Warning Issued Prior to Kenya Attack, by Ruth Kramer, at Mission Network News

Please also read Update, Killings in Kenya (March 25th) and Four Killed in Attack on Kenyan Church (March 24th),  both found here at One Saint.






"In light of the recent attack on a church in Mombasa, Kenya, this next story is sobering.

"An Open Doors partner based in Kenya near the hostile northeastern border regions with Somalia has requested prayer after receiving a sobering message. He shared that an elderly Muslim stopped him recently as he walked home, warning him to be very careful because “people are being killed aimlessly and easily’”in the area.

“'Do not relax in your security precautions just because things have quietened down a bit,” the elderly man cautioned. “The tactics have changed. Government and church leaders are being targeted. Please be very careful."

UN Council's Call for Action on North Korean Human Rights Abuses Welcomed at Christian Today






"The United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution on Friday calling upon the UN Security Council to take action on widespread human rights abuses being perpetrated in North Korea.

"The closed off communist country is accused by the council of committing "ongoing and systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations."

"These include "the denial of the right of freedom of thought, conscience and religion."

"The resolution says that the body of information received by the council "provides reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed.'"

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Media Contact: Isaac Six, Advocacy Manager advocacy@persecution.org



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

President Obama Silent on Religious Freedom in Saudi Arabia
Rare Opportunity to Change Lives in Restrictive Nation Missed, Say Observers

03/29/2014 
Saudi Arabia
International Christian Concern

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that President Obama did not publicly broach the subject of religious freedom during his visit Friday with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, despite a letter from 70 members of Congress urging him to do so on Thursday. "Obama had not had time to raise concerns about the kingdom's human rights record," U.S. officials said, according to Reuters. 

"This visit was an excellent opportunity for the president to speak up on an issue that affects millions of Saudi citizens and millions more foreign workers living in Saudi Arabia," said Todd Daniels, Middle East Regional Manager for ICC. "Only last month the president clearly stated that promoting religious freedom is a key objective of American foreign policy, and then reaffirmed that opinion in remarks following his meeting with Pope Francis on Thursday, according to the  White House. On top of this,70 members of Congress specifically asked him to publicly address the issue, as well as other human rights concerns, with King Abdullah yesterday. How, despite all of this, the president could stay completely silent about religious freedom during his meeting is remarkable."

Saudi Arabia is widely regarded as one of the most restrictive nations on earth in terms of religious freedom. According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, "Not a single church or other non-Muslim house of worship exists in the country." Gatherings of religious groups that choose to meet in secret risk being raided by the "Mutaween," or Saudi religious police. In December of 2011, 35 Ethiopian Christians were arrested and held for eight months after holding a worship service in a private home.

On Thursday, 70 members of Congress sent a letter to President Obama concerning his visit, saying, "In addition to public meetings, we urge you to address specific human rights reforms in your direct meetings with King Abdullah and other officials.  Religious freedom is a major concern in the country... Saudi Arabia does not tolerate public worship by adherents of religions other than Islam, and the government also systematically discriminates against followers of minority Muslim faiths."    

According to some activists, President Obama's decision not to address human rights and religious freedom issues with King Abdullah also draws attention to two major vacancies in key human rights positions for the administration. Currently, both the position of Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and the Ambassador for International Religious Freedom remain empty, despite pressure from members of Congress and human rights organizations for the president to quickly fill the positions.

Isaac Six, ICC's Advocacy Manager, said, "The priority the Obama administration places on promoting human rights around the world should be judged not by what is said in speeches among friends and supporters, but by the president's words when standing face to face with leaders whose governments are oppressing millions. It should also be judged by the political determination to staff key human rights positions here in the United States. The president's silence yesterday in Saudi Arabia and the long running vacancies at the State Department tell us more clearly than anything else that international human rights issues and religious freedom are not at the top of this administration's agenda."  

For interviews, contact Isaac Six: advocacy@persecution.org

# # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference ICC (International Christian Concern) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church.  For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Appeals Court Rules Kansas Can Strip Planned Parenthood of Title X Funds, by John UpChurch, at Christian Headlines





"The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state of Kansas has the right to strip Planned Parenthood of Title X funding. In a 2-to-1 ruling, the court struck down the organization’s claim that Kansas had acted against its free speech and free association rights.

