Nigeria teaches their children mob action tactics

 Deborah Emmanuel, a 25-year-old Christian student at the Shehu Shagari College of Education in Nigeria’s Sokoto State, was fatally beaten and her body was burned earlier today, May 12. Her classmates were incensed at a supposedly blasphemous message she had sent to a school WhatsApp group. 

Deborah, who attends an ECWA church and resides with her parents in Sokoto according to International Christian Concern’s (ICC) contacts, apparently got into an argument with her female classmates after sending a WhatsApp message her classmates interpreted as blasphemous. 

A video of Deborah being beaten went viral on local social media channels and has been reviewed by ICC staffers on the ground and analysts overseas. The video shows her lying still on the ground with her bloody left arm attempting to cover her head as male and female students gathered around, beating her with sticks, throwing large stones, and shouting, “Allahu Akbar.” She pleaded with her classmates not to kill her. 

A student from the school who spoke with ICC said, “Muslim students and teachers don’t like Christians in the school.” The student told ICC that school authorities watched as the frenzied mob killed Deborah, but could not stop the Muslim students, though they tried. 

The road to the school and Deborah’s house is currently blocked by students, making it difficult for Christians to move around. The governor of the state asked for the closure of the school without asking for the arrest of the students who committed the crime. 

Despite the intense persecution that Christians in Nigeria face, Nigeria was removed from the U.S. State Department’s Countries of Particular Concern list in November 2021.

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

China arrests 90 year old Cardinal for collusion in Hong Kong

 International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, 90, retired archbishop of Hong Kong, and three democracy activists were arrested on foreign collusion charges Wednesday by Hong Kong’s national security police.

Cardinal Zen was taken into custody at the Chai Wan police station, a police sergeant told Reuters. The officer said Cardinal Zen was questioned for his involvement in a now-disbanded humanitarian fund for protesters involved in pro-democracy activities. He was released on bail after being interrogated. 

Others arrested included senior barrister Margaret Ng, activist and singer Denise Ho, former lawmaker Cyd Ho (already imprisoned for illegal gathering), and former academic Hui Po-keung. They and Cardinal Zen had to surrender their travel documents before being released on bail.

The four were trustees of the "612 Humanitarian Relief Fund" which helped cover legal and medical costs for protesters who were arrested during the pro-democracy movement since 2019. The government, however, said the fund supported violence. 

Their arrests come three days after a rubber-stamp election to pick Hong Kong’s sixth chief executive. Former police officer and security chief John Lee was the only candidate. He vowed to strengthen national security and facilitate greater integration of the city to communist China. 

A Hong Kong Catholic leader who asked to remain anonymous told ICC, “Cardinal Zen is the first Catholic Cardinal arrested in the last few decades. He reminds us of the heroic Shanghai Cardinal Kung who was arrested in 1955. We are very sorry that this happened, and we pray that God will give him grace and strength to continue his battle for religious freedom and democracy.” 

Cardinal Zen is known for being a staunch advocate for religious freedom and democracy. A native of Shanghai, he often calls for democracy and criticizes China for its oppression against Chinese people -- especially those from the underground Catholic community. 

He criticized the 2018 Sino-Vatican agreement that gave Chinese authorities greater influence on bishop appointments. And his stance against the Chinese Communist Party and support for pro-democracy activists have made him an easy target. He was called a “false prophet” and received threats last June as he prepared to hold Mass in remembrance of the victims of the Tiananmen Massacre. 

“The erosion of freedom in all aspects in Hong Kong is very concerning as increasing numbers of freedom fighters are arrested and incarcerated for fabricated charges,” said Gina Goh, ICC’s Regional Manager for Southeast Asia. “If a 90-year-old revered cardinal could not even be spared, it indicates the legal system will continue to be abused by the HK SAR government to nab anyone in Hong Kong they find to be a threat to the city. The Vatican and the world need to speak up and stand with Cardinal Zen.” 

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

When will Egyptian cops stop the attacks against the Copts?

 In a one-month time span, at least four violent incidents and two kidnappings occurred against Egypt’s Christian population. The recent escalation began just days before the start of the Easter season and have continued through Islam’s holy month of Ramadan. This represents a significant increase of persecution incidents toward Christians compared to previous months.  

“This has been a difficult Easter season for Egypt’s Christian population, and we are saddened by the violence against them,” said ICC President Jeff King. “Though violence during these major holidays is unfortunately commonplace, ICC continues to monitor Egypt closely to determine if the country is moving toward long-lasting violence against the Coptic minority.” 

