Monday 28 March 2011

28/03/2011 - Terrorists Linked To Massive Killings Of India Christians, report says

Terrorists Linked To Massive Killings Of India Christians, report says

Posted on: 2011-03-28 07:26:09
NEW DELHI, INDIA (Worthy News)-- India's anti-terror agency was under pressure Monday, March 28, to investigate anti-Christian violence amid allegations that right-wing terrorists played a key role in the massive killings of Christians in India's state of Orissa and violence in Karnataka state.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) learned from a key suspect that her fellow activist, identified as Luitenant Colonel Prasad Srikant Purohit, "masterminded" the 2008 anti-Christian violence in Orissa in which over 100 people were killed, The Indian Express newspaper reported, citing an internal document.

"He was into big things like blasts, etc., and had masterminded the Orissa and Karnataka disturbances,," the newspaper quoted Pragya Singh Thakur, who was arrested for planning seperate bombings targeting another religious minority, Muslims, in west India in 2008.

Among Christians killed in Orissa were men and women who witnesses said were burned alive, or hacked to death.

Also, in Orissa's Kandhamal district alone, over 6,600 homes were destroyed, 56,000 people rendered homeless, and thousands injured, according to Christian rights activists.

INTELLIGENCE REPORT

Thakurs statement to the NIA followed a Directorate of Military Intelligence report saying Purohit had confessed to having killed at least two Christians in Kandhamal district.

The Orissa violence followed the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, the leader of the nationalist grouping Vishwa Hindu Parishad, or 'World Hindu Council'. Maoists reportedly claimed responsibility for the killing, but Hindus blamed Christians.

Thakur reportedly also admitted to playing a role in the 2008 violence in Karnataka and other stateswhere activists say hundreds of churches were desecrated and Christians were beaten up by Hindu militants.

The revelation by Thakur was not surprising, said John Dayal, secretary general of advocacy group the All India Christian Council.

"We have held that the military precision of the Kandhamal riots, which spread fast and raged for months, could not be a work of mere common people, and that higher brains were at work to teach the Christians a lesson while sending out signals of their power lust to the entire nation," he said in published remarks.

NEW MURDER?

In Orissa, tensions remained high Sunday, March 27, following reports of new violence. In one of the latest cases Angad Digal, a Catholic man from the town of Mondasoro im Kandhamal went missing this month. Residents said he was killed in Tilakapanga around March 10, when he travelled with Hindu acquaintances.

For days, family, volunteers, and human rights activists in Cuttack diocese have been searching for his body, without success, Christians said.

One of the men suspected in Digals murder has been arrested, said Laxmikant Pradhan, a local priest.

It was not immediately clear what the suspect, who was not identified, had told authorities about the whereabouts of the missing man.

"We must find Digals body and stop this culture of impunity," said priest Pradhan, who complained that authorities had not done enough to intervene.

The case have underscored growing pressure on religious minorities in India, a predominantly Hindu nation, according to rights and church groups. (Worthy News's Santosh Digal in India and Stefan J. Bos at Worthy News Center contributed to this story).

28/03/2011 - Iran Secretly Executes Jewish-Armenian Couple; Christians Concerned

Iran Secretly Executes Jewish-Armenian Couple; Christians Concerned

Posted on: 2011-03-28 09:39:09
TEHRAN, IRAN (Worthy News)-- Iran has secretly executed a Jewish-Armenian couple and three other persons, raising concerns about other religious minority prisoners in the strict Islamic nation, Iranian Christians and rights activists confirmed Sunday, March 27.

The independent Iranian Christian news agency Mohabat News said Adiva Mirza Soleiman Kalimi, a Jewish Iranian, and her husband Varoujan Petrosian, an Armenian Iranian Christian, were executed in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. One other woman and two men, whose identities were not revealed, were also killed, the agency reported.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency, founded by Iranian activists, said the execution was confirmed by a branch of Iran's Revolutionary Court based inside the Evin prison.

It was not known on what charges the inmates had been sentenced to death. Iranian officials did not provide further details.

There was some confusion about the exact timing of the execution, but several Iranian Christians and rights activists said they believe it happened between Sunday, March 13, and early Monday, March 14, local time.

BODIES RETURNED?

Christians said they did not know when and if the bodies would be returned to the families of the executed prisoners, amid reports they have been threatened with arrest by agents of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence.

Relatives of those who died had reportedly asked for the bodies to bury them according to their religious traditions.

The executions were expected to increase concerns about other religious minority prisoners, including five Christians who rights activists said face charges of blasphemy that carry the death penalty.

Pastor Behrouz Sadegh-Khandjani, Mehdi Furutan, Mohammad Beliad, Parviz Khalaj and Nazly Beliad -- all members of the evangelical oriented Church of Iran denomination -- are expected to face a blasphemy trial next month, explained advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

"ISLAMIC ORDER"

The Christians already serve one year imprisonment for "crimes against the Islamic Order", that fellow believers have linked to their Christian activities.

Several other Christians are also jailed across the country, local residents and rights activists say, as part of a reported government crackdown on Christian converts, who include former Muslims.

In one of the latest cases, three Christians, identified as Saleh Jahangir Zadeh, Hamid Najafi and his wife, Mahzar Najafi, were detained by intelligence officials outside Tehran while traveling to celebrate the Iranian New Year holiday, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.

It said attempts by families to contact those Christians have remained unsuccessful. Some 48 hours after last week's arrest there was "still no information regarding their status and location," the organization added.

CSW added that "The situation for Christians in Iran is worsening, with churches finding it difficult to hold meetings, and many Christians attempting to flee the country."

PASTOR NADARKHANI

The group explained that Christians in Iran are also increasingly concerned for Yousef Nadarkhani, the pastor of a large congregation in the city of Rasht, who was arrested in late 2009.

He remains in prison after having been sentenced to death for the crime of apostasy, "despite there being no articles in the Iranian legal code that refer to such a crime," CSW observed.

