barnabasaid BARNABAS AID - RELIEF AGENCY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH India
Hindu nationalists target Christians
Prayer
Key ministry for a Barnabas church partner
IN THE HOMELAND OF THE
barnabasaid.org
july/august 2015 The Good Samaritan Being a neighbor to Christians in need
What helps make Barnabas Aid distinct from other Christian organizations that deal with persecution?
We work by: ●● d irecting our aid only to Christians, although its benefits may not be exclusive to them (“As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6:10, emphasis added) ●● a iming the majority of our aid at Christians living in Muslim environments ●● c hanneling money from Christians through Christians to Christians ●● c hanneling money through existing structures in the countries where funds are sent (e.g. local churches or Christian organizations) ●● u sing the money to fund projects that have been developed by local Christians in their own communities, countries or regions
●● a cting on behalf of the persecuted Church, to be their voice – making their needs known to Christians around the world and the injustice of their persecution known to governments and international bodies
We seek to: ●● meet both practical and spiritual needs ●● e ncourage, strengthen and enable the existing local Church and Christian communities – so they can maintain their presence and witness rather than setting up our own structures or sending out missionaries ●● t ackle persecution at its root by making known the aspects of the Islamic faith and other ideologies that result in injustice and oppression of non-believers
●● considering any request, however small
●● i nform and enable Christians in the West to respond to the growing challenge of Islam to Church, society and mission in their own countries
●● a cting as equal partners with the persecuted Church, whose leaders often help shape our overall direction
●● f acilitate global intercession for the persecuted Church by providing comprehensive prayer materials
How to find us USA 6731 Curran St, McLean, VA 22101 Telephone (703) 288-1681 or toll-free 1-866-936-2525 Fax (703) 288-1682 Email usa@barnabasaid.org UK 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX Telephone 024 7623 1923 Fax 024 7683 4718 From outside the UK Telephone +44 24 7623 1923 Fax +44 24 7683 4718 Email info@barnabasfund.org Registered charity number 1092935 Company registered in England number 4029536 For a list of all trustees, please contact Barnabas Fund UK at the Coventry address above.
barnabasaid the magazine of Barnabas Aid Published by Barnabas Fund The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK Telephone 01672 564938 Fax 01672 565030 From outside UK: Telephone +44 1672 564938 Fax +44 1672 565030
We believe: ●● we are called to address both religious and secular ideologies that deny full religious liberty to Christian minorities – while continuing to show God’s love to all people ●● i n the clear Biblical teaching that Christians should treat all people of all faiths with love and compassion, even those who seek to persecute them ●● i n the power of prayer to change people’s lives and situations, either through grace to endure or through deliverance from suffering
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
(Matthew 25:40)
You may contact Barnabas Aid at the following addresses Germany German supporters may send gifts for Barnabas Fund via Hilfe für Brüder who will provide you with a tax-deductible receipt. Please mention that the donation is for “SPC 20 Barnabas Fund”. If you would like your donation to go to a specific project of Barnabas Fund, please inform the Barnabas Fund office in Pewsey, UK. Account holder: Hilfe für Brüder International e.V. Account number: 415 600 Bank: Evang Kreditgenossenschaft Stuttgart IBAN: DE89520604100000415600 BIC: GENODEF1EK1 New Zealand PO Box 27 6018, Manukau City, Auckland, 2241 Telephone (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805 Email office@barnabasfund.org.nz
Email info@barnabasfund.org Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and obtain permission for stories and images used in this publication. Barnabas Aid apologizes for any errors or omissions and will be grateful for any further information regarding copyright. © Barnabas Aid 2015
Australia PO BOX 3527, LOGANHOLME, QLD 4129 Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365 799 Fax (07) 3806 4076 Email bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland PO Box 354, Bangor, BT20 9EQ Telephone 028 91 455 246 or 07875 539003 Email ireland@barnabasfund.org Singapore Cheques in Singapore dollars payable to “Barnabas Fund” may be sent to: The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version®. Front cover: An Indian Christian in Orissa © Barnabas Aid 2015. For permission to reproduce articles from this magazine, please contact the International Headquarters address above.
International Headquarters The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK Telephone 01672 564938 Fax 01672 565030 From outside UK: Telephone +44 1672 564938 Fax +44 1672 565030 Email info@barnabasfund.org
To donate by credit/ debit card, please visit the website www.barnabasaid.org or phone 703 288 1681 or toll free 1 866 936 2525
No Matter What The Cost
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Compassion in Action
Speedy help for Christians in Nepal
The Rt. Rev. Julian M. Dobbs Honorary Director, Barnabas Aid, USA
5 Julian M. Dobbs
Honorary Director, Barnabas Aid USA
Jesus calls his disciples to a life of faithfulness to Himself, no matter what the cost!
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hristians around the world are suffering for their faith today in ever increasing numbers. Headlines in many newspapers describe horrific acts of violence against Christian minorities. For example, labeled the world's worst humanitarian crisis since World War II, the conflict in Syria has now entered its fifth year. An entire generation of children is growing up with no experience of a peaceful existence. In Nigeria, more people have been killed by Boko Haram than have died in the entire ebola epidemic and the bloodletting seems to be only getting worse. In Kenya, Al-Shabaab militants laughed and taunted their young victims and separated Christians from Muslims in a day-long raid on Kenya's Garissa University in which 148 people were killed. The reports keep coming! The question is, “Why?” “Why is the suffering of Christians increasing in our world?” The Bible helps us to understand that the persecution of God’s people will significantly increase the closer we come to the return of Jesus Christ. In Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 24, Jesus teaches his disciples about the pressure and trials that will be experienced by them prior to his return. Our Lord warns us of these circumstances, not to frighten us, but in order to encourage us to stand firm in the faith no matter what the cost. We must also ask, “Why are Christians prepared to suffer and die as a result of their faith in Jesus Christ?” Again, the Bible helps us to understand why Christians are willing to give their lives for their faith. The word martyr comes from a word which means witness. It was first used to describe the early Christians who under duress chose death rather than denying the lordship of Christ. This same tenacity is exhibited by thousands of Christians today who faithfully declare the lordship of this same Jesus Christ. We need to ask ourselves profound questions about that remarkable point of intersection between faith and death. Why do they do it? Writing to the church gathered in Smyrna, modern day Izmir, Turkey, Jesus said, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer... Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev 2:10) Jesus calls his disciples to a life of faithfulness to Himself, no matter what the cost! Our suffering brothers and sisters whose testimonies you read in this edition of Barnabas Aid are the modern day heroes of our faith who daily take up their cross and follow Christ, no matter what the cost! Blessed Lord God, hear us now as we pray to you. Grant us grace to stand firm in the faith and to gladly follow you with all our lives. In Christ’s name. Amen.
Behind the Headlines India -The origins of the BJP
Dawa
Dawa through Islamization
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Barnabas Church Partners
Prayer is key for an Australian partner
Nationalism and the Drive for a Hindu-Only India
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Grace upon Grace
Stories of God’s mercies amidst persecution
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Biblical Reflection
Being a good Samaritan
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Interview
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In Touch
Vinay Samuel gives his views on India
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A Children’s choir raises money for Barnabas
how barnabas is helping Displaced Christians in Syria Reports from the city of Aleppo are chilling. “Almost every day people die of mortar bombs falling anywhere and at any time.” On the night of April 10, which was observed as Good Friday by many Christians in Syria, missiles rained down for five hours on an area of the city heavily populated by Christians. Twenty-nine Christians, including many children, lost their lives. People are desperate for safety, placing their faith in God for peace to return. Priority for the aid provided to Syrian Christians through Barnabas is given to displaced families, widows, and those who have infants and children. Last year we assisted an estimated 96,000 Syrian Christians. Funds sent through the local churches are used to provide food and hygiene items, medicines and access to minor surgery.
