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• CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION HOTSPOTS FOR 2012
• ONE THIRD OF THE WORLD IS CHRISTIAN AS CHRISTIANITY SPREADS IT’S WINGS
• NIGERIA: ESTIMATED 40 DEAD IN CHRISTMAS DAY ATTACKS IN FIVE SATES
• IRANIAN AUTHORITIES DETAIN SUNDAY SCHOOL CHILDREN DURING CHURCH RAID
• SYRIA’S PROTESTERS TARGETED IN ONGOING VIOLENCE
• MAJOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY VICTORY IN WASHINGTON DC

CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION HOTSPOTS FOR 2012

China and North Korea are likely persecution hotspots for Christians in 2012, according to UK based Release International. Worsening persecution is foreseen in Pakistan, India, Iran, Central Asia and Nigeria. A growing number of Christians are likely to be imprisoned for their faith in 2012. North Korea could face a power struggle as leadership transitions to the youthful Kim Jong-un. Christians are expected to be the victims of such internal strife. In China, authorities may tighten their grip on Christians in the run up to the transfer of power to new leadership later this year.

 ¢â‚¬ËœReligious freedom is at its lowest point since 1982, ¢â‚¬â„¢ says Bob Fu of China Aid. Chinese authorities are considering legalising the detention of people considered a threat to national security such as lawyers and Christians campaigning for human rights. Even before such a law is passed, there are now more people in prison in China for alleged  ¢â‚¬Ëœpolitical crimes ¢â‚¬â„¢ than at any time since the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. Another worrying trend is the action being taken against those considered guilty of  ¢â‚¬Ëœapostasy ¢â‚¬â„¢  ¢â‚¬“ changing their faith. This is gaining momentum in the Islamic and Hindu worlds. It impacts those who speak about their own faith to people of other religions.

In Iran, Muslim leaders have spoken out against the spread of Christianity, which is regarded as a threat to the Islamic revolution.   Government tactics against Christians include phone tapping, persuading family members to spy on one another, and the expulsion of Christians from universities and jobs. Christians have also been arrested, beaten, imprisoned and killed. In Morocco and Algeria Christians have been accused in recent months of taking part in activities to  ¢â‚¬Ëœshake the faith of Muslims. ¢â‚¬â„¢ And in Central Asia, including Kazakhstan,    and Uzbekistan, new laws are being introduced to restrict religion and require new churches to register and come under state control.

Those that cannot in conscience submit to the control of a hostile state face being driven underground  ¢â‚¬“ as has happened in the former Soviet Union, and still takes place in China, Vietnam and Laos. In Pakistan, radical Islam is spreading. The Pakistan Taliban have murdered public figures who have called for the repeal of the country ¢â‚¬â„¢s blasphemy laws. In Nigeria, Boko Haram are calling for an end to democracy in Africa ¢â‚¬â„¢s most populous nation and the imposition of strict Islamic law. Christians continue to come under attack in the north, where they are in a minority. Militants want to create a breakaway Islamist Northern Nigeria.

In 2011 more than 500 Christians were killed in central and northern Nigeria, over 4,000 Christian houses were burnt or destroyed, and over 4,000 Christian businesses were attacked and looted. In India, the general secretary of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has called for a new constitution allowing  ¢â‚¬Ëœanyone who converts Hindus to be beheaded. ¢â‚¬â„¢ Such extremism is indicative of a growing hostility towards Christians and Christian witness in India. Increasingly, pastors stand accused of converting Hindus by force, charged under anti-conversion laws which are being interpreted as outlawing evangelism and even charitable works, considering relief aid to be a form of bribery.

Even in Buddhist nations Christians face violent persecution. The Burmese military promote Buddhism as a means of unifying the nation and have been waging war against ethnic groups, some of whom are Christians. In Sri Lanka nationalists are opposed to Christianity, which they regard as a foreign import. Since September 2011, all places of worship must obtain permission. Those that do not are regarded as illegal. Christians continue to face violence, assault, arson, demolition of churches, mob attacks and protest marches. ¢â‚¬â„¢ Andy Dipper, CEO of Release International, said  ¢â‚¬ËœAcross the world, the number of Christians imprisoned for their faith looks set to increase in 2012. ¢â‚¬ 

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ONE THIRD OF THE WORLD IS CHRISTIAN

A study of more than 200 countries finds that there are 2.18 billion Christians around the world, representing nearly a third of the estimated 2010 global population of 6.9 billion. Christians are also geographically spread. No single continent can indisputably claim to be the centre of global Christianity. A century ago, this was not the case. In 1910, about two-thirds of the world’s Christians lived in Europe, according to the Centre for the Study of Global Christianity. Today, about 26% of all Christians live in Europe. Some 37% now live in the Americas.   About one in every four Christians lives in sub-Saharan Africa (24%), and about one-in-eight is found in Asia and the Pacific (13%).

