Defending the defenseless must be a national priority this Christmas: "Amidst the travesty and torture that Pastor Saeed is forced to endure at the hands of his Iranian captors, his faith in Christ shines through....

     "The U.S. government must be willing to stand up for our own citizens. It must be willing to do everything within its power to defend the most basic human rights of its citizens when they are trampled and flaunted by a foreign nation. [But] the Obama Administration has not made this issue a priority..."

 "...we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are

     •   hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed...

     •   perplexed, but not in despair

     •   persecuted, but not forsaken;

     •  struck down, but not destroyed

— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." 2 Corinthians 2:7-10

Punishment of Chick-fil - A loving soldier seen as hypocritical: "A retired Army chaplain sees hypocrisy in the fact that an 18-year Army veteran's career is now at risk because he served Chick-fil-A sandwiches in honor of the Defense of Marriage Act. The unidentified soldier was promoted to the rank of master sergeant last summer, an action that coincided with the controversy surrounding Chick-fil-A's support of traditional marriage and the hateful reaction from the left. So the sergeant threw a party to celebrate his promotion by serving Chick-fil-A sandwiches in honor of the federal Defense of Marriage Act."

Syrian Rebels Massacre Christian Village: "Numerous press reports are providing details of a massacre perpetrated by the Free Syrian Army that annihilated the entire population of a Christian village. ... 'The armed rebels affiliated to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) raided the Christian-populated al-Duvair village...and massacred all its civilian residents, including women and children.

     "'The Syrian army, however, intervened and killed tens of terrorists during heavy clashes....'

     "...in December.... Mr. Obama praised the opposition, known formally as the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces. ...7,000 members of an al-Qaeda front are acknowledged to be part of a US-backed coalition.  ...McCain’s and Obama’s purported 'right people' are busy massacring Christians." See Who shapes our conscience?

Holocaust of Christians in the Muslim World on the Horizon: "Arrests and deportations of Christians in Sudan are becoming more momentous in Bashir’s government.... As a church elder in Khartoum was praising God in his church, government officials from the Security Service (NISS) seized and interrogated him for information on Christian missionaries in North Sudan....  NISS is an Islamic gestapo, and they are doing the same sort of inquisition that the Nazis did before the holocaust."

Islam.  Why Do They Slaughter Their Victims?  "What is common to Daniel Perl, Nick Berg, a British soldier on London street, the Jews of Hebron...? They all were butchered. They were not simply stabbed to death, but were killed by an act designed to decapitate them or to cause fatal bleeding.... Another common denominator: all were slaughtered by Moslems. An endless list of Moslem girls and women can be added to them, those who were similarly slaughtered by their brothers, fathers or other relatives for 'violating the family honor'. A question that arises automatically is where does this Moslem tendency to this kind of slaughter come from?

      "...slaughtering a Jew, a Christian or anyone seen as an enemy is not considered unusual in traditional Islamic societies. This is what professional jargon calls 'a cultural difference.'”

May 2013

Obama Puts Christians in the Crosshairs: "In foreign affairs, where Obama could exert diplomatic leverage against foreign governments for failing to protect Christians from both property damage and murder, Obama commits sins of omission by pretending not to notice. Here in America, the persecution of Christians have decidedly entered the early stage and the Obama minions at DHS and his other agencies have begun demonize Christians....

     "....the increase in violence against Nigerian Christians is escalating at an alarming rate....In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood who were installed with the help of the Obama administration, who are also aligned with AL-Qaeda, are persecuting Coptic Christians..." See Persecuted - but not forsaken

Army Email Labels Christian Ministries as “Domestic Hate Groups”: "A U.S. Army officer sent an email to dozens of subordinates listing the American Family Association and Family Research Council as 'domestic hate groups' because they oppose homosexuality — and warned officers to monitor soldiers who might be supporters of the groups....

     "Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, [said]... 'It’s very disturbing to see where the Obama Administration is taking the military and using it as a laboratory for social experimentation — and also as an instrument to fundamentally change the culture.'....

     "The Army denied there is any attack on Christians or those who hold religious beliefs. ...'Any belief that the Army is out to label religious groups in a negative manner is without warrant.”  Not true!  See Rising Persecution in the "Land of the Free"?

Pentagon moves to punish Christian evangelism in military: "Mikey Weinstein has been on a crusade for more than a decade against Christians in the military who speak about their faith with others.... After a private meeting between Weinstein and Pentagon officials April 23, a Pentagon spokesman declared, 'Religious proselytization is not permitted within the Department of Defense.' ...

     "Weinstein...told officials at the meeting that U.S. troops who evangelize are guilty of sedition and treason and should be punished, by the hundreds if necessary. Weinstein recently declared: “We face incredibly well-funded gangs of fundamentalist Christian monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans by forcing their weaponized and twisted version of Christianity upon their helpless subordinates..." See God's Peace in the midst of turmoil

Pentagon Consults Extremist Who Calls Christians Monsters and Enemies of the Constitution to Develop Religious Tolerance Policy: “Today, we face incredibly well-funded gangs of fundamentalist Christian monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans by forcing their weaponized and twisted version of Christianity upon their helpless subordinates in our nation’s armed forces.” '

    "Weinstein will be a consultant to the Pentagon to develop new policies on religious tolerance, including a policy for court-martialing military chaplains who share the Christian Gospel during spiritual counseling of American troops." See Spiritual Warfare: Hating Truth

The Evil of Human Trafficking in Sinai: "The Egyptian government knows that the clusters of concrete buildings dotting the Sinai desert are being used as torture chambers by human traffickers. ... Even when ransom is paid it is not uncommon to find that victims are subsequently sold on to other traffickers who repeat the process. Failure to pay will result in death by torture, including through the extraction of saleable organs....

     "Recently five Eritreans escaped from their captors during a fierce night storm. .... Mhretab (27) is frail and heavily scarred. 'We had barely anything to eat or drink,' he explains. 'And we weren't allowed to sleep. If we did, they burned us. They scorched the skin on our arms or backs.... They hung us from our feet and hit us." See A Taste of Blood: Human nature without a moral conscience!

April 2013

Christian Girls Gang Raped in Egypt to Screams of ‘Allahu Akbar! "The video opens with Muslim men repeatedly shouting the word 'Nasara'—the Koran’s derogatory appellation for 'Christians'—as they identify two Coptic women who proceed to scream and run, only to be knocked to the ground by several Muslim men who savagely attack them, strip their clothing, and try to gang rape them. Throughout, the women scream in terror while the men shout 'Allahu Akbar,' that is, 'Allah is Great,' as well as chant the shehada, or Islamic profession of faith: 'There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah.' None of the many passersby intervene..."

Army Email Labels Christian Ministries as 'Domestic Hate Groups': "A U.S. Army officer sent an email to dozens of subordinates listing the American Family Association and Family Research Council as 'domestic hate groups' because they oppose homosexuality -- and warned officers to monitor soldiers who might be supporters of the groups....The 14-page email documented groups the military considers to be anti-gay, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim. Among the other groups mentioned are Neo-Nazis, Racist Skinheads, White Nationalists and the Ku Klux Klan." See Can't We All Share One Religion?

Egypt’s religious violence continues into Sunday: "Sunday's clashes began after hundreds of Christians left St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral to march following the funeral of Christians killed Saturday. Residents of the area pelted them with rocks and firebombs and fired birdshot, forcing them back inside the complex. Arriving police fired tear gas, with some canisters landing inside the cathedral grounds and causing panic while people outside the church cheered....
    "Coptic Christians compose about 10 percent of Egypt's estimated 90 million people." See Persecuted - but not forsaken

About 100 million Christians persecuted around the world: "...with conditions worsening for them most rapidly in Syria and Ethiopia.... Of the top 10 countries on the list - North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Maldives, Mali, Iran, Yemen and Eritrea - eight are majority Muslim states threatened by what Open Doors called 'Islamic extremism'. North Korea has kept its number one ranking for the past 11 years because it is illegal simply to be a Christian there."

"Don't burn this house. It belongs to a Muslim": "While most of the two hundred houses set on fire in Joseph Colony have been rebuilt, the shattered confidence of the residents will take more time to be picked up. ... 'It’s not easy being a Christian. All my life, I have heard remarks like ‘woh dekho, eesai guzar rahi hai’ (look, that’s a Christian passing by),' she says. 'But this incident has brought the (level of) discrimination to a peak.'...

      "The chants and loud proclamations they were subjected to while escaping – we will get rid of Christians, we will teach them a lesson – still ring in her ears. ...'I saw people burning our house before my very own eyes,' said Patras. 'They wanted to burn us in the house but some Muslim friends managed to get us out in time..." See Spiritual Warfare: Hating Truth

March 2013

Horrific human toll of 'militant atheism' exposed: "World history is littered with exhibits of the utter brutality of mankind toward his fellow man.... The staggering death toll of Christians alone, estimates the documentary, 'Martyred in the USSR,' is 12 million.... 'The goal of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics...was the liquidation of religion and the means to achieve this goal included the destruction of churches...

      "Many houses of worship were converted into bath houses, granaries and museums of atheism... while atheistic and anti-religious carnivals were frequently held to promote the mockery of religion and religious believers.... The League of Militant Atheists, founded in 1929, aided the Soviet government in murdering clergy and devout believers.... 'The Holocaust did it to the Jews...The Russians, they did it to a population.'....

