Muslims acting like the 'N' word in Niger

In most cases, governments bent on promoting a single religion or no religion at all, religious zealots and armed militants are the world's persecutors, but for many in places like Niger, families, friends and colleagues are often the persecutors, especially for Christian converts. Sadly, throughout the world, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters are being harassed, rejected, and even murdered by relatives, friends, and members of their communities for having converted from the religion of their ancestors for a redeeming faith in Christ. This is the story of Mounira, a convert from Islam to Christianity who has suffered beatings, divorce and abandonment for choosing to put her faith in Christ rather than Mohammed in one of the most Islamic countries in the world: Niger. For the past two decades, Niger has had an increase in radical Islamic. Niger has historically been a tolerant state toward religious minorities, but now Islamic teachers regularly preach hatred against Christians (especially converts from Islam). They are instructing Muslims to oppress and persecute converted Christians. In his messages, the leader of Boko Haram (the Nigeria-based radical Islamic insurgency responsible for the abduction of more than 200 mostly Christian school girls in April) regularly urges Muslims to persecute and kill "all the Christians." Niger is mostly desert of vast uninhabited spaces that house many radical Islamic insurgencies and terror groups, including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) and Boko Haram. Islamic militants belonging to these and other groups regularly intimidate Christians in Niger and have, at times, forcibly converted, abducted and murdered believers for their faith. Across Niger, especially along its porous borders with Algeria, Chad, Libya, Mauritania and Nigeria, Christians live at risk of losing everything at the hands of Islamic extremists. And yet, the faith of Christians in Niger has never withered. Rather, the Niger Christian community clings to verses like Romans 8:38, which reads, "For I'm convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any power can separate us from God's love" (NIV). Mounira comes from a very strong Muslim family and things are not easy for her today, because of her faith in the Lord Jesus. In fact, after receiving Jesus, her own family abandoned her and her son, Maoulé. After learning of her conversion, Mounira's husband developed a hatred toward her because he simply couldn't bear the fact that his wife had converted from Islam to Christianity. When Mounira's husband would catch her reading the Bible, he would snatch the scriptures from her hands and tear them to shreds. On Sunday mornings, he would lock Mounira in her room to keep her from attending church. One night, back late from work, Mounira's husband beat her unconscious for praying in a corner of the house. Thanks to her pastor, who Maoulé contacted immediately, Mounira was taken to the hospital that same night and treated back to health. And yet, despite all of this, Mounira has never waned in her faith. Outraged by her determination to live for Christ, Mounira's husband divorced her, kicking Mounira and Maoulé onto the streets to fend for themselves. After the divorce, Mounira's husband told Mounira's Muslim family members about her conversion. Infuriated, Mounira's family decided to murder her and arranged for some criminals to go to her house in the middle of the night to beat her to death. By God's grace alone, the night the criminals went to Mounira's house to murder her, Mounira was at church for an overnight prayer gathering. Her family then decided to hire a sorcerer that promised to send a satanic spirit to possess Mounira, making her fatally ill. Many Muslims in Niger still practice many customs-including sorcery-dating back to Africa's animist roots, but as the Scriptures say in Isaiah 54:17, "No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you" (NIV). In Jesus' name, Mounira was protected from spirit and the practices of the sorcerer her family hired to harm her. For converts like Mounira, life is a constant struggle against those committed to converting them back to Islam, or seeing to their death. That's why ICC is working with the local church and fearless Christians to provide relief to persecuted Christians, like Mounira, in their time of need. With the support of the global church, ICC was able to bless Mounira and Maoulé with three months' worth of food. We were able to buy Mounira her diabetes medication that she hadn't been able to take for months, and we were able to equip Maoulé with textbooks, note pads, pens, pencils and erasers before paying down the fees to put him back in school. Today, Mounira is able to take joy in the Lord because of the sacrificial giving of ICC's selfless partners. In speaking with ICC's Niger Project Manager, René Benoît, Mounira said, "I'm still under threat and pressure because both my family and the one of my former husband are still looking ways to kill me. However, I rejoice every day in the Lord because he is my strength, my comforter and my protector; I know he will never forsake me. I have gone through much violence and torture from my former husband and moreover my family is making plots to kill me because I'm a Christian, but I lay everything in the hands of God." With five loaves and two fish, Jesus met the needs of thousands. In the same way, through prayer, partnership with our brothers and sisters on the ground, and the blessings of the global body of Christ, ICC is able to meet the needs of tens of thousands, one life at a time. But, Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 9:37, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few" (NIV). Like Mounira and Maoulé, thousands of Nigerien converts from Islam are suffering violence and abandonment for their Christian faith. The situation is critical: the compassion of the global church is needed to care for all these children of God who are abandoned by their families, beaten, tortured and threatened with death for their Christian Faith. As the book of Acts reminds us in 20:35, "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the word of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said:  it is more blessed to give than to receive" (NIV). Tens of thousands of stories of persecution remain untold in countries all across Africa, but by the grace of God, and your partnership with ICC's Hand of Hope Africa Fund, we can meet the needs of the thousands, even with five loaves and two fish. For interviews, contact Cameron Thomas, Regional Manager for Africa:  RM-Africa@persecution.org # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) 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.

