RLPB 631. India: Christians attacked in J&K's Jammu Division

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 631 | Wed 02 Feb 2022
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INDIA: CHRISTIANS ATTACKED IN J&K'S JAMMU DIVISION
by Elizabeth Kendal

Intolerant Hindu nationalism is rising in the majority-Hindu Jammu Division of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Consequently, so too is persecution. This trend is likely to get a whole lot worse in the coming months and years as India's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) advances its plans to have a Hindu nationalist Chief Minister ruling over majority-Muslim J&K. A 26 January report by Morning Star News (MSN) details two very worrying cases of persecution with impunity in Jammu Division's southern-most Kathua District which borders India's Punjab State. 

Pastor Chunglenlal Singsit, 25 Dec 2021

On Saturday 25 December (Christmas Day), Pastor Chunglenlal Singsit (40) was out buying groceries for his family in Padyari village, Kathua District, when he was attacked by a mob of Hindu nationalists. Ethnically distinct, Pastor Singsit comes from Manipur in India's north-east and belongs to the predominantly Christian (mostly Baptist) Kuki Chin tribe [known as Kuki in India, and Chin in Burma/Myanmar]. Footage posted to social media shows a clearly terrified Pastor Singsit being abused and harassed by Hindu nationalists who demanded he chant 'Jai Shri Ram' (Hail Lord Ram). They accused him of paying people to convert to Christianity and rebuked him for being in the majority-Hindu Jammu Division. A crowd of more than 100 locals gathered, many of whom threatened to beat the pastor. Eventually they handed him over to the police, who likewise slapped and rebuked the pastor for being in the majority-Hindu Jammu Division. Pastor Singsit was held in police detention for over 24 hours before being released without charge, but with an order to leave J&K within five days. He left Kathua with his wife and three children on 31 December; they have returned to Manipur. Pastor Singsit had lived and served in Kathua District for three years as a missionary priest with the Friends of Missionary Prayer Band.

Jammu and Kashmir.
Kathua District encircled in red.

On Sunday 5 January youths from the Bajrang Dal (a Hindu nationalist youth militia) invited local news reporters to record them attacking a house-church worship service in Kathua District's Ward No. 4 colony. Pastor Pawan Kumar told MSN that after forcing their way into the house, the mob abused the worshippers using the foulest language, all in front of drama-hungry media. When the police arrived, they too harassed and humiliated the Christians. Pastor Kumar's 17-year-old daughter asked the officers and news reporters why they were objecting to them praying peacefully in their own homes. The police responded by rebuking the Christians, insisting the commotion was all their own fault, and ordering them to cease meeting together. The believers were held in police custody until 7pm, when they were released without charge. The media then ran a highly provocative and entirely false story claiming the Christians were engaged in 'forced conversions'.

Pastor Shoukat Peter speaks to the press.

According to Pastor Jewer Joeswa, the atmosphere in Kathua District has been growing increasingly tense. He told MSN that police had ordered Christians not gather for worship during Christmas week; adding that many pastors have taken their families out of the district for their own safety. On Thursday 20 January Kathua District pastors held a press conference. Led by Pastor Shoukat Peter, president of the J&K Joint Churches Fellowship, the pastors explained that Christians are law-abiding citizens and have only been exercising their constitutional right to freely 'profess, practise and propagate' their faith (from Article 25 of the Indian Constitution). Pastor Shoukat Peter acknowledged that most Indians appreciate the good works being done by churches; works of justice and mercy that are foreign to the Hindu nationalists who attack them. Ignoring the constitution, police in Kathua District are now insisting that Christians obtain permission before gathering for prayer or worship.

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BACKGROUND
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In 1947, when the subcontinent was partitioned, both India and Pakistan laid claim to the mixed but majority-Muslim princely Himalayan state of Kashmir. No sooner had the British departed, Pakistani tribesmen invaded Kashmir. In desperation, Kashmir's Hindu ruler - Maharaja Hari Singh - turned to India for help. Despite being pro-independence, Singh ceded Kashmir to India, which sent in troops to defend its new territory. After several wars, Pakistan now occupies around one third of Kashmir. Article 370 of the Indian constitution gave Indian Kashmir - Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) - special status with a high degree of autonomy. But times have changed. In the majority-Muslim Kashmir Valley, Islam has grown increasingly fundamentalist, intolerant, militant and pro-Pakistan. In the early 1990s, an estimated 100,000 Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus) were driven from the Kashmir Valley. In 2012, a group of Christian converts were driven from Srinagar; while their Punjabi pastor, his wife, his associate minister and a Dutch missionary were subsequently expelled on the orders of a Sharia Court. Meanwhile, India has grown increasingly Hindu nationalist, intolerant and militant.

