Persecuted and Forgotten 2012 - 2015

Persecuted and Forgotten?

A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2013–15

Aid to the Church in Need

Melkite Archbishop Jean Abdou Arbach of the Diocese of Homs, Hama and Yabroud in Syria shows icons defaced by Islamist militants among the rebel forces.

Persecuted and Forgotten?

A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2013–15 © 2015 Aid to the Church in Need. All rights reserved.

Texts compiled by John Pontifex, John Newton, and Clare Creegan.

Additional research by Michael J. Robinson. With special thanks to colleagues, especially Tony Smith and Tony Cotton.

Published by Published Aid to the Church in Need, 151 St. Mobhi Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 9.

Aid to theby Church in Need 12–14 Benhill Avenue Originally published

by Aid to the Church in Need, 12-14 Benhill Avenue, Sutton, Sutton,SM1 Surrey Surrey 4DA, United Kingdom.

SM1 4DA ACN is a8642 Pontifi8668 cal Foundation of theEmail: Catholic Church and a registered charity in Tel: 020 acn@acnuk.org Ireland (9492) Northern Ireland (XR96620).

Fax: 020 8661and 6293 Website: www.acnuk.org A registered charity in English & Wales (1097984) and Scotland (SC040748).

Cover image Funeral and prayer in the Church of Our Lady of Damascus, Syria & p. 73: © Carole AlFarah. All other images © ACN except for the following: p.5 & p.79, Melkite Archdiocese of Aleppo; p.7, Tony Razk; p.13 & p.18, China Aid; p.27 & p.80, Anton Fric; p.32, Diocese of Maiduguri; p.39 © Miezko9; p.43 © Gwoeii; p.46, Magdalena Wolnik; p.51, British Pakistani Christian Association; p.52 © Ross Gordon Henry; p.63, L’Osservatore Romano; p.69, CAPNI; p.71, Jesuit Order. Maps taken from ACN’s Religious Freedom in the World Report 2014. © Istituto Geografico De Agostini, 2010.

All rights reserved. Infographics (p.7) by Clare Creegan. Design by John Newton.

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Persecuted and Forgotten?

A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2013–15

Contents

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Dear Friends.......................................................... 4 Foreword............................................................... 5 Report findings at-a-glance................................... 7 Introduction........................................................... 8 Country profile: China......................................... 13 Faces of Persecution: Huang Quiri..................... 18 Country profile: Eritrea........................................ 20 Faces of Persecution: Victoria & Gazella............ 24 Country profile: Iraq............................................ 26 Faces of Persecution: Fr Douglas Bazi............... 30 Country profile: Nigeria....................................... 32 Faces of Persecution: Victoria Yohanna............. 37 Country profile: North Korea............................... 39 Faces of Persecution: “Tom”............................... 43 Country profile: Pakistan..................................... 45 Faces of Persecution: Asia Bibi........................... 50 Country profile: Saudi Arabia.............................. 52 Faces of Persecution: Kerolos Attallah............... 56 Country profile: Sudan....................................... 58 Faces of Persecution: Meriam Ibrahim............... 63 Country profile: Syria.......................................... 65 Faces of Persecution: Fr Frans van der Lugt...... 71 Country profile: Vietnam...................................... 73 Notes....................................................................77 How can I help?................................................... 80

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten?

Neville Kyrke-Smith with Chinese Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun.

Dear Friends, Jesus said: “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you” (John 15:20). That is a shock to us – and this is a shocking book.

At Aid to the Church in Need we are witnesses to the suffering which continues and escalates in so many regions of the world today. In this book you will read the reports, hear the stories and meet the faces of the persecuted – our brothers and sisters in Christ who carry his Cross all the way to Golgotha.

In a half-built block in Erbil, northern Iraq, I turned to a young Christian refugee called Nareeman, aged 24, who with her three sisters, two brothers and mother were squeezed into one breeze block room. The family had fled Qaraqosh on 6th August 2014 – just some of the

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120,000 internal refugees who fled from the horrors of Daesh (ISIS). I asked Nareeman, a highly educated software engineer, if she had hope: “Of course we have hope – we are Christians – we have hope in Jesus.”

Let this book challenge us all – just as God challenges us each and every day to turn anew to him – in faith, hope and charity. Please read this book and pass it on – or order another copy for a friend.

May God bless you,

Neville Kyrke-Smith National Director Aid to the Church in Need (UK)

Introductio

Persecuted and Forgotten?

Melkite Archbishop Jeanbart during a Good Friday procession in Aleppo.

Foreword

© Melkite Archdiocese of Aleppo

by Melkite Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart of Aleppo, Syria Nothing therefore can come between us and the love of Christ, even if we are troubled or worried, or being persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even attacked.

As scripture promised: For your sake we are being massacred daily, and reckoned as sheep for the slaughter.

These are the trials through which we triumph, by the power of him who loved us. (Romans 8:35–37 JB)

St Paul, who was converted in Syria and baptised, confirmed and ordained by our Church in Damascus, seems to prophetically address our dramatic situation today. Troubles, persecution, lack of food and clothes, threats and attacks, this describes the lot of those, in so many countries, who cling to their Faith in our risen Lord Jesus Christ.

In my Diocese of Aleppo, in northern Syria, we are on the front-line of this suffering. My own cathedral has been bombed six times and is now

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten? unusable. My home has also been hit more than 10 times. We are facing the rage of an extremist jihad; we may disappear soon. In both Syria and Iraq, Christian communities—along with other vulnerable minorities—are defenceless against assaults by Daesh. We are the prime target of the so-called caliphate’s religious cleansing campaign.

Across the region, Christians and other minorities are often caught up in the fighting, facing calamities as they are displaced, with scant provisions for shelter, food, and medical assistance. Truly we are “reckoned as sheep for the slaughter”.

We “are being massacred daily” and other Christians are too. Extremist jihad has swept through Nigeria; in Sri Lanka religious extremism of another kind attacks minority faiths – including Christians; and so on. In Aid to the Church in Need’s Persecuted and Forgotten? report you will find a spotlight shone on the situation in all of these countries, and the problems they face revealed. Our faith in Christ Jesus, our shared humanity, demands that we listen to the stories of those who suffer for the beliefs we share. Their story is our story.

Despite our problems here in the Middle East, we are doing everything we can to help those who lack food, clothes, or other essentials. By God’s grace, and with the continuing help of organisations including Aid to the Church in Need, we have been able to respond to the urgent needs of our people.

We are confronting one of the most important challenges of our 2,000year history. We will fight with all our strength and act with all available means to give our people reasons to stay and not to leave; we know the road ahead will be very hard; nevertheless, we are convinced that our beloved Lord Jesus is present in his Church and will never abandon us.

We know that nothing can come between us and the love of Christ – and that through all these trials we triumph through the power of him who loves us.

Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart Melkite Greek Catholic of Aleppo, Syria

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THE REPORT’S FINDINGS – AT A GLANCE • At a time when numbers of displaced and refugees hit an all-time high, Islamist groups have carried out religiouslymotivated ethnic cleansing of Christians notably in parts of Africa and the Middle East. If this continues, the Church’s survival in these regions is threatened.

• Christians have been targeted by nationalist religious movements – Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist – which increasingly see Christianity as a foreign ‘colonial’ import, worthy of suspicion as a result of its perceived links with the West, which is seen as corrupt and exploitative.

• The fear of genocide – in many cases well founded – has prompted an exodus of Christians, notably from the Middle East and parts of Africa.

• As a result of this exodus, Christianity is on course to disappear from Iraq within possibly five years – unless emergency help is provided on a massively increased scale at an international level.

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WO ORSEN NED since 2013

• A massive exodus of Christians in other parts of the Middle East, such as Syria combined with increasing pressures on the faithful in Saudi Arabia and Iran mean that the Church is being silenced and driven out of its ancient biblical heartland.

• The decline of Christianity in many countries of concern has potentially profound significance regarding prospects for peace as Christians have traditionally been important ‘peace builders’ in society.

• The rise of militant Islamist groups in Nigeria, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and other parts of Africa is de-stabilising the Christian presence on the one continent til now has been the Church’s which until brightest hope for the future.

• Totalitarian regimes, including China, have put increasing pressures on Christianity which is perceived as a threat not least because of growing ‘underground’ support.

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Daesh (ISIS) leading Christians to be executed in Libya.

Introduction I tr In tro rodu duc uctitio ion on Speaking up for those who suffer Down narrow alleys flanked on either side by simple brick dwellings, the sound of grief could be heard. Nobody could quite believe such a tragedy could befall their tight-knit farming community of El-Aour, a mostly Christian village in the Minya governorate in Egypt. In February 2015 Islamist terror group Daesh (ISIS) released a video showing the beheading of migrant workers in Libya. 13 of the 20 Coptic Christians came from El-Aour. Bushra Fawzi spotted his son, Shenouda, among those kneeling on the Libyan seashore: “He is my first and eldest son, my first joy and happiness. I want his body back. If they dumped it in the sea, I want it back. If they set fire to it, I want its dust.”1 It is for Shenouda and countless others that Aid to the Church in Need has produced this new edition of Persecuted and Forgotten? The full report (available at www.acnuk.org/persecution) shows that the period under review – October 2013 to July 2015 – has seen catastrophe for many Christians in the regions.

The 2015 report examined 22 countries. The number of countries categorised as those where Christians suffered “extreme” persecution rose from six in 2011–13 to 10 in 2013–15. The 10 countries classified as “extreme” are presented in this book.

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Extremist Islam – the gravest threat

The newcomers to the “extreme” category – Iraq, Nigeria, Sudan and Syria – saw an upsurge in extremist Islam. All faiths were targeted to a greater or lesser extent by radical jihadist groups.

Of all the atrocities, the one which, arguably, had the most impact was the fall of Mosul and the Nineveh plains to Daesh in summer 2014. This may have had extensive media coverage but it was only one among many attacks that pushed Christians to the brink as never before.

Daesh made no secret of its attempt to eliminate Christianity in the lands under its control. The militants claimed responsibility for ransacking churches, defacing icons and throwing crosses and bells to the ground.2 Not to mention reports showing the killing of innocent faithful, including the beheading of 21 Egyptian men close to a waterfront near the Libyan capital, Tripoli in February 2015.

Christians fleeing in vast numbers When Daesh seized Mosul and Nineveh, there was a mass exodus, which included Christians: 120,000 fled the region. For the first time in 1,800 years there was no Sunday Mass in Mosul.3 But there are other examples too. By May 2015, successive acts of violence by terror group Boko Haram had caused 100,000 Catholics alone to flee Nigeria’s largest diocese of Maiduguri, with 350 churches destroyed and 22 out of 40 parish centres and chaplaincies deserted.4 (In spring 2015, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared caliph by Daesh, had reportedly accepted a pledge of allegiance from Boko Haram.5)

Extinction within a decade?

The exodus of Christians highlights the possibility that within a generation Christianity could all but disappear from much of its ancient homeland. Christians in Iraq fell to as low as 275,0006 in the period under review with at least half recently displaced. The rate of decline from about one million in 2002–03 to about 700,000 in 2006,7 to below 300,000 today shows Christians have been haemorrhaging from Iraq at a rate of between 60,000 and 100,000 a year. This suggests Christianity could be all but extinct in Iraq within five years.

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten?

Iraq’s declining Christian presence was replicated to a greater or lesser extent in countries including Syria, and parts of Nigeria. This exodus is symptomatic of a religio-ethnic cleansing of Christians in regions of the Middle East and Africa.

At the very least, the disappearance of Christians damages the prospects of social cohesion. As HRH The Prince of Wales has said: “The decline of Christians in the [Middle East] represents a major blow to peace as Christians are part of the fabric of society, often acting as bridge builders between other communities. This crucial role throughout Middle East society is one recognised by Muslims (who are not extremist) both Sunni or Shia who attest to the fact that Christians are their friends and that their communities are needed.”8

The threat to Christians from other forms of extremism

The period under review also saw a deepening hostility towards Christians from other faith groups. In India, radical Hindu movements carried out more attacks and with increased ferocity than in the years before. Although Buddhism is usually seen as a religion of peace, a more militant strand of the religion has allied itself to nationalists, who regard it as the national religion in Burma and Sri Lanka. Buddhist extremists in Sri Lanka have destroyed or forced the closure of churches – 2014 saw about 60 churches and chapels attacked, down from 105 the previous year.9 In both Sri Lanka and Burma, Muslims and Christians alike have been targeted as deviating from the national socio-religious norm. The Burmese military continued its campaign of repression against Christian ethnic minorities in Chin and Karen States in the north. Christian places of worship have been singled out for destruction, when nearby Buddhist temples went unharmed.

Totalitarian and authoritarian regimes Meanwhile, evidence suggests that the situation for Christians has worsened in a number of communist and formerly communist countries.

North Korea carried out a fresh campaign of violence and other intimidation against the faithful as part of a clampdown on perceived dissent against the ‘juche’ isolationist regime and the Kim dynasty.10 The killing of 33 Christians accused of being spies shed fresh light on the regime’s

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten?

Although this book only covers the 10 countries the report classified as “extreme”, the full report (which can be found online at www.acnuk/persecution) looks at 22 countries including Egypt, Turkmenistan and India. Here is just one incident from India:

India: Protest over Church attacks forcibly broken up

March 2015 Police in India were accused of heavy-handedly removing protestors taking part in a peaceful demonstration against a rise in attacks on churches and assaults on Christians. Protester Father Dennis George said police descended after 500 people gathered at the gate of the city’s Sacred Heart Cathedral. Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need, the priest of New Delhi Archdiocese described how he tried to intervene when he witnessed “police roughing up people and dragging even women into vans”. But Father George was then seized himself: “Three policemen tried to drag me away. But I resisted.

Then, half a dozen of them lifted me up – with one even choking me by the neck – and put me in the police bus.”

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten? antipathy towards the Faith.11 Similar persecution was noted in Eritrea where former prisoners have described physical abuse.12 Reportedly, up to 3,000 Eritreans – the majority of them Christian – are currently imprisoned for their religious beliefs.13 While there is latitude for worship in China and Vietnam, this is strictly controlled by the state, with severe sanctions for believers not worshipping in accordance with its strictures. According to one assessment, worshippers in China suffered the harshest persecution in over a decade in 2014: 449 Church leaders were detained and as of January 2015 more than 650 incidents of state agression occured in Zeijang province, involving the partial or full demolition of churches.

Conclusion

“We see today our persecuted brothers decapitated and crucified for their faith in Jesus before our eyes and often with our complicit silence.”14 Mindful of these words of Pope Francis, this report seeks both to investigate the facts of Christian persecution in their proper context as well as draw attention to the scale of the crisis. ACN is determined to do everything possible to help, providing food, medicine and shelter, especially in the Middle East. But aid is one thing, raising awareness is another. Church leaders have expressed concerns that the West is ignoring their plight and has abandoned them to their fate. Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako of Baghdad said: “Interventions [by the West] in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya have not all helped to solve the problem of their peoples. On the contrary, they have led to chaos and conflict that do not bode well for the future, especially for Christians… 1,400 years of Islam have not been able to take us away from our lands and our churches; now Western policy has scattered us to the four corners of the earth. More and more Christians are being victimised, and their exodus from the Middle East appears unstoppable.”15 By providing accurate information and clear analysis, this report aims to empower those people willing and able to ensure that persecuted Christians are never forgotten.

