Barnabas Aid May/June 2014

MARCH/APRIL 2014

THE AID AGENCY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH www.barnabasfund.org

IN THIS ISSUE

TanzaniaConfi dent Islam fuels growing tensions

SurvivorsMoving testimonies from Pakistan church bombing

TransformationUgandan converts fi nd new life and hope

Our loss is nothing compared to His sacrifi ce

Front cover: A Christian survivor of the September 2013 bombing of All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan, in which over 100 people were killed

To guard the safety of Christians in hostile environments, names may have been changed or omitted. Thank you for your understanding.Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version.Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and obtain permission for stories and images used in this publication. Barnabas Fund apologises for any errors or omissions and will be grateful for any further information regarding copyright. Barnabas Fund 2014

The front cover of the January/February 2014 magazine showed a Christian boy protesting against the killing of Christians in Pakistan. After the suicide bomb attack on All Saints Church, Peshawar, Pakistan, on Sunday 22 September, in which around 100 Christians were killed, many demonstrations were organised by churches and Christian organisations. The photo was taken during one such demonstration by a Pakistani Christian, who then sent it to Barnabas Fund. We published it to help voiceless Pakistani Christians to get their message heard internationally.

The paper used in this publication comes from sustainable forests and can be 100% recycled

Global JihadPaPatrtricickk SoSookokhdhdeoeo

TThis book is a remarkakablble in-depth analysis of ppere hahaps thehe greaeatet st threat fafacicingng the world todayy. It examines what liesbehind the resurrgeg nce of militant Islamim st fundamentalissm.m It talso speaks abouut t the opponents strategy, its attraction andforce. TThis is an invaluable resource for those who seekk to understandnd Islamist violence in the world today.

ISBN: 9780978714123 | Cover: Hardback | No. of pages: 669 | RRP: 15.99 | P & P: 4.50

Faith, Power and TerritoryPatrick Sookhdeo

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To order these books, visit: barnabasfund.org/shop. Alternatively, please contact your nearest Barnabas Fund offi ce (addresses on back cover). Cheques for the UK should be made payable to Barnabas Books.

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WELCOME FROM THE DIRECTOR

Dr Patrick SookhdeoInternational DirectorContents

4 11Compassion in ActionFeeding families and strengthening faith in South Asia

Project UpdateBarnabas trains and builds up Ugandan converts from Islam

NewsdeskMurderous attacks against Christians in Egypt and NigeriaIn TouchCakes and donkeys raise funds for suffering Christians

Learning from the persecuted ChurchSurvivors of Peshawar bombing stand fi rm in Christ

Country Profi leTanzania: Islamism and violence fuel rising tensions

Living in BabylonShaped by the sufferings of Christ

4 11

8 12 18

14

A diplomatic report dated March 1896 described the massacres of Armenian Christians in the Ottoman Empire in 1895-96 with the following statistics: 88,000 Armenians killed; 568 churches destroyed; 328 churches turned into mosques; 2,400 villages looted; 646 villages forcefully islamized.1

A footnote in the same book adds the personal detail to the bare fi gures of the terrible events of those years. Translated into English, it runs, The cry of distress from Armenia: Presently everywhere Armenians are sitting around hopeless and distressed, freezing in the midst of their burned down homes, most of them have lost family members and relatives. They are themselves now waiting that they too may encounter their murderers Thousands of homeless men, women and children encounter this hardship without enough food and the terror of an Asiatic winter. It is stunning and even unbearable that Christendom may continue to watch helplessly and in a dull mood this horrendous drama and debacle (Ernst Lohmann, in an appeal to help Armenians after the 1895-96 terror).

The numbers are staggering. The appalling detail is clear. The reader cries out to know why, if European politicians of 1896 had been alerted to what was happening so near at hand, they did not act. The persecution of the Armenians continued for nearly 30 more years, peaking in 1915, and creating a total death toll estimated at over 1.5 million Armenian and Assyrian Christians. Yet during the First World War the German government even asked the German Oriental Mission to keep silent about the genocide to avoid disrupting the German-Turkish alliance. Its leader, Johannes Lepsius, refused, resigned his position and went into exile.

Today the same question could have been asked at any point in the last two decades about the lack of political action by the West on behalf of persecuted Christians in many countries around the globe. But perhaps change is now beginning. Canada and Germany have set an honourable precedent in their offi cial concern for persecuted Christians.

And at the end of last year, there were a number of signifi cant indications that British politicians and leaders are waking up to the plight of persecuted Christians.

For example, Baroness Warsi, a Muslim who holds the government post of Minister for Faith, made a speech at Georgetown University in Washington DC on 16 November 2013 in which she said that the persecution of Christians has become a global crisis that requires an international response. She described it as the biggest challenge we face in this young century. This was soon followed by debates on the subject of persecuted Christian minorities in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. On 17 December, Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, made a courageous and remarkable speech on the increasing threat posed by Islamist extremists to Christian communities in the Middle East.

Here lies the big difference between 1896 and 2014. At last there is a realisation of the gravity of the situation amongst those who have the power and infl uence to change the course of events. We must pray for real change in how governments approach Christians in the Middle East. Western governments must no longer automatically support radical Islamists on the principle that my enemys enemy is my friend. They must consider whether their stance could inadvertently facilitate the extinction of the Church in the Middle East.

As we approach Easter, and refl ect on the horrors of our Lords agony at Calvary on Good Friday, we must also remember the Resurrection on Sunday. Today the Church in the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere is living in the twilight of Saturday. Caught between the death and sufferings of the Friday and the resurrection hope of the Sunday, they live with the reality that somehow with Gods grace they must survive, accept their sufferings, and yet hold before themselves a vision of the life to come.

Between cross and resurrection

12

1Andreas Baumann, Der Orient fr Christus: Johannes Lepsius, Biographie und Missiologie. Gieen: Brunnen-Verlag, 2007, p. 42, referring to Richard Schfer, Geschichte der Deutschen Orient-Mission. Potsdam: Lepsius, Fleischmann and Grauer, 1932.

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Kenya: Rescue home blesses girls and community

The education that the Christian young women living at the Cana Girls Rescue Home are receiving is opening up opportunities and inspiring them to aim high.

One of the girls, Irene, is doing very well in her studies and hopes to become a doctor so that she can help the disadvantaged. She writes, I would also like to build a big home for all needy children to show my gratitude to God.

The home, which protects and provides for Christian girls at risk of abuse associated with traditional African religions, is not only providing for the girls education but is also encouraging them in their witness. The girls have been sharing Gods blessings by reaching out to the needy in their community.

When an impoverished 84-year-old church member became house-bound, the girls visited her to demonstrate love, sharing and caring (as our project partner wrote). They brought the woman food, water and fi rewood, and prayed with her.

Cameroon: Showing Christs love to a grieving family

After convert from Islam Abdoulaye Daoud was martyred in Cameroon, his bereaved family were not left to struggle alone. Thanks to help from Barnabas, Abdoulayes widow and the couples twelve children are now living in a secure home.

Barnabas Fund built an extra room onto the vulnerable familys previously inadequate house, along with a wall and a gate to help keep them safe. We also provided fi nancial support to Abdoulayes widow.

The family have all been encouraged in their faith by the help they have received. Abdoulayes mother also became a Christian after witnessing the love shown to her sons family.

Abdoulaye and another convert, Abakachi, were killed by Islamist gunmen in February 2013.

Burundi: Equipping Christian students to stand strong

I want to tell my brothers and sisters that the salvation, the real rest and success are in Jesus Christ. A speaker at a two-day training conference on Islam in Burundi spoke of how he had become a Muslim after being promised money to start a small business, but did not fi nd true peace until he later became a Christian.

Since attending the Barnabas-funded conference, 60 students from local secondary schools have a better understanding of the key doctrines of Islam and of Islamic mission strategies in their area. The cost of the training was just 15 per person including accommodation.

Now, the students will be better equipped to stand fi rm and to share the Gospel during conversations with their Muslim neighbours. They are also sharing their new understanding with other students at their schools.

