Persecution Watch Weblog

Eritrea (MNN) — Voice of the Martyrs Canada is reporting that a 37-year-old Eritrean Christian woman has died while in custody in Eritrea.

According to accounts from Compass Direct, the woman, Azieb Simon, succumbed to malaria while being held in the Wi’a Military Training Center. Already weakened by mistreatment she’d endured since her arrest in December, she contracted the disease a week prior to her death, and authorities reportedly refused to give her treatment. She was a member of the Kale-Hiwet Church in Assab.

Other Christians imprisoned in the centre are under constant pressure to recant their faith. Compass sources say eight other Christians being held at the Adi-Quala prison needed emergency medical care due to torture by military personnel at the camp.

Despite the continued targeted round-ups, the government continues to support its statement issued in May 2003 that “no groups or persons are persecuted in Eritrea for their beliefs or religion.”

Yet, 32 additional Christians from Assab were also imprisoned and taken to Wi’a earlier this month. Close to 2,000 believers remain in Eritrean prisons where they face deplorable conditions. According to Release Eritrea, these numbers mean that approximately one in ten Eritrean evangelicals are presently being detained.

Simon was among the more than 2,000 believers who have been imprisoned for their faith. Pray that Eritrean Christians will remain faithful in the face of pressure to deny Christ.

Ethiopia (MNN) — On July 19, 2008, a Muslim mob attacked and stoned two Christians who were attending a church meeting in the town of Jijiga, in eastern Ethiopia.

“They were confronted by nine Muslims who were yelling anti-Christian slogans and started hurling stones at the Christians,” said Jonathan Racho, Regional Manager for Africa for International Christian Concern.

One of the two Christians, a leader in the church, was struck by eight stones and suffered a concussion as well as injuries on his torso. He was admitted to Karamara hospital and received treatment.

The other Christian escaped without injury. As he ran toward the police station, the mob dispersed, but the police never responded to the situation.

Although the majority of Ethiopians are Christians, Wahhabi Islam is growing rapidly in some regions of the country, like eastern Ethiopia. In fact, the radical brand of Islam is growing faster than Christianity in Ethiopia, according to statistics.

“Wahhabi Islam is spreading very fast in Ethiopia, and it’s being sponsored by countries such as Saudi Arabia. They are teaching intolerance against Christians and other non-Muslims,” Racho said. “So there is a very strong atmosphere of hostility against Christians in many parts of Ethiopia where there are many Muslims living.”

Jijiga is the capital of the Somali Regional State, one of nine Ethiopian states. Most of the state’s inhabitants are Muslim, including most of the residents of Jijiga.

“Unless the growth of radical Islam is curbed in Ethiopia, the attacks against Christians will continue to rise,” Racho said. “Ethiopian government officials, particularly local officials in Muslim-dominated areas of the country, should be made accountable for failing to protect Christians against such attacks.”

Racho said Christians can contact the Ethiopian embassy in Washington D.C. to pressure the Ethiopian government to protect Christians from persecution. Click here to find the embassy’s contact information.

Racho also urges Christians to pray for the Ethiopian church.

“I call upon Christians in the United States and in other countries to pray for the continuous growth of church in Ethiopia,” he said. “Please also pray that the Lord will protect Ethiopian Christians from the increasing persecution and hostility from Muslims.”

SANTA ANA, Calif. (July 2, 2008) – Open Doors USA is launching an email advocacy campaign on behalf of an imprisoned Chinese Christian.

On March 19, Shi Weihan was re-arrested for publishing Bibles and Christian literature. The 37-year-old bookstore owner had been released in January following his arrest on November 28, 2007, due to “insufficient evidence.”

Under his Holy Spirit Trading Company, Shi ran a Christian bookstore, a printing press and travel agency. The bookstore is located near the Olympic Village and Shi never had any problems with authorities before his arrest last November.

His bookstore operated legally and it sold only books for which he had obtained government permission. His printing press, however, printed Bibles and Christian literature without authorization for distribution to local house churches. Last January, Shi was concerned about publishing the unauthorized books, but because the churches needed them, he felt the risk was worth taking.

Pastors from house churches and official Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) congregations have reported a shortage of Bibles and other Christian materials in Beijing, the northwest, the northeast, and the southwest. Church growth in tribal areas also has created an urgent need for Bibles in minority languages.

Shi never had any plans to protest during the Olympics, which start August 8 in Beijing. Shi and his home church have been free to worship and have been under no pressure to stop the church or register it. However, Shi’s many foreign relationships formed during his time as a travel agent may have caused suspicion from Chinese authorities.