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According to some assessments, worshippers suffered the harshest persecution seen in over a decade in 2014:16 572 cases of religious persecution in 2014 were recorded by NGO China Aid, compared with 143 the previous year – and more Church leaders were detained: 449 were seized, up from 54 in 2013.17

One of the most significant problems during the period under review was the demolition of Church property. A number of buildings in Zhejiang Province – in particular in the coastal city of Wenzhou – were targeted. On a pretext of removing structures that violated planning and zoning laws, a number of churches were served with demolition orders, either for external crosses or entire buildings. One parishioner from the newly finished, governmentapproved Sanjiang Church witnessed his place of worship reduced to rubble. He said: “Words can’t express how traumatic it was. I just kept thinking of Jesus’s words, ‘They know not what they do’ – they don’t realise it but they will surely be judged by God.” One Wenzhou resident said: “It was a really big building and you could see the cross on the top from miles away. I heard it made the officials angry and so they knocked it down and got rid of the evidence.” An orchard has been transplanted to the site where the church stood.18

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© China Aid

China

Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te Forg r ott tte tt ten?

China Population 1.3 billion Religions Atheists 52% Traditional 21.9% Buddhists 18.2% Christians 5.1% Others 2.8% Christian Population 66 million

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As of January 2015, Christian Solidarity Worldwide noted more than 650 incidents involving churches in Zhejiang province, including arrests or summons in connection with the demolitions. 87-year-old Catholic Bishop Zhu Weifang of Wenzhou, from the government-sponsored Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, called the demolitions “wrong and unjust”, noting that the policy “targets crosses on church-roofs, a sign of Christian faith.”19 Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun told ACN: “The Chinese government has intensified the persecution recently. We have seen demolished churches, crosses taken away from the buildings, therefore there’s not much we can hope for immediately. The Church is still enslaved to the government.” 20 Christians have stood in solidarity: Catholics and Protestants have guarded each other’s churches.21 Legally, Buddhism, Taoism, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Islam are recognised religions and followers of these faiths are allowed to practise under the auspices of one of the state sanctioned ‘patriotic associations’. For Catholics this is the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA) and for Protestants the Three-Self Patriotic Movement. These seek to control Christianity in line with Communist Party principles – although up to 90 percent of CPA bishops and priests are recognised by the Vatican.22 But many worship outside of these official structures in what are often referred to as the ‘underground’ churches. While the regime does not technically outlaw these groups, they are not permitted to hold public religious services or other activities.23

Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten?

Increasingly state registration is no guarantee of protection from persecution, as Three-Self Patriotic Movement congregations in Wenzhou discovered. However, restrictions on religious practice are enforced at a provincial level and are open to local interpretation, meaning vastly different situations are experienced by ‘underground’ and ‘official’ communities across China. In defending their actions, officials have increasingly used the rule of law to justify repressing religious communities, hence the pretext of planning regulations in Zhejiang Province.24 It must be noted that the current purge in the province also affected a small number of non-Christian buildings, including Buddhist temples.25 October 2013 A house church in Beijing’s Shunyi District was raided by more than 20 officials. Officials removed computers, projectors and at least four cases of Bibles from Harvest Church. According to members, at least three house churches in the locale were raided by police.26 November 2013 Pastor Zhang Shaojie and more than 20 members of Nanle County Christian Church (which belongs to the Three-Self Patriotic Movement), Henan, were detained after attempting to petition authorities about a land dispute concerning the church building. Three members were released in June 2014. On 4th July Pastor Shaojie was jailed for 12 years and fined 100,000 RMB (c.£9,400) on charges of fraud and “gathering a crowd to disturb public order”.27 March 2014 Mr Yang, a 50-year-old member of Youqing Church, in Lifu Township, Sichuan province, was stripped of his clothes by officials, bound with a rope and left outside in the rain for two hours on Saturday 1st. Temperatures that day ranged from -1–12°C (27–54°F). Pastor Wang “Joshua” Dao said: “At first, the kidnapper jeered at him, saying ‘I see you believe in God. How come no one has come to rescue you?’” Mr Yang’s Bible was taken during the incident.28 March 2014 Bishop Joseph Fan Zhongliang of Shanghai died on the evening of Sunday 16th while under house arrest. The 97-year-old prelate had spent more than two decades in prison and labour camps.29

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten?

May 2014 Bishop John Peng Weizhao was arrested on Friday 30th following his ordination to the episcopate the previous month. The Vatican appointed him underground bishop of Yujiang (Jiangxi). Bishop Weizhao was released in November 2014 on the condition that he did not travel outside of Jiangxi province for three months. The prelate remained under police surveillance and was not allowed to exercise his episcopal ministry.30 May 2014 Pastor Wu Qixi was beaten into a coma following f llowing a dispute fo over the ownership of a church he built. It was given over to the ThreeSelf Patriotic Movement five years ago with the understanding that Pastor Qixi could return to ministry there after aft f er three years. Pastor Qixi ft and some congreants tried to reclaim the building after aft f er the government ft 31 refused to allow him back.

May 2014 Five Christian families in Yunnan province, Tibetan China, had basic living allowances from the local government stopped because of their Christian faith. This followed f llowed repeated warnings that action would fo be taken if they did not renounce their Faith.32 August 2014 As part of the ongoing persecution in Zhejiang province, Yazhong Church was ordered to remove their cross by the end of the month. Local government agents subsequently installed three surveillance cameras at a road junction leading to Yazhong Church.

Members of the congregation mounted a 24-hour watch to stop authorities removing the cross. Ou Jinsi was arrested when he attempted to stop authorities dismantling it during his watch. Other church members were detained following attempts to negotiate with officials. Mr Jinsi was released on 6th March 2015 along with Ji Qingcou and Ji Qingcao. According to Yazhong Church sources, they were acquitted of their charges having refused to sign confessions. Their release followed the congregation petitioning higher authorities, pointing out they had video evidence.33 August-September 2014 Authorities in China’s coastal Anhui region shut down and knocked down a private, church-run Shunchang School in Fuyang. Authorities claimed fire extinguishers and other equipment did not meet safety standards. The school was demolished after it reopened for the new academic year on 1st September, despite being told not to.34

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September 2014 More than 200 police raided a house church in Foshan City, Guangdong Province during a service on Sunday 21st. Officers arrested more than 100 church members, including children. On the evening of the following day, 30 parishioners were still in police custody. Most church members, including the children, were detained for 10–20 hours and then released. Police left behind a notice stating that the church members were detained for conducting an “illegal gathering”. The church had been operating for more than two decades.35 January 2015 Twenty Christians at a service in Langzhong were arrested by police. They were part of a meeting of about 70 people from house churches in Chengdu, Mianyang and Langzhong in Sichuan province.

Pastor Li Mingbo, who was among those arrested, said: “After we had begun to sing hymns, the DSPS [Domestic Security Protection Squad] agents came in. On our way back home, they intercepted all of us and took about 20 people into custody. Most people were given ‘education’ and released. Nine of us were detained.” The nine worshippers were released after being detained 10–15 days.36 March 2015 Police seized two priests in Mudanjiang – Fr Shaoyun Quan and Fr Jianyou Cao – at the end of a Sunday Mass they had been celebrating for an “underground” Catholic congregation. They were interrogated for eight hours before being taken to an unknown location.

At time of writing no information is known about their whereabouts.37 May 2015 Authorities seized Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding on 12th May detaining him for 12 days. “He ordained a few priests in April and was then warned not to go on a pilgrimage during the Month of Mary in May,” said a Catholic source who asked not to be named for security reasons. Bishop Julius was released in time to celebrate Mass on Pentecost Sunday 24th May. It is believed authorities also abducted Father Liu Honggeng in Baoding who has not been seen or heard from since 7th May.38 May 2015 In Baoding Diocese, two Catholic laywomen were wounded while trying to stop more than 40 police officers from demolishing an altar belonging to the “underground” Catholic Church in Anzhuang. The altar was erected before the Chinese New Year in February.39

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Huang Quirui Church Elder sentenced to two years in prison As Huang Quirui was led out of the court to begin his prison sentence, he knew that the real reason for his arrest and trial was the refusal of his House Church to join the Three-Self Patriotic Movement – the government-backed umbrella group for China’s Protestant Churches.

The Liangren House Church Elder, who was seized when security agents came to his home late at night, was convicted of “illegal business operations” along with three co-defendants on Friday 1st May 2015. The charges concerned materials which had been printed for the Church’s Hualin Kindergarten.

The trial was mired in controversy. One example came on 9th February 2015 when the court ejected and “disqualified” all the original defence lawyers, bar one, leaving defendants to find new legal representation.

When the new lawyers tried to visit their clients at the Detention Centre a little over a fortnight later, they were turned away.

Xin Xuemei, Huang’s wife, wrote: “In the past 10-or-so years, the state security agents have never stopped stalking and suppressing us! In spite of all of this, God still gave us a firm confidence to serve and follow him.”

She said: “Since we became Christians, our family has suffered the authorities’ suppression on numerous occasions,” describing a litany of interference by authorities in their religious practices. In 1987 Huang was arrested and imprisoned for smuggling Bibles from Hong Kong to Chongqing. In prison he was beaten so badly that three of his ribs were broken. And, about five years ago, a Christian bookshop in Guangzhou was shut down by authorities when the pastor worked there.

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© China Aid

The lawyers ejected from the trial protest.

Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten?

Talking about the arrest, Xin Xuemei said: “On the evening of June 23, 2014, DSPS [Domestic Security Protection Squad] agents from Guangxi crossed the border between Guangxi and Guangdong into Guangzhou to arrest Christians. They framed my husband…

“After my husband was taken into custody, Liangren Church and Panshi Church were suppressed on many occasions and were prohibited from gathering at their original meeting places… We didn’t stop our Sunday worship. I think this strength was bestowed to us by our heavenly father, by whom we stand firm in the storm.”

Authorities confiscated letters and a Bible sent to Huang while he was incarcerated in Liuzhou Municipal No. 1 Detention Centre. Writing three months before he was found guilty, his wife said “Every day, he is forced to work 11 hours of hard labour. In the harsh winter, he has to drink cold water and wash himself in cold water. They decided to convict my husband and keep him from regaining his freedom so that he can never lead a church again…”

Huang and two other Christians from Liangren Church were sentenced to two years in prison and fined 5,000 Yuan (US$806) by the Liunan District Court of Liuzhou. Fang Bin, who is not a church member, but printed the books for the Kindergarten at the centre of the case, was sentenced to one year and nine months and fined 4,000 Yuan (US$644).40 praying. bet

Believers in Ti

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Eritrean refugees in front of a chapel in West Tigray, Ethiopia.

Eritrea Latest reports state that up to 3,000 people – the majority of them Christians – are currently in jail in Eritrea for their religious beliefs.41 Most have been denied a fair trial. Eritrean Christians who have survived jail have described being held in massively overcrowded cells, without sanitation or ventilation. Others have reported being packed into metal shipping containers where the temperature soars under the African sun.

Many eye-witness accounts have highlighted torture and physical abuse.42 In 2014 the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) stated that Evangelicals and Protestants released from prison described “being pressured to recant their faith in order to be freed… Prisoners are not permitted to pray aloud, sing or preach and religious books are banned.”

Christians are a particular target in a country where a UN Human Rights Council investigation found that “systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations [take place] under the authority of the Government”. The oppression has prompted a mass exodus which Catholic bishops describe as leaving the country “desolate”.43 The UNHCR described a massive increase in Eritrean refugees, stating that by the end of 2014 more than 216,000 had crossed over the border

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten? into Ethiopia and Sudan. Meanwhile those arriving in Europe had trebled to 37,000 over the first 10 months of 2014.44 Many refugees have experienced trafficking – including sexual exploitation. When a boat crossing the Mediterranean from Libya sank in October 2013 off the Italian island of Lampedusa, with 360 deaths, many were refugees from Eritrea. In June 2015, 86 Eritrean Christian refugees – including 12 women and a child – were kidnapped in Libya by Daesh (ISIS).45 Since May 2002, there has been official recognition of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Eritrean Catholic Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, and Islam.

However, these faith groups have come under intense pressure. Relations have been soured

by Church leaders speaking out about the country’s problems. In 2007 Eritrean Orthodox Patriarch Antonios was deposed by the regime, and was powerless to act as his governmentbacked successor, Dioskoros, took charge of a Church in which many of whose clergy and faithful denounced him.

The Catholic Church has for many years spoken out against national service, which is mandatory for all men under 40, refusing to send clergy for military training. The UN has described this as “forced labour that effectively abuses, exploits and enslaves Eritreans”.46 The harsh conditions of the service – and its arbitrary extension beyond its two-year term – are frequently cited as key reasons for the mass migration, and many Christian groups have been targeted because of their conscientious objection to armed combat. In a June 2014 letter ‘Where is your brother?’ the

Eritrea Population 5 million Religions Muslims 50% Christians 48% Others 2% Christian Population 2.5 million An Eritrean wedding servi r ice rv ce in West st Tigray refugee camp.

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten? country’s four Catholic bishops highlighted the problems of mass emigration and government policies, enraging the Government and sparking fears that the regime would seek to replace Church leaders.

Non-registered Christians and other faith groups – Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists – are ruthlessly oppressed.

They are not permitted to practise their faith and live with the constant fear of arrest. Seen as a threat to the state, they are monitored by Government spies. As well as experiencing attacks on their homes, they frequently suffer harassment, false imprisonment and torture – both verbal and physical – with reports of some dying in custody. f r more fo r than a year in prison, died of re October 2013 A Christian woman, held for pneumonia after aft f er being denied medical treatment ft tre r atment for re f r refusing fo r fusing to renounce re r nounce re her faith. f ith. Wehazit Berhane Debesai was kept in squalid conditions in the Adi fa unre r gistere re r d Christian activities re Quala prison because of her involvement in unregistered 47 f mily or fiancé. fa and was not allowed to see her family October 2013 High school students were arrested for “Christian beliefs and for their commitment to Christ”. The 28 boys and 11 girls were not allowed to take part in a graduation ceremony. Officials told students that they would not be able to go to college or get out of jail unless they denied Christ. While in jail, the students were told they would receive limited supplies of food and water and undertake hard manual labour.”48 November 2013 One-hundred-and-fifty Christians were arrested during a raid by security forces on a prayer meeting in Asmara. Those detained were members of an unregistered Christian community, the Church of the Living God, who had met to pray for the refugee crisis in the country.49 May 2014 Five seminarians of the state-sanctioned Evangelical Lutheran Church were detained and arrested ahead of their ordination. The ministerial candidates, Petros Yosief, Bemnet Tesfay, Aklilu Tesfay, Ermias Hadgu and Aron Mehretu, were held at a police station in Asmara despite the church being officially recognised by the government. An anonymous source for Open Doors said: “The arrest clearly shows how even government-recognised churches are not free from government control.”50

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January 2015 On the eighth anniversary of the Eritrean Orthodox Patriarch Abune Antonios’s arrest, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) called for his release. The patriarch was removed in 2006 for refusing to excommunicate 3,000 parishioners who opposed the government and has been under house arrest since May 2007. Calling on the government to release Patriarch Antonios and 2,000 Christians estimated to be held for their religious beliefs, USCIRF Chair Dr Katrina Lantos Swett said: “Religious freedom is a fundamental, universal human right. Unfortunately, this anniversary reminds us that these rights, as well as other human rights, have been denied to the people of Eritrea for more than two decades.”51 April 2015 Five Christian teenagers kidnapped by Daesh escaped after being forced to watch the execution of fellow Christians. The boys were held for more than a month, having been forcibly converted to Islam after Daesh caught 72 Eritreans and eight Ethiopians travelling through the Libyan desert. The Erirean boys escaped as the extremists moved their camp to avoid nearby fighting. They walked for four days before encountering a smuggler who delivered them to a relative in Tripoli.52 April 2015 Two Eritrean brothers, who survived a hazardous boat journey across the Mediterranean from Libya to Sicily, described how Islamic extremists patrolled villages looking for ‘infidels’ to kill. Haben, 19, and his younger brother Samuel, 14, were forced to deny their faith. Haben said: “The men come round with Kalashnikov and they ask you what is your faith. If you are Christian they take you away and kill you. They cut off your head or shoot you. This is what they have done to hundreds of Christians.”53 April 2015 A video was released, apparantly showing three Christian refugees from Eritrea being executed by jihadists. The men initially sought sanctuary in Israel but had travelled to Africa, seeking access to Europe. They got as far as Libya where they were caught by Daesh.54 June 2015 Daesh kidnapped 86 Eritrean Christian refugees being smuggled across Libya. Their convoy of vehicles was ambushed by militants south of the Libyan capital, Tripoli. According to reports, Daesh stopped one of the vehicles, asking the refugees about the Qur’an and their religious observance “in an attempt to catch Christians pretending to be Muslims”. 55

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Refugee accommodation in Erbil, northern Iraq.