The number of Christians in the world has nearly quadrupled in the last 100 years, from about 600 million in 1910 to more than 2 billion in 2010. But the world’s overall population also has risen, from an estimated 1.8 billion in 1910 to 6.9 billion in 2010. As a result, Christians make up about the same portion of the world’s population today (32%) as they did a century ago (35%). Although Europe and the Americas still are home to a majority of the world’s Christians (63%), that share is much lower than in 1910 (93%). And the proportion of Europeans and Americans who are Christian has dropped from 95% in 1910 to 76% in 2010 in Europe, and from 96% to 86% in the Americas.

Christianity has grown enormously in sub-Saharan Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, where there were relatively few Christians at the beginning of the 20th century.   The share of the population that is Christian in sub-Saharan Africa climbed from 9% in 1910 to 63% in 2010, while in the Asia-Pacific region it rose from 3% to 7%. Christianity today is truly a global faith. Christians are diverse theologically as well as geographically, the study finds. About half are Catholic. Protestants, broadly defined, make up 37%. Orthodox Christians comprise 12% of Christians worldwide. Other smaller sects make up the remaining 1% of the global Christian population.

Taken as a whole, Christians are by far the world’s largest religious group. Muslims, the second-largest group, make up a little less than a quarter of the world’s population.   Almost half (48%) of all Christians live in the 10 countries with the largest number of Christians. Three of the top 10 countries are in the Americas (the United States, Brazil and Mexico). Two are in Europe (Russia and Germany), two are in the Asia-Pacific region (the Philippines and China), and three are in sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia), reflecting Christianity’s global reach. Clearly, Christianity has spread far from its historical origins. For example:

Though Christianity began in the Middle East-North Africa, today that region has both the lowest concentration of Christians (about 4% of the region’s population) and the smallest number of Christians (about 13 million) of any major geographic region.

 ¢â‚¬ ¢ Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country, is home to more Christians than all 20 countries in the Middle East-North Africa region combined.

 ¢â‚¬ ¢ Nigeria now has more than twice as many Protestants (broadly defined to include Anglicans and independent churches) as Germany, the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation.

 ¢â‚¬ ¢ Brazil has more than twice as many Catholics as Italy.

 ¢â‚¬ ¢ Although Christians comprise just under a third of the world’s people, they form a majority of the population in 158 countries and territories, about two-thirds of all the countries and territories in the world.

About 90% of Christians live in countries where Christians are in the majority; only about 10% of Christians worldwide live as minorities.

Source: Pew Foundation

NIGERIA: ESTIMATED 40 DEAD IN CHRISTMAS DAY ATTACKS IN FIVE SATES

Over 40 people are thought to have died in a series of Christmas Day bomb and gun attacks that targeted churches in five states in northern and central Nigeria. The Islamist militia Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the attacks. The majority of fatalities occurred at St Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State, where bombers in a vehicle hurled explosives at the congregation at the end of mass.  ¢â‚¬Å½At least 35 people died in the Madalla bombing, with scores more suffering various degrees of injury, some potentially fatal. In several cases the blast claimed entire families, some of whom were burnt beyond recognition in their cars.

The next explosions targeted a Mountain of Fire Ministries church in Murtala in the Plateau state capital of Jos. The bombers were on foot because the state government had temporarily banned the use of unregistered motorcycles for this very reason. The first device destroyed a large building outside the church whilst the second hit a wall and destroyed a few cars. Four culprits, reportedly Muslims from the Gangare area, were apprehended following a fire fight in which a policeman was injured and later died. There were no other casualties, and two more locally made explosives were allegedly recovered nearby and disarmed.

Multiple explosions were reported from Damaturu, capital of Yobe State, where fighting had claimed over 60 lives earlier in the week. Most significantly, a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the offices of the State Security Service, killing three security personnel. In a further attack on a church in Gadaka, 155 km west of Damaturu, gunmen set ablaze five cars as worshippers fled, but no lives were lost. A bomb exploded at a hotel in Mubi in Adamawa State injuring one person, but bombs planted around three churches were reportedly disarmed. In Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, six people died in an attack launched by suspected Boko Haram gunmen.

Following the attacks, many Christians lamented the fact that their security is no longer guaranteed in northern and central Nigeria. Some are even beginning to avoid church gatherings for fear of being bombed. Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, said, “The Christmas Day bombings were appalling and cowardly attacks on innocent families who were merely expressing their faith on one of the most significant dates in the Christian calendar. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victims, and with Christians throughout the region who understandably feel increasingly vulnerable.

