RELIGION TODAY

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Four More Christians Beheaded in Somalia
Baptist Press Staff


August 14, 2009

WASHINGTON (BP) -- Four more Christians have been beheaded in Somalia, according to the Washington-based human rights organization International Christian Concern.

The four Christians had been working for a non-governmental organization that aids orphans in southern Somalia. The Islamic extremist group al Shabaab, which has ties to al-Qaida, "kidnapped and eventually beheaded the Christians after they refused to renounce their faith," International Christian Concern reported Aug. 11.

According to the ICC report:

"On August 4, a junior [al Shabaab] militant notified all the families of the victims that the four Christians had been beheaded for apostasy. He described the Christians as promoters of 'fitna,' a Muslim term for religious discord. The militant, who called himself 'Seiful Islam' ('the Sword of Islam'), told the families that the bodies will not be given to them 'as Somalia does not have cemeteries for infidels.'

"One eyewitness account said, 'All the four apostates were given an opportunity to return to Islam to be released but they all declined the generous offer.'"

Earlier this year, seven other Somalis were beheaded, along with two sons of a village church leader.

According to Compass Direct News, a California-based organization that also reports on incidents of persecution:

-- The seven Somalis were publicly beheaded July 10 in the town of Bladoa for being deemed "Christians" and "spies" by al Shabaab (which means "the Youth" in Arabic).

-- The two sons of a church leader were beheaded Feb. 21. Their father, Musa Mohammed Yusuf, 55, formerly led an underground church in the village of Yonday. He and his wife and a third son subsequently took refuge in Kenya.

Somalia's Christians comprise less than 1 percent of the African nation's 9.8 million people.

After the seven beheadings, the Associated Press noted, "Punishments such as stoning, amputations and beheadings are historically rare in Somalia, which traditionally practices moderate Sufi Islam. But a more extremist form of jihadi Salafist Islam with its roots in Saudi Arabia has taken root during the chaotic warfare of recent years, strengthened by a recent influx of hundreds of foreign fighters."

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom urged Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to address the issue of religious freedom when she met with Somali President Sheik Sharif Ahmed in Nairobi during her recent trip to Africa.

USCIRF chair Leonard Leo, in a July 30 letter to Clinton, noted:

"For the first time, USCIRF placed Somalia on its Watch List in 2009.... n the absence of the rule of law, freedom of religion or belief, like all other human rights, is circumscribed by insurgents, warlords, self-appointed officials, local authorities, and prevailing societal attitudes.

"While the international community is focused on piracy, terrorism, and the security situation in Somalia, problems of religious extremism and the rule of law must also be addressed. USCIRF believes that improving freedom of religion and related human rights and governance will help to address many of the problems in Somalia."

Media outlets such as the Associated Press did not report whether Clinton raised such issues.

However, Clinton described Ahmed's moderate Islamist transitional government as "the best hope we've had for some time," The New York Times reported. The Times described Ahmed as "a former religious teacher who rose to popularity in Somalia by helping rescue kidnapped children." Ahmed is not a warlord, one Clinton aide told The Times. "But he's shown the ability to lead. And he's shown the ability to survive."

Clinton promised Ahmed more aid, training and weaponry for battling the insurgents, but The Times noted that the challenge is daunting because the government "controls no more than a few city blocks in a country the size of Texas, with extremist Islamist groups, like the Shabaab, in charge of much of the rest."

Clinton said Al Shabaab intends for Somalia to become "a future haven for global terrorism" -- "a base from which to influence and even infiltrate surrounding countries and launch attacks against countries far and near."

After Clinton's visit, the Voice of America reported Aug. 11, Islamic insurgents rejected overtures from Ahmed to stop the violence and begin peace negotiations.

USCIRF, in its 2009 report, expressed a degree of hope. Ahmed announced in February 2009 that sharia law would become the basis for law in Somalia, but he has said it should respect human rights and women's rights. This may help in "undercutting support for the militias," USCIRF stated. "Reports indicate that Somalis are tired of fighting and that popular support for al Shabaab has fallen."

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Religion Today Summaries - Aug. 14, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * U.S. Religious Freedom Panel Adds India to Watch List
    * Southern Baptist Agency Head Resigns Amid Criticism
    * Focus on the Family Faces 'Serious' Budget Shortfall
    * 1,000 Found Alive in Typhoon-Raked Taiwan Towns


U.S. Religious Freedom Panel Adds India to Watch List

The Christian Post reports that a U.S. panel has added India to its watch list for violations of religious freedoms. "It is extremely disappointing that India, which has a multitude of religious communities, has done so little to protect and bring justice to its religious minorities under siege," said U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) chair Leonard Leo. "USCIRF's India chapter was released this week to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the anti-Christian violence in Orissa." At least 40 people were killed, while tens of thousands were displaced when their homes and churches were torched by Hindu radicals. Orissa state government did little to stop the violence, and has only recently convicted several people involved in the violence.

Southern Baptist Agency Head Resigns Amid Criticism

Religion News Service reports that the president of the Southern Baptist Convention's domestic missions agency resigned Tuesday (Aug. 11) after questions were raised about his management of the agency. Three of Geoff Hammond's closest associates -- Steve Reid, Dennis Culbreth and Brandon Pickett -- also resigned. Hammond's resignation takes effect immediately, Tim Patterson, chairman of the agency's trustee board, said in a statement after a daylong meeting. "(T)his is a personnel matter and we will keep the details of today's discussion confidential," he said. An email circulated among trustees prior to the meeting stated that Hammond made unauthorized decisions while failing to meet with a management coach. Richard Harris, who has served at NAMB and its predecessor Home Mission Board (HMB) for nearly 30 years, will head the organization until an interim president is installed.

Focus on the Family Faces 'Serious' Budget Shortfall

The Associated Press reports that Focus on the Family ministry has handed its "Love Won Out" ex-gay conferences to another ministry in light of a "serious budget shortfall." Exodus International, a network of groups promoting freedom from homosexuality, will take on the conferences. "Right now we're facing a serious budget shortfall that threatens our ability to reach out to parents, families and married couples who count on our help," said Jim Daly, Focus on the Family's president and CEO. "Income is down nearly $6 million from what we expected and planned for this year. I want to assure you that we're committed to good stewardship AND living within our means, just as so many families are today." Focus on the Family, founded by child psychologist James Dobson, is on pace to fall $6 million short of a $138 million budget for the fiscal year that began last October.

