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SEPTEMBER 2016
PERSECU ION Off With Their
Heads The Orlando shooting released a river of hatred directed at Christians by a coalition of haters. Unpacking this insanity gives shocking insight into the persecution we see growing in American culture.
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President’s Letter
If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable. ~Louis D. Brandeis Former Associate of the US Supreme Court Laws are only words written on paper, words that change on society’s whim and are interpreted differently daily by politicians, lawyers, judges, and policemen. Anyone who believes that all laws should always be obeyed would have made a fine slave catcher. Anyone who believes that all laws are applied equally, despite race, religion, or economic status, is a fool. ~Author John J. Miller, from “And Hope to Die” Over time, political parties are likely to become potent engines (that will) usurp the reins of government, destroying the very engines which have lifted them to (their) unjust Dominion. ~George Washington
Jeff King, President International Christian Concern
After the Orlando Pulse shooting there was a river of vitriol directed at Christians blaming them for the attack. This may seem strange since the shooter said many times he was doing the attack because he had been inspired by ISIS. For years, as one who has his finger on the pulse of religious freedom in this country, I’ve watched these types of attacks on Christians but this one was a new low and led to the article American Christianity Under Siege (pg. 14). The heinous acts of ISIS and Boko Haram woke many in this country to the real nature of Islam. The party line that “Islam is a religion of peace” could not stand up to the enormity of horrors all committed in the name of Allah with cited chapter and verse from the Quran (for those that were listening). The disconnect between the words of the Orlando shooter and the hatred spewed on Christians afterwards is a bridge too far and should serve as a wake up call for you. All of the hatred directed at Christians, all of the judicial attacks that deny us the freedoms granted by the founders, all of the wrongful firings of Christians, can now more easily be put into context. George Washington said it best (above) when he warned that over time, politicians and political parties would use their power to settle cultural grievances and oppress their fellow citizens. His somber warning that in doing this they would destroy the freedoms built into our system is coming true today. These attacks, cultural, civil, and judicial, are acts of persecution from a cultural minority that has cultural influence beyond their numbers. A sleeping Church needs to wake up and come to terms with the fact that although Jesus was meek, he was also forceful with little appetite for hypocrisy and wickedness in high places. It remains to be seen what it will take for the proverbial frog to jump out of the pot. Until then, read the article. Wrestle with your response to its purposefully cross cultural message but understand what is happening. Then gather a bit of righteous anger and spread the word.
Jeff King President, International Christian Concern www.persecution.org
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New Law Restricts Religious Freedom of Christians in Russia
1 | BANGLADESH In an eight-hour standoff with authorities, ISIS militants killed 22 people in a restaurant in Bangladesh’s capital city of Dhaka. Reports indicate that the attackers let the Muslims who were present leave unharmed while non-Muslims and foreigners faced a violent end. Relatives of hostages explained that those who were unable to recite from the Quran upon command were tortured. In addition to the 22 who were brutally murdered, six of the attackers were also fatally shot. This attack, which is just one of many, is part of a recent escalation of violence in Bangladesh. There have been numerous accounts of attacks on religious minorities, liberal bloggers, and LGBT activists. ISIS continues to wage war against anyone whose ideology contrasts its own, leaving Christians and other religious minorities in its path of destruction. Islamic extremism has gained significant ground in Bangladesh with both the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda claiming responsibility for attacks of this nature in recent months. Christians are rightly beginning to question their security in this South Asian country.