The presiding judge in the Nadarkhani case reportedly based his ruling on texts by Iranian religious scholars. An appeal to the Supreme Court was filed in December, and a hearing is due within two months, according to trial observers.

28/03/2011 - Germany Jails Christian Parents Over Sex Education Row

Germany Jails Christian Parents Over Sex Education Row

Posted on: 2011-03-28 07:19:53
BERLIN/BUDAPEST (Worthy News)-- A Christian father spent another day in a German prison Saturday, March 26, after refusing to pay a fine for not allowing his children to attend government-run "sexual education" classes, his lawyers said.

Eduard Wiens is now serving a 40-day sentence that will end April 23, said the U.S. based Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), an international group of Christian attorneys.

The ADF said Eduard Wiens is one of several Christian parents being prosecuted by German authorities over the controversial sex-classes, adding that it asked the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to quickly review appeals filed last year on their behalf.

Eduard and Rita Wiens, along wih Arthur and Anna Wiens, chose to keep their four children--a 9- and 10-year-old from each family--from attending obligatory sexual education in the town of Salzkotten that they believed taught students "an unbiblical view of sexuality," ADF said in a statement.

"They were subsequently fined and sentenced to prison after they refused to pay. Arthur Wiens served two jail terms totaling 10 days last year. Eduard Wiens served five days last yearand is now serving a 40-day sentence," the group explained.

Anna Wiens and Rita Wiens 43-day sentences were postponed, "due to the formers pregnancy and the latters nursing of her newborn," the ADF said.

BAPTIST CHURCH

The troubles began in 2006 when the four parents, active members of the Christian Baptist Church, objected to their childrens attendance at both a mandatory stage play and four school days of so-called sexual education classes.

"Each parent believed the programs contradicted their sincerely held religious beliefs. The Wiens kept their children at home during the programs and instead instructed them in their own Christian values on sexuality," the ADF said.

A lower court disagreed and in June 2008 fined each parent 2,340 Euros (some $3,250).

Children are not allowed to opt out of classes or school activities and homeschooling is illegal in Germany since Adolf Hitler outlawed it in 1938.

Yet, the parents refused to pay the fine on what they called "legal and moral grounds", a move that led to the jail sentences.

COMPULSORY PLAY

German school officials alleged that the purpose of the compulsory play Mein Kper Gehrt Mir ('My Body Is Mine') was to introduce preventative measures for sexual abuse amongst children.

ADF attorneys argued that the play and sexual education lessons promoted a view of sex and sexuality that "strongly contradicts" the Wiens Christian beliefs.

"Also, the Wiens contend that the programs didnt deter sexual abuse, but instead taught children to become sexually active, ultimately teaching that if something feels good sexually, then it was an acceptable practice," the ADF added.

The group said it has three similar cases before the ECHR, involving the imprisonment of six Christian parents, that "violate" international human rights treaties signed by Germany.

PARENTS RESPONSIBLE

"Parents, not the government, are ultimately responsible for making educational choices for their children, and jailing them for exercising this universal right is ridiculous," argued ADF Legal Counsel Roger Kiska.

The imprisoned Eduard Wiens "was well within his rights under the European Convention of Human Rights to opt to teach his children a view of sexuality that is in accord with his own religious beliefs, instead of sending them to classes and an interactive play that they found to be objectionable," Kiska added.

The cases could have wider implications, he warned. "The ADF also wants to head off any opportunity for activists in the United States to cite foreign court decisions as patterns to follow."

Christian rights groups view the German prosecution of parents as part of efforts by several governments and employers in Europe to pressure devoted Christians to follow regulations that do not adhere to their Biblical principles. (With editing and reporting by Worthy News' Stefan J. Bos).

Thursday 24 March 2011

24/03/2011 - Christians in Turkey Acquitted of 'Insulting Turkishness'

Christians in Turkey Acquitted of 'Insulting Turkishness'

Posted on: 2010-10-24 00:35:12
By Joseph C. DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent

ISTANBUL, Turkey (Worthy News)-- After a lengthy legal battle, a Turkish judge acquitted two Christians of insulting Turkey and its people by spreading Christianity, but not without imposing a heavy fine for another unrelated charge.

Turan Topal, 50, and Hakan Tastan, 41, were faslely accused of spreading their faith and "insulting Turkishness, the military and Islam."

At Silivri court, Judge Hayrettin Sevim acquitted both defendants on charges they had insulted the Turkish state (Article 301) and its people (Article 216) by spreading Christianity on a lack of evidence.

However, Sevim found them guilty of collecting information on citizens without permission (Article 135) and sentenced them to seven months imprisonment, or a $3,170 (US) fine.

"For both Turan and me," said Tastan by telephone, "being found innocent from the accusation that we insulted the Turkish people was the most important thing for us, because we've always said we're proud to be Turks, but it is unjust that they are sentencing us for collecting people's information."

At the time of their arrest, both men and had posted contact information from individuals interested in Christianity to the The Bible Research Center's website; their lawyer said they will appeal the decision of the court after they see the official statement.

"We are free from the charges that we have insulted the Turkish state and the people of Turkey and we're glad for that," said Tastan, "but we are sorry about the court's sentence. We're happy on one hand, and sorry on the other."

Wednesday 23 March 2011

23/03/2011 - Saudi Arabia Jails Indian Christians For "Proselytizing"

Saudi Arabia Jails Indian Christians For "Proselytizing"

Posted on: 2011-03-23 06:17:33
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (Worthy News)-- Two Indian Christian men working in Saudi Arabia were behind bars Tuesday, March 22, after they were sentenced to 45 days imprisonment for allegedly trying to convert Muslims to Christianity, rights activists said.

Vasantha Sekhar and Nese Yohan were detained and arrested March 11 in the Batha area of the capital Riyadh on charges of "proselytizing", or attempted conversion, said advocacy group International Christian Concern (ICC), citing its contacts in Saudi Arabia.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi or Indian officials.

