March 2017 Persecution Magazine
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WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
PERSECU ION<br />
Hill<br />
Hero<br />
Rep. Chris Smith<br />
(New Jersey) has<br />
spent 36 years<br />
fighting for the<br />
persecuted!<br />
PERSECU ION.org<br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
Table of Contents<br />
In This Issue:<br />
HEROES ON THE HILL<br />
14 | Rep. Chris Smith<br />
ICC interviews Congressman Chris Smith<br />
on his defense of religious freedom.<br />
PAKISTAN<br />
18 | Victory in the Midst of <strong>Persecution</strong><br />
A recent judgment in favor of two Christians<br />
accused of blasphemy in Pakistan provides<br />
a small, yet complicated, ray of hope for<br />
Pakistan’s Christian community.<br />
IRAQ<br />
22 | Home at Last<br />
ICC completes construction of homes for 10<br />
displaced Iraqi Christian families.<br />
INDONESIA<br />
24 | A Paradox of Religious Freedom<br />
Indonesian pastors must work<br />
underground despite “religious freedom.”<br />
VIETNAM<br />
26 | Christian <strong>Persecution</strong> in Vietnam<br />
Vietnam’s Montagnard Christians, one of<br />
the country’s most brutalized groups, are<br />
learning to report incidents of persecution.<br />
KENYA<br />
28 | Testimonies from Mandera<br />
Survivors of al-Shabaab attacks in<br />
northeastern Kenya share their experiences<br />
months after suffering great loss.<br />
Regular Features<br />
3 Letter from the President<br />
A few words from ICC’s president, Jeff<br />
King, on the promise and hope of home,<br />
life, and freedom.<br />
4 World News<br />
A snapshot of the persecution that<br />
impacts our brothers and sisters daily, in<br />
every corner of the world.<br />
8 Your Dollars at Work<br />
Learn how your gifts are providing<br />
comfort, relief, Bibles, education and<br />
vocational training to the persecuted.<br />
12 West Watch<br />
Faith under siege in the Western world.<br />
14<br />
23<br />
19<br />
27<br />
29<br />
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MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
President’s Letter<br />
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My<br />
Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that<br />
I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place<br />
for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be<br />
where I am.”<br />
- John 14:1-3, NIV<br />
Home is such a simple concept for most, but for too many Christians from Iraq<br />
and Syria it has turned into only a memory. Many have fled to Europe while others<br />
are in refugee camps in other regions. Still many more are refugees in their<br />
own countries.<br />
Driven out of their homes by ISIS, hundreds of thousands of Christians have lost<br />
their homes and many are living in the Erbil area. For many, their “home” for the<br />
last two years has been in a derelict building or in even in worn out, threadbare,<br />
burning hot, then freezing cold, tents.<br />
Jeff King, President<br />
International Christian Concern<br />
We were able to help a few of these Christian refugees settle into new compact, but comfortable, homes in Erbil (see pg. 22).<br />
The gratitude and relief on their faces as we gave them their new homes was at the same time heartbreaking and a blessing.<br />
Yesterday, a dear friend called to tell me that he had lost his job. As we spoke, he remarked that he’s really longing for home.<br />
His true home. You remember Jesus told the disciples that He must depart to prepare a place for us and would return when<br />
“everything was ready.” That place He’s preparing is our true home and the North star of your heart and what it aches for.<br />
You see we too are adrift, homeless, and stateless, but we don’t feel it as acutely as the refugee because we have houses and<br />
apartments to live in (1 Peter 2:11).<br />
I once heard an old preacher who taught young pastors say, “Preach to broken hearts because there’s one in every pew!”<br />
If you are one of those broken hearts, I want to let you in on a spiritual secret that I reminded my old friend of last night.<br />
When you’ve taken one of life’s shots to the gut is when the devil’s whisperings get into your soul. They leave you desperate,<br />
panicked, turning in circles, and in great fear. Remember, he’s a roaring lion! The devil’s great lies are that he (Satan) doesn’t<br />
exist and the other is that God has forgotten you and doesn’t love you.<br />
If you are presently broken and in great pain, I want you to try something: stop trying to escape! Rather, embrace your circumstances<br />
and thank Him for the spot you find yourself in.<br />
This doesn’t make any worldly sense and you will have to do this by faith at first, but thank Him repeatedly for the growth the<br />
pain will bring to you and let the pain drive you close to Him rather than driving you to a panicked desire to flee your cage.<br />
Thank Him over and over until your heart starts to overflow and thankfulness truly comes. Something happens when you<br />
reach this point that is close to magic.<br />
You will be set free! Not from all the pain, but from the fear, panic, and despair. He is close to the broken-hearted and knows<br />
your pain. Once you run on the fuel of trust, gratitude, and God’s presence, it will break Satan’s power.<br />
Please join me as we bandage and build His persecuted Church - your suffering brothers and sisters.<br />
As always, your donations will be used efficiently, effectively, and ethically.<br />
I promise!<br />
Jeff King<br />
President<br />
International Christian Concern<br />
www.persecution.org<br />
PERSECU ION.org<br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />
3
News<br />
ISIS Leader Converts to Christianity<br />
after Trying to Kill TV Ministry Worker<br />
1 | MIDDLE EAST According to the Gospel Herald, a<br />
well-known leader from the Islamic State converted to<br />
Christianity after meeting up with a television ministry<br />
worker. The ISIS leader was watching one of Dr. Michael<br />
Youssef’s Christian television programs when he had the<br />
idea to call into the show, with the intention of killing<br />
whoever had the misfortune of picking up the call.<br />
The ISIS leader requested a meet-up with the ministry<br />
worker and, soon enough, the two were face-to-face as the<br />
ministry worker shared the hope of the Gospel. Following<br />
their discussion, the ISIS leader reportedly had a dream in<br />
which God was further revealed to him, confirming the<br />
truth that was discussed during this exchange.<br />
The ISIS leader has since given his life to Christ and<br />
abandoned his ties with radical Islam. Furthermore, upon<br />
a second meeting with the ministry worker, this new<br />
believer revealed his original intentions. Youssef (pictured),<br />
the host of the program, has testified to the man’s<br />
renewed life, referring to him as a “brother in Christ.”<br />
1 6<br />
4<br />
5<br />
2<br />
3<br />
Sudanese Court Frees Imprisoned<br />
Pastor Facing Death Sentence<br />
2 | SUDAN After much prayer and international outcry on<br />
his behalf, Pastor Kuwa Shamaal was recently released<br />
from prison. Pastor Shamaal was imprisoned with three<br />
other Christians who were all held on similar charges such<br />
as espionage, gathering false news, waging war against<br />
the state, and inciting violence. Some of these charges<br />
carry the potential for the death penalty as the maximum<br />
sentence.<br />
Pastor Shamaal was initially arrested on December<br />
18, 2015, but released a few days later before he was<br />
rearrested in May 2016. The international human rights<br />
community has condemned the arrest of Shamaal and the<br />
three other Christians, calling the charges against the men<br />
groundless.<br />
The four men were arrested in connection to a receipt,<br />
which showed that one of the men provided financial support<br />
to assist a Darfuri burn victim who was injured during<br />
2013 demonstrations. The evidence for these charges<br />
is weak and certainly not<br />
grounds for the death penalty<br />
by most standards.<br />
Thankfully, Shamaal was<br />
among a few Christian<br />
leaders who have been<br />
released from prison in<br />
Sudan due to international<br />
pressure in recent years.<br />
At the time of writing,<br />
Pastor Shamaal’s fellow<br />
inmates are still suffering<br />
in prison. ICC, along with<br />
the international community,<br />
continues to pray and<br />
advocate for their release.<br />
7<br />
Teenage Girls<br />
Released<br />
from Prison in<br />
Ethiopia<br />
3 | ETHIOPIA In<br />
the predominantly<br />
Muslim town of<br />
Babile, Ethiopia,<br />
four Christian<br />
teenage girls were<br />
recently released<br />
from prison after<br />
being detained for<br />
sharing their faith<br />
with a group of<br />
Muslim friends.<br />
Word spread about<br />
the religious discussion<br />
to the Muslim<br />
friends’ parents and<br />
eventually reached<br />
the local Muslim<br />
officials. The girls<br />
were taken in for<br />
“painting a bad<br />
image of Islam”<br />
and the prosecutor<br />
initially requested<br />
a jail sentence of 15<br />
years.<br />
Thankfully, the<br />
girls were released<br />
after several months<br />
of complicated court<br />
dealings.<br />
However, family<br />
and friends<br />
are concerned for<br />
the girls’ safety.<br />
Unfortunately, their<br />
concerns are justified<br />
as the girls have<br />
been the targets of<br />
death threats and<br />
threats of mob violence.<br />
While all are<br />
happy that the girls<br />
are no longer behind<br />
bars, there is a long<br />
way to go until they<br />
can return to normalcy.<br />
4 PERSECU ION.org<br />
MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
St. Mark’s Cathedral — Cairo, Egypt<br />
A nun looks on in the aftermath of a Sunday<br />
morning bombing that killed 28 parishioners,<br />
primarily women and children, on December 11.<br />
Cairo Church Bombing Kills at Least 28<br />
4 | EGYPT On December 11, the bombing of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo, Egypt, led to the deaths of at least 28 people and wounded many more.<br />
The suicide bomber, who had ties to ISIS, detonated the device during a Sunday morning service. The blast primarily struck women and children.<br />
In response, President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi declared a three-day period of national mourning as the Christian community gathered to mourn and<br />
protest the most devastating attack on Egypt’s Christians in recent years.<br />
Christians Imprisoned for “Witchcraft”<br />
5 | NEPAL Toward the end of 2016, four Christians in<br />
Nepal were sentenced to a five-year prison term under<br />
charges of witchcraft. The charges arose when a mentally<br />
ill woman voluntarily reached out to a church, seeking<br />
assistance. The Christians in the church prayed for healing<br />
for the woman which was the basis for the witchcraft<br />
charge. This is just one of several instances of Christians<br />
being persecuted by the law in Nepal, many of which were<br />
due to Nepal’s new anti-evangelism laws.<br />
Although Nepal is technically a secular nation, the<br />
country is plagued with religious restrictions and Christian<br />
