In the spirit of the season – with fall in full swing and Halloween just around the corner, and the crisp leaves, turning, falling, blanketing the ground… As the temperatures start to cool – although we're still having many 70 degree days here in New England – I find myself slowly transitioning my wardrobe and my home from the lighter fabrics and cooler ocean-like tones evoking thoughts of cool, calm, and tranquility to those that are heavier and warmer and more appropriate for the season – warm, energizing oranges, spices, pumpkins, relaxed beiges – colors that will seamlessly transition us into the Thanksgiving holiday. Without completely making over my home, I like to punctuate my decor with seasonally appropriate pops of color. I happen to adore orange, all shades from energizing tangerine to her warmer, more soothing pumpkin-like tones.
I really do adore orange in the home. It's playful yet sophisticated and simple yet bold.


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Q: WordPress Gutenberg: dynamic block doesn't load the list of posts In the tutorial "Creating dynamic blocks" it is explained that to load the list of recent posts in a Gutenberg block the code to use is this:
var el = wp.element.createElement,
    registerBlockType = wp.blocks.registerBlockType,
    withSelect = wp.data.withSelect;

registerBlockType( 'my-plugin/latest-post', {
    ...

    edit: withSelect( function( select ) {
        return {
            posts: select( 'core' ).getEntityRecords( 'postType', 'post' )
        };
    } )( function( props ) {

        if ( ! props.posts ) {
            return "Loading...";
        }

        if ( props.posts.length === 0 ) {
            return "No posts";
        }
        var className = props.className;
        var post = props.posts[ 0 ];

        return el(
            'a',
            { className: className, href: post.link },
            post.title.rendered
        );
    } ),

    ...
} );

I've tried this code, but the block always shows "Loading...".
It seems that props.posts is always null or undefined and that the query never returns anything.
Obviously, using the built-in Recent Articles block of WordPress all works well and the list is loaded correctly.
Checking the code of the built-in block, it seems using the exact same selctor (also with some more parameters coming from the configuration of the block itself):
...

export default withSelect( ( select, props ) => {
    const { postsToShow, order, orderBy, categories } = props.attributes;
    const { getEntityRecords } = select( 'core' );
    const latestPostsQuery = pickBy( {
        categories,
        order,
        orderby: orderBy,
        per_page: postsToShow,
    }, ( value ) => ! isUndefined( value ) );
    return {
        latestPosts: getEntityRecords( 'postType', 'post', latestPostsQuery ),
    };
} )( LatestPostsEdit );

Any ideas about what maybe happening?
How can I debug the issue?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Высшая духовная семинария () — государственное высшее учебное заведение, католическая духовная семинария, находящаяся в городе Белосток, Польша. Семинария готовит католических священников для белостокской архиепархии.

История
Семинария была основана 11 января 1582 года в Вильне архиепископом Юрием Радзивиллом. В течение последующих двух веков семинария располагалась в епископском дворце. Дальнейшее развитие семинарии произошло, когда она была передана в попечение монахам из конгрегации святого Викентия де Поля. В 1774 году при архиепископе Масальском семинария переехала в собственное помещение в бывшем здании иезуитского новициата при церкви святого Игнатия Лойоллы. Во время правления архиепископа Непомуцена Коссаковского семинария переместилась в бывший кармелитский монастырь при церкви святого Георгия. В этом месте семинария просуществовала до 1945 года. С 1925 года семинария была филиалом теологического факультета Университета Стефана Батория.

В 1945 году Вильнюс был передан Литве. 20 февраля 1945 года архиепископ Ромуальд Яблжиковский принял решение переместить семинарию в Белосток. После перевода семинарии в Польшу учебная часть семинарии до 1981 года располагалась в различных зданиях Белостока. В 1981 году было построено новое здание для семинарии. В 1991 году Святой Престол учредил епархию Белостока и семинария приобрела епархиальный статус.

Белостокская семинария характеризуется миссионерской направленностью. В конце XX века в белостокскую семинарию направлялись на обучение студенты из Белоруссии и России, где в то время не существовало собственных католических семинарий.

Ректоры
 Ян Ушило (1945);
 Игнацы Свирский (1945—1946);
 Владислав Сушинский (1946-1968);
 Антоний Цихонский (1968-1972);
 Станислав Пётровский (1972—1979);
 Эдвард Озоровский (1979—1992);
 Тадеуш Крахель (1992—1993);
 Станислав Холодок (1993-2001);
 Юзеф Забельский (2001-2004);
 Войцех Лазевский (2004-2007);
 Адам Скречко (2007-2013);
 Анджей Проневский (2013-2019);
 Мариан Странковский (с 2019).

Ссылки
  Официальная страница семинарии

Б
Архиепархия Белостока
Образование в Белостоке
Высшая духовная семинария Белостока

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Owner Login Guest Login
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Home > BS 1351
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Property Name: BS 1351
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Relax in the spacious living area or enjoy a glass of wine on the lanai.This condo is turnkey furnished including washer /dryer and private garage. Guests are walking distance away from private beach access to Siesta Key's world-renowned white sandy beach on the Gulf of Mexico. Come stay with us and enjoy warm sunny Siesta Key!
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Gulf & Bay Bayside
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941-346-3499 | Bayside@argusmgmt.com
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Gorbachev and I: The unbearable unethicalness of politics
By Andrey Dementiev
Mar. 13 1992 00:00
Gorbachev was pushing his way through the correspondents and guests that had surrounded him, shaking hands with someone, smiling, stopping for a short while to speak with acquaintances. When he reached me, Mikhail Sergeevich stretched out his hand and asked cheerfully: "What do you think, am I ever going to make it to the microphone? "
The president made his speech - informal, but businesslike and precise. and then the chaos so common at these events began. Watching him from afar I recalled our last two meetings with him, when he was still president of the U. S. S. R.
The Bolshoi Theater was celebrating the 850th anniversary of the great Azerbaijani poet Nizami. A few writers, representatives of the various republics, participated in the program, including myself, representing Russia. I said that politics separates people, economics, especially such as ours, depresses them, and only art and literature can unite and bring their hearts closer together. During the recess we gathered in the little hall, Mikhail Sergeevich and Raisa Maximovna, his wife, appeared, greeted us and immediately joined our conversation.
The president said to me: "Andrei, you were absolutely right when you said that politics are unethical. To my regret, it is so. and although all my life I tried to unite politics and morals into one, this is, alas, still only a romantic dream".
I noticed how his eyes darkened and his face reflected worry and sadness. I imagine he was thinking of something personal at that moment and did not want to speak about it. We stood next to each other a while longer, quietly understanding one another. At the door, we agreed to meet. It was hard to set up a definite time. In two days he was flying off to Madrid.
I left for a long trip to the United States, and by the time I returned, much had already been decided in the exhausting struggle for and against the Union agreement. Rumors were rife about the impending resignation of, Gorbachev. Then a meeting of the leaders of the Slavic republics hammered three nails into the coffin of U. S. S. R.
I can still hear the muted, sad voice of Mikhail Sergeevich as he expressed his bitterness at his colleagues, who had hurried to report to Bush about the formation of the independent republics, and had forgotten to tell their own president. "What a shame. . . a great shame. . ". , said Gorbachev. But emotions, as we know, are superfluous in politics. and once again he repeated the familiar phrase about the unethical nature of politics. I was shocked by this impromptu meeting, and the earnestness with which be addressed all of us: "If only this would help the country. . ".
He did not get angry and did not raise his voice. Something inside him bad been extinguished, as though someone had turned off the motor in his soul. Maybe this is what shocked me most about that conversation. Honestly speaking, I was on his side. I have never disguised my thoughts on this issue or my impressions of what happened. and when I met with the president again at his residence - he hosted a reception for delegates attending the international conference on "The Anatomy of Hate", - I felt that through his special warmth to me he instinctively understood my response to recent events.
The meeting was permeated with sadness because everyone understood that the president was leaving. When he entered the room, everyone stood up. It was a mark of respect to the man who had done so much for the world, for democracy, for the future.
When Elli Wiesel, winner of the Nobel Prize, asked Gorbachev, who had received this same prize as president, if he wished Wiesel too could become president, Gorbachev smiled with sadness: "I wouldn't advise it". Once again, he repeated that same phrase about the unethical nature of politics that I first hear from him in the Bolshoi Theatre. I imagine that everyone understood it in the same way - Gorbachev had in mind the separatist meeting of the three republican presidents who signed a document behind his back, cancelling the Union Agreement and the president with it.
In the days of the putch. Radio Svoboda asked me how could Gorbachev have surrounded himself with people who not only betrayed the cause to which he devoted his life, but placed the man who had promoted them in such a difficult position. I remember that I said on the air that one had to know Gorbachev. Mikhail Sergeevich is a very open and trusting person. When someone wanted to ingratiate himself with Gorbachev, the president was not always able to spot this. Such people are devious, playing the part of loyal Gorbachev supporters.
His trusting and kind nature played a cruel joke on him. In relying on others, he weakened his own position. He cannot be forgiven for this.
Of course, Gorbachev is a strong person. This was demonstrated by the calm and dignified manner in which he left office. He is also aware of the role in history that he has already played, and that which still awaits him. He is the first of our leaders to leave his post to rejoin the richness of life, from which he had been somewhat distant in recent times.
I am convinced that the Gorbachev epoch is not yet over. Not only because he will still participate in the public life of the country, but also because everything that he did during this period will continue through us.