      "Under the Soviet doctrine of separation of church and state, churches were forbidden to give to the poor or carry on educational activities.... Students were indoctrinated with atheism and anti-religious teachings.... [T]he communist goal was to build society without God.'” See What is the [Soviet] Church?

Christians dubbed threat to 'national security': "The Libyan government has now arrested seven people for preaching the gospel and tortured at least one, claiming the missionaries are a threat to national security.... Muslim governments – most notably Iran’s – constantly suppress any talk of Christianity, claiming it threatens ‘our national security.’... Islamists have gained significant political influence, and sentences against proselytizing, blasphemy and apostasy are being enforced to an extent never seen under former dictatorships.” Many Christians found refuge in Libya before Obama joined the radical forces that favored revolution.

A Wife’s Perspective: Nightmare of a Husband and Father Imprisoned in Iran: "It has been 5 months, since the frantic phone call that woke me up in the middle of the night, telling me of the horrific way my husband was taken—5 revolutionary guards, raiding the house and taking him, not knowing where he was or what had happened to him....

     "It has been 1 month, to the day, since Saeed was given his 8-year sentence because of his Christian faith. ...unless we speak out and fight for him, Saeed might not survive the 8 years in that horrific prison, especially because he continues to face continued abuse and death threats."

Ex-Inmate of Evin Prison Speaks of Torture Saeed Faces: "Marina Nemat spent two years in Evin Prison in Iran for speaking out against the Islamic Republic. She suffered intense torture by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. ... Listen as she describes the torturous conditions she faced and that Pastor Saeed faces today because of his Christian

February 2013

Missionary Finally Released from Prison: "Gospel for Asia-supported missionary Roshan Kuma was released from prison August 10. He served 17 months after being falsely accused of working with the Maoists, an anti-government terrorist group.....Although Roshan was in prison, he did not let it stop him from his calling to share the Gospel. He shared the love of Jesus with fellow prisoners, many of whom chose to follow Christ. He also started a prayer meeting in the jail. 'In spite of spending more than a year of suffering in prison, Pastor Roshan’s vision for serving Jesus never dimmed.'"

      As we thank God for Roshan's release, let's continue to pray that Pastor Saeed [imprisoned in Iran] will soon be free!

American Christian pastor imprisoned in Iran fears supporters have abandoned him: "The American pastor sentenced to eight years in Iran’s Evin prison is unaware of the groundswell of international support for him, and instead fears he's been abandoned, according to relatives who met with him this week.... 

     "'It is no surprise that the Iranian prison guards are engaging in this kind of psychological abuse. We know that Pastor Saeed is undergoing physical beatings and torture.' ...the guards are trying to take away his hope - by feeding him false information... trying to convince him that no one cares.'... We continue to urge President Obama to personally call on Iran to release Pastor Saeed." See Persecuted - but not forsaken

January 2013

July 2012

Strange but true. Syria – Thank God for the Russians: "Only Russian and Chinese resistance to Western stupidity is standing between Israel, Syria’s Alawite minority, the Christians in Syria – and a bloodbath. The Christian church will go the same way as our brothers in Iraq where the American and British invasion and toppling of Saddam, despotic as he was, has led directly to systematic persecution of the Christian church. In every country affected by the ‘Arab Spring’ the writing is on the wall for Christians.

     "Similarly in Syria....On 12th March this year, Sheik Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, declared that it is 'necessary to destroy all the churches of the region.' ... Muhammad [supposedly] declared, 'There are not to be two religions in the [Arabian] Peninsula.' ...destroying churches is not only permitted but mandatory.'...

     "Saudi Arabia is supporting the Syrian rebels with money and weaponry.....PRAY: That Britain will pull back from its unqualified support of the Syrian rebels and realise that the Assad regime, with all its faults, remains the last protector of the Christian and Alawite minorities in Syria." See A Taste of Blood: Human nature without a moral conscience!

Kenya: Church Attacks Kill 17: "At least 17 Christians were killed in simultaneous attacks on two churches near the Somali border on Sunday, July 1. ...more than 40 people were wounded.... The deadliest attack was on the African Inland Church, where two policemen guarding the church were shot and killed. ...Broadcast news footage showed...benches knocked over, blood pooled on the floor and splattered on the walls, clothing lying on the floor and Bibles strewn throughout the buildings....The northern Kenyan town of Garissa has been used as a base for operations against insurgents in Somalia...." See God's Warnings for our Times

As Islamists Pledge to Wipe Out Christianity, Gov't Study Says Not to Worry : "In the wake of the news that an Islamist group affiliated with the United Muslim Nations International has announced their intentions to destroy Christianity and wipe it from the face of the earth, a U.S. government-sponsored study has been released that says 'Muslim terrorists are widely misunderstood and don't wish to impose Islam around the world....' Back on earth, Islamist leader Sheik Farook al-Mohammedi has announced the 'Revived Global Caliphate has set eyes on the West to once and for all rid the world of Christianity' and to 'Islamize' countries like the United States."

Nigerian attackers kill dozens of Christians: "On Saturday, July 7, coordinated attacks killed dozens of people in Nigeria's Plateau state. One news report claims the death toll, from the initial attacks and reprisals, has risen to more than 100. According to one report, attackers burned the home of a pastor in which fleeing Christians were attempting to hide." See Spiritual Warfare: Good or Evil - Who Wins?

Murdering 1,000 Christians Is Not Terrorism Says U.S.: "In the past three years, over 1,000 Christians in Nigeria have been brutally murdered by an extremist Islamic group known as Boko Haram, and the United States has refused to classify the group as being a terrorist organization....The radical Islamic group has vowed to eradicate all Christians from Nigerian soil and will continue to murder men, women and children in the process unless something is done to stop them. ...the U.S. government...said that it was more important to address social inequalities in the country first."

Convert from Islam to Christianity beheaded, video shown on Egyptian TV (Arab Spring!): "One man chants a number of Muslim prayers in Arabic, mostly condemning Christianity. The man holding the knife to the Christian convert’s throat begins to cut, slowly severing the head amid cries of 'Allahu Akbar' (“god is great”). ...the Egypt Today presenter was visibly distressed by the scenes. Then, referring to Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis, who together hold the majority of seats in the country’s parliament, he asked, 'How are such people supposed to govern?' 'The footage of this brutal beheading is the latest alarming indication of the violent threat to religious freedom in the post-Arab Spring order,' said a Barnabas Fund spokesperson." See Persecuted - but not forsaken

June 2012

Hostility toward southern Sudanese grows: “The [Sudanese] government wants to remove all churches from Khartoum,' the source said. 'Tell churches, all churches, to stand on prayer for the church in Sudan.'Clergymen said persecution was intensifying following the secession of South Sudan in July 2011, with officials targeting churches they claim to be associated with...Christian South Sudanese [who are not welcome] in the Islamic-ruled country." See Suffering with Jesus

The Obama Administration’s Genocide Denial: "A mob attack on Muslims in Burma immediately resulted in a condemnation from the State Department and a call for its government to make more concessions to Muslims. But a car bombing and shooting attack on two churches in Nigeria have not been similarly commented on by the State Department, sending the message that Muslim life is precious, but Christian life is cheap. The Muslim dead of Burma are sacred, but the Christian dead of Nigeria are only more dead infidels." See Hating Truth and Primed for Deception

A Tale of Two American Martyrs: "Apologists for Islamic persecution of Christians regularly argue that the animosity is not driven by religion, but rather a 'sectarian' divide, as well as any number of 'indigenous' factors—poverty, intertribal conflicts, political machinations, etc. Other times, persecuted Christians are portrayed as Zionists and rapists, spies and traitors—anything other than people killed for their Christian faith.

      "Small and Shrum were not missionaries devoted to proselytizing Muslims—if so, they would have probably been killed earlier—but they were Christians who were not hesitant to share the Gospel with anyone showing interest." See Suffering with Jesus

Pakistani Muslims Rape Girl, Beat relatives for persecuting: "A band of Muslims this month severely beat a pregnant Christian woman in Punjab’s Narowal district – causing her to lose female twins to miscarriage – in an effort pressure her family into dropping charges of raping her 13-year-old niece..... 'They murdered our children, they raped our daughter,' she said. 'We have nothing left with us.'

     "In a country where Muslim criminals believe police and courts will give little credence to the complaints of Christians, the family accuses three Muslims of gang-raping the girl at an outhouse on March 29.....Police refused to file their complaint for more than a week, during which time the suspects repeatedly threatened the family.... 'They told us we were poor and weak and could not face them no matter how much we tried,' Masih said."

"...because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.... If they persecuted Me they will persecute you... for they do not know the One who sent Me." John 15:19-21

May 2012

Obama: Slaughter of Christians a 'misunderstanding': "The violence in northern Nigeria is mistakenly viewed as a religious conflict rather than simply a tribal dispute over land, according to the Obama administration. Despite the ongoing Muslim destruction of churches and the slaughter of Christians – including many murdered during worship services – the U.S. Agency for International Development claims that the 'misunderstandings' make it difficult to administer aid programs."

China Declares Christian ‘House Churches’ a ‘Cult’: "Chinese security officials 'have been notified to collect information about house churches throughout the country..."

