Barnabas March April 2013

www.barnabasfund.org

THE AID AGENCY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

MARCH/APRIL 2013

CHRISTIANS

IN SYRIA IN THIS ISSUE

Syria

Uzbekistan Exodus

UR

G O D IS

FAITHF U L

Christians come home to South Sudan

O

Will its stricken Supporting Christian Christians leadership survive?

s k o o B e n o s r e Off US $6.00 (approx £3.73*)

Islam in our Midst The Challenge to our Christian Heritage Patrick Sookhdeo The challenge of Islam to America’s Christian identity and the stark differences between Muslim and Western worldviews are exposed.

The call is for Christian and secular leaders to respond.

US $8.00

To order these eBooks, visit the website of our US publisher: www.isaac-publishing.us Currently, we can charge for these eBooks only in US dollars.

(approx £4.97*)

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Why Christian Women Convert to Islam Rosemary Sookhdeo Reasons why many women are converting to Islam, its attractions and the implications faced by the women who convert.

US $8.00

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Heroes of Our Faith Inspiration and strength for daily living Patrick Sookhdeo This outstanding devotional eBook contains 366 stories of brave Christians who gave up their lives for their Lord.

Their stories inspire us to live wholeheartedly for Christ.

(approx £4.97*)

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Secrets Behind the Burqa Rosemary Sookhdeo What really happens behind the scenes in the lives of Muslim women? This eBook reveals a secret world-unknown to outsiders.

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Front cover of magazine: Syrian Christians who received emergency aid from Barnabas Fund To guard the safety of Christians in hostile environments, names may have been changed or omitted. Thank you for your understanding.

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

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. © Barnabas Fund 2013

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BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

WELCOME FROM THE DIRECTOR

The beginning of the birth-pangs

H

eavy clouds hang over many Muslim-majority countries around the world. The devastating war in Syria has seen over 60,000 lives lost at the time of writing, and by the time you are reading this there may well be 4 million people displaced internally and over a million externally. The Syrian economy has been devastated, and the beleaguered Christian community in Syria faces the certain prospect of oppression if not destruction. The process of eliminating the Church in Iraq continues. A dreadful tyranny hangs over the Christian community of Egypt. Pakistan’s Christians exist in a failed state. In Africa, particularly Nigeria, the frequent murder of Christians, especially when they are gathered for worship, seems unstoppable. Add to this the natural disasters and widespread economic decline of our day, and we have a situation very much as the Lord Jesus predicted to His disciples: wars, rumours of wars, nations in conflict, famines and earthquakes (Matthew 24:6-7).

In the next verse our Lord explains that events such as these are part of the birth-pangs of the new age. He counsels His disciples that they must happen according to the divine purposes of God, and so believers can and should remain calm. But He interprets them as “the beginning of the suffering [literally, birth-pangs]”, which is a technical term for the distress that is coming upon the world before the end of the age.

As part of this distress, the people of God will be caught in horrific situations of persecution. Because of

loyalty to Jesus’s Name they will suffer affliction, hatred and death. Worse still, some will betray their fellowbelievers; some will deny their faith; many will be deceived by false prophets; and “the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:9-12).

How much of this are we already seeing? In the face of such calamitous situations, we may be tempted to react with apathy or even despair, seeing no possible solution to the evil and wickedness of our world.

But the birth-pangs tell us that God is going to intervene directly in history. These birth-pangs will usher in the Day of the Lord when this present age, with all its sufferings, will be transformed into the age to come. As Daniel said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries,” (Daniel 2:28) and He has graciously revealed to us His plan so that we should not be alarmed.

God has not abandoned the world. It is still the scene in which God’s purposes will be fulfilled. The horror and suffering of Good Friday gave way to the glorious resurrection victory of Easter Sunday. The Gospel will be preached across the globe (Matthew 24:14). We should not be discouraged. “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). Judgment and a new creation are certain. We must remain faithful to Christ, because those who stand firm to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13).

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo International Director

Contents

Compassion in Action The Sudan Exodus takes to the road

7 4

Focus The tragedy of Syria’s suffering Church

8

Windows on Islam How should Christians respond to the halal economy?

PULLOUT

13 Campaigns Promoting and defending freedom of religion Newsdesk Convert beheaded in Somalia; anti-Christian riots and bombing in Nigeria

11

Project Update Barnabas brings relief to needy Christians in Syria

12

In Touch Imaginative fundraising for Barnabas

16 16 18

BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013 3

COMPASSION IN ACTION

how barnabas £2,000 for Christian nursery in North Africa (US$3,208; €2,459)

£19,669 for emergency aid in Mali (US$31,548; €23,263)

A pocket of safety at a Christian nursery

Timely arrival of food

£8,048 for small businesses in Egypt (US$12,910; €9,897)

Putting Christians in business

Snack-time at the nursery

4

Showing the balance book of his new convenience store

“It was really the hand of God that came to their rescue. Otherwise some might have lost their lives,” wrote a pastor after impoverished families in his congregation received food from Barnabas Fund.

Some, he continued, had been eating only watery soup for three days, while others had not eaten anything at all.

BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

Maize, rice and medicines were distributed to 2,295 Christians in rural areas. Many of them had fled the violent Islamist rebel takeover of the north in March 2012. All were hard hit by crop failures and spiralling food prices. Barnabas Fund also paid the rent for three months for some displaced Christians living in Bamako, the capital city.

When “Adel” opened a pharmacy in a village where many Muslims lived, some of them decided to open another pharmacy nearby.

Soon the Muslims were all shopping at the Muslim-owned pharmacy, putting Adel, a Christian, out of business. But a microfinance loan from Barnabas Fund enabled him to fit out a new pharmacy in a different area. Now he is able to make ends meet.

Project reference 34-1057

Project reference 00-514 (School-Place Sponsorship Fund)

The teachers consider their work a ministry rather than a job.

Every day they start by making a Bible story come alive for the children, and then use it as an illustration for learning exercises such as writing, drawing or counting. A mother told Lila that she is amazed to see how her two children who attend the nursery now behave at home, how “they love each other, share their toys, pray for one another and dream to be like David and Gideon”.

A Christian boy sits on the truck bringing food aid

Besides Adel, eight other Christians in Upper Egypt, an area where there is much poverty among Christians, recently received loans to start up small businesses. Three started chicken farms, two a taxi service and one a convenience store situated on church grounds.

Project reference 11-424

“What you’re doing is saving our kids from many major problems with the Islamic teaching,” said “Lila”, a coordinator of a Christian nursery. Thanks to a one-year grant from Barnabas that covers three teachers’ salaries, 20 under-fours from Christian homes are receiving a Bible-oriented education in a Christian environment.

is helping

COMPASSION IN ACTION Your gifts “gave them a living hope that there are people who care for them at the time of their need,” said a pastor in Nepal after Christian flood victims there received aid from Barnabas Fund. We regularly get feedback like this from Christians we have helped in contexts of pressure and persecution. Below and on the following pages you can read about just a small selection of the many people we have supported recently. Please pray as you read.

£8,089 for Bible distribution in Burma (US$13,090; €9,946)

£4,272 for leadership training in Tajikistan (US6,852$; €5,252)

Skills for explaining their faith to Muslims

Developing their knowledge and skills to lead Muslimbackground-believer churches

Church leaders listen to a presentation on legal rights

A Kachin Christian with her own Bible

“When I talk about Jesus to people,” said “Zemfira”, one of the students of a leadership training course funded by Barnabas, “they usually say that they have Muslim roots and that Christianity is a Western religion. They say, ‘Our ancestors were Muslims and we stay Muslims.’ Today I can explain that that it is not true.”

Project reference 00-430 (Leadership Training Fund)

“I can see now that I didn’t know elementary laws about human rights,” said a pastor after receiving training on human and religious rights paid for by Barnabas Fund.

“Now I know them and will teach them to my church members.”

Zemfira, a ministry leader and convert from Islam, is getting a solid grounding in her new Christian faith together with 59 other Muslim convert church leaders. Every three months for a period of two years they are travelling from the remote areas of their country to meet for two days of training to help them resist pressure from the Muslim majority to stop their ministry. They are also equipped with skills to reach out to them with Christ’s love.

