Children Safe Following South Sudan Attack, by Greg Yoder, Mission Network News



"Gun fights reportedly broke out over the last couple of days in a previously quiet area of South Sudan, the city of Wau. Casualties are still not being reported..."

"Matt Parker with Kids Alive International says they have work in Wau..."

“The rebels attacked a military base on the outskirts of town. The fighting spread toward the airport...'"

"...Parker says this violence has a lot of people scared. “A lot of people now are trying to get into the UN compound that is in Wau, fearing that there will be an escalation.”

"Kids Alive is doing what they can. “We’re monitoring the situation very carefully,and the leadership team there is assessing different options. If the fighting should spread, our priority is the kids.'”

International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #241Washington, D.C. 20006
www.persecution.org  |  E-mail: icc@persecution.org


For interviews, contact William Stark, Regional Manager for South Asia: 
RM-SAsia@persecution.org




The Forced Conversion of Christians Becoming Disgracefully Common in Pakistan
William Stark, Regional Manager for South Asia

4/29/2014 
Washington, D.C.
International Christian Concern

Forced conversion in Pakistan is becoming more of an issue of concern for the Christian community. In April, stories of Christians being affected by the issue of forced conversion reared its ugly head on multiple occasions and reminded us how it is an issue that is a concern for every member of Pakistan's already extremely persecuted Christian community. Reports of hundreds of Christian women forcefully converted to Islam every year, a Christian man being murdered for refusing to convert to Islam, and a Christian family being forced to flee their home for their children's safety shows how widespread and common forced conversion has become in Pakistan.

Wrong Religion, Wrong Gender

In a report published in April, the Movement for Solidarity and Peace (MSP) revealed that as many as 700 Christian women between the ages of 12 and 25 are forcefully converted to Islam every year in Pakistan. Christian women are among Pakistan's most vulnerable people because they are considered by many in Pakistan's Muslim majority population to be both the wrong religion and the wrong gender.

The figures presented in the report published by the MSP were taken from major newspaper sources and NGOs working on the issue already. The actual number of Christian women being forcefully converted to Islam every year could, in reality, be much higher than the numbers reported by the MSP. Many cases go unreported because of threats against the victims and their families.

Forced conversion of Christian women is both well organized and well established. These women are often abducted from their families, converted to Islam, married to a Muslim man, and raped - all by force.

Culprits coerce their captives to sign documents stating that they have embraced Islam by their own free will and then force them into changing their names to a traditionally Muslim name. Often, the forced marriage and rape are used as a tool to trap these women. Pakistan is a very traditional society and good marriages are one of the few ways in which Christian women are able to provide for themselves. The shame associated with being a rape victim often destroys a Christian woman's potential to find a good marriage.

Because of threats against their own safety or the safety of their families, women being abducted and forcefully converted to Islam often do not report these incidents of abuse. Even when these cases are reported to police, the victims find both the police and justice system stacked against them.  

Police often tell victims that they are better off being Muslims in Pakistan and refuse to register complaints. Even if the complaint is actually registered and the matter is brought to court, injustice is often the only result. Throughout court proceedings, the Christian women are forced to stay in the custody of their abductor instead of being returned to their families or an independent third party. This forces many women to give statements that they have converted by their own free will and that they are happily married to their abductors.

Killed for Refusing Islam

Even though Christian women make up the vast majority of forced conversion cases in Pakistan, they are by no means the only Christians being victimized. Christian men are often pressured by Muslim co-workers and neighbors into converting to Islam. In some cases, refusing to convert to Islam can lead to false blasphemy accusations and, in extreme cases, murder. When confronted with the choice to covert or die, many Christian men are not as brave as Sunny Masih, a Christian man willing to stand firm in his Christian faith.

On April 16, Sunny Masih, a Christian cleaner at a branch of Bank Islami in Lahore Pakistan was allegedly shot and killed by his Muslim co-worker after refusing to convert to Islam. According to official reports, the Muslim co-worker informed police that Masih had shot himself with the co-workers shotgun after the co-worker left it unattended while using the toilet.

Masih's co-worker and security guard for the bank, Omar Farooq, told police that Masih had looked depressed when he had arrived at the bank and had shot himself when Farooq left his gun unattended. In an interview with Morning Star News, Masih's father refutes these claims by Farooq and asserts the issue of forced conversion was at the heart of his son's death.