1,000 Found Alive in Typhoon-Raked Taiwan Towns

The Associated Press reports that hundreds are still missing after a typhoon swept through a remote area of Taiwan over the weekend. At least 1,000 people have been rescued from three remote villages. Authorities have only been able to confirm a handful of people missing, making it hard to determine how many people may still be left. Heavy rains hampered rescue and relief efforts in Kaohsiung county, where most rescuers most unaccounted people may be trapped. The village of Shiao Lin was destroyed by a mudslide Sunday, leaving hundreds of people homeless. One man said that whatever the Shiao Lin death toll, he was never going back. "The place is finished," said Luo Shun-chi, 36. "There is no way I could return."

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Hindu Radicals in India Attack Pastors, Manhandle Women
Binaifer Wadia


August 17, 2009

MUMBAI, India (Compass Direct News) -- Hindu nationalist extremists attacked Christians attending teacher training in Dharwad district, Karnataka on Wednesday (Aug. 12), but when one of the attendees escaped and went to police, officers arrested eight pastors on baseless claims of forcible conversion and -- in a blow to free speech -- for allegedly speaking ill of Hindu gods.

Pastor Moses Bentic, coordinator of the Seva Bharat Mission, told Compass that more than 80 Christians including nine pastors were attending the mission's teacher training, which began Wednesday and was supposed to continue through today. At around 11:30 pm on Tuesday (Aug. 11), 30 Hindu extremists from the Sri Ram Sena (Lord Ram's Army) entered the facility where the training was taking place, the Patil Sabha Bhavan, and began beating the pastors.

They repeatedly slapped and kicked the pastors, cursed Christianity using foul language and falsely accused them of forcible conversion. The Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) extremists also manhandled young women at the training, most of whom between the ages of 17 and 23, according to the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC).

Pastor Joseph Christopher, who managed to escape from the hall just after midnight, rushed to the Annigere police station to seek help. He told Compass that police were "indifferent" and refused to accept a complaint. Earlier, at about 11:45 p.m., Pastor Christopher had telephoned police but nobody showed up, he added.

"At around 1:30 a.m., two policemen arrived at the Patil Sabha Bhavan and were mute spectators as the extremists collected all the copies of the Bibles and burned them," Pastor Christopher said, adding that police also took mobile phones from the Christians.

Police officials who arrived at the hall around 4:30 a.m. shouted at the Christians, asked why no prior permission had been obtained for the meeting and took eight pastors to the Annigere police station, according to GCIC. Arrested were Vasant Kumar Hanoka, Simon Rathnappa, Basavaraj Rudappa, Madhan Kumar Yamanappa, Prakash Arjun Kagwadar, Jayraj Shiromani, Vijay Mayekar and Kumaraswamy Govindappa. They were charged with unlawful assembly, rioting, criminal conspiracy and "acts intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting religion or religious beliefs."

They were sent to judicial custody until Aug. 25.

Police, meantime, had locked the Christians at the teacher training inside the hall. Pastor Bentic said Francis Swaminathan Kaniya, pastor of an independent church, arrived at the hall at 8:30 a.m. for the meeting and was met by Hindu extremist Gangadhar Hallikeri, who repeatedly punched, slapped and verbally abused him outside the Patil Sabha Bhavan; others along with Hallikeri ransacked his satchel, seized his Bible, tore pages out of it and burned them.

"The police had locked up the hall with the other believers inside up to 12:30 pm," Pastor Bentic said. "After noting down the names and addresses of all the participants, the police escorted the believers in groups to the bus stand and made them leave the place."

Sub-Inspector Kuber Rajame told Compass that he and other officers went to the Patil Sabha Bhavan at 4 a.m. on Wednesday (Aug.12) based on a complaint by Hallikeri, who along with 15 others accused the Christians of forcible conversion and denigrating Hindu gods.

Sub-Inspector Rajame also said that he had sent police officers earlier, in the wee hours of the morning, to investigate the meeting and that they confirmed that the Christians were speaking derogatorily about Hindu gods. Denying that any of the Christians were beaten by Hallikeri and his group, the sub-inspector added that officers seized CDs, cassettes and books relating to Christianity from the place.

The private nature of the meeting notwithstanding, arrests for speaking ill of religions even in public constitute a violation of free speech as stipulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which India is a signatory, according to Christian leaders.

Sajan K. George, national president of the GCIC, told Compass that the organization has confirmed the attackers as Sri Ram Sena and Bajrang Dal leaders: Alikere, Palyad Kallur, Mahesh Palyad, Gangadhar Alikere, and Shivkumar Kallur.

"Last year Sri Ram Sena was involved in the attack of over 30 prayer halls in Mangalore city area, Karnataka, and they have the tacit approval of the local administrative machinery," George said. "That emboldens them to carry out attack on Christians."

GCIC has appealed to the Governor of Karnataka, the Home Minister of the government of India and the National Human Rights Commission to look into the matter."

Seva Bharath Mission India has been known for its humanitarian service to northern Karnataka for the past nine years. It provides adult literacy and children's education programs and has been involved in evening tuition classes for street children. The teacher's training program was organized to equip men and women from 11 districts in north Karnataka to teach and be a part of the humanitarian mission.

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Religion Today Summaries - Aug. 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: Women Await Verdict for Apostate Charges
    * Virginia Jail Agrees to Stop Censoring Religious Mail
    * Mexican Christians Jailed for Acteal Massacre Win Release
    * Father Says Pastor 'Brainwashed' His Christian Daughter


Iran: Women Await Verdict for Apostate Charges

Mission News Network reports that two Christian women who refused to recant their faith have been send back to the harsh Evin prison to await their verdict. Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Amirizadeh stood trial for their faith in an Iranian court on Aug. 8, but have been imprisoned since March 5. "They were instructed very clearly to renounce their faith; in fact, they were told that they needed to renounce Christianity verbally, and they also needed to write it out and sign it. They both replied 'No, we will not deny our faith,'" said Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs. "And interestingly, 'We have no regrets' is another thing they said in the courtroom." Apostates can be punished with death in Iran. The women argued that that they never embraced the Muslim faith of their parents, despite conventions that dictate that the children of Muslim parents are also Muslim.

Virginia Jail Agrees to Stop Censoring Religious Mail

Religion News Service reports that a Virginia jail will stop censoring religious mail after protests that clerks had turned Bible-quoting missives from an inmate's mother into tattered strips of paper signed "Love, Mom." Rappahannock Regional Jail authorities agreed to change the policy after receiving a letter signed by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the Rutherford Institute, Prison Fellowship, the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, the American Civil Liberties Union and others. Prisons may block writings that pose security threats, including hate speech and X-rated images, but must allow access to otherwise religious materials, according to several court rulings and federal law. Jail officials said the censorship was motivated by a policy that prohibits inmates from receiving swaths of computer printouts, which had been used to clog toilets and otherwise harass the guards.