Victoria and Gazella An amazing story of faith, fortitude and friendship 80-year-old Victoria and Gazella were on thier way to morning Mass in August 2014 when they noticed the streets were deserted but it was only when they arrived at St Addai’s Church in Karamlesh, Iraq and found the door locked that they realised that something was desperately wrong. In the days and hours before, rumours of advancing forces from Daesh (ISIS) had gripped the town and many had fled, fearing an invasion.

With no family to care for her, the elderly widow made her way back home, past the vacant houses and approached her friend and neighbour for comfort. Gazella, 80, had also remained in Karamlesh and together, the two women shut themselves in and prayed.

For four days after Daesh arrived the women hid, not daring to leave the house. “Prayer sustained us,” recalled Victoria, but their supplies were

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Gazella.

Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten? dangerously low and the two frail widows desperately needed food and water. They had to venture out in search of supplies.

The women were discovered by militants as they made their way through the empty streets but they explained their situation, asking for aid and water. To their surprise, the extremists gave them something to drink, even after they had refused a request to convert to Islam.

A few days later Victoria and Gazella were discovered by Daesh again.

This time they were taken to a hill on the edge of Karamlesh where a group of 10 other Christians were gathered in front of a shrine to St Barbara. The last Christian inhabitants of the village were asked once again to renounce their faith. “You must convert,” they were told. “Our faith can promise you paradise.”

But Gazella spoke up: “We believe that if we show love and kindness, forgiveness and mercy we can bring about the kingdom of God on earth as well as in heaven. Paradise is about love. If you want to kill us for our faith then we are prepared to die here and now.”

The Daesh commanders had no response to the women’s resolute faith and it was agreed that the remaining dozen or so Christians could go free. Walking alongside the elderly and the infirm, Victoria and Gazella were able to reach safety.

Today the two women sleep side by side, on two mattresses, in a room in Ankawa, a suburb of Erbil, the capital of Kurdish northern Iraq.

A Christian area, Ankawa’s population swelled from 40,000 to more than 70,000 people in less than three months. Gazella and Victoria joined the estimated 120,000 displaced Christians who had fled Daesh, tired from their ordeal but grateful that God had granted them the strength they had prayed for.

Victoria.

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Iraq

A boy at a church near a refugee camp in Erbil, northern Iraq.

Speaking at the House of Lords in February 2015, Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, northern Iraq, said: “For many long centuries we the Christians of Iraq have experienced many long hardships and persecutions but what we have now experienced are the worst acts of genocide in our homeland. We are facing the extinction of Christianity as a religion in Iraq.”

2014 was a catastrophic year for Christians who were driven out of their ancient heartlands in the north as part of a wave of violence by Daesh (ISIS). A country where Christianity’s roots reportedly date back as far as the first century was falling prey to militant groups increasingly hostile to the faithful. The fall of Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein by the US-led military campaign in 2003, created a political, social and religious vacuum exploited by Jihadi militia groups, who in turn capitalised on growing Sunni resentment at the allegedly pro-Shia policies of Nouri al-Maliki, who became Prime Minister in 2006.

Christians had mainly suffered intimidation after Saddam’s fall, but attacks became increasingly violent, climaxing with the 31st October 2010 attack on Baghdad’s Syriac Catholic Cathedral, in which 52 were killed.

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Government statements of intent to defend the country’s Christians and rebuild their places of worship rang hollow for many of the faithful. A mass emigration in the face of opposition from Church leaders who begged their people to stay, highlighted the historical significance of the country’s Christian community rich in biblical heritage.

Population 32.6 million Religions Muslims 98% Christians >1% Others >1% Christian Population >260,000 with her A young girl, sheltering centre in Erbil. family in a shopping

But while many Christians left of their own volition, others were forced out. On 10th June 2014, Deash took Mosul. July saw what the Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul described as the end of nearly 1,900 years of continued Christian presence in the city.

Christian homes were marked with the Arabic letter ‘‫ ’ن‬for ‘Nazarene’, a word which means ‘Christians’ and the faithful were told to leave, convert, or pay the Islamic Jizya tax. But this was changed and Christians were subsequently told to convert or “there is nothing for [you] but the sword”. When they reached the edge of the city, those leaving were forced to hand over their possessions.

Thousands of Christians took refuge in the neighbouring Nineveh Plains, only to come under attack for a second time. On the night of 6–7th August, Daesh forces captured 13 Christian towns and villages in Nineveh as well as others occupied by other minority faith communities.

Narrowly escaping with their lives, 125,000 Christians fled into the night.

They sought sanctuary both in the Kurdish capital Erbil, and due north in Dohuk. Christian organisations supplied emergency aid to provide the displaced with food, shelter and medicine.

© Anton Fric

Iraq

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By mid-2015, statistics regarding Christian emigration from Iraq painted a picture unimaginable less than a generation before. Christians, who numbered 1.4 million at the last census taken under Saddam, were now reported to be less than 275,000. Church leaders reported that within six months of arriving in Kurdistan, up to 25 percent of internal refugees had fled abroad. Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil told ACN: “If Iraqi Christians were each given a visa, they would leave but they would leave with tears in their eyes. They feel that the country of their birth no longer loves them.”

September 2013 A suicide bomb exploded outside the home of a Christian politician in Rafigayn, Kirkuk province and injured 19 people.

Politician Emad Youhanna was not hurt in the blast but three of his children were wounded. It was reported that the suicide bomber targeted Mr Youhanna’s property in an attempt to intimidate the Christian community.56 December 2013 Three separate attacks on Christmas Day targeting Christians in Baghdad killed at least 37 people. Two bombs were detonated at an outdoor market at the heart of the Christian community in Athorien and killed 11 people, injuring 21. The third attack was a car bomb, which exploded near a church in the neighbourhood of southern Dora, reportedly killing 26 people and wounding a further 38. The attacks were condemned by the US Embassy in Baghdad which said: “The Christian community in Iraq has suffered deliberate and senseless targeting by terrorists for many years, as have many other innocent Iraqis”.57 July 2014 A Muslim university professor was assassinated for speaking out against Christian persecution. Professor Mahmoud Al-Asali of the University of Mosul, was killed by Daesh militants after objecting to the group’s brutal anti-Christian behaviour which he saw as contrary to Islamic teachings.58 August 2014 As more than 100,000 Christians fled for safety, and as Islamist extremists destroyed religious items and removed crosses from churches in northern Iraq Chaldean Patriarch Louis Sako told Aid to the Church in Need that he feared for the future of Christianity in Iraq. “If the situation does not change, the whole world should take responsi-

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten? bility [for] a slow genocide of an entire component of Iraqi society and its age-old culture. ISIS tries to erase all traces.” Patriarch Sako feared Daesh (ISIS) could eradicate Christianity along with other religious minorities from the Middle East.59 September 2014 Daesh destroyed a seventh century church in Tikrit, considered to be one of the oldest and the most famous in the area.

Militants used explosives to demolish the Assyrian Green Church, which was first built in 700 AD, continuing their devastation of religious shrines in the provinces of Kirkuk, Nineveh and Salahuddin. The church contained the remains of its founder and his successors, Mar Dinkha II, and Daniel, Thomas, Basilious III and John II.60 September 2014 Schools in Mosul with Christian affiliations were forced to change their names and stop teaching Christian religious education following Daesh (ISIS)’s rise to power in the city. Many of the educational institutions, such as St Thomas’ School, have had links to Christianity since the eighteenth century.61 December 2014 Churches in Mosul were reportedly used as prisons and torture chambers for Christians according to a witness. Christian resident Abu Aasi claimed the churches were taken over and militants destroyed “all the crosses and statues of Mary”.62 April 2015 A historical Christian library was saved from Daesh militants after monks hid the books in a nearby town. The library was rushed from the monastery in northern Iraq to the Kurdish city of Dohuk as militants advanced on the building.63 May 2015 Reports suggest Daesh burned an 80 year-old Assyrian Christian woman to death in Karamlesh on the Nineveh Plains for f r not fo following f llowing Shari’a fo Shari r ’a ri ’ law.64 July 2015 In Baghdad four Christians were abducted and two of them, Qais Abd Shaya and Saher Hann Sony, were killed despite their families paying the ransom demanded by their kidnappers. According to the Patriarchate of the Chaldean Church, Christians in the capital have also had their homes and goods seized, and been sent threatening phone messages telling them to leave their jobs.65

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Fr Douglas Bazi

Fr Bazi (right) being interviewed by ACN staff.

Tortured by extremists – now caring for refugees Father Douglas Bazi was walking home from Mass in Baghdad accompanied by a family from his parish, when he was grabbed from behind and dragged into a car. Blindfolded and dehydrated, he was held captive for nine days by members of the terrorist organisation Al Qaeda.

Fr Douglas refused to bow to the extremists’ intimidations during his captivity, telling Aid to the Church in Need how he laughed at a threat to kill him. He said: “At one point they said they were going to cut off my head and put the head of a dog in its place. Then send it to my relatives. I started laughing. They said they couldn’t understand. I told them I didn’t mind because I’d be dead.”

During the nine days he was kept prisoner in November 2006, Fr Douglas was beaten and tortured. His face and knees were struck with a hammer and his back was badly damaged. But he still refused to give in to his attackers.

“When I was kidnapped they told me I was the first not to beg for my life. I told them I believed in an afterlife. They saw I wasn’t afraid.”

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Eventually the Chaldean priest was released after the militants disguised him in women’s clothing and dropped him off in the middle of a highway in Baghdad. Convinced he might still be shot, Fr Douglas did not relax until a passer-by took him to a nearby church. Safe in the church he broke down in tears of relief, before being taken to hospital to have his injuries tended.

After a long road to recovery, Fr Douglas was able to forgive his attackers. After being kidnapped and tortured, he is relieved that he is in a position to tell his story and help other victims of violence in Iraq.

Now working in Erbil with Christians who fled their homes after the advance of the terrorist group calling itself the Islamic State or Daesh, Fr Douglas looks after 26 refugee camps, though he prefers to call them ‘centres’. Refugees are referred to as his ‘relatives’ rather than strangers and he cares for more than 1,200 people.

Though his ‘relatives’ are free to come and go in the camps, Fr Douglas hopes the majority will remain and rebuild their lives. “We are here to serve,” he says. “I cannot force the people to stay – there is no eleventh commandment saying ‘Do not leave.’”

During a visit to Erbil in May 2015, staff from Aid to the Church in Need met Fr Douglas and the displaced families he looks after.

He told ACN: “The attack now reminds me of being in Baghdad... I don’t want the children to have the same pain that I had. I want to stop the pain passing from one generation to the next...

“We have to educate them to stop them from turning to violence and turning to Daesh.”

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© Diocese of Maiduguri

Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme visiting a church attacked by Boko Haram in the Diocese of Maiduguri

Nigeria For many Christians in Africa’s most populous country, life is overshadowed by the threat of Islamist terror group Boko Haram which, among other objectives, seeks the eradication of Christianity. Violence perpetrated by Boko Haram and the widespread instability it has caused have decimated Christian communities in the group’s heartland of north-east Nigeria. By summer 2015, official figures for the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri showed that 5,000 faithful had been killed, 100,000 displaced, 7,000 women widowed and 10,000 children orphaned.66 At one point, 85 percent of the diocese had been under Boko Haram control and 350 of its churches had been damaged, in many cases repeatedly. Parts of the diocese were now totally bereft of Christians in a region where until recently the faithful had been relatively strong in number and influence. But in mid-2015, diocesan figures showed that 32 of the diocese’s 40 primary schools had been deserted, as were four of the five religious convents. In April 2015, a statement from the diocese read: “In the last few months we have seen the intensification and aggressive devastation of the Boko Haram activities in the northern, central and southern parts of the diocese. The brutality and callousness with which people are killed can only be compared to that of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.”

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The potency of the Boko Haram threat was heightened in 2015 when Daesh (ISIS) formerly accepted the Nigerian terror group’s pledge of allegiance.

According to Catholic Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto and others, the underlying causes of Boko Haram – and the largely subterranean support it has received – lie in Nigeria’s massive disparity of wealth, the corruption, and the widespread poverty which has made disenfranchised groups susceptible to a radical agenda.67 Traditional Muslim communities such as the Fulani have been further alienated by reductions in fertile grazing ground for their cattle as a result of ever-expanding urban development and climate change.

Boko Haram, a name which means ‘Western education is forbidden’, hit the headlines in April 2014 when it launched a raid on a school in Chibok, in north-east Nigeria’s Borno State, kidnapping 276 girls. When a video – purportedly by Boko Haram – was released showing some of the Chibok girls dressed in burkhas and reciting the Qur’an, reports emerged that the girls had been forcibly converted to Islam and married to Islamist fighters. Reports of forced conversions and marriages were confirmed by a number of the 50+ girls from Chibok who subsequently escaped. Similar reports came from other girls kidnapped by Boko Haram.68

Nigeria Population 168.8 million Religions Christians 49.3% Muslims 48.8% Traditional 1.4% Others 0.5% Christian Population 82.3 million St. Augustine´s Ch urch in Tadun Wada, bu rned in 2011 by Boko Ha ram

.

In a November 2014 media interview held after meeting President Jonathan, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, stated: “[Boko Haram] wants to destroy what

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten? is not, according to them, authentic Islam and the Christians fall into that category and so we are the major target. Other Nigerians are also targets but we suffer more.” Boko Haram also targeted Government structures, businesses, market places and moderate Muslims.

Reports said President Goodluck Jonathan’s handling of the insurgency was a significant factor in his losing the March 2015 elections.

Amid reports that figures in Jonathan’s Muslim woman Adama Asuma, Government had been complicit in Boko fled her village when Boko Haram crimes, his successor, Muhammadu Haram attacked.

Buhari, moved quickly to reassure the public: “I renew my commitment to track Boko Haram into a corner, to destroy it.

Five years of the presence of this evil sect is enough”.69 In an April 2015 interview with ACN, Father George O’Dafe, a priest from northern Nigeria said Mr Buhari was the “most uncorrupted political figure in the country” and so “there is hope” for the future of Nigeria and Christians in Nigeria.

November 2013 The headteacher Layi Oguntola and staff of Baptist High School, Ejigbo, were beaten after the secondary school sent a female student home for wearing a veil to school. Mr Oguntola, who had refused to apologise for the decision to send the girl home, was left in a coma after the sustained attack. Other Christian teachers were able to take refuge in the palace of local community leader the Ogiyan of Ejigbo, Oba Omowonuola Oyesosin. Tensions in Osun State reportedly rose folowing a state government programme which merged students of different faiths into the same school system.70 February 2014 Armed Islamic militants went on a four-hour killing spree in a north-east village in Adamawa State, leaving at least 53 dead on Sunday 26th. Extremists locked themselves in the Catholic church and fired shots into the congregation, killing anyone who attempted to escape.

