New Year's Resolution for Nigeria: Stop the Fulani

 Five people in Nigeria were brutally attacked by Fulani militants on Friday, December 31, while on their way home from an annual prayer meeting held for the Christian communities of Irigwe chiefdom.

An International Christian Concern (ICC) correspondent who was at the event spoke to the National Publicity Secretary of the Irigwe Christians, who said, “One was killed and burnt beyond recognition, while four others sustained varying degrees of injuries.”

The deceased victim was identified as 38-year-old Adamu Sunday. Those injured are Bitrus Sunday, 31, Mr. Bitrus Doro, 41, Sunday Musa, 43, and Sunday Alex, age unknown.

One of the survivors told ICC that during the attack, a Fulani militant warned that it was “the first attack for the new year,” and that more would be coming in 2022.

The unnamed survivor added, “It was God that saved my life; I don’t know how I escaped; it was God that saved me.”

The youth leader of the Irigwe tribesmen told ICC that authorities ignored threats from the militants prior to the bloodshed. “This was the second time [the] Fulani promised an attack on one of the communities, and the government of Nigeria doesn’t want to protect them because they are Christians,” he said.

“Attacks of this nature have been ongoing for the past 20 years and the silence is deafening,” said ICC President Jeff King. “While the government claims to be doing its best to curb the violence, the reality paints a different picture of a Muslim-led government allowing anti-Christian violence to continue without consequence.”

Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Nigeria. We also encourage you to contact the Nigerian embassy in your country today, calling on them to address the persecution of Christians.

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

Who is Nasir El-Rufai?

Human rights watchdog group International Christian Concern (ICC) released a report earlier today profiling Nigerian Governor Nasir El-Rufai and analyzing his years-long pattern of punishing Christian communities in Kaduna State. While militant groups contribute to religious persecution in Nigeria, No Protest Allowed highlights another major source of persecution in Nigeria—the government. 

Since taking office as Governor of Kaduna State in May 2015, El-Rufai has repeatedly endangered Christian communities by ordering them into strict lockdowns. These lockdown orders—which trap villagers in their homes—prevent villagers from organizing early warning systems and make militant attacks even more deadly as villagers no longer have the warning they need to flee impending attacks. 

Despite international condemnation of these lockdown orders, El-Rufai has continued to punish Christians using this technique. In 2020, he locked down a Christian-majority agricultural area for over two months during planting season. Militants, taking advantage of his lockdown orders, killed over 100 Christian villagers during that time. 

In addition to chronicling several of these lockdowns, No Protest Allowed exposes El-Rufai’s immense wealth and his family’s extensive international travel including to London, Paris, New York, Dubai, and the Caribbean. 

Dubbed the “reformist governor” by the Economist, El-Rufai’s carefully-groomed image as a man of the people began to crumble as ICC researchers combed through the El-Rufai family’s social media presence. While El-Rufai has loudly publicized his decision to enroll some of his children in Kaduna’s public school system, ICC researchers found that he quietly sent at least one of his children to a private school in Canada where annual tuition is about $44,000 USD per year. Another social media post showed his family drinking sparkling apple juice infused with 24kt gold flakes at the Burj al Arab hotel in Dubai. 

Nigeria goes to great effort to cast itself as a beleaguered nation struggling valiantly against sectarian violence. Secular democracy, the narrative goes, is the guiding principle governing Nigeria—any deviation from that is the fault of malicious nonstate actors intending to spoil what they cannot control. 

Nigeria does suffer from sectarian violence—it is estimated that Boko Haram is responsible for over 35,000 deaths and that Fulani militants have killed from 20,000-50,000 in the last decade or so—but the idea that the government is an impartial player doing its best to promote justice and freedom for all is simply wrong. 

A self-proclaimed admirer of China’s Den Xiaoping, El-Rufai recently resurrected a military-era rule regulating pastors and their sermons. The regulations are striking similar to Chinese regulations and do not bode well for the future of religious freedom in Kaduna. 

“El-Rufai’s actions endanger thousands and help to illustrate the deeply problematic nature of government persecution in Nigeria,” said Jay Church, the report’s author and ICC’s Advocacy Manager for Africa. “ICC hopes that the international community takes note of El-Rufai’s consistent pattern of persecution in Kaduna State and responds accordingly. We call on the U.S. and others to sanction El-Rufai for his egregious violations of human rights and hope to see those sanctions come about in the near future.” 

