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Receint Persecution Sites
http://www.christianpersecution.info/
Three excellent web sites are:
The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (<http://www.persecutedchurch.org/>),
Open Doors with Brother Andrew
(<http://www.opendoorsusa.org/>), and
The Voice of the Martyrs
(www.persecution.com <http://www.persecution.com>).
http://home.earthlink.net/~drbettyh/Sudanpage.htm
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Sudan Detailed Descritpion, best http://www.channel1.com/aasg
Types of Human Rights Violation
The militant Islamic regime in Khartoum uses Islamic Jihad to subdue all the people of Sudan.
The government’s goal is to make Sudan the first African all-Islamic nation, in spite of the fact that nineteen percent of the population is Christian. Using its own version of Islamic Shari’a law, the Sudanese government has a policy of impeding any non-Islamic religious expression. Gare Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor testified before the Subcommittee of African Affairs of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 25, 1997. His prepared report for that committee states that there are "credible reports of religious persecution, slavery, forced conversions and female genital mutilation (Smith [8])."
The number of Sudanese who have died from starvation, exploitation, and military attacks since 1983 is estimated to be between 1.5 to 2.5 million. The systematic persecution of the Sudanese people by the Sudanese central government has forced 5.5 million people to flee their homes for safety. Murder, rape, mutilation, forced conversions, enslavement are some of the means the radical Muslim government use in its attempt to Islamize the entire population. The order has been given by Omar Hassan al Turabi, leader of Sudan’s Muslim Brotherhood (the spiritual leader of Sudan) that Christians, moderate Muslims, and animists (those following tribal religions) are infidels and can be killed on sight. He takes pride in the fact that government soldiers kill and maim in the name of Allah (Mission Sudan).
In the wake of government sanctioned destruction of entire villages, hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee to neighboring countries as refugees. Those who do not flee are either killed, raped, maimed, or forced into slavery. Both those who flee and those who remain suffer from lack of food, medicine, and safe drinking water.
A closer look at what happens to a family as a result of a raid by the military on their village will give an idea of the extent of the human rights violations being practiced by the radical Islamic government.
Boys Are Enslaved
One of two fates awaits boys. They may be sold to slave traders who will sell them to Muslim families in northern Sudan or maybe Libya. Then will be given Muslim names, forced to renounce their Christian or tribal religions, say Muslim prayers, whipped, given little food, and have no contact with their families. If they try to escape and are caught, which is almost a surety, their Achilles' tendons may be severed. Before they are sold into slavery, they may be dragged behind horses as they are carried away, mutilated by land mines, or die of starvation. With the number of land mines increasing daily in the war-torn south, captured children are often required by their captors to walk ahead thus becoming human mine detectors. When captured children become too tired to walk, ill, or just too numerous to control, they may be placed in burlap bags and thrown into the river to drown. Bishop Nathaniel Garang, the bishop of the Diocese of Bor, lost his nephews and nieces in this manner.
If a young boy is not sold into slavery, he is sent to an Islamic reeducation school where he will be forced to memorize the Koran in Arabic, renounce his religion, and participate in Islamic studies from early morning until late at night. If he refuses to cooperate, he will be beaten and forced to walk with his feet chained. Food will be withheld if he refuses to convert. He will be trained to be in the army and then used as cannon fodder against his own people (Mission Sudan).
Women and Girls Are Raped
The government has a policy of raping all women and girls who are abducted. They are taken to "peace camps" where children are separated from their parents. Part of the testimony of one rape victim is quoted below. The testimony was given to an African Rights team member as part of a human rights monitoring program.
"Very early in the morning the enemy came and surrounded the whole village. Our family has two compounds. They took sixteen people from just our family. The soldier said, ‘You will come with us to Mendi. If you refuse, you will be killed.’ On the way they said, ‘Something you have never seen before you will see it in Mendi.
"After dark, the soldiers came and took the girls to their rooms and raped them. I was taken and raped. When you have been taken, the soldier who has taken you will do what he wants, then he will go out of the room, you will stay, and another one will come. It continues like this. There is different behavior. Some lady, if she is raped by four or five soldiers, she will cry from pain. Then, if the soldiers are good, they will leave her. But others will beat her to keep her quiet, and they will carry on.
"Every day the raping continued. It is impossible to count the men who raped me. It was continuous. Perhaps in a week I would have one day of rest. Sometimes one man will take me for the whole night. Sometimes I will be raped by four or five men per day or night; they will just be changing one for another ("Facing Genocide")."
No women are spared; girls as young as nine-years old are raped. Through rape, the Sudanese government is committing genocide against its own people. As women and girls are systematically raped, the resulting children no longer belong to their mothers’ communities, nor do they belong to any community.
Mothers Are Mutilated
The mother will be molested repeatedly before the soldiers leave. Her breast may be cut off because the soldiers know that then her baby will die of starvation. If she is young and pretty (many Sudanese women are said to be cursed with beauty), she will be taken to be sold to slave traders.
Fathers Are Killed
If the father is out watching the cattle, the cattle will be taken or destroyed. If he is a young man, he will be forced into military service compelled to bring destruction upon his own people. If he is an old man, he will be killed or left to die of starvation.
Villages Are Burned
In keeping with the government's scorched-earth policy, the village, homes, and crops are burned. No villages near the railroad lines remain unscathed. Soldiers travel by train, stop at the nearest village, bring destruction, then load their prisoner and slaves on the train headed back north ("CSI Frees Slaves in Sudan").
