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Christian in India Suffers Miscarriage in Hindu Extremist Attack
Four pastors also injured in Karnataka, hub of anti-Christian persecution.
NEW DELHI, October 13 (CDN) — Police in a south Indian state known for turning hostile to minority Christians in recent years have arrested two suspected Hindu nationalists for beating four pastors and striking the wife of one of them in the stomach, killing her unborn child.
The attack took place at a Christian gathering in a private Christian school to celebrate the birth of Mahatma Gandhi on Oct. 2 in Chintamani, in Karnataka state's Kolar district, reported the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC).
About 40 people barged into New Public School during the concluding prayer that morning and began selectively beating the pastors and Kejiya Fernandes, wife of one identified only as Pastor Fernandes. Chintamani police arrived but the attack went on, and when it ended at noon officers took the Christians to the station instead of arresting the attackers.
Denied medical attention, the injured Christians were released at 7:30 p.m. only after Kejiya Fernandes began to bleed profusely, GCIC reported. She and her husband later received hospital treatment, where she lost the baby she had been carrying for four months, according to GCIC.
Pastor Fernandes received an injury to his ear. The three other victims, identified only as pastors Robert, Muthu and Kenny, all ministered in a local independent church.
Of the 12 suspects named in the police complaint, two were arrested the same day, and the rest are absconding, said attorney Jeeva Prakash, who is associated with the Evangelical Fellowship of India's (EFI) advocacy department.
The police complaint against the 12 includes "causing death of quick unborn child by act amounting to culpable homicide" (Section 316 of the Indian Penal Code), and "intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace" (Section 504). No charges related to defiling a religious place or gathering or creating communal conflict were included.
All the accused are residents of Chintamani city and suspected to be associated with Hindu nationalist groups.
The attack was reportedly carried out to avenge an alleged insult to Hindu gods during the Christian gathering, with the accused also having filed a police complaint, added Prakash, who visited the area and the Christian victims this week.
The complaint against the Christians was for "deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs" (Section 295-a), and, strangely, Section 324 for "voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means," among other charges.
The Christians were not arrested, as a court granted them anticipatory bail.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, whose birthday the Christians were celebrating, was friends with Christian missionaries during British rule and taught religious tolerance. The acclaimed Hindu, India's greatest political and spiritual leader, was killed in 1948 by Nathuram Godse, who was allegedly influenced by the ideology of the Hindu extremist conglomerate Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
For the last three years, Karnataka has been seen as the hub of Christian persecution in India. Of the more than 152 attacks on Christians in 2009, 86 were reported in Karnataka, according to the EFI.
This year, too, Karnataka is likely to top anti-Christian attacks. According to the GCIC, at least 47 attacks on Christians in the state had been reported as of Sept. 26. Persecution of Christians in Karnataka increased particularly after the August 2008 anti-Christian mayhem in eastern Orissa state, where Maoists killed a Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader but Hindu extremists wrongly blamed it on local Christians.
The attacks in Orissa's Kandhamal district killed more than 100 people and burned 4,640 houses, 252 churches and 13 educational institutions.
While Hindu nationalists had targeted and were working in Karnataka for close to two decades, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to sole power in the state for the first time in the history of independent India in May 2008. Prior to that, the BJP ruled in coalition with a local party, the Janata Dal-Secular, for 20 months.
It is believed that the victory of the BJP – and later the violence in Orissa, which was also ruled by a coalition that included the BJP – emboldened Hindu extremists, who now enjoy greater impunity due to the party's incumbency.
Despite the high incidence of persecution of minorities in Karnataka, BJP leaders deny it, alleging complaint are the result of a political conspiracy of opposition parties.
There are a little more than 1 million Christians in Karnataka, where the total population is more than 52 million, mostly Hindus.
India Briefs: Recent Incidents of Persecution
Karnataka, India, October 13 (Compass Direct News) – Hindu extremists belonging to the Bajrang Dal on Oct. 3 stormed into a Christian worship service, beat those attending and confiscated Bibles in Emarakuntte village, Kolar district. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that nearly 25 extremists barged into the house of a Christian identified only as Manjunath, where Pastor Daniel Shankar was leading Sunday worship. Verbally abusing those present and falsely accusing them of forcible conversion, the extremists dragged them out and photographed them. Pastor Shankar managed to escape. Police arrived – after the extremists called them – and confiscated the Bibles and a vehicle belonging to the pastor. A GCIC coordinator told Compass that Shankar, accompanied by area pastors, went to the police station the next day, and officers made him give a written statement that he would stop Christian activities in the village. Only then were the Bibles and vehicle returned. No worship was held on Sunday (Oct. 10).
Karnataka – Police on Sept. 5 detained a pastor after Hindu nationalist extremists registered a false complaint of forcible conversion in Doni village, Gadag district. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that at 8:30 p.m. nearly 100 extremists belonging to the Hindu extremist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh stormed the worship of an Indian Pentecostal Church at the home of a Christian identified only as Nagaraj. A GCIC coordinator told Compass that the extremists repeatedly slapped Pastor Mallikarjuna Sangalad, dragged him outside and tore his shirt. They also tore up a few Bibles of those in the congregation. The extremists called Mundargi police, who arrived at the spot and took Pastor Sangalad to the police station as the slogan-shouting extremists followed. Police questioned the pastor for over two hours and warned him against leading services. With GCIC intervention Sangalad was released at around 11 p.m. without being charged, but he was forced to sign a statement that he would not conduct services at Nagaraj's home.
Karnataka – Police on Sept. 3 stopped worship and falsely accused a pastor of forcible conversion, threatening to jail Christians if they continued religious activities in Ganeshgudi village. A Global Council of Indian Christians coordinator told Compass that Ramnagar police Sub-Inspector Babu Madhar, acting on an anonymous accusation of forcible conversion, disrupted worship and threatened Calvary Fellowship Prayer Centre Pastor P.R. Jose as nearly 40 congregants of the house church looked on. The sub-inspector warned the Christians against worshipping there and told Pastor Jose to shut down the church or be arrested. On Sept. 4, however, Madhar returned to the house and informed Pastor Jose that they could continue worship services.
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'Blasphemy Laws' Used to Jail Elderly Christian in Pakistan
Muslim vying for same piece of land as Christian accuses him of speaking ill of Muhammad.
FAISALABAD, Pakistan, June 29 (CDN) — A Muslim vying with a Christian for a parcel of land here has accused the elderly man of "blaspheming" Islam's prophet Muhammad, which is punishable by death or life imprisonment, according to the Christian Lawyers' Foundation (CLF).
Jhumray police on June 19 arrested Rehmat Masih of village No. 165/RB Jandawali in Faisalabad district under Section 295-C of Pakistan's controversial "blasphemy laws," and he was sent to Faisalabad District Jail on judicial remand by Magistrate Muhammad Sajawal.
Section 295-C states that "whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation, or by imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) shall be punishable with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall be liable to fine."
Christian sources said Masih, who suffers from arthritis, is 85 years old, though the First Information Report against him lists his age as 73.
The CLF's Rai Navid Zafar Bhatti told Compass that hard-line Muslim Muhammad Sajjid Hameed filed the charges after learning that he would not be able to secure the Punjab Province land.
"He used the weapon of last resort, the controversial Blasphemy Laws' Section 295-C, which preponderantly unbalances the scales of justice," Bhatti said.
CLF President Khalid Gill said local Christian residents led by Masih had applied to the Punjab government to secure it for construction of a Christian residential area, and Hameed also had applied for the same parcel for commercial projects.
Hameed has testified in court that Masih made derogatory remarks about Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, and Khadija, the first wife of the founder of the religion, Bhatti said.
Gill said Masih has testified that he said nothing "humiliating" about Muhammad or Khadija.
"I am not a blasphemer, nor I can think of such a sinister thing, which is against the teachings of Christ," Masih testified, according to Gill.
A CLF fact-finding team found that in April the frail Masih had argued with Hameed and several other Muslim hardliners – Shahbaz Khalid, Afzaal Bashir, Muhammad Aamer, Akber Ali and Asghar Ali – about the Virgin Mary, said Gill.
"At that time the elderly Masih, who at present is languishing in Faisalabad District Jail and facing discriminatory behavior and apathy of Muslim inmates and jail wardens, did not know that this altercation with Muslim men would lead to imprisonment for him," Gill said.
Three of Hameed's friends who backed him during the argument, 25-year-old Aamer, 45-year-old Akber Ali and 40-year-old Asghar Ali, have testified in support of Hameed's accusation, according to Bhatti.
