July 2010
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
Crackdown on Christians ramping
up: "The government of
Morocco has notified another 23 mostly Christian foreigners, including one American,
that they're scheduled for imminent expulsion from the North African country....
This is the second large deportation action taken by the Moroccan government
against mostly Christian individuals in the past two months....
"'It's
basically anti-conversion. The thinking there is if there is no proselytizing,
no one will convert from Islam,' Clay explained.... They're seeing Muslims converting
to Christianity and this move is to put an end to the spread of Christianity
in Morocco....
"Morocco
has been dominated by Islamic interests since the 600s, when Arab Muslims moved
into the region.... The embassy website boasts that King Mohammed VI is directly
descended from the prophet of I" color="#CC0000">Persecuted - but not forsaken
Chinese accused of vast trade in
organs... from religious dissidents:
"China's hidden policy of executing prisoners of the forbidden quasi-Buddhist
group Falun Gong and harvesting their organs for worldwide sale has been expanded
to include Tibetans, 'house church' Christians and Muslim Uighurs....
'These groups are useless to the state,' Mr. Gutmann said. "They are toxic,
so you can't release them. But they're worth a great deal of money in terms
of their organs." See
Secret Document Reveals Chinese
Government’s Campaign against Unregistered Churches
April 2010
Pastor and wife killed in northern
Nigeria: "Suspected Islamists
abducted and killed a pastor and his wife in Boto village, Bauchi state in northern
Nigeria on April 13. Pastor Ishaku Kadah (48) and his wife Selina (45) were
abducted from the headquarters of their church, which was also their home. Their
burned bodies were discovered hours later....Pastor Ishaku's church previously
came under attack in late January by Islamic extremists who set fire to the
building mere days after Christians displaced by violence in Plateau state had
taken refuge on the premises." See
They Gave Him Their Lives
176,000 Christians martyred in one
year: "A new ministry partnership has launched a campaign to raise
awareness of the fact that an estimated 176,000 Christians around the world
were martyred – killed for their faith – in a one-year period from the middle
of 2008 to the middle of 2009. That's 482 deaths per day, one every three minutes.
Martyrdom didn't go away with the Middle Ages..."
Pakistan Christian Maid Burned To
Death: "A young Christian
maid was raped and burned to death by the son of her Muslim employer in the
industrial city of Sheikhupura, the second murder of a domestic servant in
Pakistan's Punjab province in less than two months.... Kiran George, 20,
was allegedly burned by suspect Muhammad Ahmed Raza last month because she became
pregnant and wanted to report his 'months of sexual abuse' to police.... Raza
was assisted in the burning by his mother Zahida Bibi, who employed her....
"Speaking
from her death bed, the young woman said a brother of Raza, Ahmal, intervened
and rushed her to hospital. She alleged that the rich Muslim family 'bribed'
police 'heavily' not to launch procedures against the suspects." See
Persecution Scriptures
March 2010
Italy
summons Pakistani diplomat over attacks on Christians:
"The foreign ministry in Rome summoned the Pakistani envoy Wednesday
after reports Tuesday said that a 38-year-old Christian man in Pakistan’s northern
city of Rawalpindi died after he was set on fire by a Muslim mob [after he refused
to convert to Islam]. The man’s wife was allegedly gang raped by three police
officers, in front of their three children last week, reports said....There
have been several other reports of attacks on Christians in Pakistan by Islamic
militants, including those linked to Al Qaeda and Taliban. Earlier this month,
suspected Pakistani militants stormed the office of a Christian aid group....
killing six persons including two women..." See
Persecuted - but not forsaken
Christian man burned alive, wife
raped in Pakistan: "A
Pakistani Christian man passed away on March 22 after he was set on fire by
Muslims in Rawalpindi three days earlier. Arshed Masih (38) and his wife, Martha
(33), had been threatened with 'dire consequences' by their employer, Sheikh
Mohammad Sultan, unless they agreed to convert to Islam. The couple steadfastly
refused." See
Prepare for Persecution
Christian sentenced to prison; believers
heavily fined in Uzbekistan:
"Unregistered religious activity in the country is banned, as is evangelizing,
publishing unapproved religious literature, and attending religious meetings
in private homes."