February 2014 Boko Haram targeted Christians in Kawuri Village, Borno State. Around 300 homes were destroyed as the group set fire to the village. More than 85 people perished with 40 others hospitalised.71

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February 2014 Boko Haram attacked a school in north-east Nigeria during the night while students were asleep, killing 43 boys and abducting 16 girls. The group set fire to Federal Government College at Buni Yadi, bombing the hostels and gunning down those who attempted to flee, according to witness reports. The school is in Yobe, one of the three north-eastern states placed under emergency rule in 2013 in an attempt to quash the Boko Haram uprising. President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the “heinous, brutal and mindless killing of the guiltless students”.72 February 2014 The Kubwa Upper Area Court, Abuja, dissolved a marriage after Muslim man Idris Abubakar discovered his wife of 16 years had converted to Christianity. The judge granted him custody of their four children, a decision his wife Aishat appealed. According to Shari‘a law, if one of the Muslim spouses changes religion, their marriage is dissolved.73 March 2014 The Oyo State Police authority arrested a father in connection with his daughter’s death after it was alleged she was killed for converting from Islam to Christianity. Kausara Isiaka, a teenager, had taken refuge in Calvary Church, Ayekale, after her father had threatened her for abandoning Islam. She was sleeping when the attacker broke in, fatally wounding her with a machete. Three other Christian members of the church were injured including Reverend Daniel Oladimeji who claimed the girl’s father was behind the assault.74 April 2014 St Rita Catholic Church in Katsina State was set ablaze by Muslim youth in protest over a school examination question that allegedly criticised the prophet Muhammad. Soldiers were too late to save the building but had successfully prevented the mob from torching a nearby school in Funtua town the same day (Tuesday 1st).75 April 2014 On the night of the 14th April, more than 200 girls were abducted from a school in the Christian village of Chibok by Boko Haram, which prompted a worldwide rescue campaign. Despite global coverage of the incident and negotiations with the terrorist organisation, no agreement was reached and at the time of writing, the girls still remained in captivity.76

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June 2014 A six-year-old boy was beheaded during Boko Haram attacks on a Christian village in which about 200 people were killed. More than 100 militants fell on Attagara, Gwoza district, Borno State. The two days of violence began on Sunday 1st, and were evidently designed to coincide with church services. Sawaltha Wandala witnessed the massacre of children on his way to Mass, and rescued a six-year-old child who had been left to die in a ditch after his throat was slashed. Mr Wandala, 55, was on his way to hospital with the boy when he was stopped by militants who beheaded the boy and then started beating him with branches and striking him with rocks. Mr Wandala only survied because he was left for dead.77 December 2014 About 15 Christians were killed by Fulani herdsmen in a dawn attack on Sabon Gid Shagogo village in Donga. The north-east village in Taraba State was invaded at about 4am after government soldiers had finished patrolling the area. The village’s Catholic priest, Father Clement Mkperaga, said that 10 of his parishioners had died and spoke of how he and the members of his community were “forced to flee the village, as both the church building and the parish house have also been destroyed.”78 January 2015 An attack by two suspected child suicide bombers in an open-air market in Potiskum town, Yobe, left three dead and 26 people wounded. It followed another suspected suicide bombing by a 10-yearold girl in Borno. At least 16 people were killed in the main market square after she was stopped for a security check.79 April 2015 A Muslim mob searching for a man charged with apostasy killed a pastor’s daughter and burnt down a church in a Christian village in the Rogo Local Government Area of Kano state. Yahaya Joshua had converted to Islam from Christianity but later changed his mind and returned to Christianity, making him guilty of apostasy under Shari‘a law. The mob attacked Gidan Maso Village and assaulted Christians in order to find Yahaya Joshua, attacking bystanders with machetes and leaving two people with broken arms. The daughter of Reverend Habila Garba died of asphyxiation when the pastor’s house was set alight.

General Ishaku Ahmed Dikko praised the community’s reactions, saying: “The Christians present exhibited great Christian qualities by not taking law into their hands by trying to stop them by force.”80

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Victoria Youhana

Young girl captured by Boko Haram escapes The soldiers from militant Islamist group Boko Haram marched 15-yearold Victoria along with almost 400 other captives – mostly women and children – on the long trek to their base near to Lake Chad. She was seized along with her mother, Anna and five brothers in the first week of January 2015 during the extremists’ assault on Baga and the surrounding villages in Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno State.

Local government minister Musa Bukar, described seeing the dead “littered on the streets and surrounding bushes” following the attack which was described as the deadliest since Boko Haram began its campaign of violence in the country in 2010.

Victoria witnessed the insurgents battling with the Multinational Joint Task Force – a cross-border peace keeping group for the Lake Chad region – for control of Baga. She described seeing what seemed like hundreds of people being killed or wounded. According to official figures from the Ministry of Defence at least 150 were killed – although initial estimates recorded more than 2,000 as unaccounted for – and 35,000 displaced.

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Victoria.

B Boko Haram took Victoria and the others – i including her mother and five brothers – to t Lawanti area of the town of Kukawa. She the d described seeing many young men, who rrefused to be conscripted into the terrorists’ rranks, being killed brutally. After killing the m men, they separated the Muslim women ffrom the Christians. They called the nonM Muslim captives “infidels” and “unbelievers” a and told the Christian women they would h have the choice of becoming Muslim or b being killed.

Her parish pari h priest Fr Gideon Obasogie told ACN: “They kept to their faith by praying to God daily, they were threatened that after all the Boko Haram’s rampage they were to be killed.” Despite the repeated threats they were kept alive.

A few days after their arrival in Lawanti, the extremists gathered all the children for Islamic teaching, and told the women – including Victoria and other teenagers – that they would be married to Boko Haram fighters.

One evening most of the fighters left to try and conscript more young men. Some of the women suggested that they should seize this opportunity to escape. So they left as quietly as they could, scattering to different directions to increase their chances of not being recaptured.

Fr Gideon, who translated Victoria’s account, described the turmoil that those who fled with her underwent after they left the camp. He said: “It was God himself who saw them through. He guided them all through the night when they fled”.

Victoria and her group walked for seven hours – “They saw a lot of corpses on their way” – fearing that they would be recaptured by the extremists. Eventually they were spotted by soldiers – but fortunately these were government troops. The soldiers transported them to Maiduri, the capital of Borno State. Victoria was one of the lucky ones, escaping with all her captured family. Some people are still searching for their loved ones who were seized when Boko Haram attacked Baga.81

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Statues of Kim Jong-un and Kim Il-sung.

North Korea

© Mieszko9

News that 33 North Korean Christians faced execution after allegedly making contact with a South Korean missionary provided a rare glimpse behind the scenes of a regime ranked worst in the world for religious freedom violations.82 The reports about the Christians facing the death sentence, broadcast by South Korean media in March 2014, came amid indications that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was cracking down on reported dissatisfaction with his isolationist doctrine.

Absolute loyalty to the Kim dynasty, which has ruled North Korea since 1953, is expected and Kim Jong-un’s grandfather Kim Il-sung, known as ‘the Dear Leader’, is effectively worshipped. The cult of personality has continued through the subsequent two generations of leadership.

Pictures of the Kims are mandatory in every home, office and public building, and respect for them can be said to be akin to a religious cult.

But amid reports of growing public dissatisfaction with the government’s isolationist ‘juche’ doctrine, reports emerging from the secretive country suggest Kim Jong-un has mounted a fresh crackdown on religious groups, including Christians.83 Irrespective of denominational differences, Christians are seen as a Western import and a destabilising influence.

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Lord David Alton, who has visited North Korea on a number of occasions and is chairman of the UK Parliament’s All-Party Parliamentary Working Group on North Korea, said: “All the indications point to worsening problems in North Korea, resulting in harsher treatment of Christians.”84

North Korea Population 24.45 million Religions Atheists 71.3% Animists 12.3% Christians 2% Buddhists 1.5% Others 12.9%

The country is described by Amnesty International as being “in a category of its own when it comes to human rights violations”.85 Although the country’s constitution states that North Korea provides for “freedom of religious belief”, in practice (according to the US State Department) “genuine religious freedom does not exist”.86 For more than a dozen years running, North Korea has appeared top of the World Watch List compiled by Christian persecution charity Open Doors, which assesses oppression of Christians around the world.

Protestants and Catholics were among those for whom the Government set up religious associations in 1988. The federations, which also included ones for Buddhists, provided the Christian Population religions with superficial recognition. A Catholic 489,000 church, two Protestant churches and a Korea tower in South l ia or em m in Russian Orthodox church have been erected i Haem ried alive ing martyrs bu commemorat in the capital, Pyongyang, but these are century. the nineteenth widely seen as show churches for the benefit of foreign visitors. Protestant groups are layled; and the Catholic Church has no priest, so Mass is rarely celebrated. Occasionally visiting clergy are permitted to do so, but generally it is only said in foreign embassies.

The Vatican still lists Francis Hong Yongho as Bishop of Pyongyang, officially noting him as missing. He has not been seen since 10th March 1962, and if still alive would be over 100. In 2010 the

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Vatican said it “cannot be excluded that he may still be a prisoner in some re-education camp”.87 Although the official Catholic Association formally congratulated Pope Francis on his election as Pontiff in 2013, it declined an invitation to send representatives to August 2014’s papal Mass in South Korea, as it coincided with the start of joint US and South Korean military drills.88 There are no exact figures about the number of Christians, and a large proportion are, according to the best sources, practising in secret. Of the 400,000–500,000 Christians understood to be in the country, at least 50,000 are in North Korea’s notorious concentration camps.89 Since 1953, at least 200,000 Christians have gone missing. If caught by the regime, unauthorised Christians face arrest, torture or in some cases public execution. Defectors have described violence and intimidation of Christians, and how Christians meet sometimes in groups of only two or three, mouthing prayers and hymns. According to North Korea’s ‘Songbun’ social stratification system, Christians are classified as ‘hostile’. A 2014 UN report stated that the regime saw Christianity as “a serious threat”, because “it… provides a platform for social and political organisation and interaction outside the state realm”.90 Protestants are number 37 on the list of ‘hostile’ groups and Catholics are number 39.

November 2013 About 80 people were killed in public executions – some of them Christians sentenced for owning Bibles. The main source, a South Korean newspaper with inside information on North Korea, stated that other crimes allegedly committed by those executed included watching South Korean television, distributing pornography and using prostitutes. One of the executions was watched by 10,000 people who were ordered into the Shinpoong Stadium where they were forced to look as eight people with sacks over their heads were killed by officers using machine guns on Sunday 3rd. Other executions took place in cities including Chongjin in North Hamgyong Province, Sariwon in North Hwanghae Province and Pyongsong in South Pyongan.91 February 2014 Australian missionary John Short, 75, was arrested on Sunday 16th on charges of “distributing religious material”. Three weeks later he was released “for humanitarian reasons”.92

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March 2014 Thirty-three North Koreans were sentenced to death after reports that they had worked with a South Korean missionary to set up 500 underground churches. The Christians reportedly received money from the missionary, Kim Jung-wook, who himself was arrested and jailed in 2013 while making his way to Pyongyang with Bibles, Christian evangelisation materials and other media. Pastor Jung-wook appeared on TV stating he had received help from South Korea’s intelligence agency and apologising for his “Anti-state” crimes.93 November 2014 Korean-American Kenneth Bae, 44, was released from custody in North Korea on Saturday 8th, 18 months after being sentenced to 15 months of hard labour. He was convicted on charges of planning to overthrow the North Korean government. The devout Christian had set up Nations Tour, a China-based travel company specialising in North Korean tours. It was reported that as a devout Christian, he had combined Christian evangelisation with his tour business. He was arrested on 3rd November 2012 on the first day of a tour. The precise cause of his arrest remains unclear. A campaign for Mr Bae’s release climaxed on 9th February 2014 with an appeal by US President Barack Obama. Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC, he said the US “will continue to do everything in our power to secure his release.” After ongoing negotiations, Mr Bae and fellow American detainee Matthew Miller were released and brought back to the US under the care of US National Intelligence.94 March 2015 Presbyterian minister Lim Hyeon-soo, 60, was feared missing after he travelled from Canada to North Korea to carry out humanitarian work with orphans and the elderly. The pastor, from the Light Korean Presbyterian Church of Toronto, arrived in North Korea on 31st January 2015 and was due to stay five days. However, after a month without word from him the alarm was raised. Pastor Lim had made more than 100 previous trips to North Korea, humanitarian visits described as “entirely non-political” by his congregation. Reverend Chun Ki-Won, director of a South Korean Christian missionary organisation helping North Korean refugees, said Pastor Lim was one of the most influential Christian missionaries operating in the north. In late July state media reported Pastor Lim had confessed to crimes against the North Korean state under the guise of missionary work, and working with South Korean authorities to build a religious state in the north.95

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“Tom”

© Gwoeii

Escaped from North Korea to become a Christian In a cramped and dirty prison cell, Tom* leafed through a tattered version of the Bible and recited his favourite Psalms. Sitting for hours on the filthy floor, it was his only source of comfort in the midst of Shanghai prison in China. Memorising verses, he waited as an illegal immigrant, to be repatriated to a country which would surely kill him.

Tom first managed to escape North Korea when he was only 16 but was caught in neighbouring China. Jailed for daring to escape, he suffered torture at the hands of the North Korean authorities. But he was tortured so badly he could not walk and was sent home on bail for three days to recover. It was during these three days that he managed to escape, helped by relatives and driven by a desire to survive.

He made it across the border to China and for a short time he was able to go unnoticed before being captured by Chinese authorities and sent to prison in Shanghai. *Name changed to protect identity as Tom still has family in North Korea

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“In that prison, my hope left me. I was told by the guards that I had to wait in prison until I was repatriated back to North Korea. It was like waiting for a death sentence. I had no hope, so I prayed.”

Though he had never prayed before, it became a source of comfort. A fellow prisoner would often lend Tom his small, personal Bible to read through during the long, dull hours waiting in prison.

“One thing I am certain of is that from that time, my faith grew. I relied on it a lot. I spoke to God and tried to make deals with him. I used to say: ‘Give me freedom and I will believe in you.’” In November 2004, God answered Tom’s prayers and he was deported to the Philippines rather than sent back to North Korea.

From that point onwards, Tom kept his promise to God and observed his new-found Christian faith. From the Philippines he travelled to South Korea where he met his father. His father, who had previously fled from the north, revealed to Tom that his grandparents had also been Christians.“I didn’t know that before,” he said. “That was something that had been kept secret.”

In North Korea there is no religious tolerance. Any person found with a connection to Christianity is sent to a labour camp or publicly executed, as Tom can testify.

On one occasion, he witnessed the public execution of one of his neighbours. She had gone to China illegally and returned with aid for others in the village, including clothes and medicine. She also brought back Bibles. The regime decided that she was guilty of trying to destroy the sovereignty of communism and she was publically shot.

For many North Koreans, these public displays created an atmosphere of fear surrounding Christianity.

However since his baptism in 2007, Tom has been eager to share his experiences. He believes God heard his prayer and rescued him during his darkest time.

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Pakistan Christians in Pakistan have been burnt alive and hanged – and others have died in suspicious circumstances as the country’s extremists have flexed their muscles in the face of a government which has seemingly become less responsive to the threats to minority communities. Outright violence and more insidious intimidation against the country’s faithful have become not only more prevalent over the period in question but more institutionalised. The country’s legal structures have apparently yielded to pressure from hard-line groups growing in power and popularity.

