ICC's Persecution Magazine - March 2015 (2 of 4)

Death in KenyaRadical Islam Plants

Devastating Attacks Lead to Opportunities to Rebuild

MARCH 2015WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG

PERSECU ION.orgINTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN

PERSECU ION

News

2 MARCH 2015PERSECU ION.orgINTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN

World Turns Blind Eye to North Korea

2 | NORTH KOREA With an estimated 70,000 Christians imprisoned for their faith, North Korea has topped the list for 13 years as the most brutal and dangerous country in the world to be a Christian. Though the testimonies of Christians and former prison camp guards who have escaped North Korea and shared their experiences with the world are few, they are consistent. Beatings, starva-tion, labor camps and executions are common themes.One agent who worked for 20 years in a political offense

concentration camp, where Christians are often sent, said he witnessed secret executions where “the [accused] digs the hole to be buried” before being executed.Escapees have drawn haunting pictures in attempts to

explain what they experienced in such camps. Christians have been executed for owning Bibles. They have been thrown in labor camps for refusing to deny Christ. In all of this, world governments, including the United States, have turned a blind eye, refusing to address this issue spe-cifically. While nuclear weapons, human rights in general and the right to freedom of speech have been touched on, the genocide of Christians has been ignored. With the rise of

Christian persecution around the world, includ-ing the genocide of Christians in the Middle East, the total and com-plete suffering of believ-ers in North Korea must not be ignored.

French Magazine’s Cartoon Sparks Attacks on Churches in Niger1 | NIGER Among the first countries to have a violent reaction to a cartoon published by the French maga-zine, Charlie Hebdo, was Niger. A crowd of angry Muslims began to protest shortly

after their Friday prayers. While shouting “Allah akbar” (God is great), they proceeded to set fire to and demolish most of the churches in the city of Zinder, not far from Niger’s capital. The group of protestors quickly swelled to several hundred as they marched around wreaking havoc and killing four people. Though known as a country with peaceful religious

relations, radical Islam has been growing within Niger’s Muslim-majority population. In recent years, the small Christian minority has found themselves a target of persecution. Attacks similar to this one in early January also occurred in 1998, 2000 and 2012.

Discrimination in Turkey3 | TURKEY An annu-al report produced by the Union of Protestant Churches highlights the con-tinued hostilities and discrimination faced by churches and Christians through-out Turkey. Thankfully, assassi-

nations and murders are not among the trials believers in this region have to face, but the report does say that Christians are constantly threat-ened and endure small-scale attacks, which include arson, broken windows and other types of van-dalism. There are also legal

obstacles set by local officials that further restrict the ability of Christians, especially Protestants, to meet and worship openly. Those who face

perhaps the harsh-est discrimination and persecution are former Muslims who have converted to Christianity. They have reported threats and harassment not only from co-work-ers, but also from family members who are upset that they have left the religion of their ancestors.While it is not ille-

gal to share your faith in Turkey, it is frowned upon and often met with threats and hostility.

The remains of one of the many churches demol-ished in Zinder, Niger, by Muslims protesting the Charlie Hebdo magazine.

�

�

�

�

��

�

3PERSECU ION.orgINTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN

Egyptian Christian Gunned Down5 | EGYPT A Christian man in Egypt, 38-year-old Shaheed Nesemis Saroufeem, was murdered when he was gunned down while riding his motor scooter home from a trip to the mill. Saroufeem is the cousin of a Christian who was martyred along with three other Copts in July 2013. He and his family refused to drop the charges against the suspects of those murders, and it is believed that this is the motivation for Saroufeem’s murder.

Police detained one of the men who shot Saroufeem. The killer, who is related to one of the murderers in the July 2013 attack, and his brother ambushed Saroufeem with fire from machine guns.

Released from Prison in Iran7 | IRAN An Iranian Christian, Amin Khaki, was released from prison on bail in the amount of 500 million Iranian Rials (roughly $18,000 USD). He is a deacon of a church and was part of a group of eight Christians arrested at a picnic, blindfolded and inter-rogated in Shoush, Iran, on March 5, 2014.

