RELIGION TODAY

[nChrist]

Pakistani Christian Charged with ?Blasphemy? for Text Message
Michael Larson


February 9, 2009

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) -- More than 100 protestors last week surrounded a Pakistani courthouse and chanted death threats against a Punjabi Christian said to be framed for sending a "blasphemous" text message on his cell phone.

Rawalpindi police arrested Hector Aleem, 51, on Jan. 22 and detained him on charges of sending a text message that insulted the Islamic prophet Muhammad. At his Jan. 27 hearing at the Rawalpindi Sessions Court, crowds gathered and began shouting death threats.

His attorney, Malik Tafik, told Compass that a local man allegedly framed Aleem for the charges because Aleem has made legal challenges on behalf of Christians involved in a land dispute. Aleem directs a small agency that often defends the rights of Christians.

Last November, a scholar associated with the national Islamist political movement Sunni Tehreek received a text message claiming to have come from Aleem. The religious scholar registered blasphemy charges against Aleem on Nov. 28 at the Rawalpindi police station.

Police raided Aleem's house at 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 22 and assaulted him, his wife, and his two daughters. They also stole 50,000 Pakistan rupees (US$630) worth of valuables and broke pictures of Jesus hanging on their walls, according to a report from the Center for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS).

Authorities charged him with violating sections 295c (blasphemy) and 109bb (abetting) of the Pakistani criminal code. Aleem was transferred to a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court for a second hearing on Jan. 30, where an even larger crowd of protestors gathered shouting that his life would not be spared. Many of those who came to protest were associated with Sunni Tehreek, which has been involved in violent sectarian clashes with other Islamist movements in the last decade.

"There were about 150 people protesting that Aleem should be handed over to them," Tafik said. "And there were many journalists, two news stations, and lawyers who came out to protest against him."

Aleem is detained at the Adiyala Jail in Rawalpindi. During his incarceration, police have mistreated him and denied him adequate food and access to medicine for his heart condition. He told lawyers that police have not allowed him to meet with his family and referred to him as "choohra" (sweeper), a derogatory term for Pakistani Christians to designate them as the lowest rung of society.

At a hearing at an anti-terrorism court on Monday (Feb. 2), Judge Sakhi Mohammad Kohut exonerated him of blasphemy charges but did not clear him of abetting. A government official told Compass that the judge's decision was heavily influenced by Islamic extremists attending the open court hearing who told the judge, "If you release [Aleem], then we will kill him outside."

At the hearing, the judge implicated the man who allegedly framed Aleem -- Bashar Kokar, previously charged multiple times with fraud -- accusing him of using his cell phone to send a blasphemous message against Muhammad. Kokar was charged with blasphemy and arrested later that day. But court evidence shows the original text message came from an unregistered mobile number that pertained to neither Kokar nor Aleem, sources said -- exonerating Aleem, but also making it difficult to prove that Kokar framed him. Khushdil Khan Malik, deputy secretary of Pakistan's Ministry of Human Rights, said he believes the judge implicated Kokar as a scapegoat for the blasphemy charges in order to appease the extremists.

The next hearing will be held in March. Attorney Tafik told Compass he believes Aleem will be cleared of all charges because there is no evidence against him.

Targeted for Defending Christian Rights

Sources said they believe Aleem was framed due to his social activism as director of a small Non-Governmental Organization that lobbies for the rights of Pakistani Christians in Islamabad.

In November he became involved in a land dispute between a congregation and a local municipality that wanted to demolish their church building. He has been wrongfully implicated in the past for minor offenses, a government deputy said, particularly for his advocacy work against the Capital Development Authority, a municipal works agency that has been charged with unlawful confiscation and destruction of Christian property.

Aleem has been cleared of these minor offenses. The seriousness of the blasphemy charge, however, puts him and his family in danger. Besides his attorney, other legal advocates said they believe he will be cleared of all charges as there is no evidence that he sent the original text message.

Until then, his family is hiding underground due to threats of violence by Muslim extremists, said Joseph Francis, national director of CLAAS. And once he is released, it will be hard for Aleem to return to a normal life in Rawalpindi with the stigma of even unproven charges of blasphemy hanging over his head.

"What will happen after [the trial] is a matter of concern," said Malik of Pakistan's human rights ministry. "There have been many incidents of the sudden deaths of people charged with blasphemy."

As many of those hostile to him are members of Sunni Tehreek who are dispersed throughout Pakistan, he and his family would be targeted by local members of the organization if they fled to another city. The only solution may be to seek asylum in another country, a source told Compass.

Problematic Law

Blasphemy has been used frequently in Pakistani law as a tool to silence or intimidate non-Muslims, including another case this week.

Yesterday a pastor, his son, and his father were charged with blasphemy in the village of Baddomehli, 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Lahore. Muslim classmates of pastor Shafik Masih's teenage son claimed he had a blasphemous pamphlet in his backpack and began to assault him, according to a CLAAS report.

Realizing the danger of sectarian violence, the police chief of the region yesterday called on Christians to seek refuge as local Muslims were assembling a protest.

Christian members of Pakistan's Parliament have moved to strike the blasphemy laws from the national criminal code.

"In the past, only a superintendent of police could file blasphemy charges," attorney Tafik said. "But now a private person can register a case of blasphemy and it can be misused because anyone can use it."

[nChrist]

Anti-Conversion Laws Leave No Room for Charity
Kristin Butler


February 10, 2009

Sri Lanka's first anti-conversion bill was introduced in Parliament just last month, and will likely become law sometime before February ends. The bill, titled "Bill for the Prohibition of Forcible Conversions," criminalizes any attempt to convert a person from one religion to another by use of force, fraud, or allurement. Punishments for those convicted of forcibly converting another person include up to seven years in prison and/or a hefty fine of 500,000 rupees ($4,425 US) -- equivalent to about 3 years worth of wages for the average Sri Lankan.

Sri Lanka, a small tropical island off the coast of India in the Indian Ocean, is roughly the size of West Virginia -- but has a population of over 21 million. According to the CIA World Factbook, nearly 70% of the population is Buddhist, with Islam and Hinduism each comprising about 7% of the population, and Christianity approximately 6%. Sri Lanka's Constitution guarantees religious freedom to all religions, but also states that "The Republic of Sri Lanka shall give to Buddhism the foremost place."

"Criminalizing Charity"

Buddhist members of Parliament who introduced the "Bill for the Prohibition of Forcible Conversions" claim that the measure will simply ensure the prevention of forcible conversions. But Sri Lanka's Christian community thinks the legislation will limit Christian outreach work and impede freedom of religion.

The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) recently released a press statement, voicing their concerns about the potential ramifications of the legislation.

"It is our gravest concern that this bill will grant legal sanction for the harassment of religious communities or individuals," the statement reads, "and offer convenient tools of harassment for settling personal disputes and grudges, totally unrelated to acts of alleged 'forced' conversion."

Joseph Grieboski, founder and president of the Washington DC-based Institute for Religion and Public Policy, agrees with NCEASL's assessment of the dangers. "The anti-conversion bill in Sri Lanka is overly broad and targets all religious conversions, not just 'unethical conversions,'" he says. "It also criminalizes charitable acts, humanitarian aid, and peaceful religious dialogue. This law not only contradicts Articles 10 and 14 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, but also violates Sri Lanka's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights."

