Barnabas Fund, 4 October 2022 (excerpts)

Ashwini Upadhyay has requested India’s Supreme Court to implement a nationwide anti-conversion law.  The court on 23 September asked the federal government to submit a response to the petition by 14 November.

Upadhyay argued that “The injury caused to the citizens is extremely large because there is not even one district which is free of religious conversion by ‘hook and crook’.”

11 Indian states have anti-conversion laws that criminalise seeking converts through force, fraud or allurement. These are often misused by extremists as or an excuse for attacking Christians and Muslims.

A similar petition from Upadhyay in the Delhi High Court was dismissed for lack of evidence earlier this year.  On that occasion the two High Court judges asked, “Where are the statistics?  How many conversions happened?  Who is converted?  You say mass conversion is happening, where is the number?”

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva also opined that “conversion is not prohibited in law”, and that the “right to choose and profess any religion” is “a constitutional right”.

India’s higher courts have a consistent recent record of upholding the rights of Christians.  In March 2022 the Supreme Court rejected a request to monitor the activities of Indian evangelists, declaring to the petitioners, “You are actually disturbing the harmony with these kinds of petitions.”

A brave life lived for Christ

Brother Andrew (1928-2022)

Barnabas Fund 3 October 2022 (excerpts)

The death of Brother Andrew is a salutary moment for those of us supporting and championing the cause of persecuted Christians throughout the world.

Born Anne van der Bijl, in Holland, he became known as Brother Andrew – or “God’s Smuggler” – who delivered Bibles behind the Iron Curtain to the underground Church.

His work led to the founding of Open Doors  ̶  which he chaired until 1995, around the same time that Barnabas came into being.

The inspiration we take from the life of Brother Andrew is threefold.

Firstly, he loved so much that he was prepared to take great risks for the people he served.

Secondly, he prized the Word of God greatly.

Thirdly, he lived a brave life trusting only in the Lord for his safety.

His wife Corry died in 2018; they are survived by five children and 11 grandchildren.

Preaching Christianity “not a crime”

Barnabas Fund, 6 September 2022 

The Pakistani Supreme Court has issued a highly significant ruling, which includes the declaration that the preaching of Christianity “is not a crime, nor can it be made into one”.

The nine-page ruling is a clear denunciation of the way in which “blasphemy” laws are misused in Pakistan.

The court raises issues such as false and malicious accusations, the lack of credible evidence in many cases, and the mob violence often threatening the accused person.

The ruling came in the case of Christian sanitation worker Salamat Mansha Masih, accused of “blasphemy”, who was granted bail by the court on 23-24 August, one of three Christians facing separate “blasphemy” charges.

Salamat was accused, said Justice Faez Isa, of “preaching Christianity”.  However, said the judge, this could not be considered a crime “because of the fundamental right to profess, practise and propagate religion”.

Justice Isa argued that “many a time false allegations are levelled to settle personal scores and cases are also registered for mischievous purposes or on account of ulterior motives”.

Courts, added the judge, must act “prudently to ensure that an innocent is not convicted wrongly in respect of offences relating to religion.  When there is only the improbable oral testimony of witnesses, then there must be corroboration.”

Christians challenge Indian anti-conversion law

Barnabas Fund, 22 August 2022 (excerpts)

2 Indian Christian organisations have launched a formal challenge against the anti-conversion law in Karnataka.

The court issued notice to the state government on 22 July, requiring a response within four weeks.

The petition argues that the anti-conversion law infringes on a person’s right to convert from one religion to another for any reason they choose.

Furthermore, the ordinance places the burden of proof on the accused – the person alleged to have caused another to convert – rather than on the prosecution.

Finally, it argues the anti-conversion law is not compatible with India’s constitution, which enshrines freedom of religion.

The government of Karnataka issued the anti-conversion ordinance in May 2022.  An ordinance is effectively a temporary law that lasts for six months.

It states that a person wishing to convert from one religion to another must inform the district magistrate two months in advance.  The magistrate will then investigate the reasons behind the conversion.  Failing to inform the magistrate can result in up to 3 years’ imprisonment for the one wishing to convert, and up to 5 years for the one helping them.

A permanent anti-conversion law may subsequently be passed at the next session of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, though the date of the next session has yet to be announced.

10 other Indian states have anti-conversion laws that prohibit conversions through force, fraud or allurement.  Extremists often interpret any evangelism as unlawful.

Mozambique Islamists behead 2 Christians

Barnabas Fund, 5 August 2022

Islamist militants beheaded two Christian men during an attack on a minibus in northern Mozambique.

The attack took place on 30 July in Macomia district, Cabo Delgado.

The killings were claimed by the Islamic State (IS) of Mozambique, known locally as al-Shabaab.

A statement bi IS-Mozambique declared, “By the grace of God Almighty, the soldiers of the Caliphate … killed two Christians, beheading them, and shooting them with weapons.”

Islamists gained effective control of an area of Cabo Delgado in 2017.  The province has since been termed “the Land of Fear” owing to brutal violence meted out against both Christians and moderate Muslims.

Mozambican and Southern African Development Community forces had started to drive the Islamists back in late 2021.  However, the Islamist insurgency now appears to be spreading.

In June 2021, IS-Mozambique claimed responsibility for the “beheading of several Christians” in Cabo Delgado.

Another was beheaded during a raid on a Christian village in the neighbouring province of Nampula.

Religious freedom rolled back in Sudan

The prosecution of 4 Christian converts from Islam under an apostasy law abolished 2 years ago confirms concerns about the Sudanese government returning to Islamism.

