The Persecution & Prayer Alert The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada http://www.persecution.net Wednesday, October 9, 2002

A summary of news concerning the Persecuted Church and how you can respond.

*********************************** Contents: 1. News Updates from Pakistan 2. Question of the Week 3. Retrial Ordered for Christians (China) 4. Pressure to Revoke Visas for Missionaries (Sri Lanka) 5. Persecution Conference – November 2 (Canada) 6. Mother Ordered to Give Up Children in Five Days (Jordan)

*********************************** 1. News Updates from Pakistan

(a) Eyewitness Still in Custody

On September 25, the Persecution and Prayer Alert reported on an execution-style attack on the Institute for Peace and Justice (IPJ) in Karachi, Pakistan. Seven Christians were killed when they were tied up and shot. One of the two witnesses to the attack, Robin Shareef, 24, remains unconscious and in critical condition in hospital with serious head injuries.

According to an October 8, 2002 report from Compass Direct, the other witness, 27-year-old Robin Peranditta, an errand boy and watchman for IPJ, was beaten and tied up during the attack but escaped. However, since the attack, he has remained in police custody. According to Pakistan’s Criminal Investigation Agency (CIA), he is in protective custody because he would be able to identify the attackers. However according to attorneys, Peranditta has been suffering psychologically and physically while in custody and he has cigarette burns on his chest, knees, and arms. Some police sources have suggested that he may be charged as a collaborator.

Peranditta has been hesitant to tell the authorities what he knows because of fear. In speaking with his lawyer, Peranditta admitted his statements to the police had been contradictory. “I don’t want to tell anything to them,” he said, “because if I tell them, I might be killed.”

Pray that the truth will come out in this case and that those responsible for the attacks will be found. Pray for a recovery for Shareef as well as safety for Peranditta.

(b) More Attacks Against Christian Institutions

Christians are continuing to be targeted by violence in Pakistan. On September 29, a bomb exploded next to an interdenominational Christian prayer hall in the remote village of Kohlu in Baluchistan province. On October 4, a hand grenade was thrown at the main entrance of the Christian Mission Hospital in Bannu, 30 miles from the Afghan border. While there was property damage in both attacks, there were no injuries.

Continue to pray for Christians in Pakistan. In a phone interview on October 9 with VOM, Father Matthew Sebastian, a Catholic priest in Karachi asked that we remember the Christians in Pakistan in our daily prayers. He asked also that we pray for unity among the Christians. He said, “Prayer can keep us going. . Christians are very uncertain, things are happening on a regular basis. Christians are fearful, but very strong in their faith. In fact they are holding on to their faith.” Pray that the Church in Pakistan will have peace and strength to stand firm in their faith.

(c) Peaceful Demonstration Planned for Toronto – October 16

On October 16, a peaceful demonstration is planned at the Pakistani Consulate in Toronto to draw attention to the plight facing Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan. The demonstration will also protest the unjust imprisonment of several Christians on charges of blasphemy against Allah.

The Voice of the Martyrs is endorsing this demonstration that is being planned by leaders of the south Asian community in southern Ontario. The demonstration is tentatively scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. and will last until approximately 2:00 p.m. As more information becomes available, we will post it on our website at http://www.persecution.net/demonstration.htm.

(d) Pakistani Elections – October 10

Pakistan is going to the polls tomorrow (October 10) in general elections. Many have raised concerns about these elections. In a press release on October 9, Human Rights Watch said, “Pakistan’s entire election process has been deeply flawed and the October 10 parliamentary vote is stacked against democratic rule.”

Pray for the results, that the government to be elected will respect the rights of all citizens and enforce justice for all. *********************************** 2. Question of the Week

Would you participate in a peaceful demonstration, such as the one planned in Toronto for October 16? What would motivate you to participate? If you have participated in such demonstrations in the past, feel free to share your experiences, motivations, and feelings.

To participate in our poll and discussion, go to http://www.persecution.net and click on “Discussion Forum.” If you have not registered on our forum in the past, click on “Register” and select a username and password.

*********************************** 3. Retrial Ordered for Christians (China)

A Chinese court has thrown out the criminal conviction of seventeen members of the unregistered South China Church and ordered a new trial. Of the seventeen, five were originally sentenced to death, including Pastor Gong Shengliang and the rest were given sentences ranging from two years to life. The court said the facts in the trial against the South China Church members were “ambiguous” and the evidence “inadequate.” The case has been sent back to Jingmen City Intermediate People’s Court for retrial today, October 9. As of this publication, no decision has yet been made public.

The Voice of the Martyrs will continue to monitor the situation and report on any significant updates. Please pray for this trial, that the truth will prevail. Pray for strength for each of these Christians who have suffered greatly since convicted.

*********************************** 4. Pressure to Revoke Visas for Missionaries (Sri Lanka)

Buddhist leaders and organizations in Sri Lanka are exerting pressure on the government to rescind the visas of Christian missionaries in the country and ban conversions to Christianity. Gospel for Asia reports that Buddhist leaders are also lobbying to keep foreign funds for Christian work from entering the country and that village monks should be empowered to enforce these proposed laws and punish those who convert to Christianity or attempt to enter their villages with the Gospel.

