PRIESTS AND WIFE HACKED TO DEATH IN INDONESIA

JAKARTA - AN ELDERLY Christian priest and his wife were hacked to death with machetes in Indonesia, police said on Monday.
Frans Koagow, 64, and his wife, Femy Kumendong, 73, were found in the priest's home in Manado city, North Sulawesi province, on Saturday with deep slash wounds to their heads and necks, provincial police spokesman Benny Bella said.
'The priest was cut from behind in the neck while his wife was cut in the head while she lay down sick with a stroke,' Mr Bella said.
'The priest had been squatting down to tie his shoes when he was attacked... there was no time for him to fight back.'
Mr Bella said police were looking for suspects but were unsure how many people were involved in the attack.
'We found a machete but we don't know if it was one that was used in the murder,' he said.
North Sulawesi province is a stronghold of mostly Protestant Christianity in Indonesia, where Muslims make up roughly 90 per cent of the national population.

SWINE FLU BEING USED TO PERSECUTE CHRISTIANS : GOVERNMENT OF ISLAMIC NATION ORDERS SLAUGHTER OF ALL PIGS

JERUSALEM – An Egypt government policy to slaughter the country's pigs as a stated precaution against swine flu is also aimed at targeting and weakening Egypt's long-persecuted Christian community, charged local Christian leaders.
Members of the Egyptian Christian Coptic community, speaking in interviews with WND today, said Egyptian authorities set up checkpoints in their communities and were harassing local Christians.
Almost the entire pig farming community in Egypt is run by Coptic Christians, who constitute between 8 and 15 percent of Egypt's population, depending on which statistical information is used.
Egypt yesterday started seizing and slaughtering herds of pigs in a bid to rid the country of its swine, explaining it was a safety precaution against swine flu. The move was heavily criticized by the United Nations, which put out a statement that the mass cull of up to 400,000 pigs was "a real mistake" since the new flu strain has not been found in pigs.
International health organizations explained the H1N1 flu virus is spread by people, not pigs.
Muslims view pigs as unclean. In the Middle East, various superstitions have been perpetuated in the Arab media the past few days about how pigs spread the disease.
According to Coptic leaders in Egypt, officials from the country's health and agriculture ministries who are known to be sympathizers of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood made the decision to slaughter Egypt's pigs. The Christians spoke to WND on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation.
A Muslim journalist for one of the country's state-run newspapers confirmed to WND that some top health and agriculture ministry officials publicly leading the swine killing charge are known Islamists. But he said it was not clear whether they were connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is in the opposition in Egypt.
"They are trying to take away our income," charged one Coptic leader. "Thousands of Christians lost their income."
Local Christians told WND the Egyptian government set up checkpoints in major Coptic communities, such as Delta and Behma. The checkpoints, the Christians said, was to ensure locals don't try to hide pigs by transferring them out of the farms.
The local Christians claimed Egyptian security forces were humiliating them at the checkpoints.
"They are forcing us to strip, like we might have pigs under our clothes. I think they are covering for a campaign of harming and humiliating Christians," said a local Christian.
Coptic Christians have been targeted by Islamist violence several times the past few years. In 2007, in one example, Muslims in Egypt attacked local Christians and set fire to their shops and homes after the Christian community was accused of attempting to build a church. The Egyptian government heavily restricts the construction or enlargement of churches, requiring permits for any Christian building.
Christians are effectively restricted from senior Egyptian government, military or educational positions, and any worship services require the permission of the government.
The Coptic Church, a major Christian community in Egypt, reportedly dates back to the origins of Christianity. Christians were the majority in Egypt until several centuries after the Arab conquest of the 7th century.
Meanwhile, Egyptian Agriculture Minister Amin Abaza said authorities already confiscated more than 1,000 pigs and that he was seeking military help for the slaughter.
The Egyptian media reported the slaughter of the country's estimated 400,000 pigs could take up to a month to complete.

LIST OF NATIONS WITH WORST VIOLATORS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM EXPANDED

WASHINGTON – An annual list of countries that names the worst violators of religious freedom expanded to include two new countries – Iraq and Nigeria – announced a U.S. government body on Friday.