persecution continues to grow, partially due to rising<br />
Hindu nationalism.<br />
Boy Beaten for<br />
Drinking Water<br />
from Mosque<br />
Fountain<br />
6 | PAKISTAN<br />
An online video<br />
recently surfaced<br />
of a Christian boy<br />
in Pakistan being<br />
beaten in public for<br />
drinking water from<br />
a fountain in a public<br />
facility within a local<br />
mosque. The boy<br />
cried out in pain as<br />
he was beaten with<br />
sticks by a group of<br />
Muslim men.<br />
This case is<br />
representative of<br />
countless incidents<br />
where Christians in<br />
Pakistan are treated<br />
as second-class citizens<br />
by the Muslim<br />
majority.<br />
Jakarta Governor Tried for Blasphemy<br />
7 | INDONESIA In December 2016, the trial began<br />
for the Christian governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja<br />
Purnama, commonly referred to as “Ahok,” who is on<br />
trial for blasphemy. Ahok initially received backlash<br />
following a speech he delivered, commenting that rival<br />
politicians were misusing the Quran to their political<br />
advantage. In response to the alleged blasphemy, many<br />
Muslims gathered in the streets in protest, with some<br />
calling for legal action and others calling for violence.<br />
Ahok has spoken out to defend himself, saying that it<br />
was never his intention to insult Islam, but rather to<br />
prevent an unfair election by informing Muslim voters<br />
that it was permissible for them to cast a ballot for a non-<br />
Muslim candidate.<br />
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INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />
5
News<br />
1<br />
4<br />
3<br />
5<br />
2<br />
6<br />
Massachusetts Pastor Faces Possible<br />
Fine for Overseas Comments on<br />
Homosexuality<br />
1 | UNITED STATES Pastor Scott Lively of Springfield,<br />
Massachusetts, is being sued by a Ugandan LGBT rights<br />
group, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), for comments<br />
that he allegedly made while in their country against<br />
homosexual behavior.<br />
The group alleges that Lively’s speech amounts to<br />
crimes against humanity, asserting that his public remarks<br />
led to violence and discrimination against Uganda’s<br />
LGBT community. They also allege that Lively “conspired”<br />
to persecute LGBT Ugandans.<br />
Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel,<br />
a non-profit that is representing Lively, says of the case,<br />
“After 100 hours of depositions and 40,000 pages of documents,<br />
SMUG has no evidence whatsoever connecting<br />
Lively to any act of so-called ‘persecution.’ SMUG has<br />
always claimed it was not trying to hold Lively liable for<br />
his speaking and writing. Yet the more SMUG writes,<br />
the more obvious it becomes that SMUG wants to punish<br />
Lively for his beliefs. This is clearly a vendetta against<br />
Lively for speaking<br />
about homosexuality<br />
and God’s design for<br />
the family in Uganda.”<br />
Liberty Counsel<br />
filed a brief to oppose<br />
this lawsuit in district<br />
court in December of<br />
2016.<br />
The Alien Tort<br />
Statute states that non-<br />
US citizens can bring<br />
suit in US courts for<br />
violations of US laws<br />
overseas. This is the<br />
first time that a suit<br />
has been brought<br />
under the Alien Tort<br />
Statute for persecution<br />
on the basis of sexuality.<br />
If found guilty,<br />
the legal implications<br />
could result in a precedent<br />
of prosecuting<br />
American citizens who<br />
are outspoken about<br />
their beliefs overseas<br />
if opposing entities file<br />
suit.<br />
Although this case<br />
is treading new ground<br />
in its prosecution of<br />
US citizens overseas,<br />
it is part of an ongoing<br />
trend which discriminates<br />
against religious<br />
leaders and business<br />
owners who speak<br />
openly about certain<br />
subjects in a way<br />
that conflicts with the<br />
mainstream media.<br />
Police Offensive<br />
Against Civil<br />
Rights Lawyers<br />
Continues<br />
China Admits to Detaining Activist<br />
2 | CHINA Weeks after Jiang Tianyong mysteriously<br />
went missing, the Chinese government has finally<br />
admitted that they are responsible for his disappearance.<br />
Although it is required by law that authorities<br />
notify the family within 24 hours when someone is<br />
detained, at the time of writing, Jiang’s family has still<br />
yet to receive contact, despite the government’s claims<br />
that they issued two notices. Rather, a state media<br />
report confirmed his detention.<br />
According to the report, Jiang is being held on<br />
charges of “illegally possessing documents classified<br />
as state secrets” and “illegally disseminating state<br />
secrets to overseas [sources].” However, Jiang’s wife<br />
believes that the charges are unfounded and that her<br />
husband was likely tortured into a confession.<br />
Jiang is a widely known human rights advocate<br />
in China who has worked alongside many notable<br />
figures in the field of human rights. Due to Jiang’s<br />
participation in several high-profile cases, Jiang lost<br />
the right to openly practice law nearly a decade ago.<br />
However, not one to be easily deterred, Jiang continued<br />
in his efforts to shed light on China’s abuses by<br />
providing legal counsel to victims of human rights<br />
violations.<br />
This is not the first time that Jiang has disappeared<br />
on account of the Chinese government. He has been<br />
detained at least three times, in 2011, 2012 and 2014,<br />
because of his role in exposing the Chinese government.<br />
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MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
Mother of Former Islamic Leader Attacked for Converting<br />
3 | UGANDA On December 8, Muslim relatives of a former Islamic sheikh attacked his 60-year-old mother for converting to Christianity. The<br />
former sheikh, Malik Higenyi, publicly proclaimed his conversion to the Christian faith last year, and was beaten unconscious by disapproving<br />
relatives and expelled from his village shortly thereafter. Later, when his mother went to visit her son as he recovered from his injuries, she also<br />
received Christ after listening to his testimony. Unfortunately, she was met with similar consequences and received both a head injury and a broken<br />
hand during her attack. While Muslims and Christians generally live in peace in Uganda, Christians sometimes face violence or isolation when<br />
they leave Islam in Muslim-majority communities.<br />
Youssef Lamei (right) operated his shop in Alexandria, Egypt,<br />
for decades and was known throughout the local community.<br />
Christian Shopkeeper Murdered in Egypt<br />
4 | EGYPT On January 2, Youssef Lamei, a Christian shopkeeper, was<br />
brutally murdered by an Islamic radical outside of his own shop in the<br />
bustling Montazah District of Alexandria, Egypt.<br />
Youssef was known to be both peaceful and accommodating<br />
to local Muslims by closing down his shop during the month of<br />
Ramadan and the five daily Muslim prayers. However, this did not<br />
prevent his attacker from yelling out “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great”)<br />
and slitting his throat while Youssef’s son was inside the shop.<br />
The man responsible for the attack was arrested and taken into<br />
police custody two days later.<br />
A nurse treats one of the many Christians injured by Hindu<br />
radicals who attacked believers during Christmas celebrations.<br />
Christians Attacked Celebrating Christmas<br />
5 | INDIA In the weeks leading up to Christmas, two separate groups<br />
of Christians were attacked by suspected Hindu radicals while celebrating<br />
the holiday. During the first attack, 30 Christians were gathered<br />
in a home, singing Christmas carols, when radicals stormed into the<br />
home and began beating them. Furthermore, the attackers accused the<br />
Christians of forcing conversions during their celebrations. In a similar<br />
attack, 20 Christians in another village were ambushed by radicals<br />
who began beating them with wooden clubs. Several of the Christians<br />
involved in the attacks were forced to go to the hospital as a result of<br />
their injuries.<br />
Two Injured in Philippines Church Bombing<br />
6 | PHILIPPINES On November 27, an improvised explosive device (IED)<br />
detonated at the entrance of Our Lady of Hope Church in the Philippines as<br />
congregants were leaving after Sunday mass. The IED was triggered remotely<br />
through a cellphone detonator. The service during which the attack took place<br />
was the first Sunday of the Advent celebration.<br />
Much of the explosion was deflected by a car which happened to be parked<br />
in front of the church at the time, undoubtedly saving many churchgoers from<br />
injury. However, even with the protection provided by the parked car, two<br />
people were injured during the attack and were taken to a local hospital.<br />
Although the Philippines is relatively peaceful on the global scale of persecution,<br />
this act of terrorism is cause for concern for the local Christian community.<br />
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An IED explosion during a Sunday mass in the<br />
Philippines raises concerns for Christians.<br />
7
Your Dollar$ at Work<br />
Displaced Iraqi<br />
Christian Opens<br />
Copy Shop<br />
Community Rebuild<br />
A<br />
fter ISIS attacked Qeraqosh in<br />
2014, militants forced thousands of<br />
Christians to flee. Many are still struggling<br />
to survive, as they have been unable to find<br />
work. ICC has assisted numerous families<br />
by starting small businesses, allowing them<br />
to achieve a sustainable income to provide<br />
for themselves and their families.<br />
Samer lives with his wife, 18-year-old<br />
daughter, and 16-year-old son. They fled<br />
Qeraqosh in June 2014 when ISIS attacked<br />
for the first time. They returned to Qeraqosh<br />
after three days and stayed there from June<br />
until August, living in constant fear. Life<br />
was very difficult for the family. They had<br />
to sleep on the house’s rooftop because there<br />
was no electricity, and water was limited<br />
until the community dug wells.<br />
On August 6, 2014, the family fled from<br />
Qeraqosh for the final time to Akre in the<br />
Kurdistan region. They stayed in a church<br />
hall for a year before moving to Erbil, Iraq.<br />
In the year since moving to Erbil, Samer has<br />
been unable to find a sustainable source of<br />
income. ICC funded a microfinance project<br />
to help Samer establish a copy business that<br />
he can operate outside of a local library.<br />
Samer’s son accompanied his father and<br />
ICC to purchase the equipment because he<br />
is very familiar with technology. They carefully<br />
found the lowest prices and were able<br />
to purchase the supplies in one day. Supplies<br />
included a laminator, camera, laptop, photocopiers,<br />
a color printer, generator, and extra<br />
batteries.<br />
The shop will help Samer support his family<br />
and send his children to school.<br />
Many displaced Christians in Iraq desire<br />
to return home, but continued fighting<br />
