Christian Persecution Around the World

[Shammu]

Islam is such a sweet peaceful religion...............NOT!!

Matthew 16:24-26 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Those who watched this beheading, I pray it strikes them how islam is so "religion of peace"  isn't peaceable. The beheaded of a man who's only crime was making Jesus his Lord and savior, is a mark against islam.

[HisDaughter]

Islam is such a sweet peaceful religion...............NOT!!

I just used this same sentence in another thread!  Great minds think alike!

[HisDaughter]

Disturbing Stories Expose Dark Realities of Christian Persecution       

A solemn atmosphere descended upon a room full of culturally diverse evangelical leaders on Wednesday as disturbing accounts of religious persecution poured forth from those living in anti-Christian hotspots.

One by one, panelists shared stories of attacks against Christians in their country that included atrocious acts such as beheadings, gang rape, and genocide.

Stories were especially poignant because of the speakers’ closeness to the actual persecution, of which some were personally experienced.

The Rev. Godfrey Yogarajah of Sri Lanka, the new director of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) Religious Liberty Commission, shared that just a few days prior to his arrival in Thailand for the WEA General Assembly, one of the WEA pastors in his country of Sri Lanka was murdered and the pastor’s body thrown in a river.

A Vietnamese pastor named “Daniel” (full name cannot be disclosed for security reason) on the panel spoke about his father, a pastor, who was imprisoned for six years for his faith following the communist takeover in 1975.

The Vietnamese government now continues its persecution of his family for a second generation by denying Daniel citizenship because of his leadership in a major house church organization. His wife has to carry the burden of representing his family in every legal procedure.

But perhaps the most emotionally-charged testimony came from the Rev. Dr. Richard Howell, the general secretary of Evangelical Fellowship of India and Asia Evangelical Alliance.

Howell went beyond informing the evangelical leaders in the audience about the recent anti-Christian rampage in India to explain the reason behind Hindus’ hatred of Christians.

Hindu nationalist political parties believe and promote an ideology that promotes Hindu nation, Hindu culture, and Hindu people – “nationalism linked to Hindu religion,” said Howell.

“If you are not a Hindu, by definition, you are an anti-national,” he states. “So the hatred of Christian is hatred of Christian identity. They don’t like us not because of what we do – they definitely hate what we do – but also who we are.”

“They want to turn India into a Hindu nation, that is why Christians are hated,” the evangelical leader said.

But more importantly, Christians are hated because they empower the poor, which is the “root cause of any hatred that they incur,” he said.

Empowering the poor Dalit disturbs the caste system, which defines the group formerly known as untouchables as impure.

“A Dalit can never become a Brahmin (the highest position among the four social classifications of Brahminical Hinduism). It is his fate that he is condemned to be an impure Dalit. He should die a Dalit,” Howell explained.

However, the Gospel empowers and liberates Dalits when they become a follower of Jesus Christ, which angers the Brahmins.

“In 1857, every single Christian in Delhi was slaughtered – every single Christian. There was a time in Delhi where every single Muslim was put to death,” recalled a visibly emotional Howell in a loud but trembling voice.

“In 1984, when Mrs. [Indira] Ghandi (India's first and to date only female Prime Minister) was killed, 3,000 Sikhs were butchered – 3,000 of them on the streets of Delhi,” he recalled. “They have killed the Christians, they have killed the Muslims, they have killed the Sikhs, and now it is the time of Christians to be killed.”

He cited reports claiming that 50,000 Indian Christians have been displaced because of the violence, 30,000 of them live in relief camps – some, as reported by news agencies, sleeping without blankets – and over 4,000 Christian homes, churches and businesses have also been destroyed.

Some Christian groups say nearly 100 Christians have been killed in the attacks, although the media reports significantly lower figures – around 40 to 50 deaths.

“Persecution continued for two months unabated, uncontrolled,” Howell said angrily. “Government is a participator to the persecution that is taking place. Police stand as silent spectators. Nuns have been gang raped in the present of police.”

