Egyptian Christians Worried Over Referendum Backing Constitutional Changes

BY SUCCESS KANAYO UCHIME

Egyptian Christians are expressing concern over the results of last Saturday’s referendum, which saw 77 per cent of voters backing constitutional changes that will allow the country to move quickly on to elections.


This development is contained in an online report by Open Doors United Kingdom (UK) (www.opendoorsuk.org) stressing that one of their workers in Egypt said he spoke to some Christians from various denominations – Orthodox, Presbyterian and Evangelical – but all said they would vote ‘no’, and they hoped the majority of Egypt would do the same.

(Essam Sharaf, the Egyptian new Prime Minister)

Quoting BBC News, he stated: “It is not that the Christian population does not want the constitution to be changed. Rather, many Christians fear this change is too quick and will only benefit the established political blocs - the Muslim Brotherhood and the National Democratic Party.”

The Open Door worker continued: "Normally a constitutional change takes months or even years of preparation, before all pros and cons are weighed well. So what do they think, that in a few weeks’ time after the revolution? These changes have been prepared properly. I cannot believe that. It is better to wait and take one step at a time. If you want to make changes, then make sure it is done well."

He noted that the National Democratic Party and the Muslim Brotherhood have everything in place. They are well organized and want parliamentary elections as soon as possible.

“Because these two parties take the lead, I expect they will be able to get a big majority, if elections for the next parliament come in just six months. This will give them the freedom to rewrite the constitution in whatever way they like, and the revolution will turn out to be useless,” he also stated.

Abuna Butros, who serves in the cave churches of Mokattam, Cairo, urgently requested prayer for Egypt. "Pray for the constitution and the country. We are sure that we are in the hand of God, like streams of water.”

He said they are waiting for a president and constitution from the hand of God Himself and that they believe God will give this, because they believe Egypt will see a big spiritual revolution. “And we want it soon."

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Mauritanian Pastor Killed by Islamic Fundamentalists

BY SUCCESS KANAYO UCHIME

It’s very worrisome to note the rate of persecution Christians go through in Islamic Republic of Mauritania on a daily basis, with the reported killing of a Pastor, Ahmadou Abu Bakr in Oulata recently.


This revelation is contained in a report by the Regional Manager for Africa International Christian Concern (ICC) a Washington-DC based human rights organization (www.persecution.org) Jonathan Racho who noted that that on March 5 Islamists kidnapped and killed the pastor.

(Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, Mauritanian President)

He said that Ahmadou’s bullet-ridden body was found dumped on the outskirts of the city on the morning of March 6th stressing that last year, Pastor Ahmadou had fled the city of Nema to Oulata, because he was threatened by a local Islamist group affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) because of his Christian witness. “The Pastor’s murderers arrived from Nema in a 4-by-4 pickup truck.”

Racho noted that Ahmadou’s widow, Maymuna Elhadji said AQIM and their local affiliates have been targeting local Christians in Mauritania and Mali, countries located in West African sub-region, throughout the last few years. “The widow and her three children have left Oulata and gone into hiding.”

“Maymuna told ICC that her late husband was the fourth Mauritanian martyred for his faith in Southeast Mauritania since 2009. The pastor abandoned Islam and became a follower of Christ in 2008; his wife joined him in the faith in 2009. They have been married for nine years,” he stated.

Racho said they are deeply saddened by the killing of pastor Ahmadou and also outraged by the failure of Mauritanian government to protect the Christian minorities from killings.

He stated: “We urge Mauritanian officials to arrest the killers of pastor Ahmadou and bring them to justice. Mauritanian authorities have an obligation to protect their citizens from the Islamic onslaught.”

Speaking on this development, a local church leader, Nouakchott, who spoke to ICC from the Mauritanian capital, described pastor Ahmadou as, “a selfless disciple of Christ who served in the most dangerous region in Mauritania and supported his family as a tent maker.”

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Eritrean Christian Faces Possible Death Sentence in Saudi Arabia

BY SUCCES KANAYO UCHIME

For an alleged preaching the Gospel of Christ outside a Mosque in Saudi Arabia, an Eritrean Christian, Mussie Eyob, may probably face a death sentence.