An ICC representative said his group believes the two workers were arrested to keep them from practicing Christianity privately in their home. "These two Christians have faced false charges and false evidence," ICC Advocacy Director Logan Maurer told Worthy News in a statement. "The Saudi government continues to engage in an array of severe violations of human rights as part of its repression of freedom of religion," Maurer added.

APARTMENT RANSACKED

While in prison awaiting trial, their apartment was reportedly ransacked, apparently by Saudi security forces.

Christians said the two workers face uncertainty regarding their future. An employer has allegedly returned the passport of one of the Christians, saying his job is no longer available and that he will be expelled from the country. The other Christian awaits information regarding his legal status and job, ICC said.

It was not immediately clear what impact the case would have on other foreign workers, including Christians, who have been a key element in Saudi Arabia's economy.

Rights groups say Saudi Arabia, a strict Islamic nation, has a long history of cracking down on Christians. In 2004, 28 Indian workers were reportedly arrested in Messriam for practicing Christianity. The charges were eventually dropped, but in 2010 brought up again leading to the deportation of one worker, while another person was arrested, ICC explained.

MORE ARRESTS

In another case, 16 Indian workers were allegedly arrested in February 2008, and then released after three days. In 2010, eight left the country of their own accord and three of the remaining eight were issued deportation orders and expelled, ICC investigators said.

ICC has urged its supporters to contact Saudi Arabia officials and "politely ask them to release and not expel vulnerable religious communities of Saudi Arabia."

A recent United States State Department report on religious freedom expressed concerns about the situation of religious minorities in the country.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Michael Posner said the public practice of non-Muslim religions remains prohibited, and that the Saudi government has not acted on pledges to rid textbooks of religious incitement. "...There still continues to be in the Saudi textbooks, references, very negative, stereotypical references to Christians, Jews and others, which regard as offensive," he told reporters following the release of the report in November.

SAUDI AUTHORITIES

Saudi authorities have denied human rights abuses and recently urged political activists not to repeat pro-democracy demonstrations in other Arabic nations.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency, the Interior Ministry said this month that demonstrations are prohibited "because these contradict the principles of Islamic law (Sharia) and the values and norms of the Saudi society; they further lead to public disorder, harm to public and private interests, breach of the rights of others, and to wreaking havoc that result in bloodshed." (With reporting by Worthy ews' Stefan J. Bos).

Monday 21 March 2011

21/03/2011 - Murdered Dutch Missionary Burried In Netherlands

Murdered Dutch Missionary Burried In Netherlands; Ebel Kremer Mourned Worldwide

Posted on: 2011-03-21 08:11:23



By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent with commentaries from Christians and missionaries across Africa, North America, New Zealand, the Netherlands and elsewhere








NAIROBI/GRONINGEN (Worthy News)-- A Dutch missionary who was murdered when armed robbers stormed a mission center in Kenya where he supported orphans, wasburied Monday, March 7, in the Netherlands.


Ebel Kremer, 36, was shot dead in the overnight attack by at least three suspects on February 25 at the complex of international Christian organization Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in the town of Athi River, some 50 kilometers (32 miles) outside Kenya's capital Nairobi.

Attackers reportedly also raped his wife Lora, 34, in front of their two small children. A night watchman was injured in the attack but is now recovering, YWAM said.

Journalists were banned from attending Monday's funeral in the Dutch city of Groningen to allow family members to calmly "cope with this loss and say farewell," explained the missionary couple's home church Vrije Baptistengemeente Groningen (VBG), or 'Free Baptist Congregation Groningen'. Ahead of the funeral, a special churchservice was held at the VBG.

Earlier,church members in the Dutch city of Groningen held prayer sessions, while a Dutch married couple flew to Kenya to pick up Lora Kremer and her children on behalf of the VGB, which financially supported the Kremers.

CHRISTIAN IDENTITY

It has remained unclear whether the Christian identity of YWAM's mission center played a role in the attack, amid an ongoing police investigation.

In a comment, PS Cain, who said he had worked in Kenya, told BosNewsLife that the area where the attack took place "is primarily 'Christian' by name."Most likely, Cain said, "the robbers would consider themselves 'Christians' and run from any Muslim label. This is a sad truth about Kenya in my mind."

If the attackers were Muslims, they should be condemned, suggested 'Volk' a Muslim writer seeking contact with BosNewsLife. "I as a Muslim [of] 37-years old, feel sad about this incident. The Koran says that killing humans, and unacceptable sexual intercourse is very sinful," he wrote on Worthy News' partner website, BosNewsLife.com.

YWAM suggested earlier there was no evidence that the violence was sparked by Muslim extremism that has plagued the further away northeastern border region of Kenya with Somalia."The incident is being investigated as a robbery, " the organization said, amid reports that the attackers were searching for money.

SECURITY CONCERNS

Yet, the attack underscored security concerns for Christians in Kenya where the Kremers worked since February 2008 as volunteers at the YWAM mission center in Athi River, said VBG spokesperson Jan Hooikammer. The complex includes Christian training schools, a preschool and facilities for orphaned children, known as 'Homes for Hope and Healing'.

Ebel Kremer was involved in building YWMA's 'Maanzoni Childrens Village' of eight such 'Hope' homes, with foster families caring for up to a dozen orphans each.

YWMA representative Karin Kea Sued acknowledged that the village's future was now uncertain. "Ebel was overseeing the building of the second of the eight homes...We were waiting for the homes to be completed before accepting more children."

The official said that "Our hearts are hurting as we are all in shock and disbelief that Ebel has been taken from us so suddenly, and in such a cruel and heartless manner." Her group, she said, "lost a fellow missionary and friend who beamed with energy and determination serving the One we all know to give perfect peace, comfort and eternal life."