As a result, Pakistan’s government continues to come under increasing pressure from international watchdogs to re-evaluate its human rights laws and redouble its efforts towards religious freedom. Phelim Kine, deputy director at Human Rights Watch, said: “The government is failing at the most basic duty of government – to protect the safety of its citizens and enforce rule of law.”96 Overshadowing the lives of Pakistan’s Christians – roughly split 50/50 Catholic/Protestant – are the country’s controversial blasphemy laws.

Penalties include life imprisonment for defiling the Qur’an (295B) and execution for blaspheming against the Prophet Mohammed (295C).

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Intrinsic problems with the blasphemy sections of the country’s Penal Code are compounded by their widespread abuse in a society where mob action can so easily trump the rule of law.

Pakistan Population 179.2 million Religions Muslims 96.4% Christians 1.6% Others 2% Christian Population 2.8 million

In November 2014, Shahbaz Masih and his pregnant wife Shama Bibi were dragged from their home in Kot Radha Kishan village by a mob of at least 500 people and beaten before being dragged along the road to a kiln where they were burnt alive. The couple had been accused of burning pages of the Qur’an.

Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need, Father James Channan repeated concerns that accusations of blasphemy against an individual can “provoke violence aimed at his or her family as well as the entire local community.”97 Campaigners arguing against the blasphemy laws have stated that religious discord is often used to cover up the real motive for a crime.

Some reports of the murder of Shahbaz Masih and Shama Bibi suggest rumours of their alleged blasphemy arose after they argued with their Muslim employer about an unpaid debt.

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© Magdalena

Wolnik

An assessment of the handling of blasphemy cases over 2013–15 has shown an increasing adoption of extremist thinking by those in positions of power. The lawyer for Asia Bibi, whose case received worldwide attention after she became the first woman in Pakistan to be handed the death sentence for blasphemy, claimed the magistrate in her trial bowed to public pressure. Saif-ul-Malook said of the judge’s decision: “He was acting as a disciple of the holy prophet, whereas he was supposed to act as a judge, listening to both parties’ accounts. Now he is thinking that he has done something great for Islam.”98

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In some regions of Pakistan, non-Muslims are forced to comply with Shari‘a law and pressured to adhere to Islamic teachings. Christians who commit a crime that Muslim authorities consider sinful can be subject to punishments typically reserved for members of the Islamic faith. In April 2014, an illiterate couple were sentenced to death for supposedly sending a blasphemous text message in Urdu.

Wheelchair-bound Shafqat Emmanuel Masih and his wife received the maximum penalty for their crime after the judge was allegedly intimidated by the Islamic representatives of the complainants.99 Religious minorities also face threats from terrorist organisations. In March 2015, Islamic extremist groups carried out attacks on Christians including the bombing of two churches in Lahore in which at least 15 people were killed. Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi said events had “cruelly shown how defenceless [Christians] are due to this neglect” and that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was guilty of failing to provide the security needed to keep Christians safe. 100 But nothing is likely to change unless the government commits to protecting minority faiths.

October 2013 Christian man Tariq Yousaf argued with two Muslim customers who accused him of selling them faulty firecrackers. The two men alleged Mr Yousaf had used pages torn from the Qur’an as packaging or filler for the fireworks. Enraged, local Muslims caught Mr Yousaf but he escaped and fled the country. Mr Yousaf’s brother was detained in prison during the search.101 March 2014 A Christian man was sentenced to death after allegedly insulting Islam during a drunken argument with a friend. Sawan Masih was arrested and fined ₨200,000 (US$2,027) in addition to his sentence

by Lahore Additional District at the Kot Lakhpath Jail. The father of three appealed. Mr Masih’s alleged blasphemy sparked violence in March 2013 and c.180 Christian homes in Joseph Colony were destroyed.102 May 2014 An 11-year-old Christian girl was kidnapped on her way to school in Sheikhupura, Punjab province and raped over a three-day period by several men. Maria Sarfraz was abducted, held against her will and repeatedly raped. After being reported missing to the police by her father, Miss Safraz was found and returned home. After the arrest of

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten? two Muslim men in connection with her abduction, the girl’s family and other Christian families in their neighbourhood were threatened with arson and death threats in an attempt to get them to drop the charges.103 June 2014 16-year-old Christian girl Samariya Nadeem was kidnapped by a wealthy Muslim landowner and forced to convert to Islam. She was abducted on her way to school in Layyah District, Punjab province and forcibly married to the man. Her family initially filed a complaint but, after police failed to pursue legal action against the alleged abductor, they launched a protest rally in front of the Lahore Press Club.104 December 2014 Christian woman Shaheen Bibi was beaten with a cricket bat by a Muslim man as he attempted to abduct her daughter. Mrs Bibi, her daughter, sister and niece were walking home after work in Toka Wala Chowk in Satokitla, a village in the Punjab, when a local man Khawar Khokhar began shouting abuse at them. He grabbed the woman’s daughter by the wrist, and attempted to drag her away. The women managed to fight him off despite being beaten with a bat.105 February 2015 Seventy-two Christian families spent a year living in makeshift shelters after their homes and businesses in Faisalabad were torn down by government employees. This followed a complaint by a local Muslim business owner who alleged the homes had been built illegally.106 March 2015 A Taliban suicide attack on two churches in Lahore claimed 17 lives and left more than 70 injured. In a message sent to Aid to the Church in Need, Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi called for calm after the attacks, which sparked violent protests by around 4,000 people from the Christian district of Lahore. He added: “I particularly appeal to all Christians to voice their protests in a peaceful manner and not to resort to violence and destruction of public property, which serves no purpose.”107 March 2015 Aysha Bibi claimed police tortured and killed her son. Zubair Masih, 20, was taken into custody after his mother’s Muslim employer made allegations of theft against her, claiming she had stolen gold and 35,000 rupees (around US$350, £300) and given it to her sons. While

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Aysha and other members of her family were released following questioning, her son was detained overnight. The following morning his body was dumped outside her home. Aysha, who suffered a broken arm during her interrogation, swore that she would win justice for her son.

Reports suggest Mr Masih’s death was the result of religious hatred.108 April 2015 A 13-year-old Christian boy died of his injuries after aft f er being ft beaten and set alight by two young Muslims who questioned him about his religion. The young boy, identified only as Nuaman, was confronted as he left f a tailor’s shop in Lahore by the two boys who chased him and ft covered him with Kerosene after aft f er he admitted he was a Christian. ft Nuaman suffered suff f ered burns to 55 percent of his body and was taken to Meo ff Hospital in Lahore in Punjab province after aft f er on-lookers covered him in ft sand and called the emergency services. serv r ices.109 rv May 2015 Sanda, a mainly Christian quarter of Lahore, was attacked by a mob after mentally handicapped Christian man Humayun Faisal Masih was accused of burning newspapers containing verses from the Qur’an.

A mob descended on Sanda, blocking the traffic, setting fire to tyres and hurling stones at houses. Archbishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore told ACN: “I immediately requested help from some Muslim leaders and local politicians. Thanks to their intervention, the police succeeded in dispersing the crowd by midnight.” Mr Masih was charged with blasphemy under article 295B which carries a sentence of life imprisonment.110 July 2015 A Christian couple were saved from being publically lynched by a mob in Makki Village in the Sheikhapura District of the Punjab after they were accused of blasphemy. Christian woman Rehana Qamar was asked by local Muslim woman, Kaneez Asghar, to sell her a floor mat for 400 rupees instead of the advertised 1,000 rupees. Ms Asghar alleged that the floor mat had Quranic verses printed on it. She left and returned with local Muslim Nasir Sansara Bhatti, who attacked Ms Qamar and took photographs of the mat. Following this incident, a mob then painted the faces of Ms Qamar and her brother-in-law Ashraf Masih black before parading them through the village on a donkey. After a local pastor contacted authorities Ms Qamar was taken into protective custody by officers in a rare case of successful intervention. A local Muslim cleric was arrested. Police believed that the family of the woman who accused Ms Qamar of blasphemy were interested in gaining her property.111

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Pakistani´s protest against attacks on Christians

Asia Bibi

The first woman to be sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan Asia Bibi was harvesting berries in a field in Sheikhupura when she heard a great amount of noise from people approaching the farm.

Distracted from her work, she went to investigate and found herself the target of an angry mob, incited by rumours of blasphemy.

Asia’s crime was defending her faith against her Muslim co-workers.

During a heated argument over a well where she had gone to fetch a cup of water, one woman described Asia as an unclean Christian. As a debate over religion ensued Asia responded: “I believe in my religion and in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for the sins of mankind.

What did your Prophet Mohammed ever do to save mankind?” This was seemingly enough to accuse the illiterate farmhand of blasphemy and sentence her to death.

Asia was held for a year before she was charged. Alone in the court, she burst into tears to sounds of cheering and applauding as the Judge fined

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten? her the equivalent of US$1,100 (£700) and sentenced her to death by hanging. Outside in the crowds, her husband Ashiq Masih tried to catch a glimpse of her as she was dragged back to jail. He had not dared to enter the courthouse for fear of being lynched.

In Lahore prison, Asia was placed in solitary confinement for her own protection following the deaths other prisoners accused of blasphemy.

But Asia’s concern grows for her family who now live life on the run.

Ashiq Masih constantly moves his five children for fear they will be recognised. He said: “Our lives are being threatened. We receive death threats constantly and are moving from one place to another – and we try to support each other.”

Those who have supported Asia have also faced death threats – and worse. The governor of Punjab, Salmaan Taseer, was killed in 2011 – shot 27 times by his bodyguard for supporting Asia Bibi and speaking about blasphemy-law reform. Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the only Christian member of Pakistan’s cabinet, was also shot dead the same year by gunmen who ambushed him near his home. He too had supported Asia.

Image via British Pakistani Christian Association

But there are still those willing to appeal against Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws and raise awareness of Asia Bibi’s plight. Pope Francis drew attention to the case in April 2015 when he acknowledged Asia’s family in a special greeting during his Wednesday General Audience. One online petition to overturn Asia’s death sentence has also received a flood of support from around the world with over half a million signatures.

Meanwhile, as she awaits her case’s outcome, Asia Bibi continues to ask for prayer and support: “I’m asking you for help. Please don’t forget about me. I need you.”112

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© Ross Gordon Henry

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, already one of the world’s worst oppressors of Christians, showed worrying signs that its entrenched position of intolerance worsened over the period in question, with the prospect of the situation deteriorating still further in years to come. Indicators of change for the worse included the widespread popular support of Daesh (ISIS) within the Kingdom, and early indications that new King Salman favoured hardline ultra-orthodox zealots, and increased aggression towards Shia Islam.

Saudi Arabia makes it impossible for a Christian to demonstrate their faith in any way. Public display of crosses and other Christian symbols is strictly forbidden. There is a complete ban on public acts of worship by non-Muslims – and there were repeated crackdowns on private Christian services during the period in question. In March 2015 the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah renewed his call for the destruction of all churches in the Arabic peninsula, saying it was required by Islamic law.113 The entire country is seen as sacred because it is home to Islam’s two holiest shrines – Mecca and Medina.

Prospects remained very bleak as regards to an end to Saudi’s dubious honour of being the only country in the Middle East without a recognised church, a situation existing since 2008 when one opened in

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Qatar. Meanwhile, reports in 2013–15 once again showed that official school text books were guilty of inciting hatred towards Christians and other non-Muslims (see page 55).

Christians have no status in law. Saudi Arabia has no constitution; that function is performed by the Qur’an. It is forbidden to bury a Christian or other non-Muslim in the country. Bringing religious books into the country is strictly banned, unless they promote Sunni Islam, so Bibles and other religious books cannot be imported. Nor can rosaries or other devotional items. Muslims who convert to other religions are in principle liable to the death penalty. Inequality before the law is evident; penalties for crimes against Muslims are much harsher than for those committed against non-Muslims. The committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which supervises these precepts, has its own religious police force – the mutawwa’in. It enforces Islamic practices, which are binding on non-Muslims too, with the result that, for example, everyone is expected to observe Ramadan regardless of religion.

Saudi Arabia Population 28.1 million Religions Muslims 93% Christians 4.4% Hindu 1.1% Others 1.5% Christian Population 1.2 million

Within days of Saudi Crown Prince Salman ascending the throne in January 2015, he abolished 14 supreme councils and concentrated authority in the hands of two key figures: his son and his nephew, Mohammad bin Nayef. The latter is a noted hard-line conservative who was reported to have imprisoned female drivers.

Nayef’s promotion was seen as an ominous sign, especially with regards to the prospects for a reduction in violations of religious freedom.

Commentators have suggested that the appointment of Nayef appeases growing discontent within Wahhabi Sunni Islam.

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Evidence of increasing extremism – especially among young people – is provided by reports of widespread support for Daesh (ISIS). In July 2014, it was claimed that Saudi Arabia had provided the most foreign Daesh fighters in Iraq and Syria. By April 2015, Saudi’s interior ministry reported that it had arrested 93 people suspected of belonging to Daesh and foiled several plots.114 The situation is increasingly precarious for the country’s 1.5 million Christians. Many of these are subject to ongoing religious hatred and intimidation. The situation is made worse because many, if not most, are menial workers coming from countries including the Philippines, and they have little or no recourse to justice in cases of crimes against them.

September 2013 Repeating his comments of 2012, Abdulaziz Bin Abdullah, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, called again for the destruction of Christian religious sites on the Arabian Peninsula. He made this statement after the presentation of a bill by parliamentary representatives in Kuwait to ban the construction of non-Muslim religious buildings in the region. The Mufti said the practice of any religion other than Islam is forbidden by Islamic law.115 April 2014 Human rights activists criticised American President Obama for not raising the issue of religious persecution during his visit to Saudi Arabia. Despite a letter sent by more than 70 members of Congress urging him to address the persecution of religious minorities, the President remained silent on the issue during his meeting with King Abdullah. Isaac Six, Advocacy Manager for International Christian Concern commented that: “international human rights issues and religious freedom are not at the top of this administration’s agenda.”116 August 2014 Friends of Christian Khalid Muidh Alzahrani, 42, feared that he may have been repatriated by force to Saudi Arabia, after he disappeared from his home in Christchurch, New Zealand. Mr Alzahrani, who is disabled, converted to Christianity while on a scholarship programme in New Zealand in 2009, and soon after applied for asylum on the grounds that he would be persecuted upon his return to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi ambassador to New Zealand said Mr Alzahrani had returned to Saudi Arabia by choice after the consulate

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten? paid for his plane ticket.117 The New Zealand police have sought to reach out to Saudi authorities to determine Mr Alzahrani’s condition over fears of his declining health.

September 2014 At least 27 Christians were arrested and detained after they were discovered worshipping privately in a house church in the Eastern Province city of Khafji. Special officers from the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, more commonly referred to as the mutawwa’in or ‘religious police’, gained entry to the property and confiscated Christian literature and musical instruments. A Muslim neighbour reported the house church to the police after large groups of men, women and children were seen entering the house.118 December 2014 School textbooks in Saudi Arabia were found to continue to teach hatred and intolerance towards non-Muslim faiths despite a warning from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to remove passages which discriminate against religious minorities by 2014. USCIRF received reports that government-provided schoolbooks still included references to anti-Christian and anti-Jewish bigotry, describing Christians as “swine” and “the worst of creatures” who “will dwell in hellfire”.119 February 2015 A popular Saudi television presenter, Professor Tariq Habib, thanked Christians and Jews for their prayers during his recovery from a kidney transplant. The remarks were made on Twitter, where he is followed by about 5 million people. The TV host received enormous criticism over the tweet, prompting him to defend his message arguing: “The good word or phrases of thanksgiving or even giving gifts to the Jews and the Christians does not bless their faith [n]or promotes a culture of loyalty to non-Muslims”.120 March 2015 Saudi Arabia’s top Muslim clerics called for f r the destruction fo of churches in the Arabian Peninsula for f r the third time, following fo f llowing the fo motion to pass a law banning the construction of Christian places of worship. The draft f law submitted by Osama Al-Munawer, MP fo ft fforr Kuwait, recommended the abolition of new churches, but allowed older buildings to remain. Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah argued the proposed law did not go far enough and said the demolition of all churches was required by Islamic law.121

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Kerolos Shouky Attallah Sentenced to six years in prison for Facebook “like” When Kerolos Shouky Attallah signed up to Facebook he had no idea that it would lead to charges of blasphemy and a court sentence.