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Tag Archives: manifest
Religious Conversion Worst Form of 'Intolerance,' Bhutan PM Says
Propagation of religion is allowable – but not seeking conversions, top politician says.
THIMPHU, Bhutan, April 13 (CDN) — In the Kingdom of Bhutan, where Christianity is still awaiting legal recognition, Christians have the right to proclaim their faith but must not use coercion or claim religious superiority to seek conversions, the country's prime minister told Compass in an exclusive interview.
"I view conversions very negatively, because conversion is the worst form of intolerance," Jigmi Yoser Thinley said in his office in the capital of the predominantly Buddhist nation.
Christian leaders in Bhutan have told Compass that they enjoy certain freedoms to practice their faith in private homes, but, because of a prohibition against church buildings and other restrictions, they were not sure if proclamation of their faith – included in international human rights codes – was allowed in Bhutan.
Prime Minister Thinley, who as head of the ruling party is the most influential political chief in the country, said propagation of one's faith is allowed, but he made it clear that he views attempts to convert others with extreme suspicion.
"The first premise [of seeking conversion] is that you believe that your religion is the right religion, and the religion of the convertee is wrong – what he believes in is wrong, what he practices is wrong, that your religion is superior and that you have this responsibility to promote your way of life, your way of thinking, your way of worship," Thinley said. "It's the worst form of intolerance. And it divides families and societies."
Bhutan's constitution does not restrict the right to convert or proselytize, but some Non-Governmental Organizations have said the government effectively limits this right by restricting construction of non-Buddhist worship buildings and celebration of some non-Buddhist festivals, according to the U.S. Department of State's 2010 International Religious Freedom Report.
It adds that Bhutan's National Security Act (NSA) further limits proclamation of one's faith by prohibiting "words either spoken or written, or by other means whatsoever, that promote or attempt to promote, on grounds of religion, race, language, caste, or community, or on any other ground whatsoever, feelings of enmity or hatred between different religious, racial, or language groups or castes and communities." Violation of the NSA is punishable by up to three years' imprisonment, though whether
any cases have been prosecuted is unknown, according to the State Department report.
Bhutan's first democratic prime minister after about a century of absolute monarchy, Thinley completed three years in office last Thursday (April 7). While he affirmed that it is allowable for Christians to proclaim their faith – a practice commanded by Christ, with followers agreeing that it is the Holy Spirit, not man, that "converts" people – Thinley made his suspicions about Christians' motives manifest.
"Any kind of proselytization that involves economic and material incentives [is wrong]," he said. "Many people are being converted on hospital beds in their weakest and most vulnerable moments. And these people are whispering in their ears that 'there is no hope for you. The only way that you can survive is if you accept this particular religion.' That is wrong."
Thinley's suspicions include the belief that Christians offer material incentives to convert.
"Going to the poor and saying, 'Look, your religion doesn't provide for this life, our religion provides for this life as well as the future,' is wrong. And that is the basis for proselytization."
Christian pastors in Thimphu told Compass that the perception that Bhutan's Christians use money to convert the poor was flawed.
The pastors, requesting anonymity, said they prayed for healing of the sick because they felt they were not allowed to preach tenets of Christianity directly. Many of those who experience healing – almost all who are prayed for, they claimed – do read the Bible and then believe in Jesus' teachings.
Asked if a person can convert if she or he believed in Christianity, the prime minister replied, "[There is] freedom of choice, yes."
In his interview with Compass, Thinley felt compelled to defend Buddhism against assertions that citizens worship idols.
"To say that, 'Your religion is wrong, worshiping idols is wrong,' who worships idols?" he said. "We don't worship idols. Those are just representations and manifestations that help you to focus."
Leader of the royalist Druk Phuensum Tshogpa party, Thinley is regarded as a sincere politician who is trusted by Bhutan's small Christian minority. He became the prime minister in April 2008 following the first democratic election after Bhutan's fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, abdicated power in 2006 to pave the way toward democracy.
Until Bhutan became a constitutional monarchy in 2008, the practice of Christianity was believed to be banned in the country. The constitution now grants the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion to all citizens. It also states that the king is the protector of all religions.
Thus far, the Religious Organisations Act of 2007 has recognized only Buddhist and Hindu organizations. As a result, no church building or Christian bookstore has been allowed in the country, nor can Christians engage in social work. Christianity in Bhutan remains confined to the homes of local believers, where they meet for collective worship on Sundays.
Asked if a Christian federation should be registered by the government to allow Christians to function with legal recognition, Thinley said, "Yes, definitely."
The country's agency regulating religious organizations under the 2007 act, locally known as the Chhoedey Lhentshog, is expected to make a decision on whether it could register a Christian federation representing all Christians. The authority is looking into provisions in the law to see if there is a scope for a non-Buddhist and non-Hindu organization to be registered. (See http://www.compassdirect.com, "Official Recognition Eludes Christian Groups in Bhutan," Feb. 1.)
On whether the Religious Organisations Act could be amended if it is determined that it does not allow legal recognition of a Christian federation, the prime minister said, "If the majority view and support prevails in the country, the law will change."
Thinley added that he was partially raised as a Christian.
"I am part Christian, too," he said. "I read the Bible, occasionally of course. I come from a traditional [Christian] school and attended church every day except for Saturdays for nine years."
A tiny nation in the Himalayas between India and China, Bhutan has a population of 708,484 people, of which roughly 75 percent are Buddhist, according to Operation World. Christians are estimated to be between 6,000 to nearly 15,000 (the latter figure would put Christians at more than 2 percent of the population), mostly from the south. Hindus, mainly ethnic Nepalese, constitute around 22 percent of the population and have a majority in the south.
Religious 'Competition'
Bhutan's opposition leader, Lyonpo Tshering Togbay, was equally disapproving of religious conversion.
"I am for propagation of spiritual values or anything that allows people to be good human beings," he told Compass. "[But] we cannot have competition among religions in Bhutan."
He said, however, that Christians must be given rights equal to those of Hindus and Buddhists.
"Our constitution guarantees the right to freedom of practice – full stop, no conditions," he said. "But now, as a small nation state, there are some realities. Christianity is a lot more evangelistic than Hinduism or Buddhism."
Togbay said there are Christians who are tolerant and compassionate of other peoples, cultures and religions, but "there are Christians also who go through life on war footing to save every soul. That's their calling, and it's good for them, except that in Bhutan we do not have the numbers to accommodate such zeal."
Being a small nation between India and China, Bhutan's perceived geopolitical vulnerability leads authorities to seek to pre-empt any religious, social or political unrest. With no economic or military might, Bhutan seeks to assert and celebrate its sovereignty through its distinctive culture, which is based on Buddhism, authorities say.
Togbay voiced his concern on perceived threats to Bhutan's Buddhist culture.
"I studied in a Christian school, and I have lived in the West, and I have been approached by the Jehovah's Witness – in a subway, in an elevator, in a restaurant in the U.S. and Switzerland. I am not saying they are bad. But I would be a fool if I was not concerned about that in Bhutan," he said. "There are other things I am personally concerned about. Religions in Bhutan must live in harmony. Too often I have come across people who seek a convert, pointing to statues of our deities and saying
that idol worship is evil worship. That is not good for the security of our country, the harmony of our country and the pursuit of happiness."
The premise of the Chhoedey Lhentshog, the agency regulating religious organizations, he said, "is that all the different schools of Buddhism and all the different religions see eye to eye with mutual respect and mutual understanding. If that objective is not met, it does not make sense to be part of that."
It remains unclear what the legal rights of Christians are, as there is no interaction between the Christians and the government. Christian sources in Bhutan said they were open to dialogue with the government in order to remove "misunderstandings" and "distrust."
"Thankfully, our political leadership is sincere and trustworthy," said one Christian leader.
Asserting that Christians enjoy the right to worship in Bhutan, Prime Minister Thinley said authorities have not interfered with any worship services.
"There are more Christian activities taking place on a daily basis than Hindu and Buddhist activities," he added.
