The Persecution Times » Archive
Somali Church Leader Assaulted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
By Michael Ireland Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (ANS) — Islamic extremists beat Mr. Ibrahim Yusuf [name changed for security reasons], a 35-year-old Somali church leader, on September 20 in the neighborhood Saris in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) www.persecution.org , says Mr. Yusuf, who lives in another neighborhood in Addis Ababa, went to Saris to pick up documents that were left behind by his good friend David Abdulwahab Mohamed Ali. The documents are about the persecution of the Somali churches. Mr. Ali was martyred in Somalia in April 2008 by Islamic militants. (See: www.persecution.org/suffering/newsdetail.php?newscode=7631 ) According to Yusuf, a Somali Muslim man entered the house where the documents had been safeguarded since Ali’s death and demanded to see them. Yusuf refused and the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Assist News Service, Christian, Ethiopia, Islam, Muslim, Persecution
Murder, Rape and Arson Continue in India
Compass Direct News reports that: The unprecedented wave of anti-Christian attacks that began a month ago continued in the past week with more incidents of murder, rape and arson, mostly in the eastern state of Orissa and southern state of Karnataka. Two Christians were also found murdered in the northern state of Uttarakhand. “The atmosphere in the Kandhamal district of Orissa is still volatile,” an attorney visiting Kandhamal with a team to provide legal aid to victims told Compass. “Yesterday afternoon, we were going to the Raikia area, but as we were about to reach there, we were informed that a mob had attacked a police station and the police had to open fire. We had to flee Kandhamal right away.” According to The Indian Express, around 2,000 people, including women, surrounded the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Christian, Compass Direct, HIndu, India, Persecution
Son of Murdered Christian is also Killed
Compass Direct News reports: ISTANBUL – An unknown group of armed men killed a Syrian Catholic in violence-plagued Mosul, Iraq two weeks after his father was kidnapped and murdered. The gunmen killed Rayan Nafei Jamooa near his home on Sept. 10. Few details have emerged in the murder case, but sources said he and his father were targeted purely for their faith. Nassar Jamooa, the victim’s father, was kidnapped two weeks before his son’s murder; the elder man’s body was found four days later in the city’s western industrial area. A shrinking minority in Iraq, Christians are frequently kidnapped for a mix of financial and religious reasons, but Nassar Jamooa’s kidnappers did not ask for any ransom. He and his son were targeted strictly for their faith, said a clergyman. “Nobody asked about money, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Christian, Compass Direct, Iraq, Persecution
Violence against Christians Rages in India
Rebel groups continue to burn and loot churches and attack Christians in Orissa and Karnataka, India, while new attacks are being reported in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala. While the attacks continue, the death toll among believers continues to rise as they struggle to survive in refugee camps where access to clean water and safe food is severely limited. New Attacks in Uttar Pradesh The latest report of violence came September 16 in Uttar Pradesh, a state in north central India, when four GFA missionaries were attacked while handing out tracts. Hindu extremists confronted the missionaries, grabbed their cell phones and used them to make threatening phone calls to the GFA state office. They vehemently told the men to “stop converting Hindus into Christianity” and mercilessly beat the missionaries. A missionary school in Kerala … Read entire article »
Filed under: Christian, Gospel for Asia, HIndu, India, Persecution
Churches Vandalized in India
By James Varghese Special to ASSIST News Service KARNATAKA, INDIA ANS — Two more churches were vandalised by a mob in Mangalore-one on Sunday and the other on Monday. According to a story reported on www.thehindu.com, Samuel Mathew, Bishop of the Believers Church, said that soon after the Sunday service at Puttur Believer’s Church, “miscreants” forced open the church door and broke musical instruments, furniture, fans and windows. The second incident took place on B.C. Road on Monday. “A mob set fire to the church door, but fortunately the blaze was put out early,” Mathew told The Hindu. The Hindu said Mathew has filed a police report. The Hindu reported that Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa is promising swift action against the vandals, and has pledged to repair the destroyed buildings at government expense. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Assist News Service, Christian, HIndu, India, Persecution