Churches Are Destroyed
In the name of Islam, the churches are burned. Church members are sometimes thrown into burning church buildings. Pastors may be lowered alive into a pit, dowsed with gasoline, and set ablaze. Often they are crucified.
Muslims Are Persecuted
Moderate Muslims and Muslims living in areas outside government control are considered heretics and are subject to the same treatment as Christians. Their places of worship are destroyed. Holy items are removed from the mosques and burned ("Facing Genocide").
Brutalities Are Limitless
Aerial bombardment of civilian targets; armored tanks against sticks, knives, and wooden fences; mutilations and crucifixions; senseless slaughter of cattle; scorched earth; court imposed flogging, amputation, and execution; denial of humanitarian aid; relocation into peace camps--all are used break down the resistance of the people and bring about weakness, nakedness, weariness, and hopelessness. The government's control of humanitarian aid to the south is a powerful weapon.
Return to the Table of Contents.
Documentation for this Report
There are reports that 50,000 Dinka children alone are being held as slaves. Intermediaries are sent to the villages to inform the families to bring cattle to buy back their children. A slave can be bought anywhere from $10 or $15 dollars to $500 dollars. Two reporters with the Baltimore Sun went into Sudan in the company of Baroness Caroline Cox of Christian Solidarity International to see if reports of slave trading were true. They found that it was alive and well. Their special reports kept Sun readers on the brink of tears for three days ("Where Children Live in Bondage" [1]).
Baroness Cox, the Reverend Doctor Marc Nikkel (a missionary to Sudan appointed by the Episcopal Church), Gare Smith (Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor), and Jemera Rone (Sudan researcher at Human Rights Watch) all testified at the September 25, 1997, Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Religious Persecution in Sudan. The atrocities performed by those who subscribe to the government's radical brand of Islam are outrageous and shocking (Cox and Rone). These witnesses and Senator John Ashcroft, who conducted the hearing, all agreed that "Religious freedom is a universally recognized, inalienable and fundamental human right inherent in the dignity of every human being "(Smith [2]).
Gasper Biro, special rapporteur for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, detailed in his 1996 report that the human rights violations had increased alarmingly since his 1994 report (Brio).
The following statement is from radical Muslims in Khartoum .
THIS STATEMENT IS A WARNING TO ALL; THIS CHRISTIAN MOVE MUST STOP.
Dear Citizens:
The suspicious movement of Christianity in the Sudan has become dangerous to Muslims and the Islamic Faith and to keep quiet is a crime against Muslims and their religion and is threatening Muslims' existence; their entity, present and future. It has become a concrete fact that the missionary activity which is in the country for many years is a plan, supported by Foreign Christian powers outside and inside the country. . . .
The National Islamic Front regime in Khartoum should:
· control and monitor the buying of houses and land by the Church in the different areas,
· know the sources of funding for buying some houses and shops in the residential areas,
· use its rights to organize the Churches in the Sudan,
· monitor the Church missionary movement, and
· stop all propaganda means of Christian preaching such as bulletins and printed materials.
Works Cited
Biro, Gasper. "Situation of Human Rights in Sudan <http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/7/d/sudan/com_rep.htm>." Accessed 25 March 1998.
Cox, Caroline. Statement before the Subcommittee on African Affairs, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, September 25, 1997. Facsimile transmission 1 October, 1997.
"CSI Frees Slaves in Sudan <http://www.csiusa.org/>." Christian Solidarity International. Accessed 7 February 1998.
"Facing Genocide in Sudan <http://www.oneworld.org/news/africa/nuba.html>." Accessed 15 March 1998.
Kane, Gregory, and Gilbert A. Lewthwaite. "Where Children Live in Bondage." The Sun June 16-18, 1996.
Mission Sudan. Video. Voice of the Martyrs. Bartlesville, OK. 1997.
"Oil Potentiality in Sudan: Exploration and Production, General Administration <http://www.sufo.demon.co.uk/econ002.htm>" Accessed 15 March 1998.
Rone, Jemera. Statement before the Subcommittee on African Affairs, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, September 25, 1997. Facsimile transmission 1 October, 1997.
Smith, Gare. Statement before the Subcommittee on African Affairs, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, September 25, 1997. Facsimile transmission 1 October, 1997.
"Sudanese Episcopal Church Is a Bulwark for the Holy Spirit <http://www.dfms.org/ens/marchindex.html>." John Ohmer. Episcopal News Service. enlist@ecunet.org. E-mail received March 20, 1998. Accessed 15 April, 1998.
"Sudan's Church in Flourishing Amid Poverty and War <http://www.dfms.org/ens/marchindex.html>." Margaret S. Laron. Episcopal News Service. enlist@ecunet.org. E-mail received March 20, 1998. Accessed 15 April, 1998.
"Sudan Profile <http://gopher.state.gov:70/00ftp
Bureau of African Affairs. US Department of State.
Accessed 15 March, 1998.
Wheeler, Andrew C. "Church Growth in Southern Sudan 1983-1996." Land of Promise: Church Growth in a Sudan at War. Ed. Andrew Wheeler. Nairobi: Paulines Publiations Africa, 1997. 36-37.