He goes on to point out that "Sri Lanka already has laws in force against assault, false imprisonment, blackmail, defamation, and fraud -- which are the true problems of 'unethical' conversions."

Open Doors Minister at Large Paul Estabrooks, who recently traveled to Sri Lanka to visit with the Christian community there, also sees danger in the proposed legislation.

"It is a limitation on the freedom of religion," says Estabrooks, "There is no freedom of religion if you cannot change your faith. It's an issue we confront in Muslim nations with the apostasy laws. The issue is the limitation of not being able, of your own choice, to change your faith. For Open Doors as a ministry, anti-conversion laws create situations where there is increased persecution."

Growing Concern in India

In January, a state assembly in the north India state of Himachal Pradesh approved an anti-conversion bill, becoming the eighth state in India to pass anti-conversion legislation. Five Indian states have already signed this legislation into law, causing growing concern in the Christian community. And while the laws are nothing new -- Chhattisgarh and Orissa states have anti-conversion legislation dating back to the late 1960s -- the laws have received more publicity in recent years.

The nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a parent organization of numerous Hindu extremist groups, enacted more stringent versions of these laws in three state legislatures in the last year, although none of these versions have been codified yet. According to Compass Direct News, Christians and political analysts credit these efforts with spikes in violence by Hindu radicals, such as the August violence on Christians in Orissa state.

Yet the emergence of anti-conversion legislation has another side -- it means that churches are growing enough to gain notice.

"[W]hat it does show," Estabrooks continues, "is that there is a growing Christian community in these areas. Anti-conversion laws are only implemented when there is concern over the growth of the church in that area. The Hindu extremists in these states are concerned about losing their people to Christianity."

Indeed, it would seem that increased conversions from Hinduism to Christianity are triggering a backlash from Hindu extremists. India's Christian community has experienced repeated attacks in recent months from Hindu groups angry over the growing presence of Christianity.

A Vocal Response

Estabrooks believes that the indigenous Church in Sri Lanka and India needs to "react on a legal level, in terms of challenging the political leaders of the day. It's a religious freedom issue. Any government that says you cannot convert is obviously limiting the freedom of their people. I think that's the basis on which this should be challenged."

Christians in the West can play a vital role as these anti-conversion laws spring up, Estabrooks said. American Christians can use their freedom of speech to protect their fellow believers' freedom of religion.

"I think we should speak out. Our culture here in the West champions religious freedom. This is the basis of our society. We also espouse the UN Charters, which protect religious freedom. We should speak out as loudly as we can against such unjust actions around the world."

No Turning Back

Grieboski believes that at their core, anti-conversion laws reveal a deeper issue. "Anti-conversion bills are more often than not simply political tools used by religious nationalists to maintain a semblance of 'cultural unity,'" he says, "but in fact serve to limit the influence of outside religions which are seen in themselves as political tools of other countries.  By limiting conversions, religious nationalists and political leaders using religion as an excuse can maintain a tight control on resources, funding, and for that matter even have a tighter control on the overall population."

Apparently the controlling measures of Sri Lanka's predominantly Buddhist government have not yet deterred local Christians. In spite of the persecution they face as a minority faith in Sri Lankan society, Estabrooks says he has encountered a high level of persistence in the Christians he has visited there.

He tells of one young man, a former Buddhist monk, who was severely persecuted for his conversion to Christianity. His house was destroyed 13 times. When asked, "How can you stand it?" the young man's reply was to quote the words of the well-known hymn, "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back."

[nChrist]

Iran: Christians Released, But Threat of Charges Remains
Special to Compass Direct News


February 11, 2009

LOS ANGELES (Compass Direct News) -- Arrested on Jan. 21 in Tehran, converts from Islam Jamal Galishorani and his wife Nadereh Jamali have been released on bail with an open case, though charges against them are still unknown, sources told Compass.

Authorities released Galishorani yesterday, and officials at Evin Prison freed his wife last week. Iranian Christians and international human rights agencies have feared that they could be charged with "apostasy," or leaving Islam -- potentially punishable by execution in the Shia Islamic republic.

A third Christian also arrested in Tehran on Jan. 21, Armenian Hamik Khachikian, was released after one week without charges.

The Galishoranis and Khachikian are members of Tehran's Assemblies of God Church, an officially registered church, and were said to have held Bible studies in their home. The arrests of the Galishoranis and Khachikian, according to a source, are just part of the government's increased harassment of Iran's Christians.

"The pressure is continuous," the source said. "In the past it came and went with waves."

Possible Apostasy Charge

Sources told Compass that Mahmoude Azadeh, a 55-year-old Christian who has been incarcerated in Mashhad since last August, could face charges of apostasy.

He is expected to learn of exact charges, which also could include forming a Christian house group and propagating Christianity, at a Mashhad court hearing on Thursday (Feb. 12).

Azadeh has been in jail since security agents raided his house church in Nishapur; five others arrested with him were released shortly after. Azadeh has spent two months of his time in jail in solitary confinement, the sources said.

He was first arrested in June 2007 in Nishapur for two days, and after he and his family moved to Isfahan, authorities arrested him there in September of the same year, a source said.

In 2008, there were 73 documented arrests of Christians in Iran. A source working closely with churches in Iran expects there to be more arrests this year. A high-profile church leader was also taken into custody this year, the source said, and is still being held.

"With elections coming this year, there will be more arrests," the source said. "The regime rules through fear, and they want Christians to be afraid."

In addition to the approaching spring elections, the source said, exaggerated estimates of conversions by well-intentioned ministries outside of Iran may be contributing to reasons for the government's increased scrutiny of the church.

"One minister in America claimed that in 2008 alone, 800,000 Iranians came to Christ," the source said, adding that the government viewed such a high number of converts as a genuine threat to its rule and began to clamp down on churches.

The source noted that many Iranians wear Zoroastrian symbols and crucifixes merely as acts of rebellion against the government. "This doesn't always mean that they are true believers," he said.

The recent spate of arrests also included Baha'is.

As many Iranian Christians are either in prison or awaiting trial, the government continues to debate the adoption of a proposed penal code that would mandate the death penalty for apostates. The Iranian Parliament approved the new penal code last September, and the Guardian Council has yet to rule on it.

The council is made up of six conservative theologians appointed by Iran's Supreme Leader and six jurists nominated by the judiciary and approved by Parliament. In the past, death sentences for apostasy were issued only under judicial interpretations of sharia (Islamic law).

The proposed legislation in the Iranian Parliament would make the death penalty mandatory for male apostates, while women convicted of apostasy would receive life in prison at most.

Many Iranian Christians believe the arrests in January mark the beginning of a renewed crackdown.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Feb. 9, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Obama Revamps Faith-Based Offices, But Decisions Remain
    * Anglicans Continue Gay-Ordination Moratorium, Cool to New Province
    * Pakistan: Blasphemy Charge against Teen Forces Family into Hiding
    * Christian Groups Answer Atheists With Own Ads on British Buses


Obama Revamps Faith-Based Offices, But Decisions Remain

Baptist Press reports that President Obama named Joshua DuBois Feb. 5 to head the newly named White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and established an advisory council. Obama signed an executive order bringing changes to what was known as the Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives created under President George W. Bush. The White House said the newly designed office would be a resource for secular and faith-based organizations as they serve their communities. The office also will have a role in helping the administration address such social needs as reducing "the need for abortion" and in assisting the National Security Council in fostering interfaith relationships globally. The president must still decide whether religious groups participating in the initiative may discriminate by hiring only those of their own faith.