Posted in Bhutan, Buddhism, China, Christianity, Hinduism, India, Nepal, Switzerland, USA	| Tagged 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, abdicated, absolute, accept, accommodate, activities, affirmed, against, agency, agreeing, allow, allowable, amended, anything, approached, assert, assertions, attempt, attempts, attended, authorities, authority, awaiting, bad, banned, based, basis, became, beds, belief, believe, believed, believes, between, Bhutan, Bible, bookstore, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhists, buildings, calling, cannot, capital, cases, caste, celebration, certain, change, Chhoedey Lhentshog, chief, China, choice, Christ, Christian, Christianity, Christians, church, citizens, claim, codes, coercion, collective, commanded, communities, community, compassionate, compelled, competition, concern, concerned, conditions, confined, conscience, constitution, constitutional, construction, conversion, conversions, convert, converted, convertee, country, cultures, daily, decision, defend, definitely, deities, democracy, Democratic, determined, dialogue, different, directly, disapproving, distinctive, distrust, divides, Druk Phuensum Tshogpa, ears, economic, effectively, election, elevator, engage, enjoy, enmity, equally, ethnic, evangelistic, evil, expected, experience, extreme, eye, faith, families, federation, feelings, festivals, first, flawed, focus, followers, following, fool, footing, form, fourth, freedom, freedoms, function, future, geopolitical, good, government, grants, grounds, groups, guarantees, happiness, harmony, hatred, head, healing, help, Himalayas, Hindu, Hinduism, Hindus, Holy Spirit, homes, hope, hospital, human beings, human rights, idols, imprisonment, incentives, included, India, influential, interaction, interfered, international, International Religious Freedom report, intolerance, involves, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Jigmi Yoser Thinley, kind, king, Kingdom of Bhutan, known, language, law, leaders, leadership, leads, legal, life, limits, lived, local, locally, looking, Lyonpo Tshering Togbay, majority, man, manifest, manifestations, material, means, meet, might, military, minority, misunderstandings, moments, monarchy, money, most, motives, mutual, nation, National Security Act, negatively, Nepal, Nepalese, non-Buddhist, Non-Governmental Organizations, NSA, objective, offer, office, open, Operation World, opposition, organizations, part, partially, Particular, party, pastors, pave, people, perceived, perception, Persecution, personally, PM, political, politician, poor, power, practice, practices, prayed, preach, predominantly, premise, prevails, Prime Minister, private, proclaim, proclamation, prohibiting, prohibition, promote, propagation, prosecuted, proselytization, proselytize, protector, provide, provisions, punishable, pursuit, race, raised, read, realities, recognition, recognized, regarded, registered, regulating, religion, religious, Religious Organisations Act, remains, remove, representations, representing, respect, responsibility, restaurant, restrict, restrictions, result, right, royalist, ruling, save, school, schools, scope, security, seek, seeking, sense, sick, sincere, small, social, societies, soul, south, sovereignty, spiritual, spoken, state, statues, studied, subway, Sundays, superior, superiority, support, survive, suspicion, Switzerland, teachings, tenets, thankfully, Thimphu, thinking, thought, threats, tiny, tolerant, top, traditional, trusted, trustworthy, U.S. Department of State, unclear, understanding, unrest, USA, use, values, view, violation, voiced, vulnerability, vulnerable, War, way, weakest, West, whatsoever, whispering, words, work, worship, worshipping, worst, written, wrong, zeal | Leave a comment
Prospects Dim for Religious Freedom in Nepal
Posted on April 1, 2011 by particularkev
Right to share faith could harm Nepal's Hindu identity, lawmakers believe.
KATHMANDU, Nepal, March 29 (CDN) — A new constitution that Nepal's parliament is scheduled to put into effect before May 28 may not include the right to propagate one's faith.
The draft constitution, aimed at completing the country's transition from a Hindu monarchy to a secular democracy, contains provisions in its "religious freedom" section that prohibit anyone from converting others from one religion to another.
Most political leaders in the Himalayan country seemed unaware of how this prohibition would curb religious freedom.
"Nepal will be a secular state – there is no other way," said Sushil Koirala, president of the Nepali Congress, Nepal's "Grand Old Party," but he added that he was not aware of the proposal to restrict the right to evangelism.
"Forcible conversions cannot be allowed, but the members of the Constituent Assembly [acting parliament] should be made aware of [the evangelism ban's] implications," Koirala, a veteran and one of the most influential politicians of the country, told Compass.
Gagan Thapa, another leader of the Nepali Congress, admitted that banning all evangelistic activities could lead to undue restrictions.
"Perhaps, the words, 'force, inducement and coercion' should be inserted to prevent only unlawful conversions," he told Compass.
Man Bahadur Bishwakarma, also from the Nepali Congress, said that of all the faith communities in Nepal, Christians were most active in converting others, sometimes unethically.
"There are problems in Hinduism, such as the caste hierarchy, but that doesn't mean you should convert out of it," he said. "I believe in reforming one's religion."
Asked if the restriction on converting others violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Akal Bahadur of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) said, "It may, but there was a general consensus on it [the prohibition]. Besides, it is still a draft, not the final constitution."
Nepal signed the ICCPR on May 14, 1991. Article 18 of the ICCPR includes the right to manifest one's religion, which U.N. officials have interpreted as the right to evangelistic and missionary activities.
Akal Bahadur and Thapa are members of the Committee on Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles, which was tasked to propose the scope of religious freedom and other rights in the draft constitution. This committee, one of 11 thematic panels, last year submitted a preliminary draft to the Assembly suggesting that a person should be allowed to decide whether to convert from one religion to another, but that no one should convert anyone else.
Binda Pandey, chairperson of the fundamental rights committee and member of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), told Compass that it was now up to the Assembly to decide whether this provision violates religious freedom.
The Constitution Committee is condensing the preliminary drafts by all the committees as one draft constitution. At least 288 contentious issues arose out of the 11 committees, and the Constitution Committee has resolved 175 of them, Raju Shakya of the Kathmandu-based Centre for Constitutional Dialogue (CCD) told Compass.
The "religious freedom" provision with its ban on evangelism did not raise an eyebrow, however, as it is among the issues listed under the "Area of Agreement" on the CCD Web site.
Once compiled, the draft constitution will be subject to a public consultation, after which another draft will be prepared for discussion of clauses in the Constitutional Assembly; provisions will be implemented on a two-thirds majority, Shakya said.
Hindu Identity
Thapa of the fundamental rights committee indicated that religious conversion could become a contentious issue if the proposed restriction is removed. Even the notion of a secular state is not wholly accepted in the country.
"If you hold a referendum on whether Nepal should become a secular state, the majority will vote against it," Thapa said.
Most Hindus see their religion as an essential part of the country's identity that they want to preserve, he added.
Dr. K.B. Rokaya, the only Christian member of Nepal's National Commission for Human Rights, said Nepal's former kings created and imposed a Hindu identity for around 240 years because it suited them; under the Hindu ethos, a king should be revered as a god. Most of the numerous Hindu temples of Nepal were built under the patronage of the kings.
Rokaya added that Christians needed to be more politically active. The Assembly does not have even one Christian member.
According to the 2001 census, over 80 percent of Nepal's 30 million people are Hindu. Christians are officially .5 percent, but their actual number is believed to be much higher.
Nepal was the world's only Hindu kingdom until 2006, when a people's movement led by former Maoist guerrillas and supported by political parties, including the Nepali Congress and the Unified Marxist Leninist, ousted King Gyanendra.
An interim constitution was enacted in 2007, and the Constituent Assembly was elected through Nepal's first fully democratic election a year later. The Assembly was supposed to promulgate a new constitution by May 28, 2010, but its term was extended by one year.
It is still uncertain, however, whether the approaching deadline will be met due to persistent disagreements among parties. The Maoist party has 220 members, the Nepali Congress 110, and the Unified Marxist Leninist 103 in the 575-member Assembly.
Rokaya, a member of the newly formed United Christians Alliance of Nepal, comprising a majority of Christian denominations, said Christians would continue to ask for full religious freedom. The use of inducement or force for conversions is deplorable, but the right to preach the tenets of one's religion is a fundamental freedom, he added.
Posted in Christianity, Communism, Hinduism, Nepal	| Tagged 1991, 2006, active, activities, Akal Bahadur, Area of Agreement, banning, believe, Binda Pandey, built, caste, CCD, Centre for Constitutional Dialogue, Chairperson, Christian, Christianity, Christians, committee, Committee on Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles, Communism, communist, Communist Party of Nepal, communists, consensus, Constituent Assembly, constitution, Constitution Committee, Constitutional Assembly, consultation, conversions, converting, country, created, curb, decide, democracy, Democratic, denominations, deplorable, dim, Dr, draft, effect, elected, election, enacted, ethos, evangelistic, faith, Final, force, formed, former, fundamental, Gagan Thapa, general, God, guerrillas, Gyanendra, harm, hierarchy, Himalayan, Hindu, Hinduism, Hindus, ICCPR, identity, imposed, inducement, interim, International Covenant on Civil and political Rights, K B Rokaya, Kathmandu, king, Kingdom, kings, lawmakers, leaders, led, Man Bahadur Bishwakarma, manifest, Maoist, member, missionary, monarchy, movement, Nepal, Nepal's National Commission for Human Rights, Nepali Congress, Nepali Congress 110, new, newly, panels, Parliament, parties, patronage, people, Persecution, political, politically, preach, preliminary, President, prohibit, prohibition, promulgate, propagate, propose, prospects, provision, provisions, public, Raju Shakya, referendum, reforming, religion, religious freedom, restrictions, revered, right, rights, scheduled, scope, secular, share, signed, supported, Sushil Koirala, temples, tenets, thematic, transition, unaware, Unified Marxist Leninist, Unified Marxist Leninist 103, United Christians Alliance of Nepal, United Communist Party of Nepal, violated | Leave a comment
