The Persecution & Prayer Alert The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada http://www.persecution.net Wednesday, April 30, 2003

A summary of news concerning the Persecuted Church and how you can respond. *********************************** Contents: 1. Life Sentence for Blasphemy (Pakistan) 2. The Legacy of an Atrocity (Turkey) 3. Protest Letters Prevent Church Closure (Uzbekistan) 4. Street Library Shut Down (Moldova) 5. Recent Updates 6. Question of the Week *********************************** 1. Life Sentence for Blasphemy (Pakistan)

A Christian in Punjab, Pakistan was sentenced to life in prison on April 26 for blasphemy for allegedly damaging an Islamic signboard five years ago. Ranjha Masih has been held without bail since he was arrested on May 8, 1998 following the funeral procession for Bishop John Joseph who committed suicide in protest against the blasphemy laws in Pakistan. During the procession, violence erupted and an Islamic signboard was knocked over. Ranjha was blamed and was beaten by mobs and later arrested and charged under Pakistan’s blasphemy law, Section 295-C.

Islamic militants had been demanding the death penalty but Ranjha denied any involvement and, according to observers, there was insufficient evidence to prove that he was involved. Despite this, on Saturday, Faisalabad Additional District and Sessions Court judge Mohammed Shahid Rafique fined Ranjha 50,000 rupees (over $1200 CDN) and sentenced him to life in prison. Ranjha will be appealing the conviction.

Pray that this conviction will be overturned and that it will be used to help dismantle this draconian law, which has been used repeatedly against Christians. *********************************** 2. The Legacy of an Atrocity (Turkey)

During the night of April 24, 1915, Turkish authorities in Constantinople arrested over 200 leaders of the Armenian community. In the days to follow, hundreds more were apprehended and sent to prison in the interior of the country, where most were summarily executed. Over the next three years, as the world was preoccupied with the First World War, the Armenian people (who were predominantly Christians) were subjected to deportation, expropriation, abduction, torture, massacre, and starvation by the Turkish government. After a year’s reprieve following the war, the atrocities were renewed between 1920 and 1923, and the remaining Armenians were subjected to further massacres and expulsions. Of the estimated 2 million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire, it is believed that one and a half million perished from 1915-1923, as the Turkish government attempted to put an end to their collective existence. In a century marked by genocide, the Armenian Genocide was the 20th century’s first.

This week, The Voice of the Martyrs received an email from the great-grandson of Samuel Manougian, who was an evangelical pastor in the village of Kharpert and was one of the first to “disappear” in 1915. He confessed “It is hard for me and for Armenians worldwide to forgive the Turks (as Christ forgave us our sins) since they deny that there is anything to be forgiven.” He asked that Christians worldwide please pray: 1) Pray for the Armenians, that they may remain true to Christ despite the hatred that so easily arises, 2) Pray for the Turks, that they may accept responsibility for the genocide and that the persecutors’ hearts would be warmed and souls won for God. *********************************** 3. Protest Letters Prevent Church Closure (Uzbekistan)

A prosecutor in Uzbekistan said he will not prevent an unregistered Baptist church and its pastor from meeting because of the flood of protest letters he has received from around the world. Public prosecutor Shurali Ashurov told Forum 18 News Service, “I constantly receive protest letters from Baptists from various parts of the world.. I am fed up with reading them.”

As a result of the letters, a commission was sent from Tashkent to investigate the complaints. Three times in February Ashurov summoned Baptist pastor Vladimir Khanyukov, questioning him about his church and threatening to close the church for refusing the register. As a result of the protest letters and petitions, the prosecutor is planning no further action.

Stories such as this show that letters to government officials can work. We thank those of you who consistently show your support for your brothers and sisters around the world in this way. Continue to pray for believers in Uzbekistan facing pressure from authorities because of their faith. *********************************** 4. Street Library Shut Down (Moldova)

Authorities in Bendery (Tighina) in eastern Moldova have begun action to shut down a street library run by local Baptists. According to an April 29 report from Forum 18 News Service, police have confiscated the books and detained the three Christians running the library on two occasions in the past month. Each time, Vyacheslav Bachu, Vladimir Boligar and Dmitry Masterov were detained and questioned about the internal life of their unregistered church. They were later released, but the books were kept without explanation. A similar library in the village of Krasnoe was raided in January but the books have since been returned.

The Baptists belong to the International Council of Churches of Evangelical Christians/Baptists, which rejects state registration on principle, having seen the abuses of registration during the former Soviet Union.

Pray that the ministry of these and other believers throughout Moldova will continue to flourish, in spite of the opposition they face. *********************************** 5. Recent Updates

This week, The Voice of the Martyrs received a number of significant updates on stories we have been following in recent months. They include updates on:

(a) An arrested pastor in the United Arab Emirates (b) The ban on the Iban-language Bible in Malaysia (c) A bill in the Iranian parliament that would give equal treatment to non-Muslims (d) A Jordanian woman who faces losing her children (e) The condition of a pastor recently beaten in Serbia (f) The man accused of killed three American missionaries in Yemen

Ordinarily we would include such updates in our weekly Persecution and Prayer Alerts but, because of the number (and our desire to keep the size of this email as compact as possible) we have posted more information on these updates on our website at http://www.persecution.net/updates.htm. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. *********************************** 6. Question of the Week

In response to our story on the Armenian genocide, we would like to ask how you would respond to an unconfessed grievance. Our question of the week is: “Is it necessary for an offender to confess his wrong-doing before the one who is injured can forgive him/her?”

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. *********************************** The Persecution & Prayer Alert Website: http://www.persecution.net *********************************** Contact Person: Glenn Penner, Communications Director.

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