MARCH 19, 1997

Christians are coming under increased persecution as a threatened minority in many countries. There are many among them who have set their eyes longingly on freedom in the West. At the same time, many western Christians are "praying through" what is being dubbed as the "1040 Window," asking God to bring revival to these spiritually deprived countries.

Among the vilest offenders of persecution of Christians include China, Vietnam, Laos, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan and Sudan. Ironically, despite persecution, Christian leaders in these countries are reporting a growing number of people converting to Christianity. In a recent trip to the Middle East, I listened to many reports from pastors and evangelists claiming that there has been a surge in the number of Christian converts. One Christian radio broadcaster told me that last year alone they had received over 60,000 requests for Bibles and other Christian materials. All the requests were from Muslim countries.

The Dilemma for Western Christians
Among the Christian pastors and leaders that I spoke with from Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, they unanimously expressed that topping the list of concerns were these to issues:

1. the growing number of Christians emigrating in search of freedom and greater opportunities, leaving a vacuum in Christian leadership and influence
2. a concern for the safety of converts and their families as militant radicals and political forces retaliate against them.

These two major concerns of Christian leaders pose a dilemma for western Christian leaders. On one hand we want to help the persecuted find a way of escape. Yet on the other hand, the Christian leaders are pleading with us to help find a way to keep Christians from fleeing. While Christians are earnest in their prayers that many unreached people will come to Christ, at the same time we become more involved by helping and speaking up on behalf of these new converts. Undoubtedly, there is a need for some of these converts to be relocated when their lives are in danger and there are no other options, although we should not depend on this as our only course of action.

Immigration Denied
For example, one Pakistani Muslim, whom I shall refer to as Sam, converted to Christianity and began openly sharing his new faith with other Muslims. As a result, he and his children are now living in hiding, moving from one location to another nearly every five days. Fanatical Muslims have ordered a fatawah (death edict) against him and his family. He has been seeking permission to immigrate to the United States and has even received help from an American congressman. However, after two years he still has not been able to receive permission from the United States to immigrate. Meanwhile, his life and the lives of his wife and children are in grave danger. They must remain in hiding. This is a clear example of how U.S. immigration laws impede endangered Christians from escaping oppression and possible death.

As a Christian human rights advocate, it is not my chief objective to remove persecuted Christians from the problem, but instead to remove the problem. After all, it is Christian converts like Sam who are the answer to the prayers of those "praying through" the 1040 Window. It is the 'Sams' who are boldly sharing their Christian faith. As much of a blow as it might be to our American ego, the days of pioneer missionary work has come to an end. There are many capable indigenous Christians leaders that can do a more effective job of proclaiming the Gospel among their own people. If all the Sams leave, how do we expect the church to grow and survive?

Christians are Used as Scapegoats
The root of the problem is not changing U.S. immigration laws, although changes do need to be made to accommodate Christians like Sam and his family. What is needed is a change in the way Christians are treated, to forcibly denounce persecution, and to effectuate policy changes that will end the maltreatment of Christians. We need to aggressively launch a public outcry and fight against the forces that use Christians as scapegoats to achieving their own objectives. There must be demands made for justice to prevail. Christian minorities must have our support and must be allotted the protection of their own governments. Unless the U.S. is willing to place human rights above economic interests, it is unlikely that any government will take seriously U.S. objections regarding human rights violations.

After all, it was President Clinton who said, "Through our size, our strength, our relative wealth and also through the power of our example, America has a unique ability to shape a world of greater security and prosperity, peace and freedom." Maybe with a little nudging, we can persuade the President to utilize this "unique ability."

Egypt, a Prime Example
Now is the time to act. Violence against Christians is on the increase. In Egypt, on February 12, 1997, thirteen young people ages 13 to 16 were brutally slain. Militant Muslims fired upon 50 youth as they attended a Bible study in a church in Abu Qurqas in Upper Egypt. I spoke with an Egyptian pastor from the region. He said that the entire Christian community is in shock following what has been described as the bloodiest attack against a church in many years. A second violent attack occurred on March 13. In a hail of gunfire, Islamic militants wielding assault weapons killed another 13 people in a mostly Christian village 300 miles south of Cairo. Nine of the slain were Coptic Christians.

The Egyptian government did not start cracking down on Islamic militants until tourists became targets. Attacks against Egyptian Christians could be tolerated, but the government would not tolerate attacks against tourists. Tourism is a lucrative industry for Egypt. During my visit to Egypt, I observed the increased protection that was being provided to tourists. Police guards were posted at every popular tourist hotel and police presence was highly visible at the Cairo airport. Nevertheless, Christians, especially outside Cairo, are afforded little or no protection at all.

