RELIGION TODAY

[nChrist]

Dowry Demanded from Pakistani Captor of Christian Girl
Michael Larson


December 17, 2008

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) -- After a judge Wednesday placed new financial and social pressure on the captors of a Pakistani girl who was kidnapped and converted to Islam, attorneys have guarded optimism they can return her to custody of her Christian parents.

Judge Malik Saeed Ijaz ordered the girl's husband, Amjad Ali, to pay a dowry of 100,000 rupees (US$1,275) and allow her parents visitation rights, two actions required by typical Pakistani marriage protocol. At press time he had done neither

The judge gave Saba Masih, 13, the opportunity to talk with her family during yesterday's hearing, but she remained mostly silent behind her veil, offering only blunt replies.

"I don't want to see my parents. They are Christians and I am a Muslim," she said, according to her parents' attorney.

Her younger sister Aneela Masih, who was also kidnapped but returned to her family three months ago, pleaded with her older sister to return home. The 10-year-old told her that Christmas was coming and she didn't want her sister to spend it with those "who are not our people."

Saba Masih appeared at the Multan branch of Lahore's High Court yesterday along with her Muslim husband and his family. Her parents filed a contempt petition last month against her captors for failing to follow Pakistani marriage protocol.

Islamic law (sharia), however, gives a wife the right to relinquish a dowry. Lawyers said they fear that the Muslim family will pressure Saba Masih to claim this right in order to offset growing financial pressure.

Lawyers hope that if her mother can visit her, it will convince her to leave her husband and come home to the family; her family believes he has threatened her with violence if she attempts to rejoin them.

At Monday's hearing, Saba Masih still appeared reluctant to return to her family. Relatives said they were praying that she would change her mind and that the captors would lose their influence over her.

"The main thing is Saba must be ready herself to come back," said her uncle, Khalid Raheel, the family spokesman. "But she isn't ready to come back yet, and I don't know how they are convincing her."

On Wednesday (Dec. 17) the judge is expected to adjourn the case and issue a deed requiring Ali to pay the dowry at the convenience of the Masih family. The judge yesterday threatened Ali with prison time if he failed to carry out this order.

Akbar Durrani, attorney for the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), said the attorneys might try to use Aneela Masih's testimony of kidnapping to take the case to the Supreme Court if other options fail.

Prostitution Business

The Christian family's lawyer said the attempt to force Ali to pay a dowry was a tactic to mount financial pressure on Saba Masih's husband and to convince her to return home. Her family and their lawyers believe she has stayed with her Muslim husband because he and his family have issued death threats.

The Christian family's chances of winning run against the judicial status quo for Pakistani religious minorities, but the new push comes after a Sept. 9 ruling that returned Aneela Masih to her parents, a rare legal victory for non-Muslims.

"We filed this [contempt] petition so she would come into the court, see her family and hopefully change her statement," said Durrani of CLAAS. "We also want to put pressure on the Muslim family members because they are afraid of litigation, since they have to pay all these legal expenses."

Aneela and Saba Masih were kidnapped on June 26 while traveling to visit their uncle in Sarwar Shaheed, northwest of Multan. Their parents say local fruit vendor Muhammad Arif Bajwa and three others kidnapped them in Chawk Munda, a small town in south Punjab.

Saba Masih was married to Ali the next day. Bajwa and Ali registered a case with the police on June 28 for custody of the girls based on their alleged conversion to Islam.

Local residents regard the men as serial kidnappers with connections to a human trafficking ring. The girls' first defense attorney believed they could have been raped and sold to a brothel.

Ironically, attorneys said, the kidnappers' alleged desire to exploit Saba Masih may now be the best hope of her returning to her parents, as keeping her has become not lucrative but increasingly costly with court hearings continuing and legal fees multiplying.

"These [contempt] don't have an emotional link to Saba," Durrani told Compass by phone. "They are in the business of prostitution and only wanted to use these girls for their business."

Prosecuting attorneys said they have a growing optimism that they can regain custody of Saba Masih, something they thought unlikely two months ago.

Long, Hard Battle

In previous hearings, a judge allowed Saba Masih to choose whether or not she would return to her family, even though Pakistan marriage law requires the approval of legal guardians at the age of 16.

The judge determined that her age was 17 based on her testimony and a report by a medical board pressured by Muslim groups to inflate her age. He did not accept as evidence her birth certificate and baptismal record that showed her age as 13.

Younis Masih and his wife first saw their daughters after their kidnapping at a July hearing. The girls were in the company of 16 Muslims and were said to be under pressure to claim they had converted to Islam.

After Aneela Masih returned to her family in September, she claimed that their captors threatened to kill them and their family if they did not do everything asked of them.

Previously it had been reported that she was raped while in captivity, but there was no medical evidence that she was sexually abused or manhandled, lawyers said.

Her sister appears to be suffering, Durrani said.

"The family has told us that Saba Masih is not in good condition -- most of the time she cries and is not satisfied there," Durrani said.

Recurrent Problem

Kidnapping of Christians in the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million is not uncommon. Many captors believe they will not be convicted if caught due to the penal code's influence by sharia, which grants non-Muslims second-class status in society.

Every year there are cases of Pakistani Christian children kidnapped, killed or exploited by those who believe their parents are powerless.

Last month a Muslim family in Nankan kidnapped the 7-year-old son of Pakistani Christian Binyamin Yusef, 30, over a land dispute. Two days later police found his son's body, which showed signs of torture and rape.

Police did not register the case when Yusef initially approached them. CLAAS representatives hope to open court action against the alleged perpetrators.

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Episcopal Head Urges Faith Leaders to Prophetic Roles
Daniel Burke


December 18, 2008

WASHINGTON (RNS) -- Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on Tuesday (Dec. 16) called on religious leaders to play a prophetic role in the public square but criticized faith groups that use government money to forward a sectarian message.

"The idea that faith-based groups should have special entree to government funding just makes me twitch," said Jefferts Schori, who leads the 2.2 million-member Episcopal Church. "It makes me twitch when groups funded with public funds will only hire their own members, or use the funds to advance sectarian" views.

Speaking at the National Press Club here, Jefferts Schori also said she hopes the incoming administration of president-elect Barack Obama "is asking questions" about whether to continue President Bush's faith-based initiative.