China Plans to Eradicate House Churches: "China’s government is engaged in a three-phase campaign to eradicate Protestant house churches....The government’s strategy was clearly outlined in a document released last September during a training class for 'Patriots in the Christian Community' run by the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA)." See Brainwashing & "Education Reform"

House Church Pastor in China Sentenced to Labor Camp: "Pastor Shi Enhao, the deputy chairman of the Chinese House Church Alliance, has been sentenced to a two-year stay in a Chinese labor camp under the accusation of holding 'illegal meetings and illegal organizing of venues for religious meetings.' The punishment is one that is 'extra-judicial' [almost sounds like today's Executive Orders] and didn't require police to wait for a trial or criminal conviction before they implemented it....

    "The Domestic Security Protection Department ordered Pastor Shi's church to stop meeting and has confiscated their musical instruments, choir robes, the congregation's car, and 140,000 yuan ($21,712.50) in donations. ... Shi's three daughters and their husbands have been threatened by the police....Both Shi's son and wife are in full-time ministry, and four generations of his family have served the church."

Blind China Activist Voices Fear for Family: "Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng expressed concern for the safety of his extended family on Friday amid reports that his nephew had been arrested.... Mr. Chen said he still expected to leave China and study in the U.S. under a deal brokered between Washington and Beijing....But the blind activist also displayed a measure of frustration with the Chinese government, calling the charges against his nephew 'unreasonable,' and urging authorities to make good on a pledge to investigate the treatment of him and his family at the hands of local officials ... Mr. Chen's nephew, missing since shortly after Mr. Chen fled his home village in late April, was recently arrested and formally charged with attempted murder after a violent scuffle with local authorities. ...at least two lawyers who had promised to defend the nephew have been warned to keep clear of the case, with one of the lawyers saying his license had been suspended. Reprisals against people connected to Mr. Chen have been a persistent concern." See Controlling the "Church" in China

Bible School, Church Buildings Attacked in Sudan: "Christians faced increased hostilities in Sudan over the past few weeks, culminating in an attack on a Christian compound in Khartoum by a throng of Muslim extremists armed with clubs, iron rods, a bulldozer and fire. Breaking down the compound wall with a bulldozer, the assailants on Saturday (April 21) set fire to the Gerief West Bible School..." See Persecution

Kidnapped Swiss Christian Freed Amid Mali’s Unrest: "Armed members of the militant Islamic group Ansar Dine handed Beatrice Stockly to Swiss diplomats on Tuesday (April 24).... Before rebels captured Timbuktu on April 1, most Westerners had reportedly left due to fears of being kidnapped and passed on to Al-Qaeda cells. The terrorist group’s North African branch...has been holding Westerners for millions of dollars in ransom payments from previous kidnappings in recent years. Stockly, a Christian social worker in her 40s, had refused to leave Timbuktu...when it fell to Tuareg rebels and Islamist extremists....The Tuareg are a nomadic Berber people and are the main indigenous inhabitants of interior Sahara in northern Africa." See Coup d’état in Mali

April 2012

Chinese Government Launches New Campaign to Eradicate House Churches: "For many years, China’s house churches, which uphold religious freedom and hold fast to the true faith, have been viewed by the Chinese government as a hostile group of dissenters and have become the target of persecution and crackdowns....Government officials of all levels were told to 'guide' Christians attending those unregistered churches to worship in [government-approved] Three-Self churches..." See Secret Document Reveals Chinese Government’s Campaign Against Unregistered Churches

The Fate of Syria 'Cut Into Pieces and Thrown in the River': "Should 'rebels' get their way and topple the Assad regime, the same brutal pattern experienced by Iraq's Christian minorities will come to Syria, where an anti-Assad Muslim preacher recently urged Muslims to 'tear apart, chop up and feed' Christians to the dogs....

    "Christian minorities, who, as 10% of the Syrian population, have the most to gain from a secular government and the most to suffer from a state run by Islamic Sharia law, have no choice but to prefer Assad. They are already seeing aspects of the alternative.

     "A recent Barnabas Fund report, 'Christians in Syria Targeted in Series of Kidnappings and Killings; 100 Dead,' tells how 'children were being especially targeted by the kidnappers, who, if they do not receive the ransom demanded, kill the victim.' In one instance, kidnappers videotaped a Christian boy as they murdered him in an attempt to frame the government; one man 'was cut into pieces and thrown in a river' and another 'was found hanged with numerous injuries.'...

     "'Christians have mostly stayed away from the protests in Syria, having been well treated and afforded a considerable amount of religious freedom under President Assad's regime.' After all, 'should Assad fall, it is feared that Syria could go the way of Iraq.... Saddam, like Assad, restrained the influence of militant Islamists, but after his fall they were free to wreak havoc on the Christian community....'

     "In short, should 'rebels' get their way and topple the Assad regime, the same brutal pattern experienced by Iraq's Christian minorities—who have been likened to, and killed off like, dogs, to a point nearing extinction—will come to Syria, where an anti-Assad Muslim preacher recently urged Muslims to 'tear apart, chop up and feed' Christians who support Assad 'to the dogs.'" See  Spiritual Warfare: Hating Truth and Primed for Deception!

Christianity growing: "'Informed Afghan authorities acknowledge that Christianity has obtained a special place not only among youth, but also among various layers in society. (In addition), house churches are growing tremendously.'" See In joy or pain, our course is onward still

Sudan: Christians Must Leave: "Amid its ongoing bombing campaign in the Nuba Mountains area, the government of Sudan has enacted a new ethnic cleansing strategy.... Sudan’s president warned over a year ago that he would purge the North of non-Arab and non-Islamic elements ...'If south Sudan secedes, we will change the constitution, and at that time there will be no time to speak of diversity of culture and ethnicity. …Sharia and Islam will be the main source for the constitution, Islam the official religion and Arabic the official language.'

     "...those who wish to leave have no means of transportation. According to the IOM, a massive deportation program is impossible — the Sudanese capital has refused to provide transportation services... " See The struggle between Islamic North and Christian or tribal South

March 2012

Christians in Syria targeted in series of kidnappings and killings; 100 dead: "Christians are identified with the relatively secular Alawite Assad regime; if it falls to an Islamic supremacist regime, life for the Christian community in Syria will get very hard. Iran wants to keep its client regime in place, but now the Saudis are agitating for the U.S. to aid the protesters, as this will lead to a Sunni Islamic supremacist regime and keep the Shi'ites from gaining too much power in the region."

North Korean defectors' grim fate: "While all defectors sent back from China are believed to face harsh punishment [death, torture or starvation in prison camps] upon their return to North Korea, the group now in China is particularly at risk: the North Korean government has said that anyone caught defecting during the period of mourning for Kim Jong Il’s death would have three generations of family members executed....

     "Under the terms of a deal with North Korea, China deports defectors as economic migrants lacking official permission to enter China....[But]...the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees...states: 'No contracting state shall expel or return a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his race, religion.... 'They defected because they had nothing to eat. Punishing them with the death penalty is something that no human being should do,' said Cha.” See the next link:

February 2012

Missionary Couple Slain in Mexico: "Drug traffickers in Mexico oppose the message of Christ because it turns people away from their business, and thus Christians have been among the targets of the criminals. Christians noted that the assailants would not have needed to kill the missionary couple in order to rob them..."

"...in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers... shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-39

Urgent PLEA from SYRIAN CHRISTIANS: “To God's people everywhere: “The armed Islamist Opposition in Syria have murdered more than 200 Christians in the city of Homs, including entire families with young children. These Islamic gangs also kidnapped Christians demanding high ransoms. In two cases, after the ransoms were paid, the men's murdered bodies were found. Christians are being forced to flee the city to the safety of government controlled areas. Muslim rebel fighters and their families are taking over their homes. We need your prayers and we need them urgently.” See Pray for one another

Government persecution worsened in 2011: "From 2010 to 2011, the total number of people persecuted, detained, sentenced, or abused jumped 42.5 per cent....'House churches in China which are committed to the sole headship of Christ in the church and to evangelism must operate as illegal groups conducting so-called 'illegal religious activities,' and consequently must be ready to suffer the administrative penalties inflicted by the state.' Thank the Lord for the extraordinary faithfulness of Christians in China who continue to serve the Lord though they face intimidation, threats and arrest. Pray they will exemplify the love of God through consistent love and prayer for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:43-48). See Ignoring Christian Oppression in China

January 2012

'Arab Spring' becoming nightmare for Christians: “'I fear for the Christians of the Middle East....' [said] Lebanese parliamentarian Samy Gemayel.... Gemayel, a senior member of the Phalange party, said he received information last week about a specific assassination plot against him. ...Gemayel, who descends from a historic Lebanese Christian family, said he is taking the new threats seriously. His older brother, Pierre, was a member of parliament and a government minister before his assassination Nov. 21, 2006. His uncle, former President-elect Bashir Gemayel, also was assassinated." See In joy or pain, our course is onward still

Christian sentenced to death in Pakistan [is] fasting, praying and forgiving: "Asia Bibi, a Christian wife and mother sentenced to die for allegedly committing blasphemy against Islam, says she has forgiven those who are persecuting her. ...she spends her time praying and fasting for her family and other persecuted Christians.... She sees her two daughters and husband one hour each week.