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

 

Azerbaijan looks to recreate 1915 genocide

 International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that November 8, 2021, Azerbaijani troops opened gunfire on a group of Armenian utility workers repairing water pipes near the city of Shushi, which was captured during the Turkish-Azeri war last year against Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian: Artsakh). The incident occurred on the same day that Azeri President Ilham Aliyev was in Shushi alongside Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar to mark the one-year anniversary of the invasion’s ceasefire.

It occurred near the Lachin-Stepanakert Road, the only transit option connecting Karabakh’s Armenian Christian community with the outside world. The road was temporarily closed following the incident. Most of Nagorno-Karabakh’s land was lost during the war, and now residents are surrounded by Turkish-Azeri forces. This is the second citizen killed since last year’s ceasefire, with the first being murdered in front of Russian peacekeepers this past October.

“The recorded incident is another proof of the anti-Armenian, genocidal and fascist behavior of the Azerbaijani side towards the Armenian people, about which we have stated many times since the signing of the trilateral statement,” said Gegham Stepanyan, Artsakh’s Human Rights Ombudsman.

“Today, at around 3:00 p.m., near the city of Shushi, the Azerbaijani side fired at Armenian civilians working on water pipes in the area. One civilian killed, three wounded,” said local journalist Anush Ghavalyan. “This is how Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev brings peace to the region—by killing civilians of Nagorno-Karabakh. No people, no conflict.”

Speaking about the recent escalation of Turkish-Azeri aggression towards Artsakh’s Armenian Christian residents, a Stepanakert local shared simply, “This is hell… we don’t know what will happen.”

The deceased is 22-years old. The wounded civilians are 43, 41, and 31 years old.

The incident comes just days after the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released a factsheet reiterating its recommendations for State Department CPC and SWL designations. Both Turkey and Azerbaijan were named on the factsheet as recommendations for the Special Watch List (SWL).

Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager for the Middle East, said, “The escalation of violence toward Armenian civilians living in Nagorno-Karabakh is very alarming. These incidents give further evidence of how Azerbaijan has embraced Turkey in such a way that both countries are emboldened and empowered to commit genocidal atrocities towards Armenian Christians. They intend to intimidate those who remain living in Karabakh, suffocating them with forced isolation from the outside world. Turkey and Azerbaijan have made it clear in their rhetoric that their actions are viewed as a continuation of the 1915 genocide against Christians. The ceasefire may have been established a year ago, but the cleansing activities of the invasion continue to this very day.”

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

Joga, Lakhma, Magda, and Sukka are crazy

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that a Christian community in India’s Chhattisgarh state was brutally attacked by a mob of radical Hindu nationalists over the weekend. The attack left nine Christians seriously injured, including three who are currently hospitalized in critical condition.

On Saturday, November 6, a mob of 50 radical Hindu nationalists attacked 14 Christian homes in Metapal village, located in the Dantewada district. Local Christians report that the mob was led by four men named Joga, Lakhma, Magda, and Sukka. The mob went from house to house, attacking Christians to make Metapal a “Christian-free” village.

Wielding fists, wooden clubs, and other objects, the extremists beat the Christians of Metapal, including women and children. The attack left nine Christians seriously injured with broken bones, dislocated joints, and head injuries.

“Santu, a teenage boy, was carried by four people to the hospital like a dead body,” Pastor Susheel Kumar, a survivor of the attack, told ICC. “He suffered multiple fractures to his legs and hand.”

Following the attack, Mogadi Madkami, Santu Madkami, and Hidma Podiyami were taken to Dantewada District Hospital where they remain in critical condition. Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR no. 22/2021) against 15 members of the mob; however, no arrests have been made to date.

“There has been intense opposition in the village against people practicing Christianity,” Pastor Kumar explained. “These Christians have been threatened a number of times in the past. Last year, three families fled the village after they were attacked by the right-wing groups. They have never returned to the village.”

“This is not an isolated incident,” another Christian leader, who requested anonymity, told ICC. “Christians across the state are facing intense pressure from the religious militant groups. Christians are not free to exercise their faith on par with Hindus. We want the government to treat us fairly and without bias.”