The current anti-Christian campaign is said to be the worst in the 60 years of India’s independence. India is the largest democratic country to experience such a large scale persecution of religious minority.

Though Hindu radicals accuse Christians of only serving the poor to convert them, Howell vehemently denied the allegations.

“Christians care for the poor for the sake of the love of Jesus Christ, not because we go out to convert,” he asserts. “Propagation machine say Christians serve to convert. If that was the case, our percentage should be 40, 60 or 80 percent – that’s not the case.”

India’s population is currently comprised of 80.5 percent Hindus, 13.4 percent Muslims, 2.3 percent Christians, and 1.9 percent Sikhs, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Other panelists, meanwhile, discussed the dire situation in Iraq, including Christian women who were being kidnapped, raped and beheaded.

[Shammu]

Persecution in Eritrea rages on
Posted: 11 November, 2008

Eritrea (MNN) ―  Persecution of Christians in Eritrea continues to be overlooked by many western nations despite the arrests of over 2000 believers.

The Eritrean government claims no persons have been arrested based on their religious practices and in fact denies that any amount of religious disunity exists in the country. However, there has recently been reason to believe otherwise.

According to Voice of the Martyrs, persecution has been reported from several churches throughout the country. Although the government claims to support the Eritrean Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Lutheran Evangelical Church of Eritrea, even these churches have experienced conflict.

On October 12, Eritrean officials arrested 20 members of the Faith Missions Church, a congregation forced to worship in secret since they do not belong to any of the three recognized churches in the country. Later, another Christian died in prison after being refused treatment for his malaria. Since then, there have been reports of 65 more believers being arrested simply because of their faith.

With such copious numbers of various reports, it may be surprising that little has been said by other nations. "Because Eritrea is such a small country and because of other things going on in the world, it tends to fly below the radar," says Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs.

If anyone has taken notice of the injustice in the country, there is little financial incentive to put pressure on the government due to the very small amount of trade between Eritrea and western nations. This apathetic approach to the situation only deepens the frustration of the victims and organizations involved.

"There hasn't been the public outcry. There haven't been other countries calling on the Eritrean leader to let the Christians go," says Nettleton. "That's a frustrating thing for those of us who do know about what's going on and do understand that 2000 of our brothers and sisters are in prison. We would like more people to speak out on their behalf."

To do so, Nettleton suggests that people first and foremost begin to pray. He also implores people to write letters reminding the government that "Christians are not a threat. They simply want the freedom to worship God as they see fit."

Pray that this freedom would come soon and that the Lord would strengthen the many that are hated because of Him.

Persecution in Eritrea rages on

[Shammu]

Violence against Christians expanding in India
Posted: 11 November, 2008

India (MNN) ― The murder of a senior Hindu activist by suspected Maoists has sparked fresh violence on Christians in the state of Orissa, India, further making daily life difficult for Christians. The wave of violence, which began in August, has seen hundreds of Christians killed, thousands injured, and homes and churches destroyed.

Founder and President of Serve India Ministries Ebenezer Samuel says the violence has been widespread. "At least 50,000 Christians have been rendered homeless. Close to 30,000 of them are in refugee camps. 10,000 to 12,000 are hiding in forests. They're not at the refugee camps because they're not able to find safe passage."

According to Religious Intelligence, more than 500 Christians have been killed in what's being called religious genocide in Orissa.

Now, Samuel says, the violence is spreading. "In the neighboring state Jharkhand, there was a procession. They were shouting slogans against Christians there. The persecution is spreading to the neighboring states as well. Jharkhand in the north, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh in the west, and Andhra Pradesh in the south. And some other states are also responding to the persecution."

Samuel says there doesn't appear to be an end to the violence, and overt ministry has all but come to an end. "They are not able to go to villages that they visit regularly. And believers that are with them in the churches have all been displaced. No one is sure what is going to happen."

Pastors are now staying with believers and helping their church members the best they can -- sharing resources and trying to help one another.