In June 2018, the BJP-led federal government imposed federal rule on J&K and appointed a governor to rule over the territory. In November 2018 the governor dissolved the state assembly. In May 2019 the BJP - which had been promising to revoke Article 370 since the 1980s - won the federal elections and increased its majority with an election manifesto that included revoking Article 370. In July 2019 the federal government deployed tens of thousands of additional Indian troops to J&K. On 5 August 2019 it revoked Article 370 and on 9 August it passed the J&K Re-Organisation Act. This was followed by a massive crackdown and suffocating repression. In December 2020, the Indian government held polls in J&K for a District Development Council. It was a test run to see how BJP members would fare. To its shock, the BJP did not poll as well as it had hoped. In 2018 the Supreme Court ruled that, when state assemblies have been dissolved prematurely, elections must be held within six months. Ignoring this, the BJP has decided there will be no elections in J&K until J&K has been thoroughly 're-organised' and gerrymandered to ensure a BJP victory. Long a sectarian tinderbox, J&K is heading for a major crisis. This does not bode well for the territory's vulnerable minority Christians.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL:

* bless, comfort and encourage Pastor Singsit as he and his family settle back into Manipur; may the Lord provide their every need; may the believers left behind in Kathua District know the Lord's love and presence; may the Lord provide their every need also.

* grant all the pastors and believers of Kathua District great wisdom and grace as they navigate through these increasingly difficult days of escalating Hindu nationalism.

* guide and protect the Christians of Jammu and Kashmir as two intolerant worldviews - fundamentalist Islam and Hindu nationalism - compete for dominance. May the Holy Spirit move powerfully in J&K, to awaken Kashmiri Muslims and Hindus to the dangers of sectarian hatred; may many hearts be softened and opened to the Gospel of Peace.

SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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INDIA: CHRISTIANS ATTACKED IN J&K'S JAMMU DIVISION

In August 2019 India's Hindu nationalist BJP-led federal government revoked Jammu and Kashmir's autonomy. Since then, the BJP has been enacting its plan to 're-organise' and gerrymander Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) to empower minority Hindus at the expense of majority Muslims (many of whom have been radicalised). As Hindu nationalism rises in majority-Hindu Jammu Division, so too does persecution of Christians. Two recent cases of persecution with impunity in Jammu Division's southern-most Kathua District bode ill for Christians in the area. Over Christmas, a missionary pastor from north-east India was attacked in the street, detained by police and expelled from J&K. A week later, a house-church was attacked. Ignoring India's constitution, police in Kathua District are insisting that Christians obtain permission before gathering for prayer or worship. Please pray.

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Elizabeth Kendal is an international religious liberty analyst and advocate. She serves as Director of Research at Canberra-based Christian Faith and Freedom Inc (CFF) and is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology.

She has authored two books: Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today (Deror Books, Melbourne, Australia, Dec 2012) which offers a Biblical response to persecution and existential threat; and After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding the Christian Crisis in the Middle East (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016).

See www.ElizabethKendal.com 

RLPB 156. April Update; Incl. Sudan, Burma, Egypt, Kashmir

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 156 | Wed 25 Apr 2012
By Elizabeth Kendal

' . . . casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.' (1 Peter 5:7 ESV)

APRIL 2012 UPDATE -- During April we prayed concerning . . . 

* SUDAN (RLPB 153), where some 700,000 ethnic 'Southerners' had until 8 April to register as citizens of the Islamic state or face loss of citizenship and rights, purely on the grounds of their ethnicity.

UPDATING SUDAN:

(1) THE BATTLE FOR HEGLIG. From late March through to mid-April, South Sudan's army fought and repelled Sudanese forces that had been launching attacks against South Sudan from the disputed region of Heglig. (Heglig is south of the January 1956 border, but after oil was discovered there in the 1970s Khartoum seized it, using Arab militias to drive the Southerners out.) According to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement some 20 percent of the border remains to be negotiated. Khartoum's reluctance to negotiate about Heglig is doubtless because it is historically 'Southern'. After Sudan retook control of Heglig on Thursday 19 April, President Bashir addressed a rally where he vowed never to negotiate with 'insects' that should be eliminated -- the language of genocide. 'Heglig,' Bashir told the cheering crowds, 'is not the end, but the beginning.'