On April 7, Coptic Orthodox priest Arsanious Wadid was murdered after being stabbed several times by a 60-year-old assailant who was later deemed mentally unstable and a previous member of radical groups in Egypt. As stated by ICC, “It is common for the attacker to be accused of having a mental illness rather than addressing underlying extremist motivations. This trend is not only a disservice to authentic religious freedom, but also increases the marginalization of those with genuine disabilities.” 

Just two days prior, a Coptic woman and her daughter were kidnapped in Beni Suef Province. The pair were reunited with their family after 11 days. A social media post went viral several days after the kidnapping on April 13 when the woman, Mariam Waheeb, announced her conversion to Islam. It was clear to many, including her husband Joseph Saad, that the video was done under pressure. Another Coptic, 15-year-old Simone Adel, was kidnapped April 11 by a Muslim schoolmate’s brother. In both instances, the police did little until there were more public outcries for action. 

On April 21, a Muslim man slapped 30-year-old Coptic Christian Nevin Sobhi twice for not wearing a head covering when she walked into a drugstore. Sobhi’s young son witnessed the verbal abuse and physical assault against his mother. Sobhi later faced what she deemed a “third slap” at the police station when they failed to rightly file a report. 

Four days later, 25-year-old Michael Magdy Said from Assiut Center was shot in the chest, reportedly by a militant and former criminal in his village. An eyewitness reported that the assailant falsified an unreasonable dispute with Said and shot him in the chest. Said remains in intensive care; the assailant is in custody.  

In late April, four unidentified assailants shot Rani Raafat, a young Coptic man of Dabaa, Matrouh Governorate, 22 times while at work. Raafat had no known enemies, and his father suspected religious motivation. 

Reports of Christians being refused food at restaurants before iftar, the breaking of the daily fast during the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, have also surfaced.  

In April, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended Egypt’s placement on the U.S. Department of State’s Special Watchlist for religious freedom. 

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

The Fulani are out here killing 5-year-olds

 Fulani militants attacked Nigeria’s Chinke community of Kwall District on Thursday night, May 5, killing at least eight Christians and wounding several others.

A picture from the scene shows two deceased victims, each appearing to be under five years of age, lying side by side. A representative for International Christian Concern (ICC) is currently at the hospital with a two-year-old gunshot wound survivor whose mother was killed in the attack.

“The attackers are Fulani militants with AK-47 rifles,” another survivor of the attack told ICC. “They shouted, ‘Allah Akbar’ [Allah is the greatest] and shot randomly.”

Prior to the attack, a community member with intel into the situation issued a security alert, warning: “Plans are underway to strike Rigwe people any time from now… They have gone as far as Lokoja axis to go and mobilize for support of attackers… They concluded the arrangement yesterday in a meeting at the bushes of Zangon Kataf to attack the earmarked places. They are waiting for the Lokoja mercenaries to arrive anytime, then they will strike.”

“After attacking Miango and Kwall areas, they plan to proceed to Kagoro areas for the continuation of the mayhem,” the alert continued. “All this is in their program of sending our people away from our lands so that they can expand their grazing areas, then occupy the lands. They are doing this in the camouflage of [avenging] their people… Pray so that the God of Elijah, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah comes to fight for us. As God dealt with the proud kings of the times of these prophets and kings, pray without ceasing so that God will frustrate and defeat the enemies in all their plans of expansionism. We are in the hands of God and will not depend on any arms.”

In response to this warning, an ICC representative went to the community before the attack began and rescued 15 children, whom he hid in his home beyond the scope of the assailants.

“Despite an early warning, we told government officials, but they kept silent and allowed Fulani militants to kill us,” a leader in the community told ICC. “The government is silent over the killings in my region because we are Christians, not Fulani Muslims.”

Last year, Nigeria earned the title of the worst country for Christian persecution in ICC’s 2021 Persecutor of the Year Awards. Radicalized and armed Islamist Fulani militants have killed tens of thousands of Christians and left more than 3 million displaced in a 20-year genocide.

“Christian communities in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria have effectively suffered a 20-year genocide,” said ICC President Jeff King. “Where is any action? The Nigerian government gives these attacks lip service without any meaningful response. Where is the outcry? Where is effective action? In Nigeria, the military, the police, and the intelligence agencies are all controlled by Muslims. This, coupled with a 20-year lack of response by these agencies, should naturally lead to deeper questioning by the international community. Simply put, the time for cheap talk and platitudes is over. The world is waking up and starting to ask, ‘Is the Nigerian government complicit in these attacks?’ Time will tell, but for this long-time watcher, the decision is in.” 

