Barnabas aid May June 2018

barnabasaid

barnabasfund.org MAY/JUNE 2018

BARNABAS FOR THETHE PERSECUTED CHURCH - BRINGING HOPE TO SUFFERING CHRISTIANS BARNABASFUND FUND- AID - AIDAGENCY AGENCY FOR PERSECUTED CHURCH

SUDAN

The plight of Sudan’s suffering Christians

BARNABAS FUTURES

Transforming lives and livelihoods for South Sudanese refugees

Barnabas

Futures delivering what we promised in East Africa

PULL-OUT

Christian Responses to Persecution

What helps make Barnabas Fund distinctive from other Christian organisations that deal with persecution?

The Barnabas Fund Distinctive We work by: ●● Directing 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) ●● Channelling money from Christians through Christians to Christians (we do not send people, we only send money) ●● Channelling money through existing structures in the countries where funds are sent (e.g. local churches or Christian organisations) ●● Using the money to fund projects which have been developed by local Christians in their own communities, countries or regions ●● Considering any request, however small ●● Acting as equal partners with the persecuted Church, whose leaders often help shape our overall direction

How to find us 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 Australia PO BOX 3527, LOGANHOLME, QLD 4129 Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365 799 Fax (07) 3806 4076 Email bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org New Zealand PO Box 276018, Manukau City, Auckland, 2241 Telephone (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805 Email office@barnabasfund.org.nz

barnabasaid the magazine of Barnabas Fund Published by Barnabas Aid Inc. 6731 Curran St, McLean, Virginia 22101, USA Email info@barnabasfund.org © Barnabas Aid Inc. 2018. For permission to reproduce articles from this magazine, please contact the International Headquarters address above.

●● Acting 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 ●● encourage, 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 ●● tackle persecution at its root by making known the aspects of the Islamic faith and other ideologies that result in injustice and oppression of Christians and others ●● inform and enable Christians in the West to respond to the growing challenge of Islam and other ideologies to Church, society and mission in their own countries

●● facilitate global intercession for the persecuted Church by providing comprehensive prayer material ●● safeguard and protect our volunteers, staff, partners and beneficiaries ●● keep our overheads low

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 ●● in the clear Biblical teaching that Christians should treat all people of all faiths with love and compassion, even those who seek to persecute them ●● in 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 Fund at the following addresses 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.

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

To guard the safety of Christians in hostile environments, names may have been changed or omitted.

Thank you for your understanding.

Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and obtain permission for stories and images used in this publication.

Barnabas Fund apologises for any errors or omissions and will be grateful for any further information regarding copyright.

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 Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland PO Box 354, Bangor, BT20 9EQ Telephone 028 91 455 246 or 07875 539003 Email ireland@barnabasfund.org

Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version®.

Front Cover: A South Sudanese Christian refugee in Camp Rhino, Uganda (see pages 8-9)

Singapore Cheques in Singapore dollars payable to “Olive Aid Trust” may be sent to: Olives Aid Sdn Bhd, P.O. Box 03124 Subang Jaya, 47507 Selangor, MALAYSIA Singaporean supporters may send gifts for Barnabas Fund online via Olive Aid Trust: Beneficiary: OLIVE AID TRUST Bank Name: United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Berhad Swift Code: UOVBMYKL Location: KUALA LUMPUR Account Number: 140-901-654-0

To donate by credit/debit card, please visit the website www.barnabasfund.org or phone 0800 587 4006 (from outside the UK phone +44 24 7623 1923).

Editorial

Contents

A story from India: this is why Barnabas Fund exists

4 Sudan

• For more on Christian responses to persecution, see the central pull-out section of this magazine.

• For more on Barnabas Fund’s campaign Our Religious Freedom, turn to page 17 or visit www.OurReligiousFreedom.org #FoRB 1 From a report by Harsh Mander, In Odisha, no blood spilt but the fires of communal hatred are touching the skies, 3 March 2018, https://scroll.in/article/870472 (accessed 5 March 2018).

6

South Sudan Famine alert

7 8

Barnabas Futures

Rebuilding lives of East African refugees

10

Cana Girls’ Home, Kenya

Security, health, education and a future

Pull-out

When “Rajesh Naik” was a young man, he read a pamphlet about the “auspicious news” that Jesus Christ had died to save people and free them from the burdens of sin. At the end was an address in Kolkata (Calcutta). Later, when he had completed his studies in electrical engineering, Rajesh took a bus to Kolkata where he spent two years and committed his life to Jesus.

Rajesh’s father was furious and beat his son so severely that Rajesh still bears the scars. His other relatives and the community tried in vain to dissuade him from following Christ, and his father disinherited him.

Rajesh married another convert to Christianity and worked as an electrician, managing to save a little money from his earnings. Over the years a dozen other families from various castes in nearby villages also became Christians. Rajesh used his savings to build a small chapel where, Sunday by Sunday, he would lead the believers in prayer.

There was no major church nearby, and therefore no trained pastor to guide them. Rajesh became the de facto head of the little fellowship. On a piece of land beside the chapel, he created a small graveyard in which two members of the fellowship were buried.

One Sunday morning in August 2017, a group of local Hindu extremists surrounded the chapel shouting hostile slogans. The believers fled and the mob burnt down the simple building, knocked over the two gravestones, and desecrated the graves.

The Christians gave the police the names of their attackers, but no action was taken against them. The small Christian community now lives in fear, but still takes at face value the promise of the Indian Constitution that guarantees them freedom of faith.

They refuse to give up following Christ or their routine of meeting together on Sundays to pray, which they now do in different homes in turn.1 The West is commonly viewed as having fundamental freedoms including religious freedom. But recent years have seen a gradual transformation of Western countries, where, from a foundation of Bible-based Judaeo-Christian revelation, secular humanism is now re-shaping the political, social and religious landscape.

This is bringing with it new challenges to religious freedom. It would be ludicrous to claim that Christians in the West are being persecuted in the way experienced by Rajesh Naik and so many other brave believers in various contexts. Nevertheless, we must note the gradual diminution of religious freedom in the West, as new laws are passed and old ones re-interpreted. We must realise that one day not only could Western Christians be marginalised and discriminated against (which may in a sense be acceptable) but also the very presence of Christianity in the public space may cease.

The Bible tells us that God created the universe and the world with order and law, and created human beings in His own image, thus giving them dignity. Human beings are therefore meant to live in a society that is ordered according to the very nature of God Himself, who is a God of love, a God of mercy, a God of compassion, a God of justice.

However, the world we know is fallen. Sin has entered into it and, as Cain killed Abel, so we continue to kill and oppress. But the divine ideals still exist, and these ideals have shaped societies in the past. The longing for good governance, where faith can be exercised freely, fills the hearts of ordinary Christians like Rajesh Naik and his fellowship.

Those of us who live with freedoms gained after centuries of sacrificial struggle and faithful witness by our forebears should be motivated to maintain these freedoms and not let them slip away. As US President Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”

It is because of this that Barnabas Fund has launched a campaign this year to seek new legislation (in UK and Australia) or a formal government review (in New Zealand) to safeguard and guarantee all the key aspects of religious freedom.

And it is because of faithful persecuted Christians like Rajesh that Barnabas Fund channels your gifts to Christian ministries around the world to bring them hope and practical aid.

Faithful Christians under persecution

A History of Christian Persecution

part 6: Christian Responses to Persecution

11

How to spot fake news

12

In Brief

14

Compassion in Action

16

Testimony

17

Our Religious Freedom

10 ways to check and verify

Al-Shabaab slaughter Kenyan Christian teachers

Helping the most vulnerable displaced Iraqi Christians

A Pakistani Christian brick kiln worker tells his story

Answering your questions about the campaign

18

In Touch

Cakes and quizzes raise funds in Australia

18

Sudan

4 May/June 2018 Barnabas Aid

WAR AND REPRESSION

the plight of Sudan’s suffering Christians efore the creation of independent South Sudan in 2011, Sudan was the largest country in Africa.