Family killed by terrorists in Libya

Last week, Magdy Sobhy Tawfiq, Sahar Talaat Rizk, and their 13-year-old daughter Catherine were brutally murdered in Sirte, Libya, where the family has lived since 2001. Magdy was a medical doctor working in the Jarf Health Center in Sirte and Sahar was a pharmacist.    Magdy and Sahar were murdered in the early morning hours of Tuesday, December 23 at the doctor's housing complex where the Coptic Christian family lived with Catherine (13) and two younger daughters (Age 10 and Age 9). Catherine was taken from the family's home and her body was found in the desert outside the city on Thursday, December 25. Militant Threats and Attempts to Leave The young couple moved to Libya in 2001, just shortly after they were married on July 20, 2000. Magdy worked for two years at a Diabetes Clinic in Sirte before transferring to the Jarf Health Center, Tamer Talaat Rizk, Sahar's brother told International Christian Concern. Sahar and Magdy's Wedding Photo (Married July 20, 2000) "I stayed with them for 2 years in Sirte before I returned back to Egypt," Tamer told ICC. "During my stay with them there I noticed that Doctor Magdy was serving all the people there and he was beloved from the all. For free he would help explain difficult lectures to students who were studying in the faculty of Medicine in Site. He was a very kind and respected man," Tamer recalled. The family had been attempting for months to find a way to leave the country, but had been delayed in getting the necessary paperwork. Magdy felt the family was in danger but the management of his work didn't give him his passport his contract was not yet finished. "He also asked the Libyan authorities and representative of the Egyptian foreign ministry in Misrata, Libya to protect him and help him to return back to Egypt," Tamer told ICC.  "But the officials told him, 'Sorry we can not do any thing for you.' And they advised him not to leave Libya these days because all the ways to travel are unsafe and his life and his family's lives will be endangered if they travel by his private car," Tamer said. "On Monday, December 22, at 6:30 pm, Sahar called my mother and told her that they are working to finish the paperwork needed to travel to Egypt and they will leave soon, because their lives became unsafe in Libya," Michael Talaat Rizk, another of Sahar's brothers, told ICC. The family was growing increasingly concerned for their safety "especially after their oldest daughter Catherine was threatened with death if she did not wear a veil," Michael said. "Some Islamic Militants belonging to the Ansar Al-Sharia extremist group demanded that Catherine not go out from her home without wearing the veil and threatened her that they are going to kill her if she did not wear a veil," he continued. A Violent Attack at Dawn "At 4:00 am on Tuesday, December 23, Doctor Magdy woke up to the knock on the door of the housing building," Samir Sobhy Tawfiq, Magdy's brother told ICC. "He likely thought that there was a patient with an urgent case and was in need his help, but after opening the door, he found some armed masked men, they attacked him and handcuffed him, put him into a chair," he continued. Samir, a doctor in Tanta, Egypt, was told the details of the incident by his brother Maged who works in Tripoli, Libya and traveled to Sirte to care for the two youngest daughters who were eyewitnesses to the incident and met with officials following the initial investigation. Sahar pleaded with the men to take the family's money (6,000 Libyan dinar or $4,500 USD) and jewelry and leave them alive, but money was not the reason they had come. Sahar then ran into the room to protect the three girls, Samir told ICC. "They then entered the children's room and shot and killed Sahar there. Then they abducted Catherine, leaving the other two children behind. They also dragged Magdy outside and shot and killed him in front of the door of the Health Unit. They put Catherine into their car and fled," Samir recounted to ICC. Magdy was found still handcuffed after he'd been shot and killed. Magdy Sobhy Tawfiq killed in Sirte, Libya December 23, 2014 The attack was clearly not a robbery and was likely motivated by religion, localcouncil chairman Yussef Tebeiqa said. "Money left on the table and the wife's jewelry left at the crime scene were not touched," he added in a statement quoted by AFP. Catherine was found in the Libyan Desert on Thursday, December 25, Samir told ICC. "She was shot three times, twice in the head and once in the chest," he said. Mourning and Reaction to the Attack "The motive of killing them was sectarian," Michael, Sahar's brother said. "Those Militants targeted them because they are Christians, they killed them because of their faith in The Lord Jesus Christ" Michael continued, "My sister, her husband, and their daughter Catherine were martyred on the Name of Jesus Christ and that is the only thing that comforts us. We are sure that they are in the heaven now because they kept the faith and didn't deny the Lord Jesus Christ."   This latest incident again highlights the increasing across Libya, and often times Christians have faced explicit targeting from militant Islamist groups, as ICC has documented throughout 2014. The same day as this attack, the United Nations issued a report documenting the human rights abuses and volatile security situation in Libya. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya issued a statement condemning the attacks. "These heinous murders, apparently committed for religious motives by unidentified gunmen, are totally rejected by the Libyan people and are alien to their tradition of tolerance towards religious minorities and hospitality extended to foreign guests," the Mission said in a statement issued Wednesday, December 24. Coptic Solidarity, a U.S.-based advocacy group said, "The victims were killed simply because of their religious identity, which constitutes a crime against humanity." Fady Youssef, founder of Coalition of Coptic Egypt, also condemned the attacks and called for the Egyptian government to take decisive action to protect Egyptians in Libya in an interview with ICC. "I condemn the brutal crime of killing the Coptic family in Libya, and I charge the responsibility of killing these family on the Egyptian Government. I accuse the Egyptian Government of passiveness, inaction, indifference and disregard for the rights of Egyptians abroad, particularly in Libya," Youssef said. Tamer, Sahar's brother, also urged for government officials to apprehend those responsible, but also was encouraged by his faith. "I urge the Egyptian Foreign Ministry to demand the Libyan authorities to quickly investigate into this brutal crime and arrest the killers quickly and bring them to the justice," he said. "But I ask God to bring the rights of the Martyrs. I trust Him, He is a just God," Tamer concluded. Magad, Magdy's brother has finalized the paperwork necessary to return the bodies to Egypt, Samir told ICC. "We await their arrival on Tuesday, December 30, and the prayer service for them will be held in the Mar Girgis church, Abu Naga, Tanta." As Libya, continues to be torn apart by militant Islamist groups fighting, it is not just about claims of power, but also imposing their religious ideology and driving out or killing those who do not conform to their dictates. For interviews, contact Todd Daniels, Regional Manager for the Middle East:  RM-ME@persecution.org # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) 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.