"On April 15, my son told me that Farooq had mocked his Christian faith and has asked him to 'embrace' Islam," Masih's father told Morning Star News. "He told my son, 'You are a good-looking boy, and I don't like to see you sweeping the floors and cleaning the washrooms. If you embrace Islam, I'll connect you with people who will take good care of you, provide you with a decent job and even get you married into a wealthy Muslim family." 

Masih responded to this invitation by saying that he was happy with his Christian faith and asked Farooq to stop asking him to convert to Islam. "My son told me that when he snubbed Farooq, the guard had threatened him that he would have to face the consequences for refusing the Dawaat [an invitation to accept Islam]," Masih father told  Morning Star News. The next day, Masih was killed with Farooq's gun.

Initially, local police maintained that evidence supported Masih's death as a suicide and refused to register the case for investigation even after Masih's father told them about the forced conversion issue. It wasn't until the local Christian community staged a protest at the police station that the police registered the case and brought Farooq in for questioning.

Christian Children Faced with Forced Conversion

To show how widespread the issue of forced conversion is in Pakistan, ICC talked to one Christian family that was forced into hiding to protect two of their children from being forcefully converted to Islam. Sarah, age 12, and her sister Nadia, age eight, were blessed with outstanding singing voices and would often lead worship at church. Eventually, these two Christian girls became famous in their community for their voices.

At school, the two girls were selected to lead daily morning assemblies. The girls led other students, mostly Muslim, in singing Pakistan's national anthem and reciting verses from the Quran. The girl's parents told ICC that their daughters had been leading these morning assemblies for years and became well known to the other parents in the school.

"In October 2013, we sensed that our girls were being trapped and forced to convert to Islam by the school administration and other religious fundamentalists connected to the school," the girls' mother told ICC. "When some of the more fundamental Muslim families came to know about the religious background of Sarah and Nadia, they rushed to the school administration claiming the girls were no longer Christians. Their reasoning was that because the girls had been reciting verses of the Quran, they had become Muslims and had to be taken to live in the custody of a Muslim family."

"For about two months, our entire family was under pressure," the girls' father told ICC."We received threats of being killed or Muslims kidnapping our lovely daughters. We were under constant pressure from clerics to convert our girls to Islam."

Things got so bad that the family decided to take drastic action. Recently, in the middle of the night, the Christian family packed up as many of their possessions as they could carry and fled to a larger city in Pakistan where they believe they can stay hidden.

Forced conversion is second only to the abuse of Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws in issues negatively affecting the dwindling Christian community of Pakistan. Touching Christians from all walks of life, forced conversion and the impunity the perpetrators of this abuse enjoy in Pakistan has become disgracefully common. Without significant change, Pakistan's Christian community will continue to live in a state of constant fear and look for any and all opportunities to escape one of the most religiously intolerant countries on earth.  
 
# # #

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, D.C.-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.

International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #241
Washington, D.C. 20006
www.persecution.org  |  E-mail: icc@persecution.org

Media Contact:
Ryan Morgan, Regional Manager for Southeast Asia RM-SEAsia@persecution.org

Images Courtesy ICC




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

China Uses Explosives to Annihilate  4,000-Seat Church Building
Roads Blocked, Electricity Cut, Cell Phone Signals Jammed as Authorities Detonate Sanjiang Christian Church Chinese Authorities Begin Demolition of Sanjiang Christian Church

4/28/2014
Washington, D.C.
International Christian Concern

International Christian Concern (ICC) has just learned that early this morning, Chinese authorities in Zhejiang Province used explosives to demolish the Sanjiang Christian Church in Wenzhou, China. The demolition reportedly took place at 8:35 PM Beijing time after protestors, including church members, were dispersed by police. The church became the center of a tense standoff after thousands of church members formed a human shield on April 4 in an effort to save the newly constructed church from demolition. ICC sources also reported that Christian leaders had been detained or arrested in cities throughout the province, including Wenzhou, Rui'an, Yueqing, and Zhoushan. The arrests appear to be a part of a province-wide effort to clamp down on possible dissent over the destruction of the Sanjiang Christian Church. Local Christians in Wenzhou interviewed by ICC reported being "heartbroken" at the news of the demolition and many feared a widespread campaign to demolish churches was underway.

"Local believers universally think that more severe persecution may be around the corner, but they do not really know how to face the coming challenge, except for praying," said one ICC source close to the situation. In 2000, hundreds of churches and temples were reportedly destroyed by government officials across Zhejiang Province.

