June 02, 2005

NO APOLOGIES FOR ANTI-CHRISTIAN BARBARISM

One of the things we infidels are learning about Islam: they never apologize. Should one of us mistreat, for example, by touching, their Koran, rioting and mayhem erupt. Yet when actual people among us non-Muslim infidels, are beheaded by Islamists, don't hold your breath waiting for expressions of remorse. While our MSM are obsessed with a Koran possibly being flushed down a toilet (the horror!) here is a report on real horrors inflicted on the infidels. Where is the round the clock coverage by our righteous pursuers of Truth in the media? I guess they're too busy congratulating Mark Felt and themselves for bringing down a President.

MUSLIM PROTESTORS BURN CROSS ON STREETS OF LONDON

More than 300 Muslim protestors set fire to a wooden cross outside the
American Embassy in London last Friday 20th May.

The crowd, led by Omar Bakri Muhammad and Yassar al-Siri, were
protesting against the alleged desecration of a Qur’an by American
military interrogators at Guantanamo Bay. This followed claims by
Newsweek magazine that a copy of the Qur’an had been put down a
toilet. American and British flags were also burnt, and the protestors
chanted calls for violence against the US and UK. Amongst the
protestors were about 50 women, some of whom had brought their
children.

At the time this protest took place, Newsweek had retracted their
story about the alleged incident in Guantanamo Bay. Yet the
cross-burning still took place, and has caused little interest in the
British media.

IRAN: TEHRAN

A Christian convert has had his trial for apostasy postponed. Hamid
Pourmand (47) converted from Islam 25 years ago. Serving as a colonel
in the Iranian army, he was arrested in September 2004, accused of
deceiving the military about his conversion. The evidence Hamid
produced to show his superiors were fully aware of his Christian faith
was declared to be falsified. Islam states that Christians are not
allowed to have authority over Muslims, so no Christian officers are
allowed in the Iranian army.

In February he was sentenced to three years in prison, and now faces
trial in a shari'ah court for his conversion, facing the death penalty
if found guilty. The trial began in secret, but after news of it was
leaked to the media it was postponed and Hamid has been moved to a
prison in Banda-i Bushehr. A new date for the trial to begin has not
been announced.

UZBEKISTAN

In Karakalpakstan a Christian convert, Khaldibek Primbetov, was
severely beaten several times by his fellow villagers and told to
'return' to Islam or leave their village, Yanboshkala. Primbetov
appealed to the prosecutor's office, and an investigator was sent to
the village.

However, instead of investigating the beatings, the investigator tried
to get Primbetov to withdraw his complaint, telling him that he had
'betrayed' the faith of his ancestors. When Primbetov refused the
investigator threatened to imprison Primbetov. He also threatened to
hit a Christian woman, who protested when he told her that reading the
New Testament was forbidden and that by reading Christian literature
she was 'ruining society'.

The prosecutor's office denies that its investigator, who refused to
give his name, was persecuting the Christians.

VIETNAM: CHRISTIAN CONVERT TORTURED

A Christian children's Bible teacher in Vietnam has suffered severe
abuse while serving a one-year sentence on in Vietnam, including
severe beatings and electric shocks. Le Thi Hong Lien (20), who was
imprisoned in summer 2004, was transferred in February 2005 to the
Bien Hoa Mental Hospital, where she was kept under guard, after Le
Thi's parents reported that she had lost her mind and no longer
recognised them, while prison officers said she no longer had control
over her bodily functions.

Le Thi was released from the prison hospital on April 28th, two months
before the end of her sentence, as part of the 30th anniversary
celebrations of the fall of Saigon. However she was re-arrested along
with another 12 Christians when police raided a prayer meeting, on May
1st. They were taken to the police station and subjected to several
hours of severe interrogation before being released.

