COMPASS DIRECT
Global News from the Frontlines
January 12, 2005
Compass Direct is distributed monthly to raise awareness of Christians worldwide who
are persecuted for their faith. Articles may be reprinted or edited by active subscribers for
use in other media, provided Compass Direct is acknowledged as the source of the
material.
Copyright 2005 Compass Direct
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IN THIS ISSUE
THE TOP 10 FROM COMPASS DIRECT
Our pick of 2004’s leading news stories from the persecuted church worldwide.
ERITREA
Sixty More Evangelical Christians Jailed***
Men and women arrested at New Year’s Eve party.
INDIA
Hindu Leader’s Arrest Leads to Charge of Christian Conspiracy
Hardline Hindu groups take issue over jailed ‘Hindu pope.’
Hindus Build Temple on Church Property
Temple erected in Orissa on land donated by deceased church members.
Christian School Censured for Distributing Bibles
District officials ask school to concede to demands of Hindu protestors.
Dalit Christians Demand Equal Rights
“Untouchables” lose basic rights if they convert to Christianity.
INDONESIA
Pastor Kidnapped, Still Missing
Abductors attempt to steal funds donated for church reconstruction.
Two Churches Attacked, Three People Injured
Terrorists stage simultaneous bombing and shooting attacks on Sunday.
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Government Orders Tighter Security for Churches this Christmas
Senior policeman arrested in connection with attacks on Christians.
JORDAN
Court Postpones Child Custody Verdict***
Muslim guardian refuses to appear in court.
NIGERIA
Student Murdered in Clash over Evangelism***
Five other Christians expelled from two public schools.
PERU
Judges Uphold Prison Term for Evangelical Christian
Tribunal confirms conviction of Walter Cubas on dubious terrorism charges.
SPAIN
Evangelical Church Still Homeless After One Year***
Gypsy Protestants await settlement after Madrid authorities demolish chapel.
SRI LANKA
Buddhist Monks Threaten to ‘Fast Unto Death’
Monks demand changes to constitution and adoption of anti-conversion laws.
Sidebar: Documented Hostility
Church Torched in Pre-Dawn Attack
President Kumaratunga orders police to guard against more Christmas violence.
UKRAINE
Thugs Attack Christian Publisher***
Brutal assault aimed at silencing pro-democracy advocate.
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The Top 10 from Compass Direct
Our pick of 2004’s leading news stories from the persecuted church worldwide.
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Compass correspondents and editors selected the following stories from 2004 as the most
important to watch for their impact on the persecuted church. They are listed in ascending
order of importance, starting with the tenth-ranked story.
10. TURKEY: AUTHORITIES FINALLY ‘LEGALIZE’ NEW PROTESTANT
CHURCH IN DIYARBAKIR
A local committee reporting to the Turkish Ministry of Culture finally approved legal
zoning for the Diyarbakir Evangelical Church in October, making it the first new
Protestant church opened in southeastern Turkey since the founding of the Turkish
republic. Issued during the tense period of evaluation over Turkey’s pending membership
in the European Union, the positive decision came after three years of repeated
stonewalling by Turkish officialdom. Turkey insists that previous legal barriers have been
removed to enable non-Muslims to open places of worship, but Pastor Ahmet Guvener
states that his Diyarbakir congregation gained its permission as an exception -- not
through any established legal mechanism. Although designed to facilitate membership in
the European Union, Turkey’s package of revised laws represent only cosmetic changes
for religious congregations. Dozens of small Protestant congregations in Turkey continue
to struggle against police and court harassments to establish a formal, legal identity in the
society.
***Photographs of Pastor Guvener and the Diyarbakir Evangelical Church are available
electronically. Please contact Compass Direct for pricing and transmittal.
9. SRI LANKA: DEBATE CONTINUES ON ANTI-CONVERSION LAW
Buddhist monks from the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party launched an international
campaign to win support for a proposed anti-conversion bill in Sri Lanka, and they seem
to have succeeded. Following a meeting with JHU activists on August 25, acting British
High Commissioner Mr. Peter Hughs reportedly told the Sinhala language newspaper
Divaina, “Christian fundamentalists cause problems not only to Buddhists, but to
Catholics too, and traditional religions must work together against fundamentalism.”
Meanwhile, many Buddhist laypersons oppose the legislation. One message to an online
forum on August 30 is typical: “I have friends from all religions. It is disgusting to see
religion [made into an issue] by some for their own sinister motives.” Church leaders
worried that a Supreme Court ruling in August that declared parts of the bill in violation
of the constitution would create complacency among local Christians. They urged foreign
advocacy groups to continue to work on behalf of minority religions in Sri Lanka.
8. PAKISTAN: CHRISTIAN MINORITY WEATHERS ANOTHER YEAR OF
MURDERS, KIDNAPPINGS AND FALSE BLASPHEMY CHARGES
Despite government assurances that Pakistan’s minority Christians enjoy full protection
and religious freedom, 2004 was marked by repeated outbreaks of violence against
Christian clergy and laymen, with virtual impunity for the aggressors. Church of God
Pastor Mukhtar Masih was murdered in early January near his home in Khanewal by an
unknown assailant. In two separate incidents, Protestant pastors in Quetta and Jacobabad
were kidnapped, severely beaten and held for several days or weeks by Islamist captors
who threatened them for their Christian activities. At least 13 people were injured when
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bombs exploded at the Bible Society shop and adjacent Anglican cathedral in Karachi.
One 16-year-old Christian boy kidnapped by Muslim extremists and forcibly converted to
Islam escaped when they tried to send him to Kashmir, but remains in hiding. Another
Christian, university student Javed Anjum, was tortured to death in May by members of a
Muslim “madrasseh” (seminary) near Toba Tek Singh when he refused to convert to
Islam. Under Pakistan’s draconian blasphemy laws, Christian Anwer Masih was arrested
on indirect evidence but finally granted bail in June after six months in prison, although
he remains in hiding for the duration of his trial. Another Christian jailed for allegedly
spitting on a mosque wall, Samuel Masih, was bludgeoned to death in June by a Lahore
police constable determined to “earn a place in paradise” for killing a blasphemer. Still
another young Christian with severe mental problems, Shahbaz Masih of Fasialabad, was
sentenced to life in prison in September for alleged blasphemy.
7. INDONESIA: DEATH TOLL RISES IN SULAWESI
Indonesians mourned the death of the Rev. Susianty Tinulele, 26, killed by unidentified
gunmen during worship services at the Central Sulawesi Christian Church in Efatah on
July 18. Tinulele had just finished preaching on that Sunday evening when a man
wearing a black mask appeared at the door and sprayed the congregation with machine
gun fire. She died instantly. Choir member Desrianti Tengkede, 17, received a bullet in
the forehead and remained near death in a comatose state. Four other worshipers received
non-fatal bullet wounds. Eyewitnesses said three other armed men waited on motorbikes
outside the church and all fled the scene with the gunman immediately after the shooting.
Local Christians believe the murder -- and the stabbing death two days earlier of Mrs.
Helmy Tombiling, a Christian -- were committed in retaliation for the murder of a 25year-old Muslim motorcyclist on July 16. Violence escalated later in the year, leaving
five more Sulawesi Christians dead in shooting or stabbing attacks.
6. VIETNAM: HARSH SENTENCES FOR ‘MENNONITE SIX’
The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City handed out harsh sentences to six Vietnamese
Mennonite church workers in a four-hour trial on November 12. Rev. Nguyen Hong
Quang and five colleagues were charged with “resisting officers of the law while doing
their duty” in connection with a March 2 incident involving two undercover government
operatives. The court sentenced Quang, general secretary of the Vietnam Mennonite
Church, to three years in prison. Evangelist Pham Ngoc Thach received a two-year
sentence. Nguyen Thanh Phuong, Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Miss Le Thi Hong Lien and
church elder Nguyen Hieu Nghia received sentences ranging from nine to 12 months. A
Vietnamese lawyer who asked to remain anonymous said, “On the basis of the legal
issues and the realities of the case, we affirm that Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang and his
fellow workers are not criminals guilty of the charges brought against them.” Like China,
Vietnam claims that it has improved its record on human rights and freedom of
conscience; however, sources in the country report stepped-up religious persecution.
5. NIGERIA: FRESH VIOLENCE ERUPTS IN PLATEAU STATE
Fresh religious violence erupted in Yelwa town in the central state of Plateau, Nigeria,
two months after Muslim militants killed a pastor and 48 members of his church there on
February 23. The bloodiest Muslim-Christian clash in recent months resulted in the
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deaths of at least 350 people; some press reports put the death toll as high as 630.
According to police, 250 women and children went missing. Meanwhile, more than 120
people were killed and thousands more displaced when inter-religious violence erupted in
Sarkin Kudu and Dampar villages in the northern state of Taraba in late April. Local
sources say an Easter Sunday attack by Muslim militants on Christian villages in the
nearby state of Plateau provoked the Taraba violence. “Christians in Plateau state believe
that these two villages are operational bases for Muslim militants,” Alhaji Lawal
Mohammed, a Muslim and the chairman of the Ibi local government council, told
Compass. “And because of this, the religious crisis has now spread into our state.”
Following the violence, President Olusegun Obusanjo declared a six-month state of
emergency in Plateau state and appointed a retired military general as acting governor.
Martial law was lifted in November and Joshua Dariye, a civilian, was reinstated as
Plateau governor.
4. INDIA: HINDU ‘DEFENSE ARMY’ FIGHTS CHRISTIAN CONVERSIONS
India’s extremist organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), continued its
self-declared “war” against Christianity despite the defeat of Hindu nationalist parties in
parliamentary elections. In May, the RSS announced plans to establish a number of
Raksha Sena or “Defense Army” groups in Chhatisgarh, central India. In a two-day
training session held for recruits in mid May, Dilip Singh Judeo, former Minister of
Forestry and Agriculture, encouraged the recruits to “move into the interior parts of the
country to check religious conversions.” Christian leaders are concerned about the
development. “We have enough evidence that they are targeting Christians,” said John
Dayal, general secretary of the All India Christian Council (AICC). AICC sources claim
up to 20,000 Christian members of tribal groups have been forcibly “reconverted” in a
campaign initiated by Judeo over the past five years. “Local RSS leaders, including
Judeo, have gone on record saying their main target is Christian missionaries,” Dayal told
Compass.