Anglicans Continue Gay Ordination Moratorium, Cool to New Province

The Christian Post reports that the annual meeting of Anglican primates ended Thursday with a plea that member churches maintain a 5-year-old moratorium on ordaining another openly gay bishop. Anglican leaders hope the move will help prevent further disintegration of the 77 million-member Communion, which has been wracked with disagreements over biblical authority and theology. The summit also included discussion of a new province formed by breakaway Anglicans in the United States. An Anglican advisory panel said it "foresees formidable problems in the way ahead," and that the new province could become a "haven for discontented groups," driving the Communion even farther apart. "If a way forward is to be found and mutual trust to be re-established, it is imperative that further aggravation and acts which cause offense, misunderstanding or hostility cease," the Anglican leaders said Thursday.

Pakistan: Blasphemy Charge against Teen Forces Family into Hiding

ASSIST News Service reports that a Pakistani Christian family has gone into hiding after a grade 9 student was accused of blasphemy by his Muslim classmate last week. After Naveed Aziz, 14, misplaced Christian literature belonging to his brother, a classmate from a hard-line Muslim background found it and accused Naveed of blasphemy when he asked for it back. Teachers at the government-run school tried to hush up the matter after learning that there was no blasphemous content in the literature. Nonetheless, Muslim organizations in the area incited students of other schools and colleges to implicate Naveed in a blasphemy case. Police finally arrested Naveed. His brother, Shafique, who is a pastor, turned himself in hoping to assist his brother, but both were allegedly tortured. The brothers' family fled after receiving multiple threats from radical Islamists.

Christian Groups Answer Atheists With Own Ads on British Buses

The Washington Post reports that atheist bus ads in London have inspired an answering ad from three Christian groups. The initial set of ads, reading, "There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life," prompted both outrage and amusement, and spread to several other countries. Now, the Christian Party will put up ads on similar buses, which say, "There is a God. BELIEVE. Don't worry and enjoy your life." The Trinitarian Bible Society will also respond with ads in the next few days, posting a line from Psalm 53:1: "The fool hath said in his heart, 'There is no God.'" Stephen Green, national director of lobbying group Christian Voice, expressed enthusiasm for the responses. "The forces of darkness are in retreat," he said.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Feb. 10, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Bible Translation Group Joins AIDS Fight in Africa
    * China: Elderly Woman Released to See Dying Husband, Tells Her Story
    * Holocaust-Denier Removed from Argentine Seminary
    * Police: Man Stole $100K from Church


Bible Translation Group Joins AIDS Fight in Africa

The Christian Post reports that one Bible translation group is fighting AIDS in Africa not with medicine, but with words. Wycliffe Bible Translators, already on an ambitious project to translate Scripture into the 2,000-plus languages still without it by 2025, is currently developing an easily translatable booklet in 11 countries and 80 African communities where AIDS education programs have been set up. Wycliffe personnel hope that the booklets, which tell "Kande's Story," will speak to African communities in their own "heart language." The story is close to Wycliffe's Kathie Watters, who dealt with the AIDS death of a friend while living in Cameroon. "Being part of a translation team and having a background in nursing, I believed Wycliffe could have an impact on AIDS in communities where language development was underway," she said.

China: Elderly Woman Released to See Dying Husband, Tells Her Story

ASSIST News Service reports that Shuang Shuying, 79, was released Monday from prison and went immediately to see her dying husband, Hua Zaichen, 91, in the hospital. She sent an open letter to ChinaAid revealing how she was tortured for her faith while in prison and thanking those around the world for their prayers and support, as international attention led to her release. According to ChinaAid, Hua Zaichen has been guarded by military police stationed outside the hospital. "Every time when my son came to visit me and shared with me that brothers and sisters from all over the world had been praying for me, I felt greatly strengthened and empowered which has enabled me to continue to live," Shuang Shuying wrote. She and her husband have been singled out for their compassion to persecuted believers and their work for the poor.

Holocaust-Denier Removed from Argentine Seminary

Reuters reports that a recently rehabilitated Catholic bishop has been removed as the head of an Argentine seminary. This follows weeks of controversy after Pope Benedict lifted a 20-year excommunication on Bishop Richard Williams, who has refused to recant his statements that the Holocaust did not result in mass genocide for the Jewish people. Williamson told Germany's Spiegel magazine that he needs to time "review historical evidence before considering an apology," Reuters reports. In a move to distance La Reja seminary and the Catholic Society of St. Pius X, the Society's head in Latin America officially dismissed Williamson on Sunday. The Vatican has said Pope Benedict, who expressed his full solidarity with Jews, was not aware of Williamson's denial of the Holocaust when he rehabilitated the bishop along with three others.

Police: Man Stole $100K from Church

MSNBC reports that one church is stuck with a $100,000 bill after one of its members used the money to procure sports cars, SUVs and personal items for himself and his girlfriend. Rodney Settles, 40, used his position as Chair of the Board of Trustees at First Corinthian Baptist Church in Philadelphia to divert funds for himself. According to fraud investigators, Settles purchased the cars and racked up credit card debt in the church's name, leaving First Corinthian liable for the unauthorized purchases. According to MSNBC, church leaders didn't realize anything was wrong until bill collectors tried to repossess one of the cars that Settles bought, as he had quit making payments on the vehicle.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Feb. 11, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Sense of Humor a Spiritual Gift? Many Think So, Survey Finds
    * Zimbabwe's Spillover Tests Neighboring Zambia's Goodwill
    * China Denies Censorship, Persecution of Activists
    * Church to Shut Down for a Month to Save Money

Sense of Humor a Spiritual Gift? Many Think So, Survey Finds

A third of Americans who identify themselves as Christians have never heard of spiritual gifts, a new Barna Group survey finds. Perhaps even more startling, 21 percent of those who say they understand spiritual gifts claim to have gifts that the Bible never mentions -- such as a sense of humor, singing, health, life, happiness, patience, a job, a house, compromise, premonition and creativity. The survey concluded, "Between those who do not know their gift (15%), those who say they don't have one (28%) and those who claimed gifts that are not biblical (20%), nearly two-thirds of the self-identified Christian population who claim to have heard about spiritual gifts have not been able to accurately apply whatever they have heard or what the Bible teaches on the subject to their lives."

Zimbabwe's Spillover Tests Neighboring Zambia's Goodwill

Mission News Network reports that Zimbabwean refugees continue to leave their country by the thousands, bringing economic troubles to their neighbors, who have been overwhelmed these refugees. "It is very hard to contain the problem in Zimbabwe. It is spreading, and it is causing the evangelical church to reach out to the refugees. It's also creating turmoil within the evangelical church," said Rody Rodeheaver with IN Network. Many Zambian farmers have seen their land overrun or even given away to Zimbabwean refugee farmers by the Zambian government. With their own livelihood taken away, resentment threatens to creep in and further destabilize the situation, even among church members. Zimbabwe's economy, train-wrecked by President Robert Mugabe's policies, has increasingly burdened neighboring countries.

