RELIGION TODAY

[nChrist]

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

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

In today's edition:

    * Iran: Christians Could Gain from Friday's Elections
    * North Korea: Rights Group Worried about Sentenced U.S. Journalists
    * Study Finds Religious More Liberal on Immigration Issues
    * Chinese Officials Beat Pastor Because "God Tells Me To"

Iran: Christians Could Gain from Friday's Elections

Mission News Network reports that Christians stand to gain if tomorrow's elections in Iran manage to oust President Ahmadinejad. His opponent, Mir Hussein Mousavi, has won massive support among young adults who reject Ahmadinejad's hard-line Islamic conservatism. "In the future there is definitely the possibility of more openness in Iran. However, the latest indications are that Ahmadinejad will likely be re-elected," said Carl Moeller with Open Doors, a persecution watchdog. Under Ahmandinejad's watch, Christians have become increasingly persecuted, and those converting from Islam have faced severe consequences, as they are considered apostate. "Their hearts are yearning for more freedom. Certainly, Christians are at the forefront of that because they have been the most oppressed," Moeller said.

North Korea: Rights Group Worried about Sentenced U.S. Journalists

The Christian Post reports that a human rights group continues work on behalf of two American journalists convicted of what North Korea calls "crimes against the state." Christian Solidarity Worldwide has expressed fear for Laura Ling and Euna Lee in the country's "macabre imprisonment system." The group says it has even found "indicators of genocide" against religious groups. Both women face 12 years of hard labor. They are just two of North Korea's estimated 200,000 political prisoners. The United States has continued to call for the women's release. North Korea maintains that Ling and Lee "were detained on March 17 while illegally intruding into the territory of the DPRK by crossing the DPRK-China border."

Study Finds Religious More Liberal on Immigration Issues

The Houston Chronicle reports that those who attend religious services at least once a week are more likely to support a more liberal immigration position. According to a new analysis of a 2006 Pew Hispanic Center survey on immigration views, regular churchgoers were more likely to support some kind of amnesty over immediate deportation. Support increased at much as 7 percent depending on the specific policy. Overall, the Pew survey found 53 percent of people surveyed said illegal immigrants should be required to go home, while 40 percent said they should be granted some kind of legal status that allows them to stay here. The new analysis will be published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Chinese Officials Beat Pastor Because "God Tells Me To"

ASSIST News Network reports that a Chinese security official threatened to strangle a pastor and break his legs during a beating after arresting him. On the morning of June 5, Pastor Hua Huiqi was arrested and brutally beaten by police officers from Shaanxi and Fengtai, Beijing as he was transferring trains at Taiyuan Railroad Station. The official also said, "I'm beating you because God tells me to do so. I'll get all the materials ready in three months and arrest both you and your wife for sentencing. ... Our Domestic Security Protection Squad is specially set up here to suppress you Jesus believers." Pastor Hua Huiqi was released on June 7. He is recovering at home, but his activities are restricted by authorities.

[nChrist]

China: Bookstore Owner Sentenced to Three Years in Prison
Edward Ross


June 12, 2009

LOS ANGELES (Compass Direct News) -- A Beijing court today found Christian bookstore owner Shi Weihan guilty of "illegal business operation" and sentenced him to three years in prison and a 150,000 yuan (US$21,975) fine.

Sources said Shi's store operated legally and sold only books for which he had obtained government permission, and that his Holy Spirit Trading Co. printed Bibles and Christian literature without authorization but only for free distribution to local house churches.

The 38-year-old Shi had been released on Jan. 4, 2008 due to insufficient evidence for the same vague charge of "illegal business operation," but he was arrested again two month later, on March 19, and held virtually incommunicado. Contrary to Chinese law, authorities have denied all but a few visits from his lawyer and family, held him without charges for most of his time in jail, and initially withheld medication for his diabetes.

The court ruling appears to have allowed time that Shi has spent in jail to count toward his sentence, a source said, as his prison term was described as running from Nov. 28, 2007, when he was initially arrested, to Nov. 27, 2010.

Others in a printing company who stood trial with Shi appeared to have received similar sentences. A written judgment is expected within 15 days to allow time for an appeal to be filed, said Ray Sharpe, a friend of Shi.

"Absent an appeal, it is also possible that Shi could be allowed a sort of medical parole, due to his diabetic condition," Sharpe said. "Hopefully, he could then be allowed to stay in a hospital under a sort of house arrest."

He said that Shi did not yet know whether he would appeal, adding that the process could take up to a year.

Friends and business acquaintances of Shi have described him as a model citizen of China, saying that he has inspired them to love China by his patriotism and love for his homeland. They said he is known for selfless sacrifice on behalf of poor and disenfranchised rural Christians and minority children.

For much of his incarceration, Shi's wife Zhang Jing and their two daughters, 12-year-old Shi Jia and 8-year-old Shi En Mei, have not known where he was being held. The family has been under nearly continual surveillance, limiting their ability to make contact with people who could assist them.

Sources said Zhang has worried about her husband's condition and that she has taken on leadership duties at their church, where Public Security Bureau officials have intimidated the congregation with regular visits. Some members have left the church because of the intimidation, sources said, and Zhang is said to have suffered anxiety and stress that have led to depression.

Their two daughters have been ostracized at school for being the children of a prisoner, sources said.

Shi has lost more than 44 pounds since his second incarceration, they said, dropping to less than 130 pounds. The sources added that he has suffered from blisters because of unsanitary conditions in prison, as well as tinnitus that at times causes his ears to ring so loudly that he cannot sleep.

Chinese officials claim that the Nanjing Amity Printing Co. (Amity Press), the only government-approved Bible publisher, produces enough Bibles to meet the needs of the Chinese church, which various religious freedom organizations dispute. The groups complain that Amity prints a large share of its Bibles for export, and those sold domestically are not available to many Christians.

[nChrist]

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

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

In today's edition:

    * Schuller's Daughter to Lead Crystal Cathedral
    * Gambia: Prosecution Delays Convicted Missionaries' Appeal
    * Cowboy Roams Idaho, Planting Churches
    * Sri Lankan Christians Plead for International Support

Schuller's Daughter to Lead Crystal Cathedral

The Orange County Register reports that Crystal Cathedral's new permanent pastor is also a member of the family. Sheila Schuller Coleman, founding pastor Robert H. Schuller's daughter, will now take over leadership at the church. She takes the reins from her brother, Robert Anthony Schuller, who resigned after differing with his father in their vision for the church. Coleman says she is in line with her father's vision, and is honored with the task. "Our church didn't even start ordaining women until 1973," she said in an interview. "I'm proud of my dad for doing this and I hope I can serve as a role model for younger women who want to get things accomplished in this church." The older Schuller told the congregation that he will "motive and clarify the vision" while Coleman acts as a "co-leader" to implement it.

