Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS CONTINUES WORLDWIDE

One could fill blog post after blog post with stomach-turning accounts of persecution of Christians.  Gary Lane of CBN News reports:

Transcript:   [Bolding is mine]   . . . Two thousand years after Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, Christians face more danger than ever before. Around the world, each day 260-million Christians suffer for their faith and the persecution is steadily getting worse. 2,983 Christians died for faith-related reasons last year and nearly 9,500 churches were attacked.

North Korea topped the Open Doors Watch List of worst offending countries. 

There are 60,000 Christians in labor camps for owning a bible and many of them died there," said Open Doors USA President and CEO David Curry.

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS CONTINUES

  --  Suicide Bomber Kills 48 at Nigerian school

  --  Christian Couple in Pakistan Burned to Death for Blasphemy; also here.  Summary from Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin:

On 4 November a young Christian couple, Shahbaz Maseeh (32) and his pregnant wife Shama Bibi (28) -- both bonded labourers (slaves) -- weresavagely murdered by a large mob of angry Muslims in the town of Kot Radha Kishan, Punjab Province. Local mosques had broadcast the claim that the couple had desecrated Qur'anic texts. According to some reports the couple were beaten to death and then burned. Other reports say they were alive when thrown into the kiln. Police are reportedly investigating and have increased security around Christian neighbourhoods.  The couple had reportedly been under extreme pressure and were not being paid. When they applied to leave they were told that as bonded labourers they would have to pay to redeem themselves. But it was much more than they could afford, so they were planning to flee with their four young children. Pray for the Church in Pakistan.

   -- Severe persecution of Christians in district of Chhattisgarh, India

Elizabeth Kendal reports:  Tensions are erupting in Chhattisgarh's southern Bastar district as violent persecution with impunity becomes prevalent. At least 50 villages have banned all non-Hindu religious practice. In many places Christians are being denied food rations and access to water. Churches are being attacked and Christians assaulted without the authorities intervening, which guarantees that the situation will escalate. Officials in Madota invited Christians to meet with them for mediation on 25 October. The Christians attended but nobody else did. Then in the evening a truck arrived with 50 Hindu militants who attacked the defenceless Christians with knives, swords and axes.  Fifteen believers were wounded and 12 required hospitalisation for serious injuries. Many Christians have fled. Impunity is almost inevitable. Please pray for the Church in India.

NIGERIA: THE TERROR OF JIHAD

Elizabeth Kendal of the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin reports: 

As was reported in RLPB 187 (28 Nov), up to 20 Christians were killed and dozens wounded on Sunday 25 November in a twin suicide bombing at St Andrew's Protestant Church inside the Jaji military barracks in Kaduna. Investigations indicate that the bombers may have been residents of the barracks and might have built the bomb on site, which would explain why they were granted access to the church without being searched. This raises fears that other military establishments could be similarly targeted. That same week Boko Haram gunmen attacked the headquarters of the Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Abuja, freeing 30 detainees and killing two policemen. Guards were under strict orders not to shoot. But Nigeria is at war! In Boko Haram's own words (29 November), 'Jihad [holy war] started now, jihad started now, O enemies of Allah.' 

On Saturday night 1 December a band of jihadists attacked Kupwal, a remote village in Chibok Local Government Area (LGA). (That is about 160km south of the Boko Haram stronghold of Maiduguri in Borno, Nigeria's most north-eastern state.) They invaded the Christian district and according to survivors entered 'carefully selected' homes, slitting the throats of the occupants. They then set fire to homes and sacked the whole neighbourhood to chants of 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is the greatest). [See Qur'an, Sura 7:4 ] At least 10 people were killed whilst dozens escaped with serious and life-threatening injuries. Observers believe Boko Haram was either responsible or at least complicit.

On Sunday morning 2 December, some 50 Islamic gunmen in cars and on motorbikes attacked a police station, immigration and customs offices and three churches in Gamboru Ngala, Ngala LGA. (That is 140km north of Maiduguri, Borno State, near the border with Cameroon.) Before launching their attack, the jihadists destroyed the mobile phone masts to prevent communication and so compound the crisis. With shouts of 'Allahu Akbar' they opened fire on police, killing five. The churches were torched and Christians living and doing business in the border town were targeted. About two weeks earlier, leaflets had been distributed in which the Islamists declared their intention to impose Taliban-style rule, e.g., women were told to wear the veil and cigarettes were banned. A tailor was subsequently shot for continuing to make clothing the Islamists deemed un-Islamic.