That's why Serve India Ministries is launching a plan to help 50 Christian families who have faced incredible amounts of persecution. "Some have lost loved ones. All of them have lost their houses, their property, belongings, everything, and they can't go back to where they were living for the past 10, 15 or 20 years."

Samuel says you can help these families. "We would like to help each of these families with $50 per month. It will provide them with food, water, clothes, a safe place to stay and finding jobs for them because they can't go back to their own villages."

Violence against Christians expanding in India

[nChrist]

Violence against Christians expanding in India
Posted: 11 November, 2008

India (MNN) ― The murder of a senior Hindu activist by suspected Maoists has sparked fresh violence on Christians in the state of Orissa, India, further making daily life difficult for Christians. The wave of violence, which began in August, has seen hundreds of Christians killed, thousands injured, and homes and churches destroyed.

Founder and President of Serve India Ministries Ebenezer Samuel says the violence has been widespread. "At least 50,000 Christians have been rendered homeless. Close to 30,000 of them are in refugee camps. 10,000 to 12,000 are hiding in forests. They're not at the refugee camps because they're not able to find safe passage."

According to Religious Intelligence, more than 500 Christians have been killed in what's being called religious genocide in Orissa.

Now, Samuel says, the violence is spreading. "In the neighboring state Jharkhand, there was a procession. They were shouting slogans against Christians there. The persecution is spreading to the neighboring states as well. Jharkhand in the north, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh in the west, and Andhra Pradesh in the south. And some other states are also responding to the persecution."

Samuel says there doesn't appear to be an end to the violence, and overt ministry has all but come to an end. "They are not able to go to villages that they visit regularly. And believers that are with them in the churches have all been displaced. No one is sure what is going to happen."

Pastors are now staying with believers and helping their church members the best they can -- sharing resources and trying to help one another.

That's why Serve India Ministries is launching a plan to help 50 Christian families who have faced incredible amounts of persecution. "Some have lost loved ones. All of them have lost their houses, their property, belongings, everything, and they can't go back to where they were living for the past 10, 15 or 20 years."

Samuel says you can help these families. "We would like to help each of these families with $50 per month. It will provide them with food, water, clothes, a safe place to stay and finding jobs for them because they can't go back to their own villages."

Violence against Christians expanding in India

Brother Bob,

This is very sad and is a sign of things to come around the world. I already know that these Christians are guilty of trying to help people. Christians have many missions in India other than just sharing the GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD. Voice of the Martyrs and other Christian publications report that many of the locals miss the Christians and depended on them for assistance of various kinds. It appears increasingly that Christian Networks to provide food, clothing, clean water, medical care, and all kinds of other necessities are being torn apart and rendered inoperable. HOW SAD IS THIS? Religious zealots from other religions would rather their countrymen suffer and die than get aid from Christians. WHO ELSE IS BRAVE ENOUGH TO COME THERE AND TRY TO HELP THEM? We are seeing all kinds of suffering and misery around the world, and Christian missionaries are still willing to go and try to help. In this part of the world, we don't know very much about people starving to death or people dying from minor injuries and illness because it goes untreated. It's extremely sad that one almost needs an army to go and try to help.

There is much for us to pray about, and the poorest among us has many reasons to Thank GOD every day.

Love In Christ,
Tom

1 John 2:1-2  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:  2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

[Shammu]

Gift bag bomb explodes at Christian missionary's home
Neighbors fear pink-wrapped package may have targeted daughters
Posted: November 11, 2008
10:04 pm Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

Christian missionary Gary Stevenson thought the pink, gift-wrapped bag he found on his doorstep was a present left for one of his toddler daughters, but when he brought it inside his home, the bomb within the bag exploded.

Stevenson suffered multiple lacerations and burns, deep cuts on his head and chest, and underwent surgery to remove shrapnel from his liver. But he is expected to make a full recovery.

His daughters, age 1 and 3, were away with their grandmother at the time, the Vancouver Province reports about the attack in Langley, British Columbia, but his wife and three others who were helping the family in the process of moving to a new home were in the house. Only Gary was injured in the blast, which scattered pink tissue paper throughout the residence and punched shrapnel holes in the walls.

