Somali Christian Girl Victimized for Shunning Islam

The Somali President Sheik Sharif Ahmed

It’s very surprising and embarrassing the level of persecution that is going in Somalia, with the recent report of a Christian teenager in the country who is being abused and held prisoner in her own home after she refused her parents' demands that she return to Islam.


Release International (RI) report said that the Muslim parents of a 17-year-old Nurta Mohamed Farah left her 'shackled to a tree' during the day and imprisoned in a small, dark room at night adding that this is in a bid to make her renounce her faith.

The report said that for more than a month now, Nurta has resolutely refused to recant adding that the family, who live in Bardher in the Gedo region of southern Somalia, tried initially to 'cure' their daughter by beating her and giving her medication a doctor had prescribed for 'mental illness'.

‘Nurta has reportedly become 'very sick' as a result. Nurta's family are said to recite long passages from the Koran to her twice a week in the belief that Islam's holy book can cure mental illness, Compass Direct news agency reports,” it said.

It noted that the tiny Christian community in Gedo region is said to be very distressed about Nurta's treatment, but feel they cannot intervene for fear of attack.

It’s worthy to note that religious freedom is enshrined in Somalia's Transitional Federal Charter, but is not upheld by the transitional Government. Islamist Al Shabaab militants, who control much of the country, rather they’re also attacking Christians in a bid to extend strict Sharia (Islamic law) across the country.

“Thank God for Nurta's strong faith and her powerful witness. Pray that her family will stop persecuting her and come to know Jesus themselves. Ask God to protect and build His church in this troubled land.”

In a related report, RI said that the blasphemy trial of Punjabi Christian Asia Bibi has heard evidence from the policeman who registered the original case against her and more prosecution witnesses are due to appear in court in Sheikhupura soon.

It noted that the next hearing in the blasphemy trial of Martha Bibi in Lahore is scheduled for June 24. “Please continue to pray for justice for Asia and Martha and for protection over the women, their families and the Release partners supporting them.”

Release International through its international network of missions is serving persecuted Christians in 30 countries around the world by supporting pastors and Christian prisoners, and their families; supplying Christian literature and Bibles; and working for justice.

For more information on this, log on to Release International website: http://www.releaseinternational.org/  

Moroccan Christian Gets 15 Years in Prison

The Moroccan King Mohammed VI

It’s regrettable to note how the Christian minorities in Morocco, a North African country are suffering persecution in the hands of the authorities as a result of their Christian faith.


This is contained in a report by the International Christian Concern (ICC’s) http://www.persecution.org/  Advocacy Officer, Logan Maurer who said that one Jamaa Ait Bakrim is currently imprisoned for “proselytizing,” a charge punishable under Moroccan law.

He noted that Jamaa Ait Bakrim, prisoner number 26574, is currently in Prison Centrale, located in Kenitra, Morocco and that he has been there since 2005 when he was sentenced to 15 years for “proselytism” and “destruction of the goods of others.”

Maurer stated: “This second charge is a common legal tactic of creating a separate infraction to lengthen the sentence and shift attention from the actual issue of religion.”

He said that the charge of proselytization is derived from Article 220 of Moroccan Criminal Law which makes it illegal to “shake the faith of a Muslim” adding that the charge of ‘proselytization’ is a specific concern because the wide range of applications that are used to suppress other religions. “This is the same official charge that has led to the deportation of many foreigners from Morocco in the past three months.”

Maurer recounted that in 1993 Jamaa returned to his Moroccan village after a trip to Europe where he converted to Christianity and that in 1994 he spent seven months in the mental hospital of Inezgane for proselytizing.

“In 1996 he was condemned to one year, this time in jail, for putting up a Christian cross in public. In 2001 he was prosecuted again, leading to the current sentence he has been serving since 2005,” he added.

He said that a congressional hearing convened by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) will come up soon on the issue of Moroccan religious freedom and the recent deportation of foreigners.

Logan Maurer stated: “This wrongful imprisonment exposes the Moroccan government’s duplicity when it comes to religious freedom. They talk one way to the West, but their own people experience a very different reality. Morocco must be brought to account; to date a country that we give $650 million a year in aid money is hiding their religious persecution. I look forward to the hearing in order to bring this issue to light.”

We need to note that ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide and it provides awareness, advocacy, and assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. And for more information about the organization, log on to their web address: http://www.persecution.org/.