China Denies Censorship, Persecution of Activists

The Associated Press reports that Chinese officials continue to insist that their government upholds human rights and freedom of speech despite wide evidence to the contrary. Officials told the U.N. Human Rights Council Monday that "China's law guarantees citizens freedom of speech and expression," Li Wufeng of China's State Council Information Office said. Li nevertheless acknowledged that China closely monitors Internet usage and blocks many websites, saying the Internet must not be used for "creating rumors or instigating the subversion of government or splitting national territory." China's government cracked down on "subversive" activities in 2008 in preparation for the Olympic Games, according to ChinaAid Association. Those targeted included Christians and dissenting journalists.

Church to Shut Down for a Month to Save Money

Religion News Service reports that one mainline church is taking strict measures to save money: First Unitarian Church in Portland, Ore., will close for the month of July. The decision has prompted some to wonder if it's appropriate for a church to shut its doors during tough times. The Rev. Marilyn Sewell, senior pastor, says the church will save about $100,000 in staff pay by closing during the slow month. This would help alleviate some of the stress from a projected $185,000 deficit without having to eliminate employees. "The congregation needs to own the problems and understand the consequences," said Sewell, who announced the decision during services on Jan. 25 and then sent a letter to the church's 1,500 members. The closure will mean no worship services, no adult or children's education and no programming for the month.

[nChrist]

Ruling on Egyptian?s Bid for Christian ID Expected Soon
Roger Elliott


February 12, 2009

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) -- Following a hearing on Saturday (Feb. 7), the lawyer for a Christian convert in Egypt said he is hopeful that his client will become the first Muslim-born Egyptian to be granted official identification as a Christian.

Nabil Ghobreyal, attorney in the controversial and long-running legal effort by Maher Ahmad El-Mo'otahssem Bellah El-Gohary to change religious affiliation on his identification papers, said he expects a favorable decision at the next hearing on Feb. 21.

"I am now 90 percent sure they will accept the conversion," said Ghobreyal. "I proved to the court that there is no legal reason why he can't convert to Christianity according to Egyptian civil law."

Ghobreyal said he is "generally happy with the attitude" of the new judge in the case, Hamdy Yasin, who declared that he was ready to listen to the facts of the case without prejudice. Yasin replaced Judge Mohammad Ahmad Atyia, who in a Jan. 6 hearing expelled Ghobreyal from the courtroom after the lawyer challenged his refusal to acknowledge the existence of legal documents detailing the successful attempt of a Muslim to convert to the Baha'i faith.

Lawyers for the state asked that El-Gohary, who has been in hiding under threat of death, appear in person to offer testimony. Ghobreyal protested, arguing that forcing El-Gohary to attend would present extreme risk to his personal safety. The judge agreed to Ghobreyal's request.

Mohammed Hegazy, the first Muslim-born Christian convert to attempt to have his new religion officially registered, is also in hiding after receiving death threats.

Ghobreyal said that the state's lawyers seemed to attempt to further delay or derail the case by calling for Dr. Ahmed Fathi Sorour, speaker of the People's Assembly (Egypt's parliament), to appear in court to testify about lack of legislation on "apostasy," or leaving Islam.

Implications

Should El-Gohary be granted the right to officially convert on Feb. 21, he would become the first Egyptian born a Muslim to do so.

Such a precedent could pave the way for Hegazy, whose petition to legally change his religious status was denied in January of last year. His lawyer, Gamal Eid, said this week he hopes to obtain another court date for his appeal.

"It would be very good for any cases like this," Eid said. "It will open the door for people who are looking for freedom of belief."

As much as a favorable ruling for El-Gohary would represent a milestone for freedom of belief in Egypt, the editor of the Egyptian newspaper Watani said he would have concerns about the impact of such a decision.

"Definitely there will be a backlash, whether from al-Azhar [university and mosque in Cairo], the Islamic supreme authority, or from the media or from the people," said Youssef Sidhom, a Coptic Christian. "This is expected, and I suppose our government should be prepared to deal with such reactions."

Ghobreyal, however, maintained that success would secure a route for all those wishing to officially change their religious affiliation.

"They will not be able to do that [ban official conversion in the future]," he said, "because of the international covenants and treaties which Egypt has ratified and the difficulty of making a law against apostasy, on which Islamic jurisprudence differs about how it should be handled."

Despite a constitution that grants religious freedom, legal conversion from Islam to another faith remains unprecedented. Hegazy, who filed his case on Aug. 2, 2007, was denied the right to officially convert in a Jan. 29, 2008 court ruling that declared it was against Islamic law for a Muslim to leave Islam.

The judge based his decision on Article II of the Egyptian constitution, which enshrines Islamic law, or sharia, as the source of Egyptian law. The judge said that, according to sharia, Islam is the final and most complete religion and therefore Muslims already practice full freedom of religion and cannot return to an older belief (Christianity or Judaism).

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat amended the constitution in 1980 to make sharia the main source of legislation in order to bolster support from Islamists against his secular and leftist rivals. Legal experts say there are two views of how sharia is to influence Egyptian law: That it is to be enforced directly in all government spheres, or that it is only to influence shaping of law by legislators and is not to be literally enforced by courts or other bodies.

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Tortured Christian Lawyer Arrested as China Denies Abuses
Sarah Page


February 13, 2009

DUBLIN (Compass Direct News) -- A Christian defender of human rights in China -- whom authorities detained last week -- detailed state-sponsored torture he suffered in 2007 in an open letter released on Monday (Feb. 9), the same day advocacy groups criticized a U.N. review of China's treatment of Christians and other minorities for omitting serious abuses.

While a Chinese delegate at the U.N. review asserted that China would never allow torture against religious members or other minorities, the open letter by Christian lawyer Gao Zhisheng -- whom officials seized from his Beijing home on Feb. 4 -- described 50 days of beatings and electric shocks on his mouth and genitals by state-sponsored thugs that left him desperate to die.

Gao and his family authorized China Aid Association (CAA) to release the letter, written on Nov. 28, 2007, when Gao was under house arrest in Beijing. Currently Gao's whereabouts are unknown, according to CAA.

The letter gives a detailed account of torture he suffered in September and October of 2007. Gao said his official captors -- some of whom he recognized -- referred to a report he had written earlier on the torture of Falun Gong members and warned him that he was about to experience the same treatment. They urinated on Gao and repeatedly prodded his body, mouth and genitals with electric shock batons. Other methods used were too graphic and "horrible" to describe, Gao said.

Officials later asked Gao to write articles cursing Falun Gong and praising the government. When he refused, they pressured him to write a statement saying that Falun Gong practitioners had given him false evidence of torture, and that -- despite constant harassment -- the government had treated him and his family well. Gao said he signed this statement, as well as others in which he confessed to sexual impropriety, after beatings that left him unrecognizable and the insertion of toothpicks into his genitals.

"I can't use any language to describe the helplessness, pain and despair that I felt then," he wrote. "Finally I made up stories, telling them about affairs that I had with four women. After more repeated torture, I had to describe how I had sex with each of these women. This continued until dawn the next day."

Skewed Review

During the U.N. review of China's human rights record on Monday (Feb. 9), Chinese delegate Song Hansong of the Supreme People's Procuratorate said that use of torture to obtain evidence was a criminal offense and that China had "established a comprehensive safeguard measure against torture in all our prisons and detention facilities."

"China is firmly against torture and would never allow torture to be used on ethnic groups, religious believers or other groups," Song said.

