killed and hundreds left homeless after militants raided several mainly Christian villages in central Nigeria.

Over 12 hours, Fulani attacked four villages in the area bordering Plateau and Kaduna states, burning homes, churches and farmland. Release partner Stefanos Foundation says that three children were among the dead.

Please pray for all those affected by these latest Fulani attacks, especially those in mourning.

About 200 militants raided the first village, Angwan-Rimi, in the Kauru area of Kaduna, in the early hours of Monday last week. It was here that three children were killed: Stefanos named them as Monday, who was eight, Samson, 15, and nine-year-old Zhime.

Later that same day, militants attacked Kikoba village, also in Kauru, and two villages a few miles away, Kangbro and Nakai Danwai, in the Riyom area of Plateau. Two churches were destroyed in Kangbro.

This week, Stefanos took part in commemorations to mark the first anniversary of coordinated attacks on 15 communities in Plateau state in which 233 people died. No arrests have been made.

• Pray that God will comfort those who have lost loved ones and provide for those who are now without a home following these most recent Fulani attacks. Ask God to heal survivors, including a man being treated for gunshot wounds in hospital in Plateau.
• Please pray for wisdom and courage for the Nigerian Government and military so they will bring an end to the violence and persecution.
• Please stand with us by holding a Day of the Christian Martyr worship and prayer service with your church this year,and remember modern-day Christian martyrs, in Nigeria and worldwide.

 

New Christian in Algeria Sentenced for ‘Organizing Worship’ in His Home

Courageous Algerian believers!

VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

Tent set up after authorities closed church building in Azaghar, near Akbou in Algeria. (Morning Star News)

(Morning Star News) – A judge on June 16 handed a Christian father of two in northwest Algeria a suspended prison sentence and a hefty fine for holding worship at his house, four days before another judge fined the owner of land that a church uses.

Prosecutors had sought a six-month prison sentence and a fine of 500,000 Algerian dinars (US$4,200) for the 35-year-old father in Mostaganem, a coastal town about 350 kilometers (217 miles) west of Algiers. The judge instead delivered the two-month, suspended prison sentence and a fine of 100,000 dinars ($840) to the new Christian, who requested anonymity as he fears for his life in the officially Muslim North African country.

For inviting a Christian couple to pray with him, an area source said, he was accused of…

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The Uyghur Muslims of China

 

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Ashfaq Masih, Shagufta and Shafquat in Pakistan

 

More wicked blasphemy charges when a Muslim has a grudge against a Christian believer or believers  like Sadhu who refused to pay for a repair to his bike and an argument ensued. Ashfaq, who lives in Green town, Lahore was arrested and  will have to stand trial.

Pray he will be totally exonerated and the government will take steps to outlaw this evil practice.

And

PAKISTAN: Asia Bibi’s lawyer takes on case of couple Asia Bibi’s lawyer Saiful Malook has taken up the case of Pakistani Christian couple Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel, sentenced to death for blasphemy in April 2014. They had been accused of sending blasphemous text messages to a Muslim cleric, despite the fact that the messages were in English and they are illiterate. Saiful Malook has stated, “They did not get a fair trial. They are innocent.” Read full story Read Shagufta and Shafqat’s Prisoner Profile Copyright © 2019 Church in Chains, All rights reserved. Church in Chains is an independent Irish charity (CHY 15443) that encourages prayer and action in support of persecuted Christians worldwide. You are receiving this email because you opted in on our website or signed up at an event. You can read the Church in Chains Privacy Policy here: http://www.churchinchains.ie/privacy-policy/

UPDATE:

Pakistan – Eight Christian
prisoners of conscience still on
death row
At least eight Christians remain on death
row in Pakistan after being convicted
under the Islamic law of “blasphemy”.
The current prisoners under death
sentences include brothers Qaisar and
Amoon Ayub who were sentenced in
December 2018 and are waiting for an
appeal hearing date. Prisoners with High
Court appeals pending include Anwar
Kenneth, Sawan Masih, brothers Anjum
and Javed Naaz and Shafqat Emmanuel
Masih and his wife, Shagufta Kausar.
Zafar Bhatti, who has a sentence of life
imprisonment, also awaits an appeal
hearing date.
No Christians (or followers of any
other religion) have been executed for
“blasphemy” despite the mandatory
death sentence for “defiling the name
of” Muhammad, but many of them
have been languishing in prison for
years, according to statistics provided by
CLAAS (Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance
and Settlement), which is supported by
Barnabas Fund.
Christian mother-of-five Aasia Bibi
was released after spending eight years
on death row when the Supreme Court
acquitted her on 31 October 2018. It
remains uncertain if her release was a
“landmark ruling” that will improve the
plight of Pakistan’s Christian minority
– around 2% of the population, or
about 4 million.
The court freed Aasia Bibi because of
flimsy and contradictory evidence, while
simultaneously confirming that those
who break the “blasphemy” law should
be punished.
On 1 May 2019, police declared
a Christian man called Farhan Aziz
innocent of “blasphemy” and released
him after nine months in custody
(mentioned in June Prayer Focus). At
the time of Farhan’s arrest, an angry
mob armed with steel rods and petrol
cans congregated in a Christian area of
Gujranwala, but police intervened to

PAKISTAN: Zafar Bhatti’s appeal hearing adjourned again

UPDATE:

Pray for our brother Zafar who is in prison and in distress Our brother Zafar is facing the prospect of spending the rest of his life behind bars in Pakistan over false accusations of ‘blasphemy’ – and really needs our prayers. Zafar Bhatti, who is being held in Adyala Jail in Rawalpindi, was sentenced to life imprisonment in May, after he was accused of sending blasphemous text messages from his mobile phone. Five years on from his arrest, he insists he is innocent. Please pray for our brother in Pakistan who is in distress and needs to know his Christian family worldwide are interceding for him. Zafar says there have been several attempts on his life in jail, including a near-fatal poisoning in 2013. His health has deteriorated and he now suffers from a heart condition. He now hopes to take his case to appeal at the High Court. Please lift Zafar to God and ask Him to comfort and sustain him. Please use the prayer that Zafar sent us to inspire your prayers on his behalf: ‘O my dear Lord Jesus, listen to my prayer; in my difficult times, I come to you. Release me from my captivity. ‘O Lord, forgive me my sins and have mercy on me; O Lord, listen to my prayer. I am your child. Hallelujah.’ Pray that God will provide for Zafar’s wife, Nawab Bibi, who is struggling to survive financially without her husband’s support. Thank God that Release partners have been able to provide her with some help. Pray that God will provide a good lawyer and funding for Zafar’s appeal. Continue to cry out to God for justice on behalf of every member of our Christian family in Pakistan who has been persecuted through its notorious blasphemy laws. Pray that they will be set free from prison and the laws reformed, in the name of religious freedom and justice. (Source: Release partners)

Nov. 02, 2017 | Pakistan
Pray for Zhafar Bhatti, Imprisoned Since 2012

Zhafar Bhatti, who was arrested and charged with blasphemy in July 2012, remains in prison, where he has been beaten several times. Zhafar, a traveling salesman for various medications, often used his door-to-door presentations to also share the gospel. He established a small NGO called “Jesus World Mission” with the purpose of helping the poor. On July 11, 2012, he was accused by a fellow NGO worker of sending blasphemous text messages from a mobile phone that she had given him. Zhafar and his wife left their village to avoid a riot, and police arrested him on July 26, charging him under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. Other prisoners have beaten Zhafar several times and tried to poison his food, and Muslim prisoners continually pressure him to embrace Islam. Pray that Zhafar will remain strong in his faith, and pray that he will be released and reunited with his family soon. He might need to leave the country for his own safety.