Gambia: Prosecution Delays Convicted Missionaries' Appeal

ASSIST News Service reports that the appeal by British missionary David Fulton against an additional conviction for forgery has been delayed. Prison authorities failed to produce Fulton at a June 1 hearing, and the prosecution failed to attend. "Mr. Fulton and his wife Fiona had initially received sentences of one year's imprisonment with hard labor in December 2008, after pleading guilty to sedition on the advice of a lawyer, who claimed this would ensure more lenient sentences," said a Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) spokesperson. Fulton was "given an additional three years after pleading guilty to forgery." He plead guilty hoping to receive the "usual sentence" of a fine. CSW worries the delay in the appeals process is hampering the Fultons' right to a fair hearing.

Cowboy Roams Idaho, Planting Churches

Jim Ballard's cowboy hat and boots make him look like a Hollywood cowboy, but appearances can be deceiving, Baptist Press reports. Ballard's time in Idaho is spent working with ranchers and church planters. He sometimes travels 500 miles in a day to recruit and help church planters with Eastern Idaho Southern Baptist Assocation. Ballard preaches at a different church every Sunday in his association, which includes 13 churches and two missions. The "cowboy" churches he works with minister to ranchers whose lives can't accommodate a normal 11 o'clock service on Sunday, so most churches have evening or afternoon services. "We're finding out that even if the folks have a Mormon background, if we'll do a cowboy church in their setting, they'll come," Ballard said.

Sri Lankan Christians Plead for International Support

The Christian Post reports that despite the millions of dollars from the U.N., camps for Sri Lanka's displaced people have only enough resources for 2-4 months. About 300,000 people are dependent on aid groups for food, shelter, and medical care. World Vision estimates that that the cost of food and water supplies alone runs about $1 million per day. The small National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) has been contributing about $15,000 per day, but its leaders have pleaded for international help. World Evangelical Alliance International Director Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, who visited the country June 1-6, said the group "urgently requires assistance from their brothers and sisters elsewhere in the world if they are to complete their task."

[nChrist]

China Refuses to Renew Licenses for Human Rights Lawyers
Sarah Page


June 15, 2009

DUBLIN (Compass Direct News) -- Li Dunyong, one of several lawyers involved in the defense of Uyghur house church Christian Alimjan Yimit (Alimujiang Yimiti in Chinese) was effectively disbarred at the end of May when Chinese authorities turned down an annual application to renew his law license.

Zhang Kai, another Beijing lawyer who had defended Alimjan, suffered the same fate.

Authorities failed to renew licenses for at least 15 other lawyers who had defended civil rights cases, religious and ethnic minorities and political dissidents, according to watch group Human Rights in China (HRIC).

During a process of "Annual Inspection and Registration" for all lawyers and law firms, with a closing date of May 31 for renewal applications, authorities also denied three law firms the necessary approval to practice. Officials harassed and physically abused several of the affected lawyers in the months prior to the loss of their licenses.

The lawyers can technically appeal this decision or re-apply at a later date, but most see this as a clear warning to avoid handling sensitive cases.

"The process of building a country ruled by law has suffered a serious setback," HRIC claimed in a statement on June 4.

The rejection of applications followed the Feb. 4 disappearance of Gao Zhisheng, a high-profile Christian human rights activist who once said that every human rights lawyer would eventually become a human rights case. Gao's whereabouts remained unknown at press time. (See "Action Urged for Missing Rights Activist," March 25.)

Lawyer Li had planned to visit Alimjan in northwest China early this month, but recent events have forced the legal team to reconsider its defense strategy.

Alimjan, a member of the troubled Uyghur minority in Xinjiang province, remains in arbitrary detention awaiting trial, 16 months after his arrest. Officials initially closed the foreign-owned business Alimjan worked for in September 2007 and accused him of using it as a cover for "preaching Christianity." He was then detained in January 2008 on charges of endangering state security and was formally arrested on Feb. 20, 2008 on charges of "inciting secession" and leaking state secrets.

Court officials returned Alimjan's case to state prosecutors in May 2008, citing lack of evidence. Last May 21, government sources told Alimjan's mother that the Public Security Bureau (PSB) in Kashgar planned to quietly sentence him to three years of re-education through labor, thereby circumventing the court system.

Under Chinese law the PSB, which originally filed the case against Alimjan, may authorize such sentences without approval from the court or other state agencies.

The case was returned to court for consideration last October, but at press time there was no indication of another date for a court hearing.

Li petitioned for and was granted permission for a rare meeting with his client on April 21 after witnesses saw police and a prison doctor escorting Alimjan to a hospital on March 30; Compass sources said Alimjan had been beaten in prison, although it was not clear who beat him or why. When Li questioned him, Alimjan indicated that he was not allowed to speak about his health.

The beating followed a previous meeting with his lawyer -- only the second of such visits permitted during his detention -- on March 24.

Human Rights Advocates Threatened

On April 13, China's State Council released a new "National Human Rights Action Plan" that focused heavily on protecting the rights of prisoners and included a pledge to abolish torture and other forms of abuse within two years.

Issued at least partially in response to a United Nations review of China's rights record in February, the plan also affirmed the right of prisoners to hire and meet with lawyers and to report abuses in writing to the appropriate authorities.

Contrary to such promises, however, the detention and physical abuse of lawyers has multiplied in recent months, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director for HRW, maintains that control over the yearly renewal of licenses remains one of the main obstacles to the independence of China's legal profession.

Authorities placed several human rights lawyers under house arrest or heavy surveillance in the first week of June as China marked the 20th anniversary of the June 4, 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square. According to HRIC, policemen seized one of the 15 temporarily disbarred lawyers, Tang Jitian, from his home early on the morning of June 4; they had already detained him for 10 hours the previous day.

"This is a display of meticulously planned suppression of lawyers who enforce and uphold the law and are dedicated to public interests," Tang told HRIC.

One lawyer, Jiang Tianyong, said officers barred him from leaving his home on June 3 and told him, "Think of your wife and child." Jiang is among those whose licenses were not renewed.

In late May, HRW reported that Beijing authorities had pressured several legal firms not to endorse the renewal applications of members who had defended civil rights cases.

[nChrist]

Turkey: Iranian Refugee Beaten for Christian Faith
Compass Direct News


June 16, 2009

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) -- Since Iranian native Nasser Ghorbani fled to Turkey seven years ago, he has been unable to keep a job for more than a year -- eventually his co-workers would ask why he didn't come to the mosque on Fridays, and one way or another they'd learn that he was a convert to Christianity.

Soon thereafter he would be gone.