The CLF fact-finding team, led by Babu William Rose, a local Faisalabad Christian representative, found that Masih was also accused because he was a politically active member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam party (PML-Q), while Hameed supports the PML-Nawaz Sharif (PML-N).
Representatives of the National Commission for Justice and Peace also asserted that Masih's political views played a role in Hameed having him jailed under Pakistan's blasphemy statues, saying that Hameed was using the power of the PML-N, which rules Punjab province, to implicate Masih in the case.
Gill and Azher Kaleem of the CLF sternly condemned the incarceration of Masih and said that the blasphemy laws must be repealed at once as they are widely used to take vengeance in personal or land disputes.
Section 295-A of the blasphemy laws prohibits injuring or defiling places of worship and "acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class of citizens." Section 295-B makes willful desecration of the Quran or a use of its extract in a derogatory manner punishable with life imprisonment.
Masih is the father of seven adult daughters and four grown sons.
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Iran Arrests, Coerces Christians over Christmas Season
Authorities threaten to take ailing daughter from parents.
ISTANBUL, January 6 (CDN) — A wave of arrests hit Iranian house churches during the Christmas season, leaving at least five Christian converts in detention across northern Iran, including the mother of an ailing 10-year-old girl.
Security officers with an arrest warrant from the Mashhad Revolutionary Court entered the home of Christian Hamideh Najafi in Mashhad on Dec. 16. After searching her home and confiscating personal belongings, including books and compact discs, police took her to an undisclosed location, according to Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN).
FCNN reported that on Dec. 30 the Mashhad Revolutionary Court sentenced Najafi to three months of house arrest and ordered that her daughter, who suffers from a kidney condition, be placed under foster care. Because of the seriousness of the girl's illness, however, she was left in the custody of her parents – on the condition that they cease believing in Christ and stop speaking publicly of their faith, FCNN reported.
Najafi was denied access to a lawyer during this court hearing, according to FCNN.
During interrogation, officers told Najafi to return to Islam and to disclose names of Christian evangelists. FCNN reported that on some occasions the security officers summoned her husband, blindfolded him and threatened to beat him in front of his wife if she would not sign a confession that she was "mentally and psychologically unfit and disturbed."
The Dec. 30 court hearing was quickly arranged after she was coerced into signing this confession, FCNN reported, and on those grounds her child was initially ordered to be taken from her. Najafi's daughter suffers from a severe kidney and bladder condition.
There were no formal charges against Najafi, but she stands accused of contacting a foreign Christian television network, which court officials labeled as a "political" crime, according to FCNN.
Advocacy group Middle East Concern reported that sources believe authorities forced Najafi's sister to file a complaint against her on these grounds.
The officers who came to arrest Najafi said that portraits of Jesus hanging on her wall would be enough to convict her in court, reported FCNN.
Arrests and Harassment
Compass has confirmed that authorities disrupted Christmas celebrations of two house groups in the Tehran area on Dec. 21 and Dec. 29, leaving four in prison. Other members attending the special services were also questioned.
In Shiraz, last week at least eight Christians arrested and released over a year ago were called in for questioning about their activities in the past year. They were all released after a few hours.
In Rasht, Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani is still in prison after being arrested on Oct. 13. Nadarkhani is married and has two children under the age of 10.
A source told Compass that another Christian identified as Shaheen, who had been in prison since July 31 when a special meeting of 24 Christians was raided in Fashan, north of Tehran, was released in November. He was the last of the six believers arrested at that meeting to be released.
Apart from arrests, Iranian Christians continue to endure discrimination. A source told Compass that one Christian was denied renewal of his truck driving license last week. When he asked why, authorities told him he was an enemy of the state.
The Christian had been arrested three years earlier because of his faith.
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Muslim Mob in Pakistan Wounds Christian Family
Assailants threaten to charge mentally ill son with 'blasphemy' if victims pursue justice.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, January 4 (CDN) — Infuriated by an alleged anti-Islamic comment by a mentally ill man, more than a dozen Muslims attacked his Christian family here last week, beating his 20-year-old sister unconscious and breaking her leg.
The woman's father, Aleem Mansoor, said his daughter Elishba Aleem went unconscious after being struck in the head with an iron rod in the Dec. 28 attack. Mansoor said a Muslim known as Mogal beat him and his daughter with the rod on the street in front of their apartment home after falsely accusing his 32-year old son, who suffers from schizophrenia, of blasphemy.
"Elishba shouted, 'Father look! He is going to hit you,' and she came somewhat in front and the rod hit her head," Mansoor told Compass. "She touched her head, and her hand was covered with blood."
After she fell unconscious, the assailants began striking her on her legs and back, Mansoor said.
"As soon as the mob realized that Elishba was totally unconscious, they shouted that the girl was dead and fled from the scene," he said.
Elishba Aleem had rushed down from the family's third-floor apartment in Iqbal Town, Islamabad and was attacked when she pleaded for the mob to stop beating her father, who received five stitches for a hand wound. With iron rods and cricket bats, the mob also injured Mansoor's wife Aqsa and his sister-in-law Aileen George. Another of Mansoor's sons, 24-year-old Shazir Aleem, saw the assault from the apartment and also was beaten when he hurried down.
"When Shazir's wife Sanna saw that her husband was being beaten, she rushed down with [infant daughter] Hanna in her arms and pleaded with them, 'Why are you beating my husband?'" Mansoor said. "Someone in the mob snatched Hanna from Sanna and threw her on the ground, and then those beasts began beating Sanna as well."
The baby girl escaped serious injury.
Initially the assailants had attacked Mansoor as he tried to leave home with his son Shumail Aleem, whom he intended to take to police to clear up accusations by shopkeeper Muhammad Naveed that he had spoken ill of Islam.
As Mansoor reached his car, however, about a dozen men with cricket bats and metal rods got out of a parked Suzuki van and surrounded them, he said, and within 10 minutes more than 100 angry Muslims had joined Naveed, his other brothers and his father, Mogal.
"Naveed shouted, 'Why are you people looking at these choohras [derogatory term for Christians]? Catch them and kill them,'" Mansoor said. "My wife Aqsa and sister-in-law Aileen George threw their doppatas [Indian head coverings] at Naveed's and others' feet to humbly request that they not attack us, but they refused to listen. They began beating all of us with rods and cricket bats."
Area Muslims resent that the family has a car and is well-off, Mansoor said.
"They say Christians should be suppressed and kept under a tight control," he said. "They think Christians should salute them when they pass by them."
His son Shumail has been under medical treatment for schizophrenia for more than five years, he said, and because of his condition he does not work.
"As long as Shumail takes medicine, there is no one nicer than him on the earth, but if he is not taking the medicine then he is the worst creature," Mansoor said.
Mansoor's daughter, a first-year college student, received treatment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and eventually regained consciousness, though she remains in intense pain. Mansoor said members of the Muslim mob ensured that she did not receive a medical-legal certificate documenting her condition.
When Mansoor told Naveed and others that he would take them to court over the attack, his Muslim adversaries said he would fail because they had paid PIMS officials 50,000 rupees (US$600) to withhold the medical report on his daughter's injuries. He said they also told him that they had paid off officers at the Shehzad Town Police Station to pressure the family to drop the case with an out-of-court settlement.
"The assistant sub-inspector, Ghulam Gilani, of Shehzad Town Police Station, called my wife and told her that if the family pursued the case of assault on us, then we would be implicated in the blasphemy case, which would have serious consequences for us," Mansoor said.
Gilani and hospital officials were not immediately available for comment.
'Blasphemy' Accusation
The comment said to have triggered the violence was uttered at a nearby general store, where Shumail Aleem had gone to buy cigarettes at about 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 28.
Dec. 28 was Islam's 10th of Muharram, or Yom-e-Ashura, when Shiite Muslims mourn the death of Hussein ibn Ali, grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. Pakistan's population is made up primarily of Sunni Muslims, who also honor the day on the claim that Moses fasted on that day to express gratitude to God for freeing the Israelites from Egypt.
At the store an elderly Christian man known as Baba Sadiq asked Shumail Aleem why movie channels were not being shown on the store's cable-fed TV.
"Shumail told him, 'Are Muslims out of their minds? Why would they show movie channels on Ashura?'" Mansoor said.
The comment apparently supported Naveed's decision to refrain from showing films on the Muslim holy day, but the shopkeeper began beating Shumail Aleem, demanding to know why he had profaned Hussein's name, Mansoor said.
