The Jars of Clay rant

Last week, the lead singer of the Christian music group Jars of Clay, Dan Haseltine, put out a couple of  tweets that clearly shows that he lacks any spirituality.  Here's the link.  http://onenewsnow.com/culture/2014/04/25/christian-singers-tweets-boggle-the-mind#.U2EWpIFdWSp

Let's check out his first tweet from April 21.

"Not meaning to stir things up BUT ... Is there a a non-speculative or non "slippery slope" reason why gays shouldn't marry?  I don't hear one."

With this tweet, he is showing his support for gay marriage.  Unfortunately, his support shows that he has not studied any of the books of the Bible.  Now, I will use Biblical proofs to show that gay marriage should not be tolerated.

-- Genesis 1:27-28.  When God created man, He commanded the male and the female to reproduce.  Reproduction can only occur between the union of a man and a woman.  Therefore, gay marriage goes against God's command to reproduce.

-- Genesis 9:20-27.  Canaan ended up being cursed for having homosexual tendencies.  Therefore, gay marriage results in the participants being cursed.

-- Genesis 18 and 19.  God wiped Sodom and Gomorrah off of the earth because of their homosexuality.

-- Leviticus 18:22-30.  God commands the people to not commit homosexual acts or the consequence would be that any nation that chooses to accept gay marriage would eventually be uprooted and destroyed.

-- Leviticus 20:13.  In this verse, the consequence of homosexual relations is not to allow for them to be married; the consequence listed is death.

-- Deuteronomy 23:17.  God commands that homosexuality should not be practiced at all.

-- Judges 12:5-6.  42,000 homosexuals were killed by the army of Jephthah because they were rebellious and narcissistic.  42 is also the symbolic number of the Antichrist.  In the context of this verse, homosexuality is definitely antichristian.

-- I Kings 15:11-12.  Verse 11 states that Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.  Verse 12 lets us know what Asa did that was seen as right in God's eyes; he expelled all of the homosexuals from the country.

-- I Kings 22:41-46.  King Jehoshaphat did what was right in the eyes of the Lord as well by removing all of the homosexuals out of the country.

Now, let's check out his second tweet from April 22.

"I don't think that scripture clearly states much of anything regarding morality."

What is wrong with this guy?  What type of Bible is he reading?  I didn't know that there was an LGBT version.  Has he ever heard of the Ten Commandments?  This guy is a moron.

Truth is above morality.  Look at it from the analogy of mathematics.  2+2=4 all of the time.  That is the truth.  No matter how much you think that 2+2 equals five from your moral standpoint, 2+2 is always four.