 

CLAAS, a religious freedom advocacy group updated Voice of the Persecuted on the case of Zafar Bhatti, a Christian in Pakistan who was falsely charged of blasphemy and now sentenced to life imprisonment by a Pakistani court on May 3, 2017.

Bhatti had been charged under blasphemy law section 295C and telegraph act section 25D in 2012 for sending blasphemous text messages from his mobile phone, which is according to reports was not registered to his name. He denies the charges.

Since 2012, he has been imprisoned in Adiala Central Jail Rawalpindi. Considering the threats to his life, the case was conducted in the jail on April 24 but the judgment was reserved for later dates. On May 3, the Additional session judge jailed him for life.

Usually courts hand down a death sentence to those who are charged under 295-C, but because there was no concrete evidence against Bhatti, he was sentenced to life imprisonment instead.

In 2012 Islamabad, the lawyers’ bar passed a resolution that no lawyer will represent Bhatti in the court, but CLAAS accepted his responsibility. They’re also helping to care for his family.

Due to threats against the accused and their lawyers, CLAAS tried to move the case to Lahore but the request was denied.

Nasir Saeed, director CLAAS-UK said it is very unfortunate that even though there was not enough evidence against Bhatti, instead of freeing him, the court has sentenced him to life imprisonment because of pressure from Islamists.

“The blasphemy law is continuously being misused in Pakistan to take revenge and settle personal scores. Christians are the most targeted group, and several Christians have been burnt alive, and even their towns and churches are often attacked and set to fire.”

“The lower court’s judges always hesitate to make decisions on the merit, or free people accused of blasphemy, and instead transfer their burden to the higher court without realizing how their decision will impact the accused and their families’ lives.”

CLAAS says they will appeal against the lower court’s decision to the Lahore high court. They believe Bhatti is innocent and will be freed by the higher court. Unfortunately, it will take several years for his case to be heard by the High Court.

Please pray for Bhatti and his family who are suffering needlessly.

UPDATE:

Yesterday, the appeal of Zafar Bhatti was adjourned for the seventh time (on this occasion, because it might have interfered with the judge’s holiday plans). Zafar’s wife, Nawab, broke down in tears in court. Today, Zafar received the news in prison and was greatly disheartened. A doctor visiting him today said that he was at great risk of a heart attack.

Read full report

Recently Pakistan’s National Assembly passed a resolution to prevent abuse through introducing safeguards. However, all such calls have faced strong opposition in the past. Those who’ve demanded changes in the blasphemy law were silenced and threatened with death.  The governor of Punjab Salman Taseer and Minister for Minority Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti were savagely killed, as their acts were considered equal to blasphemy by hardliners.

Nevertheless, this latest resolution is clearly something to be welcomed and another reason to continue praying for the repeal of the laws so nobody has to suffer needlessly,  CLAAS told Voice of the Persecuted.

https://releaseinternational.org/media/download_gallery/PP_Zafar_Bhatti_Sept17.pdf

Meanwhile, Nabeel Masih, a 16-year-old accused of blasphemy in Punjab, has just been denied bail for the second time. He has been in jail since September after being accused of ‘liking’ on Facebook an allegedly blasphemous post. Nabeel’s friends say he’s been framed.

PAKISTAN – FURTHER “BLASPHEMY” ARRESTS AS FACEBOOK COOPERATES WITH PAKISTAN TO POTENTIALLY SHUT DOWN FREE SPEECH

Ashfaq Masih, a Christian bicycle mechanic from Lahore, was arrested by police on 15 June after being accused of “blasphemy” following his refusal to give a Muslim customer a discount for being a “holy man”. Police have officially registered a case against him, but at the time of writing it is not known if the allegations will result in Ashfaq facing criminal prosecution.

In early July, Pakistan’s Interior Minister met with Facebook’s Vice President of Global Public as the Pakistani government continued its efforts to introduce what would amount to a global Islamic blasphemy law on social media. They discussed “steps and actions being taken [by Facebook] to remove blasphemous content that is illegal in Pakistan”, and the Minister later affirmed “the understanding shown by Facebook … and the cooperation being extended to us on these issues”.

Last month, Pakistani authorities handed down the death sentence to a Shia Muslim man for posting “blasphemous” statements on social media, while a 16-year-old Christian boy from Punjab is currently being held in jail and denied bail after being accused of liking and sharing a post which “insulted” the Kaaba in Mecca, the holiest Islamic site in the world.

Pray for Ashfaq Masih, who appears to be the latest victim in another case of Pakistan’s infamous “blasphemy” laws being used to settle personal grudges against the vulnerable Christian minority. Pray that the authorities will not give credence to the allegation against him and that he will be able to return safely to work. Pray that the people who run Facebook will not bow to demands to limit freedom of speech, which would amount to the creation of an online Islamic blasphemy law.

Three Children among 13 Christians Killed in Attacks in Two States in Nigeria

More Muslim murder and mayhem.

VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Muslim Fulani herdsmen on Monday (June 17) killed four Christians in north-central Nigeria’s Kaduna state, including three children, on the same day nine other Christians were slain in neighboring Plateau state, area sources said.

Christian residents in Kaduna state’s Kauru County told Morning Star News that between 3 a.m and 4 a.m. well over 200 armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen invaded predominantly Christian Ungwan Rimi Kamuru village, killing 8-year-old Monday Yahaya, 9-year-old Zhime Danladi and Samson David, 15.

“They were all buried today after a brief prayer at the grave site,” area resident Thomas John told Morning Star News in a text message.

A Kaduna police spokesman reportedly confirmed the killings but identified the 9-year-old as Ashimile Danladi and cited Samson David’s age as 17.

Also in Kauru County, that evening herdsmen attacked predominantly Christian Kikoba village, killing Audu Gara, kidnapping a Christian woman…

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Encouragement from Africa.

MERF newsletter

Women under Islam.

Child bride warns women about life under Islam: no equality, no rights, no mercy

Unreached overview

Copy and paste this link in your browser:

file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/Great-Commission-Action-Guide-010119.pdf

Ramadan 2019

 

PRAYER POINTS

Pray Muslims would be delivered from the crushing burden of striving to earn God’s favour.

Let us cry out for a great harvest among Islamic believers that they will find Jesus, the Messiah.

Pray that Jesus would reveal Himself in the Injil (New Testament). For true repentance and realization their salvation depends on Christ alone.

Pray that Muslims would become aware of evil thoughts and desires within that cannot be avoided by fasting.

Let us pray for those deceived by the ideology of jihad to become true followers of Jesus Christ and used for Kingdom purposes.

Turkey expulsion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Turkey Deports Another Foreign Christian Pastor Religious Freedom Continues to Erode in Turkey Through the Deportation of Religious Minorities 05/09/2019 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on May 9, 2019, a foreign Christian pastor was deported from Turkey without official reason.  Mike Platt (beard) and family Mike Platt lived in Turkey for 21 years and volunteers as a pastor at Kadıköy International Church in Istanbul. He left the country on April 2 and was informed by passport control that an entry ban was issued. The ban was confirmed on May 8, when Mike attempted to reenter the country. Turkish authorities deported him this morning after holding him overnight at the airport. This incident happened just two months after a different volunteer at the church was issued a reentry ban with no reason given. The Turkish government does not recognize the right of Christians to train their own religious workers. For this reason, many pastors are foreign Christians. Platt’s deportation follows an ever increasing trend of the government banning foreign Christians from entering the country. According to the 2018 Human Rights Violations Report prepared by Turkey’s Association of Protestant Churches, “There was no movement forward in 2018 in regards to protecting the rights of Christians to train their own religious workers… In recent years, more than 50 foreign Protestant families have had to leave our country.” Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, said, “Christian clergymen in Turkey have for decades been targeted and demonized by the Turkish media and politicians of various ideologies. This widespread phenomenon has two main causes: Islam’s doctrinal hatred of Christians and Turkey’s paranoia of losing its lands.” “Turkey’s violent hostility to Christianity is in violation of the international human rights treaties that Turkey has signed and of the fundamentals of the European Union (EU), of which Turkey claims to want to be a member of. But because Turkey has never been held responsible for its extremely dire violations against free speech and religious liberty, the Turkish government continues persecuting Christian believers in Turkey,” she continued. Historically, modern Turkey is the backdrop for most of the New Testament. The genocidal policies of the Ottoman Era were directed against Christians, effectively eliminating the presence of believers, and the Church has struggled to heal. In a country of 81 million, today less than 0.2% are Christians. “Christianity started in Turkey… We want to continue as Christians,” said one Turkish believer. “Please, pray for us. It’s the darkest place in the world. And it’s very dark. It’s like an ocean, no light here… Please pray for the Church in Turkey.” Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager for the Middle East, said, “Turkey may label itself as a modern secular republic, but its policies toward religious minorities are a continuation of the Ottoman Empire. Restrictions against the local training of church leaders and the deportation of foreign pastors are part of the government’s policy to meddle with internal religious affairs. The government does not want a reemergence of Christianity within Turkey. They must be held accountable for their religious freedom violations.”