Bibles are immensely precious to Christians in Burma. So when tens of thousands of Christians recently received their own copies thanks to a grant from Barnabas Fund, they responded with great joy.

These Bibles are even more cherished because they are written in the Christians’ own language. Christians of the Kachin minority received more than 8,000 copies of the KachinJingpaw Bible and 5,400 KachinLhaovo Bibles.

For many Kachin Christians this Bible is now one of the few possessions they own; many lost everything when they fled the violence of the Burmese army, and they are living in displaced people’s camps.

Project reference 75-1042

Answers to questions on religious freedom

Laws restricting Christians are getting increasingly tough in Kyrgyzstan. During a two-day legal course 61 church leaders, church administrators and church treasurers from seven regions of the country received an overview of current and draft laws on religious freedom and human rights. Then they learnt how they can better protect the freedoms of Christians, including by working together. They also drew up a petition on proposed laws that infringe the rights of believers.

Receiving a treasured gift

Project reference 50-1003

£1,652 for human and religious rights training in Kyrgyzstan (US$2,650; €2,000)

BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013 5

COMPASSION IN ACTION

bringing hope, FOCUS ON UZBEKISTAN

Congregation thrives despite government pressure Severe repression by the authorities in Uzbekistan is not stopping a congregation run by a Barnabas-supported pastor from flourishing. Members have found ingenious ways to meet together while remaining under the radar of government spies. They have short gettogethers in cafés, or talk about their faith while driving together.

Under the guidance of their pastor, “Ilshod”, who was a Muslim extremist with links to the Taliban before finding Christ, the congregation has grown from ten members in 2007 to 120 now. It is too dangerous for the church to come together

as one large gathering, and so they meet in 19 separate home and family groups in various villages in the region.

Through his encouraging teaching Ilshod has changed the attitudes of many of his church members. Some were at first too afraid and ashamed to tell their relatives and friends that they were Christians. Now they want to talk about Jesus to everyone.

Others, previously too fearful of police raids and fines to attend home groups, learned the importance of fellowship and now relish meeting

up. Two church members were so strong in their faith that they were able to resist pressure from security service officers to spy on the church and the pastor.

The two-year support from Barnabas, which covers 90% of his family’s daily needs and 80% of his travel costs, is making it possible for Ilshod to dedicate all his time to his ministry. Several members assist him now by visiting the different groups every week and provide pastoral care to the members.

A Christian worker supported by Barnabas Fund, with two other Christians from Uzbekistan

Underground church assured of leadership Support from Barnabas Fund helped “Dilfusa” out of a very difficult situation. When one of the leaders of her church had to flee Uzbekistan because of threats of arrest from the authorities, her own responsibilities within the congregation were increased. On top of this her employers fired her from her job after the police notified them that she was a member of a church and involved in ministry.

It was an answer to urgent prayer when 75% of Dilfusa’s daily needs were covered by Barnabas Fund for one year. She is one of six young ministry leaders, all converts from Islam, who are

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BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

receiving this support. The 25-year old now has the means to visit the eight home groups she cares for on a regular basis. She also has time to lead a prayer ministry and work with young people in evangelism. All the congregations that the six church leaders are overseeing are learning to stand strong in their faith.

Because the work is so full of risks and leaders often have to flee, it has been agreed that if this happens, Barnabas Fund’s support will be transferred to other people in the congregation.

This way the small churches can be assured of continued care and support.

Project reference 00-477 (Pastor Support Fund)

£1,312 to help support “Ilshod” (US$2,050; €1,613) £4,524 for support of six young ministry leaders (US$7,256; €5,563)

COMPASSION IN ACTION

transforming lives

By plane and by bus, coming home to freedom

Flying back to safety

On

boarding the plane many of the women and children whom Barnabas Fund was airlifting from strongly Islamic Sudan to South Sudan looked a bit anxious. But they broke out into big smiles when getting off the plane, having safely arrived in their homeland. Suzy, one of the rescued, said at the Juba airport, “After many years of suffering and prayers, God opened the way for us.”

By way of three flights Barnabas Fund successfully brought 461 Christian adults and children and 31 infants to the safety of South Sudan in September 2012, at a cost of approximately £175 (US$282; €215) per adult or child. They are now embarking on new lives in their homeland.

Helen, one of the women, said that she was hoping to invest in farming in the Ku’da area of Juba County, the area where she is originally from. In Khartoum very few job opportunities were open to her as a Christian; the wealthy Muslim

Arabs who employed her as a servant paid so little that she could not to maintain her family with it; she and three children had to resort to living in a shelter of plastic sheets and cartons.

Like many other Christians from the South, Helen had fled north to escape the devastation caused by the bitter civil war that lasted from 1983 to 2005, following an attempt by the Islamic North to impose sharia on the predominantly Christian South. But Sudan is ruled by sharia, making life difficult for Christians. After South Sudan became independent in 2011, sharia began to be applied more strictly, and Southerners were threatened by the Sudanese government. Many have been able to return to South Sudan since then, but about 300,000 impoverished South Sudanese are still stranded in Sudan, many living in camps around the capital, Khartoum.

Praise God, because road connections between Sudan and South Sudan re-opened in October last year, we have been able to transport another

1,485 adults and children and 323 infants by bus at a cost of around £110 (US$177; €135) per adult or child. Because of this Barnabas Fund has been able to fulfil its original aim of rescuing 2,000 of the most vulnerable South Sudanese Christians.

And at the time of writing we are planning to transport another group of around 1,500 by road in early 2013, Lord willing.

Embarking on their bus trip home to South Sudan

£408,732 for airlift and bus transport (US$658,519; €496,589)

Project reference 48-1078

BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013 7

SPOTLIGHT

THE TRAGEDY

OF SYRIA

WILL ITS STRICKEN CHRISTIANS SURVIVE? This timeline of selected known incidents shows how anti-Christian persecution in Syria has intensified. To protect our sources, we have not been able to name many of the victims.

A fuller version with more incidents is available at www.barnabasfund.org/syria-timeline.

Destruction ! Threats and occupation of Christian areas Violence Murder

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

!

Demonstrations in Homs became a daily activity. Muslim protesters began to travel to Christian neighbourhoods.

May

Jun

A Christian man in Homs was stopped and sexually assaulted at an armed rebel group’s checkpoint.

An opposition fighter in Homs mocks Christians

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BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

Jul

Two Christians were killed as they waited for bread at a Homs bakery.

!

More than 140 Christians were reported to have been murdered in Homs.

Aug

Sep

A young Christian boy was killed by rebels in Homs, who filmed the murder and later claimed it was committed by government forces.

Oct

Nov

A Christian father-oftwo was shot dead by three armed attackers while driving in Homs.

Dec

2012

2011

Christian villagers in Hala faced an ultimatum: either to join the opposition demonstrations or to leave.

Around 70 Christian homes in Homs were invaded and pillaged by the rebels, who also seized vehicles.

Two Christian men were kidnapped by the rebels in separate incidents and later found dead. The first was found hanged with numerous injuries, the second was cut into pieces and thrown into a river.

The armed opposition occupied and damaged Ghassanid Greek Orthodox School in Homs.

January

Four Christians in Homs were kidnapped by rebels.

February

Basilios Nassar, a Greek Orthodox priest, was shot dead by a rebel sniper in Jarajima, Homs.

SPOTLIGHT

Destitute. Attacked. Intimidated.

Vulnerable. This is the condition of Christians in Syria.

C

aught in the crossfire of a bloody civil war that has displaced tens of thousands of Christians, our brothers and sisters are in a desperate plight. They are being kidnapped, raped, tortured and murdered. Many have had to flee their homes, owing both to the fighting and to threats and intimidation from opposition groups.

The displaced face a mounting humanitarian crisis in the cold Syrian winter as their supplies run short.

The Church has been in Syria since Biblical times.

It was as he approached Damascus that Saul, who was going there with the intent of persecuting Christians, encountered Jesus Christ, and it was in that city that he was baptised and proclaimed the Lord’s Name (Acts 9:1-6, 17-22). And yet now, Christians are at risk of being wiped out from the country. Reacting to the desperate times faced by his community, one Syrian church leader said, “I am not very optimistic that our Christian community will survive.”