Forced conversions on the rise in Pakistan

Forced conversion in Pakistan is becoming more of an issue of concern for the Christian community. In April, stories of Christians being affected by the issue of forced conversion reared its ugly head on multiple occasions and reminded us how it is an issue that is a concern for every member of Pakistan's already extremely persecuted Christian community. Reports of hundreds of Christian women forcefully converted to Islam every year, a Christian man being murdered for refusing to convert to Islam, and a Christian family being forced to flee their home for their children's safety shows how widespread and common forced conversion has become in Pakistan. Wrong Religion, Wrong Gender In a report published in April, the Movement for Solidarity and Peace (MSP) revealed that as many as 700 Christian women between the ages of 12 and 25 are forcefully converted to Islam every year in Pakistan. Christian women are among Pakistan's most vulnerable people because they are considered by many in Pakistan's Muslim majority population to be both the wrong religion and the wrong gender. The figures presented in the report published by the MSP were taken from major newspaper sources and NGOs working on the issue already. The actual number of Christian women being forcefully converted to Islam every year could, in reality, be much higher than the numbers reported by the MSP. Many cases go unreported because of threats against the victims and their families. Forced conversion of Christian women is both well organized and well established. These women are often abducted from their families, converted to Islam, married to a Muslim man, and raped - all by force. Culprits coerce their captives to sign documents stating that they have embraced Islam by their own free will and then force them into changing their names to a traditionally Muslim name. Often, the forced marriage and rape are used as a tool to trap these women. Pakistan is a very traditional society and good marriages are one of the few ways in which Christian women are able to provide for themselves. The shame associated with being a rape victim often destroys a Christian woman's potential to find a good marriage. Because of threats against their own safety or the safety of their families, women being abducted and forcefully converted to Islam often do not report these incidents of abuse. Even when these cases are reported to police, the victims find both the police and justice system stacked against them.   Police often tell victims that they are better off being Muslims in Pakistan and refuse to register complaints. Even if the complaint is actually registered and the matter is brought to court, injustice is often the only result. Throughout court proceedings, the Christian women are forced to stay in the custody of their abductor instead of being returned to their families or an independent third party. This forces many women to give statements that they have converted by their own free will and that they are happily married to their abductors. Killed for Refusing Islam Even though Christian women make up the vast majority of forced conversion cases in Pakistan, they are by no means the only Christians being victimized. Christian men are often pressured by Muslim co-workers and neighbors into converting to Islam. In some cases, refusing to convert to Islam can lead to false blasphemy accusations and, in extreme cases, murder. When confronted with the choice to covert or die, many Christian men are not as brave as Sunny Masih, a Christian man willing to stand firm in his Christian faith. On April 16, Sunny Masih, a Christian cleaner at a branch of Bank Islami in Lahore Pakistan was allegedly shot and killed by his Muslim co-worker after refusing to convert to Islam. According to official reports, the Muslim co-worker informed police that Masih had shot himself with the co-workers shotgun after the co-worker left it unattended while using the toilet. Masih's co-worker and security guard for the bank, Omar Farooq, told police that Masih had looked depressed when he had arrived at the bank and had shot himself when Farooq left his gun unattended. In an interview with Morning Star News, Masih's father refutes these claims by Farooq and asserts the issue of forced conversion was at the heart of his son's death. "On April 15, my son told me that Farooq had mocked his Christian faith and has asked him to 'embrace' Islam," Masih's father told Morning Star News. "He told my son, 'You are a good-looking boy, and I don't like to see you sweeping the floors and cleaning the washrooms. If you embrace Islam, I'll connect you with people who will take good care of you, provide you with a decent job and even get you married into a wealthy Muslim family."  Masih responded to this invitation by saying that he was happy with his Christian faith and asked Farooq to stop asking him to convert to Islam. "My son told me that when he snubbed Farooq, the guard had threatened him that he would have to face the consequences for refusing the Dawaat [an invitation to accept Islam]," Masih father told  Morning Star News. The next day, Masih was killed with Farooq's gun. Initially, local police maintained that evidence supported Masih's death as a suicide and refused to register the case for investigation even after Masih's father told them about the forced conversion issue. It wasn't until the local Christian community staged a protest at the police station that the police registered the case and brought Farooq in for questioning. Christian Children Faced with Forced Conversion To show how widespread the issue of forced conversion is in Pakistan, ICC talked to one Christian family that was forced into hiding to protect two of their children from being forcefully converted to Islam. Sarah, age 12, and her sister Nadia, age eight, were blessed with outstanding singing voices and would often lead worship at church. Eventually, these two Christian girls became famous in their community for their voices. At school, the two girls were selected to lead daily morning assemblies. The girls led other students, mostly Muslim, in singing Pakistan's national anthem and reciting verses from the Quran. The girl's parents told ICC that their daughters had been leading these morning assemblies for years and became well known to the other parents in the school. "In October 2013, we sensed that our girls were being trapped and forced to convert to Islam by the school administration and other religious fundamentalists connected to the school," the girls' mother told ICC. "When some of the more fundamental Muslim families came to know about the religious background of Sarah and Nadia, they rushed to the school administration claiming the girls were no longer Christians. Their reasoning was that because the girls had been reciting verses of the Quran, they had become Muslims and had to be taken to live in the custody of a Muslim family." "For about two months, our entire family was under pressure," the girls' father told ICC."We received threats of being killed or Muslims kidnapping our lovely daughters. We were under constant pressure from clerics to convert our girls to Islam." Things got so bad that the family decided to take drastic action. Recently, in the middle of the night, the Christian family packed up as many of their possessions as they could carry and fled to a larger city in Pakistan where they believe they can stay hidden. Forced conversion is second only to the abuse of Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws in issues negatively affecting the dwindling Christian community of Pakistan. Touching Christians from all walks of life, forced conversion and the impunity the perpetrators of this abuse enjoy in Pakistan has become disgracefully common. Without significant change, Pakistan's Christian community will continue to live in a state of constant fear and look for any and all opportunities to escape one of the most religiously intolerant countries on earth.   For interviews, contact William Stark, Regional Manager for South Asia:  RM-SAsia@persecution.org # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference ICC (International Christian Concern) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington, D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church.  For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Standoff ends with an explosion at Chinese church