     "...one of the prison workers recently tried to strangle her, and she must prepare her own food since it is feared she will be poisoned if workers in the prison prepare it.... She says she is hopeful that she will be released, but there is a bounty of about $8,000 offered by the Islamic clerics to anyone who will kill her.

     "Asia says she is content that her future is in God's hands and she will accept His will.... Please pray that Asia's young daughters and husband will rely on the Lord as a source of strength and hope. Pray that Asia's forgiving heart will be used by God to inspire others to forgive and show love." See Following Jesus and sharing His suffering

Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani refuses to compromise faith for release: "Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani recently refused to state that the Muslim prophet Muhammad was a messenger sent by God despite the fact that it would have secured his release. On December 30, local authorities said they would release the pastor if he agreed to make the statement, but the pastor rejected the offer and remains in prison awaiting a final decision on his case.... Please pray that Pastor Youcef's courage and faith will continue to be an example to the world that the Lord is more valuable than any earthly reward." See Pray for one another!

Radical Muslims kill 29 Christians in two days: "Members of the radical Islamic group, Boko Haram, killed 29 Christians in two days. Twenty Christians were gunned down on January 6 while holding a meeting to discuss ways to transport a body of a fellow Christian who was killed in an attack a day earlier. The martyrs in the January 5 attack were attending a worship service at Deeper Life Church in Gombe when the attack took place. The killings followed a threat issued on January 1 by Boko Haram telling Christians to leave northern Nigeria within three days (for more information, click here). The group fights for the implementation of a strict form of Shariah law all over Nigeria, including the southern region of Nigeria where Christians are the majority. The Nigerian government declared a state of emergency to contain anti-Christian violence.

Islamist terror group giving Christians living in north Nigeria [three] days to flee: "President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in the north, and sent two brigades of soldiers to towns that have been targeted by Boko Haram, whose name means 'Western education is a sin.' Abdul Qaqa, who claims to speak for Boko Haram, gave Christians in the north three days to leave [their homes], and urged Muslims living in the south to move up north. Nigeria's north is predominantly Muslim, while the south is mostly Christian."

Egypt's Embattled Christians Seek Room in America: "Kirolos Andraws had every reason to be excited about [last year's] January uprising in his native Egypt, figuring democracy would bring hope....Then one day in February...a gang of thugs beat him and told him, 'you deserve to die.' His offense...: refusing to convert to Islam....

      "The plight of the nation's roughly eight million Copts poses a quandary for the U.S. The pivotal Middle East ally [Egypt] receives $1.3 billion annually in military aid....The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a federal advisory agency, asked the State Department to place Egypt on its list of 'countries of particular concern'—egregious violators of religious freedoms. The department declined.... Throughout the Middle East, 'Democratization has resulted in ethnic cleansing.'..." See The Fall and Rise of Human Violence

December 2011

The Sad Plight of Christians in the Middle East: "It is unfortunate that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, created in 1998 to advise the president and Congress on the plight of persecuted religious groups, is being closed.... Christians are not an exogenous entity intruding into a homogeneous Arab Muslim world; they have been present in these countries for two millennia.... The Arab countries have not abided by the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights (Article 18) of December 1948, which states that '[e]veryone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.' [No longer guaranteed in the USA either]" See next link:

Testifying on Behalf of Egypt’s Christians: "Since the year 641, when Muslims invaded Egypt, the Copts...have been subject to persecution, discrimination, and over all subjugation.... During the colonial era and into the mid 20th century, as Egypt experimented with westernization and nationalism, Christian persecution was markedly subdued. ...Today, popular Muslim preachers on Egyptian TV openly condemn Christians, publicly calling for the return of Dhimmi status... [P]practically every week an account of Muslims attacking Copts emerges—whether the destroying of churches, the killing of Copts for wearing crosses, the abducting, raping, and force-converting of Coptic girls..." Please pray for these persecuted Christians

Muslim Persecution of Christians: "...not only did Egypt’s military plan to massacre Christians to teach them a 'lesson' never to protest again, but 'death squads' were deployed up buildings the night before to snipe at protesters. Instead of trying the soldiers who intentionally ran-over demonstrators, the military has been randomly arresting Copts, simply 'for being Christian.'...Meanwhile, not only are Western governments apathetic, but it was revealed that 'Obama’s top Muslim advisor blocks Middle Eastern Christians’ access to White House.' ...Christian pastors in the West, apparently more concerned about appearing tolerant and in 'dialogue' with Muslims, are reluctant to mention persecution to their flock."

Muslim Mob Burns Down Church Targeted By Police In Ethiopia: "A recently erected church was burned in southern Ethiopia on Nov. 29 by a group of over 500 Muslim students allegedly supported by local police, four days after local Muslim authorities ordered demolition of the building....The students assaulting the church were yelling 'Allahu Akbar!' and 'Jihad!'" See Persecuted - but not forsaken

Anguish as 72 Indonesians Ordered to Leave United States: "In recent weeks, most of the Indonesians, many of whom fled persecution of Christians in Indonesia years ago, have received letters from the Department of Homeland Security ordering them to appear at the agency’s Newark office, a one-way ticket to Indonesia in hand. Their advocates have leapt into action, appealing to immigration officials for continued lenience and lobbying members of the state’s Legislature and Congressional delegation to intervene." Strange, when entire communities of Muslims (who face no persecution in their homelands) are transported to America and given social security. 

November 2011

Mobile networks told to ban 'Jesus Christ' from airwaves [Pakistan]: "The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority is banning the name of 'Jesus Christ' from any text message sent in the country. The government's telecommunications agency has ...informed mobile companies that they have seven days to implement filters in their systems... The official list included a number of English language slang terms for sexual acts, religious words..." See Unequal Contenders in the Spiritual War

Muslim Persecution of Christians: (Afghanistan:) "Ten years after the U.S. invaded and overthrew the Taliban—at a cost of more than 1,700 U.S. military lives and $440 billion in taxpayer dollars—the State Department revealed that Afghanistan’s last Christian church was destroyed. ...the Afghan government—installed by the U.S.—is partially responsible for such anti-Christian sentiments, for instance, by upholding apostasy laws, which make it a criminal offence for Muslims to convert to other religions.

      (Sudan:) "Soon after President Bashir 'confirmed plans to adopt an entirely Islamic constitution and strengthen sharia law,' 'emboldened' Muslims attacked Christians trying to construct a church, 'claiming that Christianity was no longer an accepted religion in the country.'” See Hating Truth and Primed for Deception!

Christians Injured in Attack in Vietnam Denied Medical Care: "Three Christians seriously injured during a savage attack near Hanoi on Nov. 13 have been evacuated to an undisclosed hospital in Ho Chi Minh City after several hospitals in the region refused to examine and treat them....The attack on a church leaders’ worship service of an Agape Baptist Church....left one woman, evangelist Nguyen Thi Lan, with her pelvis broken in two places and with badly damaged internal organs....Yet previously doctors at three area hospitals had told her and two other seriously injured Christians that they were fine and dismissed them." See Persecuted - but not forsaken

Who Really Killed Jesus? A word to those who hate the Jews: "The first Christian missionaries were Jews who put their faith in Jesus Christ and joyfully shared His message of salvation. Most of them faced hatred, persecution and torturous death. They considered it a privilege to serve and die for their beloved Savior.

     "In the centuries that followed, God's true Church (initially launched through these Spirit-led Jewish apostles), would change and turn against all who were labeled 'Jews.' Since then, countless millions have been killed by angry 'gentiles.' Yes, some Jews were indeed notoriously wealthy bankers who sought spiritual power in 'secret' occult societies (as did many rich non-Jews). But most of the victims were ordinary families trying to survive in a world that despised them." No wonder most of them found it hard to trust our God!  See Auschwitz 2

Repeated. Swastikas Found on NYC Library Branches & Synagogue: "Last week, swastikas were found painted on two branches of the Queens Library and on the door of a local a synagogue. ...anti-Semitic attitudes have risen in the United States."

China: Pastor: Happy You Failed: "I am happy that you and others tried to arrange for my release, but in one way, I am happy that you failed,' Zhang told a VOM contact in China. '... If you had been successful, there would be no church in that prison today.'... Zhang has been imprisoned five times and spent about a fourth of his life in prison." See  Victory in Christ

Violent Islamic Extremists in Somalia Reportedly Beheaded a Christian Teen: "...Guled Jama Muktar, a 17-year-old Christian, was violently murdered last month by Islamic radicals. Members of al Shabbab, an extremist group, purportedly beheaded the teenager near Mogadishu, Somalia, in late September. The al-Qaeda-linked terror group has previously vowed to purge Somalia of Christianity....The extremists found Muktar as he was preparing to go to school....'The neighbors heard screaming coming from the house, and then it immediately stopped.' ...neighbors contacted the boy’s parents. After returning from the market, they quickly buried their son, then fled..." See Following Jesus and sharing His suffering

October 2011

Muslim Persecution of Christians: "...Secretary of State Hillary Clinton release[d] the Annual Report on International Religious Freedom....' Egypt, for instance—which this year alone has seen nearly 80 Christians killed, their many churches burned or bombed, and their daughters kidnapped and forcibly converted—was not listed as a 'country of particular concern'... Neither was Pakistan cited as a 'country of particular concern.' ...even though the State Department’s own report stated that Pakistani law calls for the death penalty for people who commit ‘blasphemy’ against Islam or who convert from Islam to another religion....” See Prepare for Persecution

WHOSE Global Kingdom Come? "Two complementary movements within the church are preparing God’s people for deception at an unprecedented scale: today’s neglect of Biblical truth as an authoritative standard and the seductive call to global spirituality in a new millennium of peace and unity. Both are shaping a chingdom that promises security and unity for all — except those who resist." See Conforming the Church to the New World Order

Not a Single Christian Church Left in Afghanistan, Says State Department: "...U.S. taxpayers have spent $440 billion to support Afghanistan's new government and more than 1,700 U.S. military personnel have died serving in that country....The last public Christian church in Afghanistan was razed in March 2010."