Two weeks prior, Mansoor said, Naveed and his brothers had beaten a Christian boy so severely that when he bled a piece of flesh issued from his nostrils.
"Shumail had seen this all, and had protested with Naveed over this, and when he came home he was very upset over the beating and repeatedly asked his mother to go and ask Naveed about it," Mansoor said. "We think that Naveed bore a grudge because of Shumail's inquiry and protest about that beating of a Christian."
Mansoor said that after Naveed severely beat him, Shumail Aleem returned when the rest of the family was not at home, as several had taken Mansoor's 3-month-old granddaughter Hanna to the doctor. When they returned at 9:45 p.m., Mansoor said, he found several things in the house "thrown around or broken."
A neighbor told them that police and about two dozen men had come searching for Shumail Aleem – who had hid in an upper storeroom – because Naveed had accused him of blasphemy.
"We went to Naveed, who was at his shop, and inquired what had happened," Mansoor said. "He told us that Shumail had tried to steal several things from the store and also damaged several things, and worst of all that he profaned Imam Hussein. My wife told Naveed that he knew that Shumail was mentally ill so he should have waited for us, and that we would have paid the damage, but that there was no need to go to the police."
Naveed told them that whether their son was mentally ill did not matter, that he had filed a police report – which later proved to be untrue – and that they would search relentlessly for Shumail Aleem, Mansoor said.
The mob stopped pursuing members of Mansoor's family only after the intervention of Pakistan People's Party politician Malik Amir, he said, but neither police nor the hospital has cooperated with him in legal matters. An influential Muslim in the area, Raja Aftaab, is also urging the family to settle out of court, he added.
"My stance is that the entire mob that attacked us should come to our house and apologize in front of all the neighbors, and then I will start negotiations with them," he said.
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IRAN: AUTHORITIES TIGHTEN GRIP ON CHRISTIANS AS UNREST ROILS
Posted on August 14, 2009 by particularkev
Waves of arrests hit church networks; judge asks converts from Islam to recant.
LOS ANGELES, August 11 (Compass Direct News) – Amid a violent crackdown on protestors and a purge of opponents within the Iranian government, more than 30 Christians were arrested in the last two weeks near Tehran and in the northern city of Rasht.
Two waves of arrests near Tehran happened within days of each other, and while most of those detained – all converts from Islam – were held just a day for questioning, a total of eight Christians still remain in prison.
On July 31 police raided a special Christian meeting 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of Tehran in the village of Amameh in the area of Fashan. A Compass source said about 24 Christians, all converts from Islam, had gathered in a private home. In the afternoon police squads in both plain clothes and uniform raided and arrested everyone present.
"Many people stormed the villa, and in the same day they took everything," said the source, a Christian Iranian who requested anonymity.
All present were taken by private car to their residences, where police took all their passports, documents, cash, CDs, computers and mobile phones, and from there to the police station.
"There were many cars so they could take each person with a car to their house from the meeting," said the source. "Think of how many cars were there to arrest them. And they took all their books, PCs, CDs mobile phones, everything."
While most of them were released the same evening, seven of them – Shahnam Behjatollah, and six others identified only as Shaheen, Maryam, Mobinaa, Mehdi, Ashraf and Nariman – all remain in detention in an unknown location. They have no contact with their family members.
Police have questioned each of their families and told them to prepare to pay bail. In the case of Behjatollah, for whom police had a warrant, authorities showed his family the official order for his arrest and told them they "knew all about him," according to the source. Behjatollah is 34 years old, married and has a 6-year-old daughter.
The second wave of arrests of some of the same Christians near Tehran took place on Friday (Aug. 7).
"They brought the released members for interrogation to the secret police again, to get more information about their movements," said the source.
In Rasht, a total of eight Christians belonging to the same network were arrested on July 29 and 30 in two separate rounds of arrest. Seven were released, while one, a male, remains in the city's prison. Compass sources were unable to comment on the conditions of their arrest.
Two Women Asked to Recant
On Sunday (Aug. 9) two Christian women appeared before a judge who asked them if they would deny their newfound faith and return to Islam.
Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad, 30, have been held in the notorious Evin prison since March 5 accused of "acting against state security" and "taking part in illegal gatherings." In a short court session, the judge asked them if they were going to deny their faith and return to Islam, reported the Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN).
As both women refused to recant their faith, the judge sent them back to their prison cells "to think about it," according to a source who spoke with family members.
"When they said, 'Think about it,' it means you are going back to jail," said the source. "This is something we say in Iran. It means: 'Since you're not sorry, you'll stay in jail for a long time, and maybe you'll change your mind.'"
The source said the first goal of judges in such cases is usually to make "apostates" deny their faith through threats or by sending them back to prison for a longer time.
"This is what they said to Mehdi Dibaj, who was in prison for 10 years and martyred in 1994," said the source about one of Iran's well-known Christian martyrs. "The charge against them is apostasy [leaving Islam]."
FCNN reported that in the last five months the women have been unwell and have lost much weight. Esmaeilabad suffers from spinal pain, an infected tooth and intense headaches and is in need of medical attention. None has been provided so far.
With a draft penal code that may include an article mandating death for apostates in accordance to sharia (Islamic law) expected to be reviewed once again this fall when the parliamentary session begins, experts on Iran fear things may get worse for the country's converts from Islam.
Dr. Wahied Wahdat-Hagh, a senior fellow with the European Foundation for Democracy, wrote in http://www.Iranpresswatch.org last month that false hopes have arisen from a statement by the chairman of the Majlis Legal Affairs Committee, Hojatoleslam Ali Schahroki, that a provision for mandatory death penalty for apostates had been stricken from the bill. The Council of Guardians and Iran's Supreme Leader, he wrote, have the final say on capital punishment for leaving Islam.
"Recent political events in Iran have ushered in a new phase in the emergence of a totalitarian dictatorship," he wrote. "Pressure on Iranian Christians is growing just as foreign powers are being blamed for rioting that broke out due to the electoral fraud. The argument on the influence of foreign powers is well known to Iranian Christians."
Public allegations that detainees have been tortured, abused, killed and most recently – according to a top opposition official – raped in custody have fueled fury in Iran and spurred powerful conservative Ali Larijani to comment that a parliament committee would investigate the reports, reported The Associated Press.
At least four senior Intelligence Ministry figures were fired in an effort to purge officials who are opposed to the crackdown on protestors and opposition following last month's disputed presidential elections, the AP reported yesterday.
Iranian sources said that the long-standing rift in the government between liberal and conservative factions is widening and becoming more apparent, and the two sides are in a battle of words and ideas in mass media for the first time in Iran's history.
"Everything is in the newspaper," the Christian Iranian source told Compass. "We have never had such a thing … the point is that now all these old problems that were inside the government between liberals and fundamentalists are coming out, and we can see them on TV, radio, newspaper, the public media in the country. It isn't something we're guessing anymore. It's something you can see and read."
The source said the crackdown on protestors and recent mass arrests are the sign of a weak government trying to show it is in control of a country roiled by discontent.
"Everyone now is saying is that the government is having problems inside so they have lost the control," the source said. "So what they did in the last couple of weeks is that they arrested people … minority religions, Baha'i and Christians."
On July 31, a Christian man traveling overseas from the Tehran International airport was stopped for questioning because he was wearing a black shirt, a Compass source said. The colors black and green have become associated with opposition to the government, and those wearing them are suspected of ideologically agreeing with the protestors.
The authorities found his Bible after a questioning and searching. He was taken to a room where there were others waiting, all wearing green and black shirts. Authorities confiscated his passport and have opened a case against him for carrying the Bible, said the source.
Although there has been no mention of Christians being tortured in the most recent arrests, an increase in executions of persons under the commonly fabricated charges of drug abuse and trafficking bodes ill for the future of those in Iranian prisons. As detainees are allowed neither legal counsel nor communication with their families, their conditions are nearly unknown.
On Friday (Aug. 7) Amnesty International reported an average of two executions a day since the disputed presidential elections held on June 12.
"In just over 50 days, we recorded no less than 115 executions, that is an average of more than two each day," said Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International. "This represents a significant increase, even compared to the appallingly high rate of executions that has been so long a feature of the human rights scene in Iran."
The report described the government's attempt to suppress the mass "and largely peaceful" protests as brutal and also expressed concerns that those who were executed were likely to have been denied fair trials. Most of those executed are said to have been convicted of drug-smuggling or related offences. Authorities have not released the names of 24 prisoners executed on Wednesday (Aug. 5) in the Rejai Shahr Prison in Karaj.