International Christian Concern (ICC) has just learned that early this morning, Chinese authorities in Zhejiang Province used explosives to demolish the Sanjiang Christian Church in Wenzhou, China. The demolition reportedly took place at 8:35 PM Beijing time after protestors, including church members, were dispersed by police. The church became the center of a tense standoff after thousands of church members formed a human shield on April 4 in an effort to save the newly constructed church from demolition. ICC sources also reported that Christian leaders had been detained or arrested in cities throughout the province, including Wenzhou, Rui'an, Yueqing, and Zhoushan. The arrests appear to be a part of a province-wide effort to clamp down on possible dissent over the destruction of the Sanjiang Christian Church. Local Christians in Wenzhou interviewed by ICC reported being "heartbroken" at the news of the demolition and many feared a widespread campaign to demolish churches was underway. "Local believers universally think that more severe persecution may be around the corner, but they do not really know how to face the coming challenge, except for praying,"said one ICC source close to the situation. In 2000, hundreds of churches and temples were reportedly destroyed by government officials across Zhejiang Province. Mobile phone captures the church mid-destruction The standoff over the church reportedly began after a Communist Party secretary visited the area and insisted the cross atop the Sanjiang Church was too large. "When the Party secretary Xia Baolong visited the local areas, he found the cross on top of the church very conspicuous. So he ordered that it be demolished. Then, the officials from Yongjia county demanded that the church tear down the cross and the top floor of the church,"Zheng Leguo, a young leader at Sanjiang Church in Wenzhou, told ChinaAid.  When members of the church refused to remove the cross, authorities then threatened to demolish the entire structure, sparking the formation of a human shield earlier this month by thousands of Chinese Christians. A compromise ending the standoff was reportedly reached until authorities canceled the agreement last week. It was not immediately clear how authorities had managed to disperse the church members remaining at the site, though earlier reports claimed that SWAT teams had been brought in and that police had cordoned off roads around the area. In addition, locals reported that electricity at the church had been cut and cell phone reception was being jammed in the area around the church. According to a blog post by the New York Times on April 4, local families had financed the construction of the $4.8 million church building. "Many of us donated our life savings. This is our home." Ms. Li Xile, a local from Wenzhou, told the Times. Ryan Morgan, International Christian Concern's Regional Manager for East Asia, said,"The annihilation of the Sanjiang Christian Church only a few hours ago should be a wakeup call not only for Christians around the world, but for the international community at large. The government of China demonstrated today just how willing it is to use violent repression, not to mention explosives, in order to try and contain the growth of Christianity within its borders. A truly open and strong society has nothing to fear from the stability and prosperity that inevitability result when religious minorities are protected and allowed to thrive free from persecution. Only dictatorships feel the need to forcibly crush the growth of people of faith who are simply looking to peacefully practice their religious beliefs. This morning, tragically, the government of China showed it cared very little for the desperate pleas of thousands of its own citizens, or even the glare and condemnation of the international media spotlight."    For interviews, contact Ryan Morgan, Regional Manager for Southeast Asia:   RM-SEAsia@persecution.org # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference ICC (International Christian Concern) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church.  For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Attacks by Hindu radicals in India are on the rise this year