(2) CHURCH TORCHED. On Saturday 21 April, in the wake of Sudan's re-conquest of Heglig, a mob of several hundred Muslims besieged and torched a church, Bible school and dormitory complex in Khartoum's Al-Gerief (Al-Jiraif) district while shouting insults at 'Southerners'. The complex, which is owned by the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church, is attended mostly by Nuba. The pogrom was reportedly incited by the Salafi imam of a local mosque who called for the Muslims of Al-Gerief to rise up and purge the land of 'infidels'. Allegedly the police helped the mob gain access and did nothing to stop them. Heavy machinery was brought in to aid the destruction. The fire brigade said the fire could not be put out. Furthermore, it has been reported that several other churches have received orders from police to vacate their 'illegal' properties. 

(3) SOUTHERNERS TRAPPED. Compass Direct News reports that ethnic 'Southerners' attempting to travel south have been unable to board flights for Juba. Land routes have also been closed since 9 April. With Khartoum mobilising for war, the regime may well have decided to stop ethnic 'Southerners' from travelling to South Sudan where they might bolster southern forces. Could Sudan's Christians be facing internment or genocide?

(4) LRA REVIVED. According to Ugandan intelligence, Khartoum has resumed contacts with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) which has moved from its hideout in the forests of Obo, Central African Republic, to an area close to the Sudanese border, sparking fears that the LRA could be returning to the conflict.

(5) AERIAL BOMBARDMENT OF SOUTH SUDAN. Dozens were injured and one young boy was killed on Monday 24 April when Sudanese planes dropped eight bombs in South Sudan's Unity State.

The 'international community' has essentially abandoned the South Sudanese; the Church must not.


* MALI (RLPB 154), where al-Qaeda-linked jihadists, under the cover of a devastatingly violent and destructive Tuareg rebellion, have seized control of northern Mali. With their churches burnt, their charities looted, at least one pastor and his family assassinated and Ansar Dine jihadists enacting Sharia (Islamic) law, northern Mali's traumatised Christians have fled. Please pray for them.

* AFGHANISTAN (RLPB 155), where the infamous Pakistan-based Haqqani network launched the Taliban's Spring Offensive with co-ordinated attacks inside Kabul's most secure areas. Beneath the violence, corruption and chaos, yet rising far above it, is a small but growing Afghan Church that desperately needs our prayers.


APRIL 2012 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .

* BURMA: THE CHRISTIAN KACHIN ABANDONED
The European Union recently lifted its sanctions against Burma, retaining only an arms embargo. This follows similar moves by the US and Australia. The junta -- which remains devoted to ethnic Burman and Buddhist supremacy -- is delighted, for it has been working to legitimise and perpetuate its power. So too are those who are eager to invest in Burma, such as the West, which has been working to secure access to Burma's markets and resources including timber, minerals and cheap labour. On the other hand, most human rights monitors and exiled activists are unhappy that the rewards are coming faster than the reforms with horrific human rights abuses continuing in ethnic minority areas. (See HRW report, 'Untold Miseries'.) According to reports from KachinNews, Burmese troops are massing around Laiza for what is expected to be a massive military assault on the Kachin Independence Organisation's de facto capital, home to more than 25,000 Christian Kachin refugees. The West has essentially abandoned Burma's ethnic-religious minorities; the Church must not. Please pray.

* UPDATING 'EGYPT: SLIDING INTO A DARK AGE' (RLPB 152)
In Abu Al-Reesh village on 4 March, some 1500 armed Muslim villagers rioted against the Notre Dame Language School, besieging two nuns in the school's guesthouse for some eight hours, threatening to burn them alive while the property was being thoroughly ransacked. UPDATE: At a recent 'reconciliation' session, the Christians were told they could have peace in exchange for signing over parcels of land that include the school guesthouse. The school manager, Magdy Melad, refused the terms saying, 'If we give in to that, they will take everything.' However, to end this present spasm of violence, the school had to agree not to press charges against any of the Muslim rioters, vandals and looters, nor against those who besieged and terrorised the nuns or threatened the children. As the school administration notes, such 'reconciliation' sessions are nothing other than legalised extortion. So long as impunity is the order of the day, violent persecution against Christians will only escalate. The situation in Egypt is extremely dangerous. Please pray for Egypt's threatened Christians.

* INDIAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR: CHRISTIANS ARRESTED
Mafford Maharaj Singh (62) and his wife Kusum (60), a Christian couple from New Delhi, have been arrested in northern Kashmir and charged with 'promoting enmity' -- a criminal charge under Article 153A of the Ranbir Penal Code. According to authorities the couple, along with a local girl, were distributing leaflets about Christianity. However, the couple's family in New Delhi maintains that their parents travelled to Srinagar on 16 April to attend a wedding and were merely shopping in the Bandipora market when Mr Singh got into a conversation with a vendor. When it emerged that Mr Singh was a Christian, he was set upon, beaten up and then arrested. If found guilty, the believers could face fines and between three and five years in prison. Please pray for justice in Kashmir.

RLPB 148. Feb. Update; Incl. Burma, Sudan, Syria, Kashmir, Iran, Nigeria, Somalia

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 148 | Wed 29 Feb 2012
By Elizabeth Kendal

"Commit your way to the LORD; trust him, and he will act." (Psalm 37:5 ESV)

FEBRUARY 2012 UPDATE -- During February we prayed concerning . . .

EGYPT (RLPB 144), where Christians, especially indigenous Copts, are facing increasing levels of insecurity as Islam rises and dhimmitude (religious apartheid) returns.

BURMA (RLPB 145), where up to 60,000 displaced Christian Kachin are struggling to survive without aid. [Reminder: Burma Day of Prayer -- Saturday 17 March 2012. Resources.]

UPDATE: God answers prayer! On 24 February an agreement was reached between the UN and Burmese government officials that should allow aid to reach some 45,000 displaced Kachin presently sheltering in camps and churches in areas controlled by the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO). Please persist in prayer for there is no word yet on when the UN aid convoy will depart. Meanwhile, the situation remains dire for some 20,000 displaced Kachin stranded at the China-Burma border.

SUDAN (RLPB 145 & 147), where genocide by the Arab-supremacist, Islamist regime in Khartoum against the predominantly Christian African Nuba of the 'new south', is well under way.

UPDATE: New York Times correspondent Nicholas Kristoff slipped into South Kordofan in late February. He describes the situation as a 'mass atrocity . . . a government starving its people, massacring them, raping them, and bombing them . . .'.

ESCAPE ROUTE OPENED: Since early February we have been praying for God to open the escape route south (see RLPB 145, which uses Exodus 14 as our precedent for prayer). On Sunday 26 February a newly-formed rebel alliance of groups from South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur, the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF; also known as the Kauda Alliance), won their first ever military victory over Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) troops. The SRF liberated Taruje and the strategic SAF garrison at Jau, close to the South Sudan border. According to a spokesman from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement - North (SPLM-N), as well as killing 130 SAF troops, the SRF seized three tanks, some 200 vehicles, hundreds of weapons and dozens of heavy artillery and opened a 'completely clear and safe' route for refugees. Predictably President Omar al-Bashir is blaming South Sudan (which was not involved) and threatening a military response. Tensions are soaring. Please continue to pray. The way has been opened. Now the refugees need to escape and the LORD needs to frustrate any SAF pursuit. Please continue to pray that the LORD will fight for the Nuba (Exodus 14:14) so that all Sudan will know that God is the LORD (Exodus 14:18).

MIDDLE EAST (RLPB 146), where Christians are increasingly persecuted and vulnerable in the wake of the so-called 'Arab Spring'.

SYRIA (RLPB 147), where Christians presently suffering the depradations of war fear outright slaughter if the Assad regime falls.

UPDATE: Syrian sources have told Barnabas Fund that Sunni jihadists are invading and pillaging house after house and that around 70 homes belonging to Christians in Homs have been thus affected. Forced to live in the crossfire, without electricity and with supplies of water, food and medicines declining, Christians are saying they would flee if only there were the opportunity. Two martyrdom brigades of Islamists have formed in Homs this past month: the Al Baraa Ibn Malik Martyrdom Brigade and the Al Nusrah Front to Protect the Levant. The Catholic Archbishop of Damascus, Maronite Samir Nassar, says the situation in the country is spiralling out of control, with Syria becoming an arena of international conflict over competing political, military and economic interests.

