MALUMGHAT, Bangladesh, December 8 – The harassment that Bangladeshi converts from Islam face from Muslim neighbors in this southeastern area near Cox’s Bazar can take serious turns – as it did last month, when an attack by about a dozen Muslims left a Christian family with machete wounds.
Confident that no police would side with Christian converts from Islam, the Muslims in Chakaria town, near Cox’s Bazar 380 kilometers (236 miles) southeast of the capital city of Dhaka, later filed false charges of assault against the wounded and limping Christians, family members said.
The smallest of claims can serve to provoke such attacks. Laila Begum, a 45-year-old Christian convert from Islam, said she was helping to make disbursements for a local non-governmental micro-credit agency called Darpan in Chakaria town on Nov. 1 when 10 to 15 Muslim neighbors blocked her way and demanded 200 taka (US$3).
Begum told Compass she had borrowed 2,000 taka (US$30) last year from a neighbor, a Muslim woman who goes by the single name of Kohinoor, and this year paid her back with interest. Telling the group she would give them no more money as she had already repaid the loan, Begum said, she asked why they were demanding more.
They began beating her, snatching a pair of gold ornaments from her ear.
“Suddenly they got equipped with sticks, iron rods, knives and machetes,” she said. “Several places of my head were lacerated by machetes and iron rods. They also cut two of my fingers when I tried to fend off their attacks. They beat me in several places of my body by iron rods and sticks.”
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
GFA MISSIONARY TELLS HIS HARROWING PERSECUTION STORY
India ( madhyapradhesh) ― Last week we told you about the mirculous escape of a Gospel for Asia missionary in Madhya Pradesh. For the first time since he was kidnapped and beaten on November 24, GFA missionary N. Chauhan is telling his story -- in his own words -- about the harrowing ordeal and his miraculous escape.
Chauhan was on outreach ministry in Madhya Pradesh, India, when he was kidnapped by a mob of about 40 anti-Christian extremists. "On November 24 at 11 a.m., while I was going for outreach ministry in a village 20 kilometers (12 miles) from my home, a group of young people belonging to an extremist group stopped me. They asked me several questions, such as what was I doing and where was I going. Then they opened my bag and found Gospel literature and teaching CDs. "The extremists started to beat me. They took my bicycle, mobile phone and two thousand rupees (US$40). They forcefully took me on their bike to a remote village, where around 200 people had gathered, and they made me sit in the middle of the crowd. They asked me several questions and told me to read Hindu literature, leave the Christian faith and worship one of their gods. I said "No," so they started to beat me again. "Then the crowd called for their leader. They took me to a small hut and locked me inside. They kept me locked up from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m."During that time, I was praying to the living God. I remembered the verse where Jesus said, ‘In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.' Through this Bible verse, I got courage to face any problem. "When they took me out of the room at 8:00 p.m., I was very hungry and cold. They took me to a road to meet the extremist leader. But I was thinking and looking for some way to escape. So I told them I needed to use the bathroom, and they let me walk into the forest. I walked a little ways and then started to run. Some started to chase me and loudly told the others that I was running away, and so many people ran after me. "I don't know from where I got such power to run. The mob even took their jeep and bike to catch me, but as I was running through paddy fields, they couldn't catch me. I even fell in a small well, but God helped me to get out. And again I started to run through the forest.
"Up until midnight, I was sitting in the forest. My whole body was in severe pain, but God gave me strength to walk 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) through the forest without fear. I found a village where I know a Christian family. "Around 3 a.m., I reached their house and told them what had happened to me. They gave me a place to sleep and kept me there for two days, until I went to another village and got some medicine. On November 27, I safely reached a GFA district office. Now I am in the office resting, but I still have pain in my chest and legs. "I thank God that He has saved my life. I also want to give thanks to all those who sincerely prayed for me. Kindly keep remembering me in your prayers."
Continue to pray for the thousands of GFA workers that are sharing the Gospel no matter what the cost.