Grateful Syrian Christians receiving aid
US$3,569,000 for Syrian Christians in the last 12 months Project reference 00-1032
How beautiful on the mountains … Pastor “Karimbek” walks many miles up into the rugged terrain around his city in Kyrgyzstan every week to disciple Christian converts from Islam. Karimbek and his wife teach Christian values relating to (for example) family relationships, parenting and business. As families take the teaching to heart and put it into action, their lives are transformed. Some have even bought livestock and poultry to begin businesses. “Before that,” he says, ”some heads of families didn’t want to work. Today they work and [support their] own families. They try to help neighbors and it is a good opportunity to talk about Jesus.”
Pastor Karimbek with a Christian family
US$2,740 for Kyrgyz pastor Project reference 00-477 (Pastors Support Fund )
Understanding the challenge of Islam A project in Mozambique is training 125 Christian leaders in five cities across the country to understand the challenge that Islam poses to the Church. After training, each of the 125 participants will train 50-100 other people, drawn from a wide area, who will themselves go on to teach at the grass-roots level. Through this strategic approach, the plan is that at least 80 of Mozambique’s 134 districts will be touched by the training and a network of 7,000-8,000 pastors, evangelists and others will be equipped with basic information and skills for responding. The training is based on Barnabas Aid's study guide Unveiled .
Christians in Mozambique
US$6,300 for Leadership Training in Mozambique Project reference 37-1221
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Strengthened and encouraged. This is what we often hear from Christians who have received support from Barnabas Aid. Thank you for making this possible. The following pages are just a few examples of the many ways we have recently helped highly distressed and perscuted Christians.
Feeding Christian families in Pakistan Providing food for poor Christian families makes it possible for their children to go to school, breaking the cycle of poverty and illiteracy. Your help for thousands of such families in Pakistan really makes a difference. Mr. Masih and his wife have five children. They lived in a village but moved to Francisabad for better opportunities. Settling and finding enough work has been a struggle. Mr. Masih came to think it might be better to move back to his village but the feeding program has meant that they can stay. “If we didn’t have this help” he tells us, ”I might have asked my eldest son to [leave education and] work with me to support family.”
The Masih family – one of over 2,000 families we help
US$593,000 to feed 12,500 Christians in Pakistan in the last 12 months Project reference 41-331
Training for Nepalese Christians in India Sixteen thousand people in the plains around Darjeeling, northern India were abandoned to their fate, some literally starving to death, when tea plantations closed. Many were Nepalese Christians who had come to India to find work. Poverty and hopelessness led to human trafficking, child labor and social issues such as violent crime, substance abuse and psychological problems. “Anna,” a former Buddhist nun, says, “My family almost collapsed. I was frustrated [but] the message of Jesus worked in my life and I accepted Him as my Lord.” Our partner’s project turns lives around by training Christians to live out the Gospel message of hope, generate sustainable incomes, build community and teach the true value of life and its importance.
New arrivals in children’s home Your support changes lives every day! These two brothers, new arrivals at the Children’s Home, are aged seven and four. Burmese soldiers tortured and then executed their father. The boys were initially taken in at a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) inside Burma (Myanmar), then brought to their current location. The picture shows the boys engaged in passionate worship. “Both boys love Jesus very much,” says our contact, who is providing the boys with new clothes and also trying to establish if rumors that their mother might also be in the IDP camp are true so they could be reunited.
Students in a tutor training course
The two boys lost in worship
US$8,400 for training Nepalese Christians in India
US$19,000 for Burmese children’s homes
Project reference 21-1012
Project reference 75-821
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Funerals for Christians who lost their lives in Lahore, Pakistan
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A Christian family with their new house
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A Christian survivor of the earthquakes in Nepal with emergency aid supplied by Barnabas
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Timely response to Lahore church bombings
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Thanks to the generosity of Barnabas Aid supporters and our network of trusted project partners on the ground in many countries, Barnabas can respond rapidly to urgent needs. Two suicide bombings at churches in Lahore, Pakistan on March 15, killed 19 people and injured over 100 as they gathered for Sunday worship. Within two days we made funds available to the local Church to provide emergency assistance for victims of the attack and their families. With deep gratitude, the Bishop of Lahore the Rt. Rev. Irfan Jamil wrote, “This grant will be a blessing to our brothers and sisters who have been affected by this tragic event … let me state that Barnabas Aid has been the first to respond practically [to] the sad incident at Youhanabad.” Two church members acting as volunteer security guards at St. John’s Church and Christ Church gave their own lives to deny the terrorists access to the church compounds, thereby saving many lives. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, local church leaders were quickly at the scene comforting those caught up in the incident and then visiting victims and affected families in nearby hospitals or in their homes. Your gifts are providing cash for families who have lost their breadwinner as well as treatment, medicine and wholesome food to aid speedy recovery for the injured. See Newsdesk (p8) for more information about the attacks. Project reference 41-842
Speedy help for Christians in Nepal
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After the first of the two earthquakes in Nepal, Barnabas Aid immediately began to reach out to our brothers and sisters in their time of need. Our appeal allowed supporters to display their compassion and your response was very generous. Barnabas Aid provided emergency food aid, water purification tablets, cooking utensils, hygiene kits, tarpaulins, clothing, blankets, and medicines to affected Christians across the country. A typical food package includes rice, daal (lentils), oil, sugar, noodles, salt, and tea. We have also covered the funeral expenses for 18 Christians. Our partners are designing semipermanent shelters in the form of one-room houses measuring ten feet by eight feet costing around US$156 each. These will protect homeless families during the monsoon season (June-August) - tarpaulins would be inadequate. Our funds are not required to go through government channels. Established local Nepalese Christian organizations get Barnabas Aid’s help that goes straight to Christians who are in desperate need. Some Christians have been deliberately overlooked in the distribution of government aid. “A pastor from a local church in Kathmandu,” reported one of our Nepalese contacts, “said that the building inspection group skipped his church and it is neither inspected nor listed as damaged.” The growing Church in Nepal is still a very small and marginalized minority. Christians have suffered considerable persecution and discrimination. Project reference 00-634
Giving families a home, a hope and a future
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Large-scale anti-Christian violence by Hindu extremists in 2007 and 2008 in Orissa, India left 60,000 Christians homeless. Even now, thousands of Christians remain without a proper secure roof over their heads, but Barnabas Aid has helped to repair or construct over 1,300 homes for pastors and members of their churches. Typically, a simple oneroom house costs around US$1070 to build. Work is nearing completion on the final phase of housebuilding. This project is rebuilding shattered lives, not just houses. Since 2008, Pastor S. N. had income enough only to feed his family and educate his two daughters, leaving his demolished house a bare shell without a floor, roof, windows or a door. He prayed for God’s help. In 2011, the project surveyed his house and “with the help of Barnabas Aid… unknown brothers and sisters on the other side of the world” he now has a beautiful house, and thanks God for this provision. Another pastor, his house totally demolished, was told that he could not return to his village unless he denied Jesus Christ. He had to leave everything and relocate to the town of Tikbali. Landlords made even renting a house difficult, and he had to move repeatedly. By God’s grace the pastor was given land by a fellow Christian, then “God led the project through Barnabas Aid to help me to build my house in Tikabali … my heartfelt thanks to all the BA donors.”
