persecution news, news on persecution of Christians, human rights news, religious liberty news, news on religious persecution

persecution.org persecution, Christian persecution, persecution in China, persecution in Vietnam, persecution in Saudi Arabia.		Serving the Persecuted Church: Support & Training of Underground Pastors §  Humanitarian Aid § Advocacy for the Persecuted on Capitol Hill

Vietnam October 20, 2003 (Montagnard Foundation) -- There is currently a crackdown against Montagnard Christians in Vietnam that includes village attacks, shootings, and various forms of torture.  In the past weeks there have been multiple attacks.  On October 16, police and soldiers opened fire on a Christian brother with an AK47, and he was wounded and is now hospitalized.  On October 10, gunfire was opened against one man and his pregnant wife was tied up, beaten, and had a cloth stuffed in her mouth.  On the same day, six young Christian men returning from a funeral were arrested and suffered beatings and electric shock torture, and they have now been moved to an unknown location.

Nigeria 10/10/03 (ANS) -- In Kano State, all girls -- including Christians -- attending state run schools are to be compelled to wear the Islamic headscarf. Meanwhile in Azare, Bauchi State, 12 nurses have been fired for non-compliance with a dress code based on Islamic law (shari'a).n  On August 29 a new law began that forces all girls attending state schools to wear the Islamic dress despite differing religous beliefs. 

Saudi Arabia-8/11/03 (Compass) -- After 20 weeks in a Saudi jail for participating in prohibited Christian activities, Eritrean Christian Girmaye Ambaye was deported from Jeddah by plane back to his home country on Saturday, August 9. According to one of his brothers who spoke to Compass today, Ambaye has remained in Asmara, the Eritrean capital, since his arrival on Saturday night. The brother did not know where Girmaye was staying; it is assumed that he is being interviewed by Eritrean authorities regarding the details of his deportation by the Saudi government. Ambaye had been jailed at the Bremen deportation center in the Saudi port city of Jeddah since March 25, when local police put him under arrest for talking to Muslim Arabs about his Christian faith. His deportation had first been said to be stalled over the sale of a car registered in his name and later because of an alleged traffic fine that he failed to pay. Ambaye is one of a dozen members of an Ethiopian-Eritrean Christian congregation in Jeddah who have been jailed and deported. Jeddah police keep church leaders under frequent surveillance.

Sudan-7/20/03 (ANS) Twelve months ago, an historic peace deal was signed between the Government of Sudan (GoS) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). US pressure (from the post 9/11 war on terrorism) brought the Islamic Govt. of Sudan to the table after 20 years of slaughtering the Christian South. Now, pressure has been eased on them and it looks like they are obstructing the accord and returning to their old ways. President Omar el-Beshir recently declared Khartoum “will never be secular and we will sacrifice our souls” to prevent this.” There is great concern that Washington will press for a “peace at any cost” deal. The GoS has repeatedly terrorized and starved its people and violated ceasefire agreements with impunity -- and impunity equals permission. Just last week GoS warplanes conducted bombing raids of twenty-five villages in northwest Darfur, western Sudan, killing at least 300 villagers and wounding 200, with many dying as victims of a “toxic gas.

India 7/18/03 AP India’s Police agency have charged 14 men with the murder of  Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons who were burned to death in a remote village in eastern India in 1999 by a mob. The murder was premeditated and organized by a man who “wanted to teach the missionary a lesson.”

North Korea 7/4/03 ICC Four teenage North Korean refugees received their first taste of freedom this past July 4. The four, ages fifteen to eighteen had initially made their way to China and were attempting to seek refuge in the British Consulate in Shanghai. “Chinese police initially tried dragging the four teenagers out of the Consulate, in order to arrest them and deport them back to North Korea.” The police, avoiding media attention for violating international law by attempting to force them out of the building, eventually gave up the pursuit. They are now residing in South Korea.

Nigeria (Compass) 7/18/03-- Nigeria's Defense Minister. says  Muslim leaders aim to eradicate Christianity in northern Nigeria. “Christians are now under severe pressure. Our religion is under assault, if Christians are not careful, there will be a time that the propagation of the teaching of Jesus Christ will become an offense. We know that we are minority in the north, but if we are not careful, we will be wiped out of existence in the north." Danjuma said that the incessant attacks on Christians by Muslim fundamentalists and the implementation of the Islamic legal system by Muslim governors in northern Nigeria were just two of many strategies to wipe out Christianity in Nigeria.

Pakistan 7/7/03 (Compass) -- Six gunmen shot and killed a Roman Catholic priest in his home in eastern Pakistan in the early hours of July 5. Father George Ibrahim, 38, was gunned down about 1 a.m. while sleeping in his home near Okara.

Pakistan, July 17 (Compass) -- Trial proceedings against Christian schoolteacher Pervaiz Masih began in Pakistan, two years after the high school principal was jailed for alleged blasphemy. Masih has been refused bail since his arrest in April 2001, when teenage boys reportedly claimed he had made slanderous remarks against the Muslim prophet Mohammed while tutoring them two months earlier

Thailand 7/9/03 (ANS) -- A Lao-American pastor and two European journalists have been freed by the Laos government less than two weeks after being sentenced to 15 years in jail amid international pressure.

