Special Events
Director's Lecture Series (June)
Series Title: “Wonders of Creation..Soaring in Splendor"
Day: First Saturday of Every Month
Time: Starts at 11:00 am and again at 2:00 pm
Series Title: “Wonders of Creation..Soaring in Splendor"
Day: First Saturday of Every Month
Time: Starts at 11:00 am and again at 2:00 pm
Creation Evidence Museum will be holding the annual Public Excavation. Experience the fun of a real archilogical excivation. For information see below.
Excavation Details, Registration and Liabilty Waiver
Day & Time: June 29th - July 3rd from 8:00 am - 1:00 pmTheology of Persecution for innocent christinas martyrs ] chi fa del male a persone innocenti, lui dichiara al mondo di servire e di adorare il demonio in ogni modo. [World Watch List Countries. most criminal country: [ all friends of ONU ] North Korea, Somalia Syria Iraq Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Pakistan, Iran Yemen, Sudan Eritrea, Libya Nigeria Uzbekistan Central African Rep. Ethiopia Vietnam Qatar, Turkmenistan, Laos Egypt, Myanmar (Burma), Brunei Colombia, Jordan Oman India Sri Lanka. Tunisia Bhutan, Algeria Mali, Palestinian Territories, United Arab Emirates, Mauritania, China Kuwait, Kazakhstan Malaysia, Bahrain Comoros, Kenya, Morocco, Tajikistan, Djibouti, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Niger.] [ Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. For almost 60 years Open Doors has worked in the world's most oppressive and restrictive countries, strengthening Christians to stand strong in the face of persecution and equipping them to shine Christ's light in these places. These believers stand strong, despite the many obstacles that they face. What are some of the things that we can we learn from their faith? There is something about hardship that allows us to know God deeply. When times get really tough, we discover more about who God is and how He works. Christians who have endured persecution for their faith, know this well. There are no easy answers for why God allows his followers to face suffering. However, the lives of persecuted Christians reveal that even when things look out of control believers can rest secure, knowing that God is still in control. He is able to give courage, peace and even joy to stand strong through the storm. It is through these storms that believers discover God's love in new and powerful ways. Standing Strong Through The Storm is the curriculum that Open Doors uses to help Christians stand strong in the face of persecution. There are six theological and biblical lessons from this curriculum: 1. Sometimes you need to build yourself a cell
Be still, and know that I am God—Psalms 46:10. One Chinese church leader, who spent 23 years in prison, once said this to Christians who did not face persecution: I was pushed into a cell, but you have to push yourself into one. You have no time to know God. You need to build yourself a cell, so you can do for yourself what persecution did for me—simplify your life and know God." It is vital that we spend time with God, to grow in Him, so we are prepared to stand strong in the face of persecution. 2. God keeps secrets. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts—Isaiah 55:8-9. There have been countless stories of persecuted Christians who have died without seeing the fruits of their labor. However, God know all that has been and all that is to come. Our labor is not in vein, it is in His hands.
3. Weakness is a direct path to power. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong—2 Corinthians 12:10. An Egyptian Christian reflected on the way he was treated when he converted to Christ:. "In great suffering you discover a different Jesus than you do in normal life… Pain and suffering bring up to the surface all the weak points of your personality. In my weakest state, I had an incredible realization that Jesus loved me even right then." True empowerment does not come from human means, but through Christ alone. It often takes being at our weakest point to realize this. 4. Overcoming is greater than deliverance. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. —Romans 12:21. Persecuted Christians, no matter what country they are from, do not ask us to pray that persecution would end, but rather ask us to pray that they stand strong through the persecution. They do not wish to be delivered from the persecution, but rather ask us to pray that they would be able to overcome the trials that they are facing in a way that is honoring to God.
5. Extreme hurt requires extreme forgiveness. And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments—Luke 23:34. A Christian widow from Iran said: "I only had hatred in my heart for my enemies who had murdered my husband. But one day a miracle happened. God taught me how I could love my enemies… I had been praying for this, even though on the deepest level I didn't want it to happen. Gradually, through a process of ups and downs, God answered this prayer." The only way we can get through extreme hurt is by forgiving people as Christ did. 6. Prayer is the ultimate fellowship. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering—Hebrews 13:3. Many persecuted Christians often feel isolated and alone, since they are unable to fellowship with other believers. However, prayers from Christians half a world away have brought the same amount of encouragement that fellowship would have for these persecuted Christians. Prayer is vital—not only as a direct line to God, but as a way to encourage our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. 1 Corinthians 12:26 tells us that we are one body—when one member suffers, we all suffer. When one member is lifted up, we all rejoice. The persecuted church and the church in the free world are not two separate entities, but rather are one body. The persecuted church needs the free church to support them and most importantly to lift them up in prayer. The church in the free world learns lessons from the persecuted who have stood strong in the face of persecution. Christ is the head of the body and uses both churches in unique and powerful ways. World Watch List Countries. most criminal country: [ all friends of ONU ] North Korea. Somalia Syria Iraq Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Pakistan, Iran Yemen, Sudan Eritrea, Libya Nigeria Uzbekistan Central African Rep. Ethiopia Vietnam Qatar, Turkmenistan, Laos Egypt Myanmar (Burma), Brunei Colombia, Jordan Oman India Sri Lanka. Tunisia Bhutan, Algeria Mali, Palestinian Territories, United Arab Emirates, Mauritania, China Kuwait, Kazakhstan Malaysia, Bahrain Comoros, Kenya, Morocco, Tajikistan, Djibouti, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Niger.