Its population of around 40 million people were divided between many tribal, ethnic, linguistic and cultural groups. There was an important north-south difference, with the north predominantly Arab and strongly Islamic and the south predominantly African and more Christian.

The two long civil wars (1955-1972 and 1983-2005) can simplistically be viewed as between a Muslim Arab North (with its capital in Khartoum) and a Christian African South. In the second war, the South was fighting to stop the North imposing sharia law on them. The South bore the brunt of the prolonged warfare; millions of its people were killed, millions more displaced and the infrastructure virtually destroyed.

Religion is a strong factor in the Khartoum government’s continuing

military oppression in the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile state, where there are many Christians. In Darfur, the people are mainly Muslims, yet Khartoum and its vicious Janjaweed militia allies commit similar atrocities.

During 2017, the government reduced its aerial bombardment of the Nuba Mountains, but local sources report that all church buildings in the war zone have been destroyed. The Christians are very poor and vulnerable.

Three Sudanese Christians and a Czech aid worker were arrested and charged with espionage after trying to highlight the plight of Christians in the Nuba Mountains in 2015. The Czech aid worker was released in February 2017, but a Sudanese pastor and Christian student were sentenced to twelve years and only released in May 2017 after being granted a presidential pardon.

THE CHURCH IN SUDAN

The exact number of Christians in Sudan is probably 1-2 million. During

the civil war, millions of Southern Christians fled from their ravaged homeland and settled in the North.

Many of these returned to the South when it gained independence in 2011.

But in 2017 thousands made their way from famine-struck South Sudan back north to Sudan again, seeking food.

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS

Government military attacks on believers can be motivated by ethnic, political or religious reasons, or all three. Many hundreds have been killed and tens of thousands have been displaced by aerial bombing, missile attacks or ground offensives, or else militia raids.

The hard-line Islamist government seeks to make the country a pure Islamic State.

The constitution does recognise Christianity and political leaders sometimes attend key church events as a sign of respect. But for decades there has been sporadic and patchy, but often very severe, persecution of

Sudan

Barnabas Aid May/June 2018 5

Christians meeting to worship under the trees in the Nuba Mountains. This makes them less vulnerable to aerial bombardment by the government than if they meet in a building Christians; this has increased since South Sudan became independent.

Sharia law is strictly enforced, and Christian women can be imprisoned for minor infringements of the Islamic dress code and other aspects of sharia. Sudan is one of the few countries that officially has the death penalty for apostasy from Islam, so any converts from Islam could potentially be executed. The number of converts is not known, but there appears to be a turning to Christ amongst the Muslims of Darfur.

Many hundreds have been killed and tens of thousands have been displaced by aerial bombing, missile attacks or ground offensives One of the greatest problems is the repeated closure or demolition of church buildings and other centres such as church schools. Ownership of land and buildings is difficult to establish, and the legal system is not independent. There is often bias against Christians and women in the courts, and the judges are apparently entitled to a percentage of any fines they impose.

On 11 February 2018, police demolished a church building in Khartoum, just a few hours after the Sunday service had finished. Before they destroyed the church, they confiscated all the books, equipment

and chairs inside the building. The church had been scheduled for demolition by authorities since 2016, as one of 25 which the government claimed violated land regulations.

In October 2017, the congregation of a church in El Sawra, Omdurman, found that their church doors had been locked during the night. Soon police arrived and told the Christians that a Sudanese government department had decided to appoint a new administration for the church.

The Christians declared that the congregation alone should choose its administration. Tearing off the locks, they entered their building and began their worship. As soon as the service was over, five of the church’s leading members were arrested. They were subsequently charged with causing “noise pollution” through allegedly loud church services.

The elder of a church in Omdurman was fatally stabbed in April 2017 when a mob attacked Christians protesting against the illegal expropriation of a Christian school – the government had imposed a new leadership committee on the church which owned the school, to force the selling off of church property to businessmen. In February 2018, six Christians involved in the school demonstrations were fined 2,500 Sudanese pounds ($179).

On the night of 1-2 March 2018, Pastor Stephen Abur, his wife and their two daughters were attacked

by Muslim extremists in Darfur, who tied them up and the cut

Barnabas Fund supports a Sudanese ministry that helps Christian women in prison. This sister in Christ has now been released and reunited with her family them into pieces like meat, the daughters first and Stephen last. It was because Stephen had refused to give up preaching and had won many Muslims to Christ. Then the extremists burnt down the church in which 130 homeless converts from Islam, mainly women and children, slept. Though many were injured, none died.

Christians face oppression and marginalisation in general society, especially if they are African.

Christians are therefore often poor, working as labourers or domestic servants, adding to their vulnerability.

It is very difficult to import Bibles and Christian literature into the country.

Despite all this, the Church is visible and active in Sudan, and brave Christian leaders are speaking out against the injustice and oppression.

Barnabas Fund is supporting 238 Sudanese pastors and church leaders, and helping to resource the main theological college in Khartoum where there is a great need for Bibles and Bible commentaries. We also help to fund a ministry to Christian women in prison, often because of infringing the Islamic dress code or other aspects of sharia law.

Project reference: 48-990 Sudan General Fund

South Sudan

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South Sudan

approaching famine again

On

26 February, Al-Jazeera reported that South Sudan was again close to famine, according to government and aid officials. An estimated two-thirds of the country’s population would need food support to stave off pending starvation in 2018. After four years of civil war, and a number of failed ceasefires, the country totters on the edge of a humanitarian disaster.

Already in December 2017, members of the Troika countries

South Sudan

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Four million have fled their homes The creation of South Sudan, the world’s newest country

Khartoum

SUDAN SOUTH SUDAN Juba

British-Egyptian colonial rule from 1899 gave way to an independent Republic of the Sudan on 1 January 1956, but power was largely in the hands of the Arabic Muslim elite in the North, who dominated, exploited and persecuted the more African and more Christian South and periphery.

Resistance led quickly to the First Sudanese Civil War (1955-1972), and then a Second Sudanese Civil War between 1983 and 2005. It is estimated that possibly two million people, mainly Christian Southerners, died in the second war, with up to five million more displaced.

International pressure produced a cease-fire in 2005 and then a process towards a referendum that led to independence for South Sudan in 2011.

(Norway, the United States and Britain) had described the situation in South Sudan as "intolerable".

Their statement pointed out that over half the population lacked enough food and a third of the population had fled their homes, causing the largest refugee crisis in Africa for two decades.

Another ceasefire had been signed on 21 December 2017 in Addis Ababa, and came into force on 24 December.

However on 2 January 2018, after reported violations, the Troika already felt the need to issue a warning and a request for South Sudan's warring sides to respect the cease-fire.

Inside South Sudan there are estimated to be seven million people in need, with currently about two million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and slightly more than two million refugees in neighbouring countries. So about four million of the population of some twelve million have fled their homes.

The UN claims to be reaching over five million people with assistance but this still leaves around two million without major UN aid. Yet official aid can be intermittent, as aid delivered in any context is very dependent on funding available at that time as well as problems in the supply chain.

The current situation needs to be understood in the context of the past history of Sudan, with 21 years of civil war to 2005 and then the independence of South Sudan in 2011.

But the independent South Sudan enjoyed barely two years of hope for a better future before the outbreak of internal conflict in December 2013.

Rivalry between political leaders and ethnic tensions between different tribal groups led to further death and destruction in a country that already had very little infrastructure and was very near the bottom of the global table in many indicators of health, education, literacy, development and life expectancy.

Sad to say, the current conflict within South Sudan has been pursued with little restraint on either side.

In many ways the atrocities seem to bolster each leader’s position among his own people group and political faction. Destruction of crops and food supplies is a common weapon of war, also used in South Sudan, to destroy the enemy’s ability to feed its people.

Church growth and peace-making

The Church in South Sudan grew significantly during the civil wars, and South Sudanese show a marked respect for their churches and Christian leaders. The Church remains the one body that visibly stands for unity across the different divides, and unites where politics and violence pit tribe against tribe.

Different church denominations show how members of different ethnic groups can co-exist peacefully

and work together towards development. Church leaders are often at the forefront of peace and reconciliation initiatives.