Caste system and religious discrimination in India

The term "Dalit" is a term used in India to describe people from Hinduism's lowest caste. Forced into poverty for generations from the India's Caste system, the people from this caste used to be called "Untouchables," but for the most part, that term died out with the British Empire. Today, an estimated 25 million Dalits across India have converted to  This choice has significantly affected the constitutional right India's citizens have to freely choose a religion for themselves. It also has left millions of Dalits to have to decide between choosing to follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior and receiving government benefits that have the ability to take their families out of poverty. All added up, this discrimination has affected the official appearance of India's religious landscape.  The Scheduled Caste Order of 1950 The Scheduled Caste Order of 1950 was signed on August 10, 1950 by the then President of India and states that, "No person who professes a religion other than Hinduism shall be deemed to be a member of the Scheduled Caste." This order was later amended to include Sikhs in 1956 and Buddhists in 1990. Essentially, this order has come to define who can receive India's Scheduled Caste benefits and who can and cannot. Scheduled Caste benefits were introduced by India's government shortly after independence in order to assist Dalits climb the social ladder and break free of the poverty they were locked into by the caste system.  Rev. Madhu Chandra Singh told ICC that, "Dalit Christians suffer caste oppression both before and after their conversion." This is something that India's Supreme Court denies happens. According to the supreme court, once a person leaves Hinduism that person also leaves the caste system and is no longer in need government assistance. Unfortunately, this in untrue and Dalits often face more oppression after their conversions, as Rev. Singh went on to explain."After their conversion, Dalit Christians begin to suffer religious persecution from religious fanatics but also a denial of Scheduled Caste benefits because of the Schedule Caste Order of 1950 which I term a double discrimination of Dalit Christians." Government Benefits vs. Christianity Mr. Ratnam, whose name has been changed for security reasons, is an elder of a Baptist church in his village. Every Sunday, thirty to forty Christians, all from the Dalit caste, gather for worship in a structure intentionally located outside of the village. Recently, Mr. Ratnam approached his pastor, Pastor Aharon, and requested the pastor issue a letter that would say Mr. Ratnam and his family are not Christians and are not the members of the local Baptist church. Mr. Ratnam told ICC that, "I need this letter in order to show the government that we are low caste Hindus, so that my son can do higher studies under the Schedule Caste reservation quota." Without this letter, Mr. Ratnam's son would not be considered allegeable for this government assistance and would likely not be able to continue his education. Mr. Ratnam continued saying, "I know that I love Jesus and I will continue to do so. God understands my situation. I do not want my children to struggle like we do as unskilled laborers barely meeting the ends. I want my children to study and to escape the struggles that we are going through because we are uneducated. Myself and my family could be denied the Scheduled Caste benefits because I go to church and believe in Jesus."  Every Christian family in this village has similar stories of what they term discrimination. Both by the government, because of being denied the Scheduled Caste reservation benefit, and by general society for still being from the Dalit caste. For many in the village, once the authorities discover a Dalit is a Christian, their Scheduled Caste benefits are taken away and they become a target for Hindu radicals; all while remaining on India's lowest social rung. For Hindu radicals, this connection between government benefits and religious identity is a very convenient way of de-incentivizing Hindu Dalits from choosing to convert to Christianity. It also is a way radicals convince Christian Dalits to convert to Hinduism, using the promise of Scheduled Caste benefits, which would provide greater opportunities for Dalits, to convince them to convert. One such incident took place in Asroi village, 19 miles from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, where Hindu radicals in Aligarh declared a "successful ghar wapasi" (re-conversion) of 72 Dalits who had become Christians in 1995. One of the 72 Dalits, who converted to Hinduism, said it was because they were unhappy with the rights they were denied under the Scheduled Caste benefits system because they changed their religion. "We found ourselves in a worse position being Christians," he said. "As Hindus we had no status, but at least we were given Scheduled Caste benefits." India's Great Lie? "The government is forcing us to lie," a government official in the Andhra Pradesh's bureaucracy, who was able to rise to his post thanks to the Scheduled Caste benefits, said. To accomplish this, the official was forced to hide his Christian faith. The official told ICC that he has decided to finally come out, as he could no longer maintain this double life. "Whatever the consequences, God will take care of us," the official told ICC. Franklin Caesar, a Christian rights activists told ICC that, "This system is against the fundamental rights provided to all India's citizens in the Constitution. The Presidential Order of 1950 has destroyed fundamental and constitutional rights of Dalits from Christian and Muslim backgrounds; the benefits must be delink from religion." According to sources at the Catholic Church in India, more than 60 percent of India's 25 million Christians are from the Dalit caste, despite the fact that changing religion causes them to lose Scheduled Caste benefits. Unofficially, it is rumored there are millions more Dalits who consider themselves Christians privately, but due to fear of losing their Scheduled Caste benefits, officially report themselves as Hindus. If Dalits from Christian backgrounds would be allowed to receive Scheduled Caste benefits, India's religious landscape would likely change overnight. Everyday in India, Dalit Christians are forced to choose between living openly as a Christian and receiving government benefits meant to assist Dalits who have suffered discrimination in India for generations. This choice between government aid and the ability to openly believe one's religion of choice is a clear denial of Dalit Christians' Article 25 freedom of religion rights. With Hindu nationals currently in power, it is highly unlikely that this situation will change any time soon, denying constitutional rights for millions and artificially inflating the numbers of Hindu in India's multi-religious society.  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 International Christian Concern (ICC) 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.

Numerical Expositions: Genesis 1:15

And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give upon the earth:  and it was so.

-- Gen. 1:17 (KJV)

The second purpose of the sun, the moon, and the stars was to shine light upon the earth.  Whether it is day or night, some sort of light is beaming down upon the world.  If there was no God, then light would not shine down upon the earth.

Numerical Analysis:  The numerical pattern for this verse is 1,8,9,7.  (1) To stay in the anointing, make your light shine so that others will be able to have vision in this dark world.  (8) Choose to have a new beginning in God so that you will be able to shine upon this earth.  (9) Overturn evil so that you will be able to shine upon this earth.  (7) Be perfected by God so that you will be able to shine upon this earth.