Moroccan Convert Serving 15 Years for His Faith
Christian's sentence for 'proselytism,' burning poles called excessive.
ISTANBUL, September 17 (CDN) — Nearly five years into the prison sentence of the only Christian in Morocco serving time for his faith, Moroccan Christians and advocates question the harsh measures of the Muslim state toward a man who dared speak openly about Jesus.
By the end of December Jamaa Ait Bakrim, 46, will have been in prison for five years at Morocco's largest prison, Prison Centrale, in Kenitra. An outspoken Christian convert, Bakrim was sentenced to 15 years prison for "proselytizing" and destroying "the goods of others" in 2005 after burning two defunct utility poles located in front of his private business in a small town in south Morocco.
Advocates and Moroccan Christians said, however, that the severity of his sentence in relation to his misdemeanor shows that authorities were determined to put him behind bars because he persistently spoke about his faith.
"He became a Christian and didn't keep it to himself," said a Moroccan Christian and host for Al Hayat Television who goes only by his first name, Rachid, for security reasons. "He shared it with people around him. In Morocco, and this happened to me personally, if you become a Christian you may be persecuted by your family. If you keep it to yourself, no one will bother you. If you share it with anyone else and start speaking about it, that's another story."
Rachid fled Morocco in 2005 due to mounting pressure on him and his family. He is a wanted man in his country, but he said it is time for people to start speaking up on behalf of Bakrim, whom he said has "zeal" for his faith and speaks openly about it even in prison.
"Our Moroccan brothers and sisters suffer, and we just assume things will be OK and will somehow change later by themselves," said Rachid. "They will never change if we don't bring it to international attention."
Authorities in Agadir tried Bakrim for "destruction of the goods of others," which is punishable with up to 20 years in prison, and for proselytism under Article 220, which is punishable with six months to three years in prison.
"Jamaa is a manifestation of a very inconvenient truth for Moroccan authorities: there are Moroccan converts to Christianity," said Logan Maurer, a regional director at U.S.-based advocacy group International Christian Concern (ICC). "The government wants to ignore this, suppress it, and when – as in Jamaa's case – the problem won't go away, they do whatever they can to silence it."
Proselytism in Morocco is generally defined as using means of seduction or exploiting weakness to undermine the faith of Muslims or to convert them to another religion.
Recently Morocco has used the law to punish any proclamation of non-Muslim faith, contradicting its pledge to allow freedom to manifest one's faith under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it is a signatory. Article 18 of the covenant affirms the right to manifest one's faith in worship, observance, practice or teaching.
The covenant also states, however, that "freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others."
There are an estimated 1,000 Moroccan Christian converts in the country. They are not recognized by the government. About 99 percent of Morocco's population of more than 33 million is Muslim.
Between March and June authorities expelled 128 foreign Christians in an effort to purge the country of any foreign Christian influences. In April nearly 7,000 Muslim religious leaders backed the deportations by signing a document describing the work of Christians within Morocco as "moral rape" and "religious terrorism." The statement from the religious leaders came amid a nationwide mudslinging campaign geared to vilify Christians in Morocco for "proselytism" – widely perceived as bribing people to change their faith.
In the same time period, Moroccan authorities applied pressure on Moroccan converts to Christianity through interrogations, searches and arrests. Christians on the ground said that, although these have not continued, there is still a general sense that the government is increasingly intolerant of Christian activities.
"They are feeling very bad," said Rachid. "I spoke to several of them, and they say things are getting worse…They don't feel safe. They are under a lot of disappointment, and [they are] depressed because the government is putting all kinds of pressure on them."
From Europe to Prison
Bakrim, a Berber from southern Morocco, studied political science and law in Rabat. After completing his studies he traveled to Europe, where he became a Christian. Realizing that it would be difficult to live out his new-found faith in Morocco, in 1993 he applied for political asylum in the Netherlands, but immigration authorities refused him and expelled him when his visa expired.
In 1995 Bakrim was prosecuted for "proselytizing," and spent seven months in jail in the city of Goulemine. In April 1996 he was transferred to a mental hospital in Inezgane, where authorities ordered he undergo medical treatments. He was released in June. The psychiatric treatment caused side-effects in his behavior and made it difficult for him to control his hands and legs for a period of time, sources told Compass.
Two years later authorities put him in jail again for a year because he publicly displayed a cross, according to an article by Moroccan weekly Le Journal Hebdo published in January 2005.
"He has a zeal about his religion," said Rachid. "He never denied his faith through all these things, and he even preached the gospel in prison and the psychiatric place where they held him … They tried to shut him [up], and they couldn't."
In 2001 Bakrim again attracted attention by painting crosses and writing Bible verses in public view at his place of business, which also served as his home, according to the French-language weekly. Between 2001 and 2005 he reportedly wrote to the municipality of Massa, asking officials to remove two wooden utility posts that were no longer in use, as they were blocking his business. When authorities didn't respond, Bakrim burned them.
During his defense at the Agadir court in southern Morocco, Bakrim did not deny his Christian faith and refuted accusations that he had approached his neighbors in an attempt to "undermine their Muslim faith."
The judge ruled that "the fact that Jamaa denies accusations of proselytism is inconsistent with his previous confession in his opening statement when he proclaimed he was the son of Christ, and that he wished that Moroccans would become Christians," according to Le Journal Hebdo.
Bakrim did not appeal the court sentence. Though there have been other cases of Christians imprisoned for their faith, none of their sentences has been as long as Bakrim's.
"They will just leave him in the prison so he dies spiritually and psychologically," said Rachid. "Fifteen years is too much for anything they say he did, and Jamaa knows that. The authorities know he's innocent. So probably they gave him this sentence so they can shut him [up] forever."
Rachid asked that Christians around the world continue to lobby and pray that their Moroccan brothers and sisters stand firm and gain their freedoms.
"The biggest need is to stand with the Moroccan church and do whatever it takes to ask for their freedom of religion," said Rachid.
Posted in Christianity, Islam, Morocco, Netherlands/Holland	| Tagged 1993, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2005, accusations, advocacy, advocates, affirms, Al Hayat Television, allow, appeal, applied, approached, around, arrests, article, Article 18, article 220, assume, asylum, attempt, attention, attracted, authorities, backed, bad, bars, based, behavior, behind, beliefs, Berber, Bible, biggest, blocking, bribing, brothers, bruning, business, called, case, caused, change, Christ, Christian, Christianity, Christians, city, completing, concern, confession, continue, continued, contradicting, control, convert, country, covenant, cross, crosses, dared, defense, defined, defunct, denied, deportations, depressed, describing, destroying, destruction, determined, dies, difficulot, disappointment, displayed, document, effort, Europe, excessive, expelled, expired, exploiting, fact, faith, family, feel, feeling, firm, first, fled, foreign, freedom, freedom of religion, freedoms, French-language, front, fundamental, gain, geared, general, generally, goods, gospel, Goulemine, government, ground, group, hands, happened, harsh, health, hospital, host, ICC, ignore, immigration, imprisoned, inconsistent, inconvenient, increasingly, Inezgane, influences, innocent, international, International Christian, International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights, interrogations, intolerant, Islam, Jamaa Ait Bakrim, January, Jesus, judge, Kenitra, largest, law, Le Journal Hebdo, leaders, leave, legs, limitations, lobby, located, Logan Maurer, long, man, manifest, manifestation, Massa, means, measures, medical, mental, misdemeanor, moral, morals, Moroccan, Morocco, mounting, mudslinging, municipality, Muslim, muslims, name, nationwide, necessary, need, neighbors, Netherlands, non-Muslim, observance, officials, OK, opening, openly, order, ordered, others, outspoken, painting, people, perceived, period, persecuted, Persecution, persistently, personally, place, pledge, poles, political, posts, practice, pray, preached, prescribed, previous, prison, Prison Centrale, private, problem, proclaimed, proclamation, prosecuted, proselytism, protect, psychiatric, psychologically, public, publicly, published, punish, punishable, purge, question, Rabat, Rachid, rape, reasons, recognized, refuted, regional director, relation, released, religion, religious, remove, right, ruled, safe, safety, science, searches, security, seduction, sense, sentence, serving, severity, shared, side-effects, signatory, signing, silence, sisters, small, son, south, southern, speak, spiritually, spoke, stand, state, statement, story, studied, studies, subject, suffer, suppress, teaching, terrorism, things, time, toward, town, transferred, traveled, treatments, tried, truth, undergo, undermine, USA, use, using, utility, verses, view, vilify, visa, wanted, weakness, weekly, wished, wooden, work, world, worse, worship, writing, wrote, zeal | Leave a comment