Cambodia

Click on slides to enlarge.

At last Christian residents defend themselves and kill a terrorist!

Fulani Militants Attack Another Christian Village in Nigeria

Four Killed, Six Injured

04/24/2019 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on Wednesday, April 17, 2019, Fulani militants launched an attack on Bolon village, a predominantly Christian village in Demsa Local Council Area of Adamawa State, Nigeria. The attackers struck at approximately 10:30 p.m., firing gunshots sporadically. When the dust settled, four people were killed and another six were injured by gunfire.

A local resident recalled, “An older man went to his backyard… and saw the attackers coming. The old man quickly went back and alerted the villagers of imminent danger while the attackers advanced very fast. Some of the villagers were able to flee, while some of the brave men tried to resist and repel the attackers.” More than 100 houses were burned down, as well as many food storage barns. An 89-year-old man and his wife were killed in their home when it burned down around them. Among the four victims were Nathan Maduwuri (89), Mirdiya Nathan (70), Demto Lord (13), and Emiko David (10).

Kalla Lord Dennis, a 48-year-old father, was shot in the hand and leg. The bullet that was lodged in his leg was finally removed several days after the attack. Kalla’s 13-year-old daughter Demto was killed, while his 10-year-old was shot in the leg. A total of six injured people are currently receiving treatment at Numan General Hospital. Other injured persons include Pwayakadi Zaro (35), Veronica Pwabideino (26), Hussieni Ishaku (22), and Kwahana Lord (10).

Confirming the identity of the attackers, one of the young men in the village, who wished to remain anonymous, was among the brave individuals who tried to repel the armed attackers. He said, “They were definitely Fulani militia, because we chased them away and were able to kill one of them, from whose identity we can tell.” The vigilante added that the government security forces were called to come and see the destruction unleashed in Bolon village.

Pastor Barkati, a native of the village, showed ICC the graves of the victims who were killed. They were all buried on Wednesday morning.

Prior to the federal and state elections in Nigeria, the security situation in southern Adamawa was relatively calm. This attack seems to have signaled the resumption of hostility by the Fulani militants, adding to the tension in the region.

40 Christians Violently Kicked Out of Village in India

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Police Inaction Leaves Seven Christian Families Homeless

04/23/2019 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on Sunday, April 14, 40 Christians were violently kicked out of their homes by Hindu extremists in Patamanda village, located in India’s eastern state of Odisha. According to local reports, the extremists accused the Christians of following a foreign religion and told the Christians that they were not allowed to stay in the village if they continued to practice their faith.

The attack began at 9:30 p.m. when a mob of villagers influenced by Hindu radicals stormed into the homes of seven Christian families in Patamanda village. The mob verbally abused the Christians and beat them with bamboo sticks. Two Christians, Mohan Vadeka and Mistu Vadeka, were targeted by the mob because of their leadership positions within the local Christian community. To escape the violent mob, the 40 Christians fled into the nearby forest. The mob then ransacked the seven Christian homes.

“Forty of us, including women and infants, walked more than two kilometers through the thickest forests in the dark,” Jilla Vadeka told ICC. “We traveled to the police station for help, but no help was rendered. We were just told to come back tomorrow.” 

When the Christians returned to the police station on April 15, police officers arranged a compromise between the Christian and Hindu villagers. “They told both of us not to interfere in each other’s faith and sent us away,” Mohan Vadeka said. “However, when we returned to Patamanda, there was a huge crowd waiting for us. They ruthlessly chased us back to the forest.”

“For more than a week now, we cannot stay freely in our homes,” Jilla Vadeka explained to ICC. “We are worried for our lives.”

On Friday, April 19, the Christians of Patamanda were told that they were not allowed to stay in the village if they continued to practice their faith. “Two border security force [officials] came to the village and threatened us,” Mohan Vadeka said. “They said that we cannot stay in the village if we follow the Christian faith. They said we would lose our government subsidized food and lose our ID cards.” 

“This is not the first time Christians in this region have faced violent attacks,” a local pastor, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told ICC. “The consequences of practicing the Christian faith can mean losing your house, facing social boycotts, and even physical torture. Christians cannot depend on police for help.”

ICC’s Regional Manager, William Stark, said, “Local authorities in India must do more to help the Christians of Patamanda village. Too often, attacks on Christians and their places of worship are ignored by India’s authorities. This climate of impunity has only emboldened Hindu radicals who now feel that they have a free hand to attack religious minorities across the country. Article 25 of India’s constitution guarantees religious freedom to all citizens. Until this right is enforced, Article 25 will remain only words on paper for the Christians of Patamanda village.”

Unprecedented Suicide Bombing Attacks Shock Christians in Sri Lanka

Human failure allowed this carnage in Sri Lanka-the authorities were alerted days before about an imminent attack so security at Christian sites should have been stepped up.

Two Britons killed-brother and sister.

Website

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48027050

• Please pray that Christians in Sri Lanka will know God as their ‘refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1-3).
• Ask God to heal the injured and comfort those who mourn. Pray that, as they experience the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, they will know the power of His resurrection (Philippians 3:10).
• Pray that Christians will not face the usual obstacles in burying their loved ones. Our partners say Christians are often refused access to family plots in Buddhist cemeteries and denied the financial help with funerals that Buddhists are freely given.
• Pray that the people of Sri Lanka will detest both Islamic and also Buddhist extremism and allow peace and freedom for Christian believers..
• Please pray that God will have mercy on those responsible for the attacks – and that they too, who are not already killed and in hell, may come to know the Saviour.

VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

(Morning Star News) – Christians in Sri Lanka have never seen such a large-scale attack on them as the one that hit three churches and three hotels on Easter Sunday (April 21), killing at least 290 people, they said.

“I don’t have words to express my pain,” a teary-eyed Eranda Weththasinghe told Morning Star News from Negombo, a predominantly Christian area north of Colombo where 104 worshippers died in a suicide bomb blast at St. Sebastian’s Church. “Tomorrow is going to be the mass funeral service, we only want prayers. We lost so many people.”

Weththasinghe said he lost several friends in the explosion that he witnessed, which the Sri Lankan government blamed on a local Islamic extremist group, the National Thowheed Jamaath. Officials said the small, obscure group could not have carried out the coordinated attacks without international accomplices.

“The smell of flesh is all around me,”…

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Suicide Bombers kill almost 300 at Churches and Hotels in Sri Lanka, hundreds injured

I cannot see how this could be ISIS, much more likely fanatical Buddhist extremists in this country.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

290 Killed in Easter Attacks on Churches and Hotels in Sri Lanka

Perpetrators of the Deadly Bombings Remain Unknown

04/21/2019 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) –  International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that at least 189 people have been killed in a series of bombings targeting churches and hotels across Sri Lanka. According to reports, as many as 400 others have been hospitalized with injuries as a result of the bombings that mark the first major terrorist attack since the country’s civil war came to a close in 2009.