between the government and ISIS has<br />
restricted their movement home. Even if<br />
they are able to return home, the destruction<br />
will be catastrophic. ICC continues searching<br />
for ways to support Iraqi Christians<br />
upon their return.<br />
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MARCH <strong>2017</strong><br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
Beds for Korean<br />
Students<br />
Suffering Wives & Children<br />
J<br />
angdaehyun School is a Christian boarding<br />
school for North Korean (NK) defector<br />
students and South Korean students who are<br />
interested in the reunification of Korea. The<br />
students had been using old bunk beds that<br />
were donated by a former school principal.<br />
They had been experiencing difficulty sleeping<br />
on the worn down beds.<br />
When ICC heard about the needs of<br />
these students, we immediately took action<br />
by donating 12 bunk beds to the school.<br />
These beds were purchased and delivered in<br />
September 2016. All of the students excitedly<br />
helped to set them up.<br />
Many of these students come from broken<br />
families and have had traumatic experiences<br />
while escaping from North Korea. However,<br />
with the assistance of the boarding school<br />
and the donation from ICC, the students can<br />
enjoy more comfortable living conditions in a<br />
Christian environment.<br />
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INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />
More Radios for<br />
Fulani Victims<br />
Community Rebuilding<br />
I<br />
n the last few years, several rural communities<br />
along the Jos Plateau in Nigeria have<br />
been brutally attacked by Fulani terrorists.<br />
Most of these attacks take place late at night in<br />
Christian communities, which usually results<br />
in the destruction of the victims’ property and<br />
the killing of their Christian family members.<br />
ICC was made aware of these incidents and a<br />
local representative was sent to investigate the<br />
situation and provide assistance. In mid-2016,<br />
20 sets of Baofeng walkie-talkie radios were<br />
purchased in the US and shipped to Nigeria and<br />
were then delivered to the villagers. The radios<br />
were so effective, ICC purchased a second<br />
round for additional communities.<br />
A radio training session was given to the representatives<br />
of each village on how to operate<br />
the radios which was followed by a trial run.<br />
The Christian villagers are now able to<br />
notify and warn each other of any approaching<br />
terrorist threats.<br />
Small Business<br />
for Survivors<br />
Suffering Wives & Children<br />
O<br />
n <strong>March</strong> 27, 2016, a suicide bomber<br />
attacked Gulshan e-Iqbal Park in<br />
Lahore, Pakistan. The bomber detonated a few<br />
meters away from one of the busiest sections<br />
of the park, the children’s swings. That day,<br />
many Christian families were gathered at the<br />
park to celebrate Easter. The explosion killed<br />
21 Christians and seriously injured another 45.<br />
Many families still struggle to survive, having<br />
lost their breadwinner to either death or injury.<br />
In April, ICC provided short-term aid to<br />
41 bombing victims, including food packages,<br />
transportation money for travel to and<br />
from the hospital, and a year of schooling for<br />
children who lost siblings in the explosion.<br />
Several families, however, needed longerterm<br />
assistance. ICC recently purchased autorickshaws<br />
for four families and shop supplies<br />
for another family. Despite the debilitating<br />
injuries, these Christian families now have a<br />
stable source of income for the future.<br />
9
Your Dollar$ at Work<br />
New Textile<br />
Business Helps<br />
Vietnamese<br />
Refugees in<br />
Thailand<br />
Hand of Hope<br />
V<br />
ietnamese Christians face incarceration,<br />
torture, and execution in their<br />
land because of their religion; thus, they are<br />
forced to flee and seek asylum in neighboring<br />
countries so that they can freely practice<br />
their religion. However, these same Christian<br />
refugees seeking asylum in Thailand also<br />
experience discrimination from the Royal<br />
Thai Government, especially in Bangkok,<br />
Thailand. Even though these victims are recognized<br />
as refugees by the United Nations<br />
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),<br />
they are seen and treated as illegal immigrants<br />
as they are denied the ability to work and sent<br />
to prison if they do find work. This situation<br />
has made it difficult for persecuted Christians<br />
in the area to live since they are not able to<br />
return home because of their religion and they<br />
are not being allowed to support their families<br />
in a new country.<br />
ICC was made aware of the situation these<br />
Hmong refugees were facing as foreigners<br />
and persecuted Christians, and decided to support<br />
these vulnerable families by empowering<br />
their women. ICC partnered with Boat People<br />
SOS (BPSOS) and a project was developed to<br />
help the refugees earn a stable income without<br />
the fear of being threatened, persecuted,<br />
or incarcerated. As a result, a group of 15<br />
Hmong Christian women are now able to use<br />
their artistic sewing skills to develop products<br />
that they can sell to the public, giving them<br />
the ability to provide for their families in an<br />
otherwise difficult situation.<br />
This project entailed the purchase of sewing<br />
machines for each of the registered women,<br />
the purchase of raw materials, the rent for a<br />
safe space for them to work, and the transportation<br />
of the finished goods to their corresponding<br />
selling locations. In addition to the<br />
goods purchased and produced, the women<br />
also received training on how to use the<br />
equipment, how to sell the goods, and the<br />
logistics of their production. Currently, these<br />
women are making and selling T-shirts with<br />
embroidered pocket designs, canvas bags with<br />
handmade designs, pillows, notebooks with<br />
henna designs, and Christmas decorations.<br />
Furthermore, all profits from the sales of these<br />
handmade products go back to benefit the<br />
women, which helps them to generate income<br />
and strengthen their self-worth as Christian<br />
women who are able to contribute to the<br />
financial support of their families.<br />
ICC’s partners have witnessed great success<br />
in the implementation of this project and<br />
they expect to have more Hmong Christian<br />
women registered into the program in the<br />
coming months. ICC hopes to contribute and<br />
help more Hmong families in the upcoming<br />
projects as well because these Christian victims<br />
are seeking freedom and protection in a<br />
foreign land where they have found hostility<br />
instead.<br />
This type of support and empowerment can<br />
only be accomplished through God’s provision<br />
by allowing donors to contribute to such<br />
causes that impact the persecuted Christian<br />
community. Persecuted Christians are continually<br />
encouraged and strengthened through<br />
our prayers and generosity.<br />
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Your Dollar$ at Work<br />
Food Aid to Joy in Jesus Church<br />
Community Rebuild<br />
O<br />
n <strong>March</strong> 23, 2014, three gunmen covering their faces in balaclavas (face masks) attacked<br />
Joy in Jesus Church in Likoni, Mombasa. At least seven were killed and several others<br />
were injured. Although the perpetrators were never linked directly with any of the known terrorist<br />
groups in the area, they were carrying AK-47 rifles and pistols like members of al-Shabaab.<br />
When ICC learned about the incident, we immediately responded by sending a local representative<br />
to investigate the situation and provide assistance to the victims. We then purchased<br />
several food packages and delivered them to six families that were directly affected by the<br />
attack. Additionally, each family was interviewed and medical reports were collected in order to<br />
discover any other struggles that these victims were facing.<br />
Thanks to generous donors, ICC was able to respond and serve these brothers and sisters in<br />
Christ during a vulnerable time. These victims were able to see God’s hand and provision to<br />
remind them that although they may be persecuted, they are not forgotten. ICC continues to<br />
communicate with the victims of this church and is actively looking for ways to serve them and<br />
other persecuted Christians in the community.<br />
Providing Relief for Yazidi IDPs<br />
Community Rebuild<br />
I<br />
SIS militants have victimized many Christians and other religious minorities across Iraq.<br />
Among those communities, Yazidis are the most severely targeted by ISIS. The systematic<br />
attacks against Yazidis are so serious that the United Nations declared ISIS’s actions against this<br />
community a genocide in August 2016. Considered pagans by ISIS’s followers, most Yazidi<br />
men caught by ISIS are immediately executed. ISIS fighters also take Yazidi women and girls<br />
as prizes of war, rape them, and force them into sexual slavery.<br />
As a result of ISIS attacks, thousands of Yazidis have become internally displaced persons<br />
(IDPs) and relocated to makeshift IDP camps. In recognition of their suffering, ICC partnered<br />
with Joint Help for Kurdistan (JHK) to provide 70 relief parcels to the JHK camps.<br />
JHK representatives used ICC’s funds to purchase relief packages containing necessities such<br />
as powdered detergent, shampoo, soap, salt, sugar, oil, rice, and tea. JHK representatives also<br />
brought sweets to share with the children who, in spite of the trauma, fought for the camera’s<br />
attention to sing their favorite songs, play games, and embrace the volunteers.<br />
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Attacked Pastors Receive Bibles<br />
Bibles to the Persecuted<br />
I<br />
n the Jhabua District of Madhya Pradesh, India, pastors experience extreme persecution in<br />
the form of beatings, vandalism, and the destruction of Christian literature, especially Bibles.<br />
Because the pastors often live in poverty, they cannot afford to purchase replacements. Without<br />
Bibles, it proves difficult for the pastors to continue with evangelism and discipleship. As more<br />
and more villagers are becoming Christians, pastors need the appropriate tools to help new<br />
believers develop their faith.<br />
ICC interviewed eight pastors in the Jhabua District to see how they could best serve them<br />
and further their ministry. They overwhelmingly stressed the importance of the replacement of<br />
Christian literature, especially Bibles, in Hindi. ICC worked with the Bible Society of India to<br />
determine the appropriate translation for the pastors and then purchased 240 Bibles. The Bibles<br />
were distributed among the eight pastors who have since given them to Christian families<br />
throughout their villages.<br />
Radical Hindu groups will always be a threat for Christians, but these Bibles encourage them<br />
to remain faithful through persecution.<br />