Before the Arab Spring, Syria was one of the easiest places in the Arab world to be a Christian. The country’s 2.3 million Christians

Opposition fighters established checkpoints near Christian and Alawite villages in Wadi al-Nasara in order to kidnap people.

They executed some and tortured others, demanding ransoms.

March !

People, including Christians, were blocked from leaving Homs by anti-government forces. Fighters wanted to keep them there as “human shields” in a bid to protect the areas they controlled from government troops.By January 2013, fewer than 80 Christians remained alive in the city and were still being held in Hamidya district.

The burnt bodies of ten young Christian and Alawite men were found by a resident of Mashtaya after they were abducted.

were allowed the freedom to practise their faith without much official harassment. But because they have enjoyed such tolerance under the government of President Bashar al-Assad, opposition fighters assume they support the regime. Because of this assumption, and because there are Islamist groups among the rebels, Christians are suffering numerous and grave abuses.

Forced from their homes and streets Fleeing fighting and Islamist threats, the Christian population of Homs declined from 50,000-60,000 to less than 1,000 between February and May 2012. By December around 80 Christians remained in the Christian quarter. The area was surrounded by at least 2,000 armed rebels, who at the time of writing are holding the Christians hostage there. A church leader said, “They were 100m from freedom but the Salafis said, ‘If you leave we kill you; if you stay with us you live.’”

In fact the Christians have been dying one by one because of severe hardship and lack of medicines. One of Barnabas Fund’s partners in Homs stated that the Christians were being held as “human shields” to deter government forces from attacking the area.

Our brothers and sisters in several mainly Christian areas of some Syrian cities have

A group of militants kidnapped and raped a Christian woman from the Hamidiya district of Homs.

May

April The rebels occupied and shelled the evangelical school and home for the elderly in Homs.

!

Militants ordered the ten Christian families of Qastal al-Burg to leave empty-handed and took over their homes and church.

seen their streets taken over and their homes ransacked as rebels have occupied their neighbourhoods. Christians have also been forced to flee following terrifying ultimatums from their Muslim neighbours, or simply because fighting has made their homes unsafe.

Abducted and murdered Christians are greatly at risk of being abducted; more than 30 Christians have been kidnapped in Homs alone. Some of those taken have been tortured and abandoned or held for exorbitant ransoms that many families cannot pay. Some families have asked for their loved ones to be killed outright rather than have them subjected to brutal torture. Our brothers and sisters are also being murdered, sometimes gruesomely, either by their kidnappers or simply gunned down in the streets.

In one tragic incident, Fady Haddad, a church leader, was found dead in Damascus in October 2012. He was kidnapped while trying to negotiate on behalf of one of his parishioners, who was being held captive by an armed group. His captors had demanded a ransom of 50 million Syrian pounds (c. US$700,000; £450,000) for Fady’s release. He had been subjected to severe torture.

A Christian man, Maurice Bitar, was shot by a rebel sniper in Qasayr.

June

Rebels detonated bombs at and around churches in Homs to trick people into believing that the Syrian army was shelling religious sites.

Gunmen assassinated six Christian workers in Jander Resort, south of Homs.

July

Christians fled Qusayr owing to fighting and Islamist threats.

St Mary’s Church in Homs before the conflict began

St Mary’s now lies in ruins

BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013 9

!

SPOTLIGHT

Christian areas and churches bombed Opposition action in predominantly Christian areas has escalated from demonstrations to deadly attacks. Jaramana, a mainly Christian and Druze suburb of Damascus, has been repeatedly ravaged by car bomb attacks. At least 57 people were killed, and hundreds injured, in four separate bombings between August and November 2012.

After one attack, a Christian leader said, “This is a purely residential area. The explosion was horrible and it terrified the innocent people.”

Whole congregations in Aleppo, Homs and Dair al-Zor have also been devastated by the loss of their places of worship. The destruction of a church is a symbolic act that causes emotional pain as well as physical devastation.

Displaced and in need Those who flee their homes also leave their jobs behind, and so cannot support themselves when their savings run out. Church leaders estimate that around 80% of Christians in Aleppo have no work. To make matters worse, prices of essentials have skyrocketed, and food, water, milk for infants, electricity and petrol are in short supply.

A senior church leader recently said, “People in Aleppo are getting poorer and poorer – you can see it on their faces and in their clothes.” Some Christians are showing signs of malnutrition and are without adequate shelter in the cold Syrian winter, and blankets and other means of staying warm are scarce.

Some Christians feel they have no choice but to flee the country. Some sell everything they own in order to put their lives in the hands of people traffickers, and others who cannot afford the extortionate fees are attempting to escape on foot.

Nowhere to turn There are few if any safe havens where Christians can take refuge. The conflict is now spilling over into neighbouring Lebanon, where many Syrians have fled. The borders into Turkey are controlled by the Free Syrian Army, who often prevent Christians from crossing, telling them “You are with Assad. You can stay here and be killed with him.” Those who do manage to leave face perilous journeys to Greece, via Turkey. Some have died en route.

Political leaders in the West are ignoring the plight of our Christian brothers and sisters in Syria. David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, have both spoken out against President Assad and the atrocities committed by his troops, but neither have mentioned the abuses committed by the opposition forces, whom they are supporting.

The opposition National Coalition is now widely recognised as the legitimate government of Syria, and the plight of Syrian Christians is largely ignored by the Western media.

Christians in Iraq once faced a similarly dire situation. When their country was plunged into turmoil after the 2003 US-led invasion, a huge surge in anti-Christian violence forced many to become refugees. The Christian population in Iraq has decreased dramatically in the last two decades. Many have fled to Syria, where they are now seeing history repeat itself. It is feared that, if the conflict in Syria results in an Islamist takeover, a similar nightmare to that endured by Iraqi Christians may engulf the Church there.

Please turn to pages 16-17 to see how Barnabas Fund is bringing hope in this desperate situation.

A church leader from Idleb, near Aleppo, was kidnapped, beaten and interrogated by armed Wahhabi Muslims who then abandoned him by the side of a road.

August !

12,000 inhabitants of the predominantly Christian town of Rableh were blockaded for two weeks. The rebels refused entry to food and medical supplies and three men who tried to leave were shot dead. In September, more than 200 Christians were again held hostage in the city.

Up to ten people were killed and 15 wounded when a bomb exploded in the Christian quarter of Damascus just as worshippers were travelling to church.

September

A car bomb exploded in Jaramana, a mainly Christian and Druze suburb of Damascus.

At least 57 people were killed in this and three subsequent attacks on the area between August and November 2012. On 12 January 2013 rockets exploded metres from a Jaramana church, thankfully without injury.

10 BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

A car bomb exploded in front of the Beth Hasda Complex, a Christian charity in Aleppo that includes a care home for the elderly, a school and a hospital. It damaged the buildings.

A Syrian Orthodox church in Dair Al-Zor was blown up.

October !

Two Christian areas of Aleppo were occupied by opposition groups who set up checkpoints and took over a Christian school.

Rev. George Andrea (director of the Bible Society in Syria) and Manu Pedrosian were kidnapped in Aleppo.

They were later released.

!

November

Elias Mansour (84), one of the last remaining Christians in central Homs, was killed. Elias had chosen not to leave the area because he needed to care for his disabled son.

Church leader Fady Haddad was kidnapped, tortured and murdered in Damascus. Photograph by:

Two Armenian Christians were shot by gangs in Hassake.

Abdullahad Bashoura was killed, and his son Yousef was severely injured.

December

Seven Armenian Christians were kidnapped by an armed group whilst traveling by bus from Aleppo to Beirut.

Militants blew up the Presbyterian Church building in Aleppo, causing half of it to collapse.

A car bomb exploded in front of a church in Raqqah, causing two deaths.

A bomb exploded near a Syrian Orthodox Church in Aleppo, killing at least 20 people.

WINDOWS ON ISLAM

The challenge of the halal economy

THE CHALLENGE OF THE HALAL ECONOMY In

2010 an investigation by a Sunday newspaper in the UK revealed that some schools, hospitals, pubs and famous sporting venues were serving halal meat to the public without their knowledge.