The Christian minority of India is very concerned about their future in India. The reason for this concern... exit poll predictions from India's general elections. Currently, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Bharathiya Janatha Party (BJP) looks set to form the next national government of India. At the center of the NDA is Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat and likely nominee as India's next Prime Minister, and his Hindu nationalist party BJP. Christians are distressed knowing BJP's Hindu nationalist agenda; an ideology that seeks to create a purely Hindu India. As a matter of concern, Andhra Pradesh, a state located on India's eastern coastline, has seen the highest number of attacks (41) on Christians in India in 2013. Andhra Pradesh is believed to have the highest Christian population in India, yet there seems to be an orchestrated hate campaign by Hindu radical groups, including Sangh Parivar and RSS, being carried out across the state. Brutal attacks on the Christian leaders falsely accused of forcible conversion seemed to increase with the approach of the general elections. Pastor Christopher from the Malakpet area of Hyderabad told ICC of a gruesome incident that shook him and his entire congregation to the core. On February 2, Bethel Gospel Church, where Pastor Christopher preaches, was set on fire by unknown assailants suspected to be connected to Hindu radical groups. The anti-Christian activists carried out the attack during the early morning hours to inflict maximum damage to the church. The church was burnt to ashes, everything inside the church including carpets, musical instruments, speakers and chairs were utterly destroyed. "We are living in fear," the Pastor told ICC. "There have been continuous threats from the Hindu radicals: we, Christians, are treated as second class citizens in this country." During his 15 years of service, Pastor Christopher has been threatened by the Hindu radical group RSS on many occasions. Once he was threatened by RSS to stop all church activities or else they would "chop him into pieces." Christopher fears the intensity of these Hindu radicals will only increase if BJP comes to power in the government. But, Christopher also believes if an increase in persecution is to be India's future, he hopes this situation will unite the Indian church. On February 23, more than 30 youths belonging to the Hindu radical group 'Hindu Vahini' barged into a Christian home during a prayer meeting in Marepalli village. These youths were shouting Hindu nationalist slogans as they attacked the small Christian community. Pastor Devaraju, the leader of that community, was verbally abused by the youths with vulgar language. In an interview with ICC, Pastor Devaraju described what it is like to be a pastor in a state where most of India's anti-Christian attacks take place. "Surviving as a pastor in India at the hands of Hindu radicals is every day a challenge. There is no guarantee that I will come back home if I go for gospel work," Pastor Devaraju said.   In another incident, Rev. B. Rajarathnam and his wife, both of whom belong to a Mennonite Brethren Church, were attacked by Hindu radicals in Chadurupally village. During a Hindu festive (Holi) on March 17th, more than 15 assailants, likely connected to Hindu radical groups, stormed into the pastor's house and started beating him and his wife. During the attack, the pastor's wife, who is in her 60's, fell to the ground unconscious after being punched and slapped multiple times. Onlookers took her to the hospital for treatment immediately following the attack. The attackers also demolished a wall of the pastor's home, causing serious damaged to the house. "There is an increasing trouble emerging for the Christian community with Modi projected as Prime Minister," Rev. Rajarathnam stated. "It is a matter of deep distress for Christians," he said.  "There is huge discrepancy when it comes to delivery of justice for religious minorities in this country, and with Modi as Prime Minister, India will become an even more unsafe place for religious minorities," Rev. Ronald John, a Christian leader in India, said.   The attacks on Christians by Hindu radicals continue to flare up all across India as the general elections draw to a close. The Christian community as a whole fears that it will only get worse if BJP and their front man Modi assume control of one of the world largest democratic government. Foreseeing the coming threat, many Christian leaders have urged their followers to pray for the future of India's Christians. They are praying, are you?

For interviews, contact William Stark, Regional Manager for Africa:  RM-SAsia@persecution.org International Christian Concern -- www.persecution.org

Public executions in Somalia by al-Shabaab

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that suspected al-Shabaab militants have murdered a woman professing the Christian faith earlier this month after breaking and entering into her home in Mogadishu. Sufia was at home with her parents when a group of armed men burst into her home. Leaving her parents untouched, the men grabbed Sufia, forcefully dragged her from the home at gunpoint, and then publicly shot her, firing into the on-looking crowd as friends and neighbors attempted to save her. Immediately following the execution, Sufia's killers fled the scene. Despite ongoing efforts by police to locate them, Sufia's murderers remain at-large as of this release. The suspected work of al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist network in Somalia, Sufia's death could be the third al-Shabaab murder this month. On April 22, Mogadishu Parliamentarian Abdiaziz Isaaq Mursal was the second Somali lawmaker killed by al-Shabaab militants in less than 48 hours for allowing the "invasion of the Christians into Somalia," referencing lawmakers' vote to accept financial support from Western governments and members of the African Union who have sent troops into Somalia to oppose Islamist rebel groups. Isak Mohamed Rino, a fellow Parliamentarian, was the victim of an exploded bomb placed beneath his car on the morning of April 21. In response to the attacks, al-Shabaab's spokesperson, Ali Dhere, was recorded on al-Shabaab's Andulus radio in Barawe town saying, "We are on war against the apostates in Mogadishu. We will keep carrying attacks, targeting their lawmakers." According to al-Shabaab, all Somalis are born Muslims by default. Somalis found practicing other religions are considered guilty of apostasy. According to the fundamentalist brand of Islam al-Shabaab adheres to, apostasy occurs when a Muslim leaves Islam for another faith and should be put to death. Several of the nation's leaders have publicly condemned the attacks on the two murdered Somali Parliamentarians; however, a public condemnation of the systematic execution of Somali Christians has yet to be heard. Speaking on the deaths of the two parliamentarians, president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said Sunday the"culture of lawlessness that has plagued Somalia for the last 23 years is coming to an end." Though similar calls to action have been made in the past, al-Shabaab continues to enjoy complete freedom in its sustained push to eradicate Somalia of its Christian population. ICC's Regional Manager for Africa, William Stark, said, "Al-Shabaab is an Islamic extremist group that has vowed to make Somalia 'purely Islamic.' The group adheres to a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam that includes the beheading of converts from Islam, or, as we've witnessed in Sufia's case, execution by firing squad. The group continues to terrorize not just Christians in Somalia, but any act, person, or policy that could be construed as supportive of Christianity in Somalia. As more Somalis return to Somalia following the establishment of the new government, steps must be taken to protect Christians and other religious minorities. The practice of kidnapping, torturing and publicly executing converts from Islam must be addressed by the international community and should have no place in modern society."