Boko Haram copies ISIS in new video

Late Saturday evening, international journalists received a video from members of the Boko Haram insurgency depicting the execution of around 100 non-Muslims in a dormitory-style hall reportedly located in Bama, a remote town in northeast Nigeria. A previous video released by the insurgency declaring the establishment of its Islamic caliphate depicted the execution of dozens of civilians laid face-down in a mass grave dug in former Christian stronghold, Gwoza. Saturday's release went above and beyond previous Boko Haram productions, paralleling the barbarism of videos issued by the Islamic State in Iraq. The number of dead remains unconfirmed as additional reports from Bama (only 40 miles north of Gwoza) continue to make their way to international press outlets. Set to music, the 11-minute video depicts Boko Haram militants, some dressed in camouflage, others in flannel and jeans, loading fresh magazines into AK-47s before filing into a long, dormitory-style hall filled with "infidels" (or non-Muslims) curled against one another on the floor. Upon entering, some of the men depicted begin to indiscriminately shoot at the bodies covering the floor before targeting those that move in response to the gunfire. The victims' cries, heard between the gunshots, are drowned out by young men chanting, "Allahu Akbar" (or "Allah is Great") while peering in on the massacre through the hall's barred windows. While it remains unclear how many of the victims were professed Christians, the film's speaker states, "We have made sure the floor of this hall is turned red with blood, and this is how it is going to be in all future attacks and arrests of infidels (or non-Muslims)." The speaker continued, saying, "From now, killing, slaughtering, destruction and bombing will be our religious duty anywhere we invade." The mass execution follows the insurgency's abduction of an estimated 185 women and children following the massacre of dozens of villagers in Gumsuri village on December 14. Eyewitnesses of the attack reported 33 villagers killed by Boko Haram militants shouting, "Allahu Akbar." News of the attack and mass kidnapping was released to international press Thursday after survivors made the several-day journey to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno, Nigeria's most northeastern state and birthplace to the Boko Haram insurgency. Established in the 1990s as a peaceful separatist movement by Mohammed Yousef, Jama'tu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad (or "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teaching and Jihad"), commonly referred to as Boko Haram, became a radicalized and violent Sunni Jihadi insurgency in 2009 when Abubakar Shekau assumed leadership. A video released by the insurgency earlier this year depicted Shekau-thought to have been killed by Nigerian security forces last year-promising to sell more than 270 mostly Christian schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram militants in April "on the market." More than eight months following their abduction, 220 girls remain missing and are suspected of having been forcibly converted to Islam and sold into lifetimes of sexual and domestic slavery as child brides to their militant captors for as little as $12 USD. Open Doors' World Watch List ranked Nigeria the most dangerous country in the world for Christians to reside in 2013. Since its radicalization in 2009, Nigerian Christians have been all but eradicated from the country's northeast by Boko Haram. Responsible for the deaths of more than 14,000 Nigerians since 2009, Boko Haram has single handedly killed an estimated 1,800 Christians this year alone. ICC's Regional Manager for Africa, Cameron Thomas, said, "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims of this inexcusable atrocity. Militants, armed with AK-47s and a perverted theology of violence and bloodshed, have decimated community after community on their rampage across Nigeria's northeast. Boko Haram has laid waste to the Nigerian church, slaughtering believers for their refusal to convert to Islam, abducting and enslaving schoolgirls for their Christian faith, and murdering pastors for preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ. The insurgency can and must be eliminated before its caliphate spreads, claiming innocent lives with each and every advance." The speaker in the video, who said, "We have made sure the floor of this hall is turned red with blood, and this is how it is going to be in all future attacks and arrests of infidels." A Boko Haram militant shooting one of around 100 defenseless victims slaughtered on film.   For interviews, contact Cameron Thomas, Regional Manager for Africa:  RM-Africa@persecution.org  # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) 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.