Never had anyone gotten violent with him, however, until three weeks ago, when someone at his workplace in Istanbul hit him on the temple so hard he knocked him out. When he came back to his senses, Ghorbani was covered in dirt, and his left eye was swollen shut. It hurt to breathe.

His whole body was in pain. He had no idea what had happened.

"I've always had problems at work in Turkey because I'm a Christian, but never anything like this," Ghorbani told Compass.

A carpenter by trade, Ghorbani started working at an Istanbul furniture maker in November 2008. From the beginning, he said, the Turks he worked with noticed that he didn't go to the mosque on Friday. Nor did he behave like everyone else.

"If someone swore, I would say, 'Don't swear,' or if someone lied, I said, 'That's not honest,'" he said. "You know Turks are very curious, and they try to understand everything."

Although he tried to conceal his faith from his co-workers, inevitably it became obvious.

Soon after he started his new job, Ghorbani and his family found a new apartment. On the planned move-in day, New Year's Day, his boss sent the company truck along with a truck driver to help; members of the Christian group that often meets in his home also came.

"When the [truck driver] saw all these people at our house, he was surprised," said Ghorbani's wife, Leila, explaining that he seemed especially surprised to find foreigners among the group. "It was big news back at the factory."

Ghorbani said that in the following months the questions persisted, as well as pressure to attend the mosque. He avoided these as best as he could, but he admitted that two mistakes confirmed their suspicions. Someone from work learned that he had a broken personal computer for sale and bought it, only to find Christian documents and photos on the hard drive. Secondly, a mutual friend later admitted to a co-worker that he went to the same church as Ghorbani.

"The attitude in the entire factory changed toward me," said Ghorbani, chuckling. "It was like they had agreed to marginalize me. Even our cook started only serving me potatoes, even though she had cooked meat as well. I didn't say anything."

In May the truck driver who had helped the Ghorbanis move finally confronted him.

"Your country is a Muslim country," he told him, "and you may have become a Christian, but you are coming to Friday prayers today."

On May 22 during lunch, his co-workers told him they were taking him to the mosque that day. "You are going to do your prayers," one said.

Ghorbani brushed it off and, to appease them, said he would come after lunch. But as they were about to leave for the mosque, he asked them why they only pray once a week -- and told them that as a Christian he couldn't accept it and wouldn't join them.

After the day's last delivery and pick-up, the truck driver returned to work. As everyone was getting ready to leave, from the corner of his eye Ghorbani saw the truck driver walking up to him, and felt the blow of his fist on his temple. When he regained consciousness, some co-workers were washing his face in the bathroom.

They told him a little about how he was beaten, put him in a cab with one of their colleagues and sent him home. That evening, his fellowship group was meeting at his home. They had just sat down for dinner when Ghorbani arrived later than usual.

"He walked in, and he was limping because his right side hurt," said an Iranian friend who was at the meeting. "There was dirt all over his clothes, and there was blood in his left eye. When I saw him I got scared. I thought that maybe a car had hit him."

Wanting to avoid a hospital visit and questions from police, Ghorbani went to a private doctor a few days later. The doctor instructed him to stay home for three weeks to recover from the injuries: badly bruised ribs, shoulder, shins and eye, and internal stomach bleeding.

When he took the medical report to his workplace the following day, co-workers told him that his boss had fired the truck driver, and that even though management was very happy with his work, it would be safer for him to look for employment elsewhere. They said the truck driver blamed Ghorbani for losing his job and had threatened to kill him if he ever saw him.

"I have a family and home and nothing to lose," the truck driver said, according to co-workers. "If I kill him, the worst thing that could happen to me is that I do some jail time."

Ghorbani's friend said that even if other Iranian converts to Christianity don't suffer violence as Nasser has, life for them is full of pressure and uncertainty at work.

"Maybe for Christians by birth there are no pressures or problems, but people like us who want to [leave Islam to] follow Jesus are fired," said the friend.

He explained that following their faith means living righteously and not stealing or cheating their bosses out of time and wages.

"That's when the marginalization starts, when you resist doing wrong," he said. "But if you live the way they do, lying and stealing, they don't notice you're a Christian."

The Iranian friend said that even before he converted to Christianity in Turkey, his colleagues would pressure him to come to the mosque for Friday prayers because he was a foreigner.

"After becoming a Christian, the pressure gets worse," he said. "The way they look at you changes ... and, honestly, they try to convince you, that you haven't researched your decision well enough."

Now running his business out of his own home, the friend said no one can disrupt his work because of his faith, but he is a rarity among Iranian refugees in Turkey.

Ghorbani's wife said the New Testament is clear on how to respond to attacks.

"The Bible says don't be surprised when things happen against you, but love more, because you suffer for Christ," she said.

Hope for a Future

The Ghorbanis said they are thankful for their time in Turkey, though their future is unclear.

The family first fled to Turkey in 2002 after realizing that their families were becoming aware of Nasser's newfound faith. Ghorbani had worked in the Iranian Armed Forces for 10 years before he was fired in 1995 because, as a secular Muslim, he refused to attend Quran classes, which were necessary for keeping his job or being promoted.

For the following eight years, the government kept close tabs on the couple, questioning them every six months. Ghorbani could not travel outside of Iran during this period.

In 2001 he became a Christian under the influence of a customer who ordered furniture from his shop. As soon as Ghorbani's passport was issued, he fled to Turkey; his family followed a few months later. Soon his family also espoused Christianity after his wife had a dream of Jesus saving her from sinking sand.

"We have learned the truth, and it has set us free," Leila Ghorbani said.

The family is in the process of applying to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to re-open their case; their first application was denied three years ago.

According to the UNHCR's most recent Global Report, in Turkey there were 2,100 Iranian refugees and 2,300 asylum-seekers from Iran in 2008. Although there is no data on how many Christian Iranians are living in Turkey, it is estimated that there is an Iranian house church in each of 30 "satellite cities" where the government appoints refugees and asylum seekers to live.

The Ghorbanis have three daughters, ages 20, 17 and 2. Ghorbani said he and his family would be in danger if they were returned to Iran.

"As a Christian I can't return to Iran, or I risk losing my life," Ghorbani said. "If they catch me, because I was a lieutenant they will directly hang me."

[nChrist]

Chinese Officials Continue Harassing Registered Church
Michael Ireland


June 17, 2009

JIANGSU, CHINA (ANS) -- Chengnan Christian Church, a registered Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) church in Tinghu district, Yancheng municipality of Jiangsu province in China, continues to experience persecution by Yancheng municipal government authorities.

According to ChinaAid, since 2006, government officials, together with real estate developers, have sought to force the church from their church building and confiscate their property in order to build commercial housing units to sell for large profits.