For interviews, contact William Stark, Regional Manager for South Asia:  RM-SAsia@persecution.org

Update on Sanjiang Christian Church

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that thousands of Christians in Wenzhou, China, have formed a new blockade to prevent government officials from starting demolition of the $4.8 million Sanjiang Christian Church. The news comes just two weeks after a previous standoff ended when authorities signed an agreement with church leaders promising to leave the church untouched. In exchange, church leaders agreed to demolish several floors of a nearby building used by the church as a care facility for the elderly. On Monday morning, ICC sources close to the situation reported, "The government has decided to remove the cross on the roof and change the first floor of the church to be a public parking lot, the second floor a public library, only leaving the third floor for worship. Currently, police have cordoned off the road to the church with fire engines and ambulances lining up along the street." As thousands of Christians began to reassemble overnight in defense of the newly-constructed church, social media sites set up by area Christians were flooded with information and advice for participants in the new blockade. Everything from tips on how to protect oneself from water cannons and pepper spray to recommendations on bringing extra food and water in case of a prolonged standoff were exchanged. In addition, ICC sources report that several of the churches leaders and their family members have been threatened with the loss of employment by government officials since the confrontation over the church began. Such threats are not uncommon in China when Christians and other religious minorities attempt to resist government pressure. On April 11th, ChinaAid reported that at least seven other churches in Zhejiang Province, where the Sanjiang Christian Church is located, were facing "demolition or rectification orders." In 2000, hundreds of churches were demolished across the province in a massive crackdown on religious minorities. Ryan Morgan, International Christian Concern's Regional Manager for East Asia, said, "It is critical that the international community not turn its attention away from the showdown taking place today in Wenzhou, China. Thousands of brave men and women are risking their lives and welfare to protect the symbol of their faith from a government that is all too willing to breach every rule of international conduct in its suppression of religious minorities. If the international spotlight is taken away now, then these thousands of bold blockaders will be left alone in the dark as police and bulldozers attempt to turn their place of worship into a parking lot."   ICC is calling upon concerned individuals to immediately contact Chinese embassies in their home country and express alarm at the Chinese government's intent to demolish the Sanjiang Church. A partial list of Chinese embassies and their contact information is found below. Washington D.C., USA                   - (202) 495-2266 Ottawa, Canada                                - (613) 789-3434, ext. 232 Woluwe Saint-Pierre, Belgium         - (0032) 476-751182 Bern, Switzerland                             - (031) 351-6385 London, United Kingdom                - (+44) 20 7299 4049 The Hague, Netherlands                   - (0031) 0 70 306 5068 Berlin, Germany                               - (+49) 30 27588

For interviews, contact Ryan Morgan, Regional Manager for Southeast Asia:   RM-SEAsia@persecution.org