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SOMALIA: CONVERT FROM ISLAM SHOT DEAD
Posted on August 8, 2009 by particularkev
Islamic extremist rebel group hunts down underground church leader.
NAIROBI, Kenya, July 20 (Compass Direct News) – Muslim extremists early this morning killed a Christian convert in Mahadday Weyne, Somalia, 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Mogadishu.
Al Shabaab Islamist rebels shot Mohammed Sheikh Abdiraman to death at 7 a.m., eyewitnesses told Compass. They said the Islamic extremists appeared to have been hunting the convert from Islam, and when they found him they did not hesitate to shoot him.
The sources told Compass that Abdiraman was the leader of an underground "cell group" of Christians in Somalia.
"We are very sad about this incident, and we also are not safe," one eyewitness said by telephone. "Pray for us."
The sources were too distraught to share more details about Abdiraman's death. Another eyewitness who requested anonymity said Abdiraman had been a Christian for 15 years. He is survived by two children, ages 15 and 10. His wife died three years ago due to illness.
Intent on "cleansing" Somalia of all Christians, al Shabaab militia are monitoring converts from Islam especially where Christian workers had provided medical aid, such as Johar, Jamame, Kismayo and Beledweyne, sources said. Mahadday Weyne, 22 kilometers (14 miles) north of Johar, is the site of a former Christian-run hospital.
Linked with Islamic extremist al Qaeda terrorists, al Shabaab rebels have mounted an armed effort to topple President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed's Western-backed Transitional Federal Government with the intention of imposing sharia (Islamic law). The group is already enforcing sharia in large parts of southern Somalia that they control.
The militants reportedly beheaded seven Christians on July 10, and refugees from Somalia tell of other attacks. One refugee last year recounted an attack in Lower Juba, Somalia. Binti Ali Bilal, the 40-year-old mother of 10 children, was fetching firewood with her 23-year-old daughter, Asha Ibrahim Abdalla in April 2008 in an area called Yontoy when al Shabaab members and Muslim neighbors approached them. Yontoy is 25 kilometers (15 miles) from Kismayo.
For some time the local community had suspected that she and her family were Christians, Bilal told Compass. The group asked the women if they were Christians, and when they said they were, the group began beating her and her daughter, who was six months pregnant, Bilal said.
After raping them and holding them captive for five days, the Muslim extremists left them for dead, she said, and her husband found them. The baby born to her daughter, she told Compass, suffers from diseases related to the prenatal trauma.
Reuters reported on July 10 that al Shabaab militants beheaded seven people in Baidoa that day for being Christians and "spies."
Posted in al Shabaab, Christianity, Islam, Somalia	| Tagged aid, al Shabaab, anonymity, appeared, approached, armed, Asha Ibrahim Abdalla, attacks, baby, backed, Baidoa, beating, beheaded, Beledweyne, Binti Ali Bilal, born, called, captive, cell, children, Christian, Christianity, Christians, church, cleansing, community, control, convert, converts, daughter, dead, death, details, died, diseases, distraught, enforcing, extremist, extremists, eyewitnesses, fetching, firewood, former, found, group, hesitate, holding, hospital, hunting, hunts, husband, illness, imposing, incident, intention, Islam, Islamic, Jamame, Johar, killed, Kismayo, law, leader, linked, local, Lower juba, Mahadday Weyne, medical, members, militants, militia, Mogadishu, Mohammed Sheikh Abdiraman, monitoring, mother, mounted, Muslim, muslims, neighbors, north, parts, Persecution, pregnant, prenatal, President, provided, raping, rebel, recounted, refugee, refugees, related, requested, sad, safe, share, Sharia, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, shoot, shot, Somalia, southern, spies, suffers, survived, suspected, telephone, terrorists, topple, Transitional Federal Government, trauma, underground, western, wife, workers, Yontoy | Leave a comment
PAKISTAN: ISLAMISTS GET MINORITY RIGHTS LEADER JAILED
CLAAS director Joseph Francis charged with forged documents in assault case.
LAHORE, Pakistan, July 14 (Compass Direct News) – Well-known Pakistani minority rights activist Joseph Francis and two others were jailed on Sunday (July 12) for forged documents in connection with false charges of assaulting a woman who visited his office in 2006, their lawyers said.
Francis, national director of the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), which for more than two decades has defended Christians and others against spurious charges by Islamists, was arrested on Thursday (July 9) along with CLAAS official Ashar Sarfaraz and Sarfaraz's brother-in-law, Zulfiqar Wilson.
Judge Malik Muhammad Mushataq remanded all three to two days of police custody under pressure from Islamists who have harassed Francis and the other two men with false accusations, CLAAS lawyers said, and on Sunday a magistrate sent them to jail to await trial.
"This is the first time in my 19 years of work that I have been so set up by the judicial system," said one of Francis' lawyers, Akbar Munawar Durrani. "The judge was blind to the facts presented before him."
The lawyer told Compass that the court did not listen to their arguments for releasing Francis as it was biased toward the Islamists who have urged the woman to charge the CLAAS officials with assault. In December 2006 CLAAS officers had counseled the woman, identified only as Roma, when her Christian family brought her to the CLAAS office after she converted to Islam.
"She was brought to us because she had converted to Islam, and her parents wanted us to explain to her the consequences and implication of doing so," said CLAAS Program Officer Katherine Sapna.
The woman had changed her name to Aisha and had married Mehboob Basharat, a Muslim who had converted to Christianity and then "reverted" back to Islam. CLAAS lawyers said that Basharat, whom police describe as "fraudulent," along with an Islamist group and a church-going lawyer at odds with the local Christian community, are behind the assault charges officially filed by Roma/Aisha.
Francis and the two others are in Camp Jail in Lahore; today a judge denied their plea for release on bail. CLAAS lawyers said they expect to file for bail in Sessions Court this week.
Francis is charged with forging documents in the 2007 case in which he and the two others are accused of beating Roma/Aisha, "misbehaving" with her and setting her on fire, lawyers said. The forgery charges arose, said Sapna, after two former CLAAS staff members submitted a fake medical certificate indicating that Francis was too ill to appear at court on July 14, 2007 for a hearing on the assault charges.
Francis was out of the country at the time of the hearing and was not aware that the two CLAAS staff members, Justin Gill and Aneeqa Maria, had submitted the false medical certificate, Sapna said. Both Gill and Maria have since left CLAAS.
Sapna told Compass that the Christian parents of the woman then known as Roma brought her to CLAAS offices on Dec. 23, 2006. Roma's mother, Shamim Bibi, and sisters Shabana and Taskeen, were with her at the CLAAS office, where all three spent the night at CLAAS's second-floor shelter for abuse victims, Sapna said.
Roma/Aisha's husband called police the next day, and officers ordered her family to bring her to the Race Course Police Station, Sapna said. Christmas was near and most of the CLAAS staff members were gone for the holiday, so Francis himself went to the police station. When police questioned Roma/Aisha, she never mentioned being mistreated while in the CLAAS offices, Sapna said.
CLAAS staff members forgot the matter until Basharat and church-going attorney Raja Nathaniel Gill held a press conference on Feb. 18, 2007 in which they had Roma/Aisha claim that she had been attacked at the CLAAS office. In May 2007 Basharat, Gill and the Islamist group had her file a First Information Report (FIR) at Ichhra police station charging that during her stay at CLAAS, staff members beat her, forced her to revert to Christianity, doused her with kerosene oil and set her ablaze inside a locked room.
Sapna said Roma/Aisha's FIR also claimed Church of Pakistan Bishop Samuel Azariah threatened her by phone while she was at the CLAAS office. Gill had Roma implicate the bishop because CLAAS had been instrumental in clearing Bishop Azariah of charges of murdering his wife in April 2006, according to Sapna. She said that Gill bore a grudge against CLAAS because he had hoped to gain some advantage in the false charge against the bishop.
In response to an inquiry from Capital City (Lahore) Police, Ichhra police reported on March 7, 2007 that Basharat was a "fraudulent man" who repeatedly changed his religion in order to malign both Christianity and Islam, and that he repeatedly cheated on women. The Ichhra police quoted Basharat's first wife, Fouzia, as saying he "had already cheated on four girls like this."
Sapna said that Basharat originally converted from Islam to Christianity in 2001.
