Somali Christian woman killed for refusing to wear veil

According to an October 27 report from Compass Direct, Amina Muse Ali (45) was murdered in her home in Galkayo, Puntland region, Somalia on the evening of October 19 by three masked members of Suna Waljameca, a militant Islamic group. Ali had earlier received threats from militants for not wearing a veil to show her adherence to Islam. They had reportedly been monitoring Ali for some time as they suspected her of being a Christian. Ali, a long-time believer, had been actively involved in the underground church and the Somali Christian Brothers' Organization, a movement that has been targeted several times by Muslim militants.

Pray for those mourning the loss of Amina Muse Ali. Pray for the small, suffering community of believers in Somalia. Pray that those who persecute Christians in Somalia will know Christ's love, forgiveness and blessing through the lives of believers (Romans 12:14, 21).

To learn more about God's suffering children in Somalia, click here.

Christians throughout India targeted in violent attacks

The Voice of the Martyrs received several reports of violence against Christians in India throughout the week, including the following two incidents.

On the morning of October 25, four men entered the Assembly of God church building in Old Hubli, Karnataka during a worship service and started taking notes and photographing the worshippers. When the pastor's wife, Radha David (42), asked the men to sit quietly and listen to the sermon, they immediately left. A few minutes later, a group of approximately 50 Hindu militants stormed into the church. They threatened the believers and dragged Pastor K.M. David Raj (47) outside. The militants then collected the Bibles, Christian literature and banners and burned them in front of the church building. Police arrived on scene and brought Pastor Raj, Radha, and three other believers to the police station. At last report, the five remained in police custody.

On the same day, Pastor Pavithra Kumar (28) was brutally beaten following a morning worship service in Mastoori town, Madhya Pradesh. Approximately 11 Hindus called Pastor Kumar outside where they attacked him with their fists, wooden rods and field hockey sticks. Pastor Kumar was able to escape his assailants and run back inside the church building. However, he was badly injured on his hands, chest, back and head.

Pray that these believers will keep their eyes on Jesus, persevere in their faith, and not grow weary or lose heart (Hebrews 10:32-39, Hebrews 12:1-3). Pray that those who seek to hinder the work of the Church in India will see the love and grace of Jesus in the lives of Indian Christians. We invite you to post a prayer for suffering Christians in India on our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, click here.

Chinese student expelled from school for his Christian faith

Chen Le Photo from ChinaAid

Chen Le, a second-year high school student, was officially expelled from Huashan Middle School on October 20 after he signed a document confirming his Christian faith, according to an October 25 report from ChinaAid. The official notice of expulsion stated, " was found by Bazhou Public Security Agency and other related agencies to have engaged in Christian gatherings. His school was notified that it should educate the student and persuade him to mend his ways. However…this student persists in his belief that he should not renounce his Christian belief. He can't promise that he will not believe in Christianity or attend Christian activities."

Due to the expulsion, Chen Le is now barred from taking the mandatory college entrance exam, disallowing him to pursue further education. Chen Le has responded saying, "I would rather be forced out of school, than deny my faith."

Thank God for the bold faith of Chen Le. Ask God to open a door for him so he may continue in his education. You can stand in solidarity with Chen Le by posting a prayer for him on our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall.

Learn more about how Christians are persecuted for their faith in China at the China Country Report.

Update: Imprisoned believers tortured following Islamic attack in Pakistan

Nauman Masih Photo from Compass Direct

Two Christians who were arrested by officials following an Islamic attack on believers in Gojra, Pakistan (click here for more information), have faced brutal torture and abuse from authorities, according to an October 23 report from Compass Direct. Naveed Masih (32) and his brother, Nauman Masih (25), were arrested in early September for "rioting with deadly weapons and spreading terror with firing." Naveed has been accused of firing shots into the air and at the feet of Muslims in an attempt to disperse them during the August 1 violence. However, both brothers deny using weapons and believe they have been targeted because they provided shelter to over 300 women, children and seniors on the day of the attack.

The brothers were kept in detention illegally for 18 days at the Police Training Centre in Choong. During that time, police officers attempted to coerce the brothers into saying they fired the shots and had ties to terrorist organizations by denying them food and drink, beating them, hanging them upside down and preventing them from sleeping. Nauman has since been released on bail.

Update: Day of prayer and fasting called for kidnapped foreigners in Yemen

The three Christians who were killed in June

Four months after their abduction, there continues to be no reliable news on the condition of the remaining six expatriate Christians kidnapped in mid-June by unknown assailants in Yemen (read the story). On June 12, nine foreign Christians were abducted -- four German adults, three small German children, a British man and a South Korean woman -- after they ventured outside the city of Sa'ada. All of them worked at a hospital in the city. Shortly afterwards, Rita Stumpp (26) and Anita Gruenwald (24), German nurses in training, and Eom Young-sun (33) of South Korea were killed and their bodies found by local shepherds. Still missing are German doctor Johannes (36), his wife Sabine (36), their three children Lydia (4), Anna (3) and Simon (1) and British engineer Anthony S. Their whereabouts and condition remain unknown. Anthony is married but his wife did not accompany him on this trip.

As Middle East Concern (MEC) has noted, the work of the hospital where they worked has been severely reduced as a result, affecting the city and the wider area. No one has claimed responsibility for the abductions and killings, which MEC notes is "unusual within Yemeni culture, and heightens the concern and anxiety." The search for the missing has been greatly hindered by the intense fighting between the government forces and the Houthi armed group in Sa'ada province, which has flared up again since June.

According to MEC, Christians in Yemen have backed calls for a day of prayer and fasting on Saturday, October 31. For specific prayer requests, click here. Please plan to be involved if you can and encourage others to do so as well. Show your solidarity for the missing, their families and colleagues by posting a prayer on our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall.