The China Aid Association (CAA) reported on April 28, that authorities were holding Shi at the Beijing Municipal Detention Centre as a “dangerous religious element,” thinking he may try to cause a stir during the Olympics. A long-time friend, Ray Sharpe, dismissed the allegation as contrary to Shi’s gentle, patriotic nature, saying, “I know him as someone who teaches others to love their country, pray for their government and obey the public officials as though they were placed over us by God.”

A father of two, Shi has been held without any family visits. His wife, Zhang Jing, has received no word on her husband’s condition, and she has been prohibited from bringing him any food or clothing since his re-arrest. Until the end of April, Shi had also been denied a visit from his attorney.

The months of separation from her husband, anxiety about his health condition, and having to manage her family without Shi, have exacted a toll on Zhang’s well-being. She is now suffering from depression and feels very weak and utterly helpless.

Their two daughters are also very affected by all that is going on. They have become very emotional and cry constantly because they have not seen their father for months now.

Adding to their stress is the intimidation they are experiencing from being under surveillance by the PSB. They are followed wherever they go, even when Zhang sends her daughters to school. The movements of Shi’s lawyer are also being monitored to ensure that he will not make contact with any foreigner or groups overseas. The PSB tell him, though, that they are only doing that in order to “protect him” so that his work will not be interrupted.

On June 19, the three-month deadline for a hearing expired and Shi’s hearing never took place as expected on the last day. Therefore, Shi is now being held illegally.

Open Doors is very concerned about Shi’s health as he has diabetes and may be subject to torture while in detention. The CAA reported that Shi’s attorney said he was in dire need of medical attention. “However, the detention center authorities refused to provide medications or even the most basic humanitarian treatment,” the organization said.

Carl Moeller, President/CEO of Open Doors USA, says: “Not only is Open Doors focusing on Shi’s case, but the China Aid Association, International Christian Concern and Release International are all advocating on his behalf. We hope that the Chinese authorities will recognize that Christians like Shi are an asset to their country, and not a threat. Hopefully the authorities will respond to the many petitions of Christians in the United States and around the world who would like to see Shi released before the start of the Olympics.”

Open Doors is urging Christians in the United States to Email Chinese Ambassador to the United States Zhou Whenzong to express their concern over the status of Shi, including access to medical care and medicines, adequate clothing, visitation rights for his family and a fair and prompt trial. To send an email, click here.

Chad (MNN) — The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM) is very pleased to announce the release of Stephen Godbold, a missionary held captive in northern Chad for more than nine months.

Godbold was released by his captors in Chad on Thursday evening, July 24th. He was released near the town of Bardai in northern Chad and is presently a guest of local officials in Bardai.

Arrangements are in process to send an aircraft to Bardai to evacuate Godbold to N’Djamena. From there he will travel to the United States via Europe for reunion with family and colleagues, debriefings and medical checks.

Godbold was captured on October 10, 2007 in Zoumri in the Tibesti region of Northern Chad. He was assisting a Chadian non-governmental organization transporting water well drilling equipment into the Tibesti in order to provide clean and safe water to residents of the region. He is 49 years old and has served in Chad since 1991. He is married and has four children.

The Movement for Democracy and Justice in T’Chad (MDJT) claimed responsibility for Godbold’s captivity. Mr. Choua Dazi, the President of the MDJT, made numerous statements to the international media and others during the months of captivity, reporting that Godbold would be released as early as last November. No explanation for the failure of the MDJT to honor those promises has been provided. Godbold was ultimately released following extensive negotiations between his captors and TEAM.

TEAM emphasizes that Godbold’s release was unconditional and that no ransom was paid, and no concessions of any type were made to secure his release.

Dr. Charles Davis, International Director of TEAM, expressed gratitude and appreciation
for the efforts of many organizations and individuals in Chad and the United States:

“Governments, the church, other faith-based organizations and individuals worked
together to make sure that Steve was kept safe and ultimately released. We are so
very grateful for this assistance and praise God for every person and agency that
helped bring Steve home.”

Additional information will be provided as it becomes available during the repatriation and debriefing processes.

India (MNN) — Radical Hindus in India are angry and helpless. Thousands of Hindus are giving their lives to Christ. That is causing extremists to lash out at Christians.

According to Gospel for Asia, last week two of their Bible college students were beaten and ridiculed for handing out evangelistic tracts in the state of Maharashtra. They were on their weekend outreach when the incident occurred.

Founder and President of Gospel for Asia KP Yohannan says, “This is one of the toughest states. Not only two, but a group of seven of our students while they were going out for outreach, they were rounded up by 30 or 40 people who simply destroyed their literature, burned their Bibles, and beat them up without mercy.”