How to help

It is very difficult to move humanitarian assistance to where it is needed inside South Sudan, as aid workers have been attacked, robbed or killed, on many occasions.

Challenges faced by refugees and displaced persons include food supplies, clean water, sanitation, access to health care, alienation, trauma, education for their children, and useful economic activity.

Agencies such as Barnabas Fund are often well placed to address some of these issues, and especially issues not likely to feature on other programmes, such as support for pastors; pastors’ training; provision of Bibles, hymn books and other Christian materials; trauma counselling and counselling training; construction of church buildings;, agricultural training and equipping; vocational training and small business start-ups and development; expansion of school provision and educational sponsorship. These are the very areas for which Barnabas Futures will be providing in 2018 and beyond (see pages 8-9).

What Barnabas has done

Barnabas Fund has assisted Christians in South Sudan for more than 20 years, helping with a variety of projects such as: food aid, construction of schools and provision of educational materials, teacher training, clinics, training of nurses, theological colleges and Bible schools, hymn books, bore-wells, microfinance, rescuing more than 8,000 refugees from the north who wanted to return home.

Project reference: 48-991 South Sudan General Fund

Barnabas Futures

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H

“Barnabas

Futures” delivering what we promised in East Africa

undreds of thousands of South Sudanese people, mainly Christians, live in vast, sprawling refugee camps in Uganda and Kenya.

Many of them arrived in the camps last year, fleeing hunger and conflict in their homeland, which officially declared a famine in certain of its counties from February to June 2017.

Four million South Sudanese have left their homes in the last five years.

It is a vicious cycle: when people leave their homes, they cannot farm their land, so fewer crops are grown, and the food crisis gets even worse.

As the years pass, they may forget the agricultural skills they used to have, so even if they get land again they do not know how to make it productive.

A new famine in 2018?

In February 2018, UN officials were predicting another famine in South Sudan. “We are expecting the toughest year on record,” said the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Juba, capital of South Sudan. Already 48% of the population – that is 5.3 million people – were in a crisis or emergency situation. Others warned that, even with food aid, more than 30 counties of South Sudan could face severe hunger by May this year.

As the crisis worsens, more South Sudanese will be leaving to seek food and security in neighbouring countries.

Making a camp a home

“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.”

Jeremiah 29:5

The South Sudanese refugees are unlikely to be able to go back home for many years. They must follow the words of the Lord to the exiled Israelites in Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce” (Jeremiah 29:5) Barnabas Fund is there to help them do this.

With God’s help and the generosity of Barnabas supporters, the aim is to make the refugees strong in the Lord, well educated, and economically selfsufficient. They will not be depending on food aid; they will not be passing the months and years in hopelessness and helplessness. They will re-build their lives. They will grasp the reality of the Lord’s promise of hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

Barnabas Futures

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Inside the church

Spiritual

The refugees have escaped from the anguish of near starvation and the horrors of civil war. Hunger, fear, bereavement, sickness, the memory of terrible violence playing out before their eyes, the loss of everything they have ever owned – our brothers and sisters desperately need pastoral care to help them deal with the trauma of what they have endured.

In Camp Rhino, northern Uganda there are over 240 pastors, also refugees from South Sudan. But the pastors themselves are traumatised, and unable to minister effectively to the people. They need help so they can develop worshipping communities of believers, well taught in the Scriptures, with a strong and vibrant faith that sustains them in the midst of their suffering.

Trauma counselling

“Barnabas Futures” will fund traumacounselling for pastors to help them deal with their own trauma and also equip them with the skills to help their congregations cope with their trauma experiences.

Enabling worship

The refugees have already built themselves basic churches, which are all well attended by passionate South Sudanese worshippers. But the roofs are only tarpaulin, many of them now falling to pieces, and sadly inadequate for protection from heat, wind or rain. Barnabas is making it easier for Christians to worship by replacing the tarpaulins with metal sheets, starting with an initial 35 churches.

The total cost per church, including timber, nails, labour and transport as well as the roofing sheets themselves, is about $1,990.

Praise and prayer resources

There is a deep yearning amongst the refugees and their pastors for Bibles and other Christian literature.

Barnabas Fund is providing these, as well as hymn books. Each Bible costs approximately $12 and each hymnbook just $5.

Bicycles for pastors

Pastors need to get around the camp to visit families within their church communities; this is not easy as it can take two hours to cross Camp Rhino, even in a car, due to its vast size and rugged terrain. Walking is therefore very difficult, especially in the heat.

Barnabas Fund has begun the task of providing bicycles for all the pastors.

Each bicycle costs only about $120 but they will transform the daily lives and ministry of these pastors.

At the time of writing, 46 bicycles have been provided. That means at least 194 are still needed.

Education

A top priority is providing education for the children in Camp Rhino.

Schools have been established, but classes can be as large as 250 pupils! It is almost impossible to learn under those conditions, and yet getting a good education is vital in providing hope and a future for these youngsters. Barnabas Fund is working with church leadership in the camp to remedy this situation as a matter of urgency, starting with the older students.

A new school with three classrooms costs around $21,000

Tarpaulin roofs offer this church little shelter from the elements. Barnabas has provided metal roofing sheets to give greater protection to worshippers in 35 churches

Economic self-sufficiency

There are many ways we can make the refugees self-sufficient. Most are used to growing their own food and all they need is tools, seeds and tubers to get started again. Barnabas is providing sewing machines for 45 pastors’ wives, enabling them to help support their families by tailoring.

The cost of each sewing machine is $117. Just $64 could help one family start farming again. Ovens, mills for flour and solar panels are more options to give independence and dignity.

Barnabas is supporting a churchrun agricultural development programme, which includes training on farming techniques and a tree planting initiative for wood and for soil protection. It also introduces new livelihood opportunities such as bee-keeping and vegetable plots.

Still to come

We are thankful to God and to our supporters for the start that has been made in bringing hope and a future to the South Sudanese Christian refugees. But there is much more still to do. Please pray that the Lord will guide and provide as Barnabas Futures works to develop all three areas of East Africa Hope.

Project references PR1400 East Africa Hope – general PR1401 East Africa Hope – spiritual PR1402 East Africa Hope – education PR1403 East Africa Hope – self-sufficiency

Cana Girls’ Rescue Home

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Transformation and independence for vulnerable Kenyan girls Purity and Francis married in August 2017. Nine years before, Purity had fled to Cana Girls’ Rescue home to escape being forced to undergo FGM

T

en years ago, a frightened girl sought sanctuary at Cana Girls’ Rescue Home, after fleeing from her parents. They were planning to make her undergo female genital mutilation (FGM), a cultural practice still strong in parts of Kenya even though it is illegal. At Cana, Purity was welcomed in with open arms and enrolled in school.

She was “polite, honest, [and] hard working” and when she reached high school (secondary school) she became a strong member of the Christian Union. Now, she is studying at Masai Mara University for a BSc in Education. In a colourful ceremony on 26 August 2017, Purity married her fiancé Francis, a schoolteacher.

Purity’s story is just one of many which tell of a life transformed through the open arms and loving Christian care of Cana Girls’ Home.

Barnabas Fund’s project partner in Cana writes, “We thank Barnabas Fund for laying a strong foundation for Purity which has seen her receive a quality education and dignified marriage. The good education Purity is about to realize [her degree] will not only change her life but that of her family … [she is] a role model to many Cana girls.”

The gates of Cana Girls’ Rescue Home, a loving Christian sanctuary for 54 girls A total of 54 girls currently stay at the home: 39 are elementary school (primary school) age and live there full time, while 15 are high school students who stay at Cana during school holidays. Barnabas Fund covers most of the home’s costs and the school fees of the girls.

The home provides a safe place where the girls can escape family and cultural pressures, largely due to traditional African religions, that can see them forced into child marriage, ending their chances of an education.

Valary left an abusive father, who was her only parent, and fled 74 miles through the bush to the home to avoid being forced into marriage. “They welcomed me ... and now I have a lot of hope in life”, she said.

