On May 15, six police officers and a local Catholic catechist appeared at the Fountain of Heaven Church in Cuateceometl, Hidalgo, Mexico, at 10 a.m. and arrested Pastor Francisco Sanchez Gonzalez and church member Raul Bautista. The arrests came after a decision by the town assembly to "eradicate" all non-Catholic Christians from the area. Local officials informed church members that they must renounce their evangelical faith and pay a fine of 1,000 pesos (approximately $110) by the end of May, or else their homes and the church's chapel will be torn down.

An Islamic court in southern Iran acquitted Christian lay pastor Hamid Pourmand on apostasy and proselytizing charges on 28 May. A lay leader in the Iranian Assemblies of God church, and former colonel in the Iranian army, he would have faced the death penalty had he been found guilty.

According to Compass Direct, the presiding judge said, "I don't know who you are, but apparently the rest of the world does. You must be an important person, because many people from the government have called me, saying to cancel your case."

The judge told Pourmand, a former Muslim who converted to Christianity 25 years ago, he had "done nothing wrong" according to Islamic law. Even so, Pourmand has been sent back to Tehran's Evin Prison to serve out a three-year prison sentence still under appeal before the Supreme Court for a separate conviction, also linked to his religious conversion.

On Saturday 28 May, at 8.30pm, Chittirical John Thomas, 37, an Indian national, was pulled from work in Riyadh by Saudi religious police ('muttawa') dragged to his home, and beaten in front of his maid and 5-year-old son. The muttawa confiscated his Bible and all religious paraphernalia, and took Thomas to the Shemaissy Detention Centre. Thomas' wife, who is five months pregnant, has not heard from her husband since.

Valiakalail Samuel Daniel, Koil Pillai Vijaykumar, Mutham Plackal Mathai Thomas, Pathivadathil James George, George Matthew, Biju Thomas, and Saji Varghese were also arrested during the night. It is known that the prisoners have been interrogated and at least one has been abused, being forced to continuously stand and was beaten with his hands bound behind his back.

Saudi Arabia is classified in the United States as a "country of particular concern" (CPC) on the basis of its restrictions on religious freedom. The US Department recently extended a deadline for sanctions against the country and has not yet held the Saudi Government accountable.

Apart from persecution of Christian, Hindu, and other foreign workers, Saudi Arabia continues to persecute Shiites and other Muslims who do not follow the repressive Wahhabi version of Islam that is the state religion of the country. (ICC, Freedom House)

On Friday, May 20, more than 300 Muslims gathered in London to protest against the alleged desecration of a Qu'ran by US military at Guantanamo Bay. Led by Omar Bakri Muhammad and Yasser al-Siri, members of the crowd set fire to a wooden cross outside the American embassy in London. Also burnt were the American and British flags. This protest took place after Newsweek magazine had retracted their original story about the Qu'ran being flushed down the toilet. The cross-burning incident did not capture the interest of the British media. (Barnabas Fund)

Not two days after being released under an amnesty, Vietnamese children's worker, Le Thi Hong Lien was rearrested while attending a Bible study in the home of Mrs Quang, wife of imprisoned pastor Nguyen Hong Quang.

A "work team" of about 30 local officials came to the residence, which serves as a meeting place for the Vietnam Mennonite Church in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City. When Mrs. Quang went out to talk to them, a number of police officers pushed their way past her into the house, loudly demanding that all religious activity cease. They ordered everyone to the ward police station for interrogation. A particularly abusive officer said he had orders to harass the Christians until they no longer went to the Quang house to worship. Lien remained silent throughout the interrogation, even though she was threatened with force. She was released at about 10:30 p.m. along with others of the group. She reportedly returned to the Quang home exhausted and terrified. (Compass)

On Saturday May 28, police raided a wedding ceremony in the capital, Asmara, arresting 250 guests, including Benyam Gezae and his bride. The bride and groom were members of the Meserete Kristos Church. Police found that most of the guests were members of legally sanctioned churches, however, some 70 members of outlawed Protestant churches still remain under arrest. The authorities have allegedly pressured these evangelical Christians to abandon their beliefs and join one of the "legal" churches.

Also in Eritrea - Pastor Oqbamichel Haimanot of the Kale Hiwot (Word of Life) Church has reportedly suffered a mental breakdown after four months of harsh treatment in the military training camp at Sawa. (Compass)

On May 6, The leaders and representatives of Catholic Church, Anglican Church of Pakistan, National Council of Churches, Baptist Church, Evangelicals, Full Gospel Assemblies of Pakistan and representatives of Hindu, and Sikh communities including executive members of All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) met to discuss their concern over the deteriorating situation of the minorities. 

APMA Chairman Shahbaz Bhatti, and others representing Pakistan’s religious community at the May 6 conference.