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Our Silence Kills, Please Speak Up
Together, let us shatter the silence
"Speak up for those who can't speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly, defend the right of the poor and needy" (Proverbs 31:8-9)
"One evening the soldiers talked about a girl they had raped many times in the course of the afternoon. Through it all, the girl sang hymns, strange evangelical songs, and she kept on singing, even after they shot her in the chest. She lay on the ground with the blood flowing from her chest, but she kept on singing-a bit weaker than before, but still singing. Then the soldiers grew tired of this and shot her again, but still she sang. And then the soldiers became afraid. Terrified of the girl, they fell upon her with machetes, and at last the singing stopped," >From the New Yorker magazine (December 6, 1993)
Saudi Arabia ranks as the world's most restrictive Islamic State. The Saudi government strictly forbids any non-Muslim worship meetings, even among expatriates, and no Christian religious literature may enter the country. Simply put, freedom of religion does not exist in Saudi Arabia.
Sudan is experiencing persecution unparalleled since the first century church. The Muslim government, in an attempt to Islamize the entire population, has taken the lives of nearly 2,000,000 people who will not convert to Islam. This government also sanctions mass crucifixions, the burning of Christian villages and Churches, and the sale of children into slavery. This systematic persecuAs Christians, we are called by our very belief to help others who are persecuted for their faith in Christ. The Bible makes a strong assertion that persecution for righteousness' sake will ever confront Christians. But at the same time, it also solemnly charges us to take up the cause of the needy and to speak for those who are victims. There are several Bible verses that demand us to act to defend the persecuted. Here are few of the Scripture challenges:
* Speak up... judge fairly... defend the right of the poor and needy (Proverbs 31:8-9).
* Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners (Hebrews 13:3).
* Rescue… hold back those staggering toward slaughter. (Proverb 24:11-12).
* Lay down our lives for our brothers (1 John 3:16).
* Do good unto all men, especially…. of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10).
Now that you know the FACTS and what the Bible says, what will YOU do about it? Just in case you decide to do nothing, please read the following two verses from the Bible "Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say,' But we knew nothing about this, does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will He not repay each person according to what he has done?" (Proverb 24:11-12). A wise man once said," All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for enough good men to do nothing."
So what are you to do? Here is what you can do to help the persecuted Christians around the world:
1. GET INFORMED. Commit to learn about the dilemma of the persecuted. Inform and involve your relatives, friends, church members, neighbors, etc. There are many available books, videos, and web sites to use. Three excellent web sites are: The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (<http://www.persecutedchurch.org/>), Open Doors with Brother Andrew (<http://www.opendoorsusa.org/>), and The Voice of the Martyrs (www.persecution.com <http://www.persecution.com>).
2. PRAY. Make this a matter of prayer (persecuted Christians are asking most of all for our prayers). Pray for the persecuted people, their persecutors, the leaders of the countries that allow persecution, and the leaders of the free world that they may use their God-given power to make a difference. Finally, pray that God may mightily use you.
3. GET INVOLVED. Make a commitment to be an active part of the solution.
4. WRITE to your President, your members of Congress, the United Nations, and the rulers of the countries that practice persecution.
5. EXPRESS YOUR OPINION. Write articles to newspapers and magazines expressing your opinion. Contact your local radio and TV stations to cover this pressing topic. Utilize the call-in radio programs to inform and involve the public.
6. INVOLVE YOUR CHURCH. Educate and involve your church. Discuss this issue in the Sunday school. Organize a "Persecution Conference." Plan a special program for "The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church." Which will officially be celebrated around the world on Sunday, November 12, 2000. Get your church to adopt and support a persecuted church.
7. PROVIDE TO THE PERSECUTED. Many of the persecuted cannot find jobs due to their faith. They suffer tremendous financial hardships and they desperately need financial help. Consider adopting a persecuted family. Consider hosting a dinner, at your Church or community, to benefit the persecuted.
8. FAST. Make a commitment to fast at least once a month and try to feel in humility the tremendous hunger and thirst that the persecuted Christians experience daily.
As Christians, we must work to put an end to the persecution and human rights violations being borne by our brothers and sisters around the world. With a crisis of this magnitude--blatant persecution--the consciences of Christians must be seared. The persecuted Christians share our faith, but not our freedom. It is my prayer that you get involved. You will be blessed.
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." 1 John 3:16
tion of the Sudanese people has forced 3.5 million to flee their homes for relative safety.
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http://www.christianpersecution.info/ Best Overview Page
Christian Persecution News
Click here for the most recent Christian Persecution News <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-news.html>
• Eritrea: Christian Families Jailed for Praying Together <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/eritrea-christians-jailed.html> - Worthy News
Eritrean authorities have raided the private homes of Christians, arresting and jailing adults and children praying and reading the Bible together.
• Christian Children Forced to Become Novice Buddhist Monks by Burmese Regime <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/buddhist-monks-burmese-regime.html> - Worthy News
Children from Christian families in Burma between the ages of five and ten have been lured from their homes and placed in Buddhist monasteries. Once taken in, their heads have been shaved and they have been trained as novice monks, never to see their parents again.
• Christian Arrested, Tortured in Saudi Arabia <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/christian-arrested-tortured.html> - Worthy News
The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org, has just become aware that on Thursday, March 25th, 2004, Mr. Brian O'Connor, a Christian ex-pat Indian national, was arrested by the Muttawa (religious police) on the streets of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. ICC is being told from a highly reputable source that the Muttawa abducted, imprisoned, and tortured him in a Mosque. Mr. O’Connor is presently being held at the Olaya police station in Riyadh.