Targeted by Ansar al-Sharia in Libya

It has been nearly four months, and still there has been no news of the fate of four Egyptian Christians who were taken off a bus as they returned to Egypt from working in Libya. The families have attempted to press the Egyptian government to seek the fate of the four men, but no steps have been taken, leaving the families heart-broken. They are just a few of the families of Christians who are suffering as a result of targeting by extremists groups in Libya. "Why did they take my son?" On August 25, Gamal Matta Hakim, Raafat Matta Hakim, Romany Matta Hakim, and their cousin, Adel Sedky Hakim boarded a microbus to travel back to Egypt. As they made their way past Sirte, Libya the bus was stopped by militants from Ansar al-Sharia, an Islamic extremist group. As ICC previously  reported, the militants took the four Christians off the bus and forced the driver to continue on with the three other Muslim passengers. "My husband had left us and traveled to Libya to work there for saving money from us to meet our needs because he didn't find work here," Manal, 28, the wife of Gamal told ICC. "More than three months have passed since the kidnapping of my husband and still we don't know anything about him. We don't know if he is still alive or if the captors killed him. My children ask me every day, 'When will our father come back? We have missed him so much.' I answer them with tears and say he will return back soon, God willing and ask them to pray to God for his safe return," Manal said. Sedky Hakim, father of Adel, expressed his sadness to ICC, asking, "What did my son do to be taken captive? Why did they take him? He didn't do anything wrong to anyone. He had traveled there to work hard and struggle to save money for us." The Ansar al-Sharia group has been active in much of the fighting across Libya. On November 19, the United Nations Security Council added the group to its terrorist list and enacted sanctions against the group to attempt to restrict funds and arms from reaching them, Al Arabiya reported. The Al-Qaeda affiliated group has as its aim implementing a strict version of Islamic law across Libya. They were implicated in the 2012 attack in Benghazi that killed the U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. In response, the U.S. State Department also specifically labeled them as a distinct terrorist entity January 10, 2014. Ansar Al-Sharia in Libya has repeatedly shown their intention to directly target Christians in Libya. A Bounty On the Heads of Christians The four men taken off the microbus is just one of a troubling number of incidents that have targeted Christians in Libya. Below is just a sampling of recent events targeting Egyptian Christians.  The day after the four were kidnapped in Sirte, Mina Shehata Awad was also on a bus trying to leave Libya. He had worked there for five years as a carpenter and was on his way home for the final time, Hany, Mina's brother told ICC. "Mina is my best friend," Mustafa Mahmoud, a Muslim worker who was on the bus with Mina, told ICC. "On August 26, on our way to Egypt by a microbus, a group of masked gunmen wearing Libyan military clothes in a checkpoint in Site city stopped our microbus. They asked all the 27 passengers in the microbus to show them their passports, and when they read the name of Mina in his passport they said to him, 'You are Christian.' Mina answered, 'Yes I'm Christian.' They then ordered the Mina to get out of the microbus, and asked the driver to take the rest of the passengers and leave," he told ICC.  "We said to them why did you take him, and we begged them to let him go with us, but they threatened us with their weapons and ordered us to leave. The driver took us and fled, leaving Mina with the gunmen," Mustafa recounted. In February, seven Christian workers were dragged out of their apartment building before being driven out of town and executed. Antar Nashed Boles, the brother of one of those who was killed told ICC, "When I was in Libya, I saw written phrases on the walls of the housing buildings in Benghazi, "A reward of 10,000 Libyan Dinar ($7,600 USD) to anyone who informs about a Christian." These kinds of threats make the situation extremely dangerous for those who are living in Libya, but for many of them there seems to be no way of escape. No Clear Answers    Yousry R.B., who is still working in Tripoli told ICC, "The situation has becomes so difficult for us here in Libya. I want to return back to Egypt but I cannot find any safe way to travel to Egypt. The airport of Tripoli was destroyed and there isn't any flight to Egypt, and traveling by car is unsafe especially for us (Christians) because we are targeted by Ansar Al-Sharia. And I'm afraid that my fate will be the same fate of my captive cousins if I travel by land." Wagih and Mousa Hakim, brothers of three of the four taken by Ansar Al-Sharia, have been pressing the government for answers to what is happening. "On August 27, I went to the foreign ministry and the Libyan Embassy in Cairo and reported the situation, and from this moment up till now, I haven't received any response from any one," Wagih told ICC.  Mousa said, "We sent by fax many complaints to the president, the prosecutor, Defense minister, Interior minister and human rights organization asking them to help us to find our captives but none of them has answered us till now." "The situation is extremely difficult to all the Egyptian Christian workers in Libya right now and we try to find a safe way for them to return back to Egypt immediately," Mousa continued. For now there seems to be no clear answer for how Christians can safely leave the country to return back to Egypt. There are also no clear answers about the fate of those who've been taken, leaving hurting families searching for answers.  "I don't know how my children, Maria and Makari, and I will spend the coming Christmas without my husband with us," Mariam, 24, Raafat's wife told ICC. "It will be a very sad Christmas for us, and we cannot celebrate it without my beloved husband."  "I appeal to God to make a miracle and release him from the hands of those bad captors and come back to us soon to celebrate Christmas together." For interviews, contact Todd Daniels, Regional Manager for the Middle East:  RM-ME@persecution.org # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) 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.