ChinaAid says: "In December 2008, officials demolished the church's office, training center and cafeteria. However, the church refuses to give into the government demands, and maintains their legal right to the property.

"During the month of May, many of the church members' tricycles and electric bicycles were stolen while they were gathered inside the church. The Christians donated cement and sand to construct a wall around the church to stop the harassment, but government officials disrupted and prevented their efforts to build. On May 3 and on May 7, the government sent two different groups of people to the church to intentionally harass the believers."

ChinaAid says that despite the harassment, the church continues to meet. In an open letter to Christians around the world, they wrote:

"What we cannot understand and what surprises us is that, after we registered the church, we hoped to get the protection and support of the government. What we failed to predict is that the church has not only failed to get the protection and the support, the registration has become a bondage and a burden and we are all the more suppressed and persecuted," the believers wrote.

"The way of doing things by Yancheng Municipal Government has seriously threatened the normal spiritual life and the personal safety of the believers, and it has seriously violated the Chinese law and regulations. The forcible demolition of religious sites is against the law. ... is 'the policy of protecting religion, religious belief and freedom' nothing but an empty sentence with which they only try to deceive themselves?"

Ina media release, ChinaAid says it "believes this to be a serious case of religious persecution exposing the government's illegal actions against a Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) church, despite the fact that the church is registered and approved by the government.

"Forcible demolition of legally registered churches has become more common in recent years as government officials and real estate developers seek huge financial profits at the expense of religious freedom."

[nChrist]

Rescue of Coptic Girl in Egypt Prompts Muslim Attack
Michael Larson


June 18, 2009

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) -- Egyptian news sources report security forces have wrongly detained two Christians for nearly a month as part of a ruse to cast a Muslim attack on Copts as "sectarian violence."

Violence broke out last month in the village of Toma, near El-Mahalla El-Kubra in the middle of the Nile Delta, when local Muslims attacked Copts who had rescued Nermeen Mitry, 16; Muslims had kidnapped the Coptic girl and tried to convert her to Islam, according to Assyrian International News Agency (AINA).

Some 150 Muslims attacked five of Mitry's family members as they drove home to their village following her rescue after the May 21 kidnapping. Police arrested 14 Muslims and 11 Copts. In the course of the violence, a carton recycling warehouse owned by her father was burned down.

Most of the perpetrators have been released, Copts said, while two Muslims and two randomly selected Copts are still detained -- a ruse to disguise the one-sided nature of the attack and to keep both sides from causing further disturbances. Hany Haziz, a local watchmaker who participated in reconciliation meetings, asserted that the Minister of Interior ordered the detentions for 45 days to create a false sense of symmetrical "community strife," according to Coptic News Bulletin.

Coptic activists concurred that the state uses arrests of Copts when Muslims instigate sectarian violence to create a false sense of equivalence.

"This was a balance game; the security services play this every single instance," said Helmy Guirguis, president of the U.K. Coptic Association. "They must take an equal number, and sometimes they snatch people on the street."

International and Egyptian news agencies quoted state security forces saying that Mitry was engaged to local Muslim youth Hossam Hamouda, and that their relationship resulted in fierce clashes in the village of 2,000 people.

In addition, a report on Thursday (June 11) from the Egyptian Association for Democracy included quotes from local Muslims who repeated the statements of state security forces. But the authors of the report were not allowed to interview Mitry's sister.

Some Copts, however, said that Muslim residents of Toma were angry that the kidnapping and attempted forcible conversion of Mitry had failed, as the perpetrators stood to earn money from Islamic groups that pay substantial sums for such conversions.

"The Muslims were angry that the girl escaped Islamization," an Egyptian journalist told Compass. "There is a lot of money involved in Islamization of Coptic girls, as much as thousands of U.S. dollars, funded mainly by Saudi Arabia and Gulf states."

Kidnap Victim's Account

Mitry told the Free-Copts Organization that she was drugged by a Muslim friend and kidnapped, according to AINA.

When she awoke, she was in a house in Zagazig, a city in the eastern Nile Delta, and a bearded Muslim man was trying to convert her to Islam. He was later found to be Essam Abu Deiof Hamoud, a relative of the girl who allegedly drugged Mitry.

"The man was very confident and told me that I would be the fourth Coptic girl to 'know the true Allah' and convert to Islam through him," Mitry told Free-Copts, according to AINA. "I told him, 'I am engaged to be married when I come of age, and would never convert to Islam,' as this would be a catastrophe for me. He did his best to make me change my mind."

One of the abductor's family members, who knew Mitry's family, contacted them and told them her whereabouts. Her family came to rescue her from Hamoud.

Police told the family to bring her to the state security directorate, but because they distrusted government forces they instead brought her to the Coptic St. Demiana Convent northeast of Cairo. Egyptian authorities have been known to return Coptic girls to their Muslim kidnappers and summarily close cases.

At press time Mitry was still in the convent waiting until tensions diffuse in Toma. Some Christian advocates believe Copts will arrange a marriage for her before she returns to the village to make her less susceptible to a future kidnapping.

Until then, reconciliation meetings between Copts and Muslims continue under the auspices of the police. No Christian clergy are present.

Such meetings are somewhat customary in Egypt, in which different parties come together to settle legal matters out of court. They carry a social purpose of restoring faith and communal harmony in the face of sectarian tensions. But advocacy groups worry when meetings go beyond easing community tensions and act as a substitute for administrative justice and proper investigation.

Rights groups say that Mitry's kidnapping is a small part of a larger campaign to rid Egypt of its Coptic element through pressuring conversions or otherwise erasing Christianity in the country.

That campaign includes a recent official decree by the Justice Ministry stating that Abu Hennes, one of Egypt's few completely Coptic cities, would be renamed Wadi al-Neinaa (Mint Valley). The city's Coptic legacy dates back to the fourth century, and the site is symbolically important as it is believed to have received Mary, Joseph, and Jesus after their flight from Israel.

On Thursday (June 11), thousands of Copts protested the attempted name change, according to Egyptian Christian weekly Watani. Similar demonstrations occurred in 1979 when former President Anwar Sadat also attempted a name change. In the face of protests, he ultimately backed down.

[nChrist]

Vietnam: Police Attack House Church, Jail Leaders
Compass Direct News


June 19, 2009

HANOI (Compass Direct News) -- Police invaded the Sunday service of the Agape Baptist congregation in Vietnam's Hung Yen Province on June 7 and beat worshippers, including women, and arrested a pastor and an elder.

Christian sources said police put the two church leaders into separate cells, and each man was beaten by a gang of five policemen. Pastor Duong Van Tuan of the house church in Hamlet 3, Ong Dinh Commune, Khoai Chau district said that officers beat them in a way that did not leave marks: hard blows to the stomach.