This fact in contained in a report by the United Kingdom (U.K) based registered Christian charity organization, Release International, (www.releaseinternational.org) stressing that Eyob, a relatively new Christian, is currently being held at a high-security prison in Jeddah after Saudi officials arrested him at a mosque in the Haya Roda area on February 12.

(Isaias Afewerki, Eritrea President)

It noted that Saudi officials presumed initially Mussie must have some mental health issues – but a medical examination found him to be in good mental health.

According to the report, from Release Eritrea, it noted that that Mussie is being treated well and is in good spirits – and his family were able to visit him on March 20 adding that Release Eritrea is calling on Christians in the UK to pray that Mussie will be shown clemency and released.

It observed that through its international network of missions, Release International 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.

It would be noted that the population of Eritrea is about equally divided between Christians and Muslims i.e. 34,700,310 people, representing 47.5% of the total population of 5,939,484 (July 2011 est.)

Again the Jehovah's Witnesses and other religious groups that the government has not granted recognition are daily facing persecution.

It needs to be noted also that the Italians brought to Eritrea a huge development of Catholicism and by the 1940 nearly one third of the Eritrean population was catholic, mainly in Asmara where many churches were built.

Further to that, after World War II, Eritrea was annexed to Ethiopia and then in 1991 the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) defeated the Ethiopian government. Eritrea officially celebrated its 1st anniversary of independence on May 24, 1992.

Further sources: http://www.religionfacts.com/  and http://www.indexmundi.com/eritrea/population.html

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Two Indian Christians Imprisoned in Saudi Arabia

BY SUCCESS KANAYO UCHIME


It has been reported that two Indian Christians, Vasantha Sekhar and Nese Yohan working in Saudi Arabia have been arrested in Batha, Riyadh, and sentenced to 45 days in prison.


This indication is contained in a report by the Advocacy Officer, International Christian Concern (ICC) (www.persecution.org) Logan Maurer adding that on March 11, 2010, at 8:30 PM local time, Vasantha Sekhar and Nese Yohan were arrested and beaten.

Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, President of India

He noted that they were accused of proselytizing. ICC contacts in Saudi Arabia believe they were arrested to keep them from practicing Christianity privately in their home.

He said that while in prison awaiting trial, their apartment was ransacked and that they face uncertainty regarding their future. An employer has returned the passport of one of the Christians, making it clear that his job is no longer available, and he will be expelled. The other Christian awaits information regarding his legal status and job.

Maurer noted that Saudi Arabia has a long history of quietly cracking down on Christians and that in 2004, 28 Indian workers were arrested in Messriam for practicing Christianity.

According to him, the charges were dropped, but in 2010 they were brought up again. One was deported, and one has been arrested. In another case, 16 Indian workers were arrested in February 2008, and then released after three days. In 2010, eight left the country of their own accord and three of the remaining eight were issued deportation orders and expelled.

“These two Christians have faced false charges and false evidence. The Saudi government continues to engage in an array of severe violations of human rights as part of its repression of freedom of religion,” Logan Maurer stated.

He continued: “Please contact Saudi Arabia officials and politely ask them to release and not expel vulnerable religious communities of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia Embassies: United States: (202) 342-3800
UK: (+44-20)79173000 Canada: (+1-613) 2374100.”

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Chinese Christians Victimized by “People’s Police”

BY SUCCESS KANAYO UCHIME

Christians in Yangdang town, Zaoyang City, Hubei Province are crying out to the rest of the world for justice over the brutal victimization they suffered in the hands of the “People’s Police” who raided their legal study Center on February 23, 2011.


This ugly development is contained in a report by the China Aid (http://www.chinaaid.org) adding that during the raid, they destroyed video cameras, audio recording devices, cell phones, and any other equipment that might have captured evidence of the violent raid.

(Hu Jintao, Chinese President)

In a joint release, the Yangdang Christians wrote: “We are a group of kind-hearted Christians from Yangdang Town (hometown of the aerospace hero Nie Haisheng), Zaoyang City, Hubei Province, and we are legal and law-abiding citizens of the People’s Republic of China.

The Group continued: “In our ordinary life, we sincerely abide by the laws and regulations of the state. We conduct ourselves with the teachings from the Bible and live by observing the rules. So we did not expect that at about 6 p.m. on February 23, 2011, we would personally see and experience the law enforcement officers of the state — the so-called “people’s police” — arrest, beat and severely punish ordinary people. Even now, fear still lingers in us.”