Iranian Christian to be exectuted for bring a 'Zioninst': "The international community was furious when it learned that Iran was going to execute a young man for converting to Christianity and wanting to start a church. So Iran on Sunday altered the charges and said it is instead going to execute Youc.... [and is] 'turning his back on Islam, the greatest religion…' In Iran, the punishment for apostasy is death."

Christians in Mexico Forced From Village: "About 70 Protestant Christians lived in the village of San Rafael Tlanalapan, Puebla state, until Monday (Sept. 12), when they faced a frightening ultimatum - leave immediately or be 'crucified or lynched.'"

September 2011

Iran: Pastor Nadarkhani refuses to recant during trial: "Iranian pastor Yousef Nadarkhani has twice refused to recant his Christian faith during two court hearings. ...recanting will again be demanded at sessions scheduled for 27 and 28 September, and that if he continues to refuse, he will be executed thereafter.

    "Pastor Nadarkhani was tried and found guilty of apostasy (abandoning Islam) in September 2010 by the court....Following investigation, the court in Rasht has ruled that Pastor Nadarkhani was not a practicing Muslim adult before becoming a Christian. However, the court has decided that he remains guilty of apostasy because he has Muslim ancestry."

 

Pakistan’s Unwilling Converts: "On August 17, 2011, Mehek Rashid, a 14-year-old Pakistani Christian girl was kidnapped at gunpoint in broad daylight in the Pakistan city of Gujranwala by a gang of five armed Muslim men. As she was thrown into a waiting car, one of her abductors yelled out to the on looking crowd that he would 'purify' Mehek before making her his 'mistress.' Unluckily for Mehek and her family, the kidnappers hailed from a prominent Muslim family, which prompted local Pakistani authorities to refuse to investigate the case. ...it is estimated that over 700 Christian girls suffer this terrible fate every year in Pakistan..." See Persecution

August 2011

Church building in ruins; hostilities grow in Sudan: "The congregation's building was burned after a series of threats...by Muslims extremists. When church leaders reported the case to police, they were surprised to find officers reluctant to investigate.... Just one month after the south voted for independence from the predominantly Islamic north... Muslim groups threatening to destroy churches, kill Christians and purge the country of Christianity. Please pray the Lord will strengthen His Church in Sudan." See Following Jesus and sharing His suffering

Investigation requested for missing human rights lawyer in China: "Human rights lawyer Gao was taken by police on August 15, 2006, from his sister's home and held incommunicado until the Chinese government announced on September 21 that he was being charged with inciting subversion...In March 2010, a group of human rights specialists filed a petition before the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which resulted in the discovery of serious wrongdoing by the Chinese government. However, Chinese authorities failed to even reply to the UN enquiry."

21 House Church Leaders in Inner Mongolia [China]...Criminally Detained: "...house church leaders from two remote regions of China have been in detention since mid-July as local police have tried to extort money from their families with promises of their release once the money has been paid and threats of labor camp sentences or criminal prosecution if it is not...."

House Church Alliance Leader in China Sentenced to Labor Camp: "...‘abnormal growth’ of Christianity threatens national security....Authorities this week sentenced Shi Enhao, deputy leader of the Chinese House Church Alliance (CHCA), to two years of 're-education through labor' – a sentence that requires no trial or conviction.... Shi was officially charged with holding 'illegal meetings and illegal organizing of venues for religious meetings,' due to his leadership of a house church movement of several thousand people meeting in several venues around Beijing." See Brainwashing & "Education Reform"

July 2011

House church leader kidnapped in Iraq: "...a young Iraqi girl recently told VOM contacts that Muslims broke into her home and took her father, Jamal. Pastor Jamal works among the Shabak people -- a people who have Jewish roots and speak Arabic and Kurdish. It is suspected the militants targeted him for helping lead many Muslims to Christ. Several weeks ago, the home of one of Jamal's recent converts was sprayed with machine gun fire. Many fear that the militants, possibly members of al Qaida, will not give Jamal any option of release but immediately kill him....  Pray that Jamal will be released and brought home safely. ... Pray that he will rest in the knowledge that the Good Shepherd is with him through his sufferings (Psalm 23)..."

Beijing's Theology of Repression: "China is cracking down on Christians who consider God, not the Communist Party, the head of the church....'China tolerates Christian church services, but only within the narrow boundaries of theology and church life dictated by the State Administration for Religious Affair....

     "Most Chinese Christians belong to unofficial house churches like Shouwang, which reject Communist Party-controlled TSPM theology....Recently, the wife of blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng said that she and her husband were beaten and tortured for several hours by a gang of plainclothes thugs led by the village Communist Party secretary. ...some of the Shouwang church detainees found TSPM representatives taking part in the police interrogations, 'educating' and 'rebuking' the Shouwang Christians. Incredibly, TSPM Chairman Fu Xianyou denies that house churches even exist."

Vietnamese pastor kidnapped by authorities: "Pastor T, a Mennonite from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, was arrested on June 26. He was beaten in custody and taken to an unknown location....Please pray for Pastor T's health and that he and his wife will know the Lord's comforting and strengthening presence. Pray for his release."  

June 2011

Iranian pastor's death sentence upheld: "The death sentence of Youcef Nardarkhani, an Iranian pastor convicted of apostasy, has been upheld and confirmed by the Iranian Supreme Court. Pastor Youcef...was arrested and imprisoned in October 2009 after protesting a decision by the government requiring that his son study the Qur'an....Many believe the delay was a means to pressure him to him to turn away from Christ in prison. ...it is possible that the authorities will ask him to recant his faith and execute him without advance notice if he refuses....

    "Pray that God will continue to equip Pastor Youcef to stand firm in his faith....Pray that the Iranian authorities involved will be convicted of their injustice and overturn the case. Pray for comfort to abound in the hearts and minds of Pastor Youcef's wife and children." See They Gave Him Their Lives

June 2011

The House Prisons of Beijing: "Chinese state media announced late Wednesday that the Beijing police department released artist Ai Weiwei on bail 'because of his good attitude in confessing his crimes as well as a chronic disease he suffers from.' It will be heartening to see Mr. Ai safe at home, but the suggestion that the bail was granted as some kind of a favor adds insult to the injury of his persecution. Mr. Ai was arrested on April 3 and held in violation of China's own laws....Mr. Ai is known for being relentlessly outspoken, which is what led to his disappearance, and after a global campaign for his release the media will want to hear his story. But he will be under intense pressure not to speak out." See Brainwashing & "Education Reform"

Algerian Christians Continue to Worship Despite Government Order: "The High Commissioner of police in Bejaia ordered all Christian churches closed... if not, the commissioner threatened 'severe consequences and punishments' would result....Unable to register their churches, many Algerians now worship in house churches, or in the secluded countryside....

    ''We are not afraid, [said one Christian] because we did nothing wrong. We were never forced to choose Jesus, but we did so voluntarily. Whatever the circumstances, we will continue to say: 'We are here to praise your name, Lord.'"

China’s Official Three-Self Church System Joins in Persecution Against Shouwang House Church: "In a development that shows the Chinese government’s determination to use all means available to bring one of Beijing’s largest house churches into compliance, representatives of the government’s Three-Self church system ['controlled by the Communist Party'] have taken part in the police interrogation of Shouwang Church members detained in the past two weeks....

      '[In] the past two Sundays, Three-Self church personnel showed up at many police stations to persuade, ‘educate’ and even rebuke the imprisoned brothers and sisters in an attempt to get them to leave Shouwang Church and join one of the Three-Self churches."

Egypt Detains Hundreds Of Eritrean Christians: "Hundreds of mainly Christian refugees from Eritrea are jailed or or held by kidnappers in Egypt, where they face torture, beatings and sexual assault....Hostage-takers reportedly demand up to $20,000 per person for their release. 'If families don’t pay, the hostage is killed."

Planned criminal code to forbid evangelism in Nepal: "...Nepal is working on a new criminal code forbidding a person of one faith to 'convert a person or abet him to change his religion.'"

Muslim mob besieges Egyptian church: "When the church attempted to reopen, the priests were met with the same protests and violence. Muslims are protesting the church's dome and cross, which reportedly violate the Muslim custom of 'dhimmitude.' The custom considers displays of faith by religious minorities to be intolerable."

Pakistan's blasphemy laws used to target Bible: "Radical Muslim clerics in Pakistan are taking aim at the Bible. They want the Pakistan’s Supreme Court to ban certain passages....Specifically, Muslims regard certain biblical characters (i.e. Abraham, Isaac, David and Solomon) as prophets, and the Bible’s accounts showing them as flawed....