UK: INCITEMENT TO RELIGIOUS HATRED

The newly re-elected Labour government have pledged to force through
legislation banning incitement to religious hatred, which they had had
to drop in April because of the time pressure of the election.
Speaking on the Today programme (BBC Radio 4) in May Mr Charles
Clarke, the Home Secretary, said that if necessary the government
would use the Parliament Act to force the bill through, as it did for
the anti-hunting bill.

There is particular concern that this law could be used to prevent
reasonable debate and criticism of another person's religion and
potentially silence those who speak out on behalf of the millions of
people who suffer as a result of particular religious teachings.

SAUDI ARABIA

On April 23rd 40 Pakistani Christians were arrested in Riyadh after
they took part in a Christian service in an apartment. To this date it
is unclear what has happened to the 40, who included women and
children. Some sources indicate that they have been released, however
there has been no official word on them. Human Rights groups and the
Church in Pakistan have called on Pakistan's government to intervene
on behalf of the Pakistani Christians. So far Pakistan has also
remained silent on the issue.

PALESTINE: CONVERT ATTACKED

A Palestinian convert from Islam to Christianity has been seriously
burned in an attack which appears to be by those who were opposing her
ministry. After leading a meeting for new believers and seekers she
was driving to another town for another meeting. A car followed her
and ran her off the road. After her car had crashed, a Molotov
cocktail was thrown into her car. She was burned on her legs and back.
Her husband has suffered a number of serious attacks because of his
evangelistic activities.

INDIA: CHURCH ATTACKED

A house church in Karnataka state was attacked by a crowd of 500 Hindu
villagers during a service on Sunday May 1st, destroying property and
burning Bibles and other Christian literature. Pastor Paulraj Raju,
his wife and an elder of the church were all seriously injured, and
several women in the congregation were molested.

Raju had been arrested in January for trying to convert Hindus and
held until March 3rd, after a crowd of villagers attacked him. Then on
April 1st a crowd of 200 gathered outside Raju's house, demanding that
the church close and Raju leave the district.

INDIA: STUDENTS ATTACKED

In Kerala state eight Bible college students were on their way to a
funeral when a group of 15 young men on
motor-cycles and in a jeep attacked them with knives, shouting
anti-Christian slogans. The attackers are part of the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) group. Three of the students were hospitalised
due to the severity of their injuries.

The Bible College has surprised the local community in its response,
saying that they have chosen to forgive the attackers and not press
charges. The police however have registered a case against 15 men.

INDIA: SCHOOLS BOMBED

Two Christian missionary schools in Srinagar have been attacked with
grenades. On 11th May a grenade was thrown at a security vehicle
outside a boys' school; the grenade missed the vehicle and exploded
among the parents and children at the school gates. Two people were
killed and 35 injured, four were in a critical condition. At another
school on May 12th a grenade thrown directly at the school injured 50
people, including 20 children. Two women later died in hospital.

INDIA: ARRESTED FOR GIVING OUT BIBLES

In Rajnagar four men were arrested on May 13th for handing out copies
of the Bible to local residents. A police officer explaining the
arrest, said that due to rising religious tension the distribution of
Bibles might have caused further unrest. The tension in the area
follows the recent alleged conversion of 300 Hindu families to
Christianity.

INDONESIA: MAMASA

Following an attack in the majority Christian province Mamasa,
Indonesian police discovered documents on a terror suspect they
arrested which indicated 'plans to carry out terror attacks and
bombings across the country'.

These documents have added to observers' fears that anti-Christian
violence, as seen in the Malukus in the period 1999-2001, may be on
the rise. During that period between 10,000 and 30,000 were killed.
The continuing lower level anti-Christian violence in Sulawesi may
also escalate. Many of the 500,000 refugees who fled the violence in
the Malukus have begun returning to their homes, only to now face the
prospect of further attacks.

The Barnabas Fund, The Old Rectory, River Street, PEWSEY,
Wiltshire, SN9 5DB, UK, Tel 01672 564938, Fax 01672 565030,
E-mail info@barnabasfund.org Web http://www.barnabasfund.org/