For example, the article stated that all the beef, chicken and lamb sold to fans at Wembley, the national football stadium, had been prepared in accordance with Islamic sharia law.

Various other high-profile locations were also named, and further reports around the same time revealed how widely halal meat was being sold, not just in the UK but in many parts of the Western world.

These reports have raised the issue of the place of halal food and other products in the West. Their growing use by restaurants and retail outlets, often without the approval or knowledge of customers, has caused great concern, not least among Christians. We do not want to deny Muslims and other religious groups the freedom to buy food and other items that meet the requirements of their religion; on the contrary, we believe that in a free and democratic society such freedom is to be highly prized and stoutly defended. But there are at least three powerful objections to these products being forced on other people against their will:

passed on from the wholesalers to the retailers and finally to customers, who have to pay extra for their meat. In at least some cases a proportion of the funds raised are thought to be used to fund Islamic mission (dawa). As a result, non-Muslim consumers can end up promoting an Islamic agenda without even knowing it.

3. Halal products are a major tool of dawa in the West. For many Muslims this mission includes imposing Islamic practices on non-Muslims and the gradual Islamisation of non-Muslim societies. The Islamisation agenda does not require non-Muslims to believe the tenets of Islam; it only requires that they submit to them, whether knowingly or unknowingly. By buying halal products non-Muslims are unintentionally assisting this process.

In this article we will briefly explain what the halal regulations are and how extensively they are being applied

by Muslims in the West today. We will then examine the three objections above with special reference to Christians.

Finally we will offer some suggestions for a Christian response to this vital issue.

The halal regulations

1. When halal products are not labelled, or no alterna- The word halal means “permitted”, and halal goods and sertive to them is offered, consumers are being denied the vices are those that Islamic sharia allows Muslims to consume. freedom to make an informed choice about whether or In the Muslim worldview sharia is based on Allah’s direct not to buy them. But if the freedom of Muslims to follow revelation, which cannot be questioned or changed by humans.

Muslim practices should be guaranteed, then so should the The halal regulations thus supposedly mark off Allah’s pure freedom of non-Muslims not to follow Muslim practices. community from the polluted unbelievers, and they cover all aspects of human life, not just food.

2. Halal meat has to be certified as such by one of several The halal rules are applied to contemporary products Islamic agencies that oversee the production and distribu- and to social and technological developments to establish tion processes. The fees charged by these agencies are whether these are consistent with sharia. Food processing

BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

I

WINDOWS ON ISLAM

The challenge of the halal economy and distribution, banking and financial services, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, clothing and accessories, and travel are among the numerous areas subject to regulation. Thus halal products are now found in many non-food sectors, and the list is growing. Institutions have been established to ensure the “sharia-compliance” of some products, especially food (see further below).

Halal and haram Islamic sharia divides actions into the two main categories of halal (permitted) and haram (forbidden). There are four sub-categories of halal: Fard – acts that are obligatory; fulfilment of them is rewarded, and neglect of them is punished Mandub – acts that are recommended but not obligatory; fulfilment of them is rewarded, but neglect of them is not punished Mubah – acts that are permitted but neither rewarded nor punished Makruh – acts that are disapproved of but neither forbidden nor punished

taurant chains, including Burger King, McDonald’s and Pizza Hut, have launched halal menus. In addition, the provision of halal food to prison inmates in the US has become an area of growing legal controversy, with some Muslim prisoners claiming that the failure to provide halal meals restricts their religious freedom.

• New Zealand is the leading exporter of halal meat and has the largest halal slaughterhouses in the world. Despite its having a Muslim population of only 41,000 (0.9%), about 98% of its lamb and mutton and 60% of its beef come from animals slaughtered according to halal regulations.

• The halal industry in France is estimated to be growing at a rate of 15% and to be worth around 5.5 billion euros annually. Its presence was highlighted in the presidential elections of 2012, with one candidate claiming that French people were eating halal meat without knowing it, and another calling for stricter labelling.

It is estimated that there are over 300 bodies worldwide that offer halal certification, though only a third of these are legally registered. In the UK there are at least two competing organisations: the Halal Food Authority and the Halal Monitoring Committee. In South Africa there are four Haram refers to acts that are forbidden and different agencies; around 50 operate in France, and in the punished USA there are some 80 certification boards. These institutions oversee the entire process of halal meat production, distribution, packaging and sale. (Certification appears not In order for meat to be designated halal it must come to be so widespread for non-food products.) from an animal that has been slaughtered in such a way The growth of the halal market has been matched that its blood has been drained before consumption. The by an expansion of the Islamic finance sector, which ofanimal’s throat is cut while a Muslim slaughterer proclaims fers a range of financial products that are supposedly more Bismillah Allahu Akbar, which means “In the name of Al- compatible with sharia than their Western alternatives. The lah, Allah is great.” Most Muslim slaughterers do not stun World Halal Forum is pressing for these two sectors to be the animal first, as they believe that only if it is conscious integrated into a single “halal economy” that will play will drainage of blood be complete. an increasingly influential role in shaping global markets.

The spread of halal products

The halal market is big business. The Muslim market represents around a fifth of the world’s total population, and it is estimated to comprise some 1.2 billion people in 112 countries. Large Western multinationals are understandably eager to tap into the vast potential of this market, and many have introduced halal products into their ranges. Moreover, these products are being widely extended to non-Muslims too, often without their knowledge. The World Halal Forum has stated unashamedly that “halal is for everyone”.

The spread of halal food in the West can be illustrated from various countries: • Much of the lamb and chicken sold by the British supermarket Asda is slaughtered according to Islamic ritual.

Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Somerfield and the Co-op also stock halal meat. Various UK fast-food chains, including Domino’s Pizza, KFC and Subway, provide it too.

• In the United States branches of several well-known res-

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Halal products as a tool of Islamisation

Traditionally the halal regulations were promoted within the Muslim community as a way of pleasing Allah and protecting Muslims from the supposedly corrupting influences of non-Western society. But more recently Islamists seem to have hijacked the system as a tool for expanding the place of sharia in the non-Muslim world, as part of what appears to be a campaign to spread Islam across the globe.

Many conservative Muslim scholars assert that the halal system is not for Muslims only, but for all human beings. They claim that those who break the rules are under Allah’s curse and deserve punishment. It is thus the duty of Muslims to spread the rules to non-Muslims, both to do Allah’s will and for the good of non-Muslims. For Islamists, this process is apparently part of a much wider agenda, to establish the global dominance of Islam in the political, religious, economic and cultural spheres, and thus to revive the ancient and golden age of Islam.

Supporters of halal products, and especially halal food, attempt to make it more attractive by arguing that the rules are scientifically proven to promote the health of

WINDOWS ON ISLAM

The challenge of the halal economy

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individuals and societies. They also claim that halal meat • Some halal experts in France are authorised by the Union amounts to a safe brand that guarantees safety, quality and of the Islamic Organisations. This group has strong links humane treatment of animals. The regulations are further with the Muslim Brotherhood, an international, political supposed to guarantee just and fair business methods and group that aims to establish Islamic states across the world. to embody values of social justice and welfare.

A journalist who began to investigate the involvement of Some non-Muslims accept these claims and have the Brotherhood in the French halal food industry had his come to see halal as just another recognised brand name life threatened. He estimated that around 60% of the food that seems to offer an ethical approach to production was controlled by organisations belonging to the group. and distribution procedures. But claims that halal meat is healthy Many Christians would object and halal slaughter humane do to buying halal products if they O T I T U T E F I S L A MI C IN S not seem to be supported by reliknew that a proportion of their able evidence. Moreover, in the money would be handed on to an context of a worldwide Islamic Islamic certification agency, espeRI U SPR U D E N C E B AT L E Y revival and the rapid and mencially if this agency then intended acing growth of Islamism, many to use it to support Islamic dawa.

Christians (and others) are deeply This objection applies mainly to concerned about the growth in hathe halal meat industry, but can be lal products and the extension of extended to any area where halal these to everyone whatever their certification is provided. religion.