     "Assertions that Jesus is God, that He died and rose from the dead, and that salvation comes through Him are also falling in conflict with Islamic teachings. ...the sect that’s making the demands wants 'at least those sections taken out of the Bible...'   Within Pakistan’s Penal Code are penalties ranging from a fine to death for 'blasphemy.' According to Voice of the Martyrs, the law is often misused to target religious minorities, including Christians....

     "Asia Bibi....was sentenced to death for professing Jesus is the only son of God, and that no man can get into heaven without salvation in Jesus name only....This was the crime for which she was sentenced to death long before Bin Laden’s death....The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-S) party–a Muslim offshoot party out of India–is ready to launch their formal petition to ban the Bible should the courts not rule to outlaw the sections they complained about....

     "Even if the motion gains traction, Gospel outreach won’t be hampered much. 'The reality is that Christians are already taking great risks in Pakistan to share their faith. Some are even going into the most devout Islamic areas to share their faith with people there.'” See 2 Corinthians 4:16

Algerian Christian sentenced beyond prosecutor's request: "A criminal court in Oran's Djamel district sentenced Siaghi Krimo to a five-year prison term on May 25 for giving a CD about Christianity to a neighbour. The neighbour claimed Krimo insulted the Prophet Mohammad." See Light in the darkness

Restrictive Parental Responsibility Law may be adopted in Tajikistan: "Tajikistan's Parliament may adopt a restrictive Parental Responsibility Law, drafts of which ban children from attending religious activities apart from funerals. ...Local religious communities, independent legal experts and human rights defenders have condemned the draft, but Deputy Marhabo Jabborova...'is not aware of any comments from religious communities.'

     "Pray God will enable Christian parents to demonstrate an unwavering commitment to Christ so that their children will be encouraged to walk closely with the Lord as they grow up." See Persecution

Christian woman in Darfur arrested for evangelizing: "Hawa Abdalla Muhammad Saleh was arrested on May 9 in the Abu Shouk camp for Internally Displaced Persons.... Authorities have accused her of possessing and distributing Bibles to others in the camp. Sources said she could also be tried for apostasy, which carries the death sentence in Sudan.  ...she could be tortured as she was detained and tortured for six days in 2009.

     "Please pray for Abdalla's release. Ask the Lord to give her the strength and grace she needs to withstand this current trial....Pray the Lord will use Abdalla's witness and testimony to strengthen the faith of other believers and act as a witness to Muslims." Pray for one another!

May 2011

Missionary says plight desperate after political unrest in Ivory Coast: "'Once we take control we're coming for you.' That's the message Christians in the Ivory Coast got from Muslims during a long-fought dispute over the nation's presidency, an election late last year apparently won by a Christian candidate when the government found voter fraud in Muslim regions. But that result was overturned following intervention by the United Nations and the United States, who insisted that the Muslim candidate be given the office. Which puts Muslims now in 'control.'...

     "A missionary...says that the administration of newly inaugurated president Alessane Ouattara, a Muslim, has shut off the Internet and now likely is tapping the Christians' telephones. 'Just before (the civil war), they were warning the Christians... 'We're coming to get you.'...They have shut down the Internet so they (the Christians) can't communicate with the outside.'...

     "...there was a massacre of between 800 and 1,000 people 'who were seeking shelter at a Christian mission compound... The attackers reportedly were 'descendants of immigrant Muslims..."

"...because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you....If they persecuted Me they will persecute you... for they do not know the One who sent Me." John 15:19-21

Your son has been killed: "William had built a small school on the Tibetan border where he had been teaching God’s Word to children.... [He] had traveled four thousand miles a year on horseback to share the gospel with the people of Tibet. Muslim fanatics had slaughtered fifty thousand people in one Tibetan city, but even this did not scare his son away. William had written,

“All the trials, the loneliness, the heartache, the pain, the cold and fatigue of the long road, the discouragement and all the bereavements, temptations, and testing seemed not worthy to be compared with the glory and joy of witnessing these ‘glad tidings of great joy.’ ”

Persecution. Missionary says plight desperate after political unrest in Ivory Coast: "'Once we take control we're coming for you.' That's the message Christians in the Ivory Coast got from Muslims during a long-fought dispute over the nation's presidency, an election late last year apparently won by a Christian candidate when the government found voter fraud in Muslim regions. But that result was overturned following intervention by the United Nations and the United States, who insisted that the Muslim candidate be given the office. Which puts Muslims now in 'control.'...

     "A missionary...says that the administration of newly inaugurated president Alessane Ouattara, a Muslim, has shut off the Internet and now likely is tapping the Christians' telephones. 'Just before (the civil war), they were warning the Christians... 'We're coming to get you.'...They have shut down the Internet so they (the Christians) can't communicate with the outside.'...

     "...there was a massacre of between 800 and 1,000 people 'who were seeking shelter at a Christian mission compound... The attackers reportedly were 'descendants of immigrant Muslims..."

"...because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you....If they persecuted Me they will persecute you... for they do not know the One who sent Me." John 15:19-21

How Western Powers Aid and Abet Christian Persecution: "[Today's] official Western response to inhumane dictators seems to be... 1–ignore any human rights violations against Christians... 2–support groups hostile to Christians."

THAILAND: Muslims behead a 9-year-old boy: "More than than 4000 people from police and teachers to monks and children have been killed in the past 7 years by Muslims in southern Thailand, but hardly a word in the mainstream media.... Muslim terrorists object to the education system which teaches Buddhist culture that is not acceptable in Islam. The attacks are intended to force Buddhists to leave the region because Muslims want to create an independent Muslim nation in the three southern provinces." See Depravity

Muslim attackers kill 17 Nigerian Christians: [May 5] "Villagers were ambushed by their attackers who came in large numbers with various weapons, unleashing their attack on both the young and old. Seventeen Christians were killed....

     "Hundreds have died in clashes in Nigeria following national elections last month in which Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, won the presidential poll against a Muslim, Muhammadu Buhari.

     "...many villages are under serious threat. Please pray for Christians in...northern Nigeria who are suffering severely because of their faith. Pray for the families of those who have lost loved ones. Pray the Lord will provide comfort and the grace to overcome violence and hatred with love and forgiveness." See Persecuted - but not forsaken

Muslim Extremists Attack Egyptian Churches: "...three Coptic churches were firebombed by mobs of radical Salafi Muslims. ...incited by rumors that a Christian woman who wanted to convert to Islam was being held captive at one of the churches. An apartment complex where mostly Copts lived was also looted and set on fire. According to one report, 12 people were killed and more than 200 injured. ... It took the Egyptian army nearly five hours to respond to the violence, leading some to fear that the army and local police forces are either complicit in the attacks or unwilling to defend Egypt's Christian minority. When the second church was attacked, Muslim mobs prevented fire trucks from reaching the church." See In joy or pain, our course is onward still

A Mother's Love [From The Voice of the Martyr]: "The pastor had been questioned and beaten often, but today the guard took him to a room to talk. He said, '...'Please look in the corner.' The pastor turned to see an elderly woman chained and bruised beneath a pile of rags. She was the pastor’s own mother.

    "The guard inquired. “Look how much your mother has suffered. If you tell the secrets of the underground church, you and your mother can go free. If she dies from our torture, you will have failed to keep the commandment to honor her..."

    "The pastor turned to his mother who was starting to regain consciousness. 'Dear Mother, what should I do?'

    "Lovingly she replied, 'Since you were a small boy, I have taught you to love Christ and his church. Do not betray God. I am ready to die for His holy name.'....” John 12:27-28

Christians killed in Laos; alarming religious freedom abuses continue: "On April 15, troops from the Lao People's Army caught a group of Christians belonging to the Hmong community, an ethnic minority. All of the believers' Bibles were confiscated. The troops shot and killed four of the women after repeatedly raping two of them. Their husbands and children were beaten, tied up and forced to witness the gruesome killings. At last report, the whereabouts of the surviving believers were unknown." See Suffering with Jesus

Bloody Wednesday (Holocaust in 1943): "Several days before what would be known as 'Bloody Wednesday' a work crew of military soldiers, POW's, and Jews at the concentration camp in Poland began digging three six foot deep ditches that measured 100 yards each. 'Bloody Wednesday' began... with the loud unusual sound of dance music. The Jews, who had worked the day before to dig the ditches, were ordered to march into the ditches 10 at a time and lay face down. The music was used to cover up the machine gun fire that began and ended the massacre. By 5 pm on Wednesday, November 3rd, 1943 over 16,000 Jews were dead. Another 14,000 Jews were executed at Poniatowa on the same day...in the same way.... How was this act justified? See Bonhoeffer--Nazi Religion versus "Religionless" Faith

A Small Price to Pay: God's Love in Soviet Prison: "I was indicted on four counts: holding [Christian] meetings where children had been present, singing too loudly, organizing an orchestra, and not registering meetings with the state. My head throbbed as the judge pronounced judgment...two and a half years in prison.“

"I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things... that I may gain Christ 'and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness...but that which is through faith in Christ...that I may know Him and the 'power of His resurrection, and 'the fellowship of His sufferings..." (Phil.3:7-11

April 2011

Beijing Police Detain Group of Christians: "Police in Beijing detained more than 30 evangelical Christians as they attempted to gather outdoors for Easter services and confined about 500 to their homes, continuing a broad crackdown on dissent that has also targeted lawyers, bloggers and human-rights activists....The recent crackdown comes during a period of heightened tension in Beijing as anonymous online calls for a 'Jasmine Revolution' have set the country's security apparatus on edge....