WORLDWIDE CONDEMNATION

As relatives and close friends prepared to burry Ebel Kremer, other missionaries and Christians in Africa and around the world contacted Worthy News' partner BosNewsLife to express their grief and shock.

"I am praying for Lora and her children. I have been praying for them since I heard this news," said Christine Enoch writing from Kenya in a comment on the website. "I am also praying for the extended family, as they are devastated by this news. I can only imagine their shock and pain."

She said she had lived in three countries in Africa for the past 23 years. "I thank God for His mercy and protection. I currently live in Nairobi, so this [news about the attack] comes close to home, and makes me realize that the only hope I have is to turn my eyes upon Jesus."

Another Christian, missionaryDean McClain, also suggested that life can be dangerous in Kenya. "I am praying for all involved and forwarding your article to all on my lists. My wife and I served as Baptist Missionaries in Kenya [from] 1989 [till] 2001. God helped me to keep a thief in Nairobi from being set on fire and a mob in Meru from killing a naked man who was throwing rocks at cars from a roof top!" However, he added, "We found the majority of Kenyans to be kind and as soon as I intervened they supported me to stop the mobs."

"I have great sympathy for the family. Im a Dutch missionary myself, YWAM-mer too, helping orphans too," said Cor Koelewijn, who described himself as "Missionary to the Orphans of East Africa." He said, "We are living just over the border on the Uganda side and are shocked at this type ofattacks. No matter who you are or what you do, it is absolutely horrific to go through this. I pray that God will help his wife and children to get over this and somehow pick up their life"

MISSIONARIES TARGETED
Ebel and Lora Kremer worked for Youth With A Mission (YWAM), an international mission organization working around the world.


"It's so sad that all this is happening to people who are missionaries, working with the needy in Kenya," noted missionaries Ray, Eunice and Nicole of Youth With a Mission in Namibia, using only their first names.

"Our prayers are with you as we understand the pain and suffering Lora and the children are going through," they wrote to BosNewsLife. "We trust God will shine His light and shower them with His Love and comfort, through this challenging time."

Elizabeth Parker Kirouac, who also worked for YWMA, told BosNewsLife that "Ebel paid the ultimate cost to know God and make Him known. In a message to Lora Kremer she added: "I am sorry for your loss and pray that you would find deep comfort, healing and peace in the arms of our Heavenly Father. I am a former YWAM-er and have a brother and his family in Kenya."

"We are praying in Senegal, West Africa, for this family and this situation. We serve several missionaries from the Netherlands and have several teachers from the Netherlands also," wrote Brett and Krissy Molter, directors of the Bourofaye Christian School in Senegal.

"SENSELESS INJUSTICE"

"This has been a difficult time for them, but we all are shocked to hear this terrible news. We pray that God will use this senseless injustice for His Kingdom glory, in His refining power," they told BosNewsLife.

They stressed that everyone was "Weeping for the family and the Body of Christ", a reference to Christians.

Outside Africa, Trevor and Kelly of YWAM in Oxford, New Zealand, said "Our hearts go out to Ebel and his family during this time. Our team was deeply impacted by the example that Ebel and Lora were living before our eyes in pouring out their lives for Christ and the orphans in Kenya."

And from Toronto, Canada, Max Rideout wrote BosNewsLife that he "was shocked and saddened" by this news. "We live in an evil world. Our prayers and thoughts are with Lora and her family."

''CRUEL ACT"

Back in the Netherlands, Christians also mourned missionary Kremer outside his own home church, including in the international evangelical Vineyard Assen church in the Dutch city of Assen. "Our pastor was a close friend of the deceased...He is heartbroken and we as a church are saddened by the cruel act," said Isabella w.van Spijk, a Kenyan Christian who is married to a Dutchman, in a comment on the bosnewslife.com website.

"It was very sad in our [Vineyard Assen] church, I could not help crying out to God...The preacher could not hold back his tears now and then he kept stopping preaching."

It was, she suggested, a Biblical message that the missionary died while serving God, just as Jesus, before His resurrection from death.

"Our God and only Him understands why. I will personally keep praying for Lora and the Children that His will may prevail [and] comfort both families. God is on His throne and He will always remember them no matter what because we believe in a living God who is able to carry us through the storms."




21/03/2011 - Turkish Court Jails Officers Over Killings Christians

Turkish Court Jails Officers Over Killings Christians

Posted on: 2011-03-21 07:59:01
By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

ISTANBUL, TURKEY (Worthy News)-- A Turkish court on Monday, March 21, ordered five military officers and two civilians jailed as part of an investigation into the 2007 killings of three Christians at a Bible-publishing house.

It was not clear what role the suspects played in murdering Turkish citizen Necati Aydin and German Tilman Geske who were found tied to chairs by their hands and legs with their throats cut in Zirve Publishing Company, where they worked.

A second Turkish citizen, Ugur Yuksel, died later in hospital from multiple stab wounds. All three were members of the evangelical oriented Malatya Kurtulus Church.

The detentions of the seven suspects Monday, March 21, pending trial, came after prosecutors reportedly examined an earlier letter by a whistle-blower who claimed killing Christians was part of a wider conspiracy to topple the Islamic rooted government.

MILITARY COUP

Prosecutors have suggested that those involved in the killings wanted to create chaos and to destabilize the country to trigger a military coup.

Those jailed Monday, March 21, were believed to be among about twenty suspects detained during raids in recent days on those alleged to have masterminded and incited these murders.

Among them is also a university theology lecturer, a non-commissioned officer from the Siirt Provincial Gendarmerie Command, and the retired colonel who commanded Malatyas Provincial Gendarmerie Brigade at the time of the murders, trial observers said.

MORE ATTACKS

There have been several anti-Christian attacks in predominantly Muslim Turkey, where Christians comprise less than one percent of the population of 74 million.

The alleged coup plot included plans to target several Christians and minority figures, according to investigators.