Some Christians see the Labelling and choice consumption of these products as Requirements for halal labelling appeasement of Muslim commuvary across the world. Some counThe stamps of three halal certification agencies nities in the face of their increastries, such as the UK, do not reingly assertive demands. Others quire a halal symbol to be shown see themselves as victims of discrimination against non- on products at all. The European Parliament and the BritMuslims, who are effectively being forced to buy Muslim ish government have both stated that meat from animals food and other items. Still others see the growth of the halal killed without pre-stunning should be labelled, although sector as undermining secular Western values. they have yet to approve the necessary regulations. But Above all, Christians may be deeply concerned at such labelling will not cover all halal meat, some of which being obliged to support, often without their knowledge or comes from stunned animals, and will also include some consent, a global Islamisation project that aims to extend non-halal food; it will therefore be an unreliable guide to the reach of sharia in the non-Muslim world. In so far as whether we are eating halal food or not. the halal economy is a tool of Islamic dawa, they may feel British supermarkets are also not in favour of laobliged to stand apart from it and resist its growth. belling. Tesco has claimed that adding further labelling requirements would add unnecessary costs for the conHalal certification agencies sumer, and it does not believe that all product informaWhen a consumer buys halal food, a portion of the money tion can reasonably be fitted on a single label. Sainsbury’s paid will usually be passed by the supplier to the agency does not label its meat as halal on the grounds that it is that certified the product as halal. The agency may then use not specifically aimed at Muslim customers and that the it to fund Islamic activities, including mission. A number of chain has never requested a halal “blessing” for its own recent cases from various countries illustrate this practice: brands. Moreover, many of the caterers who sell halal food do not mark it out from non-halal options or even inform • The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand the public about it. claims to certify over 90% of the country’s meat exports as There is also some resistance to labelling among halal. Over the past 20 years it has also been providing an- Muslims. Dr Abdhalhamid Evans, the Project Director of nual grants to its regional associations for dawa activities. It the World Halal Forum 2010, responded to the EU prohas financed the construction of mosques and Islamic cen- posal for the labelling of meat from non-stunned animals tres across the country, and it has plans for Islamic schools by saying that enforcing regulation for just one group of and libraries. Some of its groups have also invited speakers people was discriminatory. This appears to contravene who (then or later) were banned from even entering the UK. principles of consumer protection that are a very high priority in European Union law. The right of consumers • In the UK and Ireland more than a hundred Subway res- “to information” and to “organise themselves in order to taurants are certified as sharia-compliant by the Islamic safeguard their interests” is meant to be guaranteed for all Foundation of Ireland. This agency is headed by the imam consumers in the EU. of the Dublin Mosque; it has helped to establish mosques Some companies and retail outlets have entirely gone in Ireland and also supports Islamic education. over to halal food in order to simplify their processes and cut costs. Ascot Racecourse in the UK justified its decision

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WINDOWS ON ISLAM

The challenge of the halal economy to serve only halal chicken by claiming that it was easier to store and cook only one kind of meat.

In light of the connections outlined above between the halal economy and Islamic dawa, many Christians expect to have the freedom to make an informed choice about whether or not they eat halal food or buy other halal products. They want to know if some (or all) of the meat on offer at their local supermarket or restaurant comes from animals slaughtered according to sharia, and to be able to identify it. And they would like non-halal alternatives to be readily available, ideally in every place. They do not want halal products to become the general default option in non-Muslim countries.

Other objections to halal food

Animal cruelty. Western animal welfare groups consistently criticise some Muslim halal slaughtering methods and call for their prohibition. They also criticise the stressful methods of restraint used in some halal slaughtering plants.

However, this objection applies only to meat from animals that have not been stunned before killing, not to halal meat as such. Animal-cruelty regulations throughout Europe currently state that livestock must be stunned before slaughter, but the UK and most other countries allow exceptions on religious grounds.

Many Christians agree that slaughter without stunning is cruel and believe it is therefore contrary to the Biblical call to care for God’s creation (e.g. Proverbs 12:10). Some join in the calls for the banning of this practice; others defend it on religious freedom grounds, while not wanting themselves to eat meat from animals that were killed without being stunned. Again, this objection does not apply to halal meat from stunned animals.

Other Christians question the animal welfare argument altogether in light of the fact that the Old Testament required the Israelites to perform ritual slaughter. Still others observe that the Law of Moses required the Israelites to use the most humane method of slaughter that was available at the time.

Biblical teaching. Some Christians believe that it is wrong and harmful on Biblical grounds to eat meat over which the name of Allah (or any other god except the God and Father of Jesus Christ) has been invoked. Others argue from Scripture that eating such meat does not make Christians impure before God or cause them any spiritual harm, while acknowledging that there are certain contexts in which they should nonetheless abstain: for example, so as to avoid

wounding the conscience of another believer or offending someone they are trying to reach with the Gospel. Many regard Muslim festivals in which halal food is eaten to honour Allah as idolatrous and will not participate in them.

Recommendations

Christians and other non-Muslims should argue for the right of Muslims to follow their own religious rules relating to food and other products. But we should also protest against the process of Islamisation that tries to impose those rules and products on non-Muslims and thus extend the rule of sharia over us. In Muslim-majority contexts sharia has appallingly destructive effects, including discrimination against Christians and women, obstacles to Christian mission, and brutal persecution. In these circumstances we have no option except to stand resolutely against any further extension of sharia, even when (as with some halal products) it may seem to be harmless.

Christians should also object to having to contribute to the fees for certification agencies, especially when these are used for Islamic mission. It seems fair that these costs be borne solely by the Muslims who ask for them.

The argument that halal slaughter should not be forbidden by law, in the interests of religious liberty, is a strong one. But the case against the killing of non-stunned animals, on the basis of animal welfare, is also very powerful, and many Christians are rightly reluctant to eat meat from animals that have been slaughtered inhumanely. Perhaps the best way to balance these arguments is to restrict halal slaughter to animals that have been pre-stunned.

The Bible does not suggest that it is wrong for Christians to eat halal food as such; whatever we receive with thanksgiving to God in Jesus’ Name is fit to be eaten. But it does tell us to exercise our freedom responsibly, not least for advancing the Gospel. To the extent that our participation in the halal economy furthers the progress of Islamic dawa and contributes to the Islamisation of society, it hampers the task of Christian mission to which our Lord has called us. This suggests that we should at least be very cautious about buying halal meat or other halal products.

Christians ought to challenge the view that the majority of people should have to follow the practices of a minority. So we should ask for choice, requesting that commercial outlets and public institutions that sell halal products also provide non-halal choices for non-Muslims.

And we should support the clear labelling of all halal products, so that no-one has to buy or consume them without knowing it.

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www.barnabasfund.org

CAMPAIGNS

We

are grateful to all those who have signed our Proclaim Freedom petition and those who have organised signatures and sent in completed sheets. The petition was closed on 31 December, but if you still have any sheets with signatures, we will be glad to receive these.

Please send them to your nearest Barnabas office as soon as possible.

At the time of writing the total number of signatures we have received is 53,400. Please pray for us as we make plans for presenting the petition to the governments of various Western countries.

Defending freedom of religion As part of the Proclaim Freedom campaign, Barnabas is continuing to work with governments at both national and international levels on issues of human rights and religious freedom. We were invited to attend a two-day conference in Brussels in December 2012 organised by the European Commission and the European External Action Service, which looked at (among other issues) the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FOROB).

FOROB is widely neglected and disregarded.

Many countries subscribe to it in theory by writing it into their constitutions or laws, but the reality on the ground is very different, especially for Christians and other minorities.

The international community seems reluctant to defend it, especially on behalf of individuals.

Barnabas and other organisations are pressing for this right to be more widely and effectively recognised.

Many governments also require churches and Christian organisations to register with the state.

The process is often extended and complicated; registration may be denied for no good reason; and the failure to obtain it can then be used as an excuse to close down a church or group or jail its leaders. After this issue was discussed at the conference, Barnabas was able to submit detailed papers to the European External Action Service on registration problems faced by Christians in Algeria, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Operation Nehemiah

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arnabas Fund’s Operation Nehemiah campaign is committed to maintaining Christian values of freedom of conscience, speech and religion for the next generation in church and society. One way in which we seek to achieve this goal is by drawing attention to the progressive Islamisation of Western societies.