Baghdad Christmas bombings kill 37. Dec 30 2013 Church spokesman says reports of Christian deaths 'false'
Central African Republic Christians petition for President's removal. Dec 24 2013. They also want removal of Chadian forces; Muslims demand exit of French troops
Read More. Christmas excitement marred by insecurity for Pakistani Christians after deadly year of attacks
Dec 23 2013. Solidarity with Muslim neighbours the sole highlight of turbulent year
Read More. Chinese Christians' lawyers attacked in presence of foreign TV crew
Dec 20 2013.
Whereabouts of 17 Nanle church members still unknown; families in fear
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Iraqi Archbishop calls on West to 'open eyes' to Christians' Middle East exodus
Dec 18 2013. Chaldean Catholic Head says Christians are 'integral part of national Arab tissue'
Prince Charles criticises 'organised persecution' of Middle East Christians
Dec 18 2013
Muslim–Christian relationship in danger of being 'destroyed', says Prince
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Turkey blacklists foreign evangelist without explanation
Dec 17 2013
Another US citizen takes case against government after authorities fail to renew residency
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Pakistani Christian on blasphemy charge speaks out from jail
Dec 16 2013
He says police arrested his family to force his return, then later tried to kill him
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Three pastors among dead in Central African Republic
Dec 13 2013
Religious nature of conflict grows more apparent, as ex-Séléka rebels and anti-Balaka clash
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Egyptian convert arrested for 'inciting sectarian strife'
Dec 13 2013
Bishoy Armeya had sued Egypt to change his religion
Scores killed in Central African Republic
Dec 11 2013
Sectarian violence continues despite expanded military presence
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Malaysia's 'Allah' ruling widely criticised
Dec 11 2013
Church leaders call decision to limit use of 'Allah' to Muslims 'repugnant'
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Rumor of tryst triggers anti-Christian violence in Egypt village
Dec 09 2013
One killed; homes burned in trouble-plagued province
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Pakistan's churches increase security after Peshawar blasts
Dec 06 2013
Officer dies guarding another church in Peshawar
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UN endorses more military in Central African Republic
Dec 05 2013
Mandate is to restore security for civilians.
Nigeria's Boko Haram strikes again in Cameroon
Dec 04 2013. Missionary killed, churches torched around time of French priest's kidnapping
Read More . UK Parliament is told Christianity is 'most persecuted religion'
Dec 04 2013
MPs also hear that one Christian is killed every 11 minutes
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12 nuns 'abducted' as rebels recapture Maaloula
Dec 03 2013
Three other women also abducted; Mother Superior says all 'fine and safe'
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Chinese church protests against arrest of 23 members
Dec 03 2013
Lawyers prevented from seeing detainees; leaders' whereabouts unknown
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Pressure mounts on UN to refer Syria 'war crimes' to ICC
Dec 02 2013
Human Rights Watch calls for UN to address atrocities against Christians.
Dozens killed in fresh attacks in central Nigeria
Nov 29 2013
Four Christian-dominated villages decimated; Muslim tribe suspected of attacks
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Vigilante group formed in Bangladesh to stop Christian activities
Nov 29 2013
Two months after church construction halted, committee wants complete end to Christian influence
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Kenyan bishop hurt in clash with local tribe
Nov 27 2013
Three members of congregation also hurt in attempt to retrieve abducted member
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Church welcomes US designation of Boko Haram as Foreign Terrorist Organisation
Nov 15 2013
Splinter group Ansaru also classified as 'terrorists' One of the major organisations representing Christians in Nigeria has welcomed the US State Department's announcement on Nov 13 that it has ...
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All eyes on Sri Lanka as Commonwealth summit begins
Nov 15 2013
Some world leaders boycott summit, citing human rights abuses Sri Lanka's human rights record has been questioned as a Commonwealth summit takes place in Colombo.Several Commonwealth leaders have ...