Thankfully, progress is being made to change cultural expectations in the area, and there has been a recent reduction in FGM and child marriages, which Barnabas Fund’s project partner states is down to a “spirited fight” from churches and former Cana girls, as well as government agencies. But Cana Girls’ home still has a vital role to play in taking in and nurturing vulnerable Kenyan girls.

A large proportion of Barnabas Fund’s support for the Cana Girls’ Rescue Home has been raised through annual sponsored cycle rides by Canon John Bowers from the Wirral, UK. A big thank you to him and to his generous sponsors. Because of you, the Cana girls have been educated academically and built up in the Christian faith, giving them hope in every sense of the word.

Project reference: 25-663 Cana Girls’ Rescue Home

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A History of

Christian Persecution Christian Responses to Persecution

6

B

arnabas Fund has long campaigned for freedom for Christians in contexts of persecution. This includes not only environments where nonChristian religions dominate, but also Communist contexts and situations where secular humanism exerts pressure on Christians.

I.

IS RELIGIOUS LIBERTY A BIBLICAL CONCEPT?

Freedom of religion is set out as a universal standard in Article 18 of the 1948 United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

This was followed in 1976 by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), whose Article 18 reads: 1. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others, and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.

2. No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or adopt a religion or belief of his choice.

3. Freedom to manifest one’s religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals of the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.

4. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardian to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.

But is the aspiration to religious freedom grounded in Scripture? How should Christians react to being persecuted, to their fellow-Christians being persecuted, or to living in a context of persecution?

Is religious liberty central to Christian theology and faith, or is it a luxury, a gift, a privilege? Should Christians resort to human laws and declarations like the UDHR and ICCPR to ensure their religious freedom? Should such freedom cover everyone in society, or only Christians? Should all benefit from religious liberty, or just a few?

Freedom is rooted in God

The Bible shows us that freedom is rooted in God’s nature and in His dealings with human beings.

God made the universe, holds it together by His Word of power, and governs it through His law, in wisdom, truth and love. God made human beings in His divine image. He made us to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever (Westminster Shorter Catechism). He does not force His rule or love on

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ii May/June 2018 Barnabas Aid

us, but gave us a conscience and a desire to seek Him. In other words, He gives us the freedom to seek and find Him. God’s way of governance must be the model for human governance. Humans must deal with each other in wisdom, truth and love. Because each one of us is created in God’s image and the Son of God came clothed in human flesh, we must treat each other with the dignity which this entails. Autocratic human governance does not reflect God’s nature or God’s governance. No one must be forced; no one must be hindered. Everyone must be free to worship and free to serve Him. Each individual has the duty, and therefore the right, to seek the truth and to seek Him.

Liberty of the spirit

Christian experience has shown that in times of intense persecution – torture, imprisonment or approaching martyrdom – God gives grace to His people. Many have testified to a bliss that transcends their physical environment.

Another gift from God is the spiritual freedom He gives to those who have put their faith in Christ: they are free from sin (Romans 6), from the law (Romans 7) and from death (Romans 8). “Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1).

Freedom and humanity

The Biblical understanding of freedom is based on the Biblical understanding of humankind as imago Dei, made in the image of our Creator God. This gives us not only the potential for inner freedom but also dignity as individuals free to make our own choices.

God gives us freedom to choose. Adam and Eve made a choice. So did Cain when he chose to kill his brother Abel out of jealousy and then asked a question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Yes, he should have been his brother’s keeper and taken responsibility for his brother’s wellbeing, as we all should for each other.

God commands us to act with tzedakah. This beautiful Hebrew word means “righteousness”. It is much broader than “charity” in the sense of “almsgiving”. It is about right relationships with other people, as well as about our private morality. This is the “righteousness like a never-failing stream” that the Lord desires (Amos 5:24).

Closely linked to tzedakah is the Hebrew word mishpat, which in simple terms means “justice”, a justice rooted in the nature of God. Mishpat means much more than punishing wrongdoing. Mishpat is about treating people the same, regardless of race, social status, sexual orientation or religion.

God frequently commands us to do mishpat and the word occurs more than 200 times in the Old Testament. It means giving people their rights, what is due to them. So caring for the poor is not love, so much as it is justice. David Doty says, “The justice of God is sacrificial and active.”¹ If everyone behaved with perfect tzedakah there would be no need for mishpat, because there would be no injustice or

neglect to put right. Mishpat tops the list of things that are right and good in Isaiah 1:17 and Micah 6:8. Mishpat frequently describes helping widows, orphans, immigrants and the poor – “the quartet of the vulnerable”² – and we should note that there are no conditions laid down that these vulnerable people must worship Yahweh in order to be eligible for mishpat.

God also commands us to love, with agape love, the love of Christ. Love is the essential quality of the Christian, based on the sacrificial, self-giving love of Jesus. Love (for God and neighbour) is both the first and the second greatest commandment, Jesus said, thus redefining the boundaries of how we should deal with others (Matthew 22:34-40). We are not to treat others on the basis of skin colour, religious belief or sexual orientation, but on the basis of the fact that they are made in God’s image. Jesus takes this teaching a stage further, when He gives His disciples a new command: to love one another (John 13:34). When they have truly learned to love one another, in the way that Christ loved them, they will be able to love everyone else too.

The Gibeonites

The Gibeonites were a community from Canaan who “did work wilily” (Joshua 9:4 KJV) and tricked the Israelites into swearing by the Lord to let them live, when all the other Canaanite peoples were to be eliminated (Joshua 9, especially v19). Therefore this community of non-Israelites, who apparently did not worship Yahweh, continued to live amongst the Israelites for generations.

The Canaanite religion was polytheistic, with idol worship and Baal worship at its heart. It was also militaristic and extremely violent. It emphasised sexuality, linking it to fertility, and it was occultic, involving child sacrifice.

How did the Israelites treat the Gibeonites? The Israelites allowed them to live, but enslaved them as woodcutters and water-carriers. They were “to provide for the needs of the altar of the Lord” at Israel’s central sanctuary (Joshua 9:23-27).

How did God treat the Gibeonites? God protected them. It was on behalf of the Gibeonites that God sent giant hailstones and stopped the sun in the middle of the sky so that the Israelites could win a battle to defend the Gibeonites from their enemies (Joshua 10:5-14).

Centuries later, Saul violated the covenant with the Gibeonites. No doubt, his intention was to cleanse the land of their occultic religion, and thus he planned and began a genocide. But God, despite the evil practices of the Gibeonites, would not have them persecuted, killed or expelled. As punishment for ill-treating the Gibeonites, God sent a threeyear famine on the Israelites. This was lifted only when the Gibeonites were given seven descendants of Saul to kill (2 Samuel 21:1-14). King David punished the descendants of Saul for unjustly attacking the Gibeonites.

... Pull-Out Freedom for all?

God called Israel to be holy as a nation, separated from all the practices of the Canaanites. Yet they had to allow the unbelieving Gibeonites to live in their midst and not persecute them, even though the Gibeonites had used trickery to gain this status and Israel had failed to seek counsel from the Lord. For their part, the Gibeonites co-operated with Israel and agreed to obey her laws.

God created all human beings in His image, giving them dignity and choice. Dignity and the power to choose are linked. God intends that humans should act on their own judgment, enjoying and making use of a responsible freedom, not forced but motivated by their conscience.

God also teaches us that His priorities of righteousness, justice and love override everything else. The Gibeonites were to live among the Israelites and freely follow their own polytheistic religion.

This is not just a principle from Old Testament times. Jesus tells us that our heavenly Father causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. To be like Him, we must love our enemies (Matthew 5:44-45).

We must be just to all who are created imago Dei, whether they are a fellow Christian, an agreeable neighbour, or an implacable foe.

Jim Campbell, senior counsel of the US-based Alliance Defending Freedom, explains that Defending religious freedom is not, and must not become a self-seeking quest to shield us [Christians] from inconvenience and trials as we practice our faith. Rather, it must be part of fulfilling the church’s call to love our neighbors by righting fundamental assaults on our common humanity.³ So the Bible teaches that freedom of religion must be for all in society. We should not try to prevent followers of other religions from having places of worship, or access to their sacred books, for example.