Six bombings took place around the same time at 8:45 a.m. in the morning as Easter services began across the country. The deadliest attack took place at St. Sebastian’s Church, a Catholic church in Negombo, about 20 miles north of the country’s capital city of Colombo. In that attack more than 60 worshipers were killed.

In other attacks on churches, St. Anthony’s Shire, a Catholic shrine in Colombo, and Zion Church, an evangelical church in Batticoloa, were also bombed. In those attacks, at least 52 were killed at St. Anthony’s and another 38 killed at Zion Church.

One of the churches targeted was Zion Evangelical Church in Batticaloa. Barnabas Fund has a close relationship with this congregation of over 400 people and has been helping war widows at the church for several years. Around 35 people were killed at Zion Church, mainly children. Church leaders had spotted a suspicious person in the building before the service and sent someone to question him and get him out of the building. The suicide bomber exited as requested and detonated himself outside, in the grounds of the church, where the children were playing while they waited for the service to begin. Zion Church, whose congregation is mainly poor and needy, has asked Barnabas Fund to assist the bereaved families with funeral costs, and we will be sending these funds tomorrow. Help will also be needed with medical care for the injured at Zion Church and in other parts of Sri Lanka. Please pray for the suffering and grieving Christians in particular those mothers who lost their husbands and now have lost children too.

Three hotels popular with foreign tourists in Colombo were also bombed, including Shangri-La Colombo, Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo and the Cinnamon Grand Colombo. According to various media reports, it remained unclear whether there were any casualties in the hotels.

So far, no one has taken responsibility for the attacks on the churches and hotels. However, Sri Lankan police say the attacks were highly coordinated and early investigations suggest that they were carried out by suicide bombers.

Out of Sri Lanka’s total population of 22 million, Christians only account for 7.6% according to the 2012 census.

Christians in Sri Lanka have claimed to be facing increasing intimidation from Buddhist extremists in recent years. According to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL), which represents more than 200 churches and other Christians groups in Sri Lanka, there were 86 verified incidents of persecution in 2018. This included incidents of discrimination, threats, and violence against Christians.

In 2019, NCEASL has already recorded 26 verified incidents of persecution. This includes incidents as recent as a mob attack on a Methodist Prayer Center on Palm Sunday. In that incident, ICC reported that 25 young people pelted Christian worshipers with stones and firecrackers before locking the Christians within the prayer center and refusing to release them. 

ICC’s Regional Manager, William Stark, said, “The thoughts and prayers of ICC first and foremost go out to the families of those killed and injured in this deadly wave of attacks. No one should fear being the target of such extreme violence simply because of their identity as a religious minority. Too often Sri Lanka’s authorities have tolerated instances of discrimination and intolerance against Christians and other religious minorities. This must come to an end. Authorities must investigate who was behind these deadly attacks and bring them to justice.”

VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

(Voice of the Persecuted) It is with a heavy heart to report on Resurrection Sunday that a massacre has taken place targeting Christians who were attending worship services at St. Anthony’s Church in Colombo, St. Sebastian’s Church in Negombo and Zion Church, in Batticaloa in Sri Lanka. At the time of this report, the latest update from police claim that at least 207 were killed and at least 450-500 injured in 8 explosions by suicide bombers at the churches, Shangri-La, Cinnamon Grand and Kingsbury hotels. Viewer Warning: below video content graphic

The majority of casualties are Christians and the death toll and numbers injured are expected to rise. Earlier, the government said they suspected the suicide bombings were carried out by one group. Finance Minister, Mangala Samaraweera said,

The bombings are not the doings of a fanatical individual. It’s obviously a highly coordinated attempt to create murder, mayhem…

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School worker dismissed wrongfully.

Breaking news Christian sacked for sharing concerns about sex education Kristie Higgs is challenging her employer’s decision to sack her for sharing two posts with her Facebook friends A Christian school worker is to challenge a Gloucestershire school academy’s decision to dismiss her for gross misconduct. She was dismissed after she shared two Facebook posts that raised concerns about Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) at another school in the same village – her own child’s Church of England Primary School. Kristie, a mother of two who had been working at the Gloucestershire academy for six years as a pastoral assistant, was told following an investigation and a six hour hearing that she would be dismissed without notice. Read the the Daily Mail’s coverage of the story What had Kristie done? Earlier last year, her child’s Church of England primary school sent out a letter informing parents it was adopting the ‘No Outsiders’ programme, which challenges the Christian understanding of family and openly promotes LGBT lifestyles to children as young as four. After attending a meeting at the primary school to find out more about the programme, Kristie decided to express her concerns on Facebook. She shared two posts, the first beginning, “Please read this they are brainwashing our children! Please sign this petition, they have already started to brainwash our innocent wonderfully created children and it’s happening in our local primary school now.” Kristie urged her friends to sign a nationwide petition opposing the government’s proposals to make Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) compulsory for children as young as four. The issue was subsequently debated in parliament. In her second post, Kristie re-shared an article on the rise of transgender ideology in children’s books in American schools, adding that: “This is happening in our primary schools now.”  Both posts were visible only to her friends. Nevertheless, they were reported to the school where she worked – Farmor’s School in Fairford, Gloucestershire, and following an investigation, Kristie was dismissed for gross misconduct. Post from JudyBeth.Com on transgender ideology. Click for full size. Post on Relationships and Sex Education in primary schools. Click for full size. Reasons given by the academy for her dismissal were: ‘illegal discrimination‘, ‘serious inappropriate use of social media‘, and ‘online comments that could bring the school into disrepute and damage the reputation of the school.’   However, the conclusions by the school were unfounded and the Christian Legal Centre is now supporting Kristie as she challenges the academy for wrongful dismissal and discrimination.  In the conclusion to Kristie’s hearing, the academy admitted that: “Regarding bringing the school into disrepute…we agree that there is no direct evidence that as a matter of fact that the reputation of the school has been damaged to date.” When Kristie asked who she had discriminated against, she was told by the school: “you had not directly discriminated against one person, rather it was about the words you had used that could be perceived as discrimination.”  “It has everything to do with my religion” Kristie has said: “I have been punished for sharing concerns about Relationships and Sex Education. I hold these views because of my Christian beliefs, beliefs and views which are shared by hundreds of thousands of parents across the UK. My number one concern has always been the effect that learning about sex and gender in school will have on children at such a young age.  “As soon as the investigation into the posts began, I was repeatedly told: ‘this is nothing to do with your religion.’ That was clearly a legal tactic and of course it has everything to do with my religion. I am determined to fight this case and to stand for Christians and all parents across the country who are being silenced for sharing and holding these views.” “This is all about the freedom of a Christian to hold Biblical views on sexuality” Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, added: “This case is about the freedom to hold Christian views about what it means to be human. Many Christians have faced pressure for expressing these views in the workplace before, but in this case, Kristie has been dismissed for sharing her views among friends on Facebook. “What Kristie shared on Facebook simply reflects the genuine and justified concerns of a parent about the sexual ideology currently being imposed on her own children and thousands of children across the UK. “Kristie has not only lost her job, but her whole career is now tarnished with the accusation that for holding these views she is now a danger to vulnerable children. This is despite an exemplary record at the school and in her work with youth in the wider community. If Kristie does not win this case, due to one complaint, she will never be able to work with children again. “Kristie is a kind, loving and courageous woman, and we will stand side by side with her as she fights for justice.” Please pray for Kristie, her family and our legal team. We will keep you updated on developments.