3. ERITREA: INCOMMUNICADO IMPRISONMENT OF EVANGELICAL
PASTORS CONTINUES
Eritrean authorities arrested and jailed three prominent Protestant pastors in late May,
escalating a two-year government crackdown against the country’s evangelical
Christians. Haile Naizgi, chairman of the Full Gospel (Mullu Wongel) Church, Dr. Kifle
Gebremeskel, chairman of the Eritrean Evangelical Alliance, and Pastor Tesfatsion
Hagos of the Rema Evangelical Church were initially held at local police stations in
Asmara. But since late August, they were believed to be incarcerated in a dungeon-like
government investigation center in the capital. The pastors were not allowed visitors, nor
have they been produced in court or charged with any legal offenses. The Eritrean
government closed down all independent Protestant churches in May 2002, criminalizing
their worship even in private homes. Currently, at least 400 members of these banned
churches are under arrest and being tortured for their faith, many in sub-human
conditions inside metal shipping containers.
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***Photographs of the jailed pastors as well as the covers of the albums for Helen
Berhane and Yonas Haile, the two arrested Eritrean Christian singers, are available
electronically. Contact Compass Direct for pricing and transmittal.
2. IRAN: YEAR-LONG RIPPLE OF ARRESTS ACROSS IRAN LEAVES ONE
PASTOR STILL JAILED
Concerns deepened across Iran’s evangelical community at year’s end for the safety of
Hamid Pourmand, a lay pastor in the Assemblies of God Church who was arrested with
85 other church leaders on September 9 by the Iranian security police. No one was
allowed contact with Pourmand, a colonel in the Iranian army, since he was arrested.
Although all other pastors and elders were released quickly, Pourmand was held
incommunicado for two months and then transferred to a military prison in early
November. A former Muslim, Pourmand converted to Christianity nearly 25 years ago.
Married with two children, he was pastoring a congregation in Bandar-i-Bushehr. In the
spring, dozens of other evangelical Christians meeting in house churches in Iran’s
northern provinces were subjected to arrest, interrogations and harsh mistreatment for
several weeks or months, until released under orders to stop meeting for worship.
Government leaders continued to denounce Christianity as one of several “foreign
religions” threatening Iran’s national security. A Muslim convicted of apostasy faces the
death penalty under Iran’s Islamic courts.
***A photograph of Hamid Pourmand is available electronically. Please contact
Compass Direct for pricing and transmittal.
1. CHINA: ARREST OF HOUSE CHURCH LEADERS CONFIRMS
REPRESSIVE TREND
Chinese police arrested 100 house church leaders on June 11 as they gathered for a retreat
in the central city of Wuhan. Xing Jinfu, 39, who has already been arrested three times in
the past for church related activities, was among those detained and held at an unknown
location, according to the China Aid Association. On the same day, Shen Xianfeng, a
senior leader of the China Gospel Fellowship (CGF), was placed under house arrest.
Reports of increasing arrests of house church leaders began to filter out of China in April,
when the New York-based Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion in
China reported that Xu Shuangfu of the controversial Three Grades Servants movement
was kidnapped in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang. The mass arrest of CGF
leaders confirms the belief of many Christians that the Chinese Communist Party
apparently has not changed its repressive religious policies under the leadership of
President Hu Jintao. Asia Harvest reported on July 2 that the 100 members of the China
Gospel Fellowship arrested in Wuhan city, Hubei province, were released from police
custody, but told to go to their home towns and villages where they are required to stay.
Since many of them are evangelists who travel widely throughout China, the order was
interpreted as an effort to control their movements. Evidence that the shift toward
repressive religious policy is intensifying was reinforced on December 2, when police
arrested Zhang Rongliang, one of China’s most high-profile house church leaders.
Zhang’s arrest off the street in Zhenghou in the central province of Henan sent
shockwaves throughout the international Christian community.
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Sixty More Evangelical Christians Jailed in Eritrea
Men and women arrested at New Year’s Eve party.
Special to Compass Direct
LOS ANGELES, January 5 (Compass) -- Sixty members of the Rema Charismatic
Church in the Eritrean capital of Asmara have been arrested and jailed for holding a New
Year’s Eve celebration in the home of one of their church leaders.
On the night of December 31, police officials took into custody the hosts of the
gathering, Habteab Oqbamichel and his wife Letensae, along with another 23 men and 35
women. According to eyewitnesses of the arrests, at least five of the young men detained
were minors.
When police arrived on Friday evening, they halted the celebration, taking everyone
present to Asmara’s Police Station No. 5. The following day, January 1, the women were
all transferred to Mai-Serwa, a military camp just north of Asmara, where they were put
into solitary confinement.
Although the men were thought to have been taken to a separate, unknown location,
sources confirmed today that the men are currently incarcerated at Mai-Serwa, as well.
Yesterday Letensae Oqbamichel was released, reportedly the only one of the 60 prisoners
set free so far.
Well-known Christian singer Helen Berhane has been jailed alone in a metal shipping
container at this same military center since last May for refusing to deny her evangelical
faith or sign a promise to stop participating in local Protestant activities.
Prisoners held in these containers at Mai-Serwa “where conditions are harsh and
infectious diseases such as diarrhea are common” are never charged with any crime or
brought to trial, according to an Amnesty International report issued November 26.
Last weekend’s jailing was Habteab Oqbamichel’s third arrest over what the Eritrean
government calls “illegal religious activities.” Last March, the Oqbamichel couple had
been arrested at their home and sent to prison along with their five children. Police told
Habteab Oqbamichel that Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki had ordered them to arrest
anyone not belonging to the four “official” religions recognized by the government:
Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran and Muslim.
Accused with trying to “start a new religion,” Oqbamichel and his family were later
released. He had previously been arrested and beaten with several dozen other Rema
Church members caught holding prayer meetings in their homes in May 2003.
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Evangelical Christians incarcerated for their faith have suffered severe physical abuse
during repeated arrests and harassments since May 2002, when the government closed all
their church premises and outlawed worship even in their homes. The banned groups
include Pentecostal and charismatic congregations, as well as Adventist, Presbyterian,
Assemblies of God and Methodist-linked churches.
Over the past three months, pastors and church members of these independent
Protestant denominations have experienced particularly heavy surveillance by police
authorities.
“There are cars parked outside our homes and offices, following us to the post office
or wherever we go,” one commented. Some have also been approached by individuals
apparently sent to spy on them, claiming they want to join their secret meetings for
worship. “We are all being watched.”
The stiffer monitoring pattern began shortly after September 15, when the U.S. State
Department for the first time named Eritrea as a “country of particular concern” for its
severe religious freedom violations.
The Eritrean Foreign Ministry reacted within hours to the State Department
accusations, declaring it was not surprised because “it has been no secret that the CIA and
its operatives have been long engaged in fabricating defamatory statements.” The Asmara
government flatly denies that any religious persecution exists in the country.
Upwards of 400 evangelicals are believed to be currently under arrest for their faith,
including three prominent pastors jailed since last May. There are also scores of young
soldiers doing compulsory military service who have been jailed for praying, reading the
Bible or worshipping in groups.
Eritrean laws prohibit the detention of any citizen without charges for more than 30
days.
According to BBC correspondent Jonah Fisher, expelled in September after 18
months as an international reporter in Asmara, the Eritrean government seems to be
“afraid that people who consider their highest allegiance to be [to] God, at some point
may not be patriotic and follow the state’s instructions.”
President Isaias and his government’s leaders were Marxist-oriented freedom fighters
who led Eritrea’s 31-year war for independence, finally won in 1993. But over the past
three years, the regime has jailed thousands of political dissidents, including prominent
members of parliament and journalists as well as minority religious congregations.
***Photographs of a few of Eritrea’s jailed evangelicals and their closed churches are
available electronically. Contact Compass Direct for pricing and transmittal.
(Return to Index)
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Hindu Leader’s Arrest in India Leads to Charge of Christian Conspiracy
Hardline Hindu groups take issue over jailed ‘Hindu pope.’
by Asha Prema
DELHI, December 9 (Compass) -- The arrest of one of India’s most revered Hindu
leaders, 71-year-old Jayendra Saraswati, on charges of murdering a temple official has
become a major rallying point for India’s hard-line Hindu groups.
“The arrest is a Christian conspiracy,” members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP
or World Hindu Council) have claimed. Blame has also been laid at the door of Sonia
Gandhi, an Italian-born Catholic who was elected president in April this year but handed
the reigns of government over to Manmohan Singh.
Jayendra Saraswati was arrested three weeks ago on charges of murder, abetment and
conspiracy to murder Sankaraman, a temple official in the southern Indian town of
Kanchipuram, near Chennai (formerly called Madras).
The Chennai high court rejected a bail petition on December 8.
Police say Saraswati has admitted his involvement in the killing. Apparently the
Hindu seer confessed on videotape that he ordered his aides to carry out the murder in a
“moment of weakness.”
However, Saraswati’s followers deny these claims. “This is the conspiracy of the
Christian leader Sonia Gandhi in the central government. This arrest could not have
happened without the help of this woman who is out to malign Hindu leaders,” said
Vijaya Kumar, a devotee in Bangalore.
Ashik Singhal, president of the VHP, led a mass protest on December 4 in support of
Saraswati. “This is a conspiracy of Christians and Sonia Gandhi,” he told reporters. “This
country has tarnished the clean image of a great seer.”
Bishop S. Kumar of the Methodist Church of India, one of India’s largest Christian
denominations, commented, “The arrest of the venerable Hindu pontiff is indeed
shocking ... The law will take its own course but if the accusation against him sticks, it is
going to be a huge blow for the Hindu community.
“I guess we can only pray for peace, law and order. But I can tell you categorically
that there is no Christian conspiracy. We wouldn’t gain anything by dragging a Hindu
spiritual leader to the police.”