But freedom of religion does not include freedom to be murderous or to incite others to violence.

It does not override existing laws for the maintenance of a stable and peaceful society. It is not an excuse, either morally or in law, for any such destructive behaviour.

Furthermore, we have already pledged to ensure freedom of religion for all, or at least our governments did so on our behalf when they signed up to the UDHR and the ICCPR. We are duty bound, morally and legally, to put these commitments into practice. We have quite literally made a covenant (the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights). We saw how seriously God expected the Israelites to take the covenant (Joshua 9:15 ESV) that Joshua made with the Gibeonites. We saw His severe displeasure when later generations, in their zeal for the Lord, broke it. Let us not make the same mistake.

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II.

WHAT DID THE CHURCH ACTUALLY DO?

It is remarkable how soon church leaders began to ask political leaders for freedom of religion. Justin Martyr, who was born around AD 100, asked the Roman emperor for justice for Christians who were being persecuted.⁴ Tertullian (150-230) wrote: … it is a fundamental human right, a privilege of nature, that every man should worship according to his own convictions.⁵ During the fourth century, these hopes became reality under a series of Roman emperors. Galerius’ Edict of Toleration (311) stopped the persecution of Christians, Constantine personally embraced Christianity (312), Constantine and Licinian’s Edict of Milan (313) established freedom of religion, and Theodosius’s Edict of Thessalonica (380) made Christianity the official religion of the empire. The state-approved church was now in a position to persecute others, and did so with gusto.⁶ The model of an established state church has continued from then until now. It has produced a shameful tally of cruel persecution, whether of other Christians or of non-Christians. In certain times and places it has been savagely anti-Semitic. Even when these shocking excesses are absent, there is a tendency for a state church to slip into nationalism.

Surely it would have been better to establish a religion-state relationship rather than a church-state relationship, so that all religions were treated equally and none had pre-eminence.

The Reformers

The Protestant Reformers took a variety of attitudes to the church-state situation at their time, a situation in which the spiritual and secular powers were closely intertwined. Luther (1483-1546) held that the government should leave everyone to believe according to their individual conscience. Calvin (1509-1564), on the other hand, established a strict religious regime in Geneva and punished anyone who differed. The Anabaptists took the (then) radical line that the state should have nothing to do with church matters at all.

The Roman Catholics

On 7 December 1965 the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church issued a statement on religious freedom entitled Dignitatis Humanae [On the Dignity of the Human Person]. This affirmed that all humans have the right to religious freedom and must not be coerced into acting against their own beliefs. It states that this freedom applies to individuals and to groups, and lists five freedoms that religious communities should have, summed up by Jeff Mirus as follows:⁷ 1. Religious communities may govern themselves, worship publicly, assist and instruct their members, and promote

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2.

3.

4.

5.

institutions for ordering their lives in accordance with religious principles.

Religious communities are not to be hindered in selecting, training, appointing, transferring, or communicating with their ministers, or in acquiring funds, purchasing properties or erecting buildings for religious purposes.

Religious communities “also have the right not to be hindered in their public teaching and witness to their faith”, providing that they themselves refrain from acting in ways that are either coercive or dishonorably persuasive.

Religious communities “should not be prohibited from freely undertaking to show the special value of their doctrine” to society as a whole, and so are free to hold meetings and establish charitable and social organizations “under the impulse of their own religious sense.”

The family in particular has the “right freely to live its own domestic religious life under the guidance of parents,” who have the right to determine “the kind of religious education that their children are to receive.” Government must guarantee and protect this freedom.

Since protection of rights is an essential duty of government, “government is to assume the safeguard of the religious freedom of all its citizens in an effective manner,” and to “help create conditions favorable to the fostering of religious life.” However, if special civil recognition is given to one religious community, the right of all citizens and religious communities to religious freedom must still be recognized and made effective. Government must never violate the freedom and equality of citizens before the law for religious reasons. Finally, it is “a violation of the will of God” when force is brought to bear in any way in order to destroy or repress religion.

Dignitatis Humanae emphasised that all these rights must be limited by the rights of others, duties towards others, and the common welfare. It also stated that “society has the right to defend itself against possible abuses committed on the pretext

of freedom of religion” and that governments should safeguard not only the rights of all, but also “genuine public peace” and public morality.

Today

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction,” US President Ronald Reagan famously said. Every generation must fight for freedom, protect freedom and hand on freedom to the next generation.

New laws, and new interpretations of old laws, are rapidly eroding freedom of religion, freedom of speech and other long-cherished freedoms in the West.

In some Western countries, such as the UK and Australia, there is no law specifically guaranteeing and protecting full religious freedom. Barnabas Fund is leading the way in campaigning for a law that will guarantee to protect our religious liberties. (See page 17.)

Religious freedom is a right that is not conferred on humans by humans, and, therefore, cannot legitimately be denied to humans by humans. It comes from God, and hence, above all, we ask you to pray to God for the preservation of our religious freedom.

TO BE CONTINUED 1 David B. Doty, “On Justice and Righteousness (mishpat and tsadaq)- Strong’s 4941 & 6663”. https://edensbridge. org/2012/01/11/on-justice-and-righteousness-mioshpat-tsadaqstrongs-4941-6663/ (accessed 2 March 2018).

2 This phrase was coined by Nicholas Wolterstoff.

3 Jim Campbell, “Why Christians Should Support Religious Freedom for Everyone” 22 April 2017 https://www. thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-christians-should-supportreligious-freedom-for-everyone/ (accessed 2 March 2018) 4 In his First Apology, chapters 2, 68.

5 Ad Scapulam, chapter 2, translated by Sydney Thelwall. This was an open letter from Tertullian, who lived in Carthage (in modern Tunisia), to Scapula, the Roman Proconsul of Africa, who began persecuting Christians, some time after 14 August 212. The letter urged Scapula to stop his persecution, not because the Christians were unwilling to die for their faith, but so that he might avoid the disasters which seemed to befall other persecutors of Christians. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Ante-Nicene_Fathers/Volume_III/ Apologetic/To_Scapula/Chapter_II (accessed 2 March 2018) 6 See “A History of Christian Persecution: Part 5 When Christians became the Persecutors” in Barnabas Aid (March-April 2018, pp. i-iv).

7 Jeff Mirus, “Vatican II on Religious Freedom”, 13 September 2010, https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=700 (accessed 2 March 2018)

BARNABAS FUND HOPE AND AID FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH 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 Published by Barnabas Aid Inc. 6731 Curran St, McLean, Virginia 22101, USA © Barnabas Aid Inc. 2018

Australia PO Box 3527 Loganholme QLD 4129 Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365799 Fax (07) 3806 4076 Email bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org New Zealand PO Box 276018, Manukau City, Auckland, 2241 Telephone (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805 Email office@barnabasfund.org.nz

Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland PO Box 354, Bangor, BT20 9EQ Telephone 028 91 455 246 or 07875 539003 Email ireland@barnabasfund.org UK 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX Telephone 024 7623 1923 Fax 024 7683 4718

Registered Charity Number 1092935 Company Registered in England Number 4029536

From outside the UK Telephone +44 24 7623 1923 Fax +44 24 7683 4718 Email info@barnabasfund.org 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

Fake news

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10 steps you could use to discern fact and fiction CHECK THE SOURCE AND CONTEXT

Are other stories from the source believable? Click away from the story to investigate the site by reading the “About Us” section. Does the website carry a disclaimer indicating that it is not a genuine news site? It might say that its material is satirical, semi-real, fictitious or written for entertainment purposes. If so, be very cautious.

CHECK THE DOMAIN NAME

Does the website have a strange domain name? On the other hand some untrustworthy sites attempt to have names that imitate well known reputable ones. Very long, complex domain names are another sign something might be amiss.

CHECK THE AUTHOR

Do a web search on the author. Are they credible? Are they real? What are the motivations of the author?

IS THE STORY CURRENT OR RECYCLED?

The reposting of old news stories could take the story out of context.

PERSONAL BIASES?

Consider if your own beliefs, upbringing or culture could affect your judgement.

GO BEYOND THE HEADLINE

Headlines can be outrageous to encourage people to read the story.

What’s the whole story? Are other news sites carrying it?

CHECK THE STORY’S SOURCES

Does the author provide links to supporting sources? Click on those links. Confirm whether the original source information has been accurately reported in the story you are checking.

Is the story just on one website? The same needs to be applied for images.

IS IT JUST ON SOCIAL MEDIA? Social media websites are not factchecked. Be careful if the story only appears on social media.

DON’T SUCCOMB TO SATIRE

If it is too outlandish, too funny or too shocking, it might be a satirical joke, not a serious report. Does the site describe itself as writing satire?

ASK THE EXPERTS

Ask a trusted organisation (one in the same part of the world with a proven record), or consult a fact-checking site.

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Protestant church meeting raided by police AZERBAIJAN

A Protestant house church in the city of Gyanja was raided by police on Sunday 28 January. Members of the 100-strong congregation could also face fines, which typically amount to 1,500 Manats, or around $890 – nearly three months’ average wages – for meeting without registering with authorities.

“The invasion came during the service, and officers filmed everyone present with video-cameras and took their personal details, including of children”, said one church member.

Azerbaijan was once a Christian region, but is now 96% Muslim. The government gives preferential treatment to “traditional” religions, such as Islam and Russian Orthodox Christianity.

However, other forms of Christianity are actively restricted. All churches must register with the government, but registering can be a lengthy and confusing process and is often denied.

European Sharia courts given Parliament jurisdiction over highlights seizures of Christian conversion MALAYSIA Christian properties Malaysia’s highest court ruled on 27 February that Christians converting and “increased from Islam cannot change their officially registered religion without discrimination permission from a sharia court, effectively leaving converts open to against Christians” TURKEY

European Parliament building in Strasbourg

Five killed in Islamist attack on church DAGESTAN

Five women were killed in an Islamist terror attack on a church in Dagestan, in the North Caucasus region, on Sunday 18 February. A gunman, armed with a hunting rifle and a knife, opened fire on worshippers as they left a church in the city of Kizlyar. Five other people, including two members of the security services, were injured.

The attacker was shot and killed by security forces at the scene. He was later identified as a 22-year-old resident of Dagestan. Islamic State media subsequently claimed one of its “soldiers” had carried out the shooting. The Russian republic of Dagestan is 95% Muslim.

Christians comprise around 4% of the population. Dagestan borders Chechnya, where the Russian government has engaged in a long-running conflict with separatists. Statements supporting Islamic State have been made by several militant groups in the volatile region.

The European Parliament has highlighted concerns over antiChristian discrimination in Turkey and the seizure of Christian properties.

In February, the parliament adopted a resolution stating it was “seriously concerned about the lack of respect for the freedom of religion [in Turkey], including the increased discrimination against Christians and other religious minorities; [and] condemns the confiscation of 50 Aramean churches, monasteries and cemeteries”.

Since 2008, Turkish authorities have seized as many as 50 properties from the Syriac Orthodox Church Since 2008, Turkish authorities have seized as many as 50 properties from the Syriac Orthodox Church, claiming that title deeds proving the historic Christian community’s land ownership had lapsed. Protestant Christians in Turkey have also reported a rise in recent years in hate crimes and hate speech targeted at Christians.

being prosecuted for apostasy.

Judges admitted state Islamic (sharia) courts do not have formal jurisdiction over conversion, but decided it “could be implied” they could rule on those wishing to convert. Four Christians from Sarawak (the only state in Malaysia where Christians are more numerous than Muslims) had requested to be able to remove their Muslim status from their compulsory identity cards.

The decision leaves Christian converts legally trapped as Muslims.

In appealing to a sharia court to change religion, they are open to prosecution for apostasy, which carries a three-year jail term. Classical Islam views apostasy as a very serious crime and all schools of sharia lay down a death sentence for men, with some applying the same for women.

Pastor and three others injured in Indonesia church sword attack INDONESIA

A sword-wielding attacker seriously injured a pastor and three other Christians when he ran into a church service in Sleman, on the island of Java, on Sunday 11 February. He was arrested at the scene and later identified as a 23-year-old Muslim university student who had attempted to travel to Syria to fight with Islamic State. The Indonesian national police chief stated, “He ended up launching his attack here.” Eyewitnesses reported that the attacker damaged religious items inside the church, including Christian literature.

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Hamburg supermarket knife attacker wanted to kill Christians GERMANY

A Palestinian Muslim who attacked supermarket shoppers in Hamburg in July 2017 was sentenced to life imprisonment on 1 March by a German court. Prosecutors stated he wanted “to kill as many German nationals of the Christian faith as possible” and that he viewed his actions “as a contribution to jihad worldwide”.

A 50-year-old man was killed and six people seriously wounded when Ahmad Alhaw used a 20cm kitchen knife from the supermarket store to attack shoppers. He had previously appealed for asylum and been rejected, but his deportation was reportedly held up due to a lack of documentation.

Kurdish militia mark Christian properties for confiscation and abduct Christians as conscripts SYRIA

Al-Shabaab slaughter Christian teachers in night attack KENYA

Christians in Kenya Al-Shabaab militants murdered three Christians in an attack on a primary school compound in the village of Qarsa, north-east Kenya on 16 February. Armed men forced

their way into a house within the compound before dawn. Two Christian teachers, Kevin Shari and Seth Oluoch Odada, were shot dead. Seth’s wife Caroline was also brutally murdered – local sources reported, “her head was nearly cut off from the body”. The couple had only recently married.

The attack has destroyed trust between Somali locals and Christians, as locals are believed to know the perpetrators of the attack. Nearly all the Christian teachers in Wajir have fled the area, with Barnabas Fund’s project partner in the region reporting “Most of the communities in Wajir have grown hostile to … Christians, occasionally pelting stones at them.”

EU envoy says Pakistan trade access dependent on Aasia Bibi’s release PAKISTAN

The European Union’s Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion has told the Pakistani government that Pakistan’s trade access to the EU will be directly linked to a “positive outcome” in Aasia Bibi’s “blasphemy” case.

Pakistan currently has duty-free access to EU markets, but the Italian government is understood to be behind the calls to make trade access dependent on the release of the most high-profile victim of Pakistan’s

“blasphemy” laws.

Aasia Bibi was sentenced to death in 2010 and has spent nearly nine years in prison after she was accused of insulting Muhammad during an argument with fellow women fieldlabourers. The confrontation started when they refused to drink water she had fetched because she was a Christian. The most recent attempt to appeal her conviction collapsed when one of the three judges recused himself.

Kurdish militia groups have abducted Christians as conscripts Seven Christians were abducted from the northern Syrian town of Qamishli in January by Kurdish security forces.

Local representatives negotiated the release of six of the young people kidnapped, but were initially told they had been handed to the Kurdish YPG militia, which was fighting the Turkish army. One of the negotiators stated the forced conscription of young people was part of a wider pattern of intimidation by Kurdish forces who “want us to abandon our homeland so that they can seize more of our properties and land”.

Kurdish militia have also sprayed graffiti on to Christian properties, claiming that they have been “seized”.

This is chillingly reminiscent of the 2014 targeting of Christians in Mosul, northern Iraq, by Islamic State. One Christian who publicised the seizures on social media said Kurdish militia “confiscated many more buildings … They are confiscating rather than protecting our homes in the Qamishli and Hassake areas and they are even occupying entire villages … They are treating us like second-class citizens.”

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how barnabas is helping Still caring for the displaced, needy and sick in Syria’s Valley of the Christians The bitter civil war in Syria may be largely over, but displaced Christians remain in severe need.

Wadi al-Nasara (Valley of the Christians) has been a place of refuge for many who fled violence elsewhere. They found security, but how could they support themselves?

Rose was forced out of her Christian village soon after the war began. She fled, with her three children, her widowed mother-in-law and another female relative, to the Valley of the Christians. Her husband (like many Christian men) had been kidnapped by militants and she has had no news of him for five years. Two of her children are sick and need expensive medicines. Rose, a university graduate, has found a cleaning job, but it does not pay enough for the family’s needs.

Barnabas is helping Rose and hundreds of other displaced families in the Valley.

Rose and her youngest child

$91,543 to help displaced believers in Wadi al-Nasara in 2017 Project reference 00-1032 (providing basic needs for Christians throughout Syria, total given in 2017 was $1,008,596)

Widows and disabled: helping the most vulnerable displaced Iraqi Christians William’s three adult daughters are all disabled and need medication. His wife has recently had a stroke. This Christian family fled from Mosul, the Iraqi city seized by Islamic State militants four years ago, and now live in Iraqi Kurdistan. Caring for them all, and buying the necessary medicine was a terrible struggle for William, but a gift from Barnabas Fund made all the difference. “It took a lot of weight off my shoulders. I can’t describe my happiness.”

William was one beneficiary of a special project, in partnership with ACERO, to give some extra help to widowed, disabled and seriously ill Christians in Iraqi Kurdistan. All had fled from Iraq during the terrible years of war.

Distribution of help for some of the neediest and most vulnerable displaced Christians

$18,310 to help disabled and widowed Christians in Iraqi Kurdistan Project reference 20-246 (Needy Christian families in Iraq)

Broadcasting the Gospel from North Ossetia to a region in turmoil “Thanks for the sermon that is taking place right now. Your radio programme accompanies me through the day, because everything that is said is true!”

Alexandra is one of many Christians in the North Caucasus who tunes into a Christian radio station, supported by Barnabas. Programmes for adults, for children, phone-ins, music and sermons are beamed out not only to North Ossetia but also to neighbouring republics that are mainly Muslim and riven by conflict.

Radio has always been a wonderful way to help isolated Christians who cannot go to church for teaching or fellowship, and now it can be heard online or via a mobile phone app too.

The station receives dozens of enquiries every day from Christians seeking advice or counsel and also from Muslim listeners, such as a Chechen woman who was moved to tears by the Christian songs she heard.

Local listeners often come into the radio station cafeteria to talk further with the radio station staff

$65,384 helped support the radio station for one year Project reference 43-669

Strengthened and encouraged. This is what we often hear from Christians who have received support from Barnabas Fund. Thank you for making this possible. Here are just a few examples of the many ways we have recently helped persecuted and pressurised Christians.

Helping Christians from Nepal “become strong inside” “I was greatly encouraged when studying the sufferings of Christ … because many times I have received direct and indirect persecution from my relatives. I realised that, compared with the sufferings that Jesus bore for us, the suffering that we bear is actually nothing. Actually, we discover that by suffering in His Name we become strong inside.”

This student is one of 8,876 Nepali Christians studying the Bible through a theological education by extension project, which Barnabas helps to fund.

The Church in Nepal is fast-growing and vibrant but, like the country as a whole, many Christians are poor and uneducated. This project gives Bible training to believers in their own contexts, whether leaders or ordinary church members, even those who can barely read.

Food for Christian refugee children from Myanmar Fatherless, motherless and a refugee – this is a hard burden for a child to bear. But many young Christians from Myanmar (Burma) are bearing it with faith and courage. Barnabas Fund is helping to feed 75 of these brave children, who live in two children’s homes, cared for by loving local believers.

The daily basics of rice, oil, onions, fish paste and vegetables cost about $16 per person per month. Meat and eggs are provided twice a week.

Most of the refugee children are ethnic Karens, a group which has been severely persecuted by the military. In many cases their parents have been killed. In other cases the children became separated from their parents by the upheavals of violence and do not know whether they are alive or dead.

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Resourcing Indonesian church-planters A floor. A ceiling. A road. School fees.

School uniforms. Rice. Motorcycle tax. Electricity bill. Surgery.

Chemotherapy. 4,000 bricks.

Dentist’s bill. Ministry transport costs. Milk for a 4-year-old.

These are some of the needs met by Barnabas Fund for 40 pioneering church planting couples, serving in Muslim communities of Indonesia, living very simply and often facing great hostility.

Pius’s wife had typhoid, but they could only afford to buy medicine and have the midwife examine her … until the gift from Barnabas arrived. Then his wife spent a week in hospital and recovered.

Stefanus and his wife, both getting on in years, live in a run-down bamboo house, which is also used as the church. The mud floor was very hard to keep clean. Stefanus could hardly believe it when a gift from Barnabas provided a proper floor.

Paulus at the hardware store, buying materials to repair the roof of his house. He had been sleeping in the church hall for a long time because his home was uninhabitable Training tutors who will then train ordinary church members

Praising God – some of the Karen Christian orphans who are fed with your help

$27,458 contribution for one year

$6,406 contribution towards costs of food for six months

Project reference 89 -946

Project reference 75-821

$34,318 to help 40 churchplanting couples with living costs, ministry costs, renovation and medical needs for one year Project reference 22-828

Testimony

16 May/June 2018 Barnabas Aid

Sadeeq (right) and Zubeda with their children (in order of age) William, Ashar, Rimsha, Rashid and Aman – before their debt was paid

Ashar preparing the clay for his family

From bonded slave to skilled worker Sadeeq Masih and his wife Zubeda are Pakistani Christians. They have three sons and two daughters. Sadeeq, Zubeda and the two older sons work at a brick kiln.

Sadeeq is the jamadar, i.e. the head of his unit.

Like many brick-kiln workers, the family had borrowed money from the brick-kiln owner at a time of family crisis and could not pay it back. So they became “bonded” to the kiln, unable to leave to get another job, while money was deducted every week from their wages to pay the interest. It is almost like being a slave.

This is a shortened version of Sadeeq’s story in his own words. family had a debt of 300,000 rupees ($3,370). We used to be very worried, for our debt was too much and we did not have enough money for our needs.

Whenever I went to the supervisor to ask for an advance on our wages for myself and the other workers, the supervisor would talk rubbish. They treated us like slaves.

My

We were so ashamed of what we were

Every day with a heavy heart and a feeling of hopelessness, four of us – me, my wife, my older sons – would wake up before 4.00 a.m. and go to work. We used to pray to God to get us out of our misery. We were so ashamed of what we were.

At work the younger of my sons prepares the clay, my wife kneads it, I make the bricks and my elder son does the finishing.

When the team [from Barnabas Fund’s local partners in Pakistan] came and said, “We want to repay your loan,” I couldn’t believe my ears, and I said to the team, “This cannot be possible.”

I wanted to jump for joy

The days passed. We were still very depressed. One day the team leader said, “We are definitely paying your loan and also will be selecting a few more families from your unit.” He told us their names. That news was shocking! I wanted to jump for joy.

Soon the legal procedure was carried out. On the day we took our

Sadeeq after being set free

money from the bank, I went straight to my wife and showed her, saying, “This is the money which will be given for our freedom.” My wife leapt with joy. We both thanked God. Then I went with the team and a lawyer to the supervisor. The supervisor took our money and gave the receipt. That day was the most miraculous and joyful moment of our family’s life. I returned home, sat with my family and thanked God. I used to feel ashamed of being a brick kiln worker but I love the words of [the Barnabas Fund staff person]: “I cannot make bricks as you do. You have a special skill. So take pride in it.”

I thought about it and said to myself, “Yes, that is true. I should not feel ashamed. I should tell everyone that I am a skilled worker and my skill is making bricks. I now take pride in my skill and thank God for this.”

Now I save every month. Now we can contribute to the revolving fund [to help other families pay their debts]. God is great! We used to feel like slaves but now we have become confident. Thank you everyone who has contributed to transforming our lives with hope and joy.

230

Barnabas Fund has freed 230 families of Christian brickkiln workers.

Project reference 41-1356

Our Religious Freedom

Barnabas Aid May/June 2018 17

WITH YOUR HELP WE ARE RECLAIMING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM #FoRB

OUR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM PETITION Barnabas Fund has launched its new campaign, Our Religious Freedom, with a petition calling for full, permanent and adequate protections of religious freedoms consistent with the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

More details are in our free Turn the Tide booklet, available from the Barnabas Fund office in Brisbane or downloadable online.

Why are new protections needed?

Freedom of religion in Australia is under attack primarily from an increasingly aggressive secularism that prioritises the rights of certain groups. There are many case studies to show this in Turn the Tide. Furthermore, politicians and the media have a tendency speak of “freedom of worship” instead of “freedom of religion”, subtly reducing the seven aspects of religious freedom to only one. The seven aspects of The seven key aspects of religious freedom ●● Freedom of worship ●● Freedom to read Scriptures in public ●● Freedom to interpret the Scriptures without government interference ●● Freedom to choose or change your faith or belief ●● Freedom to preach and try to convince others of the truth of your beliefs ●● Freedom to build churches, synagogues, mosques etc. ●● Freedom from being required to affirm a particular worldview or set of beliefs in order to attend university, hold a public sector job or stand for election.

religious freedom – all of them essential – emerged over centuries, mainly through the gradual repeal of laws that used to restrict the various types of freedom. Positively affirming and protecting the seven freedoms will therefore make it more difficult for religious freedoms to be limited, restricted or even removed. This is what our petition is asking for.

As these freedoms are in line with the UDHR Article 18, surely our religious freedoms are already protected and guaranteed?

The UDHR is only an agreement; it does not have the same status as a country’s constitution or legislation, so it needs to be implemented to take effect. Also, it does not properly cover all the aspects of religious freedom.

It has little to say about the right to preach or try to convince others of the truth of your beliefs. It says nothing at all about the freedom to establish places of worship.

Will this new law apply to all religions?

Yes, it will give freedom to people of all religions and none. Freedom for one is freedom for all; and freedom for all is freedom for one. This of course does not mean that we, as Christians, promote other religions or even say that there is saving truth in other religions. But we acknowledge that all people must have freedom to act according to their beliefs or conscience. (See the pull-out pages in the centre of this magazine.)

What about religions which incite violence?

Anyone who incites violence will still be punished by the criminal law.

We are seeking to protect freedom of religion from interference by the government, but anyone who breaks other laws by violence or inciting violence should be dealt with in the normal way.

The new protections that we are calling for will protect people and not ideologies. We should be free to critique and criticise ideas, even though this might hurt someone’s feelings, but violence or inciting violence against people because of what they believe should never be tolerated.

PLEASE PRAY, SIGN AND GET INVOLVED Thank you for your prayers for the campaign.

PLEASE GATHER SIGNATURES FOR THE PETITION Copies of the petition can be downloaded at www.OurReligiousFreedom.org.au/resources.html or contact our Queensland office (address inside front cover).

Or sign online at www.OurReligiousFreedom.org.au

18 May/June 2018 Barnab as Aid

In Touch

Birthday gifts for Persecuted Christians As a unique alternative to traditional birthday presents, would you like your friends and family to give a gift to Barnabas instead? If so, there is now a quick and simple way on Facebook to notify your friends and family, and for them to donate directly to Barnabas through Facebook, meaning you can bless others on your birthday without having to do time-consuming administration. For more information on how to make your birthday a day of blessing for persecuted believers, go to: www.barnabasfund.org.au/birthday-gifts

Barnabas Fund

Our homes and our church were razed by the fires, All our possessions destroyed by the flames.

No help from the neighbour s...“God took revenge”.

But help was at hand, In Senegal.

Anna’s high tea

eds by hearing about the ne “I have been impacted the me ch and God gave of the persecuted Chur as I high tea to raise money, a inspiration of having ard bo on me friend Nadia ca really enjoy baking. My oI wh l, oo sch ends from high as well as a group of fri it without. could never have done ing n with fellowship, learn “It was a great afternoo thing me So t 30 people came. and laughter, and abou t ou ab was having a trivia that worked really well to do and what we can the persecuted Church y eived a country that the help ... Each person rec rn lea sheet so they could represented with a fact nd ank you to Barnabas Fu more about its needs. Th the t and resources tha for providing handouts . guests could take home d, together was truly of Go “The way that it all came l tai de t las thing down to the and He provided every 0 00 $1 er uld. We raised ov as we had prayed He wo to God’s glory.”

Brisbane Anna Stirling, 17, from

Fulani gunmen did spare us our lives But they ruined our crops and scarred our lands.

Trucks filled with food avo ided starvation, For help was at hand, In Nigeria.

We don't have a place her e to bury our dead, No public land for minority folk.

A long, tiring journey called for expense.

But help was at hand, In Bangladesh.

Leaving our homes we ma de it to Cairo, Vicious and endless the str ife in Sudan.

We now have a church; foo d is provided.

For help was at hand, In Egypt.

The ear thquake brought cha os, no shelter, no food, So many injured, and so ma ny killed.

Now we have work and we 're building new houses.

For help was at hand, In Nepal.

Instead of the streets, selling their bodies, These girls have a Home, edu cation and love, No longer a future hopeless and bleak.

For help was at hand, In Pakistan.

Tony Cullingford Gloucestershire, UK

Anna (left), from Brisbane, held a high tea with the help of her friends and raised over $1000 for Barnabas

“Hated because of lo ve”

Suffering Church Act ion Week 2018 dates for your diary

Suffering Church Actio n Week this year runs from Sunday 4 Novembe r to Sunday 11 Nove mber.

The theme this year is “Hated because of lov e”.

Suffering Church Actio n Week is a time to sp ecially focus on our persecuted brothers and sisters, in thought, prayer and ac tion. Barnabas Fund pr ovides ideas and resources for Sunday worship, home groups, prayer groups, and much more.

Please add me to your email news service

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MAG 05/18

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This gift will assist Christians who are persecuted for their faith. With many thanks on behalf of the persecuted Church” Tick here if you do not want the amount to be stated on the card Tick here if you do wish details about the project to be included on the card 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 inside front cover).

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If you have a special occasion coming up and would like to ask your friends and relatives to make a donation on your behalf instead of giving you a gift, you could pass on to them the details in this section

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Please pay Commonwealth Bank of Australia BSB 063 252 for the credit of Barnabas Fund Australia Ltd A/C # 0090 0025 $ ................................................... (amount in words) starting on (date).................................and then every month/ quarter/ six months/ year (please circle) until further notice.

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Barnabas Fund Australia Limited is a Charitable Institution but gifts are not Tax Deductible ABN 70 005 572 485

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Breaking through the Barriers

Secrets Behind the Burqa

Why Christian Women Convert to Islam

Rosemary Sookhdeo

Rosemary Sookhdeo

Rosemary Sookhdeo

How can we understand our Muslim friends and neighbours so that we can share the Gospel effectively with them. This book discusses their religion, culture and practices to find the points of contact that will help Muslims respond to the Christian Gospel. The author deals with the crucial differences between Islam and Christianity and answers important questions, such as: Is the God of the Bible the same as Allah.

Is the Muslim Jesus or Isa, the same as the Jesus we know in the Gospels.

This book goes behind the scenes into the lives of Muslim women and reveals a secret world that is unknown to outsiders.

It shows how their lives are very different from those of Western women and reveals the tensions and stresses that Muslim women often face within their families and societies. The author describes how the little understood concepts of honour and shame can oppress and endanger women, and how arranged and forced marriages can be life-threatening situations.

Why are increasing numbers of Western women converting to Islam? The author explores the reasons for this and illustrates the problems facing those who convert by conviction or by marriage by describing true life stories of women who have become Muslims. She unfolds the long term implications of conversion and examines the particular issues relating to such marriages. The author prepares parents and church leaders to guide women who are contemplating conversion or marriage with Muslims.

ISBN: 9780982521816 Number of Pages: 160 Cover: Paperback RRP: $19.95

ISBN: 9780978714147 Number of Pages: 145 Cover: Paperback RRP: $19.95

ISBN: 9780996724524 Number of Pages: 125 Cover: Paperback RRP: $19.95

To order these books, please contact your nearest Barnabas Fund office (addresses on inside front cover). bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org

barnabasfund.org