When Hindus attack

 At a time when thousands of people are dying from a new wave of COVID-19 in India, radical Hindus still lack the compassion to love their fellow man during these trying times.  Here is a recent story from the International Christian Concern on how a group of radical Hindus killed a pastor earlier this week in the Bansawara district.

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that a 52-year-old Christian was shot dead in an attack on a Christian family by radical Hindu nationalists in India’s Rajasthan state. According to the local sources, three other Christians were seriously injured after they were brutally beaten with a gun, swords, and sickles.

On May 18, a mob of 15 radical Hindu nationalists carrying swords, sickles, and a gun attacked the family of Pastor Ramesh Bumbariya at his home in the Bansawra District. The mob reportedly attacked the family after they refused to renounce their Christian faith.

During the assault, the radicals pointed the gun at Pastor Bumbariya and attempted to shoot the pastor. The gun, however, failed to fire. Later the assailants pointed the gun at Pastor Bumbariya’s father, Bhima Bumbariya, and shot the 52-year-old Christian. After his father collapsed to the ground, Pastor Bumbariya was knocked unconscious.

Pastor Bumbariya and two other members of his family were transported to the government hospital in Udaipur, but the hospital staff refused to admit the injured Christians due to COVID regulations. Later, the injured Christians were admitted to a nearby private hospital.

“I believe God has a definite purpose in keeping me alive,” Pastor Bumbariya told ICC from his hospital bed. “I will carry on the ministry God has given to me.”

“We gave up so much already for the sake of our faith,” Pastor Bumbariya continued. “They took away our agricultural land, they destroyed our house, now they want our lives. I am worried about my family and children; about what will happen to them when I am not around.”  

Pastor Bumbariya has worked as a church planter in the Bansawra District and has started several house churches in different villages. According to local church leaders, Pastor Bumbariya has been attacked by radicals several times in the past and has even had a false forced conversion allegation filed against him.

“I am sure I cannot attend my father’s funeral now that I am almost on a death bed,” Pastor Bumbariya told ICC. “But I thank God for his mercies during this difficult situation.”

William Stark, ICC’s Regional Manager, said, “We here at International Christian Concern are deeply concerned by the attack on Pastor Ramesh and his family. We pray for their full recovery and mourn with them over the murder of Bhima. No one should be murdered because they choose to follow Jesus. In recent years, however, the impunity enjoyed by radical Hindu nationalists in India has emboldened them to increase their attacks on Christians, in both number and severity. Authorities in India must do more to bring these radicals to justice and provide Indian Christians with their religious freedom rights guaranteed by India’s constitution.”

For interviews, please contact Addison Parker: press@persecution.org.

Turks love to commit arson

 International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on May 11, 2021, it was discovered that Marta Shimoni Church in Turkey’s village of Mehr was attacked and desecrated by unknown persons. This is the same village where the elderly parents of a Chaldean Catholic priest were kidnapped last year. The wife, Simoni Diril, was later found deceased. Her husband, Hormoz Diril, remains missing.

Marta Shimoni is a cave church built into the mountains, and thus cannot be destroyed in the same way as other churches. Video footage obtained by ICC shows that the destruction was primarily against the Christian items and relics inside the church. Crosses, pictures of Jesus, and rosaries were strewn across the path leading away from the mountain church’s entrance.

The village of Mehr was primarily Chaldean Christian before surrounding conflict forced its evacuation in the early the 1990s. Eleven years ago, the Diril couple had returned to the village, despite the dangers, in an attempt to rebuild the Christian presence. They were the first to return, and often celebrated mass at Marta Shimoni. The church, who is named after a local Christian martyred for her faith, stands as a historic reminder of the village’s Christian past. Sadly, Simoni Diril was found deceased on March 20, 2020, two months after her kidnapping. The fate of Hormoz Diril is unknown and the search continues.

Attorney Orhan Kemal Cengiz shared with ICC, “As the lawyer for Diril family, my main concern for the time being is to get the prosecutor to open a case against the perpetrators in the abduction of the Diril couple, which ended with the murder of Mrs. Diril. Mr. Diril is still missing. I have delivered more than a dozen petitions to the prosecutor so far, to urge him to look at the matter from different angles, as well as calling him to deliver his indictment as soon as possible.”

“Unfortunately, I could not have any positive result yet. I believe there is a strong correlation between the lack of indictment in this case and the recent attack against the chapel in the village in which the Diril couple went missing. The prosecutor’s refusal to introduce an indictment against the perpetrators emboldens the perpetrators and the people behind them.”

He continues, “I will urge the prosecutor to make a thorough investigation into the last attack on the church as well as to look into possible links between this attack and the kidnapping of the Diril couple. It is obvious, if the impunity in the case of the abduction and killing of the Diril couple continues, more attacks would follow.”

The disappearance of the Diril couple was mentioned both in the 2021 Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and the more recently released 2020 Report on International Religious Freedom from the US Department of State’s Office of International Religious Freedom.