11
est<br />
atch<br />
FFRF Wants Polling Places Out of Houses of Worship<br />
The Freedom From Religion Foundation<br />
(FFRF) has now issued complaints to<br />
two municipalities, Palm Beach County,<br />
Florida, and Washington County, Arkansas,<br />
stating that polling locations located in houses<br />
of worship may influence votes and cause<br />
non-religious voters to feel uncomfortable.<br />
The group requested that the counties move<br />
their polling locations to secular locations.<br />
The complaint stated, “As our country<br />
becomes more religiously diverse, Christian<br />
images and iconography are increasingly<br />
seen by man as symbols of political intimidation.<br />
Selecting churches as polling places<br />
can serve to unduly influence voters to vote<br />
in a particular way that they might not otherwise.<br />
This is especially true if the voters<br />
themselves are promoting or demonizing a<br />
particular side of an issue.” The complaint<br />
continued to say that viewing religious displays<br />
may cause voters to feel like outsiders<br />
in their polling places. It is not clear whether<br />
either county replied to the demands of the<br />
FFRF or acquiesced to their demands.<br />
Atheist Group FFRF Urged<br />
Trump to Scrub References<br />
to God from Inauguration<br />
The atheist activist group Freedom<br />
From Religion Foundation (FFRF)<br />
issued a plea to President Donald Trump<br />
prior to his inauguration, asking him<br />
to remove any Christian elements from<br />
his inauguration in January. In addition<br />
to requesting the removal of the prayer<br />
portion of the ceremony, the group also<br />
requested that he remove the words “so<br />
help me God” from the traditional inaugural<br />
oath.<br />
The group’s complaint stated, “The ‘so<br />
help me God’ tradition violates the spirit<br />
of our secular Constitution in the very act<br />
of promising to uphold it. The Constitution<br />
prohibits rather than mandates religious<br />
oaths. In its altered, religious form, the oath<br />
has become a symbol of the disregard many<br />
in our nation have shown for our secular<br />
constitutional principles. Reciting the presidential<br />
oath in its original form would be<br />
an important symbolic step toward divorcing<br />
American politics from religion.”<br />
It is unknown whether there was any<br />
response from Trump’s transition team.<br />
Georgia Pastor Refuses to Turn Over Sermons to Government<br />
I<br />
n 2014, Dr. Eric Walsh was fired from<br />
his position at the Georgia Department<br />
of Public Health after sermons he had previously<br />
delivered surfaced, which included a<br />
traditional Christian view of sexuality. When<br />
the state was made aware of these sermons,<br />
it demanded that Dr. Walsh submit all of his<br />
sermons and notes dating back to when he<br />
was just 18 years of age.<br />
He has since refused to comply with this<br />
order and the Family Research Council has<br />
created a petition in support, which states,<br />
“I stand with Dr. Eric Walsh’s freedom to<br />
believe and live according to his deeplyheld<br />
beliefs. The demand that he hand over<br />
his sermons, sermon notes, and all pastoral<br />
documents including his Bible represents a<br />
S<br />
tudent choirs from Wake County, North<br />
Carolina, were forbidden from participating<br />
in the yearly Nativity performances<br />
this year following a complaint from the<br />
Freedom From Religion Foundation. The<br />
complaint stated that the choirs’ exclusive<br />
focus on a Christian holiday was unconstitutional<br />
as it would be an endorsement of a<br />
single religion. The county acquiesced, banning<br />
the choirs from participating.<br />
The complaint stated, “The whole purpose<br />
of the event is to display and honor<br />
nativity scenes, which highlight an exclusively<br />
Christian aspect of the holiday season,<br />
rather than a secular Christmas celebration.<br />
Students are intentionally brought to the<br />
government intrusion into the sanctity of the<br />
church, pastor’s study, and pulpit.”<br />
The petition has amassed approximately<br />
40,000 signatures.<br />
School Choirs Banned from Nativity Celebrations<br />
church to be exposed to hundreds of depictions<br />
of the Christian legend of Jesus’ birth.”<br />
A school district spokesman stated, “No<br />
one was particularly happy with the outcome<br />
of this. Some schools had been participating<br />
for several years.”<br />
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Atheist Group Seeks Ban on<br />
Shoebox Gifts to Children<br />
T<br />
he<br />
atheist group American Humanist<br />
Association (AHA) has been working<br />
since 2014 to end the ministry of<br />
Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of<br />
Samaritan’s Purse that provides gifts and<br />
the Gospel during the Christmas season to<br />
the children of developing countries. The<br />
lawsuit was filed in 2014 and the decision<br />
appealed in February 2016. The AHA’s lawsuit<br />
states that public school children should<br />
not participate, as it is a violation of the US<br />
Constitution’s Establishment Clause.<br />
“As taxpaying citizens with children in the<br />
school district, these families object to their<br />
schools supporting the efforts of Christian<br />
missions to convert children in developing<br />
countries. Pressuring students to participate<br />
in religious programs in their public schools<br />
flies in the face of the separation of church<br />
and state that the Establishment Clause<br />
demands,” the lawsuit stated.<br />
A spokesman from Samaritan’s Purse<br />
stated, “Operation Christmas Child welcomes<br />
anyone to participate in this annual<br />
Christmas project for children in need<br />
around the world. We do not make determinations<br />
on individuals or groups that do<br />
or do not choose to participate each year.”<br />
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INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />
Sam Alito: Religious Freedom<br />
May be In Greater Danger<br />
than Free Speech<br />
I<br />
n<br />
a recent speech at the Federalist<br />
Society’s national convention of lawyers<br />
in Washington D.C., US Supreme Court<br />
Justice Samuel Alito stated his belief that<br />
religious freedom might be “in greater danger”<br />
than the right to free speech.<br />
In his remarks, he commented on a specific<br />
case in Washington State that was<br />
appealed to the Supreme Court in which<br />
a pharmacy was required to provide abortifacient<br />
drugs despite their religious convictions<br />
against such prescriptions by a<br />
state law. The law allowed for pharmacies<br />
to make referrals to other pharmacies for<br />
numerous reasons except religious protections.<br />
The ensuing lawsuit was heard by the<br />
US Court for the Ninth Circuit which unanimously<br />
required the pharmacy to stock the<br />
abortifacient. The case was then appealed<br />
to the Supreme Court in which a majority<br />
of justices refused to hear the case, meaning<br />
the circuit court’s opinion stands.<br />
Alito went on to explain that the pharmacy<br />
was willing to refer clients to other<br />
pharmacies for these drugs, but that there is<br />
“strong evidence” that the law was crafted<br />
to “rid the state of those troublesome pharmacists<br />
who objected to these drugs on<br />
religious grounds.”<br />
Commander Under Fire for<br />
Stating Jesus’ Influence<br />
T<br />
he<br />
Military Religious Freedom<br />
Foundation (MRFF) recently issued a<br />
letter of complaint demanding that an Air<br />
Force commander receive punishment for<br />
stating that his faith in Jesus Christ affects<br />
his decision-making capabilities.<br />
The Incirlik Air Base in Turkey published<br />
the interview of Air Force Lt. Col. Michael<br />
Kersten. When asked about his influences,<br />
Lt. Col. Kersten replied, “As a Christian,<br />
my example is to be like Christ. He is my<br />
guide and affects all of my decisions. He<br />
teaches to do all things as unto the Lord, and<br />
I believe this is synonymous with integrity<br />
first and excellence in all we do.”<br />
The complaint asserts that Kersten violated<br />
military rules and “willfully and definitively<br />
violated [Air Force Instruction] 1-1<br />
with his sectarian Christian proselytizing<br />
statement.” An Air Force official responded<br />
that they uphold service members’ rights to<br />
practice their religion, yet the MRFF has<br />
now submitted a second complaint. The Air<br />
Force has not responded as yet.<br />
Court Ruling to Remove<br />
Ten Commandments Upheld<br />
A<br />
n<br />
appeals court hearing upheld a lower<br />
court order to remove a monument<br />
containing the Ten Commandments on the<br />
property of city hall in the New Mexico<br />
city of Bloomfield City. The appeals court<br />
ruled that the display is an unconstitutional<br />
endorsement of Christianity by the local<br />
government, stating, “Bloomfield has not<br />
undertaken sufficiently purposeful, public,<br />
and persuasive actions to secularize the<br />
monument’s previous ‘principal or primary’<br />
religious message. The city has never<br />
explicitly said this monument was not for<br />
religious purposes, nor that it was exhibited<br />
only for its historical significance.”<br />
The monument was erected in 2011 following<br />
the passage of a resolution allowing<br />
private citizens to place historical displays<br />
at the city hall. The monument was proposed<br />
by a former city council member four<br />
years prior, approved by the city council,<br />
and paid for with private dollars.<br />
13
HERO<br />
ON THE HILL<br />
ICC interviews a nineteen-term<br />
congressman and champion of<br />
international religious freedom on<br />
why he fights for the persecuted.<br />
By Nate Lance<br />
Congressman<br />
Chris Smith (NJ)<br />
This is the first<br />
article in a<br />
new quarterly<br />
series ICC is<br />
launching in<br />
<strong>Persecution</strong><br />
magazine to<br />
highlight the<br />
work of members of Congress<br />
or government personnel from<br />
across the political spectrum who<br />
are making exceptional efforts on<br />
behalf of the persecuted Church.<br />
These “Heroes on the Hill”<br />
often serve the persecuted for<br />
years without public recognition,<br />
yet all over the world prisoners<br />
of faith are set free and persecutors<br />
are held to account because<br />
of their courage to speak and act<br />
on behalf of religious minorities.<br />
Rep. Chris Smith has served<br />
the state of New Jersey for<br />
more than 30 years since his<br />
election to the US Congress in<br />
1981. Driven by his faith, he<br />
has for decades been a leader<br />
on issues of human rights and<br />
religious liberty. He is the chairman<br />
of the Global Human Rights<br />
Subcommittee as well as the<br />
co-chairman of the Commission<br />
on Security and Cooperation in<br />
Europe and the Congressional-<br />
Executive Commission on China.<br />
He is also incredibly active on<br />
Capitol Hill and is “tied for second”<br />
out of 435 members of the<br />
House for authoring bills which<br />
become law. His dedication was<br />
