December 2010

Christian facing death freed: "...several sources are reporting that Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has decided to pardon Asia Bibi, the Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy, and she has been taken to a safe house for protection....Bibi received the death sentence in a Punjabi provincial court on Nov. 7. She has been jailed since her arrest on the allegations in Jun 2009.

     "International Christian Concern's Pakistan and South Asia analyst Jonathan Racho says news of a pardon would be a positive step....'It’s high time for Pakistan to repeal the blasphemy laws that have caused so much persecution against Christians and other religious minorities,' Racho said. ...that even if Bibi is released, her safety is not assured. 'In Pakistan, there are a number of Islamic radical groups and even if the government has already released and pardoned Asia Bibi, the Islamic radicals may take the law into their own hands and kill her and members of her family."

U.N.'s Islam-protection plan revives Christian ministry warns 'blasphemy' rule would cause mayhem: "A death penalty for blasphemy against Islam announced for a Christian woman in Pakistan and a pending U.N. discussion about a Muslim plan to protect Islam with an anti-blasphemy plan may on the surface appear to have little to do with the average American. But that would be dangerous as well as incorrect.... 'This is a battle for our basic freedoms,' he warned....

      "Asia Bibi [sentenced to death by hanging for supposed "blasphemy"] said her side of the dispute never has been heard even after multiple court hearings over two years. 'How can an innocent person be accused, have a case in court after a false [report], and then be given the death sentence, without even once taking into consideration what he or she has to say?' she asked.

      "...the United Nations soon will be considering – again – a plan repeatedly proposed by Muslims that is called an 'anti-blasphemy' effort....The plan, if ultimately adopted, could put additional teeth in Muslim and communist nations' efforts to attack Christians within their borders. There could even be attempts to apply its regulations inside the U.S" See Suffering with Jesus

Iraq Christians Fear More Deady Attacks Amid Militant Warnings: "'All Christian centers, organizations and institutions, leaders and followers, are legitimate targets for the mujahedeen (holy warriors) wherever they can reach them,' said a statement by the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq (ISI)....

     "Archbishop Athanasius Toma Dawod...warned of a pending genocide and urged Christians to flee the country, while a senior cleric in Baghdad called for them to stay and bear witness to the faith.... Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians have already been driven from their homeland over the last 20 years because of attacks by Muslim extremists..." See Suffering with Jesus

Yet more Iraqi Christians murdered: "A wave of bombings and mortar attacks struck Christian areas across Baghdad Wednesday, sending families fleeing their homes.... 'We went barefoot onto the roof and climbed onto our Muslim neighbor's house," she says. 'They helped us and told us to stay with them but we were afraid.' Umm Danny, who did not want her full name used, said the neighbors cried when they left....

     "Mr. Maliki... [promised] that his government would protect Christians. Almost half of the approximately 800,000 Christians in Iraq before the war are believed to have fled — many given refugee status in the West."

In Iraq, Christians fear they could be wiped out — like Jews before them : "Although thousands of Assyrian Christians and others were killed under Iraq's Ottoman rule a century ago, the attack on the church last week is the worst in the country's recent history. The attack, claimed by an Al Qaeda-linked group, was followed two days later by 16 bombings in Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad that killed at least 70 people."

Attack by the Three-Self Patrotic Movement: "On October 26, 2010, as Pastor Zhan Gang of Jiaozhou Church in Shandong arrived at the church with along with some members for a usual morning study. Suddenly, they were attacked and beaten by thugs hired by the local Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) church. The attackers were suspected of being plain-clothed agents. Pastor Zhan is also the general secretary of Chinese House Church Alliance." See God's Peace in the midst of turmoil

Pastor Sentenced to Death: "Pastor Youcef Nardarkhani has been sentenced to death for what is called a 'thought crime.' ...a leader in the Full Gospel 'Church of Iran' network, [he] is one of several members of his church who have been imprisoned. The Iranian government has also threatened his wife with life imprisonment and has threatened to take away their two children, who are currently being cared for by relatives. Pastor Youcef was arrested in October 2009 after protesting a decision by the government requiring that his son study the Quran." See They Gave Him Their Lives

Two Christian girls raped in Punjab, Pakistan: "Two Christian girls in Pakistan's Punjab province were brutally raped in recent weeks. On July 22, a group of madrassa (Islamic school) students gang-raped a 12-year-old Christian girl....Before the attack began, the teacher overheard one of the students say, 'We will teach these Christians a lesson they will never forget.'... The girl's father and the teacher have attempted to file a complaint but the officer in charge has refused to comply." Persecution

Pakistan: Christian girls raped: "Two Christian girls in Pakistan's Punjab province were brutally raped in recent weeks. On July 22, a group of madrassa (Islamic school) students gang-raped a 12-year-old Christian girl in Gujar Khan, Rawalpindi district. A teacher who reportedly witnessed the rape stated:

"Three or four Christian girls were washing dishes near a pond.... These guys ran towards them, and the girls started running. One of them fell on the ground, and these madrassa students got hold of her and took her in the fields. I tried to stop them, but they were 15-16 in number."

