I am frequently asked, “How can I help my Christian brothers and sisters around the world?” They go on to say that they are praying but when they think of the 200 million Christians today who are denied full human rights simply because they are Christians, they feel that there is little they can do to make a difference.

And they are correct. There is very little that one person can do alone. But when we stand together, our influence increases as we join forces with Christians around the world.

Let me share with you some of the ways the Religious Liberty Commission of World Evangelical Alliance is making a difference.

** The Defender informs you with specific news and prayer requests for the persecuted church throughout the year. We have published it six-times per year since 1996. We have never charged a subscription fee. We rely solely on the gifts of those who feel it is helping them receive news not reported in the media.

** World Evangelical Alliance has observer status with the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations. Each year, the WEA Religious Liberty Commission uses its global perspective to report to the United Nations. This report presents trends, examples of human and religious rights concerns, and areas where improvement has been seen. The report is simultaneously shared with the United Nations and its 189 member countries, the UN Ambassadors in Geneva, the secular and world press, and is posted on the internet. Reports from 2001 and 2002 are posted at http://www.worldevangelical.org.

No other Christian organization prepares such a report. This work is made possible through your financial support.

** Asia sees greater tension between religions than any other part of the world today. An ever-increasing number of Christians are being persecuted in Asia because the Church is growing there now more than ever. Countries like China, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Burma, Vietnam are searching for new identities and often link themselves to a religion hostile to Christianity. Disinformation against Christians identifies them as “foreign agents” who are causing “social unrest.”

Of the world’s eight most-populated countries, five are in Asia (China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan). These five have almost half of the world’s population! The WEA Religious Liberty Commission is inviting strategists from selected Asian nations to participate in dialogues in June 2003 in Thailand to learn first hand of developing trends taking place. This information needs to go beyond Asia to influential government leaders on the world scene. Again, this meeting can only happen with the generous support of people like you.

These are things we can do together to make a difference in the lives of those suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ. We need always to lift them before our Almighty God and we can join with others to present their stories to people of influence who can increase their human and religious freedoms.

I believe these are each significant initiatives. I request your financial partnership with the WEA Religious Liberty Commission at this time to enable their work to continue with excellence.

Countries of particular concern:

INDONESIA

A mob of over 100 Muslims stormed a church in Bandung, Java on November 6 terrorizing Christians, forcing them to leave the premises, and ordering the permanent closure of the church.

The mob, led by the chairman of the Mosque Security Council (FSDKM), pelted the building with stones before entering and desecrating the church.

Police who were present did not stop the mob action. Church leader Rev. Oloan Nainggolan filed a complaint about their failure to take action.

At the time of Indonesia’s independence from the Dutch in 1945, calls to become an Islamic state were successfully resisted. The authors of Indonesia’s constitution opted for pluralism, affirming a diversity of religions including Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The national motto is ‘Unity in Diversity.’

However during the 1980’s President Suharto, began to court Islamic radicals, who rapidly grew in influence. One of the effects of this political shift has been an escalation of attacks on Christian communities. The Barnabas Fund (UK) reported at the end of 2000 that half a million Christians have been internally displaced; more than 5,000 people killed; and as many as 7,000 forcibly converted to Islam.

BALI BOMBER INVOLVED WITH CHURCH BURNINGS

Evidence is increasing of the involvement of members of the Jamaah Islamiyah, an extremist Islamic group, in the Bali bomb atrocity. Following the arrest of its leader Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, it is alleged by the Indonesian authorities that he was involved in bombings of eighteen Christian churches across Indonesia at Christmas 2000, in addition to the recent Bali bombing.

PLAN TO CLOSE INDONESIAN REFUGEE CAMPS IMPERILS CHRISTIANS

Thousands of Indonesian Christians who were forced to flee their homes in Manado and Bitung by Islamic terrorists in the last three years may face even a bleaker future if the government follows through with plans to shut down existing displaced persons camps. The government plans to send most of them back to their home islands.

That is a worthy goal, but many of the islands are still dangerous. There are places like Ternate where all the churches have been destroyed and every Christian fled during the fighting. Ternate is under Islamic law. It would be impossible for returning Christians to practice their religion.

