Spike In Attacks Against Egyptian Coptic Christians

Groups Organize Demonstrations to Protest the Attacks

The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has learned that a recent increase in attacks against Egypt’s Coptic Christians has prompted various Christian groups to organize demonstrations condemning fanatic Muslims engaging in these attacks and the officials of the Egyptian government who have failed to protect Christians against such attacks.

This spike in attacks has resulted in the death of four Christians, the destruction of several churches, the kidnapping of four Christians, and the ransacking of their properties:

• Four Egyptian Christians were gunned down when a jewelry shop belonging to one of them was attacked by two masked men. No one has yet been arrested for this attack that took place on May 28, 2008.

• On May 31, sixty well-armed Muslims assaulted the historic Abu Fana monastery near Minya. Besides causing damage to the property of the 4th century monastery, the fundamentalist Muslims kidnapped three monks and one Coptic farmer during the attack. The monks were tortured and pressured to convert to Islam. They refused and were eventually released, but the Coptic farmer is still missing.

• On June 20, Muslim fundamentalists carried out large scale attacks on Christians in the village of al-Nazla. Cars, homes and businesses belonging to Coptic Christians were ransacked and the windows of a Coptic church shattered. The attack was the result of a rumor circulating that a Christian woman who converted to Islam was abducted by her Christian family.

This rise in attacks against Christians in Egypt is being fueled by the growth of the radical Wahhabi Islam propagated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Wahhabi Islam is highly intolerant towards Christians and other minorities and encourages violence against them.

Though the attacks against Christians are perpetrated by fanatic Muslims, the officials of the government of Egypt have at times failed to prevent the attacks when they could. In most cases, after the attacks occur, the police fail to bring the perpetrators to justice. The perpetrators are therefore encouraged to carry out further attacks with impunity.

Enraged over the widespread attacks and the failure of the Egyptian government to protect its Christian minority, various Christian organizations are planning to hold demonstrations in Washington, D.C. and New York City. International Christian Union and American Coptic Association are organizing a demonstration in Washington, D.C., which will be held in front of the White House on Wednesday, July 16 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Another demonstration, being organized by the Voice of the Copts in New York City, will be held in front of the United Nations and Egyptian Consulate in New York on Wednesday, July 23 at 12:00 pm.

ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Darara Gubo, said, “Egypt has an international obligation to protect its Christian minority against attacks by fanatic Muslims. Egyptian authorities must carry out their obligations by prosecuting the perpetrators of such attacks.”

ICC calls upon those concerned about religious freedom for Egypt’s Christian minority to join the rallies in Washington, D.C. and New York City. By attending these rallies Christians will get the opportunity to highlight the plight of their brothers and sisters in Egypt.

You can also call the Egyptian embassy in your country. Please politely ask the Egyptian embassy officials to protect Christians against attacks.

Egyptian Embassies

Country		Phone		Fax		Email
USA		202-895-5400		202-244-4319		Embassy@egyptembassy.net
Canada		613-234-4931		(613) 234-4398		egyptemb@sympatico.ca, egypt4931@rogers.com
UK		020-7499-2401 / 499 3304		020-7491-1542		info@egpressoffice.com
Australia		(61 2) 9281-4844		612-9281-4344		info@egypt.org.au
Germany		030-477-5470		030-477-1049		Embassy@egyptian-embassy.de

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ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC delivers humanitarian aid, trains and supports persecuted pastors, raises awareness in the US regarding the problem of persecution, and is an advocate for the persecuted on Capitol Hill and the State Department. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

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Speak Up for Imprisoned Chinese Christian

Chinese Officials Ignore their own Laws by Holding Bookstore Owner without Charges

The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has learned that the owner of a Christian bookstore near the Olympic Village in Beijing is being illegally held in an undisclosed location by Public Security Bureau (PSB) officials who charge only that the prominent house church leader is a “dangerous religious element.”

Shi Weihan, a leader, publisher, and father of two daughters, has been held for three months, a month longer than legally permitted, without formal charges or a court hearing and has only been allowed one visit with his attorney. Arrested on March 19, Weihan was expected to finally stand trial two weeks ago, but the PSB has stated that any action on the case will be delayed indefinitely.

Police have been overly interested in Weihan and his legally operated bookstore near the Olympic Village since November of last year when they initially arrested him on charges of “illegal business practices,” but were forced to release him in January for lack of sufficient evidence. The timing of his re-arrest and illegal detention remains suspicious in light of the recent crackdown on Chinese house church leaders and other suspected “dissidents,” especially given the proximity of Weihan’s bookstore to the Olympic stage in Beijing.