Update: Kidnapped priest alive but ailing in the Philippines

On October 10, Michael Sinnott, a 79-year-old priest from Ireland, was abducted by six armed men in the city of Pagadian near Zamboanga (Mindanao), Philippines as he was conducting evening prayers in his home (click here for more information). While the identities of his abductors remain unknown, authorities have been able to make contact with them and have been assured that the priest is alive but ailing. Medicines for Sinnott, who suffers from heart problems, were sent by a local church through an emissary and confirmation was received that he had obtained them. In July, Sinnott underwent a quadruple bypass. Pray that negotiations for his release will be successful.

Indonesian Islamists Bully Villagers into Revoking Church Permit

Samuel Rionaldo

October 28, 2009

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CDN) -- The regent ofPurwakarta regency, West Java has revoked his decision to permit construction of a Catholic worship building in Cinanka village after Islamists threatened residents into withdrawing their approval of the project.

Dedi Mulyadi on Oct. 16 revoked the permit for construction of Catholic Church of Saint Mary after Islamists threatened some of the local residents whose approval is required by Indonesian law, the priest of the church told Compass.

"Those who had signed were continually terrorized by the FPI [Front Pembela Islam, or Islamic Defenders Front]," the Rev. Agustinus Made said. "They became so frightened that when they were called to a meeting by the Interfaith Communications Forum, many did not attend. Also, the members of the Interfaith Communications Forum and the Department of Religion were also terrorized by the FPI so that they were afraid to say that they agree to the church building."

The FPI also intimidated the regent, resulting in his revoking the building permit he himself had signed two years ago, Made said.

"Since the end of the Islamic month of fasting [Aug. 22], the FPI has staged repeated demonstrations in front of the regent's office demanding that the building permit forSanta Maria Church be rescinded," he added.

The 5,000-square meter residential lot had been zoned for a house of worship. Jaenal Arifin, head of the National Unity and Community Protection Purwakarta RegencyOffice, said Regent Mulyadi signed the Oct. 16 decree revoking the building permit.

A Joint Ministerial Decree promulgated in 1969 and revised in 2006 requires the permission of more than 60 neighbors and a permit from local authorities to establish a place of worship. The more than 60 local citizens giving their approval must provide photocopies of their identity cards.

The regency office's Arifin said that, after a review of a community survey taken by the Interfaith Communications Forum of Purwakarta Regency and the Purwakarta Regency Department of Religion, 15 citizens had withdrawn their support. Additionally, he said, the church had not secured permission from the block captain.

"Based upon the latest developments, only 45 citizens have agreed," Arifin said. "Therefore the requirement is not fulfilled."

The congregation of 1,000 people has been holding services in a warehouse belonging to a steel factory located far from the proposed building site. The church has been worshipping in the warehouse since 2002.

With the revocation of the building permit, the church is also in danger of losing its place of worship. There is fear, Made said, that a radical group will approach the owner of the warehouse to stop services there.

The church is preparing to bring a lawsuit in a West Java court, he said.

"We are building on land that was set aside [zoned] for a house of worship, and which we have purchased," Made said. "We demand that justice be firmly enforced.Intimidation by radical groups must cease."

Church Registration in Vietnam Inches Along

Compass Direct News reports that the Assemblies of God (AoG) in Vietnam have received an "operating license," which the government described as "the first step . . .before becoming officially legal." This operating license, officially given on Oct. 19, gives permission for all of the congregations of the Vietnam AoG to "carry on religious activity" anywhere in the country for the next year. During this time the church body must prepare adoctrinal statement, a constitution and bylaws and a four-year working plan to be approved by the government before being allowed to hold an organizing assembly. The operating license is the first one granted since five were granted two years ago. The last of those five churches, the Christian Fellowship Church, was finally allowed to hold its organizing assembly in late September. Only about 10 percent of the many hundreds of applications have received a favorable reply, they said, leaving most house churches vulnerable to arbitrary harassment or worse.

Pakistan Police Torture Christians Arrested in Islamic Attack

Brian Sharma

October 27, 2009

LAHORE, Pakistan (CDN) -- Two Christians in Gojra, Pakistan who allegedly fired warning shots as an Islamist mob approached that burned seven Christians to death on Aug. 1 told Compass they were tortured after police arrested them.

Only one of hundreds of Muslim assailants in the fire assault on Gojra's Christian Town is in jail, but sources said Islamists have provided police a pretense for arresting the two Christian brothers who gave shelter to 300 people. Naveed Masih, 32, alias Fauji ("the Soldier") and his 25-year-old brother Nauman Masih were arrested on Sept. 2 and Sept. 7 respectively for "rioting with deadly weapons and spreading terror with firing."

Naveed Masih is said to have fired warning shots from a rooftop into the air and at the feet of the mob of approaching Muslim assailants to try to disperse them, but both brothers deny using any weapons.

From his jail cell, Naveed Masih told Compass that he and his brother were taken to the Police Training Centre in Choong, where they were kept in illegal detention for 18 days and were tortured "in so many ways ruthlessly and in inhumane ways."

"Sometimes we were not given anything to eat or drink except one time, and sometimes we were hung in a dark well while our faces were covered with a cloth," Naveed Masih said. "They beat me with cane sticks on the back of my hands and sometimes hung me upside down and then brutally beat me."

Police kept them hungry for days, he said; when they asked for food, officers told them to confess that they had fired, he added. Naveed Masih said police tortured them to try to force them to say they had links with terrorist organizations that provided arms and ammunition to them.

Naveed Maish said they were forbidden to sleep; they were awoken whenever they dozed off. Throughout the 18 days of torture, he said, the two brothers were kept separate but saw each other when they were taken to court.

"We hugged each other and wept, seeing each other's wounds," he said.

Naveed Masih said police tortured them because they had given shelter to more than 300 women, children and elderly people on the day of attack, in which the assailants - acting on an unsubstantiated rumor of "blasphemy" of the Quran and whipped into a frenzy by local imams and banned terrorist groups - also looted more than 100 houses and set fire to 50 of them. At least 19 people were injured in the melee.