Having only just joined in May 2014, the Coptic Christian youth came across a page for Christian converts.

Without giving it much thought, he clicked the ‘like’ option for the Arabiclanguage page called Knights of the Cross, a forum offering mutual support for Christians converts from Muslim backgrounds.

But it was only a matter of days before Kerolos realised he had upset some members of the local Muslim community where he lived in AlMahamid village near Luxor, Egypt. Although he had not posted anything to the site or shared its contents, he decided to remove his ‘like’ in an attempt to pacify those he had angered. But by then leaflets calling for “vengeance” against Kerolos had begun to circulate among Muslim residents. One flyer reportedly read: “You will not be men if you don’t kick him out of your village.”

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With unrest building, and rumours of a planned attack, the 29-year-old was arrested and charged with blasphemy. In court, prosecutors cited Article 98(f) of the Egyptian Penal Code which prohibits “ridiculing, or insulting heavenly religions or inciting sectarian strife.” The article has often been criticised by foreign governments for its vague wording which has allowed the Egyptian authorities to restrict religious freedom of expression and overlook prejudices against religious minorities.

Kerolos’ lawyer, Rafla Zekry Rafla, decried the charges, labelling them unfair. He reminded the court of his client’s inexperience with the social networking site Facebook and the internet, and drew attention to Kerolos’ poor eyesight.

Despite this, the court sentenced the Coptic Christian to a total of six years in prison and fined him $840. Three years were given for the “contempt of religion” and another three were added for “stirring up sectarian strife.” Mr Rafla, who is also the president of the Human Rights Commission of the Luxor Bar Association, planned to appeal the conviction. Though he did not expect to free Kerolos, he hoped he might achieve a reduced sentence.

The verdict shocked Safwat Samaan, the chairman of Nation without Borders, a human rights and development group based in Luxor.

He said: “The sentence today was a shock not just to Kerolos but to everyone who uses Facebook in Egypt.” Speaking about the consequences for Christians and other religious minorities in Egypt, he added: “Any person who uses Facebook in Egypt and presses ‘Like’ on any page … can be put into prison for six years.”122

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Sudan

A fire consumes St Stephen’s parish.

The international furore that erupted on 25th May 2014 when pregnant Christian woman Meriam Ibrahim was sentenced to death in Sudan for alleged apostasy drew the world’s attention to institutionalised persecution against non-Muslims in Sudan. Meriam’s subsequent release did little to calm public outrage when it emerged that she had remained shackled to the floor of her prison cell while giving birth.

Sudan’s constitution restricts religious freedom by stipulating Shari’a as a primary source of legislation, and applying it in a way that necessarily infringes the rights of non-Muslims. Central to Khartoum’s religious policy is opposition to blasphemy and apostasy, which carries the death penalty.

This sudden surge in state persecution in Sudan followed the secession of the South. Since South Sudan became Africa’s newest nation in July 2011, Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has pushed forward an increasingly hard-line ultra-orthodox Islamist agenda, unsympathetic to Christians and other non-Muslims. To give one example, in April 2013 the Government announced an end to permits for the construction of churches.

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Sudan Population 37.2 million Religions Muslim 90.7% Christian 5.4% Traditional 2.8% Others 1.1% Christian Population 2 million

With the secession of South Sudan, the Government in effect revoked the citizenship of those whose ethnic origin lay outside Sudan, spelling disaster for millions of Christians whose families had fled their homes in the south which had come under sustained bombing during the 1983–2004 civil war. Many had no wish to go back and their worst fears were realised when they arrived to find a complete lack of infrastructure – a scarcity of homes, jobs, schools and worse, lack of security. A number of them felt they had no choice but to return to the north in spite of the risk of persecution.

Further migration to the north followed the outbreak of conflict in South Sudan in December 2013 between Government troops loyal to South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and rebel forces linked to his former deputy, Reik Machar. The conflict – apparently stoked by Khartoum – has seen known Christian areas targeted, notably in Unity State. In spring 2014, virtually the entire Diocese of Malakal Mass at a rural chapel. – bishops, priests, Sisters and lay people fled for their lives. This came at a time of regular reports of aerial bombardment by the Sudanese Air Force in the Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile.

With the loss of vast swathes of territory, Khartoum responded to the loss of the south by

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten? increasing its Islamic militancy. Since 2011, and increasing during 2013–15, the number of people charged with apostasy “has risen exponentially”.123 The penalty for blasphemy and ‘defamation of Islam’ is up to six months in prison and/or a fine. Churches have been destroyed or had their permits revoked, been raided by state authorities, had their assets confiscated and their members have been arrested. Reports of arrests, detentions and deportations of Christians have been widespread, especially in Khartoum and Omdurman.

Enforcing the Government clampdown on practices deemed contrary to Islam is Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services which are widely accused of persecuting Christians. It is permissible for Muslim men to marry Christian or Jewish women but it is illegal for a Muslim woman to marry a non-Muslim man unless he converts. Strict laws control so-called ‘modest dress’, including an insistence that women cover their heads. Christians could receive up to 40 lashes if caught distributing alcohol to Muslims. The NISS is said to be responsible for bringing legal cases against those accused of non-Muslim proselytism and undermining Islamic culture.

The result of this persecution has caused Christian numbers to plummet.

Sudan’s Christian population was as much as 5.5 million in 2010 but fell to barely one million by 2013.124 But numbers have been boosted by those fleeing the civil conflict in South Sudan.

December 2013 41-year-old Zawengel Abraham Mikael, a deacon of Eritrean descent, was jailed in Khartoum, Sudan for failing to leave the country after his Sudanese citizenship was revoked. His citizenship was called into question following reports of his activities at his church and at a Christian-run, international school where he was an administrator. Mr Mikael applied to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Khartoum for relocation to another country after he was detained without charge.125 February 2014 Christian pastor Yahya Abdelrahim Nalu was arrested while preaching at a church in Omdurman, near Khartoum. Officials from the Criminal Investigation Department entered the Evangelical Church and threatened him with legal action if he did not step down

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten? from his position as church leader. Rev Nalu was held at the Central Khartoum Police Station for two days.126 July 2014 Government agents destroyed a church in the Alizba slums near the capital, Khartoum, with only one day’s prior warning, despite protests from the Christian community. More than 70 officers arrived at the site around 10am, ignoring cries from local residents and tore down the religious building. Parishioners were not able to apply for a licence for a new church following the 2013 decision of the Sudanese minister of religious affairs to refuse permission for new church buildings.127 July 2014 At least 10 Christians are reported to have died following the bombing of civilian targets in southern Sudan by the Sudanese Air Force. Four children and two women were discovered among the dead in villages in Um Dorain County. At least five Sudanese Church of Christ buildings were destroyed, as well as the area’s only hospital. The area, which is home to the largest community of Christians in Sudan, has come repeatedly under fire from Sudanese authorities.128 July 2014 Akhnouk Jamal, 27, a member of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, was shot and seriously injured by a soldier as he tended to his farm in South Kordofan state. He was picking fruit on his property in Losher, west of Al Atmor, when a Sudanese soldier opened fire on him without provocation or prior warning. Mr Jamal sustained serious wounds to his back and torso and was rushed to hospital. Most Christians in the area had fled following spates of violence between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North rebels and government forces, though Mr Jamal and his mother remained at their farm. The large Christian community in the Nuba Mountains have found themselves the subjects of attacks from both sides in recent months.129 December 2014 Authorities began demolition of Khartoum Bahri Evangelical Church while 37 Christians were still inside. Rev Daud Fadul and Deacon Iman Hamid were taken to the Khartoum North Police Station after they refused to halt worship at the site. Police also detained 15 women and 22 men after they refused to leave to allow the demolition to go ahead. Members of the Christian community who participated in the protest were charged with “breach of the peace, public nuisance and obstruction of a public servant during the course of his duty”.130

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May 2015 Two Christian pastors from South Sudan were tried on eight charges including “waging war against the State” and “spying” following their arrests five to six months previously. Yat Michael Ruot and Peter Yein Reith were told that they could face the death penalty if found guilty.

Pastor Ruot was arrested by the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) in December 2014 after speaking about the country’s persecution of Christians at the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church in Khartoum. Pastor Reith was arrested in January after he wrote asking the reasons behind Pastor Ruot’s detention. It was reported the NISS demanded $12,000 from the Church for the release of the pastors.131 They were eventually released for time already served following a court hearing on Wednesday, 5th August.

June 2015 Fourteen Eritrean Christians were kidnapped in Sudan by members of the extremist Rashaida tribe, which is known for human trafficking. Those taken were among more than 70 refugees being transported from Wedi Sherifey to Shegerab Refugee camp. NonChristians were set free.132 June 2015 Twelve women were arrested on charges of public indecency on 25th June by Sudan’s Public Order Police after leaving a service at the El Izba Baptist Church in Khartoum. The women, said to be aged between 18 and 23, were led to a police station where they were forced to remove their clothes so they could be used as evidence to the prosecutor. Ten of them were charged with indecent or immoral dress under Article 152 of the Sudanese Criminal Code.133 July 2015 Mohamed Mustafa, the lawyer representing the pastors Michael Ruot and Peter Yein (see May 2015 above), was arrested as was Pastor Hafez, of the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church in Khartoum, the same church where Pastor Ruot spoke. The men were arrested at the church premises. Mr Mustafa, who also represented Meriam Ibrahim in 2014, had been asked to come to the church to review an order to demolish the building which police officers had presented to Pastor Hafez. Both Pastor Hafez and Mr Mustafa were released on bail but were charged with violating article 99 of the Sudanese Penal Code of 1991 (obstructing a public servant during the course of his duty) as they tried to prevent workers destroying the church. If found guilty, they could both receive up to six months imprisonment, a fine or both.134

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Meriam Ibrahim

© L’Osservatore Romano

Sentenced to death for being Christian

Crouching on the floor of a cramped and unclean prison cell, Meriam Ibrahim wept as she struggled to give birth to her daughter. The chains around her ankles limited her movements and she cried in pain as she strained against them but the wardens refused to unshackle her throughout her labour. After the birth, 27-year-old Meriam initially spoke of her anxiety over her child’s health but thankfully, despite her difficult labour, her daughter, Maya, has so far not shown any signs of disability.

At eight months pregnant, Meriam was sentenced to death, and held in Omdurman Federal Women’s Prison along with her 20month-old son, Martin, for allegedly committing apostasy from Islam. Her relatives also reported her to police for adultery after she married a Christian man. Meriam argued that she had been baptised as a Christian as a baby and raised in her mother’s Ethiopian

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Orthodox faith after her Muslim father left them when she was just a few years old.

In court, the prosecution claimed she should have been raised in the faith of her absent father, and demanded that she renounce Christianity.

When Meriam refused, she was convicted and sentenced to death. In prison she was also subjected to visits by Muslim men who tried to make her convert.

Talking about those times, she said: “While I was in prison, some people came to visit me from the Muslim Scholars Association. These were imams that created an intervention by reciting parts of the Qur’an for me. I faced a tremendous amount of pressure.”

“I had my trust in God,” she added. “My faith was the only weapon that I had in these confrontations with imams and Muslim scholars, because that’s what I believe.”

She was eventually freed after 18 months following an outcry from international governments. Yet for Meriam, her ordeal was not over. As she and her family boarded a plane to the US, they were stopped and detained by more than 10 members of the Sudanese authorities.

“We were scared and wondering what was wrong,” recalled Meriam, “They locked us in that room for four to five hours and the whole time we were trying to figure out what the problem was.”

The problem turned out to be an accusation that the couple were carrying forged travel documents, although the police insisted the couple were not under arrest. After hours of interrogation, the family were finally allowed to leave Sudan in August 2014 and arrived in the United States with the help of foreign governments to try and resume a normal life.

Speaking of leaving Sudan, Meriam admitted she was sad to leave her country “but that’s the price of my life, my family’s life.”135

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Syria “Many of our brothers and sisters are being persecuted and have been forced violently from their homes. It even seems that the value of human life has been lost, that the human person no longer matters and may be sacrificed to other interests.” Expressing concern for the situation in Syria and across the Middle East, Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew drew attention to the ongoing targeting of Christians.136 Although Syria’s civil war has meant that the violence and other human rights violations suffered

by Christians and other minority faith communities have been largely political, religious hatred clearly played a significant part.

The underlying religious dimension of the attacks was shown by the targeting of Christian settlements and desecration of churches.

Direct targeting of faith communities played a critical factor in the mass exodus. In March 2015, the UNHCR said that after more than four years of conflict Syria was the “worst humanitarian crisis of our era” with 8 million displaced in Syria and 3.9 million living as refugees abroad.137 700,000 Christians have fled Syria. The emigration of Christian communities is potentially more disastrous because of their already smaller numbers (1.25 million before the

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te Forg r ott tte tt ten? war). Damascus-based Patriarch Gregorios III of the Melkite Church told ACN: “The danger is that if they leave the region of the Middle East, they will never go back.”138

Syria Population 20 million Religions Muslims 92.8% Christians 5.2% Others 2% Christian Population 1 million Digging graves for those killed by extremists in Sadad (see OctoberNovember 2013 entry p.68).

Christian communities across Syria fled following targeted violence. The motives behind the attacks were complex; in many cases they were targeted primarily for their religious faith but in other instances the issue was apparently their perceived political allegiance. Increasingly, an overt Islamist agenda is evident in the actions of militants. A concerted effort to Islamise neighbourhoods by putting pressure on minority groups became a recurring theme over the period under examination. For example, in the large Damascus suburb of Douma, 36 ulemas (Muslim religious leaders) issued a fatwa in September 2013 legitimising the right of Sunni Muslims to sieze goods and property belonging to Christians and all “who do not profess the Sunni religion”. The fatwa emphasised that the confiscated properties will be used in part “to obtain arms”.139 Despite such incidents, Patriarch Grergorios III has stressed the majority of the extremists are foreigners, stating Syria has a history of harmonious coexistence between different faiths.140 In summer 2014, there was increasing alarm over the rise of Daesh (ISIS). Moderate Muslim communities as well as minority faith groups described suffering severe human rights violations as Daesh extended the territory under its control from northern Iraq into northern Syria in June 2014. Attempts

by Daesh to expand into Lebanon, were unssucessful, although reports suggest fighters remain in the mountainous border with Syria. Al-Qaa and Aarsal in Lebanon’s

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Beqaa Valley were both briefly seized by extremists, but Daesh were quickly repelled. There are concerns that if Daesh made incursions into the Beqaa it would displace refugees who fled there.141 Part of the problem for Christians and other religious minorities has been extremist rebel militia groups, like Al Nusra Front, and even Islamist sympathies among members of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which has received western backing and arms from the USA. Although the FSA is generally moderate, not only have some in the FSA sold weapons to Daesh142 but unit commanders have admitted to working with Daesh in a small number of campaigns against President Assad’s forces.143 Melkite Archbishop Jean Abdon Arbach of Homs warned ACN of problems facing Christians in the north who had come under the rule of extremist rebel groups. He said: “Firstly, Islamic law is to be applied.