Morocco Begins Large-Scale Expulsion of Foreign Christians
Ongoing purge launched nationwide to stop 'proselytization.'
ISTANBUL, March 12 (CDN) — Moroccan authorities deported more than 40 foreign Christian aid workers this week in an ongoing, nationwide crackdown that included the expulsion of foster parents caring for 33 Moroccan orphans.
Deportations of foreign Christians continued at press time, with Moroccan authorities expressing their intention to deport specifically U.S. nationals. Sources in Morocco told Compass that the government gave the U.S. Embassy in Rabat a list of 40 citizens to be deported.
The U.S. Embassy in Rabat could not comment on the existence of such a list, but spokesperson David Ranz confirmed that the Moroccan government plans to deport more U.S. citizens for alleged "proselytizing."
"We have been informed by the Moroccan government that it does intend to expel more American citizens," said embassy spokesperson David Ranz.
Citing Western diplomats and aid groups, Reuters reported that as many as 70 foreign aid workers had been deported since the beginning of the month, including U.S., Dutch, British and New Zealand citizens.
At the Village of Hope orphanage near Ain Leuh, 50 miles south of Fez, the government on Monday (March 8) expelled 16 staff workers, 10 foster parents and 13 natural-born dependents from the country. The orphanage arranges for orphaned children to live with a set of foster parents rather than in a traditional dormitory setting, according to its website.
Police first came to the orphanage Saturday afternoon (March 6), questioning children and looking for Bibles and evidence of Christian evangelism; by late Sunday night they had told all foster parents and staff that they had to leave on Monday.
New Zealand native Chris Broadbent, a worker at Village of Hope, told Compass that the separation of the foster families and the children under their care was traumatic. As much as they hoped to be re-united, he said, that did not seem likely – officials told them they could visit as tourists in the future, but in reality authorities do not allow re-entry for those who have been expelled.
"At this stage, as much as we want to see the parents get back with their kids, we understand that may be almost impossible," Broadbent said. "We're not searching for scalps here, we don't want to harm Morocco or anything like that, but we want to see the parents re-united with their children."
Broadbent emphasized that government accusations that they had been proselytizing were unfounded, and that all staff had signed and adhered to a non-proselytizing policy.
"We were a legal institution," he said. "Right from the start they knew that it was an organization founded by Christians and run by a mixture of Christians and Muslim people working together."
Authorities told orphanage officials that they were being deported due to proselytizing but gave no evidence or explanation of who, when, where or how that was supposed to have occurred, according to a Village of Hope statement.
The orphanage had been operating for 10 years. Moroccan authorities had never before raised any charges about the care of the children, according to Village of Hope's website.
In the village of Azrou, about 100 miles east of Rabat, another orphanage called Children's Haven has been under investigation this week. Although it was still operating at press time, sources said its 20 staff members were prepared for a fate similar to that of Village of Hope, 30 minutes south.
"This action against the Village of Hope was part of a nationwide crackdown against Christians living in Morocco," read a statement on Village of Hope's website.
Some Christians in Morocco attribute the change in the country, generally known for its tolerance towards religious minorities, to the appointments of Mohammed Naciri as Minister of Justice and Taieb Cherkaoui as Minister of Interior in January.
Communications Minister Khalid Naciri said the government would be "severe with all those who play with religious values," reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Local Christians Next?
A Moroccan pastor, his wife and a relative were arrested on Wednesday [March 10] and released on the next day, raising fears among local Christians that the wave of intolerance may spread to the country's small but growing church of nearly 1,000 believers.
An expert on religious freedom in the Middle East who requested anonymity said that attacks on the church are inevitable even in a Western-looking, modern country like Morocco, as the church grows and becomes more visible.
"Because conversion is a taboo, if the government looks like it is doing nothing in regard to all the foreign missionaries that are coming and 'corrupting' the country and its 'national soul,' it gives credit to Islamists who could challenge the 'Islam-ness' of the Royal Family and the government, and that's just what Morocco can't afford," said the expert.
The clampdown on foreign workers could signal government malaise toward the growing church.
"The more they grow, the more visible they become, the more they'll attract this reaction," said the expert. "And that's why they've been so quiet with house groups. It's just a matter of time."
Communications Minister Naciri reportedly denied the new, tougher line against non-Muslims was a step backward in terms of religious freedom in Morocco.
"Morocco has always been and remains a land of openness and tolerance," he told AFP. "The rare cases of expulsion have nothing to do with the practice of Christianity but with acts of proselytism."
The children have reportedly been placed in a care home.
Contradictory Documents
As a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Morocco's accusations of "proselytization" by foreign aid workers apparently contradict its pledge to allow freedom to manifest one's faith. Article 18 of the covenant affirms the right to manifest one's faith in worship, observance, practice or teaching.
Previously the North African country had a history of religious tolerance. Morocco's constitution provides for freedom to practice one's religion, contradicting Article 220 of the Moroccan Penal Code, which criminalizes any attempt to induce a Muslim to convert to another religion.
In its 2009 international religious freedom report, the U.S. Department of State noted that on April 2, 2009, a Moroccan government spokesman asserted that freedom of religion does not include freedom to choose one's faith.
"The fight against Christian proselytizing in accordance with law cannot be considered among human rights abuses," the Moroccan government spokesman said, "for it is an action aimed at preventing attempts to undermine the country's immutable religious values. The freedom of belief does not mean conversion to another religion."
The crackdown this month appears unprecedented, with only smaller groups previously deported. In March 2009, Moroccan authorities expelled five foreign female Christians for trying to "proselytize" although sources said they were foreign visitors merely attending a Bible study with fellow Christians. In November 2009, police raided a Christian meeting in northern Morocco and expelled five foreigners.
Last month a large, military-led team of Moroccan authorities raided a Bible study in a small city southeast of Marrakech, arresting 18 Moroccans and deporting a U.S. citizen.
In a message yesterday to U.S. citizens registered with the embassy, U.S. Ambassador Samuel Kaplan reportedly expressed concern about how the authorities conducted the deportations. Foreign Christians were told their residence permits were cancelled and that they had to leave the country immediately; they had no rights to appeal or challenge the decision.
"We were disheartened and distressed to learn of the recent expulsion by the Moroccan government of a number of foreigners, including numerous Americans, who had been legally residing in Morocco," Kaplan said in a statement. "Although we expect all American citizens to respect Moroccan law, we hope to see significant improvements in the application of due process in this sort of case."
Posted in Christianity, Islam, Morocco, Netherlands/Holland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, USA	| Tagged 2009, abuses, accordance, accusations, action, adhered, affirms, afford, aid, aid workers, aimed, Ain Leuh, alleged, allow, ambassador, American, anonymity, appeal, application, appointments, arranges, arrested, article 220, asserted, attacks, attempt, attending, attract, attribute, authorities, Azrou, backward, beginning, begins, beliefs, believers, Bible Study, Bibles, British, cancelled, caring, challenge, change, charges, children, Children's Haven, choose, Chris Broadbent, Christian, Christianity, Christians, church, citing, citizens, city, clampdown, coming, comment, communications, concern, confirmed, considered, constitution, continued, contradict, contradictory, conversion, convert, corrupting, country, covenant, crackdown, crdit, criminalizes, David Ranz, decision, denied, Department of State, dependents, deportations, deported, diplomats, disheartened, distressed, documents, dormitory, due process, Dutch, embassy, emphasized, evangelism, evidence, existence, expert, explanation, expressed, expressing, expulsion, faith, families, family, fears, female, Fez, fight, foreign, foster, founded, freedom, freedoms, fundamental, future, government, groups, growing, grows, harm, health, History, hoped, house, human rights, immutable, impossible, improvements, included, induce, inevitable, informed, Institution, intend, intention, International Covenant on Civil and political Rights, International Religious Freedom report, intolerance, investigation, Islam, Islam-ness, Islamists, Khalid Naciri, kids, land, large, large-scale, launched, law, learn, leave, legal, likely, limitations, line, list, live, living, looking, looks, malaise, manifest, Marrakech, message, Middle East, military-led, minister, Minister of Interior, minister of justice, minorities, missionaries, mixture, modern, Mohammed Naciri, morals, Moroccan, Moroccan Penal Code, Morocco, Muslim, muslims, national, nationals, nationwide, native, natural-born, necessary, new, New Zealand, non-Muslims, non-proselytizing, North African, northern, nothing, observance, occurred, officials, ongoing, openness, operating, order, organization, orphanage, orphaned, orphans, parents, part, Pastor, people, permits, Persecution, plans, play, pledge, police, policy, practice, prescribed, press time, preventing, proselytism, proselytization, proselytizing, protect, provides, public, purge, questioning, quiet, Rabat, raided, raised, raising, re-united, reaction, reality, recent, regard, registered, relative, released, religion, religious, religious freedom, remains, requested, residence, residing, respect, right, royal, safety, Samuel Kaplan, scalps, searching, separation, set, setting, severe, signal, signatory, signed, significant, small, smaller, soul, sources, southeast, specifically, spokesman, spokesperson, spread, staff, start, step, stop, subject, supposed, taboo, Taieb Cherkaoui, teaching, team, together, tolerance, tougher, tourists, traditional, traumatic, undermine, understand, unfounded, unprecedented, USA, values, village, Village of Hope, visible, visit, visitors, wave, Website, western, wife, worker, workers, worship | Leave a comment