In spite of the targeting of the Christian area in Gojra by hundreds of Islamic extremists, police have registered complaints filed by the Muslim assailants against 129 Christians; sources said these various charges were filed only to pressure the Christian community. Thus far police have arrested only Naveed Masih and Nauman Masih - whose cases were submitted in an Anti-Terrorism Court to make it difficult for them to obtain bail, according to their lawyer - but the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement was able to obtain release on bail for Nauman Masih.

Nauman Masih told Compass that of the 17 Muslims named in the First Information Report on the Aug. 1 attack, only one, Abdul Khalid Kashmiri, was in jail. Kashmiri has offered 1 million rupees (US$12,500) if the Christian complainants would withdraw the case, Nauman Masih added.

The rest of the Muslim assailants are still at large, and sources said police have no intention of arresting them. In addition, three checks of 100,000 rupees (US$1,200) each issued by Punjab Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah for compensation to victims have been cancelled, Nauman Masih said, probably because the recipients are among the 129 Christians implicated in the false charges.

Nauman Masih said that when his mother arrived at the Christian Town Police Station the night his brother was arrested, officials told her that she could see him the next morning. But when she and other women arrived the next morning, he said, police told them that they had not arrested him.

The Community Development Initiative (CDI), anadvocacy group working with the help of American Center for Law and Justice, has taken up the case of both brothers. CDI lawyer Haroon Suleman Khokhar said that they have been falsely implicated in a serious crime for protecting themselves and many other innocent Christians.

He said that police had no justification for submitting the cases of the two brothers in the Anti-Terrorism Court ofFaisalabad. Khokhar said Naveed Masih was a key eyewitness in the report filed with police on the Aug. 1 attack, and that the two brothers were implicated in the cases only to try coercing Naveed Masih to withdraw from testifying against the Muslim attackers.

To protest police registration of the complaints against the 129 Christians, which include Bishop of Gojra John Samuel, Naveed Masih and Nauman Masih, on Oct. 5 the Christians of Gojra rejected goods sent by the U.S. Embassy to Pakistan in Islamabad. Demanding justice rather than aid, the Christians threw away the boxes of aid

Relief Volunteers 'Mud Out' Manila, Share God's Love

Tess Rivers

October 26, 2009

MANILA, Philippines (BP) -- Mud. Hunger. Garbage. Mud. Poverty. Sewage. Mud.

These were the sights and smells that greeted 30disaster relief volunteers from Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas in mid-October when they arrived in an area of Manila, Philippines, hard-hit by two typhoons.

The group worked with local church members andSouthern Baptist missionaries serving in the Philippines to help residents of metro Manila recover from the flooding that covered nearly 80 percent of the city when Typhoon Ketsana struck Sept. 26. Weeks later, parts of the area that weren't still underwater were covered in mud.

"This is Katrina times four," said Larry Shine, who directed the team's efforts. Shine serves as the Southern Baptists of Texas task force director for cleanup and recovery.

According to reports, more rain fell in six hours than the city normally receives in the entire month of September. As the water began to rise at an alarming rate, residents began scrambling for safety.

At the height of the rains, floodwaters reached the top floor of a three-story building that houses Nangka High School. The building is situated in an area of squatter homes and shanties along the banks of the major river system in eastern Manila.

"We were not prepared for this disaster," said Angie Tan, director of a vocational school for youth and adults that holds classes in the building's basement. "Usually when the river overflows, it only rises to table level. My staff was working to move the small items in the baking classroom onto the big oven. But when the water reached their necks, they had to escape."

In the week following the disaster, 42 families sought temporary shelter on the building's third floor. As the water began to recede, the second and third floors were cleaned for some classes to resume. Meanwhile, the basement remained full of mud.

The Southern Baptist volunteers helped city workers clean up those basement classrooms after the volunteers mudded out the homes of two Filipino pastors and assisted with food distribution the week before.

"I am very glad to say thank you," said Vilma Rollado, a Nangka community leader and staff member at the vocational school.

Rollado learned the Baptist disaster relief teams were available through Mac Reyes, youth pastor at International Baptist Church of Manila.

The Nangka community has no evangelical churchpresence. Just three days after the flood, Reyes worked with Southern Baptist missionary Shirley Seale to distribute food purchased with Southern Baptist world hunger funds to 300 people in a three-alley section of Nangka. Church members helped clean the vocational school and plan to provide medical clinics and post-traumatic counseling for flood victims.

"Our goal is to empower the local church to minister to the local people," Shine said.

Because of the efforts of disaster relief volunteers, Luzon Baptist Convention is interested in starting its owndisaster relief program, and International Baptist Church is leading the way. Shine and Reyes visited a basketball court serving as home to 500 people who lost their homes in the flooding. Shine helped Reyes assess additional needs that can be met by local churches and additional BGR volunteer teams over the coming weeks.International Baptist Church leadership also hosted a disaster relief training program for area churches.

"We bring leadership, equipment and know-how," said Miguel Tello, a Baptist Men's disaster relief volunteer. "We want to leave the equipment and the knowledge with the nationals. If we just come and clean up, that's not as effective."

By training nationals to set up their own programs, Tello believes local churches will be better prepared to respond when the next disaster strikes.

But training programs are not the only positive results from the teams' visit to Manila.

"The highlight of the trip for me was the six professions of faith in Pastor Rico's church," said Jimmie Eisenhower from Oklahoma's disaster relief team. Eisenhower was part of the team that mudded out the home of Roger and Rosie Rico.

"Rosie had been praying for them for a while, and the disaster brought them to the church," Eisenhower said. "It was just so good to see the Lord at work in the midst of adversity and to know that these six will be discipled by Roger and Rosie and will grow in their faith."

Dovie Smallwood, a Kentucky disaster relief volunteer, had the opportunity to share Christ with one of her roommates.