Iran is infamous for its harsh treatment of Christians, the most famous recently being Saeed Abdini, who remains imprisoned there after three years. Though Khaki has been released on bail, his full legal status remains unclear. He may continue to face charges brought against him because of his faith.

Kazakh Christian Refuses to Pay Unjust Fines

6 | KAZAKHSTAN Nikolai, a 34-year-old husband and father of four, is a Christian in Kazakhstan. He has refused to pay fines imposed on him for meeting to worship with other Christians without permission from the government.

“I didn’t pay because I don’t consider myself guilty,” he explained. “These fines were illegal.”

Since 2013, Nikolai has been fined three times, jailed for five days, and forbid-den from leaving the country. He now faces the confiscation of his mechanic shop.

India’s Christians Call for Justice in Face of Increasing Persecution

4 | INDIA In recent months, attacks on Christians and their places of worship have skyrocketed with numerous attacks against churches and Christians, not only in rural areas, but also in large cities. Many Christians in India are concerned about a broader strategy against India’s Christian community and believe the installment of a new Hindu nationalist government is the reason behind this development. Believers in India have not remained silent, but are actually proactive in continuing to stand up for their rights.

A man who refused to drop the charges against those who martyred his cousin was gunned down in Egypt.

Amin Khaki was released from prison in Iran after be-ing arrested in March 2014.

Increasing persecution against Christians in India has prompted believers to stand up for their rights. Their protests call for justice and an end to attacks on Christians.

News


100 Million Christians Persecuted

1 | WORLD The number of Christians around the world who are persecuted for their faith has reached mind-bog-gling proportions, with numbers surpassing 100 million in 2014. That staggering number represents Christians dis-criminated against, beaten, imprisoned and even beheaded for their faith. The severity of persecution can range on a spectrum

from discrimination and job loss to torture and murder, but it is all based on an individual’s identification with Jesus Christ and their refusal to turn from their faith.The rise in persecution can be seen globally. In South

Asia, we find Indonesian churches forcibly closed, crosses removed and church property destroyed in China and pas-tors narrowly escaping with their lives in Vietnam. In Southeast Asia, we find countless cases of blasphemy

charges against Christians in Pakistan, including the young couple who was thrown into a brick kiln by an angry mob. In Central Asia, people are arrested and fined for sharing

their faith, meeting for worship in their homes without government permission or simply for owning Bibles or

ISIS Kidnaps 20 Coptics in Libya2 | LIBYA Many Coptic Christians in Egypt suffer eco-nomic discrimination and are driven to seek work in other countries in order to support their families. This was the case when over 20 Christian Coptic men moved to war-torn Libya to find jobs. Unfortunately, instead of finding a job to help their families, these men woke up one day to find themselves trapped in a terrifying nightmare. Over the course of two weeks, affiliates of the Islamic

State (ISIS) kidnapped them. Referring to the believers as “Christian crusaders,” ISIS held them hostage in an unknown location. Eventually, they released pictures of the Christian men who were taken from a housing complex in Sirte, Lebanon. The claim of responsibility, that they are affiliates of

ISIS (their official name as of printing remains unidenti-fied), increases the level of activity that ISIS claims to have in the North African country.The kidnapped Copts come from the villages of al-

Our, al-Gebali, Dafash, Samson, al-Sobi and Menbal in Egypt. Their families all live on the edge of destitution. When they were informed of what happened to their loved ones in Libya, it was reported that “everyone sat in despondent silence, broken only by the anguished cries of women and the weeping of the children whose fathers had disappeared in Sirte.”