They noted that over 20 of their friends and relatives were studying the relevant laws and rules of the “Regulations on Religions Affairs” promulgated by the State Council, “suddenly in burst Fu Dewu, head of Xiangyang Municipal Bureau for Ethnic and Religious Affairs and Li Guiming, director of Zaoyang Municipal Bureau of Religion, leading over 100 riot police officers and over 80 plainclothes “hired roughnecks” with towels on their wrists as an identification mark headed by Chai Pujun, director of Zaoyang Municipal Public Security Bureau, smashed the door open and broke into the house of our brother without presenting any legal documents or going through any legally required procedures.”

According to them, they shot tear gas at our group of 20 — some of us completely unarmed, all law-abiding religious citizens. Wielding their batons, they beat, kicked and prodded the people.

They noted that many police officers and plainclothes agents beat two sisters to the floor (one of the sisters is relatively advanced in age). They passed out on the spot with foam coming from their mouths and convulsions in their hands and legs. We demanded that they be sent to the hospital immediately. The officials wouldn’t listen to us and continued to hit the people with their batons.

The Group said that everything was turned upside down and it was a scene of chaos! Many items were damaged, destroyed, or smashed, and our camcorders and cell phone were seized by force. “The officials handcuffed many people by force, and beat anybody who talked. Right on the spot, they destroyed any evidence of their illegal law enforcement (video and audio recording).”

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Egypt: Christians Protest After Attacks by Muslim Extremists

BY SUCCESS KANAYO UCHIME

It has been reported that thousands of Coptic Christians in Egypt took to the streets to demand more protection after Islamist extremists torched and destroyed a village church near Cairo. They protested outside a TV station in the Egyptian capital, 22 miles away from Sool, on at least two occasions since the attack demanding greater protection.


This indication is contained in a report by the United Kingdom based registered charity, Release International, (http://www.releaseinternational.org/)  adding some moderate Muslims protested with them as there have been clashes between Muslims and Christians in the capital this week.

Egyptian church members grieve for their killed relatives

It noted that a mob of up to 4,000 Islamists exploded gas cylinders inside the Church of St GeorgeGeorge and St Mina in Sool village last Friday then demolished it over the course of Saturday.

According to the report, this followed calls by a hardline Muslim cleric to 'kill all the Christians' – after rumors of an affair between a Coptic man and a Muslim woman, which is forbidden under Sharia or Islamic law.

It noted that one Pastor Hoshea Abd Al-Missieh narrowly escaped being killed in the fire which engulfed his church. He described having to choose between being burnt alive or running the gauntlet of extremists outside the church.

“Eventually, Pastor Hoshea chose to flee the flames – and was met outside by a man with a rifle. 'No one will touch this man: he is with me,' the armed man yelled at the mob, as he escorted Pastor Hoshea to safety,” it stated.

The report said that the mob prevented the fire brigade from entering the village adding that Muslims have since set up blockades around Sool, claiming that they want to turn it into an 'Islamic village'.

Quoting Compass Direct news agency, Christian Solidarity Worldwide and others, it noted that the extremists prayed at the site and immediately started raising funds to build a mosque there. “However, Reuters news agency reports that the Egyptian army has promised to rebuild the church by Easter.”

“Copts are still uncertain about the future in an emerging post-Mubarak Egypt. Since the popular uprising earlier this year, several monasteries have had confrontations with the army: at least three monasteries have tried to erect security fences around their property, which have then been torn down by the military,” it also stated.

The report said that in Wadi Al-Natroun, soldiers used live ammunition to repel monks who tried to protest and that the country's new Prime Minister, Essam Sharaf, has reportedly begun a dialogue with Coptic leaders and further meetings are planned.

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Indonesian Govt. Urged to Protect Christian Communities

BY SUCCESS KANAYO UCHIME

The Washington-DC based human rights organization, International Christian Concern (ICC) (http://www.persecution.org/) has joined Indonesian Christians in calling for accountability for crimes against Christians in Indonesia, as well as government action to permanently protect this vulnerable religious community.

This call is contained in a statement by ICC’s Advocacy Officer, Logan Maurer adding that on March 4, 2011, he spoke on a panel addressing religious persecution in Indonesia.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesian President

He said that the event, organized by the Indonesian Christian Fellowship of Washington, DC, (ICFDC) was a conference and candlelight vigil highlighting religious freedom and democracy in Indonesia and that that it was a response and discussion on the continuous religious persecution that has been committed against minority groups in Indonesia.