"What's really terrifying is who would put a bomb in a gift bag that was in pink?" Miles Forrest, a friend of the Stevensons told the Province.

"Was somebody trying to kill his daughters? He was going to give it to them but … luckily, in a way, he opened it ahead of time," said Forrest.

Stevenson is a missionary with Power to Change, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ Canada, serving on the campus of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Twenty neighboring units in the Stevenson's townhome complex were evacuated and searched following the explosion, but police bomb squads and dog teams were unable to find any other explosives.

"At this point in the investigation," Royal Canadian Mounted Police Const. Holly Marks said in a statement, "police have not yet determined whether this incident was targeted or random."

Guy Saffold, executive director of ministries at Power for Change told CTV British Columbia that Stevenson is recovering well, asking for chocolate and his Bible to be by his side.

The ordeal, however, has left the Stevenson family shaken, reports Saffold.

"You understandably feel very unsafe when you don't know why you were targeted or if you were targeted and what may have happened," Saffold told The Toronto Globe and Mail.

Saffold said Stevenson "was asking people to pray that he gets better soon, [and he is] also asking people to pray that police would find some leads, to know why this was done and have some closure."

[Shammu]

Christians brace for gang-rape, slaughter
India's believers may face bloodbath after another Hindu activist is shot
Posted: November 06, 2008
11:05 pm Eastern

By Chelsea Schilling
© 2008 WorldNetDaily

Christians who have been persecuted by Hindu militants in 12 Indian states could face more bloodshed after another Hindu activist, Rashtriya Swayamsevak, was reportedly shot dead by Maoists this week.

India's Communist Party estimates that more than 500 Christians have been killed by Hindu mobs in Orissa, 12 times more than official government claims of only 40 homicides. One official said he personally authorized "cremation of more than 200 bodies" found in jungles after Christians were blamed for the death of Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati on Aug. 24. They continue to be persecuted even though Maoists openly admitted to murdering Saraswati.

According to the Communist Party report, Hindu extremists may have used government machinery to "minimize the evidence and possibly destroy dead bodies."

Thousands of homes and churches have been destroyed, and tens of thousands of Christians have been forced to flee the violence. Mission Network News estimates 5,000 Christian homes have been burned, 200 churches ruined, 10,000 people remain in government-operated refugee camps, and tens of thousands are living in forests – many seriously wounded.

Religious rights group Barnabus Fund told the group Hindu militants "forced" Christians in Orissa to "convert" to Hinduism by threatening them with rape if they refused.

Neighbors reportedly gang-raped a Hindu woman after her Christian uncle refused to renounce his faith, according to reports.

Another Christian woman named Jaspina was told by neighbors, "If you go on being Christian, we will burn your house and your children in front of you." She and her family were forced to eat cow excrement to "purify" themselves of Christianity.

Other Christians were doused with gasoline and told to participate in conversion ceremonies or be lit on fire.

One Catholic nun has finally agreed to identify her attackers after she was gang-raped in Orissa in August. When she reported the crime, police warned her she could face consequences for her complaint. Authorities initially refused to make an arrest until the incident was publicized in a national newspaper. The nun claims policemen watched the attack without saying a word, and one officer appeared to be friends with one of her rapists.

Meanwhile, Pope Benedict XVI has called on government and religious leaders to come together and stop "cruel violence" against Christians. Other church leaders are denouncing government inaction following waves of bloodshed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yup, all these pretenders claim they are peaceful but they can't prove it behaving as they do. Seems the closer we come to going home.......... The more violent the world is becoming towards Christians.

[HisDaughter]

FAITH UNDER FIRE
North Korea enraged by launch of Gospel gas balloons
Communists see Christian messages by thousands blanketing countryside© 2008 WorldNetDaily

Christians launching a balloon to carry thousands of Gospel tracts over North Korea, where they are then dropped to residents

North Korean officials are infuriated by leaflets that have been floated over the communist nation's secured borders and dropped from plastic bags attached to gas-filled balloons, and one organization behind the effort says there's good reason the atheists in power are upset – the pamphlets are carrying a Gospel message directly to the people.