This year, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended to the Obama administration a total of 13 countries that it should designate as “countries of particular concern” (CPCs).
Iraq was added in December because of the ongoing, severe abuses against minorities and the government’s tolerance of the violence, particularly against Iraq’s “smallest and most vulnerable” religious minorities, including Chaldo Assyrians and other Christian groups.
Nigeria, meanwhile, which has been on the commission’s watch list for seven years, was recommended to be a CPC because of evidence found by USCIRF during a recent trip to the country of the government’s toleration of “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom and beliefs.”
Thousands of people have been killed, displaced or somehow affected by ongoing sectarian violence in Nigeria, reported Commissioner Leonard Leo. The Nigerian government has also allowed destruction of churches and mosques to go with impunity.
Though noteworthy, the addition of Iraq and Nigeria to USCIRF’s annual report was not what drew the most attention during the press conference announcing this year’s list. Instead, the commission highlighted the dangerous situation in Pakistan, where Taliban extremists are strengthening and expanding its grip.
The Taliban’s growth in strength coupled with continuous persecution of religious minorities caused the commission to renew its call for the State Department to designate Pakistan as a CPC.
“We are releasing this report at a critical time,” said Felice D. Gaer, chair of USCIRF, at the opening of the press conference on Friday. “With Taliban associated extremists advancing to within 60 miles of Pakistani capital Islamabad, the relevance of our work is crystal clear.
“In fact, a key focus of the commission during this reporting period is the threat that religious extremists poses to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief worldwide, and to global and regional security,” she said.
Commissioner Elizabeth Prodromou, who reported on Pakistan, highlighted how the Pakistani government does not provide adequate protection to religious minorities, and how perpetrators of religious violence are seldom brought to justice.
She also noted how anti-blasphemy laws have been abused and can be used by extremists against minorities because allegations can be made without evidence.
And Prodromou noted how women and girls in Taliban-controlled areas are denied equal rights and education.
Since 2002, USCIRF has recommended for the State Department to designate Pakistan as a CPC. But the State Department has not followed the commission’s recommendation.
Aside from comments on Pakistan, the commission also reported how 2008 marked the worst year of religious tolerance in China since USCIRF was created in 1998.
USCIRF is a bipartisan federal government commission that is in charge of advising the U.S. Administration and Congress on policies designed to protect and promote religious freedom in the world. It was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA).
Included in this year’s report, which covers the period from May 2008 through April, are: Burma, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
On the commission’s Watch List, meanwhile, are Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Laos, Russia, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Venezuela.
The commission will travel to India next month to study how the world’s largest democracy is promoting religious freedom in light of the massive anti-Christian campaign affecting tens of thousands of people in its Orissa state. The group plans to release the chapter on India this summer after the trip.

PAKISTANI CHRISTIAN GIRL RAPED AND MURDERED

A nine-year-old Christian girl in Pakistan was reportedly gang-raped before being killed and dumped in a canal. And outrage is growing amid reports that almost a month later no arrest has been made.

Nisha Javid was walking close to her home when she suddenly disappeared, prompting her parents to mount a search for her.
Barely two days later, with a police-led search underway, her body was found in a canal not far from the Javids’ home in Essangri village, outside the town of Jaranawala, Faisalabad.
A post mortem revealed Nisha had been gang-raped and had died after repeated blows to the head.
More than three weeks later, police have been accused of inaction and refusing to follow up allegedly compelling evidence identifying the guilty party.
Fr. Yaqub Masih, parish priest of Jaranwala, said, “People here are very sad – especially the family.”
He explained that Nisha’s mother is “ill with grief” and that her father is unable to work and is devoting every hour to win justice for his daughter’s death, working with police and lawyers.
Masih underlined the impact of the attacks on other Christians.
"If nothing is done about this, where can our children go to feel safe? Everyone feels very insecure and very afraid," he said.
The crime took place on April 9 – Maundy Thursday in Holy Week – and Christians believe the attack was intended as an insult to their faith.
"Our people are very poor and they have no status in society," said Masih. "What can they do to protect themselves?"
He reported that the police have been publicly accused of corruption and failing to intensify their inquiries.
"The police action has been very slow," he noted. "And that has made the people here feel even more powerless."
His comments come amid an upsurge of anti-Christian violence and intimidation in Pakistan.
Nisha’s death follows a narrowly-averted attack on Christians in Jaranawala, prompted by accusations that a man had allegedly damaged a banner containing words from the Koran, thereby breaking Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws.
Also this month in the southern city of Karachi, four people, including an 11-year-old boy, were injured in attacks on Christians that took place on April 22.

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOCUS IS ' HOPE ' IN UNITED STATES

Christian prayer services as well as a service reflecting many traditions are set for Thursday in Oklahoma.

Theme for this year’s Christian-oriented National Day of Prayer is "Prayer ... America’s Hope.” It is based on the verse from Psalm 33:22, "May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You.” The day is coordinated by the National Day of Prayer Task Force, headed by Shirley Dobson, wife of Focus on the Family founder James Dobson.
Oklahoma City-area National Day of Prayer Task Force organizers said the annual state Capitol prayer service is scheduled for noon on the second-floor rotunda. A preservice concert will begin at 11:30 a.m.
A prayer session for pastors and spiritual leaders will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the Governor’s Blue Room at the Capitol.
Several other metro-area prayer events are planned in conjunction with the designated observance.
Multiple church congregations will gather for prayer from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Tabitha Baptist Church, 1219 NE Grand Blvd. Chapel Hill United Methodist Church will hold a prayer service from 12:05 to 12:35 p.m. at 2717 W Hefner Road. The Moore Area Ministerial Alliance will hold a prayer service from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. in front of Moore City Hall, 301 N Broadway.
Oklahoma Christian School’s National Day of Prayer service will be from 8 to 9 a.m. at 4680 E Second St. in Edmond. A Tinker Air Force Base 12-hour prayer vigil is planned from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.; people are encouraged to sign up to pray in 15-minute increments at the Tinker Air Force Base Chapel, 6170 Arnold, Suite 6. A prayer service will be at 3:30 p.m. in the chapel.
Several churches will be open for prayer. Northwest Christian Center will be open from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 8601 N Council. Forest Hill Christian Church will be open for personal prayer time from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 2121 N MacArthur.
Meanwhile, the sixth annual Interfaith Day of Prayer and Reflection will be at 11 a.m. on the south steps of the Capitol. The interfaith event is designed to reflect diverse traditions and will include several local clergy leaders and state officials.
The interfaith event was organized by local clergy and spiritual leaders who wanted to offer a service representing people of different faith beliefs and even nonfaith traditions.