instrumental in getting the US<br />
government to declare acts by<br />
ISIS against Christians and other<br />
religious minorities in Iraq and<br />
Syria a genocide, and he has<br />
recently been working to pass the<br />
Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief<br />
and Accountability Act to provide<br />
aid to the affected area.<br />
What sparked your passion<br />
for helping persecuted<br />
Christians around the<br />
world?<br />
There is no doubt it comes from<br />
my own faith. I’m a Catholic.<br />
I’m a strong believer. I believe<br />
in the importance of working<br />
with Evangelicals and across<br />
the spectrum of Christianity and<br />
other faiths. I got very involved<br />
with combatting anti-Semitism<br />
during my first term and then<br />
I read a couple books. I read<br />
Tortured for Christ by Richard<br />
Wurmbrand, which was a strong<br />
Congressman Smith visits with Christian families during<br />
a recent trip to Erbil, Iraq.<br />
14 PERSECU ION.org<br />
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INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
“ICC is an effective advocate for the persecuted Church; they make<br />
sure the voiceless have a voice in Washington D.C. and elsewhere. I<br />
have been honored to work with them for several decades to protect<br />
the fundamental right of religious liberty. Sadly, there is so much<br />
more work still left to do; people of faith and goodwill cannot rest as<br />
we seek to address the immense challenges facing Christians around<br />
the world today.”<br />
– CONGRESSMAN CHRIS SMITH OF NEW JERSEY<br />
appeal for people in the West<br />
to speak out for the persecuted<br />
Christian. I also read God’s<br />
Smuggler by Brother Andrew,<br />
who fearlessly smuggled Bibles<br />
into the former Soviet Union.<br />
Are there any specific areas<br />
you are especially concerned<br />
about?<br />
I just returned from a trip<br />
to Erbil, where some 70,000<br />
Christians and some Yazidis have<br />
escaped ISIS. [The Christians<br />
there] are wonderful people who<br />
love Christ and are really committed<br />
to their faith, but have<br />
been inadequately served by the<br />
Obama administration and by<br />
the international community at<br />
large… That has to change.<br />
For three years I’ve chaired<br />
nine congressional hearings; the<br />
tenth I’ll hold in early <strong>2017</strong> to<br />
say that they need humanitarian<br />
assistance right now. They do<br />
get some from private charities,<br />
but it’s not enough.<br />
Secondly, we need to hold the<br />
perpetrators of these terrible<br />
atrocities to account…we’ve<br />
held ad hoc tribunals in the<br />
past and that needs to be set up<br />
immediately.<br />
And third is to provide refugees<br />
a category called P2 status.<br />
Currently, Christians are not<br />
given the interview necessary<br />
to relocate to the United States.<br />
What a gross oversight that is!<br />
And yet, it’s the reality on the<br />
ground, so there’s no durable<br />
solution for them if they want to<br />
go back. Many want to go back,<br />
but as we’re seeing increasingly,<br />
it is not safe to go back, especially<br />
in the near time, so the<br />
safety valve would be for some<br />
to come to the United States.<br />
This legislation would give them<br />
the necessary interview to come<br />
here.<br />
Boko Haram, al-Shabaab, of<br />
course ISIS, all of these radical<br />
Islamist groups pose an<br />
existential threat to Christians<br />
in particular, but also to pious<br />
Muslims. And I’ve actually been<br />
to places like Jos, Nigeria, where<br />
Boko Haram has gone on killing<br />
sprees, blowing up churches,<br />
and taking full credit for it… and<br />
literally dragging people out<br />
and killing them if they refuse to<br />
convert from Christianity…<br />
The other big existential<br />
threats are the communists in<br />
China. If anyone thinks that<br />
China [is no longer] a gross<br />
cruel dictatorship [and not] a<br />
democracy, they need to have<br />
their head examined! They have<br />
gotten worse under Xi Jinping.<br />
He is in a race to the bottom with<br />
North Korea when it comes to a<br />
myriad of human rights abuses<br />
including religious freedom…<br />
Believers are singled out, even<br />
those [in] the officially recognized<br />
Three Self Movement.<br />
Looking Forward<br />
ICC concluded the interview by<br />
thanking Congressman Smith for<br />
his efforts and discussing future<br />
initiatives with his staff. Sadly,<br />
members like Congressman<br />
Smith who do consistent work on<br />
behalf of the persecuted are few<br />
and far between.<br />
If you live in the US and would<br />
like your congressman to get<br />
involved, call his or her office<br />
and ask them to reach out to<br />
International Christian Concern!<br />
National Statuary Hall in the US Capitol<br />
features statues of prominent Americans.<br />
PERSECU ION.org<br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />
15
ICC’S<br />
THE BRIDGE<br />
THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON THE PERSECUTED CHURCH<br />
THE CHURCH, GOVERNMENT LEADERS, & NGOS<br />
UNITING TO BREAK THE CHAINS OF THE PERSECUTED<br />
JUNE 2-3, <strong>2017</strong><br />
Breaking the Chains of<br />
North Korea<br />
Saddleback Church<br />
Los Angeles, CA<br />
www.thepersecutionconference.org<br />
www.thepersecutionconference.org
The Bridge is an annual conference for the persecuted<br />
Church where the Church, government leaders, nongovernmental<br />
organizations (NGOs), and ministries unite<br />
to break the chains of the persecuted.<br />
This year, we will focus on the prison state of North<br />
Korea (DPRK). The incredible increase in high-level DPRK<br />
defectors, along with the massive stream of news from<br />
the outside world flowing into North Korea, represent<br />
cracks in the foundation of the prison state. We<br />
are calling the Church together to pray, and<br />
to also work proactively with NGOs<br />
and the US government,<br />
to bring down the<br />
world’s evil<br />
regime.<br />
For the latest info:<br />
www.thepersecutionconference.org<br />
PERSECU ION.org<br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />
17
Victory<br />
in the Midst of <strong>Persecution</strong><br />
A recent judgment in favor of two Christians accused of<br />
blasphemy in Pakistan provides a small, yet complicated,<br />
ray of hope for Pakistan’s Christian community.<br />
By William Stark<br />
“<br />
At 6:00 a.m. I heard my<br />
brother and wife crying<br />
out as they were dragged<br />
out of their house near<br />
the brick kiln by their<br />
hair,” Iqbal Masih told<br />
International Christian<br />
Concern (ICC). “In<br />
about 15 or 20 minutes,<br />
a mob of thousands had<br />
gathered at the brick kiln, shouting that they wanted<br />
to kill my brother and his wife.”<br />
In November 2014, Pakistan’s Christian community<br />
witnessed one of the most brutal instances of persecution<br />
in recent memory at a brick kiln located in<br />
Kot Radha Kishan. The violence that came to shock<br />
both the nation of Pakistan and the international community<br />
was, as is often the case, sparked by the country’s<br />
notorious blasphemy laws and is often referred<br />
to as the Kot Radha Kishan case or incident.<br />
Motivating this murderous mob was the rumored<br />
accusation that Shehzad Masih (Iqbal’s younger<br />
brother) and his wife burned pages of the Quran,<br />
an act widely considered blasphemous in Pakistan.<br />
Unfortunately, for Shehzad and his wife, extrajudicial<br />
killings of those accused of blasphemy are all too<br />
common. In fact, more than 60 individuals have been<br />
murdered after being accused of blasphemy since the<br />
18 PERSECU ION.org<br />
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INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
Kot Radha Kishan has become<br />
infamous in Pakistan as the scene of<br />
one of the country’s most brutal and<br />
shocking instances of persecution<br />
— a couple beaten and burned alive<br />
at the city’s brick kiln by a mob of<br />
thousands.<br />
PERSECU ION.org<br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />
19
A Small, Complicated Victory<br />
In rare form, an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan<br />
convicted 13 men for the brick kiln murders two<br />
years after the incident. Five were sentenced to<br />
death for their role in inciting a mob via mosque<br />
loudspeakers.<br />
laws were added to the country’s penal code.<br />
“They stoned Shehzad and his wife, then<br />
they broke their legs and beat them until they<br />
were unconscious,” Masih told ICC. “The<br />
mob put them over holes on top of the brick<br />
kiln where the flames were coming out. They<br />
were so badly beaten that they were unable to<br />
get away from the flames.”<br />
Both Pakistan and the international community<br />
were shocked by these brutal murders and<br />
many of those involved, especially the local<br />
religious clerics who had stoked the mob’s<br />
rage using sound systems at local mosques,<br />
were quickly arrested.<br />
Following the arrests, many Christians,<br />
including members of the victims’ family, did<br />
not believe justice would be done in this case<br />
because of the religious identity of the victims<br />
and the rumored blasphemy accusation. Often,<br />
cases against individuals or groups accused<br />
of attacking religious minorities drag on at<br />
a glacial pace. In the meantime, the accused<br />
perpetrators are released on bail and allowed<br />
to harass the religious minorities bringing the<br />
charges until they are dropped.<br />
This unfortunate truth is exemplified in<br />
the results of the case against those accused<br />
of burning down Joseph Colony, a Christian<br />
neighborhood in Lahore. Despite a wealth of<br />
photo and video evidence showing individuals<br />
engaged in the attack and destruction of Joseph<br />
Colony, many of the accused have been either<br />
acquitted or released on bail as the trial drags<br />
on. This stands in stark contrast to the speedy<br />
conviction and death sentence handed down<br />
to the Christian individual whose blasphemy<br />
accusation initially set off the riot.<br />
Fortunately, in the case of the brick kiln<br />
murders, the family’s doubts in Pakistan’s justice<br />
system were proven wrong. On November<br />
23, 2016, over two years after the murders,<br />
an anti-terrorism court officially sentenced<br />
13 men connected with the violence. Of<br />
those, five were sentenced to death, including<br />
Mehdi Khan, Riaz Kambo, Irfan Shakoor,<br />
Muhammad Hanif, and Hafiz Ishtiaq, a local<br />
prayer leader. The harsh punishments were<br />
given to these five individuals specifically<br />
for their hand in making announcements over<br />
mosque loudspeakers that incited the mob that<br />
attacked and killed the Christian couple.<br />
According to the Express Tribune, the convictions<br />
handed down in November represented<br />
the first time a case of such nature has been<br />
decided in the favor of a religious minority in<br />
Pakistan, whether it be a Christian, Hindu, or<br />
