The Persecution & Prayer Alert
The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada
www.persecution.net
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
A weekly news digest on the Persecuted Church and how you can respond.
Follow The Voice of the Martyrs on Twitter at www.twitter.com/vomc.
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In this week's edition: reports from India, South Korea, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
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1. Hindus falsely accuse Christians of murder in India
Hindus in the village of Mehendi Kheda, Madhya Pradesh, India are accusing Pastor Kamlesh Tahed (32) and three other local Christians of murdering a young man who was killed in a fight between two local clans, according to an August 31 report from Compass Direct. On August 8, Roop Singh Baria (22) was killed during violence between the Baria and the Tahed clan over 1,000 rupees (approximately $25 CAD) which had been borrowed by one of the Tahed family members. When members of the Baria clan filed a report with the police about the incident, they implicated Pastor Tahed, Kasna Tahed (25), Ramesh Tahed (26) and Vasna Tahed (36) in the murder. The four men and other local people insist that the Christians were not present when the murder took place.
Commenting on the situation, Pastor Tahed said: "I once was one of , but in the 20 years since I became a Christian, they have been dragging me into false cases and hate me for my work of evangelism." In 2001, Pastor Tahed was jailed on false charges of "forcible conversion" for 20 days and released only after a costly court battle to prove his innocence. At last report, he was in hiding and the three other accused believers were in police custody.
Pray that the truth will come out in this situation and that true justice will reign. Pray for strength of faith for the accused Christians. Ask God to protect and encourage Christians in India as they share the Good News of Jesus. We would encourage you post a prayer for Pastor Tahed and the other members of his family who are in custody on our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall. Go to www.persecution.net/prayerwall.
Learn more about the persecution of Indian Christians atwww.persecution.net/india.htm.
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2. South Korea considers banning missionary work in the Middle East
After receiving complaints from Middle Eastern countries about the evangelistic efforts of its citizens, South Korea is considering banning missionary work in the Middle East "because of safety concerns." According to an unnamed official who spoke to The Korean Times late last week, among the measures being considered are restrictions on the usage of passports and on departures from South Korea for those who have been expelled for evangelization attempts. Members of missionary groups could be prohibited from entering Middle Eastern countries even if they have no records of expulsion. According to the official, "Some organizations keep sending their members to dangerous areas for missionary work. We've received requests from other countries to have them refrain from doing this."
In a weblog published on August 31, The Voice of the Martyrs urges the South Korean government to refrain from interfering, even with the best intentions, in the rights of its citizens to carry out their faith even in dangerous environments. We also urge Christians in free nations to recognize that there are risks in taking the gospel to many parts of the world and to accept the consequences of their obedience. We further call upon mission and church leaders to better plan short-term ministry trips and prepare participants in ways and means of doing evangelism in religiously hostile environments that are in line with the biblical admonition to be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). See www.tinyurl.com/skorea-missionary for the full statement and a fuller examination of this story.
Pray that the South Korean government will withdraw their plans to restrict the religious freedom of their citizens in this way. Pray that church leaders will stand up and let their concerns be known about these proposals. Pray that church leaders and missions worldwide will recommit themselves to developing ministries in Muslim countries that are in line with the biblical admonition of Matthew 10:16.
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3. Christians arrested and harassed by authorities in Kazakhstan
Several Christians throughout Kazakhstan have been harassed and assaulted by authorities in recent weeks, according to an August 27 report from Forum18.
In the district of Uspen, Pavlodar province, Kazakhstan, police broke into a local believer's home where four members of the Grace Presbyterian Church were staying on August 5. They accused the visiting Christians of "illegal" religious activity. They also beat Safura Mil, a local woman who had been praying with the church members, until she agreed to sign a statement claiming that she had been forced to submit to a "religious ritual." One of the church members, Kayrat Zhgangozhin, was detained for questioning for several hours.
