TURKEY – New school curriculum to teach jihad and reinforce “Turkish” identity as Islamic

Barnabas Fund 27/07/2017

The Turkish government has launched a new school curriculum which will officially teach jihad as part of religious education. Students will be taught that the “greater jihad” – usually interpreted as a personal struggle against sin – means “to serve society’s needs.” (The term “lesser jihad” is often used to mean military jihad – war against non-Muslims with the aim of spreading Islam.) The lessons will be rolled out to all students from next year.

The alterations to the Turkish school curriculum appear designed to reinforce ideas of Turkish Islamic nationalism, by indoctrinating students that adherence to Islam equates to adherence to the state. “The real meaning of jihad is loving your nation,” stated the government’s Education Minister.

Palestinian Authority creates new social media blasphemy law

Barnabas Fund 27/07/2017

President Abbas of Palestine has enacted a new Cyber Crime Law on his own initiative with penalties harsher than those for thieves and sex offenders.  Why?  The answer is almost certainly that it is part of an attempt to introduce a global Islamic blasphemy law for social media posts.

In 2016, Barnabas Fund reported concerns that Facebook were already censoring posts critical of Islam, particularly by those who had left Islam. Then on 31 May last year an agreement was signed between the EU and major social media sites.  It committed IT websites to remove, within 24 hours, content deemed “offensive” by “civil society organisations.”  The National Secular Society warned that “far from tackling online ‘cyber jihad,’ the agreement risks entrapping any critical discussion of religion under vague ‘hate speech’ rules.”

The Pakistan government called a meeting of 27 Muslim ambassadors, including that of the Palestinian Authority, at the end of March to try to create a global Islamic blasphemy law for social media.   Pakistan’s interior minister has subsequently met with Facebook’s Vice President to discuss the way forward on this.

CHINA – Communist Party officials to be punished if they do not give up faith

Barnabas Fund 27/07/2017

The Central Committee of China’s Communist party has stated that all party members – around 89 million Chinese citizens – should not hold religious beliefs and that any officials who do will be “persuaded” to give them up or face punishment.

Although official estimates, based on the congregations of state-recognised churches, put the number of the Christians in China at around 22 million, there may be as many as 100 million believers in the world’s most populous country. Most high-level jobs require membership of the Communist Party.

Egypt – new frontline in religious cleansing of Christians

Barnabas Fund 13/07/2017

It is now becoming clear that jihadists are beginning attempts to religiously cleanse Egypt of non-Muslims.

Islamic State in Sinai in March told 200 Christian families to leave Al Arish or be killed.  Jihadists are also targeting Christians elsewhere in Egypt.

In fact, Islamic State (IS) now has two separate groups, one in Sinai and one in the rest of Egypt. The group’s leader indicated that attacking Christians and churches was a specific part of their strategy, asserting that it is permissible to shed even the blood of Christian women and children.

This is exactly what we saw earlier in Iraq beginning in 2004, and in Northern Nigeria since 2006.

One small ray of hope is that IS has admitted that attacks on Christians is failing to persuade Egyptian Muslims to adopt jihadi ideology. IS has complained that many Egyptians offer Christians “condolences” rather than kill them if they won’t submit to the humiliating conditions of sharia law.

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.