"I rented bed space in the hotel, so there were about six others sharing the room," Smallwood explained.

A Filipina who works in a Middle Eastern country was in the bed beside Smallwood. Although she claimed to be a believer, the woman said Christ could not accept her because of her lifestyle.

"I told her that God loved her and that He could release her from her bondage," Smallwood said, "and I led her in a sinner's prayer."

Within days after Typhoon Ketsana struck, International Mission Board workers Greg and Jill Harvell and theirhouse church had distributed 400 bags of food purchased with Southern Baptist world hunger funds. Four volunteers from Texas helped pack and distribute an additional 400 bags. In total, the house church has distributed 3,600 bags of food.

House church member Priscilla Divas received a text message from her cousin, a doctor who is providing medical services to people suffering from the flooding in the Bulacan community. She expressed appreciation for her pastor and the relief team, noting that seven people had accepted Jesus as an offshoot of their generosity.

PAKISTAN -- Asia Bibi in Court

Asia's daughters were visibly upset when they met her. "The little daughter was continuously asking her mother, 'Mama when are you coming back home?'" VOM contacts said. Isha, the eldest daughter, cried and hugged her mother and would not let her go. Isha pointed to the veil on her mother's face and said, "I want to see your face, remove this cover." It was a sad scene. The court rescheduled another hearing for Oct. 27.
Read the full story here

Learn about the Impact of God's Power in the Book, If Prison Walls Could Speak

VOM's founder, Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, was alone in a prison cell for three years, 30 feet below the ground. During that time, he never saw the sun, touched the grass or glanced at another human being. Learn about the miraculous power of God that touches us when we need Him most.
Read more here

RUSSIA -- Pastors Fined for Worship

Recently, two Baptist pastors in Russia's Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad were fined 2,200 rubles (US $75) after their church members "sang psalms and spoke about Christ" on the street, according to Forum 18 News Service.
Read the full story here

Pastor in India Lured into Violent Trap, Has Ear Bitten Off

Shireen Bhatia

October 23, 2009

NEW DELHI (CDN) -- A group of Hindu extremists inMadhya Pradesh earlier this month beat a pastor unconscious and chewed off part of his ear, pelting him with stones after he fainted from the pain.

Paasu Ninama told Compass that the six attackers first lured him into a house in Malphalia village, Jhabua district with an offer of water on Oct. 4. The 35-year-old resident of Pipal Kutta village said he was on his way back from his regular Sunday service in Malphalia at 4 p.m. when six men sitting outside a house invited him in for a glass of water.

When he saw a photograph of Jesus Christ in the house, he knew they had set a trap for him - Pastor Ninama said he knew they would accuse him of providing the photo and trying to "forcibly" convert them.

"I immediately turned to escape when they all jumped on me and started to beat me, accusing me of luring people to convert," he said.

They badly beat him with wood on his hands, legs and back.

"I joined my hands and begged them not to beat me and let me go, but they mercilessly continued to hit me black and blue," Pastor Ninama said.

One of the Hindu extremists chewed off Pastor Ninama's left ear, which bled heavily. Pastor Ninama fell unconscious.

"A piece of my ear was in his mouth, and it went missing," said Pastor Ninama, in tears.

The attackers started pelting the unconscious pastor with stones until villagers intervened. There were two eyewitnesses who will testify in court of the attack, said Pastor Bahadur Baria, who lives in a nearby village.

When Pastor Ninama regained consciousness, he found himself in Life Line Hospital, Dahod, Gujrat state, 33 kilometers (20 miles) from the site of the attack. He sustained internal injuries and had severe pain in his chest from the beating and stoning, he told Compass.

Pastor Baria said the attackers planned to trap Pastor Ninama by saying he had given the photo of Jesus to them and that he had tried to convince them to forsake Hinduism for Christianity.

Pastor Baria told Compass that a group of Hindu fundamentalists later went to the Meghnagar police station on behalf of the attackers to file an FIR against Pastor Ninama, accusing him of entering their house with a photo of Jesus and trying to convert them to Christianity." The officer refused to consider their complaint, he said, based on the obvious harm that the attackers had done to Pastor Ninama. Police also stated that they would not consider any complaint that could lead to violence in the name of religion.

Pastor Ninama has filed a First Information report (FIR) at the Meghnagar police station against Ramesh Ninama and his five accomplices. Police have filed a case for voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, punishment for voluntarily causing hurt and "obscene acts and songs" under the Indian Penal Code. Depending on the results of a medical report, they will decide whether to add the charge of voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means.

Sub-Inspector B.K. Arya told Compass that no arrests have been made yet. He confirmed that the charges could be modified depending on the expected medical report.

"I will personally see to it that the investigation is expedited and the culprits nabbed," Superintendent of Police Abhay Singh told Compass.

Fearless Ministry

Pastor Ninama, who converted to Christianity five years ago, said that his faith and bold ministry have earned him many enemies.

"Twice the Hindu extremists tried to put me behind bars," but they had not treated him so severely, he said.

A year ago, he said, he was praying at a meeting in Malphalia village when two men approached him with a sword and made false accusations against him because of his ministry. One of them, Prakash Gadawa, had accused Pastor Ninama of forcefully converting his daughter, son and wife. They took Pastor Ninama to a police station, where they reached an agreement to drop charges, but six months ago Gadawa again attacked, this time entering the pastor's house with a sword and threatening to kill him.

"I went to file a complaint against him in the police station, but instead the police arrested me and kept me in custody for the whole day and took no action against Prakash Gadawa," he said.

Pastor Ninama revealed that around five days prior to the Oct. 4 incident, Gadawa came outside his house and shouted obscenities - accusing him of preaching the Bible and converting people.

"I did not take any action against this, for I know that no action will be taken by the police," the discouraged pastor said.

Pastor Ninama said he and his family became Christians after his wife was delivered from demonic possession by a pastor's prayer.

"After just three days, my wife was completely healed," he said. "Me and my family, we will serve the Lord."