Moroccan Christian Gets 15 Years in Prison

It’s regrettable to note how the Christian minorities in Morocco, a North African country are suffering persecution in the hands of the authorities as a result of their Christian faith.

This is contained in a report by the International Christian Concern (ICC’s) www.persecution.org Advocacy Officer, Logan Maurer who said that one Jamaa Ait Bakrim is currently imprisoned for “proselytizing,” a charge punishable under Moroccan law.

He noted that Jamaa Ait Bakrim, prisoner number 26574, is currently in Prison Centrale, located in Kenitra, Morocco and that he has been there since 2005 when he was sentenced to 15 years for “proselytism” and “destruction of the goods of others.”

Maurer stated: “This second charge is a common legal tactic of creating a separate infraction to lengthen the sentence and shift attention from the actual issue of religion.”

He said that the charge of proselytization is derived from Article 220 of Moroccan Criminal Law which makes it illegal to “shake the faith of a Muslim” adding that the charge of ‘proselytization’ is a specific concern because the wide range of applications that are used to suppress other religions. “This is the same official charge that has led to the deportation of many foreigners from Morocco in the past three months.”

Maurer recounted that in 1993 Jamaa returned to his Moroccan village after a trip to Europe where he converted to Christianity and that in 1994 he spent seven months in the mental hospital of Inezgane for proselytizing.

“In 1996 he was condemned to one year, this time in jail, for putting up a Christian cross in public. In 2001 he was prosecuted again, leading to the current sentence he has been serving since 2005,” he added.

He said that a congressional hearing convened by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) will come up soon on the issue of Moroccan religious freedom and the recent deportation of foreigners.

Logan Maurer stated: “This wrongful imprisonment exposes the Moroccan government’s duplicity when it comes to religious freedom. They talk one way to the West, but their own people experience a very different reality. Morocco must be brought to account; to date a country that we give $650 million a year in aid money is hiding their religious persecution. I look forward to the hearing in order to bring this issue to light.”

We need to note that ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide and it provides awareness, advocacy, and assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. And for more information about the organization, log on to their web address: www.persecution.org.

Two Pakistani Christian Women in Court for Blasphemy - By Success Kanayo Uchime

The Release International (RI) www.releaseinternational.org has reported that two Pakistani Christian women in Punjab will appear in court for “blasphemy” charges.

It noted that the women, Martha Bibi and Asia Bibi, who are not related, were both expecting a hearing last week but both cases were adjourned adding that at Asia's last hearing in Nankana Sahib on June 8, the adjournment was prompted by prosecution witnesses from the police failing to turn up.

RI said that in Martha's hearing in Lahore it was adjourned because the judge was 'unavailable' and that both women, charged under Section 295C blasphemy laws, were accused after disputes with people they worked with.

“Asia Bibi has been detained in Sheikhupura District Jail following a discussion she had about her faith with fellow farm laborers in 2009. Charges were brought against Martha in 2007 after she became involved in a dispute with builders in Kasur who, her friends alleged, refused to return equipment belonging to Martha and her husband, Boota Masih,” RI report said.

It noted that the members of Release partners, Sharing Life Ministry Pakistan (SLMP), based in Pakistan were in court last week to encourage both defendants stressing that they’ve been offering practical and spiritual support to both women and their families and that SLMP has also contributed to Martha's legal fees.

RI stated: “Martha is said to be 'very concerned' about the outcome of her trial and SLMP has reported that Asia's two daughters are finding it very hard to be separated from their mother.”

It continued: “Pray that Martha, Asia and their families will have a fresh revelation of God's love and His power working in and through them. And also pray for justice and immediate acquittal for these two women.”

It needs to be noted that Release International, through its international network of missions, serves persecuted Christians in 30 countries around the world by supporting pastors and Christian prisoners, and their families; supplying Christian literature and Bibles; and working for justice.

For more information on Release International, visit their website: www.releaseinternational.org

UK Preacher Jailed For Publicly Objecting to Homosexuality

The UK Flag

A Christian street preacher in northwest side of England, Dale McAlpine was thrown in a prison cell last month for publicly sharing his Christian beliefs and also objecting to homosexuality.


According to a Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) report published on the International Christian Concern (ICC) website: www.persecution.com Mcalpine, from Workington in Cumbria, was arrested following a conversation with a police officer in which he was alleged to have said that the Bible calls homosexual conduct a sin. The arrest incident was captured on a hidden camera.

