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Christians
in Iraq under terrible pressure
Baghdad, March 10th, 2005 (ACPress.net).
In the last year,
more than 100 Christian families have had to leave their homes
and a further 15,000 believers have left Iraq in the face of
Islamic threats from the Wahhabi faction, the radical followers
of Osama bin Laden.
Posters calling for the immediate death of Christians increase
daily and add to the pressure on the Christian community. At
least 100 Christian families from Mosul have moved to a small,
Christian suburb in Erbil. After 5 churches were attacked last
August, at least 15,000 Christians have left the country. Hundreds
more have fled to other cities escaping from what they see as
persecution. In Ain Kawa, photos of two men killed by extremists
hang from the walls of their mother’s house. Hassina is inconsolable
after their death, but still forbade the rest of the family
from attending the funeral, for fear that they too would be
attacked.
A letter circulating in various cities says “Cover up your women
and convert to Islam or face the consequences.” The letter goes
into horrible detail as to the punishments faced by what it
calls ‘infidels’, ranging from kidnapping to the burning down
of their homes. The letter is signed by the Islamic Troops of
Al Bader.
Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Christians have faced all
kinds of attacks. The previous regime protected, after a fashion,
the Christian community in Iraq which numbers a little less
than a million. The coming to power of the Shi-ites scares the
majority of Christians who believe the government will impose
Islamic law and make it much harder for them to practise their
faith.
Source: LA RAZÓN. Editing: ACPress.net
Pray at seven every
day
Madrid, March 10th, 2005 (ACPress.net).
A new prayer movement
has been born. ‘Pray at 7’ invites all Christians to pray at
certain times throughtout the day.
The recommended time is seven in the morning, and seven in the
evening, hence the name ‘Pray at 7’. However, the most important
thing is to pray regularly and each person may decide how long
to pray for, and what to pray about. Johan Candelin, of the
World Baptist Alliance, says: “After a few weeks of prayer at
seven o’clock, it becomes part of our lifestyle
and transforms our daily praying.” Several prayer networks have
already begun to spread word of the initiative in Europe and
the USA. The movement was founded by the Finnish organisation
‘Friends of the Martyr Church’.
Source: Iglesia en marcha.net. Editing: ACPress.net
More Bible manuscripts
found in Egypt
Cairo, March 10th, 2005 (ACPress.net).
The manuscripts
found recently in Egypt are “the most important discovery since
the Nag Hammadi texts”, according to Zahi Hawas, General Secretary
of the Superior Council of Antiquities in Egypt.
The Nag Hammadi texts, found about 400 miles south of Cairo,
included copies of the four Gospels which, when compared with
other extant manuscripts, confirmed the quality and accuracy
of the other copies available. The 12 Nag Hammadi texts, made
up of papyrus booklets in leather binding, were discovered by
accident in 1945 by some peasants digging up a jar.
The latest find is of three manuscripts in the tomb of one of
the Pharoahs. Hawas says the fact that they were hidden there
“shows the persecution faced by Copts during the Roman Empire.”
The Copts today, who ironically still face much persecution,
are the heirs of the Christian community which prospered in
Egypt before the Muslim conquest.
Thomas Gorik, head of a Polish archaeological team digging in
Egypt, said the three manuscripts were buried in the sand in
a tomb made of hollow bricks which dates from the Middle Egyptian
Empire (2000-1800 BC). It will take some time and much care
before the manuscripts are opened, but they are probably biblical
writings.
Source: AP. Editing: ACPress.net
Orchestrated
plan of attack against Christians in India
Bombay, March 10th, 2005 (ACPress.net).
Monsignor Percival
Fernandez, Auxiliary Catholic Bishop of Bombay and General Secretary
of the Episcopal Conference in India, says attacks against Christians
in that country are part of a plan orchestrated by fundamentalist
Hindu groups.
On February 11th, a 25-year-old evangelical pastor was killed
in cold blood in Karnakta. Violence has increased in recent
months against Christians all over India. A mob burst into a
prayer meeting in Lucknow on January 30th, while four days later
a Hindu leader encouraged violence and issued death threats
against the village of Rajura,
also threatening to reconvert Adivasi tribes-people who are
Christians.
Karnataka and Kerala are two states where anti-Christian propaganda
is especially virulent. Six Christian students from the Asiatic
Bible Seminary in Kerala were beaten up outside a church in
Thiruvalla by «Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh» (RSS) activists.
The RSS is the armed branch of the «Bharatiya Janata Party»
(BJP), which has always been hostile to Christian minorities.
The Catholic Bishop of Thiruvalla, Cleemis Thottunkal, said
he would investigate the attack on the evangelicals, saying
that his Church and the Protestant
Church enjoyed cordial relations,
even though they only worked together on social action projects.
Just last week, Indian police arrested a Catholic priest, Luciano
Colussi, and the local Christian community suffered violence
in the wake of the arrest. The Bishop of Krishnagar condemned
the arrest as shameful, saying “the police have committted serious
abuse arresting Father Colussi. He is an Indian citizen, a well-known
personality in the community who has worked for the local people
for 50 years.” Fernandez said “practically all these acts of
violence against Christians are directed by fundamentalist groups.
Christianity has had to suffer persecution throughout its history
(and) we must remember that this does not just happen in our
country, sad though this is.”
Source: Zenit. Editing: ACPress.net
Christians and their
investigators arrested in Chiapas
Chiapas, Mexico. March 10th, 2005 (ACPress.net).
Four officials
working for the state government have been detained by local
leaders in Pasté, while on their way to meet rural authorities
in an attempt to get José Gómez Jiménez released. Jiménez is
an evangelical who was arrested for refusing to give money towards
the celebration of traditional Catholic festivals.
According to locals, Jiménez was arrested on February 20th by
traditionalist Catholic authorities “though he had not committed
any crime.” Apart from failing to pay for Catholic festivities,
he was accused of showing support for another evangelical, Domingo
Gómez López, who had been arrested a week earlier. A group of
Christians went to complain to the authorities in Pasté, an
action which upset the all-powerful traditionalists who responded
by arresting Gómez’s father too.
Matters took an even more alarming turn when four civil servants
who had come to investigate the goings-on were also arrested,
one of whom is a government official from San Cristóbal. As
this news was going to press, both sides and state and municipal
authorities were meeting in Nachig, a town next to Pasté, to
try and negotiate the release of the evangelicals and of the
officials.
Source: LA JORNADA. Editing: ACPress.net
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