Concern is mounting over Weihan’s health as he struggles with diabetes and police have provided no indication that he is receiving any sort of medication. During the only visit afforded to his attorney, Zhang Xingshui, Weihan was described as having lost a significant amount of weight and as exhibiting signs of what officials called an “allergic reaction,” though the same symptoms are also common in diabetics who do not have the necessary diet or medication.

Despite his health and the illegal conditions of his detention, the PSB is refusing to allow his family or attorney to see him, citing a “complex case” as the only explanation for their ongoing investigations and delays in processing.

While it seems that China’s government is attempting to sweep this “dissident” under the rug, Weihan has been described by countless friends and business acquaintances as a “model citizen of China,” claiming that his patriotism inspired them to greater love for their homeland. Weihan is also said to have sacrificially served the poor and minority children in rural communities, and now he and his family are in need of others to speak on their behalf.

ICC is joining Open Doors USA and China Aid Association in speaking up for Shi Weihan. Would you join us and contact your Chinese embassy to voice your concern over this case? Politely tell the embassy officials that you believe that Shi Weihan should be given regular access to his attorney to ensure that he is fairly represented, that his family should be allowed the right to visit and bring his diabetic medication, and that steps should be taken to ensure that he is given a fair and speedy trial.

Chinese Embassies:

Country	Phone	Fax	Email
USA	202-328-2500	202-588-9760	chinaembassy_us@fmprc.gov.cn
Canada	613-789-3434	613-789-1911	chinaemb_ca@mfa.gov.cn
UK	020-72994049	020-76365578	press@chinese-embassy.org.uk
Australia	0061-2-62734780	0061-2-62735848	chinaemb_au@mfa.gov.cn

Turkey Forcing Church to Fight to Stay Open, Again

The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has just learned that last week police in the Turkish capital of Ankara warned a legally recognized church that it would be closed in three days.

The Batikent Protestant Church, located in Ankara, is one of the very few Protestant churches which have been legally recognized in Turkey by winning a series of precedent-setting court cases. On June 2, however, two police officers served the pastor with a notice from the local government that the church was to be closed within 3 days because it is meeting in a building that is not approved as a place of worship. This is in spite of the fact that the Batikent Protestant Church won a court case against the Yenimahalle Municipal Government last year that overturned the government’s attempts to shut it down on the basis of zoning code violations. This current notice is forcing the church to fight yet another legal battle over a case it has already won.

On June 4, the founding pastor of the Batikent Protestant Church, Daniel Wickwire had his lawyers open a court case challenging the police notice that they received on June 2. Wickwire, who has been a missionary pastor in Ankara for the past 23 years, said, “It is very obvious that what is happening to our church is a pre-meditated, continuous and jointly orchestrated direct attack against the Church as a whole in Turkey by the right-wing Islamic government (AK Party) that is currently in control in Turkey.” He mentioned specifically that the Yenimahalle Municipal Government has been working in conjunction with the national Ministry of the Interior to try to shut down the church.

Wickwire himself has been the target of much hostility for having the audacity to take the Turkish Constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom at face value. Officially, he has been forced to stay in Turkey as a tourist for the past 19 years while having to leave the country every 90 days, because the government refuses to give him either a residence permit or a work permit on the basis that he is a missionary.

His attempts to even apply for a work permit at the Turkish Consulate in Chicago were mysteriously “lost” in red tape. A year after he applied in Chicago his wife returned to follow-up on the application and was refused her request for information. Wickwire said, “The consulate officials became very nervous and said that they would lose their jobs if they were to give out this information. They said that if we were Muslims we would not be having this kind of trouble.”

A well-know TV newsperson repeatedly came to his church to do interviews with him with the express purpose of shutting down the church, but was convicted by the courts of trying to incite a riot against the churches in Ankara and was given a 2 year jail sentence. However, this man was somehow able to get out of having to do any jail time.

Pastor Wickwire has been involved in over 15 court cases in the last 6 years in order to keep the church doors open. Wickwire told ICC, “It is high time for the international community to speak out against such overt, blatant and continual harassment and persecution of the church.”

Would you pray for Pastor Wickwire and the Batikent Protestant Church? In addition, would you please call or write your Turkish embassy to ask them to uphold religious freedom by dropping this latest attack against the Batikent Protestant Church?