Two recent stories (among many others) illustrate the ways in which Islam is extending its influence in the social and political life of various countries: In Belgium, the city of Brussels has sworn in two municipal officials from a new Islamic party that wants to implement sharia. The party campaigned on three core issues: ensuring that halal meals

are served in government school cafeterias; securing the official recognition of Muslim religious holidays; and pressing for a law that would legalise the wearing of Islamic veils in public spaces. Referring to previous failed attempts to be elected, one of them told a public radio station, “The agenda is still the same, but our approach is different now. I think we have to sensitise people, make them understand the advantages of having Islamic people and Islamic laws. And then it will be completely natural to have Islamic laws and we will become an Islamic state.”

In the Netherlands, renovations in Amsterdam social housing apartments have sparked a political row. About 180 apartments in Amsterdam

have been given makeovers that reflect the needs of Muslims, including individual taps that can be used for ritual cleansing before prayers and sliding doors to keep men and women apart.

The development in Holland is similar to plans in Sydney, Australia, where there are plans for an interest-free housing project aimed at the Muslim community. Described as “100 per cent Halal housing”, the project has raised concerns that it may create a Muslim enclave and discriminate against non-Muslims.

Our weekly Barnabas Persecution Update includes a link to some of the latest news from the press relating to the concerns of Operation Nehemiah. Please visit www.barnabasfund.org to sign up.

BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013 11

NEWSDESK

CHRISTIANS MURDERED IN CHURCH ATTACKS AND RAIDS ON HOMES OVER CHRISTMAS

Barnabas helps fund trauma counselling workshops for victims of violence in Nigeria

NIGERIA – Dozens of Christians said that some victims had had their were murdered over the Christmas period in attacks on churches and raids on Christian homes.

On Christmas Eve, six people were killed by gunmen at a church service in Maiduguri in Borno state, in Northern Nigeria. Another six were killed and two injured in a shooting at a service on Christmas Day in Siri village, Yobe state.

Then on 30 December, at least 15 worshippers were killed at a church in Chibok, Borno state. One report

throats slit.

Christians were not safe even in their own homes; a number of Christian residents of Musari, Maiduguri were murdered in breakins on 28 December. Although Nigerian officials put the death toll at five, residents and relief workers said that 15 people were killed.

Most of the incidents took place in Borno state, where Islamist group Boko Haram had threatened to kill any Christians remaining in the

territory by Christmas. Although responsibility for these atrocities has not been confirmed, it is thought that the group carried them out.

These attacks came after at least eleven people were killed in a suicide bombing at a church inside a military barracks in Kaduna state, Northern Nigeria.

During the attack on St Andrew’s Protestant Church in Jaji, which occurred on 25 November 2012, a bus was driven into the wall of the church building and exploded. This

blast caused no casualties, but as worshippers gathered around the scene, there was a deadly second explosion as a car blew up outside the church. Although officials said that eleven people were killed and 30 injured, several witnesses put the death toll at around 50. Boko Haram is thought to be responsible.

Three days before this attack, residents of Bichi in Kano state said that four Christians were killed in rioting following an accusation of blasphemy.

Christian convert beheaded by al-Shabaab militants SOMALIA – Farhan Haji Mose,

a Christian convert from Islam, was beheaded by militants from the Islamist group al-Shabaab on 16 November 2012. It is thought that his movements were monitored for six months, after his return from Christianmajority Kenya, before he was brutally executed in front of a crowd in the coastal city of Barawa.

12 BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

Farhan was accused by his killers of being a spy for foreigners and embracing the “foreign religion of Christianity”. Al-Shabaab, which controls much of the south of Somalia, has murdered several Christians since 2011. The group said in the aftermath of an anti-Christian attack in 2010 that “We aim to get rid of the barbaric and non-Islamic culture in the country.”

The central Transitional Federal Government in Mogadishu is too weak to hold back al-Shabaab, and although it is moderate by comparison, it too prescribes the death penalty for apostasy from Islam. Al-Shabaab’s terrorist activities are also now spilling over into neighbouring Kenya, where it has been responsible for numerous

attacks, including some on churches and Christian gatherings.

Somali Christians, who are all converts from Islam, make up a tiny minority of the population and are very vulnerable. There are no church buildings in Somalia, and because of the danger to their lives, Christians must either meet secretly or follow Jesus alone.

NEWSDESK

Poorest Indian Christians still denied socio-economic rights INDIA – Official discrimination continues to keep the most disadvantaged Christians in India in poverty. The Indian government denies Christian Dalits the rights that are given to their Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh counterparts. Dalits are at the very bottom of India’s hierarchical caste system, and the government aims to redress the disadvantage they face by giving them Scheduled Caste status, which bolsters their rights. This status was granted to

Hindu Dalits in 1950 and extended to include Buddhist and Sikh Dalits in 1956 and 1990 respectively. Christian and Muslim Dalits, however, are still excluded from the provisions because of their religion.

The inequality they face leaves Christian and Muslim Dalits trapped in poverty and less able to escape it than their Hindu counterparts.

Christian and Muslim Dalits have long been campaigning for equal recognition; their latest protest took

place in New Delhi on 15 November 2012. Two-thirds of India’s 27 million Christians are Dalits.

Tribal Christians and even their non-Christian relatives also have difficulty gaining Scheduled Tribe status, which is also intended to redress disadvantage. Although, unlike for Scheduled Caste status, religious affiliation is not meant to affect the determination of Scheduled Tribe status, a number of cases of discrimination have recently come

to light. In one case, tribal Christian Prakash Pradhan was refused a caste certificate that could have obtained him a scholarship for his children. His brother, who is a Hindu, was also denied a certificate because he is related to a Christian.

Without a caste certificate, Christian Dalits and tribal Christians lack the social and economic rights that could enable them to escape the grinding poverty that goes hand-inhand with their low status.

Blasphemy case against Christian girl dropped PAKISTAN – Legal proceedings

against Rimsha Masih, the vulnerable young Christian girl who was accused of blasphemy, have been dropped.

Her case was thrown out by an Islamabad court on 20 November

Rimsha was accused on 16 August 2012 of burning pages of Noorani Quaida These Christians and their families are amongst hundreds forced to flee their homes after Rimsha’s arrest. Barnabas is assisting them

2012, in a move that a Christian politician described as an “important precedent”.

Rimsha was accused on 16 August 2012 of burning pages of Noorani Quaida, a booklet used to learn the basics of the Quran. She was charged under section 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code, which carries a sentence of life imprisonment for desecrating the Quran. Rimsha’s family, along with around 600 other

Christian families, were forced to flee their homes in Maherabad, a slum of Islamabad, owing to a violent Muslim backlash.

Rimsha, who is 14 and is thought to have a lower mental age, was given bail after evidence came to light that she had been framed by the imam of the local mosque. Khalid Jadoon Chishti, who had called for Rimsha to be publicly burned in the aftermath of the accusation, was revealed to have

planted evidence on her in order to “get rid of Christians” from the area.

He will now be tried for making a false accusation.

Paul Bhatti, the only Christian member of Pakistan’s federal cabinet, welcomed the court’s decision, saying, “I am optimistic.

Pakistani society is changing.” He said, however, that the case will not be used to revise the “blasphemy law”, although it will be used to revise

its interpretation. Christians and other non-Muslims are particularly vulnerable to accusations under the law, which is often used to settle personal scores.

Despite her acquittal, Rimsha and her family are unlikely to be able to lead normal lives again, as those accused of blasphemy are sometimes murdered by zealous Muslims, even if they have been found not guilty.

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NEWSDESK

Imprisoned pastor who faced fifteen years in jail freed UZBEKISTAN – A Christian

pastor who faced up to 15 years in prison in his homeland was freed from detention and granted refugee status in Sweden on 4 December 2012. Makset Djabbarbergenov, who is from Nukus, Uzbekistan, fled to Kazakhstan following a prolonged campaign of harassment by the secret police because of his Christian activities. He was being held in detention while the Kazakh authorities considered an extradition request from Uzbekistan.