2 | RUSSIA Vladimir Putin, recently signed a new law which will have significant repercussions for the Christian community of Russia. The law’s main purpose is to combat terrorism and punish those who are found to be supporting terrorism, whether financially or otherwise. However, the new law also includes concerning restrictions on one’s freedom to share the Gospel openly with others. One of the more significant restrictions deems preaching that takes place outside of a house of worship as missionary activity which requires government permission through a registered organization. While this may seem innocuous at a glance, this would restrict a Christian from sharing his or her faith with a non-Christian friend without first obtaining permission from government officials. Not only are the restrictions severe, but so are the consequences. Individuals found guilty would face fines costing them hundreds of dollars, while organizations found guilty would pay upwards of $15,000. Those who work as international missionaries could potentially be expelled from the country if convicted under these new limitations. Russia, as well as many Eurasian countries, rarely makes the headlines for violence against religious minorities. However, we must pay careful attention or else mounting restrictions on religious freedom could slowly choke Christianity out of the region.
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22 Killed in ISIS Attack on a Bangladesh Cafe
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Elderly Pastor Beaten Unconscious by Hindu Radicals 3 | INDIA In Uttar Pradesh, a state of northern India, four Hindu radicals recently stormed a church service and beat the 66-year-old pastor to the point of unconsciousness. In addition to losing consciousness, the pastor also suffered a major cut and severe bleeding. The attackers accused the pastor of forcibly converting Hindus. Such accusations are often used as justification for assaulting Christians and closing down churches in India. The same church was also temporarily closed in February when police officers took two of the pastors into custody following more accusations of forced conversion. Thankfully, nearly 200 Christians showed up at the police station testifying on the pastors’ behalf and they were released without charge. Although the attack on the 66-yearold pastor took place in May, many of the church members have been too afraid to return, fearing another attack. SEPTEMBER 2016
ISIS Kills 41 People in Attack on a Turkish Airport 4 | TURKEY On June 28, three suicide bombers allegedly affiliated with the Islamic State carried out an attack on Turkey’s Ataturk Airport which led to the deaths of 41 people and wounded 239 others. This group has been responsible for countless acts of violence against religious minorities throughout the Middle East, causing a mass exodus of Christians from the region. This attack served as the deadliest of 2016 in a number of recent bombings in Turkey.
Chinese Church Raided Seven Times in Muslim Mob Two Months Burns Down 5 | CHINA It is widely acknowledged that many Chinese Homes of Four Christians face harassment at the hands of the govern- Christians ment. However, one church in particular, Zhongfu Wanmin Church, has fallen victim to seven separate church raids in less than two months. Accusations during the raids included taking part in illegal gatherings and illegally obtaining income through tithes, which were also stolen from the church because they were being used for “unregistered” activities, according to China Aid. During one of the raids, authorities intimidated some of the church members to the point of tears. The Chinese government, led by President Xi Jinping (pictured), has been actively persecuting Christians through church demolitions and cross removals since 2013.
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6 | EGYPT On June 30, a mob of Muslim radicals burned the homes of four Christians in Egypt. The attack took place in response to rumors that one of the men was constructing a church due to the relatively large Christian population in the area without a local church. After it was discovered that he was simply rebuilding his home, three individuals were arrested in connection to the attack as authorities investigate the incident.
Suicide Bombers Strike Christian Village in Lebanon 7 | LEBANON In the early morning hours of June 27, four suicide bombers struck the Christian village of Qaa in Lebanon, along the Syrian border. A villager confronted a suspicious group of men when a fight broke out, leading the first suicide bomber to detonate his explosives. At least five people were reported dead with many more injured as well. This incident occurred as the civil war in Syria continues to cross borders into Lebanon, causing destruction for everyone in its path, including the Christian community. While Christian persecution has been most heavily concentrated in Iraq and Syria, recent incidents such as this are causes of great concern for Christian communities in neighboring countries.