Other murders linked to the alleged conspiracy, known as 'Ergenekon, are said to include those of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink in 2007 and of Catholic Priest Andrea Santoro in 2006.

Hundreds of people, including military officers, politicians and journalists, are already on trial for allegedly attempting to overthrow Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government, which came to power in 2002.

CONTROVERSY MOUNTS

Critics claim the government is using the case to jail secular-minded foes and to silence opponents.

The government insists the trial is strengthening democratic rule in Turkey, which is seeking membership of the European Union. Officials say they want to unravel shady networks that once operated with impunity in Turkey.

However, the recent arrests of several journalists, including two prominent investigative reporters, have sparked protests from journalists groups and expressions of concern from Western governments and international media rights groups.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its European group the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) last week condemned Turkish police raids into the homes of nine journalists in Istanbul.

JOURNALIST SOURCES

In a statement to BosNewsLife they said the raids represent "a serious violation of the confidentiality" of journalists sources.

Prime Minister Erdogan has denied there is any government attempt to silence journalists.

However, "These denials are just not credible, said Aidan White, IFJ/EFJ General Secretary in a statement to BosNewsLife. The authorities are clearly embarked on a campaign to discipline dissent and to stifle free speech in Turkey." (With reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos).

Sunday 20 March 2011

20/03/2011 - Nigeria Bombers Killed Before Attacking Church

Nigeria Bombers Killed Before Attacking Church

Posted on: 2011-03-20 07:53:08
Worthy News Africa Service

ABUJA/JOS (Worthy News)-- Two people suspected of planning to bomb a Nigerian church were killed before they reached their destination in the central city of Jos, adding to tensions in an area already troubled by deadly religious and ethnic violence, officials said Sunday, March 20.

"We suspect the two men were trying to plant a bomb outside the church while Sunday service was on when the bomb exploded, killing both of them," said Gregory Yenlong, the commissioner for information of Plateau State to which Jos belongs.

Police said the device they were carrying on a motorcycle exploded prematurely.

Authorities blocked off the nearby location around the ECWA Church in Nasarawa Gwom area of Jos where smoke could be seen rising from the neighborhood.

"A major tragedy was aborted today, because there was a very large congregation," gathered during the worship service, Yenlong told reporters.

Plateau state police commissioner Abdulrahman Akano said the bomb went off as the men drove through the city of Jos, a scene of frequent Muslim-Christian violence.

Some earlier reports said the bomb went off near a church, but the Voice of America (VOA) network quoted Akano as saying it was not known where the two men were headed. He reportedly added that Christian religious youths who believed the men had planned to attack their community then set fire to the corpses.

Jos has experienced years of sectarian violence stemming from disputes over land, jobs, and power. Thousands have been killed in recurring battles between gangs of Muslims and Christians.

MORE CLASHES

Sunday's attack outside the ECWA Church followed recent clashes between Christians and Muslims that killed over 200 people in the Plateau region alone, said New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch.

The violence broke out after bomb blasts in Jos on Christmas Eve killed some 80 people.

A radical Islamic sect known as Boko Haram, or "Western education is a sin," claimed responsibility for those explosions.

It was not immediately clear whether the group was behind Sunday's church bombing.

Jos sits in Nigeria's so-called Middle Belt, where the mainly Muslim north meets the predominantly Christian south.

Violence across central and northern Nigeria has risen with the approach of nationwide elections next month, according to analysts. (With reporting by Worthy News' Stefan J. Bos).

Wednesday 16 March 2011

16/03/2011 - Pakistan Christian Found Dead In Prison

Pakistan Christian Found Dead In Prison

Posted on: 2011-03-16 13:01:19
(ADDS COMMENTS LAWYER, CHANGES LEAD, CORRECTS AGE AND PRISON DATES)

>Qamar David received "death threats"

>Investigation into death under way

>David's Death adds to concerns over detained Asia Bibi

By Worthy News Asia Service with reporting by Worthy News' Stefan J. Bos



ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (Worthy News)-- A Christian man sentenced to life imprisonment for blasphemyagainst Islam's Prophet Muhammad has been found dead in his prison cell in Pakistan's southern city ofKarachi after receiving death threats, his family and lawyer confirmed Wednesday, March 16.

Prison authorities said 55-year-old Qamar David, who had been in jail since 2006, died of "a heart attack",but his wife expressed skepticism about this claim. "My husband had no disease, his wife Tabassumtold Pakistan's The Express Tribune news paper. He informed me about receiving threats from someonein jail after the assassination of [Pakistan Minister for Minority Affairs] Shahbaz Bhatti, she added.


Bhatti was shot and killed March 2 by suspected Muslim militants after publicly criticizingPakistan's controversial blasphemy legislation.

Jail Deputy Superintendent Raja Mumtaz denied claims that David was murdered. No one killed him,he told reporters. He died of a heart attack. Officials said he was taken to Civil Hospital inKarachi where he died while being treated.

A postmortem was to be held Wednesday, March 16, in the presence of his family, a magistrate and apolice surgeon, The Express Tribune reported. With the investigation underway, his lawyer, Pervez Chaudhry, told reporters he was convinced his client did not die of natural causes "as he was in good health". He also saidDavid had received death threats.Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.

LIFE IMPRISONMENT

A sessions court in Karachi sentenced David to life imprisonment in February 2010, sixyears after the original accusation, and his lawyer had been seeking an appeal hearing since that time.

The appeal process can take years in Pakistan, trial observers said.

David was accused of sending text messages which allegedly contained derogatory remarks aboutthe Prophet Muhammad.

Qamar Davids lawyer and church leaders maintained that the allegations were spurious,triggered by a business rivalry, and that the conviction was the result of pressure fromlocal religious clerics and their supporters.

Rights activists have said blasphemy legislationhas been misused in Pakistan to settle personal scores."The government must address both the ease with which the blasphemy laws can be abused,and the social attitudes which view it as acceptable to do so, said Advocacy Director AndrewJohnston of rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

MOB VIOLENCE

David and those defending him have experienced violence from mobs at nearly every courthearing in his court case, according to CSW investigators.