Christians face extinction in Middle East, warns UK Minister
Nov 15 2013
Baroness Warsi says the situation for Christians has become a global crisisA UK Foreign Office Minister has warned that Christians in some parts of the world face extinction because of violence ...
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Turkish pastor arrested on human trafficking accusations
Nov 15 2013
Pastor says deliberate plot was hatched to discredit his churchA Turkish Protestant pastor arrested by police in the Black Sea province of Samsun this week is accused of involvement in prostitution ...
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Number of Christian martyrs continues to cause debate
Nov 13 2013
Estimates range from between 1,200 to 100,000 per yearThe debate over the precise number of Christians martyred each year continues.In May, a Vatican spokesman told the United Nations Human Rights ...
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China asks Church for help with social care
Nov 11 2013
Church to play major role in caring for increasingly elderly population The Chinese government has welcomed the role of the Church in providing social care in the country.China's leaders have been ...
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Iran's nuclear programme 'distracting' world from rights abuses
Nov 08 2013
Nobel winner Shirin Ebadi calls EU, US to focus on minorities' plight An Iranian Nobel Prize-winner has warned EU and US officials that Iran's nuclear programme is distracting them from addressing …
Radical Islamists 'control much of northern Syria'
Nov 07 2013
A new survey of Syrian towns by CNN suggests that much of northern Syria has come under the control of radical Islamist groups. CNN claims that Islamist militants, led by a group called the ...
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Youth leader killed in Tanzania church attack
Nov 06 2013
Bishop asks for protection as another church is attacked in northern Tanzania Another Christian leader in northern Tanzania has been killed in what appears to be a targeted attack, with two other ...
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Iranian Christian jailed for 10 years freed
Nov 05 2013
An Iranian Christian sentenced to 10 years in prison has been released after three months. Mostafa Bordbar, 27, was released Nov. 3 from Tehran's Evin Prison after charges of participating in an ...
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Vietnamese Catholics jailed despite protests
Nov 01 2013
Two Vietnamese Catholics whose arrest led to protests last month have been handed jail terms. Nguyen Van Hai, 43, and Ngo Van Khoi, 53, were ordered on Oct. 23 to serve six and seven months, ...
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Christian woman dies in Eritrean jail, as prisoner of conscience
Nov 01 2013
An Eritrean Christian woman has become the latest known prisoner of conscience to have died in Eritrea. The death of Wehazit Berhane Debesai, who was in her thirties, comes amidst renewed ...
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Christian woman dies in Eritrean jail, as prisoner of conscience
Nov 01 2013
Shipping containers, such as these photographed in South Sudan, are used as makeshift prison cells in neighbouring Eritrea. Wehazit Berhane Debesai died during the week of Oct. 14 in an Eritrea prison, though it was not reported if she was being held in a shipping containter.
An Eritrean Christian woman has become the latest known prisoner of conscience to have died in Eritrea.
The death of Wehazit Berhane Debesai, who was in her thirties, comes amidst renewed condemnation of Eritrea's human rights abuses by the United Nations and NGOs.
Debesai died during the week of Oct. 14 of pneumonia, following a year of imprisonment in harsh conditions, where she was denied access to medical treatment because she refused to denounce her Christian beliefs.
Debesai's death also coincided with the arrest of around 70 Christians at a prayer gathering in Asmara, the capital.
These arrests bring to nearly 300 the number of Christians known to have been taken into custody this year in what local Christians have called the most serious campaign against the Eritrean Church yet.
This follows the deaths earlier this month of around 380 mostly Eritrean and Somali migrants as they attempted to flee to Europe in ill-equipped vessels, crossing the Mediterranean from Libya.
The United Nations' special rapporteur on human rights in Eritrea, Sheila Keetharuth, recently told the General Assembly that human rights abuses in Eritrea are causing "countless Eritreans to desert from their positions and flee the country". Eritreans are second only to Syrians in terms of the number of those who have fled to Italy by sea up to 30 September this year (UN figures). "It demonstrates the desperation of those who decide to flee, despite the extreme dangers along escape routes and an unknown future," said Keetharuth.
UN figures claim that between 2,000 and 3,000 people are fleeing Eritrea every month despite a "shoot-to-kill policy" for those who attempt to leave. More than 300,000 Eritreans are believed to have fled the country in the past decade.
Keetharuth said the most serious violations include a lack of freedom of expression, assembly, religious belief and movement; extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, extended incommunicado detention, torture and indefinite national service.
Eritrea's ambassador to the UN, Arya Desta, rejected these claims, saying they were being used as a "tool of political pressure" for making "unfair and unjust" sanctions. He also denied the implementation of a shoot-to-kill policy.