     "Shouwang is one of China's most famous 'house' churches, the name given to congregations that aren't officially sanctioned by the government, with about 1,000 members.... The church's pastor, Jin Tianming, is among those under detention in his home. He said police officers were stationed 24 hours a day outside his residence in Beijing to prevent him from leaving.

     ".. between 50 million and 70 million Chinese worship in house churches [some claim the number of secret worshippers are much higher], and more than 25 million worship in state-sanctioned Catholic and Protestant churches. The Communist Party, by comparison, has around 60 million members."

Election leaves Christians under fire in 3rd African nation: "In Nigeria, Muslim rioters killed more than 100 Christians and burned more than 40 churches yesterday 'in response to the election of Jonathan Goodluck, a Christian, as president.'  ...Christians in those Muslim-majority areas 'have faced repeated bouts of violence and discrimination' and 'tens and thousands of Christians have been killed' over the years." See Suffering with Jesus

Government persecution of Christians escalates in China: "...the Chinese government's stranglehold on information makes it impossible for all of the instances of Christian persecution to be documented.....It also highlighted three new alarming trends: the full-scale suppression of Christian human rights lawyers groups; use of abuse, torture and mafia tactics; and a severe crackdown on...churches that do not accept government control....

     "Pray that amid escalating persecution, Chinese Christians will find their comfort in Christ... (2 Corinthians 1:5). Pray for continued wisdom and guidance for Christian leaders as they help equip Chinese believers to stand firm in the faith..." See 2010 Annual Report on Chinese Government Perseuction of Christians

 

Government’s Mafia-style Persecution Puts a Shaanxi Christian into a Coma: "Pastor Wang Zhanhu of Chinese House Church Alliance was ...engaged in evangelism among a few hundred people when local police seized him and subjected him a beating with an electric baton. Wang lost consciousness for about 5 hours and has been hospitalized.... In coastal Jiangsu province recently, local authorities have threatened a former Three-Self Patriotic Movement church pastor with immediate detention if he accesses the Internet...." See Pray for one another

Beijing Christians Detained: "Beijing police on Sunday detained at least a dozen worshippers from a Christian house church who were trying to hold services in a public space after they were evicted from their usual place of worship. Leaders of the unregistered Shouwang house church had told parishioners to gather at an open-air venue in Beijing for Sunday morning services, but police, apparently alerted to their plans, taped off the area and took away people who showed up to take part....Chinese Christians were singing hymns, saying prayers as policemen surrounded them, then led them off." See Persecuted - but not forsaken

China's Arab Winter: "China's crackdown on domestic dissenters continues, with a 10-year prison sentence issued on Friday to Liu Xianbin, a founder of the China Democratic Party..... Mr. Liu was sentenced for subverting state power, which in China can mean anything the authorities want it to mean, even advocating for democratic freedoms....Mr. Liu was routinely interrupted by the judge as he sought to defend himself. After serving his earlier prison term, Mr. Liu was harassed by security agents who made it difficult for him to hold a job....

     "The most worrying cases are those who have simply 'disappeared' into the maw of China's extralegal shadow jails." Chinese Government’s Campaign against Unregistered Churches

March 2011

Pray for Pastor Abrahmian: "Pastor Vahik Abrahamian and his wife Sonia Keshish-Avanesian [and another couple] ...were arrested at the Abrahamians' home in [Iran], and taken initially to the Ministry of Islamic Guidance prison. For the first 40 days, they were held in solitary confinement and reportedly suffered physical abuse and psychological pressure. Pastor Vahik's wife Sonia, who was pregnant when she was arrested, is said to have suffered a miscarriage – her fourth. The couples, who are now being held in Hamadan prison, have been accused of various offenses, including propagating Christianity, opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran, and having contact with exiled opposition figures."

The New Egypt: Muslims burn down church then kill the protestors: "Last Friday in the village of Sole, just outside of Cairo, local Muslims decided they now had the freedom to burn down the town’s Coptic church. Without a strong Mubarak police force, they had nothing and no one stopping them. After torching the sacred place, the Muslims promised to build a mosque on that very spot (Are you listening Cordoba House/Park 51 supporters?).

     "On Tuesday thousands of Coptic Christians protested in...Cairo. They carried large wooden crosses and hoped to get the media’s attention of the burning down of their church (the Church of the Two Martyrs). Sadly, soon after, many of the protesters became martyrs....

     "Some reports said the military fired into the air in hopes of stopping the violence. But there are Christians who were there claiming the military aided the Muslims in attack by getting out of the way of the Muslims and even firing on the Christians." See Persecuted - but not forsaken

British Muslim population could double in 20 years: "...the growing concern about Islam is because of 'the degree to which Islam is perceived as a threat to social cohesion'. ...a Christian couple, who own a guesthouse in Cornwall, were fined £3,600 for [not renting to homosexuals]. ...Judge Andrew Rutherford said Peter and Hazelmary Bull ‘s actions were unlawful. Mrs Bull said: 'I do feel that Christianity is being marginalised in Britain.'”

People have only 'qualified' right to Christianity: "A court ruling has found that Christians who want to provide foster care for needy children must promote homosexuality to them and that there is only a 'qualified' right to exercise their Christian beliefs. The judgment comes in a claim by a Christian couple that their biblical beliefs in opposition to homosexual behavior were being used by the government to discriminate against them regarding their application to be foster parents....

     "Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre, said the family was "humiliated and sidelined and told by a government body.…that their mainstream Christian views might 'infect' children. They have also effectively been told by British judges that their views may harm children." See Our Refuge in Christ

Pakistan cabinet minister murdered: "Pakistan’s minister for religious minorities, who had opposed the country’s harsh blasphemy laws, was shot dead in Islamabad on Wednesday....Shahbaz Bhatti, the only Christian member of the cabinet, was the second senior member of the ruling Pakistan People’s party to be gunned down in two months....The bodyguard who shot Mr Taseer said he had killed him for calling for changes to the country’s blasphemy laws. Human rights groups say the laws enshrine discrimination and render minorities second class citizens.

      "An outpouring of popular sympathy for the Mr Taseer’s killer showed how tolerance of pluralism is shrinking in once moderate Pakistan....The killing of Mr Bhatti...will pile further pressure on the weak coalition government..."

February 2011

Pakistani Police Allegedly Make Threats after Murdering Christian: "Pakistani police are threatening the father of an 18-year-old Christian man whom officers raped, killed and threw into a sewer last week....Police registered a case against the culprits, but they have not filed it ... and police have done everything possible to save their fellow policemen.'"  

Muslim Villager in Pakistan Allegedly Rapes Sixth Christian Girl: "A Muslim who allegedly confessed to sexually assaulting five Christian girls raped a 10-year-old Catholic girl in Punjab Province last month, according to her family."

Now it is the other way around’ — the moral revolution in full view: "In the course of a single generation, the sexual morality that has survived for thousands of years is giving way to a radically different moral understanding. Just consider the couple in the United Kingdom who were recently found guilty of discrimination because they allowed only married couples to share a bed at their small hotel....

     "What makes this case particularly troubling is the nature of the judge’s decision. Judge Andrew Rutherford ruled that the Bulls would have to sacrifice their Christian convictions if they intend to own and manage their hotel.

     "Mrs. Bull told the court, 'We accept that the Bible is the holy living word of God and we endeavor to follow it as far as we are able.' In this specific case, it meant that the Bulls would restrict rooms with a double bed to married couples. They enforced this policy regardless of sexual orientation — a point acknowledged by the judge.

      "Nevertheless, Judge Rutherford stated: 'It is inevitable that such laws will from time to time cut across deeply held beliefs of individuals and sections of society for they reflect the social attitudes and morals prevailing at the time that they are made.'

      "Affirming the swift reversal of public morality on the issue of homosexuality, the judge commented: 'It is a very clear example of how social attitudes have changed over the years for it is not so very long ago that these beliefs of the defendants would have been those accepted as normal by society at large. Now it is the other way around.'" See Paradigm Shift: Total transformation

Christians Suspect Cover-Up in Pastor’s Death in Orissa, India: "The body of Saul Pradhan, a 45-year-old independent pastor whose house was burned by Hindu extremists two years ago, was found near a pond in Pakala village in Kandhamal’s Raikia Block on Jan. 11 and bore marks of assault.... 'I spoke to the widow of the pastor, and she told me that the hands and legs of the deceased looked twisted, and there was blood in his mouth. His pants were also torn,' Singh said....'Why should it not arouse suspicion when Pastor Pradhan was last seen with two Hindu men, Marda Pradhan and Baiju Mallick, who were among the rioters who burned houses of Christians in 2008?” See Suffering with Jesus

Seeking Gao Zhisheng: "The word 'missing' is a euphemism in China, where dissident Gao Zhisheng likely has now spent eight months in a frightening system of illegal government detention for his work speaking out for human rights and the rule of law.