The beatings came in retaliation for Pastor Tuan refusing to leave the area as police had ordered, Christian sources said. He and the church elder were released later that evening.

The congregation in Hung Yen, a small but populous province that straddles the Red River 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Hanoi, has endured harassment and attacks by police and other officials since April. Police officers disrupted worship services on April 19, bloodying Pastor Tuan's mouth with punches, and also on May 24 and 31.

In the May 31 incident, he was attacked as he preached. The deputy commune police chief, identified only by his surname of Them, grabbed him by the neck while another officer tore the Bible from his hand, Christian sources said. His arms were twisted behind his back and "he was marched off like a criminal gang member," one said.

Authorities took Pastor Tuan to the office of the commune people's committee, clubbing him several times en route. Immediately after arriving at the office, police tried to force him to sign a document saying he had resisted their investigation, though he had yet to be questioned, and said that he was under administrative arrest. Christian sources said he was also ordered to sign a document accepting the seizure of his Bible, which they had taken from him two hours prior.

Officers ended by issuing him an order "to leave the commune immediately by the most direct route."

A woman from his congregation who was unable to obtain cooperation from authorities at lower levels, Le thi Nhung, prepared and sent a detailed, three-page petition to local, provincial and national authorities on June 1, a week before officers last stormed their worship service.

In the petition, Nhung explained that one of the first things Pastor Tuan did on his arrival in March was to explain to church elders how to register their congregation's activities according to the Prime Minister's Special Directive on Protestantism of 2005. This directive permits and urges local authorities to register house churches to carry on religious activities. Pastor Tuan also went to the local Fatherland Front chair, a woman identified only as Hao, explained the church's aspirations and asked her to help them meet requirements.

The church elders submitted an application to register locally, in accordance with the directive. Authorities, however, did not respond within the 30-day period prescribed by the directive. On the 31st day, they sent a document denying registration.

Bogus Denial

Officials gave two reasons for denying registration, Christian sources said: that the congregation needed permission from higher authorities, including the central Bureau of Religious Affairs; and that in any event the Prime Minister's directive applied only to churches on mountains and not to churches on plains.

Both reasons, local Christians said, are contrary to the directive.

The church's petition to the government clearly spelled out two articles of the constitution (71 and 73) and four articles of Vietnam's criminal code (87, 124, 129 and 33) that police and local authorities violated in attacking their church and pastor.

The petition also reflects awareness of related international affairs. It says that on national news in Vietnam on May 27, church members heard the appeal of Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials to the U.S. Congress to vote down a recommendation by some U.S. officials to return Vietnam to the U.S. list of worst religious liberty offenders as a "Country of Particular Concern."

"Think of how much hard work by the government, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has just been thrown into the ocean by the officials of Ong Dinh Commune," the petition states.

It concludes with a respectful request to all appropriate government authorities to investigate and "to help us law-abiding, tax-paying citizens of Khoai Chau District who practice pure and orthodox religion to peacefully practice our faith as a right protected by the State."

In separate letters to supporting friends abroad, the leaders of the Agape Baptist House Church group, with 34 congregations throughout Vietnam, say that according to their long experience, "persecution is often a sign that the Lord is at work." They add that they are not discouraged and see a growing maturity among Christians who suffer and overcome such gratuitous abuse. But they also say they feel much pain in seeing their Christian family disrespected, mistreated and abused.

The experience of this congregation is not uncommon, Christian sources said. Other unregistered house church groups report their requests for registering local congregations are being either ignored or denied.

Compass sources said they rarely see such abuse as well-documented as in this case. Said one advocate, "It would be very easy for authorities to follow this up and do the right thing, but few expect they will. It illustrates once more the famous Vietnamese maxim, 'The law of the Emperor yields to the custom of the village.'"

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - June 15, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * U.N. Imposes Tough New Sanctions on North Korea
    * More Than 30 House Church Leaders Arrested in Sichuan
    * Religious Charities Gain in a Down Year
    * Pakistan: Muslims Attack Pastor's Home, Relatives

U.N. Imposes Tough New Sanctions on North Korea

Washington Post reports that tensions between North Korea and the rest of the world escalated Friday when the U.N. Security Council added new sanctions against the country. Member countries were called to go the extra step of actually seizing banned North Korean cargo at sea in addition to new financial, military and trade sanctions. Even China and Russia, typically friendly to the isolated country, approved the sanctions with some modifications. North Korean authorities recently sentenced two American journalists for committing a "grave crime" to North Korea after they allegedly crossed the border illegally. They have been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor, joining about 300,000 other political and religious dissidents in North Korea's labor camps.

More Than 30 House Church Leaders Arrested in Sichuan

Christian News Wire reports that more than 30 house church leaders were arrested at a house church gathering in Langzhong city, Sichuan province, on June 9. Thirteen leaders were given 15 days of administrative detention, and five of the leaders were placed under criminal detention. The other leaders were released. Pastors Gao Guofu, Pastor Li Ming, Zhang Guofen, Gu Lianpeng and Yu Zhipeng, the five leaders who received criminal detention, are likely to face a formal criminal indictment or up to three years of re-education through labor. Pastor Li Ming was sentenced to three years of re-education through labor in recent years because of his Christian faith. Parts of Sichuan province are still recovering from a devastating earthquake that hit that region last year.

Religious Charities Gain in a Down Year

Religion News Service reports that religious organizations reported a 5.5 increase in donations last year, a marked contrast from the nationwide 2-percent decline in charitable giving, according to a study by Giving USA Foundation. Religious congregations, which accounted for 35 percent of the total$307 billion in charitable contributions, exceeded $100 billion in donations for the second year in a row. Though public-society benefit and international affairs organizations also cited increases in charitable contributions, two-thirds of public charities reported a decrease for only the second time in the report's 54-year history. The economic recession spurred this decline, Del Martin, the chairwoman of the foundation, said in a statement. "We definitely did see belt-tightening ... but it could have been a lot worse," Martin said.

Pakistan: Muslims Attack Pastor's Home, Relatives

Compass Direct News reports that a traffic incident in Punjab Province led to an attack on the home of a Christian pastor earlier this month. Pastor Riaz Masih's brother complained to a local councilor after the official nearly drove into his sons on June 1. The complaint catalyzed growing hostilities that have grown between Masih and area Muslims who increasingly resent his evangelism and justice ministries. Seventeen assailants reportedly came to Masih's house and struck his mother and sister with rifle butts, and threatened further violence if the pastor does not drop assault charges. Local Christians say that Masih's Christ for All Nations Ministries (CANM) meetings have attracted many youths, including some Muslims. With the Swat Valley operation underway, they say extremism is now translating in violence across the country.