Debesai had been taking part in national service when she was arrested last year for her involvement in Christian activities outside of the government-sanctioned Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran church groups.
Debesai, who was engaged to be married, was then kept incommunicado in Adi Quala, near the Ethiopian border.
Her fiancé Yohannes was arrested on the same day and also held in Adi Quala.
A representative of Open Doors, a charity that works with Christians under pressure for their faith, said that many Christian men and women are being held in underground dungeons, metal shipping containers and military detention centres.
"They face exposure, hard labour and insufficient food, water and hygiene. They are regularly denied medical treatment for malaria and pneumonia contracted while in prison or diseases like diabetes, hypertension or cancer that they may have arrived with," said the representative.
A number of rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have condemned Eritrea's human rights record. Amnesty International claims that Eritrea's prisons are filled with "thousands of political prisoners, locked up without ever being charged with a crime, many of whom are never heard from again".
At least 10,000 political prisoners have been imprisoned since 1993, claims the organisation, and many die in detention as a result of "torture, appalling conditions or suicide".
Speaking to the BBC World Service in the aftermath of the first Eritrean deaths off the island of Lampedusa, Gaiam Ciprian of London's South Bank University said that every Eritrean between 16 and 40 has to do national service, and since there is no effective de-mobilisation, so no-one really leaves it.
He also said the Eritrean economy has virtually collapsed.
Source:World Watch Monitor
Iranians jailed for 'house church' attendance
Oct 30 2013
Christians lose appeals against incarceration for meeting together to pray Four Iranian Christians jailed for attending a 'house church' have lost their judicial appeals. Mojtaba Seyyed Alaedin ...
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Two pastors killed in Kenya
Oct 29 2013
Perpetrators must be arrested and security increased, say church leaders Two pastors from southern coastal towns in Kenya were killed last weekend in separate attacks. Charles Mathole, a leader of ...
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One third of Syrian Christians have gone, says cleric
Oct 24 2013
Patriarch claims more than 450,000 have fled, but opinions vary Almost a third of Syria's Christians have left since the start of the civil war, according to one of the country's senior clerics. ...
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Clerics call on UN military force to secure Central African Republic
Oct 23 2013
In joint statement, Christian leaders warn of 'interfaith civil war' The leaders of the Central African Republic's 4 million Christians have issued a joint plea for military help to disarm a ...
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Northern Iraq no longer safe for Christians
Oct 22 2013
Once a relative safe haven, Kurdish north is becoming increasingly dangerous An increase in violence against Christians in northern Iraq has increased the flow of Christians leaving the country. ...
Bajrang Dal pressure villagers to leave Christianity
Oct 16 2013
Nationalist Hindu group destroys church, threatens believers For much of the year, Christians in the central India village of Taragaon have been enduring pressure to abandon their religion. In ...
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Indian Christians sentenced to life terms will appeal
Oct 15 2013. No evidence to warrant convictions, lawyers say India's churches are urging an appeal of the lifetime sentences handed down on Oct. 3 to seven men convicted for the 2008 murder of a prominent Hindu ...
Read More. Iran 'abuses' Christians' national and international rights
Oct 14 2013
Christians are jailed, tortured and prevented from meeting together Iran's continued mistreatment of its Christian minority was raised at a recent meeting of the United Nations Human Rights ...
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African migrants risk lives to flee war and persecution
Oct 10 2013
Freedom to choose faith one factor driving them into smugglers' boatsThe latest tragic incident of hundreds of African migrants drowning in European waters tells a wider story.Scratch beneath the ...
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Tension high as Mombasa Muslims protest cleric's murder
Oct 09 2013
Murder causes riots in days after siege of Westgate Shopping Centre in NairobiTension remains high in Kenya's port city of Mombasa after riots in protest at the murder of a prominent Muslim cleric on … Leaving home
Oct 07 2013. A couple of days after she fled Syria for Turkey, a colleague sent me a message."Dear Nuri, this is a court that the extremists established in my city, Lattakia, in the [Syrian] village of Kansabba. … Read More
Promised legal reforms disappoint Turkey's religious minorities
Oct 04 2013. Latest reforms positive but inadequate, say minority groupsThe Turkish government's long-awaited "democratisation package" of reform laws announced this week has met with considerable disappointment ...