In a 30 November column, author and analyst Raymond Ibrahim explained why persecution such as that described above is 'Islam's Achilles' heel'. Persecution committed by dominant Muslims in Muslim communities -- i.e. Muslims who cannot claim to be 'oppressed' or 'aggrieved' -- against vulnerable minority Christians is simply impossible to justify. Such persecution exposes Islam as supremacist, totalitarian, intolerant and imperialistic; as a movement that will not rest until the 'other' is totally subjugated. 'And to Allah prostrates whoever is within the heavens and the earth, willingly or by compulsion, and their shadows [as well] in the mornings and the afternoons.' (Qur'an, Sura 13:15)

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL --

* rise up on behalf of his traumatised and terrorised people and intervene to rout the enemy and deliver his Church.

'And he [King David] said, "The LORD has burst through my enemies [the Philistines] before me like a bursting flood." Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim [the Lord  who bursts  through]' (2 Samuel 5:20b ESV).

* bring healing and comfort to his bleeding, broken and grieving people; may he provide all their needs and make his loving presence felt so as to sustain their sorely-tested faith, that they might be 'more than conquerors through him who loved us' (from Romans 8:31-39 ESV).

* give the Nigerian authorities divine wisdom and insight, strength and commitment that they might excel in their battle against the enemies of the state and the enemies of the LORD.

* re-assure the church in northern Nigeria of his protection who is their 'strong city' (Isaiah 26:1). May the church in the south, and indeed the rest of the world, join this battle by praying for the north (Romans 15:30; 2 Corinthians 1:11).

* bless every Nigerian missionary and every witnessing Nigerian with divine courage and power from the Holy Spirit, for this is first and foremost a spiritual struggle (Ephesians 6:12).


SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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THE TERROR OF JIHAD IN NIGERIA

A full-blown Islamic jihad is raging in Nigeria and it is terrifying for the Christians of the north on the front-line. On Saturday evening 1 December jihadists attacked the Christian district of a remote village in Borno State. Entering 'carefully selected' homes, they murdered the occupants before sacking and burning the entire neighbourhood to shouts of 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is the greatest). Ten were killed whilst dozens fled with serious and life-threatening injuries. On Sunday morning 2 December jihadists attacked another village in Borno close to the Cameroon border. With shouts of 'Allahu Akbar' they opened fire on police, killing five, before torching numerous government facilities and three churches. Only weeks earlier, Christians were threatened with violence if they did not leave the area. Please pray for Nigeria.

** This week I received an e-mail from Voice of the Martyrs which read:

The Voice of the Martyrs is standing with our persecuted Nigerian family this Christmas. We invite you to join us by sponsoring a CHRISTMAS CARE PACK or a VILLAGE OUTREACH PACK to bless our Nigerian brothers and sisters.

Each CHRISTMAS CARE PACK includes a backpack filled with gift items such as a children's Bible, school supplies, a toy and some basic toiletry items.

Each VILLAGE OUTREACH PACK includes a small library of materials that will help a pastor or evangelist further the gospel in Nigeria. These packs include a DVD player, a JESUS: He Lived Among Us DVD, a Bible and other Christian literature, a flashlight and rain boots. Many of these outreach packs will be used in the most dangerous parts of Nigeria.

Please CLICK HERE to sponsor one or more of these gifts and remind Nigerian Christians that they are not alone this Christmas season.

Nigeria: Boko Haram Massacres Up To 30 Christian Students During Raid On College…

From Christian Post via Weasel Zippers:

Multiple sources have confirmed that about 25 to 30 Christian college students were massacred at a university in northeastern Nigeria late Monday night, causing Christians to pray for a “change of heart” among the extremist Islamist group Boko Haram to put a stop to the continued violence.

While there is speculation as to the motive of the massacre, sources close to the human rights watchdog Open Doors USA confirm that the massacre was performed by Boko Haram.

The killings reportedly occurred in the late night hours on Oct. 1, when masked gunmen went door-to-door in the off-campus housing section of Federal Polytechnic College in Mubi, a city in the remote Adamawa State in northeastern Nigeria.