Project reference 21-723
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Christian students massacred as Al-Shabaab seize Kenyan university
19 dead from suicide bombing in Pakistan Kenya
In a day-long assault on Kenya’s Garissa University, Al-Shabaab gunmen killed 148 people, singling out the Christians for death. Those who could not or would not recite passages from the Quran were gunned down or beheaded, leaving bodies littered across the student accommodation block. Kenyan Christian leader, Canon Francis Omondi, told Barnabas he had been communicating by SMS to a student, Wendy, who had hidden in her wardrobe with four of her dorm mates. “They had resisted the deception by the attackers who called ‘our religion doesn’t allow
us to kill women, come out’,” he said. He also told Barnabas Aid, “there were 13 Christian Union members in early morning prayers; all were slain with one dying on his knees!” Al-Shabaab is a Somali-based insurgency group linked to Al-Qaeda that has declared that Kenya is at war with Somalia. After Kenyan authorities sent troops in 2011 into Somalia to help counter terrorist activity, the country has been plagued with acts of brutality, often against Kenya’s Christian population. The Garissa siege is Al-Shabaab’s deadliest attack to date.
29 Syrian Christians killed in Aleppo during violent onslaught Syria
Aleppo has been left in ruins by months of fighting Image Source: Freedom House / CC BY 2.0 Armenian and other solidly Christian neighborhoods of Aleppo suffered from a deadly rebel attack in the second week of April that peaked on April 10 – the day that many Armenians were celebrating Good Friday – with rockets killing some 29 people, many of them children. At least 56 Christians were injured and seven Christian homes totally collapsed. It was “a hell” said one Christian leader in Aleppo, describing the five hours from 9 pm until 2 am on Friday night and Saturday morning in which rockets rained down on the Christian homes. The final rocket to fall weighed 772 lbs. but did not explode. At least ten or eleven children were
killed as they slept. In one home, a mother and her four children all died. But better news came on Saturday night when four other children were found alive under the ruins of one building. Christians in Aleppo are in danger from attacks by forces within Syria, but they are also aware of a threat emanating from Turkey: “We will show all Armenians how to celebrate the 100th anniversary on April 24.” This refers to the centenary of the worst year of the Armenian and Assyrian Genocide, which peaked in 1915. In that year some 800,000 Armenians were killed.
Pakistan
Pakistani Christian community hold funeral ceremony for ten of those killed At least 19 people were killed and over 100 more injured in twin suicide bomb attacks against two churches in the city of Lahore, Pakistan, on Sunday, March 15. Fighters from Jamaatul Ahrar, an offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban, targeted two churches in Lahore’s Youhanabad neighborhood, one of the country’s largest Christian
a young boy approached Christ Church carrying a machine gun. After shooting a policeman and church member, he blew himself up
communities. The blasts occurred in the morning when around 2,000 Christians were meeting for worship in the two churches. One assailant, a young boy, approached Christ Church carrying a machine gun. After shooting a policeman and church member, he blew himself up, killing another guard and two others, one of whom was a pregnant woman. At the other church the suicide bomber attempted to scale the church wall, but a volunteer security guard pulled him down. He blew himself up killing the guard and several others. A representative of Jamaatul Ahar told al-Jazeera News, “We promise that until an Islamic system is put into place in Pakistan, such attacks will continue.”
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State to propose death penalty for apostasy from Islam
Malaysia
An Islamic hudud bill was unanimously passed by Malaysia’s Kelantan state Assembly on March 19. Next a private bill will be presented to the Malaysian Federal parliament aiming to remove the restrictions to the enforcement of hudud which are currently in place. Originally a hudud law was passed in Kelantan state in 1993, but has not been enforced because it was deemed unconstitutional by the Federal Parliament. The Kelantan ruling party, the Islamic Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), which has continually pressed for implementation, passed amendments to the state's Islamic criminal punishment code and now is taking a bill to the national parliament so that the obstacles to hudud will be removed and it will be fully implemented. Whether or not hudud is implemented will now depend on how Malaysia’s members of parliament vote when the bill is put before them. Hudud (plural of hadd) refers to severe punishments specified in the Quran for certain offences that are considered to be against Allah. They would be administered by the sharia courts. Currently, sharia court punishments are capped at a fine of 3,000 Malaysian ringgit (US$800), five years in prison, and six strokes of a cane. This bill would remove the current caps and would permit the Quranic punishments of amputation, stoning, lashing and execution. Although theoretically inapplicable for non-Muslims, it effectively prevents conversion from Islam as, according to some Islamic scholars, apostasy is also a hudud crime for which the punishment is death. Malaysia has a federal political system where states have some ability to pass their own legislation, subject to limits set by federal law. Its legal system contains elements of both secular and Islamic law, and there is an ongoing struggle about which form of law should have supremacy.
Europe urges Turkey to recognize Armenian genocide Turkey
A European Parliament motion passed in Brussels on April 15 calling Turkey “to come to terms with its past, to recognize the Armenian genocide and thus pave the way for a genuine reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian peoples”. Adamant that “everyone should know that Turkey can never accept such a sin, such guilt”, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refuses to admit that the killings constitute genocide. President Erdogan is recorded as stating, “A Muslim would never commit genocide.”
Delhi High Court demands government report on attacks against places of worship India
On April 29 India’s Delhi High Court demanded a status report from the federal and Delhi governments, as well as the Delhi police commissioner, about attacks on Delhi places of worship and the protective measures taken. After six attacks against churches since December with no arrests, Advocate Reegan S. Bell filed Public Interest Litigation seeking the protection of churches, which was later amended to include all places of worship. Though the Home Ministry insists that the proper records were registered, the court has requested that a detailed report be presented on July 1.
Grieving Christian villagers attacked by Muslim rioters over church building plans Egypt
After Friday prayers on March 27, Muslim rioters stormed the Egyptian village of Al-Our, home to 13 of the Egyptian Christian men who were beheaded by Islamic State militants in Libya in a video released on February 15. Enraged by a statement issued by Egypt’s President granting permission to local Christians to build a church, Muslim residents rampaged through the village shouting “No church will be built on this ground.” At least six local Christians were wounded in the attacks, three of them sustaining serious injuries.
Islamic State replaces crosses with black jihadist flag in Iraqi churches Iraq
Islamic State (IS) released online images on March 16 showing militants destroying churches in Iraq with sledgehammers. Other pictures show fighters replacing crosses and bells from the tops of churches with the group’s black jihadist flag. Fighters are seen removing wroughtiron crosses from the front gates of a church. It is not known which churches are shown in the images released. Islamic State has also bulldozed ancient sites and artefacts in the area. To view our most current news scan this with your device
Understanding the plight of India’s Christian community
Image Source: World Economic Forum, Wikimedia Commons
espite assurances of freedom of religion, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi – leader of the Hindu nationalist party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – has failed to protect India’s religious minorities, including Christians who have continued to suffer attacks from Hindu radicals.
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Some typical examples In Haryana state, Hindu radicals disrupted a church prayer meeting in Faridabad on March 8. They brought a man who accused Pastor Kumar of luring him into becoming a Christian. Although the police did not file the case against the pastor, they told him not to hold worship services in his home. In Madhya Pradesh state, about a dozen Hindu radicals attempted to storm Sunday worship on March 1
The Hindu extremists told police that Assistant Pastor Pratab Rawat gave three people money so that they would convert in Rampura, Alirajur, accusing the pastor of luring people into converting to Christianity. The Hindu extremists told police that Assistant Pastor Pratab Rawat gave three people money so that they would convert to Christianity. Church leaders, however, said “we have never seen these three people before.”