Secondly, all Christian symbols, which are publicly visible, are to be destroyed and thirdly, Christians who wish to remain will in future have to pay a special tax.” Christians and other minorities living under their rule have to pay up to £435 per year in Jizya tax.

Christian communities have endured widespread kidnapping and killing of bishops and priests .The fate of Greek Orthodox Archbishop Boulos Yazigi and Syrian Orthodox Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim, abducted on 22nd April 2013, continues to be unclear144 and religious continue to be seized. Fr Jacques Mourad, abducted in May 2015, is also still missing.

Archbishop Arbach said “We Christians are living in fear. The future is uncertain but we want to stay in our homeland.”145 September 2013 Al Nusra Front soldiers attacked the mainly Christian shrine town of Maaloula where inhabitants speak a dialect of the biblical language Aramaic. Following its capture on Saturday 7th, the Islamist rebel soldiers pulled down the crosses from the monastery of Saint Serge and surrounded the convent of Saint Thekla, forcing the nuns to retreat inside. They forced their way into many of the houses, shouting, “We’re here to get you, worshippers of the cross.” In one house they ordered three Melkite men to convert to Islam, on pain of death. One of them, Sarkis El-Zakhm, replied: “I am a Christian, and if you want to kill me because I am a Christian, then do so.” He was shot dead

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten? alongside the two others. Altogether, the attackers killed 20 civilians and abducted 15 others. None of the Muslim houses were touched.146 In December members of the Al Nusra Front, abducted 12 Orthodox nuns from the monastery of Mar Thekla and took them to Yabroud. The Sisters were released unharmed in March 2014. Maalaoula was subsequently re-taken by President Assad’s forces before Easter 2014.147 October-November 2013 Up to 1,500 families were held hostage during the occupation of the Christian village of Sadad by Al Nusra Front and another Islamist rebel militia, the Grandsons of the Prophet Brigade: 45 people were killed. According to eye witnesses the extremists demanded many of their captives abandon their Christian faith. The bodies of student Ranim, 18, and her 16-year-old brother, Fadi, were discovered at the bottom of a well, with the remains of their mother, Njala, 45, and their grandparents, Mariam, a 90-year-old widow, as well as Matanios El Sheikh, 85, and his wife, Habsah, 75. Speaking to ACN a few hours after the bodies in the well were discovered, Melkite Patriarch Gregorios III of Antioch said: “How can somebody do such inhumane and bestial things to an elderly couple and their family?”148 June 2014 After Kessab near the Turkish border was recaptured by Assad’s forces it emerged that, despite photos having been issued showing rebel Islamist soldiers protecting Christian sites, they had vandalized and desecrated the churches. Father Miron Avedissian of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, which was largely destroyed, said: “They took photographs to show they were looking after the churches, and then set them alight. It all still happened in the first day.” The nearby Holy Trinity Armenian Evangelical Church was also torched. The local Christian graveyard was also desecrated. Ahmed Jarba, the head of the Syrian National Coalition which is recognised by the UK and US as the legitimate authority in Syria, travelled to Kessab and claimed it was a victory.149 October 2014 Father Hanna Jallouf and 20 other Christians were kidnapped by the Al Nusra Front in the north-western village of Qunyeh, near the Turkish border. The Al Qaeda-linked rebels later released them, but kept the priest under house arrest at Qunyeh convent.150

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January 2015 Reports came in that Armenian Catholic Father Michel Kayyal and Greek Orthodox Father Maher Mahfouz had been killed.

They were abducted on 9th February 2013. Archbishops Yazigi and Archbishop Ibrahim were seized while negotiating for their release.

February 2015 Daesh (ISIS) seized 35 Assyrian Christian villages in Syria’s north-eastern Hassake governorate. Just under 300 Christians were taken by the extremists. Around 23 of the captives were released in early March – most of whom were in their 50s or older. Daesh demanded $23 million (£15 million) for the return of 230 others, but discussions stalled when Bishop Mar Mellis of the Church of the East told captors the sum could not be met. According to Archimandrite Emmanuel Youkhana: “Around 15 young Assyrians [were] martyred.

Many of them were fighting to defend and protect the villages and families.” There were no families left in the 35 Assyrian Christian villages, all remaining villagers – numbering up to 1,200 – fled to Hassake or Qamishli. 151 Villagers returned after the settlements were retaken by Kurdish and Christian fighters in June.

St Mary’s Assyrian Church, Khabour, Hassake Governorate ,destroyed by Daesh (ISIS).

© CAPNI

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March-April 2015 Violence against minority communities, including Christians, followed the seizing of Idlib, north-west Syria by Islamist rebel militias on Saturday 28th March. According to reports, two Christians, a father and a son, were killed because they ran a shop selling alcohol. Greek Orthodox priest Father Ibrahim Farah was detained along with a small number of his Church members, to face undisclosed charges in an Islamic court set up by the militias. Other Christians were told to pay the jizya tax or leave.152 May 2015 A Jesuit priest was kidnapped by suspected Islamic extremists as he travelled in Qaryatayn with a co-worker. Father Jacques Mourad had been ministering to Qaryatayn’s Syriac Catholic community for the past 12 years and was well respected by the community. In a message to Aid to the Church in Need, Father Nawras Sammour, the director of the Jesuit Refugee Services for the Middle East, described how Fr Mourad had welcomed refugees from Palmyra, who had fled to Deir Mar Musa monastery where he was living. He said: “He has always helped the Syrians and has welcomed a great many Muslims into the monastery of Mar Elias.”153 June 2015 A further report was published claiming Jesuit priest Father Paolo Dall’Oglio had been killed by his abductors. According to the Canadian based al-Awsat newspaper, a defector from Al Nusra Front described how the priest was killed mere hours after he arrived in Raqqah. Father Dall’Oglio had gone to the city to negotiate for the release of captured journalists. He was reportedly shot in the head by one of the Daesh commanders. In May 2014 Daesh defector Abu Mohammad Assuri also claimed to have seen the priest being killed, echoing information received by the Syrian Assembly for Human Rights and the Syrian National Front.154 July 2015 Father Dhiya Aziz, who was seized on Saturday 4th in the north-western province of Idlib, was released after being held by extremists for a week. The 41-year-old Franciscan priest was taken from the Monastery of the Immaculate Conception in the Christian majority village of Yacoubieh. Despite initial reports that he had been seized by Al Nusra, which controls most of Idlib, the group denied any involvement in the kidnapping.155

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Image courtesy of the Jesuit Order

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Father F th Fa t er Frans Fra Fr ran ans van van va an der d r Lugt de Lug ugt ug gt Jesuit priest shot dead in Homs

“The Syrian people have given me so much, so much kindness, inspiration and everything they have. If the Syrian people are suffering now, I want to share their pain and their difficulties.”

According to one report, Jesuit priest Father Frans van der Lugt was tending to his garden outside the convent when he was approached by an unknown assailant on 7th April 2014 – just a few days before his 76th birthday. He was led to an old garden chair, sat down and shot twice in the head.

It was a murder that shocked and saddened all who knew the kind priest. Fr Frans was a well-known figure in Homs where he had lived and worked for the good of the community for nearly 50 years. Even after the outbreak of the civil war in 2011, the priest refused to leave the city with the masses when offered the chance, staying to support Homs’ remaining Christians. He had said: “If these people are suffering now I want to be in solidarity with them. As I was with these people in their good times, I am with them in their pain.”

On one occasion he led the elderly and infirm to the border during a three-day break in the fighting but refused to cross alongside them

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten? when called to. He preferred to remain with those who could not leave and care for the small number of Christians trapped in the city.

Fr Frans, who had worked in Syria since 1967, immersed himself in the country’s culture and embraced all those who needed help. The last European living in the old city, he became an advocate for the poor and needy civilian population, regardless of religion.

Fr Frans lived a simple and holy life, his room was empty, save a few dozen books. The old priest even slept on the floor. His friend and colleague Fr Ziad Hilal SJ described how he asked Fr Frans why he chose to go without a bed, and the old priest told him: “he was comfortable enough on the floor. He did not seem to care about what he ate or what he had to wear.”

F Ziad, who worked with Fr Frans Fr f from 2009 until his death, told ACN h how the Jesuit priest was admired b all, both young and old: “The by c children loved him a lot. The c children were always searching for h him.

They wanted to play with him.

I was very funny to see him It p playing with them as I had never s seen that side of him before.”

Fr Frans’ grave.

F Frans was respected in his Fr c community and widely recognised a an important figure. Fr Ziad as r recalled how the UN Chief of M Mission in Syria had his photo ttaken with him during his time in S Syria. “He was always showing p people this picture on his phone.

H He was very proud. He said Fr F Franz was a holy man.”

H He added: “Everybody who met Fr F Frans had a story about him.”156

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Vietnam Despite improvements in some areas of religious freedom – such as space being more generally available for some religious groups to practise – the government continues to tighten control on religious activities and repress groups it sees as challenging its authority.157 Decree 92 was introduced on 1st January 2013 – ostensibly to clarify the 2005 law on religion – but it has regulated and restricted religious activity.

Notably it now requires groups to get permission for “religious meetings” and ministers are required to attend courses on the history of Vietnam and its laws, and submit formal requests to travel abroad or transfer to a different region of the country. Under the decree’s registration requirements, an unregistered church must operate in a stable and legal manner for 20 years. However during that two-decade period they are technically operating illegally. Vietnam is expected to produce a new law on religion that will supersede Decree 92 which will go before the legislature in late 2015 or 2016.158 Protestant groups in the Central Highlands have faced continuing problems following a 2012 directive from the Ministry of the Interior’s Committee on Religious Affairs clamping down on small house

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te Forg r ott tte tt ten? churches and stopping them from affiliating with established organisations. Members of ethnic groups make up two-thirds of the country’s Protestant Christians – including groups in the Northwest Highlands (H’mong, Dzao, Thai, and others) and in the Central Highlands (Ê Đê, Jarai, Xơ Đăng, and M’nong, among others).159 H’mong house churches in Vietnam’s Northwest Highlands, remain under extreme pressure.

Vietnam Population 88.7 million Religions Traditional 45.3% Atheists 29.6% Buddhists 16.4% Christians 8.2% Others 0.5% Christian Population 7.2 million

Although Catholicism is an officially recognised religion, local governments have refused to recognise the Church as legal in the three northern provinces of Điện Biên, So’n La, and Lai Châu, making the practice of the faith difficult for the thousands of Catholics who live there.160 Discrimination did not deter a record 410 applicants for Vĩnh Thạnh Seminary’s 2013–14 admissions – although the northern Vĩnh Diocese has been targeted by the authorities.161 As in China, the Vietnamese government has established the statesponsored Vietnam Committee for Catholic Solidarity independent of the Vatican, but out of more than 2,800 priests, only a few hundred have joined. Despite such problems, the Holy See is trying to improve diplomatic relations: in September 2014 the Vatican held a fifth round of talks with the Vietnamese government162 and in January 2015 Cardinal Fernando Filoni met state officials during a pastoral visit to Hanoi.163 Attacks on Church buildings, arrests and imprisonment continue to affect Christians – and also others campaigning for a more open society. Long term prisoners still incarcerated include Fr Thadeus Nguyễn Văn Lý, Mennonite Pastor Nguyễn Công Chính, and Catholic activist Francis Jang Xuân Diệu.164

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September-October 2013 Police brutally crushed a demonstration against the detention of Catholics Ngo Văn Khoi and Nguyễn Văn Hải. They were arrested in June following an incident on 22nd May, when plain-clothes police stopped and searched Catholics attending Mass at a church in Nghi Phương, south of Hanoi. The protest came after local authority statements that the men would be released were not honoured. Around 1,000 police attacked demonstrators, firing live rounds and beating them.

Up to 40 people were injured and 15 were arrested. Bishop Paul Nguyễn Thai Hop of the Vĩnh accused Nghệ An authorities of “underhand and unscrupulous” tactics.165 In October Nguyễn Văn Hải, 43, and Ngo Văn Khoi, 53, were sentenced to six and seven months, respectively, for “disturbing public order”. They were released on 22nd December 2013.166 February 2014 Ailing H’mong Christian leader Du’o’ng Văn Minh was denied medical treatment at hospitals in the capital Hanoi. Pastor Văn Minh, 52, who suffers from a serious kidney condition, stayed at the Redemptorist Church while in Hanoi. He has led H’mong Christians to reform their traditional burial practices. Since 2008 authorities in Cao Bằng, Bắc Kạn, Thái Nguyên, and Tuyên Quang have cracked down on reformed burial practices, forcing H’mong Christians to return to old traditions that involve lengthy, expensive funerals. “Traditionally, before, each son of the deceased had to donate a cow and organise rituals for at least three days and up to nine days before burying the body,” Pastor Văn Minh said.167 February 2014 Officials incited a mob from Trun Phú Village, Na Song Commune to beat a Christian family and chase them from the village after they refused to recant their Christian faith and erect an altar to their ancestors. On the evening of 26th February, Public Security officers in Điện Biên Đông District – Hang Đá Sinh and Cư Ninh Vang – gathered some 30 villagers, and went to Hang A Khua’s family home. After the Christians refused to recant their faith family members, including 9-yearold Hang Thi Đia, were beaten with electrical cable leaving large welts and bruises. Their house was ransacked and papers, including birth certificates and health insurance policies, and food were stolen.

Following the attack the family had to take refuge in the nearby forest.168 March 2014 60-year-old H’mong Protestant Hoang Văn Sang received an 18-month prison sentence from a court in Tuyên Quang province for putting up a shed to store funeral equipment. Christian villages have built

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten? sheds to store communal items for the simplified funeral practices that are promoted by Pastor Văn Minh (see above).169 June 2014 Seventy-six Mennonite Christians were attacked by more than 300 officers in Bình Du’o’ng Province, and their church vandalised.170 October 2014 Members of Thái Hà Redemptorist Church in Đống Đa District protested outside of the local People’s Committee demanding the return of land belonging to the parish. They carried banners saying the decision by authorities to fill the 195,900-square-foot Bà Giằng lake was in violation of the law. The parish claims official documents show the Redemptorists owned the six acres of land since 1928.171 November 2014 Just before midnight on Wednesday 12th, a mob wielding hammers and metal cutters ransacked an unregistered Mennonite Church in Bến Cát, Bình Dương Province. Police then dragged away nine Christians, including two Mennonite pastors and the son of pastor Nguyễn Hong Quang. They were interrogated for two hours before being charged with not having their ID cards and temporary residence papers – which were confiscated during a previous police raid. Pastor Quang’s congregation has complained of being regularly attacked since June. Authorities have also cut off the building’s water and electricity.172 January-February 2015 Communist authorities threatened to tear down 22 Catholic chapels in Kon Tum Diocese in the Central Highlands. On 30th January, the president of Djak Tô District published a notice ordering the chapels’ demolition and on 4th February, the vice-president wrote to local officials ordering them to proceed. Catholics will also be prohibited from holding services in private homes, and reports suggest authorities have monitored believers’ houses for prayer meetings and Bible studies. From 1975 until 2005 Catholics from Đắc Tô District, would travel up to 60 miles (100 km) on foot to hear Mass. Authorities in Đăc Tô, Tu Nơ Rông and Đăk Glei have granted permission for two “official churches”, but these are not enough for the needs of the faithful.173 May 2015 Authorities sought input from Catholic bishops over proposed religious legislation, but some bishops criticised the proposals as expanding government control. Bishop Hoàng Đức Oanh told officials “Developed countries do not need any agency in charge of religion”.174

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Notes

19 AsiaNews, 12/23/14.

20 Where not otherwise stated ACN News, 28/11/14. information is taken from other 21 Daily Telegraph, 04/04/14; ACN sources, including the John Newton, “Raising China’s Religious Freedom in the World Faith”, Faith (July-Aug 2015), report 2014. p.10.

