Posts Tagged ‘christian persecution’

Obama pledges to protect Copts in Egypt and Christians globally

US President Barack Obama

Newscast Media WASHINGTON D.C. — US President Barack Obama called Friday for the protection of Copts and other minorities as the Christian group celebrated its first post-revolution Christmas in Egypt.

“I want to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to work for the protection of Christian and other religious minorities around the world,” he said in a statement on the occasion of Coptic Christmas.

He urged “Egypt and elsewhere” to respect all faiths, including the Coptic.

“As events in Egypt and elsewhere have illustrated … the protection of people of all faiths, and the ability to worship as you choose are critical to a peaceful, inclusive and thriving society,” said Obama.

“In this Christmas season, we join our Coptic brothers and sisters around the globe in prayers for peace.”

The statement said Obama and his wife Michelle “wish Coptic Orthodox Christians in the United States and around the world a blessed and joyous Christmas.”

Egypt’s Christians are celebrating their first Christmas after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak amid tight security.

The measures come a year after more than 20 people were killed in an apparent suicide bombing targeting a church in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. In 2010, meanwhile, six Copts were killed as they emerged from a Christmas eve mass in southern Egypt.

Christians, who make up 10 percent of Egypt’s 85 million people, blame much of the violence on increasingly bold radical Islamists. A bloody crackdown by the country’s military rulers on a Coptic march in October has also sparked outrage.

On late Friday and at church services broadcast on state television, Coptic Pope Shenouda III commended Islamist leaders, who attended in a bid to assuage Christian concerns.

Muslim and Christian activists conducted candle light vigils outside several churches under the slogan “We all celebrate together as Egyptians.”

The Copts follow their own ancient calendar under which Christmas Day falls on 7 January.

http://www.newscastmedia.com/copts.html

100-plus Christians killed by Nigerian Muslim extremists for their faith

Christian killings in Nigeria

Newscast Media LAGOS, Nigeria — A rash of attacks by armed Muslim extremists on villages in Nigeria’s Plateau state in the past month have left more than 100 Christians dead, including the elimination of entire families, sources said.

In a guerilla-type “hit and run” attack on the Christian community of Vwang Kogot, Muslim attackers at about 8 p.m. on Sept. 9 killed 14 Christians, including a pregnant woman. Survivors of the attack told Compass that the assailants raided the village with the aid of men in military uniforms of the Nigerian Army.
Many of the victims were members of a single family surnamed Danboyi.

“We heard gunshots in our village and realized that the sound was coming from a neighbor’s house, so we quickly ran to find out what was happening but saw a soldier at the entrance of the house with a gun ready to shoot at anybody who comes around, and at the same time preventing those inside from escaping,” village resident Markus Mamba said. “We couldn’t get any closer because we were hearing gunshots at random, and we had no weapons with us to use to withstand the might of those soldiers, as there were quite a number of them around the house.”

Hiding, Mamba and others could only observe the killing, he said.

“After the soldiers and the Muslims left, we rushed into the place to see the destruction they did,” he said. “We discovered that 14 people were killed. Among them was a pregnant woman who died with a child in her womb – bringing the number of deaths to 15 persons. We also observed that the victims died from gun and machete wounds.”

Gyang Badung survived the attack, but his wife, four children, mother, grandmother and a nephew did not, he told Compass.

“I came home in the evening and had my meal, and right after I finished, I heard strange movement around our house and suddenly heard gunshots everywhere as my house was being attacked,” Badung said.
He jumped through his bedroom window and ran to a farm behind his house, he said.

“I waited in the bush, helpless, not knowing what to do until they left,” he said. “I saw more than nine people who came to attack us leaving into the bush and going away from our village. When I returned home, I found out that my whole family had been killed except for two sons, who were injured but survived, and my father who also narrowly escaped and ran into the bush.”

The ages of the children he lost were 15, 9, 5, and 4. His two injured sons are receiving hospital treatment.
On Sept. 8, Muslim extremists attacked Tsohon Foron village, killing 10 Christians, all members of the family of Danjuma Gyang Tsok. The attackers, surviving members of the community say, were assisted in the attack by armed military personnel of the Nigerian Army.

Those killed included Danjuma Gyang Tsok; Polohlis Mwanti; Perewat Polohlis, 9; Patience Polohlis, 3; Blessing Polohlis, 5; Paulina Pam, 13; Maimuna Garba; Kale Garba; Hadiza Garba, 10; and Aisha Garba, 3.