The report also said that McAlpine was preaching publicly in the town on April 20, but that he insisted he never spoke about the subject of homosexuality during his public sermon stressing that he has taken the police to court.

"When I got up on my step ladder to preach, I never mentioned homosexual conduct. I mentioned a number of other sins like drunkenness, adultery and blasphemy, but I never once mentioned the sin of homosexuality while I was preaching," he said.

McAlpine Arrested and Held Overnight in a Cell

CBN said McAlpine was later arrested and held overnight in a cell at the Cumbria Police station and was charged with a crime adding that he was in complete shock to find himself locked up simply for sharing his beliefs.

McAlpine stated: "I was shocked that I was taken off the street. I didn't expect to be taken to a prison cell that day. I went out to preach the Gospel and I was shocked that I found myself in a cell and my freedom taken away from me. Yet I had a wonderful peace from the Lord and I had my Bible."

According to the CBN report an Information Technology (IT) consultant from McAlpine's church, Tom Jones, said he was also shocked to discover his friend had been locked up adding that he has known the street preacher for many years.

"I've known Dale for the last four years since he started attending our church and obviously I was aware that he did preach on the streets and he said nothing that wasn't Biblical, therefore I was very shocked," Jones said.

Crown Prosecution Service dropped the Case

CBN said that four days after McAlpine pleaded not guilty to the charge, the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case due to insufficient evidence adding that the police was unable to comment on the case.

It said that the Chief Superintendent, Steve Johnson, in a written report said: "We would like to reassure the public that we respect, and are committed to upholding, the fundamental right to freedom of expression. We are just as committed to maintaining the peace and preventing people feeling alarmed or distressed by the actions of others in public places."

Simon Calvert Defense Speaks Out

The spokesman of the Christian Institute that’s helping McAlpine with his legal defense, Simon Calvert said the police must be held responsible for their actions.

"The Cumbria Police can't just walk away from this. They arrested and charged an innocent man for no other reason than that he peacefully expressed his Christian beliefs. So there's clearly a problem with the system and it has to be put right," Calvert said.

McAlpine along with the Christian Institute have considered his legal options to ensure that something like this won't happen again. But while many cases like this continue across the United Kingdom, Christians remain concerned that their ability to openly express their beliefs in the country remains under threat

Victimization of Christians in Morocco Continues Unabated - By Success Kanayo Uchime

Moroccan King Mohammed VI

The International Christian Concern (ICC) has reported that victimization of Christian minorities in Morocco has continued unabated and that this ugly scenario is causing a lot of concern to the Christian community world-wide.


The ICC’s Middle East Regional Manager, Aidan Clay, in a press release in Washington, D.C. on May 17, 2010, said that 23 foreigners have been notified of expulsion from Morocco since May 10, 2010, marking a second wave of Christian deportations from the country.

International Christian Concern Worried

“We are very concerned about this. While there were fewer Americans in this round than there were in the first round of this in early March, we’re still following it very closely, and we have expressed concern, as have other diplomatic missions here, to the Moroccan authorities about this," Clay noted.

He noted that this recent notifications of expulsion are officially attributed to proselytizing, which is illegal under Moroccan law and that earlier this year, the enforcement of anti-proselytizing laws resulted in the deportations of approximately 40 US citizens and many other foreign expatriates from Morocco.

He sated: “However, Moroccan authorities have refused to explain the charges. The Moroccan government has been very cagy about really giving any information to people, which has been disturbing. But we understand it’s all based on alleged proselytizing.”

The US Embassy’s Confirmations

According to Clay the US Embassy confirmed that among those who have received notice of expulsion is a US citizen adding that the list of deportees from a Moroccan Christian advocate includes citizens from the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Guatemala, Columbia and Korea.

Clay added that the deportation of foreigners has also affected the national Moroccan church stating that a pastor near Marrakech, who asked to remain anonymous, said, they’ve stopped all worship activity. And that they’re afraid that they will attack them if they are in meetings, so there is no meeting. We think the next step may be against Moroccans and maybe they will find accusations against us or they may raid the meeting to arrest people.

Clay noted that these expulsions have caused concern in the Unite States (US) Congress, which will be holding a hearing on June 17, 2010 to further examine the issue adding that laws against proselytizing are again being enforced in order to ensure that Moroccan Muslims do not convert to Christianity or to other religions, and to preserve Morocco as a majority Islamic State.