Mexican Christians Jailed for Acteal Massacre Win Release

Compass Direct News reports that at least 20 men accused of participating in a massacre in Chiapas state in December 1997 left prison early Friday morning. Their release came amid concerns over threats of violence at their home communities near San Cristobal de las Casas, following a Supreme Court ruling yesterday that their convictions violated fundamental norms of justice. The release of the 20 men, most of them evangelical Christians, came after Mexico's Supreme Court ruled in a 4-1 decision that they had been convicted in unfair trials in which prosecutors fabricated testimony and illegally obtained evidence. Area evangelicals view the imprisoned Christians as caught between survivors clamoring for convictions and government police and military forces eager to shift blame away from their minions following the Dec. 22, 1997 killing of 45 civilians in Acteal village.

Father Says Pastor 'Brainwashed' His Christian Daughter

The Christian Post reports that the Muslim father of a teenage girl who converted to Christianity has denied that he threatened an honor killing. "Honestly, it's not my daughter who is speaking," Mohamed Bary told central Ohio news station WBNS-TV. "I feel that she has been coached to say these things." He accused a Florida pastor and his wife of brainwashing his daughter, 17-year-old Fathima Rifqa Bary, after they met in a Christian group on Facebook. The teenager fled from Ohio to Florida and told the pastor that she did not expect her parents to report her missing, as her mother allegedly said she was "dead" to them after the conversion came to light. Her older brother, Rilvan, supports with his father's statements. Fathima is currently in a group home with the Florida Department of Children and Families until her next court hearing on Aug. 21.

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Rash of Attacks on Christians Reported in Sri Lanka
Krishni de Alwis


August 18, 2009

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (Compass Direct News) -- Attacks on Christians in Sri Lanka have surged noticeably in recent weeks, following the government's defeat of Tamil separatists in May.

Attacks were reported in Puttlam, Gampaha and Kurunegala districts in western Sri Lanka, central Polonnaruwa district, Mannar district in the north and Matara district in the south, according to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL).

Most recently, attackers on July 28 set fire to an Assemblies of God church in Norachcholai, Puttlam district, destroying the building. The pastor received frantic calls from neighbors at about 8:45 p.m. reporting that the building was in flames, echoing a similar arson attack almost a year ago that destroyed the original building on the site.

Church members have registered a complaint with police, but at press time no arrests had been made.

When a pastor of a Foursquare Gospel church and his wife visited a church member in Radawana village, Gampaha district during the third week of July, a 50-strong mob gathered at the door and shouted that they would not tolerate any further Christian activity in the village, NCEASL reported. The mob then prevented the couple from leaving the house, hit the pastor with a rod and threw a bucket of cow dung at him.

The disturbance continued for two hours before police finally answered repeated requests for assistance and arrived at the house, arresting three people who were later released.

Earlier, on June 28, a mob consisting of more than 100 people, including Buddhist monks, surrounded the home of a female pastor of another Foursquare Gospel church in the village, according to the NCEASL. At the time the pastor, whose name was withheld for security reasons, and her husband were away. Their 13-year-old daughter watched helplessly as the mob broke in, shouted insults and destroyed chairs and other furniture.

Hearing that their home was under attack, the parents rushed to get police help, but the mob had dispersed by the time officers arrived. Police called the pastor into the Gampaha police station for questioning on July 9 and July 11; on the second occasion, protestors surrounded her and other pastors who accompanied her, spitting on them and initially preventing them from entering the police station.

Later, in the presence of Buddhist monks and other protestors, the pastor was forced to sign a document promising not to host worship services for non-family members.

Also in Gampaha district, a mob on July 14 destroyed the partially-built home of Sanjana Kumara, a Christian resident of Obawatte village. On receiving a phone call from a friend, Kumara rushed to the scene to find the supporting pillars of the house pulled down, damaging the structure beyond repair.

Villagers launched a smear campaign against Kumara on July 6, after he invited his pastor and other Christians to bless the construction of his home. As the group prayed, about 30 people entered the premises and demanded that they stop worshiping. The mob then threatened to kill Kumara, falsely accusing him of constructing a church building.

On July 8, Kumara discovered that unknown persons had broken into a storage shed on the property, stealing tools and painting a Buddhist blessing on the walls. Police were reluctant to record Kumara's complaint until a lawyer intervened.

The Sri Lanka population is 69.1 percent Buddhist, 7.6 percent Muslim, 7.1 percent Hindu and 6.2 percent Christian, with the remaining 10 percent unspecified.

Sword Attack

In Markandura village, Kurunegala district, seven men wielding swords on July 12 attacked caretaker Akila Dias and three other members of the Vineyard Community church, causing serious injury to church members and church property. Dias and others received emergency care at a local hospital before being transferred to a larger hospital in the area for treatment.

Church members filed a complaint with police, identifying one of the attackers as the same man who had assaulted the church pastor and another worker with a machete in March; at that time police had arrested the man but released him on bail. Several other attacks followed, including one on June 29 in which the church premises were desecrated with human feces. Documents were also circulated on July 18 describing the church as a divisive force aiming to destroy peace in the local community.

On the night of July 12, attackers tore off roof tiles from the church building and threw them to the ground, leaving it exposed to the elements.

On July 5, a mob of around 100 people, half of them Buddhist monks, forcibly entered an Assemblies of God church in Dickwella, Matara district, warning church members to cease all Christian worship in the area and pasting notices on the walls declaring that "any form of Christian worship in this place is completely prohibited."

The congregation has filed a complaint with local police.

On June 23, a Foursquare Gospel pastor from Polonnaruwa district was stopped by a group of men riding motorcycles as he drove home after attending a late evening prayer meeting. Three men wearing masks attacked him with knives and shouted, "This is your last day! If we let you live, you will convert the whole town!"

The pastor sustained severe cuts to his arms as he warded off blows aimed at his neck, before driving away to seek medical help. Police in Polonnaruwa have initiated an inquiry.

Finally, in Thalvapadu village, Mannar district, members of an Apostolic church were dedicating their newly constructed building on June 7 when a mob of about 300 people forcibly entered the premises, threatening the pastor and congregation. They demolished the new church building, throwing roofing sheets and bricks onto a plot of adjacent land.

When church members filed a complaint, police arrested seven of the attackers; a case has been filed with a local court.

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

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Pakistani Christians Forced into Refugee Camps
    * Lutheran Gay Policies Face Close Vote
    * German Church Finds Shelter for Out-of-Town Fathers
    * 'Rock the River' Draws Thousands of Teens

Pakistani Christians Forced into Refugee Camps

The Christian Post reports that Pakistani Christians in Islamabad don't believe the apologies they've heard after a Muslim mob killed eight Christians. There, about 2,000 Christians have been "forced to live in a refugee camp" after being evicted from their land. They allege that their faith alone made them targets. "We are constitutionally bound to protect the life and property of the minorities and to look after the interests of the minorities in this country," said Shahbaz Bhatti, the minister of minority affairs and a Pakistani Christian. Area Christians, however, say the government has done nothing for the religious minority. "Twenty million Christians are living like slaves in Islamic Republic of Pakistan: Where is freedom for Christians?" a public statement from Pakistan Christian Post, led by editor Dr. Nazir S. Bhatti, read.

