Egyptians beat up a priest

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on May 20, 2020, sectarian tensions surged in the Egyptian village of Kom Farag (Beheira Governorate) when the city council decided to demolish a church and mosque located next to each other. An appeal on this matter was ongoing. The church’s priest was injured and the police arrested 14 Christians, including four women. They were released the following day.

The church’s lawyer shared with local media, “The Copts have owned this church from 15 years ago. It was a one floor building. Then, the Muslims came and built a mosque in the face of the church. When the priest built a second floor of the church, some tensions were raised up. The city council decided to demolish both the church and the mosque.”

The incident began yesterday when security personnel arrived at the location of the church and mosque in order to begin the demolition process. The priest and other Christians resisted. Reports concerning the nature of the priest’s injuries differ. Some locals claim that the priest fainted, while others say that the security personnel assaulted him. Regardless, the priest received bruises and the security officials fired tear gas into the crowd. Photos purportedly of the incident show injured children and distressed women.

The security forces released a statement to local press that it is common for the authorities to demolish buildings in violation of established standards, and that both the mosque and the church fall within this category.

“Certainly the village has more than one mosque,” said one Christian speaking about the situation. “Is this justice that Muslims find more than one mosque while Christians pray on the streets?”

“The bitter events in Minya are the best testimony to the precedent of security behavior in such circumstances. What is new is that it is permissible to attack a cleric. And of course it is impossible to find the opposite,” added another.

“Where is the wisdom? Why when, because of the (COVID-19) crisis, Egypt is going through the hardest time? The official must be held accountable in choosing this time,” said another. “Especially because they did not wait for the appeal before the administrative judiciary.”

The incident is underscored by an alarming apparent belief from local authorities that the way to solve a religious dispute between Christians and Muslims is by demolishing both places of worship rather than working toward reconciliation. Egypt’s strict control over church legalization has also further infused a culture where Christian buildings are viewed with hostility by Muslim neighbors. Though Egypt created a new structure for church legalization in 2016, the process remains burdensome and can take years. In this village, Muslims have repeatedly stood against church legalization.

Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager for the Middle East, said, “We join with Egyptian Christians in expressing alarm over how this situation was handled by the authorities. Under the mask of COVID-19, when the country is urged to remain at home, the authorities moved to demolish places of worship without addressing the underlying issue: that local Muslims do not want a church presence in the village. Rather than engaging on this issue, the authorities initiated a response which puts Christians at increased risk for future discrimination and violence.”

For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org. 

About ICC
International Christian Concern is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) charitable organization focused on human rights, religious freedom and assisting the persecuted Christian Church around the world.

Media Contact
Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator
E-mail: press@persecution.org
Phone: (301)-859-3842

International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #941, Washington, D.C. 20006
www.persecution.org | E-mail: icc@persecution.org

Be careful when travelling to India

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Pastor Bryan Nerren, an American pastor detained in India since October 2019, is now free to return home to his family in the United States. This news brings to an end a seven-month legal ordeal that began with Pastor Nerren being falsely accused of violating India’s Foreign Exchange Management Act.

According to the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), the charges against Pastor Nerren were dropped, and the prosecution withdrew its case on Friday, May 15. The judge overseeing Pastor Nerren’s case lifted the travel ban that has kept Pastor Nerren in India since October 2019, allowing him to return to the United States and reunite with his family.

On October 5, 2019, Pastor Nerren and two other pastors from Tennessee arrived in India to attend conferences in India and Nepal. The ACLJ reported that Pastor Nerren was targeted and arrested by Indian customs agents after he told them he was a Christian.

When the three pastors arrived in New Delhi, Pastor Nerren was detained by customs agents while proceeding through the domestic security check for a flight to Bagdogra. According to the ACLJ, Pastor Nerren was carrying funds to cover the expenses of two conferences and the two-week trip for himself and the other pastors. Customs agents questioned Pastor Nerren about the funds and their usage for about an hour.

According to the ACLJ, customs agents specifically asked Pastor Nerren if he was a Christian and if the funds would be used to support Christian causes. After fully explaining the usage of the funds, the customs agents told Pastor Nerren that he was free to go. However, when Pastor Nerren arrived in Bagdogra, he was arrested for violating India’s Foreign Exchange Management Act and transported to Siliguri, where he was incarcerated for six days and not allowed any visitors, including visitors from the US Consulate.

Pastor Nerren was able to secure bail after six days in jail. However, the judge overseeing his case retained Pastor Nerren’s passport and ordered a travel ban on the American pastor. Until the charges against him were dropped last Friday, Pastor Nerren was effectively trapped in Siliguri.

