Las Vegas, May 16th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
Philippians 4:13 - 'I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength' - is emblazoned on boxer Miguel Cotto's clothes every time he enters the ring.

Santiago, May 20th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
The debate over the so-called 'day-after pill' Is growing In Chile. What until now has been a controversy between the Catholic Church who oppose the pill's use, and doctors and other authorities who encourage Its use, has broadened through the public statement of an evangelical leader who has criticised the Catholic leadership on the Issue.

The Chilean Health Minister announced that the pill will be distributed In hospitals and health centres, causing Catholic leaders to shudder. Now the Chairman of the evangelical Pastoral Unity Council, Emiliano Soto, has muddied the waters further by declaring that "the call of Catholic leaders not to hand out the day-after pill Is the latest Interference on their part with how civic Institutions should operate." Soto added that evangelical churches condemn clandestine abortions, but that In the case of the day-after pill, "with no clarity on the perennial debate about when human life begins, we respect freedom of conscience."

It would be hard to Imagine a less helpful comment from an evangelical leader. If the Church cannot speak to society on ethical Issues, what Is It there for? Surely the Church Is called by God to be a voice In the humanistic wilderness? As for the start of life, most evangelicals understand perfectly clearly that life begins at conception, which means that any kind of abortion Implies the taking of life. And why does Soto only condemn 'clandestine' abortions? Is it alright If the abortion Is done by the state?

Ambon, Indonesia. May 20th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
New clashes in Ambon left as many as 36 dead and look set to flare into a situation as serious as that of 1999.

At least 36 people have now died as a result of violence which began on Sunday 25th April in Ambon, South Malukus. Police and army personnel deployed on the streets to watch a political procession were stoned by a mainly Muslim crowd and fired shots to disperse the crowd. Fighting then broke out. Four UN cars and a UN office in Ambon were set ablaze on Sunday by Muslim mobs wielding knives, machetes and homemade guns. A church and a Christian university were set alight, and several refugee shelters were also heavily damaged. Many residents fled the area as some 200 homes were burned, reminiscent of scenes in 1999 when serious anti-Christian violence first broke out.

The violence was ostensibly sparked off by a flag-raising event in commemoration of a failed bid at independence which took place 54 years ago. About a dozen members of a little-known and mostly Christian separatist movement, Republic of South Maluku (RMS), attempted a parade in the city. As such the violence is being portrayed as clashes between separatist rebels and unionists whose response to an intentionally provocative demonstration is entirely patriotic. However, it is clear that hardline Muslims responsible for the violence used the demonstration to attack Christians as part of the systematic Islamisation of Indonesian provinces. Yet the violence continues to be misrepresented as a sectarian conflict with equal atrocities committed on both sides.

A late report on Monday suggested there were 10 Muslim deaths out of a total of 29. There are clear indications that these deaths were largely the result of police attempts to stop the Muslim mob by firing at the crowd. In apparent confirmation, the head of a hardline Jakarta-based Islamic organisation said his men would take over from the police "who have killed our children there". Husein Al-Habsyi, head of Ikhwanul Muslimin, threatened on Monday to send thousands of jihad fighters to Ambon because the police there are said to have tolerated the existence of Christian separatists by escorting their procession.

Ambon, Indonesia. May 20th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
On Sunday 25th April, Septer Sanabuky, the principal of a leading evangelical Bible college in Ambon, the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Indonesia, was travelling on a motorcycle with one of his students, Mr. Berti Manopo, when they were surrounded by a mob and abducted. Their bodies were later found; both men had been tortured and beheaded.

Further incidents include an attack against 25 Christians as they made their way through the Muslim-dominated harbour area into the city after disembarking from a ship that arrived from Kupang. The passengers were met by police trucks to carry them to safety; however, the 10 accompanying police officers could not prevent all 25 Christian passengers from being stoned and even stabbed. All of them were taken for treatment to the Bakti Rahayu hospital and the GMP Hospital, which has been relocated for security reasons.