Turkish Embassies:

USA:Phone (202) 612-6700, Fax (202) 612-6744, contact@turkishembassy.org
Canada:Phone (613) 789-4044, Fax (613) 789-3442, turkishottawa@mfa.gov.tr
UK:Phone 020 7393 0202, Fax 020 7393 0066, turkish.emb@btclick.com

Six More Algerian Christians Face Prison for Practicing Non-Muslim Worship Without Authorization

-After Years of Religious Tolerance, Algeria Takes a Dark Turn-

The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has learned that six Christians could be sentenced to two years in prison for meeting in a friend’s home and allegedly distributing Christian materials to Muslims.

The six Christians are Rachid, Djallil, Sami, Abdelkader, Mohamed and Chabane. They have been accused of “distribution of religious material to convert Muslims” and “practice without authorization of non-Muslim worship.” The public prosecutor asked the court in town of Tiaret, Algeria to sentence each of the six Christians to two years in prison and a fine of 500,000 Algerian dinars ($8,000). The prosecutor alleged that the six Christians were gathered to worship at the house of Rachid, who is one of the defendants.

According to a report by Algerian daily newspaper, El-Watan, Djallil, another defendant, said that they were not carrying any Christian materials and therefore, they should not be accused of distributing them. The newspaper quoted the defense lawyer for the Christians as saying that the six Christians are a “band of friends and none of them have taken into their possession or are in the process of distributing documents that undermine the faith of a Muslim, and that the apartment was used by Rachid not as a place of worship, but as a place of reunion for the group of friends.”

After hearing the arguments from the public prosecutor and the defendants, the court has set the date for its decision as Tuesday, June 3, 2008.

Update on Habiba’s Case

In another development, the court considering the case of Habiba Qawider, who was charged with illegally practicing her Christianity by carrying Christian literature on a public bus, decided yesterday that the case required “supplementary investigation.” ICC reported on the initial hearing on May 23, 2008, in a press release. In that release we mentioned that the public prosecutor asked for a three year prison term for Habiba, and that the court would make its decision on May 27.

The prosecutor has ten days to appeal the decision of the court, according to El-Watan.

Habiba’s defense lawyer criticized the court’s decision by saying that the court is just trying to buy time until the media shifts its attention elsewhere. Habiba’s case has drawn widespread critism both from the local and international media. According to some commentators, the judge was forced to order further investigation due to the attention that the case has attracted.

ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Darara Gubo, said, “The international community should step up its pressure on the government of Algeria so that the government stops interfering with the religious freedom of its Christian minorities.”

ICC would like to thank all the Christians who are praying for their brothers and sisters in Algeria. Please continue to call the Algerian embassies in your countries. Your prayers and calls are very important to support our suffering brothers and sisters in Algeria.

Algerian Embassies:

Australia: (02) 6286 7355
England: (020) 7221 7800
France: (33)-1-5393-2020
Germany: (49) 30 437370
USA: (202) 265-2800

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ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC delivers humanitarian aid, trains and supports persecuted pastors, raises awareness in the US regarding the problem of persecution, and is an advocate for the persecuted on Capitol Hill and the State Department. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Algerian Christian Faces 3 Years in Prison for Carrying Christian Books

The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has learned that Habiba Qawider could be sentenced to three years in prison for carrying Christian books while traveling on a public bus from Tiaret to Oran, Algeria.

Habiba, 39, was first detained by police on March 29. The police freed her after detaining her for 24 hours, but ordered her to appear in court in the city of Tiaret on May 7.

The court, however, delayed her case until Tuesday, May 20. During the initial hearing, the public prosecutor accused her of practicing “non-Muslim worship without authorization” and demanded the court to sentence her to three years in prison.

The prosecutor’s argument was that carrying Christian books is tantamount to practicing Christianity, which is legal only in designated areas approved by the government. If the court accepts this argument, it would set a dangerous precedent that could send all of Algeria’s Christians to prison.

In response to a question from El-Watan, an Algerian daily newspaper, if there was any law that prohibits carrying Christian books in Algeria, Khelloudja Khalfoun, Habiba’s lawyer, said, “No! There is no law which prohibits people to be in possession of religious books. There is a provision of the Ordinance of 2006 which prohibits having a number of booklets, books and distribute them to undermine the faith of Muslims….on the contrary, it [carrying a Bible] is a lawful act which is guaranteed and protected by the Constitution [of Algeria]. The Constitution speaks of freedom of worship and sees it as sacred.”