Jefferts Schori, 54, was elected presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in 2006, and has seen her church rent by infighting over homosexuality and the Bible. Earlier this month, a group of conservatives announced plans to form a rival church in North America.

The former oceanographer acknowledged the strains on the Episcopal Church in Tuesday's address and the question-and-answer session that followed. She said schismatic groups tend to die off, that the national church will appeal an unfavorable Virginia court ruling to the state's high court, and some Anglicans are too consumed by debates about sexual morality.

"Dealing with issues of sexuality are part of the (church's) mission, not the whole of it," she said. "Some parts of the Anglican Communion have responded to it as an idol."

But Jefferts Schori's address, titled "Religion in the Public Square," largely focused on the wide range of issues she said cry out for a response from religious leaders.

"The role of the religious voice is to advocate for the left-out, the voiceless, the marginalized, and all who do not yet have access to what we call the goods of life," she said.

"On two occasions in the last few days," she said, "leaders in my own church have said to me that the church only makes the front page if it's about schism or sex -- and in the current era, preferably both. The reality experienced by most Episcopalians, and indeed most faithful people, is of their congregations gathering for weekly worship, saying their prayers, and serving their neighbors."

Finally, Jefferts Schori said she prays "for those who consider me their enemy."

"I started quite a while ago," she said. "I think God gives us difficult people for a reason. They are difficult because something in us responds.... Praying for those people becomes a necessary part of our spiritual journey."

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Dec. 17, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * N.M. Diocese Votes to Stay in Episcopal Church
    * James MacDonald Announces He Has Cancer
    * Orissa Christmas Will Be Fearful, Says Minister
    * 1 in 10 Adults Are Caregivers, Studies Find


N.M. Diocese Votes to Stay in Episcopal Church

Episcopalians in New Mexico Diocese of the Rio Grande have voted to leave a conservative umbrella group and "reaffirm" their commitment to the Episcopal Church rather than join a new rival Anglican province on U.S. soil. The Albuquerque-based diocese Thursday voted to end its four-year membership in the Pittsburgh-based Anglican Communion Network. Four Episcopal dioceses that belonged to the Pittsburgh group and have already left the national church plan to join the new province. But other Episcopal dioceses that supported the Pittsburgh group, like Rio Grande, do not plan to join the new province and are likely to remain in the Episcopal Church, officials said. The Rev. Peter Frank, a spokesman for the Pittsburgh group, said officials knew that not all dioceses would join the new province, and encouraged those on both sides not to "stand in judgment of each other."

James MacDonald Announces He Has Cancer

Pastor James MacDonald announced on his blog yesterday that he has prostate cancer and will soon begin treatment in California. The founder of Harvest Bible Chapel and "Walk in the Word" ministry said he will be radiation treatments in January, but will continue to lead Bible study at his Chicago church by video. He also plans to teach at Greg Laurie's church while in California. MacDonald expressed thankfulness and hope in his blog post, saying, "I am not especially anxious, I am not struggling with God's goodness or asking a lot of penetrating 'why's?' I am more aware of my pending mortality and the brevity of this life by eternal standards... I just want to be clean and close and consecrated in my walk with Christ; and I am, more than ever. Truly!!! And for that I am very thankful."

Orissa Christmas Will Be Fearful, Says Minister

The Christian Post reports that Christians in Orissa, India, will face a "very threatening environment," said Dr. Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors USA. Moeller reports that the forced shutdown of the social system for which Hindu extremists have called ensures that Christians in Orissa will be "extremely fraught" with fear, even though the state government has declared the shutdown to be illegal. So far, however, government promises have done little to protect Christians from attack. Moeller fears that Christians who leave their homes to worship together on Christmas may be vulnerable to attack for violating an extremist-enforced shutdown.

1 in 10 Adults Are Caregivers, Studies Find

Baptist Press reports that 11 percent of the people who participated in a LifeWay Research survey said they or an immediate family member are the primary full-time caregiver to an elderly parent or a special needs child, a statistic also shown in two other national studies. "This research should open our eyes to the number of people in our churches and communities that are looking for people to be the hands and feet of Jesus," Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, said. "Many American church leaders and members that I know reject the idea of increased government involvement in establishing universal health care. But, for the most part, the American church continues to ignore the emphasis that Jesus Himself placed on the poor and the sick."

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Dec. 18, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * Aid Begins to Pour into Malnourished in Haiti
    * Iraqi Christians Still Under Siege at Christmas
    * Rick Warren Not Satisfied with Making Abortions 'Rare'
    * Four Christians Missing in Hubei, China since November

Aid Begins to Pour into Malnourished in Haiti

The Associated Press reports that international attention is now making its way to Haiti's most starved villages around Baie d'Orange, but its people's ordeal is not over. Those who now receive food assistance, such as Rosemen Saint-Juste and her four malnourished children, feel the need to share with hungry neighbors or risk revenge. "The food I have is going to last for three days" instead of four, she said after giving away some of her rice. "If I don't share it with my neighbors, the devil will eat my kids," she said, referring to local Voodoo spells she fears may be cast on her family. Local farmers, whose harvests and markets were destroyed by tropical storms in August and September, say the seeds they have received from relief organizations will not help unless they also receive fertilizer to repair their eroded fields.

Iraqi Christians Still under Siege at Christmas

Mission News Network reports that Iraqi Christians will face another isolated Christmas in 2008. "Christians in Mosul over the last few months have been particularly targeted for extermination by the remnants of Al Qaeda in Iraq. This Christmas is one of great stress and difficulty for these believers," said Carl Moeller with Open Doors. Celebrations of Christmas, once held in family courtyards and complete with candles and bonfires, have disappeared since "any bonfire attracts suspicious persons... Fires are now linked with explosions and attacks," MNN reports. Iraq's once-large Christian community has dwindled significantly since 2004, and many Christians have left Iraq for Syria, Jordan, Turkey or the West.

Rick Warren Not Satisfied with Making Abortions 'Rare'

The Christian Post reports that megachurch pastor Rick Warren may be on good terms with President-elect Barack Obama, but does not support Obama's policy of making abortions "rare." In an interview with Beliefnet Editor-in-Chief Steven Waldman, Warren said, "Of course I want to reduce the number of abortions... But to me it is kind of a charade in that people say 'We believe abortions should be safe and rare." He continued, "Don't tell me it should be rare. That's like saying on the Holocaust, 'Well, maybe we could save 20 percent of the Jewish people in Poland and Germany and get them out and we should be satisfied with that,'" Warren said. "I'm not satisfied with that. I want the Holocaust ended."