In response, the Indonesian government sent two companies of paramilitary police (around 200) to augment the 1000 or so security forces already present in and around Ambon. In addition, some 450 soldiers were dispatched from Jakarta. The violence was thought to have been quelled, with the atmosphere tense yet stable. However, a sniper shot dead at least two policemen on Tuesday 27th April as Islamists used the rooftops of evacuated city-centre buildings as perches from which to scout out victims. This continued violence in the face of peacekeeping efforts by security forces indicates that the response to the commemoration march (see previous article) was indeed a cover used by militant Islamists to carry out systematic attacks and further their agenda of radical Islamisation for the province.

Gunfire and explosions continued for some time, and a Protestant church and many homes were set alight. The Minister of the Interior, Mr Sabarno, arrived in Ambon early on Wednesday 28th April, to assess the situation for himself. He insists that the situation is under control, yet reports of further acts of violence continue to come in.

In a serious and potentially far-reaching turn of events, the Islamic militant group Laskar Jihad has announced a comeback. Laskar Jihad was responsible for most of the 9000 deaths that occurred in the Malukus between January 1999 and October 2002. Just days after the Bali bombings that killed 202 people on 12th October 2002, the paramilitary group claimed to have disbanded in Maluku. However, the group's leader, Jafar Umar Thalib, was quoted on Tuesday 27th April 2004 as saying, "Laskar Jihad will again become involved in Ambon if the government is deemed unable to overcome the situation." This is highly ironic since it is militant Muslims that the government security forces are trying to overcome. Everyone else has either fled or been sent away from the area by the military. According to a crisis centre operated by a Muslim student body, more than 2000 Muslims and Christians have fled their homes.

New York, May 20th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
It has taken more than 20 years but better late than never, as the Sudanese government - which has been waging a horrific civil war against the predominantly-Christian south of the country - has been accused of "crimes against humanity" at the United Nations In New York.

A new report documents "brutal attacks" against various ethnic groups in Darfur in confirmation of UN warnings of ethnic cleansing and potential genocide. The group 'Human Rights Watch' has published a report detailing serious atrocities committed by Sudanese troops and allied militia. It accuses the government of being "an accomplice to crimes against humanity" in Darfur. "Government forces and Arab militia are killing, raping and pillaging African civilians who belong to the same ethnic groups as the rebel forces in western Sudan."

The report highlights the government's strategy to force the displacement of these people, and says their bombers attack civilian targets indiscriminately. Forces also enter villages and massacre Fue, Masaalit and Zaghawa people. There are already a million refugees and the number is growing. The militia not only kill individuals, but also destroy the livelihood of tens of thousands of families.

Rabat, May 20th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
A swarm of locusts in the Sahara Desert is threatening western and north-western Africa. The Moroccan harvest, worth around 400 million euros in export value to Europe and North America, is under threat from the plague of locusts which gets ever closer.

Mauretania and Niger are already bearing the brunt of the plague, reminiscent of God's punishment upon Pharoah. Despite intensive efforts to control the swarm, the danger to crops increases. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation has issued a warning of the threat the locusts pose to the north African harvest this year. The locusts are multiplying in breeding areas south of the Atlas Mountains, and forming colonies.

Faisalabad, May 20th, 2004 (ACPress.net).
A Christian who refused to convert to Islam died this week after being severely tortured by Islamic militants.

According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Javed Anjum, a 23-year-old resident of Toba Tek Singh District, was tortured for five days and nights by extremists from a 'madrassa' or Islamic school in the area. He was in a Faisalabad hospital for 11 days before dying. In a statement to police before he died, Anjum said he was searching for water near the school, but was accused by Muslim leaders of trying to steal a water pump. "I rejected the charge and told the Islamic leaders that I am a Christian youth and a student," he reportedly told police. "As soon as the Islamic extremists came to know that I am Christian, they asked me to convert to Islam. I refused and they started torturing me... They tortured me badly and during the torture they continuously asked me to accept Islam." CSW urged Pakistani authorities to bring the militants to justice. "This is a tragedy, and is an example of the threat that Christians continue to face in Pakistan," Stuart Windsor, national director of the CSW, said. "We urge our supporters to pray for Javed's family."