Today’s Headlines:

TERRORISTS KIDNAP NATIVE GOSPEL FOR ASIA MISSIONARY IN INDIA

BRITISH LAWMAKERS NARROWLY PASS TONED-DOWN RELIGIOUS HATRED BILL

ISLAMIC LAW IN NIGERIA’S NORTHERN STATES PUTS PRESSURE ON CHRISTIANS

Today’s Top Stories:

TERRORISTS KIDNAP NATIVE GOSPEL FOR ASIA MISSIONARY IN INDIA

Gospel for Asia (GFA) President K.P. Yohannan is calling on Christians everywhere to pray after word was received this week that terrorists kidnapped one of the ministry’s native missionaries in India’s east-central Chattisgarh state. Pastor Subhash, a young single missionary who has already started five mission stations with 28 believers, was returning home in a taxi with five other people — but they never reached their destination. “[On Tuesday] Subhash’s parents received a letter that said he had been kidnapped by an extremist Marxist group known as the Naxalites,” explained Yohannan in an e-mail report. “The letter did not mention any ransom or other demand, but did ask that Subhash’s parents “help in order to secure his safe release. . . . Please pray for Subhash’s safe release. Pray also for his parents, that God will be with them through this ordeal. And please join me and the rest of the GFA family in praying for all of our persecuted brothers and sisters across South Asia who are suffering at the hands of anti-Christian elements.” (Gospel for Asia)

BRITISH LAWMAKERS NARROWLY PASS TONED-DOWN RELIGIOUS HATRED BILL

After protests outside the Houses of Parliament, British lawmakers watered down a bill banning religious hate speech, then narrowly voted it into law Tuesday, Jan. 31. The House of Commons voted against the government’s Racial and Religious Hatred Bill and adopted the House of Lord’s amendment which changed the wording to allow for greater freedom. The new law is expected to take effect in about a year.

Prime Minister Tony Blair wanted to make it a criminal offense to incite religious hatred through threatening words or actions, insults and abuse. However, Britain’s upper chamber inserted provisions specifying that it would not be an offense to seek converts, discuss, criticize, insult, abuse or ridicule religion, belief or religious practices.

The decision delighted evangelicals who have been rallying efforts to fight the original bill since last year. “The victory is with us for sure,” said Barbara Elele, a member of the Christ Faith Tabernacle church in London.

Glenn Penner of Voice of the Martyrs in Canada agreed. “They’re going to be able to continue to preach the exclusive claims of Christ,” he said. “Now prosecutors must prove that offending parties intended to incite hatred towards another religion, and the burden of proof is on the prosecutor to prove incitement and not on the accused to prove that he did not mean to spread hatred. And that’s a subtle, but a rather significant distinction, because it supports the premise that someone is innocent until proven guilty.” (AgapePress/Associated Press/Religion Today/Mission Network News)

ISLAMIC LAW IN NIGERIA’S NORTHERN STATES PUTS PRESSURE ON CHRISTIANS

In 2003 Rev. Seth Saleh, then pastor of St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Bakura in northern Nigeria’s Zamfara state, was told by a town councilor that Gov. Alhaji Ahmed Sani was ordering the demolition of his church. The following day the church was demolished. That event marked the beginning of a series of assaults by Islamic fundamentalists under Sani’s leadership to carry out Islamic law (sharia). Saleh, now a pastor at St. John’s Anglican Church in Kaura Namoda, recalled how officials often promised that sharia would only be applied to Muslims. However, Anglican Bishop John Garba Danbinta said that since the introduction of the sharia in January 2000, Zamfara authorities have banned Christians from sharing their faith or building churches. Christians also face difficulties in other sectors such as education as discriminatory school fees have been forced on Christian students and there is no teaching of Christian subjects. There is no employment for Christians in the public service, and a ban has been placed on Christian radio and television programs. The imposition of sharia in criminal matters in 12 northern states has resulted in numerous conflicts bringing death to thousands of people, most of them Christians. (Compass)