Louis-Martin Aumais, speaking for Canada, had asked that China follow recommendations of the Committee Against Torture, particularly on the inadmissibility in court of statements obtained through torture. He also asked that China ensure fundamental legal rights for those detained on state security charges, including access to counsel, public trial and sentencing and eligibility for parole.

Australian representative Caroline Millar welcomed improvements in China over the past 30 years but expressed concern over "reports of harassment, arbitrary arrest, punishment and detention of religious and ethnic minorities."

Li Baodong, ambassador and permanent representative of China at the United Nations, said that 50 government departments were working on a national human rights plan to be implemented this year and in 2010.

Rights groups such as CAA and Human Rights Watch stated that a summary of reports submitted for the review omitted documented details of serious human rights abuses, including the treatment of Christians and other minority groups. Omitted documentation that Non-Governmental Organizations had submitted included evidence of mistreatment of Christians, Tibetan and Uyghur minority groups and human rights defenders.

Documented Abuses

Harassment of house church Christians increased significantly last year, according to a CAA report released on Feb. 5. A total of 2,027 Christians were affected in incidents reported to CAA in 2008, compared with 788 people in 2007. Of the 2008 total, 764 Christians were arrested and detained, most for brief periods, and 35 were sentenced to prison terms or re-education through labor.

In Beijing, the total number of people persecuted was 539, up 418 percent from the 104 reported in 2007, CAA said.

"This is not hard to understand, because whenever the government holds important social events, serious suppression is implemented to maintain the appearance of stability through spreading fear among people," the report states. "Beside the factor of the Olympic Games, we cannot ignore that the persecution of Christianity and of some other religions serves as an essential policy of the atheist Chinese Communist government."

Local governments in China last year reported on continued measures to prevent "illegal" religious gatherings and curb other criminalized religious activities, according to reports from the U.S. Congressional Executive Commission on China (CECC) on Dec. 20 and Feb. 2. The commission consists of nine senators, nine house representatives, and five senior administration officials appointed by the U.S. president.

From information provided on a local government website, the CECC learned that authorities in Hechuan district, Chongqing municipality last October had launched a six-month campaign to root out "illegal venues for worship." Authorities were concerned about "anti-Chinese political forces" using Christianity to "infiltrate the area" and outlined a five-point plan to address illegal worship sites, including the "transformation through re-education" of Protestant members of unauthorized meeting places

A website of the Wuhan municipal government in Hunan province described draft legislation aimed at curbing freedom of worship in private homes; the new law would permit only immediate family members to take part in such gatherings.

The United Front Work Department in Fuzhou city, Jiangxi province, responsible for the oversight of religious communities, reported last year that work to "transform and expand the patriotism of underground Catholic forces" was a key objective, as these forces were exerting a negative impact on the city, according to the CECC. The Fuzhou department report also expressed concern about unauthorized Protestant preaching.

A Xinjiang government website also detailed a campaign to educate children and young people against ethnic separatism and illegal religious activities, according to the CECC.

Evidence from these sources concurred with reports from watch groups such as CAA regarding the closure of house churches, detention of house church members and harassment of house church leaders, the commission said.

Arrests on 'State Security' Charges

In Xinjiang, Uyghur Christians Alimjan Yimit (Alimujiang Yimit in Chinese) and Osman Imin (Wusiman Yaming in Chinese) both detained on state security charges, remain behind bars -- one sentenced, the other still waiting for a trial date.

In a closed trial in September 2007, the Xinjiang State Security Bureau (SSB) had sentenced Osman to two years of re-education through labor for "revealing state secrets" and "illegal proselytizing." Associates, however, said he knew nothing about state matters and was arrested for being an outspoken Christian and a leader in the Uyghur church.

Officials had called for a 10-15 year criminal sentence, but after international media attention they significantly reduced the term.

Xinjiang court officials returned Alimjan's case to state prosecutors in May last year, citing lack of evidence on charges of "inciting secessionist sentiment" and "collecting and selling intelligence for overseas organizations." State prosecutors returned the case to court officials in mid-October for reconsideration.

During Alimjan's employment with two foreign-owned companies, SSB officials regularly called him in for interrogation, forbidding him to discuss the questioning with anyone. In September 2007, they closed the business Alimjan worked for and accused him of using it as a cover for "preaching Christianity among people of Uyghur ethnicity."

Officials have since denied regular visits from lawyers or family members and threatened to hand down a sentence ranging from six years in prison to execution.

Lawyers had hoped for an early acquittal for Alimjan based on unfair treatment due to his Christian beliefs, but a lengthy bureaucratic process has dimmed these hopes.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Feb. 12, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * British MP's Move to Investigate Church Closures in Burma
    * Orthodox Anglicans Don't Expect Unity for Long
    * Alabama, Iran Not So Different, Survey Finds
    * Dairy Cows Improve Lives for Destitute Bengali Women

British MP's Move to Investigate Church Closures in Burma

ASSIST News Service reports that recent forcible church closures in Rangoon, Burma (also known as Myanmar), as caught the attention of British Members of Parliament. According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a British-based human rights group, at least 33 MP's have signed legislation calling on the on the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion and Belief to investigate violations of religious freedom in Burma. The move follows reports received by CSW of the January closure of at least 100 churches in Rangoon. CSW said the church closures mark the most significant crackdown on Christian activity in Burma in recent years, affecting as many as 80 per cent of churches in Rangoon. Fifty pastors were forced to sign documents promising to stop holding church services, under threat of prison for non-compliance.

Orthodox Anglicans Don't Expect Unity for Long

The Christian Post reports that the recent Anglican Primates Conference in Alexandria, Egypt, only covered up fault lines in the crumbling Communion. In an open letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, leading conservative and Nigerian Archbishop Peter J. Akinola wrote, "It now seems increasingly clear that without a radical change of behavior on the part of The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada the only possible outcome of such a process is acknowledgment of a bitter truth that the differences in the words of Archbishop Idris Jones are 'irreconcilable.'" Akinola acknowledged the greviousness of a split, but cited moves by dioceses in the U.S. and Canada to go through with same-sex blessings. These actions contradict the primates' decision to uphold a moratorium on gay ordination and gay marriage blessings.

Alabama, Iran Not So Different, Survey Finds

Religion News Service reports that while Baptists in Tuscaloosa and Muslims in Tehran might not seem to have much in common, but both agree on one thing: the importance of religion. Nearly identical percentages of people in both locations -- 82 percent of Alabamians and 83 percent of Iranians -- say religion is an important part of their daily lives. The Agence France-Presse also picked up the story. The comparisons come from the Gallup Poll, which recently compiled findings about the importance of faith to individuals in all 50 states and 143 countries. "Georgians in the United States are about as religious as Georgians in the Caucasus region," wrote Steve Crabtree and Brett Pelham, in a Monday (Feb. 9) report on the Gallup Web site. The global findings are based on face-to-face and telephone interviews conducted between 2006 and 2008 of about 1,000 adults per country.