An immediate family member of the Diril couple shared with ICC, “First of all, I strongly condemn this heinous attack on our church. This attack does not fit into humanity or any belief. It is obvious that the people who did this are very uncomfortable with our presence on our lands and with our beliefs.”

“This assault of our presence in the village is an indication that somebody is disturbed, and they do not want us here. What worries us the most is that it is a continuation of the persecution of my parents in January last year. We even suspect it was linked to the murder and disappearance of my parents.”

Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager, “We are concerned about this desecration against Marta Shimoni and how this is part of a continued pattern of intimidation and threats against the Christian presence in Mehr. Over a year has passed since the kidnapping of the Diril couple and murder of Simoni. There has been no justice. And now their church is attacked. These cases are intertwined. If there is no accountability for these crimes, how can Christians with confidence return home to Mehr?” 

For interviews, please contact Addison Parker: press@persecution.org.

IS strikes again in Indonesia

 International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on May 11, four Christian farmers from the village of Kalimago, Poso regency, were murdered by five sword-wielding attackers.

Around 7:30 on the morning, the terrorists ambushed a group of farmers who were harvesting their coffee plantation in a remote village on the island of Sulawesi. The victims, identified only with their initials, P.D., N.U., L.L., and P.P., were between the ages of 42 and 61.

A fellow farmer said he saw a group of suspects carrying firearms and sharp weapons approach the victims before he fled and informed the police. Senior Commissioner Didik Supranoto, a spokesman for Central Sulawesi police force, told Benar News that the witness identified one of the attackers as a fugitive named Qatar, who is a member of the IS-linked Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT) terrorist group.

Photos reviewed by ICC reveals the brutality of the attack. A victim’s body was seen lying on the floor with a sword stabbed through his heart. His head appeared to be charred. A decapitated body was found nearby. One of the victims’ motorcycles had also been torched.

Among the four victims, two were members of the Toraja Mamasa Church (GTM), one attended Toraja Church (GT), and one was Catholic.

According to the police, the attack was motivated by robbery and attempt to terrorize local residents. “Everything the victims had was taken away by the perpetrators including rice, money and other belongings they kept in their huts,” Didik said.

He added that members of Operation Madago Raya, the latest iteration of a joint task force whose mission is to hunt down the remnants of MIT, were pursuing the killers.

Last November, the same Sulawesi-based terrorist group burned down a Salvation Army’s church post and Christian homes, after they hacked four Christians to death and beheaded one in Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi. The authorities have not been able to capture the fugitives despite months of efforts.

Gina Goh, ICC’s Regional Manager for Southeast Asia, said, “Our hearts mourn the brutal death of these Christian-majority Toraja farmers. While MIT’s motive is yet to be confirmed, the fact that the atrocities were committed two days before Idul Fitri (the conclusion of the fasting month of Ramadan) and only months apart from when they killed four Christians in Lembantongoa in a similar fashion is senseless and heinous. We urge the Indonesian government to root out the MIT before they claim more innocent lives.”

For interviews, please contact Addison Parker: press@persecution.org.

Turkey is now bombing Iraq

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that by May 8, 2021, two Christian villages in Iraq’s Dohuk Province were reportedly abandoned because of Turkish bombardments. Kesta village was completely evacuated by May 3, with several residents fleeing to nearby Chalke village. However, Chalke village was then evacuated except for one individual by May 8.

Turkish bombardments increased in the area on April 23, allowing Turkey to establish new military bases. The timing of the operation was deliberately chosen to coincide with the commemoration anniversary of Turkey’s Ottoman-era genocide against Christians. Reports also indicate that Turkey has deployed chemical weapons three times in the area since their military operation began. Turkey claims that they are conducting national security operations against the PKK terrorist group within Iraq’s borders.

Raw video footage of the evacuation shows families leaving as the bombardment continues in the background. They are traveling through a rural, mountainous region over difficult roads and attempting to save their farming livelihood in the process. Iraqi media has also aired footage showing airstrike damage.

The lone man who refused to leave Chalke village told Rudaw, “I have not abandoned my house and will not until I die. I sleep in my house, disregarding the constant bombardment.”

During ICC’s investigative trips to these areas, residents had previously shared, “The PKK’s presence here brings Turkey. In the villages, people do not know where they (Turkey) will target. So, we are in a lonely state, we don’t know where to go.”

“We have an old story: there was a person who has a mouse in the house, and when he brought a cat to kill the mouse, there were now two enemies in the home. In the end, he did not know what to do. Should he bring a dog? The same thing is happening now,” added another resident.  

ICC’s joint report entitled Turkey: Challenges Facing Christians 2016-2020 documented how Turkish military expansionism is impacting Iraq’s Christians. “(Turkey’s military) operations have received international censure for indiscriminately targeting civilians, even when there is no proven PKK presence within a village.”

“Iraq’s Christian community is predominately Assyrian, many of whose ancestors fled the Ottoman-era genocide. They also suffered and were displaced under the recent ISIS genocide. Compounding historical traumas have limited their quality of life. The Turkish-PKK conflict creates further limitations, while also causing a direct threat to human life.”