Analysiss
India
The origins of the BJP Hindutva, the ideology adopted by Hindu nationalists, began with Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (1883-1966), an extremist who argued that pan-Islamic solidarity was the great threat to India, advocating an Indian nation and national identity based on geographical unity, racial features, and a common culture. It incorporates religions that originate from India (such as Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism) but excludes religions that began outside the sub-continent – Christianity and Islam. It led to a radical grass-roots organization called the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, a pupil of Savarkar. Just as World War II was starting, Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, who became the the second supreme chief of the RSS in 1940, wrote of his belief that India should follow the example of Nazi Germany: “To keep up the purity of the Race and its culture, Germany shocked the world by her purging the country of the semitic Races — the Jews. Race pride at its highest has been manifested here. Germany has also shown how well nigh impossible it is for Races and cultures, having differences going to the root, to be assimilated into one united whole, a good lesson for us in Hindustan to learn and profit by.”1 Widespread, violent discrimination against Christians and Muslims began, and, in January 1949 an RSS volunteer, Nathuram Godse, killed Mahatma Gandhi. In response to a five-month ban on the organization, the RSS leadership formed a political party, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was formed in 1980 by former members of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, attempting to create a more acceptable moderate nationalist party. It still receives support from the RSS and related nationalist groups such as Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP a Hindu nationalist non-government organization) and the Bajrang Dal (the youth wing of the VHP). Each of these groups – including the BJP - fall within the family of Hindu nationalist organizations called Sangh Parivar. In the 1996 election the BJP-led coalition, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) gained control of the Lok Sabha (the lower house of India’s parliament), which it held for three years. During its rule there was a significant rise in Christian persecution. It gained power in the Gujarat state assembly in 1998 and has held power in a number of other states. In 2014 the BJP again gained control of the Lok Sabha. 1 Golwalkar, M S (1939) We or our nationhood defined, Nagpur, Bharat Publication, p 87
DAWA The Islamic Strategy for Reshaping the Modern World
4 Dawa through Islamization
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Introduction
Islamization is a form of dawa that aims to convert whole societies and their structures. It can be defined as a process by which not only individuals but also groups, societies and cultures become more and more Islamic. It resembles what happened when Islam began in Arabia, which until then had been in a state of jahiliyya (ignorance of Allah’s teachings). One aspect of Islam that makes it different from any other religion is its quest for political power. From its beginning, Islam created a fusion of politics and religion: religious doctrine sanctified political power, and political power confirmed and sustained religion. Contemporary Muslims who place a major emphasis on the political aspects of Islam are called Islamists and their ideology Islamism. Other Muslims (traditional Muslims and liberal Muslims) who focus on personal morality and devotion were the familiar face of Islam two generations ago. However, seeds of Islamism sown in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, have burst into luxuriant growth since the 1970s, causing a great resurgence of Islam. Islam has now become a major player on the world political stage with a power and prestige it had not enjoyed for many centuries. By fusing politics and religion, and by using the twin concepts of dawa and jihad, Islamists are increasing the influence of Islam right across the globe. The rapid Islamization of the West is evidence of the significant shift in power from the West to other global players, among them the bloc of Muslim-majority states funded by oil wealth. This is accompanied by a growing Islamization of Muslimmajority states, and a drive to destabilize non-Muslim states and Islamize them.
and Marxism. Allah’s sovereignty means that he is the only legislator for humanity and that his laws must be obeyed by all. Therefore, say Islamist scholars, sharia is the only law for the world which Muslims must implement and impose, by force if necessary, on everyone everywhere. This new Islamist discourse is based on a return to Islam’s sacred source texts (Quran and Hadith) and on Muhammad’s model and early Muslim history. Early Islam sought political domination of the newly conquered territories and peoples and the total transformation of all their societal structures by imposing sharia. The nonMuslim population was subjected to Islamic rule through a combination of military aggression and missionary efforts. In the early stage of Islamic history, there was a period when Muslims were a minority in the world they had conquered. This made them afraid of being overwhelmed by the conquered communities. Accordingly, sharia excluded non-Muslims from any position of power in the Islamic state. These fears have persisted until today in spite of centuries of Muslim dominance. As a result, most Muslims accept it as natural that non-Muslims should face restrictions on their right to practice their religion in public. They see it as perfectly normal to feel contempt for non-Muslims and to discriminate against them. They expect non-Muslims to show publicly that they submit to Islam. Populations conquered by early Islam were Islamized and their former non-Muslim identity erased over many centuries of subjugation. Minority communities who managed to retain their original non-Muslim faith (like Christians and Jews) were taught to feel grateful to the Muslim majority for tolerating their existence and not destroying them altogether.
Populations conquered by early Islam were Islamized and their former non-Muslim identity erased over many centuries of subjugation
Main Islamist doctrines supporting political Islam
Islamist teaching is derived from two important doctrines of Islam: the oneness or unity of Allah (tawhid) and the sovereignty of Allah (hakimiyya). Islam’s doctrine of tawhid is not just a theological theory, but a political, social and economic framework for a revolutionary re-making of society everywhere according to God’s will as revealed in the Quran and sunna (the actions and words of Muhammad, as recorded in the hadith). Tawhid opposes all jahili powers and sets up a totally different Islamic way of life based on sharia. Using these doctrines, Islamists have transformed Islam into a political ideology: Islamism. Islam has shifted from a passive mode of mere religion in the Western sense to an active revolutionary mode, becoming a political tool for transforming society and state in all spheres of human activity. In this sense political Islam resembles secular totalitarian systems such as Fascism, Nazism
Dawa according to Islamists
Modern Islamist commentators put a strong emphasis on the political aspects of dawa. For them the most important goal of dawa is Islamic revival leading to the establishment of an Islamic state under sharia. These commentators focus on Islam as a comprehensive ideological system, regulating not only the private sphere and the relations between a believer and God but also the public sphere and politics. The dawa concepts pioneered by the founders of modern Islamism integrated the religious and the political aspects of Islam into one ideological whole. The founders emphasized the importance of changing the character of Muslim
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communities so as to reverse the process of Islam’s decline from its ancient glory. They worked to prepare the way for the indoctrination of the masses, the capture of all power centers, and the ultimate establishment of an Islamic state under sharia, systematically spreading Islamist ideology to an ever-wider audience. For some Islamists today, the first priority of dawa should be establishing Islamic states under sharia in Muslim-majority countries. They focus their efforts on changing the regimes of Muslim-majority states in order to turn them into Islamic states under sharia, which can then carry dawa to the non-Muslim-majority world and if necessary enforce it by jihad. Other Islamists engage in dawa to influence nonMuslim countries from within. They use Muslim minorities as a lever to advance the acceptance of Islam as the dominant religious, political and civilizational force in their host societies. These Islamists work at penetrating and infiltrating the power centers of nonMuslim states leading to their gradual Islamization. Modern Islamization is thus aimed both at Muslims, who need to be revived by a return to original Islam as understood by Islamists, and at non-Muslims who need to be enfolded in an Islamic embrace. Islamists believe that Islamization will bring an end to all conflict, as true peace is possible only under an Islamic political and cultural system, i.e. an Islamic state governed by sharia. Islamization, in whatever country it occurs, is the transformation of its entire worldview and culture from being non-Islamic to being dominated by Islam. The ultimate aim is to establish Islam’s power, honor and rule above all others in accordance with the Quranic verse: But honor belongs to God and His Messenger, and to the Believers. (Q 63:8)
The problem of Western civilizational dominance
Islamists face the challenge of Western civilization still being dominant in the world. They are therefore committed to destroying it and replacing it by an Islamic system. Everything that hinders the advance of Islam towards what they see as its rightful, Allah-ordained position in control of every human institution in the world must be removed. To this end Islamists are dedicated to Islamizing all civilizations, cultures and thought in order to restore Islam to the glory of its Golden Age in the 7th to 13th centuries. They believe that following the present Islamist revival, the umma (the whole body of Muslims worldwide) will regain its political, intellectual and cultural dominance in the world. Observing the decline of Western civilization in recent decades, Islamists offer the gradual Islamization of the West as the solution. They hope that the gradual Islamization of culture in non-Muslim societies will create an environment conducive to increasing the global influence and power of Islam. The main contemporary Islamist movements, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, are dedicated to this project of dawa through Islamization.