News of David's death came as Pakistani Christians were still mourning this month's assassination ofShahbaz Bhatti, who was the only Christian in the cabinet, explained Bishop Rufin Anthony of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi.I am in grief, the whole Christian community has been grieving for the past few days," followingthe assassination, he said. "We havent recovered from the loss and this news [of David's death] hasincreased my concerns about the future of Christians in Pakistan," the bishop stressed in published remarks.

He said "David was falsely accused" of blasphemy. "How much more blood do we still have to seeto realize that the blasphemy laws need to be abolished? How much blood does thegovernment wants to have on its hands? Another sad day for the minorities in Pakistan, Bishop Anthonyadded.

Christian human rights groups have demanded that an independent committee investigates the causesof this death. "It is yet another tragic example of lives needlessly destroyed by the blasphemy lawsin Pakistan and the inability of the government, court system and prisons to prevent this," stressedJohnston.

"SAD NEWS"

He said CSW, which closely monitored the case, is "shocked to hear this sad news and ourthoughts and prayers are with Qamar Davids wife and children. The last nine years of this familyslife have been utterly ravaged by the consequences of a vindictive blasphemy accusation that would havevery likely been dismissed by the High Court in time."

David's death also added to international concerns over another detained Christian, Asia Bibi, who becamethe first woman to be sentenced to hang under Pakistan's blasphemy laws.

It began in the summer of 2009 as a quarrel over water in a sweltering farm field where she worked in the provinceof Punjab. When the heated words were over, Bibi was charged under the strict blasphemy laws ofPakistan, where Christians comprise less than five percent of the predominantly Muslim populationof over 184 million people.

Although appeal procedures are ongoing, Bibi, a mother of five, has reportedly voiced her "pain and concern"that she may be the next person to be killed in her Sheikhupura prison, near Lahore city, following theassassination of Minister Bhatti.

MORE THREATS

Bibi compared Bhatti to recently slain Punjab governor Salman Taseer, who defended her publicly "andpaid with his life," her lawyer was quoted as saying by Catholic media.

Last year, the imam of the city of Peshawar's oldest mosque, Maluna Yousaf Qureshi, offered a 500,000 rupee(about $5,800) reward to anyone who killed the woman if the court failed to execute her.

Additionally the militant Taliban group reportedly threatened retribution should she be spared,prompting Bibi's family to flee their home in the Christian colony of Gloria in Sheikhupura,a 90-minute drive from Lahore.

The London-based Center for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement said the blasphemy law is the "obvious"root of such "persecution" and pledged it will continue to seek its repeal.

Her case also caused international condemnation and leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI, called forher release.

Tuesday 15 March 2011

15/03/2011 - Iran Burns Bibles, Jails House Church Christians

Iran Burns Bibles, Jails House Church Christians

Posted on: 2011-03-15 13:12:41
By Worthy News Middle East Service with reporting by Stefan J. Bos



TEHRAN, IRAN (Worthy News)-- Five Iranian house church Christians were behind bars Wednesday, March 15, after being sentenced to one year imprisonment on charges of "crimes against the Islamic order" and there were reports that Iranian authorities have been burning Bibles.


Pastor Behrouz Sadegh-Khandjani, Mehdi Furutan, Mohammad Beliad, Parviz Khalaj and Nazly Beliad, who are members of the Church of Iran house church movement, were found guilty by the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz, according to trial observers. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), an advocacy group closely monitoring the case, said the have 20 days to appeal the sentence.

The five men were detained last June, but released in February after posting high bail payments. They had spent nearly eight months in prison in Shiraz on charges of apostasy, political meetings, blasphemy and crimes against the Islamic Order, accusations rights activists have linked to their Christian activities.

Four of the charges were dropped during the trial, Christians said. There has been concerns about the health of Pastor Sadegh-Khanjani, 33, who CSW said was held in solitary confinement and given access to his attorney only once.

SEVERAL TIMES DETAINED

Pastor Sadegh-Khanjani, from Tehran, has been arrested three times in the past four years, while most other members of the group have been caught in cycles of detentions and releases, CSW added. "Some have suffered severe levels of torture during previous detentions," the group added.

Christians have told Worthy News that they also remain remains about another Church of Iran leader, Pastor Yousef Nadakharni, who has been sentenced to death for apostasy. Pastor Nadarkhani is currently held incommunicado in Lakan prison, and his appeal is pending at the Supreme Court.

The detentions are seen as part of a wider government crackdown on Christianity in the country, which also include burning of Bibles. Iranian Christian news agency Mohabat News said Monday there have been several cases of bible burnings by authorities.

In one of the most recent incident, Mohabat News said authorities burned 600 New Testaments last month after removing two boxes from a bus in Derishk, a small village bordering Turkey, about 15 km (10 miles) from the town of Salmas.

It was unclear who was behind the reported transport of Bibles.

BIBLES ARE CONFISCATED

The news agency said the coordinated operation between the Office of Contraband Search and Seizure and the Revolutionary Guards of Salmas came came after hundreds of New Testaments were allegedly confiscated by Iranian authorities from a passengers bus heading for Tehran at the Salmas border crossing.

Security forces also searched a home of a man who recently converted to Christianity in the town of Salmas, the news agency added.

Iranian officials could not be reached for comment, by Mohabat News suggested these were no isolated incidents.

"This shameful act of burning the Christian New Testaments was a repetition of a similar action taken by the security forces of the Islamic Republic, on June 8, 2010, in one of the western towns of Sardasht, which was reported by media outlets loyaland in service of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

WIDER PRESSURE REPORTED

The attacks come amid wider reported pressure on groups deemed dangerous by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government.

The United States recently said that the government respect for religious freedom continued to deteriorate in Iran and that even Muslims who are not from the majority Shiite group faced substantial societal discrimination in the strict Islamic nation.