Dr. D. Dass, national director of the India Gospel League in Bangalore, agreed. “The
Hindu far-right has found an easy scapegoat in blaming the Catholic Sonia Gandhi for the
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arrest of Saraswati. The arrest was made under a Hindu chief minister, by Hindu
policemen. There is no Christian conspiracy here.”
Meanwhile, groups such as the VHP have launched nationwide hunger strikes,
demanding the immediate release of the jailed “Hindu pope.”
Saraswati holds one of the five “seats” or Shankaracharyas of Hinduism in India,
making him a revered figure. He is also the head of a sect of India’s Hindu Brahmin
community and the leader of the Kanchi Shankara Mutt, a key religious charity
establishment in Tamil Nadu.
He is currently being held in a jail in Vellore, although defense lawyers are
petitioning to have him released on bail.
Saraswati believed the temple priest was the author of several anonymous letters
published in the media that accused him of financial misconduct. Accusations included
Saraswati’s acquisition of gold set aside to make temple ornaments.
The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a wave of protests
against Saraswati’s arrest. They have also cut ties with a former political ally, Chief
Minister Selvi J. Jayalalithaa of Tamil Nadu, who they blame for Saraswati’s arrest.
Citing bias, the BJP have asked that the case be transferred out of Tamil Nadu state.
Praveen Togadia, general secretary of the VHP, commented, “With the arrest of the
great pontiff, the authorities have declared open war on the Hindu religion.”
BJP hardliners have seized the opportunity to gain political mileage out of the arrest,
claiming the party lost this year’s elections because it had moved away from its strong
Hindu nationalist roots.
In the early 1990s, the BJP galvanized Hindu support by casting itself as the protector
of Hinduism in the midst of nationwide Hindu-Muslim riots.
Newly-appointed BJP chief Lal Krishna Advani said he believed Saraswati’s arrest
would lead to a ground swell of support for the party.
In an effort to counteract charges of a Christian conspiracy, officials in Tamil Nadu
have ordered a Christian police officer identified as S. Davidson, a member of the team
investigating the murder, to take immediate leave. Davidson was replaced by a Hindu
officer.
Hindu groups are also angered by the presence of Christian guards at the Vellore jail - and by the fact that the Tamil Nadu chief of intelligence, A. Alexander, is also a
Christian.
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To quell the accusations of bias and mistreatment, Jayalalithaa recently wrote to
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and assured him that Saraswati was being treated “with
the utmost dignity and consideration, befitting his religious status and position in
society.”
Meanwhile, Christians are anxiously awaiting the final outcome of the murder
investigation.
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Indian Hindus Build Temple on Church Property
Temple erected in Orissa on land donated by deceased church members.
by Vishal Arora
DELHI, December 13 (Compass) -- Hindu villagers have constructed a temple on the
grounds of St. John’s Church of England in Jatni in the eastern state of Orissa, India,
triggering a knotty battle over the rights of minority Christians.
The 150-year-old church sits on land formerly owned by church member Alfreda
Elen Hardy, who died in 1989 without making a will.
Alfreda Hardy was survived by her brother Gerald Hardy, who became the natural
heir to the property but was content to leave it in the hands of the church. However,
Gerald also died without making a will in July 1991.
The property consists of four large tracts of land, including several paddy fields. St.
John’s church was built on one portion of the land.
After Gerald’s death, some of the land was taken over by the police to be used as a
sub-police station. After some time, the police vacated the land without informing the
Christian community. The land was then used by the local administration for its office.
In 2002, a Hindu temple was constructed on a portion of the land about 50 meters
from St. John’s church. In October this year, the Hanuman Mandir temple added a new
layer of stones to the church boundary wall, effectively claiming the property wall as
their own.
Conflict has arisen primarily because the temple is built on land that was given to the
church, even though this transfer was not spelled out in legal documents.
However, clashing worship styles are also a problem due to the close proximity of the
Hindu temple. Like most, the Hanuman Mandir temple holds daily arati prayer services,
in the morning and late evening. Loudspeakers are used for arati prayers, and the temple
bells ring constantly -- for perhaps 15 to 20 minutes -- until the service has finished. This
noise often interferes with worship taking place next door at St. John’s.
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The Hanuman Mandir temple is open for long hours each day, providing facilities for
a constant stream of worshipers. Adjacent land-owners have also taken over other parts of
the property for personal use.
The Jatni United Christian Community (JUCC), the social wing of St. John’s,
recently wrote to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) complaining of
police inaction over encroachment onto the grounds of the church.
S.N. Mohanty, secretary of the JUCC and advisor of the Christian Burial Society in
Jatni, told Compass, “Due to the police inaction, local Christians initially raised the issue
of encroachment with the NHRC on December 7, 2002, by sending a written complaint.
In response, the NHRC referred the matter to the district collector, who in turn referred it
to the local superintendent of police.
“In his report to the NHRC, the superintendent did confirm the encroachment upon
the said land. But he remained silent on whether any action should be taken.”
Church authorities have now asked the NHRC to intervene. They want the district
administration to evict the illegal occupants.
In their letter, the JUCC also asked that the property originally owned by Hardy be
legally awarded to the Christian community at St. John’s, who cared for her while she
was sick, performed her burial ceremony and now maintains her grave.
The church also hopes to use the property for the office of the Christian Burial
Society, which maintains the only Christian burial ground in the district. They also plan
to establish a home for the elderly, an orphanage and a branch of the Y.M.C.A.
The Indian Succession Act of 1925 says that when the deceased has left no will and
has no direct descendants or living blood relatives, the properties should be divided
equally among those who have the nearest degree of kindred. The JUCC claim to the land
is based on the nearest kindred clause.
“In this case, in lieu of relatives, the [local Christian] community was kindred to the
Hardy family at the time of their need,” the letter states.
A Christian lawyer who spoke to Compass said the church has a strong legal case
under the Christian Succession Act, if it can prove that the local Christian community
was in the nearest degree of kindred to Alfreda and Gerald Hardy.
“Although we are greatly disturbed by the illegal construction of the Hindu temple in
front of the church, we being a minority community cannot raise the issue on our own,”
Purnendu Pattnaik, secretary of the St. John Resurrection Society for Social
Development, told Compass. “We have therefore requested the NHRC to intervene and
solve the problem.
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“We hope the rights of the Christian community will be restored soon. We have been
living in peace and communal harmony with our Hindu brothers, and we will continue to
do so,” he added.
JUCC advisor Dr. B.N. Naik said, “Encroaching upon a church is a violation of the
human rights of the local Christian community, and concerned government authorities
must come to the help of the minority community.”
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Christian School in India Censured for Distributing Bibles
District officials ask school to concede to demands of Hindu protestors.
by Vishal Arora
DELHI, December 21 (Compass) -- A Hindu fundamentalist group has accused a
Christian school in Sukma district, Chhattisgarh, of forcibly distributing copies of the
New Testament to students with intent to convert them.
In a complaint to Sukma district officials, the Dharam Jagran Manch (DJM or Forum
for Religious Revival) insisted that “Father Victor Manuel Raj and other school staff be
criminally investigated and prosecuted for the distribution of 600 Bibles and other
missionary literature to school students.
“Further, Father Victor and other staff who preach Christianity must not be allowed to
live in the school premises.”
The DJM also laid out a very specific list of demands for the school to follow.
District officials asked the school to comply with these demands. The senior management
then wrote a letter of appeal.
However, when they arrived at the magistrate’s office on December 15 to present the
letter, they were told to wait until after December 19, when local election results were
due.
At press time, the school was still waiting for a summons from the magistrate.
The English Medium High School in Sukma was established by the Indian
Missionary Society of Tirunelveli in 1983. The school currently has 600 students.
The DJM first lodged a complaint at the Sukma police station on November 6. They
claimed the school had put copies of the New Testament into students’ bags, threatening
them with exam failure if they refused to read it.
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January 12, 2005
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In response, the school wrote to the district magistrate. “We informed him that we
gave the New Testaments to our students without any pressure and we did not tell them
they would be given more marks if they read it,” explained the Rev. Dr. Victor Manuel
Raj, a senior staff member at the school.
DJM activists then stormed the school and disrupted classes on November 16 and 17.
“On November 17, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Sukma held a meeting between
officials of the DJM and school authorities,” Raj told Compass. “During the meeting, the
DJM made several demands upon the school management.”
The list included a ban on Christian preaching, religious songs and the storage of
missionary materials at the school. The DJM also wanted the school to place a statue or
photograph of Bharat Mata (Mother India) somewhere on the school premises.
Bharat Mata is both a goddess and a concept promoted by Hindu nationalists, who see
India as the holy land of Hindus. Schools run by Hindu organizations often display a
picture or statue of the goddess as an object of worship.
The DJM also asked that school staff be comprised of at least 50 percent nonChristians. They also proposed the formation of a committee of school and community
representatives which would investigate, under the guidance of district officials, any
“missionary activity” at the school.
Finally, the Hindu activists asked district officials to close down the school if it failed
to meet these demands.
“The magistrate asked us to respond in writing by December 1,” Raj explained. “We
asked for another fifteen days. Our request was granted, and we were asked to report to
the magistrate by December 15.
“When we went to the magistrate’s office with our letter, we were told to wait until
after December 19. Perhaps this was because our local election results were due that day.
“However, we have our response ready, in which we are humbly asking the
magistrate to acknowledge that most of the demands made by the DJM are
unconstitutional.”
“The demands issued by the Hindu group are unacceptable and unconstitutional,” a
representative of the Christian Legal Association of India (CLAI) confirmed to Compass.
“They clearly violate Article 30 of the Indian Constitution, which gives religious
minorities the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.”
CLAI lawyers say that requiring the appointment of 50 percent non-Christian staff
and restricting student’s access to Christian music and literature are also unconstitutional.
Compass Direct
January 12, 2005
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(Return to Index)
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India’s Dalit Christians Demand Equal Rights
“Untouchables” lose basic rights if they convert to Christianity.
by Satya Kumar
DELHI, January 10 (Compass) -- India’s Supreme Court has asked the federal
government why an employment quota system for Dalits is withheld from those who
convert to Christianity.
Under India’s caste system, certain quotas are reserved for members of the lower or
Scheduled Castes, commonly called Dalits. The term Dalit literally means “broken
people.”