"He converted along with his wife Fouzia and two daughters," she said. "He did a seminary course, and after that he became part of the clergy and joined 15 Waris Road Central Church, run by Bishop Samuel Azariah. Roma used to go to this church for theological studies and was Basharat's student. There Basharat trapped her, and on Nov. 26, 2006 they got married [under Muslim rites]."
Compass obtained Fouzia Basharat's court statement of March 8, 2007, which she gave after her husband had married Roma. In the statement, Fouzia said that on Sept. 12, 2006, her husband brought his pupil Roma to her and told her that she was his new wife – that he had married her in a Christian rite. She also said in her statement that Basharat later married Roma/Aisha under Muslim rites, and that Roma had changed her name to Aisha.
Fouzia Basharat then filed a case under Christian Marriage Act Section 22 applying for judicial separation. Sapna said that Fouzia Basharat initially resisted marriage to Basharat and warded off a later effort to reconvert her to Islam.
"During that time, she stayed at the Central Church, and her children continued their education at St. Peter's High School," Sapna said. She added that the Christian rite marriage of Roma/Aisha to Basharat was illegal, and that CLAAS had sought only to help resolve associated problems.
Sapna said CLAAS staff members were concerned about Francis remaining incarcerated, as he suffers from diabetes and hypertension.
Civil and District Judge Malik Mushtaq of Magistrate Section 30 will hear the forgery case.
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COLOMBIA: FAMILY OF KIDNAPPED PASTOR FLEE HOME
Alarmed by threatening strangers, wife and children of William Reyes leave Maicao.
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, June 24 (Compass Direct News) – The wife and children of pastor William Reyes, who was kidnapped last September in Colombia and is still missing, have moved from their home to another city due to threatening strangers presumably linked to his kidnappers.
Compass learned that Idia Miranda Reyes, her son William, 19, and daughters Luz Nelly, 17, and Estefania, 9, suddenly left their home in Maicao in the department (state) of La Guajira two months ago and moved to an undisclosed location in the country.
The Rev. William Reyes disappeared on Sept. 25, 2008, en route to Maicao from the neighboring city of Valledupar. Since March 2008, the pastor of Light and Truth Inter-American Church and active member of the Fraternity of Evangelical Pastors of Maicao, had been receiving extortion threats from illegal armed groups operating in the La Guajira peninsula.
Family members have not heard from Pastor Reyes since, nor have his abductors contacted the family to demand ransom.
Two incidents earlier this year alerted his wife that she and her children were in danger from the kidnappers. On Jan. 15, an unidentified man appeared at the Inter-American Church in Maicao and asked for Idia Miranda Reyes. When he was told she was not there, the man asked for her address and cell phone number, which church workers refused to give him.
Before he left, the man said testily, "It is in [her] best interest to get in touch with me, than for me to have to find her."
Six days later, Luz Nelly Reyes was approached by a stranger on the street (the family believes it was the same man), who told her that if she wanted to see her father again, she should come with him. The girl declined the invitation. When he attempted to grab her by the arm, Luz Nelly fled.
"I have not reported this to police, because I'm afraid," her mother told Compass after the incident. "They could do something to me."
Through sobs she added, "We never conceived of this happening to us. I just wish they would tell us if they have him or not."
Idia Miranda Reyes waited to leave Maicao until Luz Nelly completed her senior year in high school; the 17-year-old graduated on March 28. According to sources, the Inter-American church is contributing a modest living allowance to the Reyes family.
Reyes is not alone in her fears; Colombia suffers the highest incidence of kidnapping in the Western Hemisphere and a homicide rate 11 times greater than in the United States.
Due to general lawlessness, Colombians often face harassment from the same criminals who kidnap or murder loved ones. Violent crime is so common in the country that half of the felonies are not reported to police, and only one in nine makes the newspapers.
Another Maicao kidnapping in February underscores the problem. Armed men abducted a woman from a church just a few blocks from the Light and Truth church – while worship was in progress. The pastor of that church later refused to disclose the victim's identity or discuss the circumstances of her disappearance, citing concerns for the safety of his congregation.
Evangelical Christians are not always passive victims of crime, however. Justapaz, a Mennonite Church-affiliated organization based in Bogotá, and The Commission for Restoration, Life and Peace of the Evangelical Council of Churches of Colombia (CEDECOL) have organized an international prayer and action campaign in response to the Reyes family crisis.
The campaign mobilized concerned citizens to petition the office of Attorney General Dr. Mario Iguarán, asking that authorities conduct a thorough investigation into Pastor Reyes' disappearance and report their findings to Commission Coordinator Ricardo Esquivia and Jenny Neme, director of Justapaz.
"Despite hundreds of letters from church members in the United States, Canada and across Europe, and repeated attempts to get a response from the Colombian Attorney General´s Office, we have yet to receive any information from them regarding progress in the case," said Michael Joseph, who coordinates the Reyes case on behalf of CEDECOL and Justapaz. "We're doing our best to make sure Pastor Reyes' case is not forgotten."
The Reyes family joins other "internal refugees" who live as exiles in their own country. Unchecked political and social violence have forced innocent victims – many of them widows and children – to abruptly abandon homes and careers. They must take up life in crowded, far-off cities in order to protect themselves and their children from further attack.
According to estimates, Colombia now has 3 million internal refugees, the second largest population of displaced persons in the world after Sudan.
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CHINA PASTOR RELEASED FROM PRISON AFTER INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION
A Chinese human rights watchdog organization says a Christian House Church leader has been freed by government authorities as the result of international pressure.
In a media release ChinaAid says that
at 6 p.m. on April 24, Pastor Lou Yuanqi of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region was released from prison under the provision of "bailed out waiting for trial, " a legal procedure called "qu bao hou shen."
ChinaAid said: "Though this provision allows for future arrest and prosecution, Pastor Lou was released and permitted to return home. The provision's purpose is also to prevent Pastor Lou or his family from filing an administrative lawsuit against the state for compensation for illegal detention time."
The media release explains that Xinjiang authorities could not find evidence sufficient to continue his prosecution and indictment. According to family members, Pastor Lou looked fragile, because of the horrible conditions he suffered in prison. He suffers from hepatitis B, and is in great need of medical attention.
It adds: "Pastor Lou's faith is very strong, and he, his wife Wang Wenxiu and their three children are overwhelmed by the response from the international community."
According to ChinaAid, Pastor Lou was first detained on May 17, 2008 at 1 p.m. in Qingshuihe town, Huocheng county of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Pastor Lou stood trial on December 15, 2008 on charges of "utilizing superstition to undermine the law."
ChinaAid stated: "Those close to the case say the authorities' motivation for the charge was to stop Lou's house church from meeting in his home. Immediately after Lou's trial, his daughter, Lou Tiantian, 18, was beaten by court police when she tried to speak with her father as he was being put into a police car."
ChinaAid says that later, the court issued a statement, declaring "the facts [in Pastor Lou's case] unclear and the evidence insufficient." Despite this ruling, Pastor Lou continued to be imprisoned until his release on April 24.
Two other Xinjiang Christians, Alimujiang Yimiti and Wusiman Yiming, are currently suffering in prison for their faith, according to the ChinaAid media release.
Alimujiang Yimiti, a Uyghur Christian, was first detained on the charge of "endangering the security of the state," then was officially arrested on February 20, 2008 for "suspicion of inciting secession and organizing people in stealing, spying, buying and illegally providing state secrets or intelligence to overseas organizations."
However, ChinaAid says sources say the real reason for his detention is because of his Christian faith and witness among the Uyghur people. Alimujiang was seen March 31 around 10 a.m. (local time) at Nongsanshi (Military Farm) Hospital in Kashgar. His hands were bound and he was observed being roughly escorted by police and a prison doctor while repeatedly crying out to onlookers in Chinese, "I'm sick. Tell my lawyer to come quickly to see me."
Wusiman Yiming, another Uyghur Christian, was sentenced to two years of re-education through labor in September 2007 for "revealing state secrets" and "illegal proselytizing."
ChinaAid sources say that he was, in fact, sentenced because of his boldness as a Christian and a leader in the Uyghur church. Sources report that he has aged dramatically in the labor camp and his health is deteriorating due to harsh conditions.
"We welcome the release of this innocent pastor who has been arbitrarily detained for more than a year simply for his Christian faith related activities," said ChinaAid's Bob Fu.
"We urge the Xinjiang authorities to release other innocent people of faith such as Alimujiang Yimiti and Wusiman Yiming."