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Christian education and training are crucial to strengthening the Church in BurundiBarnabas provided support to

Abdoulayes family in the wake of his murder

899 for training conference on Islam in Burundi (US$1,446; 1,065)

3,471 to support the family of martyred convert Abdoulaye Daoud (US$5,558; 4,087)

19,228 to support Cana Girls Rescue Home for one year (US$31,356; 22,783)

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is helpingCOMPASSIONIN ACTIONCOMPASSIONIN ACTION is helpinis helphelpingnnippppihe help is Whether we are providing comfort to the families of martyrs, support to Christian workers or simply warm clothes to the needy, none of Barnabas Funds work

would be possible without our supporters. Thank you so much for remembering our persecuted brothers and sisters in your prayers and for reaching out to them with practical help. The following pages contain the stories of persecuted Christians whose lives have been transformed by recent grants from Barnabas Fund. Please pray for these brothers and sisters in Christ.

Song booklets touch hearts in Sudan

A Barnabas-funded project to provide booklets of local Christian songs in Sudan is helping to spread the Gospel and is encouraging the Sudanese Church.

For many years, Sudanese Christians have been singing worship songs from Egypt or from South Sudan, which do not touch the hearts of their non-Christian neighbours. But now, local Christian songs have been gathered together in a printed booklet, and 4,000 copies are being distributed to local churches.

The song booklets, which cost only around 1.50 each to print, are helping the Church in its witness. For example, one non-Christian man was walking by a church building when he heard a beautiful voice singing one of the songs in the booklet. Touched by the song, he was moved to enter the church and later gave his life to Christ.

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Central Asia: Sharing the Gospel despite opposition

An intrepid evangelist is sharing the Gospel and supporting vulnerable believers in a restrictive, Muslim-majority Central Asian country.

Firuza lost her job following visits from the secret service. But now that Barnabas funds her living and travel costs, she is able to run home groups and womens ministries in her home city. She also regularly makes 140km round trips to witness to villagers in another area.

Initially, she met with hostility; some villagers even tried to stone her. But she persevered in sharing Christs love, and three families and more than 20 individuals have come to faith.

Firuzas support is all the more important because it is common for the Christians in her small groups to be spied on by the authorities. One man was fi ned heavily after a state spy pretended to be a fellow believer in order to investigate his Christian activities.

Warm through the winter in Syria

Receiving warm winter clothing made all the difference to 2,055 needy Christians in Aleppo. The beleaguered Christians, who had already endured months of heavy fi ghting and scarce supplies, were very vulnerable as winter set in. December 2013 brought snow and temperatures as low as -7-10C, and many impoverished believers have no means of heating their homes.

The warm clothing, funded by Barnabas, was given to needy children and to the displaced. Some Christian families had been forced to fl ee heavy fi ghting in their neighbourhood with only what they were wearing at the time, so they had nothing to protect them from the bitter cold.

These displaced Christians each received a coat, a pair of trousers, a jumper and a shirt. One recipient said, In helping us, you showed us that Jesus, our Lord, has not abandoned us.

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6,240 to help produce books of Christian songs in Sudan (US$5,088; 3,697)

59,877 for winter clothes and other humanitarian needs in Aleppo, Syria (US$98,427; 72,370)

509 to support an evangelist in a Central Asian country for six months (US$830; 603)

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5BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2014

COMPASSIONIN ACTION bringing hope,

I never realised that someone would think of my family! That God provided this for us is unbelievable. I praise God for His wonderful provision. Thanks be to the Lord!

Porikhit Roy, a Christian father in Bangladesh, was fi lled with joy and praise as he spoke of how a Barnabas-funded feeding programme has changed his life.

Porikhits family is one of 113 needy Christian families in Bangladesh who have been receiving regular monthly food parcels from Barnabas Fund for over a year. Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world, and the families live in Muslim-majority areas where they are subject to discrimination. As a result, their need is very great.

The food parcels contain rice, daal (lentils), milk powder, oil, fl our, sugar and salt and cost just 18 each per month. Now, the impoverished Christian families no longer go hungry; they can also use what they would have spent on food to improve their lives in other ways, such as paying school fees.

The programme is also strengthening the Christians in their faith. Dulal Roy, who has a disabled son, said, I am very happy and will never forget this blessing. Now we as a family are attending regular church services and are praising God and singing songs about Gods goodness.

Barnabas Fund is providing regular food support to nine Afghan Christian refugee families, who have fl ed to another Asian country to escape severe persecution in their homeland.

The families were forced to leave all their possessions in Afghanistan, and because they have not been granted legal status in their country of refuge, they are not even allowed to work to support themselves. But now that they know where their next meal is coming from, they can focus on rebuilding their lives, and building up the Afghan Church, in their new location.

The project provides food and basics, including rice, oil, beans, pasta, sugar, tea and toiletries, at a cost of around 23 per family per month. Barnabas is also funding school fees for

58 children from this extremely vulnerable community.

One family of nine were forced to fl ee Afghanistan after they were targeted by the Taliban. The father of the family said, In this kind of situation, when you are helped it is a great blessing that you will never forget. The food materials that are given to us through this project are very helpful, and it solves many of our problems. I ask our Heavenly Father to bless those who help us.

Even in their new location, the Christians are not left in peace. They regularly experience hostility from Muslim Afghans living nearby and must meet to worship very discreetly.

Feeding families, strengthening faith

One of the 113 needy Christian families who are receiving the life-changing food support

Supporting needy Christian families in Bangladesh

12,204 to feed needy Christian families in Bangladesh for six months (US$19,904; 14,469)

Barnabas forwarded a gift of 2,430 to help feed Afghan Christian refugees for one year (US$3,995; 2,937)

Project reference: 04-1090

As well as feeding Afghan Christian refugees, Barnabas funds school fees for their children

Meeting the needs of Afghan Christian refugees

Project reference: 01-901 (Needy and persecuted Afghan Christians)


COMPASSIONIN ACTION transforming lives

In the midst of mounting persecution in Sri Lanka, a Barnabas-funded weekend Bible camp brought peace, encouragement and the joy of fellowship to Christians from fi ve churches that had been the targets of attacks or threats.

For the Shalom Camps 157 participants, being able simply to meet to worship God without fear of attack was a blessing, and the Christians arrived full of enthusiasm and

eagerness. But for many, the camp also proved a time of great spiritual renewal, beyond anything they could have expected. A pastor who attended the camp said, Jesus Christ performed tremendous miracles in all our lives through this Shalom camp.

The weekends activities included worship, teaching on the Biblical basis for persecution, group discussions on responding to opposition, and family counselling. Children and young

people took part in their own sessions, and time was set aside for prayer and rest. At the end of the weekend, the believers, many of whom are converts from Buddhism, took communion together and listened to a fi nal message of encouragement.

Christians in some parts of the country suffer occasional violence by Hindu and Muslim extremists, but it is militant Buddhists who present the most severe threat to our brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka. Some of the camps attendees were from a church that was attacked by a mob of Buddhist extremists, led by monks, in June 2013. During the attack, the assailants beat church members and destroyed church property. Afterwards, the congregation felt that they could not even leave their homes safely. It was at this time that they were invited to come to the camp. One church member said:

As we shared our situations and circumstances with each other, it took away most of the burden that we were carrying. During these three days we were able to worship God with all our hearts and to learn a lot from the sessions. It was very encouraging for each and every one of us we thank God for this blessed opportunity.

A teenage convert from Buddhism, from the same church, endured rejection from friends and harassment by teachers following the attack. After attending the camp, the young Christian said, I thank God for this opportunity to learn about Him and worship Him. This programme helped bring peace into my troubled heart.

11,918 for weekend Bible camp for persecuted Christians in Sri Lanka (US$19,434; 14,129)

Children at the Shalom Camp were encouraged by sessions for young people

Jesus Christ performed tremendous miracles in all our lives through this Shalom camp

Sri Lanka: Bible camp brings peace for persecuted Christians

Project reference: 00-345(Victims of Violence Fund)

(This project is now complete, but similar projects can be supported with a gift to our Victims of Violence Fund.)


Eliya Meshack, a youth leader in the Ilemela district of Mwanza province on the Tanzanian mainland, was leading an overnight prayer session on 22 October 2013 when his life was brutally cut short in a deadly machete attack. Although it is not known for sure who Eliyas killers were, Islamic extremists from a Zanzibar separatist group are suspected. The youth leader and his wife had been receiving threats for more than six months and had reported them, but the police did nothing to protect the family.