For the past three years, Pastor Ninama has traveled a distance of 28 kilometers (17 miles) every Sunday to conduct four services in different churches in the area. More than 100 people gather to worship at Vadli Pada village, he said, 200 people meet in Pipalkutta village, 15 in Malbalia village and 13 families in Kodali village.

The independent pastor said he works as a day laborer in farm fields to sustain his family: 32-year-old wife Bundi Ninama, four daughters and two sons, the youngest boy being 5 years old.

Pastor Ninama told Compass that the Dahod hospital has referred him to Baroda's Nayak Hospital for further treatment and grafting of his ear.

"I will continue to do the work of the Lord," Pastor Ninama said.

Eritrean church leader's home raided, ten arrested

Worship at the Full Gospel Church in Asmara Image of video from Gospel Light Eritrean Baptist Church

According to Open Doors Switzerland, ten more Christians were arrested last week after Eritrean security forces raided the home of Pastor Tewelde Hailom, the founding elder of the Full Gospel Church in Asmara. According to the report, three people were arrested on October 14. Seven others were taken into custody two days later. Pastor Hailom, who is suffering from an ulcer, was taken to prison, but remains under house arrest. It is unknown at this time where the ten believers, including two women, are being detained.

Please pray for their release. Pray that they will have courage in the face of the hardship that they will be facing. Pray for their families during this time of uncertainty over the fate of their loved ones.

For more information on the severe persecution facing Christians in Eritrea, go to the Eritrea Country Report.

Church bombed in Ukraine

Photos from Pastor Zschech's blog

In the early morning of October 14, a crude homemade bomb was thrown into theCalvary Chapel church building in Kaharlyk, Ukraine. The building is also the residence of Pastor Wayne Zschech and his family. At approximately 7:00 a.m., Pastor Zschech's wife awoke to the smell of smoke. Fire officials were called to the scene where they put out the blaze, which caused minor damage to the building. The six people asleep in the church at the time of the attack escaped without injury. The assailants spray painted "Out with Sects" and "OYH," an abbreviated name for a Ukrainian Nationalist movement, on the church wall.

Pastor Zschech later stated, "We pray that the Lord would call people to salvation and that He would build up His body. We rejoice in being chosen worthy to suffer for the sake of our Lord and His Gospel. We do also pray for safety but hold this prayer out with open hands." For more details on this story, visit Pastor Zschech's blog.

Thank God that no one was hurt in this attack. Pray that the perpetrators of this attack will be brought to justice and come to faith in Christ. You can show your support for members of this church by posting a prayer on our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall.

Update: Pakistani Christian accused of blasphemy appears in court

Asia Bibi (37), a woman arrested for blasphemy in Pakistan's Punjab province on June 19 after she and several Muslim women had a heated discussion about Islam (click here for the story), appeared in court on October 14. Bibi's husband, Ashiq Masih, and their two daughters were able to visit with her for 15 minutes before her court appearance. Bibi reported that she has been treated well in prison but misses her family. Another hearing has been scheduled for October 27.

To find out how you can stand in solidarity with this family, click here.

Update: Ten more Christians from China's Fushan Church arrested

Arrested believers Yang Xuan and wife, Yang Caizhen, Photos from ChinaAid

Church members of the Fushan Church in Linfen City, China continue to face detention and intimidation from Public Security Bureau officials, according to an October 18 report from ChinaAid. On October 10, officials offered to release ten church leaders who were arrested in late September following an attack on their church site (click here for more information), on the condition that one of the female leaders be held until further notice. The leaders refused to leave behind Pastor Yang Rongli, stating, "We are one team in the one body of Christ! We won't leave her behind alone. We will not leave prison without her." The officials then arrested Pastor Yang's youngest sister, Yang Linli, and ransacked another pastor's home. On October 11, ten more church members were arrested. Officials blamed Pastor Yang for the raids and arrests, and threatened the leaders with further violence if they did not comply with their orders.

Yang Linli was finally released on October 16 and ordered to not petition on behalf of her sister or the other detained Christians and cease further "illegal activities." Pastor Yang and another church leader, Hua Mei, were then formally accused of "illegal building and disturbing the social order by organizing masses." The next day, five other church leaders were sentenced to criminal detention. Three have since been released on parole. At last report, nine Christians remain in detention and the whereabouts of the ten Christians detained on October 11 remain unknown.

Update: Chinese pastor released

Pastor Hua Huiqi, who was arrested by officials on September 17 (read the story), was released on October 10, according to an October 12 report from ChinaAid. He was not physically mistreated during his detention in a secret location. Upon his release, however, officials reportedly threatened to harm his 13-year-old daughter if he "caused any trouble." Pastor Hua, who is recovering at home, has urged the international community to continue praying for his ailing Christian mother, Shuang Shuying, who has also faced imprisonment. He has also requested prayer for his dying brother, Hua Huilin.

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Pray for the Persecuted Church this November!

On November 8, Christians around the world will join together for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) to uphold those suffering for their Christian faith. Can you devote some special time in prayer for the persecuted this year? Whether you take part as a church, a group or simply spend time in personal prayer, your prayers will be a powerful way to remember those suffering for their Christian witness.

To find out more and to download special IDOP 2009 resources such as prayer points, Bible references and children's materials, go to www.idop.ca. Or if you live outside Canada, go towww.idop.org.