• Despite shortages and restrictions, Christianity continues to thrive in Cuba <http://www.worthynews.com/news-features-4/thriving-in-cuba.html> - Worthy News
For over a decade, Cuba has endured shocking shortages of everything from food and clothing to jobs and transportation. Cubans do not lack a sense of humor, however, and can still joke about their poverty.
• Eritrea Arrests Entire Families of Evangelicals <christian-persecution/eitrea-evangelicals-arrested.html> - Worthy News
Eritrean authorities began raiding the private homes of evangelical Christians last week, arresting and jailing entire families caught praying and reading the Bible together.
• Uganda: Two American Missionaries and Ugandan Student Killed <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/uganda-missionaries-killed.html> - Worthy News
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A fourth American has been confirmed dead after a March 15 attack on five humanitarian workers in northern Iraq.
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Persecuted Christians in Turkmenistan began an uncertain week Monday, March 15, after autocratic President Saparmurat Niyazov announced he would allow all religious communities "to gain official registration" regardless of how many members they have.
• Chinese Christians to appear in court <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/chinese-christian-court.html> - Worthy News / VOM
Three Christians will appear in a Chinese court on Monday, facing charges of “providing intelligence to overseas organizations.”
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On the afternoon of March 4, public security police units surrounded the Quoc Thanh Theater at 271 Nguyen Trai Street in central Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, in an attempt to stop a joint worship celebration organized by evangelical Christian house churches, organizers reported.
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The religious situation in Sri Lanka has been deteriorating for several years. However, a momentum seems to be gathering and heading towards serious confrontation between the Buddhist religious establishment, the Sri Lankan government, the NGOs and the Church.
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Eighteen families of the indigenous Huichol tribe in Tenzompa, Jalisco, Mexico, -- more than 80 adults and children, in all -- are threatened with expulsion from their homes for the “crime” of believing in the Christian gospel.
• Christians in Laos Threatened with Death or Eviction unless they give up their Faith <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/laos-christians.html> - Worthy News
Christians in Laos have been told they will be killed if they do not give up their faith or leave their village.
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On February 28, a Nigerian court sentenced three men to death for killing a Christian pastor and attacking worshippers at his the church seven years ago.
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Law enforcement authorities in Vietnam are subjecting house church leaders who confront injustice to relentless harassment, according to sources in Ho Chi Minh City. The renewed pressure is thought to be retaliation for recent incidents where police have had to retreat from persecuting Christians because of effective local and international advocacy.
• Angry Mob Destroys Church in Bolivian Andes <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/angry-mob-destroys-church-bolivia.html> - Worthy News
An angry mob of Quechua-speaking Indians destroyed the only evangelical church in the remote village of Chucarasi in the Bolivian Andes on February 28 after beating a congregational elder unconscious. Villagers apparently attacked their Christian neighbors because they blamed them for a hail storm that damaged local crops.
• Christians Axed to Death in Church Meeting by Muslim Warriors <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/christians-axed-death-nigeria.html> - Worthy News
A total of 48 people were hacked to death in Yelwa, Nigeria, by armed Muslims, many during a church meeting.
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Christian leaders in India have released a joint statement in response to allegations made by the weekly newspaper Tehelka against the Christian community. In its inaugural issue on January 30 and a second issue on February 8, Tehelka claimed Christians were carrying out “the conversion agenda of U.S. President George Bush,” and using the HIV/AIDS problem as “an opportunity for evangelism.”
• Iraqi Christians Threatened by Interim Constitution, says Group <http://www.worthynews.com/news-features-4/iraqi-christians-threatened-constitution.html> - Worthy News
A leading human rights group investigating the plight of persecuted Christians in Islamic nations warned Friday, March 5, that Iraq's interim constitution will not end Muslim violence and discrimination experienced by Iraq's Christian minority.
• Chinese Pastor on the Run <http://www.worthynews.com/news-features-4/chinese-pastor-run.html> - Worthy News
A Chinese house church leader is on the run from Public Security Bureau officers after his church was raided February 9.
• China: Persecution a 'state secret' <http://www.worthynews.com/zone.cgi?http://interestalert.com/brand/siteia.shtml?Story=st/sn/02260004aaa029fe.upi&Sys=print> - UPI
China arrested two Christian leaders charging them with 'revealing state secrets' because they did research on persecution, Human Rights in China charged.
• Belarus Cracks Down on Churches <http://www.worthynews.com/zone.cgi?http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=/ForeignBureaus/archive/200402/FOR20040224c.html> - CNS News
State pressure on religious groups in the former Soviet republic of Belarus reportedly is increasing, with Baptist pastors among the latest to be punished for leading unregistered denominations.
• Eritrean Police Jail 51 More Evangelicals <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/eritrean-jail-51-evangelicals.html> - Worthy News
Police swooped down on a group of Protestant Christians worshiping in secret in the Eritrean capital of Asmara on Sunday, February 16, hauling off to jail the 51 evangelicals present.
• China: Crackdown on House Churches <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/china-crackdown-house-churches.html> - Worthy News
In January 2004, top cadres of China’s Religious Affairs Bureau and the policy-making United Front Work Department met for the annual National Religious Working Conference.
• Muslim Students Torch Home of Christian Educator <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/muslim-students-torch.html> - Worthy News
Muslim students at Nigeria’s Federal College of Education in the northern city of Yola burned down the home of the school’s provost, a Christian, on January 16.