Dairy Cows Improve Lives for Destitute Bengali Women

Baptist Press reports that a dozen widows and abandoned women in India's West Bengal state are now better able to care for their families, thanks to a Southern Baptist development project that drew on $22,000 from the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund. The project focused on women in two villages who were living in desperate poverty, some with small children who were suffering from malnutrition. Because they were members of a minority religious group, many of their neighbors looked down on them and would not help. A field pastor spearheaded the campaign to improve the families' lives by giving them dairy cows and showing them how to care for it. The cows, which cost as little as $80 per family, provide the women with a steady source of income to support and feed their families.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Feb. 13, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Ministry Reports 9M Conversion Since 'Jesus Film' Partnership
    * ICC to Indict Sudan's President for War Crimes
    * Two More Arrested in Malatya, Turkey Murders
    * Movieguide Announces Film Winners at 17th Annual Gala


Ministry Reports 9M Conversion Since 'Jesus Film' Partnership

The Christian Post reports that since the first release of the "Jesus Film" project in 1997, 9,018,540 people have come to Christ through the film and ministry surrounding it. The film, based on the Gospel of Luke, is the most translated and widely distributed film in history. "Over the last 11 years, team members [of the Jesus Film Harvest Partners ministry] have shared thousands of stories of triumph from across the globe," JFHP reported this month. "These stories tell of answers to decade-old prayers, freedom from witchcraft, understanding the love of Christ, salvation following persecution, release from addictions, and hope to the dying, among many others." The project is the brainchild of Campus Crusade for Christ's partnership with the Church of the Nazarene's World Mission Department.

ICC to Indict Sudan's President for War Crimes

Reuters reports that Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir will be held accountable by the International Criminal Court for the genocide that killed as many as 300,000 people. U.N. officials has indicted Bashir for war crimes in Dargur and issued a warrant for his arrest, an announcement expected to become public in the next few weeks. Bashir's government at Khartoum says the U.N.'s numbers are exaggerated, saying 10,000 people died and that it was not genocide. Sudan's government is not likely to hand over Bashir any time soon. "We will face a very difficult situation after this indictment, and I just hope people of goodwill will go on trying to find ways forward," said Malloch Brown, Britain's Africa minister.

Two More Arrested in Malatya, Turkey Murders

Compass Direct News reports that a Turkish court has charged two more men for instigating the murder of three Christians in Malatya in 2007 -- a former employee of the Christian publishing house where they were killed, and an ex-journalist suspected of ties to a group that tried to engineer a political coup. A judge ordered the arrest of former journalist Varol Bulent Aral, 32, on Feb. 4 on suspicion of instigating the murder. Aral has been connected to Ergenekon, an ultranationalist cabal of retired generals, politicians, journalists and mafia members under investigation for conspiracy in various murders. Two Turkish Christians, Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel, and a German, Tilmann Geske, were brutally tortured and murdered on April 18, 2007.

Movieguide Announces Film Winners at 17th Annual Gala

ASSIST News Service reports that the 17th Annual Movieguide® Faith and Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry announced the 2008's winners for "good and uplifting" film and television last night. Hosted by Dr. Ted Baehr, chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission and publisher of Movieguide®, the event offered prizes up to $100,000. The film "Fireproof," which won Best Feature Film at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival in January, walked away with the $100,000 Epiphany Prize for Most Inspiring Movie of 2008. Other nominees included Disney's "Prince Caspian," "Gran Torino," and "Henry Poole Is Here."

[nChrist]

Watch List Shows One Constant: Increasing Persecution
Ginny McCabe


February 16, 2009

For the seventh year in a row, North Korea ranked number one on Open Doors annual World Watch List for 2009. Following North Korea in the top ten spots are Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Maldives, Yemen, Laos, Eritrea and Uzbekistan, respectively.

The World Watch List ranks countries by the intensity of persecution that Christians face for demonstrating their faith. It brings attention to the world's top 50 persecutors.

Dr. Carl Moeller, President/CEO of Open Doors USA said the World Watch List is compiled as a result of several needs.

"[T]here is a need for doing two things. One is bringing awareness to the issue of persecution in countries that many people haven't even heard of," said Moeller. "And number two, to help focus our work around the world, and to try and identify those places that things are really happening so that we can continue to strategize and work on that level."

The Watch List combines well-documented incidents of persecution in each country with an in-depth questionnaire given to Open Doors' coworkers on the ground.

Open Doors then scores the questions and weights the severity of the persecution get the ranking numbers.

"Having the World Watch List is a wonderful beginning point for people to understand that persecution is increasing," Moeller said.

"In my five years with the organization, and in the fifty-four years that it has been working on behalf of persecuted Christians, there is one consistent factor--that is persecution is increasing, worldwide."

Moeller also said that in almost every country that is listed, there is a huge revival going on in the church.

"So, this unique interaction between persecution and revival continues today. We see it in the book of Acts, and throughout church history. Wherever the church grows dramatically, resistance from the enemy comes out and persecution takes place, especially in those places where Christianity is not a dominant religion. It's a powerless religion, so it is always acted upon by the powerful."

This year's number one, North Korea is no stranger to the World Watch List, topping the list at number one for seven years in a row.

Prior to that, Saudi Arabia held the number one position. The Wahhabi kingdom of Saudi Arabia now holds second place, sharing the same amount of points with another country that is also ruled by Sharia law, Iran. Islam is also the official religion in Afghanistan, Somalia and the Maldives; the countries who are in the fourth, fifth and sixth positions.

Afghanistan rose from seventh to fourth place. According to the Open Doors World Watch List, the country moved up on the list as a result of the increased pressure from the Taliban movement during 2008.

In seventh place is Yemen, whose position changed from six to seven, but there was no major change in the lack of religious freedom for Christians in Yemen in 2008. There was also no real change to the status of religious freedom in Laos; the country is still number eight on the list.

Two new countries entered the top ten--Somalia and Eritrea. For Eritrea, the total of overall points didn't change compared to last year, but other countries dropping off of the top ten list made it go up. In Somalia the number of incidents against Christians increased dramatically in 2008, explaining its rise from twelve to five.

Islam is the majority religion in seven of the top ten countries--Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Maldives, Yemen and Uzbekistan. Two countries have communist governments--North Korea and Laos. Eritrea is the only dictatorial country in the ten highest countries on the list.

Focusing on the number one of the top ten, daily life for Christians in North Korea remains extremely harsh.

The border between China and North Korea is almost closed; everything and everyone going in and out of North Korea are monitored closely. Executions are held in secret. The number of people sentenced to a labor camp or in prison has increased compared to last year. North Korea is closing its doors and Christians are persecuted constantly. Genuine religious freedom doesn't exist at all; and no one is allowed to be a Christian in North Korea. The constitution is firmly based on Juche ideology.

Moeller, who took a recent trip to North Korea said, "the number one thing Christians can do is to pray. "I encourage you to join our on-going prayer campaign for North Korea and to plug in to the many opportunities Open Doors offers to advocate for the oppressed believers there during North Korea Freedom Week April 25-May 2."

Overall, the status of religious freedom for Christians deteriorated in 2008 in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan (No. 13), Iraq (No. 16), Mauritania (No. 18 ), Algeria (No. 19), India (No. 22), Northern Nigeria (26), Indonesia (No. 41), Bangladesh (No. 43) and Kazakhstan (No. 50 and new on the top 50 list).

There was still a lot of pressure on Christians in China in 2008. The government shut down house churches, arrested and physically harmed Christians. On the other hand, the situation in 2008 for Christians was better than previous years. There were no reports of Christians being kidnapped or murdered because of their faith, which happened in 2007.

China and Bhutan were countries that dropped out of the top ten. According to Open Doors, persecution in Bhutan mainly comes from the family, the community, and the monks who yield a strong influence on the society. Cases of atrocities (such as beatings) decreased in number. The year 2008 brought major changes to Bhutan, including  others a new constitution, which guarantees more religious liberty was implemented.

