Category Archives: General
INDONESIA: WORLD’S LARGEST MUSLIM NATION SEES PERSISTENT PERSECUTION
Original Source – Jumma Prayer
(MNN) — Though Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim nation, Christian and Muslim neighbors mostly live in peace. However, Greg Musselman of Voice of the Martyrs, Canada visited on reports of militant Muslims creating animosity: “We’re hearing stories of churches being destroyed, hundreds of these militant Muslim mobs showing up in front of these churches and trying to shut them down, people beaten up, driven away and all that kind of thing. So, we wanted to go investigate.”
Upon arrival, Musselman discovered these stories were true, especially in West Java, though persecution isn’t as blatant as in the past: “It’s not as intense as we’ve heard in the past. But there’s still this underlying persecution taking place to intimidate.” Despite the intimidation, at an underground Bible institute Musselman visited, nearly 70 percent of the students were once Muslim. Now, he said, we need to band around these fellow believers: “If one part of the body suffers, then we all suffer. So if it’s believers in Indonesia or wherever it might be, that we’re joined with them and we need to be praying.”
see bcwe.org for more articles on Muslim Missions
MOROCCO: Expat Workers Out, Christian TV Still There
(MNN) — Wanting to prevent what’s being called a “conflict between religions,” Moroccan officials have deported at least 100 expatriate Christians since March. Officials claim they had worked as missionaries under the guise of humanitarian aid workers.
President of SAT-7 USA Rex Rogers says God isn’t surprised by this recent turn of events. “As people hear that traditional Christian witness, i.e. missionaries, or other foreign Christians are being asked to leave or be deported, they think, ‘Oh no, there’s no Christian witness left.’ Or worse, ‘There’s no hope.'” On the contrary, Rogers says there is hope. There’s a national thriving church and the ministry of SAT-7, Christian satellite television for the Middle East and North Africa.
Rogers says SAT-7’s purpose is to reach out to the local church: “That’s biblical. You encourage the saints. The saints in turn go out and witness to our friends and neighbors and compel them. Is evangelization also taking place? Well, of course it is. Any time the Word of God goes out in any form, it doesn’t return void.” Financially you can help. Text “SAT 7” to 20222 to contribute $10.
See bcwe.org for more Muslim Missions articles
Evangelicals Urge Caution in Wake of Morocco Expulsions
A delegation of evangelical church leaders visiting Morocco urged Representative Frank Wolf on Friday to postpone hearings on the recent expulsion of Christians.
“We believe it is too early to hold hearings because much more time is needed to determine facts and to give this issue the attention it deserves,” said the Rev Dr David Anderson, spokesman for the delegation.
A hearing, led by Wolf, is scheduled for June 17 to look into the “harsh nature” of the expulsions of more than 40 Christians – some of whom are US citizens – who were accused of proselytising.
Wolf said in a statement Thursday that he has been working with Moroccan and US officials over the last two months in an attempt to find a satisfactory solution but the “Moroccan government seems unwilling to compromise”.
“I feel it is my responsibility to speak out about the human rights abuses being perpetrated by the Moroccan government,” he stated.
Proselytism is illegal in the predominantly Muslim country. Though Morocco has been recognised for its religious tolerance and freedom, many Christians expressed concern in recent months with what some believe to be a national crackdown against Christians.
Among those ordered to leave the country were 16 Christians from the Village of Hope who were taking care of 33 orphaned and abandoned children. The workers had been serving as foster parents for some 10 years with the full knowledge of the government and were shocked by the sudden expulsion in March. They refuted proselytism claims and maintained that they have abided by the law.
According to Wolf, 10 additional foreign nationals were asked to leave the country earlier this week. The congressman noted that Moroccan authorities have refused to turn over any evidence or offer any explanation of the proselytism charges.
Along with scheduling a hearing, Wolf has also called on the US State Department and the White House to raise the issue with Moroccan authorities.
But a group of evangelicals who have been talking with government officials and church leaders in Morocco say investigating the matter publicly could do more harm than good.
The five-member team went to Morocco to “quietly pursue a better understanding of the complex circumstances surrounding these deeply troubling events” and so far found that Christians were not the only ones expelled.
Recent deportations have also involved “at least as many Muslims as non-Muslims”, said Anderson.
With that, and also considering the value of the relationship between the US and Morocco, the delegation urged Wolf to delay any action.
“It’s not in anyone’s best interests to explore details of these allegations publicly,” Anderson stressed from the capital of Rabat on Friday. “This is better handled discretely and sensitively, especially considering the large number of Christians that live in Morocco.”