This past summer, VOM’s Communications Director, Glenn Penner, was in Sri Lanka to meet with Christian leaders there. He saw that Buddhist leaders are definitely taking a more militant approach toward the growing Christian Church in Sri Lanka. Said Penner, “There has certainly been intensification of anti-Christian literature, accusations, and even physical attacks against Christians in much of Sri Lanka in recent years. In fact, during the summer, a publication called ‘The Buddhist Times’ was launched which appears to be primarily aimed at casting suspicions on the motives and the methods of Christian organizations that are legally registered in Sri Lanka. Christians are being accused of dishonesty in their methods and of dividing families and villages. Church leaders I spoke to referred to recent cases where churches are being refused government registration, something unheard of in the past.”

Pray that the government of Sri Lanka will not give in to this increased pressure and that Christians will be free to practice their faith and share the Gospel. Gospel for Asia reports that there are 25,000 villages in Sri Lanka without a Christian church.

*********************************** 5. Persecution Conference – November 2 (Canada)

The Voice of the Martyrs and Open Doors with Brother Andrew invite you to their 4th annual joint conference on the Persecuted Church on Saturday, November 2 at City Centre Baptist Church in Mississauga, Ontario. The theme of this year’s conference is “A Strategic Response to a World in Crisis: Gaining a Christian Perspective on Religious Freedom, Human Rights And the Persecution of Christians.” Speakers to this year’s conference include Paul Johnson (Open Doors), Glenn Penner (The Voice of the Martyrs), Magid El-Shafie (Egypt), Martha Kenney (The Voice of the Martyrs), and Jeff Taylor (Open Doors). Pre-registration is required.

For more details, see our website at http://www.persecution.net/conf1.htm. This is one conference that you will not want to miss!

*********************************** 6. Mother Ordered to Give Up Children in Five Days (Jordan)

Compass Direct reported today (October 9) that Siham Qandah received written notification from the Ministry of Justice on October 7 to surrender her daughter Rawan, 14, and son Fadi, 12, to a civil court in Irbid, near her home in northern Jordan. If she fails to comply with the order within five days, the notice declared, the authorities would “force compliance with this order.”

Qandah was widowed in 1994. Several months after her husband’s death, witnesses came forward that claimed to have documentary evidence that he had converted to Islam three years before he died. On this basis, Qandah was informed by local courts that her children were automatically orphans and that their orphan benefits could only be allocated through a Muslim guardian. Documents of conversion, filed in an Islamic court cannot be contested under Jordanian law.

Unwilling to entrust her children to a court appointed guardian, Qandah asked an estranged brother, Abdullah al-Muhtadi, who had converted to Islam 20 years ago to serve as the children’s legal guardian. But, according to Compass Direct, as the children grew older, they became more involved in the Baptist church they attended and enrolled in the Christian religion classes at school. Seeing this, the brother began to insist that the children be raised Muslims. In May 1998, he opened a civil case for full custody of his niece and nephew.

Over the next four years the local, appellate and Supreme Court judges hearing the case all ruled against Silam Qandah. Last April, she was ordered by the Supreme Court to give up custody of her children to be raised as Muslims by their uncle. Qandah quickly took her children out of school and went into hiding.

An advocacy campaign was mounted to petition the government of King Abdullah II of Jordan, as news of Qandah’s dilemma spread in the international press. In late May, she met with local Jordanian Intelligence Department (JID)officials who assured her that, because of the international attention that her case had received, she would not be harmed and her children would not be taken away from her. She came out of hiding, but in early August other JID representatives in Amman said that that they could not “interfere” with judicial rulings. Even the office of Prince Hassan, brother to the late King Hussein, while meeting with Qandah in late August, stated that nothing more could be done after the highest court had ruled on the case.

The family has been unable to leave Jordan, as the names of Qandah’s two children are blacklisted on immigration computers. Jordanian law does not allow Muslims the right to change their religion. Thus it would appear that there are no legal options left for this family.

Pray that God would intervene in this seemingly hopeless situation. Pray that this family would be able to stay together. Pray the King Abdullah will personally get involved in this case. We have not been able to find an email address or fax number that you can use to send a message to the king. You may wish to try using the feedback on his official website at http://www.kingabdullah.jo/king_abdullah/king_abdullah.html. If anyone does have more helpful contact information, please let us know at and we will post it on our website. But we urge you, above all, to pray. Prayer is “doing something.”

*********************************** The Persecution & Prayer Alert is a ministry of The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada. (Mailing address: P.O. Box 117, Port Credit, Mississauga, Ontario L5G 4L5) Tel. (905) 670.9721. Fax: (905) 670.7642 Website: http://www.persecution.net

*********************************** Contact Person: Glenn Penner, Communications Director.

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