Does this sound like America? Now it's happening in Southern California!
AGAIN! City orders Bible study closed:
"A southern California city has ordered a Friday night Bible study involving
about a dozen people to shut down its meetings by Good Friday or members could
face financial sanctions. Or they could apply to purchase an expensive permit
from the city government.
"The new
case is similar to a dispute last week in Gilbert, Ariz., and another last year
in San Diego County. Now, in Rancho Cucamonga... the city is targeting a Bible
study for banishment, and officials say they are 'not budging.'...
'"According
to their definition a family praying over their dinner would qualify as a
church.'...The precedent that would be created should the rule stand...
should alarm religious people across the nation. 'When you step back and look
at communist China, home churches are being persecuted there. This isn't any
different. And this isn't even a church, just a Bible study, facing the same
ultimatums, the same demands as in communist China." See
Chinese Land Official Says 'Golden
Lampstand Church will be destroyed'
Islamic authorities expelling Christians
Orphanage workers: "Several
dozen Christian orphanage workers, business leaders, teachers and others who
work with charitable organizations to help the poor in Morocco have been rounded
up by government agents and deported.... 'I think this is shameful for Moroccans
to enjoy complete religious freedom in the U.S. and Europe and giving none to
foreigners,' he said....'If Europe or America started kicking out Muslims, and
their religious leaders, for no reason other than religion the Moroccan (and
Muslim) world would be furious.'" See
Persecuted but not forsaken
Christians under attack in Chiapas,
Mexico: "There were several
attacks on believers in Chiapas, Mexico in recent months. Evangelicals in the
state face frequent threats and attacks by rebel groups and traditionalist religious
groups. In one incident, a Christian community in the state was attacked by
a group of 70 armed rebel sympathizers. Nearly 30 people were injured... and
one was shot in the back and left for dead.
"On
February 28, three Christians were shot and wounded on their way home from church
services in the region of Mitziton. Rebel group members also reportedly threw
rocks at cars and blocked the highway in order to prevent medical aid from reaching
those injured.
"In
the city of Tumbala, rebel sympathizers assaulted approximately 40 Christians
who were asleep in their homes. A 49-year-old believer was killed and 20 other
Christians were injured. At last report, no suspects had been arrested.... Pray
for protection and endurance of faith for these suffering believers. Pray for
healing for those injured. Pray that followers of Christ in Mexico will be an
example of His love and grace, even to their persecutors."
See
They Gave Him Their Lives
Appeals for calm after Nigerian
sectarian slaughter:
"UN chief Ban Ki-moon and Washington led calls for restraint on Monday after
the slaughter of more than 500 Christians in Nigeria, as survivors told how
the killers chopped down their victims.... Survivors said the attackers were
able to separate the Fulanis from members of the rival Berom group by chanting
'nagge', the Fulani word for cattle. Those who failed to respond in the same
language were hacked to death.... Churches were among the buildings that were
burned down....
"'People
were attacked with axes, daggers and cutlasses -- many of them children, the
aged and pregnant women." See
Loving Evil
Chinese Land Official Says 'Golden
Lampstand Church will be destroyed':
"A symbol of strength and unity for the 50,000-member Linfen Church Network,
the central church building Jindengtai (Golden Lampstand) towers over the neighboring
buildings in Linfen City. The building was confiscated by the Chinese government
in the aftermath of the bloody attack and destruction of Fushan Church in September,
2009. Military police continue to surround the building.... The six-story Golden
Lampstand Church (Jindengtai) is worth over 10 million Yuan ($1.5 million) and
has been the central meeting location for Linfen Church members for more than
a decade." See
Brainwashing & "Education Reform"
Guangzhou Police Kidnap Pastor Wang
Dao: "For more than two
years, the Guangzhou police have harassed the house church believers of Liangren
Church for their faith. In the boldest strike since last September, a mixed
band of plain-clothed and uniformed PSB officers barged into the local restaurant...
where Liangren Church Head Pastor Wang Dao was meeting with twelve [Christian]
brothers and sisters for a meal. ...the policemen threw Pastor Wang violently
to the ground... and rushed him outside to a waiting vehicle, shoving him into
the back seat.... Pastor Wang's whereabouts are still unknown..." See
Secret Document Reveals Chinese
Government’s Campaign against Unregistered Churches
February
2010
Update: Christian youths tortured
by Egyptian officials:
"Several youths who were released stated that they were severely tortured by
officials and were ordered to falsely testify that Bishop Kyrollos, the
Coptic Bishop of Nag Hammadi, had incited them to make demonstrations. One of
the released, Bola (18), stated, 'We had to take our clothes off, and we were
electrocuted with electrodes in our private parts for eight hours. Electric
shocks only stopped when we could take it no longer -- only to be resumed again.'