Mobile phone captures the church mid-destruction The standoff over the church reportedly began after a Communist Party secretary visited the area and insisted the cross atop the Sanjiang Church was too large. "When the Party secretary Xia Baolong visited the local areas, he found the cross on top of the church very conspicuous. So he ordered that it be demolished. Then, the officials from Yongjia county demanded that the church tear down the cross and the top floor of the church," Zheng Leguo, a young leader at Sanjiang Church in Wenzhou, told ChinaAid.  When members of the church refused to remove the cross, authorities then threatened to demolish the entire structure, sparking the formation of a human shield earlier this month by thousands of Chinese Christians. A compromise ending the standoff was reportedly reached until authorities canceled the agreement 
last week.

It was not immediately clear how authorities had managed to disperse the church members remaining at the site, though earlier reports claimed that SWAT teams had been brought in and that police had cordoned off roads around the area. In addition, locals reported that electricity at the church had been cut and cell phone reception was being jammed in the area around the church.

According to a blog post by the New York Times on April 4, local families had financed the construction of the $4.8 million church building. "Many of us donated our life savings. This is our home." Ms. Li Xile, a local from Wenzhou, told the Times.

Ryan Morgan, International Christian Concern's Regional Manager for East Asia, said, "The annihilation of the Sanjiang Christian Church only a few hours ago should be a wakeup call not only for Christians around the world, but for the international community at large. The government of China demonstrated today just how willing it is to use violent repression, not to mention explosives, in order to try and contain the growth of Christianity within its borders. A truly open and strong society has nothing to fear from the stability and prosperity that inevitability result when religious minorities are protected and allowed to thrive free from persecution. Only dictatorships feel the need to forcibly crush the growth of people of faith who are simply looking to peacefully practice their religious beliefs. This morning, tragically, the government of China showed it cared very little for the desperate pleas of thousands of its own citizens, or even the glare and condemnation of the international media spotlight." 

For interviews, contact Ryan Morgan, Regional Manager for Southeast Asia:   RM-SEAsia@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.

International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #241Washington, D.C. 20006
www.persecution.org  |  E-mail: icc@persecution.org


For interviews, contact William Stark, Regional Manager for Africa: 
RM-SAsia@persecution.org
 

Attacks on Christians Spike as Hindu Nationalists Set to Take Control of India
Christian Community Deeply Distresses by Potential BJP Takeover
By ICC's India Correspondent

April 28, 2014  Washington, D.C.
International Christian Concern

The Christian minority of India is very concerned about their future in India. The reason for this concern... exit poll predictions from India's general elections. Currently, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Bharathiya Janatha Party (BJP) looks set to form the next national government of India. At the center of the NDA is Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat and likely nominee as India's next Prime Minister, and his Hindu nationalist party BJP. Christians are distressed knowing BJP's Hindu nationalist agenda; an ideology that seeks to create a purely Hindu India.

As a matter of concern, Andhra Pradesh, a state located on India's eastern coastline, has seen the highest number of attacks (41) on Christians in India in 2013. Andhra Pradesh is believed to have the highest Christian population in India, yet there seems to be an orchestrated hate campaign by Hindu radical groups, including Sangh Parivar and RSS, being carried out across the state. Brutal attacks on the Christian leaders falsely accused of forcible conversion seemed to increase with the approach of the general elections.

Pastor Christopher from the Malakpet area of Hyderabad told ICC of a gruesome incident that shook him and his entire congregation to the core. On February 2, Bethel Gospel Church, where Pastor Christopher preaches, was set on fire by unknown assailants suspected to be connected to Hindu radical groups. The anti-Christian activists carried out the attack during the early morning hours to inflict maximum damage to the church.

The church was burnt to ashes, everything inside the church including carpets, musical instruments, speakers and chairs were utterly destroyed.

"We are living in fear," the Pastor told ICC. "There have been continuous threats from the Hindu radicals: we, Christians, are treated as second class citizens in this country."

During his 15 years of service, Pastor Christopher has been threatened by the Hindu radical group RSS on many occasions. Once he was threatened by RSS to stop all church activities or else they would "chop him into pieces." Christopher fears the intensity of these Hindu radicals will only increase if BJP comes to power in the government. But, Christopher also believes if an increase in persecution is to be India's future, he hopes this situation will unite the Indian church.

On February 23, more than 30 youths belonging to the Hindu radical group 'Hindu Vahini' barged into a Christian home during a prayer meeting in Marepalli village. These youths were shouting Hindu nationalist slogans as they attacked the small Christian community. Pastor Devaraju, the leader of that community, was verbally abused by the youths with vulgar language.