The trouble began when Mohan, a third-year student, came across an automobile driver who questioned his authority to distribute tracts about Jesus. The automobile driver then slapped Mohan on his face.

Simson, another third-year student, was distributing Gospel tracts nearby and rushed to protect Mohan. The scene drew a crowd of people and they, too, began to interrogate the students. They shouted at Mohan and Simson, using vulgarities to speak out against them. Their attackers shoved the two students around and beat them until they were severely bruised. One of the attackers pushed Simson down and kicked him.

At first, no one came to the students’ aid. Finally, a few people from among the crowd told the assailants to stop beating them. The attackers grabbed their Christian literature, telling them, “We don’t want any Jesus.” Then they let Mohan and Simson go, warning them not to return.

GFA has 120 students enrolled in the Maharashtra Bible College. These are just a few of the many young people who are receiving the Bible school training. Yohannan says many more would like to attend. “[For] $30 a month, anyone can help to train one of these young people. We have 7,000 young people now in our Bible colleges all across the Asian nations. And, we have the possibility to recruit thousands more, if we had people pray and help them.”

According to Yohannan, this training is serious. “We tell them, ‘You are going to the mission field because Jesus is sending you, and this is what He said: Are you willing to make a commitment and lay down your life for [My] sake?’ So far, I don’t know any graduates that have said, ‘I don’t want to get beaten up, and I don’t want to get killed.’”

According to Yohannan, persecution is expected. “Wherever people are coming to Christ in large numbers, we see persecution increase. [However], wherever the persecution is harsh and increasing, there we find more people coming to Christ. That is a strange irony.”

If you’d like to support a Bible college student, click here.

China (MNN) — As the wife of Pastor Zhang Zhongxin appealed his sentence to two years re-education through labor, Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers proceeded to crack down on other members of his church, Voice of the Martyrs-Canada reports.

Together with Zhang’s lawyer Li Fangping, Zhang’s wife Wang Guiyun submitted an appeal to the District of People’s Court of Jining City on behalf of her husband, requesting that the court withdraw the labor camp decision, according to China Aid Association. The appeal is awaiting review.

Pastor Zhang, of Jining City Shandong, has already been transferred to Shandong Province labor camp on July 6, CAA said. He is not due to be released until June 5, 2010.

On the very same day, July 14, Chinese officials and an “anti-cult group” raided the homes of Mr. Lu Xiaoai, Mr. Li Dali, and Mr. Lian Dehai–all members of Pastor Zhang’s church. They confiscated Christian materials such as Bibles, CD-ROMs, and religious literature, and also detained Lian. Lian was placed under criminal detention at the City Public Security Bureau, CAA said.

PSB officers have been using a list of house church members to detain Christians in Jiaxiang County. Sources speculate that they obtained the list through spies planted in Jiaxiang house churches.

There are more Christians in prison in China than any other country in the world, and it has been estimated that six percent of the population is Christian. According to CAA, the director of China’s State Administration for Religious Affairs claimed behind closed doors in 2006 that the total of Protestant and Roman Catholic Christians in China is 130 million.

International (MNN) — As United States politics took center stage in Iraq this week, Christians are gearing up to reach out to the victims of war there.

Open Doors USA’s Al Janssen says thousands of Christians have left Iraq. “More than half of all the Christians have been displaced by the conflict. Certain Muslim extremist groups have taken opportunities to persecute Christians. Sometimes it’s to grab their property or to kidnap them. So people have had to flee for their lives.”

That’s left many of them traumatized. So Open Doors is making a difference in the lives of traumatized Arabic Christians.

Many psychologists and psychiatrists say that trauma does not automatically go away in time; rather, trauma victims need careful handling through talking about their frustrations and feelings.

Janssen says, “One of the things we’re trying to do is provide trauma counseling for these people — to bring in professionals who can help them deal with the emotional traumas that they’ve experienced.”

But in the Arab culture, it is not common to talk about your feelings. It is a culture of honor and pride–the kind of culture where one does not shame his or her family by talking about deep emotions. This causes a dilemma for people who want to help. On one hand, the refugees are in great need of trauma counseling. However, they are not used to counseling as a form of treatment.

Open Doors is also providing training.

Most of the refugees who went to Arab churches in northern Iraq, Syria and Jordan were only able to receive minimal counseling from the leaders of these different churches. Though these leaders have a lot of experience, they are not trained in trauma counseling. They need extra training and support. As a result, in cooperation with local Christian leaders, Open Doors has set up a unique training program with foreign and Arab trainers to give the churches and Christian leaders the tools to handle the traumatic experiences that the refugees have faced.

