January 2024 Persecution Magazine

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West Watch ISSUES INVOLVING CHRISTIANITY IN THE WEST ICC Contributes to USCIRF Report on Anti-Conversion Laws The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has released a report on anti-conversion laws prepared by International Christian Concern (ICC). ICC researchers Jay Church, McKenna Wendt, and Colton Grellier, together with USCIRF, outlined global restrictions on changing one’s religion. The report found 46 countries with anti-conversion laws, amounting to almost 25% of countries globally. Around the world, governments restrict the right to religious freedom by limiting their citizens’ ability to convert. ICC researchers named four categories of anti-conversion laws: apostasy laws, anti-proselytism laws, laws concerning interfaith marriage, and laws relating to identity documentation. Of most concern are apostasy laws, which explicitly prohibit the public renunciation of one’s religion or belief. These laws exist in seven countries, including Brunei and Yemen, where converting to Christianity could mean a death sentence. Laws against proselytization, or sharing one’s faith, try to limit the growth of minority religions like Christianity. These laws range from banning missionary activity to restricting individuals from encouraging others to leave their religion. Of all the laws found in the report, anti-proselytism laws had the highest number, with 33 countries prohibiting proselytization. Laws on interfaith marriage are used to regulate or restrict conversion. These laws prohibit members from different religions from marrying – or require one to convert to another religion to marry. In countries like Algeria and Malaysia, Muslim women are restricted from marrying a non- Muslim man. Finally, some governments use identity documentation to restrict individuals from changing their religion on state-issued papers or records. These laws can compel individuals to reveal their religion or assign them a religion without the individuals’ consent. They also allow governments to deny individuals identification documentation based on religion. Through the USCIRF report, ICC researchers aimed to paint a more complete picture of the global legal anticonversion landscape. Hopefully, this report will not only shed light on the issue of legal barriers to conversion but also encourage governments worldwide to reconsider the limits they are placing on their citizens’ right to conversion. To read the full report, visit www.uscirf. gov/publications/anti-conversion-lawscompendium. Christian Parliamentarian Found Not Guilty in Finland In a win for religious freedom, the Helsinki Court of Appeals found Christian Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola not guilty. The two had been accused of inciting hate-speech after sharing their beliefs on biblical marriage. Räsänen, who expressed her beliefs on social media, was facing charges under a section in the Finnish criminal code titled “War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity.” Pohjola faced charges for publishing a booklet on biblical marriage, which Räsänen wrote almost 20 years ago Despite Räsänen and Pohjola having been acquitted by a lower district court in March 2022, the prosecution continued with their agenda of censoring Christian beliefs – a battle that has proven costly for them as this most recent decision ordered the prosecution to pay tens of thousands in fees to cover the costs for Räsänen and Pohjola. The prosecution has a deadline of January 15 to appeal, should they decide to continue their fight. 6 Persecution | JANUARY 2024
POCKET POLICY Photo: GoFundMe Fundraiser Page Preacher Shot on Arizona Street Corner A Christian church leader is in critical condition after being shot in the head while preaching on a street corner in Glendale, Arizona. Hans Schmidt, 26, was sharing the Bible through a megaphone on public property when the incident occurred. Schmidt, who also serves as the outreach director at Victory Chapel First Phoenix, had engaged in such street preaching on numerous occasions. Authorities are still trying to determine if the shots came from someone in a car or a passerby on the street – and the suspects are still at large. However, witnesses say that a group of individuals had driven by before the shooting occurred, yelling hateful comments at Hans and threatening him to “get off the street.” Victory Chapel First Phoenix, where Hans is employed, shared that “Hans was taken to the ER where they discovered he had been shot after conducting a CT scan. He began seizing and was intubated. There has been some movement; however, physicians are uncertain how much is voluntary and began draining fluid from his brain. He remains in critical condition. Please continue praying.” Hans is a husband and father to two young children. He previously served as a military combat veteran as well. ICC prays for a miraculous recovery of Hans and that the perpetrators be brought to justice swiftly. RENEWING THE CALL CPC Designation for Nigeria In January 2023, U.S. Representative Chris H. Smith (R-NJ) introduced House Resolution 82 into congress, pushing for the re-designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). This was after the U.S. Department of State left Nigeria off its CPC list in late 2022. Each year, the U.S. State Department is tasked with designating countries where the government engages or tolerates “particularly severe violations of religious freedom” as a CPC in accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. These designations make a global statement and justify the United States government in acting against such countries. Nigeria has been recommended for CPC designation for 14 years by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and recommended as a Special Watch List Country for seven years prior, as outlined in their annual reports. However, the state department has only ever designated Nigeria as a CPC in 2020. It is vital that members of congress sign the H. Res.82 and recognize the immense hardship faced by those in Nigeria for decades. The State Department’s designations for 2023 were not announced before the printing of this month’s magazine. As of December 1, Hans still remains in critical condition. His perpetrators are still unknown. ICC UPDATE TO THOSE ON CAPITOL HILL If you’d like to stay informed about ICC’s advocacy work and policy recommendations, subscribe to our monthly newsletter, The Capitol Dispatch at www.persecution.org/icc-advocacy PERSECUTION.ORG 7
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January 2024 Persecution Magazine

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