In an interview with ICC, Pastor Devaraju described what it is like to be a pastor in a state where most of India's anti-Christian attacks take place. "Surviving as a pastor in India at the hands of Hindu radicals is every day a challenge. There is no guarantee that I will come back home if I go for gospel work," Pastor Devaraju said.  

In another incident, Rev. B. Rajarathnam and his wife, both of whom belong to a Mennonite Brethren Church, were attacked by Hindu radicals in Chadurupally village. During a Hindu festive (Holi) on March 17th, more than 15 assailants, likely connected to Hindu radical groups, stormed into the pastor's house and started beating him and his wife. During the attack, the pastor's wife, who is in her 60's, fell to the ground unconscious after being punched and slapped multiple times. Onlookers took her to the hospital for treatment immediately following the attack.

The attackers also demolished a wall of the pastor's home, causing serious damaged to the house. "There is an increasing trouble emerging for the Christian community with Modi projected as Prime Minister," Rev. Rajarathnam stated. "It is a matter of deep distress for Christians," he said. 

"There is huge discrepancy when it comes to delivery of justice for religious minorities in this country, and with Modi as Prime Minister, India will become an even more unsafe place for religious minorities," Rev. Ronald John, a Christian leader in India, said.  

The attacks on Christians by Hindu radicals continue to flare up all across India as the general elections draw to a close. The Christian community as a whole fears that it will only get worse if BJP and their front man Modi assume control of one of the world largest democratic government. Foreseeing the coming threat, many Christian leaders have urged their followers to pray for the future of India's Christians. They are praying, are you? 

# # #

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, D.C.-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.

Mississippi Cracks Down on Abortions with 20 Week Limit, by Reuters, at Charisma News




"Mississippi will ban abortions after more than 20 weeks of pregnancy from July, joining other conservative U.S. states that have placed restrictions on the procedure.

"The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide in 1973 but the practice still polarizes U.S. society.

"A handful of states have in recent years enacted laws that place restrictions on the procedure, especially on late-term abortions, citing hotly debated medical research that a fetus feels pain at 20 weeks of gestation, halfway through a full-term pregnancy. The Mississippi bill referred to that research..."

"...Physicians who defy the law could lose their medical license."

Vow of Freedom of Religion Goes Unkept in Egypt, by David D Kirkpatrick, NY Times





"The architects of the military takeover in Egypt promised a new era of tolerance and pluralism when they deposed President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood last summer.

"Nine months later, though, Egypt’s freethinkers and religious minorities are still waiting for the new leadership to deliver on that promise. Having suppressed Mr. Morsi’s Islamist supporters, the new military-backed government has fallen back into patterns of sectarianism that have prevailed here for decades.

"Prosecutors continue to jail Coptic Christians, Shiite Muslims and atheists on charges of contempt of religion."

Church Standoff a Study in China's Complexity, by World Watch Monitor, at Christian Today





"'A local government official, who was not authorized to speak by name to the media, said authorities were trying to resolve the impasse peacefully and had never threatened to demolish the structures by force," reported the Washington Post's Xu Yangjingjing. The UK-based Telegraph noted the "days of intense negotiations between Sanjiang church leaders and officials" during the standoff.

"Last week, the two sides reached a deal: the church would remove two levels of a newly built, seven-storey annex. The main church building and its prominent cross would remain. As it turned out, the government removed four floors, not two, angering church members.

"'Both sides gave way on something. It is very common that Chinese officials do not want to be seen incapable by their seniors and they try to avoid making trouble," said a China coordinator for Open Doors International, a global charity that provides aid to Christians who are pressured because of their faith. The coordinator's name is being withheld to prevent government retaliation.

"'We've heard about a number of conflicts between churches and the authorities, and eventually they compromised and saved face to each other," the coordinator said. "'Saving face' in Chinese culture is more important than abiding by the law.'"

Plant Worker: Aborted Babies Had Been Incinerated for Years, "There Was So Much Blood," by Steven Eltelt, Life News









“'The medical waste program at the Marion County Resource Recovery Facility is County run and managed,” Covanta said in a statement. “Marion County contracts for and delivers medical waste to the facility and Covanta has no responsibility for the program. Covanta is shocked by these allegations and is discontinuing the receipt of this waste stream until we have been assured by the County that this alleged material is not being delivered to the facility.”

"Waterman said he believes certified contractors have been carrying fetuses from British Columbia to Oregon, where state statutes allow fetuses to be disposed.