Hundreds of thousands of leaflets have reportedly been distributed in just the past few months, and may have been the reason the North recently announced it would shut its border with the South. The North also has threatened to cut other communications, such as telephone lines, over the issue.

The leaflets have been attributed to "political" groups, but a spokesman for one organization sponsoring the effort said there's nothing political about it, and the tracts carry a message of hope directly to the North Korean people.

The spokesman and his organization, which spreads the Gospel around the world, couldn't be identified because of the potential for danger to affiliated activists who are dispatching the balloons.

But he told WND those who have fled government crackdowns on their faith inside North Korea are desperate to get the message of hope to their family, friends and communities behind the wall of communist information censorship.



"Each balloon carried 10,000 Gospel tracts, in three separate bags at the bottom that have a time release mechanism so that they drop at different times to spread the leaflets over a wider area," he described.

On one side, the leaflet cites a "great revival" that launched in Pyongyang in 1907.

"It began with a Bible study that took place in Changdaehyun church … Many Koreans came together to study the Bible, the written record of God's love for Korean people and the world," it says.

"Unfortunately, this study of the truth was stopped by Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. They are not the first people to build big statues of themselves for people to bow down and worship. Throughout history, many leaders have claimed to be a god only to die later. The following is a true story from the Bible that took place thousands of years ago. It is about a man like Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il who thought he was even better than God Himself. But this story is also about 3 courageous men who knew who the real God was, and how they refused to bow down to someone who was only a man."

The pamphlet then describes Nebuchadnezzar's reign, his construction of a golden statue to himself and the refusal on the part of three Israelite captives to bow down before it.

The Bible records Nebuchadnezzer then had the captives thrown into a fire, but he saw four men, not three, walking around inside the flames, which did not hurt the men.

"There is only one who is the true Savior. Just as King Nebuchadnezzar died, so did Kim Il-Sung and one day so will Kim Jong-Il. But unlike these 3 men, the true God, Jesus Christ rose from the dead and lives," it continues.

"King Nebuchadnezzar had his people bow down and worship him, but God showed him that he was not a god. King Nebuchadnezzar had to bow down to the One True God. Everyone, including all the leaders in the world that have thought themselves to be God, will one day have to bow down to the One True God also. The Bible says that the name of Jesus, God's son, is above every name. At the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord."

The Al-Jazeera network reported even the South Korean government was looking for ways to ban "activists" from sending "anti-North Korean propaganda" across the border between the two nations, apparently in an attempt to win favor with the North Korean powers.

Kim Ho-Nyoun of South Korea's unification ministry said he was reviewing whether there were "legal grounds" to halt the spread of the messages, which Al-Jazeera described as an "irritant" to North-South relations because of their "critical" message about North Korean leadership.

The Islamic network noted North Korean officials had been complaining about "debris," while the Korea Times said the government's previous attempts to discourage the spread of such messages have not been successful.

The pamphlet says, "The Bible tells us that 'God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life" (John 3:16). We love God because He first loved us. God loved you so much that He sent His only Son to die to save you-and He rose from the dead and is watching over you today. That is why you have found this paper."

Although there may be "political" items also being dropped over North Korea, many of the items are evangelism-oriented, the ministry spokesman told WND.

"The good news of this story is that obviously it works," said the ministry spokesman. "If the leaflets weren't getting into North Korea, or weren't getting read by anyone, the North Korean government wouldn't be making a big deal about it."

North Korea long has had a record of banning Christianity and torturing and killing Christians. WND reported a Christian ministry launched a campaign seeking to have North Korean students who were caught reading the Bible freed from jail.

According to Free North Korea Broadcasting, a former vice-president of GumRung Co. of the Rodong Dang Labor Organization Department, reported the situation.

He escaped to the relative freedom of China to avoid arrest by the National Security Agency of North Korea and carried information about the situation with him.