Clearly, while security is tight in Abuja, Madalla and other satellite towns to the capital have become alternative soft targets and require urgent additional protection. The continuing insecurity in Yobe and Borno States is also deeply worrying, as are the reported attacks in Adamawa. It is vital that federal and state authorities spare no effort in pursuing, capturing and prosecuting funders and perpetrators of this violence, no matter how highly placed they may be. The bombings are a serious threat to freedom of religion in a multi-religious and multi-ethnic state where co-existence is vital. For the sake of national unity, those behind them must not be allowed to prevail.”

Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide

IRANIAN AUTHORITIES DETAIN SUNDAY SCHOOL CHILDREN DURING CHURCH RAID

Iranian authorities have raided the Christmas celebrations of an Assemblies of God church, detaining the entire congregation, including children attending Sunday School. The authorities herded everyone into two buses brought specifically for this purpose. The majority were interrogated, threatened and eventually released. However, the church ¢â‚¬â„¢s senior pastor, Pastor Farhad, remains in detention, along with his wife and some church leaders. The church is not a part of the house church movement, but is an official and long-established church whose membership largely consists of former followers of John the Baptist who converted to Christianity.

Pastor Farhad has been detained on several occasions in the past and warned not to allow Muslim converts into his church. This is not the first time that Christmas celebrations in Iranian churches have been raided in this way. Similar raids and detentions have occurred in Iran for the last three years. This wave of arrests come as Iranian media has been publicising a Christmas message sent to Pope Benedict from the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Ali Larijani, in which he congratulated his Christian counterparts on the  ¢â‚¬Å“auspicious anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ ¢â‚¬ , wished blessing, happiness and prosperity to the Pope and all Christians in the coming year.

Mr. Larijani ¢â‚¬â„¢s Christmas message may have been well intentioned, but it is entirely undermined by these arrests, which violate the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and Iran ¢â‚¬â„¢s own constitution. The Iranian authorities often insist that Christians are being arrested for indulging in actions that threaten public security, however, it is difficult to conceive how children attending Sunday school or legitimate Christmas celebrations fit into this category. It appears the Iranian regime has decided to deem every act of Christian worship a threat to national security. If this is the case, then the right to freedom of religion or belief is gravely under threat in Iran.

Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide

SYRIA’S PROTESTERS TARGETED IN ONGOING VIOLENCE

More than 250 people have died in violence in recent weeks in Syria.   111 people died in what’s being called the bloodiest day since the Arab Spring took its grip on Syria in March. The White House has condemned the latest violence in Syria, charging that Bashar al-Assad’s regime has no credibility even as it signed on to an Arab League initiative to stem the internal strife. The violence is having a direct impact on Christians in the country. According to Operation World, approximately 6% of Syria’s population is Christian. Middle East/Central Asia Director for E3 Partners, Tom Doyle, says, “Nobody knows whether to even go out of their homes. There is a military presence all over. ¢â‚¬ 

According to Doyle, Christians are asking for prayer.  ¢â‚¬Å“There have been several people innocently going to the store, who were gunned down. There are curfews. There’s not clear communication on what they can and can’t do. So, there’s a lot of fear. Believers have been grouping together praying. We even just got a few messages from believers that said there was blood in the streets, war in major cities, and the government is showing no mercy. It’s like gang warfare with all these groups.” Doyle says most believers aren’t sure what would be the best form of government in Syria. “Unfortunately, it may end up being Assad,” he says.

“There has been brutality in the streets from hard-line Muslim groups trying to take over. Assad is bad enough, but it could get worse” Doyle said. Despite the uncertainty, ministry is taking place. Christians are taking in Muslim families who are struggling. “Muslims are killing Muslims. Every bit of security has been ripped away from them. God becomes the Rock in the midst of the turmoil. Some awesome things in ministry have happened.” Doyle says the unrest is being driven by young people. “Many of them are not getting jobs and are frustrated with Islam. This is an open time for us. This is a crack in Islam’s foundation that Christians need to aggressively pray for.

Source: Mission Network News

MAJOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY VICTORY IN WASHINGTON DC

The Capitol Police General Counsel told Rev. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defence Coalition (CDC), that he would face arrest and fines if he read the Christmas story from the Bible or displayed the Nativity Scene. On Thursday, December 22, at 12:00 p.m. Rev. Mahoney and Kris Keating, Director of Hillside Missions, read the Christmas Story from the Gospels in spite of the threat of arrest or fines. The Capitol Police backed down on their threats and no arrests were made, no fines issued and no disruption of the Scripture reading or prayer service occurred.

In a statement the CDC said it applauded the Capitol Police for doing the right thing and allowing free speech and religious expression to be celebrated on the lawn of the United States Capitol Building. They said   that the episode clearly showed that the faith community must fight attacks directed toward the First Amendment and religious liberty and be a loud, prophetic voice for justice and free speech. Simply stated, it is important to stand up against “bullies” when they try to crush free speech and religious liberty and ensure that every American is allowed to express their faith tradition in the public square free from government intimidation or oppression.

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