Maurer stated, “Churches throughout the Indonesia, along with the Christians who worship there, have been attacked by fanatical Muslim groups.”

He further stated: “These attacks have led to injuries sustained by Christians and damages to many Christian properties, with little to no recourse from the local authorities; it is an obvious failure to uphold the Indonesian Constitution.”


In referring to Chapter XI of the Constitution of Indonesia which states, “The nation is based on belief in God, but the state guarantees religious freedom for all,” Maurer stated: “We do not yet have a clear picture of what sort of Indonesia is emerging. Recent events have shown a clear leaning toward Islamic extremism.

He noted that it is the role of the government to enforce rule-of-law and live up to its own constitutional foundation of religious freedom adding that NGO leaders, religious leaders, government officials, and citizens from countries around the world participated in the ICFDC event and discussed ideas on how Indonesia could move forward in protecting Christians without compromising Indonesia’s social stability.

According to Maurer, the rising level of violence against religious minorities in Indonesia undermines global democratic efforts and Indonesia’s national interests stressing that the Indonesian government should take serious action toward recent attacks by arresting and punishing the perpetrators, justly and rightly, based on the constitution and the written laws.

He maintained that the Indonesian legislature will prove to the international community its commitment in resolving this issue by passing a clear law that protects religious freedom and promotes programs that enhance tolerance and understanding among different religious groups.

“This conference marks a solid step in the right direction: Indonesian Christians organizing and calling for needed change to protect their legal and religious rights. The next step is to pressure the Indonesian government to take real action to show its commitment to human rights and democracy: clear and definite laws are needed that guarantee religious harmony as promised by the Indonesian Constitution,” said Maurer.

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Group Petitions Ethiopian Govt. on Christians Persecuted

BY SUCCESS KANAYO UCHIME

In an effort to pressure the Ethiopian Government to see reason to enforce the fundamental rights of Christians as it regards their right to propagate their religious believes, a Washington-DC based human rights organization International Christian Concern (ICC) (http://www.persecution.org/)  has formerly petitioned the government.

In a statement, its president, Jeff KingJeff King said they are extremely concerned about the growing persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority areas of Ethiopia and that Christians living in these areas of the country face discrimination, harassment, attacks and even murder at the hands of Muslim radicals.

“Unfortunately, the local Muslim officials of the regions have repeatedly failed to protect the Christians resulting in spike in attacks against Christians,” he stated.


Ethiopian Prime Minister  Meles Zenawi
He pointed out that in attacks starting on March 2, Muslims in Asendabo and the surrounding areas of Jima province, Muslims killed a Christian, burned down over 50 churches, a Christian orphanage, a Bible school and a church office. At least 4,000 Christians were displaced following the attacks. The Muslim local government failed to protect the Christians.

According to King, in another attack, 25 Muslims burned down 10 Christian homes, leaving 80 Christians homeless in Goda district of Jima. The attackers were led by a local government militia. Muslims in the city of Besheno attacked an evangelist.

He stated: “When Christian leaders came to the city to negotiate peace with Muslim leaders, they were also attacked. Muslims posted notices on the doors of Christian homes in Besheno warning them to convert, leave the city or face death.”

He said that over a dozen Christians were murdered and close to 38 churches burned down by Muslims in 2006 in Jima and West Wellega provinces of Ethiopia. The on-going attacks are direct violations of the religious freedom enshrined in Ethiopia’s constitution.

He request the Ethiopian government to take the following actions: ensure that all the churches and homes that were burned down by Muslims will be reconstructed and remove the local officials who failed to protect the Christians and bring them to justice; bring the perpetrators of these incidents to justice, demonstrating the foundational rule of law that Ethiopia was founded on.

“Please contact the Indonesian officials through these numbers and politely ask them to protect the vulnerable religious communities of Indonesia. Indonesian Embassies: United States: (202)775-5200
UK: (44-171) 499-7661
Germany: (0049-30) 478-070
Australia: (61-02) 6250-8600. And so sign the electronic petition, click here: http://www.persecution.org/pdf/Petition-Ethiopia.pdf,” he further stated.

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