"In March 2006, 200 Life Bibles and several hundred CDs were purchased in China and secretly placed in flour bags before being smuggled into North Korea," he reported. "This huge Bible smuggling case was headed by GumRung Co. employees who were influenced by Christianity in China and underground Christians in Nasun City."

He continued, "All the leaders have been arrested and are being severely tortured. If I am caught, I will be sent to a prison camp for political criminals. I didn't want to die in prison camp, so I escaped."

But detailed information from inside North Korea often is hard to obtain, many times coming only from those who have survived and escaped. WND previously reported on a North Korean who fled and said many North Koreans believe dictator Kim Jong-Il actually is a god.

[nChrist]

But detailed information from inside North Korea often is hard to obtain, many times coming only from those who have survived and escaped. WND previously reported on a North Korean who fled and said many North Koreans believe dictator Kim Jong-Il actually is a god.

Sadly, many evil leaders around the world want their people to believe they are god. The people are grown like mushrooms in the dark. Here, we see the evil genius of NO FREEDOM because FREEDOM of any kind is dangerous. This is just one reason why FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND THE PRESS must be defended. Just the attempt to remove these FREEDOMS is a sign of tyranny. The same is true for the attempt to DISARM A FREE PEOPLE. These are definite signs that someone wants to put the people into SLAVERY and REMOVE THEIR FREEDOMS! This is also the reason why a FREE PEOPLE must have Laws, Constitutions, and the RULE OF LAW! Obviously, the best situation is "THE RULE OF LAW UNDER GOD!

[HisDaughter]

Sadly, many evil leaders around the world want their people to believe they are god. The people are grown like mushrooms in the dark. Here, we see the evil genius of NO FREEDOM because FREEDOM of any kind is dangerous. This is just one reason why FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND THE PRESS must be defended. Just the attempt to remove these FREEDOMS is a sign of tyranny. The same is true for the attempt to DISARM A FREE PEOPLE. These are definite signs that someone wants to put the people into SLAVERY and REMOVE THEIR FREEDOMS! This is also the reason why a FREE PEOPLE must have Laws, Constitutions, and the RULE OF LAW! Obviously, the best situation is "THE RULE OF LAW UNDER GOD!

This is exactly where the "Left" wants to take us.  He who has eyes to see and ears to hear......
WAKE UP AND PAY ATTENTION!

[Shammu]

Hindu extremists' reward to kill Christians
November 20, 2008
Rhys Blakely in Bombay

Extremist Hindu groups offered money, food and alcohol to mobs to kill Christians and destroy their homes, according to Christian aid workers in the eastern state of Orissa.

The allegations follow the British Government’s refusal to prevent members of two radical groups linked to the worst antiChristian violence in India since Partition entering Britain.

The US-based head of a Christian organisation that runs several orphanages in Orissa – one of India’s poorest regions – claims that Christian leaders are being targeted by Hindu militants and carry a price on their heads. “The going price to kill a pastor is $250 (£170),” Faiz Rahman, the chairman of Good News India, said.

A spokesman for the All-India Christian Council said: “People are being offered rewards to kill, and to destroy churches and Christian properties. They are being offered foreign liquor, chicken, mutton and weapons. They are given petrol and kerosene.”

Ram Madhav, a spokesman for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the largest hardline Hindu group, denied the claims. “The accusation is absolutely false,” he said.

Orissa has suffered a series of murders and arson attacks in recent months, with at least 67 Christians killed, according to the Roman Catholic Church. Several thousand homes have been razed and hundreds of places of worship destroyed, and crops are now wasting in the fields.

In recent weeks the violence has subsided but at least 11,000 Christian refugees remain in camps in Kandhamal, the district worst affected. “They are too scared to go home. They know that if they return to their villages they will be forced to convert to Hinduism,” Father Manoj, who is based at the Archbishop’s office in Bhubaneshwar, the state capital, said.