Law Against Religious Conversion

Clay observed that what on the surface appear to be anti-proselytizing laws are in actuality laws against religious conversion and that no Muslim will convert to another religion if they are prevented from hearing about other religions.

According to Clay this directly violates the fundamental human right of religious freedom, the ability to embrace the religion of one’s choice noting that the recent deportation of Christian foreigners shows Morocco’s blatant refusal to adhere to the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

“The United States government and the international community must hold Morocco accountable for their actions and demand that the Moroccan government uphold international religious freedom laws," he also said.

The International Christian Concern (ICC), quoting a United State (US) Congressman, Frank Wolf, who's also a religious freedom advocate, stated: "I call on the government of Morocco to uphold its commitment to the principles of religious tolerance and freedom, that for so long, made it a model of tolerance and modernity in the Arab world."

Source: http://www.persecution.org/

Vietnamese Christian Widow Pressured to Give Up Children - By Success Kanayo Uchime

Vietnamese Prsident
Nguyen Minh Triet

The Vietnamese officials are putting intense pressure upon a Christian widow whose husband was tortured to death by the Police to turnover her children to the government.

Speaking on this unwholesome act by the Vietnamese officials in Washington, D.C. on May 24, 2010, the International Christian Concern (ICC), Regional Manager, Logan Maurer, stated that ICC issued a press release in www.persecution.org, on April 30, documenting the beating and death of her husband, K’pa Lot, a Montagnard Christian jailed for publicly expressing his Christian faith.

Intimidation by the Security Operatives

He noted that the latest information reaching their office in United States (US) has it that on May 3, 2010, K’pa Lot;s widow, H’Nguen, was forced to take her two children, H’Danh and Y-Ly, to the Nhan Hoa Police Station and told she must sign documents giving custody of the children to the government.

Maurer stated that K’Pa’s torture and death was a tragic example of the brutal religious persecution that still occurs today in Vietnam and that he died hours later after the torture from internal bleeding adding that it is all the more telling that his wife is now being threatened for getting word out.

Need for Proper Investigation

He said that taking away her children is a desperate action by a state that is attempting to coerce her into silence adding that ICC urged the State Department to hold Vietnam accountable by investigating this terrible action against a widowed mother, as well as the events surrounding the death of her husband.

Narrating his own version of the story to International Christian Concern (www.persecution.org), a spokesman for the Montagnard Foundation, Scott Johnson, stated: “At the police station the security forces placed a document in front of H’Nguen. In this case they are harassing them and are trying to coerce her to sign the kids over to them.

He noted that the motivation on this action by the authorities is to take revenge on the widow for telling the Montagnard Foundation what Kpa Lot's last words were adding that K’pa Lot had whispered to his wife, H’Nguen, how Vietnamese officials had severely beaten him.

According to Johnson, the police told H’Nguen, that she would not be allowed to see her children until they turned 18 years and that she refused, pleading emphatically that she was fully competent to care for her children.

“For six hours the police tried to force her to sign the document until she was finally released with the children that afternoon. The document was some sort of proof they wanted to show she agreed to her children being taken. This event occurred in the village of Nhan Hoa, Cu Se district, of Gia Lai province in the Central highlands of Vietnam,” he further said.

Christian Lawyer Pushing for a free and fair Vietnam

In a related development, the Release International (RI), in its April 2010 News Letter www.releaseinternational.org, said that a Vietnamese Christian lawyer Le Thi Cong Nhan said she will continue to push for a free and fair Vietnam, after she has served three years in jail as a pro-democracy activist.

According to Release International, Nhan, who was jailed in 2007 for ‘propagandizing to destroy the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’, was released from prison on March 6 adding that she is not yet free as she will still spend the next three years under house arrest in Hanoi.

It noted that in a radio interview with Voice of America (VOA) soon after her release, the 31-year-old Lawyer said she had no intention of giving up her struggle for greater democracy in Vietnam, even if there is a further price to pay, that she'll be ready to pay for it.

Sources: International Christian Concern website: http://www.persecution.org/,  Release International, website: http://www.releaseinternational.org/

How Indian Hindu Extremists Killed a Pastor - By Success Kanayo Uchime

President of India
Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil

Release International (RI) (http://www.releaseinternational.org/) has reported that in India Hindu extremists have been accused of murdering a pastor in Assam, just days before he was due to finish building a new church for his congregation.