Indonesia  7/23/03 ICC The situation for Christians in Indonesia seems to be worsening. Several Christians have died in sniper style shootings, and 4 people were injured when a bomb went off in a restaurant owned by Christians on 7/10. In addition, nine members of the terrorist group, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), were arrested in central Java on July 11^th. Over 20,000 rounds of ammunition, 11 rocket launchers and two M-16s were among the weapons confiscated by police during the capture of the JI terrorists.
Bulgaria 7/21/2003 (Forum 18) A  controversial religion law adopted 12/02 that allows religious communities to be suspended, banned or fined has survived a constitutional court challenge. It is the first time in history that six judges have been against the law and only five in favor, but the law was gone through anyway.

Malawi 7/15/03 (IN) Seven churches and an office of Save the Children, were attacked by a Muslim mob June 27-28 in Malawi’s first religious violence in modern times. A crowd of about 200 Muslims went on the rampage, breaking windows and doors in local churches. Muslims were protesting that the government had allowed the U.S. to secretly extradite five suspected al-Qaeda terrorists from Malawi.

ZAMBIA  (ANS) 7/17/03 -- Zambian Police raided an Islamic School in Lusaka and found 280 male children locked up in a warren of cells. The children, clad in Islamic dress, reported they had been kept against their will, had been abused, and were only allowed to speak Arabic. Those “who strayed from the Islamic teachings” were “caged in small rooms and made to eat food kept in a manhole.” The children received little academic. They were mainly subjected to Islamic indoctrination. Parents gave their children to the Islamic School because promises that they might receive university education in a Middle East country if they attained a suitable level of Islamic Education and fluency in Arabic.

China (ANS)  June 10 Pastor Gong Shengliang founder and senior pastor of the South China Church (SCC), an evangelical house-church fellowship with some 50,000 members is dying in prison after being tortured in prison. In December 2001, Pastor Gong was sentenced to death in a secret trial. But an international outcry forced the government to convert his sentence to life in prison. Ask a speaker of Chinese to call the Jingzhou prison where pastor Gong is held (+011 + 86 (China's country code) + 716 (Jingzhou city code) + 8422230 or 8422230 or 8422153.You may want to make two inquiries: 1. Show your concern about Gong's health condition; 2. Ask for Gong to receive appropriate medical treatment for his injuries.  Pastor Gong's known Chinese names are Gong Shengliang and Gong Dali. The prison address is: Mr. Gong Shengliang ,Ru Jian Dui, Jiaoyu Zhong Dui, Jingzhou Prison, Hubei Province. Zip Code: 434100

BANGALORE, India, June 3 (Compass) -- Suspected Islamic extremists in the Indian state of Kashmir killed a nun in a grenade attack on a Catholic school last week. Sister Kamlesh, died when a grenade exploded on May 22 near the main entrance her Convent School. Another teacher  was seriously injured in the explosion. The assault followed threats against Christians lodged by militant groups after they heard reports of Christian conversions

GEORGIA  (ANS & Forum 18)) June 16 A mob of young men blocked a Pentecostal church in the capital Tbilisi for seven hours Sunday, June 15, as police watched and refused to intervene. "We will do everything to prevent you from meeting. We won't stop still there's blood," the mob was quoted as yelling. The mob shouted and threatened to beat and even kill the Pastor. One of the young men admitted that the protest was organized by an Orthodox priest, Fr David who accused them of being Satanists.  The blockade came the same day that a Baptist church was set on fire in eastern Georgia, possibly by Orthodox elements         .

Laos  (ANS) June 3 -- A St. Paul, Minnesota, pastor of Hmong descent was detained on June 3 in Laos. He  wanted to investigate and draw world attention to religious persecution of his fellow Hmong in their native land. Lao authorities had been denying the State Dept. access to him but allowed a visit on June 16 (he appeared to have been treated well). Pastor Mua is the latest of a handful of Hmong-Americans who have run into trouble or gone missing in Laos in recent years

Indonesia (WEA) June 11 The Indonesian parliament passed a controversial National Education Bill that has divided the nation. The bill would force schools with more than 10 students of any faith to be taught by religious educators of their own faith. Many Muslims go to Christian Schools and become converted. The law is a backlash against this trend. Christian Schools would have to hire teachers to teach Islam to their students.

BANGLADESH  (ANS) June 9 – A missionary to Bangladesh that was kidnapped on May 19 but escaped his captors on the night of June 9 after all 8 captors fell asleep. He ran for many hours through the jungle with his hands tied behind his back before eventually coming to a village where he found safety.

Brazil June 5 A judge in Brazil pronounced two believers guilty of a "hate crime" because they distributed evangelistic tracts that warned people of spiritual bondage to African voodoo religions. The two believers were each fined about US$300 and were warned they would face stiffer consequences if they did not stop witnessing to spiritists

Pakistan June 13 ANS-- Pakistan’s North West Province has adopted Shari’ah law as of June 2. “From today, Shari’ah will be implemented  and there will be no place for those who refuse to follow it,” said Akram Durrani, Chief Provincial Minister. Under the new legislation where there is a conflict between current law and Shari’ah, it is Shari’ah that will prevail, although details are vague as to exactly how this would be applied in practice. Although the bill stipulates that Shari’ah will not be applied to non-Muslims, local Christians believe it is only a matter of time before problems occur. Recent experience in North Nigeria has shown that despite initial promises the enforcement of Shari’ah ends up affecting Christians and other religious minorities as well as Muslims. In Iraq extremist Muslim vigilantes are currently imposing Shari’ah on Muslims and Christians alike.
 

.