The Supreme Court’s notice came at the end of a drawn-out legal battle spanning
many years of litigation, public campaigns and representations by India’s Christian
minorities who are seeking equal access to the government employment scheme.
About 26 percent of government jobs in India are reserved for members of Scheduled
Castes, with the aim of bringing them into the political and social mainstream.
Currently, Dalits who convert to Christianity are not entitled to jobs under this plan.
The court expects a response from the government before the end of January.
Initially, Dalits converting to other religions such as Sikhism or Buddhism were also
excluded. However, the government recently amended the law to provide a job quota for
Dalit Sikhs and Buddhists.
“Only the Christian community is now excluded,” said senior advocate Shanti
Bhushan, representing the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, which has filed a petition
in the Supreme Court.
“I think we have a very strong case because the social and economic status of any
person does not change when they change their religion,” Bhushan told Compass.
Bhushan said he expected opposition to the campaign. “The Hindu nationalists could
oppose it. But let’s see.”
Over the past six years, Hindu nationalist groups such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh have orchestrated campaigns against Christian missionaries, and against Dalits and
Tribals who have converted to Christianity, particularly in the south and east of India.
Immediately after the Supreme Court’s initial order seeking an explanation from the
government, several Christian leaders from the All India Catholic Union sent a
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January 12, 2005
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memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and Congress party leader, Sonia
Gandhi -- who is herself a Christian.
In the memorandum, the leaders called upon the government to restore “human
dignity and equality” to Dalit Christians. They also said the government now had a
“window of opportunity” to help the Dalit Christian community by undoing a “historic
injustice.”
“The founding fathers of the Indian Constitution ... enacted the law without reference
to their current religions,” the memo added. Conditions have since changed, meaning
new provisions are needed to end double discrimination on the grounds of religion as
well as caste.
Quota rights were initially denied to Christians on the grounds that Christianity does
not discriminate between castes. However, this ignores the fact that all Indians, regardless
of religious background, live in a society bound by centuries of caste tradition.
In 1996, the former Congress Party government brought a bill before parliament to
change this legal anomaly, but the government collapsed before the bill could be passed.
The failed bill noted that, “Demands have been made from time to time for extending
these benefits and safeguards to Christians of Scheduled Caste origin by granting them
recognition as Scheduled Castes on the grounds that the change of religion has not altered
their social and economic condition.”
In other words, Dalit and Tribal Christians should be awarded the same rights as other
members of Scheduled Castes. As the law currently stands, a Dalit Christian is no longer
technically considered a member of a Scheduled Caste and is no longer entitled to
benefits, even though in practice, he or she is not freed from the social restrictions of the
caste system.
Church leaders who met recently with Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi referred to
the 1996 draft, saying, “We pray that your government will now re-introduce this
legislation and get it approved as a constitutional amendment.”
India’s National Minorities Commission also acknowledged this dilemma in a 199798 report. “The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order of 1950 should be amended to
omit altogether the proviso that a person belonging to a particular religion cannot be
regarded as a member of a Scheduled Caste,” the report stated.
Christian groups in India have long campaigned for the extension of basic reservation
rights to Dalit and Tribal Christians. In the past, several memorandums have been given
to prime ministers and many rallies have been held throughout the country.
Campaigners now await the response of the federal government.
Compass Direct
January 12, 2005
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(Return to Index)
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Indonesian Pastor Kidnapped, Still Missing
Abductors attempt to steal funds donated for church reconstruction.
Special to Compass Direct
JAKARTA, December 13 (Compass) -- Villagers on a small Indonesian island who
recently joined a search for their missing pastor found only a red T-shirt with three bullet
holes in it, lying on the beach near his home.
At press time, Rev. Jarok Ratu, 35, of Labuang village, Namrole district, Buru island,
was still missing -- 10 days after a group of unidentified men kidnapped him in the early
hours of December 3.
Ratu pastored the local Pentecostal Church of Indonesia (GPdI).
A spokesman from headquarters of the Kepolisian Daerah Maluku, a police unit in
Ambon which controls Maluku and North Maluku provinces, said police were
questioning a suspect who knew about the kidnapping, the Sinar Harapan newspaper
reported.
The suspect was arrested at 2 a.m. last Friday. Plans were immediately made to
transfer the man by boat to nearby Ambon island for further investigation.
Police have so far refused to identify the suspect by name. “We have a suspicion that
he is one of the perpetrators,” said Major Endro Prasetyo, a spokesman from provincial
police headquarters.
According to Prasetyo, police have questioned at least five witnesses in relation to the
kidnapping. Authorities have also sent four detectives to Buru island to investigate the
case.
The Mayor of Buru island, Husni Hentihu, told reporters he had assigned a special
investigative team to work on the kidnapping.
Rev. Henry Lolaen, head of GPdI for Maluku province, said members of Ratu’s
church had searched for their pastor the day after the kidnapping, but found only the red
T-shirt Ratu was wearing. There were three bullet holes in the front of the T-shirt but no
bloodstains.
Mrs. Ratu said her husband was taken away by speedboat. She did not see the
speedboat because it was very dark that night, but she heard the sound of the engine.
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January 12, 2005
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She said eight men had arrived at the door at around 2 a.m., wearing masks and
carrying a gun. They knocked on the door and when it was opened, pointed the gun at
Ratu and his wife and asked for money.
Lolaen explained that Ratu had just received a significant donation from the Governor
of Maluku province, the Mayor of Buru island, and a number of non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), for the construction of a new church building. The total amount of
the donation was around 10,000,000 rupiah ($1,086).
Other churches in the Malukus have also received funding for construction of new
buildings or to repair damaged buildings.
“There is a possibility that the kidnapping was related to these funds,” said Lolaen.
According to the Sinar Harapan report, Ratu told the intruders that he had already
deposited the funds in two bank accounts, at Bank Mandiri and the Bank Negara
Indonesia. The intruders asked for the two bank deposit books, which were later found
lying on the ground in Labuan village.
The kidnappers then took Ratu with them, telling his wife they would only “borrow
him” and that they intended to release him.
A report from the Komintra News agency said the kidnapping might be related to
sectarian violence that broke out in the area two years ago. The majority of residents in
Namrole district are Muslims, while approximately 25 percent are Christians.
A foreign NGO reported on December 3 that there were once many churches on the
island. Now only three remain: an Alliance church, an Assembly of God church and
Ratu’s Pentecostal church.
An independent source in Ambon confirmed that Labuang is one of the few villages
on Buru island that still has its own church. Labuang is sandwiched between two Muslim
villages and is also a port village, where ferries and fishing boats stop frequently to load
and unload cargo.
Meanwhile, a report from the Crisis Center Diocese of Amboina on December 4 said
fighting had broken out between two Muslim villages in northern Ambon island on
December 1, resulting in the death by stabbing of Ismael Wael from Wakal village and
injuries to four other people.
Residents of Wakal then took revenge by attacking the village of Mamua on
December 2, burning 15 houses and destroying several dozen more. A second attack by a
group of masked men who attempted to invade Wakal village from the beach was
thwarted by a mobile police brigade.
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January 12, 2005
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The Crisis Center pointed out that sectarian clashes from 1999 to 2002 have left their
mark on the Maluku islands. People now resort far more readily to violence whenever
conflict arises.
(Return to Index)
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Two Indonesian Churches Attacked, Three People Injured
Terrorists stage simultaneous bombing and shooting attacks on Sunday.
by Sarah Page
DUBLIN, December 14 (Compass) -- Assailants simultaneously attacked two churches
in the town of Palu, Central Sulawesi, during church services on Sunday night, injuring at
least three people.
The attacks happened despite government orders for local police to step up security in
the weeks leading up to Christmas.
A bomb exploded at Emanuel church in downtown Palu in the early evening at the
same time that gunmen opened fire on the congregation of Anugerah church in the south
of the city, according to an ABC Radio Australia report.
The government immediately ordered tighter security during the Christmas season for
churches in at-risk areas. Officials also criticized local police for not doing their job
effectively.
Provincial police chief Aryanto Sutadi told reporters from Agence France-Presse that
Noman Siswandi, chief of police in Palu, would be replaced due to negligence. “He
should have been providing better police protection for the churches,” Sutadi said.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla told The Jakarta Post on Monday that the events over the
weekend were linked to earlier attacks on churches in the province.
“From the briefing I received last night, that is the case,” a media outlet known as
Detikcom quoted Kalla as saying. “The modus operandi is the same. Shoot, run, get away
on an RX King motorcycle from the front of the church.”
The attack on Anugerah church closely resembled the attack on Efatah church in Palu
on July 18. That night during an evening prayer service, at least three men drove up
outside the church on motorbikes and sprayed the congregation with bullets. Rev.
Susianty Tinulele, 26, a visiting speaker at the church, died instantly.
Four other church members were also injured, including 17-year-old Desrianti
Tengkede. The girl spent weeks in intensive care recovering from injuries sustained when
a bullet passed through her right eye. (See Compass Direct, “Death Toll Rises in
Sulawesi, Indonesia,” July 22, 2004.)
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January 12, 2005
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Police were immediately ordered to find the men responsible for the attack on Efatah.
One suspect arrested by police in Palu on July 29 was released after providing a solid
alibi. Bambang, who was shot and wounded by police officers during his arrest, was
apparently with friends at a house in Betua sub-district at the time of the shooting.
Masked gunmen also used motorbikes to approach the Kilo Tabernakel Pentecostal
church in Poso, also in Central Sulawesi, on April 10. Firing at choir members who had
gathered that Saturday to practice for Easter Sunday services, the attackers wounded
seven people, including a four-year-old girl.
To date, police have failed to apprehend anyone responsible for the attacks. As
Compass reported in late October, both Muslims and Christians speculate as to why
police have not tracked down the mysterious drive-by killers who have murdered at least
five Christians and wounded several others in Central Sulawesi this year. (See Compass
Direct, “Indonesian Man Shot in Church,” October 27, 2004.)
On March 30, 2004, Pastor Freddy Wuisan from Membuke, near Poso, was shot and
killed upon answering a knock at his front door. That same day, Rosia Pilongo, the dean
of the School of Law at Sintuwu Moroso University in Poso and a Christian, was
seriously wounded in a drive-by shooting.