Four Christians Missing in Hubei, China since November

ASSIST News Service reports that four Christians are missing and many more have been persecuted in Hubei province during the month of November 2008 according to the South China Church house church network. ChinaAid recently received a detailed report from South China Church leaders detailing the arrests, beatings and disappearances of Christians in their house churches in Jingmen city and Xiangfan city areas. According to church leaders, the four missing believers include: Mr. Yi Peng, Mr. Zhu Yongping, Ms. Wang Ke and one other Christian man. They were all last seen being forcibly taken away by Bureau of State Security officials in separate incidents at the beginning of November. None have been heard from since. Other Christians have been beaten publically by plainclothes officials, and their Bibles, personal property and money have been taken.

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Religious Abuse Continues in Iraq, Report Says
Adelle M. Banks


December 19, 2008

(RNS) -- Iraq should be designated as a "country of particular concern" because its government tolerates the abuse of religious communities, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

The federal commission said many Iraqi religious minorities, including Christians, Yazidis and Sabean Mandaeans have fled, threatening their faiths' existence within the country.

"The lack of effective government action to protect these communities from abuses has established Iraq among the most dangerous places on earth for religious minorities," said Felice D. Gaer, chair of the commission at a Washington news conference.

Only five of the nine commissioners agreed with the "country of particular concern" designation, the report noted. That designation is used when a government has engaged in "systemic" and "ongoing" religious freedom violations. But the report said all of the commissioners agreed that the Iraqi government needs to take more action to address the plight of religious minorities.

Commissioners encouraged President-elect Barack Obama's incoming administration to make prevention of abuse a high priority and to seek safety for all Iraqis and fair elections.

They also asked the U.S. government to appoint a special envoy for human rights in Iraq and Iraqi officials to establish police units for vulnerable minority communities. They also seek changes in Iraq's constitution, which currently gives Islam a preferred status, to strengthen human rights guarantees.

Rep. Frank Wolf, R, Va., co-chair of a congressional caucus addressing human rights, said that religious pluralism in Iraq is "rapidly diminishing." He said about 500,000 Christians, or 50 percent of the population of that faith in Iraq in 2003, have fled the country.

The U.S. State Department designated Iraq as a "country of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act from 1999 to 2002. It dropped the designation in 2003 after the U.S. war in Iraq began and Saddam Hussein's government collapsed.

In May 2007, the commission placed Iraq on its watch list due to escalating sectarian violence and the conditions affecting religious minorities.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Dec. 19, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * Rick Warren to Deliver Invocation at Obama's Inauguration
    * Indonesian Village to be Rebuilt Following Islamic Rampage
    * Evangelicals Praise Cizik's Role in Shaping Broad Agenda
    * Orissa's Persecuted Christian Get Some Relief


Rick Warren to Deliver Invocation at Obama's Inauguration

CNN reports that megachurch pastor Rick Warren will deliver the invocation prayer at President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration. Obama's pick has generated controversy from pro-choice and gay marriage supporters, who say there is "no substantive difference" between Warren and Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, who fervently opposed Obama during the election cycle. Obama defended his choice, saying Warren represents one of "a wide range of viewpoints that are presented" at the inauguration. Warren, pastor of Saddleback megachurch and author of the best-seller "The Purpose Driven Life," has been open about his policy disagreements with Obama while maintaining a friendship with him.

Indonesian Village to be Rebuilt Following Islamic Rampage

Compass Direct News reports that government officials in Central Maluku, Indonesia, yesterday promised to reconstruct before Christmas two churches and a number of houses set ablaze last week during sectarian rioting in Letwaru village, Masohi district. The promises came after hundreds of activists from a local youth organization protested in the streets of nearby Ambon on Dec. 15, holding these officials responsible for failing to maintain law and order, local media reported. Allegations against a Christian schoolteacher accused of making an anti-Islamic comment also promoted 500 protestors to gather outside the education agency office and police headquarters on Dec. 9, and the protest quickly escalated into a full-scale riot. Enraged Muslims destroyed 69 buildings, including two churches, 42 homes owned by Christians, four shops and a village hall. They also inadvertently struck 16 homes owned by Muslims.

Evangelicals Praise Cizik's Role in Shaping Broad Agenda

The Christian Post reports that dozens of evangelical leaders signed a letter to the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) president in praise of Cizik's role in broadening the "Christian moral agenda" that NAE supports. "We release this letter in order to show our deep gratitude for Richard's 28 years of leadership at the NAE, in which he has had a guiding hand in shaping a broad Christian moral agenda that has helped define American Evangelicals' public witness," the leaders stated in the letter. Cizik resigned last week after giving a controversial NPR interview in which he expressed his changing views on same-sex civil unions. He championed the causes of creation care, global warming and global poverty alongside abortion and marriage during his time with NAE.

Orissa's Persecuted Christian Get Some Relief

The Baptist Press reports that about 2,100 Christian families driven from their homes in India's Orissa state are receiving badly needed relief supplies from Southern Baptists' world hunger and general relief funds. Tens of thousands of Christians have been forced from their homes since a Hindu swami and four of his followers were murdered in late August. Though Maoist insurgents took credit for the killing, Hindu extremists blamed Christians and mounted mob attacks against them. Dozens of people have been killed, hundreds injured and thousands of homes, churches and businesses have been burned. Four men, one of them "a hardcore Maoist," were arrested for the swami's murder in early December, according to news reports. The Christians receiving the aid have fled to camps operated by the government, police officials and private groups.

[nChrist]

Authorities Destroy New Church Building in Vietnam
Special to Compass Direct News


December 22, 2008

HO CHI MINH CITY (Compass Direct News) -- Local government officials in Dak Lak Province Wednesday made good on their threat to destroy a new wooden church building erected in September by Hmong Christians in Cu Hat village.

At 7 a.m. in Cu Dram Commune, Krong Bong district, a large contingent of government officials, police and demolition workers arrived at the site of a Vietnam Good News Mission and Church, razing it by 8:30 a.m. Police wielding electric cattle prods beat back hundreds of distraught Christians who rushed to the site to protect the building.

Five injured people were taken away in an emergency vehicle authorities had brought to the scene. The injured included a child who suffered a broken arm and a pregnant woman who fainted after being poked in the stomach with an electric cattle prod. Villagers said they fear she may miscarry.