Read More . Boko Haram killing spree claims 110 Nigerians
Oct 01 2013. the militant Islamist sect Boko Haram is suspected of killing at least 110 people of various faiths across Nigeria during the past week, prompting the country's top Catholic bishop to declare the … Read More. Iran releases 2 Christians, but many more still imprisoned
Sep 20 2013. Prisoners freed on eve of President's UN addressTwo Christian women were among a number of prisoners of conscience released in Iran, ahead of new President Hassan Rouhani's first address to the UN … Read More. After the storm. Sep 20 2013. A few days on from the Egyptian army's re-establishment of state control over Delga in Minya province, the country's Coptic Christians are beginning to reveal the extent of their sufferings at the …
Interfaith conflict threatens to engulf Central African Republic
Sep 18 2013. Evangelical Alliance leader risks arrest to condemn violence; President disbands rebelsClashes between Christians and Muslims in the northwest of the Central African Republic (CAR) have increased ...
Read More. Catholic priest victim of latest Zanzibar acid attack
Sep 17 2013. Fifth such attack on the island since NovemberAn elderly Catholic priest has been the victim of an acid attack in Zanzibar.Amselmo Mwangamba was attacked on Friday (September 13) and is now in … Read More. Egyptian army breaks Islamist grip on Delga
Sep 16 2013. Since the Aug. 14 wave of anti-Christian violence that swept over Egypt, the Christians of Delga have complained they had been abandoned by government security forces. Many of their churches and ...
Read More. Vietnamese police crush protests against Catholics' imprisonment
Sep 13 2013. Dozens injured, as police use tear gas, batons and police dogsAround 40 people have been injured in Vietnam during a protest against the 3-month detention of two Catholics on minor charges.The protest … Read More. Christians flee Pakistani village after pastor accused of blasphemy. Sep 12 2013. Dozens of Christian families have fled from their homes in a village near Lahore after a pastor was accused of blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad.In a discussion with a Muslim man on August 24, … Christian woman raped and murdered in Madhya Pradesh
Sep 10 2013. Four men were today convicted of the fatal gang rape of a medical student in Delhi - a story that has grabbed the world's attention. Meanwhile, a little further south, the case of a Christian woman … Read More. Moroccan Christian jailed for evangelizing
Sep 09 2013. Mohamed el Baldi convicted for 'shaking the faith' of MuslimsA Moroccan Christian man has been jailed for two-and-a-half years and fined for evangelizing.Mohamed el Baldi, 34, from the town of Ain ...
Read More. Pastor taken hostage in Philippines rebel attack. Sep 09 2013. A pastor has been taken hostage and several Christians are among the many injured in an attack by a rebel group in the Philippines.The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) is suspected of carrying ...
Read More. Maldives elections unlikely to improve religious freedom
Sep 06 2013. Tourist hotspot the only place where being non-Muslim is illegalKnown for its golden sands and crystal waters, the Maldives is perhaps not the first country that springs to mind when one considers … Read More. Renewed day by day. Sep 04 2013. A photographic journey into the destruction, and resilience, of Egypt's churchesPhoto: Miriam, a member of Bishop Moussa Coptic Church in Minya, absorbs the destruction caused Aug 14 by pro-Morsi ...
Download. Christian woman raped and murdered in Madhya Pradesh
Sep 10 2013. The bed where the woman's body was found. Courtesy: World Watch Monitor. Four men were today convicted of the fatal gang rape of a medical student in Delhi - a story that has grabbed the world's attention. Meanwhile, a little further south, the case of a Christian woman who suffered the same fate has gone relatively unnoticed.. The 30-year-old was raped and killed on August 29 in Bakoudi village in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
The woman, whose name has not been released to protect her family's security and privacy, was found the next morning by her mother-in-law.
Witnesses told World Watch Monitor she had suffered multiple stab wounds to her torso and had been strangled with her own sari.
Two suspects, both Hindus, have been arrested. Mahesh Dohre, 23, who worked with the victim's husband, and Durgesh Potfode, 25, are residents of Bakoudi. They have both been released. It is unclear whether they will face further official charges. The local Christian community has been shocked by the event and expressed concerns about its vulnerability to local authorities. It is uncertain whether the attack took place because of the woman's faith, but Christian women often report threats in the area. Christians comprise a tiny fraction of the population of Madhya Pradesh (the 2001 census put the figure at around 170,000 people, or 0.3%) and just 2.3% of the total population of India (2011 census).
In the vast and diverse country, Christians often live freely. However, India ranks among the 50 countries where life as a Christian is most difficult, according to Open Doors International, a global ministry that serves Christians who are pressured because of their faith. The country is No. 31 on Open Doors' 2013 World Watch List, largely because of a streak of Hindu nationalism, or Hindutva, that envisions India as a purely Hindu state. Source:World Watch Monitor. Dozens of 'noisy' churches silenced in Cameroon. Sep 03 2013. Government continues crackdown on Pentecostal movementThe government of Cameroon has ordered the closure of dozens of churches in an attempt to put an end to what it considers to be anarchy among some ...