A 17-year-old, Reziky, added, 'We were threatened by security that if we disclosed
what went on, we will be re-arrested.'... The majority of the released teenagers
are undergoing medical treatment, including being fitted with catheters in order
to urinate....
"Pray
for physical and emotional healing for these young men. Pray that they and their
loved ones will remain steadfast in their faith (1 Peter 5:8-10). Pray that
those who tortured them will repent and come to Christ. Pray that authorities
will act justly in this case. Pray for strength and safety for the 15 who remain
in detention." See
Persecuted but not alone
Shuozhou Pastor's Home Destroyed;
6 Christian Leaders Detained:
"The police detained all 500 house church attenders on the site for several
hours, before arresting Ren Boqing, Jia Jun and Gao Wenjun, church members who
drove vans to help bring many of the Christians to the church meeting. Ren Boqing
and Jia Jun were both charged with criminal detention for 'evil cult involvement,'
a typical sentence for house church believers....Ma Fei and Lin Zhengyuan,
were additionally arrested on November 19, 2009, and have been criminally detained
since for allegedly 'participating in a cult.'
"Brother
Gao Mao, the group leader, was seized and immediately placed in criminal detention
at the Detention Center of Pinglu District in Shuozhou. On November 20th, more
than 400 police ransacked Mao's home, stealing both valuables and daily necessities,
such as blankets, food, oil, and removing Bibles and Hymnals from the site.
They destroyed his entire property.... This region known as the 'Liberation
Zone' has been under multiple attacks since the devastating attack on Fushan
Church in September, 2009."
Suffering with Jesus
January 2010
2009 “Worst Year” For Pakistan Christians:
"Last year was the worst period of persecution against Christians in Pakistan
in the last decade, with attacks, arrests and detentions that reportedly killed
some 130 Christians across the Islamic country.... In one of the bloodiest single
incidents, in August, eight Christians were shot or burnt alive in the town
of Gojrain Punjab province when he Christian community was attacked by a mob
of 3,000 Muslims over alleged blasphemy of Islam....
"'...
blasphemy laws are an easy tool in the hands of Muslim extremists who, unlike
the Christians, have little to fear in the way of legal repercussions. More
often than not, they get off scot free for the atrocities they commit against
Christians..." See
Persecution Scriptures
Update on detained Uyghur Christian:
"Alimujiang Yimiti (36), a Uyghur [Western China] Chinese house church leader
who was arrested and imprisoned in January 2008, has received a 15-year prison
sentence for allegedly 'providing state secrets to overseas organizations.'
The verdict, which stunned Yimiti's lawyers and family members,
was read to him in prison on October 27. One of Yimiti's lawyers, Li Dunyong,
has reportedly filed an appeal on his behalf. Li Dunyong also stated that Yimiti's
Muslim background was a factor in his legal battle, stating, 'The whole case
is about religious faith issues which are being used against [him] for his conversion
from Islam to Christianity."
Please pray that God protect, comfort
and use "Alim" to share the gospel and its hope with other prisoners.
Ignoring Christian Oppression in
China: "It has long been
true that the left-leaning World Council of Churches (WCC) ignores vast swaths
of the world’s persecuted Christians while 'prophetically' defending the ''victims'
of America and Israel. They have more often seen Christians – particularly
evangelical ones who insist embarrassingly on sharing their faith – as
the persecutors, not the persecuted.
"But
the WEA [World Evangelical Alliance]
delegation, which met with China’s state-approved churches, and only
state-approved churches, is part of an international organization created to
give 'worldwide identity, voice, and platform to more than 420 million evangelical
Christians.' Yet eighty million Chinese house church Christians, evangelical
Christians, were left without identity, voice, or platform in the WEA’s China
report....