A trocities such as this were until recently never seen in Tanzania. But the past two years have seen heightened tensions, and the president has said that for the fi rst time the country is facing the prospect of civil strife along religious lines. Some church leaders in Tanzania believe that underpinning the increased friction between communities is an alarming drive to make Tanzanias public institutions more Islamic. And in the semi-autonomous, Muslim-majority archipelago of Zanzibar, a growing separatist, extremist movement is greatly threatening the islands Christian minority.

Tanzania was formed when the mainland, then called Tanganyika, and Zanzibar were joined in 1964, following independence from the UK. Because the vast majority of Tanzanians live on the mainland, this article fi rst discusses the issues Christians face there before devoting a separate section to Zanzibar.

Christians in Tanzania Living under an emerging threat?

Pockets of extremism threaten prevailing peaceIt is impossible to know whether Christians or Muslims form the majority in mainland Tanzania, because the census no longer includes questions about religion. Estimates vary quite widely; most religious leaders estimate that mainland Tanzania is 50% Muslim and 50% Christian, while an independent 2010 survey recorded 60% of the population as Christians, 36% as Muslims and 4% as followers of other religions.

Since Tanzania became independent in 1961, this diverse population has dealt with diffi cult economic conditions, caused by a failed post-independence socialist experiment and compounded by natural disasters and confl icts in the wider region. But despite ongoing, widespread poverty, Muslims and Christians have, on the whole, lived together in peace. Indeed, in the vast majority of areas Muslims and Christians still live and work peacefully side by side.

The bereaved family of Pastor Mathayo Kachila, who was murdered when tensions over meat slaughter escalated


COUNTRY PROFILE

But this is no longer the case in some locations. In the fi rst major anti-Christian attack of recent years, three churches were burned down and others attacked when Muslims rioted in the suburbs of Dar es Salaam in October 2012. The riots were apparently prompted by an incident involving a Christian boy and a Muslim boy, in which the Christian was drawn into committing an act considered by Muslims to be desecration of the Quran. Churches in Arusha, Kigoma and Mwanza were also targeted around this time.

Then, in other areas, tensions over meat slaughter began to escalate. Pastor Mathayo Kachila was murdered in February 2013 by a group of youths who attacked a butchers shop in Buseresere in the Geita region. Muslims in the area had been demanding the closure of Christian-owned butcheries because the meat they sold was not halal. Soon afterwards two more Christians were killed when further tensions broke out in Tunduma in April.

Since these attacks, anti-Christian incidents have continued sporadically, with church leaders targeted in particular. A Barnabas partner reported that extremists kept a hit list of pastors who are converts from Islam ministering to Muslims. Machete attacks have been carried out on church ministers at their homes. And at least fi ve people were killed, and at least 60 wounded, when the inaugural service of a church in Arusha was bombed in May. Churches in Dar es Salaam and Kijitonyama have also been targeted; in total, at least 56 churches have been burned in Tanzania. (Responsibility for some of these attacks is still unclear.)

Attacks such as these are carried out by only a small minority of Muslims. A minor Zanzibar-based extremist movement originally attracted Muslims who felt disenfranchised in the 1990s by Tanzanias previous one-party system. It appears, however, that international Islamic terror groups are encouraging more Muslims in the country to become radicalised. Senior Christian leaders have reported that radical camps in the country are teaching young Muslims that Christians must be killed or live as second-class citizens. Children who attend the camps are told to attend only Islamic schools. A training camp for al-Shabaab, an Islamist terrorist group active in Somalia and Kenya, was broken up by police in the Tanga region in October 2013. CDs and DVDs have also been played at some mosques urging the killing of Christians and specifi cally encouraging Tanzanian Muslims to join Islamists fi ghting in Somalia.

Are Tanzanias institutions being Islamised?Some Christian leaders believe that increasing Islamic extremism is being accompanied by a gradual political and intellectual reshaping of the secular state in favour of Islam. Under radical infl uences, some mosques are urging Muslims not to vote for any non-Muslim politicians, so that Tanzanias leadership will become entirely Islamic.

Although Christians are well-represented amongst cabinet ministers, the President, himself a Muslim, has appointed Muslims to numerous positions of strategic importance in the government. In the case of the department of Union Affairs, which oversees the sensitive relations between the mainland and Zanzibar, not only has a Muslim been appointed as its minister, but the department

has been moved from the Christian-headed Prime Ministers offi ce to the control of the Muslim Vice-President. Christians are also not well represented in the most senior leadership positions in security and defence, which may be contributing to the diffi culties some believers have experienced in obtaining protection and justice.

The effects of some senior political appointments on the Christian community can already be seen. For example, it is reported that the Muslim-headed department of Communication, Science and Technology generally grants permission for new Islamic media outlets, whereas church-based outlets fi nd it impossible to gain authorisation. One Christian radio station has been waiting a number of years for an answer to its request for authorisation. Responding to a recent survey, 83% of Tanzanians said that they get their news and information from the radio; in this context, equal access to the airwaves is crucial.

Also, although Muslim regional governors have been appointed both to Muslim-majority areas and Christian-majority areas, no Christian regional governors have been appointed to Muslim-majority regions. And the University of Dodoma, a secular, publicly-funded institution set up for students of all religions in 2007, has since become openly Islamic in character.

These moves come at a time when it is particularly important that no one religion is unfairly favoured in Tanzanias public life. The country is in the process of rewriting its constitution, and the role of sharia law in the state is under discussion. Muslims are prominent at the highest levels of Tanzanias judiciary, who are likely to be consulted over the issue of whether

Christians at worship in Tanzania. Some believers have faced harassment by the authorities

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COUNTRY PROFILE

to introduce Islamic Kadhi courts. Provision for Kadhi courts was not removed from neighbouringiKenyas constitution when this was revised in 2010, against the protests of some churchleaders who feared the courts could contribute to Islamisation of the Christian-majority country.

The Tanzanian authorities are already taking some actions that are more typically seen in Islamic states. A total of 52 false cases have recently been brought against pastors; for example, one pastor was accused of making derogatory remarks about Islam and Muhammadfollowing the conversion of two Muslims toChristianity. A teenage convert from Islam wasjailed for two years in 2012 after being falsely accused of desecrating a Quran.

Zanzibar: Persecution in paradiseToday, Zanzibar is around 98% Muslim. Althoughthe islands are a popular tourist destination, Christians, and particularly church leaders, in this paradise are under a more intense threat than their brothers and sisters on the mainlandare. Separatists have been pushing for greater autonomy from the mainland and for sharia law tobe applied to all the islands legislation. Political pressure turned violent in May 2012, when a number of churches were torched by rioters from separatist group the Association for Islamic Mobilisation and Propagations (Uamsho), who clashed with police. Later the group circulated leafl ets threatening church leaders.

These were not empty threats. On ChristmasDay in 2012, the Rev. Ambrose Mkenda wasshot in the face and shoulder by two attackerson a motorcycle as he returned to his home. Uamsho members were suspected of carryingout the attack, which the church leader thankfully survived. Then, in February 2013, Pastor Evarist Mushi died after being shot twice in the head by two young men as he tried to enter hischurch. A third church leader, Joseph AnselmoMwagambwa, suffered severe burns to his face and arms when acid was thrown over him as he left an internet caf in September. Fifteen people

were arrested in connection with this and other acid attacks, including one in August 2013 on twoBritish teenage girls who were volunteering at a school connected with a local church. A policecommissioner said that some of those arrestedhave links with al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab,although this statement has been contested.

It has been reported that at least six Christiangirls were raped by Islamic extremists in Zanzibar

last year. Reports are also circulating allegingthat dozens of pregnant Christian women have been refused medical care by Muslim healthcareprofessionals in Zanzibar and that at least oneunborn baby died as a result of this.

The Christian community is a target for violence by separatist militants, but the reasons for thisare complex. The desire for independenceand the atrocities carried out in pursuit of it are partly fuelled by dissatisfaction over decades of economic decline and poverty during the islands union with the mainland. Uamsho has been gaining support ever since Zanzibarsmain opposition Civic United Front party formeda government of national unity with the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party, leaving someMuslims feeling unrepresented. But targeted attacks on Christian leaders and calls for shariato have a more prominent place in public life, along with the incursions made in Tanzania by international Islamic terrorist groups, suggest that the demands of radical Islam are alsoplaying a part.

But whatever the underlying causes of the violence, the effect on Zanzibars Christians is much the same; they are unwelcome, and often unsafe, intheir own towns and villages. If Zanzibar were to become independent, and if its laws were therefore detached from Tanzanias constitution and its provision for religious freedom, their plight would be likely only to intensify.