In other changes for the better, the total number of points decreased for Bhutan, China, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Sudan (North), Zanzibar Islands, Cuba, Turkey, and Columbia.

In another major positive development, fewer believers were harassed in Vietnam this year. As a result it fell to No. 23. Last year it was ranked No. 17 and in 2006 it was No. 8. Open Doors recorded fewer reports of persecution of Christians in Colombia this year. As a result, this long-time World Watch List country fell off the list.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Feb. 16, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * 'Underground' Project to Deploy Defectors Back to N. Korea
    * Religious Freedom Panel Seeks Stepped-Up U.S. Role in Sudan
    * Restrictive Religion Law Fails Muster in Kazakhstan
    * Christian Groups Applaud U.N. Report on India's Intolerance

'Underground' Project to Deploy Defectors Back to N. Korea

The Christian Post reports that one ministry is working to put escaped North Korean Christians back where they came from -- and these persecuted believers are excited about the opportunity. The new Underground University project by Seoul USA puts North Korean Christians through a 12-month intensive training process in Seoul, preparing them with ministry tools to reach others in North Korea with the Gospel. "Many Americans have heard about the tens of thousands who are active in the underground North Korean Church, but an equally amazing trend is the growing number of North Korean exiles who are eager to return to China and North Korea to reach their countrymen," said H.S. Foley, the CEO of Seoul USA. These Christians will deploy to North Korea, China, and other countries where North Korean diplomats and students live.

Religious Freedom Panel Seeks Stepped-Up U.S. Role in Sudan

Religion News Service reports that a federal religious freedom watchdog panel is urging President Obama to step up efforts to maintain the fragile peace in Sudan. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on Wednesday (Feb. 11) asked the White House to appoint a Special Envoy to Sudan and to confront China over the flow of weapons into the war-torn country. Sudan's largely Christian south and Muslim north reached a tentative peace deal in 2005 after 21 years of brutal civil war. Commission members say the U.S. needs to take an aggressive role in ensuring compliance with Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Specifically, the Commission urged special attention on infrastructure and economic needs in southern Sudan, and greater religious freedom protection for non-Muslims in northern Sudan, which is governed by Islamic law.

Restrictive Religion Law Fails Muster in Kazakhstan

Mission News Network reports that Kazakhstan's Constitutional Council has declared a restrictive religion law unconstitutional, letting Christians breathe a temporary sigh of relief. Kazakhstan's president must still review the opinion, and may propose changes to the decision within ten days. The Council must approve his changes. The law would have banned unregistered religious activity, meetings and evangelism. The ruling may also help ease existing restraints on religious freedom. Many speculate that the decision comes as a political preparation for when Kazakhstan will assume chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2010.

Christian Groups Applaud U.N. Report on India's Intolerance

A new U.N. report on India's religious violence has won the approval of two Christian rights groups, according to the Christian Post. The report, by the U.N. Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, notes the contradiction between the "religious diversity of India and the positive impact of secularism" that coexists with a "system of impunity [that] emboldens forces of intolerance." All India Christian Council President Dr. Joseph D'souza praised the analysis, saying the report "painted a balanced and authentic picture of the state of religious freedom in India ... The increasing violence against religious minorities by religious fundamentalists urgently warrants this level of attention."

[nChrist]

The Untold Ordeal of a Christian Convert in Saudi Arabia
Success Kanayo Uchime


February 17, 2009

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (ANS) -- Christian converts in Saudi Arabia go through many untold ordeals at the hands of government officials and other Muslim fundamentalists because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

As reported by Open Doors, the Saudi authorities have arrested 28-year-old Hamoud Bin Saleh simply because he gave testimony of his conversion from Islam to Christianity, and also of his critical posture of the kingdom's judiciary on his website.

According to the Open Doors report, this arrest comes barely five months after the daughter of a member of Saudi Arabia's religious police was killed for writing online about her faith in Christ.

In its report of Hamoud's arrest, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) said that Hamoud had been detained for nine months in 2004 and again for a month last November, and was reportedly being held in Riyadh's Eleisha prison because of his faith in Christ.

The report said that on Hamoud's website, which Saudi authorities have since blocked, he wrote that his journey to Christ began after witnessing the public beheading of three Pakistanis convicted of drug charges.

Apparently, Hamoud received Christ as his savior after reading how Jesus forgave, rather than stoned, a woman condemned for adultery.

In a related incident, Compass Direct News also reported that Gabriel, a prominent foreign pastor, who is the father of eight children and who has lived and worked as a private driver in Saudi Arabia for 25 years, has fled Riyadh after a member of the religious police threatened his life three times in one week.

Compass Direct said that on January 10, Gabriel found an unsigned note on his vehicle threatening to kill him if he did not leave the country. On Jan. 13, a sheikh at a Riyadh mosque, who is also allegedly a member of the religious police, in the company of four others wearing masks and driving a small car, cut off the van Gabriel was driving. They forced him out of the vehicle, and told him to leave the country.

They told him, "If you do not leave the country, we will kill you."

The report says the masked men raged at him for about five minutes, accusing him of being a Christian, and of trying to change the religion of others.

Subsequent to the threat, Gabriel took temporary refuge in a safe house in Riyadh, and after consulting with consular officials from four embassies, he was whisked away to another city the following day.

In 2005, authorities directed that Gabriel be arrested along with 16 other foreign Christian leaders, although diplomatic pressure resulted in their release within weeks.

The report says the current situation and circumstances surrounding Gabriel are similar to those of Tony Higgins, the Irish Roman Catholic layman, who was gunned down in Riyadh in August 2004.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Feb. 17, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff
Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

    * Nigerian Christian Freed, Blasphemy Charges Dropped
    * Sunni Victory Brings Hope to Christians in Iraqi Province
    * Americans Skeptical about End of World, Survey Finds
    * Christian Prayer Room at Pakistani School Closed


Nigerian Christian Freed, Blasphemy Charges Dropped

ASSIST News Service reports that Sani Kibili, 55, a Nigerian Christian who was earlier sentenced to three years imprisonment by a Shariah court in the northern town of Kano, has been freed. Kibili's released was secured after series of legal battles by their lawyers adding that he was imprisoned in October 2007 for alleged blasphemy against Islam. Sani's case was riddled with irregularities and his lawyer made it clear from the start that his imprisonment was illegal. "As a Christian, he was not supposed to be tried in a Shariah court without declaring himself willing to be given such a trial in the first place," according to Open Doors UK. The Christian-Muslim conflict has been very pronounced in Nigeria, especially in the north where Christians are in the minority.

Sunni Victory Brings Hope to Christians in Iraqi Province

The Christian Post reports that elections in the Nineveh province of Iraq may give the large minority Christian population reason to relax. The newly elected Sunni government, which replaces the Kurdish party in power, criticized the former party's tolerance of extremists who attacked minority communities. "The minorities are an important part of the Nineveh province and they should enjoy all the rights they are entitled to," Osama Al-Nujeifi said, according to Assyrian International News Agency. Al-Nujeifi is an outspoken minority rights advocate in Iraq's parliament, and his brother heads the Sunni party. "We believe the minorities have to participate in the political sphere, in the provincial council and all the local institutions. This is important for us and we believe we will be able to accomplish it."