Janssen says the goal is to help these victims forgive and begin healing. “The honor culture requires that you avenge the death of a family member. So, to offer forgiveness is actually a sign of weakness and a sign of shame.”

However, he says this is following Christ’s example. “This is what Christ calls us to do, because Christ has forgiven us much. We’re told that we who have been given so much need to forgive others who have hurt us.”

Some Arab Christians have problems with the concept of forgiveness after so many years of oppression by other religions. Biblical truth is taught from the pulpit, but “forgiving your enemy” is often not part of that teaching. Though Arab Christians know that the Bible instructs us to forgive, it is difficult to forgive a person who has hurt or killed one of their family members.

“There is nothing against anger and frustration, but you have to channel those emotions in a right way. Otherwise, it is possible that you will commit a sin, maybe a crime, and that is not God’s way. So a person experiencing trauma needs to learn how to deal with that anger and feelings of revenge. Therefore we have organized these sessions,” one of the trainers said.

Counseling Iraqi refugees with trauma is a long process and can take years, depending on the person. Open Doors has started the first sessions in trauma counseling, and hopefully many will follow. “It is unique what we are doing here. Challenging Arabs in areas of forgiveness, revenge, shame and honor is new in this world. But it is a blessing to be able do this,” one of the Arab trainers said.

The participants are overwhelmed with the material and the information: “I am in need of this material when I am dealing with Iraqis suffering with trauma in my church. There are so many questions and unanswered problems, but we have made a big step forward now.”

An estimated 100 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with more millions facing discrimination and alienation. Open Doors supports and strengthens believers in the world’s most difficult areas through Bible and Christian literature distribution, leadership training and assistance, Christian community development, prayer and presence ministry, and advocacy on behalf of suffering believers. To partner with Open Doors USA, call toll free at 888-5-BIBLE-5 (888-524-2535) or go to their Website at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.

India (MNN) — Persecution against Christians in India continues to grow. Now it’s affecting churches in states traditionally kind to Christians.

The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) (www.persecution.org) has just learned that a church that has attracted thousands of Hindu converts is now the target of strenuous Hindu opposition. The church, called Heavenly Feast, currently has nearly 15,000 members and is meeting in a tent in Kottayam, a city in the state of Kerala, India.

A Hindu group had their own prayer building close to the Heavenly Feast tent and started growing concerned when some of their members converted to Christianity. They have been hosting rallies for the last month and have partially destroyed the tent of the Christians, stopping a ministry of the church that fed 1,500 people every day.

ICC’s President Jeff King says, “A lot of Hindus had converted to Christianity through the church. That upset the Hindu radicals, and they were agitating with the local government to shut the church down. So the local government back in early July said the church had to close down.”

On July 6, members of the Hindu group were trying to stop the public from going into the Heavenly Feast tent and were abusing church-goers with foul language as they entered the tent.

During one of the services, the Hindu party began to throw stones into the tent, injuring 25 people.

Police arrived and fired rubber bullets to clear out the crowd and diffuse the situation. Police stopped families from going into the tent to protect them.

As a result, the head of the district, the District Collector, declared a 10-day curfew on the area. She said that until the property issue of the church is resolved, the church cannot meet. The curfew bans people from gathering in groups within 500 meters of the local district office, Hindu SMBP office, and the Heavenly Feast tent.

King says while India’s constitution grants religious freedom, Hindu extremists don’t see it that way. “There is a mindset there that India is Hindu, and Hinduism is for India. And there’s a lot of propaganda that goes out with hatred toward Christians where Christians are associated with the CIA, they’re trying to take over the country, and we need to defend mother India from Christianity.”

Pastors in the area are afraid because it is believed that the Hindu party has a hidden plan to continue attacks on other churches.

Despite the attacks, King says, “There’s a famous old saying that says, ‘The blood of the martyr is the seed of the church.’ We see that the world over. Wherever the church is oppressed, it tends to grow faster. When there’s a cost to the Gospel, people then are truly on fire for God and the Gospel really spreads.”

King is encouraging you to get involved in the fight against persecution. You can do that by clicking here.

India (MNN) — In West Bengal, fourteen members of a Gospel for Asia church were beaten and forced to flee their homes.

On July 10, members of this church were asked to attend a meeting. Although they thought the meeting was about ordinary matters, church members were immediately persecuted upon arrival. A group of men began shouting at them and accusing them of forcing people to convert to Christianity from their traditional religion. Christians were also blamed for the illness that was spreading throughout the village.

As the accusation escalated, some people began to physically assault the Christians and severely beat them. By the end of the attack, the anti-Christian extremists had threatened to cut the church members into pieces if they remained in the village.