Seven years since Malatya massacre

Friday, April 18th marked the seventh anniversary of the brutal murders of three Christians at the Zirve Publishing house in Malatya, Turkey. On April 18, 2007, two Turkish men, Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel, and one German national, Tillman Geske, were brutally tortured and killed at the Christian publishing house in eastern Turkey. The five men responsible for their murders have not been convicted and are currently out of prison.   The trial of the five suspects - Emre Günaydın, Abuzer Yıldırım, Cuma Özdemir, Hamit Çeker and Salih Gürler - started November 22, 2007. The five men were caught at the scene of the crime and have confessed to their role in the murders. The Malatya killings have been linked to an investigation into an alleged coup plot that has complicated the proceedings. "In the case the prosecutors and judges have changed two times," Umut Sahin, General Secretary of the Association of Protestant Churches in Turkey, told ICC. "New defendants have been added to the case, and some of them have pursued a strategy to extend the case," Sahin continued. Despite 92 hearings and more than 100,000 pages of court documents, the five men responsible for the killing of the three Christians have not been convicted, and, in a remarkable twist, are currently out of prison. A change to the Turkish legal structure resulted in the five men being released from prison on March 7, 2014 pending completion of the trial, Today's Zaman reported. This strange twist has further weakened the trust of the Turkish Christian community in the justice system. "Three Christians in Malatya were killed. Three fathers, three men, three husbands ...and today, the number one perpetrators of the incident,[who were] caught red-handed, with bloody hands, [these] murderers are on the street," Gokhan Talas wrote in Agos, a Turkish newspaper. "I was a little shocked," Lukas Geske, son of Tilman Geske, told International Christian Concern (ICC) about hearing that the give men were released from prison. "But I wasn't afraid and I wasn't angry because I have already forgiven them seven years ago." The Geske family still lives in Malatya, "We weren't afraid of what happened, we just were totally sad," Geske said. "We stayed because God called us to stay here and that is why we stayed." The 93rd hearing in the case was scheduled for April 10, 2014 but was delayed until June 23 and "has been transferred to Malatya's First High Criminal Court, where a completely new panel of judges and prosecutors are assigned to the case," according to World Watch Monitor. "The trial is just punishing the guilty, in my opinion the important thing is to forgive them from what they did,"Geske said when asked about the endless delays in the trial. Seven years on from the brutal murders, these events continue to cast a shadow over the Christian community in Turkey, though the level of hostility towards Christians has gradually decreased. "There has not been much change legally [regarding the rights of Christians]," Sahin said, "However, there is an increase in tolerance of Christians in the state. Christianity has become more visible and anti-Christian publications in major media outlets also greatly reduced," Sahin told ICC. Yet the memory of the Malatya Massacre is still fresh in the minds of many Christians. As a number of Christians posted on their social media profiles: "We Won't Forget ...We Won't Let It Be Forgotten..." On Friday, celebrations including a memorial gathering to mark the anniversary of the death of these three Christians and the opening service of the first registered church in Malatya took place. Todd Daniels, ICC Regional Manager for the Middle East, said, "Following the seventh anniversary of the tragic events at the Zirve Publishing House, we continue the call for justice to be handed down by the courts for those responsible for these killings. We continue to pray for the friends and families of those who were killed that day. We urge the Turkish government to send a clear message that the rights and freedoms for Christians and other religious minorities in Turkey will be upheld and protected. It is important for Turks, of all religious and ethnic identity to fully enjoy the benefits of Turkish citizenship."

For interviews, contact Todd Daniels, Regional Manager for the Middle East:   RM-ME@persecution.org