Lutheran Gay Policies Face Close Vote

The Washington Times reports that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America could swing either way on votes relating to homosexuality and openly gay clergy. "We recognize we're in for some long conversation this week," said Virginia Synod Bishop James F. Mauney, who oversees 42,000 members in 163 churches across the state. "I am hopeful that our worship will guide our conversation and we will be guided by the Holy Spirit." The votes will decide whether the pulpit is open to openly gay clergy as well as celibate gay clergy. The church convention will also vote on two proposed documents, the social statement "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust" and a report on the role of committed same-sex couples in the Lutheran church.

German Church Finds Shelter for Out-of-Town Fathers

Religion News Service reports that one church in Munich, Germany, has jumped online to help children of divorce keep in touch with their parents. The project, "My Daddy's Coming!" is a new take on "couch-surfing," where out-of-town visitors connect online with locals who are willing to host a stranger on a couch or in a guest room for a short time. The Web site helps fathers who have children in Munich register their intention to come see their families. Local hosts who participate can help the dads save on hotel costs and, hopefully, make the visits more frequent. "Children don't get divorced," reads the Web site (www.alleinerziehen-evangelisch.de, which translated means "raising kids alone -- Lutheran"). The Web site does not differentiate by creed. However, it does require fathers to provide proof of residence and identity before they can enroll in the system.

'Rock the River' Draws Thousands of Teens

Baptist Press reports that more than 65,000 people gathered at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis for the second stop on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's "Rock the River" tour. "There were more than 65,000 in attendance, around 800 spiritual decisions made, 538 salvations, 300 decibels of sound, I was wearing 100 SPF sunscreen, I went through four quarts of water, and it all made for one remarkable day," Bruce McCoy, president of the Missouri Baptist Convention and pastor of Canaan Baptist Church in St. Louis, said. The event featured music from various Christian music artists popular among teens and early-twenty-somethings, all building towards the day's Gospel presentations by Franklin Graham. Though people of all ages attended Rock the River at the Arch, the vast majority fell between the ages of 15 and 25.

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Officials in India on Defensive at 'Watch List' Designation - 1 of 2
Vishal Arora


August 19, 2009

NEW DELHI (Compass Direct News) -- Ahead of one-year remembrances of massive anti-Christian violence in the eastern state of Orissa, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has put India on its "Watch List" for the country's violations of religious freedom, evoking strong reactions from the Indian government.

USCIRF Chairman Leonard Leo said in a statement on Wednesday (Aug. 12) that it was "extremely disappointing" that India "has done so little to protect and bring justice to its religious minorities under siege."

The U.S. panel's decision was "regrettable," a spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs, Vishnu Prakash, said in a statement on Thursday (Aug. 13), after the USCIRF put India on the list due to a "disturbing increase" in violence on minorities and a growing culture of impunity in the country.

Violence erupted in Kandhamal district of the eastern state of Orissa in August-September 2008, killing more than 100 people and burning 4,640 houses, 252 churches and 13 educational institutions, according to rights groups such as the All India Christian Council (AICC), the Global Council of India Christians (GCIC) and the Christian Legal Association (CLA).

"India's democratic institutions charged with upholding the rule of law, most notably state and central judiciaries and police, have emerged as unwilling or unable to seek redress for victims of the violence," Leo said. "More must be done to ensure future violence does not occur and that perpetrators are held accountable."

Disagreeing with the USCIRF report, the foreign ministry's Prakash said India is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society. "The Constitution of India guarantees freedom of religion and equality of opportunity to all its citizens, who live and work together in peace and harmony," he said.

Christians were shocked by the foreign ministry spokesman's claim that "aberrations, if any, are dealt with promptly within our legal framework, under the watchful eye of an independent judiciary and a vigilant media."

Attorney Robin Ratnakar David, president of the CLA, told Compass that one year after the violence only six people have been convicted in just two cases of rioting, while several suspects have been acquitted in four such cases despite the formation of fast-track courts.

Dr. John Dayal, secretary general of the AICC, pointed out that the more than 50,000 people who fled to forests or took shelter in refugee camps have not returned home out of fear of Hindu nationalist extremists who demand they either convert to Hinduism or leave their villages.

He said there also had been several "pogroms against Muslims, often sponsored or condoned by the state."

In 2002, India's worst-ever anti-Muslim violence occurred in the western state of Gujarat. A compartment of a train, the Sabarmati Express, caught fire -- or was set on fire (as claimed by Hindu extremists) -- near the Godhra city railway station on Feb. 27. In the fire, 58 Hindu passengers, mainly supporters of the Hindu extremist Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council or VHP), were killed. The VHP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed it was an attack by Islamic terrorists; the ensuing violence killed more than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims.

Following the anti-Muslim violence, the USCIRF recommended that India be designated a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC), its list of the world's worst violators of religious freedom. India was removed from the CPC list in 2005.

Designation on the Watch List means a country requires "close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by the government," according to USCIRF. The other countries on USCIRF's Watch List are Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Laos, the Russian Federation, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Venezuela.

CLA attorney David said the August-September 2008 violence in Kandhamal could have been prevented had the administration brought to justice those responsible for previous mayhem in December 2007. The December 2007 violence in Kandhamal killed at least four Christians, burned as many as 730 houses and 95 churches and rendered thousands homeless.

The attacks were launched under the pretext of avenging an alleged attack on a VHP leader, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. It was the assassination of Saraswati by Maoists (extreme Marxists) on Aug. 23, 2008 that sparked the second spate of violence in Kandhamal, as Hindu nationalists blamed non-Marxist, local Christians for it.

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Officials in India on Defensive at 'Watch List' Designation - 2 of 2
Vishal Arora

Dayal said the USCIRF's latest conclusions could have been avoided if more action had been taken against the perpetrators of last year's violence.

"The USCRIF action would not have been possible, and India would have been able to rebuff the U.S. scrutiny more effectively, if several thousand Christians were still not in refugee camps, if the killers were still not roaming scot-free and if witnesses, including widows, were not being coerced," he said.

'Indifferent'

Shashi Tharoor, India's Minister of State for External Affairs, told a private news channel that India did not need approbation from outside its borders.

"As far as we are concerned, we are essentially indifferent to how others view the situation," he said. "In democracy, what matters to us is how we deal with our own internal issues. I don't think we need any certificates from outside."