Ahmadi.<br />
“Civil society has been very consistent<br />
on monitoring the developments of the Kot<br />
Radha Kishan incident and the resulting judgment<br />
that has come,” Peter Jacob, Executive<br />
Director at the Center for Social Justice told<br />
ICC. “There wasn’t a big response to the judgment<br />
because it involved death sentences for<br />
five people, but it was generally welcome that<br />
justice in some form had been done.”<br />
When asked how this case was decided in<br />
favor of religious minorities, Jacob credited<br />
both Pakistan’s Supreme Court and vigilant<br />
civil society.<br />
“This judgment has come after the intervention<br />
made at the Supreme Court level. The<br />
court at district level was able to deliver this<br />
judgment because there was oversight by the<br />
Supreme Court and civil society did not stop<br />
monitoring.”<br />
Despite the eventual victory the Kot Radha<br />
Kishan judgment represents, these sort of<br />
victories are often complicated for Pakistan’s<br />
Christian community. Months after the murder<br />
of Shehzad and his wife, a branch of the<br />
Pakistani Taliban bombed two churches in<br />
Youhanabad, a Christian-majority neighborhood<br />
in Lahore. Following these <strong>March</strong> 2015<br />
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ombings, Christians poured<br />
into the streets in protest,<br />
enraged by the bloody scenes<br />
at their churches.<br />
In the midst of the protests,<br />
two Muslims rumored<br />
to be involved in the church<br />
bombings were lynched and<br />
killed by the Christians. In the<br />
weeks that followed, police<br />
arrested over 100 Christians<br />
from Youhanabad, often for<br />
little more than their identity<br />
as Christians from the<br />
neighborhood. Following<br />
the arrests, reports of torture<br />
by police seeking to hone<br />
in on the identities of those<br />
involved in the lynching were<br />
common.<br />
The Kot Radha Kishan<br />
judgment has spread fear<br />
among many of the Christian<br />
families of those accused of<br />
the Youhanabad lynching<br />
because they feel that their<br />
loved ones will also be sentenced<br />
to death, regardless<br />
of the evidence, in a sort of<br />
tit-for-tat judicial maneuver<br />
to satisfy both Pakistan’s<br />
Muslim and Christian communities.<br />
“We are worried for our<br />
children when we<br />
think and listen about<br />
the convictions in the<br />
Kot Radha Kishan<br />
case,” Sugran Bibi,<br />
mother of one of the<br />
accused, told ICC.<br />
“My son was not<br />
present at the lynching,”<br />
Bibi continued.<br />
“The police arrested<br />
him from home<br />
seven months after<br />
the incident. Almost<br />
two years have<br />
passed and we don’t<br />
see any hope of our child<br />
returning home.”<br />
Regardless of the implications<br />
the Kot Radha<br />
Kishan judgment has for<br />
the Christians accused of<br />
the Youhanabad lynching,<br />
it should still be marked<br />
as a victory for Pakistani<br />
Christians.<br />
For Christians living in<br />
Pakistan, change comes<br />
slowly and is often complicated.<br />
Consistently ranked<br />
among the most persecuted<br />
Christians in the world,<br />
officially ranked fourth on<br />
Open Door’s World Watch<br />
“We are worried<br />
for our children<br />
when we think<br />
... about the<br />
convictions in the<br />
Kot Radha Kishan<br />
case.”<br />
– MOTHER OF IMPRISONED SON<br />
List, the lives of Pakistani<br />
Christians are widely<br />
defined by the discrimination<br />
and injustice they<br />
endure because of their faith.<br />
Amidst the intense persecution<br />
and discrimination of<br />
Christians in Pakistan, a ray<br />
of hope came out of one of<br />
Pakistan’s most hot-button<br />
issues, the country’s blasphemy<br />
laws. It is small and<br />
complicated victories like<br />
this that will eventually start<br />
to turn the tide for Pakistan’s<br />
Christians and may someday<br />
promise a brighter and<br />
freer future.<br />
Joseph Colony, a Christian neighborhood in Lahore, Pakistan, that was<br />
burned to the ground, stands as a stark reminder of the continued injustice<br />
and inequity of the country’s blasphemy laws. In January, a Pakistani court<br />
acquitted over 100 suspects charged with perpetrating this act on “insufficient<br />
evidence,” despite ample photographs and video footage of the event.<br />
Asia Bibi<br />
In June 2009, Asia Bibi was<br />
accused by Muslim coworkers of<br />
blaspheming against the prophet<br />
Muhammad. As is often the case,<br />
this false accusation was made<br />
against Asia to settle a personal<br />
score following a dispute between<br />
Asia and her coworkers over the<br />
use of a watering bowl.<br />
Although false, the blasphemy<br />
accusation came to radically<br />
change both Asia’s life as an individual<br />
and Pakistan as a nation.<br />
In 2010, Asia was formally sentenced<br />
to death by the Session’s<br />
Court in District Nankana, Punjab.<br />
In October 2014, the Lahore High<br />
Court confirmed Asia’s death sentence.<br />
In July 2015, Pakistan’s<br />
Supreme Court decided to review<br />
Asia’s death sentence, but then<br />
indefinitely adjourned on October<br />
13, 2016, after one of the justices<br />
recused himself from the case.<br />
Widely considered the most<br />
famous case of blasphemy, Asia’s<br />
case has seen many dramatic<br />
moments including the assassination<br />
of two major government<br />
officials advocating on behalf of<br />
Asia. It remains to be seen what<br />
Pakistan’s Supreme Court will do<br />
with Asia’s case, but there is hope<br />
that one day she will be released.<br />
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21
Home at Last<br />
ICC completes construction of homes for 10<br />
displaced Iraqi Christian families living in<br />
tents for two years.<br />
One of the families’ tents<br />
that they lived in for two<br />
years after fleeing ISIS<br />
violence.<br />
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Top Left: One of the tents that<br />
families lived in for two years<br />
after fleeing ISIS violence.<br />
Bottom Left: A family that ICC<br />
has followed for the past year<br />
shows appreciation for their new<br />
home - a permanent structure on a<br />
church’s property.<br />
Below: After two years of living<br />
in tents on a church’s property,<br />
Christian families began moving<br />
into the newly constructed<br />
homes just before Christmas and<br />
the first snow.<br />
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23
Indonesia is a country with great<br />
ethnic and religious diversity. It is<br />
the world’s most populous Muslim<br />
nation. In fact, 90 percent of its<br />
250 million citizens are Muslim.<br />
At the constitutional level,<br />
Indonesia has created a framework<br />
guaranteeing freedom of religion<br />
for all government-recognized religions:<br />
Islam, Christianity, Hinduism,<br />
Buddhism, Confucianism, and Judaism. Followers<br />
of these religions, according to national laws,<br />
should be able to freely practice their religion.<br />
If you only examine the surface, you will come<br />
to the conclusion that Huffington Post did when<br />
it said that Indonesia practiced a more “liberal,<br />
pluralistic brand of Islam.”<br />
Go beyond the surface and look at recent<br />
history in Indonesia though, and you will not<br />
see a pluralistic society, but country that vigorously<br />
oppresses Christianity and other faiths,<br />
sometimes with extreme violence.<br />
A growing movement of radical Islam<br />
is exerting more and more influence in<br />
Indonesian affairs, including politics. Such<br />
entanglement has not only empowered the<br />
spread of extremism but has increased attacks<br />
and the suppression of religious minorities.<br />
The Setara Institute for Democracy and<br />
Peace in Indonesia recorded a 33% increase<br />
in cases of religious violence between 2014<br />
and 2015. They also noted that in 2016,<br />
Indonesia’s freedom level fell to a new low<br />
with “more rights violations committed by<br />
the government and local administrations.” A<br />
report by Indonesia’s National Commission on<br />
Human Rights (Komnas HAM) found that the<br />
most frequent violators of religious freedom<br />
are regional administrations, and that the number<br />
of complaints being filed against them are<br />
rapidly increasing.<br />
How is this happening in a democratic<br />
country that guarantees religious freedom?<br />
“Because,” as the Setara Institute argues,<br />
“no one dares draw a line and recognize<br />
Feature Article<br />
A Paradox of<br />
Religious Freedom:<br />
Pastors Working Underground<br />
in a Religiously Free Society<br />
By Daniel Harris<br />
religiously-inspired incitement for what it is,<br />
let alone condemn it or take measures to stop<br />
it.” The absence of accountability in upholding<br />
religious freedom, especially by the government,<br />
destroys religious minorities while<br />
encouraging extremism’s spread.<br />
The coordinator for the faith freedom desk<br />
at the National Commission on Human Rights<br />
for Indonesia (Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi<br />
Manusia) said, “The three main factors fueling<br />
the violations [of religious freedom] are the low<br />
level of understanding of government officials<br />
about human rights principles, the inability of<br />
regional leaders to deal with intolerant groups<br />
and the implementation of regional laws that<br />
often contradict higher laws.”<br />
Ahok and Religious<br />
Extremism in Action<br />
The recent case against Jakarta’s first<br />
Christian governor is a perfect example of this.<br />
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as<br />
Ahok, became the governor of Jakarta when<br />
Joko Widodo left the office to run for president<br />
in 2014. It was a significant step for Indonesia.<br />
Ahok is an ethnic Chinese and a Christian. His<br />
term would stand as a litmus test for religious<br />
and racial tolerance in Indonesia.<br />
Immediately, hardline Muslim organizations<br />
such as The Islamic Defenders Front<br />
(FPI) demanded his removal from office. They<br />
insisted that a Christian could never govern<br />
Muslims. But Ahok was popular with the<br />
people as he worked hard to tackle corruption<br />
and Jakarta’s crippling traffic problems. He<br />
should have easily won his bid for re-election<br />
this year, but one short statement taken out<br />
of context stifled his victory. During one<br />
campaign speech, Ahok challenged voters to<br />
vote their conscience and not allow Muslim<br />
leaders to scare them into voting for a Muslim<br />
by using particular verses from the Quran.<br />
Anti-Ahok Muslim groups edited his statement<br />
so it appeared that Ahok condemned the<br />
Quran itself rather than political manipulators.<br />
That video led to hundreds of thousands of<br />
protesters flooding Jakarta’s streets, calling for<br />
Ahok’s imprisonment and even death.<br />
Ahok is now on trial for “blasphemy.” The<br />
sentence carries a five year prison term and<br />
few are ever acquitted.<br />
Rather than support a fair investigation,<br />
