Today’s Headlines:

CHRISTIANS FLEE PAKISTANI VILLAGE AS MUSLIM MOB ATTACKS CHURCHES

FAMINE IN MALAWI THREATENS UP TO 5 MILLION PEOPLE WITH STARVATION

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN ERITREA CONTINUES TO INCREASE

NEW ZEALAND COUPLE REACHES OUT TO PROSTITUTES IN INDIA

Today’s Top Stories:

CHRISTIANS FLEE PAKISTANI VILLAGE AS MUSLIM MOB ATTACKS CHURCHES

More than 450 Christian families fled the village of Sangla Hill in Pakistan’s Punjab region after an angry mob of up to 2,000 Muslims vandalized and set fire to churches and other buildings Saturday, Nov. 12. There were no reports of injuries.

Hundreds of Christians attended Sunday services in the open air after a mob of angry Muslims in the village, about 80 miles northeast of Lahore, went on a rampage following allegations that a Christian had desecrated the Koran, officials and witnesses said. The Christians wore black armbands to protest Saturday’s attacks and demanded protection for the minority community in Sangla Hill.

The mob, mob destroyed local Salvation Army, United Presbyterian and Catholic churches as well as a convent, St. Anthony’s School, a girls’ hostel and a Catholic priest’s home. They burned Bibles, crosses and other Christian materials and set fire to Christian homes.

The violence was apparently motivated by an alleged case of “desecrating the Koran.” Yousaf Masih, a local Christian, was accused of burning down a one-room Islamic school that contained copies of the Koran on Friday, Nov. 11 — a charge he denies.

Shahbaz Bhatti, head of the APMA, condemned the attacks. “No Christian burned copies of the Koran,” he said. “No Christian even can think of doing it. We have maximum regard and respect for the Koran and Islam’s prophet, Mohammed.”

Christian schools throughout Pakistan will go on strike Thursday, Nov. 17, to protest the attacks. Hindu, Sikh and Muslim leaders have joined church leaders in condemning the outbreak of violence, and the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) has declared seven days of mourning. Church leaders are calling on the Pakistani authorities to bring the main instigators of the violence to justice.

Khusro Pervez, home secretary of the Punjab government, said police are investigating and have arrested about 90 people for rioting, violence and vandalizing Christian property. “The situation is under complete control now,” he said.

Sources: Assist News Service, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, dailytimes.com

* HCJB World Radio recently sent two medical teams from Ecuador to Pakistan to help SIM International in relief efforts following the Oct. 8 earthquake that left tens of thousands dead and thousands more injured and homeless.

FAMINE IN MALAWI THREATENS UP TO 5 MILLION PEOPLE WITH STARVATION

Famine in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, is threatening 5 million people with starvation in the next six months, reported the World Food Program. As a result, aid groups are working to raise $76 million in order to feed about 3 million Malawians. Maize prices in southern Malawi have risen nearly 70 percent in recent weeks, making it unaffordable to the poorest people. Teen Missions International (TMI)

reported that many have already succumbed to the ravages of hunger. People have been spotted at the TMI compound, foraging for grass to eat. Desperate for food, some have even resorted to eating poisonous roots to fill their stomachs. TMI has stored up enough food to feed most of the 150 children at its four orphanages in Malawi, but supplies are dwindling. (Mission Network News)

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN ERITREA CONTINUES TO INCREASE

Authorities in the East African country of Eritrea arrested 200 Christians earlier this month as persecution against evangelical Christians continues to escalate nationwide. “The president of Eritrea has basically made the evangelical church enemy No. 1 of the state and is going about on a ruthless campaign to try to eradicate and shut her down,” said Kevin Turner, president of Strategic World Impact, a ministry assisting persecuted Christians worldwide.

He said the Eritrean government has not responded to world pressure to cease the religious oppression in its country. Instead, the situation has been steadily worsening for Christians. Despite the hardships, it has only strengthened the faith of Eritrean Christians. “They can be such an encouragement to us because they continue to do that in spite of severe penalties, incredible physical degradation that they face because they feel Jesus is worth it,” he said.

In a related story, the number of Eritrean Christians confirmed to be jailed for their religious beliefs has nearly doubled to 1,778 in the last six months. More than 26 full-time Protestant pastors and Orthodox clergy are in jail, their personal bank accounts frozen by government order. “Their family members are suffering [to] a great degree,” reported one source.

In late September three Protestant leaders imprisoned months ago by Eritrean authorities were handed jail sentences of two and three years. Police raids last month in Asmara and the town of Kushete landed at least 51 more Protestants in police detention. (Compass, Assist News Service)

NEW ZEALAND COUPLE REACHES OUT TO PROSTITUTES IN INDIA

Kerry and Annie Hilton and their family left the comforts of Auckland, New Zealand, in 1999 and moved to the infamous sex district of Sonnagachi in Calcutta, India, to help the poor, never thinking they would one day work with prostitutes. They discovered by accident that the crowded district they had moved to was home to 6,000 women working in the sex industry. The couple did research on the possibility of setting up a business in the area which would provide an alternative source of employment for sex workers and the result was the establishment of Freeset in 2001, a factory that manufactures jute bags for export. Fifty former prostitutes now work at Freeset. In addition to learning a trade, they are also taught to read and write and hear the gospel message. “It is a positive story of hope,” said John Sinclair who recently produced a television documentary on the outreach. “It’s one day at a time, one person at a time. For every person helped that is a whole life changed. You can’t change the whole world at once but you can make a difference.” Kerry Hilton added, “It’s not about giving them jobs; it’s all about giving them freedom.” (Assist News Service)