He dismissed the report as meddling in internal affairs even though between June 2002 and February 2007 Tharoor served as under-secretary general for communications and public information for the United Nations, a body representative of international accountability in human rights.

In its annual report, India's home (interior) ministry had acknowledged that the incidence of communal violence was high. It noted that in 2008, as many as 943 communal incidents (mainly against Muslims and Christians) took place in which 167 persons were killed and 2,354 persons were injured. The figures were up from those of 2007, when there were 761 incidents in which 99 persons were killed and 2,227 persons were injured.

Justifying its decision, the USCIRF report stated that several incidents of communal violence have occurred in various parts of the country resulting in many deaths and mass displacements, particularly of members of the Christian and Muslim minorities, "including major incidents against Christian communities within the 2008-2009 reporting period."

"Because the government's response at the state and local levels has been found to be largely inadequate and the national government has failed to take effective measures to ensure the rights of religious minorities in several states, the Commission decided to place India on its Watch List."

The USCIRF had released its 2009 annual report on religious freedom across the globe on May 1 but put the India report on hold, planning to prepare it after a visit to the country in June. A USCIRF team planned to visit India to speak to the government and others concerning the situation in Kandhamal and Gujarat on June 12, but the Indian embassy in Washington, D.C. did not provide visas in time.

"USCIRF's India chapter was released this week to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the anti-Christian violence in Orissa," Leo pointed out in last week's statement.

'Teflon-Coated State'

The AICC's Dayal seemed pessimistic about a change in the government's attitude.

"Unfortunately, nothing really impacts the government of India or the government of Indian states," he said. "The state, and our social conscience, seems Teflon-coated. The patriotic media and political sector dismiss international scrutiny as interference in the internal affairs of India, and a beaten-into-submission section of the leadership of religious minorities assumes silence to be the best form of security and safety."

Dr. Sajan George, the national convenor of the GCIC, said the report showed that India had become a "super violator" of human rights. The Rev. Dr. Babu Joseph, spokesman for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, said the U.S. panel's report did not augur well with India's claim to find a respectable place within the community of nations.

"India as an emerging economic power in the world should also endeavor to better its records of protecting human rights, particularly when it comes to religious freedom of its citizens," Joseph said.

Joseph told Compass the USCIRF report was "a clear indication of the growing concern of the international community with India's repeated failure to take decisive and corrective measures to contain religious intolerance."

Christian leaders generally lauded the report, with Dayal saying, "India's record on the persecution of minorities and the violation of religious freedom has been a matter of international shame for the nation."

[nChrist]

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

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Cuba: Pastor's Wife Faces Court after Losing Baby in Attack
    * Pakistan: Pregnant Woman Tortured at Police Station
    * Lutheran Gay Clergy Proposal Passes First Hurdle
    * Nuns Question Vatican Probe's Methods   

Cuba: Pastor's Wife Faces Court after Losing Baby in Attack

Christian Today reports that a pastor's wife who miscarried after a neighbor attacked her went on trial on Monday. She is accused by the authorities of 'disturbing the public order' during the incident in December. The attack was only one in a pattern of harassment by neighbors who contaminated the family's water well, broke pipes and a septic tank, and accused the pastor, Eric Gabriel Rodriguez, of aggressive behavior. Gilianys Meneses Rodriguez, the wife, miscarried after eight weeks pregnancy as a result of the last attack. The entire family has been forced to move away from their home in Placetas due to concerns for their safety. According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Christians in Cuba have faced increased religious pressure since Raul Castro took power.

Pakistan: Pregnant Woman Tortured at Police Station

ASSIST News Service reports that a pregnant Christian woman miscarried on July 26 after police beat her and dragged her naked through their police station. Police in Gujrat District of Punjab, Pakistan, had arrested her and a Muslim woman after their employer accused them of theft, but police did not touch the Muslim woman. The woman, Farzana Bibi, worked as a maid in the house of a wealthy Muslim. During a wedding held at the house, some jewelry was stolen from some of the landlord's female relatives. The police arrested two maids: Farzana and a Muslim woman named Rehana. Farzana's husband says police arrested both women without proof, but subjected only Farzana to intense torture and humiliation. Police detained her for two days, releasing her to a hospital where she miscarried her child. Two officers were suspended after the events on her behalf.

Lutheran Gay Clergy Proposal Passes First Hurdle

The Associated Press reports that a proposal in the Lutheran church to allow openly homosexual clergy in the pulpit has passed its first hurdle. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's biennial convention voted Monday to pass of fail the measure with a simple majority vote, instead of the proposed two-third supermajority vote. Critics of the measure said such a significant move should reflect the attitudes of the full denomination. ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson says the majority versus supermajority vote shouldn't be seen as strongly indicating the debate's ultimate outcome. The 1,045 voting delegates will probably face a final vote on Friday determining which direction the church, which is the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States, will take in the future.

Nuns Question Vatican Probe's Methods 

Religion News Service reports that an umbrella group of Catholic nuns has asked the Vatican to disclose why it is being investigated. The group has asked who is funding the probe, and questioned why the sisters will not be allowed to see the final investigative report submitted to church leaders. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which met last week (Aug. 11-14) in New Orleans, pledged to cooperate with a Vatican investigation of the sisters' fidelity to Catholic doctrine on female ordination, homosexuality, and the role of the church in salvation. "We are used to evaluations. We have no problems with evaluations," Sister Helen Garvey told National Catholic Reporter, an independent newspaper, in New Orleans. "But we need a sense of fair play. There needs to be transparency."

[nChrist]

Christians Call for Rejection of Sharia-Based Bills in Indonesia
Samuel Rionaldo


August 20, 2009

JAKARTA (Compass Direct News) -- The Indonesian Council of Churches (PGI) has called for the rejection of two bills inspired by sharia (Islamic law).

The Halal Product Guarantee Bill and the Zakat Obligatory Alms Management Bill, both under consideration in the Indonesian parliament, cater to the needs of one religious group at the expense of others, violating Indonesia's policy of pancasila or religious tolerance, said the Rev. Dr. A.A. Yewangoe, director of the PGI.

"National laws must be impartial and inclusive," Yewangoe told Compass. "Since all laws are binding on all of the Indonesian people, they must be objective. Otherwise discrimination will result ... The state has a duty to guard the rights of all its citizens, including freedom of religion."

Dr. Lodewijk Gultom, head of PGI's Law and Human Rights Department, pointed out that according to regulations on the formation of proposed laws, a bill cannot discriminate against any group of citizens. But the Halal product bill several times mentions sharia, as if Indonesia were an exclusively Muslim state, he said.

"If this bill is enforced, it will cause other religions to demand specific rights, and our sense of unity and common destiny will be lost," Gultom said.