International rugby player in trouble over Biblical remarks about homosexuality.

from Voice for Justice UK

A row has erupted in sport after Australian rugby player and committed Christian, Israel Folau, posted on social media that those who are living in sin will end up in Hell, unless they repent.  Quoting from Galatians 5:19-21, he said, “Drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolators – Hell awaits you.” For expression of that conviction, ‘hell’ appears to have broken out round the rugby star, but, despite sacking from his team and widespread condemnation, Folau has refused to remove the post, saying simply that his faith in Jesus Christ is what comes first in his life, and he was encouraging people to repent.  His cause has now been taken up by England International Billy Vunipola, also a Christian, who has bravely waded into the fray in Folau’s support.  Saying the Rugby star was simply expressing his belief, Vunipola said we all need to live closer to God, and that man was made for woman. He too is now facing disciplinary action (https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/billy-vunipola-israel-folau-sacked-england-australia-homophobic-social-media-post-channel-4-a8868126.html). It is interesting, however, that apart from generalised rage and the righteous denunciation of this attack on the LGBT community, there has been little or no reference to other categories of sin in the list.   Why, VfJUK asks, has there been no corresponding fury from atheists, fornicators, or adulterers – who, one may suppose, form a far greater proportion of the population?  Why is the press not standing up for thieves and drunkards, protesting that this is an abuse of their human rights? And while we’re on the subject of human rights – which always comes in at some point – what about the Sultan of Brunei, with his recent announcement of the strict enforcement of Islamic law?  From coverage in the Western press, you’d be excused for thinking the man was a rabid bigot who had specifically announced violent war against homosexuals (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-47769964).   But this is misleading.  The reality is that, for a Muslim, Sharia law governs every aspect of life and imposes harsh penalties for transgression of any and all the rules, including amputation, flogging, beheading, and stoning to death.  The same law applies equally to apostates, rapists, thieves, homosexuals, adulterers…  in fact to any perceived offence – and it is this system that – rightly or wrongly, as we see it – the Sultan of Brunei has ruled be enforced. So by all means condemn him for barbarity.  And on any scale Sharia law is frightening.  But only for vicious homophobia…? The truth is that in Islam homosexuality is merely one ‘sin’ among many – almost on a par with insulting Mohammed, but not quite – sitting alongside such things as rape, incest, and adultery.  All carry horrific punishment, including stoning and death – and it is this cruel and vicious punishment system that should be condemned wholesale.  As it is, focussing on one aspect to the exclusion of all else risks legitimizing a belief system that has at its heart the merciless enforcement of rules that appear on occasion both bizarre and unreasonable – as, for example, with some of the laws relating to women. But in the Western mindset all this gets lost, because beside so-called LGBT rights, everything else pales into insignificance.  Let’s be blunt, what we are seeing in Europe today is in effect the birth of new religion, whose counterfeit and blinkered god demands total and exclusive worship, and who will brook no rival.  Besides the idol of LGBT rights, all other considerations melt like snowflakes in the sun. In such a climate, Christian belief looks like it doesn’t stand a chance.  The demand is either that we conform and kneel before the altar of sexual libertarianism – that we deny our faith – or that we be sacrificed. It is this new religion that Folau and Vunipola have dared challenge.  And, however dressed up, it is a straight attack on Christianity.  Yet perhaps saddest of all is the fact that, for many, this vicious attack on freedom of belief has passed almost unremarked.   In today’s world it is apparently justified to silence Christians! As Easter approaches, the question for believers is whether we too will dare stand for our faith?  Or will we take the easy way and join with the crowd, bowing down before the counterfeit and decadent god who smiles upon sin, and affirms indulgence? “I warn you again, as I warned you before, those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom…”  Galatians 5:21 As we prepare once more to celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, who died that we might live, let us nail our colours to the mast and follow Him in obedience.  In these challenging times, let us not be found wanting. We wish you a happy and blessed Easter,

Notre Dame fire: spire and roof destroyed but main structure saved

It might have been the result of criminal damage but it is no tragedy when a home of the blasphemous Roman mass that disparages the once for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ is destroyed.

Read this verse and ask yourself why this happened and why God brought it about:

Mark 13:2

“And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

What a tragedy. Praying for the firemen on the scene.

Below links from The Guardian Live news feed on the Cathedral

• French billionaire pledges €100m to rebuilding efforts
• The “worst has been avoided”, says Macron
• Fire started accidentally – preliminary investigation
• Two towers saved, but fireman seriously injured – reports
• Main structure “saved and preserved
• Macron arrives at the scene
• Next hour and a half is “crucial” says Paris fire department

See more updates here

VOP NOTE: France has had several weeks of escalating vandalism and arson attacks on churches. Compared to the 1st quarter of 2018, France has seen a 53% rise in anti-Christian acts during the 1st quarter of 2019. Please keep France in your prayers.

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Imam in Eastern Uganda Faces Wrath of Muslims after Putting Faith in Christ

God bless this young convert and his family.

VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

Hassan Podo, former sheikh beaten after his family learned he had become a Christian (Photo: Morning Star News/Google Map)

(Morning Star News) – Sheikh Hassan Podo, a 28-year-old imam in Kerekerene village in eastern Uganda, missed mosque prayers for three consecutive weeks and was seen entering a church building around noon on March 16.

He had kept his faith in Christ a secret for three weeks. The young Muslim who saw Podo enter the church building in Katira Sub-County, Budaka District, went straight to Podo’s parents and brothers to report him.

When Podo arrived at the house that evening, his family interrogated him about where he had spent the better part of the day.

“Without my completing answering them, my brothers immediately began surrounding me, with sticks,” Podo told Morning Star News. “It was difficult to escape. They began shouting, beating and insulting me as an ‘infidel’ and…

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Totalitarian transgenderism

The chilling evidence that Jordan Peterson was right: transgender ideology is ‘totalitarian’

Jordan Peterson faces off against protesters in 2016, shortly after he publicly declared his opposition to Canadian legislation that would force people to use various recently-fabricated pronouns, such as xe and xir.

Article

Lord thwart their evil plans

Terrorist threat to Pakistan churches

Authorities in Pakistan fear that a terrorist linked to Islamic State is planning an attack that could target Christians in Punjab province at Easter.

The bomber is likely to try to carry out a suicide attack in Lahore, our contact says.

Please pray for safety for our brothers and sisters in Pakistan, especially in Lahore, over the Easter period.

Easter has been a particularly dangerous time for believers in Pakistan. Last year four members of one family were shot dead in Quetta by terrorists deliberately targeting Christians.

During Easter 2016, a suicide bomber targeted church-goers at a park in Lahore, killing more than 70. Most of the victims were women and children.

• Thank God for the witness of His church in Pakistan and ask Him to protect His people. Pray especially for safety at Easter church services and celebrations.
• Pray that the authorities will put in place effective measures that would prevent any attack from happening.
• Ask God to convict all those whose hearts are filled with hatred towards Christians to repent of their actions and turn to Christ.

(Source: Release contact)

Christian Woman Raped, Killed as Herdsmen Attack Two Villages in Nigeria

More violence with apparent impunity! BUT vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the LORD.

VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

(Morning Star News) – Muslim Fulani herdsmen attacked two predominantly Christian villages in north-central Nigeria after beating, raping and killing a 19-year-old Christian woman in the pre-dawn hours on Saturday (March 23), her father said.

Danlami Mante told Morning Star News that armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen ambushed Joy Danlami and her two younger siblings as they were returning to Mante village, Nasarawa state, at about 2 a.m. after the Christians attended a community feast in Katanza village, Akwanga County. His younger daughter, 16-year-old Patience Danlami, and 14-year-old son, Aboy Danlami, escaped with gunshot and machete wounds, he said.

“The armed herdsmen chased them with dangerous weapons,” Mante told Morning Star News. “Joy’s nose and face was battered, and then she was sexually assaulted by the herdsmen before being killed. She was shot.”