The violence was triggered in August by the murder of Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati, a senior figure in the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a hardline Hindu group, who had campaigned against the alleged forced conversions of poor Hindus by foreign-backed Christian missionaries.

Maoist militants claimed responsibility for the killing, but the VHP blamed Christians and called for revenge. This week extremists said that if Mr Lakshmanananda’s killers were not caught by December 15 they would begin a day of violence on December 25.

A group of Catholic bishops from Orissa believe that the attacks have a sinister objective.

In a letter to the state’s chief minister they wrote: “This conflict is a calculated and preplanned masterplan to wipe out Christianity from Kandhamal in order to realise the hidden agenda . . . of establishing a Hindu nation.”

This month Lord Malloch-Brown, Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, turned down a plea for members of the RSS and the Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the VHP, to be barred from entering Britain.

“Neither organisation is proscribed in the United Kingdom or in India, nor do the Indian Government classify either as a terrorist organisation,” Lord Malloch-Brown said, in reply to a question from Lord Patten of Barnes. There have been calls from members of India’s ruling government coalition for the RSS and Bajrang Dal to be banned but analysts say the Government is unlikely to act for fear of alienating Hindu voters in the run-up to general elections in the spring.

The RSS has been outlawed temporarily three times; the first in 1948, after a former member assassinated Mahatma Gandhi.

Hindu extremists' reward to kill Christians

[Shammu]

Hindu extremists' reward to kill Christians

The evil in the world hates for any light at all to shine upon it and reveal it for what it is. Satan and his pals would violently persecute churches that preach the full gospel here, if they could. Satan knows that right now he can't.

Anyone who advocates burning down churches, killing pastors in America would be arrested for inciting a riot. Besides that, if they tried to kill Christians wantonly, they know that Christians will shoot them, because many of us do own guns. The whole lot of them are cowards, so though they hate us and want us dead, they won't try to kill us until they think they can get away with it.

Though I wouldn't be surprised when that kind of persecution starts happening here in the next few years. I believe it will, to the Churches and Christians who DO preach the full gospel.

We need to keep our brothers and sisters in prayers in these countries that persecute Christians.

[Shammu]

House Church Leader Zhu Baoguo Sentenced to 'Re-education Through Labor'
Nov 18th, 2008 5:21 AM

HENAN, Nov. 18 (Christian Newswire) -- ChinaAid learned a house church leader in Henan province, Pastor Zhu Baoguo, was sentenced to one year of "re-education through labor," accused of being an "evil cult" leader.

On October 12, 2008 five church leaders were detained during a church gathering of about 20 people at Dushu village, Yuguang town, Neixiang county, Nanyang city, Henan province. Pastor Zhu received 15 days of administrative detention, while the other four leaders were sentenced to five days. However, on October 30, two days after Pastor Zhu was released from his 15-day administrative detention at the Detention Center of Neixiang County, Pastor Zhu was sentenced to one year of re-education through labor. He was charged with being a member of "an evil cult." He was immediately sent to a labor camp. His family and church members have not been able to determine where he is being held. According to his family members, Pastor Zhu suffers from heart disease.

"To arbitrarily detain and sentence an innocent house church pastor is a direct violation of the Chinese Constitution and related international human rights covenants guaranteeing Chinese citizens' religious freedom. It also contradicts the Chinese government's repeated claim for protecting religious freedom in the spirit of rule of law," said Bob Fu, President of ChinaAid. "We call upon the Chinese government to release Pastor Zhu immediately."

House Church Leader Zhu Baoguo Sentenced to 'Re-education Through Labor'

[Shammu]

Iraq: Court Releases Christian Girl Sentenced for Murder
Added: Nov 18th, 2008 6:04 AM

Prison term reduced for abused niece who defended herself; family fears retaliation.

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) -- In prison at the age of 14 for having fatally stabbed her uncle in northern Iraq, Asya Ahmad Muhammad’s early release on Nov. 10 thanks to a juvenile court decision was overshadowed by fear of retaliation from her extended Muslim family.