Iraq’s Christian community is still recovering from the genocide committed by ISIS from 2014-2017. Many of those families remain displaced. However, during that time, Turkey’s cease-fire agreement with the PKK collapsed and Turkey restarted military operations in Iraq. Today, Turkey has evolved into a regional superpower who is pursuing multiple ethnic-religious genocides within the borders of neighboring countries.

Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager, said, “We are grieved to learn of the continued displacement of Christians in Iraq. They have suffered so much violence for decades that seems never ending. Turkey’s military encroachment into Iraq is done under the guise of national security concerns, but Turkey’s targeting of civilians stands in contradiction to international law and human rights. These issues must be addressed to help secure the longevity of Iraq’s Christian community.”

For interviews, please contact Addison Parker: press@persecution.org.

Arrested for officiating a funeral in China

 International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on May 7, a preacher from the heavily-persecuted house church in Chengdu, Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC), was arrested and detained after officiating a member’s funeral.

According to ERCC’s prayer request, police from Damian Police Station in Longquanyi District arrested preacher Wu Wuqing around 3:00pm for “allegedly disturbing public order.” This occurred hours after the funeral service.

He was not released until late in the evening. A member of ERCC confirmed Wu’s release and told ICC, “Now that [the authorities] cannot stop the church’s activities, whoever officiates [the church’s funeral] will be the one who suffers.”

ERCC also details how Wu has been followed and targeted in the past few days. On May 5, Wu shared that three of his vehicle’s tires were punctured. On May 6, Wu discovered that two of his tires were punctured from the side and could not be repaired. Later that night, he noticed that his new tires were punctured. He decided it was pointless to replace and chose not to drive. 

ICC has reported Wu’s repeated detention in recent months. Both he and his wife witnessed utilities at his home being shut down multiple times. The police in Chengdu have threatened that if he continues to serve at ERCC that they will continue to intensify their control and crackdown against him.

In the last month, house church leaders across China have been harassed and criminalized by authorities. Elder Zhang Chunlei from Guiyang Ren’ai Reformed Church, Preacher Zhang Peihong at Shanghai Lancun Zhongyue Church, and Preachers Qie Jiafu and Huang Chunzi at Beijing’s Zion Church fell victim to the latest clampdown.

Gina Goh, ICC’s Regional Manager for Southeast Asia, said, “House churches across China are seeing an increased harassment from church raid, crackdown on their activities, to the detention of their leaders. Beijing seeks to intimidate the leaders in hopes that the churches will dissolve due to fear. Their plot will not succeed, thanks to the resiliency of Chinese house church. They survived the Cultural Revolution, and they will survive Xi’s era as well.”

For interviews, please contact Addison Parker: press@persecution.org.

Police shut down Zion in China

 International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on April 28, two preachers from the Beijing-based Zion Church were taken from their homes and put in detention.

According to urgent prayer requests sent out by the now disbanded house church, local police removed preacher Qie Jiafu from his home in Changping district at 11:30 pm on April 28 for the purpose of interrogation. Despite multiple phone calls to the Shahe Police Station, Zion Church members were unable to learn about the motive behind Qie’s detention.

Qie’s wife received only one phone call from police at 1:00 a.m. on April 30, informing her that Qie was placed under a 10-day administrative detention for violating Art.54 of the Regulations on Administrative Penalties for Public Security. He was also fined 500 Yuan (77 USD).

Preacher Huang Chunzi’s detention, despite taking place at the same time, was only discovered three days later, and her church was occupied with assisting Qie’s family.

The last time her church members heard from her was on April 28, when she notified them that local authorities were at her door. She soon went missing.

After being detained for more than 72 hours, local authorities still have not notified her only contactable family member. They also refused to reveal the why, when, and where of her detention.

The church is asking for prayers so that Preacher Huang will be given all the strength she needs from the Lord, and that the Lord will make way so the church can gain current updates. They also pray for sufficient grace for Preacher Qie and the many servants who are paying the price for Christ in this day and age.

Zion Church, established in 2007, used to be the largest house church in Beijing, drawing 1,500 congregants every Sunday. The church was shut down in September 2018 and legally banned as it was accused of “conducting unauthorized activities and disturbing social order under the name of civil organization.”

Zion Church Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri has been banned from leaving the country for nearly three years, while his daughter Grace Jin shares the same fate – she failed to join her law school in the states in July 2019 due to the travel restrictions placed on her by the authorities.

Gina Goh, ICC’s Regional Manager for Southeast Asia, said, “The arbitrary arrests of the two Zion Church preachers indicate Beijing’s intention to root out house churches. Along with the ‘Administrative Measures for Religious Clergy,’ which came into effect on May 1, the Chinese government wants all religious leaders to submit to the Chinese Communist Party’s leadership and its ideology. Those who do not will face persecution. The ongoing crackdown against Christianity in China deserves the world’s attention.”

For interviews, please contact Addison Parker: press@persecution.org.