After the ambush, the herdsmen proceeded to the family’s native Mante village, where they burned down…

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Send a message to all would-be kidnappers and rapists!

 

Article

May these evil men be sentenced appropriately!

Couple Beaten, Congregation Member Missing in Persecution of Church in China

Chengdu church members continue to suffer for Christ.

VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

(Morning Star News) – Following the arrest of 44 worshipers from house church meetings in southwestern China in February, police in Chengdu this month arrested a married couple from the church and beat them during interrogation, the church reported.

The couple, identified as Liu and his wife Xing, of Early Rain Covenant Church, were visiting Christian friends when police from Chengdu Shuyuan Police Station on March 2 detained them and took them to Taisheng Road Police Station for interrogation, according to the church, whose pastor along with more than 100 others was arrested in a Dec. 9 raid.

“At 2 p.m., while being interrogated, they were personally humiliated, abused, and violently beaten by seven to eight police officers from the Chengdu Taisheng Road Police Station,” the church’s March 2 statement on Facebook reads. “They were detained for nearly eight hours. After being beaten by police officers from…

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More Pakistani wickedness.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Mentally Disabled Christian Accused of Blasphemy in Pakistan Islamic Cleric Leads Mob to Attack Mentally Disabled Believer and Family 03/13/2019 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Stephen Masih, a 42-year-old mentally disabled Christian, was accused of committing blasphemy against the prophet of Islam. He was accused on March 11, 2019, in Badiana, a neighborhood in the district of Sialakot in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Faraz Masih, the victim’s nephew and an eyewitness, informed ICC that Masih has been mentally disabled since birth. According to Faraz, the entire neighborhood knows Stephen’s mental status and local children often tease and beat him. Stephen Masih was accused of derogatory remarks against the prophet Muhammad by Hafiz Muhammad Mudasir, a local Muslim. During the incident in question, Stephen was debating with his brother-in-law over fasting and praying during Lent. However, because of his mental state, he became exacerbated and began shouting loudly, attracting attention from the neighbors. When Mudasir reached Stephen’s house, he began beating Stephen, unprovoked. The family members protested against Mudasir’s illogical interference into the family’s matter. Mudasir, who identifies as a cleric, left Stephen’s house in anger, warning that he would teach Stephen a lesson for insulting him. Shortly after, Mudasir returned, leading a mob of angry Muslims. With direction from Mudasir, the mob began beating Stephen and other family members for the alleged crime of blasphemy. Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Stephen under the country’s blasphemy laws, section 295 C of the Pakistan Penal Code. Stephen is currently in police custody. While speaking with ICC, Ayub Qaiser, Director of FGA Pakistan, said, “It is sad and shocking that blasphemy laws are being misused, even against special persons. The authorities must look into the situation and introduce amendments and special care of the mentally immature people.” Qaiser urged for protection for Stephen’s family members and a fair trial of the case.

URGENT: PRAY FOR BIBLE TRANSLATORS UNDER ATTACK

Pray for these folk. I am guessing this is Somalia.

VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

Special Report: Translators persecuted for translating the gospel

By Nena Podbury for American Bible Society—This week, we received heartbreaking news about an attack against Bible translators and we’re urging everyone to pray.

American Bible Society has been supporting a network of churches that are working on 25 Bible translation projects for unreached people groups in Central Asia and the Arabic Gulf region. Working in an undisclosed location in Northeast Africa, where the Christian church faces strong opposition, Christians risk their lives to translate God’s Word.

Last month, a terrorist group became aware of these translation efforts. Two weeks ago, this militant group burned the translation facility and killed five members of the lead translator’s family. The lead translator was also seriously injured. Another 49 translators were abducted and are still missing.

Despite this horrifying tragedy and the constant threat of extreme danger, this network of pastors plans to carry…

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Another precious Indian martyr.

Church In Chains – Ireland :: An Irish voice for suffering, persecuted Christians Worldwid

 

INDIA: Christian shot dead in Odisha

21st February 2019

Three attackers dragged father-of-five Anant Ram Gand (40) out of his house, shot him in the head, beheaded him and dumped his body in the road in the village of Raigarh Tehsil, Nabarangapur district, Odisha state on 11 February.

Anant was an agricultural worker who converted to Christianity nine months ago, followed by his whole family, and was baptised two months ago in an evangelical church. His conversion angered Hindu extremist villagers, who taunted him and his wife Sukbati (38) about their faith, banned them from collecting water from the public well and forced them to leave the village. They had to move a kilometre away and dig their own bore well, and Anant was harassed and beaten twice in 2018.

The organisation Persecution Relief also reported that tensions were brewing locally over traditional tribal customs in which Anant refused to take part following his conversion.

Locals reported that the Hindu extremists used Naxals (Indian Maoist guerrillas) to carry out the murder. Anant was a former Naxal sympathiser and Persecution Relief reported, “It is alleged that the extremists spread false stories to the Naxals about Brother Anant Ram being a police informer, in order to eliminate him.”

Shibu Thomas, founder of Persecution Relief, said that in the past Anant had expressed sympathy for the Maoist guerrillas and stated, “He was never a part of the fighters, but the Hindus made the Naxals believe that the Christian would reveal their secrets to the police.“

Local pastor Chanan Jani said that Anant had been more than a sympathiser, stating, “In the past, before he became a Christian, he was a Naxal and was caught by the police. That was the turning point where he surrendered to the police and renounced his life as a Naxal. The Naxals thought he might share their secrets with the police. But Anant did not want enmity with anyone and assured them that he was a follower of Jesus Christ.”

Commenting on Anant’s strong faith, the pastor said, “His passion and dedication were unbelievable. Most days, he fasted and prayed. The entire family embraced their faith wholeheartedly.”

Attack

On the day of the murder, Sukbati went to the nearby village with their four daughters, Dhanomati (13), Purnima (11), Hemobai (3) and Kemiti (2), while Anant and their son Purno (6) remained at home. Sukbati and the children are pictured, left, in a video still.

Purno said he woke up to the sound of three men knocking at the door. His father opened the door and the men caught hold of him, tied his hands to a pole behind his back and dragged him away. Before they drove off, they pushed Purno away and threatened to harm him if he followed them. Purno ran to his uncle’s house nearby and raised the alarm.

The attackers shot Anant in the head, crushed his skull with a large stone, decapitated him and threw his body onto the road.

Sukbati told Pastor Chanan Jani, “He has been killed for his faith in Jesus Christ. But I am sure I will not forsake Jesus Christ my Saviour and Lord. Please remember us in your prayers so that we stand strong in faith and all our daily needs are met.”

Following the murder, Shibu Thomas stated: “As president of the group, I ask the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister of the State to please order a probe. The government should provide compensation to the family and five small children. They should speak clearly against persecution of Christians and to protect freedom of worship. Enough is enough!“

The case highlights the vulnerability of Christians in remote areas of India to attack by those who consider them enemies.

Naxalism

Naxals or Naxalites are far-left radical Indian communist revolutionaries who follow Mao Tse Tung’s political ideology. The name derives from the village of Naxalbari in West Bengal, where the Naxalite peasant revolt took place in 1967. From West Bengal, the movement has spread through rural areas of southern and eastern India.