However in a recent statement carried by state news agency IRNA, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast hit back accusing the U.S. of infringing the religious rights of Muslims. The US government expresses concern about the situation of some fake cults fabricated by English colonialists and Zionists while it is the biggest violator of Muslims religious rights.

Thursday 10 March 2011

10/03/2011 - Egypt Military Meet Christians After Deadly Clashes

Egypt Military Meet Christians After Deadly Clashes

Posted on: 2011-03-10 10:32:33
By Worthy News Middle East and Africa Services

CAIRO, EGYPT (Worthy News)-- Egypt's military leadership held talks Thursday, March 10, with Christian protesters demanding more security, after Muslims burned a church sparking clashes that killed 13 people and injured about 140 others, officials said.

"A dialog has started between a group of young Copts and priests with the leaders of the army, over demonstrators' claims in order to put an end to the sit-in," state television said in a statement.

The clashes erupted this week in a working class Cairo district of Moqattam when Muslims confronted 1,000 Christians who had been blocking a main road in protest at the burning of a church last week, witnesses said.

Egypt's health ministry said 13 people were killed in the clashes, and Priest Boutros Roshdy of the Moqattam church estimated that at least seven Coptic Christians were among the dead.

CHURCH ATTACKED

The tensions began March 4 and March 5 when a Muslim mob attacked the 'Church of the Two Martyrs St. George and St. Mina' and burned it down, almost killing the parish priest, according to local Christians.

News reports said the attack in Sool, 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the capital Cairo, came after local imam Sheik Ahmed Abu Al-Dahab, issued a call to "Kill all the Christians."

After demolishing the church, the group of Muslims held prayers at the site and began collecting money to build a mosque where the church building once stood, said the assistant bishop of Giza, Reverend Balamoun Youaqeem, explained in published remarks.

Christians said the attack came after reports of an affair between a Muslim and a Copt. Earlier this month, Sool villagers accused a Muslim woman and a Coptic man, both married, of being involved with each other.

COPTS FLEE

Christian rights activists said Copts in Sool have fled to adjacent villages.

Youaqeem claimed that women who remained in the village are now being sexually assaulted.

The bloodshed came as a setback for Christian and Muslim leaders who had hoped to prevent renewed religious tensions in the predominantly Islamic country.

Several Christians and Muslims were seen demonstrating in Cairo against the regime of the, now ousted, President Hosni Mubarak.

Most of Egypt's Christian minority are Copts, who comprise some 10 percent of Egypt's mainly Muslim population of over 80 million.

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Wednesday 9 March 2011

9/03/2011 - Thousands Of Christians Flee Deadly Violence In Ethiopia; Churches Burned

Thousands Of Christians Flee Deadly Violence In Ethiopia; Churches Burned

Posted on: 2011-03-09 10:31:01
By Worthy News Africa Service

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (Worthy News)-- Thousands of Christians are fleeing violence in western Ethiopia where Muslim extremists killed several Christians and burned dozens of churches, rights activists and officials said.

Advocacy group Barnabas Fund, which supports Christians in the Muslim-majority area, told Worthy News that 55 churches and dozens of homes are reported to have been torched in recent days near the city of Jimma, in western Oromia region, "with many more properties looted by the mob."

Ethiopian government spokesman Shimelis Kemal said in a radio interview that two Christians had been killed in the incidents in the town of Asendabo and surrounding areas and that police reinforcements had moved in to restore order.

"In Jimma area, some extremists and some fundamentalists have instigated some people to burn a few prayer places, praying places, and this has been investigated by police and those who are suspected to have set fire on those churches have been apprehended," he told the

Voice of America (VOA) network in an earlier interview.

CLASHES CONTINUE

Barnabas Fund said Wednesday, March 9, that three Christians had been killed. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy, but with tensions continuing the death toll was expected to rise.

"Attacks involving thousands of Islamists have continued, spreading systematically through five districts in the predominantly Muslim area," said International Christian Concern (ICC), another U.S. based rights group closely monitoring the situation.

Government officials said so far 130 suspects had been detained and charged with instigating religious hatred and violence.

ICC quoted a Christian leader as saying that the attacks were organized by members of Kwarej, a radical Islamic group that fights to establish an Islamic state in Ethiopia.

The Muslim attackers allegedly came from different parts of Ethiopia, including the Somali region. "Its very sad that a radical Muslim group destabilizes the unity of Ethiopian Christians and Muslims. We are devastated by the attacks and we urge all concerned people to help us. We call upon Ethiopian officials to prevent similar attacks from happening in the future," the church leader reportedly said, apparently speaking on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

VIOLENT PAST

The government has not yet confirmed the background of those detained.

Asendabo is a town located in an area that was the scene of violent attacks against Christians in 2006 when Muslims killed more than a dozen Christians and burned down several churches, ICC said.

Islamic radicals are fighting to establish an Islamic state in Christian majority Ethiopia. Unfortunately, the Christians have borne the brunt of the Islamic attacks," said ICCs Regional Manager for Africa, Jonathan Racho told Worthy News in a statement.

"Christians will continue to be killed unless the government of Ethiopia starts taking serious measures to stop Islamists from carrying out similar attacks," Racho said, adding that his group has urged the international community to pressure Ethiopia's government to improve the situation.

The most recent census reportedly indicates that Ethiopia is about 60 percent Christian and 40 percent Muslim, though Muslims dispute the figures. (With reporting by Worthy News' Stefan J. Bos and reporters in the region).