      "Seven or eight of the boys reportedly then raped the girl while the others looked on. Before the attack began, the teacher overheard one of the students say, 'We will teach these Christians a lesson they will never forget.' The Christian girl, whose name has been withheld, was left in the field until some villagers eventually took her home to her family. The girl's father and the teacher have attempted to file a complaint but the officer in charge has refused to comply. Another officer has since admitted that they are under pressure from Muslim leaders and extremists to refrain from filing a report...

       "A 16-year-old Christian girl, whose name has also been withheld, was raped by three men on July 21.... The three men, who work for the same Muslim employer as her father, overpowered her while she was at home....

      "The girl's father, Ghafoor Masih, went to the police station to file a report but the Station House Officer Inspector refused his requests. However, due to pressure from a superior officer, the Inspector finally registered the complaint on July 29. While Ghafoor was on his way home from filing the report, two other Muslims... intercepted and kidnapped him. The men took Ghafoor to their employer's home where they and another employee shackled and tortured him, leaving him in critical condition....'Muslim landowners and their relatives see Christian girls or women as their chattel' ..."

    "Pray that the Lord will heal the physical, emotional and spiritual wounds of these two girls. Pray that their families will be a source of compassion and strength. Pray that those who perpetrated these violent attacks will repent and turn to the Lord for forgiveness. Pray that attacks on young Christian girls in Pakistan will stop." Read more here

Pakistan Cleric Pledges To Withdraw Blasphemy Case: "An impoverished Christian family....were charged with blasphemy against Islam because they allegedly used a curtain containing verses of the Koran -- deemed a holy book by Muslims -- to separate their toilet in their dwelling in a slum area of Lahore....After Muslims noticed the curtain a police case was filed against the Christians and thousands demanded their arrest." See Suffering

Pakistan: Two Christians murdered: "Rashid Emmanuel, 32, and his brother, Sajid, 30, were facing blasphemy charges after allegedly distributing papers that denigrated Mohammed...The gunmen urged Muslim police officers to back away from the accused Christians to avoid being shot.... No arrests have been made for the murders. ...handwriting experts told police that signatures on the supposedly blasphemous papers did not match signatures of the accused Christians....Rashid and his brother were leaders of United Ministries, Pakistan...

     “It is important for Christians in the U.S. to understand the blasphemy laws....These laws are basically a stick radical Muslims use to beat our Christian brothers and sisters. Charges are filed on the sketchiest of claims, and Christians are locked up, tortured and held — sometimes for years — while they wait for justice. And even if exonerated in court, they wear a target the rest of their lives.” See Persecuted for Him

10 Medical Aid Workers Gunned Down by Taliban for "Preaching Christianity": "Taliban terrorists have declared they shot and killed a team of missionaries, including six Americans, because they were 'preaching Christianity.' Ten members of a medical team, including six Americans, were shot and killed by the Islamic terrorists as they were returning from providing eye treatment and other health care in remote villages of northern Afghanistan....Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press in Pakistan that they killed the foreigners because they were 'spying for the Americans' and 'preaching Christianity.' ...the International Assistance Mission is registered as a nonprofit Christian organization but it does not proselytize." See They Gave Him Their Lives

Europe’s “Decoy Jews”: “Jews are no longer safe in major Dutch cities. ...three Jews with skullcaps, two adolescents and an adult, were harassed within thirty minutes of being out in the streets of Amsterdam. Young Muslims spat at them, mocked them, shouted insults and made Nazi salutes. 'Dirty Jew, go back to your own country,' a group of Moroccan youths shouted at a young indigenous Dutch Jew." See Jerusalem

Death threat and increasing opposition in Bekasi, Indonesia: "Christians in Bekasi, West Java have faced growing opposition in recent months from Muslims opposed to 'Christianization.' On July 5, a banner with the picture of a Christian man with a noose around his neck was hung on the front of a mosque in Bekasi, stating, 'This man deserves the death penalty.' The man, Andreas Sanau (29), is one of two men accused of organizing mass baptisms." See Persecuted - but not forsaken

More deadly attacks on Christians in Nigeria: "Muslims attacked the predominately Christian village of Mazzah...on July 17, killing eight people and burning seven houses and a church building. At approximately 1:30 a.m., Muslims entered the village and began shooting sporadically in the air to lure sleeping residents outside their homes. They then attacked people with machetes, including children. Seven were killed instantly.... Three others were seriously injured. During the attack, Reverend Nuhu Dawat of the Church of Christ in Nigeria escaped with one of his children, but his wife and two other children were killed....Villagers claim that although the security forces were called and arrived in time to quell the violence, they waited until the attack had ended before entering Mazah."

Two Christians murdered after accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan: "Rev. Rashid Emmanuel (32) and his younger brother, Sajid Emmanuel (30), were shot and killed on July 19 after they were accused of blaspheming the prophet Muhammad. The two men, leaders of United Ministries Pakistan, were being returned to jail under police custody when they were attacked and shot by several masked men. ... The bodies of the two reportedly bore cuts and other signs of being tortured while in police custody."