Photo: APMA 

Then, on Saturday, May 14, human rights advocates gathered in Lahore, Pakistan, for a peaceful rally to protest the rising incidents of crime and violence against women. To their horror, Pakistani police responded by brutally beating both men and women with batons and by dragging women in the street by their hair and tearing their clothing off. The assaulted citizens were then forced into vans and taken to local police stations.

Some 40 human rights defenders were arrested and detained by police. Among them was Ms Asma Jahangir-the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Religious Freedom and Belief, and the former chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. According to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, a policewoman was heard telling Ms. Jahangir, "We have orders to strip you in public and teach you a lesson." Police accused Jahangir of "defying a ban on women running" in public.

The APMA's Chairman, Shahbaz Bhatti, condemned the violence, saying that what happened was "unjust, undemocratic and inhuman." (APMA, Jubilee Campaign)

An Egyptian convert to Christianity is being held in a Cairo mental hospital, where supervising doctors have told him he will stay until he recants his faith and returns to Islam. Gaser Mohammed Mahmoud, 30, was committed to the El-Khanka Hospital in early January by his adoptive parents after they learned he had become a Christian two years earlier. Since his forced confinement, Mahmoud has reportedly endured beatings, whippings and potentially fatal injections. (Compass)

In recent weeks, we have received an increasing number of reports of opposition to Christians and Christian activity in India. In the past month alone, the following incidents occurred:

Mangalwarapete village, Karnataka state, May 1 - A crowd of nearly 500 Hindu villagers attacked a house church. Assailants molested some of the women among the 60 people present at the Sunday service and burned Bibles and other Christian literature. The mob beat Pastor Paulraj Raju of King Jesus Church. Attackers identified themselves as members of the Hindu fundamentalist group Bajrang Dal and the nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party. Raju was later arrested by police on charges of attempting to convert Hindus.

Maraman, Chettimukku, May 12 - Eight students from Beersheba Bible College of the Indian Pentecostal Church of God were attacked and beaten by members of of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The students were making their way on foot to attend a funeral when about 15 motor-cycle-mounted RSS members assaulted them with sharp weapons. Some students were hospitalized.

Jamanya, Jalgaon district, Maharashtra, May 15-16 - 11 Christian families were attacked. Village officials had summoned the families to a panchayat (community court) on May 15 and asked them to renounce their faith. When the families refused, the men were beaten with heavy sticks and chased from the village. On the following day, the mob attacked the women and children; some children fainted after being beaten. Witnesses said the mob also tried to disrobe the women.

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, May 20 - Rev. K. Daniel was murdered by Hindu extremists who poured acid over his body.

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, June 2 - Police found the body of Pastor Isaac Raju. Raju went missing on May 24. Raju was the pastor of a church on the outskirts of Hyderabad. A letter sent to a local newspaper claimed the murders were the work of an organization called the "Anti-Christian Forum." After the letter was received, police questioned 150 members of Hindu nationalist organizations. (Compass)

Chinese Catholics are divided between those who worship within the government-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association, which has no connection to the Vatican, and the illegal underground Catholic Church, which professes loyalty to the Pope and suffers harassment and persecution. With the election of Cardinal Ratzinger, the Chinese Government sent "warm greetings", but before long was reiterating its demand that the Vatican break off its ties with Taiwan. Underground Catholics have also sent their greetings and begged the new Pope not to forget the suffering church. (Compass)

In the biggest Indonesian terror attack since the Bali bombings in 2002, two bombs went off on Saturday May 28, in the town of Tentena in the district of Poso in Central Sulawesi. 

A three-year-old survivor of the bomb blast is still recovering.

Photo: IFC

A third bomb was found in the church across the road from the market, and defused. 21 people were killed and 74 were wounded. 11 are still in a critical condition. In the days after the event, Dr Jeff Hammond, of International Friends of Compassion, identified six of the most serious cases and arranged for them to be transported to Christian University Hospital in Jakarta. Sixteen air tickets on a plane had to be purchased, as some of the wounded had to lie down, and two doctors were in attendance. The four men and two women were due to undergo surgery on June 7.

Tentena is a Christian-majority village that has actively provided safe haven to for many Christians who have fled violence in the region over the last five years.

Rev. Rinaldy Damanik, President of the Central Sulawesi Christian Church and well-known peace activist, has been living in Tentena since his release from prison in November 2004. Although communications with Tentena are sketchy, it appears Rinaldy Damanik was not harmed in the attack.

The Indonesian authorities have arrested a number of people in connection to the attacks and there are claims that some documents discovered in the investigation reveal a wider terrorist plot. Two former government officials were also arrested for their part in the bombing. They had been granted early release from prison on their charge of embezzling 2.3 billion rupiah (US$242,105) from funds dedicated to refugees, and the prison warder responsible for their release is being questioned.

In addition, two other men accused of involvement with the beheading of Sarminalis Ndele, 48-a Christian pastor and chief of Pinedapa village in Poso Pesisir district-on November 4 last year, have been questioned. (Compass, IFC)

Analysis of the bombings in Indonesia: