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Horrific ongoing violence against Christians in India |
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Thursday, 18 September 2008 |
On Saturday August 16, Father Thomas Pandippallyil was brutally murdered in Andhra Pradesh State. His body bore the marks of at least 18 stab wounds and submergence under water; his eyes had been gouged out.
 In other Hindu states, such as Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa, there have been serious attacks on Christian Leaders, church meetings, prayer houses, shops and vehicles, with numerous Christians having to flee to jungles to save their lives. The persecutors are Hindu extremists who have also burnt down many churches.
The tempo of violence in the eastern state of Orissa has greatly increased with three more deaths reported. Suspected Maoists murdered Hindu leader, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his disciples on Saturday August 23. Hindu extremists falsely accused Christians.
Violence erupted the next day when the Hindu extremists paraded Saraswati’s body throughout nearby villages, whipping up anger and mobilizing crowds against Christians in defiance of Kandhamal district’s prohibition against the gathering of four or more people. One of their slogans was, “Kill Christians and destroy their institutions”.
The number of people confirmed dead has risen to 21.
On August 27, the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that more than 114 Christian attacks have taken place in various parts of the state. “The worst hit are the people in Kandhamal district where more than 400 churches, more than 500 houses, and many Christian institutions have been demolished”.
It is believed that the extremist organisation “Vishwa Hindu Parisad” (VHP), of which Saraswati was a figurehead, have responded to his murder by making Christians scapegoats for it and launching these devastating attacks. This violence may already be worse than that which ravaged the Kandhamal district of Orissa over Christmas 2007 when, during the week from Christmas Day onwards, four Christians were killed and 730 houses and 95 churches were burned.
These attacks by the VHP were under the pretext of avenging an alleged attack on Saraswati by local Christians. Hundreds of Christians were displaced by that violence and are still in various relief camps set up by the state government. In Orissa the Christians number 898,000 out of 36.7million.
Please pray for an immediate cessation of this violence, and pray for peace and protection of Christians in India.
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Burma’s continuing cruel persecution of ethnic minorities |
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Thursday, 18 September 2008 |
At this moment, 5,000 Karen people remain in hiding as a result of the Burma Army’s long running and brutal campaign to forcibly expel villagers from their homeland in Mergui-Tavoy district. About 50% of Karen are Christians.
 Relief efforts are continuing as 46 Burma Army Infantry battalions and 12 Artillery battalions try to subjugate the people of this area.
50,000 Karen now live under Burma Army control in forced re-location sites, and thousands more have fled to refugee camps across the border in Thailand.
The following testimony illustrates the cruel techniques of the Burma Army. It is from a village man who was severely beaten following an attack by the Karen resistance on a military camp in November 2007. After the beating he was detained for three days.
Karen children at school in a hide while the Burmese Army search for them.
Photo: FBR
"They accused me of supporting the armed group who attacked their outpost. I told them I do not support any armed group and they told me that Karen people tell too many lies, and then they beat me again. They beat me even though I was telling the truth.
They beat me till my back was broken and my chest was in pain. They covered my head with a plastic bag eight times, one hour per time till I couldn't breathe; when I tried to breathe they would take off the plastic bag and then cover me again. They covered my eyes, poured water on me and covered my head with plastic so I was unconscious one time.
Five soldiers rotated to beat me and the commander interrogated me. They sliced my back then they pour with salty water, it's very hot, ………. Now, I cannot do the hard work because my chest is still in pain. There are four people in our family. ..... so my wife has to do alone for our family."
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Laotian believers arrested for worshipping God |
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Thursday, 18 September 2008 |
 Authorities in Laos have detained or arrested at least 90 Christians in recent weeks in three provinces - the southern provinces of Saravan and Savannakhet and northern province of Luang Prabang.
On July 21, officials detained 80 Christians in Katin village, Saravan province, after residents seized a Christian neighbour identified only as Pew and poured rice wine down his throat, which flooded his lungs and killed him.
When mourning family members buried the Christian and put a wooden cross on the grave, village officials accused them of “practicing the rituals of the enemy of the state” and seized a buffalo and pig from the family as a fine.
Pastor Sompong. Photo: Compass
On July 25, officials rounded up 17 of the 20 Christian families in the village, 80 men, women and children, and detained them in a local school compound, denying them food for three days in an attempt to force the adults to sign documents renouncing their faith.
As their children grew weaker, 10 families signed the documents and on July 30 were allowed to return home.
The remaining seven families were evicted from the village and settled in an open field outside the village, building small shelters and surviving on food found in the nearby jungle.
On July 20, police stormed into the house church in Boukham village, Savannakhet province and ordered 63 Christians present to cease worshipping and believing in God—or face arrest, although the Lao constitution guarantees freedom of religion and worship.
Pastor Sompong was arrested and held with four other believers. They were detained in Dong Haen prison for two days with their feet secured in wooden stocks.
On Sunday August 3, together with two other believers he was again arrested.
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Bible and literature ban in Azerbaijan |
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Thursday, 18 September 2008 |
Literature isn’t censored – it is "merely checked" and banned!
 Azerbaijan's State Committee for Work with Religious Organisations has denied that all religious literature is censored.
The Committee "merely checks" to see which books are "not appropriate" for distribution and maintains a list of "banned" religious literature.
Under the country’s constitution freedom of information is guaranteed and State censorship in mass media, including the press is prohibited.
Human rights activists and religious communities have expressed frustration about the highly restrictive censorship system - including postal censorship - and about police confiscations of books, including the Bible, which are said to be "banned".
The case of Baptist Pastor Hamid Shabanov has been sent back for further investigation. Among his books confiscated were Bibles in Georgian and Azeri. A re-trial is to take place in September.
The Zakatala Deputy Police Chief said, he is “an English spy who acts only for money”, and there is a “special instruction not to allow Baptists to function in Zakatala district”.
Shabanov’s defense lawyer, Mirman Aliev, said on July 29, “He’s not guilty. They are doing this because he is a Christian”. (Forum 18)
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China’s dilemma: '10,000 become Christians each day' |
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Friday, 12 September 2008 |
A serious problem for China’s government is that the number of Christians, 100 million approximately, far exceeds the 75 million members of the Chinese Communist Party.
 It is reckoned that by mid-Century there will be 200 million Chinese Christians.
Therefore the pre-Olympics pressuring of Christians and the post-Olympics crackdown are quite understandable. This is not to say that all was well with the human rights issues during the Olympic Games.
Some leading Christians were told to leave Beijing and several house church leaders were detained, such as Zhang Mingxuan and his wife, Xie Fenlang. Some house church leaders in Beijing had to agree not to hold services from July 15 to October 15.
In October China’s Communist Party (CPC) will launch a nationwide crackdown on four “unstable social elements”. These are listed as illegal Christian house church leaders, petitioners, human rights defenders, and political dissidents.
This crackdown is designed to coincide with a new campaign to secure “20 more years of political and social stability” in China.
Pastor Zhang “Bike” Mingxuan sharing the Bible with young people in China.
Photo CAA
“Extraordinary measures” have been called for against these four elements in order to protect CPC’s continuous rule and reform programs.
Citizens will be required to report those who “engage in activities that endanger state security by utilizing religions”.
Meanwhile, Fu Xianwei, chairperson of the officially approved Three Self Patriotic Movement (16 million members) was invited to attend the Opening Ceremony of the Games. He said,
“The fact that we Protestant leaders are invited to the Opening Ceremony means that Christianity is now integrated into the society and the government respects religions and society accepts us.”
But in Shandong province, two staff members from a house church seminary in Weifang city await trial for running an “illegal business operation” after attempting to purchase Bibles from Amity Press, China’s official Bible printing facility.
Police and officials raided the seminary on May 29 seizing some seminary property.
Principal Lu Zhaojun and teacher Jin Xiuxiang were detained on June 2 and sentenced to one month of criminal detention for carrying out an “illegal business operation.”
They were released on bail on July 12, and informed that they would face trial after the Games. Lu and Jin are under close surveillance.
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