According to the delegation, the Moroccan government has issued an invitation to U.S. congressional members and evangelical leaders to visit Morocco and discuss the situation.
In addition to Anderson, who is senior pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Sarasota, Florida, members of the delegation include: the Rev Dr Kenneth Barney of New Antioch Baptist Church in Randallstown, Md., the Rev. Patrick J Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition, the Rev Dr Rob Schenck of National Clergy Council, and the Rev Dr Harry Thomas of Come Alive International.
(See bcwe.org for more articles on Muslim Evangelism)
UZBEKISTAN: EVANGELICALS HARASSED
(MNN) — Oppression facing evangelical churches in Uzbekistan continues to grow, and one mission leader says it doesn’t appear to be easing any. Forum 18 reports a church in Tashkent was raided and leaders were jailed.
Sergey Rakhuba with Russian Ministries says, “They are charged with the ‘unlawful act’ of having a service in a registered building, in a registered church, and having Christian literature. Apparently, a Bible isn’t allowed any more. It’s a prohibited book all of a sudden.”
Uzbekistan is ranked 10th on Open Doors World Watch List of nations who persecute Christians. Rakhuba says persecution is causing the church to grow, just as it did during his time in the Soviet Union. “Small home churches are starting everywhere. These young people want to continue to spread the Gospel. Despite pressure, they continue carrying the torch and faithfully expanding God’s kingdom.”
IRAN: SAT-7 UNVEILS NEW WEB SITE
Iran has a high number of Internet users for a Middle Eastern country of its size. Despite restrictions, about 48-percent of its population regularly uses the Internet. That compares to 21-percent in Egypt. SAT-7 PARS, Christian Satellite television for the Farsi-speaking world, has unveiled their new Web site. It features samples of SAT-7 programs, a complete Bible in Farsi which users can read or download, a place where basic questions about the faith are answered.
TAJIKISTAN-MORE THAN JUST MINISTRIES
Original source – Jumma Prayer
(MNN) — In the midst of heavy rainfall in Tajikistan, river banks flooded, sending water rushing into several villages in the middle of the night. Kulyob was hit hardest with at least 24 dead, 50 missing, and hundreds wounded and homeless.
The country’s president is asking for international aid. But Eric Mock of Slavic Gospel Association is relying on missionaries in the village: “What SGA is doing is getting involved with this missionary family, as well as the central church, working with them. Long after all international aid groups will be gone, it’ll be that local church that will be a witness to the Gospel.”
And Mock’s not the only one who knows the church will step up: “After approaching the mayor and asking what we could do, the mayor actually responded with a hand-written letter to the Christian churches, appealing to them for assistance in their Muslim communities.” Aid will replace items washed away by the river.pray that God uses the local church to be a vibrant witness to the Gospel.”
Moroccan Christians Speak Out
I just received the following press release from a friend of mine living in Morocco:
We, the members of the Worldwide Union of Moroccan Christians, declare that:
We are following with great anticipation these waves of convocations, interrogations, arrests, and detentions, practiced these last few weeks by Moroccan security forces against Moroccan Christians, as well as the deportations of foreign aid workers working with humanitarian organizations in Morocco. With this press release, we hope to clarify the following points:
As Moroccan Christians, we are proud of our rich Christian heritage. Some are first generation, others second and third, and all of these people and families have different functions in Moroccan society and abroad. We live our daily lives peaceably, in total harmony and respect in our society that we serve according to our abilities and with zeal.
Contrary to the regrettable claims repeated by certain media that attempt to question the validity of our faith using any and every means possible, we hold fast in affirming that our faith in Christ is a personal choice that was never the result of pressure or material or social motivations. Our convictions are religious and are not the result of any foreign influence.
The abuses and persecution coming from Moroccan authorities affect us as Christians and deprive us of our fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution and by all the internationally recognized charters and conventions. They contradict the Moroccan government’s declarations pronounced by its spokesman and communications minister by which Morocco guarantees religious and ideological freedom. It is our duty to question the legitimacy of these claims, because if they were true, why are Moroccan Christians being persecuted? Under what laws are they being interrogated and arrested?
We hold fast in affirming that the declarations of the foreign church leaders in Morocco do not reflect in any way the opinion of Moroccan Christians. In fact, as foreign Christians residing in Morocco, they benefit from privileges for which Moroccan Christians have been denied: places of worship, churches, a total ban on gathering together and practicing our rituals in both private and in public sectors. We are not even allowed to defend our faith when asked to do so. In the end, we don’t even have right to possess Bibles in Arab or in Amazigh (Berber language) in our dear country, as our Bibles are confiscated and considered as tools for proselytizing.