After hearing the arguments from the public prosecutor and the defendant, the court has set the date for its decision as Tuesday, May 27, 2008.

Double Jeopardy for Christian Man

In another development, a Christian man named Djallal was detained yesterday, May 22, 2008. Djallal and another Christian were first arrested by police in June 2007 when police found Christian literature in their car. He and his companion were brought before the court in Tissemsilt, Algeria, which is near Tiaret. The court found them not guilty.

However, when Djallal’s father contacted authorities yesterday to ask why his son had been detained again, they told him that he would be transferred to Tissemsilt. It seems that he is facing charges in the same case in which he was tried and found not guilty in 2007.

Campaign against Christians

This year Algerian officials have begun cracking down on Christians. More than 20 churches have been closed by Algerian officials under the guise of failing to register with an as yet non-existent government body.

Many Christians have also received suspended prison terms, threatening them with prison if they continue evangelizing Muslims.

Algeria has made a huge comeback from a bloody civil war between the government and Islamic terrorists that resulted in the death of over 100,000 Algerians. Currently, the country is enjoying peace and economic progress, but its heavy-handed approach towards Christians, which constitute less than 1% of the total population, is tarnishing its image.

Darara Gubo, ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, said, “Algerian officials have the duty to respect religious freedom. They must, therefore, re-open the closed churches, and stop detaining and harassing Christians who are practicing their faith. The international community must exert pressure on the government of Algeria so that the country stops violating religious freedom.”

Christians can help their brothers and sisters in Algeria by praying for them and by calling Algerian embassies in their respective countries. Please politely ask the Algerian embassy officials to re-open the churches in their country, and to stop harassing and imprisoning Christians. Please also specifically bring Habiba’s and Djallal’s cases to their attention.

Algerian Embassies:

Australia: (02) 6286 7355
England: (020) 7221 7800
France: (33)-1-5393-2020
Germany: (49) 30 437370
USA: (202) 265-2800

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ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC delivers humanitarian aid, trains and supports persecuted pastors, raises awareness in the US regarding the problem of persecution, and is an advocate for the persecuted on Capitol Hill and the State Department. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Fourth Christian Martyred in Somalia in the Last Six Months

The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has learned that Islamic extremists shot and killed a Muslim convert to Christianity on April 22 in Baidawa, a town 149 miles away from Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. His name was David Abdulwahab Mohamed Ali, and he was 29 years old.

On Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at 4:30pm local time, one of David’s cousins led two other members of the Islamic extremist group Al-Shabab to David and asked him if he was a Muslim or an infidel. He answered, “Neither.”

They asked, “Then what are you?”

He answered, “Waxaan ahay Masiixi,” which means, “I am a follower of the Messiah.”

At this, David’s cousin was enraged and humiliated. In Somalia’s strict Muslim society, David’s conversion to Christianity brought enormous shame on his family. His cousin’s first response was to pull out a gun and shoot David. The other two extremists did the same, and the three continued shooting David until their Muslim “honor” had been avenged.

David had been living in Ethiopia since 2000 when he traveled to Somalia this April to visit his family. He came to Christ in 1995, in Yemen, where he was living as a refugee. In 2000, David’s good friend, Mohammed Omer Haji, was sentenced to death by the government of Yemen for his faith in Christ (Haji was able to take refuge in New Zealand). David had to flee Yemen and move to Ethiopia because Yemeni authorities were looking for him also.

David was a gifted and brilliant evangelist who led many to the Lord, actively sharing his faith through blogs. He was also a linguist and a philosopher whom some Somalis called “The Great Thinker.”

Recently, Islamic extremists have intensified their attacks against Christians in Somalia. In the past six months alone, four Christians, including David, have been martyred for their faith. The other three martyrs are: Da’ud Ali, Mohamed Yusuf and Hassan Mo’alim.

The attacks against Christians in Somalia are carried out by a group called Al-Shabab, an Al-Qaeda linked militant group. Al-Shabab is fighting to establish an Islamic state in Somalia, ruled by Sharia law, and is on the United States list of terrorist organizations.

ICC spoke with a leading Somali Christian who urged the international community to condemn the genocide-in-the-making that the Church in Somalia is facing.

