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INTERNATIONAL NEWS 19th July 2010
Sent: Monday 19/Jul/2010 Topic: International
- AN OPEN LETTER FROM THE AFGHAN CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
- MUSLIMS CALL TO ARMS AGAINST INDONESIAN CHRISTIANS
- 450 GROOMS WED GIRLS UNDER TEN IN GAZA
- U.S.A. NOT IMMUNE FROM WESTERN RELIGIOUS LIBERTY TRENDS
- CHURCH MEMBERSHIP STATISTICS IN U.S.A.
- SAUDI ARABIA THE CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION CAPITAL OF THE MIDDLE EAST
AN OPEN LETTER FROM THE AFGHAN CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
Source: Assist News
Christians in Afghanistan have written an ‘Open Letter’ to believers around the world calling for help in defending those who are being persecuted for their faith. The letter was written by Afghan Christians currently living in exile from their beloved homeland because they were forced to flee their country in order to save their lives and the lives of their families, due to orders of execution issued against them by the Afghan government for "choosing to convert to Christianity.”
The letter addresses recent events inside Afghanistan following showing of an incendiary documentary showing photos and videos of secret “Afghan Christian Converts” aired on an independent TV station based in Kabul. The documentary was the first of its kind to ever air publicly on national TV in Afghanistan, a country that considers itself to be 100 percent Muslim. The controversial content, revealing names and faces of supposed Afghan Christian converts, sparked riots and demonstrations throughout Afghanistan in the days that followed.
Demonstrators called on President Hamid Karzai and the Afghan government to take strong and decisive actions against the Afghan Christian converts by enforcing Islamic Sharia law, which clearly calls for the arrest and public execution of anyone who leaves Islam for another religion. Abdul Sattar Khawasi, deputy secretary of the Afghan lower house, called for the execution of Christian converts from Islam saying, “those Afghans should be executed in public, the house should order the Attorney General and the police to arrest these Afghans and execute them.”
In another reported statement, Qazi Nazir Ahmad, a lawmaker from Herat, declared that killing a Muslim who converts to Christianity is “not a crime.” Reports from inside Afghanistan tell of many arrests in recent days, frequent and ongoing searches of homes and businesses, as well as claims of torture by those under arrest in an effort to forcibly extract the names of other Afghan Christian converts and the locations of secret Afghan Christian “churches” and underground fellowships.
The letter says: “In light of all these events, and the perplexing media silence on these atrocities occurring in plain view of the international community, we are pleading with the Body of Christ around the world to support our Afghan Christian brothers and sisters during this critical time by taking a firm and vocal stand against the severe and devastating wrongs being committed against them by their own government!” The letter-writers say: “We ask that you please forward and share the enclosed “open letter to the church” with your friends, churches and prayer groups.
We need everyone’s help to make our voices heard! “We must make people aware that right now our Afghan Christian brothers and sisters are being subjected to forcible arrest, intimidation, fear, torture and certain public execution merely for choosing to be Christian! We must raise up a standard against these egregious injustices and blatant human rights violations by taking a strong and public stand against these unconscionable actions being perpetrated and condoned by the Afghan government from the parliament floor against its own people!”
MUSLIMS CALL TO ARMS AGAINST INDONESIAN CHRISTIANS
Source: Jakarta Globe
A new move by hard-line Islamic groups to fight “Christianization” is increasing religious tension in Bekasi just east of Jakarta. Following recent protests by about 60 hard-line Islamic organizations, the Pondok Timur Indah Church was shut down “because the congregation held prayers where they were not supposed to.” A Catholic school in Bekasi, was attacked by a group offended by a student blog that reportedly defamed Islam. In February, members of the Islam Defenders Front closed another Church in Bekasi, alleging the congregation had been converting Muslims.
Pluralism advocates warn that the enforcement of one groups wishes over anothers could provoke the disintegration of the community and cause unwanted political tension. Speaking on behalf of the Wahid Institute, Yenny Wahid demanded the government be more assertive toward hard-line religious groups. “Anarchism on behalf of religion is increasing, and the government seems to fear any group that uses Islam,” she said. “We do not want to be like Afghanistan under the Taliban.”
Rev. Palti Panjaitan of the Filadelfia congregation in Bekasi, agreed, saying that recently members of “several groups have become freer to do whatever they want.” “The current situation makes me want to separate myself from Indonesia,” he said. Yenny said support from government officials could be fuelling the situation. The Islamic Congress, was held after Islamic organizations warned the Bekasi Mayor of more demonstrations targeting his administration should the congress not be allowed.
Palti said “People are saying that our church is an effort at Christianization. That’s why they pressure the government not to issue us a building permit for our church. The situation in Bekasi cannot be tolerated." Indonesia is a pluralistic country, so enforcing Shariah law would violate the Pancasila and 1945 Constitution. Yenny said the Indonesian state was one based on the supremacy of the law. “This country does not punish those who would change their religion,” she said. “In fact, the freedom to worship is enshrined in the 1945 Constitution."
450 GROOMS WED GIRLS UNDER TEN IN GAZA
Source: The Last Crusade
A gala event has occurred in Gaza. Hamas sponsored a mass wedding for four hundred and fifty couples. Most of the grooms were in their mid to late twenties; most of brides were under ten. Muslim dignitaries including Mahmud Zahar, a leader of Hamas, were on hand to congratulate the Couples who took part in the carefully staged celebration. We are saying to the world and to America that you cannot deny us joy and happiness, Zahar told the grooms, all of whom were dressed in identical black suits and hailed from the nearby Jabalia refugee camp.