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1 | PAKISTAN In late June, two Christians and one Muslim were sentenced to death on blasphemy charges in Pakistan. The case involved two of them allegedly being involved with blackmail while the other was reportedly recorded having a blasphemous conversation. Following 11 testimonies, an anti-terrorism court delivered the guilty verdict and sentenced the three to the death penalty. They have the opportunity to file an appeal regarding the verdict. Although a Muslim was also convicted in this case, religious minorities are naturally more affected by Pakistan’s biased blasphemy laws than Muslims. That is because, according to the BBC, in 1986 the blasphemy laws were edited to specifically condemn blasphemy against Muhammad with the recommended penalty of a death sentence or a life sentence in prison. Blasphemy laws in Pakistan are greatly misused and manipulated in order to persecute Christians and other
religious minorities, who are often falsely accused. Christians often fall victim to blasphemy accusations from those wishing to settle personal matters and those who want to further discriminate against an already vulnerable minority community. Even for those who are not officially convicted of blasphemy by a court of law, those who are simply accused by others can face a matter of life or death. For example, Christian couple Shahzad and his pregnant wife Shama were accused of allegedly burning pages of the Quran – accusations which were never confirmed. Shortly after the accusations arose, the couple was confronted by a Muslim mob who beat them and subsequently threw them into a brick kiln. Pakistan’s blasphemy laws must be repealed before more religious minorities lose their lives unjustly.
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Two Christians Sentenced to Death on Blasphemy Charges
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
Sudan is ranked the eighth worst persecutor of Christians Refugees Denied the Right to Seek Asylum in Sudan
2 | SUDAN According to a report from Human Rights Watch, 442 Eritreans were deported from Sudan, including six of whom were registered refugees. This violates international law which requires that asylum seekers must have their applications reviewed prior to deportation. Furthermore, it also bans countries from deporting asylum seekers to places where they would be met with the imminent threat of violence, whether religiously motivated or not. Eritrea, commonly referred to as the “North Korea of Africa,” certainly poses that kind of threat. Those who flee Eritrea and are forced to return could face forced labor and, in some cases, torture and imprisonment. In addition, the refugee branch of the United Nations (UNHCR) has been denied access to the groups of refugees facing deportation on numerous occasions. Those seeking to flee Eritrea often face persecution that is equally severe in Sudan. Open Doors, a persecution watchdog group, ranked Sudan as the eighth worst persecutor of Christians on its annual World Watch List. Led by President Omar al-Bashir (pictured), the Sudanese government holds a tight grip on religious rights and the freedom of expression. Within the past few years, numerous Christian leaders in Sudan have been arbitrarily imprisoned solely because they profess Christ as their Savior.
SEPTEMBER 2016
Life-Threatening Conditions for Those Displaced by Boko Haram 3 | NIGERIA Within one month, 200 people died as a result of disease and malnutrition in a single Internally Displaced People (IDP) camp in Nigeria according to Doctors Without Borders. Many of those living in the IDP camps were people who were displaced because of the Islamic radical group Boko Haram, one of the worst persecutors of Christians worldwide. The medical organization described the situation in the camps as a “catastrophic humanitarian emergency.”
Pastor Beaten by Police Officer During Service
4 | PAKISTAN In June, a pastor living in Lahore, Pakistan was beaten by a police officer following a noise complaint from a Muslim neighbor about the church’s worship service. The officer began verbally abusing the church members, demanding that the service cease, when the pastor asked the officer to stop disturbing the service. The officer then began to violently beat the pastor in front of the congregation. This is yet another example of Christians being treated as secondclass citizens in Pakistan.
Concerns over Proposal to Expand Sharia Law
5 | MALAYSIA For many years, Malaysia has been respected for being a primarily Muslim country that is tolerant of minority religions, including Christianity. However, recent developments including the growth of Islam and expansion of Sharia law have many Christians worried. Most notably, the Malaysian Islamic Party is seeking to enact a policy that would implement Sharia punishments for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. These restrictions would pose unjust consequences to the approximate 40% of non-Muslims in Malaysia.
Disproportionate Number of Christian Refugees Accepted into the US
6 | USA According to a recent report from the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), the United States accepted a significantly disproportionate number of Christian refugees from the Middle East in spite of the ongoing terror they face. Between mid-June and the beginning of 2016, only 28 Christians were accepted into the US from Syria. The report also indicated that although approximately ten percent of the Syrian population professes Christianity, less than two percent of those welcomed into the US in 2015 were Christians. This disproportionate acceptance of Christian refugees counters logic as Christians in the region have faced some of the worst persecution in years, prompting many governing bodies around the world to declare the actions of ISIS as “genocide.” The American government must do more to offer protection to this shrinking community.