Religious intolerance and instances of persecution have steadily escalated in India since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a political party founded on a Hindu nationalist ideology, took power in 2014. According to the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), 147 instances of religiously motivated violence against Christians were documented in 2014. In 2019, after five years of BJP rule, EFI recorded 366 instances of religiously motivated violence against Christians.

William Stark, ICC’s Regional Manager for South Asia, said, “We here at International Christian Concern are happy to see that the false charges against Pastor Nerren dropped and that he is free to return home to his family. What is most concerning about Pastor Nerren’s case is how customs officials targeted him after he told them he is a Christian. No one should be targeted for any abuse because of their religious identity, especially in India. According to Article 25 of India's constitution, individuals are free to profess, practice, and propagate their choice of religion. It seems that this constitutional protection was not given to Pastor Nerren. Instead, he was forced to endure seven months of detention in India because he identified himself as a Christian.”

For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org. 

About ICC
International Christian Concern is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) charitable organization focused on human rights, religious freedom and assisting the persecuted Christian Church around the world.

Media Contact
Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator
E-mail: press@persecution.org
Phone: (301)-859-3842

International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #941, Washington, D.C. 20006
www.persecution.org | E-mail: icc@persecution.org

Muslims farm incorrectly in Nigeria

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Fulani militants conducted a major attack, beginning late in the evening on May 11, on the community of Gonan Rogo in Kaduna State, Nigeria, as well as four other villages. Despite the government lockdown to curtail the spread of COVID-19, Fulani militants continued to move freely and attacked five villages in Kajuru local council area of Kaduna State during three successive days, leaving 30 people dead.

In a press release on May 12, the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) stated that a total of 17 people were killed in Gonan Rogo village, including an entire family of five. “The armed Fulani militia [struck] around 11:30 p.m. They broke into the home of Jonathan Yakubu, 40, and slaughtered him. They also killed his wife, Sheba Yakubu, 32, and hacked to death their only three children, Patience, 13, Revelation, 6, and Rejoice, 4, thus wiping out the entire Yakubu household.”

During a visit to Gonan Rogo village, leaders of SOKAPU saw “firsthand the horror inflicted on the poor Adara village, 64 km away from Kaduna metropolis on the Kaduna - Kachia road.” The 17 people killed in Gonan Rogo were either shot or hacked to death with machetes. A 25-year-old nursing mother, was found dead from a gunshot wound, cuddling her three-month-old baby who, miraculously, was still alive though partly hit by a bullet. Six other people were also injured in the attack. A mass burial was held yesterday at Gonan Rogo village for those killed.

While Gonan Rogo was grieving and mourning, on the evening of May 12, the Fulani militants attacked three other Adara Christian villages, Ungwan Mudi, Ungan Rana, and Idanu, and burned down several houses. Two people were killed. On the morning of May 13, the militants attacked yet another Adara Christian village, Makyali, firing sporadic gunshots and killing eleven. A local representative of the communities named Usman Stingo said, “Today, (May 14), we are at the grave site at Makyali, holding a mass burial for those killed yesterday. We are waiting for the body of one person being brought from the other village which was found in the bush.” All those killed and those who suffered injuries belong to various churches throughout the region.

In a press release from May 14, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State Chapter, said the Kajuru attack is one too many. The CAN leadership expressed disappointment about the attitude of the government toward the attacks. “No responsible government anywhere will act as if nothing was happening when a section of her citizens are killed. The question is that is the federal government being told the truth about the happenings in Kajuru or that she has chosen to ignore the defenseless people of Kajuru to suffer alone?”

CAN is of the view that government authorities fall short of “the honesty and commitment towards seeking lasting solutions to wanton destructions of lives are lacking, resorting to the usual propaganda.” CAN further stated that rather than see these killings as a “war against her citizens,” the attitude seems to be a display of “preference to a section of its citizens.” 

Those who suffered injuries, were taken to various hospitals. The CAN chairman added, “They will give me details of where the injured persons were taken to, and as soon as the COVID-19 lockdown is eased here, I will personally go to check on them.”

ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Nathan Johnson, stated, “The continuation of these attacks has devastated an already suffering population. Christian farmers throughout Nigeria’s Middle Belt region have been killed and displaced for far too long. The Nigerian government must stop these large-scale attacks from happening, especially in areas where they happen numerous times. Without more clear effort, the Nigerian government cannot claim to have control over their country or care for their people.”

For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org. 

About ICC
International Christian Concern is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) charitable organization focused on human rights, religious freedom and assisting the persecuted Christian Church around the world.

Media Contact
Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator
E-mail: press@persecution.org
Phone: (301)-859-3842

International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #941, Washington, D.C. 20006
www.persecution.org | E-mail: icc@persecution.org

Algeria chooses to remain radical

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Congressman Doug Lamborn has delivered a letter to the Algerian government, calling attention to the increasing persecution of Christians in Algeria. Much of Algeria’s Christian population, represented by the Eglise Protestante d’Algérie (EPA), worshipped in relative peace for many decades. However, in recent years, they have been systematically targeted by the Algerian government through a series of church closures and increasing intimidation tactics against the Christian community. The Algerian government closed 18 EPA-affiliated churches between November 2017 and the end of 2019.