Some among them have termed it a “civilizational jihad” that will establish Islam firmly as the dominant religion in non-Muslim states. Thus organizational, institutional, legal, economic, educational, cultural, social and welfare efforts are not just small steps to meet the needs of Muslim individuals and the local Muslim community but are considered part of an overall strategic plan to change the character of the host state and society and establish the dominion of Islam. Many Muslims today accept this Islamist view of a civilizational conflict between the umma and the West. Islamists believe that this confrontation started with the Crusades and continued with the spread of Western colonialism to Muslim-majority states. They hold that the West corrupted and humiliated the Muslim world and destroyed its willpower. Islamists blame the West for all problems facing modern-day Muslims, including their “backwardness” and their inability to unite and regain their former glory. Many conferences were held in the 1980s (often with Saudi funding) to discuss the weakness of the Muslim umma. At these conferences – which remained largely unnoticed by Western observers – the idea of Islamization was introduced as the solution. It was argued that Muslims must resist Western cultural influences, cast off defeatist attitudes and adopt instead the belligerence of Muhammad in Medina. Muslims must regain their self-confidence, affirming that they are different from the rest of the world. The umma will then be strong and united once more and Islam will regain its ancient power and glory.
The umma concept and Muslim victimhood as drivers of Islamization
The umma concept is currently experiencing a dramatic revival owing to the rise of Islamism, the large Muslim presence in the West, and the effects of globalization. It has become a significant driver of Islamization. The idea of the global Muslim nation, the umma, as one community has always had deep political implications. It expresses the group-consciousness of all Muslims and their essential felt unity based on their shared religion. This unity transcends all cultural, ethnic and national differences. All Muslims in the world are united into this supranational umma by their submission to Allah and to his revelation through Muhammad in the Quran and sunna. Ziauddin Sardar, chair of the London-based Muslim Institute, sums up: “God is one, the Prophet is one, the ummah – the international Muslim community – is one”.¹ Hence the virtually universal belief amongst Muslims that they must support each other against non-Muslims, in spite of internal differences. The individual’s needs and desires are to be subordinate to those of the umma. While there is much variety in Islam, there seems to be a majority consensus that the umma deserves the primary loyalty of all Muslims. For many Muslims, loyalty to the umma overrides loyalty to any nation state. Islamists utilize the umma concept to develop
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the idea of Muslims everywhere as global victims. They encourage Muslims to see themselves as a vulnerable and besieged community, as they were under Muhammad’s leadership in Mecca before their migration to Medina. Having developed a sense of victimhood, they can then present Islamist violence as a “liberation struggle” and thus strengthen Muslim group identity.
Secularization and re-Islamization
In modern times, under the impact of Western colonial rule, sharia was gradually phased out in most Muslim countries. In the more secular states usually only sharia family law was retained. At the end of the colonial period, the rise of secular and socialist forms of nationalism brought a temporary halt to traditional Muslim hostility towards non-Muslims. There were great hopes of creating new national identities across religious and ethnic divides. Gradually this secularization process was blocked and then reversed by the growing tide of Islamism. As a reaction against the growth of socialism and nationalism in Egypt, the influential Muslim World League was founded in 1962 in Saudi Arabia, with a strongly Islamist agenda. Many Muslims have since renewed their hatred for the “Christian” West and their mistrust of nonMuslims in Muslim-majority countries, seeing them as spies for the West and traitors to their own nations. Conspiracy theories emerged, with indigenous nonMuslims always the scapegoats. These attitudes resulted in the erosion of the hard-won freedoms gained in the colonial and early independence era. Discrimination, persecution and attacks by armed jihadi militias on indigenous non-Muslims (Christians, Hindus, etc.) are now on the increase in many Muslimmajority states. An Islamist government took power in Turkey in 2002, increasing the antipathy to the West and to Jews. The “Arab Spring” of 2011 saw the secularists who initiated the uprisings quickly displaced
by better organized Islamists. However in Egypt and Tunisia the Islamists soon lost political power again and it remains to be seen what the long-term result will be. Islamic law has been reintroduced in many Muslim states in varying degrees. The official introduction of the Islamic penal code (with punishments such as amputation and stoning) has a deep symbolism for the population. It may not always be fully implemented, depending on the power structure within the state and various interpretations of the legal issues.
Oil money aids Islamization
Oil-rich Muslim countries and especially Saudi Arabia with its vast oil wealth, are playing an important part in the contemporary Islamization process. Wahhabi Islam, the state religion of Saudi Arabia, is one of the strictest and most radical of Islamist movements and is allied to other Islamist movements such as the Salafis, Ahl-i Hadith, the Deobandis and the Jamaat-i Islami. Until recently it was also strongly allied to the Muslim Brotherhood, but has now come to see the Brotherhood as a danger to its ruling system. Saudi oil money has been used to spread Saudi Wahhabi Islam across the world, and it has gained tremendous power in most Muslim societies, promoting a shift to a more puritan and inflexible type of Islam. It has also contributed generously to the funding of mosques, charities, dawa organizations and various Islamic institutions as well as funding most radical and violent Islamist movements around the world.
1 Ziauddin Sardar (2005) Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Sceptical Muslim, London, Granta Books, 2004, p.132.
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You will be here and you will pray
Anne Willett
became a Barnabas church partner in her church in Melbourne, Australia, after she felt God had called her to pray for persecuted believers around the world. She thought being asked only to pray was disappointing, but it has led to a fulfilling and much appreciated ministry
“I had a dream - one Friday morning just before I woke up. This person suddenly was just in front of me and dressed in white and my head was bowed so I didn’t see his face, but He said ‘Anne, you will be here and you will pray.’ And I woke up with a feeling of some degree of disappointment. I knew it was the Lord (and) that’s all He wanted me to do.
magazines every two months to several congregations. We also have Moments for Mission in our Englishspeaking services with particular points for prayer for our brethren who are persecuted. It’s educating people and once people know they become interested. I go to a Christian book club and all the ladies there are very well educated about Barnabas Aid and a number are passionate prayers.
At that very time I was trying to go to Indonesia, where I’d been before, to teach on children’s literature. There were seven times I tried and seven times I couldn’t get there. The Lord was saying ‘Anne, you won’t get to Indonesia. You’ll be here and you will pray.’
We had the great privilege of having a wonderful Barnabas Aid 20th anniversary celebration at our church about a year and a half ago. It was absolutely packed. A number there heard about Barnabas Aid and they took back stories to their churches - a little bit of seed that grows.
Around the same time (2001) I went along to a seminar and I heard a talk on the Quranic justification for jihad. I sat still and had a very strong sense that the Lord wanted me to speak on behalf of our persecuted brethren.
I think Barnabas, with its information and practical work, has given me a wider, greater, more wonderful vision of God’s Kingdom. I appreciate Barnabas Aid
Since I’ve become a Barnabas partner for my church, I have been given a position where I can pray, leading intercessions on behalf of big congregations. I hand out
particularly for the marvelous books and education. We’re educated about the enemies of our brethren but also what we can do to help those who suffer. That is a very powerful thing for me personally and the magazine really clarifies, very simply, that there is a great choice of projects to which we can give. I’m assured that what people give does genuine good, using partners on the ground, which is about the best way you could possibly do it. What I hear about the persecution of Christians really inspires me, and it makes me see how minuscule my suffering is - and how great is our God. The Church is triumphant. Despite everything that comes against it in increasing numbers, it’s triumphant. Nothing shall separate us from the love of God.”