That same evening, officials broke into the home of Valentina Fischeva, the host of the prayer meeting and seized identity documents of the Grace Presbyterian Church members. At last report, Zhgangozhin and another church member, Ramil Imankulov, were scheduled go to trial on August 31 on charges of "forcing individuals to conduct religious rites or participate in other religious activity" -- a charge which carries a fine of up to 20 times the minimum monthly wage in the country.
In a similar incident, ten members of the Uralsk City Council of Churches Baptist Church in western Kazakhstan were detained on August 7 while visiting the town of Jambeyt to share their faith with local residents. The believers were questioned, photographed and fingerprinted. They were released several hours later. However, at last report a local police official stated that the investigation against the believers was not finished and that they were expected to return for further questioning.
Pray that those detained will be released without charge. Pray that Kazakh authorities will cease their harassment of Christians. Why not post a prayer for the Grace Presbyterian Church on our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall at www.persecution.net/prayerwall?
For more information on the persecution facing Kazakhstan's Christians, go to www.persecution.net/kazakhstan.htm.
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4. Police raid church service, arrest believers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
On August 23, approximately 20 Uzbek police officials raided the Donam Protestant Church in Tashkent, Uzbekistan during a Sunday worship service, according to an August 26 report from Forum18. The authorities claimed that the service was an "unauthorized" religious meeting and demanded that all those present submit their names and addresses. Although the church leaders presented all the necessary documents proving the church's registered status, the police ignored the documentation and continued with their threats and interrogations. A few hours later, police arrested Pastor Vladimir Tyo and seven other believers. Three of those arrested, were released within 24 hours. The next day, the court sentenced Pastor Tyo and the three others to 15 days in detention and ordered that the Christian literature and videos that were confiscated during the raid be destroyed. This is a significant setback to religious liberty in Uzbekistan as this incident marks the first time a legally registered church has been raided during worship and its leaders arrested.
Pray for persevering faith for these believers. Pray that Uzbek Christians will continue to courageously serving Christ amid great opposition.
To learn more about the plight of Christians in Uzbekistan, go to www.persecution.net/uzbekistan.htm. You can view excerpts from VOMC's DVD, "Uzbek Voices" online at www.persecution.tv or order a copy of the entire documentary at www.persecution.net/catalog/.
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5. Watch the September "Persecution Report"
Have you seen the most recent Persecution Report by The Voice of the Martyrs? This monthly 10-minute video report is a great way to keep up-to-date with what is going on in the world today in the lives of today's Persecuted Church. You can even download a high-resolution version to show to your church or Bible study from our multimedia website www.persecution.tv/downloads.html.
Consider adding the Persecution Report to your website or blog and helping raise a voice for persecuted Christians around the world. It's easy. Just follow the directions on www.persecution.net/weblinkshelp.htm.
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6. In this week's VOMC weblog (www.persecution.net/weblog.htm)
Have you been following VOMC's Persecuted Church Weblog in the last week? New blogs are posted nearly every day!
Here are some of the blogs posted recently by VOMC staff:
a) In "A call for a quiet calm for conservatives" VOMC's CEO, Glenn Penner, calls for an end to the angry anti-intellectualism that seems to be an increasing characteristic of social conservatives these days (posted August 19).
b) Discover the reasons behind why South Korea is looking to ban missionary work in the Middle East and VOMC's response (posted August 31).
c) Take a trip through church history in our regular features, "Famous last words" and "This week in Persecuted Church history" (posted August 28 & 30).
d) Get updated on recent developments in the trial of the killers of three Christians in Malatya, Turkey in 2007 in "Update on Malatya trial" (posted September 1).
These are just some of what you can find online at www.persecutedchurchblog.com. Also search our four years of archived blogs on a vast array of topics related to the persecuted church! We hope you will visit regularly and give us your comments.
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The Persecution & Prayer Alert is a ministry of The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada. (Mailing address: P.O. Box 117, Port Credit, Mississauga, Ontario L5G 4L5)
Tel. (905) 670.9721. Website: www.persecution.net
Contacts: Adele Konyndyk & Erin Vandenberg
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