Read More. 40 Pakistani Christian families face hunger after Gojra elopement dispute
Sep 02 2013. Christian minority targeted after Muslim girl elopes with Christian manLast month was the fourth anniversary of one of the worst outbreaks of violence against Pakistan's minority Christian community … Read More. North Korea rescinds invitation to U.S. envoy
Aug 30 2013. Diplomatic trip to free Kenneth Bae is offNorth Korea has rescinded its invitation to a special U.S. envoy who had planned to visit Pyongyang with hopes of bringing jailed American Kenneth Bae .. Read More. Viewpoint: A troubling call from Syria
Aug 29 2013. Nuri Kino is a Sweden-based independent investigative reporter, filmmaker, author, Middle East and human-rights analyst. His report, titled "The Camp," which examined the construction of a massive … Read More Court case hangs over Indonesian pastor
Aug 26 2013. Pastor says he was the victim, as human rights group questions police logicPastor says he was the victim, as human rights group questions police logicAn Indonesian pastor remains in a tortured .. Italian priest still unaccounted for in Syria. Aug 22 2013. Fr. Dall'Oglio reported abducted last month, now presumed deadConflicting reports are emerging about the whereabouts and welfare of an Italian Jesuit priest who went missing almost one month ...
Rimsha accused goes free. Aug 21 2013
Cleric acquitted due to 'insufficient evidence'Photo: Rights activist Basharat Khokhar, left; Mizrak Masih, centre; daughter Rimsha, right, in early 2013, after her release.The Muslim cleric suspected … Read More . What caused Syria's civil war?
Aug 16 2013. Revd. Nadim NassarThroughout its history, ancient and modern, Syria has played host to ethnic and religious minorities living together very much in harmony.Syria, in the original sense of what … Churches across Egypt attacked
Aug 14 2013. Photo: Coptic Kids at St. George in Sohag, Egypt - after church was attacked by Morsi supportersNumerous Christian churches across Egypt were attacked on Wednesday by mobs angered by the military's ...
Read More. In Egypt, Christian anxieties mount as Islamist hostility increases
Aug 13 2013. Coptic Pope cancels public appearancesPhoto: A burned truck is part of the damage caused Aug. 3 by a 4,000-person anti-Christian mob in Bani Ahmed, Egypt.Mass no longer is being celebrated at The … Italian priest still unaccounted for in Syria
Aug 22 2013. Fr. Dall'Oglio reported abducted last month, now presumed dead
Fr. Paolo Dall'Oglio, pictured in his native Italy in 2012.
Conflicting reports are emerging about the whereabouts and welfare of an Italian Jesuit priest who went missing almost one month ago.
Reuters reported on July 29 that Fr. Paolo Dall'Oglio had been abducted by Islamists with links to al-Qaeda in the northern Syrian city of ar-Raqqah, but the Vatican would not confirm the news.
Now, as various reports claim the priest has been killed, the Vatican remains tight-lipped.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported last week that the priest had been killed, but retracted its statement on Monday, Aug. 19.
The rights organisation said sources close to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, which claimed it has kidnaped Dall'Oglio, said he was still alive. ISIS has yet to make a statement.
"No side refuting the report that Father Paolo was killed has shown any evidence to prove that he is alive, despite their empty assurances," said a statement released by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The group called for "solid evidence" to be given, such as a recent video proving that he is alive, and a statement from a "clear and honest" member of the Syrian opposition.
"Any harm inflicted on Father Paolo is harm inflicted on the Syrian revolution and on the Syrian peoples' freedoms and dignity," SOHR said.
"No side refuting the report that Father Paolo was killed has shown any evidence to prove that he is alive, despite their empty assurances."--Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
A Jesuit spokesperson earlier this month expressed "deep worry" about the fate of Dall'Oglio.
Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino said: "We are still groping in the dark".
Dall'Oglio worked in Syria for more than 30 years, and described his work as "promoting Islamic-Christian harmony-building". He was expelled last year after speaking out against President Bashar al-Assad and helping victims of the civil war. Since then, he has been working predominantly in Europe. On July 22, he posted an online petition asking Pope Francis to advocate on behalf of suffering Syrians.
However, his stance has been controversial for many Syrian Christian leaders. Nadim Nassar, the only Syrian Anglican priest, told World Watch Monitor: "Any attempt to politicise the voice of Christians in Syria is wrong, and devastating for them, because it weakens them".
Meanwhile, there is nothing new to report about the two Syrian bishops – Yohanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yaziji – kidnapped four months ago.
Metropolitan Timotheus Matta Fadil Alkhouri, patriarchal Assistant for the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, urged members of the press and politicians to refrain from speculation.