Makset is wanted in Uzbekistan for violating the country’s harsh religion law. Although the original detention request made by the authorities referred to two charges that each carried a maximum threeyear jail term, one charge was later changed to that of “creation, leadership or participation in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist or other banned organisations”, which is punishable by up to 15

years in prison.

Although Makset and his family were granted refugee status by the United Nations’ refugee agency (UNHCR), the Kazakh government disregarded this ruling and denied the family refugee status in 2011.

The pastor was arrested by the Kazakh secret police in 2008 and freed only after the UNHCR actively sought his release. He was detained again in 2012.

Makset was reunited with his pregnant wife and four children at the airport, where they were issued with visas for Sweden before flying to the country. Barnabas Fund raised Makset’s plight with the authorities in the UK, Europe, and the US and petitioned the Kazakh authorities on his behalf. Makset has asked that his thanks be conveyed to everyone who has been praying for him and to those who helped secure his release.

Makset Djabbarbergenov has been reunited with his family

Christians fear new restrictions will mean more harassment VIETNAM – It is feared that new

restrictions on religious freedom in Vietnam will lead to more harassment of Christians by the authorities. Decree 92, which adds to the Ordinance on Beliefs and Religion that already strictly controls religious activity in the country, came into force on 1 January.

The direction the country’s policy is taking has sparked concern amongst Christians; the Vice President of the Vietnamese Parliament said in late 2012 that “Vietnam will increasingly model itself on China in matters of religious policies”.

Christians in both China and Vietnam already face severe restrictions. In Vietnam, all churches

14 BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

and other religious groups are required to register with the government and submit to its direction. Those that do not register or are unable to do

prison sentences.

The new legislation uses vague terminology to refer to the registration of churches, leading to

“Vietnam will increasingly model itself on China in matters of religious policies” so endure intense hostility from the authorities. Christian communities, particularly in the hill-tribe areas, have seen their churches closed and their members arrested and given long

fears that accusations of generalised offences will be made. For example, a church will be required to prove that it has operated for 20 years without breaking any laws, including

“infringing national security”. But because the latter charge is often levelled at unregistered Christian gatherings, it is likely that this clause will be used to prevent churches from qualifying for registration. Leaders will also need to obtain the permission of the authorities before they can travel abroad for conferences.

If a church is denied full recognition, it is likely to face a great deal of harassment from the authorities, and the new measures, which have been described as “backwards” by a Hanoi-based Christian leader, appear set to increase the pressure on the beleaguered Christian community.

NEWSDESK

Church receives reprieve from Grip of eviction after ten-year battle sharia with authorities tightens In BELARUS – A church in Minsk the congregation is barred from and the authorities backed down. that has been locked in a struggle using public buildings in Minsk, has The local housing authority was told Indonesia with the authorities for ten years has been fighting to get it re-designated to provide “vehicles, manpower and narrowly escaped being forced to evict its premises. New Life Pentecostal Church, which was ordered on 27 November 2012 to hand over the keys to the renovated cowshed in which it meets, was given a last-minute reprieve ahead of the planned eviction on 5 December.

Obtaining the necessary official recognition of their places of worship is very difficult for Protestant groups, whose applications are generally refused. New Life, which had no choice but to meet in the barn since

as a place of worship since 2002.

During this time the church, which has a congregation of around 1,000, has faced numerous heavy fines for continuing to worship there.

Past attempts by the authorities to force the congregation out have included cutting off its electricity supply and freezing its bank account.

When the building was formally confiscated in 2006 and a bulldozer was sent to demolish it, church members launched a hunger strike that generated high-profile support,

everything necessary to evict” the community in the event of its refusing to comply with the recent eviction order.

Church members celebrated their last-minute reprieve from this latest eviction attempt with a thanksgiving service but still anticipate further difficulties. Church administrator Vitaly Antonchivok pointed out that “the eviction is cancelled, but legally our land and building still belong to the authorities”.

Church leader wounded in attack on service SRI LANKA – A church leader was injured in an attack on a church in southern Sri Lanka. A large mob, including many Buddhist monks, stormed a worship service at a church in Weeraketiya, Hambanthota district, on 9 December 2012. During the attack, which was witnessed by children, a rock was thrown at the pastor of the church, who was left with severe pain in his lower abdomen.

Church furniture and equipment were vandalised by the mob, as were Christian-owned vehicles parked outside it.

The attack took place despite the presence of eight police officers, who had been sent to the scene to oversee a planned demonstration by monks against the church, but who were overwhelmed by the attackers.

On the day prior to the incident,

the pastor was visited by a group of Buddhists, including a number of monks. They told the pastor that he was not allowed to conduct Christian worship without the permission of Buddhist clergy. When he insisted that it was his constitutional right to do so, the monks falsely claimed that the constitution had changed. They then threatened to destroy the church if the pastor did not stop holding services.

Barnabas Fund supports theological training for Christian leaders in Sri Lanka

INDONESIA – The new mayor of

Tasikmalaya in Indonesia has vowed that he will implement sharia law in the city, in the latest of a series of blows to Christians in the province of West Java. Budi Setiawan announced on 19 November 2012 that the city’s bylaws will be based on Islamic law in matters of custom and behaviour, to honour a pledge he made to Muslim leaders who backed his election campaign.

The mayor’s plans have met with criticism, as have previous proposals to implement sharia law in the area.

Despite this opposition, sharia law is spreading in Indonesia, and in some areas the Christian minority is becoming increasingly vulnerable as Muslims become more intolerant and extremist. Elsewhere in West Java, both GKI Yasmin Church and Filadelfia Batak Christian Protestant Church have seen their buildings closed.

The mayor’s announcement came after a UN spokesperson slammed Indonesia’s record on the treatment of religious minorities, saying that “an environment of intimidation and fear” is being created. Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, met with representatives of Christian and other minority groups, and on 13 November 2012 she expressed her distress at hearing accounts of “violent attacks, displacements, denial of identification cards and other forms of discrimination and harassment” against them. She highlighted Aceh, the only province where sharia law is currently officially permitted, as a particular concern, citing its use of the “brutal punishments of stoning and caning”. Ms Pillay called on Indonesia to take “firm action” to combat worsening violence against Christians and other minorities.

BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013 15

SYRIA PROJECT

HOPE IN THE SYRIAN CRISIS

Barnabas’ large-scale aid operation for Christians affected by the Syria conflict

Syrian Christian children love to see the ministry worker, who brings aid from Barnabas

“You are the first one who has come to check on us and what we need,” a girl of about seven said with tears of gratitude, when a ministry worker visited her home to see how Barnabas Fund could help them.

The girl expressed what many of the visited families are feeling: deep appreciation for being remembered during their time of need.

16 BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

SYRIA PROJECT

Keeping families together Barnabas Fund, aware that Christians are targeted and forgotten victims of the conflict, started sending aid to Christians in Syria in February 2012. Food, milk powder for babies, rent, blankets, heaters and help towards medical costs were provided to those most affected by the civil war. Thanks to the generosity of Barnabas Fund supporters, we had sent well over a million pounds to help thousands of Christian families across the country through local churches by the end of 2012. This is in addition to our ongoing aid for Iraqi Christian refugees in Syria.

1,500 heaters kept Christians warm during the cold winter

2,250 blankets were distributed

As one project partner wrote, Barnabas’ support is “keeping hundreds of Christian families together, providing food and shelter for them, supporting them to continue to live and educate their children”.

Most importantly, she added, it is emphasising that a major factor in their survival is their faith in Jesus and membership of the Body of Christ.

Visiting their homes Local churches are joining forces to channel the aid from Barnabas to those in need. At the risk of their own lives, church leaders and ministry workers are visiting Christian families in their homes or shelters, often in war-torn areas. They sit with the families, listen to their stories and note their needs. Because of this they can tailor the aid from Barnabas according to each family’s situation. They also use the time to offer the families advice (when appropriate) and to try to give them hope and encouragement.

Besides working round the clock to provide this humanitarian assistance, the workers recognise the hugely important role the Church is playing at this time to bring comfort to the distressed families.