Gultom also said the bills were an attempt to resurrect the Jakarta Charter, a statement incorporated into Indonesia's constitution in 1945 before it was quickly withdrawn. It declared that the newly-created state would be based on a belief in the one supreme God "with the obligation to live according to Islamic law for Muslims."

Public opinion on the Jakarta Charter remains sharply divided, with some insisting that Islamic law is warranted because of the country's Muslim majority, while others believe its implementation would disturb national unity.

Two members of Parliament, Constant Pongawa and Tiurlan Hutagaol, both from the Prosperous Peace Party, have requested the withdrawal of the Halal and Zakat bills to avoid creating conflict between Muslims and other religious groups.

"These bills are a step backward and will lead to the isolation of different religions," agreed Ronald Naibaho, head of the North Sumatran chapter of the Indonesian Christian Youth Movement.

National church leaders have requested a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to discuss the impact of these bills and a number of other discriminatory laws being applied at provincial levels across the country.

Church, Orphanage Closed

Muslim groups, meantime, recently moved to close more Christian institutions.

On July 21, following complaints from community groups, police forcibly dismantled a church in West Java on grounds that it did not have a building permit, while similar groups in East Java successfully lobbied for the closure of a Catholic orphanage claiming that it planned to "Christianize" local children.

Police in Bogor district, West Java, dismantled the temporary bamboo structure erected by the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan church in Parung Panjang on July 21. Church leaders insist that the church had long ago applied for a building permit that was not granted even though they had met all requirements, including obtaining permission from the Bogor Interfaith Harmony Forum.

"There are 234 buildings in Parung Panjang that lack building permits, including a mosque," church elder Walman Nainggolan told Compass. "Why was our house of worship singled out?"

The church has filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission of Indonesia. Commissioner Johny Nelson Simanjuntak agreed to clarify the status of the church building permit with local officials and asked local police to permit peaceful worship as guaranteed by the constitution.

Separately, a group of Muslims lobbied for the closure of a Catholic orphanage for crippled children in Batu, in the Malang district of East Java, stating concern that the facility would become a covert vehicle for "Christianization." In response to demonstrations in front of the mayor's office in October 2008 and June 2009 and complaints from 10 different Muslim religious and community organizations, Batu Mayor Eddy Rumpoko on June 19 rescinded a building permit issued to the Catholic Bhakti Luhur Foundation and ordered that construction cease immediately.

The foundation operates 41 orphanages serving approximately 700 children with special needs.

"We are greatly saddened by this action," the Rev. Laurentius Heru Susanto, a local vicar, told Compass. "The home was meant to serve the people. There was no other purpose."

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Aug. 20, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Egyptian Priest Faced with Death Fatwa
    * S.C. Bishop Distances Diocese from Episcopal Church
    * Christian Books Become Prison Missionaries
    * School Officials May Lose Retirement over Prayer

Egyptian Priest Faced with Death Fatwa

Christian Today reports that a Coptic priest now faces a death fatwa after he applied for a license to turn part of his home into a "prayer hall" for Christian funeral and marriage ceremonies. Father Estefanos said Muslim elders of Ezbet Dawood Youssef in Minia Governate also banned him from his home there for a month. Estefanos says he was forced to hold such services in the streets for years, as such Christian buildings must receive special licenses. "I went to the state security to get the necessary licenses for using this space in my family home, but they told me I need first to obtain the 'permission' of the village Muslims, as they want no problems in the village," he said. Muslim elders in his village and neighboring ones then stirred up trouble and warned him to change his mind. "[T]here is no 'blood money' for killing a Christian," Father Estephanos said.

S.C. Bishop Distances Diocese from Episcopal Church

Religion News Service reports that the bishop of South Carolina has suggested that his diocese withdraw from the denomination's governing bodies. "We face a multitude of false teachings," Bishop Mark Lawrence told clergy from the 75 congregations in his diocese last Thursday (Aug. 13), "which like an intrusive vine is threatening the Episcopal Church as we have inherited it and received it from our ancestors." The bishop walked a fine line in his address to clergy Thursday, proposing that the diocese clearly distance itself from the Episcopal Church, but not advocating a full break with the denomination at this time. Lawrence has suggested special resolutions that would register dissent with recent pro-gay actions and remove the diocese from "all bodies of governance" in the Episcopal Church that have assented to the pro-gay moves.

Christian Books Become Prison Missionaries

Baptist Press reports that that Christian Library International (CLI) changed its whole way of ministry once someone suggested giving books to prison chaplains. Kathleen Skaar, director of Christian Library International based in Raleigh, N.C., said the group had been distributing books in various locations -- YMCAs, nursing homes and the like -- and was trying to decide what to do with some extra books. When Skaar contacted the chaplains, "They were just thrilled," she said. "Some chaplains said they'd been praying for years and years." The ministry is now totally focused on prison ministry, and often receives thanks from inmates. "That's where we are and that's where we'll stay unless God tells us otherwise," Skaar said. She thinks of the books going "out like missionaries into the prisons."

School Officials May Lose Retirement over Prayer

Christian Post reports that two high school administrators may also lose their retirement benefits for a prayer offered at a booster club luncheon. Florida school officials Frank Lay and Robert Freeman already face criminal contempt charges for the public prayer, even though it was not on school-sponsored event. "They certainly never thought they would be defending themselves under a criminal contempt charge and face up to $5,000 in fines and up to six months in prison, and they never thought that they would jeopardize their collective 70 years of employment (retirement benefits)," said Mathew Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel. Staver is representing both men in court after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint about the prayer to U.S. District Judge Casey Rodgers, who initiated criminal contempt proceedings.

[nChrist]

Stereotypes and Spirituality: Survey Gives Insights on Gay Faith
Ginny McCabe


August 25, 2009

Contrary to the popular stereotypes about gays, a recent study from The Barna Group reveals some surprising insights about gay spirituality. The study shows that there are both similarities and differences when comparing the spiritual beliefs of homosexuals and heterosexuals.

"People who portray gay adults as godless, hedonistic, Christian bashers are not working with the facts," said George Barna, Barna Group founder and a best-selling author of numerous books about faith and culture on the Barna Group Web site. "A substantial majority of gays cite their faith as a central facet of their life, consider themselves to be Christian, and claim to have some type of meaningful personal commitment to Jesus Christ active in their life today."

The Barna Group study indicates that out of the 9,232 American adults who were surveyed, 70 percent of gay individuals self-identified themselves as Christian. In the same survey, 85 percent of heterosexuals self-identified themselves as being a Christian, showing a 15 percent gap between the two groups.

About six out of ten heterosexuals say they are absolutely committed to the Christian faith, compared to about four out of ten homosexuals who place that same value on their faith.

Although many of the adults affirmed the importance of faith in their life, regardless of their sexual orientation, straight adults (72 percent) were more likely than gay adults (60 percent) to describe their faith as being "very important" in their lives.