"Every week some politician or some journalist pulls out some story on the two Metropolitan Bishops of Aleppo kidnapped," he told Fides. "But so far they have always been unverifiable deductions. The reality is that… we do not know who kidnapped them."
Source: World Watch Monitor. What caused Syria's civil war?
Aug 16 2013. Revd. Nadim Nassar. Photo: Revd. Nadim Nassar
Throughout its history, ancient and modern, Syria has played host to ethnic and religious minorities living together very much in harmony.
Syria, in the original sense of what is now known as "Greater Syria", encompassed much of the Levant – today's states of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, plus a portion of Turkey. This is the cradle of the three major monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam; two were born in Syria, and Islam found its way there very early in its existence.
Its geopolitical position brought Syria to the attention of many different superpowers and, sadly, it has often been a battleground for these foreign powers. Throughout millennia of occupation and recent decades of independence, the minorities in Syria have always stayed true to their homeland: they played a major role in the liberation from the Ottomans after more than 500 years of oppression, and from the French Mandate in the twentieth century, leading to independence in 1946.
Christians, Druze, Alawites, Kurds and other, smaller minorities worked hand in hand with the majority Sunnis to secure the liberation of Syria from all foreign occupation.
In 1970 the political situation in Syria took a dramatic turn when a faction of military leaders who were Alawites – an Islamic sect – took power. After many centuries in which the Syrians had been ruled by outsiders, they now found themselves ruled by one of their own minorities.
For years Syrians hoped that the Assads, the ruling family, would bring stability and freedom after the troubled 1950s and 60s, during which a series of coups d'états pushed the country into uncertainty and military conflict. In 1973, just three years after he seized power, Hafez al-Assad joined with Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat in a new major war against Israel. The Soviet Union supplied Egypt and Syria with arms, while the United States of America backed Israel. This disastrous war damaged relations throughout the Middle East and achieved little for Syria.
Before the region could recover, civil war engulfed Syria's southern neighbour, Lebanon. The superpowers and regional powers, including Syria, used their allies in Lebanon to wage their own proxy wars in the midst of the 17-year-long Lebanese Civil War. This act by the ruling minority dragged Syria into the heart of the bloodshed through indirect and direct military intervention.
At this time, President Hafez al-Assad focused most of his energy on foreign politics, especially the on-going conflict with Israel, and left Syria to be run mainly by members of his family and the Intelligence Services.
Trade with the rest of the world was tightly controlled by the Assad regime, and many benefitted from the Lebanese Civil War through establishing smuggling rings and black markets across the Syrian-Lebanese border – with the support of many of those in power; this was the beginning of the awful corruption that has infected Syria.
In an extremely closed economy, smuggling became the norm – even fruit, vegetables and daily products like butter, tea, sugar, bananas and tissues had to be smuggled into Syria from Lebanon and Jordan.
The corruption deepened as time went on, creating a new upper class of people from all religions who took advantage of the situation and got closer to the Alawite regime in order to further their business.
This squeezed the traditional middle class and deprived them of much of their income, fomenting anger and hostility towards the regime and towards Alawites in general.
"What is happening in Syria today is not merely the result of a minority ruling a majority. Some of those who are supported by external powers would like the conflict to be seen in this way, but the changes the people seek have nothing to do with Assad coming from a minority." --Revd. Nadim Nassar
The regime maintained its hold on power through the usual measures employed by a dictatorship: eliminating dissent through censoring the media, silencing opponents and critics, preventing free speech and denying political expression.
That created an atmosphere of fear and resentment of the Alawites and the Assad family in particular.
In the early eighties the Assad regime killed tens of thousands in the western city of Hama to silence the uprising of a Sunni group, the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood had been terrorising parts of Syria through assassination and bombing.
This brutal act did not end the Syrian people's resentment against the regime but merely drove it deeper underground where it would smoulder under the fist of the regime.
When Hafez al-Assad died in 2000, his second son, Bashar, an ophthalmologist living in London, inherited the Presidency.
The people hoped that a young President, who studied in the West and who had married an intelligent and charming Syrian-British woman, could change the situation which his father had created. Many people were almost euphorically optimistic – they saw Bashar as an open-minded, well-travelled reformer.
Indeed, Bashar al-Assad began to restore proper international trade and he started to reform the country, but everything quickly slipped back to the old corrupt ways. Most of the promises of change that Bashar made in his inauguration speech evaporated.
For most Syrians, religion was not a source of tension and conflict. I have always had dear Muslim, Alawite and Druze friends, and differences in belief were never an issue.
Sadly this has now changed in my homeland. Sectarianism was not a part of a Syrian lifestyle until recently. It has been imported by foreign religious fanatics.
The conflict in Syria began as a protest against the corruption that blighted every aspect of people's lives and the lack of freedom; the people demanded radical reforms in how Syria was governed.