A similar letter was sent by Representative Doug Lamborn at the end of 2019 to the Algerian government regarding the growing persecution of Christians. Nine other representatives signed this letter.

The letter comes in the wake of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) adding Algeria to its 2020 annual report on the world’s worst religious freedom violators. “The [Algerian] government,” USCIRF reports, “systematically cracked down on the Evangelical Protestant community.” This represented the first time in history that Algeria had been added to the Watchlist.

ICC celebrates the leadership of Representative Doug Lamborn and his fellow co-signers in this effort, as it will certainly deliver a much needed additional point of pressure to the Algerian leadership. Algeria needs to know that the world is watching, and the government of Algeria should take note of what its allies are saying in order to develop stronger relationships with the global community.

ICC continues to work with the leadership of the EPA and will not relent in their efforts to see Christians in Algeria once again free to assemble and worship. “We are excited to see the letter come to a completion,” said Matias Perttula, who serves as ICC’s Advocacy Director. “The letter is timely, as the USCIRF report rightly recommended Algeria to be added to the Department of State’s Watchlist. All of these efforts should serve as a wake-up call to the Algerian government to move the country in a direction of greater religious freedom for all Algerians.”

ICC will continue to monitor the situation and will report on any significant developments, as well as continue to hold the Algerian government accountable.

For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org. 

About ICC
International Christian Concern is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) charitable organization focused on human rights, religious freedom and assisting the persecuted Christian Church around the world.

Media Contact
Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator
E-mail: press@persecution.org
Phone: (301)-859-3842

International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #941, Washington, D.C. 20006
www.persecution.org | E-mail: icc@persecution.org

China goes back to raiding churches

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on May 3, local authorities violently raided a house church in China’s Xiamen city in Fujian province during Sunday worship. Several members were injured during the process as the police wrestled them to the ground and dragged them across the floor.

At 9:00 a.m., dozens of security guards and officers from the local Ethnic and Religious Bureau descended on Xingguang Church in Jimei district, as the members sang worship songs. Without any legal documentation, the authorities interrupted the service, calling the gathering “illegal.”

The male church members blocked the entrance, but were only able to resist for a short period of time. It did not take long for the authorities to rush in through the door and yell at the members, while demanding them to stop recording with their cell phones.

Seeing the resistance, the police dragged several members out of the door and snatched their cell phones. In a video shared by preacher Yang Xibo from Xunsiding Church, the police can be seen pressing members’ heads down to the ground. Others yelled, “Stop filming!” to church members and neighbors who were recording the violent intrusion.

In another video shared by the Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness, a church member accused, “You have entered my house, you grab our cell phones, you beat up people, you intrude violently. This is not allowed!” Xingguang Church meets at a residence, since they have refused to join the state-vetted Three-self Church.

According to Bob Fu from China Aid, Xu Wenping suffered a chest contusion, a rib fracture, and a bruise on his arms. Two other men and women were injured during the clash as well. Children at the scene were frightened and screamed as they witnessed the chaotic incident.

At one point, the authorities forcibly entered an upstairs neighbor’s home and removed the family of three, since they were documenting the event. They also entered several homes without permission and inspected books, including those of children’s.

Six men were detained after the raid, and were only released at 9:00 p.m. Other church members welcomed them with applause and hugs as they stepped out of the police station.

Xingguan Church was previously raided on April 19 by government staff from five different departments. The church’s preacher, Titus Yu, received an advance notice of administrative punishment yesterday for violating several articles of the religious regulations. The notice asked him to correct his illegal act, or else his church would face disbandment as punishment.

Gina Goh, ICC’s Regional Manager for Southeast Asia, said, “Once the threat posed by the pandemic has reduced, China has resumed its crackdown against Christianity, whether the victims are house churches or not. In recent weeks, we have seen an increased number of church demolitions and cross removals on state-sanctioned churches across China, as house church gatherings continue to face interruption and harassment. It is deplorable that the local authorities not only conducted this raid without proper procedure, but deployed excessive use of force against church members and bystanders. ICC calls on the international community and the US government to condemn China’s constant human rights abuses.”

For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org. 

About ICC
International Christian Concern is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) charitable organization focused on human rights, religious freedom and assisting the persecuted Christian Church around the world.

Media Contact
Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator
E-mail: press@persecution.org
Phone: (301)-859-3842

International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #941, Washington, D.C. 20006
www.persecution.org | E-mail: icc@persecution.org