Iran: U.S. Congregational Budget Cut to Affect Christians

BY SUCCESS KANAYO UCHIME

The decision by the United States (U.S.) Congress to cut-down on its congregational budget, a program that rescues persecuted Christians from Iran may affect Christians in that country, as the debate is ongoing in the Congress.


This revelation is part of a report by the Regional Manager for the Middle East, International Christian Concern (ICC) (http://www.persecution.org/), Aidan Clay adding that the program is set to be chopped just days after reports surfaced that an Armenian Christian and his Jewish wife were executed in Tehran.

(Barack Obama, the U.S President)

He noted that the Lautenberg Amendment was established in 1989 to offer U.S. refugee status to persecuted Jews and Christians from the former Soviet Union and was expanded in 2003 to assist Christians, Baha’is and Jews in Iran.

According to Clay, without the program, persecuted Christians and other religious minorities in Iran will be denied the opportunity to apply for the same refugee status in the U.S. that is offered to persecuted religious minorities throughout the world.

He said the program is not included in any resolutions that carried over into the New Year and its renewal has been delayed due to the current budget standoff in the U.S. Congress and that Rep. Lamar SmithLamar Smith, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has proposed overseeing all existing immigration related programs prior to being passed by Congress.

He noted that this means that the program will suffer further deferment, delay and possible rejection by the committee. Since its enactment 22 years ago, this noncontroversial humanitarian program has received nothing but widespread support in Congress.

Clay said as the program’s renewal hangs on a thread, persecution in Iran increases and that on March 14, a Jewish-Armenian couple and three others were secretly executed in Tehran’s Evin Prison. Moreover, Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani awaits the same fate after being convicted of apostasy last September and issued the death sentence by hanging.

He is of the view that without the Lautenberg Amendment, imprisonments and executions of Iranian Christians and other religious minorities will heighten. “Without the assurance of the Lautenberg amendment, Iranian Christians who have fled to neighboring countries face potential deportation back to Iran.”

He noted that for them, returning to Iran means immediate imprisonment, and potential execution, upon arrival stressing that this program assures religious minorities that their applications to receive refuge in the U.S. from religious persecution will be reviewed and processed.

“We urge the U.S. Congress, particularly Representative Lamar Smith, to save countless lives by immediately renewing the Lautenberg amendment. Please call Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, to express your concern: (202) 225-4236,” Clay urged.

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Chinese Underground Churches Face New Challenges

BY SUCCESS KANAYO UCHIME

The Underground Churches in China are daily facing new challenges from the hands of the authorities there, with the recent news of attacks on Beijing and Guangzhou underground Churches.


Asia News report (http://www.asianews.it/) indicates that in addition to the ever-present threat of violence, the authorities now use administrative rules and legal technicalities to shut down Churches. The faithful, however, are prepared to pray even in snow-covered parks.

(One of the Chinese Underground Church leaders detained by the police)

It noted that underground Chinese Christians are increasingly the target of the authorities and that just recently, one of the largest home Church has been shut down.

According to the report, another one in Guangzhou has been forced to stop its activities, whilst a third one has been expelled from the premises it had rented. Although less violent as in the past, such actions shows how the central government is pursuing relentlessly and more effectively its policy of religious repression.

Commenting on this new development, one of the underground church leaders in China, Rev Jin Tianming said that the Beijing-based Shouwang Church, with about 800 members, now has nowhere to worship after Sunday as its landlord has come under pressure to stop renting it a spacious film studio to host its services.

He noted that it is not the first time that this Church has been under pressure to stop meeting. It has been evicted from rented premises many times in the past and the authorities have used administrative measures, such as allegations that it breached fire regulations, to put pressure on the Church to close.

He said the faithful however plan to hang tight. To each act of persecution, they respond peacefully adding that the last time they were kicked out from their place of worship, in November 2009, they held Sunday worship outdoors, when the Church was forced to hold services in a park in a snowstorm.

Tianming observed that under Chinese law, unauthorized meetings are illegal, but "We don't have a choice. We're willing to face the consequences. In Guangzhou, things are not much better. Local authorities ordered the Tianyun Church, which has a congregation of about 200, to stop worshipping starting this week,” he stated.

He confirmed that another Guangzhou house Church, which has a congregation of 4,000, is also feeling the squeeze after its landlord succumbed to pressure and stopped letting out premises the church had used as an extension to host its bulging congregation. The Rongguili Church owns its main worship venue.

Also commenting, a divinity scholar at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Ying Fuk-tsang, said the authorities tend to be anxious about underground churches, which have expanded rapidly and now have large congregations. "Many rights lawyers and intellectuals (who go to those churches) have criticized the government."

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Smedan Set to Partner CPC on &Lsquo;proserve’ | Socyberty

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