Egyptian still in jail for one year due to ID change

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that nine members of the United States Congress today sent a letter to the Egyptian attorney general calling for the immediate release of Bishoy Armia Boulous, a Coptic Christian convert from Islam jailed by Egyptian authorities since December 3, 2013.    The letter, led by Congressman Gus Bilirakis of Florida, states that Bishoy was jailed on charges"clearly related to his religious conversion" and that he has "reportedly been harassed and physically attacked on several occasions by officials of the Tora Prison in South Cairo."Sent to Attorney General Hisham Barakat and President el-Sisi, the letter goes on to say, "The dropping of all charges against Mr. Boulous and his swift release will help to demonstrate not only your administration's commitment to equal protection under the law...but that millions of men and women across Egypt need not fear government prosecution simply for choosing to change their religious beliefs." Bishoy, formerly known as Mohammed Hegazy, gained widespread domestic and international attention in 2007 when he became the first known Egyptian citizen to sue the Egyptian government for refusing to change the religious affiliation listed on his identification card from Muslim to Christian. Soon after the suit became public, several Islamic religious leaders called for Bishoy's death. He was subsequently detained and tortured by Egyptian authorities on several occasions while his wife and children were eventually forced to flee the country. In 2009, Bishoy was charged with blasphemy, or "defaming Islam," a charge that has since been renewed. Bishoy's next hearing is set to take place on December 28. With only a few exceptions, all Egyptian citizens must have their religious affiliation listed on their identification card. This affiliation determines what laws apply to certain citizens and the enrollment of children in religious classes. While it is technically legal for any citizen to change this affiliation, in practice only citizens converting to Islam are issued new documentation. The letter is also signed by Congressman Trent Franks of Arizona, co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Caucus and one of Congress' strongest remaining advocates on behalf of persecuted religious minorities.   ICC's Advocacy Director, Isaac Six, said, "This letter could not be more timely. For years Bishoy has suffered unimaginable hardship because of his courageous decision to demand a simple freedom that should be guaranteed, namely the right to change one's faith. We applaud these members of Congress for taking a strong stance on behalf of Bishoy and echo their call for his swift release. How can the Egyptian government claim to protect its citizens' rights to freedom of belief when anyone who attempts to change their faith is refused official recognition and subsequently prosecuted and tortured? The answer is, they can't."    The full text of the letter can be found by clicking on this link.   For interviews, contact Isaac Six, Advocacy Director:  Advocacy@persecution.org  # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) 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.

Neglect of Pakistani Muslims resulted in school attack by Taliban

Forty days after the grisly murder of a Christian couple from the Kasur district in Pakistan, the Christian community, led by religious leadership and human rights organizations, gathered and honored the Christian couple, as a community, on December 12, 2014. The incident took place on November 4, when the couple was beaten by a large mob and burned alive in a brick kiln after being accused of committing blasphemy. This incident has shaken Pakistan's Christian community to the core with many demanding the government do more to protect the future of the country's vulnerable Christian population.  A Christian Couple Remembered The ceremony, which took place in a Catholic Church, was attended by over 150 individuals. The participants attended the prayer service wearing black ribbons on their arms as a sign of mourning and remembrance. They offered prayers, stood silent for a minute and lit candles in front of the images of the murdered couple. The ceremony's speakers condemned the incident that took the couple's lives, shared their views on prevailing religious extremism and mob violence against Christians, and urged the government to take stricter action against those who misuse Pakistan's controversial and often abused blasphemy laws. Shama Bibi, age 28 and five-months pregnant, and her husband, Shahzad Masih, age 32, were burned alive in a brick kiln in Kot Radha Kishan, (Chak # 59), a locality in the Kasur district, nearly 35 miles north of Lahore. A mob of hundreds of enraged Muslims murdered the Christian couple