Christian lawyer Ferry Silalahi was fatally shot on May 25 as he and his wife left a
church meeting in a private home in Palu. Silalahi was one of the state prosecutors of five
accused Jemaah Islamiyah terrorists. He was also part of the defense team for Rev.
Rinaldy Damanik, a pastor imprisoned until last month on what many people believe
were false charges of possessing weapons.
On July 17, Mrs. Helmy Tombiling, a 35-year-old Christian woman from Poso, was
stabbed to death by two men who arrived at her house on motorbikes with Palu license
plates.
Unidentified snipers shot and injured Hans Sanipi, the 25-year-old custodian of the
Tabernakel Pentecostal church, on October 21. Sanipi was speaking with several people
in front of the church when two men on a motorbike drove by and fired into the small
crowd.
On November 4, a group of men sitting outside a petrol station in Poso was intrigued
when a black plastic bag was dropped from the window of a passing vehicle. On
investigation, the black bag was found to contain the severed head of 48-year-old
Sarminalis Ndele, a Christian pastor and the chief of Pinedapa village in Poso district.
Again, police failed to identify the murderers.
The island of Sulawesi is unfortunately no stranger to violence. An estimated 2,000
people were killed in clashes between Muslims and Christians on the island between
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January 12, 2005
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December 1998 and December 2001. On December 20, 2001, representatives from both
sides signed the Malino I peace accord.
Those clashes were a side effect of sectarian violence in the nearby Maluku islands,
where approximately 8,000 people were killed in a four-year period from 1999 to 2002.
Despite a second Malino peace accord signed in the Malukus in February 2002,
sporadic violence has continued in both Sulawesi and Ambon. The majority of the
victims are Christians.
Observers say provocateurs are doing their best to stir up renewed conflict. Officials
of both the government and police forces have commended Christians in Palu and Poso
for refusing to retaliate.
(Return to Index)
***********************************
Indonesia Orders Tighter Security for Churches this Christmas
Senior policeman arrested in connection with attacks on Christians.
by Sarah Page
DUBLIN, December 22 (Compass) -- Police in Indonesia pledged today to provide
tighter security for churches during Christmas and New Year celebrations, after one of
their own was arrested in connection with the murder of a Christian village chief on the
island of Sulawesi.
Central Sulawesi police chief Aryanto Sutadi confirmed yesterday that Second
Brigadier Efendi had admitted to playing a role in violent attacks against Christians.
Efendi is specifically accused of involvement in the November murder of Carminalis
Ndele, the 48-year-old Christian chief of Pinedapa village, Poso district.
“Efendi has engaged in several cases of violence in Poso, including the murder of
Carminalis Ndele,” Sutadi told reporters from The Jakarta Post.
Ndele was picked up by men who were apparently familiar to him on November 1, as
he returned from a day’s work at his plantation. Nothing more was seen or heard of Ndele
until his head was found in a black plastic bag, dropped outside a petrol station in Poso
on November 4.
The pastor’s body was later found near Masani village on the Poso coast, church
sources reported.
The motive for the murder soon emerged. Second Brigadier Efendi had close ties to
Andi Makassau, an activist who was recently arrested on charges of embezzling funds set
aside for refugee aid.
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January 12, 2005
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The Indonesian government had allocated 1.192 billion rupiah ($127,800) to 400
refugee families in Poso. Efendi and Makassau were among those responsible for
distributing the funds.
By August, only 500 million rupiah ($53,615) had been disbursed. Each refugee
family was allocated 2.5 million rupiah ($268).
According to witnesses, Ndele refused to accept money from Makassau and Efendi
after he realized some of the funds were missing, The Jakarta Post reported.
His refusal forced the embezzlers to make a decision to cover up the theft of the
funds. Efendi has since admitted to “picking up the victim (Ndele) to be murdered,”
according to Sutadi. Makassau admitted to arranging the killing.
Under interrogation, Makassau also said Efendi had loaned him a gun for use in a
previous attack on Bethany Church in Poso in November. He claimed Efendi had charged
him 500,000 rupiah ($54) for the use of the gun.
Efendi’s arrest may be the first step in halting a series of violent attacks carried out
against Christian churches and individuals in Central Sulawesi over the past year.
Assailants attacked two churches in the town of Palu, Central Sulawesi, on December
12, injuring at least three people. A bomb exploded at Emanuel church in downtown Palu
in the early evening, while gunmen almost simultaneously opened fire on the
congregation of Anugerah church in the city’s south. (See Compass Direct, “Two
Indonesian Churches Attacked, Three People Injured,” December 14, 2004.)
A report in The Jakarta Post on December 21 said police had identified the caliber of
the rifle used in the attack on Anugerah church and the chemicals used in the bombing of
Emanuel church. However, at press time there were no immediate suspects.
Following Efendi’s arrest, Indonesian police pledged tighter security for churches
over the Christmas season. Bomb squads will comb churches for explosive materials
before Christmas services are held. Some churches will also be equipped with metal
detectors, a police spokesman told The Jakarta Post.
Pastors in South Sulawesi in particular will be tightly guarded by police officers.
South Sulawesi province is home to 683 churches.
Police officers in Bandung, West Java, said they will increase security at 36 churches
in the city, providing metal detectors to some of the larger churches. Following the recent
discovery of crude homemade bombs on a bus, Bandung police will deploy about 7,200
officers in tighter security measures for churches, shopping malls and other public
meeting places over the Christmas season.
Compass Direct
January 12, 2005
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In Medan, some 2,600 police will be deployed at 529 churches in the city during
Christmas services. Officers have also been ordered to guard churches in surrounding
districts.
(Return to Index)
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Jordanian Court Postpones Child Custody Verdict
Muslim guardian refuses to appear in court.
by Barbara G. Baker
ISTANBUL, December 14 (Compass) -- An Islamic court in Jordan postponed a final
verdict again today on Christian widow Siham Qandah’s legal battle to prevent a Muslim
guardian from taking custody of her two minor children.
It was the second postponement within the past three weeks on the drawn-out lawsuit
over the physical custody of Qandah’s daughter Rawan and son Fadi, now 16 and 15.
Reportedly the three attorneys representing Qandah in the current case to remove
Abdullah al-Muhtadi from his court-appointed guardianship decided today to request the
court to postpone the verdict hearing until January 10.
Qandah said she did not know why her lawyers had asked for the delay, although so
far as she knew, the courts still did not have any address or direct contact information for
the guardian.
Al-Muhtadi had refused to attend a previous hearing on November 23, despite a
summons from the Al-Abdali Sharia Court in Amman requiring his presence. Instead, alMuhtadi sent word to Judge Mahmud Zghul that he feared for his life if he came to the
court.
“He informed the court that he will not come to court without police providing
protection for him,” a Christian friend of Qandah told Compass. “He claims that his life
is in danger, [that] he is afraid that Siham will kill him. I do not know what he is trying to
accomplish, since this is a lie.”
The brother had made a similar accusation against Qandah when she tried to approach
him after a November 9 hearing which he attended, to defend his alleged plundering of
his wards’ trust funds. The guardian started shouting loudly to bystanders outside the
courtroom that she was trying to kill him.
When al-Muhtadi failed to appear as required on November 23, Judge Zghul asked
Qandah several questions, including whether she had ever received either a refrigerator
from al-Muhtadi or if he had given her 750 Jordanian dinars in cash to buy one, as he had
stated under oath to the court. Qandah denied that the guardian had ever bought a
refrigerator for them.
Compass Direct
January 12, 2005
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Al-Muhtadi is Qandah’s estranged brother who converted to Islam as a teenager.
Qandah had asked him to serve as the Muslim guardian of her children 10 years ago, after
her husband’s death while serving as a soldier in the U.N. Peacekeeping Forces in
Kosovo.
Qandah was not allowed to dispute an unsigned “conversion” certificate produced by
local courts attesting her husband’s secret conversion to Islam three years before his
death. Under Islamic law, the document automatically declared her minor children to be
Muslims, even though they had been baptized as Christians before their father’s death. So
Jordan’s courts decreed that the children’s financial affairs, including their orphan
benefits, must be handled by a Muslim.
But al-Muhtadi soon started appropriating their monthly orphan benefits and later
dipped into their U.N.-allocated trust funds, withdrawing nearly $17,000 with signed
approvals from highly placed Islamic court judges.
In 1998, the guardian then opened a case to take the children away from their
Christian mother so he could raise them as Muslims. Since the Supreme Islamic Court of
Jordan ruled in his favor in February 2002, Qandah has gone into hiding periodically to
avoid arrest and the loss of her children.
With the children blacklisted by court order from leaving Jordan, Qandah has
appealed to King Abdullah II and Queen Rania for a just resolution of her case. Despite
international press coverage and diplomatic appeals, the Jordanian judiciary remains
stalled on the controversial dispute.
***Photographs of Qandah and her children are available electronically. Contact
Compass Direct for pricing and transmittal.
(Return to Index)
***********************************
Nigerian Student Murdered in Clash over Evangelism
Five other Christians expelled from two public schools.
by Obed Minchakpu
BAUCHI, Nigeria, December 20 (Compass) -- Opposition to Christian evangelism on
the campuses of two Nigerian institutions of higher learning has resulted in the murder of
Sunday Nache Achi, a fourth-year architectural student at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
University in the northern city of Bauchi.
University representatives had earlier expelled three other Christian students for
distributing a leaflet that compared the teachings of Jesus with Islamic beliefs. Muslims
students at the nearby Bauchi Federal Polytechnic threatened two Christians with death
before the pair was expelled from the school for similar evangelistic activities.
Compass Direct
January 12, 2005
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Following the murder of Achi and the destruction by arson of the offices of the
Nigeria Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NIFES), authorities in Bauchi ordered
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University and Federal Polytechnic closed.
Achi served as president of the campus ministry of the Evangelical Church of West
Africa (ECWA). Idakwo Ako Paul, who shared a room with Achi in a student hostel on
campus, told Compass that the young man was attending a Bible study the evening of
December 8 when a band of Muslim students came looking for him.