By day's end one badly injured woman had not yet been returned to the village, and authorities would not divulge where she was.

One sad Vietnamese church leader said that the demolition of the church ahead of Christmas showed the heartlessness of officials toward Christian believers.

"They think no one will notice or do anything about what they do in a remote area," he said.

Nearly eight years ago a congregation numbering more than 500 Hmong Christians had joined thousands of others fleeing persecution in Vietnam's northwest provinces, migrating to the Central Highlands. They aspired to construct a church building so they could worship protected from the rain and sun.

In September they were finally able to assemble materials needed to erect a 12-meter by 20-meter church building, large enough for them to meet. Eventually they were able to put a durable tile roof on the building, and with great joy they began worshipping together in a single location.

Although virtually all buildings in this area of Vietnam are erected without building permits, local authorities accused the Christians of "illegal construction" and ordered the congregation to "voluntarily" tear it down. On Dec. 2, Krong Bong district officials made a formal decision to demolish the church within two weeks if the Christians would not do so themselves.

The Vietnam Good News Mission and Church is an organization that for more than a year has tried to register more than a hundred of its congregations without any success. Contrary to Vietnam's new religion legislation, these requests for registration have either been denied or ignored.

Agony and Ecstasy

In contrast to this hostility toward ethnic minority Christians in a remote area, several Ho Chi Minh City congregations of the legally-recognized Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South) on Dec. 12-13 were allowed to hold a large Christmas celebration event in a soccer stadium.

An estimated 10,000 attended on each night of the event. The program, which featured a popular Vietnamese entertainer who recently came to faith in Christ, a U.S. soloist and Korean and Chinese choirs, included an evangelistic invitation to which hundreds responded.

In a country where Christians have suffered under communist attitudes and actions against them for more than 30 years, many Vietnamese Christians were ecstatic that such an event could take place.

Likewise, in Pleiku in Gia Lai Province in mid-October, some 20,000 Jarai ethnic minority Christians gathered to hold an unprecedented celebration of the 65th anniversary of the coming of the gospel to their people. They had sought permission for more than a year, but it was granted only four days before the event. Participants said they suspected officials granted permission chiefly because several high-profile U.S. visitors made it clear they would attend.

In contrast, authorities have worked to limit the spread of Christianity to new areas. In a remote commune of Lao Cai Province, officials pressured new Hmong Christians to recant their new faith and re-establish their ancestral altars (See Compass Direct News, "Vietnamese Authorities Pressure New Christians to Recant," Nov. 21).

Also, Christians in Dien Bien Province are trying to verify recent reports of the torching of Christian homes in the area.

Vietnam's large Catholic Church was also reawakened to authorities' residual hostility toward Christianity this year, with the government reacting violently to sustained but peaceful pressure by thousands to recover church land and buildings confiscated by authorities after the prime minister had agreed to negotiations.

Vietnam gave unusually light, house-arrest sentences to eight Catholics arrested during the prayer vigils-cum-protests. Previously others arrested for similar reasons have been sentenced to prison for years.

"Unfortunately, the mostly urban bright spots are cancelled by the persistence of old-style repression among Vietnam's ethnic minorities in remote areas," said one veteran Vietnam observer. "The easier registration of churches promised in 2005 is being granted very selectively and is used as a means of limiting and controlling Christianity."

That central government authorities responsible for implementing improved religion policy seem to turn a blind eye to old-fashioned thugs at the local level, he added, "is very discouraging to Vietnam's Christians. Religious freedom reserved for some is not religious freedom."

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Dec. 22, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * New Health Regulation Permits `Conscience' Exceptions
    * India: New Murder and Reports of Armed Men Fuel Christmas Fears
    * Baptist Seminary Cuts Budget by $1.7M in Tight Times
    * Ill. Pharmacists Win Right to Object over 'Morning-After' Pill Rule


New Health Regulation Permits `Conscience' Exceptions

Religion News Service reports that a new federal regulation will allow healthcare workers to abstain from performing abortions or any service they object to on religious or moral grounds. The regulation, introduced Thursday (Dec. 18 ) by the Department of Health and Human Services, is directed primarily at shielding those with religious or moral objections to abortion or sterilization. But its scope could be much wider, including those opposed to assisted suicide, sex change operations or even vaccinations and family planning. The rule says healthcare workers cannot be discriminated against for refusing to participate in objectionable procedures. The definition of workers is defined broadly, to include volunteers as well as janitors and others not directly engaged in the procedures. The regulation goes into effect in 30 days.

India: New Murder and Reports of Armed Men Fuel Christmas Fears

ASSIST News Service reports that further evidence has emerged concerning potential violence planned for Christmas Day. A spokesperson for a UK-based human rights group, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports that "further evidence has emerged in Kandhamal district, the epicenter of recent violence, where a Christian villager Wednesday, Dec. 17, reported witnessing several men armed with AK-47 rifles in discussion with others thought to be linked with Hindu extremist organizations... In addition a Catholic catechist Jubaraj Digal was today found dead, after his son reported on Tuesday that he had been apprehended and attacked by a mob." Meanwhile, a debate was held Dec. 18 in the British House of Lords, in which peers drew attention to the ongoing threat of religious extremism in India.

Baptist Seminary Cuts Budget by $1.7M in Tight Times

Baptist Press reports that the recent economic downturn has prompted budget reductions an yet another religious institution. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary will cut its current budget by $1.7 million, seminary president R. Albert Mohler Jr. reported in a Dec. 15 letter to the seminary community. The reductions include reducing the number of employees at the Louisville, Ky., campus; a hiring freeze on non-critical positions; and decreases in travel expenses, Mohler said. "Given the personnel-intensive nature of our budget, the only way we can act responsibly in this situation is to anticipate a reduction in force in terms of total employees and total personnel expenditures," Mohler said.

Ill. Pharmacists Win Right to Object over 'Morning-After' Pill Rule

Chicago Sun Times reports that the Illinois Supreme Court has ordered a lower court to hear the case of two pharmacists who argue they should not be required to carry emergency contraceptives that violate their religious beliefs. A 2005 rule issued by embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich prevents pharmacies from "turning away women seeking emergency contraception, sometimes called the morning-after pill." The plaintiffs argue the rule forces them to choose between their jobs and their religious convictions. "I cannot follow my religion's teachings and continue to be involved" in emergency contraception, said pharmacist Luke Vander Bleek, 45, a Catholic who runs pharmacies in Morrison, Sycamore and Genoa.