the government offered little assistance to<br />
Ahok. The president barely acknowledged<br />
the 200,000+ person protests shutting down<br />
the capital. The police blatantly supported the<br />
Muslim crowds by supplying them with water,<br />
a stage, and a sound system. In Ahok’s trial,<br />
few cared that most of the “witnesses” were<br />
not even present for Ahok’s speech.<br />
The Setara Institute, a non-governmental<br />
organization that conducts research and<br />
advocacy on democracy, political freedom,<br />
and human rights in Indonesia, summed up<br />
Indonesia’s imagined religious freedom versus<br />
the unfortunate reality: “Indonesia’s spineless<br />
political leaders have allowed extremists to<br />
seize the momentum and foment religious<br />
hatred against the governor – who happens to<br />
be an ethnic Chinese Christian – for more than<br />
a month without challenging the substance or<br />
methods of their arguments.”<br />
Technically, blasphemy laws apply to all<br />
of Indonesia’s protected religions. The issue<br />
is not the absence of laws regarding religion,<br />
but that those laws are disproportionately used<br />
against Christians. In Ahok’s case, the leader<br />
of the organization that launched the protests<br />
demanding Ahok’s imprisonment openly<br />
mocked Christianity during several of his<br />
speeches. His speeches insulted Christianity<br />
so much that even Muslims are calling for his<br />
trial on the charge of blasphemy. The government<br />
has yet to press charges.<br />
The political tension has spilled into the<br />
public sphere, stressing an already tenuous<br />
relationship between Muslim Indonesians and<br />
ethnic or religious minorities. Many Christians<br />
are afraid for both their religious freedom and<br />
their lives. They should be.<br />
Jihad<br />
Ahok’s case and the lack of government<br />
protection is not a new story in Indonesia. The<br />
Saudis and Gulf states starting pouring money<br />
into Indonesia in the 1970s to radicalize the<br />
country’s Muslims. Their efforts came to fruition<br />
around 1998 when the country’s Muslims<br />
went on a massive jihad against Christians.<br />
From 1998 to 2003, Christians suffered greatly<br />
as their churches and homes were burned to the<br />
ground and they were raped and murdered.<br />
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Two large churches in<br />
Indonesia had their buildings<br />
shut down by local government<br />
officials. They now gather outside<br />
the presidential palace and hold<br />
their services in an act of protest.<br />
Although the government did not launch<br />
an official investigation, an unofficial report<br />
found that 2,244 people (both protesters and<br />
Christians) died, 168 were raped, and 1,604<br />
shops were destroyed. These statistics were<br />
only in Jakarta, however. The violence spread<br />
to other parts of the nation, including Java,<br />
Sulawesi, and Maluku and lasted until around<br />
2004. ICC has heard reports that as many as<br />
10,000 Christians actually died and approximately<br />
1,000 churches were burned down<br />
across the nation.<br />
That period of extreme anti-Christian violence<br />
is especially relevant today because it<br />
underlines the government’s lax stance against<br />
extremism. Shortly before the outbreak of violence<br />
in 1998, Human Rights Watch stated,<br />
“Not only have [government officials]<br />
expressed no sympathy for the victims or made<br />
any effort to explain to the public the causes<br />
and consequences of the economic crisis, but in<br />
some cases, they have tried to deflect blame for<br />
the economic crisis onto prominent members of<br />
the ethnic Chinese community.”<br />
Recalling the political climate of 1998,<br />
The Economist noted, “At best, Ahok’s persecution<br />
represents a blow to the rights of all<br />
Indonesian minorities...At worst, the risk of<br />
communal bloodshed like that of two decades<br />
ago is closer.”<br />
So What?<br />
Since then, the increasing trend of Islamic<br />
extremism threatening both religious and ethnic<br />
minorities has sent many Christian pastors<br />
underground, an irony in a country proud of its<br />
religious diversity.<br />
Islamic radicalism seems to be on the rise<br />
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in Indonesia. Cases of violence and persecution<br />
against Christians are increasing and the<br />
government appears ill-prepared or unwilling<br />
to uphold basic religious freedoms. This is a<br />
deadly combination driving Christian pastors<br />
underground. ICC asked several pastors why<br />
they are working underground in a country<br />
that guarantees freedom of religion. One pastor<br />
responded, “Freedom of religion? Yes, but it is<br />
only in theory. In practice, it [doesn’t exist].”<br />
The pastors shared that in the last few<br />
months, radical Muslims have bombed a<br />
Christian church and forced Christians to<br />
abandon their places of worship. The government<br />
did little to stop the radical groups. In<br />
fact, in some cases they have helped them. At<br />
a Christmas service in Bandung, for example,<br />
the government positioned police officers<br />
outside of a church to protect congregants<br />
from radical Muslims. Instead, the officers<br />
helped the Muslims chase away the Christian<br />
participants. In Aceh Province in October<br />
2015, an angry mob destroyed three churches<br />
after which the local government destroyed<br />
seven more.<br />
The government justifies destroying churches<br />
because they contend that the churches do<br />
not have the correct licenses. Procuring the<br />
correct licenses at the local level in Indonesia<br />
is a complicated process requiring scores<br />
of signatures from community leaders and<br />
government officials. The process is so complicated,<br />
according to unconfirmed reports<br />
received by ICC, that most religious institutions<br />
do not have the correct licenses, including<br />
mosques. This means that some members<br />
of radical Islamic groups that destroy unlicensed<br />
churches are probably members of an<br />
unlicensed institution themselves.<br />
Double standards as evidenced by licensing<br />
have led pastors to determine that they are<br />
not protected by the law, because extremists<br />
are allowed to operate freely outside the law.<br />
Openly practicing one’s faith can mean death.<br />
As one pastor told ICC, “The reason why I<br />
reach out underground is more for the safety<br />
of the converts. If I do it openly I will not only<br />
endanger the lives of these people but also the<br />
ministry and the ministers themselves.”<br />
Speaking Out<br />
Despite the government’s silence, some<br />
groups are boldly asserting the importance<br />
of religious freedom. During Christmas, a<br />
dangerous time for Christians in Indonesia,<br />
the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia,<br />
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), pledged to help protect<br />
Christians as they attended Christmas Eve<br />
services. Christians need moderate Muslims<br />
like NU to make their voices heard over the<br />
growing rhetoric of radicalism and the government’s<br />
reluctance to protect religious freedom.<br />
One pastor told ICC, “My fear is that moderate<br />
Muslims will keep silent and thus give<br />
more room for the radicals to grow. My fear is<br />
that, in the end, the government will oblige the<br />
radical’s demand, leading Indonesia in a different<br />
direction.” When moderates remain silent,<br />
minorities must hide their beliefs in exchange<br />
for their safety. Indonesian Christians hope for<br />
the support of moderate Muslims to protect<br />
them from religious extremism and a stagnant<br />
government. An irony indeed.<br />
ICC supports underground pastors like<br />
these in Indonesia who are risking their lives<br />
to share the Gospel.<br />
25
Feature Article<br />
Christian <strong>Persecution</strong> in Vietnam:<br />
A church gathers<br />
for service in rural<br />
Vietnam. Montagnard<br />
Christians have faced<br />
more persecution than<br />
many other Christians<br />
groups in the country.<br />
“Just last month, they murdered my<br />
father in order to arrest me because<br />
they believe that I will return to<br />
Vietnam to attend my father’s funeral.<br />
I was supposed to return because I<br />
loved my father deeply. But for my<br />
safety my mother asked me not to<br />
return. I was so scared of returning<br />
home even though I really wanted to.”<br />
By Daniel Harris<br />
This tragic story belongs to<br />
a Montagnard Christian from<br />
Vietnam who fled the country<br />
to escape government agents<br />
seeking to arrest him for his<br />
Christian activities. When he<br />
escaped their grasp, they murdered<br />
his father, hoping he would return for the<br />
funeral so that they could arrest him.<br />
Montagnard Christians are the forgotten<br />
heroes and victims of a failed war. Also<br />
known as the Dega/Degar, they are a predominantly<br />
Christian ethnic group that lives<br />
in the highlands of Vietnam, Cambodia,<br />
and Laos. When US troops were fighting in<br />
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Feature Article<br />
Montagnard Victim Testimonies<br />
Vietnam, Montagnards fought<br />
alongside them and subsequently,<br />
many of them converted to<br />
Christianity. Now they are hunted<br />
like animals by their own<br />
communist government.<br />
Christians, such as the one<br />
quoted above, are forced to flee<br />
their homes to escape Vietnamese<br />
government agents who track<br />
them down for interrogation and<br />
execution.<br />
Desperate to suppress the<br />
Montagnard people, nothing<br />
has been out of bounds for the<br />
Vietnamese authorities. They<br />
have used illegal arrests and<br />
detainment, brutal torture, rape,<br />
and even murder. There are even<br />
reports of forced sterilization<br />
campaigns.<br />
One example of persecution<br />
includes an extensive campaign<br />
to shut down churches among<br />
Montagnard communities. In<br />
2015, Human Rights Watch<br />
reported, “Official Vietnamese<br />
media makes it clear that such<br />
government actions are part of<br />
a high-level policy to eliminate<br />
‘evil way’ religions such as De<br />
Ga Protestantism and Ha Mon<br />
Catholicism practiced by some<br />
ethnic Montagnards…”<br />
Official state media has reported<br />
waves of “search and hunt”<br />
operations designed to “deal seriously”<br />
with core religious leaders.<br />
There are reports of public<br />
forced recantations in which<br />
hundreds of Montagnards were<br />
forced to recant their faith in<br />
front of fellow villagers. “Mobile<br />
trials” are held in Montagnard<br />
villages to convict and imprison<br />
followers of Christianity. Many<br />
Montagnards report experiencing<br />
torture because of their faith. A<br />
recent report describes one pastor’s<br />
martyrdom:<br />
“Around 7:30 a.m., the public<br />
security agents came to Pastor<br />
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“His death resulted from the multiple injuries<br />