Beneath present divisions, a painful history

The desire of some of their Muslim neighbours to Islamise Zanzibar is particularly painful for the islands Christians because of the archipelagos history of slavery. Islam was brought to Zanzibar by Arab traders in the 8th century, and the archipelago was once the hub of the Arab slave trade as well as the centre of a large Islamic domain in East Africa. Before andafter the abolition of the slave trade in 1897, Christian mission to the islands fl ourished; many former slaves became Christians, and Zanzibars Anglican Cathedral was built on the site of the former slave-market. The Islamisation of the islands could be seen by local Christians as reversing this process of liberation.Several churches in Zanzibar have been

torched by Islamist separatist rioters

On Christmas Day in 2012, the Rev. Ambrose Mkenda was shot in the face and

shoulder by two attackers on a motorcycle as he returned to his home

That tensions between Christians and Muslims both in parts of mainland Tanzania and in Zanzibar will subside, and that the peaceful relations that the majority of believers enjoy with their Muslim neighbours will prevail throughout the nation.

For protection for church leaders and converts from Islam, who may be particularly vulnerable at times of tension.

For the tiny Christian minority in Zanzibar; that even as their safety is threatened and they face an uncertain future, they may be joyful in hope, patient in affl iction and faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12).

Please pray


COUNTRY PROFILE

LIVING IN BABYLON

Living in BabylonRemaining faithful to Christ

in a hostile world

1 Peter 2The fi rst ten verses of chapter 2 continue the call in 1:13-25 to a lifestyle that fi ts with our status as Gods people and our hope of salvation in Christ. The last 15 verses then begin another section that brings this appeal down to earth in practical guidance for living in our Babylonian exile and facing its persecutions. The fi rst part of this sec-tion (which runs into chapter 3) relates to proper conduct in relation to the institutions of society: as subjects towards the state, as slaves towards masters, and as spouses towards each other.

Longing for Gods Word (2:1-3)If Christians are to love one another, then we must cut out of our lives all the evil at-titudes and practices that are opposed to that love and that we might slip into because of the pressure of persecution: wickedness, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and evil-speaking. Suffering should produce endurance and character (cp. Romans 5:3-4), not vices such as these. Having rejected them, we are also to desire to receive Gods Word, through which we have already been begotten again. The purpose of this longing is that we may grow up towards the salvation that will be revealed in the last time; as the Word of God raises us up to maturity, it prepares us to receive our promised inheritance. Our past experience of the Lords goodness gives us good reason to desire the nourishment that He provides.

The sufferings of ChristIn addressing these subjects in the context of the readers persecutions and sufferings, this chapter provides the letters most extended treatment of the sufferings of Christ (vv. 21-24). These are one of the most important themes in 1 Peter; they are mentioned explicitly seven times and referred to indirectly in several other places.

Although the letter affi rms in passing the uniqueness of Christs sufferings, it refers to them primarily as an example for the readers to follow. This idea is stated in 2:21 and is implied by some of the other references (3:18; 4:1, 13). Just as for Christ the path to heavenly glory led through suffering, so also it does for His followers. They must therefore adopt the same attitude to their affl ictions as Christ did to His and respond to them in the same way. Some readers see this principle underlying parts of the letter (such as 2:1-10) where Christs sufferings are not specifi cally mentioned.

In this series of pull-out supplements, we are considering how the fi rst letter of Peter in the New Testament inspires and directs Christians to persevere in the face of persecution. Its message relates not only to the intense suffer-ings experienced by around 10% of the global Christian population, but also to the more subtle social pressure endured by believers in the West. Indeed, the letter is addressed to a scenario that corresponds more closely in some ways to the latter than to the former.

1 Peter is written from a place called Babylon (5:13). This is probably a sym-bolic reference to Rome, intended to identify the Roman Empire as the place of exile for Gods people. The readers are exiles and foreigners in a land that is not their own, and as a result they are regarded with contempt and rejected by wider society because their values and customs are different. This hostility and pressure is intended to bully and shame them into abandoning their Christian beliefs and lifestyle and returning to their old ways. Much anti-Christian antagonism today has the same character.

So 1 Peter is written to sustain its readers faith and discipleship in the crucible of persecution and to guide us in how to live in such a challenging context.

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LIVING IN BABYLON

Many of those who suffer most severely for the sake of Christ long passionately to feed on Gods Word, especially if the Scriptures are not widely available to them. They know how much they need it, so that they can become mature Christians and stand fi rm in the face of persecution. In the West, where Bibles and Christian teaching are readily acces-sible, we may easily take them for granted and forget how vital they are. But for us too the Word is essential to our growth towards salvation and our faithfulness under pressure.

The people of God (2:4-10)These verses draw together the argument of the letter so far and introduce the practical teaching that begins at 2:11. Verses 4-5 announce their key themes, which are then ex-panded in the following verses, mainly by the use of Biblical texts.

Christ is presented using the symbol of a living stone, the cornerstone of Gods new temple created by the Spirit. This stone was rejected by humans but is chosen by God and precious to Him. In coming to Christ we also become living stones, who are being built into that Spirit-house to become a holy priesthood; we are set apart for God to offer sacri-fi ces of worship to Him by the Spirit, sacrifi ces that are acceptable to Him through Christ.

Those who believe in Christ will never be put to shame; on the contrary, in Him we are hugely honoured. We inherit the privileges of Israel in the Old Testament; we be-come nothing less than Gods chosen people, priests to the King, dedicated to Him, His own precious possession. The sacrifi ces we offer by the Spirit involve our proclaiming Gods mighty deeds: that He has called us to a new Exodus, from darkness into His own wondrous light, and to a new covenant, where by His mercy He makes us His people.

Any pressure that is brought to bear upon Christians to compromise or abandon our faith will be effective only if it convinces us that going back to our old way of life will be preferable to persevering in our beliefs and discipleship. To counteract such deceitful persuasion, these verses sum up for us the blessings that we have in Christ, focusing in this case on our present experience rather than our future hope. They are intended to mo-tivate us to endure suffering for His sake, knowing that the privileges we enjoy through coming to Him far outweigh our current distress. And since they assume our unity in the one people of God, they also encourage us to maintain that unity in the face of persecu-tions that might fracture it.

In contrast to the honour given to those who believe in Gods living stone, Jesus Christ, there is only shame for those who do not. The One whom they have rejected has been exalted by God, and so He becomes for them a stumbling-stone. In despising Him they disobey the Gospel; such disobedience is the destiny of those who are hostile to God and to His chosen servant, and it results in their downfall.

As those who have come to a stone who was rejected, Christians should expect to suffer a similar rejection from others, in the form of anti-Christian persecution. But this does not mean we have made a mistake in putting our faith in Christ. Quite the reverse: just as His rejection by the ungodly was evidence of His status as Gods chosen and pre-cious stone, so our persecutions reveal that we share in that exalted standing. And not only do the privileges that we have in Him encourage us to persevere in our faith; the destined downfall of those who do not believe is a stark warning against falling away.

Good conduct among unbelievers (2:11-12)These verses introduce the next main section of the letter. The opening greeting identifi ed its recipients as exiles or foreigners, and this description is restated here: as Christians we are exiles and aliens, living in a land that is not our own. In this context we are bound to be vulnerable to pressure from the surrounding culture to line up with its values and customs once again, and our natural and sinful impulses prompt us to yield to that pressure. But those impulses are in arms against our very life; they put us in danger on the coming day when Jesus Christ is revealed. So we are to abstain from following them.

More positively, we are to persevere in good conduct, and specifi cally in behaviour that is recognised as fi tting even in non-Christian society. There are certain virtues that are widely approved, not only within the Church but also outside it. Our opponents may start by referring to us as evildoers, but if we practise these virtues and they see that we are model members of society, they may be won over and even join us in giving praise to God on the day of His coming. Such good conduct will give others no excuse to abuse us, and their better opinion of us will reduce persecution and make it easier to endure.

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Understanding our sufferingsWhen a Christian girl in Kyrgyzstan wanted to hand out a pack of Christian childrens magazines at her school, her teacher stopped her. She scolded the girl and even threw a copy of the magazine in her face. At fi rst the girl was frightened, but when she got home from school she realised that what had happened to her was part of life as a Christian. She had suffered for Jesus sake, and knowing this fi lled her with faith and joy.

