Persecution of Christians debated in Westminster

Christian Institute 07/07/2017

MPs recently called on the Government to oppose religious persecution abroad, highlighting the global persecution of Christians and the need to protect religious freedom.

 Jim Shannon MP particularly spoke about Christian persecution in Iraq and Syria.  “In those areas, Christians are often given the ultimatum: convert to Islam or die.”

Shannon reminded the Government of the Conservatives’ manifesto pledge to combat “violence against people because of their faith”, and Christian MP Fiona Bruce pointed out that many of the countries with the worst religious freedom receive UK aid.

David Simpson MP said, “Those who believe in the biblical truth of the gospel have always been persecuted,” adding that even in the UK, “street preachers and others are told to remove themselves from the streets.”

Pastor in Punjab State, India Shot Dead

HYDERABAD, India (Morning Star News) July 17, 2017 

Pastor Sultan Masih in northern India’s Punjab state was shot dead in front of his church premises on Saturday evening (July 15) two months after Hindu extremists took offence at a gospel event celebrating his church’s 25th anniversary.  He was 50.

 Masih was talking by phone outside the church building when assailants on a motorbike shot him.  Family members believe it was a premeditated attack, with the assailants calling him and telling him to go outside.

Pastor Vishnu Dev, a close friend of Pastor Masih, said the slain clergyman was facing growing opposition.  “Four days before he was shot, he told me, “Please pray for us, many enemies are standing up against us.”

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took power in May 2014, the hostile tone of his government against non-Hindus has emboldened Hindu extremists to attack Christians.

No Way for Christians and Muslims to Work Together

ChristianHeadlines.com  Thursday, June 29, 2017

The leader of the Nigerian Boko Haram terrorist group, Abubakar Shekau, recently posted a video message in which he said that it is impossible for Muslims and Christians to live together peaceably.

He also called on Muslims to implement Sharia law, and said that non-Muslims could be allowed to exist only if they “remain by the side without interference.”

In 2015, Boko Haram was named as the deadliest terror group by the Global Terrorism Index.  It is responsible for the deaths of over 20,000 people and particularly targets Christians, their churches and schools.

Converts in Iran Await Verdict after Delays

Morning Star News July 3, 2017 

Yousef Nadharkani.

Four Iranian converts facing the possibility of up to six years in prison on charges of “acting against national security” are awaiting a verdict expected to be issued soon after numerous delays, according to human rights activists.

During a June 14 hearing to hear the verdict in their case, pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, Mohammadreza Omidi, Yasser Mossayebzadeh and Saheb Fadaie were informed in a Revolutionary Court in Tehran that a judge would issue a verdict in 20 days, according to Middle East Concern, a religious freedom advocacy group.

 “Acting against national security” is a catch-all charge often used by the Iranian government to punish different types of religious and political dissent. The government often uses it against converts instead of the charge of apostasy, according to freedom of religion advocates, in an attempt to avoid international scrutiny.

Eritrea: 160 Christians Arrested in Government Crackdown

ChristianHeadlines.com – Thursday, June 29, 2017

Christians in Eritrea are facing increased persecution since the government began a concerted crackdown on the Christian population in May.

According to The Christian Post, at least 160 Christians have been arrested by government authorities in the past month or so.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports that 33 women of the 160 or so Christians are being held at Nakura, which is “”a notoriously harsh prison island.”  In addition, some of the women’s children are with them in prison. The youngest child is reported to be only two months old.

Eritrea ranks number 10 on Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List of countries where Christian persecution is most severe.  “The Eritrean regime is authoritarian and intolerant towards any form of association, dissent and free expression,” notes Open Doors. 

Pastor in Cuba Sentenced to House Arrest for One Year

COCHABAMBA, Bolivia (Morning Star News) –

 A civil court in Cuba sentenced the pastor of a house church to a year of house arrest for loud worship services before his attorney had an opportunity to defend him. Juan Carlos Nuñez was charged under the country’s environmental protection laws with “disturbing the peace.”

“Our mission is to preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we are suffering for that cause,” Nuñez said. “We were treated as criminals and enemies of the government. We are children of God unjustly accused and convicted.”

Authorities deployed a force of elite “black beret” army soldiers at the courthouse the day of his trial.  “This was a form of intimidation, a show of power,” Nuñez said. “You see, they feared there might be protests, because they themselves know that what they are doing is unjust.”

Conflicts like this exist because the government will not allow churches to build new meeting places to house the rapidly growing evangelical Protestant movement.

So, many religious groups used private homes for this purpose.  Estimates of the number of Protestant house churches in Cuba vary, from fewer than 2,000 to as many as 10,000.

China’s New Policy Will Lead to More Persecution

(Morning Star News)

China Aid’s 2016 Annual Persecution Report details a seismic shift in the Chinese government’s approach to religious policy that is expected to lead to further persecution.

During the National Conference of Religious Work held in April 2016, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of religions “persistently following the path of Sinicization.”

Despite China’s insistence that Sinicization is an integral ingredient in the harmonization between church and state, the policy pivots on the government’s assumption that other countries are using religions based abroad to undermine its authority.

This forces religious practitioners, especially Christians, to choose between compromising their deeply-held beliefs and risking being treated as violators of the law.

In addition to this attempt to tailor Christianity, China has continued to persecute individual Christians at a frequency unseen since the Cultural Revolution.

The data gathered by China Aid illustrates China’s alarming regression into a more Maoist regime, and conditions are expected to worsen this year as the new regulations seek to further limit religious activity and indicate a catastrophic potential to place more Christians behind bars.

Christians and the Mexican Drug Cartels

Open Doors

Mexico is one of the most violent countries in the world, as a result of the presence of organised crime.

The culture of violence affects all Mexicans, but especially its most vulnerable groups in rural areas, including minority Christian denominations such as Protestants. Believers who actively engage in transforming society constitute a threat to drug cartels and other criminal groups. Those who convert from indigenous traditional beliefs to non-traditional Protestant denominations face persecution. Members of the Catholic Renewal Movement have also been targeted.

PLEASE PRAY

For physical protection for persecuted believers in Mexico and for God’s provision and grace towards Christians denied access to basic social services and resources

That those involved in drug cartels will come to know Jesus and encourage positive change.