Boko Haram is on a rampage

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Islamic insurgency and U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) Boko Haram has unleashed a series of attacks upon the peoples of Nigeria throughout the 2014 Easter Holy Week. In less than seven calendar days, Boko Haram has: kidnapped two priests and a nun from a rural Catholic school on the Nigerian-Cameroonian border; murdered eight teachers in an attack on a teaching college in Dikwa; attacked northern Nigerian villages in Borno State, allegedly killing 130 innocents; massacred 71 and destroyed more than 30 vehicles in the nation's capital city of Abuja; and conducted a mass-kidnapping of 243 girls from a government secondary school in Maiduguri. On the night of April 4th, an armed band of Boko Haram members raided a small Catholic parish in Tchéré, Cameroon, taking hostage and then kidnapping three members of the clergy: Canadian native, Sister Gilberte Bussiere, age 75, and Italian natives, fathers Giampaolo Marta, age 47, and Gianantonio Allegri, age 57. Following the raid and ransacking of several Catholic buildings, the band made its way with the three clergy toward the Nigerian border, confirming suspicions the attack was sponsored by Boko Haram. An initial helicopter search, conducted the weekend of the 5th by Cameroonian security forces, failed to locate the three clergy. Their location and respective conditions, as well as the perpetrators' intent for keeping them, remain unknown. On the night of April 10th, Boko Haram militants raided a teaching compound in Dikwa, murdering the eight teachers present at the time of the attack and burning the compound's library to the ground. The first of a series of attacks across Borno State, Boko Haram proceeded to raid two villages near the Nigerian-Camroonian border, killing an additional 130 civilians according to Borno State Senator Ahmed Zannah. On the morning of April 14th, a series of bombs exploded at a busy bus terminal in Abuja, violently setting 16 luxury- and 14 mini-buses ablaze, killing 71 and wounding more than 130. The historic attack marked the first day of the Holy Passion week of the Easter holiday as the first major Boko Haram attack to occur within the nation's capital. Though secular news outlets and human rights organizations are unclear as to Boko Haram's reason for the bombing, Christian rights groupscontinue to make clear the attack specifically targeted Christian worshippers traveling with friends and family in respect of the Holy Week. In a statement released the day of the bombing, the Christian Association of Nigerian-Americans, a Christian advocacy group based in Washington D.C. that specifically addresses issues regarding Nigeria, read "this killing was set as Christians...entered into the Passion Week leading to the Resurrection Sunday, Easter celebrations... families who had expectations of a happy reunion during this time of Christian celebrations are being forcefully fed this cup of sorrow." On the night of April 14th, more than 100 armed Boko Haram insurgents abducted 243 students from an all-girls secondary school sponsored by the Nigerian government after shooting their way past the compound's security staff. The abduction lasted approximately six hours as the kidnappers hand-selected from the more than 250 students, loading abductees into the backs of military-grade trucks to be driven into the woods toward the Nigerian-Cameroonian border. As of the time of this release, more than 80 of those abducted have been recovered by a search party composed primarily of vigilantes and local soldiers. ICC has so far been unable to confirm the religious demography of those kidnapped. Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is a sin," continues to pursue its goal of carving out a separate Islamic state from Nigeria's northern regions to establish its ultra-conservative interpretation of Sharia law with brutal vengeance. The insurgency, a U.S.-designated FTO, often targets schools, government institutions and religious minorities-mostly Christians-as part of a broader strategy to create a purely Islamic society in northern Nigeria. In 2014 alone, it's estimated more than 1,500 people have been murdered by Boko Haram, many of whom are known Christians whose communities have been pillaged and churches set ablaze. ICC's Regional Manager, William Stark, said, "The events of this week once again prove Boko Haram's the unrelenting and uncompromising willingness to commit crimes against humanity in pursuit of its goal to establish a separate Islamic state ruled by Sharia Law. While ICC continues to join the international community in calling for a return to a peaceful Nigeria, we cannot refuse to recognize the Nigerian State's inability to provide the security necessary to ensure prosperous living for the nation's Christians and other minority religions. If Nigeria continues to fail to respond to Boko Haram in any meaningful way, Nigeria may be destined to civil war with a north ruled by radical Islamists, and all that entails."

For interviews, contact William Stark, Regional Manager for Africa:   RM-AfricaAsia@persecution.org