Moroccan Authorities Raid Bible Study, Arrest Christians
Order to detain 18 nationals, deport U.S. citizen apparently came from highest levels.
MARSEILLES, France, February 9 (CDN) — A large, military-led team of Moroccan authorities raided a Bible study in a small city southeast of Marrakech last week, arresting 18 Moroccans and deporting a U.S. citizen, area Christian leaders said.
Approximately 60 officers from the Moroccan security services on Thursday afternoon (Feb. 4) raided the home of a Christian in Amizmiz, a picturesque city of 10,000 mainly Berber people 56 kilometers (35 miles) southeast of Marrakech. A church Bible study was in progress at the home with visitors from western and southern Morocco, the leaders said.
Five of the 18 people held for 14 hours were small children, two of them infants no more than 6 months old. The other small children ranged from 20 months to 4 years old, and also detained was the visiting 16-year-old nephew of one of the participants.
The Christian leaders said authorities interrogated participants in the Bible study for 14 hours. The authorities filmed the interrogations with digital video cameras and cell phones.
The leader of the Christian group, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said the raiding party was unusually large. It included an accompaniment of 15 vehicles led by a colonel and two captains.
"It's the first time in our current Moroccan church history that the Moroccan government used this size of a legion to attack a small Christian meeting," he said. "All the time they kept repeating that this was ordered personally by the new Moroccan Justice Minister [Mohamed Naciri] and by the highest level General of the Gendarmerie [Housni Benslimane]."
Quoting a statement by the Interior Ministry, the state-run Maghreb Arabe Presse news agency reported that a "foreign missionary" had been arrested for trying to "spread evangelist creed in the Kingdom and locate new Moroccan nationals for recruitment."
The statement added that the raid took place "following information on the organization of a secret meeting to initiate people into Christianity, which would shake Muslims' faith and undermine the Kingdom's religious values."
The U.S. citizen, whose name has not been released, was deported immediately after interrogation. The Christian leaders said the visiting Moroccans were sent back to their homes in western and southern Morocco.
Authorities seized Bibles, books, two laptops, a digital camera and one cell phone, they said.
"I don't think this number of Moroccan government forces was ever used even against Muslim fundamentalists," the leader of the Christian group said.
Conflicting Codes
Overall, the North African country has a history of religious tolerance. Morocco's constitution provides for freedom to practice one's religion, but Article 220 of the Moroccan Penal Code criminalizes any attempt to induce a Muslim to convert to another religion.
Morocco is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Article 18 of the covenant affirms the right to manifest one's faith in worship, observance, practice or teaching.
In early December last year Moroccan police expelled five Christian foreigners for "attending a forbidden meeting," according to an unnamed government official. The five men were involved in a training seminar for 17 Christians in northern Morocco.
"We were highly surprised that Morocco dared to arrest and expel us," said one of the deported Christians, noting that only Christians were present at the meetings. "The police told us that we were holding a forbidden meeting, but we are friends just coming together for fellowship and for teaching each other. Is that forbidden in Morocco?"
The deportations were a serious violation of religious rights, the Christian said.
"The police came with 35 agents – 12 of them invaded the building, and the rest of the police surrounded the premises just to arrest 17 friends coming together for fellowship," he said. "We were held in custody for one day and night, and we were interrogated for many hours, until 4:30 the next morning."
On March 29, 2009, the Moroccan government announced that it had expelled five female Christians for attempting to "proselytize," although sources said they were foreign visitors merely attending a Bible study with fellow Christians. The accused women were five of 23 tourists, expatriates and Moroccans arrested in Casablanca on March 28 during what the Interior Ministry called a "proselytizing" meeting involving Moroccan citizens.
Police seized numerous pieces of evangelistic "propaganda," including Arabic books and videos. But a source told Compass that everyone in attendance was a Christian and that they had gathered merely for a Bible study, which he said falls within Morocco's constitutional right of freedom to express one's faith.
The authorities interrogated 12 others, 11 of them Moroccan citizens, for participating in the women's Bible study in the apartment of a local Christian leader in Casablanca. They released them early the following morning, returning them home in unmarked police cars, according to the state department report.
"The authorities reportedly pressured the women to return to Islam, mocked their Christian faith, questioned why they left Islam to become Christians, and asked if there were other Christians in their families," the report states.
A Christian who works in the country told Compass that Moroccan Christians do not see themselves as contradicting national values.
"Moroccan Christians are proud to be Moroccan and desire the freedom to be legally recognized by the government," he said.
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IRAN: TWO CHRISTIAN WOMEN IMPRISONED
Held with no legal counsel for over a month, they suffer illness in notorious prison.
LOS ANGELES, April 13 (Compass Direct News) – Accused of "acting against state security" and "taking part in illegal gatherings," two Iranian Christian women have been held in a Tehran prison for over a month in a crowded cell with no access to legal representation.
Amnesty International, in an appeal for urgent action last week, reported that authorities have made the accusations known but have imprisoned the women without filing official charges. The organization called on Iranian authorities to release them and expressed concern for their health.
Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad, 30, who were active in church activities and distributing Bibles according to Amnesty's appeal, were arrested on March 5. They are being held in the detention center of Evin Prison, a facility that has drawn criticism for its human rights violations and executions in recent years. Amnesty's appeal included a call to urge Iranian officials to ensure that the women are not being tortured.
Based on a telephone conversation between Esmaeilabad and a third party on March 28, Amnesty reported that Esmaeilabad said both are suffering from infection and high fever and had not received adequate medical care. The women continue to be detained in an overcrowded cell with 27 other women. Amnesty said they "may be prisoners of conscience, detained solely on account of their religious beliefs."
The women are allowed a one-minute call each day and a weekly visit from family. Authorities have informed their family members that the women are accused of "acting against state security" and "taking part in illegal gatherings," according to the report, and that they would be released after payment of a $400,000 bail. The families have presented the title deeds of their homes as bail but are still waiting for approval from the judge.
Initially the Ministry of Intelligence summoned one of the women, and then took her to the apartment the two shared. There they were officially arrested, and authorities confiscated computers, books and Bibles. The two women were interrogated and held at different police stations.
On March 18 they appeared before Branch 2 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran and subsequently transferred to Evin Prison, said the report.
Even if the women are released on bail, they still have to stand trial. Accusations have not included "apostasy," or leaving Islam, though investigations are ongoing. It is not known whether the women are converts from Islam.
Last September the Iranian Parliament approved review of a new penal code calling for a mandatory death sentence for "apostates." Under current law death sentences for apostasy have been issued only under judicial interpretations of sharia (Islamic law).
Under the new penal code, male "apostates" would be executed, while females would receive life sentences. The new code was sent to Iran's most influential body, the Guardian Council, which is expected to rule on it. The council is made up of six conservative theologians appointed by Iran's Supreme Leader and six jurists nominated by the judiciary and approved by Parliament. This council has the power to veto any bill it deems inconsistent with the constitution and Islamic law.
Converts to Christianity in Iran risk harassment, arrest and attack from authorities even though Article 23 of the Iranian Constitution grants that individual beliefs are private and no one can be "molested or taken to task" for holding them. Iran has also signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states that everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