Dr. Warren Throckmorton, associate professor of psychology at Grove City College who has been a clinical expert in the field since 1998, said that if individuals aren't flexible, they can miss a lot of research on this topic.

"I have changed my views over the years, in part, because of research and in part because of getting to know gay people better. I take the traditional view of sexual ethics as far as sexuality being reserved for marriage, but I've come to believe that a lot of what evangelicals say about homosexuals paints a misleading picture," he said. Throckmorton recently detailed his approach with the Wall Street Journal.

"The Barna study is a pretty good indicator of the sorts of stereotypes that exist about homosexuals," he told Crosswalk.com. "Homosexuals do have a spiritual component and a practice. There are also a lot of other things we hear about gays that are distorted and that can paint an inaccurate picture, which can often lead evangelicals to take unhelpful positions."

Other conservative evangelicals agreed that Christians are quick to stereotype the gay population.

"Evangelical Christians who don't know gay and lesbian people can operate simply with a stereotype of those people as being completely, self-consciously atheistic or self-consciously hedonistic, and that isn't helpful in our mission because it doesn't help us to engage people as where they see themselves as being," said Dr. Russell Moore, dean of the School of Theology and senior vice-president for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

"I think the study demonstrates something that is true about self-deception, generally.  All of us think ourselves to be doing spiritually righteous things. The Scripture tells us that," he continued. "We always find a way to justify that and to think that our particular area of rebellion doesn't affect my sense of relationship to the divine, when in course, it does.... I think Christians should have a great sense of compassion upon their homosexual neighbors in their lostness, because it is not a different kind of lostness than all of the rest of us previously experienced before we came to know the Lord Jesus."

The study underscores the need most people feel for faith and religion in their lives, regardless of their sexual orientation. Although the gay population isn't highly visible in evangelical circles, some say that's the fault of Christians who pushed seekers away.

For Andrew Marin, president and founder of the bridge-building The Marin Foundation, this common search could be an opportunity.

"One thing has been very clear to me over the last nine years being immersed in the GLBT community--they are searching for the exact same things we are in regards to trying to figure out life and faith, and how those things relate to our existence here on earth. There is a lot of self-inflicted (and church-inflicted) spiritual/religious repression within GLBT people; and as with everyone else, the more something is repressed the more it longs to feel freedom."

Ultimately, however, many conservative Christians maintain that the gay lifestyle and true faith are incompatible. Just as many heterosexuals may claim Christianity nominally, so the gay population can as well.

Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International and author of "Leaving Homosexuality,"said that individuals will eventually come a point of conflict depending on their view of Scripture.

"When it comes to your understanding relating to Scripture and sexuality, if you adopt a gay worldview or a gay identity, you're going to have to throw out the Scriptural mandates in regard to sexuality or the Scriptural context with regards to sexuality. Whereas, those who aren't dealing with those complex issues won't, they will tend to stand by the traditional sexual and biblical ethics," he said.

Dr. James Tonkowich, past president and scholar with the Institute on Religion & Democracy, said he sees several things happening in today's churches in regard to homosexuality, but believes placing a focus on promoting a biblical approach to sexuality is key.

 "There are several wrong approaches to the issue. One is what is going on in the mainline churches, mainly. You change your church and you change your doctrine in order to incorporate gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals within their lifestyles... Another wrong approach is to get angry and condemn people who are homosexuals as some kind of special class of particularly awful class of sinners. A third wrong approach is that it is only three percent of the population and there are plenty of other people to evangelize from the other 97 percent.

"I think the right approach is to affirm and articulate Scriptural standards of orthodoxy and Scriptural standards of morality. We need to articulate a biblical understanding of what it means to be human, what it means to have a body. What marriage means and how that fits not only into life in the 21st Century, but how marriage goes all the way back to the beginning - to creation. And, marriage looks forward to the return of Christ and the re-making of all things."

[nChrist]

Lutherans Cautious on Split after Gay Vote
Daniel Burke


August 26, 2009

(RNS) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America had debated lifting its ban on non-celibate gay clergy for years, with tensions flaring at each biennial Churchwide Assembly.

Still, when the ban was finally lifted late Friday (Aug. 21), it came as a surprise -- and an unwelcome one at that -- to some conservatives in the nation's largest Lutheran denomination.

"The first reaction is that they are stunned," said the Rev. Jonathan Jenkins, who addressed the new clergy policy at his Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Lebanon, Pa. "We've been talking about this as a possibility for some time, but I think most of our people did not expect this to happen."

Jenkins said that many, but not all, members of his congregation, where 185 gather for worship each Sunday, were dismayed by the change.

Jenkins is one of several pastors who are organizing a meeting in Central Pennsylvania this week to discuss the new policy and whether to stay in the ELCA.

Even before last week's convention in Minneapolis, conservatives in Lutheran CORE, which counts about 300,000 members, planned to hold their own gathering next month in Indianapolis. CORE leaders said the group will consider a range of options, from creating a separate church within the ELCA to directing donations away from the ELCA's Chicago headquarters.

Delegates at the ELCA's convention said opening the pulpit to gay clergy in committed, monogamous relationships accords with the Bible's overall message of tolerance and inclusion. But conservatives say the Bible clearly denounces homosexual activity, and that any church that condones homosexuality has turned its back on Scripture.

Before the assembly, ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson dismissed notions that the denomination's debate over homosexuality could become as divisive as it has in the Episcopal Church, which has seen thousands of conservatives defect since the election of an openly gay bishop in 2003. In July, the Episcopal Church voted to allow more gay bishops and blessings of same-sex unions, setting off a fresh round of recriminations in the Anglican Communion.

After Friday's vote, Hanson pleaded with conservatives in his 4.6 million-member denomination to "stay in there with us." "It would be tragic if we walked away from one another," Hanson said.

But a number of conservative congregations are already running out the door.

Some are heading for Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, a network of conservative congregations, said the group's national coordinator, the Rev. Bill Sullivan.

"We are being inundated with calls from former ELCA congregations," Sullivan said. "I expect that at the very least, we will double in the next year and a half." The LCMC has about 175 member congregations in the U.S.; the ELCA has approximately 10,000 congregations.

Sullivan said he had talked to 25 congregations on Monday alone.

"It's a sad day for the ELCA, but a day filled with opportunity for working together with other likeminded Lutheran Christians for us."

Because the LCMC is a viable Lutheran denomination, certain churches can defect there under ELCA rules without losing their property, pastors or pensions, said the Rev. Jaynan Clark, president of the conservative WordAlone Network. Some congregations hold dual membership in both the ELCA and the LCMC.

Before the ELCA assembly, WordAlone compiled a four-page fact sheet for congregations considering leaving the denomination, listing the LCMC as a top option.