"Title X, established by the United States Congress in 1970, provided funding for “voluntary family planning services.” In 2011, a law passed by the state legislature of Kansas and Governor Sam Brownback required Title X funds go first to public heath departments and hospitals. Planned Parenthood filed suit, claiming the law targeted them, and won an injunction.

"But the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Planned Parenthood had no grounds and lifted the injunction [PDF]..."

Federal Appeals Court Upholds Tough Abortion Rules in Texas, by the Associated Press, at The Blaze





"A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld Texas’ tough new abortion restrictions that shuttered many of the abortions clinics in the state.

"A panel of judges at the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court judge who said the rules violate the U.S. Constitution and served no medical purpose. In its opinion, the appeals court said the law “on its face does not impose an undue burden on the life and health of a woman.”

"Texas lawmakers last year passed some of the toughest restrictions in the U.S. on when, where and how women may obtain an abortion. The Republican-controlled Legislature required abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and placed strict limits on doctors prescribing abortion-inducing pills."

Qatar Court Convicts American of Killing Adopted Daughter, Case is Considered Fraud, by Carrie Dedrick, at Christian Headlines




"Matthew and Grace Huang received a verdict of guilty today in a Qatar court for allegedly starving their daughter in order to harvest her organs.

"The American couple were residing in Qatar with their three adopted children from Ghana...The Huang’s daughter Gloria fell victim of a childhood eating disorder that developed from living in an orphanage as a malnourished child reported ABC News. Matthew said he performed CPR for 40 minutes with no response.

"Gloria’s autopsy showed no signs of foul play, but the Huangs were accused of killing their daughter to sell her organs to research labs." 

Sharing Christ in South Asia Means Sacrifice, by Katey Hearth, at Mission Network News








"Following Christ can be deadly in South Asia. According to Open Doors USA, “Pastors are frequently beaten up or killed, church buildings destroyed, and converts forced to flee their homes.” However, people in this region desperately need to hear the Gospel. One country in South Asia holds the most unreached people groups in the entire world.

"A Scriptures In Use worker* from South Asia says despite the danger, he and others are risking it all to share the Good News. As a result, “The Gospel is penetrating regions where there has been no Gospel witness before, bringing tremendous hostility to people who are working [there], tremendous persecution for new believers.

“'We are living in a very difficult time of great persecution, great hostility to the Gospel, and a great challenge to the Church.'”

Russia Targets Churches in Crimea Crackdown, by Julia A Seymour, at World






"Amid the turmoil between Ukraine and Russia, Crimean Catholics fear Russian oppression and say their church already is suffering great persecution. 

“'At this moment, all Ukrainian Greek Catholic life in Crimea is paralyzed,” Father Volodymyr Zhdan told Catholic News Agency (CNA) the day Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty annexing Crimea.

"Ahead of the March 16 referendum, in which an overwhelming majority of Crimeans voted to request the Russian annexation, Father Mykhailo Milchakovskyi, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest, toldCatholic News Service uncertainty about the church’s future had caused many congregants to sell their homes and migrate to other parts of Ukraine. “Our Church has no legal status in the Russian Federation, so it’s uncertain which laws will be applied if Crimea is annexed,” he said. “We fear our churches will be confiscated and our clergy arrested.'”

Central Nigeria Kaduna Villages' Death Toll Rises to 150, Including Pastor's Wife and Three Children, at Cross Walk - Christian Post




"The death toll following a massacre across three villages in central Nigeria a week ago has risen beyond 150, according to the deputy Chairman of the Kaura Local Government Area in Southern Kaduna.

"Suspected Fulani herdsmen raided three mainly Christian villages Ugwar Sankwai, Ungwan Gata and Chenshyi (known also as Tekun) late last Friday night (14th March).

"240 houses were set ablaze, alongside three churches, one ECWA (Evangelical Church Winning All) and two Anglican. The wife and three children of the pastor of the ECWA Church, Rev Likita Riku were killed, and burnt beyond recognition.

"The victims were buried in three different mass graves after inter-denominational prayers last Sunday.

"On Tuesday, March 18, our reporter visited the area: three days after the massacre, he saw that the survivors were still highly traumatized. The affected villages, comprised of mainly farmers and small scale traders, were deserted (an undermined number of food stores were also looted). Dozens of those affected were sleeping in a primary school, some of them were with relatives in nearby areas."