inflicted by the beatings which came as a result of<br />
his refusal to give up his faith.”<br />
A Christians<br />
processional<br />
moves through the<br />
streets of Vietnam.<br />
A choir sings<br />
during a church<br />
service in Vietnam.<br />
Thanh’s (name changed for security)<br />
house and ordered him to<br />
report for investigation. Pastor<br />
Thanh was interviewed for the<br />
whole day on the [practice of<br />
Christianity] in his village.<br />
The interrogation [was focused<br />
on convincing him to give up<br />
Christianity].”<br />
“[On his refusal], the secret<br />
police got mad … and used various<br />
tools to beat him up. They<br />
beat him in the ribs, chest, and his<br />
abdomen. They also slapped his<br />
face and [repeatedly punched] his<br />
head. Consequently, he felt pain<br />
while breathing and he got seriously<br />
sick due to internal injuries.<br />
While they were beating him, he<br />
fell unconscious.”<br />
“He passed away around 9:30<br />
a.m. (two weeks after his detention)<br />
in 2016. His death resulted<br />
from the multiple injuries inflicted<br />
by the beatings which [came as<br />
a result of his] refusal to [give up<br />
his faith].”<br />
Secrecy is the greatest asset of<br />
Vietnam’s secret police. When<br />
their activities are recorded and<br />
broadcast to the world, they often<br />
withdraw. For that reason, ICC is<br />
involved with training Vietnamese<br />
community members how to<br />
record and report cases of persecution<br />
to government and human<br />
rights agencies.<br />
Reports, like the one above that<br />
came from this project, expose<br />
Vietnam’s relentless and violent<br />
persecution of Montagnard<br />
Christians and gives them a<br />
way to defend themselves and a<br />
chance to finally end decades of<br />
brutal persecution.<br />
27
TESTIMONIES<br />
from Mandera<br />
Survivors of al-Shabaab attacks in northeastern Kenya share their<br />
experiences and conditions months after suffering great loss.<br />
By Sandra Elliot and Michelle King<br />
Most people<br />
don’t realize<br />
that al-<br />
Shabaab<br />
has consistently<br />
targeted<br />
Christians<br />
with deadly<br />
attacks for<br />
years. Most people remember the Westgate<br />
Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya, during<br />
which militants killed 67 and wounded<br />
175, but al-Shabaab’s smaller, more consistent<br />
attacks have focused on Christian<br />
populations in particular.<br />
Mandera, a town in the northeast corner<br />
of Kenya bordering Ethiopia to the north<br />
and Somalia to the east, has been targeted<br />
repeatedly by al-Shabaab. The most recent<br />
attacks occurred in October 2016.<br />
On October 6, 2016, al-Shabaab launched<br />
a calculated attack on Mandera, killing six<br />
Christians. Within hours, al-Shabaab’s military<br />
operations spokesman proudly claimed<br />
responsibility for the slaughter of the six<br />
innocent men.<br />
Eighteen days later, militants struck<br />
Mandera once again, this time targeting<br />
a guesthouse known to host Christians.<br />
Among the 12 killed were two high school<br />
theater members who were visiting Mandera<br />
as part of their high school drama team.<br />
These are only two of the most recent<br />
al-Shabaab attacks on Christians in northeastern<br />
Kenya. They have become infamous<br />
over the years for intercepting buses and<br />
attacking quarry workers in their sleeping<br />
compounds.<br />
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Feature Article<br />
John Muriuki stands next to his mother with both of his arms bandaged after being shot during an al-Shabaab attack.<br />
ICC has worked with numerous victims<br />
of al-Shabaab attacks, like Maina, John,<br />
Shillah, and Pastor John, to bring encouragement,<br />
financial support, food, and medical<br />
assistance.<br />
Maina Justus<br />
In July 2015, for example, al-Shabaab<br />
militants attacked a housing complex<br />
of quarry workers, most of whom were<br />
Christians. They killed 13 people.<br />
Maina Justus was one of the victims who<br />
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INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />
survived the incident, but was severely<br />
wounded.<br />
“As usual, we had come back from work<br />
in the quarries, had supper, and slept. That<br />
night we had no electricity,” Justus told<br />
ICC. “At around 2:00 a.m., we heard two<br />
loud explosions at the gate. Then, shortly<br />
after, the door to our sleeping hall was shot<br />
and opened. It dawned upon us that the al-<br />
Shabaab has attacked,” he added.<br />
Amidst the fear and chaos, quarry workers<br />
ran for their lives in all directions.<br />
Unfortunately, not all were able to escape<br />
and some even died in their sleep.<br />
John Muriuki<br />
John Muriuki, another victim, was asleep<br />
when the attack began. While escaping, John<br />
was shot multiple times in his hands, permanently<br />
deforming them. He is no longer able<br />
to work because of his condition.<br />
“It has been a long journey for me,” he<br />
recently told ICC. “The pain in my hands is<br />
extremely unbearable and I can’t sleep well. I<br />
29
John Muriuki shows x-rays of his injuries which deformed his arms, preventing him from the physical labor he used to do.<br />
have suffered for a long time since I was shot<br />
in July 2015.”<br />
“My wife is doing manual work at farms to<br />
buy food and medicine. It pains me to see her<br />
struggle alone to provide for our family,” John<br />
explained to ICC, “Life has not been easy but<br />
we know that one day it shall be good because<br />
as long as we are alive we are capable of<br />
changing our situation.”<br />
This year, ICC developed and implemented<br />
a project to help the seven families that<br />
were victims of last year’s Mandera attacks.<br />
ICC built seven cow sheds and gave each of<br />
the families a dairy cow, so that they could<br />
sell the milk and make a sustainable living.<br />
The income earned from these cows has<br />
helped the families pay for school expenses<br />
for their children, provide food, and cover<br />
other basic needs.<br />
Meshack Otieno<br />
Meshack Otieno is another victim of al-<br />
Shabaab violence. On December 21, 2015,<br />
he was riding the bus to get to work in<br />
Mandera when al-Shabaab attacked. Otieno<br />
briefly escaped when militants herded the<br />
primarily Christian passengers off the bus,<br />
but he didn’t get far. Gunmen found him in<br />
the bush and shot him.<br />
Otieno’s death left his widow and four<br />
children with no source of income. Shillah<br />
Otieno had the desire to work, but no<br />
opportunities to do so. ICC met Shillah<br />
shortly after her husband’s death and was<br />
able to start a beauty salon. We could not<br />
“Losing a husband is<br />
a tragic thing that I<br />
would not even wish<br />
to happen to the<br />
wives of al-Shabaab,”<br />
confessed Shillah. “It<br />
is a tragedy that we<br />
would not [have] been<br />
able to overcome but<br />
God has been really<br />
good to us.”<br />
replace what was stolen from her, but ICC<br />
was able to build a beauty salon so that<br />
she could maintain a stable income source.<br />
God used ICC to help Shillah to find a<br />
renewed devotion to the Lord despite her<br />
circumstances.<br />
“Losing a husband is a tragic thing that I<br />
would not even wish to happen to the wives<br />
of al-Shabaab,” confessed Shillah. “It is a<br />
tragedy that we would not [have] been able to<br />
overcome but God has been really good to us.<br />
We continue to ask for your prayer support as<br />
we look forward to <strong>2017</strong> and the rest of our<br />
lives,” she told ICC.<br />
Pastor John Njaramba<br />
In July 2016, al-Shabaab attacked another<br />
bus carrying Christians and killed six people.<br />
Among the dead was Pastor John Njaramba,<br />
who militants shot in the head.<br />
“It is now six months since my husband<br />
was brutally killed. It is still fresh and painful,<br />
but we are coping on well by God’s<br />
grace,” Freshia Njaramba told ICC, “He was<br />
such a friendly and vigorous missionary in<br />
God’s vineyard. His death was a big blow to<br />
our lives and the church.”<br />
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Pastor Peter Wagura survived the<br />
same attack that claimed the life of John<br />
Njaramba. He has endured the pain of<br />
losing his friend more privately as he has<br />
a responsibility to lead the church during<br />
these hard times.<br />
“It hurts me every day and every time I<br />
remember my friend John,” he told ICC.<br />
“Being a pastor to many people I sometimes<br />
lack confidence to cry with, hurt with, and<br />
pray with.”<br />
Pastor Peter feels the weight of persecution<br />
in his country as he continues<br />
to lead the flock there. To share in his<br />
burdens, ICC provided medical assistance<br />
and funding for Christian literature so that<br />
he can continue his ministry. While the<br />
gesture may seem small, he is thankful<br />
because such relief has helped him maintain<br />
extraordinary humility and leadership<br />
in his ministry. And, despite all that he has<br />
suffered, Pastor Peter is optimistic about<br />
his nation.<br />
“I am seeing great hope in Mandera,”<br />
Pastor Peter expressed, “I am seeing many<br />
churches and even Bible schools coming<br />
up in the city, I will soon personally<br />
go there to train pastors and meet with<br />
Muslim leaders. God will make a way for<br />
this country.”<br />
It is difficult to imagine such hope.<br />
Mandera’s Christians wake up every day<br />
knowing there’s a group of people nearby<br />
constantly targeting them for attacks, yet<br />
they persevere. ICC understands that as the<br />
Body of Christ, we have a responsibility<br />
to uphold each other, especially those who<br />
are suffering. Mandera’s Christians need<br />
such relief more than ever. Al-Shabaab<br />
has promised a war against Christians, and<br />
they have already followed through on<br />
their threat.<br />
As you pray for Mandera, pray for God’s<br />
love to outshine al-Shabaab’s hatred. Pray<br />
that Christians in Kenya will endure. Pray<br />
that families will heal from the losses<br />
already dealt out. Pray for the enemies<br />
themselves and that they would come to<br />
Christ. Finally, pray that Christians living<br />
in Mandera will find renewed strength<br />
tomorrow morning as they wake up to<br />
persecution.<br />
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ICC provided goods for Shillah Otieno and her children immediately following the murder.<br />
ICC then gave Shillah a beauty parlor to provide a sustainable income for her family.<br />
The Njaramba family received goods after their father and husband, Pastor John, was<br />
killed in an al-Shabaab attack.<br />
31
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Kot Radha Kishan has become<br />
infamous in Pakistan as the scene of<br />
one of the country’s most brutal and<br />
shocking instances of persecution<br />
— a couple beaten and burned alive<br />
at the city’s brick kiln by a mob of<br />
thousands.<br />
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