“Three Muslim students dressed in Islamic jihad style burst into the room at about 8
p.m.,” Paul said. “I was scared because in the past two months, there has been palpable
tension on the campus between Muslim and Christian students.
“They wanted to know where my roommate was. I told them I didn’t know and they
left. Sunday returned to the room about 11 p.m. and I told him what had transpired.”
Paul said he retired for the night while Achi worked on architectural drawings for a
class presentation the following morning. However, not long after falling asleep, Paul
was awakened by his roommate’s shouts.
“‘Wake up Paul, wake up!’ Sunday was shouting. I jumped out of bed to be
confronted again by these Muslim students. This time they were more in number and
were wearing masks.
“They dragged Sunday Achi out of the room. I tried running after them, but one of
them pointed a pistol at me and ordered me back into the room. They locked me in there.
I kept shouting for help but the Muslim students in the hostel deliberately kept to their
rooms.”
The following morning, a Christian student came to the hostel, discovered Paul
locked in the room and broke the door to let him out. The two of them were about to alert
other Christian students to the danger when they received news that Sunday Achi’s body
had been discovered beside a mosque near the home of the university’s vice chancellor.
Achi apparently died of strangulation. His neck was broken and his body badly
bruised, according to witnesses who prepared his body for burial.
Bauchi state Governor Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu told religious leaders that he has
ordered an investigation into the incident and that the perpetrators, if found, will face the
full force of the law. However at press time, authorities had not arrested any suspects in
the killing.
According to Christian students in Bauchi, the controversy that led to Achi’s murder
began two months ago, when a small group of Christians visited student hostels on the
university campus to discuss the gospel with fellow students.
Compass Direct
January 12, 2005
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Fourth-year engineering student Abraham Adamu Misal told Compass, “On the 9th of
October, Miss Hannatu Haruna Alkali, Habakkuk Solomon and I visited a room with five
Muslim students in it. We shared the gospel. Having listened to us, they also decided to
tell us about Islam.
“But their presentation distorted Christianity. I decided to give them a tract that made
a comparative analysis of Islam vis-à-vis Christianity and the teachings of Jesus Christ.”
According to Alkali, in the weeks following this conversation, Muslim extremists
made several attempts to kill the evangelistic trio. A month after their visit to the hostel,
university authorities summoned the three Christians to a meeting and told them they had
blasphemed the Prophet Mohammed.
A student disciplinary committee prepared a report on the incident for the university
senate, which subsequently recommended that Misal, Alkali and Solomon be expelled
from the university.
For her part, Alkali has accepted the expulsion order as the price of practicing her
Christian faith.
“Evangelism is something we must all be prepared to sacrifice for,” she told
Compass. “I see in the Bible examples of many who have had to lay down their lives for
the sake of the gospel. Why not me?”
Hankuri Gaya and a second student identified as Uzochukwu were later expelled from
Bauchi Federal Polytechnic for distributing the same Christian tract that caused trouble
for Misal, Alkali and Solomon. Sources told Compass that Muslim extremists used the
leaflet to whip up anti-Christian fervor among Muslim students.
Tensions erupted on December 8 when rampaging Muslims set fire to the NIFES
offices, then abducted and murdered Sunday Achi.
Achi was buried on Saturday, December 11, in his hometown of Kibori in the central
state of Kaduna. Funeral services were held at the Kibori ECWA church.
The dead student’s father, Dr. Samuel Achi, faulted the Nigerian government for
mishandling Muslim-Christian conflict in the country and called for urgent steps to be
taken to avert further bloodshed.
“Peace cannot just be preached, it has to be practiced,” Dr. Achi told mourners. “A
religion that claims to be a religion of peace, as the Muslims claim their religion is, must
be peaceful in practice.
“Government in its wisdom should find a solution to the problem of religious
conflicts in the country, if Nigeria is to remain a single sovereign state.”
Compass Direct
January 12, 2005
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*** Photographs of the murdered student, his parents, and other students expelled are
available electronically. Please contact Compass Direct for pricing and transmittal.
(Return to Index)
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Peruvian Judges Uphold Prison Term for Evangelical Christian
Tribunal confirms conviction of Walter Cubas on dubious terrorism charges.
by Deann Alford
AUSTIN, Texas, December 30 (Compass) -- A civilian court in Lima has upheld the
conviction of a Peruvian evangelical Christian whose sentence on terrorism charges
almost 12 years ago was overturned in 2003.
Attorney Wuille Ruiz of the evangelical legal aid association Peace and Hope said
that on December 27, the three-judge panel found former textile worker Walter Cubas
guilty of “illicit terrorist association” and sentenced him to 16 years. Combined with time
already served, the sentence means Cubas will not be freed until 2009. However, if he
receives credit for good behavior in prison, he will be eligible to apply for early release in
January 2005.
Prosecutors claimed Cubas, 41, was a Shining Path sympathizer and alleged that he
had painted “Yankees, go home from the Middle East” on a wall. All other charges from
the original case against him were dropped, including allegations that Cubas took part in
a riot and that he was in possession of homemade explosives and a stolen pistol. Police
claimed that Cubas killed an army soldier in 1992 and stole the pistol.
According to Ruiz, the three judges who ruled against Cubas had presided in mid
November over the retrial of notorious Shining Path founder Abimael Guzman. The trio,
composed of lead judge Dante Terrel, Carlos Manrique and Jose de Vinatea, received
widespread criticism after Guzman and his 15 co-defendants defiantly raised their fists in
the courtroom and spewed revolutionary chants.
Ruiz believes that the judges ruled against Cubas because of pressure from the press
and a society fearful that Guzman’s actions could signal Shining Path’s resurgence.
Fearing public perceptions of being soft on terrorists, the judges may have felt obligated
to convict Cubas.
The sole witness against Cubas was a police chauffeur who claims he saw Cubas
scrawl graffiti on a wall. The arresting police officers were killed the day after Cubas’
arrest. Cubas had several witnesses who placed him elsewhere the night of the alleged
crime.
While Cubas wanted Ruiz to appeal his case to Peru’s Supreme Court, Ruiz has
advised against it. Not only would an appeal jeopardize his chances of gaining release as
soon as next month, but another court could actually increase his sentence.
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January 12, 2005
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Ruiz said that his counsel to Cubas to not appeal the decision does not reflect on his
confidence in his client. “I continue to believe that Walter is innocent,” Ruiz said.
The tragic story of Cubas, a Pentecostal Christian since age 13 who served as a union
leader at Lima’s La Union textile factory, began when the factory closed in 1992 without
paying compensation owed to its workers. Cubas joined a demonstration against the
owners.
La Union’s owners were devout supporters of then-president Alberto Fujimori, who
later resigned in disgrace and fled into exile in Japan. Peace and Hope maintains that
police arrested Cubas and many of his co-workers in reprisal for the protest, and then
claimed the unionists were subversives. Cubas was convicted of involvement in the
Shining Path, the ruthless terrorist group that unleashed a civil war against the country in
the 1980s.
A military court tried Cubas for treason. His lawyers were not allowed to present
evidence or testimony on his behalf. On January 20, 1993, he was sentenced to life in
prison.
For the first eight years of his sentence, he was in the maximum security Yanamayo
Prison on the frigid Altiplano near Lake Titicaca. Yanamayo held many convicted
terrorists, including leaders of the rebel group Tupac Amaru and American Lori
Berenson.
In early 2001, Cubas was transferred to Castro Castro Prison on the outskirts of Lima,
where he became a pillar of a vibrant church behind bars. The human rights group
Amnesty International named Cubas a prisoner of conscience.
Hope surfaced in January 2003 for Cubas. Peru’s constitutional court reviewed the
rulings of special military courts that had convicted civilians and the rulings of “faceless”
judges whose identities were concealed by hoods, and declared them unconstitutional.
That meant Cubas’ sentence, along with about 1,700 others, were overturned. Prisoners
were promised new trials.
Special anti-terrorist measures that Fujimori declared during a period of martial law
filled Peru’s jails with hundreds of innocent people, many of whom were evangelical.
Ruiz himself was a law student when he was wrongly convicted of terrorist collaboration;
he spent five-and-a-half years in Lima’s Castro Castro Prison. Peace and Hope
successfully defended his case, and Ruiz gained a presidential pardon.
After passing the bar exam and overcoming several obstacles, he was allowed to
practice law. Almost immediately he joined Peace and Hope as an staff attorney.
Terrorism convictions handed down during the Fujimori administration account for
1,400 of the 32,000 people incarcerated in Peru today. Several years ago, human rights
groups estimated that fully one-third of Peru’s accused terrorists were innocent of the
charges.
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Ruiz says that no exact statistics are available on the numbers of wrongly accused
evangelical Christians. However, since Peace and Hope began defending such cases in
the mid 1980s, as many as 1,000 Christians have been acquitted or pardoned for crimes
they did not commit.
(Return to Index)
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Evangelical Church in Spain Still Homeless After One Year
Gypsy Protestants await settlement after Madrid authorities demolish chapel.
by David Miller
MADRID, January 3 (Compass) -- Filadelfia Evangelical Church in the Caño Roto
borough of Madrid, Spain, is still looking for a home one year after municipal authorities
served an eviction order on the 250-member congregation and tore down the chapel in
which they had worshipped for 19 years.
The church’s homeless odyssey has taken a toll in dwindling attendance and lost
momentum, according to Jesús Jimenez, the pastor of the church.
“Being unable to meet together has been a very, very heavy blow to the
congregation,” Jimenez told Compass. “People have quit attending; others have lost
touch with us.”
Jimenez’s frustration is compounded by the fact that city officials promised to
provide Filadelfia Church with new property within 60 days of the eviction. That promise
has gone unfulfilled for 12 months.
Meanwhile, the plight of Filadelfia Church has become a test case highlighting the
religious discrimination that Spanish Protestants have endured for years.
“We are certain that if the church in Caño Roto had been a gypsy Catholic church, it
never would have been demolished -- never.”
That is the assessment of attorney Mariano Blázquez, executive secretary of the
Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities of Spain (FEREDE in Spanish).