One leader said, “Our mission is to provide spiritual counselling with the Lord’s words and prayers.”

Many of the church leaders we are working through had the opportunity to escape the country, but instead they have all chosen to stay with their suffering flock. One said, “I will never leave my congregation. What is the use of me as a [church leader] without my congregation?”

As the crisis in Syria continues Barnabas Fund will remain focussed on helping affected Christians. Even in times of escalating danger and violence, your gifts enable us to make a difference and bring hope.

Total grants from March to December 2012 for Christians affected by the Syria crisis:

£1,274,850 ($2,054,073; €1,548,826)

Whom is Barnabas Fund helping?

Displaced Syrian Christians. This winter Barnabas Fund provided 1,500 heaters or 2,250 blankets at a cost of around £31 ($50; €38) per heater and around £19 ($31; €23) per blanket to approximately 3,750 displaced Christians. Last summer they fled from their homes to safer towns and villages in Syria, taking only light clothes with them as they expected to return to their homes in a few weeks’ time. When winter came, these sources of warmth were extremely welcome.

Syrian refugees in Greece Jordan and Lebanon.

Warm children’s clothes were given this winter to the children of families who had fled to Greece. Baby milk and other emergency basic needs were also handed out to them; many were mothers with infants, children and adolescents. They had fled to Greece in desperation to escape the violence, risking their lives. Many of them soon ran out of money, and some were sleeping in parks. In Jordan we provided Syrian refugees with medical support.

Christians with medical needs.

Christians suffering from health problems, especially those with diabetes and heart conditions, received medicines and medical care.

Needy Syrian Christians. Food packages are given to widows, jobless Christians and other needy Christians. With the price of bread going up by sixteen-fold (at the time of writing) in parts of Syria many would have gone hungry otherwise.

Sudanese refugees in Syria. A group of Christian Sudanese refugees, stranded in Syria, have temporarily found shelter in a Christian school. They had to leave everything behind when they escaped repression in Sudan and now have no means of leaving Syria. Barnabas Fund is providing them with food and other basic needs.

Iraqi refugees in Syria. Barnabas Fund has already helped this vulnerable Christian group for many years. Having fled from antiChristian persecution in Iraq and found safety in Syria, they are now once again experiencing violence, this time in their place of refuge. We are continuing to support them.

Project reference 00-1032

Assembling care packages, including baby milk and nappies for infants BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013 17

IN TOUCH

nabas Going the distance for Bar

activities on our all who get involved in fundraising We at Barnabas are so grateful to awareness and ed rais s in which our supporters behalf. Here are just some of the way funds for us in 2012. d for us last year.

-time fundraiser for Barnabas, bike Canon John Bowers, who is a long pilgrimage to Skellig n cycled a total of 197 miles on a Along with his son Chris, Canon Joh efforts are in aid ng on 24 July. Canon John’s sterling Michael in Western Ireland, beginni e, as well as an Kenya, which provides a loving hom of the Cana Girls Refuge Centre in ociated with at risk from the abusive customs ass education, for Christian girls who are ed a total of £16,541 thanks go to Canon John, who rais African Traditional Religions. Our for Barnabas Fund in 2012.

tance for Barnabas

David Chester went the dis in the Great South Run

the miles. Barnabas as “not a typical supporters have been clocking up behalf. David, who describes himself our on Run th It’s not only on two wheels that our Sou at Gre the ran ster, from Havant, UK, who onal best time.

Fund would like to thank David Che on 28 October but also beat his pers race the in rch Chu ted ecu pers runner”, not only raised £200 for the , please let us know and we will as Fund in a future Great South Run nab Bar for run to p grou a up e David to mak If you would be interested in joining . him to ils deta pass on your contact

Rode Heath Chapel suppor ts the suffering Church

Barnabas would like to thank the congregation of Rode Heath Chapel in Cheshire, UK, who organised a Suffering Church Sunday service on 4 November 2012. During the service, worshippers held flags from countries where Christians suffer persecution and prayed for their suffering brothers and sisters. Their children’s group, Sparklers, got involved by making the origami doves of peace, Scripture paper chains and flags of the nations, which were provided in Barnabas Fund’s SCS pack. The service also raised £217 to help persecuted Christians.

Barnabas Fund is so grateful to all the churches that hold Suffering Church Sunday services. It is a huge encouragement to our persecuted brothers and sisters that Christians in other countries will set aside a Sunday to lift them up in prayer and raise awareness of their plight.

Driven to supp or t Barnabas? Giv e a car No

w there is a way to ge t rid of your unwante d or scrapped car an persecuted Church d support the at the same time. Gi veaCar is the first lic enterprise that puts ensed, non-profit so the money from the cial sale of old, unwante of charities. Since it d cars towards the wo launched in 2010, mo rk re than £820,000 has be 800 charities. It is ea en raised for over sy to donate your old or scrap car, as GiveaC free, and you can ch ar will collect it for oose how much of the proceeds go to Barn abas Fund.

Donating your old ca r makes a real differ ence to our persecu sisters. Visit www.giv ted brothers and eacar.co.uk for more information.

Young people at Rode Heath Chapel share what they have made and learned

Feathered friends raising funds proved that thinking outside of the box

William From left to right: Julian holding Penny, and Eilidh holding Ginger, Rosanna holding Henny holding Jenny

18 BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

Four friends from Dundee, UK, have tactic. Eilidh (14), (but not outside the chicken coop!) is a great fundraising the eggs laid Julian (15), Rosanna (13) and William (10) have been selling sales have by their four free-range hens to their friends and family. Their funds will make a raised a fantastic £43 for the persecuted Church. These ian children huge difference to their chosen projects, which support Christ business startthrough education and impoverished Christians with small s club for their great ups. Barnabas Fund would like to thank the Four Friend idea and for the super total raised so far.

YES, I WOULD LIKE TO HELP THE PERSECUTED CHURCH Title...................... Full Name......................................................................................................................................

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Mag 03/13

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Name of charity: Barnabas Fund Please treat as Gift Aid donations all qualifying gifts of money made: (Please tick all boxes you wish to apply) today

in the past 4 years

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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.

I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for each tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities or Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year. I understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify. I understand the charity will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give on or after 6 April 2008.

“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”

Signature.................................................................................... Date ....................................................

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Please inform us if you want to cancel this declaration, change your name or home address or no longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains. If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self-Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code.

Mag 03/13

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).

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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 Fund office with the details and pay by credit/debit card over the phone.

Please return this form to Barnabas Fund at your national office or to the UK office. Addresses are on the back cover. Barnabas Fund will not give your address, telephone number or email to anyone else.

Supporters in Germany: please turn to back cover for how to send gifts to Barnabas Fund.

Phone 0800 587 4006 or visit our website at www.barnabasfund.org to make a donation by Direct Debit, credit or debit card.

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*If the project chosen is sufficiently funded, we reserve the right to use designated gifts either for another project of a similar type or for another project in the same country.

Registered Charity number 1092935 Company registered in England number 4029536

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Thanking the Lord for 20 years of Barnabas Fund

20 years giving aid to persecuted Christians

How to Find Us 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.

Australia PO BOX 3527, LOGANHOLME, QLD 4129 Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365 799 Fax (07) 3806 4076 Email bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org 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 e.V. Account number: 415 600 Bank: Evang Kreditgenossenschaft Stuttgart Bankcode (BLZ): 520 604 10

You may contact Barnabas Fund at the following addresses: Jersey Le Jardin, La Rue A Don, Grouville, Jersey, Channel Islands JE3 9GB Telephone 700600 Fax 700601 Email bfjersey@barnabasfund.org New Zealand PO Box 27 6018, Manukau City, Auckland, 2241 Telephone (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805 Email office@barnabasfund.org.nz Singapore Cheques in Singapore dollars payable to “Barnabas Fund” may be sent to: 13 Nathan Road, 04-03 Regency Park, Singapore 248737 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

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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

barnabasaid the magazine of Barnabas Fund Managing Editor: Steve Carter 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 Email info@barnabasfund.org © Barnabas Fund 2013. For permission to reproduce articles from this magazine, please contact the International Headquarters address above.

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