Posted in China, Christianity, Communism	| Tagged according, activities, administrative, aged, Alimujiang Yimiti, allows, arbitrarily, arrest, arrested, attention, authorities, bailed, beaten, Bob Fu, boldness, bound, buying, called, car, charge, children, China, ChinaAid, Chinese, Christian, Christianity, Christians, Communism, communist, communists, community, compensation, conditions, continue, county, court, crying, currently, daughter, declaring, detained, detention, deteriorating, doctor, dramatically, endangering, escorted, evidence, explains, facts, faith, family, farm, Father, filing, fragile, freed, future, government, great, hands, harsh, health, hepatitis B, home, horrible, house church, human rights, Huocheng, illegal, imprisoned, inciting, indictment, innocent, insufficient, Intelligence, international, issued, Kashgar, Labor, law, lawsuit, lawyer, leader, legal, Lou Tiantian, Lou Yuanqi, media release, medical, meeting, members, military, motivation, need, Nongsanshi Hospital, observed, officially, onlookers, organization, organizations, organizing, overseas, overwhelmed, Pastor, permitted, Persecution, police, pressure, prevent, prison, procedure, prosecution, proselytizing, providing, provision, purpose, Qingshuihe, qu bao hou shen, re-education, real, reason, related, release, released, response, result, return, revealing, roughly, ruling, secession, secrets, security, sentenced, sick, sources, speak, spying, state, statement, stealing, stop, strong, suffered, suffers, sufficient, superstition, suspicion, time, town, trial, unclear, undermine, urge, utilizing, Uyghur, waiting, Wang Wenxiu, watchdog, wife, witness, Wusiman Yiming, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region | Leave a comment
COLOMBIA: SIX MONTHS LATER, PASTOR STILL MISSING
The Rev. William Reyes' wife awaits word, fears for safety of her children.
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, March 23 (Compass Direct News) – Six months after the disappearance in Colombia of the Rev. William Reyes of Maicao, La Guajira, no one knows what happened to him.
This week marks six months of agonizing uncertainty for the family of Rev. Reyes. On Sept. 25, 2008, the pastor of Light and Truth Inter-American Church disappeared en route home from a ministers' meeting in Valledupar, a city in the neighboring department (state) of Cesar.
Family members and friends fear that guerrilla fighters kidnapped the veteran minister; they have not seen or heard from him since his disappearance. Rev. Reyes and colleagues in the Fraternity of Evangelical Pastors of Maicao had received repeated threats from illegal armed groups operating in the La Guajira peninsula since March 2008.
Guerrillas or their paramilitary rivals may have assassinated Rev. Reyes and disposed of his body, and some observers even speculate that he may have fallen victim to rogue units of the Colombian army that murder innocent civilians to inflate the body counts of "terrorists" killed in battle.
But nobody knows for sure what happened to the 41-year-old father of three – William, 19, Luz Nelly, 17 and Estefania, 9. His wife and children live with gnawing fear and uncertainty.
"Some days I feel so desperate, I don't know what to do," Idia Miranda de Reyes told Compass by telephone from her home in Maicao. Through tears, she added, "My daughter Estefania helps me stay strong. She tells me, 'Mama, don't cry,' remember that God is with us.'"
Tensions heightened for the Reyes family on Feb. 19, when armed men entered another Maicao church just a few blocks from the Light and Truth Church while worship was in progress and forcibly removed a woman from the congregation. The pastor of the church refused to disclose the victim's identity or discuss the circumstances of her disappearance, citing concerns for the safety of the woman, her family and other members of his congregation.
Such caution is understandable in Colombia, a country that suffers the highest incidence of kidnapping in the Western Hemisphere and a homicide rate 11 times greater than in the United States.
Six months of silence in regard to her husband's fate, coupled with this new threat to her community, has made Idia Miranda Reyes justifiably fearful for her family's safety. Moreover, she now faces financial hardship. The Truth and Light Church kept her on the payroll until Feb. 15, when the congregation appointed a new minister to replace her husband.
She is considering a move to another city to be near her extended family but wants to wait until her daughter, Luz Nelly, graduates from high school this spring. For now, the family survives on donations from friends and church members.
"We know that God is doing something through this," Reyes said. "I don't understand what that is, but I'm going to keep trusting Him."
The Reyes family has received moral support from the Christian community in Colombia. On Oct. 4, 2008, thousands of marchers from Maicao's churches held a public demonstration to protest the disappearance of Rev. Reyes and demand his immediate release.
The march produced the only clue to his fate. Following the demonstration, the minister's wallet turned up inside the church building with his identification documents intact. His wife took that as a message that he was still alive and that his captors would be contacting her soon.
That has not happened. But such delay tactics are not unusual in Colombian kidnapping cases, according to Michael Joseph of the Commission for Restoration, Life and Peace of the Evangelical Council of Colombia.
"It's disconcerting that we have received no ransom request," Joseph said. "It means he could have been killed. On the other hand, we do know that Rev. Reyes had been receiving extortion threats by phone and text message from months before he disappeared. So really it's anybody's guess."
Joseph traveled to Maicao last October to interview Rev. Reyes' wife on behalf of the commission, which then mounted a public letter-writing campaign together with Justapaz, a Mennonite Church-affiliated organization based in Bogotá. Concerned citizens petitioned the office of Attorney General Dr. Mario Iguarán to "take all steps necessary to locate Pastor Reyes and to protect his family," and the organizations are still urging people worldwide to write to the Colombian official. A model letter can be found at http://www.justapaz.org/spip.php?article114 .
At press time, law enforcement authorities had not responded to the petition, but this is not unusual for kidnapping cases in Colombia. The attorney general's office reportedly faces a backlog of 1 million unsolved homicides, abductions and other serious crimes.
General lawlessness in some areas of the country means that Colombians often face retaliation from the same criminals who murder or kidnap loved ones, should they dare report such crimes to the authorities as Rev. Reyes' wife has done. She lives in fear as she awaits word of her missing husband.
"I have three kids, and I am very fearful for them," she said. "If it were not for the solace the Lord gives me, I would go crazy. I am trusting in God alone."
Posted in Christianity, Colombia, Mennonite, USA	| Tagged abductions, affiliated, agonizing, alive, alone, appointed, areas, armed, army, assassinated, Attorney-General, authorities, backlog, based, battle, behalf, blocks, body, body counts, Bogota, building, campaign, captors, cases, caution, Cesar, children, Christian, Christianity, Christians, church, churches, circumstances, citing, city, civilians, clue, colleagues, Colombia, Colombian, commission, Commission for Restoration, community, concerns, congregation, considering, contacting, country, couples, crazy, crimes, criminals, cry, dare, daughter, delay, demand, demonstration, department, desperate, disappearance, disappeared, disclose, disconcerting, discuss, disposed, documents, donations, en route, enforcement, entered, Estefania Reyes, extended family, extortion, faces, fallen, family, fate, Father, fear, fearful, fears, feel, fighters, financial, following, forcibly, found, Fraternity of Evangelical Pastors of Maicao, friends, general, gnawing, God, gradulates, greater, groups, guerrilla, guess, happened, hardship, heard, heightened, helps, high school, highest, home, homicide, homicides, husband, identification, identity, Idia Miranda de Reyes, illegal, immediate, incidence, inflate, innocent, intact, interview, Justapaz, justifiably, keep, kidnap, Kidnapped, kidnapping, kids, killed, La Guajira, law, lawlessness, letter-writing, light and Truth Inter-American Church, live, lives, locate, Lord, loved ones, Luz Nelly Reyes, Maicao, mama, march, marchers, Mario Iguaran, means, meeting, members, Mennonite, message, Michael Joseph, minister, ministers, missing, model letter, moral, mounted, murder, necessary, neighbouring, new, observers, office, official, operating, organization, paramilitary, Pastor, payroll, peninsula, people, petition, petitioned, phone, press time, produced, progress, protect, protest, public, ransom, rate, received, refused, regard, release, remember, removed, repeated, replace, report, request, responded, retaliation, rivals, rogue, safety, seen, serious, silence, solace, speculate, spring, state, stay, steps, strong, suffers, support, survives, tactics, tears, telephone, tensions, terrorists, text message, threat, threats, traveled, trusting, uncertainty, understand, understandable, United States, units, unsolved, unusual, urging, USA, Valledupar, veteran, victim, wait, wallet, Western Hemisphere, wife, William Reyes, woman, Word, worldwide, worship, write | Leave a comment


For what seems like the longest time now (well, probably since I got back from my first visit and started having the urge to live in my boyfriend's country…) one of my cures for boredom has been to hunt for houses in Sweden, just to occupy the time. I began on svenskfast.se before discovering hemnet.se which seemed to list all the houses from multiple real estate companies. I would put in my search terms: Villa, min 5 rooms, max 2,000,000 kronor, location Östergötland. I wasn't finding much. But when I took away the location, and searched the whole of Sweden… houses galore! Well, I suppose that's understandable, but now I was getting a whole page of new listings every day. So, those listings could be a bit further out of the way to where we may or may not end up wanting to live close to Johan's family – and currently with Johan in the north, our future residence could really be anywhere and depends on where there's work! But even if I don't know the location of where to search – even though I could be looking at a house in the very south of Sweden one minute and the very north the next (and honestly, I don't pay too much attention to the location maps!) it is enjoyable and feels meaningful.