FEBRUARY 2012 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .

INDIAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR: CHRISTIANS FORCED TO REVERT TO ISLAM
(Further updating RLPBs 142 & 143) Kashmiri Christians are now being pressured violently to revert to Islam by Islamic fundamentalists committed to ending 'apostasy'. The persecution has forced several local Christian ministries to close and is driving churches underground. Many Christians are fleeing. One madrassa (Islamic school) has boasted it is presently working on 115 Kashmiri Christian converts after having already reverted around 150 converts over recent months. Slanderous, sensational disinformation is proliferating. (See: Kashmiri Christians forced to revert to Islam, by Elizabeth Kendal for Religious Liberty Monitoring (14 Feb 2012)) After undertaking a 10-day investigative trip, the Catholic Christian Secular Forum (CSF) has prepared the report 'Religious Liberty and Persecution in Kashmir' which they will present to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh shortly. CSF is calling on the Indian government to 'put an end to the persecution carried out in the state under the garb of Sharia law'.

IRAN: REPRESSION AND PERSECUTION ESCALATING
According to Iranian sources, a lower court has signed execution orders for Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani (34), making his execution imminent. The government is denying the claim. Arrested in 2009 and sentenced to death for apostasy in 2010, Youcef (married with two young sons) has refused to renounce Christ, even in exchange for his freedom. Other Christian leaders arrested during February include Ms Giti Hakimpour (78) a leader at St Luke's Church in Esfahan and Mr Hekmat Salimi, pastor of the official Church of St Paul in Esfahan. According to Middle East Concern, government officials issued orders on 10 February to Emmanuel Protestant Church and St Peter's Evangelical Church to end their Friday Farsi-language worship services. They were the last two official churches in Tehran offering services on Fridays in the local language.

NIGERIA: BOKO HARAM TARGETS CHURCH
Whilst the situation is dire, we can thank God that though the two most recent church bombings were designed to cause maximum carnage, to a large degree they were frustrated. The bomb that exploded outside Christ Embassy Church in Suleija on Sunday 19 February was massive, yet no worshippers were killed. One member returning from inside the church to his car noticed a bag placed between his car and the next. Finding it contained a huge bomb he called security. All the worshippers were gathered inside the church while bomb disposal police were called. Around 25 minutes later the powerful bomb exploded, killing five people, mainly spectators across the road. Had the bomb exploded while worshippers were leaving after the service the result would have been devastating. Similarly, in Jos on Sunday 26 February a suicide bomber had planned to ram his bomb-laden car into the front of Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) church to cause total carnage and maximum casualties. However, as he smashed through the church's security gates a tyre blew out, stopping the car, and the gas cylinder needed to maximise the blast fell out of the boot. Whilst three worshippers were killed -- a woman who was struck by the car and a father and son killed by shrapnel inside the church -- the toll would have been ten-fold had the bombing gone to plan.

On 22 February jihadists in Maiduguri murdered a believer, Shetu Haruna Malgwi (79), who was mother of a local pastor. They slit her throat, placed a Bible under her feet and left a note written in Arabic on her chest. The note, believed to be for her son, said, 'We will get you soon.' Strong as Boko Haram is now it is affiliated with al Qaeda, God is still stronger. Please pray for the church in Nigeria. 'The LORD . . . frustrates the ways of the wicked (Psalm 146:9 NIV).

SOMALIA: ANOTHER SOMALI CHRISTIAN MARTYRED
Compass Direct News (CDN) recently reported that on 2 January militants belonging to al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab beheaded yet another Somali believer. He was Zakaria Hussein Omar (26) who worked for a Christian humanitarian organisation recently banned by al-Shabaab. According to CDN, Omar converted to Christianity seven years ago while living in Ethiopia. He returned to Somalia in 2008 and married in 2010. 'For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears . . .' (Lamentations 1:16a ESV) May the 'God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction' (from 2 Corinthians 1:3,4) bring comfort to the besieged and traumatised church in Somalia.

RLPB 143. Jan. Update; Inc. Nigeria, Kashmir, Iran, Laos, Somalia, Sudan.

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 143 | Wed 25 Jan 2012

By Elizabeth Kendal

JANUARY 2012 UPDATE -- During January we prayed concerning . . .

NIGERIA (RLPB 140 & 141), where al Qaeda-affiliate Boko Haram is escalating its terror campaign across Northern Nigeria.