Also known as Maria, the now 16-year-old Muhammad was sentenced to five years in prison for killing her paternal uncle in self-defense on July 9, 2006 when he attacked her, her mother and little brother at their family kitchen utensil store in the outskirts of Dohuk. The uncle had cut her mother with a knife and was fiercely beating them for converting to Christianity and for “shaming” the family by working in public when Muhammad stabbed him.

Clearing her of an original conviction for premeditated murder, the Erbil high court last year had reduced Muhammad’s sentence from five to three-and-a-half years, upholding an earlier decision that she was guilty of killing her uncle though she acted in defense of herself and others.

Muhammad’s lawyer, Akram Al-Najar, told Compass that following his appeal to the Dohuk juvenile court, the court earlier this month agreed to reduce her sentence to two years and four months on the basis of her good conduct and having served nearly three-quarters of her three-and-a-half year sentence.

“She deserved to be released since her behavior and attitude was excellent,” said Al-Najar. “That is why the court accepted my request and decided to reduce her punishment to two years and four months.”

Local Christians have commented that Muhammad’s sentence was light, considering that it was culturally acceptable for an uncle to beat his niece. Her jail time also meant that she didn’t have to fear reprisal attacks from her relatives.

But Muhammad’s release from prison now means a possible retaliation from extended family members for her uncle’s death, said Al-Najar.

“I am not sure she is safe right now, especially after her release, since there are still people intent on gaining revenge,” said the lawyer.

Father Threatened

Muhammad’s father, Ahmad Muhammad Abdurahman, who converted in 1998 while working in Beirut, said that in the last week family members have called him twice telling him his days of joy are numbered.

“My sisters called me, and my brother’s wife called me also [and said], ‘You are a shame. Don’t be happy in your family; we will never let you be happy in your family,’” Abdurahman told Compass.

He explained that his change in faith was grounds for an “honor” crime in his Kurdish family, and even more so now that blood had been shed. His father, a Muslim cleric, was enraged by Abdurahman’s conversion. Abdurahman’s deceased brother, Sayeed, on five occasions had tried to kill him and had also burned down his house. Abdurahman has seven brothers.

Abdurahman said that since the release of his only daughter, he has left his old home but remains in the town of Dohuk, unsure of what the next step is for his family. He said his only hope now is to come up with the “blood money” necessary to buy peace with his family for his brother’s death. The court has set this amount at 10 million Iraqi dinars (US$8,670).

Unable to keep a stable job, Abdurahman is not sure he will be able to come up with the amount, nor whether it will suffice to keep his family safe within the borders of Iraq.

“I just pray that God gives me provision to take my daughter and family to a different country,” he said. “We have now moved to a different house, but I am afraid they will come and contact me again. I want to keep my daughter and wife safe, but I don’t know how I will manage to do so.”

In a phone interview with Christian support organization Open Doors, Muhammad said her time in prison had been difficult and she was thankful to be back with her family.

“I am very glad because God gave me a miracle, and I am very happy to meet my mother and my father,” she told a representative of the organization. “My hope [is] in Jesus; I always prayed for God to comfort my mother [until] I see my mother, I see my family again.”

Relative ‘Safe Haven’

Despite the recent waves of violence in Mosul, south of Dohuk in northern Iraq, Abdurahman said that the Kurdish part of the country is still considered a safe haven for Christians, where many Christian families from Mosul have also fled in recent weeks

“Many Christians come here from Mosul and Baghdad, and the Kurdish government does a good job to protect Christians,” he said. “That’s what I see.”

He noted, however, that according to Iraqi law it is still not possible for Iraqis to change their religion on their national identification cards.

“It is my dream that one day I will be free to change my ID card,” he said. “My card now writes ‘Muslim.’ But my faith is Christian.”

Abdurahman asked for prayer as he looks for a job or a way to get out of Iraq.

“I don’t know what will come from God,” he said. “I’m not worried about that, but my family needs help, they need food and things … I’m just thanking God that he brought my sheep, my daughter, into the family again.”

Iraq: Court Releases Christian Girl Sentenced for Murder