[China] Christian group targeted, building destroyed 'If a church is growing too large, it could be perceived as a threat': "...officials in Yichun, China, have demolished an officially registered church that is part of the communist-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement....there is no known motive for the Chinese government's actions. 'It's always difficult to tell, especially when a church has been registered with the government. Most of the time, this registration gives them some protection...."

     "'There is a sense that if a church is growing too large, or it's becoming too strong in a community, it could be perceived as a threat by the local officials,' she said. ...'There is some evidence to suggest that there was some interest in development – contractors who wanted the land for other purposes.'"

Expelled in Morocco: "Of the more than 100 Christians (some of them non-Americans) who have been deported—humanitarian workers, businessmen and teachers—many had lived in Morocco for more than a decade. Most were denied any semblance of due process

    "...the Padillas were given a few hours to gather their belongings. 'It happened so fast that you didn't even really have time to feel the shock of it until later,' Mrs. Padilla told us in an interview. 'The worst moment of it all was handing over the boys....These children were abandoned by their birth mothers. We were their parents.'...

    "Mr. Wolf wants Congress to suspend its $697.5 million five-year Millennium Challenge contract with Morocco. The program, which is intended to fight poverty, gives grants to countries based on factors like 'ruling justly'. U.S. taxpayers won't tolerate financing governments that mistreat Americans solely because of their religion." See Persecuted - but not forsaken

Taiwan scholars blast Foxconn's China operations: "Their petition follows a recent string of suicides at the Shenzhen facility, which employs and houses more than 300,000 people, many from impoverished backgrounds in the Chinese interior" See Lessons from China

Indonesian Muslims Call for Halt to ‘Christianization’: "Muslim organizations in Bekasi, West Java... declared their intention to establish paramilitary units in local mosques.... 'If the Muslims in the city can unite, there will be no more story about us being openly insulted by other religions,' Ahmad Salimin Dani, head of the Bekasi Islamic Missionary Council, announced at the gathering. 'The center will ensure that Christians do not act out of order.'”

June 2010

Four Christians arrested outside Arab festival: "Four Christians were arrested for disorderly conduct outside the Dearborn Arab International Festival while handing out copies of the Gospel of John in English and Arabic.... Dr. Nabeel Qureshi is a former Muslim who converted to Christianity. He holds an MD from Eastern Virginia Medical School and an MA in Christian apologetics from Biola University.

     "'These Christian missionaries were exercising their Constitutional rights to free speech and the free exercise of religion, but apparently the Constitution carries little weight in Dearborn, where the Muslim population seems to dominate the political apparatus,' said Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center.

     "Thompson stated that the Constitution does not allow police to ban the right of free speech just because there are those to disagree."

Kenyan who attended Hope College can't stay in U.S: "A Kenyan who graduated from a Michigan college and wrote a book about his conversion to Christianity has lost his bid to remain in the U.S. A federal appeals court has refused to overturn a decision to send Hussein Wario back to Kenya. Wario has said he fears persecution there because of his conversion from Islam. But the appeals court says Kenya is a predominantly Christian country..."

Anti-Semitism. Rabbi Receives Death Threats Over Helen Thomas Video: "The New York rabbi who videotaped veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas telling Jews to 'get the hell out of Palestine' says he has received numerous death threats and thousands of pieces of hate mail in the days since Thomas' abrupt retirement....'We got one specific one saying, 'We're going to kill the Jews; watch your back.'

     "Nesenoff said he was shocked not only by Thomas' original remarks — which he called anti-Semitic — but by the wave of insults and threats he has received since his videotape brought about her public shaming and the end of her 50-year career at the White House. 'This is something that I thought was a couple of people here or there, [but] it's mainstream and it's frightening,' the Long Island rabbi said. '[Thomas] is just a little cherry on top of this huge, huge sundae of hate in America.'"  Auschwitz 1

Muslims Order Christians to Leave Village in Pakistan: "Abdul Sattar Khan, head of village... and other area Muslim residents ordered the expulsions after Christian residents objected too strenuously to sexual assaults by Muslims on Christian girls and women.... Most of the village’s Christian men work in the fields of Muslim land owners, while most of the Christian women and girls work as servants in the homes of Muslim families.... The Muslim employers have used their positions of power to routinely sexually assault the Christian women and girls....'The Muslims had been telling the Christian women and girls that if they denied them sex, they would kick them out of their native village.'" See God's Comfort

May 2010

Execute those Christians! [Afghanistan]: "A member of parliament in Afghanistan has called for the public execution of Christians, sending many members of the faith into hiding....The public call to violence came after a video was broadcast by...an Afghan television network, that showed Christian men being baptized and praying."

Hearings continue for believers accused of 'insulting Turkishness': "On May 25, the 11th hearing took place in the case against... two Turkish Christians accused of 'insulting Turkishness' by allegedly trying to convert others to Christianity....The prosecution has yet to provide any concrete evidence of the charges....'From the beginning, the charges against us have been filled with contradictions,' Turan said.'" Persecution

May 2010

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Previous Persecution testimonies:   Years 2000-2002  |   2003-04  | 2005 | 2006-7 | 2008-2009 |

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