Chauhan was on outreach ministry in Madhya Pradesh, India, when he was kidnapped by a mob of about 40 anti-Christian extremists. "On November 24 at 11 a.m., while I was going for outreach ministry in a village 20 kilometers (12 miles) from my home, a group of young people belonging to an extremist group stopped me. They asked me several questions, such as what was I doing and where was I going. Then they opened my bag and found Gospel literature and teaching CDs. "The extremists started to beat me. They took my bicycle, mobile phone and two thousand rupees (US$40). They forcefully took me on their bike to a remote village, where around 200 people had gathered, and they made me sit in the middle of the crowd. They asked me several questions and told me to read Hindu literature, leave the Christian faith and worship one of their gods. I said "No," so they started to beat me again. "Then the crowd called for their leader. They took me to a small hut and locked me inside. They kept me locked up from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m."During that time, I was praying to the living God. I remembered the verse where Jesus said, ‘In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.' Through this Bible verse, I got courage to face any problem. "When they took me out of the room at 8:00 p.m., I was very hungry and cold. They took me to a road to meet the extremist leader. But I was thinking and looking for some way to escape. So I told them I needed to use the bathroom, and they let me walk into the forest. I walked a little ways and then started to run. Some started to chase me and loudly told the others that I was running away, and so many people ran after me. "I don't know from where I got such power to run. The mob even took their jeep and bike to catch me, but as I was running through paddy fields, they couldn't catch me. I even fell in a small well, but God helped me to get out. And again I started to run through the forest.
"Up until midnight, I was sitting in the forest. My whole body was in severe pain, but God gave me strength to walk 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) through the forest without fear. I found a village where I know a Christian family. "Around 3 a.m., I reached their house and told them what had happened to me. They gave me a place to sleep and kept me there for two days, until I went to another village and got some medicine. On November 27, I safely reached a GFA district office. Now I am in the office resting, but I still have pain in my chest and legs. "I thank God that He has saved my life. I also want to give thanks to all those who sincerely prayed for me. Kindly keep remembering me in your prayers."
Continue to pray for the thousands of GFA workers that are sharing the Gospel no matter what the cost.
' PRAISE PARTIES ' : CHRISTIAN NIGHT CLUBS HANGING ON IN PHILLY
PHILADELPHIA - THE NEON lights on the disc jockey's turntable flickered yellow, red and green across the spacious nightclub. The deafening music pounded the eardrums of people milling around the dance floor and tables.
At the club entrance, owner Lemont Mears quickly scanned the few names scrawled on a sign-in sheet before disappearing behind a pair of swinging doors.
Moments later, he re-emerged with several Styrofoam cups and handed them to a group of elderly women wearing large, flower-rimmed hats. The women, along with their companions - men of a mature age wearing three-piece striped suits and flashy watches - absently sipped their drinks as they bobbed their heads in time to the music.
It was the start to another night at Club Destiny, one of the few Christian nightclubs in Philadelphia.
Christian nightclubs - the very name raises eyebrows - are dismissed as an oxymoron by some churchgoers. But fun-loving Christians see them as an alcohol-free alternative of faith-based entertainment.
Clubs with a pious nature began taking root in the '90s, at first in the South but also in New York and even across the pond in London.
In Philadelphia, a few have sprouted in recent years, although Mears, who co-founded Club Destiny in Southwest Philly almost two years ago, wasn't sure how many are still around.
His goal was to promote gospel music. "We wanted to create a platform in Philly for gospel music on a steady basis," he said.
A gospel recording artist, Mears billed his Saturday night events as "praise parties," targeting Christians in Philly who were struggling to find wholesome social gatherings.
"I wanted to do something with religion and not compromise religion," he said.
At the club on Lindbergh Boulevard near 66th Street, clubgoers sip nonalcoholic drinks called "Pearly Gates Pina Colada," "First Lady Fizzle," "Power Packin' Preacher Punch" and "Missionary Margarita" as they dance the "sanctified electric slide" and the "gospel cha-cha" to Christian rap and reggae. Most of the music is recorded, but he sometimes books live artists, like Grammy-nominated singer Tracy Shy, who sang at the club during a recent event, and Christian comic Chris Clark.