In this week's VOMC weblog (www.persecution.net/weblog.htm)

Join the growing number of Christians who follow VOMC's Persecuted Church Weblog regularly. Here are a few of the recent posts by our staff:

a) Be inspired and challenged by the faith of persecuted Christians in the past in our regular weekly post, "This week in persecuted church history (October 11-17)." (Posted October 18)

b) You are encouraged to remember to "Continue to pray for Christians kidnapped in Yemen in July." (Posted October 18)

c) Glenn Penner asks "Why can't we just pray on a 'Day of Prayer?'" in regards to the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. (Posted October 16)

d) Read from the inspirational writings of Richard Wurmbrand and Wong Ming-Dao in our new blog series, "From the pen of the persecuted." (Posted October 15 & 19)

e) Glenn takes us through a study of Philippians 2 in "Rights: Real but not grasped." (Posted October 20)

Throughout the week, we also post updates on incidents of persecution and suggestions/invitations on how you can respond and show your solidarity with your suffering brothers and sisters. Be sure to check out www.persecutedchurchblog.com daily

Pakistani Christian Arrested for Gojra Violence Gets Bail

ASSIST News Service reports that one of the two Christian men arrested for "perpetrating violence" in Gojra has been granted bail by an anti-terrorist court in Faisalabad. Nouman Shahu was released on Tuesday (Oct. 20). Gojra is a small town in Pakistani province ofPunjab, which saw the torching of Christians' houses and the deaths of seven Christians after rumors spread that Christians had committed blasphemy. Some 64 Christian families in Gojra were rendered homeless as a result of the August violence. Joseph Francis, National Director of the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), said the group had submitted surety bonds worth 50,000 Pakistani rupees (601.355 USD) Shahu's release. Shahu's brother, Naveed, remains in prison. CLAAS hope to petition for his release on bail in about a week.

Eritrea Inflicts another Blow on Christians

Mission News Network reports that 10 Christians in Eritrea have been arrested while their pastor has been placed under house arrest. Eritrean security forces raided the home of Pastor Tewelde Hailom, founding elder of the Full Gospel Church in Asmara, on Oct. 15 and arrested three members of his congregation. Two days later, they arrested seven more members of the congregation. Hailom is under house arrest, but not imprisoned due to his frail health. So far, persecution watchdog Open Doors has been unable to find out where the other Christians are being held. More than 2,800 Eritrean Christians have been imprisoned for worshipping outside of state-sponsored churches. The country is number 9 on Open Doors' Watch List forreligious persecution.

Theology Students in Indonesia to be Evicted from Campground

Samuel Rionaldo

October 21, 2009

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CDN) -- Approximately 700 students from Arastamar Evangelical Theological Seminary (SETIA) are facing eviction at the end of the month from a campground where Muslim protestors drove them last year.

Education will end for students who have been living in 11 large tents and studying in the open air at Bumi Perkemahan Cibubur (BUPERTA) campground, many of them for more than a year. Hundreds of protestors shouting "Allahu-Akbar ["God is greater]" and brandishing machetes forced the evacuation of staff and students from the SETIA campus in Kampung Pulo village on July 26-27, 2008.

Urged on by announcements from a mosque loudspeaker to "drive out the unwanted neighbor" following a misunderstanding between students and local residents, the protestors also had sharpened bamboo and acid and injured at least 20 students, some seriously.

The Jakarta provincial government has ceased paying the rental fee of the campsite in East Jakarta, a bill that now totals 2.7 billion rupiahs (US$280,000), which camp officials said will result in the eviction of the students and the end of their studies at the end of the month.

At the beginning of the month, camp officials cut off electricity and water; as a result, the students have had to go 1,500 meters to bathe and use the toilet in the Cibubur marketplace. Additionally, several of the student tents were taken down. In spite of the conditions, sources said, the students have maintained their enthusiasm and no one has quit the school.

SETIA officials said camp management rejected their request for an extension.

"The electricity and the water were cut off after the Cibubur campground managers rejected Arastamar's request," said Yusuf Lifire, SETIA administrator.

Other students at the seminary have taken temporary shelter in the other parts of greater Jakarta. Those living quarters, however, are so overcrowded that some of the students have become ill.

Umar Lubis, head of BUPERTA campground, said camp officials have provided the students great leeway and shown great tolerance in the year that rent has not been paid.

"We have provided water, electricity, and other facilities," Lubis told Compass. "However, Jakarta Province has not paid us campground rental since October 2008. The government did pay 700 million rupiahs , but that only covered the rental fees through September 2008."

Muhayat, area secretary of Jakarta Province who goes by a single name, told Compass that beginning in October 2008, the provincial government was no longer responsible for campsite rental for the SETIA students. The provincial government made this decision, he said, because the seminary refused to move to Jonggol,Bogor, West Java, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the old campus.

"We offered to move them to Jonggol, but Arastamar took a hard line and wanted to be in Jakarta," Muhayat said.

The Rev. Matheus Mangentang, rector of SETIA, said that they refused to move to Jonggol because their school permit was for Jakarta.

"If we moved to Jonggol, we would have to get a new permit," Mangentang told Compass. "We suspect that this would be an extremely difficult process."

Illness Strikes

Many students are suffering from respiratory and other illnesses, and some have breast cancer. The sick are being cared for at the Christian University of Indonesiahospital.

One of the students living at the BUPERTA campground told Compass that many of the students had fever from mosquito bites.

"When it rains here, we sleep on water and mud," said a 21-year-old student who identified herself only as Siska. Her statements were echoed by a Christian education major named Ahasyweros.

"We struggle daily in a place like this - especially after our request was turned down," the student said. "We don't know where we are going to go. We hope that the Jakarta provincial government will have the heart to help us."

The staff and students were forced from their campus by a mob that claimed to be acting for the local citizens of Pulo Kampung, Makasar District, East Jakarta last year. Key among motives for the attack was that area Muslims felt "disturbed" by the presence of the Christian college. They wanted it to be moved to another area.

The approximately 1,300 seminary students were placed in three locations: 760 at the BUPERTA campground, 330 at the Kalimalang Transit Lodge, and 220 at the former office of the mayor of West Jakarta.

The fate of the students at all locations was similar; they were overcrowded and short on water, and overall facilities were substandard.

Jakarta Vice-Gov. Prijanto, who goes by a single name, had promised to find a solution. He had also stated that the government was ready to help and would pay for thestudents' room and board, but this has not been the case.