Across India, attacks on Christians and their places of worship are being reported in greater number and severity. Recently, a report authored by the United Christian Forum documented over 300 attacks on Christians taking place in just the first nine months of 2021. Without significant intervention by government authorities, it is likely that 2021 will be the worst year on record for Christian persecution in India.

William Stark, ICC’s Regional Manager for South Asia, said, “We here at International Christian Concern are very concerned by the attack on the Christian community of Metapal. Violent attempts to make communities ‘Christian-free’ must be stopped and punished if religious freedom is to mean anything in India. Unfortunately, this attack is merely a symptom of a larger problem in India. Religious intolerance and religiously motivated violence have become so normalized in India that we are hearing reports of multiple incidents every week. Strict action must be taken against the perpetrators of this attack and stern statements must be made by India’s leaders to dispel the notion that a community could or should be cleansed of a particular religious community.”

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

 

Nepal is out here arresting nuns

 International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that two elderly nuns in Nepal were arrested in September for allegedly violating the country’s controversial anti-conversion law. Despite more than a month passing since their arrest, the nuns remain in detention awaiting trial.

On September 14, Sister Gemma Lucia Kim and Sister Martha Park were arrested and charged with proselytizing and conversion activities. The nuns run a facility called the Happy Home for poor slum children in Pokhara, located 200 kilometers from Kathmandu. This facility provides housing, food, education, medical services, and professional trainings to approximately 120 children.

The nuns were kept in police custody until September 27 when they were moved to a district prison. Local church leaders have filed for the nuns to be released on bail, but hearings on this application have been delayed due to Hindu holidays.

Bishop Paul Simick, Apostolic Vicar of Nepal, believes that the allegations against the nuns are baseless and unjust.

“The two have been dedicating themselves totally to the poor for so many years,” Bishop Simick said in a statement to Aid to the Church in Need. “This act reveals not only bigotry on the part of those who accused the Sisters, but also ignorance of the needs of the poor.”

“The Catholic community sees this event as an attack on minority communities with an intent to criminalize missionary activities,” Bishop Simick continued. “The Sisters’ initiatives, such as social services, education and medical care are seen as a bait for conversion.”

Proselytization is considered a criminal offense in Nepal. The process of criminalizing religious conversion began in 2015 when Nepal adopted a new constitution. Under Article 26 (3) of the new constitution, “No person shall behave, act or make others act to disturb public law and order situation or convert a person of one religion to another or disturb the religion of other people…such an act shall be punished by law.”

In August 2018, the Nepalese government enacted this controversial portion of the new constitution when it was added to the country’s criminal codes. Under these new laws, an individual found guilty of even encouraging religious conversions can be fined up to 50,000 Rupees and placed in prison for up to five years.

William Stark, ICC’s Regional Manager for South Asia, said, “We here at International Christian Concern are deeply concerned by the arrests of Sister Kim and Sister Park. These Sisters have been arrested simply because of their religious identity and their heart for the poor in Nepal. The arrests also bring into question the future of religious freedom in Nepal. Since the new constitution was adopted in 2015, Nepalese Christians have been concerned that Article 26 and its enacting laws would be used to target their community. Today, Nepalese Christians again have seen their fears realized. Nepal’s sweeping anti-conversion law must be repealed if religious freedom is truly a right to be enjoyed by the country’s citizens.”

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

You mean that the Chinese arrested Zhumin?

 International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on October 25, the authorities in China’s Wenzhou seized Bishop Shao Zhumin ahead of the month of the dead. He was officially detained to go on a forced “vacation,” a measure employed by the government to “educate” dissidents and religious clergy who fail to submit to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s control. 

According to Asia News, sources on the ground relay that the bishop was officially taken away a few days before November, where many masses are celebrated for the dead, accompanied by meetings, rosaries, and prayers.

At this time every year, Catholics in Wenzhou march to the cemetery where Msgr. James Lin Xili, the first local bishop recognized by the Vatican, rests. In past years, authorities have blocked the entrance to Wenzhou's cemetery with iron barriers to prevent Catholics from gathering; this time, they directly took Bishop Shao away.

This was not the first time Bishop Shao disappeared from his parish. He has been repeatedly detained in the last few years, with the longest being seven-month. The authorities often put him under “thought transformation” process which lasts from 10 to 15 days, brainwashing him to join the state-vetted “official” Catholic Church. He never gives in. 

