Displaying items by tag: religious freedom

The Foreign Office has called on China to allow UN observers ‘immediate and unfettered’ access to China’s Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, after two leaks provided further evidence of mass arbitrary detentions. An estimated 1 to 3 million Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities are detained without charge in ‘political re-education’ camps. US media published 400+ pages of documents detailing widespread involvement of senior Chinese officials in these unprecedented mass detentions, where authorities use a scoring system to determine who can leave the camps. Also, the behaviour of relatives outside the camps can affect detainees’ chances of release. More documents were leaked by investigative journalists, similarly detailing mechanisms, guidelines and procedures behind the detentions in Xinjiang and the severity of conditions inside the camps. China claims that the camps are voluntary training centres to combat terrorism.

El-Sayeh left his job teaching Islamic studies to school children in March 2019. Having watched Christian satellite TV, he wanted to know more about the truth of Islam and read more of the Bible to compare religions and pray. God touched his heart and guided him on his way to learn about Christ and Christianity. He read Christian books and was secretly baptised in April. Then he began to talk to his wife about the work of Christ in his life, to convince her to follow Jesus like him. But she told his wider family, who insulted and threatened him. Families of converted Christians believe they are honour-bound to kill them for the betrayal of everything the family and local community hold dear. El-Sayeh was forcefully electrocuted to death because he kept his faith till his last breath and refused to renounce it.

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) has called on Algerian authorities to guarantee freedom of worship to churches and religious institutions, and to allow all closed churches to re-open. A press release on 12 August states, ‘We deeply regret that in May and in August 2019 two churches were forcibly closed in the city of Boudjima. This brings the number of forcibly closed churches to six, including one house church. Five of them belong to the Protestant Church of Algeria, a WEA member. Many more churches are threatened with closure, amid denial of formal registration and recognition by authorities. We also call on the Algerian authorities to suspend and revise the February 2006 ordinance setting out the conditions and rules for the exercise of non-Muslim religions. This ordinance is cited in each of the decisions to close churches.’

In March Prayer-Alert intercessors prayed for an inquiry into the unfair arrest and abuse of Pastor Oluwole Ilesanmi, a street preacher. Now, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, he has been offered £2,500 in exemplary damages from the Metropolitan Police in relation to his false arrest, imprisonment and unlawful detention. Also a petition with over 38,000 signatures has now been given to the Home Secretary calling on her to investigate the guidance and training given to police officers nationwide on the freedom to preach in public. May this petition now be acted upon. See

"The Trump administration honored a Nigerian Muslim Imam last week among its first-ever International Religious Freedom Award winners for his efforts that saved hundreds of Christians during a 2018 terrorist attack," reports LifeSiteNews.

"Imam Abubakar Abdullahi of Nigeria selflessly risked his own life to save members of another religious community, who would have likely been killed without his intervention," the proclamation from the U.S. Department of State said.

Abdullahi had hidden 262 Christians in his home and mosque during a terrorist attack, when, "On June 23, 2018, ethnic Fulani herdsmen, who are predominantly Muslim, launched coordinated attacks on 10 villages in Barkin Ladi, killing hundreds of ethnic Berom farmers, who are predominantly Christian."

The 83-year-old cleric was one of five people honored at a July 17 ceremony with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and International Religious Freedom Ambassador Sam Brownback.

The State Department proclamation additionally states:

As Imam Abdullahi was finishing midday prayers, he and his congregation "heard gunshots and went outside to see members of the town’s Christian community fleeing," the State Department added. "Instinctively, the Imam ushered 262 Christians into the mosque and his home next to the mosque. The Imam then went outside to confront the gunmen and he refused to allow them to enter, pleading with them to spare the Christians inside, even offering to sacrifice his life for theirs. Although the gunmen killed 84 people in Nghar village that day, Imam Abdullahi’s actions saved the lives of hundreds more.

"Instinctively, the imam gave refuge to his Christian neighbors, sheltering 262 Christians in his mosque and his home," Brownback told those attending the award ceremony. "Imam Abdullahi stood outside the doors confronting the Muslim attackers, pleading with them to spare the lives of the Christians inside, even offering to exchange his own life for theirs."