[nChrist]

Authorities Destory New Church Building in Vietnam
Special to Compass Direct News


December 22, 2008

HO CHI MINH CITY (Compass Direct News) -- Local government officials in Dak Lak Province Wednesday made good on their threat to destroy a new wooden church building erected in September by Hmong Christians in Cu Hat village.

At 7 a.m. in Cu Dram Commune, Krong Bong district, a large contingent of government officials, police and demolition workers arrived at the site of a Vietnam Good News Mission and Church, razing it by 8:30 a.m. Police wielding electric cattle prods beat back hundreds of distraught Christians who rushed to the site to protect the building.

Five injured people were taken away in an emergency vehicle authorities had brought to the scene. The injured included a child who suffered a broken arm and a pregnant woman who fainted after being poked in the stomach with an electric cattle prod. Villagers said they fear she may miscarry.

By day's end one badly injured woman had not yet been returned to the village, and authorities would not divulge where she was.

One sad Vietnamese church leader said that the demolition of the church ahead of Christmas showed the heartlessness of officials toward Christian believers.

"They think no one will notice or do anything about what they do in a remote area," he said.

Nearly eight years ago a congregation numbering more than 500 Hmong Christians had joined thousands of others fleeing persecution in Vietnam's northwest provinces, migrating to the Central Highlands. They aspired to construct a church building so they could worship protected from the rain and sun.

In September they were finally able to assemble materials needed to erect a 12-meter by 20-meter church building, large enough for them to meet. Eventually they were able to put a durable tile roof on the building, and with great joy they began worshipping together in a single location.

Although virtually all buildings in this area of Vietnam are erected without building permits, local authorities accused the Christians of "illegal construction" and ordered the congregation to "voluntarily" tear it down. On Dec. 2, Krong Bong district officials made a formal decision to demolish the church within two weeks if the Christians would not do so themselves.

The Vietnam Good News Mission and Church is an organization that for more than a year has tried to register more than a hundred of its congregations without any success. Contrary to Vietnam's new religion legislation, these requests for registration have either been denied or ignored.

Agony and Ecstasy

In contrast to this hostility toward ethnic minority Christians in a remote area, several Ho Chi Minh City congregations of the legally-recognized Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South) on Dec. 12-13 were allowed to hold a large Christmas celebration event in a soccer stadium.

An estimated 10,000 attended on each night of the event. The program, which featured a popular Vietnamese entertainer who recently came to faith in Christ, a U.S. soloist and Korean and Chinese choirs, included an evangelistic invitation to which hundreds responded.

In a country where Christians have suffered under communist attitudes and actions against them for more than 30 years, many Vietnamese Christians were ecstatic that such an event could take place.

Likewise, in Pleiku in Gia Lai Province in mid-October, some 20,000 Jarai ethnic minority Christians gathered to hold an unprecedented celebration of the 65th anniversary of the coming of the gospel to their people. They had sought permission for more than a year, but it was granted only four days before the event. Participants said they suspected officials granted permission chiefly because several high-profile U.S. visitors made it clear they would attend.

In contrast, authorities have worked to limit the spread of Christianity to new areas. In a remote commune of Lao Cai Province, officials pressured new Hmong Christians to recant their new faith and re-establish their ancestral altars (See Compass Direct News, "Vietnamese Authorities Pressure New Christians to Recant," Nov. 21).

Also, Christians in Dien Bien Province are trying to verify recent reports of the torching of Christian homes in the area.

Vietnam's large Catholic Church was also reawakened to authorities' residual hostility toward Christianity this year, with the government reacting violently to sustained but peaceful pressure by thousands to recover church land and buildings confiscated by authorities after the prime minister had agreed to negotiations.

Vietnam gave unusually light, house-arrest sentences to eight Catholics arrested during the prayer vigils-cum-protests. Previously others arrested for similar reasons have been sentenced to prison for years.

"Unfortunately, the mostly urban bright spots are cancelled by the persistence of old-style repression among Vietnam's ethnic minorities in remote areas," said one veteran Vietnam observer. "The easier registration of churches promised in 2005 is being granted very selectively and is used as a means of limiting and controlling Christianity."

That central government authorities responsible for implementing improved religion policy seem to turn a blind eye to old-fashioned thugs at the local level, he added, "is very discouraging to Vietnam's Christians. Religious freedom reserved for some is not religious freedom."

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Dec. 22, 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * New Health Regulation Permits `Conscience' Exceptions
    * India: New Murder and Reports of Armed Men Fuel Christmas Fears
    * Baptist Seminary Cuts Budget by $1.7M in Tight Times
    * Ill. Pharmacists Win Right to Object over 'Morning-After' Pill Rule


New Health Regulation Permits `Conscience' Exceptions

Religion News Service reports that a new federal regulation will allow healthcare workers to abstain from performing abortions or any service they object to on religious or moral grounds. The regulation, introduced Thursday (Dec. 18 ) by the Department of Health and Human Services, is directed primarily at shielding those with religious or moral objections to abortion or sterilization. But its scope could be much wider, including those opposed to assisted suicide, sex change operations or even vaccinations and family planning. The rule says healthcare workers cannot be discriminated against for refusing to participate in objectionable procedures. The definition of workers is defined broadly, to include volunteers as well as janitors and others not directly engaged in the procedures. The regulation goes into effect in 30 days.

India: New Murder and Reports of Armed Men Fuel Christmas Fears

ASSIST News Service reports that further evidence has emerged concerning potential violence planned for Christmas Day. A spokesperson for a UK-based human rights group, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports that "further evidence has emerged in Kandhamal district, the epicenter of recent violence, where a Christian villager Wednesday, Dec. 17, reported witnessing several men armed with AK-47 rifles in discussion with others thought to be linked with Hindu extremist organizations... In addition a Catholic catechist Jubaraj Digal was today found dead, after his son reported on Tuesday that he had been apprehended and attacked by a mob." Meanwhile, a debate was held Dec. 18 in the British House of Lords, in which peers drew attention to the ongoing threat of religious extremism in India.