RI noted that the Pastor, Ajit Bansi, a missionary for Gospel for Asia, was ambushed by gunmen as he went to buy materials for the final stage of his construction project and that his three companions were also shot dead on May 20.

It said that Pastor Ajit served a church of about 60 Christians and left behind a wife and two small children adding that he was one of hundreds of missionaries risking their lives to share Jesus' love in the area, “It is extremely sad that this pastor never saw his dream fulfilled.”

“Pastor Ajit's death is just one of a litany of attacks against the church in India last month. In Uttar Pradesh, for example, about 40 Bajrang Dal extremists raided a church in Kanpur recently, accusing Pastor Dalayu Sonam of 'forcible conversion'. They beat the pastor, accused his wife of running a brothel and threatened to kill their baby son,” RI said.

In another related report, the RI said that in Pakistan, Christian families are being driven out of the village after challenging abuses.

It observed that about 250 Christian families have been forced to leave their homes in Punjab, after they dared to challenge the abuse suffered by their women and girls adding that the head of the predominantly Muslim village No. 123/10R, Katcha Khoh, ordered the expulsions in apparent retaliation for complaints made by four Christian men against their Muslim neighbors.

“The four had dared to protest that Christian women and girls in the village, who mostly worked as domestic servants in Muslim households, were being 'routinely' sexually assaulted. Most Christian men in the village worked as agricultural laborers for Muslim landowners,” RI stated.

RI said that they have not involved police in the situation for fear of being falsely accused under Pakistan's blasphemy laws and that their fears are not unfounded adding that two Christian men in Gulshan-e-Iqbal town, Karachi, have just been charged with 'desecrating the Koran', after they complained to police that radical Muslims had been 'looking for pages of the Islamic scripture' in their rubbish bins. The men – Atiq Joseph and Qaiser William – and their wives are now in hiding and in fear of their lives.

For more information on Christian persecution, log on to Release International website: http://www.releaseinternational.org/

Pakistani Employer Victimizes Christian Family - By Success Kanayo Uchime

Pakistani President
Asif Ali ZARDARI

International Christian Concern (ICC) http://www.persecution.org/ has reported how a Muslim employer in Pakistan has held a Christian family captive for a year now, while the mother and daughter have been allegedly raped repeatedly.


The ICC’s Regional Manager for South Asia, Jonathan Racho, who stated this said that the plight of this Christian family highlights the victimization of Christian minorities in Pakistan.

He stated: “Pakistani Christians are treated like third-class citizens in their own country simply because of their faith. We commend Pakistani officials for freeing victims. We urge officials to vigilantly protect rights of religious minorities in Pakistan.”

Racho noted that the Pakistani police freed a family of Christian Brick Kiln workers on June 2 in Raiwind, Pakistan adding that Asghar Masih, Rehana Bibi and their three children were allegedly held hostage at a Brick Kiln by Muhammad Nawaz, the Muslim owner.

He stated: “Asghar escaped and informed Pakistani officials about his family’s plight. The police then raided the Brick Kiln and freed the victims after arresting Nawaz.”

Racho said that Nawaz allegedly raped Rehana and her eldest daughter repeatedly during the imprisonment and that he and other accomplices also tortured and chained the victims to prevent them from escaping.

“Asghar has shown ICC the injuries around his neck, ankles, and wrists she sustained as a result of the chained. Nawaz denied the allegations in a statement to ICC, but Muhammad Mujahid, a Brick Kiln worker and eye witness, corroborated that the Christian family was kept hostage for more than a year," Racho also said.

He continued: “In Pakistan, Brick Kiln owners keep workers hostages if they don’t pay their loans. However, Mujahid said that the Christian family didn’t owe any debt to Nawaz.”

In a related development, the ICC in a release by its President, Jeff King has sent out a petition seeking justice for Egypt's Abducted Coptic Women.

Jeff King stated: “Christian women in some Islamic countries are being abducted and coerced into marrying Muslim men. This is especially prevalent in Egypt where ICC has learned of over 300 documented cases where Coptic women have been kidnapped, forced into marriage, and the police take no action to return them to their families.”

He said that if she is located, the police insist she voluntarily converted and married, irregardless of the fact that many of these girls are minors and it is illegal for them to marry without family consent.

“Once abducted, these girls are literally captives, bound to a life of servitude. Please join ICC in bringing attention to the tragic and ongoing abduction of Coptic Christian women in Egypt by signing the petition posted on our website: https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/InternationalChristianConcer/OnlineSignupTwo.html.”