[nChrist]

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

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

In today's edition:

    * Christian Cyclone Victims in Bangladesh May Be Neglected
    * Voice of the Martyrs' Fax Project Receives Threat
    * Reformed Church in America Drops Magazine
    * India: Women Missionaries Harassed by Mob of Boys

Christian Cyclone Victims in Bangladesh May Be Neglected

The Christian Post reports that Christians may be vulnerable to discrimination in the wake Bangladesh's recent cyclone, which left hundreds of thousands homeless. The predominantly Muslim country has let other incidents of persecution slip by unnoticed, prompting outside aid groups to wonder if Christians will receive general aid like their Muslim neighbors. "Many Christians have been severely affected by this cyclone," reported the Barnabas Fund. "Churches have been destroyed and at least 1,500 Christian families have been affected, losing homes, livestock, crops, access to work, food, clean water and sanitation." The group estimates that half a million people have been stranded or seriously affected by the storm.

Voice of the Martyrs' Fax Project Receives Threat

Mission News Network reports Voice of the Martyrs' recent project - faxing Gospel messages to North Korean numbers - is certainly reaching someone. After recent messages that included stories of Christians loving Communists even under persecution, someone at the North Korean embassy in Finland responded darkly. The returned, unsigned fax read, "We know who you are. We warn you that if you send this kind of dirty fax again, something very bad will happen to you. Don't do something you will regret." Todd Nettleton believes the message indicates that people within North Korea are noticing the faxes, too. "For us, that's good news because it means our fax campaign is working. The Gospel is getting through, but obviously it's a challenge as well."

Reformed Church in America Drops Magazine

Religion News Service reports that Christian media outlets are not immune to recession. Just as major mainstream print publications struggle to forge their way into the digital age, so will the magazines of the 166,000-member Reformed Church in America. Two years after scrapping a denominational subsidy for The Church Herald, the RCA General Synod that met through June 9 voted 171-56 to cease the monthly magazine that has suffered a sharp decline in subscriptions. They will now work to create a new publication that will be primarily online, with an open blog and increased social networking features. Since losing the subsidy, Herald subscriptions have fallen below 20,000 and the magazine was forecast to go broke by the end of the year.

India: Women Missionaries Harassed by Mob of Boys

ASSIST News Service reports that three of Gospel for Asia's female missionaries are shaken but unharmed after an verbal altercation with about 30 boys. The women had been giving out tracts and talking about the Gospel in one of India's coastal cities when they were surrounded by multiple boys, who asked if they were trying to convert people. The boys forcefully took the tracts and began hitting two of the women while calling them prostitutes. This went on for half an hour, and the boys did not allow the women to leave. The women were finally able to escape after calling a pastor who arrived to help. Women's teams like this one can be especially effective in reaching other women with the news of Christ's love. It can be harder for men to reach them because of cultural restrictions.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - June 17, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Iran's Unrest May Signal Good News for Christians
    * Reformed Christians Strive to Diversify Denominations
    * Gunmen Kill Priest, 2 Seminarians in Mexico
    * Egypt: Court Denies Right to Convert to Another Christian

Iran's Unrest May Signal Good News for Christians

Mission News Network reports that one ministry hopes Iran's political unrest might lead to positive changes for Christians in Iran. Tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of Iranians have protested the results of Friday's election, which many say was rigged to re-elect President Ahmadinejad. Most protestors supported moderate candidate Mir Hussein Mousavi. "This has been a growing feeling -- this animosity toward the present regime and the hard liners within the country -- and it's been growing for quite some time," evangelist Sammy Tippit said. "I think it's just come to the point of boiling and exploding." If Mousavi ultimately prevails, Tippit believes life might get easier for Christians. "There would be more dialogue with the West. There would be more opportunity," he said.

Reformed Christians Strive to Diversify Denominations

The Christian Post reports that reformed churches in America are noticing the lack of diversity within their congregations - and how the denominations have perpetuated this homogeneity. Last week, the Reformed Church in America adopted the Belhar Confession to apologize for this. The document declares apartheid a heresy and a misrepresentation of the Gospel and appeals for unity, justice and reconciliation. The Christian Reformed Church in North America may also adopt the document soon. "Where the tension arises is how do we get to this goal of creating a multi-cultural church," said CRC executive director the Rev. Jerry Dykstra, according to CRC Communications. "Our sin (of racism) is with us today in this church. It has been so easy to judge people by the color of their skin, how they speak, what culture they are from."

Gunmen Kill Priest, 2 Seminarians in Mexico

The Associated Press reports that drug cartels continue to endanger Christians and residents in Mexico, as a deadly incident illustrated Saturday. A priest and two seminarians were ordered out of their vehicle while they were on their way to organize a spiritual retreat. Gunmen then shot them dead. The archbishop of Acapulco says this latest turn underscores a violent trend. "We have become hostages in this violent confrontations between the drug cartels living among us," Felipe Aguirre Franco said. The archbishop has aided authorities in pinpointing drug traffickers, and fears such actions may lead to further backlash. Mexico's drug violence has increased in recent months, causing many church groups to halt short-term missions there.

Egypt: Court Denies Right to Convert to Second Christian

Compass Direct News reports that a Cairo judge on Saturday rejected an Egyptian convert's attempt to change his identification card's religious status from Muslim to Christian. This marks the second failed attempt to exercise constitutionally guaranteed religious freedom by a Muslim-born convert to Christianity. For Maher El-Gohary, who has been attacked on the street, subjected to death threats and driven into hiding as a result of opening his case 10 months ago, Saturday's outcome provided nothing in the way of consolation. "I am disappointed with what happened and shocked with the decision, because I went to great lengths and through a great deal of hardship," he said.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - June 18, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Hostage Killings Reflect Yemen's Tensions
    * Colombian Pastors Threatened by Paramilitary Group
    * U.S. Religious Freedom Commission Denied Visas to India
    * PBS Puts Limits on Religious Broadcasting

Hostage Killings Reflect Yemen's Tensions

Baptist Press reports that three aid workers in Yemen were killed and another six, including three children, are missing after they were kidnapped June 12 while on a picnic. Aid groups suspect a rebel group in an area where al-Qaida has a foothold is responsible. Worldwide Services Foundation, a Dutch aid group, said the workers had been serving with them at hospital in the north of Yemen largely devoted to prenatal and maternity care. Shepherds found the bodies of the three female aid workers on Monday. "The news of the killing of the three women will be a shock also for the local people, with whom a warm relationship exists that has been strengthened by the humanitarian efforts of so many years," Worldwide Services said.