The Somali Christian expressed his fear that “less than three percent of the Somali population is Christian and we [the Christians] could be eliminated in this generation by the Muslim violence if the massacre is not stopped now.”

ICC’s regional manager for Africa, Darara Gubo, stated, “The deadly Jihad against Christians continues and Christians in Somalia need our help and support. Please don’t forget our brothers and sisters in Somalia.”

To learn more about the needs of Somali Christians and how you can help them, please contact ICC.

Contact Darara Gubo, Regional Manager for Africa, 1-800-ICC (422)-5441, icc@persecution.org for more information.

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ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC delivers humanitarian aid, trains and supports persecuted pastors, raises awareness in the US regarding the problem of persecution, and is an advocate for the persecuted on Capitol Hill and the State Department. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Persecuted Christians

Pray for those who share our faith, but not our freedom …

Thousands of Christians Protest Church Attack in Pakistan

From ICC (International Christian Concern) at www.persecution.org.

(March 25, 2008) The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has just learned that thousands of Christians staged a demonstration on March 19, 2008, that blocked the main highway through populous Gujranwala District, Pakistan, after land grabbers assaulted a church in a Christian neighborhood during Holy Week.

 

On March 18, a mob of people who wanted to seize a community center that belonged to a church in Garjakh, a largely Christian neighborhood in the city of Gujranwala, reportedly started tearing down the church’s walls.

However, the pastor of the church, Sharif Bhatti, and a group of Christians gathered to defend the church building. When the pastor arrived, the mob physically assaulted the pastor and the people with him, and started throwing stones at the church. When the Christians in the neighborhood heard what was happening, a large group of them gathered and approached the church, causing the mob to flee.

Word of the attack spread quickly, and the next day, thousands of Christians from across the city of Gujranwala staged a protest to demand that those responsible for the attack on the church be arrested immediately and brought to justice. They urged the authorities to provide protection to religious minorities and to their places of worship.

The protestors proceeded to block the Government Transport Road at Gondlanwala Chowk, a major intersection, by parking tractors laden with garbage across the road. The demonstrators blocked traffic while chanting slogans against the land grabbers for more than two hours.

Pastor Sharif Bhatti, Pastor Sabir and other Christians and labor union leaders threatened the local government that they would demonstrate outside the offices of senior officials if the police did not arrest the culprits within the next 24 hours. Finally, police arrived and promised the protestors that they would bring justice to those who attacked the church, and the demonstration dispersed peacefully.

Local Christian leaders then submitted a written complaint to the police station. However, the police had not registered this case nor had they arrested any individual at the time this report was written.

ICC Policy Analyst Jeremy Sewall said, “Unfortunately, the Christians in Gujranwala were given empty promises to make them quiet down. Pakistani officials ought to take note, however, of the scope and speed with which Christians gathered to protest this attack. Thankfully, the demonstration was a peaceful one. But Pakistani officials might have bigger problems on their hands if they continue to give their Christian citizens empty promises.”

Please contact the Pakistani embassy in your country and ask them to protect the rights of Christians and all religious minorities.

Pakistan Embassies:

USA: (202) 243-6500, info@embassyofpakistanusa.org
Canada: (613) 238-7881, parepottawa@rogers.com
UK: 0870-005-6967, hoc@phclondon.org

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ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC delivers humanitarian aid, trains and supports persecuted pastors, raises awareness in the US regarding the problem of persecution, and is an advocate for the persecuted on Capitol Hill and the State Department. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Persecuted Christians

Muslim Radicals Attack During Church Service Murder, Amputate Christians [Update]

The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org has investigated an attack on Christians that we first reported on March 7, 2008 (“Muslim Radicals Kill Three Christians and Wound Dozens in Southern Ethiopia”). Upon further investigation, we have learned that the attack occurred on March 2, 2008, during a Sunday morning church service, and resulted in the death of only one Christian, while 17 more were injured.

Christians in this remote village had seen three people lying in pools of blood after the attack and assumed that they had all died. Our sources contacted us before verifying that all three of the seriously wounded had died. The name of one murdered victim was Tulu Mosessa, who was a father of eight children.

Christians from the area told ICC that Muslim radicals simultaneously attacked Kale Hiwot church in Chebbi Nensebo village and Birhane Kirstos church in the nearby Tirsu Nensebo village.