Adamu Tsuka, community leader in Vwang Kogot, told Compass Direct News that other Christians killed in the attack were Mallam Danboyi; Zaka Danboyi; Ngyem Danboyi; Hjan Badung; Naomi Gyang; Rifkatu, 15; Patience, 9; Ishaku, 5; Nerat, 4; Dauda Badung, 22; Martha Dauda, 20; Mary Dauda, 6; Isaac Dauda, 4; Mafeng Bulus, 18; and the unborn child.

“This is the fifth time our people have been murdered,” Tsuka said. “There is nothing we can do. Many of my people have been killed. Please, we want the government to help us do something; if not, we can’t live here again.” http://www.newscastmedia.com/nigerian-christians.html

List of world’s most hostile countries toward Christians

Christian symbolism

Newscast Media — The annual list of the world’s most dangerous countries for Christians, has been compiled and released by the research department of Open Doors International. Open Doors supports persecuted Christians worldwide and helps them target their prayers. The list is also a powerful tool to help governments and public policy bodies understand Christian persecution around the world.

The report states that persecution has increased in seven of the top ten countries on the list, even though in some cases the countries’ rank did not change. Afghanistan rose from No 6 to No 3 and Uzbekistan, from No 10 to No 9. Despite not making the top ten list, Open Doors highlighted Pakistan in its reporting, noting that it jumped from No 14 to No 11 this year. Mauritania, however, dropped from No 8 to No 13. Communist North Korea, meanwhile, topped the list for the ninth consecutive year.

TOP TEN ON 2011 WATCH LIST:
1. North Korea
2. Iran
3. Afghanistan
4. Saudi Arabia
5. Somalia
6. Maldives
7. Yemen
8. Iraq
9. Uzbekistan
10. Laos

http://newscastmedia.com/christian-persecutors.html

Muslims Beat And Burn Preacher Alive – He Survives

Sargodha, Pakistan

Newscast Media SARGODHA, Pakistan — A preacher who was distributing pamphlets and proclaiming Christ door-to-door was attacked by six Muslim youths who beat him up with clubs and set him ablaze in a village near the Punjab Province city, sources report.

Rev. Wilson Augustine, 26, was found by area Christians unconscious with burns on his head, hand and arm on Nov. 22 near a bus stop on the outskirts of Sargodha.

Christian elders Austin Masih and Nadeem Samuel of nearby villages said that Augustine, who was ordained in a small Presbyterian church was distributing pamphlets and proclaiming Christ door-to-door the previous day among Christian families kilometers (15 miles) southeast of Sargodha. It was there that sons of a powerful local landlord saw one of the pamphlets.

“This angered the Muslim men, and they ordered Augustine to leave the village at once and stop preaching the the gospel in their village immediately, or face the consequences,” Masih said.

The Muslim men interpreted a verse pointing to the resurrection of Christ as derogatory to Muhammad their prophet. Augustine told the media, “I went to other villages to preach the gospel, but those Muslim men kept pursuing me everywhere I went, as they harbored a grudge against me for imparting the good news of the Holy Bible.”

According to journalists from Compass, he identified the six as Muhammad Usman Ghani, Muhammad Taha Khan, Talha Mehmood, Nisar Warriach, Zareen Cheema and Jamshaid Ali Ansari. After Augustine finished preaching he went to catch a bus and on his way he saw men on three motorcycles who started yelling obscenities at him. He recognized the men who then beat him up with clubs and belts, threw him in a cold fluid, and lit a match, essentially setting him on fire.

“After setting me on fire, they started thrashing me again,” he said. “Because they were beating me with clubs the fire was extinguished, and they dragged me to some nearby shrubs. As they were dragging me I blanked out, and when I reopened my eyes, I was in the DHQ (District Headquarters Hospital) in Sargodha.

Christian laborers on their way to work the next morning said they found a pack of dogs wandering near the shrubs of the Village No. 101-NB bus stop, and as they followed them they found a hymnal, a Bible and the scattered, blood-stained pamphlets and bag that Augustine had carried while visiting their homes. Two of the Christians, Binyamin Masih of Village No. 101-NB and Nadeem Samuel of Village 79-NB, continued searching with dread that they would find Augustine, they said.

Samuel said that as he went deeper into the shrubbery he found Augustine lying with torn clothes in dried blood. They rushed him to the hospital and informed his family. At DHQ Hospital Sargodha, Dr. Sikander Hayat Warriach said that the preacher was brought to the burn unit in critical condition, but that after four days of treatment he was discharged. http://www.newscastmedia.com/burn-baby-burn.html