We denounce the harassments that we are suffering as Moroccan Christians as being religious persecution that have absolutely no link to any political position. On the other hand, we as Moroccan Christians pray for our king, our people and our homeland from Tangier to Laguira, for more goodwill, more progress and more prosperity.
It is on this basis that we are asking the Moroccan government the following:
To stop all forms of systematic security threats, arrests, detentions, and inspections with the sole objective of humiliating Christians and to pressure them to renounce their religious convictions.
That the government would open formal channels of dialogue with Moroccan Christians to establish true clarity, transparency and understanding, because we are looking to maintain the country’s integrity as well as its security.
The official recognition of Moroccan Christians and their right to have services and to practice their rituals and Christian rites freely without harassments and restrictions.
The permission granted to Moroccans to convert to the religion of their choice, including Christianity, without being submitted to any interrogation or harassment from security forces, as it is guaranteed by the Moroccan constitution.
See bcwe.org for more articles
Morocco Clamps Down on Foreign Christians
Morocco (MNN) ― Christians around the world are puzzled by sudden recent anti-Christian activities in Morocco.
Source: Mission Network News (http://mnnonline.org), March 10, 2010
Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs says two years ago Morocco would have been called a tolerant Muslim country, but not anymore. “So far this week, we’ve heard of six different foreign Christians who either have been expelled from the country or are in custody awaiting expulsion.”
Nettleton says, “In one case, we heard about Christians working at an orphanage who were expelled from the country, leaving all of the kids in the orphanage without supervision, simply in the custody of the government of Morocco.”
21 other foreigners are awaiting deportation.
On February 4, “eleven believers (including an American), two non-believers and five children…were [held] by the Moroccan government for 14 hours.”
After 14 hours in detention, the American was deported and the others were released. Authorities kept the American’s laptop computer, along with Bibles, books, a laptop, a digital photo camera and a cell phone that belonged to the others arrested.
Nettleton says the new minister of justice, Mohamed Naciri, is responsible. “It’s unclear if simply this new minister of justice is a more devout or more radical Muslim and wants to come against the apostasy movement, encouraging Muslims to leave Islam and follow Jesus Christ and we just don’t know that much about the why right now.”
Moroccan Christians are asking you to “write to our own U.S. government–which gives millions of dollars of aid to Morocco–as well as the Moroccan government in protest of these expulsions.”
See bcwe.org for more
More on the Village of Hope
Click here to check out the CBN News Report.
More than 40 Christians have been kicked out of Morocco this week, including members of a group that helped run an orphanage in the country.
The government says the missionaries were proselytizing, which is against the law in Morocco.
Many of the Christians worked at the Village of Hope where 33 orphans are currently housed. For the Moroccan children there, Christian aid workers are the only parents they’ve ever known.
The expelled Village of Hope workers are concerned that no one will care for the needs of their orphans, including one with cerebral palsy who needs special care.
In a statement on their Web site, the Christians plead with the government to let them continue caring for the children. They say they have always operated legally and are not guilty of any crime.
The series of deportations began when a pastor visiting from the U.S. was expelled last February. To protect his identity, CBN News will not reveal his name.
“Understand that there were 60 officers involved, from Secret Service, from the police station and from the Army,” he recalled. “There were clearly-drawn weapons as we were escorted downstairs.”
The pastor added, however, that some of the police officers were secretly supportive.
“About 3 o’clock in the morning, one of the armed, dressed police officers went out and bought us a ‘tarjin’ and brought it in and set it down on the table for us… and we began eating,” he said. “I wanted the locals to be blessed with the food. He clearly wanted me to sit at the table. I sat down. He looked me straight in the eye and he said ‘God bless you.'”
Christians around the world are calling for an international outcry on behalf of the Moroccan children who they say will suffer the most from the government’s actions.
“America is in the process of tripling our support for the Moroccan government,” the deported pastor said. “It just seems like there needs to be a higher level accountability to the Moroccan government for the way it’s treating people and denying freedom of religion.”
The expulsion of foreign Christians could be linked to the rise of radical Islam in Morocco– a threat that CBN News has reported for years.
“I think we should be very concerned about the continued operation, cultivation, support and probably growth of al Qaeda cells in North Africa,” radical Islam expert Steven Emerson told CBN News in 2005.
However, the pastor expelled from Morocco last year is optimistic about the country’s growing number of secret Christians.
“Moroccans that I’ve met are very strong in their faith and are determined to go forward no matter what,” he said. “It could be that the Christian population in Morocco is as high as 50,000. The government would clearly want that kind of information suppressed and not believed, but there is a strong underground church in Morocco.”
See bcwe.org for more
The Masters Call 