9/03/2011 - Horrific Persecution Of Christians In Egypt In The Aftermath Of The Egyptian Revolution


So much for Muslims and Christians coming together in brotherly love in Egypt.  In the aftermath of the revolution in Egypt, the persecution of Christians in that nation has escalated dramatically.  In our last post, we warned that Egypt was about to take a hard turn toward radical Islam, and we were right.  Churches are being bombed, Christians are being attacked and there have even been reports of government forces opening fire on church buildings.  As radical Islam gets an even stronger hold on Egyptian society, the horrific persecution of Christians in Egypt is only going to increase.  Let us pray for our brothers and sisters in Egypt because they are living in the middle of a nightmare right now.  Unfortunately, the Scriptures tell us that in the last days persecution is going to increase for all Christians.

At this point there are almost daily stories in the international news about the persecution of Christians in Egypt.

For example, check out the following excerpt from a story today in the Jerusalem Post....
The Health Ministry said the 13 people were killed and 140 wounded in violence on Tuesday night ignited by tensions built up since an arson attack on a church south of Cairo on Saturday.
This recent violence was sparked by an attack over the weekend during which an estimated 4,000 Muslims violently assaulted Christian homes and burned a church in the Egyptian town of Soul which is about 18 miles from Cairo.

The Assyrian International News Agency noted that witnesses of the church burning said that the radical Muslims involved were chanting "Allahu Akbar" as they destroyed the church....
Witnesses said the mob chanted "Allahu Akbar" and vowed to conduct their morning prayers on the church plot after razing it.
Unfortunately, violence against Christians in Egypt is not new.  Back on New Year's Eve 21 people were killed and 43 people were injured when a massive bomb went off outside a Coptic church in the city Alexandria, Egypt.
Another example of the persecution of Christians in Egypt prior to the recent revolution was recently noted by Family Security Matters....
Despite wallowing in money from America, Mubarak had made no attempt to improve the plight of Egypt’s Christians. As noted by Raymond Ibrahim, in November 2010, Egyptian security forces opened fire upon Christians who had not followed discriminatory building regulations. The Copts had constructed the St. Mary and St. Michael churches in the district of Giza. Three unarmed Christians died from gunfire, and a small girl was suffocated by tear gas. Wounded demonstrators were handcuffed to hospital beds before being sent to detention camps.
Many of our political leaders and many in the mainstream media have been praising the recent Egyptian revolution, but the truth is that it was not about freedom and liberty.
Instead, what the Egyptian revolution really represented was a hard turn toward radical Islam.
Egypt is becoming a radical Islamist state.  10 percent of the population of Egypt is Christian, and they are no longer going to be able to feel safe.  More churches are likely to be burned and more Christians are likely to die.

Please pray for the Christians in Egypt.  Someday we all may be facing the kind of persecution that they are going through right now.

Sunday 6 March 2011

6/03/2011 - China Court Upholds 15 Year Imprisonment For Pastor Yimiti

China Court Upholds 15 Year Imprisonment For Pastor Yimiti

Posted on: 2011-03-06 10:29:30
BEIJING, CHINA (Worthy News)-- An ethnic minority house church leader remained detained in China's troubled northwestern Xinjiang region Sunday, March 6, after a court rejected an appeal to review his 15 years prison sentence on charges of revealing state secrets to overseas groups.

The Higher Peoples Court of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region said there was "no basis" to review the long prison sentence given to 38-year-old Uyghur Pastor Alimujiang Yimiti, who converted from Islam to Christianity.

A notice was sent to Yimiti in mid-February, informing him of the result of the appeal, Christians said.

An earlier appeal in March 2010 had also failed.

United Nations officials and local Christians have linked the sentence to Yimiti's Christian conversion, his leadership of a house church with his wife Gulinuer and two sons, and apparent involvement in sharing reports of religious persecution.

PROJECT MANAGER

To support his family, the pastor also worked as a project manager for Jirehouse, a British company that rights activists said was targeted in a series of closures of foreign companies belonging to Christians in Xinjiang in 2007.

In a translated verdict, seen by Worthy News, the Court rejected Yimiti's arguments that his alleged "discussion with a foreigner regarding the content of a Religious Affairs Bureau's investigation and the situation of those investigated does not constitute a state secret."

The Court accussed Yimiti of sharing state secrets to foreign nationals on two occassions in 2007. "The facts of your crime are clear, the evidence complete," the court said according to the document. "The court has hereby ruled: the submitted petition to appeal your case has no basis."

Alimujiang Yimiti was formally detained and charged on January 11, 2008 by national security police in the city of Kashgar before being held at the Kashgar Detention Center for more than a year without a verdict, trial observers said.

SEPERATISM CHARGES

The Chinese government initially accused him of seperatism and illegal religious infiltration, but these charges were later changed, leading to the conviction on the state secrets charges in 2009. His supporters maintain that Yimiti is innocent as he would not have had access to state secrets as an agricultural worker.

Additionally, a United Nations Working Group defined the detention in 2009 as arbitrary, and said the pastor was detained solely on account of his faith. His case has drawn widespread international attention and is viewed by rights groups as one of the harshest sentences given to a Christian in China for over a decade.
"The 15-year sentence in Mr. Yimitis case represents a gross violation of justice," said Stuart Windsor, National Director of Britain-based advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). "The failure of the appeal represents the difficulty facing the system of the rule of law in China, where there is no independent judiciary and verdicts can be politically motivated."

CHINA GOVERNMENT

Windsor said CSW has urged the Chinese government "to respect the UN Working Groups ruling that Alimujiang Yimiti is being detained for his faith and release him immediately.

Analysts say that Uyghurs, a distinct and mostly Muslim ethnic group indigenous to Xinjiang, have long complained of religious, political, and cultural oppression under Chinese rule, and tensions have simmered there for years.

Xinjiang has been plagued in recent years by bombings, attacks, and riots that Chinese authorities blame on Uyghur separatists.

Several dozen death sentences have been handed down in connection with July 5, 2009, clashes in the Xinjiang capital, Urumqi, which followed protests over attacks by ethnic majority Han Chinese on Uyghur workers in southern Chinas Guangzhou province.

Nearly 200 people were killed in the ensuing violence according to the government's tally, Radio Free Asia reported.