Woman martyr in Egypt

It was a Friday afternoon on March 28 when Mary Sameh George was doing what she does every Friday. After leaving her job at a communications company, she drove to Ain Shams neighborhood in Cairo, to deliver food and medicine to elderly Christians and Muslims. "I called Mary by my mobile and she was very happy on this day," Khalil*, a friend of Mary's, told ICC. "She told me that she sold many SIM-cards and then she was driving out to visit the elderly needy and sick people in Ezbet El Nakhl," he continued. "I asked her to take care and we finished the call." This was the last time that Khalil spoke to Mary, a 24-year-old, with a bachelor's degree in Law from Ain Shams University, who was planning to be engaged in May. Two hours later, Khalil saw on television that a Christian girl was among four people killed by protestors in Ain Shams. Mary was that Christian girl. They Saw a Cross and Recognized She Was a Christian, So They Attacked Her ICC spoke with Wahid, a resident of Ain Shams who saw the riots, and from his apartment, witnessed the events that led to Mary's death. "Every Friday the supporters of Muslim Brotherhood organize a march after Friday prayer in Ain Shams," he told ICC.  "On this Friday afternoon, violent clashes took place between the supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and the security forces during their march at intersection of Musab Saleh Street and Ahmed Esmat Street." The clashes this Friday were especially intense because they came just days after 529 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood were given death sentences for their roles in violence across the country. "Pro Muslim-Brotherhood supporters were armed and shot at the security forces, so the security forces used tear gas to disperse them. After that exchange, the Pro Muslim-Brotherhood supporters moved toward the Virgin Mary and Archangel Michael Church in Ahmed Esmat Street and began firing shots toward the church and a gas station nearby. The security forces and local residents were able to confront them and disperse them," Wahid continued. "Mary had stopped her vehicle and parked in front of the Sun Private School in Ain Shams Street, near the Virgin Mary and Archangel Michael Church, because of the march," said Wahid. "The Muslim Brotherhood supporters saw a hanging cross on her car and recognized that she was a Christian, so they attacked her," he said. "They jumped on top of her vehicle, to the point that the roof collapsed, and violently removed her from her vehicle; they severely beat her, tore her clothes, and stabbed her multiple times. They were chanting 'Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar' and cursing her while stabbing her. Then one of them shot her in the back and that led to her death. After killing her they set her car on fire," Wahid said. "None of the local residents could intervene and rescue the life of Mary because there were a lot of Muslim Brotherhood supporters surrounding the car; plus, many of them were armed, and if anyone confronted them they would kill him," Wahid added. "Here, Every Friday is a Day of Death" The sad fact is that violent protests have become common place. "Here in Ain Shams, we know that every Friday is a day of death," a Coptic resident told Coptic Solidarity. Nageh Afifi, a resident of Ain Shams, told ICC about an incident on February 12. A protest starting at the Tawhid Mosque turned violent; four security guards posted outside two different churches were attacked. Two of them were killed and the other two were hospitalized. "There have been so many similar incidents," Hal Meawad of Coptic Solidarity told ICC. "Ever since January 25, 2011, there has been a breakdown in the security situation on the streets. Christians are paying a very high price for this breakdown," Meawad said. While the violence has affected many across Egypt, Christians have been especially targeted. In the violent protests on March 28, three others, including a 22-year-old journalist, were killed in the crossfire between the protestors and the security forces. Four men have been arrested for their role in her death, Daily News Egypt reports. George Farid, a lawyer for Mary's family, told  MidEast Christian News that the family has filed a police report, but that no one has been arrested in relation to her killing. The security forces need to continue to pursue those responsible for the killing of Mary, but that will not replace the loss that her family and friends have experienced. "She was a sincere servant, she loved the Lord from her deep heart, all the Church's youth loved her so much; the Church lost a good servant," Khalil continued. Crowds gathered at the St. George Church in Manshiyet al-Tahreer, Cairo to attend the funeral for Mary, Watani reported. While they mourned the death of Mary, they also raised their voices to call for national unity and an end to the violence that has claimed far too many lives.

For interviews, contact Todd Daniels, Regional Manager for the Middle East:  RM-ME@persecution.org

Human shield protects church from demolition in China

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that thousands of Christians have formed a human shield around a newly-constructed church in Zhejiang Province after authorities earlier this week threatened to demolish the building. The Sanjiang Christian Church reportedly cost over $4.8 million to construct and was built over a six-year period in Wenzhou, one of China's most Christianized cities. Friday evening, the Telegraph reported that hundreds of Christians, including elderly and disabled church members, had stationed themselves inside the church to block access to demolition teams during the night. "I slept here last night and I will do the same again tonight. We pulled two pews together so it was quite all right. We feel at peace and fearless when we are with our God," He Hongying, an 81-year-old church member, told the Telegraph. Many of the Christians forming the human shield have expressed their determination to remain at the church until authorities back down.   The standoff at the church reportedly began after a Communist Party secretary visited the area and insisted the church was too large. "When the Party secretary Xia Baolong visited the local areas, he found the cross on top of the church very conspicuous. So he ordered that it be demolished. Then, the officials from Yongjia county demanded that the church tear down the cross and the top floor of the church," Zheng Leguo, a young leader at Sanjiang Church in Wenzhou, told ChinaAid.   On Thursday evening, several hundred police officers with bulldozers took up positions around the church. "I held their hands and said, "Comrades, don't take down our cross. I can give you my head instead," Yang Zhumei, 74, told the Telegraph.  "Even if they take my head, I can still find happiness with God," she shouted. Sanjiang Christian Church is a part of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), China's government backed Protestant Christian organization, making the conflict highly unusual. In November, nearly two dozen TSPM Church members, including a church pastor, were arrested in Henan Province in a crackdown over the church's community activism. Christians who attend illegal house church gatherings in China, believed to be as many as 80 million, are subject to far more frequent harassment and arrest. Ryan Morgan, International Christian Concern's Regional Manager for East Asia, said,"We call on the authorities in Zhejiang Province to immediately rescind their orders for the demolition of Sanjiang Christian Church. This church was legally constructed and has every right to exist in a nation which strongly claims, at least in the international community, to respect the religious freedom of its citizens. No one of any faith should have to place their life between a bulldozer and their house of worship. ICC stands with the Christians of Zhejiang Province as they take this courageous stand to protect their rights."

For interviews, contact Ryan Morgan, Regional Manager for Southeast Asia:   RM-SEAsia@persecution.org