Open Doors USA sources confirmed that the gunmen separated the Christian students from the Muslim students, addressed each victim by name, questioned them, and then proceeded to shoot them or slit their throat.  [more details here]

WORLDWIDE PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS

I discovered "Worthy News" today which seems to do an excellent collating news from around the world, including coverage of Christian persecution.  Here are a few examples:

Congressman Calls for Dismissal of Ambassador

Friday, July 13, 2012 (6:19 am)

WASHINGTON D.C. (Worthy News)– Congressman Frank Wolf has called for the immediate dismissal of America's ambassador to Vietnam after showing little concern for the importance of human rights in that country, according to International Christian Concern.

In a letter to President Obama, Wolf wrote that the ambassador’s dismissal of human rights issues was “symptomatic of this administration’s overall approach to human rights and religious freedom.”

As part of a campaign to eradicate Christianity from Vietnam's more rural regions, government-sponsored agents attacked a priest and his parishioners during a Christian service in the north-central part of the country on July 1, and in June, local police and paramilitary forces destroyed two Christian churches, leaving hundreds of ethic Hmongs without a place to worship.

“For the last several years the U.S. has sought to strengthen ties with the Communist government of Vietnam while brushing aside the regime’s long list of human rights abuses, including the systematic persecution of Christians," said Ryan Morgan, ICC’s Regional Manager for Southeast Asia. "Christians are being arrested, beaten, tortured, and driven from their homes by a government that sees their religious beliefs as a threat. I fully agree with the sentiment expressed in Congressman Wolf’s letter to the administration and call for the State Department to stop prioritizing virtually every other issue at the expense of Vietnam’s human rights activists and Christians.”

Update: Nigeria Violence Kills Over 100 Christians

Thursday, July 12, 2012 (4:38 am)

ABUJA, NIGERIA (Worthy News)– Nigerian authorities said Sunday, July 8, that at least 63 people were killed when suspected Muslim herdsmen armed with guns and machetes stormed Christian villages, while missionaries claimed over 50 pastors and missionary leaders died in separate violence.

The attacks rocked Christian villages near the city of Jos in central Nigeria’s Plateau State since Saturday, July 8, said Mustapha Salisu, spokesman for a special taskforce made up of policemen and soldiers deployed in the area to curb years of violence.

Officials initially said that as many as 37 people died in the raids and reprisal attacks that followed, but death toll estimates later rose to over 60 killed.

The Associated Press (AP) news agency quoted Mark Lipdo, who runs a Christian advocacy group known as the Stefanos Foundation, as saying that 13 villages have been attacked. He said they were all Christian.

PASTORS, MISSIONARIES KILLED

The latest clashes came on the heels of reports obtained by Worthy News from missionary workers that as over 50 pastors and missionary leaders were "murdered so far" in recent weeks, before the latest clashes occurred.

"It is heartbreaking to think of the suffering these native Nigerian missionaries are enduring so that those who are in darkness will hear the gospel of the salvation provided by our Lord Jesus Christ," said Rae Burnett, Africa Director for Christian Aid Mission (CAM).   [more . . .]

Revolutionary Guards Close Church Properties

Wednesday, July 11, 2012 (6:59 am)

By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent

TEHRAN, IRAN (Worthy News)– Both the Central Assembly of God Church in Tehran and its summer campsite have been closed by the Islamic authorities, according to the Farsi Christian News Network.

Officers of the Revolutionary Guards closed the Jennat-Abad Church along with its campsite, the "Garden of Sharon," once a popular site for Christian gatherings and conferences; eye witnesses' reported a large notice posted on the gates warning of severe consequences should anyone try to enter the premises.

These latest closures follow the official termination of Friday Persian (Farsi) language services and the compulsory cancellation of all Bible classes as well as any distribution of Christian literature.

After the Iranian New Year celebrations, Islamic state security insisted that church leaders reveal the National ID numbers of their congregations, causing some to stop attending services.

NIGERIAN CHRISTIANS SEEK SAFETY BEHIND BARRICADES; ALSO SUDANESE GENOCIDE UPDATE

Elizabeth Kendal of the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin reports:  [my bolding]

NIGERIA: BOKO HARAM'S JIHAD

At least 15 people were killed and more than 40 seriously wounded on Sunday 3 June when a Boko Haram suicide bomber rammed his car into the checkpoint outside the Living Faith Church in the Yelwa Tudu area of Bauchi metropolis. The blast, that occurred around 9:20am, sent fire and shrapnel burning and slicing through believers who were chatting outside after the church's first worship service. The explosion also rocked Harvest Field Church 25m away  across the road, causing part of the building to collapse on worshippers. The death toll is likely to rise, as some believers are still unaccounted for and many of the wounded are severely burned. The Islamic jihadist sect, Boko Haram, has claimed responsibility. The Pastor of Harvest Church, Mbamingo Godia, has asked Christians not to retaliate in any way but pray to God for peace.