"His actions bear witness to true courage, true selflessness, and true brotherly love," stated Brownback.

[Dr. Chaps' comment:  Love is a universal religion, and I respect this man who rejected the false prophet's teaching to slay the infidels (Christians) and instead protected them.  Now let's stop funding radical Islamists who kill Christians.

TODAY AT OUR WEDNESDAY PRAYER MEETING IN COLORADO SPRINGS, WE DECLARED THAT WE STAND AROUND TOP LEADERS OF OUR NATION PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT POMPEO, Sam Brownback, RAISE OUR SHIELDS OF FAITH TO PROTECT THESE GODLY MEN. IF AN OLD IMAM COULD SAVE 262 LIVES, GOD WILL PROTECT OUR LEADERS AS WE STAND FOR THEM IN PRAYER.

WE KNOW THERE ARE SO MANY ENEMIES SURROUND OUR LEADERS.

TC Kim - Facilitator

Transform USA

More at:http://www.transformusa.org

A seminar held in Hebi, Henan for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) discussed the ‘enormous harm’ officials believe Christianity poses to national security. All CCP members were urged to maintain ‘correct views’ with regard to religion, and to avoid being persuaded by any ‘ideology’. The government openly forbids CCP members from practising a religion, saying Christianity is attempting to undermine its rule. There is no evidence for this, but the CCP exhibits extensive social management, with different departments managing religion ‘through non-religious ways’, in an effort to claim religion is a threat. Unfortunately, only a few countries are willing to stand up to China on human rights violations and religious persecution.

The Australian Christian Lobby is raising the profile of the need to protect religious freedom. They are stating that for some time now, the threat to religious freedom in Australia has not been merely a threat, but a reality and Australians now live in a country where religious freedom isn’t guaranteed. Countless court cases and new laws have already prevented Christians from living out and sharing their faith – and the cost is great. Loss of religious freedom paves the way for loss of other freedoms, and also restricts Australian Christians from sharing their faith with others. Pray for the voice of the Christian Lobby to be heard by the Governor-General, and in the Senate and the House of Representatives, and for those in society who are doing and thinking wrongly to be changed.

China has upped its persecution of Christians, with Communist party officials in Guangzhou offering a reward of up to 10,000 Chinese Yuan (approximately £1,162) to those who can provide information about underground churches, secret Christians, religious leaders, and others involved in ‘illegal’ religious activity. Smaller rewards are offered for information about churches and other religious meeting places built or used without official permission. The regulation is called ‘Incentives to Motivate the Masses to Report on Illegal Religious Activities’. The persecution watchdog China Aid says that the new regulations will significantly increase the persecution of Christians in this officially atheist country. Inciting people to report on others with monetary incentives only appeared during the Cultural Revolution, when children would report their parents, a wife would report her husband, and colleagues would report one another.

The arrest and subsequent release of street preacher Oluwole Ilesanmi in Enfield on 23 February (see) prompted outrage on social media, and prompted questions in parliament. Theresa Villiers MP asked the Home Office what guidance is provided to the police on street preachers, what lessons have been learned from this incident, and what steps are being taken to ensure that church groups can preach on the street. The Government replied that freedom of expression is a vital part of a democratic society, and it is a long-standing tradition that people are free to share their views with others. On 21 March Christian Concern reported that London mayor Sadiq Khan is to face questions over the incident, especially since the the police have changed their story on Olu's 'de-arrest'. See

This month Eritrean police have arrested 32 Christians in the capital, Asmara, including a newlywed couple and ten of their guests. Eritrea’s human rights record was recently condemned at the UN Human Rights Council. A UN monitoring group said thousands of Christians are facing detention, as ‘religious freedom in Eritrea continues to be denied’. The council also heard that Eritrea’s claims of improvement in the human rights were unfounded. In 2002 Eritrea introduced a law prohibiting Christian practice outside the Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran denominations, and Sunni Islam.