Each groom received a gift of 500 dollars from Hamas. The pre-pubescent girls, dressed in white gowns and adorned with garish make-up, received bridal bouquets. “We are presenting this wedding as a gift to our people who stood firm in the face of the siege and the war,” Local Hamas strongman Ibrahim Salaf said in a speech. The International Centre for Research on Women now estimates that there are 51 million child brides now living on planet earth and almost all are in Muslim countries.
Twenty-nine percent of these child brides are regularly beaten and molested by their husbands in Egypt ; twenty six percent receive similar abuse in Jordan . Every year, three million Muslim girls are subjected to genital mutilation, according to UNICEF. The Islamic practice of paedophilia dates back to the prophet Muhammad, who amassed eleven wives and many concubines after the death of his first wife Khadijah in 619 A.D. After Muhammads elderly wife, Khadijah, died in 619 A.D., he amassed eleven wives.
Aisha was Muhammads favourite wife. As soon as Muhammad laid eyes on Aisha, he fantasized having sex with her. But there was a problem. Aisha, at that time, was a small child of four or five, while Muhammad was a middle-aged man of fifty. When Aisha turned six, Muhammad asked her father for his daughter's hand in marriage. The father consented and Muhammad took the little girl as his new bride. The marriage was consummated when Aisha was nine, and the Prophet fifty-three.
U.S.A. NOT IMMUNE FROM WESTERN RELIGIOUS LIBERTY TRENDS
Source: Intercessors for America
Religious liberty in the West is disappearing as the traditional foundations of Judeo-Christian culture are being excavated as part of the social engineering process aimed at producing a 'post-Christian' culture. Most Christians do not comprehend the implications of this strategic shift, and likely will not until the new social order has been consolidated and direct persecution starts to impact them personally. Christians in the West are losing the right to criticise non-Christian religions, particularly Islam, and witness to non-Christians, particularly Muslims.
They are also losing the right to conscientiously object to new social norms being imposed upon them at the behest of radical feminist and homosexual lobby groups. Western law-makers and enforcers claim their interventions are necessary to maintain "peace and harmony" and/or defend "equality" against "extremist fundamentalists" Rattled by the resultant chaos and confusion, Western governments are increasingly resorting to authoritarian repression. They are opting for "peace" through appeasement, rather than for justice.
Western governments are increasingly showing willingness to secure "peace" and "harmony" at any cost, even if the price is liberty. As soon as it appears that intolerant forces might protest, or divert their collective vote elsewhere, weak and rudderless Western democracies yield and appease, repressing "divisive" elements at the behest of the most belligerent. The rights of Christians to speak freely of their faith and to express their faith freely through the wearing of religious symbols and in religious gatherings is being steadily eroded. Now is the time to stand for our rights.
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP STATISTICS IN U.S.A.
Source: The Epoch Commentary
A Yearbook published by the National Council of Churches in America, lists movements in denominational membership over the previous year. The Episcopal church actually reporting a sharp decrease of 4%. The Presbyterian Church was slightly ahead with a 2.4% decrease. Jehovah’s Witnesses, at 1.06 million, showed the greatest growth rate of 2.25% increase. Mormons had a growth rate of 1.56% whilst the Roman Catholic Church, reported a 0.87% increase. The Southern Baptist Convention, reported an increase of 0.22%.
The USA population growth rate was just 1%, so aside from Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons, the other denominations are failing to keep up with the rate of population increase. A survey by the Pew Forum shows that Protestants, who 30 years ago made up two-thirds of the population, are now just a slight majority of 51%. Those identifying as having no religion has risen to just over 16%. Those claiming some religious affiliation is now just 84%. The largest single block are the Evangelicals at 26.4%, followed by the Roman Catholics at 23.9%.
David Roozen, from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, remarked, “Mainline Protestantism has been eroding for a while.We have had 40 years of this. America is running away from its Protestant roots." In a separate UN survey in Britain approximately two-thirds of British people now claim no religious affiliation. This stands in stark contrast to the national census in 2001 which reported that 72% of Britons were Christian. The survey went on to call for disestablishing the Church of England because it no longer represents “the religious demography of the country.”
SAUDI ARABIA THE CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION CAPITAL OF THE MIDDLE EAST
Source: Premier News
A Vatican expert on Islam has revealed the extent of persecution Christians are facing in Saudi Arabia. At an event organised by Aid to the Church in Need, Father Samir painted a picture of oppression and appealed for action to safeguard the Church there. He said Saudi is one of the worst countries in the Middle East for extremism against Christians. John Pontifex from Aid to the Church said believers in Saudi are very vulnerable. Father Samir indicated that Saudi Arabia is in a category of its own in terms of being very, very severe in its treatment of Christians.
Christians in Saudi Arabia cannot even meet in their houses to pray. “This is the worst situation in the Middle East. Human rights are practically unknown.” Father Samir said Christians in Saudi have to try and operate behind closed doors and their Christian identity must be concealed from public view. It is unknown how many Christians actually reside in Saudi Arabia, but some estimate there are a million believers in the country. Both Father Samir and Aid to the Church called for prayer for Saudi Arabian Christians.