China, Another Major Offender
Another example of the growing intolerance toward Christians is found in China. China's communist government has launched a new 'get tough' campaign against the Christians of the burgeoning house church movement. Christians refusing to coddle the party dogma are finding their churches being closed, worshipers beaten and fined, and their leaders jailed and tortured. Meanwhile, a failed U.S. policy has stubbornly maintained its belief that improving human rights is accomplished by expanding trade. Who is really benefiting from this policy?

Changing the Immigration and Naturalization Service Law
On March 18, a conference was held at the U.S. Capitol. Responsible for organizing the conference was the Center for Jewish and Christian Values. The conference focused on ways to address the growing problem of persecution against Christians. Senator Joseph Lieberman voiced the concern of a growing number of Christians and Jews by claiming that Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world today.

Senator Arlen Specter (who is Jewish) presented highlights from a proposed bill that he plans to present to the Senate in about two weeks. His bill would require the U.S. to place trade sanctions against countries whose human rights violations include persecution of Christians. His bill would also call for changes in U.S. immigration laws that currently restrict Christians from seeking refuge in the United States. This bill would provide similar restrictions as that outlined in the Jackson-Vanik amendment. Nations that qualified were granted "Most Favored Nation" (MFN) trading status. The Jackson-Vanik amendment made Jewish emigration a condition for the Soviet Union to receive aid and lower tariffs. The model being presented at the conference was that of the "Save Soviet Jewry" campaign used during the Cold War. This model proved successful in gaining public support for Soviet Jews. The result was that 1.2 million Jews were able to flee the Soviet Union.

As a first step, conference speakers suggested that an emphasis be placed on amending the asylum guidelines of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, allowing for more Christians to immigrate. At the same time, Jewish leaders, such as Rabbi David Saperstein, are warning evangelical Christians not to engage in "proselytizing" activities. Generally, there is an attempt by many human rights advocates to disqualify evangelism or "proselytizing" as a legitimate human right.

Such attitudes are already prevalent, and with little international objection. For example, anti-missionary, anti-evangelism laws have been proposed in Russia and several other Eastern European countries. Recently, similar laws were proposed by Israel.

Jewsish Concern
While most Christian human rights advocates welcome the attention that Jewish leaders are now giving to persecuted Christians, some are skeptical. In the minds of a few Christians, the thought has occurred to them that the Jewish community is merely attempting to revitalize Christian support for Israel, which has been eroding in recent years. Other skeptics say that the sudden interest in persecuted Christians is a response to the rising number of converts to Christianity in Muslim and Communist countries. These skeptics believe that there is a plot by elitists who are attempting to reduce the growing Christian population. Therefore, by allowing the immigration doors in the U.S. to be thrown wide open, the majority of persecuted Christians will take advantage of the opportunity to flee oppression. Some go so far as to suggest that the current wave of violence against Christians is part of the overall plan to force Christians to migrate to the West. As I ponder these notions, the logic behind them is not totally unreasonable.

Regardless, there is a clear and present danger facing Christians throughout the world today. There is a definite need to launch a united and concerted campaign to help persecuted Christians. A call of the trumpet must be sounded from the steeples of every church in America. We can learn from the efforts of the American Jewish community who successfully heralded the plight of Soviet Jews until it became a major human rights issue. For the sake of fellow persecuted believers, we Christians must do the same.

Assuredly, we must respond to the cries of persecuted Christians before the blood of the martyrs reaches overflowing proportions. Nevertheless, we must be cautious in how wide we throw open the doors for immigrating Christians. Over emphases on immigration as an issue is likely to be counterproductive.

A Missionary Effort
Christians who view evangelism as a Christian mandate must realize that it is no longer the American missionary who is best equipped to carry it out this mandate. Due to limited access for Americans and the rise in the number of trained nationals, the need for American missionaries in the field has decreased. It is the nationals themselves who are now promoting evangelistic efforts. In doing so, they are assuring greater opportunities for freedom and democracy.

American Christians must be careful not to send a signal to persecuted Christians around the globe that living in America is the answer to all their problems. We must be resolute in our determination to improve conditions for Christian minorities, not merely to reduce their number, thus minimizing their influence. We should be careful not to be encouraging them to emigrate, but instead to help them change conditions from within.

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The author is the president of the Washington, D.C. based human rights organization International Christian Concern, a longstanding advocate for human rights on behalf of persecuted Christians. He has helped organize Congressional delegations that have met with world leaders to address the issue of persecution of Christians.

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Last Modified: March 21, 1997.
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