Disc jockey Bruce Johnson ("DJ Praze") is a regular fixture at the club.
Parties at Club Destiny are held two Saturdays a month and on some holidays. The average cover charge is $10.
Families attend the praise parties, but so do Christian singles scoping out potential dates, Mears said.
Some say Christian nightclubsare an inevitable step in the Christian social scene, an outgrowth of the more common coffeehouses and gospel cafes.
Keith S. Goodman, pastor of North Philadelphia Seventh-day Adventist Church on 16th and Oxford streets, said that entrepreneurs have noticed the burgeoning Christian retail market - the Christian Booksellers Association says nearly $3 billion a year is spent on faith-based items - and seek to capitalize on it.
"There's a market selling to Christians, creating the services for Christians - sometimes for the good, sometimes not-so-good," he said. "Not everything targeting believers are of a positive source."
There are religious leaders who worry that the line between secular and faith-based entertainment is becoming dangerously blurred.
Goodman expressed concern over what he believes is the church bending to secular culture."The general purpose of a club is to hook up," he said. "The club scene is an anti-Christian lifestyle."
But Kathy Christian, the executive director of the Tennessee-based club The Fire Escape, defends the get-togethers as nothing more than a "safe haven" for believers.
Established in 1996, The Fire Escape, in Kingsport, Tenn., which targets teens and young adults, was one of the first Christian nightclubs in the United States. Initially run by a Methodist church as a community outreach program, it became independent last year, she said.
"Those who come in would come into the love of Jesus," she said in a recent phone interview.
Even this well-established club struggles to stay afloat, Christian said, and it's open only on weekends. Twelve years ago, a typical night would find 150 people packed into the club, but now they consider it a blessing if they can attract 85, she said.
She said "stubborn churchgoing saints" who refuse to change with the times, have the wrong idea about the club's purpose. Her mission, she said, is to enhance, not diminish, the role of the church.
"Some churches think we're trying to take the kids away," she said, "but [we] hand them off to local churches.
"Attendees are encouraged to spend intimate time with the Lord," she said. "We're just evangelistic in nature, we want to bring kids into the kingdom of Christ."
At the club entrance, owner Lemont Mears quickly scanned the few names scrawled on a sign-in sheet before disappearing behind a pair of swinging doors.
Moments later, he re-emerged with several Styrofoam cups and handed them to a group of elderly women wearing large, flower-rimmed hats. The women, along with their companions - men of a mature age wearing three-piece striped suits and flashy watches - absently sipped their drinks as they bobbed their heads in time to the music.
It was the start to another night at Club Destiny, one of the few Christian nightclubs in Philadelphia.
Christian nightclubs - the very name raises eyebrows - are dismissed as an oxymoron by some churchgoers. But fun-loving Christians see them as an alcohol-free alternative of faith-based entertainment.
Clubs with a pious nature began taking root in the '90s, at first in the South but also in New York and even across the pond in London.
In Philadelphia, a few have sprouted in recent years, although Mears, who co-founded Club Destiny in Southwest Philly almost two years ago, wasn't sure how many are still around.
His goal was to promote gospel music. "We wanted to create a platform in Philly for gospel music on a steady basis," he said.
A gospel recording artist, Mears billed his Saturday night events as "praise parties," targeting Christians in Philly who were struggling to find wholesome social gatherings.
"I wanted to do something with religion and not compromise religion," he said.
At the club on Lindbergh Boulevard near 66th Street, clubgoers sip nonalcoholic drinks called "Pearly Gates Pina Colada," "First Lady Fizzle," "Power Packin' Preacher Punch" and "Missionary Margarita" as they dance the "sanctified electric slide" and the "gospel cha-cha" to Christian rap and reggae. Most of the music is recorded, but he sometimes books live artists, like Grammy-nominated singer Tracy Shy, who sang at the club during a recent event, and Christian comic Chris Clark.