His disappearance took place after the news of Vatican being pressured by China to sever ties with Taiwan was revealed and before President Joe Biden’s upcoming trip to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican in late October.

Despite the signing of a Sino-Vatican deal on bishop appointment in 2018, religious freedom for Chinese Catholics has not improved. Priests and nuns not loyal to the CCP have been harassed, monitored, and detained; crosses and religious symbols have been removed from churches; impoverished Catholics were forced to renounce their faith in exchange of welfare benefits.

Gina Goh, ICC’s Regional Manager for Southeast Asia, said, “The Vatican should stop believing the promises made by CCP and see to it that the deceitful authoritarian regime is not to be partnered with. The decades-long persecution of Chinese Catholics has not and will not stop simply because the Holy See and China have signed a provisional agreement on bishop appointment. Bishop Shao’s latest detention is living proof of that.  It is time for Pope Francis to re-examine the Vatican’s approach with China and boldly speak out for the persecuted Chinese Christians.” 
  

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

Life Lesson: Do not move to Libya

 International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that since September 30, 2021, at least 17 Egyptian Coptic Christians have gone missing in Libya. They were living in an Egyptian neighborhood in Tripoli; it is unknown who took them and why. Some friends and family believe they were detained by the authorities, while others believe they were taken by an armed group. Regardless, they hold a common fear that these individuals were targeted because of their Christian faith and that they may face a deadly fate reminiscent of the 2015 beheading of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya by ISIS.

An Egyptian lawyer whose friend is missing shared, “Even now there [is] no confirmed news. (My friend) Emad Nasr and the other Copts traveled to Libya three months ago. They headed to the United Arab Emirates and then to Libya, because there are no direct airlines to Libya. The Copts had visas for Libya (labor visas), but they failed to get work opportunities and the costs of renewing the visas are high. So the police of Libya detained them from September 30 until now.”

“The Copts were staying in the Gargash District in Tripoli. In this residency, they were surrounded by so many persons of other countries like India and Bangladesh. So the action of detaining 17 Copts only is such a mysterious action! We are fearing of repeating an incident like the one who did by ISIS. We are contacting the Egyptian Foreign Ministry to intervene in the situation,” he continued.

The brother of one of the missing Copts said, “It is unknown if they were detained by the Libyan authorities or were kidnapped by unknown parties… they lived in the Gargash neighborhood, in which dozens of Egyptians live. We learned from one of the residents there that a number of Egyptians were kidnapped in this neighborhood without knowing their fate."

According to local press, the names of the missing are: Emad Nasr, Assem Abo Gobrial, George Nasser Riad, Maris Malak Matias, Wael Samir Shawky, Hani Zaki Shaker Allah, Haitham Nazeer Malak, Gerges Nazi Malak, Thabet Gad Hanna, Bakhit Malak Matias, Adly Assad Ataya, Mikhaeil Nazir Malak, Roman Masoud Fahim, Karim Abu al-Ghait, Emad Nasri Qaldi, Daniel Saber Lamei, and Ezekiel Saber Lamei.

October 20 marked the 10-year anniversary of the death of Libya’s former strongman, Moammar Gadhafi. A decade of instability and violence has left Libya a country shattered by competing armed groups, terrorists, militias, as well as competing governments.

Nevertheless, before the rise of ISIS in 2014, Libya was a common destination for Egypt’s Coptic Christian community. Egypt’s Christian community was faced with a choice: experience marginalization that left Christians deeply impoverished inside their home country or seek work opportunities in Libya at great personal risk. The 2015 beheading of Coptic Christians in Libya stopped many from traveling there for work. But Egypt’s continued marginalization of Christians continues to force them to consider alternatives, including high-risk countries such as Libya.

Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager for the Middle East, said, “This is a frightening time for Egyptian Christians, regardless of whether their family or friends are among those missing. The memory of ISIS marching Coptic Christians down a Libyan beach to their deaths runs deep; it was an event that was traumatic for all of Egypt’s Christians, an event that held serious implications for everyone. We urge the relevant authorities to do everything possible to investigate the cause of this latest disappearance, to bring these men home alive, and the perpetrators to justice.”

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