UPDATE: A string of coordinated bombings (including suicide bombings) targeting police rocked Nigeria's second largest city, Kano, after Friday prayers on 20 January. The death toll at present is 185, but is continuing to rise. In claiming responsibility, Boko Haram reiterated that it was not fighting the Nigerian people per se, only those responsible for arresting Boko Haram members. In a highly offensive statement peppered with dangerous, inflammatory disinformation, Boko Haram declared: 'Our fight is against the government that is waging war against Islam, the security services and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) -- an organisation that has been killing Muslims and even perpetrated cannibalism by eating their flesh.'

On Sunday 22 January, 10 people were killed in a pre-dawn gun battle between police and Boko Harram militants in the town of Tafawa Balewa in Bauchi State. Then, at about 5 am, three bombs exploded at two churches in Bauchi City. Whilst the Evangelical Church for Win All (ECWA) suffered only minimal damage at its perimeter, Our Lady of St Lauretto Catholic Church was completely destroyed. There were no casualties. In Kano, police conducting 'bomb recovery' searches found ten bomb-laden cars and 'over 300 unexploded devices'. The violence is causing many Northern Christians to flee their communities. In Minna, the capital of Niger State, a Christian missionary home that cares for orphans and children from impoverished families was torched on 23 January. According to its owner, Pastor Isaac Ogwu, Mission Field Coordinator of Missionary Alliance for Africa, it was the fifth time 'Bethany Home' had been targeted in recent days. Whilst residents had managed to contain previous fires, this time the entire property was engulfed and all its buildings razed. Fortunately the children were all evacuated unharmed. Such an attack is likely to have been perpetrated by local Muslims sympathetic to Boko Haram and eager to exploit the chaos.

NORTH KOREA (RLPB 141), where repression is likely to escalate as the regime of Kim Jong-un consolidates.

KASHMIR (India -- RLPB 142), where on 11 January two Christians were convicted in Kashmir's Sharia Court of hurting Muslim sentiment and threatening communal harmony by engaging in 'unethical' conversions.

UPDATE: On 19 January Srinagar's self-appointed Supreme Court of Islamic Shariat issued a decree mandating the expulsion of Punjabi Protestant pastor MC Khanna along with his wife, Kanta, and associate, Gayoor Masih, as well as Dutch Catholic missionary Father Jaap (Jim) Borst. It was claimed they were involved in 'unethical' conversions. A case against a fifth Christian, Parvez Sameul Koul, principal of Tyndale Biscoe School, is under investigation. Faced with a steady trickle of conversions to Christianity, Kashmir's Islamists have committed themselves to eliminating fitna (anything that could shake the faith of a Muslim), particularly the fitna that arises from Biblical Christianity. [For more details see Religious Liberty Monitoring: Eliminating Fitna in Indian-administered Kashmir.]


JANUARY 2012 ROUND-UP -- also . . .

IRAN: REPRESSION ESCALATES

At a recent conference on 'New-Age Cults' in Varamin, a county south of Tehran, Iranian cleric Akhond Mohsen Alizadeh epitomised the regime's mindset when he described 'evangelical Christianity' as 'the most horrifying intelligence and security organisation in the world'! Also in January, the regime issued regulations giving Internet cafes 15 days to install cameras and start collecting detailed information on all users. The regime is preparing to launch its domestic (internal) intranet. Designed to shield Iranians from all 'un-Islamic' influences, this 'halal' (permissible) intranet will eventually replace the (worldwide) internet. Earlier this month, imprisoned Protestant pastor, Yusuf Nadarkhani, was given the opportunity to secure his release from prison. All he had to do was to renounce Christ indirectly by affirming that Mohammed was a prophet of God. The faithful, long-suffering pastor refused. Consequently he remains incarcerated on death row, separated from his wife and sons. If the regime cannot break him but believes it cannot risk his execution, then it may well opt for an 'accidental' death. Pray for Yusuf, his family and the Church in Iran.


