news in brief
Azerbaijan: Bible society
After various attempts over more than 20 years, the State Committee in Azerbaijan registered a Bible society in September.
The Bible Society will have to subject all its publications to the State Committee for the compulsory prior censorship of all literature about religion produced in or imported into Azerbaijan. Publications will only be allowed to be distributed at state-approved venues. Bibles are still banned or removed during raids by the authorities.
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Algeria: appeal hope
An Algerian Christian’s family appealed in October to the Algerian president for a pardon, after Slimane Bouhafs was convicted of ‘insulting Islam and the prophet Mohammed’ in posts he made on social media.
Bouhafs, who converted to Christianity in 1997, was sentenced to three years imprisonment on 6 September. He had shared someone else’s media posts. The family see the presidential pardon as the only possibly solution to set their father free as he is suffering with ill health and a Supreme Court appeal would take too long to come to court.
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No ghost trains
A visitor to Perrygrove Railway in the Forest of Dean has reported that it has decided to become a Halloween-free attraction.
Appreciating that not every family wants ghosts and ghouls when out with their family through all of October, which includes the half-term break, the railway attraction has decided to go ghost free.
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Algeria: Facebook crime
A Christian in Algeria was sentenced on 1 August to three years in prison and given a heavy fine for blasphemy against Islam and its prophet for a social media post.
Slimane Bouhafs, 49, was arrested for posting a message on social media about the light of Jesus overcoming the ‘lie’ of Islam and its prophet. He also published photos showing the execution of a civilian by an Islamist terrorist. His family said the trial was a ‘sham’.
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Bangladesh: murdered
On 5 June, Sunil Gomez, a Christian grocer, was murdered inside his shop in a Christian neighbourhood in the district of Natore.
On 7 June, Ananda Gopal Ganuli, a Hindu religious leader, was killed in Jhenaidah after performing his regular religious rites in a temple in the Naldanga area, where he served as a priest. Attacks on religious minorities by extremist groups in Bangladesh have escalated rapidly in recent months. Responsibility for the murders has reportedly been claimed by Daesh (Islamic State).
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Africa: reached
FEBA Radio broadcasts on shortwave to reach listeners across a wide area of the Horn of Africa and shares audio content on micro SD cards that can be played on mobile phones, it was reported in May.
In partnership with the local church, house groups are run where people listen to the programmes on the SD cards. Currently 96 house groups and more than 700 Christians are meeting in an area where Christian believers are often attacked, churches shut down, preaching forbidden and there is antagonism towards the gospel.
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Africa: ministry begun
The ship Logos Hope has begun its ministry in Africa, it was reported in March.
The vision for Africa is to raise up 5,000 African missionaries to reach the continent with the gospel by 2025. Working with OM Africa in each country, Logos Hope aims to be a catalyst to motivate the church and mobilise 1,000 African people into mission during its visit. 2016 will be strategic in making an impact. During the year, Logos Hope plans to visit 20 ports in 15 African countries.
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New co-ordinator
The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical
Churches (FIEC) has appointed a Church
Revitalisation Co-ordinator who will be
responsible for spearheading a revitalisation
initiative among the churches of the FIEC.
Phil Walter, currently pastor of Brixworth
Christian Fellowship near Northampton,
will work part-time in the role before joining
the FIEC staff team full-time in July 2016.
He will work alongside
struggling
local
churches to help them recapture and renew
their gospel vision.
news in brief
Algeria: vandalised
Unknown ‘thugs’ who wrote a jihadist slogan on a church building in the centre of Tizi-Ouzou, a city on the Algerian coast, on the night of 7 January, looted and damaged the property.
The assailants vandalised or stole furniture, worship items and money worth about £5,500 from the Light (Tafat) Church during the night, pastor Mustapha Krireche said. The church, which has about 100 members, is surrounded by upmarket houses that would be more profitable for thieves interested solely in material goods and money.