World in Brief

At least 50 people were killed in April in separate attacks on three Christian communities, with eyewitnesses stating that Islamist militia ‘fired indiscriminately on the inhabitants’.

Despite the presence of a UN peacekeeping force, Christians experience violent attacks from the Islamist Seleka, who are refusing to accept the result of the 2016 elections where a Christian was elected as president. Reprisals by ‘anti-balaka’ armed groups – who mislead-ingly call themselves Christians despite their actions being condemned by church leaders – mean that many believers still live in danger.

Chinese human rights lawyer and Christian, Li Heping was released and returned home to his family after almost two years in incommunicado detention, it was reported on 10 May.

Li is one of the most prominent lawyers detained in the crackdown by the Chinese authorities on human rights lawyers and activists, which began in July 2015. Over 300 lawyers, human rights defenders and their colleagues and family members were detained interrogated, detained or imprisoned in what is known as the ‘709 crackdown’.

Fếlix Yuniel Llerena López, a 20-year-old religious freedom defender, was expelled from university in Havana, following an advocacy visit to the United States on 8 May.

López was informed by his head of year that he would not be able to continue studying history in the humanities department at the university due to excessive absences from classes. However, Llerena López states that he had not registered the number of absences which would justify such action and that the real reason behind his expulsion is his human rights activism.

Four families who converted from Hinduism to Christianity were threatened with expulsion from their village unless they agree to recant their faith, it was reported in May.

When the families appealed to law enforcement, police initially offered to lead ‘peace talks’, but later agreed to speak with the villagers. Instead of forcing the believers to leave their homes, the Hindus decided to exclude the Christian families from village life, including access to the village well. They now use their own well for water.

A pastor in eastern India’s Bihar state lost his hearing after Hindu extremists assaulted him outside his home on church premises in April.

Doctors at a Hajipur government hospital determined the loss of hearing and wounds on Pastor Sikandar Kumar’s body were a result of being beaten with iron rods and sticks. 15 men were involved in the attack, shouting ‘Hail Lord Ram’ as they hit the pastor. Kumar said he has received threatening phone calls since becoming pastor to more than 100 families who attend the church.

A Christian who fell into a coma in January after suffering a brain haemorrhage due to hypertension after badgering by Hindu extremists has been discharged from hospital in May.

K.A. Swamy, a 47-year-old professor, was insulted and threatened by Hindu extremists for distributing Bibles in Hyderabad before they took him to police who interrogated him for the rest of the day. His wife said he requires more surgery, and that they are struggling on meagre resources.

According to May reports, attacks against Christians have risen by 40% and murders have doubled.

In states across India, church workers have been beaten, threatened and killed. Attempts have been made to force Christians to renounce their faith and convert to Hinduism. Church services and prayer meetings have been disrupted, churches and a Christian school have been bombed, torched, vandalised and demolished. Bibles have been torn to pieces and burnt. Militants beat one evangelist with chains, stripped him and forced him to drink urine.

Two Christian converts have finally been charged by the authorities in April, seven months after being abducted by armed men as they picnicked with their families.

Amin Afshar Naderi and Hadi Askari, both converts from Islam, have been incarcerated in the notorious Evin prison since September. Both men are now to be tried for organising house churches, although the prosecution’s case against them has not been presented to their lawyers. The Iranian Government brutally represses Farsi-speaking (i.e. Muslim background) churches, often called house churches.

A call was made in May for Christians to be barred from running for office in elections in Iran

The head of Iran’s Guardian Council – an Islamic legal body which has power to overrule parliament and ban candidates from standing in elections – has called for religious minorities, including Christians, to be barred as it would violate Islamic law. Classical Islam teaches that non-Muslims should not be in authority over Muslims.

After eight years as Chief Executive Officer of the ship-based literature ministry, Peter Nicoll is handing over to fellow South African, Seelan Govender.

Seelan has been at sea with OM since 1999, holding positions including director of Doulos, and managing director of Logos Hope. Peter and his wife Bernice plan to stay involved with the organisation they have been part of since the 1980s, and will serve on OM’s exciting new European Riverboat in 2018.

A Christian family reported in April that their 14-year-old daughter was abducted at gunpoint by their neighbour’s son and some accomplices.

During the abduction, the family was robbed. The son is reportedly besotted with the abducted girl and cries of ‘have you got the girl’ were heard, providing a motive for the ‘robbery’. The family were told they would not see Maria again and were warned not to tell the police of the kidnap or they would be killed. Police only filed a report when a Christian official pressed the police to act.

A pastor and his wife in south-west Sri Lanka have been forced to leave their home after being targeted by a Buddhist mob in March.

A 50-strong mob led by Buddhist monks disrupted a church meeting, demanding that all worship activities be discontinued. Police later supported the mob and ordered the pastor to suspend services or be charged with breaching the peace. The pastor’s vehicle was vandalised and he received attack threats. At the request of police, the pastor and his wife have left their home for their own safety.

Khartoum state authorities in Sudan demolished a church building on 7 May as Christians were preparing to worship.

Authorities had notified church leaders of the impending demolition just a week before. The church building was one of at least 25 the Sudanese Government designated for destruction. The government reportedly claimed the churches were built on land zoned for residential or other uses, or were on government land, but church leaders said it was part of wider crackdown on Christianity.

A mob with police ransacked the living quarters of a church compound guard on 24 April, and arrested his family.

Police accompanied by a mob demolished part of the room where the family lived. Mona Matta, wife of guard Azhari Tambra, 28, and their children ages 6, 4 and 2 were detained until 10pm. Tambra was not home at the time of the attack. No charges were made, but upon returning home they found all their belongings destroyed, and officers prevented them from entering their living quarters.

A pastor was arrested in mid-April and labelled an extremist for the literature he had in his church.

The NSC secret police in Khujand arrested Bakhrom Kholmatov, a Protestant pastor. Officials claimed songbooks and the book ‘More Than a Carpenter’ were extremist. Kholmatov is being investigated on ‘extremist’ criminal charges.

A pastor in eastern Uganda is without his home, farm and church building after Muslim extremists armed with swords and clubs rampaged through his property.

The band of nine Muslims, who also carried blunt metal objects, were shouting the jihadist slogan ‘God is greater’ as they invaded pastor Christopher James Kalaja’s land. He has received threats on his life since filing a police report on the attack.

Praise God that, in answer to prayer, the rains in Zimbabwe began on time in November and have continued well, leading to what looks likely to be a bumper harvest in May after a long period of desperate hunger.

But in some places, there has been too much rain, and flooding has destroyed crops and homes. Uganda and northern Ethiopia have had erratic or non-existent rainfall; food aid is still being given across wide areas of Africa with one million meals a month from Barnabas Fund alone.