Just as Jesus comforted the people we need to remember those in Indonesia during this time of suffering. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

VIETNAM

Information is pouring out of Vietnam about a recent wave of government repression against Montagnard evangelicals (mountain people) in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Documents acquired in October by religious and human rights workers confirm that by the end of September, 354 of 412 churches had been forcibly disbanded in Dak Lak province alone. By mid-October, about 50 Christian pastors and elders in this province had been arrested or had “disappeared.” The remaining 58 churches may soon be closed. Reports reveal a pattern. Leaders are summoned by local authorities, told their churches are illegal and ordered to disband. In addition, church leaders are prohibited from any religious activity outside their own homes. All communal activities of the church — worship, teaching, prayer for the sick, observing holy days, administering sacraments, performing baptisms, weddings, and funerals — are forbidden. Leaders are forced to sign statements of compliance. Government authorities reluctantly tolerated the existence of Montagnard churches for nearly 20 years, until February 2001. At that time, several thousand Montagnards surprised local authorities by demonstrating against the illegal loss of their lands to ethnic Vietnamese settlers and against the lack of religious freedom. Waves of crackdowns followed. Many fled into the forest or to Cambodia. This latest move against churches in Dak Lak is the most severe persecution since 1975, when churches were closed and church leaders put into re-education camps for years. The United States Commission on International Religion Freedom in September recommended that the U.S. State Department name Vietnam as a “country of particular concern” — the worst category for abusers of religious freedom. Lord, strengthen and protect your people. “Hear my voice in thy steadfast love; O Lord, in thy justice preserve my life.” Psalm 119: 149

INDIA

In the state of Tamil Nadu, more than 6,000 church-operated educational inst itutions were closed on October 24 while a million Christians participated in fasting and prayer in protest against a bill known as the Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion. Despite the effort, the legislative assembly approved the ordinance, and the “anti-conversion bill” formally became law in the state. In November, Indian police obstructed the mass conversions of an expected 10,000 Dalits — people outside of India’s caste system. A mass conversion event planned for Chennai (formerly called Madras), was stopped by authorities in Tamil Nadu state. Police threatened Dalit Pastor Victor Dharmaraj, the owner of the land planned for the event. Eight of the volunteers were arrested, questioned, and beaten. All roads leading to Chennai were blocked, and 60 truckloads of Dalits were stopped from coming in. “This is very horrible,” said Joseph D’Souza, president of the All India Christian Council. “It is a clear violation of our constitution, as well as the fundamental rights and religious freedom of the Dalits.” The Dalits planned to publicly convert from the Hindu faith to Buddhism and Christianity in a bid to free themselves from the caste system.

The BBC reported that up to 500 Dalits reached the area held and made symbolic conversions to both faiths. Conversion events also took place outside of Chennai. Tamil Nadu and Orissa are the two states in India that have the power to ban conversions alleged to be “by force or by fraud.” Christians, Buddhists and Muslims are small minorities in Tamil Nadu, but the recent conversions of entire low-caste Hindu communities to other religions has alarmed militant Hindu groups such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Many Christians say that laws prohibiting “forced conversions” compromise the right to religious freedom. They are also concerned that additional states will adopt similar laws. Some Hindu leaders accuse evangelical Christians of bribing the poor to become Christians, and they see the law as a way of protecting them. Christian leaders insist the conversions are voluntary. A recent spate of ethnic cleansing against Muslims in Gujarat state reached genocidal proportions, and a similar assault may soon be unleashed against India’s most threatened Christian community, the Dang tribe, unless the central government intervenes. Karsan Patel, a senior minister in the state government, recently warned Dang children studying at a parochial school “to decide whether they want to live as Hindus or die as Christians.” Systematic persecution that began in the Dang tribal belt four years ago has intensified recently as militant Hindus campaign to confiscate Dang territory for the god Rama and build a temple in the village of Subir. Pray for people in various parts of India who are facing regular threats from mobs opposed to Christianity. May Your will be done.