“In the entire history of Spanish democracy, this is the first time in which this has
been done without a prior judicial ruling, and of course without providing the alternative
of a different meeting place,” Blázquez said.
“And they did it to a church of gypsies. Along with the issue of religious liberty, there
is a hint of racist and perhaps xenophobic character to this action.”
The saga began on January 8, 2004, when José Manuel Verzal, councilman for the
borough of Carabanchel and coordinator of the 21st Municipal District of Madrid, arrived
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January 12, 2005
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at the church’s simple frame building in San Isidro Park in the company of 80 police
officers and 31 patrol cars.
The officers faced several hundred members of the ethnic gypsy congregation, who
had learned of plans to clear the land on which Filadelfia Church was built to make way
for urban development. Church members had gathered at the site to deter the demolition.
Verzal reportedly told the packed church, “Either by friendly means or foul, these
premises will be vacated.” Fearing the tense confrontation would turn violent, Jimenez
and Enrique Blanco, district coordinator of the Filadelfia church in the Madrid region,
urged their constituents to leave peaceably. Officials then ordered the demolition to
proceed.
Blanco said that although the Caño Roto case is certainly exceptional, it is by no
means the first time government officials have closed down a Filadelfia congregation.
“Always at the social and political level we have faced stumbling blocks,” he said.
“Meeting halls have cost us a pile of money to acquire and refurbish. After a few months
of ministering, the police will come and shut them down. We do the paperwork, the
chapel reopens, and a few months later they close it down again.”
Madrid’s Telecinco News program was at the scene and filmed the Caño Roto
eviction. Councilman Verzal gave his “word of honor” on camera that within two months
the municipality would compensate the church with a new chapel.
Twelve months later, Verzal’s promise remains unfulfilled.
In the interim, Caño Roto’s successful rehabilitation ministries with alcoholics, drug
addicts and troubled youth have been placed on hold. Former neighbors have told Blanco
and Jimenez that they bemoan the church closure because, in the years that Filadelfia
Church was located at San Isidro Park, neighborhood crime diminished.
Diego Lozano expressed the sadness many Filadelfia Church members felt following
the chapel demolition.
“It was a wonderful place to meet. Nobody complained about noise; we could
celebrate all-night vigils. We felt free.
“Sometimes living in an apartment, you feel closed in,” he added. “It was great to go
to church, sing choruses and shout ‘Praise the Lord’ with the brothers. When they took us
out of our church, they took something out of our hearts.”
Municipal authorities appear to be in no hurry to provide the congregation with a new
chapel.
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January 12, 2005
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“We had an interview with the councilman and he told us to purchase a meeting place
and they would take care of the refurbishing,” Jimenez said. “So we are waiting on this
gentleman to facilitate the process and grant us the necessary license. That’s where we
are at this point.”
Present in Spain since the 1960s, Filadelfia Church is composed almost exclusively of
ethnic gypsies. It is also the fastest growing Christian denomination in the country,
expanding from 31 local congregations 40 years ago to over 600 today. In the year 2000,
Operation World reported 30,000 members for the Filadelfia denomination.
Church growth has not necessarily translated into more rights for evangelical
churches, as leaders like Enrique Blanco well know.
“Even though we are living in a democracy, religious liberty does not really exist,”
Blanco said. “The evangelical church in Spain enjoys very few advantages. We do not
have the same freedom as the Catholic Church.”
CULTURE NOTE:
Unlike in many countries of Europe, gypsies in Spain do not refer to themselves as
“Roma.” They commonly use the Spanish term “gitano” -- like the well-known brand of
bicycle -- which carries no denigrating ethnic baggage and translates into English as
“gipsy.”
***Photographs of Jesús Jiménez, Enrique Blanco, Mariano Blázquez and Diego Lozano
are available electronically. Please contact Compass Direct for pricing and transmittal.
(Return to Index)
***********************************
Buddhist Monks in Sri Lanka Threaten to ‘Fast Unto Death’
Monks demand changes to constitution and adoption of anti-conversion laws.
by Sarah Page
DUBLIN, December 9 (Compass) -- Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka have declared a “fast
unto death” beginning December 12 if the government does not concede to a proposed
constitutional amendment and the adoption of anti-conversion laws.
The Ven. Omalpe Sobhitha, a Buddhist monk and member of the Buddhist Jathika
Hela Urumaya (JHU) party, appeared on national television on December 1 and
demanded three major concessions from the government.
His list included a presidential inquiry into the death of the Ven. Gangodawila Soma
Thero in December 2003, closing down all liquor outlets in supermarkets, and specifying
a time frame to vote on proposed anti-conversion legislation in Parliament.
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If these demands are not met by 6 a.m. on December 12, the anniversary of Soma’s
death, the JHU would begin a fast unto death.
Soma, a prominent Sri Lankan monk, died last year while traveling in Russia. The
Buddhist elite immediately blamed Christians for his death, despite three separate
autopsies that proved he had died of natural causes.
Soma’s death led to a flurry of attacks on churches and Christian institutions in the
lead-up to his funeral service on Christmas Eve, 2003. President Chandrika Kumaratunga
refused a request to hold the funeral on Christmas Day and posted police guards at many
churches in an effort to prevent violence.
Soma had spearheaded the campaign to introduce anti-conversion laws, modeled on
similar laws in India, which would prevent conversion from one religion to another.
Christian lawyers and advocacy groups say two draft bills proposed this year, one by the
JHU and one by the Minister of Buddhist Affairs, clearly target Christian conversions.
In January, a group of senior Buddhist monks declared a 60-day fast that was cut
short when President Kumaratunga dissolved Parliament and called for snap elections on
April 2.
For the first time in Sri Lankan history, the monks put together their own political
party, the JHU, which won nine seats in Parliament. The monks then used their new
political leverage to introduce a draft of the Bill on the Prohibition of Forcible
Conversions in June.
The JHU bill proposed five- to seven-year prison sentences and fines of up to 500,000
rupees ($5,027) for anyone convicted of “forcible conversion.”
A second Bill for the Protection of Religious Freedom, proposed by the Minister of
Buddhist Affairs, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, was initially approved by the cabinet in the
absence of the president. However, Wickremanayake has not yet presented his bill for a
final vote.
According to local media reports, the Supreme Court ruled in August that two clauses
of the JHU bill were unconstitutional. The monks could either write a new draft or call
for a public referendum. If the referendum is successful, a larger than usual two-thirds
majority of the votes of the entire Parliament would be required to pass the bill into law.
The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) reported that
the JHU accepted the ruling of the Supreme Court and announced it would table a new
draft within the next six months.
Senior monks then turned their attention to the constitution itself, proposing an
amendment which would strengthen the position of Buddhism by making it the “state
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January 12, 2005
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religion,” rather than the “foremost” religion as it is considered at present. A notification
of the 19th Amendment was published in the Government Gazette on October 29.
Under the current terms of the constitution, government officials are required to
“protect and nurture Buddhism.” However under Article 9.5 of the proposed amendment,
converting Buddhists to other forms of worship or “spreading other forms of worship
among the Buddhists” would be prohibited.
The new law would also “provide for binding persons practicing Buddhism to bring
up their offspring in the same faith.”
These proposals are contrary to international definitions of religious freedom. For
example, Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which
Sri Lanka is a signatory, states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought,
conscience and religion. This right includes freedom to have or to adopt a religion or
belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in
public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and
teaching.”
Christian leaders say the JHU has capitalized on public sentiment surrounding the
anniversary of Soma’s death. They fear the Buddhist elite may use this opportunity to stir
up further incidents of violence against Christians.
A series of attacks on churches or Christian institutions reported by NCEASL over
the past four months prove that these sentiments are still very much alive in the Buddhist
heartland of Sri Lanka.
FOR THE SIDEBAR
Documented Hostility
Buddhist attacks on Christian institutions from August to December 2, 2004.
(Incidents recorded by the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka.)
August 17
The National Convention of the Four Square Gospel Church in Peradeniya, Kandy, was
disrupted by a crowd armed with firecrackers and a homemade explosive device. Only
one person was injured, but the convention was adjourned to prevent further violence.
August 20
A family camp run by Calvary Church of Kottawa was disrupted by a mob which
claimed that unethical conversions were taking place at the camp.
August 25
A mob of 30 people armed with clubs and knives surrounded an independent church
which had operated for 16 years and threatened to close it down. The pastor and church
members were prevented from leaving the church building for over three hours.
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Protestors returned on the night of August 27 to demolish part of a newly built church
wall.
August 28
A Christian in the village of Boraluwewa was accused of conspiring to murder the village
monk. This Christian had provided land for the construction of a new church after the
local Apostolic Church was demolished on February 15, 2004.
September 2
The Jathika Sangha Sammelanaya (JSS or National Federation of Monks) wrote an
official letter of complaint to President Kumaratunga, accusing the presidential
spokesman of aiding fundamentalist (Christian) groups and asking that he be removed
from office.
September 17
The pastor of a Four Square Gospel church in Kiribathgoda, Gampaha district, was
severely beaten by a mob armed with two boat oars.
September 26
A mob stormed an independent church in Dematagoda, Colombo district, during a
worship service. The pastor and congregation suffered verbal abuse and were forced to
stop the service. The mob stole church files and documents.
September 26
Congregants meeting at Calvary Church in Dematagoda, Colombo district, were
interrupted by a group of six Buddhist monks and several laymen who verbally abused
them. One assailant jabbed the pastor with an umbrella. The monks forcibly removed
files and documents.
October 7
The pastor of the Yakkala Assembly of God church heard a strange noise just after
midnight. In the morning, he found excrement splattered on the outer wall of his house.
Later that afternoon, he noticed that engine oil had been thrown into the family well.
Both incidents were reported to the police.
October 9
The same pastor was awakened after midnight when someone threw a bottle filled with
excrement onto the verandah of his house. Police were informed the following morning
and supervised the cleaning. On the following day, October 10, a neighbor shouted
abusive remarks during the morning church service. That afternoon, police warned her
not to harass the pastor and stated that everyone has the right to follow their religion of
choice.