Disc jockey Bruce Johnson ("DJ Praze") is a regular fixture at the club.
Parties at Club Destiny are held two Saturdays a month and on some holidays. The average cover charge is $10.
Families attend the praise parties, but so do Christian singles scoping out potential dates, Mears said.
Some say Christian nightclubsare an inevitable step in the Christian social scene, an outgrowth of the more common coffeehouses and gospel cafes.
Keith S. Goodman, pastor of North Philadelphia Seventh-day Adventist Church on 16th and Oxford streets, said that entrepreneurs have noticed the burgeoning Christian retail market - the Christian Booksellers Association says nearly $3 billion a year is spent on faith-based items - and seek to capitalize on it.
"There's a market selling to Christians, creating the services for Christians - sometimes for the good, sometimes not-so-good," he said. "Not everything targeting believers are of a positive source."
There are religious leaders who worry that the line between secular and faith-based entertainment is becoming dangerously blurred.
Goodman expressed concern over what he believes is the church bending to secular culture."The general purpose of a club is to hook up," he said. "The club scene is an anti-Christian lifestyle."
But Kathy Christian, the executive director of the Tennessee-based club The Fire Escape, defends the get-togethers as nothing more than a "safe haven" for believers.
Established in 1996, The Fire Escape, in Kingsport, Tenn., which targets teens and young adults, was one of the first Christian nightclubs in the United States. Initially run by a Methodist church as a community outreach program, it became independent last year, she said.
"Those who come in would come into the love of Jesus," she said in a recent phone interview.
Even this well-established club struggles to stay afloat, Christian said, and it's open only on weekends. Twelve years ago, a typical night would find 150 people packed into the club, but now they consider it a blessing if they can attract 85, she said.
She said "stubborn churchgoing saints" who refuse to change with the times, have the wrong idea about the club's purpose. Her mission, she said, is to enhance, not diminish, the role of the church.
"Some churches think we're trying to take the kids away," she said, "but [we] hand them off to local churches.
"Attendees are encouraged to spend intimate time with the Lord," she said. "We're just evangelistic in nature, we want to bring kids into the kingdom of Christ."
CHRISTIAN BROTHERS FALSELY ACCUSED OF MURDER IN EGYPT: PLEASE DO PRAY FOR THEIR RELEASE
Egypt ― Two Christian brothers falsely accused of murdering a Muslim in May were recently sent to the El Wadi El Gardid Detention Camp in an attempted coercion, reports Voice of the Martyrs Canada
During the initial days of their detention, Refaat and Ibrahim Fawzy Abdo were tortured with electric shocks for 8 hours a day over a period of three days. Sources believe that authorities are using the brothers as leverage to make other Christians confess that the May attack was not religiously motivated.
On May 31, approximately 60 armed Muslims stormed a monastery where the brothers worked as building contractors in Mallawi, Upper Egypt. One Muslim was killed in the attack, four Christians injured and three monks briefly kidnapped. Although they were not on the premises when the violence occurred, Refaat and Ibrahim were subsequently charged with the murder. Sources say that the brothers were tortured in an attempt to make them testify that the monks at the monastery were armed.
During the initial days of their detention, Refaat and Ibrahim Fawzy Abdo were tortured with electric shocks for 8 hours a day over a period of three days. Sources believe that authorities are using the brothers as leverage to make other Christians confess that the May attack was not religiously motivated.
On May 31, approximately 60 armed Muslims stormed a monastery where the brothers worked as building contractors in Mallawi, Upper Egypt. One Muslim was killed in the attack, four Christians injured and three monks briefly kidnapped. Although they were not on the premises when the violence occurred, Refaat and Ibrahim were subsequently charged with the murder. Sources say that the brothers were tortured in an attempt to make them testify that the monks at the monastery were armed.
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