(Asia News/Persecution Relief)

Pakistani Christian student brutally attacked by classmates.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Christian Student in Pakistan Nearly Killed in Stabbing by Muslim Classmates Activist Claims Incident Was Fueled by Unchecked Religious Intolerance 02/21/2019 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that a Christian student from Karachi, Pakistan was nearly killed after being stabbed in an attack by Muslim classmates. As is common with attacks by Muslims on Christians, the student’s parents were pressured by the police to not press charges. Yet, the family has declared that they want justice. According to a local human rights defender, this violent incident resulted from unchecked religious intolerance in Pakistan’s educational system. The incident began on Friday, February 15, when Haroon Irfan, a Christian student at Government Mohammadi School in Karachi, reported that his Muslim classmate, Muhammad Majid, stole and damaged his school notebook. According to the school’s headmaster, Muhammad Aftab, Haroon is known by the nickname “small Einstein” because of his intelligence. “Haroon made a complaint to the teacher and, when the notebook was recovered from Majid’s backpack, he got angry and felt insulted,” Irfan Masih, Haroon’s father, told ICC. Two days later, on Sunday, February 17, Haroon was attacked by Majid and several other Muslim boys as he was on his way to buy food from a local hotel. “When Haroon was alone on the road, Majid and five others beat Haroon for alleging [Majid] of stealing his notebook and complaining to the teacher,” Irfan explained. In the course of the attack, the assailants stabbed Haroon in the stomach, damaging his kidney. “The attack was so terrible that Haroon’s kidney was cut into two pieces,” a local Christian activist told ICC. The assailants fled the scene, leaving Haroon wounded on the ground. When Haroon was discovered, he was rushed to Jinnah Hospital in Karachi where doctors were forced to remove his kidney. Haroon’s father reported that local police were initially unwilling to register a First Information Report (FIR) regarding the attack on Haroon. According to Irfan, the police pressured him to settle the matter outside of Pakistan’s judicial system. “We are not going into any process of negotiations or forgiveness,” Khursheed Bibi, Haroon’s grandmother, told ICC. “We want justice.” “This incident is a continuation of previous incidents of intolerance which we have experienced in schools and colleges,” Ghazala Shafeeq, a local human rights defender, stated on social media. “Christians feel insecure, therefore authorities must come up with practical steps to ensure their safety and security.” “The authorities must also introduce amendments to the educational system to promote religious tolerance,” Shafeeq continued. “If we don’t purify educational institutions and delete the hate material from the textbooks, we are going to damage the next generation.” ICC’s Regional Manager, William Stark, said, “We here at ICC are deeply distressed by the violent attack on Haroon. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. Religious intolerance and discrimination based on religious identity are widespread in Pakistan. Unfortunately, this is not only present in Pakistan’s educational institutions, it is widely modeled by many teachers and taught by school curriculums. We hope that this attack will lead to justice for Haroon as well as real change to Pakistan’s educational institutions. These institutions should be safe places where students are allowed to receive a proper education regardless of their religious identity.”  For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org

Pastor in Myanmar Abducted by Arakan Army

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Christians in Rakhine State Face Increasing Danger 02/20/2019 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on February 13, Pastor U Thar Tun was taken from his home in Buthidaung township, Rakhine State, by members of the Arakan Army (AA), a Buddhist rebel group. According to his wife, Daw Hla Sein, the insurgent group initially demanded that they leave their home to talk, so the family complied with the orders. However, the insurgents then tied up the pastor and dragged him away. She soon informed the local authorities and the police are now investigating the abduction. U Thar Tun, the 50-year-old pastor of Mara Evangelical Church, is from the Myo ethnic group, one of the most common minority groups from Rakhine State, Myanmar. The father of five received his theological education from Mizoram State in India.  He has been serving as a pastor in his church for many years and, although his church could not financially support him, he still takes a leadership role in church activities. He is also involved in local community development. A colleague from the area told ICC, “He is innocent and actively involved in social and ethnic Myo people activities. He acts with truth and love for the oppressed people and he also protects them. Even though there is only [a] slim chance, I would like to request his immediate release from the people who had taken him. He is a valued member of our community.” His congregation and fellow Myo people are very concerned about his disappearance. Some locals believe that he will not be coming back. The fighting between the Burmese Army and the AA resumed last December. AA is a Buddhist rebel group known for its intolerance of other religious groups, particularly Muslims and Christians. A month ago, Pastor Tun Nu from Rakhine State’s Sittwe District was also abducted by the AA and his death was confirmed earlier this month. Gina Goh, ICC’s Regional Manager, said, “While a lot of attention has been paid to the Rohingya crisis in Rakhine State, it is alarming to see Christian persecution on the rise in the area. We urge the Burmese government to negotiate the release of Pastor U Thar Tun, given that his life is at risk in the hands of the Arakan Army. This evil act cannot be tolerated or ignored.”

Christians injured when prayer meeting attacked.

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14 February 2019

Three Christians suffered serious injuries when a mob of 25 extremists attacked a prayer meeting in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh on 7 February.

The mob broke into the pastor’s home in Chapar village, Sultanpur district, and began insulting worshippers before slapping them and hitting them with sticks. Bibles were also set on fire.

“They did not even spare women,” said Sajan K George, the president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), who spoke out condemning the violence. He added, “Intolerance towards Christians in Uttar Pradesh is spiralling upward and religious freedom is pulverised by fanatical elements.”

An Indian Christian praying in a wrecked church building. Densely populated India is home to around 64 million Christians

The Christian leader said, “[the attack] is a shame on secular India” and added that the police, “did not allow Christians to file a complaint against the attackers nor let the injured get medical certificates for their injuries”. Highlighting that the situation is likely to deteriorate in the run-up to the general elections expected in May he added, “Fanatics are whipping up hostility against Christians for political gain.”

Persecution of Christians and other minorities has been on the rise in India since Narendra Modi, whose home constituency is in Uttar Pradesh, became prime minister in 2014. There was a sharp escalation of persecution incidents against Christians in 2017, when around 736 were recorded by the Evangelical Fellowship of India (of which 351 were violent), compared to 348 persecution incidents recorded in 2016.

India

Uzbek mother killed by husband.

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19 February 2019

An Uzbek mother was killed by her husband on 9 February because she had recently become a Christian.

“Umida”, a Muslim-background Christian, was attempting to flee the country to seek refuge in Istanbul with Christian friends, when her husband confronted her at Tashkent Airport and slit her throat.

Previously, the man had locked Umida in their home to prevent her from going to church and banned her from seeing their two-year-old son after discovering she had asked a friend to get her an Uzbek Bible.

Umida’s parents had taken their daughter to live at their home and allowed her to go to church but she continued to receive threats from her husband.

Friends of Umida have asked for prayers for her parents and her son.

Uzbekistan, a former Soviet Union republic, is officially secular but more than 90% of the population is Muslim. Churches are required by law to register, but stringent requirements make it nearly impossible for most churches to do so. Uzbek Christians (who are converts from Islam and their children) face frequent persecution including violent raids on meetings and homes.

From Barnabas Fund contacts

Nigerian pastor killed and family kidnapped

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18 February 2019

A pastor was murdered and his family kidnapped after gunmen opened fire on their car on 7 February in Zamfara state, northern Nigeria.

Pastor Anthony Idris Jatau’s car skidded off the road in the attack, and he and his family were dragged out. The pastor’s body was found two days later, on 9 February, but the whereabouts of his wife, three children and two sisters-in-law are unknown at the time of writing.

According to a local source, the kidnappers are holding the children in separate locations and have demanded a ransom for the family’s release.

Pastor Jatau, his wife and family were travelling to take up a new ministry when they were attacked

The source said, “Everybody is sad at the moment and afraid for the lives of his family members. Security agencies are aware of the case but there is nothing yet.”

Pastor Jatau, who survived an earlier kidnapping in September 2006, was travelling from his ministry in Sokoto to a new posting in Katsina, about 250 miles away, when the attack happened.

Zamfara is notorious for kidnappings and attacks by Fulani herdsmen militia groups, who have terrorised Christian farming communities. Barnabas Fund patron Baroness Cox, who raised the issue of Fulani attacks in the House of Lords on 17 July 2018, says the militants are now so well armed that some believe they may be fighting a proxy war for Boko Haram, the Islamist militia that wants to drive out Christians from northern Nigeria.