Colombian Pastors Threatened by Paramilitary Group

Christian Today reports that Columbia's weak rule of law continues to affect pastors in the northern Córdoba region. Over the past six months, at least 10 pastors have been threatened by men claiming to represent a paramilitary organization in the region, insisting on collaboration. After refusing, one of the pastors said he was kidnapped and beaten, while another said a live grenade was thrown at his home one night. All of the pastors report being told that they are now considered "legitimate military targets" by the Black Eagles group, Christian Post reports. Complaints to the police have gone uninvestigated. "We are seriously concerned for the safety of church leaders living and working in the Cordoba region," said Stuart Windsor with Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

U.S. Religious Freedom Commission Denied Visas to India

The Christian Post reports that members of a U.S. government-backed watchdog have been thwarted by India's government in a recent attempt to visit the country. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) delegation had planned the June 12 trip months ago, but the day came and went without the necessary visas for the visit. "They knew we had tickets for June 12 and the visas are yet to be given, so the inference is obvious...they don't want us to visit," one commission associate told The Times of India. Multiple Hindu leaders called the planned visit an "interference" with India's democracy. The country, which recently held elections, suffered mass violence against Christians in multiple states last August. Hindu extremists are believed to be responsible for many of those incidents.

PBS Puts Limits on Religious Broadcasting

Religion News Service reports that PBS officials voted Tuesday to not allow new religious programming at member stations. They will allow select PBS stations to continue broadcasting their current faith-based line-ups. PBS took the action after concerns were raised that religious programming could violate the organization's nonsectarian status. Only six of over 350 member stations broadcast religious programming, according to McNamara. At least three of these stations carry masses geared towards the elderly. The Archdiocese of Denver has been on-air with "Mass for Shut-Ins" for 53 years, 10 years on PBS. "I have to say that any time, whether it's weather or a malfunction, if Mass doesn't air, we have voice mailboxes full of the elderly calling us," said Jeannette DeMelo, spokeswoman for the archdiocese.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - June 19, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * North American Anglicans Hold First Assembly in Texas
    * Most Iranian Christians Voted for Mousavi, Open Doors Says
    * Survey Shows New Gap between Churches' Budget vs. Actuals
    * Washingtonians Join Nothing But Nets Campaign

North American Anglicans Hold First Assembly in Texas

Anglicans from the United States and Canada will complete the historic task of organizing the new Anglican Church in North America next week. Church leaders will ratify a constitution and canons and install their archbishop at the Anglican Church in North America's first Provincial Assembly June 22-25 at St. Vincent's Cathedral in Bedford, Texas. Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh will be installed as the church's first archbishop. "This meeting is historic because it heals decades of division and represents the answer to many years of prayer," he said in a press release. "It will be a momentous time for orthodox Anglicans everywhere." Dr. Rick Warren, Metropolitan Jonah of the Orthodox Church in America and Rev. Todd Hunter of the Anglican Mission in the Americas will be present as guest speakers at the event.

Most Iranian Christians Voted for Mousavi, Open Doors Says

Mission News Network reports that many Christians in Iran are hoping the post-election tumult will end with new elections that put Mir Hussein Mousavi in power. "We cannot generalize our observations to all Christians," said John Fox with Open Doors, "but we asked 29 Christians from Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan and all voted for Mousavi. One of them says, 'For us, bad is better than worse. Mousavi also promised more religious freedom, so I hope he does not lie.'" Current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, widely suspected of fixing last Friday's election in his favor, has stepped up the presence of "morality police" and tightened the ability to dissent from government policy or Islamic custom during his time in office.

Survey Shows New Gap between Churches' Budget vs. Actuals

Christian News Wire reports that a recent survey of almost 1,100 church leaders revealed an increasing gap between income and projected expenses for churches. According to the survey results from Your Church magazine, tithes and offerings, which comprise an average of 87 percent of the average church's budget, have declined for 40 percent of the churches surveyed within the past six months. At the same time, 32 percent say budgets have increased between 2 to 10 percent over last year's expenses. "Historically, evangelical Protestant churches tend to be tithe-driven," says Ed Stetzer, president of Lifeway Research. "Effects of unemployment tend to lag a bit for churches that emphasize tithing, but as the unemployment rate continues to increase, more congregations will get hit financially. Churches need to be ready for this impact."

Washingtonians Join Nothing But Nets Campaign

The Christian Post reports that a grassroots campaign stop in Washington, D.C., has turned some people's attention to Nothing But Nets. The campaign partners with organizations worldwide to raise money for mosquito nets that go to protect the over one million refugees in Africa. Partners in the capital have pledged enough funds for 10,000 beds so far. The group notes that malaria-carrying mosquitoes are the number one cause of death for people displaced by conflict. "As we near World Refugee Day on June 20, I am proud to see my fellow Washingtonians join the effort to prevent malaria among one of the world's most vulnerable populations," said Washington councilman Jack Evans. The campaign says it is currently about 346,000 nets away from its goal of one million.

[nChrist]

Protests Continue to Spread in Iranian Election Aftermath
Russ Jones


June 19, 2009

Iran's state-run media maintains that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won his "re-election" bid as the country's president. But increasing protests -- despite police crackdowns and the release of Basij militia -- show that thousands upon thousands of Iranians are unwilling to accept what they believe was a rigged election. Even the state-run media has reported the deaths of seven protesters, and pictures smuggled out of Iran via social media paint a bloody picture.

Christians React to Election Results

Officially, current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won with almost two-thirds of the vote. His main opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, claims he actually received that amount, but that the Interior Ministry decided in advance who would "win" the election.

Open Doors, a ministry who works with persecuted Christians around the world, says many Iranians haven't accepted the official results. News reports show protestors streaming through the streets of the capitol in Tehran. Other reports indicate that Ayatollah Khamenei has directed the Guardian Council to examine claims of election fraud after President Ahmadinejah was declared the winner.

Some Christians say they supported Mousavi with hopes he would bring religious freedoms not currently experienced in the Middle Eastern country. The Iranian government controls churches and persecutes Muslim Background Believers (gotcha112), arresting them as they commit the "crime" of leaving Islam.

Sandra, a Christian co-worker with Open Doors, is among those who say they are frustrated and have lost trust in their government even before the election.

"Ordinances introduced following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, curtailing the rights of Christians are now more rigorously enforced than before," she said. "One Assembly of God church in Tehran was forbidden to run a Sunday School.  Islamic clerics vet children's Christian material while all discipleship materials need to be approved by the government."

One Christian told Open Doors that the tension in the election aftermath is palpable even in areas where there are no open protests. Daryush (his name has been changed) from Shiraz said, "In my neighborhood there is no evidence of any skirmishes or demonstrations and also no celebration from the elections anymore. The streets have been swept clean. But the evidence that we have trouble in Shiraz is the constant presence of various security forces and the military helicopter I saw flying overhead. But I have only driven around my own neighborhood, so I can't speak for the entire city."