NIGERIA

Preaching from the ruins of the Ramhama English Baptist Church, J.J. Hayab noted what he called the difference between Nigeria’s Christians and Muslims. “Ours is a God of mercy,” he told The New York Times. “Theirs is a God of violence.” Hayab, pastor of the church in Kaduna, Nigeria, and Kaduna State secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria, tried to contain his rage at the individuals who attacked the church and its members during rioting that resulted in about 200 deaths. At least 58 churches in Kaduna suffered damage in the attacks. Despite the damage, Hayab held services in the building. Hayab’s sermon urged parishioners to dismiss thoughts of revenge. The rioting stemmed from an article written by Isioma Daniel that was seen as insulting to the Prophet Muhammad. Lord, we pray that Christians model You and that many in the land will come to know and love You.

SRI LANKA

A recently published report, entitled the ‘Sinhala Commission Report,’ publicly discredits and discriminates Christians in Sri Lanka. The two-volume, 600-page publication openly identifies Christianity as the main enemy of Sinhala Buddhist culture and religion, portraying Christians as oppressors and agents of the West. While the report has been given wide publicity in the media, the Sri Lankan government has been silent on the subject.

“Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6:28

KAZAKHSTAN

A recently received report from Kazakhstan indicates that police and officers of the National Security Committee raided a home Bible study, Sept. 8, being hosted by Baptist church leader Kormangazy Abdumuratov. After taking details, searching and videotaping the apartment and those present, the Baptists were taken to police headquarters where they were interrogated. After two hours of questioning, everyone was released except Abdumuratov. The police told him to write a statement declaring that he would stop holding religious meetings in his home. He refused and was threatened with imprisonment as he had been caught three times for taking part in unregistered religious meetings. After six hours he was finally released. Subsequent TV coverage called the Baptists a “dangerous cult” and accused Abdumuratov of being a “traitor to the Kazakhs, bought off by foreigners.” Pray with joy “because we know that suffering produces perseverance” Romans 5:3

C ”TE D’IVOIRE

Since rebel forces failed in a coup attempt on Sept. 19, the West African nation of C ´te d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) has been embroiled in civil war with rebels fighting to overthrow the government while taking control of the mainly Muslim north. Increasingly, it appears that the rebel forces are receiving funding from outside of the country; either from another nation or from a militant Islamic network. There are indications that Libya and the al-Qaida network are involved. In September, rebels captured a boarding school for missionary children in Bouake. All 200 students were later released unharmed. In October those living in mainly Christian villages in rebel-controlled areas fled, fearing for their lives. While Muslims make up just 26 percent of the citizens of Ivory Coast, the influx of immigrants means that more than 50 percent of those living in the country are Muslim. Ivory Coast has a secular government with freedom of religion and a growing Christian population. There are, however, ethnic and religious divisions within the country that were intensified when the courts ruled that the opposition leader, Alassane Ouattara, was not Ivorian and, therefore, could not run in the 2000 presidential election. The rebels are calling for the resignation of the president and new elections. Peace talks were scheduled to take place in Lome, Togo. There is an uneasy cease-fire in the country monitored by French troops. There are fears that if the Islamic rebels take control of the country, this would have serious implications on not only Ivory Coast, but also other African nations with strong Christian populations. Do not forget our brothers and sisters. Romans 15:30 says, “I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.”

AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan is a wounded land that bears many scars. The most obvious signs of its’ wounds are the burned-out skeletons of tanks, the ruins of homes destroyed by bombs, and the pock marks where walls have been hit by bullets. But there are other scars, too, on the minds and hearts of people after years of warfare, and drought.

What does the future hold for the people of Afghanistan? There is no question that emotional scars and problems will take longer to heal than the physical wounds. In the long run, it is only the grace of God that can bind up the wounds and heal the land.

Estimates say that up to 3,000 believers live in Afghanistan.

Pray that God’s people will commit to long-term involvement in the rebuilding of Afghanistan, and that those who have come to know Jesus as their Savior while living in the West, will be moved to return despite the risks.