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

China uses COVID lockdown as cover to kidnap priests in Baoding

 Local authorities have detained at least 10 priests from the underground Catholic community of Baoding in Hebei province since January 2022.  

“While Beijing attempts to make believe that the Chinese Catholic Church is thriving, especially after the inkling of the 2018 Sino-Vatican agreement, the truth is, underground Catholics in China continue to suffer. Their leaders are subject to patriotic education and coerced into joining the official church. Those who fail to comply will become victims of enforced disappearance like the case of the ten priests in Baoding. The Vatican needs to intervene and stand up for justice,” said Gina Goh, ICC’s Regional Manager for Southeast Asia. 

Other priests and Catholics in Baoding are searching for the missing priests and asking for prayers, according to Asia News. Many family members of the missing priests have turned to their village policemen for information in vain. 

The priests left behind are afraid that they might soon be taken away.  

Baoding diocese’s bishop, James Su Zhimin, was arrested in 1997 for refusing the state-sanctioned organization and was not seen again until 2003 in a hospital. After leaving the hospital, he has not been seen again, and some speculate that he has now passed away. 

The list of disappeared priests is as follows: 
-  Fr. Chen Hechao, taken away last January. 
-  Fr. Ji Fuhou, Fr. Ma Ligang, Fr. Yang Guanglin, and Fr. Shang Mancang were taken away in March and April. 
-  Fr. Yang Jianwei and Fr. Zhang Chunguang, both disappeared on April 29 around 4 p.m. in Xushui village in Baoding. 
-  Fr. Zhang Zhenquan and Fr. Yin Shuangxi also disappeared on April 29 from Xushui village in the afternoon. 
-  Fr. Zhang Shouxin, also disappeared on April 30 in Baoding. 

As the oldest and largest underground Catholic community, Baoding is no stranger to persecution. Father Yang Jianwei was taken away from a driving test site in 2016. In November 2020, two priests and more than a dozen seminarians and nuns from the same community were forcibly taken away by government officials.  

While most of them have been released, some continue to be targets of the government because they refuse to join the official church controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. They often need to go through weeks, if not months, of political indoctrination sessions during their detention. They are also prohibited from contacting their loved ones.

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

Coptic riddled with more bullets than 50 Cent - shot 22 times

 International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that four unidentified masked men shot down a young Coptic man in the Egyptian city of Dabaa, Matrouh Governorate. The victim, Rani Raafat, was killed instantly from multiple gunshot wounds while at work this week. The assailants then burned Raafat’s car and fled. 
 
Egyptian media also reported that a second person, Sherif Rashad, sustained a gunshot wound and was transferred to a hospital in Alexandria for treatment. Raafat Nour, the father of the victim, said, “I was at home in Dabaa, and a phone call came to my son to open the shop to receive goods for agricultural supplies in a project he works in the afternoon. I later received a phone call of the death of my son. When I went to the store, I found him dead and lying on the ground, overwhelmed in own his blood.”  

Raafat worked in the veterinary medicine trade and had no known enemies. His relatives suggested sectarian-religious motives in the incident and that the perpetrators of the attack were extremist elements, according to Al Arabiya. 
 
The father of the deceased added, “My son had a problem in December 2021, and was beaten with a shotgun. The accused [in that matter] was arrested and imprisoned. We sat with his family, and they promised us that the matter would be over, and my son was transferred from El Dabaa High School to a school in Burj Al Arab. He has now been attacked by unknown masked persons who escaped.” He added, "I only want to apprehend the perpetrators and hold them accountable, and to take the right of my son through the judiciary."   

Earlier this month, the Coptic Christian community lost Father Arsanious Wadid after Nehru Abdel Moneim Tawfiq, previously an unidentified assailant, stabbed him several times. Tawfiq was previously a known member of extremist groups. 

Earlier this week, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended that Egypt be placed on the State Department’s Special Watchlist for religious freedom  

ICC’s president, Jeff King, stated, “We are saddened to hear the news of yet another violent incident targeting an Egyptian Christian, and are concerned that we have seen a second major incident in just a few weeks. We are watching Egypt closely to see if these are warning signs of a more challenging future for Egyptian Christians. Our prayers are with the victim’s family and we urge the authorities to conduct a transparent investigation which affirms due process of law.”

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

Since 1995, ICC has served the global persecuted church through a three-pronged approach of advocacy, awareness, and assistance. ICC exists to bandage the wounds of persecuted Christians and to build the church in the toughest parts of the world.