• Pakistani Christian Jailed on Dubious Blasphemy Charge <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/pakistan-christian-arrests-blasphemy.html> - Worthy News
In an apparent attempt to settle an old grudge, a Pakistani man who converted to Islam several months ago has implicated a Christian acquaintance for alleged blasphemy.
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Muslim protestors have attacked at least five Protestant churches over the past three weeks in the regions of East Java, West Java and North Sumatra.
• Four Christian Women Killed in Iraq, Others Injured <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/iraq-four-christian-women-killed.html> - Worthy News
Four Christian women were killed and five others injured when militants in a passing car raked their minibus with gunfire 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Baghdad, an informed human rights watchdog confirmed Monday, January 26.
• Islamic Law Enforcers Victimize Christian Women in Nigeria <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/nigeria-women-christian.html> - Worthy News
Christian leaders in northern Nigeria report that enforcement of the Islamic legal code known as sharia is continuing despite protests and drastically impinges on the religious liberty of Christians and other non-Muslims in that part of the country.
• Six Missionaries in India Beaten for Sharing Christ <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/six-missionaries-beaten-india.html> - Worthy News
In Orissa, India, where missionary Staines and his two sons were martyred, Gospel workers continue to face persecution.
• Violence Against Christians Escalates in Sri Lanka <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/violence-escalates-sri-lanka.html> - Worthy News
Christians suffered further violence in the Buddhist-majority country of Sri Lanka on January 20, when a Catholic church was attacked near the capital, Colombo, despite the presence of a heavily armed police guard.
• Pakistani Police Arrest Karachi Bombing Suspect <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/pakistani-police-arrest.html> - Worthy News
Pakistani police arrested one suspect and seized a “huge” cache of powerful explosives in Karachi over the weekend, declaring both were linked to grenade and car bomb explosions at a local Bible Society shop on January 15.
• Christian Activist Accused of Converting Hindu Sex Workers <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/christian-activist-india.html> - Worthy News
Anson Thomas, a Christian activist who has rescued scores of minors working as prostitutes in Mumbai, India, was recently accused of “unlawfully converting” Hindu commercial sex workers. Owners of Jamuna Mansion, one of the largest brothels in Mumbai, made the accusations.
• Tajikistan: Baptist Missionary Killed While Praying <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/tajikistan-baptist-killed.html> - Worthy News/ANS
Authorities have launched an investigation into the killing of a Baptist pastor and missionary in the northern Tajik town of Isfara, a region known for its devotion to Islam, ASSIST News Service monitored Thursday, January 15.
• Karachi bombers target Christians <http://www.worthynews.com/zone.cgi?http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/01/15/pakistan.christianattack.ap/index.html> - CNN
A car bomb has exploded outside of a Christian Bible society in southern Pakistan, leaving 15 people injured and damaging the wall of a nearby church, officials said.
• 'Letter of Decision' Leads to Church Closures in Jakarta <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/jakarta-leads-closure.html> - Worthy News
Muslim groups are taking advantage of a document issued by the Indonesian government to close several existing churches and prevent the building of new churches in Jakarta.
• Vietnamese Government Sweeping Operation Captures Montagnard Degar Chris <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/vietnamese-govt-montagnard.html> - Worthy News
Since the Cambodian government closed the refugee camps in Mondulkiri and Rattanakiri provinces of Cambodia, the Vietnamese government has increased repression in the Central Highlands, arresting, imprisoning and killing the Montagnard Degar people to halt the spread of grass roots Christianity.
• Turkish Christian Makes Slow Improvement Following Brutal Beating <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/turkish-christian-slow-improvement.html> - Worthy News
After being beaten into a coma three months ago for alleged “missionary propaganda,” Turkish Christian Yakup Cindilli is slowly improving from a nearly helpless state at his home, where his family has given him constant care for the past month.
• Churches Destroyed, Families Displaced by Religious Conflict in Nigeria <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/churches-destroyed-nigeria.html> - Worthy News
Leaders of the Christian community in the northern state of Jigawa, Nigeria, report that Muslim extremists burned down 10 churches and over 100 church-owned properties in November during unprovoked attacks against Christians in the town of Kazaure.
• American Missionary Dies in Nairobi After Being Ambushed by Bandits <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/american-missionary-nairobi.html> - Worthy News/ANS
Stan Westrom, a former US Marine who became a missionary in East Africa, has died in a Nairobi hospital where he had been taken after being ambushed by bandits last Sunday (January 4).
• Answer to Prayer for Chiapas Prisoners <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/american-missionary-nairobi.html> - Worthy News
Christians around the world are applauding the decision of Mexican authorities to conduct a judicial review of the conviction and sentencing of 76 Tzotzil-speaking peasant farmers imprisoned for the past six years in Chiapas for the infamous "Acteal Massacre."
• Protestant Pastor Assassinated in Pakistan <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/protestant-pastor-assassinated-pakistan.html> - Worthy News
A Protestant pastor in Pakistan’s Punjab province was murdered in the early hours of January 5, just minutes after he left his home to catch a train to Lahore.
• Trial of Vietnamese Church Leader Set for January 13 <http://www.worthynews.com/news-features-4/trial-vietnamese-church-leader-jan-13.html> - Worthy News
The trial of a Vietnamese house church leader arrested last August for 'resisting an officer doing his duty' is set to begin January 13, sources said.