“'I don’t know that you can know just like I should have known, but I didn’t,” said Brentano. “I’m sorry I didn’t know that this included fetal tissue, but now that I do know, believe me things change.”

"Waterman said he believes fetuses have been incinerated at the Marion County facility for years and used for energy, a practice that the Canadian government will not do.

“'They knew it, they had to. I don’t see how they could not know it,” said Waterman."

Letter from ACLJ, April 26th, 2014






Often, in our work for the persecuted Church overseas, much of what takes place is out of the spotlight - discussions and work that occurs behind the scenes. That is what is taking place now in Pastor Saeed's case.

We have been working for more than a year and a half - in this country and abroad - to secure his freedom. We're grateful that he continues to be hospitalized and is receiving medical treatment.

Our team in the Middle East is hard at work. This is a critical time. We ask you to set aside time today to pray for Pastor Saeed. Pray for his family. Pray for mercy for Pastor Saeed.

Pastor Saeed's faith has sustained him during his imprisonment in Iran. As he detailed in his Easter letter released from his hospital room, Pastor Saeed called on Christians to fully reach their spiritual potential - to fully "experience the Glorious resurrection with Christ."

If you haven't done so yet, please sign the petition asking Iran to grant clemency - freedom - to Pastor Saeed.

Sign the Petition: Iran, Send Pastor Saeed Home to His Family.

<...>

The ACLJ Team

International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #241
Washington, D.C. 20006
www.persecution.org  |  E-mail: icc@persecution.org

Media Contact:
William Stark, Regional Manager for South Asia RM-SAsia@persecution.org







FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Christian Convert Dragged from Home and Publicly Executed in Somalia
Parents Grieve after Witnessing Daughter's Murder for Her Faith

4/25/2014 
Washington D.C.
International Christian Concern

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that suspected al-Shabaab militants have murdered a woman professing the Christian faith earlier this month after breaking and entering into her home in Mogadishu. Sufia was at home with her parents when a group of armed men burst into her home. Leaving her parents untouched, the men grabbed Sufia, forcefully dragged her from the home at gunpoint, and then publicly shot her, firing into the on-looking crowd as friends and neighbors attempted to save her.

Immediately following the execution, Sufia's killers fled the scene. Despite ongoing efforts by police to locate them, Sufia's murderers remain at-large as of this release. The suspected work of al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist network in Somalia, Sufia's death could be the third al-Shabaab murder this month.
On April 22, Mogadishu Parliamentarian Abdiaziz Isaaq Mursal was the second Somali lawmaker killed by al-Shabaab militants in less than 48 hours for allowing the "invasion of the Christians into Somalia," referencing lawmakers' vote to accept financial support from Western governments and members of the African Union who have sent troops into Somalia to oppose Islamist rebel groups.

Isak Mohamed Rino, a fellow Parliamentarian, was the victim of an exploded bomb placed beneath his car on the morning of April 21. In response to the attacks, al-Shabaab's spokesperson, Ali Dhere, was recorded on al-Shabaab's Andulus radio in Barawe town saying, "We are on war against the apostates in Mogadishu. We will keep carrying attacks, targeting their lawmakers."

According to al-Shabaab, all Somalis are born Muslims by default. Somalis found practicing other religions are considered guilty of apostasy. According to the fundamentalist brand of Islam al-Shabaab adheres to, apostasy occurs when a Muslim leaves Islam for another faith and should be put to death.

Several of the nation's leaders have publicly condemned the attacks on the two murdered Somali Parliamentarians; however, a public condemnation of the systematic execution of Somali Christians has yet to be heard. Speaking on the deaths of the two parliamentarians, president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said Sunday the"culture of lawlessness that has plagued Somalia for the last 23 years is coming to an end." Though similar calls to action have been made in the past, al-Shabaab continues to enjoy complete freedom in its sustained push to eradicate Somalia of its Christian population.

ICC's Regional Manager for Africa, William Stark, said, "Al-Shabaab is an Islamic extremist group that has vowed to make Somalia 'purely Islamic.' The group adheres to a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam that includes the beheading of converts from Islam, or, as we've witnessed in Sufia's case, execution by firing squad. The group continues to terrorize not just Christians in Somalia, but any act, person, or policy that could be construed as supportive of Christianity in Somalia. As more Somalis return to Somalia following the establishment of the new government, steps must be taken to protect Christians and other religious minorities. The practice of kidnapping, torturing and publicly executing converts from Islam must be addressed by the international community and should have no place in modern society."   

For interviews, contact William Stark, Regional Manager for South Asia:  RM-SAsia@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.