Craving pure spiritual milkBibles are immensely precious to Christians in Burma (Myanmar), who often respond with great joy when they receive their own copies. Many have fl ed their villages to escape kidnapping, torture or even death at the hands of the Burmese army and are living in displaced peoples camps. In this hostile and threatening context, Gods Word provides them with huge encouragement and strength. A young Kachin Christian who received a Bible said, I am getting peace from God through reading the Bible and by living a life devoted to God.

ii BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2014

So these verses exhort us both to stand apart from the sinful practices of non-Christian society and to maintain its best qualities. The former safeguards us in light of the coming judgment; the latter eases the pressure on us and helps us to stand. Of course, living a good life among non-Christians does not defl ect all persecution, as the letter will later make clear. But it is the best way of winning the approval of those who oppose us and of minimising the hostility we face from our society. The letter goes on to explain what it means in the context of specifi c social relationships.

Submitting to the civil authorities (2:13-17)The fi rst relationship where we are to persevere in good conduct is with the civil authorities. We are told to be subordinate for the Lords sake to every human being, in this context specifi cally to everyone in political authority. These include the emperor, who was the su-preme ruler in 1st-century Asia Minor, and the governors whom he sends.

The role of these authorities is to punish evildoers and to praise those who do good, and the author appears to assume that under normal circumstances they will do this. So if they and we do what is good, we will usually be rewarded by those in authority, and it is Gods will that by living in this way we should silence the foolishness of those who slander us as evildoers.

As Christians we are free people, redeemed by Christ from the slavery of our former futile and worldly way of life. But we are not to use this freedom as an excuse for misconduct, scorning the best practices of wider society and rejecting civil authority. On the contrary, by living well we are to give due honour to all, which generally includes subordination to the supreme (and other) political authorities of our own time. This is the best way to defl ect hostility and persecution from ourselves.

The generally positive view of Roman government implied by these verses suggests that loyalty to God and loyalty to the government will normally not confl ict. But other NT books (notably Revelation) make clear that sometimes the civil authorities make demands of Christians that we ought not to obey, and in such cases our loyalty to Christ may bring suffering upon us. Subordination to our political masters is the rule, but disobedience to their ungodly requirements is a necessary exception, whatever the cost to us may be.

That exception may be implied even in these verses. The commands to love the family of believers and to fear God suggest that our commitment to one another within the people of God, and to God himself, limits our obligation to civil authority. And the designation of the emperor as (literally) a human creature may be intended to warn against regarding him as more than human and participating in emperor-worship. Christians must be prepared to say no to the state when our higher and exclusive loyalty to God requires it, even when doing so incites persecution against us.

Slaves and masters (2:18-25)In 1st-century Roman society, slaves were vulnerable and defenceless. They had a very low legal status and could be cruelly and brutally abused by their owners. Al-though some slaves had kind masters or enjoyed good economic and social standing, the hostility and mistreatment suffered by others was suffi cient to provoke them to fl ight or violence.

The condition of slaves was typical of the diffi culties faced by all Christians as exiles and aliens in the Roman Empire. It is likely that the instructions given to them in these verses are actually intended for all the readers; many of the phrases used here are applied to all Christians elsewhere in the letter. So slaves stand here for the whole Christian community; possibly the author wants to avoid speculating openly about the possibility of anti-Christian harassment or violence, which might attract charges of subversion.

The letter urges slaves to subordinate themselves to their masters, to the harsh as well as the good and gentle, and to bear their unjust suffering as part of their com-mitment to God. To endure a beating as a result of their own sin does not benefi t them at all, but if they do good and endure suffering for that, then they are commended by God. In other words, they should live well in the eyes of their masters to avoid unnecessary suffering at their hands, but also accept the persecution that the masters unfairly infl ict upon them.

LIVING IN BABYLON

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essage of 1 Peter

Unbelievers won overWhen Pastor Raj, a church leader in India, was unjustly imprisoned, his fellow-prisoners forced him to sleep near the toilet, where he was plagued by mosquitoes, and humiliated him by making him clean the toilets and bathrooms. But he reached out to them in love and humility, sharing his soap and other personal items with them. Moved by his witness, his cellmates listened to the Gospel and apologised for ill-treating him. One of them, who was in prison for smuggling, became a Christian.

iiiBARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2014

www.barnabasfund.org

BARNABAS FUND HOPE AND AID FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

The endurance of slaves when they suffer for doing good is part of their Christian calling and is based on Christs suffering for them, which is an example for them to follow. Christs persecutions were undeserved (He did not practise sin or deceit), and He did not retaliate (He declined to abuse or threaten His persecutors); rather He trusted in the righteous judgment of God to vindicate Him. The purpose of His sin-bearing death is that we might live in the same way, separating ourselves from sin and living righteously; such a life is possible through the healing that His death has brought us. Having once gone astray, we have returned to Him as our shepherd and overseer, so we should now follow in His way.

The life of the Christian slave described in these verses is a model for all Chris-tians in our own powerlessness and helplessness before a hostile society. It urges us, as an essential part of our Christian calling, to be Christlike in responding to persecution. Whatever we suffer at the hands of society should be undeserved, not a punishment for defying its conventional authorities and disregarding the best of its customs. But if when we do what is good and then still suffer, we will know Gods favour, provided we trust in Him for vindication instead of hitting back. Such a response is obedient to both the call of God and the example of Christ.

ConclusionWe have seen that 1 Peter is written to help Christians to live in Babylon, the place of exile, where we face hostility and pressure because of our different values and customs. The second chapter, like the fi rst, does this in two different ways.

First, 1 Peter 2 continues to encourage us to embrace the kind of life that refl ects our hope of salvation and our standing as Gods people. We are called to reject evil at-titudes and practices and to grow up towards salvation through Gods Word, and this call is supported by a rich description of our wonderful privileges in the present, as well as by a warning against the consequences of falling into unbelief.

Secondly, the chapter applies this general appeal to specifi c social relationships: to citizens in relation to the civil authorities and to slaves in relation to masters. In these contexts we are to submit ourselves to established authority and to conform to the best norms of the surrounding culture, thus defl ecting hostility from ourselves as far as possible. But when we do good and are still persecuted, we are to endure the suffering, without retaliating but trusting in God, according to the example of Christ. As Gods persecuted people, this is how we receive His commendation.

LIVING IN BABYLON

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Living good livesA Barnabas project partner in Sri Lanka has created the following guidelines for how Christians should live and minister in their hostile environment in order to avoid inviting unnecessary antagonism and persecution. With some adaptation, they are readily transferable to other contexts, including the West.

Being sensitive to the sound levels during meetings

Being integrated to the village without alienating the community

Being culturally sensitive to the surrounding community in ones conduct, especially the youth

Avoiding high-publicity programmes on special religious holidays

Not using relief or social programmes as bait for evangelism (but for relationship and opportunity)

Adopting a simple lifestyle consistent with the village

Maintaining unity among Christian leaders in the area

Gathering in small congregations if hostility persists

Avoiding promoting foreigners/outsiders to a prominent role in the village

Avoiding disrespectful comments about other religions at all times

UK9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EXTelephone 024 7623 1923Fax 024 7683 4718From outside the UKTelephone +44 24 7623 1923Fax +44 24 7683 4718Email [email protected]

Registered Charity Number 1092935Company Registered in England Number 4029536

New ZealandPO Box 27 6018, Manukau City, Auckland, 2241 Telephone (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805Email offi [email protected]

AustraliaPO Box 3527Loganholme QLD 4129Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365799Fax (07) 3806 4076Email [email protected]

Northern Ireland and Republic of IrelandPO Box 354, Bangor, BT20 9EQ Telephone 028 91 455 246or 07867 854604Email [email protected]

USA6731 Curran St, McLean, VA 22101Telephone (703) 288-1681 or toll-free 1-866-936-2525Fax (703) 288-1682Email [email protected]

International HeadquartersThe Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK Telephone 01672 564938 Fax 01672 565030 From outside UKTelephone +44 1672 564938Fax +44 1672 565030Email [email protected]

ScotlandBarnabas Fund Scotland, PO Box 2084, Livingston, EH54 0EZEmail [email protected]

iv BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2014

God has richly blessed the evangelistic work of a Barnabas partner in Uganda, and 2,000 Muslims have believed in the Lord Jesus. But this great harvest presents the Church in the district with a further and major task.