If you have never tried this with your partner, I suggest you put it on your to do list. It can be so much fun, and so informative. In the beginning we would look at houses together, and still do sometimes, although nowadays our days get busier and I just tend to link the best ones worth looking at. The point is, we would look at the house together and all of the photos (I came to recognise the ALLA BILDER button on every external site and now I'm learning to read all the captions!) and discuss everything we did and didn't like about the house and the style and design choices people had used in their homes. It is a great way to connect with your partner and learn how your tastes are both similar and different, and helps you to think about the type of house you may want to share with them in the future, however far off that might be.
For instance, I love wooden kitchens. Johan likes them too, but he doesn't like whole houses filled with too much wooden decor. He'd also like a kitchen with all the big appliances fully built in, where as I don't mind so much because I'm used to microwaves and fridges having large gaps around them – which was one thing that did surprise me a little, it's like they have no room to breathe at the sides in a lot of Swedish homes! Which is another thing – a lot of the time renting, and even buying in Sweden – your main appliances are included – including the fridge, drier and washing machine! He'd like a sauna; I'd like a nice big patio to have an evening's hot chocolate on. The list continues, but for the most part, we have similar tastes in home designs, it's the furnishings that will likely cause us some trouble when we can't decide on things and will need to make compromises! I'm sure that when the time comes, it'll be an absolute nightmare, but I think we're pretty well prepared to tackle that, partly because we already know each others likes and dislikes and have talked through them.
How do you find the Swedish house prices compared to where you live? You definitely get a bigger house for your money here compared to Finland but it's generally cheaper there and you get a much higher quality house. The style of Finnish houses (inside and out) is much more to my taste than Australian houses!
Absolutely, hey! I'm not really sure about comparing at the moment because like I said I've been searching the whole of Sweden rather than a specified area. And because I've set in a price limit, I don't see the really extravagant houses! xD So from my search results I'd say yeah, houses are cheaper to where I'm currently living, some much so. But they might be out in the country somewhere or else a lot of them seem like they're in smaller towns.
Definitely makes a huge difference when you look at countryside vs cities, but I've found that you can easily get a nicely renovated 3 bedroom apartment with sauna and balcony in a city (but still close to nature) for less than $200,000 – which would be near impossible here!
Filmed 19, 20 and 22 December, 2015.
LDR Vlog #10 Flights, Hugs & Swedish!
LDR Vlog #9 We Meet Again (After 2 Years)!
LDR Vlog #8 Today Is The Day!
It's not often I remember my dreams, but last night I had a really beautifully symbolic one.
There was this race to find a lost treasure through rough terrain, and Johan and I were partnered up. Instead of taking the flatter route everyone else was taking, we took a shortcut, which ultimately had more hills. This route took us to finding a lost treasure, but not the one we were supposed to be finding. We helped each other to the top of this cliff and we looked out, and it felt like we were on the top of the world. Whether or not the treasure we found was worth anything, it felt infinitely more valuable, like we couldn't put a price tag on it. And isn't that what love is about? Relationships can be hard, especially long distance ones… but some day (and it doesn't matter how long it takes) the top of the mountain is reached, and it's all worth it.
So, this piece of paper cost me $43.50. Swedes get it for free.
We're so close, I can taste it.
Oh May, Where Did You Go?


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Stuff I Watch in October: The Sixth Sense (1999)
Happy October and welcome! All 31 days this month, I will be reviewing all the films I watch in the month of October. They're mostly a selection of horror or suspense films in my own library or films and shows that have been recommended to me.
Please enjoy and leave a comment!
And if you missed any of our past reflections, take a look:
The Haunting (1963)
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
The Other (1972)
The Legend of Hell House (1973)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Halloween II (1981)
The Evil Dead (1981)
Halloween III – Season of the Witch (1982)
Teen Wolf (1985)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
The Monster Squad (1987)
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
The Lost Boys (1987)
Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn (1987)
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
They Live (1988)
Beetlejuice (1988)
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
The Addams Family (1991)
Alien 3 (1992)
Army of Darkness (1992)
The Crow (1994)
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
Alien: Resurrection (1997)
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
Our next film is…
WATCHING: The Sixth Sense (1999)
DIRECTOR: A wild M. Night Shyamalan has appeared! Shyamalan had directed two films before this but wasn't as "established". One was a personal, fictional drama about returning to India and learning about his father and the other was a fairly weak Miramax family film starring Rosie O'Donnell.
WHAT IS IT?: The Sixth Sense was the film that put Shyamalan's name in lights. I still remember hearing about the film online from other film nuts. Early buzz was that the script was phenomenal and that "Shyamalan knows how to get under your skin" with his story-telling.
THE PLOT: After having been honored for his work as a child psych, Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) suffers a personal tragedy when one of his old patients, a young man named Vincent, breaks into his home, shoots him, and then commits suicide in front of him and his wife. The incident sends Malcolm's resolve and his marriage on a downward spiral until he takes on a new patient by the name of Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a child who seems withdrawn, even from Malcolm — until he reveals why: he claims to see dead people during every waking moment of his life and it's taking a hell of a mental toll.
At first, Malcolm is skeptical of Cole's claim but after listening to old tapes of his time with Vincent — and hears a disembodied voice of a ghost crying to Vincent — Malcolm realizes that Cole's progress and eventual emotional recovery is not only a must but that is also may be his ultimate redemption and the key to fixing his own life.
WHAT DID CRITICS THINK?: The Sixth Sense received nothing but praise from critics who gave it high marks for its mix of high drama and the tense nature of a modern horror film. The movie was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture and several Golden Globe Awards.
WHAT DID I THINK?: The movie is still good all these years later thanks to Haley Joel Osment's emotional performance as the disturbed Cole and a beautifully grounded performance from Bruce Willis as Malcolm Crowe.
The film's scares are effective mainly because of the performances. They prey on that small child inside of you who is still afraid of the dark. They cut into like a knife and give you goosebumps and you not only feel the scare on a visceral level, but on an emotional one. Osment does a great job of making you feel how frightened he is of what he's seeing and that just scares you even more.
The famous ending works…but I can see why there are those who object to it due to the film's insistence on straining credulity in order to make it work.
For me, the real "moment" of the film is when Cole and his mother come to terms on his issue and how it's impacted their relationship. It's one that's worth more than the final big reveal with Malcolm and his own life.
The Sixth Sense is a modern classic.
In: Movies, Special Features
Tagged: Stuff I Watch In October, The Sixth Sense
Previous Post: Stuff I Watch in October: Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
Next Post: Stuff I Watch in October: What Lies Beneath (2000)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


What Did People Do Before the Welfare State?
That's a pretty good question, isn't it? Today I was joined by David Beito, author of From Mutual Aid to the Welfare State, to pin down the answer. Have a listen!
And subscribe to the Tom Woods Show on iTunes or Stitcher; you can also use the rss feed or the archive on the show site.


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U.S. And Sweden Struggle To 0-0 Tie In Women's World Cup
By Russell Lewis
Published June 12, 2015 at 10:03 AM PDT
Defenders Meghan Klingenberg, left, and Becky Sauerbrunn of the United States sandwich Sofia Jakobsson of Sweden on Friday during their Group D World Cup match in Winnipeg, Canada.
Update, 10:10 p.m. ET:
The U.S. and Sweden fought to a 0-0 tie in Winnipeg on Friday night — a disappointing result against the Americans' trash-talking former coach, but enough to keep them in control of their group at the Women's World Cup.
The U.S. struggled to maintain control in the Swedish half for much of the game, and had a hard time connecting on their longer passes forward. Two header attempts off corners around the 72nd minute were tipped over the crossbar and went wide right, and a frenzy in the final minute of extra time came up empty.