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Your Dollar$ at Work Food Packages to Al-Shabaab Victims’ Families
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Community Rebuild
magine what it’s like to live every day grieving for your lost son or daughter, traumatized with the knowledge that his or her life was cut short brutally at the hands of murderous persecutors. That’s what 148 parents continue to suffer through each day after five gunmen from the militant Islamist terror group al-Shabaab stormed Garissa University in northeast Kenya in April 2015, murdering nearly 150 people. Most of the dead are Christian students, killed execution style because they stood for Christ or failed to recite verses from the Quran at gunpoint. This has become al-Shabaab’s calling card: separate Christians from Muslims, slaughter believers, and let Muslims go free. Garissa represents Kenya’s worst persecution attack to date and broken families still carry the burden brought on by persecution and grief they will bear for the rest of their lives. ICC has stepped in to offer solidarity with these suffering brothers and sisters. In June, we visited four of the families, including an attack survivor. We listened to their gutwrenching stories, prayed with them and offered encouragement. In the end, we can’t relieve their pain but we provided each one of these four families with food packages for one month so that they may know and feel the love of Christ as we are all in the same Body. Unfortunately, the victims’ families are scattered all over Kenya. We continue to identify and locate the families affected by this tragedy to reach out with emotional, spiritual, and practical help as Jesus calls us to “remember those who are mistreated since you are also in the Body” (Hebrews 13:3 ESV). Please continue to pray for these bereaved families as they seek comfort from above to mend the unending wounds that persecution leaves behind. Please join with us as one Church united globally to weep with those who are weeping in Kenya.
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SEPTEMBER 2016
Clean Drinking Trauma Water Counseling
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Hand of Hope
fter a Christian young man in Pakistan faced blasphemy accusations during the summer of 2015, 20 local families were forced to flee their homes. The conflict arose when local Muslims tried to coerce Christians to convert to Islam in order to obtain water from the mosque water tap. Unfortunately, the water from this tap at the mosque was the only source of clean drinking water in the village. In order to assist the families in need and avoid future disputes, ICC paid for a water tank and filtration unit for the man accused of blasphemy. With the help of donors, ICC also purchased water coolers for each of the 20 families in need. This will hopefully be a blessing so that this Christian community can finally gain access to clean water without the threat of persecution.
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Suffering Wives and Children
ortheastern Nigeria is home to countless Christians displaced by the continuing violence from the bloody insurgency that Boko Haram continues to wage since 2009. The militant Islamist terrorists have largely targeted Christians, and thousands of affected believers are attempting to pick up the pieces of their lives after witnessing horrendous atrocities. Youth are particularly vulnerable. On our June 2016 trip to Yola, Nigeria, ICC hosted a trauma counseling seminar for 180 youth who have been directly traumatized as a result of these unforgettable experiences. The program lasted two days as the youth heard from experts about trauma coping techniques, shared their testimonies, learned from God’s Word about his goodness through suffering, and thought about their hopes and dreams for the future. Please pray that God would heal the wounds that still deeply affect these hundreds of Christian youth.
Farming Assistance
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Community Rebuild
he hamlets that surround Jol village in Plateau State, central Nigeria have faced destruction three times in the past 15 years. The Christian residents there live in such fear of repeated attacks that they congregate in the central village away from their farms and their homes to sleep at night, before returning to the fields during the day. Radical Islamist Fulani militants continue to ravage central Nigeria with devastating attacks, murdering, pillaging, and wiping whole towns off the map in a continuing crisis that’s burned hot since 2001. Christian communities maintain little defense against these crazed bands of militants armed with assault rifles, machetes, and gasoline, bent towards blood and destruction. Since the government stationed a handful of armed police officers in Jol, the residents are trying to rebuild their lives and they need help. ICC provided 89 families there with fertilizer to help them begin to replant and restart.