“Everyone sat in despondent silence, broken only by the anguished cries of women … ”

��

�

�

�

other Christian litera-ture. Christians are often

completely ostracized from their community and treated as traitors for leaving Islam and following Christ. Boko Haram and al-

Shabaab have left a wake of tragedy and death in Africa, par-ticularly in Nigeria, Sudan and Niger.Thousands have been

executed, tortured and kidnapped for their faith. The violence is cruel as they attempt to wipe out any religion that is not Islam. Finally, there is the

Middle East. ISIS has enforced the genocide of Christians in Syria and Iraq with great success. Thousands have

been brutally mur-dered, hundreds have been beheaded and thousands more have been displaced — all in the name of estab-lishing an Islamic caliphate and wiping Christianity from the face of the earth. Please pray for and

help us stand with our brothers and sisters around the world.


No Going Back for Iraqi Christians

4 | IRAQ “No, we will never go back,” an engineer from Mosul told reporters in Amman, Jordan, where he and his family have fled persecution.The rise of the jihadist militant group ISIS has driven more than

100,000 Christians out of their homes. Hundreds of those families have now left Iraq entirely, with others now in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. Many of the Christians have lost hope in ever being able to return to their homeland, the place where their families have lived for centuries.

Chinese Christians Arrested at Bible Study

6 | CHINA When 27 Chinese Christians in Beijing gathered for worship and Bible study, they weren’t expecting to be raided by police. However, that is exactly what happened, and 20 of them were taken to jail to be interrogated.“As we finished our worship, a missionary had just got to the podium to

lead us in reading passages from the Bible, and we were praying when the police raided us,” a Guoshulin Church member said. “They told us to stop the gathering. There were about 27 people in the

gathering. The police took all the people who didn’t have identification cards to the local police station; there were more than 20 [without ID cards]. The police also took several copies of Bibles and hymnals. They said our gather-ing was an illegal assembly and was unlawful. When we got to the police station, they said that the site is illegal and that we must not go to that site again.”

Hindu Radicals Claim India will be “Christian-free” in Six Years3 | INDIA Hindu radicals have announced their plans to make India “Christian-free” by 2021. In a statement to Indian media, Hindu radicals said that Christians and Muslims have no rights in India and should be driven from the country or converted to Hinduism. One group of Hindu radi-cals, the Dharma Jagran Samiti group, has been on a mission to reconvert Hindus who have converted to other religions. In some instances, these individuals are threatened if they will not return to Hinduism. In other instances, they are promised food or money. One Christian who decided to reconvert to Hinduism hesitantly told ICC that it just seemed like it would be “easier” and “safer” for his family if they reconverted. Unfortunately, it seems that Christian persecution in India continues to be on the rise and isn’t going away any time soon.

Twenty Chinese Christians were arrested and had their Bibles and hymnals confiscated when authorities raided a Bible study in Beijing.

Christians who have been driven from their homes in Iraq by ISIS say they have lost hope they will ever be able to return.

Christian Gunned Down in Kenya

5 | KENYA According to reports, 25-year-old George Muriki was gunned down entering Maximum Revival Ministries in Malindi, Kenya. Muriki was entering the church with two others when he was shot in the back three times. It is believed that he had been mistaken for the church’s pastor, who had received threats in the past. Police had also previously been called with reports of suspicious activity. Kenya’s predominantly Islamic coast has seen an uptick in violence against Christians, much of which is thought to connect back to the Somalia-based, radical Islamic insurgency, al-Shabaab.

A Christian man believed to have been mistaken for a pastor was shot in the back on his way into church in Malindi, Kenya..


Impact Report

FUND BALANCE:

WHERE MOST NEEDED

low medium high

• Conducted a congressional staffbriefing for 90+ staffers on Iraqand Syria. Invited Open Doors andtop secular human rights groups,Amnesty International and HumanRights Watch, as co-presenters.

• Established a congressional over-sight group for USAID in Iraqto ensure that humanitarian aidgets to Christians in need. SinceSeptember, more than $74 millionhas been earmarked.

• Initiated a joint letter from ninemembers of Congress to theEgyptian Attorney General callingfor the release of Christian convertBishoy Armia Boulous.