The hero of the match for the U.S. might have been defender Meghan Klingenberg, who found herself in the right spot on the goal line during a Swedish corner and knocked a sure goal back out — with some help from the crossbar.
Following the tie and Australia's victory over Nigeria on Friday, the U.S. stands atop Group D with four points and a plus-two goal differential. They'll play next against Nigeria on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images
U.S. forward Sydney Leroux controls the ball during a Group D match with Australia on Monday during the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. The U.S. won, 3-1.
The second-ranked U.S. Women's National Soccer team is back in action Friday at the World Cup. The U.S. has a critical game against fifth-ranked Sweden in Winnipeg, Canada. It's perhaps the marquee matchup of the opening round.
Not only are both teams highly ranked and expected to do well; there's added intrigue and drama. Consider the intrigue:
Anne M. Peterson / AP
Pia Sundhage led the U.S. women to Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012 before leaving to coach the Swedish team.
The Swedish coach is Pia Sundhage, who coached the U.S. until 2012.
She led the U.S. to Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012, as well as a runner-up finish in the previous World Cup. In 107 games under Sundhage, the U.S. lost only six times.
The drama came in a bit of trash talk about some of Sundhage's former players. In a New York Times profile, the beloved (by players and fans) coach criticized several key U.S. starters.
On one of the team's top midfielders: "Carli Lloyd was a challenge to coach."
She criticized star goalkeeper Hope Solo's ongoing off-the-field legal skirmishes.
On star forward Abby Wambach, Sundhage said, "I told her: 'If I stayed, you would be a sub. The best sub ever. But a sub.' There was no question about that in my mind."
The comments became media fodder the next day during a U.S. Soccer news conference with current head coach Jill Ellis. As my colleague Shereen Marisol Meraji reported Friday on Morning Edition:
"Ellis says, yeah, she was briefed about Sundhage's comments. 'I think I've made it pretty clear that distractions don't really creep into my mind when I'm trying to prepare my players and my team for the game.' "
Defender Lori Chalupny brushed off the suggestion that Sundhage's comments provide the U.S. added incentive to beat Sweden. "When you're at a World Cup, there's no extra motivation needed," Chalupny said.
If the U.S. defeats Sweden, it would all but guarantee the U.S. would advance to the knockout stage. Sweden is looking for a win following its disappointing 3-3 tie with Nigeria on Monday.
Playing conditions at the six host cities across Canada have generally been delightful, with highs in the 60s and 70s. But down on the pitch, it's like being at a different latitude. The artificial turf, made of rubber and plastic, radiates heat. In at least two games, the field temperatures reportedly soared above 120 degrees. The U.S. coaches have asked FIFA to water the turf to cool it down.
The television audience for this World Cup is booming. FIFA says the opening games have attracted more viewers than those in 2011. While that's true, attendance at some stadiums has been lackluster. At a double-header in Montreal featuring Brazil and star player Marta, only 10,000 fans showed up. The games with the biggest attendance have involved host country Canada and the first U.S. game (which given its proximity is almost like a "home" game).
The U.S.-Sweden game begins at 8 p.m. ET and will be televised on Fox Sports 1 and NBC Universo.
Russell Lewis
As NPR's Southern Bureau chief, Russell Lewis covers issues and people of the Southeast for NPR — from Florida to Virginia to Texas, including West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. His work brings context and dimension to issues ranging from immigration, transportation, and oil and gas drilling for NPR listeners across the nation and around the world.
See stories by Russell Lewis


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How to Stop People from Tagging You in Photos on Twitter
by Fox Van Allen on March 31, 2014
in Phones and Mobile, News, Mobile Apps, Computer Safety & Support, Blog, Privacy, Social Networking :: 0 comments
Microblogging social network Twitter has been rolling out a new photo-tagging feature to all its users over the last few days, but not everyone is happy about it. Being able to tag your friends on a shared photo is, as Twitter says, "more social." But it also takes power out of your hands – the power to control what pictures of yourself are associated with your name on the Internet. Your participation in the new photo-tagging feature is enabled by default.
Thankfully, though, there's a simple way to reclaim the power to decide who, if anyone, can tag you in a photo on Twitter. Visit your Settings page and then choose Security and Privacy from the left hand menu. Scroll down to the Privacy section and you'll see three new photo tagging privacy options to pick from: "Allow anyone to tag me in photos," "Only allow people I follow to tag me in photos," and "Do not allow anyone to tag me in photos." Choose the one that feels right for you.
You should take a quick moment to review all your settings while you're there on the Security and Privacy page. I recommend you opt out of Twitter's other anti-privacy features, like ad tracking. You might want to give yourself a full social media checkup while you're at it: Review your Facebook privacy settings to make sure your tagged photos don't start appearing as Facebook ads.
For more on the new Twitter photo tagging feature, visit the official Twitter blog.


The research by Yale University has found that attractive men earn 9% more than their average counterparts and attractive women earn 4% more. That's some good money over the years!
A new study has revealed that attractive employees have a leg up at work. However, employers also over-estimate their productivity.
The research by Yale University has found that attractive men earn 9% more than their average counterparts and attractive women earn 4% more, CBS News reported.
Researchers conducted a test and found that employers over-estimated the productivity of beautiful people, making it easier for average people to meet or exceed expectations.
According to researchers at Harvard, employers apparently have higher expectations of attractive workers.


Being human is a constant reconfiguring, adjustment, a striving I've called it elsewhere. Well, of course: if we are not growing (physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually) we are not living. A plant that is not growing is dead.
This reconfiguring happens in a number of ways.
I have heard brain experts speak of the brain's reconfiguring - not once, as was thought for some time, when we are teenagers (and explaining the angst and trouble for which teenagers have earned a bad name), but twice. The second time in our 20s. An accordingly, our 'identity' isn't really established until we are approaching 30. This is a physically driven reconfiguration.
I have just read a book that talks about two stages of life - a first half of life and a second half of life. This is a reconfiguration driven by our spirituality.
What wonderful news from Margaret River, WA, this week: A Story Circle has begun.
Folk from Margaret River & Augusta Uniting Churches and I shared a weekend of workshops back in August, and following our first, in telling our own stories, the group were talking about putting together an anthology, or meeting regularly to continue to tell and hear their stories together.
What a delight to hear that this dream has begun to be realised. Well done, Margaret River, may your stories enrich and bless those who tell and those who hear, those who are heard and those who connect.
Find out more about the opportunities for workshops in story, storytelling, the Biblical story and more here.
It is possible that I have written about why I am a biblical storyteller, lead workshops in storytelling, and am pursuing research into how performing the texts as a storyteller leads us to discover meaning in the texts.
However, I have just had a late night moment of clarity as I ponder the path I am on, and thought I would write it down. For me, if not for anyone else who is interested.
Narrative theorists identify three sites of meaning in any given text: with the author and the author's world, within the text and the world of the text, and with the audience and the world of the audience.
I have been thinking about that wedding I presided at in September, and about my request to the guests to refrain from taking photographs during the vows.
There have been some conversations with people in the lead up to the wedding, and the emergence of photos taken during that part of the ceremony since, that indicate that people may not either understand or agree.
It has to do with my understanding of why we have weddings at all.
I have to admit that for a significant amount of time this year, I have been finding it difficult to accept singleness. Perhaps it is the isolation and loneliness inherent in my kind of vocation; perhaps it was that my younger sister was getting married. Perhaps it was a combination, or simply the human longing for relationship.
It seems I may have moved through this intense season of loneliness, to have entered a season of peace, and contentment, once more. Several things have helped guide me here.
the gospel portion for this week, following the revised common lectionary, is from Mark 12, in which Jesus responds to another question: what is the greatest commandment?
he replies with words so many know: love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this, you shall love your neighbour as yourself.
a couple of things strike me about it today.


Donations - Claremont Dry Grad 2019 "B19 Things"
The Dry Grad event is made possible thanks to donations from various community organisations as well as Claremont families who generously contribute both funds and prizes to enhance the celebration. All donors will be recognized in the Times Colonist and Saanich News, in the school Announcements and on this website - so please consider this opportunity to recognize your graduate or promote your business. You might decide to be an Entertainment Sponsor! For more info, email claremontdrygrad@gmail.com .
Please consider making a contribution to show your support! Cheques are made payable to "Claremont Grad All Nite"
We are in need of prizes, big or small. If you, or anyone you know is able to make a donation towards prizes or to get a copy of the 2019 sponsor letter, please contact the committee at claremontdrygrad@gmail.com.