November 1
A group of masked men attacked an independent church in Korakandamulla, Kalutara
district, during the night. The intruders broke down the doors of the church and entered
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January 12, 2005
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the living area of the pastor’s family only to find that the pastor had fled, fearing for his
life. The men slapped the pastor’s wife and cut off her hair with a sword in the presence
of her children, before setting fire to some of the furniture.
November 8
A group of Buddhists carried out a protest in Matugama town. They delivered to the
divisional secretary a petition which named several Christian “fundamentalist” churches
in the area saying the “patience and tolerance” of Buddhists had almost run out. The
protestors threatened violence and distributed handbills calling on Buddhists to rise up
against churches in the district.
November 9
A children’s home run by the Christian Revival Crusade was the target of a hand grenade.
None of the 50 children were injured, but the grenade damaged the front of the building.
November 14
The Assembly of God church in Yakkala was attacked once again at approximately 2:30
a.m.
December 2
At about 5 p.m., a crowd of more than 100 people arrived at the Believer’s Church in
Kammalawa, Kuliyapitiya. They threatened to kill the pastor if he did not cease holding
worship services. Later that night, assailants threw a barrage of stones and rocks at the
church. Roof tiles, one door and several windows were damaged. Police have arrested
three people in connection with the incident.
(Return to Index)
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Sri Lankan Church Torched in Pre-Dawn Attack
President Kumaratunga orders police to guard against more Christmas violence.
by Sarah Page
DUBLIN, December 20 (Compass) -- Unknown assailants set fire to St. Michael’s
Catholic Church in Katuwana, Homogama, Sri Lanka, in the early hours of December 19.
“An unarmed watcher was chased away by the attackers who set fire to everything
that was inside the single-story building,” a police officer told reporters from Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
Created using gas cylinders and rubber tires, the fire damaged pews, an organ, the
altar and church statues. Even electric fans melted in the flames, according to a report in
today’s issue of the Daily Mirror.
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January 12, 2005
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A local priest, Father Chaminda Wanigasena, said no one was injured in the pre-dawn
attack, as no priests were resident in the building.
Arsonists had already attacked St. Michael’s earlier in the year, Wanigasena told
AFP. After the first attempt, a police guard was installed, but eventually withdrawn. The
culprits behind the first attack were never found.
“We believe the same group that attacked the church earlier was responsible for
today’s attack,” Wanigasena said yesterday.
Earlier this month, President Chandrika Kumaratunga ordered police guards for all
vulnerable churches, fearing a repeat of violent attacks that occurred in December 2003.
The president also said she would hold local police officers personally responsible if a
church was attacked over this Christmas season.
Several violent attacks on churches occurred last Christmas after the funeral of a
senior Buddhist monk, Ven. Gangodawila Soma, was held on Christmas Eve. Soma was
a popular and vocal supporter of the campaign to introduce anti-conversion laws in Sri
Lanka.
A prominent Sri Lankan Christian recalled that on the morning of Soma’s funeral,
“the whole city was yellow.” Saffron Buddhist flags were even wrapped around
Christmas decorations. Buddhist monks also asked Christians not to celebrate Christmas
out of respect for Soma.
Sensing the rising tension, President Kumaratunga appeared on national television
and appealed for calm. In spite of her efforts, 20 churches were burned on the night of the
funeral.
After yesterday’s attack, fears of another violent Christmas may well prove justified.
Christians are certainly in the minority. A 2001 census showed there were almost
190,000 Buddhists in Homogama but only 3,700 Christians.
Roman Catholics account for about seven percent of Sri Lanka’s 20 million
population, while evangelical Christians account for less than one percent. Hindus
comprise 15 percent; Muslims, seven percent, and Buddhists, the remaining 70 percent.
However, the Christian population has suffered a disproportionate share of violence.
The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) recorded 46
churches burned, attacked or otherwise harassed in the first quarter of 2004.
Angry mobs, often led by Buddhist monks, have attacked at least 160 churches over
the past two years.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka published their annual
Christmas message in today’s Daily News.
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January 12, 2005
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“We are celebrating Christmas at a time when respect for human life and dignity in
our country is at a very low ebb,” the statement said.
“At the birth of the Divine child in Bethlehem, the angels sang, ‘Glory to God in the
highest and peace to men of good will.’ Jesus came to bring us the gift of peace with
dignity and justice.
“He taught us that we must respect one another and treat each other as members of
one human family. In our dear land, we need to treat the diversity of languages, religions
and cultural traditions not as diversity factors, but as a source of richness and unity.
“Unless and until we learn to recognize each other with dignity and equality, there
cannot be lasting peace in our land. If Christmas is to be meaningful, we shall have to
commit ourselves to this vision.”
(Return to Index)
***********************************
Thugs Attack Christian Publisher in Ukraine
Brutal assault aimed at silencing pro-democracy advocate.
by David Miller
MIAMI, December 9 (Compass) -- A brutal attack on a Christian book publisher in
Ukraine has underscored the high stakes struggle over human rights and religious liberty
in the former Soviet republic preparing for a re-run of a sharply contested presidential
election.
On December 2, two unidentified men assaulted Stanislav Kasprov, director of the
Smirna publishing house, outside company offices in Cherkassy, a city 110 miles south
of Kiev. They beat Kasprov with a ball bat, leaving him bloodied and barely conscious.
At press time, Kasprov’s attackers remain at large and their motives are unknown.
Evidence suggests, however, that former operatives of the now defunct KGB may have
perpetrated the assault.
Kasprov said he was about to leave that Thursday evening for the village of Verguni
to conduct a weekly worship service at a church he pastors there.
“Having approached the door, I heard someone calling me, ‘Stanislav, may I have
your attention for a moment?’ There were two young men near the gate to the street.”
Kasprov could not see the pair clearly in the gathering dusk, but one of them asked
him if he were going to a service to Verguni.
“Yes,” Kasprov answered.
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“I have a brief question for you,” the man said.
When Kasprov approached to listen to the young man’s question, the stranger
suddenly hit him in the left eye with what appeared to be brass knuckles. Kasprov reeled
and the second assailant hit him on the back of the head with the bat.
“I lost consciousness and fell,” Kasprov recalled. “When I came to my senses, they
were kicking me. I heard distinctly a voice that said, ‘Hurry to the office and shout!’
“I began to shout and crawl in the direction of the office. When I had crawled about a
meter, they ran away. I stopped shouting and rose to my feet.”
Smirna co-workers arrived on the scene at that moment and called an ambulance to
take the wounded man to a nearby hospital. Kasprov required five stitches to close the
wound over his eye and nine stitches to repair the back of his scalp.
He is still under medical care, reportedly spending the entire day yesterday in the
hospital receiving treatment. Friends say Kasprov continues to experience a great deal of
pain from his injuries.
A lawyer by training, the 42-year-old publisher is married with seven children, ages 7
to 15. He has directed Smirna for seven years, publishing about 20 new titles yearly.
According to a Swiss business associate, Smirna has printed over a half million books
in Ukraine in the past five years. Demand for Christian literature has risen steadily along
with the rapid growth of evangelical Christianity in the country.
It is unlikely that Kasprov’s publishing activities alone attracted the attention of antiChristian elements in Ukraine, a country of 48 million.
“Stanislav is not a timid person,” a friend from Western Europe told Compass.
“Whenever he is invited to speak, he clearly tells the Christian people that it’s up to them
what kind of regime they will get, whether Ukraine is going for democracy or some sort
of autocracy like most states in Central Asia.”
Since presidential elections on November 21, Ukrainians have staged mass
demonstrations to protest victory claimed by Viktor Yanukovich, the hand-picked
successor to outgoing President Leonid Kuchma.
Indications that the incumbent regime resorted to fraud to steal the election from
West-leaning Viktor Yushchenko and fears that a Yanukovich government would roll
back the clock on democratic reform ignited popular resistance against Yanukovich.
The protests prompted the country’s Supreme Court to invalidate results of the
November election and persuaded the Ukrainian Parliament to write a reform bill that,
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January 12, 2005
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among other things, regulates a run-off election set for December 26 between
Yanukovich and Yushchenko.
Yesterday the BBC reported that the reform bill passed, with an overwhelming
majority -- 402 of the 450 Members of Parliament -- voting in favor of change.
“A large part of what’s at stake here is the future of Christianity in this part of the
world,” said HOPE International President Paul Marty, who lives in Ukraine.
In statements reported by Missions News Network, Marty said that a Yanukovich
administration would likely impose severe restrictions on Protestant Christian
organizations operating in the country.
“If the election goes toward the pro-Russian candidate, then a lot of the policies of the
country are going to follow. And, he’s publicly stated that the only church he would
recognize would be the Russian Orthodox Church and would not tolerate others.”
Kasprov is but one of scores of Christian pastors and church leaders who have been
outspoken in their support for democratic change in Ukraine. During the past three
weeks, large numbers of evangelical Protestants traveled to Kiev to pray for hours at a
time in the same public square where tens of thousands of demonstrators protested the
outcome of the poll.
“Almost all churches, with a few exceptions, supported the pro-Western presidential
candidate Viktor Yushchenko,” Kasprov’s business associate said. “He seems much more
to support the idea of religious freedom as an important item for any country.”
According to sources in Ukraine, Kasprov’s public opposition to Soviet style politics
probably provoked last week’s attack. They believe tacit support for the assault came
from government security officials.
A Smirna employee revealed that in early November, two young men came to the
publishing company and asked to meet with Kasprov, who was in Kiev that day. The pair
returned on November 23 with the same request, but the publisher was again absent.
“Based on this information, I think it had been planned,” Kasprov said.
***Photographs of Stanislav Kasprov with injuries are available electronically. Contact
Compass Direct for pricing and transmittal.
(Return to Index)
***********************************
***********************************
COMPASS DIRECT
Compass Direct
January 12, 2005
- 39 -
Global News from the Frontlines
David Miller, Managing Editor
Gail Wahlquist, Editorial Assistant
Suzi Quinones, Design
Bureau Chiefs:
Barbara Baker, Middle East
Sarah Page, Asia
For subscription information, contact:
Compass Direct
P.O. Box 27250
Santa Ana, CA 92799
www.compassdirect.org
Compass Direct
January 12, 2005
- 40 -