"While
meeting in Shanghai with the national leadership of the China Christian Council
and the National Committee of the
Three-Self
Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China (TPSM), the WEA praised
the 'health and vibrancy' of the Chinese Church....
"But
they may have gained a more realistic perspective on Christianity in China if
they had been singing in the snow with the thousand members of Beijing’s Shouwang
House Church, who were locked out of their rented worship space by the
authorities on November 1. Forced to hold worship services outdoors in Haidian
Park, the church members continue to meet – even during snowstorms. Interestingly,
on November 15, authorities concerned about their exuberant witness told
the church that they must meet indoors because of President Obama’s visit. For
that one Sunday they were allowed to meet inside a theatre in the northeast
part of the city before being relegated to the streets once again."
Two Christians Critically wounded
at wedding in Pakistan:
"Still in intensive care, they were shot for refusing order to convert to Islam.
...two Muslims armed with AK-47s in Punjab Province... shot them in their chests
after they refused orders to recite the Islamic creed signifying conversion.”
Iran: Christians Arrested:
"On Dec. 17, security police and undercover officers attacked a Christmas gathering
of more than 70 newly converted Christians in the city of Karaj, Iran.... Officers...
confiscated Bibles, Christian books and a computer.... Two of the leaders of
the group, Kambiz Saghaee and Ali Keshvar-Doost, were arrested.... Pray that
the new converts who attended this meeting will grow stronger in their faith
in Christ." See
Persecution Scriptures
December 2009
African Christians fear own government
on 'jihad': "'This campaign
will be another jihad in Sudan between the Muslim government in the north and
the predominantly Christian and animist south. In Sudan when we say Muslims,
we mean the government of the President Omar al-Bashir,' Racho explains. 'And
when we say jihad in this situation, it's not an Islamic extremist group...
it's the government of Sudan itself.'
"'...about
80 percent of the people in the south will support the referendum to no longer
be a part of Sudan,' Racho says. 'The Christians in South Sudan... want a separate
country and that they don't want to be a part of a genocidal Islamist government....'
"Sudan
has been steadily in a state of civil war since the end of the colonial era
in the 1956. Because of the government's actions in Darfur in February 2009,
the International Criminal Court charged al-Bashir with five counts of crimes
against humanity. United Nations aid agencies report that over 300,000 Sudanese
were killed and 2.7 million Sudanese were left homeless in the last civil war."
Please pray for our Christian
brothers and sisters in the Sudan. The burning, slavery, torture and killing
that Sudanese Christians have faced is beyond our comprehension. May God give
them the strength and endurance needed for the spiritual battles ahead!
See
Suffering with Jesus
Christian brothers poisoned in Pakistan:
"The brothers had left their jobs as sanitation workers at the Ferozewala Pul
Banquet & Marriage Hall because they were not receiving their wages. However,
they returned when their employers promised them their outstanding wages....
They were also harassed by staff members who spoke offensively to them about
their Christian faith and called them derogatory names. When the brothers finally
demanded their due pay, they were threatened with dire consequences if they
did not continue their work. The hall owner and hall manager then forced the
three to drink poison.... Their family was only contacted when two of the brothers...
were already dead. At last report, the third brother, Aakash Masih (23), was
in critical condition."
Please pray with me for
these families and for others who face similar threats.
See
God's Comfort
El Shafie said that between 200-300
million Christians are being persecuted in the world, 80 percent of whom lived
in Muslim countries:
"Every three minutes a Christian is being tortured in the Muslim world, and
in 2009 more than 165,000 Christians will have been killed because of their
faith, most of them in Muslim countries, according to a human rights organization....
El Shafie, 32, was born in Cairo to a distinguished Muslim family of lawyers
and judges. Through a Christian friend he was exposed at an early age to hatred
toward the Christian minority in Egypt. He decided to convert to Christianity,
wrote a book about it and as a result became an outcast and a victim of oppression.