Baptist Seminary Cuts Budget by $1.7M in Tight Times

Baptist Press reports that the recent economic downturn has prompted budget reductions an yet another religious institution. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary will cut its current budget by $1.7 million, seminary president R. Albert Mohler Jr. reported in a Dec. 15 letter to the seminary community. The reductions include reducing the number of employees at the Louisville, Ky., campus; a hiring freeze on non-critical positions; and decreases in travel expenses, Mohler said. "Given the personnel-intensive nature of our budget, the only way we can act responsibly in this situation is to anticipate a reduction in force in terms of total employees and total personnel expenditures," Mohler said.

Ill. Pharmacists Win Right to Object over 'Morning-After' Pill Rule

Chicago Sun Times reports that the Illinois Supreme Court has ordered a lower court to hear the case of two pharmacists who argue they should not be required to carry emergency contraceptives that violate their religious beliefs. A 2005 rule issued by embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich prevents pharmacies from "turning away women seeking emergency contraception, sometimes called the morning-after pill." The plaintiffs argue the rule forces them to choose between their jobs and their religious convictions. "I cannot follow my religion's teachings and continue to be involved" in emergency contraception, said pharmacist Luke Vander Bleek, 45, a Catholic who runs pharmacies in Morrison, Sycamore and Genoa.

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Top 10 Christian News Stories of 2008
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff


The year 2008 shaped the future of evangelical America - and the world - in major ways. From the Olympics abroad to the presidential election at home, here are the faces, places, and movements the Crosswalk.com editors believe most impacted Christians around the world.

1. Rick Warren's Civil Forum exemplifies evangelicals' growing influence in politics
Bush handily won the faith vote in his day, but Democrats and Republicans alike played to this group in 2008. Nowhere was this heightened awareness of the nebulous "evangelical vote" more apparent than at the Saddleback Civil Forum, hosted by megachurch pastor Rick Warren. Obama's faith emphasis on the campaign trail didn't win over weekly churchgoers, but the Democrats' efforts did undermine a sure bet for the Republicans.

2. Olympics shine the spotlight on religious persecution in China
Blustering to improve their PR before the Olympic Games in August, China tried to sweep its pesky house churches out of the way. But reports of religious persecution persisted in spite of China's decision to print tens of thousands bilingual Bibles and New Testaments for the Games. President Bush's visit to an official church in Beijing and his talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao highlighted the persecution of Christians who reject government registration and regulation.

3. Anglican Communion continues to disintegrate in spite of Lambeth Conference
What Bishop Gene Robinson couldn't do in 2004, conservative dioceses and parishes did in 2008 -- they officially split the Episcopal Church. The once-a-decade Lambeth Conference fizzled as almost half the world's bishops boycotted the conference in favor of a more conservative conference in Jerusalem. Finally, conservatives gave up on reforming from the inside out, and formed an untraditional province based not on geography, but on theology. Their next step: gaining official recognition from Canterbury.

4. Sarah Palin wins over Christian conservatives -- and James Dobson
This seventh-inning surprise nomination gave jittery conservatives and Christians an enthusiastic reason to vote for the moderate McCain and temporarily reinvigorated the Bush base. Palin's nomination even managed to exact an official flip-flop from Focus on the Family's James Dobson, who had previously said he would not vote for McCain under any circumstances. Although the economic implosion overshadowed her impact, her nomination showed that openly Christian conservatives still have a place in the Republican Party.

5. Pope Benedict XVI visits the States
In his first visit to the U.S., Pope Benedict embraced U.S. evangelicals with open arms -- and they embraced him too. The pope received a warm reception at the White House in April, where he was hailed as a common ally in the fight for traditional marriage and pro-life causes. The bridge-building trip focused on what evangelicals and Catholics share, but Benedict did not skirt the more delicate issue. He issued a public apology to those hurt by abuse scandals in the Church.

6. Thousands of Christians in Iraq and India displaced by persecution
The mass exodus of Christians from Mosul, Iraq, skyrocketed after two weeks of murders in October. Almost half of Christians in the area fled for Turkey, Syria or the West, abandoning one of the world's oldest Christians communities. Meanwhile, in India, Christians became scapegoats for Hindu extremists after their leader was murdered by Maoists in August. Continuing violence has killed as many as 500, destroyed at least 117 churches, and displaced tens of thousands now living in refugee camps or the jungle.

7. Double disasters in Burma and China present huge challenges to relief workers
Cyclone Nargis claimed an estimated 150,000 lives when it hit Burma in early May. Ten days later, a massive earthquake in Sichuan province of China killed 87,000, many of them only children under China's one-child policy. Burma's junta turned away literally tons of aid from the U.S. government and hampered outside relief efforts even in hard-hit Irrawaddy Delta region. China, trying to avoid any more bad publicity before the Olympics, welcomed in relief workers and gave journalists a comparatively free rein.

8. Fallout continues after the passage of California's Proposition 8
Proposition 8 may have toppled the might and money of Hollywood, but retribution from Prop 8 opponents rages on. Protestant and Mormon churches largely responsible for the motion's success have found themselves targeted by angry mobs and riots. Lawsuits against the voter-approved amendment have swiftly followed. The motion has passed, but the literal fight on the gay marriage issue isn't over yet.

9. Jeremiah Wright controversy garners national attention for black liberation theology
Obama's long relationship with mentor Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who infamously proclaimed "God d*** America," highlighted the prevalence of a social/political gospel in the African American mega-church. Although Obama eventually divorced himself from Wright and Trinity Church because of the surrounding controversy, America got an insider's view of a theology which celebrates black empowerment -- and revolution -- over a still-oppressive government.

10. Christian film "Fireproof" makes a highly successful run in theaters
The third film from the media arm of a Sherwood Baptist George in Georgia, "Fireproof" proved that Christian-themed films can hold their own with American families. The film won the number 4 spot at the box office its opening weekend, and beat out the opening of "Religulous" the following weekend. Critics dismissed the film, but "Fireproof" stayed in the top 10 for three weeks.

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Egyptian Police Refuse to Give Child to Christian Mother
Roger Elliott


December 25, 2008

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) -- Egyptian authorities have refused to hand over a 3-year-old girl to her Christian mother even after a court granted her custody in a legal battle with her Muslim ex-husband.

Mervat Reszqallah of Tanta, 60 miles north of Cairo, was granted custody of her toddler daughter, Barthenia, by Judge Emaad Eldean Abedelhamed of the Court of Tanta on Aug. 7.