• Bombs Target Iraq's Christians, One Killed <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/bombs-target-iraq-christians.html> - Worthy News
Iraq's beleaguered Christian minority has ushered in the New Year amid grief and fears, after several bombs exploded and at least one believer was killed on a marketplace, ASSIST News Service learned Tuesday January 6.
• Eritrea Steps Up Persecution of Evangelical Christians <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/eritrea-persecution-evangelicals.html> - Worthy News
Eritrean police arrested and jailed another Protestant evangelical pastor, taking him and seven of his church members to prison, according to a report from Compass Direct.
• One Killed in Egypt Army Raid on Children Centre <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/egypt-raid-children-center.html> - Worthy News/ANS
One employee was killed and about eight others, including a nun, wounded when the Egyptian army attacked a Christian centre for mentally and physically handicapped children and orphans early Monday, January 5, a human rights watch-dogs said.
• Muslim Extremists Mount Attacks in Northern Nigeria <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/muslim-extremists-nigeria.html> - Worthy News
Police and military units in the northeastern state of Yobe, Nigeria, ended a violent attempt by Muslim militants to carve out an Islamic Republic there.
• Chinese House Churches Agonize Over Registration <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/china-house-registrations.html> - Worthy News
Registration is still a hot issue for China’s long-suffering house churches. The government insists on registration as the only means of legal existence for Protestant and Catholic churches. In practice, registration means subjection to the Communist Party’s Religious Affairs Bureau and other party organs, all of which are controlled by atheists.
• Vietnam steps up persecution targeting Hmong Christians <http://www.worthynews.com/zone.cgi?http://www.bpnews.net/printerfriendly.asp?ID=17369> - BP News
Vietnamese authorities have stepped up their campaign of persecution of minority Christians, in some instances threatening to murder their spiritual leaders, Freedom House's Center for Religious Freedom in Washington reported Dec. 30.
• China Arrests House Church Leader and Writer <http://www.worthynews.com/christian-persecution/china-arrests-house-church-leader.html> - Worthy News/ANS
The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) urged prayers for a jailed Christian Internet writer Zhang Shengqi and other Christian contacts who were arrested amid a crackdown against house churches across China, ASSIST News Service (ANS) monitored Tuesday, Dec. 30.
• Indian Government Denies Constitutional Rights to Dalit Christians <http://www.worthynews.com/news-features-4/india-government-denies-dalit.html> - Worthy News
The government of India has rejected a demand that social benefits be extended to Dalit Christians and Muslims, compounding the problems faced by the most downtrodden social class in India.
• Churches Demolished at Refugee Camp in Sudan <http://www.christianpersecution.info/churches-demolished-refugee.html> - Worthy News
More than 10 Christian churches and a church-run vocational training center in and around the sprawling Wad el Bashier displaced persons camp in West Omdurman, Sudan, have been demolished by authorities in an ongoing urban re-planning exercise affecting thousands of people.
• Christmas Crackdown Commences in Vietnam <http://www.christianpersecution.info/features/vietnam-christmas-crackdown.html> - Worthy News/ANS
It will be yet another difficult Christmas for the tribal Montagnard Christians of Central Vietnam as disturbing allegations have reached ANS that a Montagnard Christian has been killed, others tortured and Bibles confiscated.
• Baptist Freed in Turkmenistan After Pressure <http://www.christianpersecution.info/features/baptist-freed-turkmenistan.html> - Worthy News/ANS
The leader of a persecuted Baptist community in Turkmenistan has been freed after six days of detention at the feared secret police headquarters of the former Soviet republic, a human rights watchdog said Monday, Dec. 22.
• Churches Demolished at Refugee Camp in Sudan <http://www.christianpersecution.info/churches-demolished-refugee.html> - Worthy News
More than 10 Christian churches and a church-run vocational training center in and around the sprawling Wad el Bashier displaced persons camp in West Omdurman, Sudan, have been demolished by authorities in an ongoing urban re-planning exercise affecting thousands of people.
• Christmas Crackdown Commences in Vietnam <http://www.christianpersecution.info/features/vietnam-christmas-crackdown.html> - Worthy News/ANS
It will be yet another difficult Christmas for the tribal Montagnard Christians of Central Vietnam as disturbing allegations have reached ANS that a Montagnard Christian has been killed, others tortured and Bibles confiscated.
• Baptist Freed in Turkmenistan After Pressure <http://www.christianpersecution.info/features/baptist-freed-turkmenistan.html> - Worthy News/ANS
The leader of a persecuted Baptist community in Turkmenistan has been freed after six days of detention at the feared secret police headquarters of the former Soviet republic, a human rights watchdog said Monday, Dec. 22.
• Somali Christians and Missionaries Murdered <http://www.christianpersecution.info/features/somali-christians-missionaries-murdered.html> - Worthy News
Several Christians and Westerners have been killed in violent attacks as anti-Christian violence spreads throughout the mainly Islamic, impoverished African nation, Barnabas Fund said Friday Dec. 19.
• Rearrested Egypt Christians Likely Beaten <http://www.christianpersecution.info/features/egyptian-christians-likely-beaten.html> - Worthy News
A leading human rights group urged believers around the wold Wednesday Dec. 17 to pray for the safety of two rearrested former Muslims who recently became Christians and "are likely to be subjected to serious beatings."