Many of the converts are thrown out of their homes and disowned by their families and communities. They may fi nd themselves with nowhere to live and are left without any means of fi nancial, material or medical support. With such large numbers of converts to care for, local Christians struggle to provide them with even the essentials of life, and because they live far apart and some in remote places, it is also diffi cult to offer them proper pastoral care. Access to private transport, as well as to computers and the internet, is limited.

Transformation through trainingBut we give thanks to the Lord that with support from Barnabas our partner has risen to this challenge and is transforming the lives of many converts from Islam. The centrepiece of their work is a vocational programme that trains new believers in tailoring, hairdressing and weaving. At the end of the course, the converts are presented with equipment so that they can put their new skills to use and earn money for themselves and their families.

While learning their trade, the converts are also given discipleship training to enable them to become mature believers who can share their faith with others. With assistance from local Christians, some of them can be provided with food, medical care and accommodation during

the course, and Barnabas Fund has provided Bibles for them to use.

In the latest phase of the project, 300 converts from Islam are acquiring vocational skills and will receive start-up tools. Another 30 are being trained in farming and will be supplied with pigs, chickens or bees. With numbers growing beyond the capacity of existing venues, our partner plans to open three more training centres.

Affordable education for their children is another major concern for Christian converts. More than 100 children are being taught by our partner at a rented house, and a plot of land has been purchased for the construction of a primary school. Barnabas has also paid the school fees for some of the older children.

New life and hopeWith the skills and equipment they have received, converts have become self-suffi cient and are able to provide for their families. As a result they are less vulnerable to the hostility of their Muslim communities. But remarkably, some of the Muslim families who rejected their children when they became Christians have now got back in touch, are showing interest in the Church and are even passing on the Gospel to other Muslims! One young convert has recently begun a university course and has become a role model for others

who thought that attaining a tertiary education was impossible for them.

Our partner hopes to expand the ministry further by establishing a new discipleship programme at a local theological college and providing training in various other skills. They write, It is a pleasure to let you know that your support has made our Gospel increasingly bear fruit (Colossians 1:6). We continue praying for the future that we hold on to the discipleship programmes of helping these converts to know their Lord.

Relief from despairTedy writes, I would like to thank Barnabas Fund for the sewing machine you gave me. I had no hope when I converted from Islam to Christianity after being denied by my family, but now I am very happy with my machine and we are praying for you. May God bless you.

Project reference: 56-934

Christian converts from Islam in Uganda receiving vocational training

Self-suffi ciency for persecuted Ugandan converts


PROJECT UPDATE

Khalida SajidKhalida was 7-8 months pregnant at the time of the attack. The bombs had been cruelly packed with ball bearings to cause maximum devastation; tragically, some of these ball bearings hit Khalida and killed her unborn baby. She has been left bedridden. Khalidas brother-in-law, who was with her at the time, lost his right eye. But even as they mourn and face an uncertain future, Khalida and her family are thankful to God for preserving their lives.

Hanif MasihHanifs son, Sharoon, died trying to stop the second bomber from detonating his deadly bomb. Sharoon, who had been a church warden at All Saints for ten years, was known to all as Sharoo, which means lion. Speaking of his son, Hanif said, He died like a lion; he wasnt afraid. He is a martyr and he is in a good place and I am a proud father.

T he deadliest-ever attack on Pakistans Christian community struck All Saints Church in Peshawar on 22 September 2013. A double suicide bomb blast claimed the lives of over 100 men, women and children, devastating a community that was already extremely vulnerable. Some of our brothers and sisters lost their entire families in the atrocity. Others suffered terrible, crippling injuries. Needy families who were reliant on single breadwinners have lost their only means of support, and the bereaved cannot even turn to their friends

and neighbours because they too are in need. Some children have been forced to give up their education to care for their relatives or because the familys source of income has been lost; these children have therefore been robbed of their chance of a brighter future.

But this community has something no bomb blast could take away from them: faith in Jesus Christ. Although the Christians are suffering, grieving, traumatised and desperately in need of support, they are not broken. Amazingly, the Holy Spirit is

enabling them to continue to praise, thank and trust God despite the terrible trauma they have endured. They are faithful, forgiving and fearless. Their response is an inspiration.

In the wake of the bombing, Barnabas Fund staff travelled to Peshawar to visit the families whose lives it tore apart and pray with them. Barnabas Fund has been assisting the victims. Here are the testimonies of some of the victims. Please pray for these families as you read their stories.

Aqeel ArifAqeel suffered terrible injuries, and the right side of his body is now paralysed. Yet he remains full of praise for the God he loves. As visiting Barnabas Fund staff members prayed by Aqeels hospital bed, he kept repeating the words Hallelujah, praise the Lord. Aqeel is his familys only breadwinner and has two young children, both of whom were also injured.

Simran AnwarSimrans older sister, Suman, was killed in the bombing, and she herself was injured. Despite the trauma Simran has suffered, she has shown great courage and faith. She said that no person or bomb blast can stop her from going back to church because Jesus is with me. Simran is just eight years old.

Jesus is with me

Thankful to God

Full of praise

A martyrs father

Inspiring testimonies of Peshawar church bombing survivors


LEARNING FROM THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

Although my entire family is dead, I am not afraid to go to church

Shaloom NaeemTeenage Christian Shaloom went to church on the morning of the attack with his entire immediate family and returned with no-one. His father, mother and sister were all killed. But Shalooms faith remains strong, and he is encouraging his fellow Christians to continue to attend church. He said, Although my entire family is dead, I am not afraid to go to the church. We should thank God for His great love. Shalooms father wanted his son to become a university professor one day. Shaloom hopes to fulfi l his fathers dream.

Honey Patras Honey was severely injured in the bombing; one of his legs was fractured. But he is thanking God for saving his life and giving him a new life. He said that when he is healed, he will go to church and praise God for the love and kindness that God has showered on him.

Mr and Mrs SamuelMunaza, Mr and Mrs Samuels young daughter, was killed in the attack. Mr Samuel said that in the months before the bombing, Munaza had spent much time in prayer. His Christian faith has enabled him to forgive the bombers who took his daughter from him. Mr Samuel said, My daughter is a martyr; I am proud of her and I forgive the culprits since this is the message of my faith. Jesus on the cross said, Father, forgive them for they dont know what they are doing. Mrs Samuel, pictured here, also suffered multiple fractures to her hand and leg.

Rejoicing in new life

Trust in dark days

Mr and Mrs PremMr and Mrs Prem lost three of their grandchildren, two boys and one girl, in the attack. Mrs Prem was badly injured. Despite their devastating loss, the couple are praising God and said, Hallelujah, to the Most High, His Son died for our sins; our loss is nothing compared to His sacrifi ce.

Mr and Mrs GoharThis grieving couple lost their daughter, Naiher (8), and their son, Eshan (11). Mrs Gohar suffered multiple injuries; she spent two weeks in intensive care and is now recovering at home. The couple miss their children intensely but are trusting in God despite their pain. Echoing the words of the psalmist, Mr Gohar bravely said, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust (Psalm 91:2).

Comfort in Christ

Faith and forgiveness

Damage caused to the church building by the ball bearings packed inside the bombs

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LEARNING FROM THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

NEWSDESK

CHRISTIAN BOY TORTURED AND MURDERED

INDIA A seven-year-old boy was brutally tortured and murdered in India in an attack apparently provoked by his familys Christian faith.

Anugrag Gemethi, nicknamed Anmol, went missing on 17 November 2013 after setting off for Sunday school. When he did not

return to his home in Gamidi village, Dungerpur district, Rajasthan, his parents became concerned and notifi ed the police. The childs body was later found fl oating in a nearby pond with his mouth gagged, his neck cut and his toes broken. There were burns to various parts of his

body. An autopsy concluded that the fi nal cause of death was drowning.

Anmols father, Harish Gemethi, told Morning Star News, For the ten years I have been a Christian, some local Hindu extremists have threatened to kill me and harm my family countless times the last

threat I received was earlier this month, before my son was killed. Harish said that he had given the names of those who had threatened his family to the police, but they had not appeared to take any notice.