Robert Benne, director of the Center for Religion and Society at the ELCA-affiliated Roanoke College in Virginia, said conservatives will likely head in many different directions, and predicts that at least 200 congregations will soon distance themselves from the ELCA.

"It's going to be very diffuse," said Benne, who serves on the advisory board for Lutheran CORE. "Some lay people will want their congregation to leave, some will want to be assured that their congregation" will not hire a gay pastor. Still others will withhold sending money to ELCA headquarters and some will "reluctantly go along with what happened," Benne said.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Aug. 24, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * Anglican Bishop Calls for Release of Iranian Converts
    * Cuban Government Charge Church Leaders with 'Criminal Activity'
    * Lao Soldiers Decapitate Two-Month-Old Girl
    * Sisters Who Chased Alleged Thief Still Chasing Him with Prayer

Anglican Bishop Calls for Release of Iranian Converts

Christian Today reports that an Anglican bishop has called on the president of Iran to release two female converts, adding his voice to growing international outcry. The Bishop of Rochester Dr. Michael Nazir-Ali is transitioning into work with the persecuted church worldwide. The two women, 27-year-old Maryam Rustampoor and 30-year-old Marzieh Amirizadeh, have been held since March 5 on apostasy charges. "Maryam and Marzieh are being held simply because they have changed their belief. The UN Declaration on Human Rights says people everywhere should be free to do this and the Iranian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion," Bishop Nazir-Ali was quoted as saying by The Times. The women have been told to recant and have refused once in court.

Cuban Government Charge Church Leaders with 'Criminal Activity'

ASSIST News Service reports that a church leader from a growing independent church movement in Cuba has been accused of criminal activity by the government. The charges came just one month after a pastor from the same group was sentenced to six years in prison. According to the UK-based human rights group, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), this follows the recent detention at least 60 pastors and leaders in May and June. "Alexi Perez has been in prison for over a month accused of illicit economic activity. Although the original charges against him have been dropped, he now faces a new charge of illegally receiving construction materials," said a CSW spokesperson. Other pastors have been threatened on charges of "social dangerousness."

Lao Soldiers Decapitate Two-Month-Old Girl

ASSIST News Service reports that human rights travesties continue in Laos, where soldiers used a two-month-old girl for target practice. Vaughn Vang, the Director of the Lao Hmong Human Rights Council, said, "We are told, by some of the Lao Hmong survivors of the recent military attacks in Laos, that the LPDR (Lao Peoples Democratic Republic) soldiers of the LPA (Lao Peoples Army) used the ... Lao Hmong girl, while she was still alive, for target practice ... once she was captured and tied up; they mutilated her little body and continued to fire their weapons, over and over ... until her head just eventually came off after so many bullets severed her head." Reports say eight children were captured and 26 Hmong and Laotian civilians were murdered during a series of four major attacks over the past month. Hmong Christians are often targeted to stifle "religious and political dissidents."

Sisters Who Chased Alleged Thief Still Chasing Him with Prayer

Catholic News Service reports that a 17-year-old man who Catholic sisters caught stealing now has the entire community of sisters praying for him. "I hope we get a chance to talk to him," said Sister Connie, the community's vicar who also works as the director of the Office of Consecrated Life for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. "I would like to tell him that he was on our property not by accident, but by providence." Sister Connie and Sister Catarina da Silva noticed Cory D. Anderson cutting across their property shortly before 7 a.m. on Aug. 13, and took a car to investigate. The young man did not threaten them, but ran after they told him they were calling the police. Sister Catarina sprinted after him in her habit and caught up with him near the convent. "He wasn't a cross-country runner. He was completely out of breath," Sister Connie said.

[nChrist]

Religion Today Summaries - Aug. 25, 2009
Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

    * One Year Later, Christians in Orissa Pray for Peace
    * Christians Called to Pray during Ramadan
    * 'Traditionalist Catholics' Expel Christians in Mexico
    * Christians Weather Recession Stress Better, Says Charity

One Year Later, Christians in Orissa Pray for Peace

Compass Direct News reports that one year after India's worst-ever attack on Christians, churches across the country fasted and prayed for a peace that remains elusive. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India appealed to all the Catholic dioceses in the country to "pray for peace and harmony and a spirit of reconciliation" by fasting on Saturday, one year to the day that Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati was killed by non-Christian Maoists last year. On Monday, Christians held an inter-denominational meeting to pray for peace, healing and reconciliation in New Delhi to mark "National Kandhamal Day." Christians believe it may take a long time for peace and reconciliation to become a reality in Kandhamal, where the violence lasted for weeks 2008, killing more than 100 people and burning more than 4,500 houses, over 250 churches and 13 educational institutions.

Christians Called to Pray during Ramadan

The Christian Post reports that missionaries are urging all Christians to pray as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins. "It's kind of a time of seeking in a certain sense, when they're fasting and they're more geared toward spiritual things," said Sammy Tippit, an evangelist who focuses on reaching Muslims, to Mission Network News. "And it's out of a sense for God - a thirst for God and a hunger for God. And during these times of Ramadan, many will have dreams about Jesus." Mission News Network is offering a 30-day prayer guide to help Christians understand the holy month and pray effectively for different Muslim cultures worldwide. Younger Muslims in unstable countries such as Iran are especially open to alternatives from Islam, Tippit said.

'Traditionalist Catholics' Expel Christians in Mexico

Compass Direct News reports that "traditionalist Catholic" leaders last month expelled 57 evangelical Christians from their town for refusing to participate in their religious festivals. Leaders of traditionalist Catholicism, a mixture of Roman Catholicism and native rituals, expelled 32 Christians from their homes in a village in Hidalgo state and another 25 from a town in Oaxaca. In each case, the evangelicals were deprived of their property for refusing to participate in drunken festivals that included worship of Catholic icons. The Christians were forced to leave behind 121 acres of land planted with crops, as well as their homes and animals. The Christians had reached an agreement with the community in February allowing them to choose to follow their own faith, but a new town leader reportedly burned the document.

Christians Weather Recession Stress Better, Says Charity

Christian Today reports that Christians in faith communities are the most resilient to recession, according to psychologists. "Resilience factors like a sense of humor, a good upbringing are obvious, but studies also show that having a religious faith is a key factor," said Rob Waller, Consultant Psychiatrist and Director of Premier Mind & Soul. A community of believers can encourage each other with friendship, networking and other means of help. "They [faith communities] can share burdens and compensate for families who are not able or willing to help." The hope of eternal life also puts current trouble in context. "A belief that there is 'more to life than this' can help us in times of pressure - we may not feel so trapped by time, money and possessions and we may be able to hold more faith that this time we are in will not last for ever."