Increasingly Christians in Northern Nigeria are attending worship behind barricades and checkpoints constantly reminding them that jihadists are plotting to eliminate them. Attending worship is done at great risk. A photo obtained by Compass Direct News shows a little girl lying on the ground, covered in blood. Furthermore Muslim mobs are persisting with organised night raids against Christian communities. By murdering Christians in their beds the Muslims aim to instil terror and trigger an exodus that will have the effect of ethnic-religious cleansing. Their primary aim, however, is to pressure the government into acquiescing to their demand for Sharia (Islamic) Law. The murderous night raids have Qur'anic precedent: '. . . Our punishment came to them at night or while they were sleeping at noon.' (Sura 7:4) The National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has declared Saturday 16 June a day of national prayer and fasting for the country.  (Add this date to your diary so we might all pray in solidarity.)

While we're looking at persecution of Christians in Nigeria, what's the current situation in Sudan?  Kendal reports:

SUDAN: KHARTOUM'S NUBA GENOCIDE

Khartoum's genocide against the non-Arab, non-Muslims of the 'New South' (Abyei, South Kordofan and Blue Nile) has been raging for over a year now and shows no sign of abating. Film footage obtained by Al-Jazeera in late March shows the governor of South Kordofan, the indicted war criminal Ahmed Harun, addressing his soldiers before deployment to Nuba territory. 'You must hand over the place clean,' he says. 'Swept, rubbed, crushed. Don't bring them back alive. We have no space for them.' An army commander standing near Harun then adds, 'Don't bring them back, eat them alive.' (Al-Jazeera, 1 April) This is clearly a call to genocide.

According to the medical charity Medecins sans Frontieres, up to 4,000 people are fleeing into South Sudan every day to escape fighting in Sudan's Blue Nile province, with around 100,000 refugees already in camps across the border in South Sudan's Upper Nile State.

Further to this, famine is starting to set in for the displaced Nuba of South Kordofan. Some 38,000 Nuba refugees have fled over the border into South Sudan's Unity State. Yida refugee camp, which already holds 35,000 refugees, is bracing for an influx as refugees desperately trying to cross the border before the rains make travel impossible. Meanwhile, Khartoum continues its aerial bombardment of refugees and its blockade of humanitarian aid. Reporting from the Nuba Mountains, Nicholas Kristoff says (2 June) that around 800,000 Nuba have completely run out of food in South Kordofan, while some 50,000 are attempting the trek to Yida. However, starvation is taking its toll, with many travellers simply too weak to complete the journey. Samaritan's Purse reports that at least ten percent of the children arriving at Yida are acutely malnourished. Amjuma Ali Kuku, a teacher, says the camp is presently caring for some 2,000 unaccompanied children.

Why is this genocide attracting no attention? Is it because this genocide is an openly declared Islamic jihad and talking about it would risk being politically incorrect? Well, a genocidal Islamic jihad it is! And while the world looks away, hundreds of thousands of predominantly Christian Africans are being deliberately starved to death by the racist, Arab supremacist, Islamic regime in Khartoum.

"RELIGION OF PEACE" SLAUGHTERS 21 MORE CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA

CBN reports:

Transcript:

At least 21 people are dead after attacks on churches in northern Nigeria. No group has claimed responsibility so far but there's signs the radical Islamic sect Boko Haram may be at work.

These latest attacks appear to be part of a violent campaign that the sect has waged for several years in the northern part of the country targeting the government and Nigerian Christians.

The city of Kano is the epicenter of Boko Haram's holy war against the country and the site of the largest attack this week-end. At least 16 died and 22 were injured after gunmen rode on motorcycles onto a university campus. 

The attackers threw grenades in an area where local churches hold services, and ss worshippers ran out to escape the gunmen were waiting to shoot them.

In another city where Boko Haram once had its main mosque gunmen stormed into a church service and began firing. The pastor and four other worshippers died.