"This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching," the covenant states.
The last Iranian Christian convert from Islam executed by the Iranian government was Hossein Soodmand in 1990. He was accused of working as "an American spy." Since then at least six Protestant pastors have been assassinated by unknown killers.
Posted in Christianity, Iran, Islam	| Tagged access, according, accusations, accused, acting, action, active, activities, adequate, adopt, allowed, American, Amnesty International, apartment, apostasy, apostates, appeal, appeared, appointed, approval, approved, arrest, arrested, article 23, assassinated, attack, authorities, bail, based, beliefs, Bibles, bill, body, Books, Branch 2, call, called, care, cell, charges, choice, Christian, Christianity, Christians, church, code, community, Computers, concern, confiscated, conscience, conservative, constitution, continue, conversation, converts, council, counsel, covenant, criticism, crowded, current, death sentence, deeds, detained, detention center, different, distributing, drawn, Evin Prison, executed, executions, expressed, facility, families, family, females, fever, filing, freedom, gatherings, government, grants, Guardian Council, harassment, health, held, high, homes, Hossein Soodmand, human rights, illegal, illness, imprisoned, included, inconsistent, individual, individually, infection, influential, International Covenant on Civil and political Rights, interpretations, interrogated, investigations, Iran, Iranian, Islam, Islamic Revolutionary Court, issued, judge, judicial, judiciary, jurists, killers, known, law, leaving, legal, life sentences, male, mandatory, manifest, Maryam Rostampour, Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad, members, Ministry of Intelligence, molested, Muslim, muslims, new, nominated, notorious, observance, official, officially, organization, overcrowded, Parliament, pastors, payment, penal, penal code, police, police stations, power, practice, presented, prison, prisoners, private, Protestant, public, receive, received, recent, release, religion, religious, reported, representation, review, right, risk, rule, security, shared, Sharia, Sharia Law, signed, spy, stand, state, states, subsequently, suffer, suffering, summoned, Supreme Leader, task, teaching, Tehran, telephone, theologians, third party, thought, title, tortured, transferred, trial, unknown, urge, urgent, veto, violations, visit, waiting, women, working, worship | 2 Comments
BANGLADESH: CHRISTIAN CONVERT'S LIFE THREATENED
Muslim family pays price for son's conversion; father shunned, ordered confined to home.
DHAKA, Bangladesh, October 16 (Compass Direct News) – Muslim clerics and neighbors have ordered the father of a man who converted to Catholicism to remain confined to his house until retaliatory punishment can be exacted from the convert.
"Are you not ashamed that your son became Christian?" the founder of a mosque here asked Ruhul Amin Khandaker, father of a 32-year-old businessman who went to Australia earlier this year to court a Philippine Catholic woman, converting to her faith in April. "Why did you not sacrifice your son like cattle before telling the news to us?"
Khandaker has become a social outcast whose family lives under threat from fellow Muslims, in violation of Bangladesh's constitution and international human rights safeguards. His son, Rashidul Amin Khandaker, has applied for protection from Australian immigration officials as he believes police in 88 percent-Muslim Bangladesh would do nothing to protect him from Islamists threatening to kill him.
"They will try to kill me anywhere, any time in Bangladesh, and the police and the authority will not protect me," Rashidul Khandaker wrote in his plea to Australian authorities. "There are records that show a converted person is not protected by the police, authority and society."
Khandaker's life would be in danger if he returned to Bangladesh, said his brother-in-law, identified only as Siddik, adding that "we are also surviving in the society at our own peril."
Rashidul Khandaker's brother wrote him in May to cease all contact with the family. Rakibul Amin Khandaker stated in the letter that Muslim authorities had threatened to ostracize the family because of his brother's conversion, and that his life would be in danger if he returned to Bangladesh as Muslim extremists believe they would get to heaven by punishing him.
Muslim leaders in Dhaka have ordered Khandaker's 65-year-old father to disown his son and exclude him from his wealth and property.
"If he comes to Bangladesh, you must hand him over to us and we will punish him," the founder of the mosque told the elder Khandaker.
Khandaker, who operates an oil lubricant refining business in the Kutubkhali area under Jatrabari police jurisdiction in central Dhaka, told Compass of the grief he experienced when his son informed the family from Sydney that he had become a Christian.
"My other sons and relatives informed it to the nearby cleric of the mosque so that the cleric could console me," he said. "Unfortunately the cleric was so furious . . . [He] told me that, 'You cannot keep any relationship with your son. A man of a noble Muslim family cannot be a Christian, and the society cannot accept it."
Home Ransacked
When Rashidul Khandaker, who worked as director of marketing in his father's business before going to Australia to pursue a relationship with a woman he met over the Internet, telephoned friends in Dhaka about his conversion, seven or eight of them broke into his house to loot his computer, scanner, printer, documents, sofa and other valuables, his father said.
"They told me, 'We will return everything when your son comes back. Whenever he will come back, you must hand him over to us – we will take revenge for his activities. Until he comes, don't mix with the people in the society and stay in your house.'"
The elder Khandaker said his son's former friends also threatened to harm the family if they informed police about the looting.
"We did not file any case against them. If we file a case, they will do more harm and we can not stay in the society," Khandaker said.
After receiving the threats from the local residents and Muslim leaders to remain confined to his house in front of his three sons and other relatives, Khandaker's blood pressure spiked and he suffered a stroke, he said.
"Local doctors did not come to my house to treat me – they are afraid of the society and they also hate us," he said. "I was taken to the hospital. The doctors did a brain scan and they said there was a hemorrhage on the left side of brain."
The ostracizing of the elder Khandaker was especially painful during Ramadan, culminating with the festival of Eid al-Fitre on Oct. 2 after a month of day-long fasting and nightly feasting.
"Nobody, including neighbors and relatives, did come to my house, and I could not go to anybody's house," Khandaker said. "My relatives did not come lest they be in trouble. I was alone during the festival, and nothing has happened like this in my 65 years of life."
Yet Khandaker said he does not want to deprive his son of his property and wealth. "If all of my property and wealth is destroyed, I can tolerate that, but one thing I cannot tolerate is to carry the coffin of my son on my shoulders," Khandaker said.
Any unwillingness of authorities to defend the rights of Rashidul Khandaker or his Muslim family members against the threats against them would violate the freedom of religion asserted in the Constitution of Bangladesh, which states in Article 41.1 in Part 3 that every citizen has the right to profess, practice or propagate any religion.
"My son changed his faith according to his will, and our constitution supports this kind of activity," the elder Khandaker said. "Why the constitutional rights should not be realized in the society?"
The social pressures also defy international human rights safeguards guaranteeing freedom of religion. Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Bangladesh is a party, says that everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
"My son converted to Christianity according to his own will – we did not support it, and we are not converted. Why should we bear the brunt of his faith?" said the elder Khandaker. "I want to get rid of such a claustrophobic, social-outcast life for my son's conversion to Christianity."
Posted in Australia, Bangladesh, Christianity, Islam, Philippines, Roman Catholicism	| Tagged accept, activities, activity, applied, area, ashamed, asked, Australia, Australian, authorities, authority, Bangladesh, belief, believes, blood, brain, brother, brother-in-law, business, businessman, case, cattle, cease, changed, choice, Christian, Christianity, Christians, citizen, claustrophobic, clerics, coffin, computer, confined, conscience, console, constitution, constitutional, contact, conversion, convert, converted, converting, court, danger, defend, deprive, destroyed, Dhaka, director, disown, doctors, documents, Eid al-Fitre, elder, exacted, exclude, experienced, extremists, faith, family, fasting, fastival, Father, feasting, fellow, file, former, founder, freedom, freedom of religion, friends, furious, grief, hate, heaven, hemorrhage, home, hospital, house, human rights, ICCPR, immigration, informed, international, International Covenant on Civil and political Rights, Internet, Islam, Islamists, Jatrabari, jurisdiction, kill, kind, Kutubkhali, leaders, letter, life, local, loot, looting, lubricant, manifest, marketing, mosque, Muslim, muslims, neighbors, news, noble, observance, officials, oil, operates, ordered, ostracize, outcast, painful, party, pays, peril, Persecution, Philippine, plea, police, practice, pressure, price, printer, private, profess, propagate, property, protect, protected, protection, public, punishing, punishment, pursue, Rakibul Amin Khandaker, Ramadan, ransacked, Rashidul Amin Khandaker, records, relationship, relatives, religion, remain, residents, retaliatory, returned, revenge, rights, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, Ruhul Amin Khandaker, sacrifice, safeguards, scan, scanner, shoulders, shunned, Siddik, social, Society, sofa, son, sons, spiked, stated, stroke, suffered, supports, surviving, Sydney, teaching, telephoned, thought, threat, threatened, tolerate, trouble, unwillingness, valuables, violate, violation, wealth, will, woman, worship, year | Leave a comment