LAOS: DETENTION, TORTURE AND CHURCHES CONFISCATED

On 16 December 2011 Lao police arrested seven Christian leaders after authorities in Boukham village, Savannakhet Province, complained that the beliefs of the Christians 'violated the village's hiit' (traditional customs and spirit beliefs). The Christians were incarcerated in wooden stocks, tortured and told they would only be released if they 'confessed' to their crimes and paid massive fines. When they were unconditionally released in mid-January, each Christian was suffering from the effects of torture, including severe swelling, bruising and infections in their legs caused by the stocks. Lao authorities are reportedly planning to expel at least 47 Christians men, women and children from Natoo village, Savannakhet Province. Until then, the Christians of Natoo continue to worship the Lord in their homes. Meanwhile, Lao authorities have confiscated the Nadaeng Church building and the Dongpaiwan Church building. Many other churches are believed to be at risk. Laos, home to some 200,000 Christians comprising over 3 percent of the population, is one of the world's worst persecutors. The ruling Lao People's Revolutionary Party (Communist) has long been open about its intention to eliminate Christianity. Pray for the Church in Laos.


SOMALIA: CONVERT FLOGGED PUBLICLY

On 22 December 2011 al Shabaab Islamic jihadists publicly flogged Sofia Osman (28) for embracing a 'foreign religion'. Sofia, a believer for four years and member of the underground church, was paraded before a jeering crowd before being lashed 40 times in front of several hundred abusive spectators. According to an eye witness, the lashing left Sofia lacerated and bleeding. 'I saw her faint', the eye witness said. 'I thought she had died.' After the flogging, Sofia's parents took her away. Sofia had been in al Shabaab custody for over a month. She is so traumatised that nobody has been able to learn what she suffered during her captivity. She has been relocated for her own safety. Please pray for Sofia and her family. Pray for the besieged, imperilled Church in Somalia.


SUDAN: REGIME THREATENS PASTORS

Addressing cheering crowds on 3 January 2012, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir reiterated his pledge to advance the Islamisation of Sudan in the wake of the secession of the South. That same day, Sudan's Ministry of Guidance and Religious Endowments sent letters to leaders of the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC), threatening to 'take legal procedures against pastors who are involved in preaching or evangelistic activities'. The letter also warned that all pastors must comply with new regulations requiring them to provide their names and contact information to the authorities.

On 17 January police arrested evangelist James Kat of the Evangelical Church of Sudan, alleging he was using the place of worship as his place of residence. After being beaten and intimidated, Kat was released on bail the same day. On 15 January a band of armed militiamen (rebel southerns backed by Khartoum) broke into a Catholic compound in Rabak, just south of Khartoum, accusing the parish of harbouring a former member of the oppositional Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). Along with computer equipment and other valuables, the militants took two priests, Father Joseph Makwey and Father Sylvester Mogga. According to Bishop Daniel Adwok, an auxiliary of the Khartoum archdiocese, militants are operating right across Sudan with complete impunity, intimidating 'Southerners' and pressuring them to leave.

142. India: Tensions soaring as Christians charged in Kashmir

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 142 | Wed 18 Jan 2012

INDIA: TENSIONS SOARING AS CHRISTIANS CHARGED IN KASHMIR

By Elizabeth Kendal

TRUTH: India-administrated Kashmir has a population of 12.5 million (2011 census). Christianity is growing across Kashmir. In 1990 there were some 12,000 Christians; by 2000 that number had risen to around 20,000; Operation World 2010 Edition reports 'more than double that'. TRUTH: Islam is totalitarian and apostasy (leaving Islam) is forbidden because the freedom of the apostate is fitna -- something that could shake the faith of other Muslims. Freedom is something the apostaphobic dictators of Islam dare not risk.

On 19 November 2011 the pastor of All Saints Church in Srinagar, Rev Chander Mani Khanna, was arrested on charges of creating 'enmity' between religious communities and hurting religious sentiments. (The Christian community in Srinagar is only about 400.) Remanded in judicial custody for 15 days, Pastor Khanna was released on bail on 1 December. He has since fled the Kashmir Valley. On 10 December the Islamic Court laid charges against Father 'Jim' Borst (80), a Dutch Catholic missionary who has been working in Kashmir for almost 50 years, primarily in education. At a hearing on Wednesday 11 January 2012 the Supreme Sharia Court, led by the Grand Mufti of Kashmir, Bashid-ud-din Ahmad, claimed it had 'proved beyond doubt' that Pastor Khanna and Fr Borst had been involved in religious conversions using 'baits and inducements'. Sentencing is due any day now.