In 1998 he was arrested, imprisoned, tortured and condemned to death. El Shafie
managed to escape, fled to the Sinai, where a Beduin family hid him for two
months..." See
Risking her life for Jesus
(
Somalia) Christian Martyred:
"On Nov. 14, the body of a 23-year-old Christian convert, Mumin Abdikarim Yusuf,
was discovered.... On Oct. 28, members of al-Shabaab, an Islamic extremist group,
detained Yusuf and searched his home for Christian materials.... In an attempt
to gain evidence against Yusuf and to gain information about other Somali Christians,
the extremists knocked out all of Yusuf's front teeth and broke several of his
fingers. They then shot him twice in the head and dumped his body on an empty
residential street. Since it is unknown whether Yusuf revealed information about
other Christians during his torture, the underground Christians who knew him
have relocated for their safety. Yusuf's Muslim family members are also in danger,
as extremists have accused them of failing to report his conversion to Christianity.
"Pray for
safety for the relocated believers. Pray that Yusuf's faithful witness will
be a testimony to his Muslim family members and that they will turn to Jesus
for their salvation." See
Suffering with Jesus
My goal is God Himself, not
joy nor peace;
Nor even blessing,
but Himself, my God.
'Tis His to lead
me there, not mine but His...
At any cost, dear
Lord, by any road.
Christian from Muslim background
martyred in Somalia:
"The body of a 23-year-old Somali convert from Islam to Christianity, Mumin
Abdikarim Yusuf, was discovered on the morning of November 14 in Mogadishu's
Yaqshid district. ...members of al-Shabaab, an Islamic militant group, apprehended
Yusuf and searched his home for Christian materials after a 15-year-old Muslim
boy accused Yusuf of trying to convert him to Christianity." See
Risking her life for Jesus
November 2009
Thankful in Death as well as Life!
(180 AD): "Their crime?
They were Christians who refused to compromise or recant. They would rather
die than deny their faith and betray the Lord they loved!...
"The proconsul
Saturninus then read the decree [their sentence] from a tablet: 'Speratus, Nartzalus,
Cittinus, Donata, Vestia, Secunda and the rest having confessed that they live
according to the Christian rite, since after opportunity offered them of returning
to the custom of the Romans they have obstinately persisted, it is determined
that they be put to the sword."
"'We give thanks to God," said Speratus.
"Today we are martyrs in heaven; thanks be to
God," added Nartzalus.
The China President Obama Didn't
See: "...had Barack Obama
wanted to understand something of the real China, his time would have been better
spent here than at the various state dinners... photo-ops, and carefully managed
town-hall events....
"Shouwang,
founded in 1993 by pastor Jin Tianming, is one of the city's largest unregistered
churches and counts around 800 regular members. But until last weekend,
they had never once been able to meet in such large numbers in an indoor space
in Beijing.
"Shouwang
is what is known in China as a 'house' church, meaning that it is an unregistered
entity in a country where all religious groups are supposed to report to the
State Administration for Religious Affairs.... Life has never been easy for
the underground churches, and recently it has gotten a lot harder. This is the
result... of a state directive handed down in August....
"Pastor
Tianming announced that 'some of our brothers and sisters are being held at
their homes and have not been able to come to church. But we are all one
body in Christ, so we will wait for them to start the service.' After another
hour of singing and praying, the congregation suddenly broke into applause—one
of the detained members had apparently talked his way out and arrived. The service
got underway; by the time it ended a second detained elder had arrived.
The previous Sunday, it was Pastor Tianming who had been detained....
"Now Mr.
Obama is gone, after a visit that was conspicuous for its attentiveness to the
sensibilities of China's leaders. In their quest for stability and 'harmony,'
these rulers continue to roll back basic liberties. Shuttering underground churches
is part of the trend.
"But freedom
of faith is something not even history's most repressive governments have ever
been fully able to snuff out: not the Romans in their suppression of the earliest
Christians; not the communists in their efforts to substitute History for God;
not Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong or Kim Il Sung, who attempted to substitute themselves
for God. So while Shouwang has no place to meet this coming Sunday, the church
will still be there, only more deeply steeled in its faith. This is the side
of China—the one Mr. Obama opted not to see—that will ultimately determine its
future." See
Secret Document Reveals Chinese
Government’s Campaign against Unregistered Churches
House church banned by authorities
in Shanghai, China: "...more
than 30 officials from four government agencies barged into the Wanbang Missionary
Church in Shanghai.... After concluding that church members were meeting
illegally, police officers banned the church and forbade the believers from
meeting together in the future. The Wanbang Missionary Church has approximately
1,200 members and is considered one of the most influential urban house churches
in the country....