Americans Skeptical about End of World, Survey Finds

Baptist Press reports that most Americans aren't concerned that the end of the world will occur in their lifetimes, according to a new study by LifeWay Research. Only 11 percent of 1,600 people who participated in a survey on the topic believed they would see the end of the world. "Many religions predict a time when the world will end, be recreated or experience some cataclysmic transition," Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, said. "For others, that is not a religious issue but based on concerns from the environment to nuclear war. However, the belief that 'the end is near' is not that widespread, with a strong majority disagreeing with the statement."

Christian Prayer Room at Pakistani School Closed

ASSIST News Service reports that a Christian hostel warden of a Nursing School made the rare move to lock the door of a room formerly used as a mosque by Muslim nursing students and staff. She was responding to the hospital administration's decision to close a prayer room for Christian nursing students and nursing staff. The administration ordered closure of the Christians' prayer room at the nursing school under the pretext that provision of prayer room on the premises of an official building for followers of any religion other than Islam was unconstitutional in the Islamic republic of Pakistan. Some 80 percent students of the nursing school are Christians. The hostel warden, Parsis Zareen Gul, maintains that the school administration that ordered closure of the Muslim prayer room.

[nChrist]

Cholera Epidemic Continues to Spread in Zimbabwe
Ginny McCabe


February 18, 2009

As Zimbabwe's cholera continues to spread, the disease has expanded from urban centers into rural areas, aid agency World Vision reported recently. The epidemic is expected to worsen as the rainy season continues for the next several months. So far, more than 3,000 people have died from the disease, with more than 58,000 reported cases.

An estimated three million Zimbabwean refugees are spilling in South Africa and other neighboring countries, taking the disease with them.

Cholera, an easily treatable waterborne disease, thrives in poor sanitary conditions and has been accelerated by systematic under-funding in water and sanitation infrastructure and health delivery service.

Despite relief efforts, the outbreak has yet to be contained.

Relief organization World Vision has sent additional staff and nurses to the affected areas, including Shamva, Bindura, Bikita, Chivi and Mudzi in Zimbabwe. World Vision has already sent assessments teams to these areas to identify needs and is supplying cholera kits in many of the affected areas. Teams from Medecins San Frontieres (MSF), a medial relief organization, have now treated almost 45,000 people, but group believes that other outbreaks are possible.

"There has been a devastating implosion of Zimbabwe's once-lauded health system, which doesn't just affect cholera patients." said Manuel Lopez, MSF Head of Mission in Zimbabwe in a statement on Feb. 17.

"We know that public hospitals are turning people away; health centers are running out of supplies and equipment; there is an acute lack of medical staff; patients can't afford to travel to pick up their HIV medication or to receive treatment; and many of our own clinics are overflowing. From what we see each day it couldn't be clearer -- this is a massive medical emergency, spiraling out of control."

The Politics That Kill

The cholera outbreak has been exacerbated by Zimbabwe's economic collapse and the rough start of the power-sharing deal between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Zimbabwe's currency has the world's worst inflation rate, leaving its economy in tatters. The unemployment rate is estimated at 90 percent or higher, and the local currency is practically worthless. Health concerns, including the cholera outbreak, are also emerging as a result of the overall humanitarian crisis.

The power-sharing deal, which comes after a year of political standstill, aims to have the rival political leaders working together to resolve the countries on-going, critical economic situation. The deal retains Mugabe, who has held power for three decades, and who many blame for the country's economic collapse. Tsvangirai has long criticized Mugabe for his bad policies and refusal to accept outside aid for his country. The new cabinet faces monumental tasks ahead, with a hunger crisis forcing about seven million people to depend upon foreign aid, as well as, anticipated extreme food and gasoline shortages.

"Zimbabwe currently has an inflation rate that is currently at 231,000,000 percent. What is happening right now with the cholera outbreak is basically making a situation that was already desperate, worse," said Rose Craigue, Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs Specialist with World Vision, based in Washington, D.C.

Health Crisis Compounded by Sanitation and Nutrition Problems

"Cholera is a very treatable disease," Craigue said. "It is not untreatable. Why it is spreading so rapidly in Zimbabwe is because there is a breakdown of the health system and the sanitation system, and of course the economic challenges that the country is facing are not helping."

Zimbabwe's sanitation system is poor at best, and broken down in some areas. Also, water is not treated for potability, and many people are not able to receive water in their homes. As a result, people may obtain water from a ditch, or a well, or other untreated sources.

"What needs to be done is to make sure that they are receiving water that is treated," Craigue said. "So, there are things that can be done to make sure that the cholera outbreak is contained, and so that it doesn't happen again in the future."

World Vision immediately began responding to the epidemic when the cholera outbreak first started last year. The current six-month cholera response budget, November through April, is budgeted at $1,105,000 for this particular response.

Craique said several efforts are in place to address this concerns at the household level, including usage of water purification tablets, education and teaching people things like how to wash their hands after they go to the toilet, or how to wash their food, especially food that is consumed raw, that it has to be washed with clean water.

Still, some of the challenges in the country can't be resolved at the household level. Some issues, such as sewage blockage, need to be addressed at a community or broader level.

World Vision officials said one of its greatest concerns is the children. "Some of the 3,000 who have died are children," Craigue said. "So having the cholera outbreak, on top of HIV Aids pandemic, and on top of the economic situation is horrible."

Zimbabwe's children already face rampant malnutrition due to the country's economic collapse. Many who used to be fed through feeding programs at schools have also been denied that access, because the teachers are striking. When the children don't go to school, the feeding programs can't continue.

Since January 29, teachers have failed to report to school due to low wages, World Vision reports. Beyond the depriving Zimbabwe's children of an education, school shutdowns mean that feeding programs dry up, as programs can't operate when classes are not in session. Since Zimbabwe is in the height of their annual "hunger period" right now, it's especially critical that schooling resume immediately.

"There have been some talks between the government and the teachers and that could be resolved, so we are hoping that is resolved very quickly," Craigue said.

The Resolution to Continue

Many of the current total of 770 World Vision staff have been in Zimbabwe for years, and 750 of the staff are Zimbabwe nationals.

"We are not there just for a short time. We are planning to continue our cholera response activities, and we will continue distributing the cholera kits, we are committed to continue the community health awareness program, and that is going to take a while. It's not something that you do over a few weeks or months, it is something you continue to do for years, because it doesn't take months to change a person's behavior, but years."

MSF, which has been working in Zimbabwe since 2000, also plans to stay until the situation brightens. The group has called on international donors to step up their efforts, and has urged Zimbabwe's new government to do the same.

World Vision also plans to continue with its food program in Zimbabwe, which has been in place for years.

The United Nations has also upped its estimate of people requiring urgent food aid to 7 million. World Vision is increasing its target beneficiaries for food aid from 538,128 people with 6,216.7 MT of food to 1.244 million people with 12,766.4 MT of food. Interventions include institutional feeding, safety net, and food-for-assets. The safety-net feeding, which includes school feeding, is planning to reach 720,039 beneficiaries in all, with a total of 8,325.452 MT of food.

Craigue declined to comment on the political situation in the country. "What I can say is that we are encouraged to see any positive leaders, anything that is being done to address the political situation, anything that could help the economic situation, which is ultimately going to help the people that we serve. We are very hopeful and prayerful about anything that can be done to help the overall situation."