after they were accused of burning pages of the Quran. The couple's murder left their four children, age seven to two, orphaned. International Christian Concern (ICC) learned on the day of the incident that a cleric in Kot Radha Kishan had announced through a mosque's loudspeaker that a Christian couple had desecrated the Quran. After the accusation was made, hundreds of Muslim villagers gathered at a brick kiln where the Christian couple was said to be located. They reportedly dragged the couple from a house they were hiding in, beat them brutally and threw them into the kiln after dousing them with petrol, burning them alive. According to facts collected by ICC's correspondent, the Christian couple worked at the brick kiln owned by Mr. Muhammad Yousaf Gujjar. Local sources claimed the Christian couple resisted attempts to convert to Islam, despite attractive offers being made to them. In reaction to this resistance, the local Muslims accused them of setting pages of the Quran on fire, which resulted in their brutal murder. Calls For Justice And Reform Talking to ICC, Fr. Cecil Paul of the Nai Zindgi Welfare Foundation said, "It is on record that [for] almost three decades, clerics have been misusing the mosques' amplifiers for instigating [the] Muslim community to attack the Christians. Violence against Christians in Pakistan is increasingly rapidly, therefore government should take affirmative action to ensure [the] freedom of religion and protection of minorities in the country." Protests and demonstrations followed the killing of the Christian couple in many cities across Pakistan. The participants in these demonstrations demanded justice, protection for minorities and a repeal of the blasphemy laws. While taking part in a protest rally, Sister Genevieve, a nun and the National Coordinator of Pakistan Catholic Women's Organization, condemned the "brutal behavior" of Muslims involved in murdering the Christian couple. She urged the authorities to ensure the protection of Christians and their places of worship. She further demanded that the misuse of blasphemy laws be stopped. Mr. Peter Jacob, a senior human rights activist, condemned the violence against the Christian couple when he talked to ICC. Jacob said, "The current legal system promotes violence in the name of the religion." He urged the authorities to ensure protection and dignity of every individual and stop the misuse of blasphemy laws in the country. Mr. Farooq Tariq, General Secretary Awami Workers Party, also condemned the incident stating, "The Christian couple was brutally tortured to death by the local Muslims. It was [a] shameful act not only for the people of Pakistan, but for the followers of Islam as well." Where Does Pakistan Go From Here? According to data collected by DIGNITY First, fifty eight people have been killed by mob violence after blasphemy allegations have been made in last twenty seven years. Also, about 1,440 people of different faith backgrounds have been accused of blasphemy in Pakistan since the laws were put in place. A high level inquiry team, put together by the Chief Minister of Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif, has termed the Christian couple innocent and has urged strict punishment for the perpetrators of this heinous crime. Chief Minister Sharif visited the family of the deceased Christian couple and announced a compensation of five million Pakistani Rupees and 10 acres of land for the orphaned children; however, no action has been noticed in this regard. Global outrage towards the Kot Radha Kishan Christian couple's killing also shocked several right-wing political parties and religious clerics in Pakistan. Pakistan Ulema Council, condemned the killing of the Christian couple, while chief of another religious-political party, Jamaat-e-Islami, also visited the family and termed this violence unprecedented, un-Islamic and inhuman. According to local sources, the District Police Officer submitted a report to the Supreme Court of Pakistan regarding the incident. Forty-three people were arrested in connection with the incident shortly after it took place. Out of that number, thirty nine have been released on bail. The remaining four were remanded, interrogated and sent into judicial custody last month.   Since this brutal murder, many Christians and other religious minority groups have sensed a growing feeling of insecurity in Pakistan. Instances of violence directed against Pakistan's religious minority communities continues to increase each year with false blasphemy accusations being the justification for many of these attacks. Is there a future for Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan? Only time will tell. 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 International Christian Concern (ICC) 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.

