Sri Lanka Curfews Called ‘Direct Attack’ on Christians

SRI LANKA (ANS) — The latest restrictions on the people of Sri Lanka’s freedom has been called a “direct attack” on Christians’ ability to hold prayer meetings.

“We are desperately praying for peace in our country,” wrote Lal Vanderwall, head of Gospel for Asia’s ministry in Sri Lanka. “The country’s situation is going from bad to worse.”

On May 6, several GFA Bible college students were returning from a school break when railway officials openly harassed and humiliated them. The students can no longer share the Gospel publicly because of frequent similar incidents.

Sri Lanka’s unstable political situation has also affected much of daily life. Inflation is a big problem, and Lal says the cost of living is going up “day by day.”

Now, the police are restricting citizens’ abilities to move around.

“Even if a person is coming to a place for one day, the police have to be informed of the plans,” Lal said. In fact, the day after a GFA lady missionary came to Lal’s office on May 3, police came and arrested him because they had not been informed of the woman’s plans to visit. Lal was released a short time later.

GFA missionaries continue reaching out in the midst of hard times.

Now, a law has been implemented that restricts noise levels after 10 p.m.

“There should be no noise coming from a premise, either a religious place or a private place,” Lal explained. “The law was introduced by a politician extremist who is responsible for violence against Christians.

“This law is a direct attack on late-night prayer meetings.”

Protestors surrounded GFA’s Bible college earlier this year. The protestors accused the campus officials of helping the rebels.

Lal also wrote that the Tamil people, a minority in the country, have especially faced intimidation. The rebel Tamil Tigers are fighting for an ethnic independent homeland in the northeast part of Sri Lanka, so many non-rebel Tamils face violence because of their association. Much of Sri Lanka’s strife comes from the conflict between the government and the rebels.

However, Lal writes, the Lord’s work is going forward.

“In spite of all odds, the ministry is progressing. Day by day, people are coming to Christ,” Lal wrote. “People are responding to the Gospel very much, including the security forces.”

Lal asks for prayer for himself and the GFA missionaries working in Sri Lanka. Pray that they will be able to help many people find hope in the Lord.

Hindu radicals attacked Bible school students in Karnataka

By James Varghese
Special to ASSIST News Service

KARNATAKA, INDIA (ANS) — Fifteen Indian Bible college students were beaten up by Hindu radicals on Saturday, May 24, according to www.persecution.in, the website of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC).

Their story said that on Saturday, around fifteen students from Timothy Theological College, Bellary, Karnataka and the college, lecturer, Dr. Issac Namadevu, were beaten up at Sathyanarayanapettai in Bellary district of Karnataka state in India.

The site reported that the incident took place at around 12.30 pm as a group of 20 members belonging to Hindu radical groups, namely Hindu Jagarna Vedike (Hindu Enlightenment Group) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) barged into the rented building of the church-cum-bible college and attacked the students of the school.

The site also reported that a lecturer named Rev. Jayaprakash had been conducting classes for the past two months in the Bible College for more than 15 students.

The radicals beat Rev. Isaac and Rev. Jayaprakash and fifteen students were injured in the attack. Then the radicals tore up Bibles, and smashed the windows and destroyed all the furniture in the facility.

Rev. Jayaprakash has sustained head injury during the attack. The attackers were alleging that he was conducting “forced conversions.”

Through the website. it was known that, Dr. Rev. Isaac Namadevu has filed a complaint against the radicals. As a result, eleven radicals were arrested and retained at Gandhinagar Police Station. An inquiry is still going regarding the case.

Algerian Court Pressures Woman to Renounce Christianity

Compass Direct News reports that

An Algerian public prosecutor has demanded a three-year sentence for a convert to Christianity in western Algeria for practicing her faith “without license.”

Habiba Kouider, 35, was plucked off an inter-city bus outside of her home town of Tiaret on March 29 when police found several Bibles and books on Christianity in her hand bag. Held for 24 hours and interrogated by police regarding her conversion, Kouider was eventually brought before a state prosecutor.

“You reinstate Islam and I will [drop the case]; if you persist in sin you will undergo the lightning of justice,” the prosecutor told her, according to French daily Le Figaro.

Algerian daily el Watan reported on Wednesday (May 21) that Kouider “refused to give up her new faith under the pressure,” prompting the prosecutor to bring charges against her. She is accused of “practicing non-Muslims

The full story can be read at Compass Direct News.

Pakistani Christian man flees home after blasphemy accusation

By Sheraz Khurram Khan
Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service in Pakistan

ATTOCK, PAKISTAN (ANS) — A Pakistani Christian armament factory worker has fled his home after his Muslim co-workers accused him of blasphemy.

Nazim, a Christian resident of the area told ANS that Danish, 25 was very much upset as the Muslim co-workers had been targeting his Christian faith for last several days.

“Danish kept it to himself. His Muslim co-workers accused him of committing blasphemy when he asked them to stop criticizing his religion”, Nazim told ANS.

As the word of his alleged blasphemy spread out, hundreds of Muslim factory workers gathered in the factory but Danish managed to escape as the managing director of the factory calmed down the charged workers, he said.

Jagdeesh Kumar, 22, a Hindu, was beaten to death by his Muslim co-workers in the port city of Karachi in April this year.

Some reports suggest that blasphemy accusation was slapped on Danish after his Muslim co-workers failed to convert him to Islam.

Danish is a resident of Jaki basti (slum) that houses some 20 Christian families. The incident has sparked fear and uncertainty among local Christians.

Christian parliamentarian and Chairman of All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) has expressed his grave concern over registration of fake blasphemy cases. The blasphemy laws, he said, had rendered the minorities communities insecure.

He urged the democratic, liberal, enlightened and moderate forces of the country to join hands with the APMA in its struggle for repeal of the disputed laws.

Since their implementation in 1986, the laws are being widely misused with impunity by the Muslims to settle personal scores against marginalized communities of the country.

Christian School Teacher Attacked by Hindu Radicals in India

By James Varghese
Special to ASSIST News Service

ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA (ANS) — A vacation Bible school was recently attacked by radical Hindu activists.

According to a news report carried by Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) on their website www.persecution.in, the May 16 attack was carried out by these groups; Rashtriya Swayam Sevaks (RSS, National Volunteer Servants) and Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP, an Indian political party.

The attack occurred at a village called Krishnadasanapalli,Chittoor District, in Andhra Pradesh.

According to the story on www.persecution.in, the Andhra Pradesh BJP State Secretary Jaya Pratap led a group of 20 RSS/BJP activists to the vacation Bible school being conducted by a Christian woman.

It was also reported the radicals took police officers with them and filed a case against the teacher. In addition, they verbally abused her and tore Bible tracts and other religious material.