2015 Q1ICC Assisted:

INDIVIDUALS

IN 3 COUNTRIES

20,000

FUND BALANCE:

SUFFERING WIVES and CHILDREN

low medium high


INDIVIDUALS

IN 5 COUNTRIES

43

• Support packages were provided tothe wives of wrongfully imprisonedChristians in India.

• Ten families of imprisoned churchleaders in Vietnam were each givena drove of piglets to start a smallbusiness.

• Two women in Kyrgyzstan whosuffered severe persecution weregiven a small herd of sheep to raiseand start a small business.

• Children who lost a parent in the AllSaints Church bombing in Pakistanreceived assistance to attend school.

FUND BALANCE:

COMMUNITY REBUILD

low medium high


INDIVIDUALS

IN 4 COUNTRIES

4,198

• Sent relief packets full of basicnecessities to Christian refugeeswho fled persecution in Syria.

• Provided winter relief packets fullof blankets, heaters and food toIraqi Christians fleeing ISIS.

• Rebuilt or restored more than fivechurches and homes destroyed byattacks in India.

• Helped more than 15 Christianswho were accused of “blasphemy”in Pakistan to launch small busi-nesses after they were forced to fleetheir homes and leave behind theirjobs and livelihoods.

PROJECTS PROJECTS PROJECTS


Impact Report

FUND BALANCE:

BROADCASTS

low medium high


INDIVIDUALS

IN MANY COUNTRIES

590+

• One of our representatives reportedthat 590 people in the Middle Eastdeclared salvation after listening toone radio broadcast in the last threemonths.

• Another radio broadcast to theMiddle East provided persecutedChristians access to evangelismand discipleship materials.

• ICC’s biggest broadcast project hasreally been progressing. We areturning watchers into believers aswe are meeting with the curiouson the ground in one of the mostdangerous countries for Christians.

FUND BALANCE:

UNDERGROUND PASTORS

low medium high


INDIVIDUALS

IN 13 COUNTRIES

1849

• Conducted the first “PersecutionPreparedness Training” in India toteach pastors how to respond topersecution. Twenty pastors learnedabout what constitutes persecution,their legal rights and the steps theycan take when they encounter per-secution.

• Provided financial assistance to anIranian pastor who was forced toflee Iran with his family after hefaced the threat of assassination.

• ICC sponsors nine pastors acrossCentral Asia who have recentlyreported local church growth, bap-tisms and salvations.

FUND BALANCE:

BIBLES

low medium high


INDIVIDUALS

IN 6 COUNTRIES

18,650

• Distributed 13,892 Chinese Bibles,as well as other Christian materials,in 18 provinces (including Tibet)and 44 cities in just four months.

• Delivered 50 Vietnamese Bibles toa church in Vietnam that has suf-fered severe persecution.

• Native-language Bible distributionhas occurred in Bangladesh, India,China, Vietnam, Egypt and anotherunnamed country.

• Installed an underground printingpress in an unnamed country thatbegan printing Bibles in February.

PROJECTS PROJECTS PROJECTS

GIVING TO ICC VIA YOUR WILL

Provide now for a future gift to ICC by including a bequest provision in your will or revocable trust. If you

would like more information on giv-ing to ICC in this way, please give

us a call at 1-800-ICC-5441.

SEND DONATIONS TO:ICC

PO BOX 8056 SILVER SPRING, MD 20907

OR ONLINE AT WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG

OR BY PHONE 800-ICC-5441

PERSECU ION.orgINTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN

You Can Help Today!

facebook.com/persecuted @persecutionnews

International Christian Concern (ICC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) (all donations tax-deductible). ICC makes every effort to honor donor wishes in regards to gifts. Occasionally, situations arise where a project is no longer viable. ICC will then redirect those donated funds to the fund most similar to the donor’s original wishes. ICC uses 7.5 percent of each restricted donation to carry out the mission of its segregated funds.

© Copyright 2015 ICC, Washington, D.C., USA. All rights reserved. Permission to reproduce all or part of this publication is granted provided attribution is given to ICC as the source.

ICC's Persecution Magazine - March 2015 (2 of 4)

Documents