In the past, Boko Haram has said the deadly attacks won't stop until Sharia law rules the country. In the meantime, its work is creating a spirit of fear in northern Nigeria.

In January of this year Boko Haram launched its deadliest attack to date. Suicide bombers hit multiple locations in Kano killing 185 people.

"Their bombs are increasingly more sophisticated and more powerful so this has gone beyond the sort of local radical group," Paul Marshall, with the Hudson Institute, said.

Boko Haram has rejected efforts to begin indirect peace talks with Nigeria's government.

Meanwhile, the killings continue. It's believed the sect has killed more than 450 people already this year.

A church in Nairobi, Kenya was also attacked this week-end. One worshipper died and 15 were wounded after someone threw a grenade into the building during a service.

The incident marks the latest in a series of attacks since Kenya send troops into Somalia. Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabab militants in Somalia have vowed to carry out a major attack on Kenya for sending in the troops.

Me:   I am really upset, as I am sure you are.  Imagine the fear Nigerian Christians must face continually.  Being in a church has become the most dangerous place in the country.  Can we please pray for the Nigerian Christians?  Let us pray as well that the Nigerian government will be effective in destroying Boko Haram.  Finally, let us pray that Nigerian Muslims will perceive that killing is wicked, and not godly, even though that realisation contradicts the Qur'an.

NORTHERN NIGERIA: ISLAMISTS (BOKA HARAM) PLOTTING TO WIPE OUT CHRISTIANS

Religious liberty specialist Elizabeth Kendall reports: [my bolding]

Evidence indicates that the Nigerian al-Qaeda-linked terror group Boko Haram has transformed numerous suburban homes across the north of Nigeria into bomb-making factories. Several militants have been killed recently in Maiduguri, Damaturu and Kaduna when bombs exploded accidentally. Boko Haram's targets include schools, police stations, banks, government buildings and churches. Apart from these strategic bombings, the militants also roam the streets killing people randomly. Bauchi State Police Commissioner Aduba Ikechukwu says these militants are well armed, carrying sophisticated weapons including machine guns, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Boko Haram's aim is to make Nigeria ungovernable so they might extract concessions towards the Islamisation of Nigeria. Al-Qaeda supports Boko Haram as a way of furthering its own goal of establishing a sanctuary and base of operations in Northern Nigeria from where it can launch jihad into West Africa.

     [For background see: Nigeria: the Boko Haram threat Religious Liberty Monitoring, 10 July 2011]

On Sunday 4 March Egypt-based news website Bikya Masr spoke by phone to a spokesman from Boko Haram who told them that Boko Haram is preparing to launch a 'war' against Christians. He said the campaign, which will involve numerous co-ordinated attacks, is part of a 'plan to eradicate Christians from certain parts of the country'. He also boasted that the government 'cannot be prepared for what is to come'. Such a threat indicates that Boko Haram may be preparing to launch a wave of co-ordinated suicide bombings targeting Christians. The Boko Haram spokesman told Mikya Masr, 'We will create so much effort to end the Christian presence in our push to have a proper Islamic state that the Christians won't be able to stay.'

QUICK TAKES

Two items that need to be read:

Mark Steyn - "The Sinking of the West"  MUST READING

Wintery Knight - A Summary of Dr. Laura's "Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands"

And a sad note of continuing violence in Nigeria, most of it targeted at Christians

Islamic Insurgents Kill over 178 in Nigeria in the past few days

Added:

Islamists Torch Homes and Businesses in Coptic Village

Witnesses quoted by Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) report that Egyptian security forces did not intervene promptly to repel the onslaught and defend the Christians. Even the teams of firefighters delayed their intervention, arriving only 90 minutes after the assault, and when most of the buildings were already in flames. A source adds that a hut belonging to a Coptic Christian was burned to make room for the construction of a mosque. Moreover in the area there are now 300 Muslim places of worship, compared to only one Christian church even though Christians are 50% of the local population.

According to the Copts, the anti-Christian violence is related to the upcoming parliamentary elections: the Salafis, in fact, want to prevent the religious minority from voting which, with its 20 thousand members, can shift the balance of power in the area. The Copts are close to the Muslim moderate wing, which opposes the Islamist front. A witness confirmed that “no Copt from Rahmaniya-Kebly could vote” and that “the Salafis will win the elections.”