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Your Dollar$ at Work
Bibles in Their Language
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Bibles
uring a trip to India in 2014, ICC staff met with and established a partnership with a local ministry. This ministry has been vital in the process of carrying out many of the logistics of on-the-ground assistance projects in India. Due to their involvement with the training and equipping of rural pastors, one of their primary needs is Bibles in the local language. In order to bless this ministry and say thank you for all that they do to help the persecuted Church in India, ICC purchased and donated 260 Bibles in the language of Telugu. Many of these Bibles will go toward those who face discrimination for their faith, including some who cannot afford to purchase a Bible of their own. A representative from this ministry reported that the donation “represents the hope that they can cling on through the Word of God in the form of Bible.”
ISIS Victims Community Rebuild
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herkos is one of the most impoverished slums in Ethiopia’s capital city Addis Ababa. Making a living is so difficult that some of its residents have risked their lives, traversing territory in Libya infested by ISIS fighters, carrying hopes of reaching Europe so that they can find better jobs to support their families. Thirty-three Ethiopian and Eritrean Christian brothers aspired to these greener pastures, but sadly they never reached Europe. In April 2015, ISIS released a grisly video depicting the execution of these Christians, killed because they would not deny their Christian faith. This persecution event has left their families not only suffering the grief of the terrible loss of their sons, husbands, and fathers, but also lacking the income upon which they relied to survive. ICC continues to try and locate and provide basic needs for these families. During a June trip to Ethiopia, ICC provided food packages for two families still grieving their sons.
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SEPTEMBER 2016
Your Dollar$ at Work
Ice Cream Vendor Gets a New Start
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Anniversary Ceremony
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Hand of Hope
n May of 2016, an ice cream vendor from Pakistan named Khaleel was brutally attacked by a mob of approximately 20 people after attempting to sell his products to Muslim women and children. In addition to causing Khaleel injuries to his jaw, the mob damaged his products as well as his bicycle which served
as the means of transportation for his business. In response to this attack, with the help of generous donors, ICC was able to compensate Khaleel for both the physical and monetary damage that he faced. Furthermore, ICC is helping Khaleel to start up a new small business in order to replace his ice cream business and help this family support themselves financially.
Hand of Hope
n March 15, 2015, suicide bombers from the Pakistani Taliban attacked Christ Church and St. John’s Catholic Church in the primarily Christian community of Youhanabad. One year later, during March of 2016, an anniversary ceremony was held to honor the 22 who lost their lives and the many others who were injured during this vicious attack. In commemoration of these twin attacks, ICC provided financial support to each of the two churches who hosted anniversary ceremonies. This support helped provide the basics for the ceremonies, including chairs and tents. One of the ceremonies was attended by more than 6,000 people, including families of the victims, friends, religious leaders and community members. Events like this prove that the impact of an attack of this nature affects a community much larger than just those who were present at the scene of the crime. This simple gesture of solidarity helped to provide comfort to this devastated Christian community by showing them that their brothers and sisters around the world are grieving with them.
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Medical Expenses
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Hand of Hope
n the beginning of 2016, a mob of Hindu radicals attacked a Christian prayer meeting in India. Several Christians were severely injured during the attack, including a 4-yearold girl named Anika (name changed for security). Due to the rush of people in the mob, Anika was trampled and broke her left leg. Due to the family’s already inconsistent income as laborers without a daily income, this
injury also posed a large financial problem. In order to ease their burden, ICC stepped in to cover the medical expenses of Anika’s injury, which would have cost the family several months’ wages. Not only did this help ease their financial burden, but it also provided the family with encouragement. They said, “The assistance also instills the confidence in us to endure through the difficult times as believers.”
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