CHINA

Pastor Gong Shengliang, of the South China Church that has been under severe attack, started a hunger strike on November 14 to protest the confiscation of two documents by officials of the prison in Jingmen City, Hubei province where he is serving a life sentence. The two confiscated documents were written after his trial in October, an appellate paper (about 20,000 words)

and another containing historical facts on South China Church (about 30,000 words). The prison authorities are angry over the release of news on the vast practice of torture in the prison and subsequently denied Gong’s right of appeal. Pastor Gong’s heath was very fragile even before the hunger strike, given the numerous tortures he has endured. He is reportedly not able to stand up at all now.

The appeals of the four women declared to be innocent by the court on October 10. They were rearrested only hours later and immediately sent to the Shayang Laogai Camp of Hubei for “re-education through labor” was denied by the Hubei provincial Re-education through Labor Commission. Continue to pray for them as their lawyers look to other options to obtain their freedom. Remember those who cannot worship You freely.

NORTH KOREA

In a December 4 report, North Korean defector Hwang Jang-yop, who built up the personality cult around supreme leader Kim Jong Il, harangued his former boss, and condemned China’s treatment of refugees from the Stalinist state. “North Korea has turned into a land of darkness due to famine, poverty, and human rights violations under the evil dictator,” he wrote in the letter to a group of exiled Koreans and human rights campaigners who staged a protest in a small park outside the Chinese mission in Washington. “The suffering and pain of the North Korean people under the current dictatorial regime are much more severe and tragic than what we experienced during the 36-year colonial rule by the Japanese or what we went through during the Korean War.” The humanitarian stories that are coming out of China and North Korea are among the worst in human history, reports say. Kansas Senator Sam Brownback accused China’s government of mounting “a harsh and brutal crackdown” on starving refugees who risked their lives to escape across its borders. “It is time now for the Chinese authorities to give serious attention to this human rights disaster and take affirmative steps together with the UNHCR and other groups to develop a regularised process for helping the refugees. For further information see: Human Rights Watch “The Invisible Exodus: North Koreans in the People’s Republic of China,” Nov. 2002, Vol.14, No. 8 (C) http://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/northkorea/

NEPAL

Nepal’s Supreme Court last month postponed for a second time an appeal of a Gospel for Asia (GFA) native missionary who ministry officials say was falsely accused and convicted of murder. Manja Tamang’s case was supposed to have been heard in Kathmandu. A new date has not yet been set. Earlier this year, a Nepali court sentenced Tamang to 20 years in prison for a murder supporters say he did not commit, but he has continued his evangelistic work. GFA officials said he has led at least four inmates to Christ since his imprisonment. Among them was 24-year-old Phenzing, a former cellmate of Tamang, who was declared innocent and released last month. “It is very special to know that my sins are forgiven,” he said. “I am a new creation.” Meanwhile, Tamang’s wife and two young children are living in a home for families of persecuted GFA missionaries in Nepal. Thank you Lord for these new believers. Use each of us to tell our neighbors of your saving love.

BELARUS

A repressive new religion law in Belarus becomes effective November 16. Afterwards all unregistered religious activity will be illegal; all communities with fewer than 20 members will become illegal; any religious activity in private homes apart from occasional, small scale meetings will be illegal; religious communities that do not have a registered umbrella body will not be able to invite foreign citizens for religious work; and all religious literature will be subject to compulsory prior censorship. In addition, all religious organizations will have to be compulsorily re-registered within two years. Evidence is already mounting that the new law is beginning to restrict religious activity. The authorities have used “public opinion” often stirred up by local Orthodox priests to prevent non-Orthodox religious communities gaining registration or receiving building permission. In a last-ditch protest against the law, two people among them a Catholic, Igor Zakrevsky from the town of Borisov, staged a demonstration on Independence Square in Minsk on November 8. Police detained them. Pray as Jesus did in John 17, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”

Update December 2002

by: Johan Candelin, Director

WEA Religious Liberty Commission

Sources: All India Christian Council, Baptist Press, BBC, Christian Aid Mission, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Compass Direct, Freedom House, Freedom House, HCJB World Radio, Keston News Service, Religion Today Summaries, Reuters, The Barnabus Fund, The New York Times, Voice of the Martyrs, World Evangelical Alliance.

World Evangelical Alliance Web: http://www.worldevangelical.org

Email:

Johan Candelin, Director WEA Religious Liberty Commission

Kathi Graham, Editor and North American Representative