We need more Church Partners! Hundreds of Christians volunteer for Barnabas Aid in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Would you like to know more about becoming a church partner? Have a look at: www.barnabasaid.org/get-involved/partnership. You could also scan this code with your device.
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and the Drive for a
ndia is the second most populous country in the world behind China, with 2015 estimates at 1.28 billion. It gained independence from Britain in 1947, with the partition of the British-ruled territory into India and Pakistan. Religions have long coexisted: the Hindu majority, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, animists (Adivasis or “tribals�), Zoroastrians and a small number of Jews have lived alongside each other down the centuries. This variety of religions continues, even after partition when large numbers of Muslims moved to Pakistan. Islam was brought to the region by Arabs in AD 711, with Asian Turks and later the Mughals ruling large parts of India until the British gained control. Christians in Kerala in South India trace their roots back to the apostle Thomas in the 1st century and are known as St Thomas (Mar Thoma) Christians. Missionary activities by Middle Eastern Christians and later by Western Christians have increased Christian numbers across India in the intervening centuries. Even so they have only ever been a small minority in percentage terms. Many are Dalits (below even the lowest Hindu caste and considered unclean) meaning that Christians are often very poor and despised. The other main religions, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism all arose within the Indian subcontinent and still have small relative numbers of
followers in contemporary India. Hinduism is not, in fact, a single religion at all. It consists of a variety of different devotional frameworks and practices. The term Hinduism owes much to the British need to categorize the variety of religious practice they encountered as they consolidated their rule in the 18th and 19th centuries. Hindu nationalists have, though, been happy to adopt the idea of Hinduism as defining Indian identity. The results of the, as yet unpublished, 2011 census look likely to record the number of Hindus at less than 80%, with Muslims having increased to 14%. This is in contrast to 1951, just after partition, when Hindus were around 84% and Muslims under 10%. The number of Christians has increased since 1951 and is now estimated at over 25 million, but the Christian percentage has remained at 2% because the overall population has grown at the same time.
Christian growth
Christian missions continue to make a huge impact amongst the Dalits and also tribes who have been excluded by the Indian mainstream. For many years Indian Christians themselves have been spreading the message. The majority of Indian Christians – 70% - live in the south, while 25% live in the north-east part of India bordering Nepal, Bangladesh, and Burma. Christians in the north-west, however, live in a more precarious situation. In these highly populated Hindi-speaking areas, their numbers are small.
Hindu nationalism
India is officially a secular state and the Constitution of 1950 guarantees freedom of religion, but since May 2014 there has been a marked shift in public discourse. In that month, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with its twelve coalition partners, led by Narendra Modi, came to power. It has encouraged anxiety on the part of the majority Hindu population about the rise in other religions, particularly Islam, creating a climate of increased aggression towards minorities. Although only a very small minority, Christians are suffering from this attitude as, together with Muslims, they are subject to unrestrained attacks by Hindu nationalists. Although Hinduism has traditionally been a tolerant religion there is increasing support for Hindutva, the term for a political stance requiring all Indians to adhere to Hinduism. Minorities are subject to threats and abuse, with groups clad in saffron caps or khaki shorts seeking out and harassing or attacking those who do not fit within the Hindutva scope. Hindus believe that no one can convert to their religion; a person has to be born a Hindu. However, advocates of India as a Hindu-only country are engaged in campaign known as Ghar Wapsi or Home-Coming. The chief of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a rightwing non-governmental organization (NGO), has said that everyone in India is Hindu, including Muslims and Christians, because it is the land of the Hindu people and civilization. Muslims and Christians are being encouraged to
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convert to Hinduism, or - as the Hindu nationalist call it - “re-convert”. Christians are concerned about this threat to the diversity. The National United Christian Forum held a conference on March 17, 2015. In a statement they said: "A nation of cultural homogeneity is an impossibility… The Church in India asserts its stake in the country’s development. As citizens and followers of Christ, we have contributed to and continue to work for social development in all spheres of national life. We are committed to protecting the dignity of the human being in this great nation."
police permission. The most notorious violence occurred at Christmas 2007. Hindu nationalist Vishwa Hindu Panishad (VHP) members launched a series of attacks in Kandhamal District on December 24 and 25. A total of 95 churches were burnt to the ground, together with 730 houses occupied by Christians. They shouted slogans: “Christians must become Hindus or die” and “Kill the Christians”. Eight months later, August 2008, saw the beginning of several more weeks of anti-Christian violence, with more church buildings and Christian homes destroyed. Christian schools
Many BJP members, including some government ministers and Members of Parliament, have joined the call to stop appeasing Muslims and Christians, both of whom are seen as enemies of the nation and the majority community.
Re-conversion by marriage
Anti-conversion laws
Running alongside the Ghar Wapsi campaign for “re-conversion” is a debate about whether India should implement anti-conversion laws. Under India’s constitution, all citizens have the right to “profess, practice and propagate religion”, but five of the 28 Indian states (Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh) already have anticonversion laws in force. A sixth state, Arnachal Pradesh, has passed the law, but it is not yet implemented. Confusingly, these laws are called the “freedom of religion” laws. They make it illegal to convert someone from one religion to another by means of force, fraud or allurement, and some require anyone who has converted to inform the authorities. The legislation can easily be misused to prevent legitimate Christian evangelism. The current BJP-led coalition government has promised to introduce national legislation to curb “missionary” activity.
Violence in Orissa state
Orissa, on the north-east Indian coast, has one of the worst histories of anti-Christian violence. Going further than other states with anti-conversion laws, it has legislated that people who wish to change religion must obtain
Christians were recorded. Attacks are not limited to particular areas, but are spread across Indian states, with Chhattisgarh topping the list at 28 incidents, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 26, Uttar Pradesh with 18 and Telangana recording 15. Examples include an attack in Madhota village, Chhattisgarh, where Christians were attacked and threatened with dispossession of their land and losing access to communal water supplies. Mobs chanted, “Eliminate the Christians. Bring in the Kingdom of Lord Rama.” On another occasion nationalists brought a picture of the Hindu god Bajrant Bali and hung it on the bore well, announcing that Christians were not allowed to drink the water. Christians have been injured and threatened with death if they do not “re-convert” to Hinduism.
and offices were also vandalized or burned. Christians were attacked, church leaders were beaten up and women were raped. Many Christians had to flee into the jungle for safety. At least 60,000 Christians were left homeless after the two bouts of violence and around 100 Christians died. Sporadic low level persecution of Christians in the state has continued ever since.
Recent persecution
Opposition to Christians takes a number of forms: violence, social discrimination and attempts at forcible “conversion” to Hinduism. Christians are often attacked while they are meeting for worship. In the first 300 days of the BJP Alliance rule, to March 2015, 168 incidents of violence against
Another approach to re-conversion is less violent, but cynically exploits the emotions of young women. Hindus are being encouraged to adopt the same approach as some Indian Muslims, who have been accused of ”love jihad”, where a Muslim man seeks out a non-Muslim woman to marry, so that she will convert to Islam. Right-wing Hindus are encouraging Hindu men to use the same strategy: find a Christian or Muslim woman to marry. It is seen as a pious act, increasing the numbers of Hindus and ensuring that children will be brought up in the religion. Along similar lines, some nationalists are encouraging Hindu women to give birth to between four and ten children to increase the Hindu population.
A dangerous situation
While on the one hand there is rapid church growth in parts of India, on the other, the situation for Indian Christians is difficult and dangerous, and looks unlikely to improve in this respect, as they continue to bear the brunt of Hindutva ideology. See p 16 for an interview with Indian Christian leader Canon Vinay Samuel. See p 10 for an analysis of Hindu nationalist organizations.
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Grace upon Grace
The Lord is doing amazing things in the lives of persecuted Christians, despite the difficulties they face. Here are just a few of the ways in which He has blessed our brothers and sisters recently.