"Pray that
these believers will be encouraged to continue to meet together despite opposition...."
See
Scriptures
on Persecution
October 2009
Arrested for her faithful witness:
[Pakistan] "Many of the local women work on the farm of Muslim landowner Muhammad
Idrees, including Asia Bibi.... [On June 19] there was an intense discussion
among the women about their faith, with the Muslim women telling Asia about
Islam. Asia responded by telling them about her faith in Christ. Asia told the
Muslim women Christ had died on the cross for our sins, then asked them what
Mohammed had done for them.... She told them Jesus is alive, but Mohammed is
dead....
Then some men came and took her
and locked her in a room. They announced from mosque loudspeakers that she would
be punished..." See
The Loneliness of the Christian
Islamic extremists in Somalia hunting
Christians: "Somalia's
Muslim militants are hunting down converts to Christianity. According to Voice
of the Martyrs Canada, Al-Shabaab members have murdered 14 believers since July
15." See
Persecution
Suspects in attacks on Christians
freed: "A Pakistani judge
has released six more of the suspects in a series of attacks on Christians...
and rights activists say the decision just adds to the victimization of the
members of the religious minority.... Judge Toba Sek Singh recently released
the suspects, who are accused of the murders of 11 Christians and with burning
down more than 40 Christian-owned houses in Gojra."
Islamists kill Somali church leader:
"The day before the shooting, Sheikh Arbow sent his wife to visit Hussein's
home and pretend she was interested in learning about Christianity. During the
visit, Hussein read passages of the Bible with Arbow's wife and told her that
she could visit regularly to discuss God's Word. Arbow's wife then confirmed
to her husband the presence of Bibles in the home.
"
The
next day, Arbow visited Hussein along with some other Muslims. He requested
a Bible from her. Hussein gave one to him and he revealed that he was looking
for 'Christians who have defiled the Islamic religion.' Arbow then ordered her
to show him the other Bibles that she owned. When she handed them over, he shot
her three times...
"
Thank
the Lord for working through the life of Mariam Muhina Hussein. Pray that those
who mourn for her will draw near to Christ for comfort. Pray for encouragement
and strength for Somali Christians facing trials for their Christian witness."
See
Persecution
September 2009
Beijing Public Security Officers
Seize House Church Pastor Hua Huiqi:
"Pastor Hua was returning home from 'forced vacation' in Shanxi, when five PSB
officers immediately surrounded his apartment home. ...his wife, evangelist
Ju Mei, received a phone call from Hua. Secretly from his cell phone, Hua told
her that he had been forced into a PSB car on the highway....
"...
a
Beijing PSB officer named Ding Xu went to Hua's home to pick up some clothes
for Hua. When Ju Mei asked him what had happened to her husband, and whether
he was dead or alive, Officer Ding Xu refused to answer. He reportedly pointed
to his police badge and said, 'Don't you know who I am? I have no obligation
to answer your questions!' ... Hua's 79-year old mother, wife and daughter fear
for Hua's safety; they identified one of the police officers who seized Hua
as one of men who beat Hua severely in the crackdown leading up to June
4 of this year. Pastor Hua has been repeatedly arrested, beaten, and interrogated
by PSB officials within the last two years..."
See
Chinese Government’s Campaign
against Unregistered Churches
Persecution of Christians in England:
"Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang.... who are members of an evangelical congregation,
were arrested by police after getting into a discussion with the woman about
the differences between Christianity and Islam earlier this year.... The woman,
who has not been named, is said to have told them that Jesus is considered
a 'minor prophet' in Islam while the debate also touched on the status of
Mohammed.... Mr Vogelenzang denies calling the Prophet Mohammed a 'warlord'.
It is unthat she used the word 'bondage about Islamic dress but denies deliberately
causing offence."
More information at
Seeds of Persecution
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Persecution testimonies:
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