Mangentang said he continues to hope for good will from the Jakarta government, which he said should return the school to its original site in Pulo Kampung.

"Even if there is talk in the provincial government that the locals don't accept us, we still want to go back," he said. "After we are back, then we would be prepared to talk and negotiate about the future. Healthy discussions are not possible if we are not back in our own home. If we tried to talk now, while we are trampled upon and pressured, nothing healthy would result. It is better that we return to our own place so that we can talk at the same level."

Open Doors Working to Defeat 'Defamation of Religions'

Open Doors USA hopes to see the UN Defamation of Religions resolution defeated this year, ending its slow ratification. The resolution seeks to criminalize words or actions that are deemed to be against a particular religion, namely Islam, hampering religious freedom for non-Muslims. "Many Christians living in these countries are already severely impacted by restrictive laws - especially those living under strict Shariah law," says Open Doors USA President/CEO Carl Moeller. "From the right to worship freely to the ability to share the Gospel, the Defamation of Religions Resolution threatens to justify local laws that already marginalize Christians." The group plans to lobby key countries in preparation of the resolution's reintroduction in November or December.

Lawyer Calls Turkish Christians’ Trial a ‘Scandal’

Barbara G. Baker

October 20, 2009

SILIVRI, Turkey (CDN) -- After three prosecution witnesses testified yesterday that they didn't even know two Christians on trial for "insulting Turkishness and Islam," a defense lawyer called the trial a "scandal."

Speaking after yesterday's hearing in the drawn-out trial, defense attorney Haydar Polat said the case's initial acceptance by a state prosecutor in northwestern Turkey was based only on a written accusation from the local gendarmerie headquarters unaccompanied by any documentation.

"It's a scandal," Polat said. "It was a plot, a planned one, but a very unsuccessful plot, as there is no evidence."

Turkish Christians Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal were arrested in October 2006; after a two-day investigation they were charged with allegedly slandering Turkishness and Islam while talking about their faith with three young men in Silivri, an hour's drive west of Istanbul.

Even the three prosecution witnesses who appeared to testify at Thursday's (Oct. 15) hearing failed to produce any evidence whatsoever against Tastan and Topal, who could be jailed for up to two years if convicted on three separate charges.

Yesterday's three witnesses, all employed as office personnel for various court departments in Istanbul, testified that they had never met or heard of the two Christians on trial. The two court employees who had requested New Testaments testified that they had initiated the request themselves.

The first witness, a bailiff in a Petty Offenses Court in Istanbul for the past 28 years, declared he did not know the defendants or anyone else in the courtroom.

But he admitted that he had responded to a newspaper ad about 10 years ago to request a free New Testament. After telephoning the number to give his address, he said, the book arrived in the mail and is still in his home.

He also said he had never heard of the church mentioned in the indictment, although he had once gone to a wedding in a church in Istanbul's Balikpazari district, where a large Armenian Orthodox church is located.

"This is the extent of what I know about this subject," he concluded.

Fidgeting nervously, a second witness stated, "I am not at all acquainted with the defendants, nor do I know any of these participants. I was not a witness to any one of the matters in the indictment. I just go back and forth to my work at the Istanbul State Prosecutors' office."

The third person to testify reiterated that he also had no acquaintance with the defendants or anyone in the courtroom. But he stated under questioning that he had entered a website on the Internet some five or six years ago that offered a free New Testament.

"I don't know or remember the website's name or contents," the witness said, "but after checking the box I was asked for some of my identity details, birth date, job, cell phone - I don't remember exactly what."

Noting that many shops and markets asked for the same kind of information, the witness said, "I don't see any harm in that," adding that he would not be an open person if he tried to hide all his personal details.

For the next hearing set for Jan. 28, 2010, the court has repeated its summons to three more prosecution witnesses who failed to appear yesterday: a woman employed in Istanbul's security police headquarters and two armed forces personnel whose whereabouts had not yet been confirmed by the population bureau.

Case 'Demands Acquittal'

Polat said after the hearing that even though the Justice Ministry gave permission in February for the case to continue under Turkey's controversial Article 301, a loosely-defined law that criminalizes insulting the Turkish nation, "in my opinion the documents gathered in the file demand an acquittal."

"There is no information, no document, no details, nothing," Polat said. "There is just a video, showing the named people together, but what they are saying cannot be heard. It was shot in an open area, not a secret place, and there is no indication it was under any pressure."

But prosecution lawyer Murat Inan told Compass, "Of course there is evidence. That's why the Justice Ministry continued the case. This is a large 'orgut' [a term connoting an illegal and armed organization], and they need to be stopped from doing this propaganda here."

At the close of the hearing, Inan told the court that there were missing issues concerning the judicial legality and activities of the "Bible research center" linked with the defendants that needed to be examined and exposed.

Turkish press were conspicuously absent at yesterday's hearing, and except for one representative of the Turkish Protestant churches, there were no observers present.

The first seven hearings in the trial had been mobbed by dozens of TV and print journalists, focused on ultranationalist lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, who led a seven-member legal team for the prosecution.

But since the January 2008 jailing of Kerincsiz and Sevgi Erenerol, who had accompanied him to all the Silivri trials, Turkish media interest in the case has dwindled. The two are alleged co-conspirators in the massiveErgenekon cabal accused of planning to overthrow the Turkish government.

This week the European Commission's new "Turkey 2009 Progress Report" spelled out concerns about the problems of Turkey's non-Muslim communities.

"Missionaries are widely perceived as a threat to the integrity of the country and to the Muslim religion," the Oct. 14 report stated. "Further efforts are needed to create an environment conducive to full respect of freedom of religion in particular."

In specific reference to Tastan and Topal's case, the report noted: "A court case against two missionaries in Silivri continued; it was also expanded after the Ministry of Justice allowed judicial proceedings under Article 301of the Criminal Code."

The Turkish constitution guarantees freedom of religion to all its citizens, and the nation's legal codes specifically protect missionary activities.