Police, however, have refused to implement the court's decision to take the child from her father.

"Many times [the police] have ignored this decision, because they see the aspect of religion," said human rights lawyer Naguib Gobrail, who said police favor the Muslim father.

Fady Farhaat Labbib converted to Islam in May of 2006 in order to divorce Reszqallah and marry another woman. He applied for custody of Barthenia in order to raise her as a Muslim. This has kept the police from doing their duty, said Gobrail.

"The police insisted that the daughter must follow the father, because they are afraid she will eat pork, drink wine, go to the church and be educated in the Sunday school," he said.

Police recently summoned Reszqallah to the Tanta police station, where she spent five hours waiting for Labbib to hand over Barthenia in accordance with a police order.

Gen. Ramzy Taleab had ordered Labbib to the police station, but police reportedly did nothing on Reszqallah's behalf when Labbib refused to hand over the child.

Gobrail said that the incident was a stunt to convince Reszqallah that police were doing their best.

"They made this order only to make the mother happy," said Gobrail.

Gobrail said he plans to meet with Moushira Khattab of the Egyptian National Council for Childhood and Motherhood to discuss the welfare of children in mixed-religion custody battles.

Khattab, a former ambassador from Egypt to various African and European countries, was not available for comment.

Reszqallah recently returned from Lebanon, where she appeared on a Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation television program to talk about her situation. Gobrail said he hopes the publicity will lend weight to her case.

"Media can sometimes be a pressure on the authorities in Egypt, to make them ashamed," said Gobrail.

[nChrist]

Churches More Diverse, Informal Than 8 Years Ago
Adelle M. Banks


December 26, 2008

(RNS) -- U.S. congregations have changed significantly in the last eight years, according to a new study, with them becoming more ethnically diverse, more technologically savvy and more informal in worship.

Predominantly white congregations reported greater racial and ethnic diversity between the first and second surveys of U.S. houses of worship by the National Congregations Study.

When the study was first conducted in 1998, 20 percent of churchgoers reported attending a church that was all white and non-Hispanic. In the second round, conducted in 2006-07, that figure had dipped to 14 percent.

The study also found that the percentage of congregations with no Asian members decreased in the same period from 59 percent to 50 percent, and the percentage of congregations with no Latino members dropped from 43 percent to 36 percent.

"We're far from a color-blind society, in religion or anything else, but there is some movement in churches as well as elsewhere," said Mark Chaves, professor of sociology, religion and divinity at Duke University and lead researcher on the project.

While researchers found that some congregations that were previously all-white now have a couple of minority families as members, Chaves said mostly black churches did not report a comparable change.

"If you look at predominantly black churches, we don't find more whites or Latinos or Asians in them," he said.

Other findings include:

-- The number of churches with Web sites increased from 17 percent in 1998 to 44 percent in 2006-07, and use of e-mail rose from 21 percent to 59 percent.

-- Drum use rose from 20 percent to 34 percent, while people raising their hands in praise during worship services increased from 45 percent to 57 percent.

-- The average age of the senior clergyperson in a church rose from 48 to 53. In 1998, 25 percent of the people in the average congregation were at least 60 years old; in 2006-07, 30 percent were.

The study was based on reports from leaders of 1,506 congregations and did not reflect the observations of independent survey takers.

"If there's any overreporting or underreporting, because (of) its leaders' reports, it ought to be the same in both times," Chavez said.

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mPOWRing the Poor with the Click of a Mouse
Robert Wayne


December 29, 2008

Eric Watt founded mPOWR to feed the need as directly as possible, with the push of a button.

"It's an interesting thing in that we're trying to use technology ... to help the chicken farmer in Nepal," said Watt, who spent 20 years as a missionary in places like Southeast Asia and Central America watching donations sometimes take unnecessary detours.

Watt in July shortened the steps of charitable giving by starting mPOWR, a peer-to-peer funding marketplace community that enables donors to give via the Internet directly to hand-picked micro and small-business owners, bypassing any need for an expensive middle man.

The goal of mPOWR is to empower the extreme poor -- 1.4 billion people living in developing countries on less than $1.25 per day -- by supplying direct financial support via the Internet.

By registering online (www.mpowr.com), donors can read through the personal profiles and practical needs of micro and small-business owners from around the world, then choose to donate directly to them. The amount per business can be as little as $25 and can be designated as a charitable contribution or interest-bearing loan to be repaid within 12 to 24 months.

While using the Internet to create peer-to-peer possibilities, mPOWR relies on trustworthy relationships to make sure money gets to where it's supposed to, said Watt, whose vast missions connections act as hand-picked field representatives to hand deliver the donations.

"I know every (field representative) or someone who is involved in their lives," Watt said. Watt's nearly 20 years in the mission field have yielded contacts throughout the region mPOWR is active.

"In 1990 my wife and I moved to Singapore and spent five years training people to start businesses and churches in places closed to the Gospel, and we've spent the last 20 years building relationships and mentoring (indigenous) leaders who are doing the same thing," said Watt, who also was instrumental in distributing a revised version of The JESUS Film to more than 100 countries.

One of those leaders, Ramesh Sapkota, shared a story that testifies to the power of God using mPOWR to serve the needy.

"Mrs. Sunita is the [now] proprietor of Purna Ladies Tailor (in Kathmandu, Nepal). She was a victim of early childhood marriage by her parents ... and it was learned later she was brought to his family as a slave girl," Sapkota said. "She worked day and night, never had a full meal and eventually was kicked into the street."

Eventually, after Sapkota paid a ransom to rescue Sunita from prostitution, she earned enough money working in a construction business to consider starting her own tailoring shop.

"Each night I had lived on dreams," Sunita said.

The dream became reality when Sunita received training through Kingdom Investments consultancy in Nepal, with whom mPOWR partners in organizing overseas operations.

Sunita wrote up a business plan "and then began to pray for the business to be funded," she said.

The tailoring shop now has four sewing machines that Sunita uses to make dresses for the community people.

"Now I can support my child for school and not only that but I have been training 10 other young girls the same business at the small fees," she said, adding that without mPOWR her dreams would not have come true.

Watt stressed that every business supported through mPOWR must commit to giving back to the community.

"As they become blessed they become a blessing to the people around them," he said. "So really you're funding a business that sparks something that keeps going."