Muslim friendship secures Christians’ amazing escape from Idlib
Many Christians were forced to flee Idlib Idlib is an important Syrian city close to the country’s border with Turkey. Government forces were positioned to defend the city from the early part of this year, and when Islamic State (IS) invaded the city without warning, serious fighting broke out. In the midst of the violence and chaos, with many innocent citizens fleeing the peril, one small group of Christians whose area of the city came under fire on April 24 had a remarkable escape from death. “Gunfire rang out everywhere … we were shocked, we couldn’t believe what was happening … people were running
“Gunfire rang out everywhere … we were shocked, we couldn’t believe what was happening” in the streets… there were no phones, no internet, no electricity, so it was really hard to communicate with anyone.” These were the words of a Christian eyewitness describing the attack on Idlib. Only able to formulate their plan using word of mouth, one convoy of 21
Christian families - 72 men, women and children - fled Idlib in eleven cars, but soon encountered a makeshift roadblock mounted by armed non-Syrian Muslims. The ten men robbed the Christians, and led the convoy of cars to a remote area. There, the families were told to leave their cars and stand in a line; the armed men began to taunt and humiliate the Christians and Christ, saying it was time to know “the real god” and be Muslims. The leader of the group began wielding an iron bar, making it clear just how the Christians would be “persuaded” to renounce their faith. The Christians realized that their lives were in grave danger. Suddenly, in the midst of the leader’s menaces, a motorcyclist stumbled unexpectedly upon the scene. He turned out to be one of the Christians’ Muslim neighbors, “Mustafa”. He knew all of the Christians personally, and pleaded with the armed men on their behalf, saying that Muslims and Christians got along together in Idlib. The danger of the moment was acute: “We were close to death, we felt so afraid, but God didn’t leave us,” said the Christians afterwards. After six hours’ detention, the Christians were allowed to go home, and next day they left Idlib with the help of Muslim friends. Thank God for their deliverance from this awful situation, through the courage of good-hearted Syrian Muslims.
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Tanzanian Opportunity to speak: UN Security government forced Council debates Christian Persecution to review Islamic in the Middle East for the first time courts bill Christians across Tanzania welcomed Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda’s promise to review the government’s decision to table a bill to introduce Kadhi (Islamic) courts in the country’s judiciary after opposition arose among Tanzanian Christian MPs on March 29. The bill proposed the introduction of Kadhi courts across mainland Tanzania to deal with family matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and family rights among the country’s Muslim population. The Kadhi courts bill is included in proposed legislation for a new constitution. A national referendum on the constitution, planned for April 30, was postponed at the last minute. A Tanzanian Christian leader – “Ally” – told Barnabas Aid that, the bill proposed that all rulings made by Kadhi courts must be enforced by state bodies and cannot be appealed or referred to the High Court, thus granting governmental authority to Muslims to make rulings on these matters. He stated that “Christians refused, and vowed to vote no. They said the secular state and constitution states that religious affairs are a personal matter and that the government must not run, establish or enforce any religious law!”
A Church and a mosque in Tanzania
A United Nations Security Council meeting Image Source: Wikimedia Commons, Pete Souza Christian leaders in Syria and Iraq approached the United Nations Security Council for the first time about Christian persecution in the Middle East. Addressing the Security Council on March 27 on the plight of displaced Iraqi Christians, Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako appealed to the international community to “ensure their rights in their lands, and [enable] them to return home and resume their lives in a normal way”. Reminding his addressees that this year marks the centenary of the peak of the genocide of Assyrians and
Armenians, Patriarch Sako told the Council that “we are living a similar catastrophic situation” today. “The Islamic extremist groups refuse to live with non-Muslims,” he said. The March 27 Security Council meeting marked the first time that the persecution of Christians has been debated at United Nations headquarters in New York. The United Nations Security Council consists of 25 members from different nations, including China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Reeling from Lahore bombings, Pakistani Christians receive comfort from President and Prime Minister in Easter addresses In a welcome display of inclusion, Pakistan’s President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif extended Easter greetings to Christians in Pakistan as they celebrated the resurrection of Christ on April 5. Lifting up the status of Pakistan’s Christian community, President Mamnoon said, “The Christians as well as all minorities of Pakistan are equal citizens of the state and entitled to equal rights… They are a law-abiding and loyal community and we are proud of their tremendous contributions to the advancement and development of the country.”
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reiterated the inclusive comments when alluding to terrible attacks on two churches in Lahore the previous month that claimed the lives of 19 people. He said: “This year Easter falls at a time when the need for achieving interfaith harmony in Pakistan is quite earnest… The forces of discord are trying to create a rift in the fabric of Pakistani society with the nefarious aim to cause serious harm to it.” Although Easter greetings are an annual event, in light of recent persecution, Christians were particularly encouraged by this year’s remarks.
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Being Good Samaritans (Luke 10:25-37)
Canon Vinay Samuel explains the current persecution of Christians in India under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led coalition government, which came to power in May 2014
S
omeone is called “a good Samaritan” when he responds to those in need without waiting to be requested to help, and pays the costs from his own pocket. While people from different religious and national backgrounds do the neighborly acts of good Samaritans, the origins of such a response are in the teaching of Jesus. It is a particularly Christian way of caring for the suffering, the vulnerable and victims of violence. In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) Jesus responds to a lawyer’s question: Who is my neighbor? The lawyer was asserting that there are limits to caring for those in need. These could be legal, ritual and social. Caring for victims of violence is not as simple and straightforward as it sounds (v.29). The response of Jesus is to place the primary focus not on the person in trouble but on the believer who is called to love God and love his neighbor as expressions of faith in God and his identity as a child of God (v.27). Our identity as children of God implies that we are neighbors to those in need. Further, Jesus shows how the limitations of ritual purity that may have constrained the priest and legal uncertainty that possibly prevented the Levite from responding to an urgent need must be swept away. As children of God our neighbors are any in need whether near to us or beyond social, ethnic and national boundaries (v.36). The parable also teaches that the goal of a caring response is to ensure the restoration of the victim to a normal and full life. The Good Samaritan provides for long-term care (v.35). We must note here how Paul sees this call to care for others. In Gal 6:10 he writes “let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers”. While our concern is for all in need we are called to be particularly concerned for Christian believers when we see them in desperate need. Today our response to Christians facing genocide, homelessness, hunger and violence needs to have high priority. Such a response to our brothers and sisters in Christ enlarges our heart to embrace the whole world of need. I am also very moved to see that Christian giving from New Testament times has never just been to people we know or “like us” but to those suffering and struggling in far off lands, very different from us, who we are never likely to see or meet. This way of being a neighbor is uniquely Christian and is a key part of Christian witness to the Gospel.
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Q. What kind of pressures and persecution do Indian Christians face? There are increasing numbers of attacks on church buildings and on Christians gathered for worship in church and at home, and attacks on people going out informally to share the Gospel have increased. But the Hindu nationalists are making some very serious mistakes. They’re using these very, very violent little groups to attack churches. And the government is trying to undercut Christian social engagement in working with the poor because they’re terrified that Christians have too close a relationship with the poor and are too engaged with human rights and environmental issues.
Q. Has it always been like this? No, it‘s recent. Persecution has increased considerably during the past ten years. There seems to be more aggressive and open persecution since the formation of the BJP-led coalition government.
Q: How has the present situation arisen?
Q: The 2011 census says that the Hindu population has dropped below 80% and the Muslim population has risen to 14%. Christian numbers remain at a much lower 2%. They are worried about Islamic numbers which are officially 150 million (the third largest Muslim population in the world). They are also worried about Islamic willingness to be suicide bombers. That’s a terrible fear.