Taliban attacks school in Peshawar

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Taliban militants stormed the Army Public School and Degree College in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar, provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing an estimated 126 students and teachers and wounding another 120. The attack is now considered one of the deadliest attacks perpetrated by the Pakistani Taliban and has shocked both the nation and the world. The assault started at around 10 a.m. this morning, when at least six militants wearing military uniforms entered the school through a back door and began shooting indiscriminately at both students and teachers. A spokesman for the provincial government has claimed that 126 bodies have been recovered from the school so far and that 120 additional students and teachers were wounded and seeking medical treatment at Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar. He also said that most of the slain were teenagers. In a statement, the Pakistani Taliban has taken credit for the assault on the school, claiming it was an act of revenge against the Pakistani army due to its military operations in North Waziristan that began last June. Pakistan's Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, denounced the assault on the school as a "cowardly act" and vowed to continue military operations against the Pakistani Taliban. The attack on the Army Public School and Degree College comes just one year after the Pakistani Taliban perpetrated the suicide bombing of Peshawar's All Saints Church, widely considered the single deadliest attack on Pakistan's Christian community in the country's history. On September 22, 2013, two suicide bombers connected to the Pakistani Taliban detonated their bombs outside the gates of All Saints Church. The church had just concluded its Sunday service and over 600 members were exiting the church when the bombs exploded. Over 100 churchgoers were killed in that attack, which the Taliban claimed was revenge for the U.S. drone program in Pakistan. In an interview with ICC, Bishop Humphrey Peters, the bishop of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), condemned the attack on the school. He said, "This is an inhuman act and the Christian community stands with the grieved families. All the churches will keep praying for the victims and will visit the families." Bishop Peters also announced that Christians throughout the province and FATA should cancel all Christmas celebrations, dinner parties and other holiday programs to show solidarity with the victims of this attack, the majority of whom are Muslim. Gushan Bhatti, former provincial joint secretary of the Awami National Party, expressed deep sorrow over the incident. After visiting the school and hospital, he shared the situation with ICC. He said, "It was highly painful and unbearable to see the situation and meet parents." He also requested Christians avoid high-scale celebrations at Christmas. ICC's Regional Manager for South Asia, William Stark, said, "Religious extremism and terrorism continue to tear at the social fabric of Pakistan. This latest attack comes as a reminder that extremists in Pakistan, like the Pakistani Taliban, are willing to commit any act of violence to establish their ideology. Along with Pakistan's Christian community, ICC condemns this attack and offers prayers of condolence for the families affected. Over a year has passed since Pakistan's Christian community was shattered by the bombing of All Saints Church. Like that incident, the extremists and militants have targeted the innocent and vulnerable. More must be done by Pakistan's government to secure the safety of its people and end the reign of terror directed by the Taliban." 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 International Christian Concern (ICC) 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.