Breaking free of the mob, the Christians were able to flee to neighboring villages. After hearing about the situation the next day, GFA missionaries Rajman Gounder and V. Samuel Mahli found the Christians and brought them into their own homes for safety. They appealed to the village leader, Negesh Rai, for help in resolving the matter so that the Christians could return home. He directed them to the police to seek help.

Negesh is a candidate for a local political party. After hearing that Negesh sent the missionaries to the police for help, the opposing party organized a protest against him. The villagers involved in the protest called for Negesh’s resignation.

On July 16, GFA’s West Bengal state leaders moved the harassed believers out of the missionaries’ homes into rented houses in a different area. They will remain there until it is safe for them to return to their own homes.

Gospel for Asia’s work in West Bengal began in 1995. Their work includes personal evangelism, church planting, ministries, Bible schools and Bible distribution, along with many other things.

Please pray for God’s intervention in the situation, and that He would touch the hearts of the villagers so that they may see the truth. Pray also for God’s guidance and wisdom in dealing with the spiritual and political situations.

Iran (MNN-Compass) — As Iran continues to face international pressure about its nuclear program, there’s good news and bad news coming out about their religious rights record.

Al Janssen with Open Doors USA says, “There’s been some openness to discussions by high level government officials in Iran with Christian leaders. In fact, there was a significant dialogue between evangelical and orthodox leaders and Ayatollahs on the Iranian side.”

However, Janssen says there’s bad news, too. “But on the other hand, you have the situation of individual Christians who are suffering severe persecution.”

One of those individuals is 44-year-old Mohsen Namvar. Days after his release from a month of interrogations and severe torture under secret police custody, Namvar has fled across the border into Turkey with his family.

Traveling by train, the badly beaten Christian arrived this month in eastern Turkey with his wife and son.

He had been held incommunicado by a branch of Sepah (the Iranian Revolutionary Guards) from May 31 until June 26, when authorities told his family they were releasing him “temporarily.”

Although the secret police demanded $43,000 in bail, officers refused to issue a court receipt for the family’s cash payment.

At the time of his release, Namvar was experiencing fever, severe back pain, extremely high blood pressure, uncontrollable shaking of his limbs, and recurring short-term memory loss.

“I have no doubt they wanted to kill me,” Namvar told Compass.

According to Namvar, who converted from Islam to Christianity as a teenager, his severe physical mistreatment stemmed from his refusal to give the police any names or information about other converts and house church groups in Iran.

In the spring of 2007, he had been arrested and severely tortured with electrical shocks, allegedly for baptizing Muslims who had become Christians. Three months after back surgery for those injuries, he regained the ability to walk, but still suffered pain and discomfort.

Janssen says, “He’s been experiencing persecution for several years. Once he identified himself as a convert from Islam, he never could really escape from persecution in the area where he lived.”

He says Namvar’s treatment isn’t a generalization. “You can’t say all Muslim converts are suffering like this, because they aren’t. There are many who are quietly living out their faith, but certainly the threat is always there as this situation shows.”

Namvar presented himself last week to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Ankara to apply for status as an asylum-seeker.

He and his family were assigned by the UNHCR to relocate in one of 30 designated satellite cities in Turkey, where he is required to sign in daily at the local police station. They must wait 11 months, until June 8, 2009, for a UNHCR interview in which they will detail their reasons for requesting asylum.

“We are tired in our minds, and very sad,” Namvar’s wife said after learning they must wait nearly a year in Turkey before even presenting her husband’s case. “We were under so much pressure in Iran, and again we are facing it here.”

Nearly 15,000 applications for refugee or asylum status are now in process at the Ankara office, which is the largest UNHCR center in Europe apart from the Geneva headquarters. So their request could take years.

Namvar’s conversion was nothing short of a miracle. “I never knew God until Jesus showed Himself to me in a dream,” Namvar said, recalling his conversion to Christianity 29 years ago. “But ever since then, I have followed Jesus and told others about Him.”

Janssen says this type of conversion isn’t unique. “It’s happening all over the Muslim world, and we should be encourage by that, that God is at work. And we should be praying that that harvest will grow and increase and that more Muslims will have these visions and will get a hold of the Scriptures and will meet Christians who will lead them into the presence of our Lord Jesus.”

He adds that many Iranians don’t support the hard-line government. Janssen says that’s pushing people to look for answers: “Particularly university students and young adults are asking tough questions, looking for alternatives, and they are chafing under the repression under Sharia law,and want the freedom that Christ offers.”

If you’d like to help Open Doors help those who are persecuted for their faith, click here.