Harish, formerly a Hindu, became a Christian in 2003 after his brother was miraculously healed; 45 other people also came to faith as a result of this event. Harishs

Christian witness subsequently led many others to the Lord. But those opposed to the spread of the Gospel in the area have been persecuting the Christian community, which has been devastated by the horrific murder. Around 200 believers attended Anmols funeral on 19 November.

Anmol Gemethis body was found fl oating in a pond

MORE FREEDOM FOR CHRISTIANS UNDER NEW CONSTITUTION

EGYPT A draft of the new Egyptian constitution has been unveiled, revealing a decisive move away from the previous Islamist-sponsored code and granting remarkable rights to Christians.

Crucially, the preamble states that the charter continues to build a democratic, modern country with a civilian [considered to mean non-religious and non-military] government. Political activity or the establishment of political parties based on religion is prohibited; the Islamist parties are effectively

outlawed in their current form. While retaining Article 2, which says that the principles of Islamic law are the basis for legislation, the draft omits the more precise definition of principles introduced by the Islamists that paved the way for an Islamic state.

The text says that freedom of belief is absolute, rather than preserved as previously, and it grants freedom to practise religion and establish places of worship to followers of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. It also includes an article

that requires the new parliament to issue a law aimed at changing the regulations about the construction and restoration of churches to ensure that Christians can worship freely. The draft includes various further attempts to right wrongs against Christ ians and other disadvantaged groups.

Despite this encouraging development , the Chr is t ian community in Egypt is continuing to suffer persecution from Islamist supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi. It is reported

that more than 35 churches were attacked, damaged or destroyed during protests and violence in December 2013. There has been a sharp increase in kidnappings; Christians are taken for ransom and are often subjected to abuse, threats and violence. More Christian girls are being abducted and then forcibly converted to Islam and married to Muslim men. Many Christian children are afraid to play outside now because of the fear of being kidnapped, which keeps them like prisoners in their homes.

Those opposed to the spread of the Gospel in the area have been persecuting the Christian community,

which has been devastated by the horrifi c murder


NEWSDESK

CONVERTS FROM ISLAM

AT RISK BRUNEI In October 2013 the sultan of Brunei announced that the country will be ruled according to sharia law, which will be introduced in phases from April 2014. Apostasy from Islam is expected to become a punishable of fence. Sharia prescribes the death penalty for an adult male apostate.

Penalties for hudud crimes (those that Musl ims bel ieve have penalt ies laid down by Allah himself) will be in line with the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah (the deeds and sayings of Muhammad). Hudud crimes include theft, for which sharia requires the amputation of limbs, adultery, which is punished by stoning, and apostasy, which carries the death penalty.

The new penal code is said to be applicable only to Muslims, but it clearly poses a danger to Christian converts from Islam and to Christians who share their faith with Muslims. Sharia law can be extended to non-Muslims if they are involved in aiding an offence committed by a Muslim.

Brunei is around 70% Muslim and only about 10% Christian. Its government has long promoted the Shafii school of Sunni Islam and discouraged the practice of other religions. Evangelism by non-Muslims is illegal, and non-Muslim public religious gatherings are restricted. All organisations are required to register, and those who take part in the activities of unregistered groups may be fi ned, arrested and imprisoned. All businesses, inc luding those belonging to non-Muslims, are required to close for Friday prayers. Those who fail to comply risk losing their licence to operate.

CHRISTIANS CAPTURED BY ISLAMIST REBELS

SYRIA Thirteen nuns were kidnapped in December 2013 by al-Qaeda-linked rebels who captured the historic Christian village of Maaloula for the second time. The Islamists demanded the release of a

thousand Syrian women held by the regime in exchange for the nuns and three civilians seized with them.

The rebels recaptured Maaloula after having been driven out by government troops following an

offensive in September. Most of the residents fled at that time; the nuns were among the very few who remained. Christians held a service in Damascus to protest against the kidnapping.

YOUTH LEADER HACKED TO DEATHTANZANIA Christian leaders in Tanzania are in mounting danger. Eliya Meshack, a youth worker and father of two, was killed in a brutal machete attack while leading an overnight prayer session in the Ilemela district of Mwanza province on 22 October 2013. He died on the spot, while two other Christians were seriously injured. Eliyas wife Marry said that they had been receiving threats for more than six months, which they reported to the police, but no action was taken.

It is not known who carried out the attack, but church leaders suspect the involvement of Uamsho,

an Islamic separatist group that is pushing for the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar to become independent. The group has been responsible for numerous church

attacks, and a number of church leaders were killed or injured in 2013.

Christians are under mounting threat in Tanzania as Islamism grows in strength. Recruitment videos for

al-Shabaab, a militant Islamist group based in Somalia, are being shown in some of the countrys mosques. One features prominent sheikhs urging Muslims to kill the leaders of kafi ris (infi dels).

As well as the upsurge in violence, Christian leaders are also being subjected to harassment by the authorities. One leader has faced repeat accusations of making derogatory remarks about Islam and Muhammad; he was targeted after two Muslims converted to Christianity. Another pastor has been jailed on the false charge of having baptised an underage convert.

CHRISTIANS TARGETED IN CHRISTMAS BOMBINGS

IRAQ Three bombs targeting Iraqi Christians in Baghdad on Christmas Day claimed the lives of 37 people. Two devices were detonated in a marketplace in the Christian district of al-Athorien, killing 11 people and wounding 21. Shortly afterwards, a car bomb went off outside a church in Dora as worshippers were leaving a Christmas Day service, killing at least 26 people and injuring 38. The incidents happened despite a major security effort by the Iraqi authorities to protect churches and Christians over Christmas.

The extra security was just one of a number of positive gestures made by the government towards Christians, which included the making of Christmas a national holiday in Iraq for the fi rst time. At a Christmas Eve service at a Baghdad church a leading Shia Muslim politician spoke of his solidarity with Christians against al-Qaeda militants: We are partners as targets. We are partners in this challenge. And we will remain partners in confronting extremism, violence and terrorism. His speech was met with applause by worshippers.

Christian minorities are often targeted at Christmas. In other incidents in 2013, two churches in Kenya were attacked on Christmas Day; Christians in Vietnam were blocked from delivering gifts to orphans and their leader was beaten and tortured; two Christian villages in Nigeria were attacked and twelve people were killed; fi ve Christian converts in Iran were arrested; and churches and homes belonging to Christian converts in Nepal were set alight.

Christians are under mounting threat in

Tanzania as Islamism grows in strength


NEWSDESK

PEOPLE CAUGHT WITH BIBLES

PUBLICLY EXECUTEDNORTH KOREA People caught in possession of a Bible were among 80 killed in public executions in seven North Korean cities on 3 November 2013. Witnesses of one of the executions, in Wonsan, said that eight people were tied to stakes at a local stadium, had their heads covered with sacks and were then killed by machine-gun fi re. Around 10,000 people, including children, were forced to watch.

Those executed were accused of offences such as watching or illegally trafficking South Korean films, prostitution or pornography. Accomplices or relatives who were

implicated in the crimes were sent to prison camps.

It is illegal to be a Christian in North Korea, which is often placed at the top of the list of persecuting

countries. Around 70,000 Christians are estimated to be languishing in prison camps, where they are brutally treated, tortured and worked to death.

HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES OF CHRISTIANS CONTINUE

IRAN Four Christians have been sentenced to 80 lashes each for drinking communion wine. They were convicted by a court in Rasht on 6 October 2013 on charges of drinking alcohol, which under sharia is a hudud crime (see Brunei article) punishable by lashing, and of possessing a receiver and satellite antenna. Two of them had previously been detained by the authorities in a crackdown on house churches.

Meanwhile, six Christians have failed to get their prison sentences overturned on appeal, and the ruling is now fi nal. They were each sentenced to three years and eight months in prison following their conviction in June 2013 for attending a house church, spreading Christianity, having contact with foreign ministries, propaganda against the regime and disrupting national security.

The treatment of these Christians underlines the points made in a new human rights report on Iran

by a UN rapporteur. This said that much more needed to be done to remedy a long list of human rights violations, including continued restrictions on and harassment of Christians, especially converts from Islam involved in the house church movement.

In some better news, Pastor Farhad Sabokrouh and Naser Zamen Dezfuli were freed on 4 December, two weeks before the end of their one-year jail term. Another leader arrested with them, Davoud Alijani, was released on 13 January, 20 days before the end of his term. They were found guilty of converting to Christianity, inviting Muslims to

convert, as well as propagating against the Islamic regime through promoting Evangelical Christianity.