Pray for the Fulani

More news from Iran

 

News

Crackdown on Iranian believers continues

Becoming a Christian in Iran is fraught with danger – as the recent arrest of many believers with a Muslim background makes clear.

Two more were detained in Shiraz and Esfahan in January. These are just the latest in a wave of arrests targeting the Christian community which began late last year. Most of those detained have a Muslim background.

Please pray for our brothers and sisters behind bars in Iran.

On January 25, 64-year-old Ismaeil Maghrebinejad was arrested in Shiraz and security agents confiscated his laptop, phone and Christian books. He was later released on bail.

Two days earlier Sina Moloudian, who is just 26, was detained in Esfahan at the family home. Intelligence agents broke down the door and arrested Sina in front of his parents. Eye witnesses reported seeing Sina with bruising on his face as he was dragged out of the house. He rang his parents later to say he was being held in Dastgerd prison.

• Pray that prisoners of faith in Iran will be released soon and restored to their families. Pray that God will sustain and strengthen them.
• Please pray that the wave of arrests will stop.
• Lift up in prayer the officials involved in arresting Christians: pray that they will be touched by the powerful witness of God’s people in Iran and by their overcoming faith.

The Iranian church will be like the Israelites in Egypt-the more they were oppressed-the more they multiplied and grew strong.

Iranian persecution

Iranian Christian heads to prison rather than renounce her faith

Iranian Christian Fatemeh Bakhteri is behind bars in Tehran’s brutal Evin Prison today – because she refused to renounce her faith.

Fatemeh (also known as Ailar) has just started serving a one-year sentence because her Christian activities were deemed ‘propaganda against the state’. Friends say she was not afraid as she went to jail.

Pray that God’s peace and presence will be with Fatemeh as she adapts to life in jail.

She and her co-defendant, Saheb Fadaie (also known as Zaman), who are both converts to Christianity, had appealed against sentences handed down last September: Saheb had been convicted of ‘acting against national security’ and sentenced to 18 months behind bars and two years in exile.

They came under heavy pressure from appeal judges to renounce their faith – but both refused. Saheb is already serving a ten-year prison sentence for his church activities.

Meanwhile, Pastor Victor bet Tamraz, his wife Shamiram Issavi Khabizeh, their son Ramiel, and three others Christians – Amin Nader Afshari, Hadi Asgari and Kavian Fallah Mohammadi – had their appeal against prison sentences ranging from four months to 15 years adjourned last week. The judge failed to appear and no new date has been set.

• Pray that God will strengthen and encourage Fatemeh and Saheb. Ask God to comfort and strengthen Fatemeh’s husband too.
• Pray that God will use Fatemeh, Saheb and other Christian inmates of Evin Prison to speak of His great love to prisoners there.
• Ask God to sustain Pastor Victor, his family and friends in this time of uncertainty. Pray they will all be acquitted.
• Continue to pray for the Iranian authorities, that they will come to uphold religious freedom and begin to recognise the church as a force for social good.(Source: Middle East Concern)

Azerbaijan

 

Pray for Guzal, a former Muslim whose husband Asad apparently came to profess faith but when persecution came from relatives he hardened his heart and now forbids her going to church, meeting believers or reading her Bible. Pray for him and the meeting of her spiritual needs.

More-click on slides to enlarge.

Nigeria Says Leah Sharibu Is Alive; Herdsmen Attacks Continue

Nigeria-a failed state, most definitely!

VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED

National Mosque in Abuja, Nigeria. (Wikipedia)

Nigeria (Morning Star News) – More than a month after an aid worker indicated in a video that kidnapped Christian teenager Leah Sharibu had been killed, a government official in Nigeria on Saturday (Aug. 31) said she was alive.

Citing intelligence from security agencies, presidential spokesman Garba Shehu released a statement reaffirming that the government is negotiating with terrorists for the release of Leah and other captives.

“Contrary to false reports, she [Leah] is alive, given assurances from our security agencies, and the government is committed to her safe return, as well as all other hostages to their families,” Shehu said. “Instead of giving up, the government is carrying forward processes that should hopefully yield her release by her captors.”

Lines of communications remain open with the kidnappers of Boko Haram, now called the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), to…

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Sri Lanka testimony

This is the wonderful testimony of a father Verl, who lost his 13 year old son Jackson among the hundreds killed by suicide bombers at his church during Easter this year in Sri Lanka.

” God is good, God is great. My foundation is Jesus Christ. I’m zero. Jesus is everything. My son was mine for 13 years, but he is His forever!”

More here:Report

Iranian Christians’ appeal

Pray for the bet Tamraz family in Iran

Please pray for Pastor Victor bet Tamraz, his wife Shamiram Issavi Khabizeh and their son Ramiel bet Tamraz (pictured). Shamiram is due in court next Tuesday (3 September) to hear the verdict of her appeal against a five-year prison sentence imposed because of her Christian activities. It had been expected that Victor and Ramiel would be summoned to the same hearing as had previously been indicated. The family believes that the Iranian authorities are delaying the judicial process to put pressure on the family to leave Iran. Please hold in your prayers our six brothers and sisters in Iran whose appeal hearing will be held next Tuesday. Pastor Victor bet Tamraz, his wife Shamiram Issavi Khabizeh, their son Ramiel bet Tamraz, and three others Christians – Amin Nader Afshari, Hadi Asgari and Kavian Fallah Mohammadi – are appealing against prison sentences ranging from four months to 15 years. Sentences handed down to Pastor Victor, Amin, Hadi and Kavian were issued by a judge who has since been suspended amid allegations of corruption. (Source: Middle East Concern)

Several Christians in Iran are appealing sentences ranging from 5 to 10 years. They include: Hadi Asgari, Amin Afshari, Pastor Victor Bet Tamraz and his wife Shamiram Khabizeh, Eskander Rezaei,  Suroush Saraei, Mohammad-Reza and Yasser Saheb (latter two sentenced to lashes for consuming communion wine).

Ramil Bet Tamraz
Ramil has been given a four-month jail sentence for ‘acting against national security’ because of his involvement in house churches in Iran. His parents, Pastor Victor Bet Tamraz and Shamiram Isavi, are serving suspended sentences for their own church activities. Ramil was held for two months after his arrest in 2016. Pray that his appeal succeeds so he will not have to serve the rest of his sentence.

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nor a crime or against national security to gather at a home and pray”

Daughter of imprisoned Iranian pastor speaks out ahead of appeal: “It’s not a sin nor a crime or against national security to gather at a home and pray”

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4 September 2018

An Iranian Christian whose father, mother and brother have all been handed jail terms has spoken out against their verdicts.

Ahead of a planned legal appeal, Dabrina Bet Tamraz stated, “My father and mother have been given heavy sentences without any evidence. The verdict against my father says he attended religious seminars in the US, Sweden and the Netherlands even though he has never stepped foot in those countries.”

Dabrina’s brother, Ramiel, became the third member of the family to be sentenced to jail for “acting against national security” in June

Dabrina’s father previously pastored an Assyrian church in Tehran. Iranian authorities normally permit Christians from the Assyrian and Armenian ethnic groups to meet openly, but Victor’s church was closed down in 2009, because the congregation worshipped in the Farsi, the language spoken by most Iranians, who are Muslims. Victor and his wife then held meetings in their own home, prior to their arrest. They have been given jail terms of five and ten years, respectively, for “acting against national security”, but are appealing against the sentences. In June, Dabrina’s brother Ramiel became the third member of the family to be sentenced to jail for “acting against national security”.

Dabrina insists, “Using the Persian language [Farsi] in church cannot be considered a crime … It’s not a sin nor a crime or against national security to gather at a home and pray.” Iranian authorities fiercely persecute Farsi-speaking Christian congregations, almost all of whom are made up of converts from Islam.