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DEADLY FORCE DATABASE
New cancer cases almost doubled in a decade as deadly illness takes heavy toll
One of every 11 deaths in Kenya is due to cancer
By JOSHUA MUTISYA
Sun Nov 24 12:50:00 EAT 2019
One in five Kenyans will develop cancer during their lifetime, reveals a NationNewsplex review of health data over the past decade.
The risk of getting cancer by age 75 is slightly higher for women (20 per cent) than men (17 per cent). It is also above the global average of 18 per cent, indicate figures from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at the World Health Organization (WHO).
"The risk is higher in Kenya than many countries because of the two main cancers among women. In developed countries, cervical cancer is not a threat as it has been under control through well-established screening programmes, early detection and effective treatment. Other African countries equally have high incidences of these cancers but the rate is higher in Nairobi," Ms Anne Korir, head of the National Cancer Registry at the Kenya Medical Research Institute.
Figures from the UN agency further reveal that one in seven Kenyans is likely to die of cancer by the time they are a septuagenarian. The chance of dying from cancer is highest for breast, cervical, oesophageal, prostate and stomach cancers.
One of every 11 deaths in Kenya is due to cancer. The disease is the third leading cause of death, exceeded only by pneumonia and malaria, according to figures from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
The most common cancers include breast cancer, with Kenyans having a five per cent chance of getting it, followed closely by cervical and prostate (3.7 per cent each), oesophageal (two per cent) and stomach (one per cent).
While much attention is accorded to the major cancers, including breast, cervical and prostrate, the Newsplex review of cancer data over the last decade reveals that deaths from oral (mouth), uterine and gall bladder cancers increased the most, even as their incidence remains relatively low. Estimated oral cancer deaths more than tripled in the 10 years to 2018 from 264 to 805. Tobacco use, heavy alcohol use, human papillomavirus (HPV), excessive sun exposure and weakened immune system are some of the risk factors for oral cancer.
Altogether, estimated cancer deaths increased almost by half in the 10 years to 2018, from 22,115 to 32,987, according to IARC. The national projections are based on data collected from the Eldoret and Nairobi cancer registries.
Cancer deaths are three times as many as road crashes, shows data from KNBS.
Concerning incidence trends, new cases of gall bladder cancer quadrupled from 100 in 2008 to 426 in 2018, the highest spike, according to estimates from the IARC. Genetics and the presence of the typhoid-causing salmonella bacteria are risk factors for gall bladder cancer.
Prostate cancer recorded the second highest jump in new cases, more than doubling (163 per cent) from 1,087 in 2008 to 2,864 last year, followed by nasopharynx (145 per cent) cancer, which affects the upper part of the throat just behind the nose. Breast cancer, despite being the most common cancer, was ranked fourth with a 125 per cent increase in new cases. Cervical cancer, the second most occurring, rounded off the top five on the rate of increase chart, rising by 114 per cent in 2018 from a decade ago.
"We have seen an increase in cancers that were rare 10 years ago, such as gall bladder, lung, ovarian, and brain tumours, as well as a drop in HIV-associated cancers such as Kaposi sarcoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma," says Ms Korir.
Obesity is a major risk factor for many cancers. WHO data indicates that the obesity prevalence among Kenyan adults is seven per cent while among young children and teens it stands at two percent, an increase from 0.5 per cent in 2000. The growing obesity rates, especially among children, does not bode well for the fight against cancer.
More women than men have cancer and die from the disease. In 2018, three in five new cancer cases (60 per cent) were diagnosed in women, an increase from 55 per cent a decade earlier.
The leading cancer in women is breast cancer, with an estimated 5,985 new cases or one in eight cancers diagnosed last year. It is followed by cervical cancer with 5,250 new cases.
"If we were able to bring these two cancers under control we would save so many women from dying. Our data is showing that age at diagnosis is much younger compared to developed countries, hence we are losing young women who are still highly productive in the society," says Ms Korir.
Globally, Kenya's cancer prevalence in women is only surpassed by those of North American countries, Australia and New Zealand with 28 per cent each, European countries (25) and Polynesian countries (21). But cancer survival rates are much higher in those countries because of access to early diagnosis and more advanced treatments. "The risk is higher in Kenya than many countries because of the two main cancers among women. In developed countries, cervical cancer is not a major threat as it has been under control through well-established screening programmes, early detection and effective treatment. Other African countries equally have high incidences of these cancers but the rate is higher in Nairobi," says Ms Korir.
To curb cervical cancer, the Ministry of Health recently rolled out mass vaccination of 10-year-old girls against HPV.
Leukaemia, which accounted for four per cent of estimated new cancer cases in 2018 and ranks eighth overall, is the commonest cancer among children. One in six cases of cancer among children is leukaemia. This is according to data tabled before Parliament by the National Cancer Institute of Kenya.
According to the American Cancer Society, several studies have found a possible link between childhood leukaemia and household exposure to pesticides, either during pregnancy or early childhood. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which affects the immune system, is the second leading cancer among children. The lymphoma is difficult to diagnose until in the later stages. The third-most prevalent cancer in children is kidney, followed by brain and nervous system, and nasopharynx cancer.
The top 10 cancers that affected Kenyans back in 2008 remain the most prevalent. Breast, cervical and oesophageal cancers topped new cases a decade ago, the same as last year. Prostate cancer climbed the new cases list from position nine in 2008 (1,087 cases) to four (2,864 cases) last year. However, liver cancer dropped from the sixth spot a decade ago (1,294 cases) to rank at number 10 (1,346 cases) in 2018. Kaposi sarcoma, which is linked to HIV, dropped from number four (1,455 cases) to seven (1,782) owing to better HIV and AIDS treatment.
Ms Korir says that it is not easy to link the higher numbers to an actual increase in prevalence, as it could also mean that there is now better detection due to improved diagnostic facilities or the cancer registries are improving in record-keeping.
Oesophageal, cervical and breast cancers have held the top three positions among leading killer cancers since 2008. Last year, projected deaths as a result of oesophageal cancer were estimated to be 4,351, accounting for one in eight of all cancer deaths.
Cervical cancer recorded 3,286 deaths followed by breast cancer (2,553), according to the IARC.
Prostate cancer also climbed up the new deaths charts to position five in 2018 from nine a decade ago. The disease is rare in men younger than 40 but the chances of getting it rise greatly after age 50. Other risk factors include genetics, diet, smoking, sexually transmitted infections and exposure to chemicals.
Chances of survival for cancer patients hang on early diagnosis and the ability to afford effective treatment. Unfortunately, about four in five cancer cases are diagnosed for treatment at an advanced stage of the disease (stage 3 or 4), lowering the chances of survival, according to the Ministry of Health.
Additionally, about 38 million Kenyans are not under any form of medical cover that would cushion them from direct out-of-pocket payments. A majority of the insured are covered under the state-owned National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), which has its limits. For instance, the cover handles 20 radiology sessions.
Cancer treatment is ranked the seventh healthcare benefit package in NHIF spending. Unaudited results of the 2017/18 financial year indicate that Sh1.37 billion was spent on cancer treatment, an 11 per cent rise from Sh1.23 billion in 2016/17.
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MMO Virtual Horse Hidden Object Sport Farm Action Solitaire Mahjong Slots and Bingo Poker Anime Virtual Reality MMO Apps
Taonga
Build your own farm in an abandoned island together with your helpers.
Harvest resources and fulfill orders in order to accumulate funds that you'll need to develop the island.
Invite your friends to play and take on tasks together for rewards.
Games Like Taonga
You have received a letter from a family member naming you as heir, and gives you a compass as well as orders to go to an island that you own and convert it to a very productive farm. This is where your adventure begins in Taonga Island Farm, an amazing virtual farm simulator that you can play on Facebook!
Central to the game's mechanics is the need to collect and produce your resources. This is where the "farm" concept fits into the gameplay. You'll have to plow farm plots, and plant seeds. At the start of your experience, you have a specific number of plots given to you, and all of them have been planted with various crops including Pineapples, Sweet Potatoes, Wheat and many others. You can purchase additional farm plots as well from the Shop.
To get you on your way, you're given a couple of Quests that you would have to complete as a form of tutorial. After around three of these tutorials, you're then left to yourself to figure out what you have to do next to get the farm going. Quests continue to be given to you just so you know what you have to do; you can locate them at the left-side portion of the screen.
Quests give you rewards in the form of in-game cash and experience points, so you will certainly want to complete any of those coming to you.
The game itself, however, is very self-explanatory. If you click on a Building, for instance, you'll get a menu that shows you what you need to do. If the structure has not been built yet, you'll see what you need to gather from your farm in order to get the construction going. Hover the game's cursor over a crop, or a tree, and you can get an icon that shows you what you can gather from that object.
If you decide to collect that resource, click on the object and it will show you how much of that resource is left. Clicking once will harvest only once, so you'll have to click multiple times to harvest multiple amounts of that resource.
Constructing buildings allow you to accomplish several actions in-game. For instance, the lumberjack will allow you to cut down trees with the assistance of your helpers. This leaves you free to do other tasks. On the other hand, the Baker produces various bread products while the Mill produces powdered products for use in the Baker's tasks.
Another way to earn free in-game cash and experience, aside from Quests, is to process orders. Orders can be accessed through a board at the northern part of your farm.
Last but not the least, you can take care of livestock in your farm. You begin with chickens, which produces eggs after an hour's time. Eggs can be used to produce dishes at the Baker, or sold individually as part of orders.
To sum it up, Taonga Island Farm is an entire world for you to explore. Give it a try now! You only need your Facebook account.
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