The lack of response to these demands was followed by severe and sustained military action against those who protested, and this violence drove some in the opposition to seek help from foreign governments in the region. Many of these governments are keen to shatter the age-old alliance between Syria and Iran, and the fall of the Assad regime would help them greatly; for this reason, they offered military and financial aid to the opposition but only on the condition that the "new Syria" would cut links with Iran and with Hezbollah in South Lebanon.
Some religious leaders outside Syria then called for a Sunni uprising against the minorities – with the Alawites being at the top of the list. Sadly, Christians are also on that list because they are wrongly seen as having been protected by the Alawites.
As the conflict continued, this new sectarianism spread; it became popular because it legitimised violence against others – even those who were not part of the regime. The regime's acts of war against its own people across Syria only encouraged further resentment against the regime and the Alawites.
What is happening in Syria today is not merely the result of a minority ruling a majority. Some of those who are supported by external powers would like the conflict to be seen in this way, but the changes the people seek have nothing to do with Assad coming from a minority.
The change the Syrians desire with all their hearts is the change from oppression to freedom, from corruption to the rule of law, from dictatorship to democracy. This change would be to the great benefit of all Syrians. Source: World Watch Monitor. Churches across Egypt attacked, Aug 14 2013
Coptic Kids at St. George in Sohag, Egypt - after church was attacked by Morsi supporters
Photo: Coptic Kids at St. George in Sohag, Egypt - after church was attacked by Morsi supporters
Numerous Christian churches across Egypt were attacked on Wednesday by mobs angered by the military's armed crackdown on protesters in Cairo. The official death toll has passed 500; a state of emergency and curfew are in effect. St George's Cathedral. Sohag. Southern Egypt just burnt by Muslim Brotherhood supporters.. Photo: St George's Cathedral. Sohag, Southern Egypt just burnt by Muslim Brotherhood supporters.
Watani International provided the following tally of assaults on Christian churches and other buildings: Three churches and six buildings at the monastery of the Holy Virgin and Anba Abra'am in Dalga, Minya, Upper Egypt. The church of Mar-Mina in the district of Abu-Hilal in the town of Minya. The bishopric church of Mar-Girgis (St George) in Sohag, Upper Egypt (video below)
The church of the Holy Virgin in Nazla, Fayoum, Lower Egypt. The Baptist church in Beni-Mazar, Minya. Coptic-owned shops in Gumhouriya Street in Assiut, Upper Egypt. The Good Shepherd School in Suez. The Fransiscan School in Suez. Bible Society of Egypt bookstore in Fayoum. The church of al-Amir Tawadros (St Theodore) in Fayoum. The church of the Holy Virgin in the district of Abu-Hilal in the town of Minya. The Catholic church of St Mark, Minya. The Jesuit church in Abu-Hilal, Minya. The church of Mar-Morqos (St Mark) and its community centre, Sohag
18 houses of Coptic families in Dalga, Minya, including the home of Father Angaelus Melek of the Holy Virgin and Anba Abra'am's· The Evangelical church on Nassara Street in Abu-Hilal, Minya. The church of Anba Moussa al-Aswad in Minya. Coptic-owned shops, pharmacies, and a doctor's clinic in Minya (photo below) Photo of fire set in a shop owned by coptic citizen in El minya governorate upper Egypt. Photo: Fire set in a shop owned by coptic citizen in El minya governorate upper Egypt. The Jesuit church in Minya (attacked, not burned)
The St Fatima Basilica in Cairo (attacked, not burned)
St Joseph's School in Minya (attacked, not burned)
The Nile boat al-Dahabiya, owned by the Evangelical Church in Minya
Coptic-owned shops, pharmacy, and hotels on Karnak Street and Cleopatra Street in Luxor (attacked and looted)
The church of Mar-Girgis (St George) in Wasta (attacked)
The church of St Michael on Nemeis Street in Assiut, Upper Egypt
The Adventist church in Assiut; the pastor and his wife were both kidnapped
The Greek church in Suez. The church of Mar-Girgis in Assiut
Coptic houses on Qulta Street in Assiut attacked
The church of Mar-Girgis (St George) in Arish, North Sina
The church of St Dimiana and the Evangelical church in the village of Zerbi in Fayoum
The offices of the Evangelical foundation in Minya, and those of Umm al-Nour in Beni-Mazar, Minya. The church of Anba Antonius in Kerdassa, Giza
The bishopric church in Etfeeh, Giza. A church burning in Sohag, multiple angles
Photo: A church burning in Sohag, multiple angles.
Additionally, the Bible Society of Egypt reported that another of its bookstores, in Minya, was burned. Source: World Watch Monitor