A fundamental belief of mPOWR is that the poor eventually need to take responsibility for their own well being.

"This vision (of mPOWR) came from working in the developing world and recognizing that people need a hand up, not a hand out," Watt said. "Most mission work is about helping people, but there can be a breeding of entitlement. This concept is brand new. It's about them taking responsibility after getting some cash infusion."

Watt also emphasized that during training for building a business, the workers hear the Gospel. Many become Christians, he said.

The peer-to-peer aspect of mPOWR hopefully will have the effect of opening the eyes of donors from wealthier nations and backgrounds, Watt said.

"We have to realize in the global world that people are way different than us and that some are really needing a hand up to get out of basic poverty," he said.

Given a chance to escape poverty, the poor who have been trapped in darkness can make a decision to walk from that darkness into the light, Watt said.

"They can walk away from their deep, dark past," he said. "We can change someone's world for a little as $200 or $300."

[nChrist]

Buddhists Drive Bangladeshi Christian from Home
Aenon Shalom


December 30, 2008

DHAKA, Bangladesh (Compass Direct News) -- Buddhist villagers in southeastern Bangladesh's Rangamati district last week beat a young father and drove him from his house for converting to Christianity.

The Buddhists in Asambosti, in the Tabalchari area some 300 kilometers (186 miles) southeast of Dhaka, warned Sujan Chakma, 27, not to return to his home after beating him on Dec. 18. Chakma, who converted to Christianity about four months ago, has come back to his home but some nights the likelihood of attacks forces him to remain outside.

He is often unable to provide for his 26-year-old wife, Shefali Chakma, and their 6-year-old son, as area residents opposed to his faith refuse to give him work as a day laborer. Chakma, his wife and son do not eat on days he does not work, he said.

"I am ostracized by my neighbors since I became Christian," Chakma said. "They put pressure on me to give up my faith, saying otherwise I cannot live in this society. Nothing daunted me, I held firm to my faith in Jesus. On Dec. 18, four of my neighbors came to my home and beat me. They slapped and punched on me. Later they forced me to leave my house. They threatened me that if I come back to my home, I will be in great trouble."

Neighbors have threatened to beat him again and to send him to jail, he said, and they have pressured him to divorce to his wife.

"At first she did not like my conversion, but she liked my change after accepting Jesus," he said. "My wife told openly to those neighbors, 'My husband is a Christian, so I will be a Christian along with my son.'"

A spokesman for Chakma's church, Parbatta Adivasi Christian Church, said church leaders met with some of the new convert's neighbors and urged them to accept him.

"We told them that our constitution supports that anyone can accept any religion," the church spokesman said. "Hindering their practice is unlawful."

Church leaders said they fear that taking the case to local officials and police would only further anger local Buddhists and harm evangelical activities.

"We do not want to enrage anyone over this incident," said the spokesman. "But Chakma does not feel secure to stay here. He does not spend the night in his house for security reasons."

Rights Advocate Murdered

Earlier this year in Rangamati district, Bengali Muslim settlers killed a tribal Christian for defending indigenous peoples from illegal land-grabs.

On Aug. 19 Ladu Moni Chakma, 55, was stabbed repeatedly and his throat was cut at Sajek in Baghaichuri sub-district in Rangamati district after he reported to the Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission how a military commander helped settle Bengali Muslims on area lands.

A pastor of the Bangladesh Baptist Church in the district told Compass that Chakma was killed because he was a Christian who was an outspoken defender of minorities in the area.

"They do not want any Christian to live here," the pastor said. "They hate Christians more than any other minority religions -- it is one of the main reasons to evict and kill Ladu Moni. If people become Christian, many NGOs [Non-Governmental Organizations] will be set up here, and various local and international missionaries will look after them, so that Bengali settlers cannot grab lands illegally."

Chakma often interceded with the Chittagong Hill Tract Commission on behalf of the indigenous people about their rights and the cruel manner in which Bengali settlers illegally took lands from indigenous people, the pastor added.

Chakma's widow, Cikonpudi Chakma, also known as Minti Chakma, told reporters in Dhaka on Aug. 28 how the Bengali settlers attacked her family around 10:30 p.m. in Aug. 19.

"Some people were shouting, 'Open the door! Open the door!'" she said. "Without realizing anything what was going on, three Bengali people broke in our shanty hut."

She saw knives in their hand and recognized a local man named Mohammed Ali, who earlier in the year had helped settlers seize lands from villagers.

The attackers blindfolded her and dragged her husband out of their home into the rain. They also tried to take her 13-year old daughter, Minu, she said.

"I resisted them taking out my daughter, and I was injured during the tussle with them," she said. "They hit my forehead with a knife."

She and her children fled through a backdoor and escaped certain rape and death by jumping down a ravine and rolling to the bottom. Drenched, they took shelter at a nearby home.

"I could not contact my husband that night," she said. "The next morning, we were returning [to] our home. On the way near Baghaihat, we saw a blood-stained, stock-still body. It was my husband. His body was mutilated and stabbed with sharp knife and machete."

Police sub-inspector Azizur Rahman Aziz of Baghaichari police station told Compass that his department had arrested three persons in connection with the killing of Chakma.

"We are investigating the case, and after the national election [to be] held on Jan. 29, we will submit the charge sheet," he said.

Chakma's widow urged the army-backed interim caretaker government to withdraw settlers from Sajek in Baghaichari and punish the murderers of her husband.

House Burnings

In April, mainly Muslim Bengali settlers aided by the army and a local businessman burned 77 homes in four villages of the tribal people in Sajek, Cikonpudi Chakma told reporters in August.

"In that arson attack, all of our wealth and assets were destroyed," she said. "Just a week after, we again built a new house. At that time, Mohammad Ali tried to stop us making a new house and demanded that our land was his. The problem started when the Baghaihat zone army commander brought settlers from different areas and took initiative to settle them on our lands."

Survival International director Stephen Corry said in a statement that the attacks were a "criminal human rights violation." According to the Survival International, abuses have escalated since the army-backed emergency government came to power in January 2007.

In the Baghaichari area, at least 13 Christian families lived among 77 tribal Buddhist families until the Christians' homes were burned down in April.

The Chittagong Hill Tracts region comprises three districts: Bandarban, Khagrachuri and Rangamati. The region is surrounded by the Indian states of Tripura on the north and Mizoram on the east, Myanmar on the south and east.