Meanwhile, Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini is suffering grievously in Rajai Shahr Prison, which is one of the deadliest in the world. He is in a ward with violent

prisoners and has been robbed at knifepoint; he has also awoken to fi nd men standing over him with knives. His health is suffering severely; he is covered in lice and has also lost weight from lack of proper nutrition. Saeed is serving an eight-year jail term for planting house churches.

Pastor Farhad Sabokrouh has been freed from jail

CHRISTIANS KILLED AS VIOLENCE INTENSIFIESCENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC A pastor and his two young sons were among at least 400 people killed in the worst outbreak of violence to rock the Central African Republic (CAR) since a coup by Islamist rebels in March 2013. Fighting broke out in the capital, Bangui, in early December 2013 between the Muslim Seleka and fighters loyal to the ousted president, Francois Bozize.

A pastor in CAR said Christians had been hanged, stabbed or beaten to death by their Muslim neighbours and Christian shops pillaged and looted. The bodies of many killed in the massacre were left abandoned in

the streets. An open grave was also discovered near to a Seleka base, where bodies had been dumped.

As the carnage continued, thousands of Christian civilians fl ed their homes. A church where many had taken refuge was attacked by Muslim groups. Other Christians spent Christmas behind locked doors as gunfi re rocked the city and militias patrolled the streets.

The violence has claimed at least 1,000 lives and displaced nearly a mill ion people from their homes. Some are dying of hunger, exposure and disease in the bush, while others are living in dire conditions in overcrowded, makeshift camps.

Around 10,000 people, including children,

were forced to watch

Much more needs to be done to remedy a long list of human rights violations


NEWSDESK

PERSECUTED CHURCH DISCUSSED IN PARLIAMENT

UK The persecution of Christians around the world was the subject of an impassioned debate in the House of Commons in December 2013. Barnabas Fund was able to provide MPs with material to inform their contributions.

The motion called on the Government to do more both in its foreign policy and through its aid work to defend and support people of Christian faith. Jim Shannon MP

outlined how Christianity is the most persecuted religion globally with reports that one Christian is killed every eleven minutes somewhere on earth for their faith. The motion attracted cross-party support, with numerous MPs speaking against the targeting of Christians for their faith.

Rehman Chishti MP comes from a Muslim background. He emphatically denounced the persecution of Christians that is taking place in

130 of the worlds 190 countries as completely and utterly unacceptable. Focusing his speech on Pakistan, where he was born, he called for the repeal of the countrys controversial blasphemy laws and for the release of Aasia Bibi, a Christian mother who has been on death row for more than three years after being convicted under these laws.

Re p r e s e n t a t i ve s o f t h e Government and the opposition

attempted to broaden the issue beyond the persecution of Christians, concentrating on the right to freedom of religion or belief for all or on human rights in general. But backbench MPs criticised them for diverting attention from the subject of the motion and called for a more robust response.

A number of MPs called for the Government to use financial leverages against countr ies where Christians are persecuted by attaching conditions to its aid programme and trade agreements.

There were a number of other key debates and statements on the same topic in late 2013. On 16 November, Baroness Warsi, the UKs fi rst Minister for Faith, made the persecution of Christians the subject of a pivotal speech at Georgetown University in Washington DC, describing it as a global crisis that required an international response. This was preceded by debates involving both MPs and Lords on the plight of Christians in the Middle East. And Prince Charles has warned that Christianity is beginning to disappear in its birthplace because of organised persecution by Islamists.

Rehman Chishti MP called for the repeal of Pakistans blasphemy law

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY VOTES FOR SHARIA LIBYA Libyas nat ional assembly has voted to make sharia the source of all legislation in the country. The General National Congress (GNC) made the move on 4 December 2013 in what has been viewed as an effort to outflank extremists. One of the most prominent of the many militant groups, Ansar al-Sharia, had accused some legislators of being un-Islamic. A special committee will review existing laws to ensure that they comply with sharia.

Following the Arab Spring

uprising that toppled Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, a broadly liberal and secular coalition took the most seats in the first Libyan poll. But since then, Islamists have grown

in infl uence both in government and outside. The temporary government and nascent secur ity forces have been struggling to contain

Islamist militias who control parts of the country.

Amid strengthening political Islam and Islamic militancy in Libya, Christians are extremely vulnerable.

On 25 September, two Egyptian Christians living in Libya were killed by a group of Muslims after they refused to convert to Islam. Waleed Saad

Shaker (25) and Nashat Shenouda Ishaq (27) were surrounded by the assailants on a rural road in Derna district. The Muslims robbed and beat them and demanded that the Christians recite the shahada, the Islamic confession of faith. When the pair refused, the attackers tied them up and shot them.

The Libyan Church is composed mostly of expatriates, although many thousands fled when the uprising against Gaddafi turned violent. The number of indigenous believers is very small.

Christians living in Libya were killed by a group of Muslims after they refused to convert to Islam


IN TOUCH

Cake sale stirs up a sensationThe children at St James Church Sunday Club in Wokingham, UK, were so moved by what they heard in a session about suffering Christians that they wanted to do something to raise funds for Barnabas. Instead of bringing in cakes to sell, the youngsters took part in a group baking session, making everything from Victoria sponge to chocolate chilli cookies. The sale raised a fantastic 150. Barnabas Funds thanks go out to the children for their compassion for their suffering Christian brothers and sisters and for their creative fundraising efforts.

IN TOUCH

Little donkeys make a big differenceInspired by an exhibition of life

-size model donkeys created by artists

in Egypt, a group of supporters in Hersham, UK decorated the

se

34 colourful miniature donkeys. Their creations were displaye

d at

a fundraising exhibition, alongside images from Christian art,

and

donations were collected towards Barnabas Funds work in S

yria.

This unique exhibition raised a tremendous 155, which will b

e so

appreciated by our suffering brothers and sisters. Barnabas F

und

would like to thank all the artists for their support.

k

ttiiiiiiiiii

wou

IN TOUCHIN TOUCH

Barnabas UK seeks SpeakersDo you have a heart for the p

ersecuted Church? If you also have

experience in public speaking (perhaps preaching), you cou

ld be just

the person we are looking for. As a Barnabas volunteer Spe

aker you

would be approached to undertake a few speaking engagem

ents

each year at churches or Christian groups in your local are

a, on

dates that fi t with your schedule. You could also initiate your

own

arrangements. Presentation material would be provided.

If this sounds like you, please email partnership@barnabas

fund.org

or telephone 024 7623 1923 for further information. Speake

rs are

particularly needed in north-east England, in north London

and across

southern England.

26 October 2 NovemberSuffering Church Action Week

1 NovemberBarnabas Fund International Day of Prayer

2014 dates for your diary

The whole church family was encouraged by the

fundraising event These 4-inch donkeys were decorated by supporters from several churches and the local community

r

p

Poetic words of comfortThis beautiful and inspiring poem was written for Suffering Church Action Week 2013 by Mrs Glynis Colquhoun, a Barnabas Fund supporter from Swansea, UK. Our thanks go out to Glynis for using her talent for poetry in the service of the persecuted Church and for sharing this piece with us.p with us.To the persecuted Church

When the Lord laid on Egypt a darkness so deep,Like a thick woven shroud through the streets it did seep -

But His people He did not forget.In the depth of his darkness He gave them all light,

Their homes He made shine like the stars of the night;

As He wrapped up the land in a black velvet cloak,

Into their hearts words of comfort He spoke,I am with you, I am with you always,I am here in your darkest of days.

Today there are Christians in lands ruled by fear,But the Lord knows their pain and He counts every tear.

As He enters our hearts our Lord lights a light,Let us pray theirs will burn the brightest of bright

And all of their suffering, their anguish, their loss,Will be peacefully calmed as they look to the cross,

For the light that shines through is our sweet risen Lord,

His gentleness stronger than any mans sword,He will shine through the terror, the darkness, the pain,

He will blaze through their battles a pure holy fl ame

And we pray that His light will dazzle us all, So even the persecutors can hear this sweet call And bend to their knees when they hear Jesus say,

Fear not little fl ock I am with you always.

Glynis R . Colquhoun


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Barnabas Aid May/June 2014

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Transcript of Barnabas Aid May/June 2014