• Christian Tract Distribution in Vietnam Brings Arrests <http://www.christianpersecution.info/features/vietnam-tract-distribution.html> - Worthy News
News of clashes between Christians and public security police over the distribution of Christian tracts has been pouring out of Vietnam since the opening of the 22nd Southeast Asia Games (Seagames 22) on December 5. The house churches, often zealous in their evangelism, have apparently organized the distribution of Christian tracts and other literature featuring the testimonies of prominent Christian athletes, severely pushing the limits of religious freedom in this communist nation.
• Indonesian Christians Once Again Living in Fear <http://www.worthynews.com/zone.cgi?http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=/ForeignBureaus/archive/200312/FOR20031211a.html> - CNS News
As Christmas approaches, Christians in Indonesia's Sulawesi province are worried that despite an influx of troops and police, the deteriorating security situation of the last two months may worsen.
• Protestant Activist Survives Assassination Attempt in Vietnam <http://www.christianpersecution.info/features/protestant-activist-vietnam.html> - Worthy News
Public Security police in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) allegedly attempted to assassinate the Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang at about 9 p.m. on December 9 by staging a motorcycle “accident,” according to the Vietnamese Mennonite Church in Saigon.
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Christians Axed to Death in Church Meeting by Muslim Warriors
A total of 48 people were hacked to death in Yelwa, Nigeria, by armed Muslims, many during a church meeting.
A recent upsurge in violence in southern Plateau State in Nigeria has claimed at least 100 lives and in the worst single incident so far, at least 48 people were murdered, many during an early morning prayer service on February 24.
Armed Muslims invaded the service, ordered the congregation to lie face down and proceeded 'to machete and axe them to death in their house of worship' according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). The victims included women and children.
The Yelwa incident was preceded by an attack on Tunka in Shendam Local Government Area (LGA) during which 18 people were killed, including four mobile policemen who were murdered in an ambush. The deaths of the policemen, who were assigned to the area to maintain peace, caused many to flee their homes.
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Persecution of Christians in Sudan
by: F.R. Duplantier <mailto:frd@politickles.com>
There have been more Christian martyrs in this century than in all previous centuries combined. The slaughter continues in Sudan right now.
"Sudan, Africa's largest country geographically, has endured a civil war that spans four decades," reports the Institute on Religion and Democracy. "But since 1983 Sudan has been devastated by a jihad or holy war led by the militant National Islamic Front, the ruling regime in Khartoum, against all in Southern Sudan and the Nuba Mountains who opposed the imposition of Shari'a, or Islamic law. The government-sponsored terror has resulted in the deaths of at least two million moderate Muslims, animists, and Christians."
In a summary of the religious persecution in Sudan published on its AngelsInSudan.com website, the Institute on Religion and Democracy points out that "tens of thousands of women and children have been abducted and taken north into slavery." The Institute notes that "aerial bombardment has killed many and displaced up to five million people. In 1998, government aircraft bombed civilian hospitals, feeding centers, and refugee camps some 40 times. Churches are also favorite targets." The summary also cites the Sudanese government's use last year of "its UN-sanctioned veto power to ban all relief for two critical months, bringing 2.5 million to the brink of starvation. In addition, food is denied those who will not convert to Islam."
The Institute on Religion and Democracy insists that the religious persecution in Sudan is "not just a 'civil war' or 'famine' as the press blandly describes it. It is genocide. Since 1983, more people have been killed in Sudan than in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Rwanda combined. This is not an inevitable part of the civil war that has been grinding on since 1983," the Institute asserts. "It is a deliberate strategy by the government to empty the south of non-Muslims and to keep the oil-rich land for itself." The government is constructing an oil pipeline out of southern Sudan "in cooperation with partner companies such as Canada's Talisman Energy and the China National Petroleum Company." The Institute warns that the ruling regime in Khartoum, the National Islamic Front, "will soon be able to purchase high-tech weapons of warfare in exchange for oil, and complete its intended decimation of the people in southern Sudan."
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Somalia's Tiny Christian Community Reportedly Under Fire
Nairobi, Kenya (CNSNews.com) - Christian persecution in Islamic Somalia is on the rise, and humanitarian aid workers from the West are also under attack by Muslim radicals, according to a Christian human rights organization.
The UK-based Barnabas Fund is hoping to draw international attention to an unreported situation in the Horn of African country, which has been without a functioning administration for more than a decade.
A regional observer here said crimes against Christians and Westerners would likely lead to further isolation of Somalia, and also accelerate the growth of Islamic fundamentalism there.
About 99.5 percent of the Somalia population is Muslim. The small Christian minority comprises ethnic Bantus as well as humanitarian workers and expatriates.
The recent wave of violence began early last October, when two armed men killed an elderly Italian nun, Dr. Annalena Tonneli, in front of a hospital in Borama. Tonneli had been involved in humanitarian work in Somalia for 30 years.
Later that month, expatriates Richard and Enid Eyeington, were shot dead by several gunmen in their home inside a school compound.
The Eyeingtons, a British couple in their 60s, had been working for SOS Children's villages in Somaliland.
A Kenyan national working for a Seventh Day Adventist mission southwest Somalia, was murdered last month by Islamist radicals.
Campaigners believe these victims may have been targeted for their faith.
Early last year an extremist Islamist group in Mogadishu called Kulanka Culimada issued a statement saying all Somali Christians were apostates from Islam and should be killed.