Q: Are Christians suffering as a by-product of the fear of Islam? Yes, they’re a soft target because there are fewer of them and they don’t fight back. Christians are seen as peaceful people and as peacemakers. The government doesn’t stop it because they want to teach Islam a lesson. They’re saying, “if we can do this to Christians we can do it to you”. But even if the BJP is voted out of power, they have unleashed something they cannot control. The Christians will be on the receiving end of persecution for at least the next 15 years.
Q: How can Barnabas supporters help?
You can find the roots of what is happening today in the World Congress of Religions over a hundred years ago in Chicago. A speech about Hinduism by an Indian called Swami Vivekananda talked about its plurality, its generosity and its broad universal embrace. So Indians became very confident about both their religion and their philosophy. But certain segments took it up to become very domineering and dogmatic. That is the tradition that now rules the country. These people have become aggressive against any religious minority, not because they are a threat – threat is used as an excuse - but because they want Hinduism to define what it is to be an Indian and the role of religious minorities.
Pray that God will protect Christians in India because many are very poor. They become targets because they have no economic power. Encourage the West to continue to put pressure on the government in India to fulfill its claims to be a modern democracy. Write to members of parliament saying, “Please raise this issue. We are concerned about Christians in India.” Please give to Barnabas projects that support persecuted Christians in India. They make a real difference to people’s lives.
Canon Vinay Samuel
To see a video with more comment on India from Vinay Samuel scan this with your device or go to www.barnabasaid.org/vs-interview
the vice-chair of the board of trustees of Barnabas Fund UK, was brought up in Hyderabad and worked as a pastor in Bangalore for 25 years. He divides his time between Oxford and India. He was a founder of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies and works on community development initiatives in India.
In Touch Running the race set before us d like to thank Barnabas Aid woul s team for Robert Reid and hi as at the 2015 representing Barnab n, which was held Belfast City Maratho Robert is one of our on Monday, May 5. presentatives) in church partners (re d here’s what he Northern Ireland, an experience: had to say about his tative for the As a church represen ays thinking of alw Barnabas Aid I am e work of Barnabas ways to highlight th lfast City Marathon Aid. I had run the Be o and thought quite a few years ag good way to raise that this would be a for our suffering funds and attention The response brothers and sisters. d humbling; we an has been amazing over US$765 for have already raised e amount keeps Barnabas Aid and th rs marathon organize growing. While the e ad m s, I had these do not award medal (these are the go with a Barnabas Lo is kind in the whole only six medals of th ks to the support world!). Special than o ssica, plus those wh crew Joanne and Je rd Lo r ial thanks to ou prayed for us. Spec rist who has made Ch and Savior Jesus d who tells us that all things possible an o are persecuted "Blessed are those wh ke, for theirs is the for righteousness' sa Matthew 5:10. kingdom of heaven."
Barnabas Aid July/August 2015 18
Singing a new song unto the Lord We here at Barnabas Aid are always excited to hear about how young people are serving the Lord, but we were particularly touche d by a choir of youngsters (aged six to twelve) called “The Treble Make rs” from Castle Church, Stafford, UK who put on concert on behalf of Barna bas Aid. The concert was called “Sing to Save” and was held on Friday , February 13. They performed a total of 17 songs including With Jesus in the Boat You can Smile at the Storm, There is a Name I Love to Hear, Away Far Beyond Jordan and more. The Treble Makers raised a total of US$858 for the establishment of Sawra Tented Village for displaced Christians in Iraq. We would like to extend very warm thanks to everyone involved in this conce rt; your gift will help provide a safe place to live for many Iraqi Christians, both young and old.
s king melodies for Jesu “The Treble Makers” ma
SCAW save the date reminder ! - November 1-8 -
ron McAdam, Rev Paul The team from Left to Right: Stephen McCartney, Came Reid. l Rache and t McAdam, Alison Reid, Rober
Don’t forget to mark the dates of this year’s Suffering Church Ac tion Week on your church calendar. This yea r’s SCAW will take place from Sunday, Novembe r 1 to Sunday, Novembe r 8, with the Barnabas Aid International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on Saturday, November 7. This year’s theme is “Struck Down but Unconquered”, based on 2 Corinthians 4:812. Keep an eye out for the September/October 2015 issue of Barnabas Aid magazine as it will be our Suffering Church Ac tion Week edition. It wi ll contain ideas of how yo u can get involved as we ll as resources for your loc al church.
YES, I WOULD LIKE TO HELP THE PERSECUTED CHURCH Title................ Full Name.............................................................................................. Address.......................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................................
Mission Statement
The mission of Barnabas Aid is to support Christians where they are in a minority and suffer discrimination, oppression and persecution as a consequence of their faith. Our goal is to strengthen Christian individuals, churches and their communities by providing material and spiritual support in response to needs identified by local Christian leaders. We do this by making their needs known to Christians around the world, and encouraging prayer, advocacy and financial giving in support of these brothers and sisters in Christ, working with existing local Christian organizations. Barnabas Aid channels this flow from donors to the needy recipients with a minimum of overhead. All gifts are monitored to ensure they are used in line with the stated need. In accordance with biblical teaching, we believe that Christians should treat all people of all faiths with love and compassion, even those who persecute them.
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Mag 07/15
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Alternative gift card if you would like to make a donation as an alternative gift for a friend or relative, we can supply you with an attractive “Thank you” card, which you can send to the person for whom you have made the donation. Please fill in the details as you would like them to appear on the card. “Dear............................................... A gift of $ has been received on your behalf from............................................................................... This gift will assist Christians who are persecuted for their faith. With many thanks on behalf of the persecuted Church” Check here if you do not want the amount to be stated on the card Check here if you do wish details about the project to be included on the card Please state your preferred card choice (see below): ....
If you would like to have the card sent directly to the recipient, or if you would prefer to receive blank cards and fill them out yourself, please contact your national office (address details on back cover).
If you would like more cards, please photocopy the form or attach a separate piece of paper with the details for extra cards and send it with your donation. You can also call your nearest Barnabas Aid office with the details and donate by credit/debit card over the phone.
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RECURRING GIFTS For US supporters who would like to give regularly Amount $................................................................................... Starting on (date) .............................and then every month/quarter/year (circle as applicable) until further notice. Please debit my
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Please send this form to Barnabas Aid and not to your bank Please return this form to Barnabas Aid at your national office or to the US office. Addresses are on the back cover. Barnabas Aid will not give your address or email to anyone else. Phone 703-288-1681 or toll free 866-936-2525 or visit our website at www.barnabasaid.org to make a credit card donation. *We reserve the right to use designated gifts for another project if the one identified is sufficiently funded.
Barnabas Fund UK speaking tour October/November 2015 with Patrick Sookhdeo (International Director, BF) Dr Jany Haddad (Syria) Canon Francis Omondi (Kenya)
Northern Ireland: October 30 - November 1 2015 Scotland: November 8-9 2015 Kent: November 14-15 2015
Suffering Church Action Week
Surviving the Forgotten Armenian Genocide A moving personal story Smpat Chorbadjian. Edited by Patrick Sookhdeo This book provides a compelling narrative of one man’s experience during the Armenian genocide in the period of World War 1. In this rare eye-witness account, the author reveals, with frank simplicity the appalling hardships he suffered as a Christian living through a genocide. The book challenges the reader to develop a thoughtful, prayerful approach to contemporary situations in which Christians face persecution. ISBN: 978-0-9916145-7-8 | RRP: $13.00 | Paperback | No. of pages: 136 Retail price $10.00 | Postage & Packing $3.00 To order this book, visit www.barnabasaid.org/shop. Alternatively, please contact your nearest Barnabas Aid office (addresses on inside front cover).
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