The Kale Hiwot Church was the scene of most of the violence on the day of the attack. There were about 200 people attending the service, when a group of Muslim radicals surrounded the church and barricaded the doors shut. They then proceeded to break in through the windows and started hacking at the churchgoers with machetes. It is clear that these attacks were well planned and carefully executed to cause as much bloodshed as possible.

Muslim radicals had attacked the church before and burned it down, which the Christians in the village rebuilt. During the most recent attack, someone was able to raise the alarm and the local police quickly arrived at the scene, averting further bloodshed. One policeman who was wounded while trying to quell the violence was taken to a hospital in Addis Ababa. Eight of the seriously wounded Christians were taken to a hospital in Awassa. ICC was able to speak to one of the eight who had been wounded, Ahmed Jamal [not his real name], who is a Muslim convert to Christianity. The Muslim radicals cut off his left hand with their machetes during the attack. When ICC asked him if he knew his attackers, he said, “Our attackers are our neighbors, with whom we ate and drank.”

Asked what motivated the Muslims to attack, he said, “They were taught [about] Jihad.” Though he is lying on a hospital bed, Ahmed Jamal is worried about further attacks by Muslim radicals. He said, “We fear for our families [who remain in the village].”

Others with wounds from the machete attack who are currently in the hospital in Awassa include (names intentionally withheld) a 28-year-old man who lost his left hand, a 32-year-old man whose head was slashed, a 20-year-old man whose right and left hands were slashed, a 31-year-old man whose lung was pierced, an 18-year-old man whose backbone was slashed, a 19-year-old man whose backbone was also injured, and a 5-year-old girl whose right hand was badly injured.

Another eight Christians with minor injuries are currently receiving medical treatment in the town of Worka, which is near the villages where the attacks took place.

ICC has also learned that nine of the attackers have been imprisoned by Ethiopian authorities. One of the imprisoned is a local government official, Hussein Berriso. ICC sources said that 150 machetes were discovered in his house after the attacks.

In related development, on March 10, 2008, radical Muslims burned down the house of a local evangelist. The radicals were enraged because the evangelist had helped to transport the eight wounded Christians to Awassa hospital.

ICC’s president in a statement said, This is not an isolated incident in Ethiopia but rather part of a trend of radical Muslims attacking Christians. Ethiopian officials must get serious about protecting Christians. They must target radical Muslim leaders and centers or the Ethiopia could be in danger of becoming another Nigeria with an intractable religious split.

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ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC delivers humanitarian aid, trains and supports persecuted pastors, raises awareness in the US regarding the problem of persecution, and is an advocate for the persecuted on Capitol Hill and the State Department. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.

Persecuted Christians

There are many Jesus-followers around the world who share our faith, but not our freedom. As a result, they suffer persecution. From time to time, I will include news about certain events here on my blog. And I encourage you to pray for them.

Muslim Radicals Kill Three Christians and Wound Dozens in Southern Ethiopia [Developing]
Group Vows to Eradicate Christians from the Province

Find our more at www.persecution.org.

The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org learned that Muslim radicals killed three Christians and wounded dozens more on March 3, 2008, in the province of Nensebo in Southern Ethiopia.

To date, eight of the wounded have been taken to the town of Awassa in a neighboring province for hospitalization, while those who were seriously wounded were taken to Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa. Among the wounded are a police officer and a Christian whose hand was cut off by the radical Muslims.

According to ICC sources, Muslim radicals recently made a covenant to wipe out Christians from the Muslim-dominated province of Nensebo. As part of their agreement, they vowed to destroy churches in the area and threatened to attack any Christian group that does missionary work.

Christians and Muslims in Ethiopia had been living peacefully together until the arrival of Wahhabi Islam from Saudi Arabia. The spread of Wahhabism, fueled by financial support from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States, is radicalizing Muslims who are in turn increasingly hostile towards Christians.

Previous attacks by Muslim radicals have taken place further west in Ethiopia. This most recent attack occurred in the South, showing an increasing spread of Muslim radicalization throughout the country.

ICC would like to ask concerned parties to contact Ethiopian Embassies in their respective countries and call for the protection of Christians in Nensebo and other Muslim-dominated areas of the country, who are facing increased attacks from radical Muslims.

Ethiopian Embassies:

USA: (202) 364-1200
Canada: (613) 235-6637
UK: (020) 7838 3897

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ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC delivers humanitarian aid, trains and supports persecuted pastors, raises awareness in the US regarding the problem of persecution, and is an advocate for the persecuted on Capitol Hill and the State Department. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.