The Barnabas Fund, which works among Christians in Islamic nations, said the threats were reportedly prompted by the Christian decision to send delegates to peace talks, which are currently being held in neighboring Kenya.
It said extremists were trying to prevent representatives of the Christian community from participating in the efforts to bring an end to decades of war and unrest.
At a session of the peace talks, where Somali Christian representatives called for freedom of religion and assembly, movement and political representation, they were shouted down by Muslim delegates, Barnabas Fund said.
The Muslims insisted Somalia had no Christians needing representation at the negotiating table, and declared Islam to be the country's official religion.
Several religious figures in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, told CNSNews.com there seemed little hope that the issue of Christian persecution would be addressed soon.
They said evangelism efforts were not going ahead in Somalia because of the volatile security situation.
One Catholic priest, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the persecution issue was "the greatest challenge" facing Christians in countries neighboring Somalia.
"It's a problem very close to our hearts, but action is yet to be taken," he said.
Somali Bantus are a minority Christian group whose physical, cultural and linguistic characteristics distinguish them from the Cushitic majority.
They have long been considered as second-class citizens in Somali society, exploited as laborers, and excluded from education, land ownership and political opportunities and representation.
Many are in refugee camps in Kenya, and a significant number has migrated to the United States, to avoid further persecution in their homeland.
Earlier this year, Somalia delegates participating in the peace talks agreed to a charter providing for freedom of worship but also recognizing Islam as the official religion.
According to the Barnabas Fund, Somali Muslims regard Christianity as "a foreign religion of their historic enemies in Ethiopia and of their former colonial masters, the Italians and the British."
"Most Somalis take it for granted that a true Somali is a Muslim and converts to Christianity must be traitors," it said in a statement.
The State Department's recently released report on international religious freedom described the Christian minority in Somalia as "small" and "extremely low profile".
It also reported that the number of Somalis adhering to "strains of conservative Islam" was growing, as was the number of Islamic schools funded by "religiously conservative sources."
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List of Top 50 Christian Persecution Countries From Open Doors ASSIST News Service Aug 12, 2002 Printer friendly page <http://www.jesusjournal.com/articles/publish/printer_280.html> SANTA ANA, Calif.- For the first time, North Korea has replaced Saudi Arabia as the country where Christians are most severely persecuted, according to the "World Watch List" released on August 12 by Open Doors.
The semi-annual World Watch List ranks countries according to the level of persecution Christians face for following Jesus Christ.
For years, Saudi Arabia has held the top spot on the list. The desert kingdom, which sees itself as the guardian of Islam and its sacred cities of Mecca and Medina, requires all its citizens to be Muslims. A Saudi who converts to another religion faces the death penalty for apostasy.
But growing evidence of severe oppression in North Korea has confirmed what many observers have believed for years, that the communist dictatorship of Kim Jong Il stops at nothing to eradicate all belief systems other than the worship of Kim himself and his deceased father, Kim Il Sung. Both father and son have made every attempt to purge the land of Christians.
Nevertheless, the church has survived in North Korea. Christian refugees escaping North Korea's devastating famine have told of small house churches in country. They rarely number more than 10 individuals, often including only family members for security precautions. One refugee told of how a house church of 20-30 people simply disappeared in 2000.
"For as many years as Open Doors has published its World Watch List, Saudi Arabia has had the dubious label of being ranked as the most difficult country in the world in which to be a Christian," says Terry Madison, President/CEO of Open Doors USA. "Arrests by the religious police, torture, imprisonment, deportation for foreign workers and death for nationals who convert to Christianity has led to Saudi Arabia's number one ranking as the most repressive country.
"Imagine how nearly impossible it is for Christians to survive, and the Christian faith to grow in North Korea as it takes over first place in the hall of shame of countries repressing the free expression of Christianity. And yet, despite its cruel punishment and death to believers, indications are that the Church in North Korea continues to grow despite the best efforts of the government to destroy the Church."
Ranked third on the list is the Southeast Asian nation of Laos, where government authorities accuse Christians of causing religious division. Officials make every effort to tightly control Christian activities, including holding indoctrination classes to re-educate believers.
Vietnam, Turkmenistan, Maldives, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia round out the top ten, listed respectively in order of their ranking. Six of the top ten countries are governed by Islamic regimes. One - Bhutan - is predominately Buddhist, and three - Laos, Vietnam and Turkmenistan - are communist-ruled.
Included on the list, from Nos. 11-25, are: Iran, China, Sudan (government controlled areas), Myanmar (Burma), Egypt, Azerbaijan, Nigeria (North), Yemen, Comoros, Colombia, Cuba, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Brunei and Morocco. China is home to possibly the world's largest number of Christians, numbering between 60-90 million with an estimated 10,000-25,000 converts a day.
Rounding out the list are Nos. 26-50: Tunisia, Iraq, Russian Federation (the Muslim republics of Chechnya, Kabardino, Balkarya and Dagestan), Libya, Tajikistan, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Djibouti, Turkey, Mexico (State of Chiapas), United Arab Emirates, Nepal, Kurdistan, Oman, Mauritania, Algeria, Malaysia, Syria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kuwait, Kenya (Northeast) and Belarus.
The Open Doors World Watch List is distributed twice a year, based on evaluations and testimonies obtained by Open Doors indigenous contacts, field workers and from actual members of the Persecuted Church
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