"I trust our laws on this. But psychologically, our judges and prosecutors are not ready to implement this yet," Polat said. "They look at Christian missionaries from their own viewpoint; they aren't able to look at them in a balanced way."

Taliban in Pakistan Threaten Christians

ASSIST News Service reports that members of the Taliban sent threatening letters in Sargodha, Pakistan warning Christian leaders to convert to Islam or face dire consequences. According to International Christian Concern, believers in the area were told to convert to Islam, pay a jizya tax (an Islamic tax imposed on religious minorities) or leave the country. If Christians refuse to accept the choices given to them, the letter said that they "would be killed, their property and homes would be burnt to ashes and their women would be treated as sex slaves. And they themselves would be responsible for this." Islamists sent the letter to Shiite Muslims (who are a religious minority) and Christian schools, companies and even a hospital

Franklin Graham Preaches to 10,000 at China Megachurch

The Christian Post reports that 10,000 people packed a Chinese church to hear American evangelist Franklin Graham on Sunday. The sermon at Bethel Church of Baoding, located about 120 miles south of Beijing, was Graham's second to the Chinese people in two years. "I'm here today to tell you that not only does God know who you are, He loves you," the evangelist said. Graham's grandfather worked in China as a medical director for 25 years, and his mother, the late Ruth Bell Graham, was born there. While house churches and unapproved denominations often face discrimination and persecution from Chinese authorities, the church where Graham preached is affiliated with the government-approved Three-Self Patriotic Movement and the China Christian Council.

Churches Propel Child Witch Hunts in Africa

The Los Angeles Times reports that rogue churches and pastors may be involved in fully half of cases against "witch children" in Africa. "It is an outrage what they are allowing to take place in the name of Christianity," said Gary Foxcroft, head of nonprofit Stepping StonesNigeria. Poverty and lack of education make families susceptible to accusations, and willing to follow pastors who proclaim the Biblical injunction of "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." The fast spread of evangelical Christianity, paired with traditional beliefs, has contributed to the roughly 15,000 alleged cases of "child witchcraft" in Nigeria. About 1,000 of those children were killed. "When communities come under pressure, they look for scapegoats," Martin Dawes, a spokesman for the United Nations Children's Fund. "It plays into traditional beliefs that someone is responsible for a negative change ... and children are defenseless."

Petition Seeks Repeal of Pakistan's Blasphemy Laws

Religion News Service reports that a petition calling for the repeal of Pakistan's blasphemy laws has been delivered to the United Nation High Commissioner for Human Rights. The laws impose the death sentence on a person found desecrating the Quran, often with little evidence. The signatories say the law is used to settle scores with non-Muslims and has been exploited to incite hatred and attacks against Pakistan's minority Christian community in recent times. "These laws condemn to death any person who desecrates the Holy Quran," said the petition, which bears more than 9,000 signatures. "The testimony of just one Muslim is sufficient to bring charges against the alleged culprit who is then immediately put in jail, where he often remains for months or years pending trail."

Imprisoned Christian in Somaliland on Hunger Strike

Simba Tian

October 19, 2009

NAIROBI, Kenya (CDN) -- A convert from Islam in Somalia's self-declared state of Somaliland has staged a hunger strike to protest his transfer to a harsh prison in a remote part of the country.

Osman Nour Hassan was arrested on Aug. 3 for allegedly providing Christian literature in Pepsi village, on the outskirts of the breakaway region's capital city, Hargeisa. On Sept. 9 authorities transferred him from Hargeisa to Mandere prison, 60 kilometers (37 miles) away - a difficult, week-long trip for visitors that is expensive bySomali standards.

"Hassan is in really terrible shape," a Christian source told Compass. "He is very discouraged."

In August the Muslims who accused Hassan met with his family, also Muslim, and agreed that Islamic teachers, or sheikhs, should go to see him in jail to advise him on Islamic doctrine. Two sheikhs met him in the police station cell and implored him to stop spreading Christianity. Hassan refused.

"His family together with the sheikhs requested the prison to make his situation more harsh, as a form of punishment, with the hope that he would recant the Christian faith and return to Islam," said the source on condition of anonymity. "So far the family has been silent about Hassan's situation and gives him no support."

Promotion of any religion other than Islam in Somaliland is prohibited, contrary to international standards for religious freedom such as Article 18 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 5(1-2) of the Somaliland constitution states that Islam is the state religion and prohibits the promotion of any other faith, according to the U.S. Department of State's 2008 International Religious Freedom Report, and Article 313 outlines penalties for Muslims who change their religion.

Authorities have thwarted efforts to secure an attorney for Hassan by insisting that he cannot appeal his sentence, the source said. No Christian has ever tried to address a religious rights violation through the courts in Somaliland, he said.

"He is in need of a lawyer to help him, which seems not forthcoming," he said. "But he cannot be allowed the right to a defense anyway. He feels neglected, so he rejected to eat food to protest the mistreatment."

Local authorities have embarked on a crackdown of underground Christians in the predominantly Muslim area, according to three Somaliland Christians who have fled the country. Several underground Christians have either been killed, arrested or fled their homes as Islamists try to stop the clandestine distribution of Bibles, sources said.

Hassan was accused of providing Christian literature to a village Muslim boy, who later showed it to his family and friends. The boy's Muslim family reported the incident to the police, sources said, leading to the arrest of the 29-year-old Hassan.

"His stand is that he had only one Christian material in his possession for learning purposes and not for spreading the faith," the Christian source said. "Hassan needs a lawyer to advocate for his case, because [for someone who was once Muslim] to practice Christianity in Somaliland or another religion apart from Islam is illegal."

In spite of his discouragement, Hassan recently said he is adhering to Christ.

"I still belong to Jesus," he said. "I know one day I'm sure I will be released, and my physical health is okay, but psychologically I feel very anxious and stressed. Please continue praying for me."