     "In a horrifying interview... during a brief period of freedom last year... Mr. Gao gives accounts of previous torture sessions carried out by secret police. 'The degree of cruelty,' he said, 'there's no way to recount it.' Sometime in 2009, three agents stripped Mr. Gao and began beating him with their holstered guns, plus other acts he would not describe [including electrical shocks to his private parts]. It lasted around the clock for two days. 'When all three officers tired...they bound his arms and legs with plastic bags and threw him to the floor until they caught their breath to resume the abuse.'

     "During his short time on the outside in April, he asked the police why they didn't just put him in prison. 'You're going to prison,' they replied, 'that's a dream. You're not good enough for that. Whenever we want you to disappear, you will disappear.'...

     "The Obama Administration has played down human rights with China as less important than other issues in the U.S. relationship..." See Persecuted - but not forsaken

Sudan: "The predominantly Christian and traditionalist black African Southern Sudan has seen almost nonstop war with the Arabic-speaking and Muslim North since the country’s independence from Britain in 1956. Two million people are thought to have died in recent years in the battered South, an impoverished land.... Oil added a new intensity to the conflict in the ‘90s, a period which also saw the rise of the Islamist regime of Omar al Bashir. He’s since been indicted by the International Criminal Court for his role in the Darfur conflict in Western Sudan. But it’s the enduring North-South war that got the attention of evangelical Protestants in America....

      "There remain sensitive issues that could inflame tensions or worse: drawing borders, deciding on the rights of Southerners living in the North and vice versa, and a critical permanent oil-sharing revenue agreement still needs to be negotiated. The new South Sudan, should that nation emerge, will be one of the poorest on earth. Paved roads, hospitals, and schools are virtually nonexistent, and the peace remains precarious. But all those worries have been cast aside by the euphoria of this moment..."

Iran Rounds Up 70 Christians Since Christmas: "Iran has arrested about 70 Christians... in a crackdown that demonstrates the limits of religious tolerance by Islamic leaders who often boast they provide room for other faiths.... Caught in the middle is the small community of Iranian Christians who get together for prayer and Bible readings in private residences and out of sight of authorities. They are part of a wider 'house church' movement that has taken root in other places with tight controls on Christian activities such as China and Indonesia.

     "Iran’s constitution gives protected status to Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians, but many religious minorities sense growing pressures from the Islamic state as hard-edged forces such as the powerful Revolutionary Guard exert more influence." See Perseverance

Eyewitnesses Claim Egyptian Security Allowed Bomb Attack on Christians: "Church officials and eyewitnesses say many more victims have yet to be identified after their 'body parts were strewn all over the street outside the church.' ...'some Muslims started stepping on them and chanting Jihadi chants.'...

     "Attorney Mamdouh Nakhla...wondered if state security is an accomplice or just too cowardly to confront the Islamists in Egypt who carried out the Church massacre. 'The crime is local and those who committed it are known.... The Al Mujahedeen website threatens to repeat the attack in more churches. The site has addresses of churches and even how to make a bomb. Does security not know about it?'...

     "Meanwhile, Islamic extremists are blaming the attack on Jews. Iran’s official television outlet, Press TV, declared Sunday that Israeli Zionists were actually behind the bomb plot. 'It goes without saying that no Muslim, whatever their political leanings may be, will ever commit such an inhuman act, 'the station said." See Don't Be Deceived!

Pakistani marked for death for support of Christian: "The fact that the governor [Taseer] very courageously took a public stand against the death penalty in the case of the Christian woman [Asia Bibi] accused of blasphemy, made him a marked man....In Islamic law, blasphemy ["a matter of perception"] and slander carry the death penalty automatically....

      "Taseer got himself into trouble when he spoke against Pakistan's blasphemy law. 'Pakistan's laws are in accordance with Shariah [Islamic law]....

      "...a sizable percentage of terrorist acts are 'inside jobs.' ...Taseer's assassination is likely the first stage of a new intimidation campaign. The more practical, secular, leaders in Pakistan are going to be subjected to more and more intimidation and assassinations as the true-believer Muslims gain strength.... 'Pakistan's security establishment is tied in with the Islamists and the refusal of every local Muslim cleric to lead prayers at his funeral indicates just how hard line the situation on the ground is. ...a majority of Pakistanis are sympathetic to the radicals."

Eyewitnesses Claim Egyptian Security Allowed Bomb Attack on Christians: "Church officials and eyewitnesses say many more victims have yet to be identified after their 'body parts were strewn all over the street outside the church.' ...'some Muslims started stepping on them and chanting Jihadi chants.'...

     "Attorney Mamdouh Nakhla...wondered if state security is an accomplice or just too cowardly to confront the Islamists in Egypt who carried out the Church massacre. 'The crime is local and those who committed it are known.... The Al Mujahedeen website threatens to repeat the attack in more churches. The site has addresses of churches and even how to make a bomb. Does security not know about it?'...

     "Meanwhile, Islamic extremists are blaming the attack on Jews. Iran’s official television outlet, Press TV, declared Sunday that Israeli Zionists were actually behind the bomb plot. 'It goes without saying that no Muslim, whatever their political leanings may be, will ever commit such an inhuman act, 'the station said." See Don't Be Deceived!

Guess who leads surge in Christian persecution: "While North Korea remains No. 1 because of its total repression of faith...'the most dangerous countries in which to practice Christianity are overwhelmingly Islamic.'...Iran, which clamps down on a growing house church movement; Afghanistan, where thousands of believers cluster deep underground; and Saudi Arabia, which still refuses to allow any Saudi person to convert to Christianity. Others are lawless Somalia, ruled by bloodthirsty terrorists threatening to kill Christian aid workers who feed Somalia's starving, impoverished people; tiny Maldives, which mistakenly boasts it is 100 percent Islamic; Yemen with its determination to expel all Christian workers; and Iraq, which saw extremists massacre 58 Christians in a Baghdad cathedral on Oct. 31..."

Pakistani governor killed by own guard in capital: "The governor of Pakistan's powerful Punjab province was shot dead in the capital Tuesday by one of his guards, who told interrogators afterward that he was angry about the politician's stance against the country's blasphemy law....The killing of Salman Taseer was the most high-profile assassination of a political figure in Pakistan since the slaying of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in December 2007, and it rattled a country already dealing with crises ranging from a potential collapse of the government to Islamist militancy....

     "Taseer was a member of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party....But it was his very public stance against the blasphemy law that apparently led to his killing. Pakistan's blasphemy law has come under greater scrutiny in recent days after a Christian woman was sentenced to death for allegedly insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The law effectively orders death for anyone convicted of insulting Islam."

Egyptian Christians Request Prayer: "Our evangelical outreach was canceled because the police are destroying a church in the area where we live and serve. Christians gathered in front of the government building to protest. To everyone's horror, the police opened fire on them. An unknown number of people have died so far.... Muslims were even hitting the Christian children in schools and people who were going to church in the morning. Children and churchgoers fled and remain frightened in their homes. No one is able to leave home or to go any place. It is something like war between the police and the Christians. Twenty-five homes of Christians have been burnt to the ground....

      "Please pray that the Lord will...help those people who are suffering physically and emotionally. Pray especially that the Lord will make us able to encourage our neighbors as we live and serve God among them." See Our Refuge in Christ

[Vietnam] Persecution of believing community being stepped up: "Officials in Hanoi and Da Nang locked out the Christians from the buildings and police surrounded the meeting facility in Hanoi and moved in to force the crowds to disperse. Compass Direct reports that the harassment was aimed at literally hundreds of Christians from 10 northern provinces..." See They Gave Him Their Lives

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Older: Algerian Christians Arrested for Eating During Muslim Fast: (9-23-10) "Hocine Hocini and Fellak Salem appeared before the provincial court in Ain El Hammam, Algeria, for eating at noon on a private construction site during the month of Ramadan. The Algerians were arrested by police officers who enforced the legal provisions that protect Islamic religious regulations from being disobeyed; therefore, these Christians must answer for their 'illegal' sacrilegious act. 'I am optimistic,' said Hocini. 'I have no regrets, I am a Christian. We are innocent, we have not hurt anyone. We are Christians and we did not eat in a public place.'  'Algeria has ratified international conventions on freedom of worship,' said Ait Larbi, one of the defense lawyers for the two Algerians. 'It is an outright violation of the constitution.' While the international community protests their arrest, crowds of Algerians expressed their fear of unwanted influence from Afghanistan, an Islamic state where people can still be stoned for eating breakfast during the daylight hours of Ramadan."

Vietnam Montagnard Christians “Tortured” For Refusing To Worship Communist Leader (May 28, 2006): "Several indigenous Degar Montagnard Christians in Vietnam's Central Highlands recovered from their injuries Sunday, May 28, after they were detained and tortured by Vietnamese security forces for refusing to abandon their Christian faith and follow the 'official' Communist-backed church, their friends said. Since May 16 police took at least three Christian Degar Montagnards from Bon Djrong village in Vietnam's Gialai Province to what a 'communal committee office' to explain why they refuse to worship in what is known as 'Siu Kim's Church', said the advocacy group Montagnard Foundation Incorporated (MFI). Siu Kim, a Montagnard working for the government, dedicated the church in February and invited 10,000 Montagnard Christians in the area to participate in the ceremony. But many believers, including apparently those arrested this month, refused to participate as the church worships Siu Kim and Ho Chi Minh, the late Communist leader, MFI said. Instead of a picture of Jesus or a cross, only Ho Chi Minh's picture can be seen in the church, local Christians explained."

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