The 4 young men now face the death penalty in line with Islamic law.  The apostasy law was abolished in 2020 by the reforming government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. 

Sudan gained independence from joint British and Egyptian rule in 1956.  In 1983, Colonel Jaafar Nimeiri, imposed full sharia law, declaring Sudan to be an Islamic state.    

Under Omar al-Bashir (1989 – 2019) sharia was enforced, and the Christian minority suffered fierce persecution.  Conversion from Islam to another religion was made officially punishable by death.

Sudan is one of the few countries where the death penalty for apostasy is carried out.  In 1985 an Islamic theologian, convicted of apostasy after a 2-hour trial for urging a more liberal interpretation of sharia, was hanged 10 days later.  In 1994, two tribal Christian converts from Islam were crucified.

Reforms by the transitional government in April 2019 raised hopes that Sudan was moving towards a “new era”.

After calls by Islamist groups, however, the new government was removed in a fresh coup in October 2021.

Now it seems that the reforms that had improved the lives of Muslim-background believers are being rolled back.

India’s Supreme Court to hear petition

Barnabas Fund, 7 July 2022

India’s Supreme Court was to hear a petition on 11 July, seeking a direction to end “hate speech” targeted against Christians and attacks on their places of worship.

A division bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice JB Pardiwala directed the court registry to list the plea on a priority basis the day courts reopen after the summer vacation.

The petition was filed by the Archbishop of Bangalore Dr Peter Machado together with the National Solidarity Forum and the Evangelical Fellowship of India.

Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves, for the petitioners, said there are on average 45 to 50 violent attacks on Christian institutions and church leaders every month in India. However, 57 violent incidents took place in May.

“What you are saying is unfortunate, if it is happening,” said the bench when Gonsalves pleaded for an urgent hearing. “What we can ensure is that your matter is listed on reopening day itself.”

The plea refers to a “sinister phenomena of violence” and “targeted hate speech” against the Christian community by vigilante groups and nationalist organisations.

It alleges that central and state governments have not taken immediate and necessary action against groups involved in widespread violence.

Christian Vietnamese family forced out of home

Barnabas Fund, 24 June 2022

A Christian family in Vietnam’s Nghe An province have been forced from their home village for refusing to re-convert to a local animist religion.

The local authorities on 4 June voted to expel them from their home village in Ky Son district, confiscated their livestock, a plough, and wood for building a house, as well as cutting off electricity supplies for a week.  The family home was also attacked with stones.

A child was denied a birth certificate without which they may be unable to access healthcare or attend school.

The family has sought refuge elsewhere, requesting help from central government to resolve the ongoing issues.

In a report to the Evangelical Church of Vietnam, 26-year-old Xong Ba Thong said his family, his parents and younger siblings converted to Christianity in 2017 after hearing evangelistic radio broadcasts.

He explained that in 2019 local authorities told the family that “it was against the law to follow another religion”.

The family applied to join the Vietnam Evangelical Church General Assembly, a legally recognised religious group, and their application was approved in April 2022.

According to Thong, “they said the law has no effect here, in this province.”

The family are from the Hmong ethnic group who suffer the worst persecution in Vietnam.

Attack on Assyrian Christian family in Turkey

Barnabas Fund, Jun. 13, 2022

An Assyrian Christian family were attacked in a village in Mardin, Turkey, after a church service on Sunday 5 June.

The service in Mor Gevargis Church was the first held in the building in almost 100 years. The renovation of the church was started in 2015 by the Assyrian Ancient Foundation.

After the service the Yilmaz family – the only Assyrian family who live in the village – were attacked at their home by a group of 50 Muslims.  The family were entertaining visiting clergy officiating at the service at the time.

The attackers were led by a Muslim family with whom the Yilmaz family have had a long-standing dispute over land.

The mob attacked the home with stones, sticks and other weapons.  They then set fire to wheat being grown on lands belonging to the Yilmaz family.  None of the family were injured, and the fire was eventually extinguished after witnesses alerted the police.

Some members of the Muslim family were arrested in connection with the incident. 

Cengiz Yilmaz said, “But we are not afraid. We will continue to stay here.” He accused the attackers of choosing the day of the church ceremony to re-open the land dispute.

The tiny remnant Christian community in Turkey, including a small number of converts from Islam, still bears the trauma of the genocides of the early 20th century, in which at least 3.75 million believers were killed by Ottoman Turks.

(excerpts)

Christians attacked after blasphemy allegation

Barnabas Fund, 24 May 2022

Several Christians were injured and homes destroyed by a mob of Muslims in Bauchi State, Nigeria, after a Christian woman was accused of blasphemy in a WhatsApp message.

The woman, Rhoda Jatau, had shared a video in which a Ghanaian convert from Islam protested the killing of a Christian student Deborah Samuel (who was stoned and clubbed to death in Sokoto State after allegedly insulting Muhammad) and allegedly made disparaging remarks about Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.

A group of young Muslims people searched for Jatau after Friday prayers on 20 May, but she had already been moved to a safe location.

The Muslims then attacked the Christian community, injuring several Christians including the pastor of a local church.  They tried to burn down the church building but, being unable to get access, set fire to adjacent buildings.

The mob also looted Christian shops and businesses, as well as setting more fires.

Bala Mohammed, the governor of Bauchi State, has ordered security forces onto the streets in an attempt to preserve order.  “My administration has a special regard for peace and religious tolerance and I will not fold my arms to allow unpatriotic people cause trouble in any part of the state,” he said.