Dayush reports that the situation is much grimmer in other districts. "Friends told me that young people in Shiraz are being arrested and that they've seen young men and women being beaten or worse. A friend who lives near the university and student dorms told me she heard screaming, shouting and gunfire in the early hours of the morning. The predominately young demonstrators are calling Ahmadinejad a dictator and yell chants like 'Ma dolate zoor nemikhaim' -- meaning 'we don't want a government of force.' They also yell at the security forces and call them traitors and vote-stealers."

Daryush also says there are those who have never voted and will most likely not do so as they see the election as "a total fraud."

Sham Elections Reveal a Sham Democracy

In recent months Ahmadinejad's government distributed 400,000 tons of free potatoes to the poor in what some say was a blatant effort to bribe voters. This led supporters of rival candidates to chant "death to potatoes" at their campaign rallies.

James Phillips, Senior Research Fellow -- Middle Eastern Affairs, of the Heritage Foundation says Iran's government is not a true democracy but a theocratic dictatorship that cloaks the rule of the ayatollahs with a façade of representative government.

"Ahmadinejad's opponents had no faith in the fairness of the vote-counting process and, based on their long experience with Iranian elections, they have good reason for their concern," said Phillips. "However, it is the Supreme Leader, not the president, who has the final say on key defense, foreign policy, and nuclear issues."

Many believe President Obama should speak more forcibly about the elections. Phillips agrees.

"Now that it is clear that the regime's fist remains tightly clenched around the neck of the Iranian people, the Obama administration cannot simply take a business-as-usual approach to Iran's clerical dictatorship," said Phillips. "This would send a dangerous signal to the regime that it can forcefully crush the demonstrations at little or no cost in terms of international pressure."

Social Media Keeps Protests Alive

Social media Web sites like Twitter and Facebook are playing an important role in political protests spreading through Iran. While the Iranian government may weild its authoritarian Islamic might, students and tech-savvy Iranians seem to be orchestrating a revolution using the Internet, using proxy servers after the government clamped down on site access. Iranian authorities are reportedly stalking blogs and Twitter accounts, but the overwhelming amount of citizen journalism continues to prevail.

Social networking sites have become such a major communication tool in the election crisis that the US State Department requested Twitter to delay a system upgrade on Monday. With foreign journalists banned from the streets of Tehran, social media provides one of the only pictures of the election fallout.

On Twitter, the #Iranelection hashtag has remained in its trending topics since the election protests began, proving the that people all over the globe are talking about the election while those inside Iran continue to let the world know what is happening.

Reports also indicate that some 12,000 videos are available on YouTube under the search term, "Iranian election."

Worldwide Collaboration Spreads the Message

The Internet has made censorship virtually impossible.  As protests escalate, the Iranian government has implemented a predictable mode of operation -- kick out the foreign journalists, restrict Internet use and limit cell phone texting.  There is one huge problem, however. Twitter subscribers are rearranging their time zones to Tehran and doing what they can to defuse Iran's government.  With any source on the Internet, the challenge becomes sorting out fact from fiction and propaganda.

Iranian Christians follow Christ at great cost -- beyond what many in the US can comprehend. Their urge to serve God is great even though they are discriminated against, arrested and mistreated by authorities.

Christians in Iran have difficulty finding and keeping a job and are then easily fired when it becomes known they are Christians.  Believers who start a business of their own have problems getting and keeping clients, making it very hard for them to gain an income. Believers who are active in churches or the home church movement are pressured; they are questioned, arrested and sometimes interrogated, tortured, put in jail and beaten.

According to Islamic law, an apostate (one who leaves the Muslim faith) must return to Islam or die. "The government wants to start punishing converts now with execution; women are to be imprisoned for life in such cases," said Daryush.

Whether recent events are enough to prolong an effective opposition movement remains an open question.  That depends on how much they are willing to risk. If Iranian Christians are behind the movement, it could be everything.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - June 22, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

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

In today's edition:

    * Sri Lankans Face Long Road to Normalcy
    * Pakistan's 'Invisible Refugees' Burden Cities
    * Beijing Church Web Site Forcibly Shut Down by Government
    * Family Group Criticizes Move on Gay Federal Benefits

Sri Lankans Face Long Road to Normalcy

Christian Today reports that Sri Lanka's refugee population will face difficult situations for some time, as aid agencies struggle to provide bare essentials. An estimated 300,000 people were displaced by Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war, most of whom remain in refugee camps. The massive numbers have forced overcrowding, poor diet and water shortages within the camps. Tony Senewiratne, National Director of Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka said, "I believe that the people in the camps are having a really tough time despite all that people are doing to alleviate the situation." A World Concern worker reports that the dry season has brought new challenges in water distribution as the country's wells dry up. "This is not going to change in the short term," Senewiratne said.

Pakistan's 'Invisible Refugees' Burden Cities

The New York Times reports that families who fled the conflict between Taliban and government forces in Pakistan are increasingly "invisible." Refugees have journeyed to relatives and faraway schools to prevent hampering military operations, but they are disappointed at how little help they have received. "People aren't noticing them," said Michael McGrath, Pakistan director of Save the Children, an aid organization that has focused on refugees outside of camps. "Their needs are not being met." Refugees add thousands to town populations, but have little ability to care for themselves. Government and international aid often passes them by, while they continue to live in cramped quarters with relatives who don't have the resources to provide for the extended family.

Beijing Church Web Site Forcibly Shut Down by Government

ASSIST News Service reports that the Web site of Shouwang Christian Church of Beijing experienced a forced shut-down from the Websites Surveillance Section of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. On April 13, government officials concluded that the website was the "website of an illegal Christian organization," and demanded that an agent shut it down. "Though Shouwang Christian Church pre-paid for a year of service, the website was shut down without prior notice or an official written explanation," said a spokesperson for ChinaAid. "The website was registered by an individual, and was used mainly by the house church members to communicate with each other regarding daily activities and information about the church.

Family Group Criticizes Move on Gay Federal Benefits

Religion News Service reports that President Obama signed an executive order Wednesday (June 17) expanding benefits available to same-sex partners of federal employees, a move that was not unexpected but nonetheless criticized by social conservative groups. Tony Perkins, head of the conservative Family Research Council, said the memorandum "clearly violates the spirit of the federal law which defines marriage as the legal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife." That federal law, known as the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), passed in 1996. Obama noted that because DOMA defines marriage between a man and a woman, the White House cannot yet enact the full range of benefits for same-sex couples that heterosexual, married couples receive.