Grand Mufti Bashid-ud-din Ahmad is the one who initially accused Khanna. After obtaining video footage showing seven youths being baptised in Pastor Khanna's church, the Grand Mufti accused Khanna of 'luring' Muslims to Christianity with the offer of money. (See here for baptism footage.) Though arrested and beaten by Indian police, the seven youths continue to insist they were never offered any material incentive. Despite this, some local newspapers have quoted anonymous police sources saying the converts were given money. Islamic outrage is being stoked with lies and disinformation. Protests have erupted in Kashmir over the issue. Bishop PK Samantaroy, head of the Amritsar Diocese, fears the issue has put at risk the lives of all local Christians across Kashmir.

Even though Kashmir's self-appointed Sharia Court has no jurisdiction, Pastor Khanna consented to appear before it on 17 Nov 2011, hoping his explanation would help pacify the situation. Standing alone, surrounded by dozens of hostile and abusive Muslims, it was an intimidating experience. Pastor Khanna told the court that the seven youths were baptised of their own initiative with absolutely no inducements. Bishop Samantaroy confirmed to the Evangelical Fellowship of India that he had seen this particular group of young men attending All Saints Church for over a year. 'These converts had approached the pastor for baptism by their own freewill,' he said. 'In such cases, the Church cannot deny baptism.'

Awaiting word of his sentence, Pastor Khanna fears for his life. He said he was shocked the government tolerates such activities. Yet the TRUTH of the matter is this: when it comes to persecution of Christians in India, impunity is the order of the day. This impunity -- for which the Federal government must ultimately be held accountable -- is the reason violence and injustice against Christians is soaring to unprecedented levels, making a mockery of India's claim to religious freedom.

The Deputy Grand Mufti of Kashmir, Nasir-ul-Islam, claims the activities of the men 'have hurt the sentiments of [the] entire Muslim community'. But have they? In TRUTH, the activities of these men -- running schools, caring for the poor and sharing the Gospel -- have simply opened the door to the alternative that threatens the totalitarian hegemony of India's religious dictators, Muslim or Hindu. In TRUTH, this is all about freedom. Muslims should be appalled that they are being lied to and manipulated just so that religious dictators can keep them in bondage.

UPDATE: On 19 January 2012, Srinagar's self-appointed Supreme Court of Islamic Shariat -- a court with absolutely no legal jurisdiction -- issued a decree mandating the expulsion of Punjabi Protestant pastor Reverend M C Khanna of All Saints Church Srinagar, along with his wife, Kanta, and his associate Gayoor Masih; as well as Dutch Catholic missionary Father Jaap (Jim) Borst. The four were directed to leave the Kashmir Valley forthwith for their involvement in "unethical" conversions. A case against a fifth Christian, Parvez Sameul Koul, principal of Tyndale Biscoe School, is under investigation. (For full report see Eliminating fitna in Indian-administered Kashmir, Religious Liberty Monitoring, 22 Jan 2012.)

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL --

* surround, protect and deliver Kashmir's Christians from any Islamic reactionary violence and provide all their needs; may Kashmir's light be preserved to shine ever brighter for the glory of God as Christ builds his Church (Matthew 5:14-16).

* use this case to open the eyes of Kashmiri Muslims to TRUTH:
- may they see they are being lied to by their leaders (religious and civic);
- may they see that the purpose of these lies is to perpetuate their bondage;
- may they see that their freedom is the real issue;
- may they see that freedom is found only through truth and in Christ. (John 8:31-37)

'Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.' (Matthew 5:44 ESV)

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TENSIONS SOARING AS CHRISTIANS CHARGED IN KASHMIR

The Supreme Sharia Court in India-administrated Kashmir is self-appointed and lacks official jurisdiction. Nevertheless on 11 January 2012 it claimed to have 'proved [guilt] beyond doubt' and is poised to sentence Anglican pastor Rev Chander Mani Khanna and Dutch Catholic missionary Fr 'Jim' Borst for gaining converts using 'baits and inducements'. Video footage had emerged from All Saints Church, Srinagar, showing Pastor Khanna baptising seven young men who had attended the church for over a year. Kashmir's Grand Mufti then accused Khanna of hurting Muslim sentiments by 'luring' Muslims into Christianity through the offer of money. These converts, though beaten by Indian police, still insist no inducements were ever offered. As tensions soar the diocesan bishop fears the case is putting at risk the lives of all local Christians across Kashmir.

Baptism footage (singing: 'I have decided to follow Jesus' - lyrics).

News report: J&K: Row over forced conversions in Valley