1 Independent, 16/02/15.

22 USCIRF 2012 Report, p. 143.

2

Daily Telegraph,13/03/15.

Interview with Archbishop Amel Nona of Mosul, Iraq October 2014.

3

4

Zenit, 21/05/15.

5

Sky News,17/03/15.

6

Tablet, 18/12/14.

7 John Pontifex, Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith [2005-06] (Aid to the Church in Need, 2006), p. 40.

8

Daily Telegraph,18/12/13.

US State Dept., 2010 Report on International Religious Freedom <www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/201 0/148863.htm>.

23

USCIRF 2012 Report, pp.

136-7.

24

25 26

MCM News, 08/06/15.

UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea <www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/ HRC/CoIEritrea/Pages/ReportC oIEritrea.aspx>.

46

47

WWM, 01/11/13.

Voice of the Martyrs, 15/10/13 <www.kidsofcourage.com/?tag =eritrea>.

48

Worthy News 10/11/13.

Daily Telegraph, 26/04/15.

50

Open Doors USA, 12/05/14.

China Aid, 17/10/13.

51

USCIRF News, 16/12/14.

52

IB Times, 23/04/15.

53

Daily Mail, 21/04/15.

54

Daily Telegraph, 21/04/15.

55

Fox News (web) 09/05/15.

56

Christian Today, 28/11/13.

57

CNS (web) 25/12/13.

CSW, 25/04/14; 19/06/14; 04/07/14; 22/08/14.

China Aid, 10/03/14.

UCAN, 17/03/14; Christian Today, 17/03/14.

29

Ecumenical News, 25/07/14 <www.ecumenicalnews.com/art 30 Asia News, 19/11/14; UCAN, icle/buddhist-extremists19/11/14. accused-of-persecuting-sri-lank 31 International Christian a-christians-25786>.

Concern (ICC), 14/05/14.

10 Daily Mail, 05/03/15.

32 ICC, 06/05/14.

11 Ibid.

33 China Aid, 13/03/15.

12 US State Dept., 2013 Report 34 China Aid, 16/09/14. on International Religious 35 ICC, 22/09/14.

Freedom <www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/reli- 36 China Aid, 05/02/15. giousfreedom/index.htm?year= 37 Asia News, 22/03/15; UCAN 2013&dlid=222047#wrapper>.

23/03/15.

13 USCRIF Report 2014; 38 UCAN, 27/05/15.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide – 39 UCAN, 27/05/15.

Eritrea Country Profile <www.csw.org.uk/our_work_pro 40 China Aid 02/07/14; 30/06/14; file_eritrea.htm>.

01/05/15.

14 41 BBC News (web), 04/04/15.

CSW, Eritrea Country Profile <www.csw.org.uk/our_work_pro 15 AsiaNews, 04/03/14. file_eritrea.htm>.

16 China Aid, 2014 Annual 42 US State Dept., 2013 Report Report: Religious and Human on International Religious Rights Persecution in China, p.

Freedom 1. <http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/ 17 Ibid, p. 11. religiousfreedom/index.htm> 18 43 Financial Times Magazine BBC News (web), 09/06/15. (web), 07/11/14.

44 UNHCR, 14/11/14 9

45

49

27

28

<www.unhcr.org/5465fea1381.h tml>.

Vatican Insider (web), 21/07/14.

58

59

ACN News,13/08/14.

60

AINA, 25/09/14.

61

Fides, 13/09/14.

62

IB Times, 14/12/14.

63

CBS News (web), 03/04/14.

AINA, 26/05/15; Persecution.org, 26/05/15.

64

65

AsiaNews, 14/07/15.

Fr Gideon Obasogie, Situation Report on the activities of Boko Haram in the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri (April 2015).

66

67

ACN News, 11/02/15.

68

Daily Mail, 11/2/15.

69

Reuters, 03/05/15.

Punch Ng, 26/11/13, <www.punchng.com/news/hijab -youths-attack-osun-schoolbeat-up-principal/>.

70

71

Christian Today, 01/02/14.

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Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten?

72 93 Vanguard, 07/04/15 Daily Mail, 05/03/15. <www.vanguardngr.com/2014/0 94 Guardian, 08/11/14; CNN 2/b-haram-slaughters-43(web), 08/01/14. students-yobe/>.

95 Asia News, 03/03/15; UCAN 73 Jihad Watch, 01/02/14 News, 03/03/15. <www.jihadwatch.org/2014/02/i- 96 Human Rights Watch, married-her-as-muslim-she-mu 29/01/15. st-leave-my-house-now-that97 ACN News, 07/11/14. shes-christian>.

98 Aljazeera (America), Osun Defender, 07/03/14 <www.osundefender.org/?p=15 05/03/15.

99 3414>.

Christian Post, 08/04/14.

75 100 Zenit, 01/04/14.

ACN News, 16/03/15.

74

76

BBC News (web), 01/05/14.

77

Christian Today, 28/08/14.

Morning Star News, 29/12/14.

78

79

Reuters, 11/01/15.

80

CSW, 08/04/15.

Narrative relayed by Fr Gideon Obasogie; Additional material: Irish Times 08/01/15

81

82

Daily Mail, 05/03/15.

83

Ibid.

ACN interview with Lord Alton, 16/06/15.

84

Amnesty International North Korea country profile <www.amnesty.org.uk/northkorea#.VU3UUlJ0yAY>.

85

101

Huffington Post, 29/01/14.

Morning Star News, 28/03/14.

102

Christians in Pakistan, 13/05/14 <www.christiansinpakistan.com/another-rape-inci dent-with-christian-girl/>.

103

104

AsiaNews, 02/06/14.

Christians in Pakistan, 08/01/15 <www.christiansinpakistan.com/a-muslim-man-be at-a-christian-mother-brutallywhile-she-defended-her-daught er-from-him-in-a-rapeattempt/#comments>.

105

106

AsiaNews, 19/02/15.

Dawn News, 17/03/15 <www.dawn.com/news/116971 3>.

107

US State Dept., 2013 Report on International religious 108 World Watch Monitor, Freedom 10/13/15. <http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/ 109 Christian Post, 12/04/15. religiousfreedom/index.htm> 110 ACN News, 27/05/15.

87 Annuario pontificio per l’anno 86

Sedmitza, 30/09/13 <www.sedmitza.ru/text/410998 4.html>.

115

Religious Freedom Coalition, 01/04/14 <www.religiousfreedomcoalition.org/2014/04/01/ob ama-silent-over-persecutionchristians-in-saudi-arabia/>.

116

Stuf.co.nz, 24/08/14 <www.stuff.co.nz/national/1041 7951/Fears-for-Saudi-christianconverts>.

117

118

Christian Post, 15/09/14.

USCIRF 2014 Report, pp.7881.

119

120 Algemeiner, 12/02/15 <www.algemeiner.com/2015/02 /12/saudi-tv-host-defendstweet-thanking-jews-and-christi ans/>.

121

Times of Israel, 18/03/15.

122

Christian Post, 25/06/14.

CSW Country Profile Sudan <www.csw.org.uk/our_work_pro file_sudan.htm>.

123

124 John Pontifex and John Newton, Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2011 Edition (Aid to the Church in Need, 2011),p. 119; US State Dept., 2013 Report on International Religious Freedom <http://www.state.gov/documen ts/organization/222313.pdf>.

125 Morning Star News, 09/12/13.

Asia Human Rights 126 Morning Star News, Commission, 03/07/15 28/09/14. <www.humanrights.asia/news/a 88 Guardian, 06/08/14.

127 hrc-news/AHRC-STM-104CNN (web), 01/07/14.

89 Fox News, 08/01/14.

2015>.

128 Release International, 90 Ecumenical News, 18/02/14 112 Asia Bibi and Anne-Isabelle 08/07/14. <www.ecumenicalnews.com/art Tollet, Blasphemy: A Memoir – 129 Morning Star News, icle/un-report-says-christiansSentenced to Death over a Cup 16/07/14. in-north-korea-seen-as-serious- of Water (Chicago: Chicago 130 threat-22739>.

Premier News (web), Review Press, 2013).

91 05/12/14.

Daily Mail, 11/11/13.

113 Times of Israel, 18/03/15.

131 92 Be Heard Project (web), Asia News, 03/03/15.

114 BBC News (web), 28/04/15.

2013, p. 593; Asia News, 08/05/10.

78│

111

Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten?

Watch Monitor 06/03/15; Rights Commission US House Catholic Herald (web) 29/04/15. of Representatives, 26/03/14.

132 152 Assenna, 15/06/15 Voice of the Martyrs, <http://assenna.com/1408/04/15. eritrean-refugees-kidnapped-by 153 ACN News, 22/05/15.

-armed-rashaida-attackers-in154 MCN, 29/06/15; eastern-sudan-according-to-erit MidEastFaces, 26/05/14; ARA rean-refugees-in-shegerabNews, 27/05/14; IB Times, refugee-camp/>.

01/08/13.

133 CSW, 01/07/15.

155 Telegraph, 10/07/15.

134 World Watch Monitor, 156 ACN News 07/04/14; 02/07/15.

06/07/15.

135 Guardian, 24/06/14.

157 USCRIF 2015 Report, p.

136 Pope Francis and 127.

Ecumenical Patriarch 158 USCRIF 2015 Report, p.

Bartholomew I, Common 127; World Watch Monitor Declaration, 30/11/14.

08/05/15.

137 UNHCR press release, 159 US State Dept., 2013 Report 12/03/15. on International religious 138 ACN News, 27/01/14.

Freedom 139 Fides, 26/09/13. <www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm?dyna 140 Speaking at ACN mic_load_id=222293&year=201 Westminster Event, 22/10/13.

3#wrapper> 141 Lebanon Daily Star, 160 USCRIF 2015 report, p. 12724/11/14.

8.

142 Al Jazeera <http://blogs.al161 UCAN, 05/09/13; AsiaNews, jazeera.com/blog/middle03/09/13. east/meeting-al-qaeda-syria> 162 CNA, 15/09/14.

John Newton, “Islamic 163 State's Deadly Threat to Arab Radio Vatican News Christianity”, Faith (Nov-Dec 22/01/15.

2014), p.3; Lebanon Daily Star, 164 USCRIF 2015 Report, p.

19/08/14.

130.

144 La Croix, 06/05/13; Al 165 UCAN, 05/09/13.

Monitor 08/09/14.

166 Open Doors 01/11/13; 145 ACN News, 17/03/14.

Eglises d’Asia: Agence d’infor146 Fides, 12/09/13; Egalitémation des Missions Etrangère Réconciliation (web), 09/09/13. de Paris, 06/01/14.

170

Radio Free Asia (web), 24/10/14; Agenzia Fides, 31/10/14.

172

Morningstar News, 14/02/14.

173

Asia News, 03/30/15.

174 Christian Examiner, 07/05/15 <www.christianexaminer.com/ar ticle/catholics.in.vietnam.fear.ne w.laws.on.religion/48902.htm>.

La Croix, 03/12/13.

John Ponitfex & John Newton, Drying their Tears (ACN Report January 2014), p. 2 148

149

Daily Telegraph, 03/01/15.

150

AFP, 10/10/14.

ACN News, 26/02/15; ACN News Briefing 02/03/15; World 151

167 Radio Free Asia (web), 14/02/14.

168 Morning Star News 15/04/14.

169 USCRIF 2015 Report, p.

128; Radio Free Asia (web) 13/03/14; Hearing on “Persecution of Religious and Indigenous Communities in Vietnam”, Tom Lantos Human

© Melkite Archdiocese of Aleppo.

143

147

USCRIF 2015 report, p.128.

171

Damage to a church in Aleppo, Syria April 2015.

31/05/15 <www.beheardproject.com/sudan>.

│79

HOW CAN I HELP?

Perrs rsecute t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten?

Pray, pray, pray Praying for the suffering Church is a core part of ACN’s mission. Your prayers make a big difference to our suffering brothers and sisters.

• Every day in our offices around the world we pray for the

suffering Church.

• Help defend our persecuted brethren in their spiritual battle by praying the Prayer to St Michael the Archangel.

• Offer an hour of Eucharistic Adoration for the needs of Christians driven out of their homes by extremists.

• And offer your Rosary for suffering Christians.

© Anton Fric

A refugee woman in Erbil, northern Iraq, offers up a heart-felt prayer. In the background are prefabricated units provided by ACN to provide shelter for displaced families who fled Daesh (ISIS).

80

Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten?

Tragically many people in our churches still do not know that Christians are being persecuted today – and paying a high price for their Faith.

• Share the full findings of Persecuted and Forgotten? which can be found at www.acnuk.org/persecution • Learn more about the issues – and encourage others to do so too. ACN produces the “Where God weeps” programme for EWTN (visit www.wheregodweeps.org for broadcast schedules).

• Encourage your parish to have copies of ACN’s regular reports at the back of the church for people to take away.

HOW CAN I HELP?

Become informed yourself – and Inform others

St. Theresa´s Church in Madalla, Nigeria was bombed on Christmas Day 2011. It has now been rebuilt with help from ACN.

81

HOW CAN I HELP?

Perrs rsecute t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten?

Take action There are also other ways you can help our brothers and sisters: • Support ACN’s projects with a one-off or regular donation.

Your gift will help Christians – such as the more than 120,000 who fled Daesh in northern Iraq and are now finding shelter in the Kurdish north. Visit www.acn-intl.org • Have a Mass offered for your intentions – your stipend will support a priest and enable him to continue his ministry.

Visit www.acn-intl.org • Ask your parish priest to have an ACN appeal at your Church, or to choose ACN as your Lenten or Advent charity.

• Organise a fundraising event or prayer vigil for ACN.

“We have always asked for your prayers... We also thank you for supporting our emergency aid programmes.”

Archbishop Bashar Warda, Iraq Archbishop Warda overseeing ACN emergency aid for the displaced in northern Iraq.

82

Pers r ecute rs t d and Fo te F rg r ott tte tt ten?

“Thank you for helping to dry the tears of the abandoned Jesus on the crosses of this century.”

Fr Werenfried van Straaten,

© Carole AlFarah

founder of Aid to the Church in Need

Aid to the Church in Need can only support the persecuted and suffering Church with the prayers, kindness and generosity of our benefactors.

Please stand in solidarity with the persecuted Christians who need our prayers, our support, and the hope that only the love of Christ can bring.

│83

Despite the world’s Christians facing growing difficulties, including oppression and persecution, their problems remain under-reported. This new edition of Persecuted and Forgotten? shows how in some countries – including the Middle East where they are targeted by extremists – Christians are denied their basic human rights. It is for these people that Aid to the Church in Need exists.

Church of tomorrow, Church of hope: Youngsters from St Patrick’s Church, Malumfashi, Nigeria.

Aid to the Church in Need Aid to the Church in Need supports Christians wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.

Founded on Christmas Day 1947, ACN became a Pontifical Foundation of the Catholic Church in 2012. Every year the charity responds to more than 5,000 requests for aid from bishops and religious superiors in around 140 countries, including: training seminarians; printing Bibles and religious literature – including ACN’s Child’s Bible of which more than 51 million copies have been printed in more than 176 languages; supporting priests and religious in difficult circumstances; building and restoring churches and chapels; broadcasting religious programmes; and helping refugees.

www.acnireland.org