Persecution brief
Please pray AFGHANISTAN - SAID MUSA RELEASED! After months of prayer and advocacy, Afghan convert to Christianity, Said Musa, has been released from prison where he was under threat of execution for apostasy. Said was arrested last May as part of a crackdown on Afghan converts. He was tortured and abused in prison but remained strong in his faith. It is believed that he is now safely out of Afghanistan. However there is still concern for other Afghans in prison for their faith including Shoaib Assadullah, who is also facing possible execution for apostasy. EGYPT - CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY UNDER GROWING THREAT Christians and church leaders have come under attack in Egypt in recent days. On 23 February, church leader, Dawoud Botrous, was found stabbed to death inside his home in Assuit. Concern was raised after he failed to turn up to preach on Sunday 19 February. That same day, Egyptian armed forces stormed the 5th century St Bishoy monastery in Wadi el-Natroun, 110km from Cairo. Eight Christians were wounded and rushed to hospital. Armed forces stormed the main entrance gate using tanks and a bulldozer to demolish a fence erected by the monastery for protection against lawlessness during the civil unrest in January. One of the monks said, ‘The army was shocked to see the monks standing there praying, “Lord have mercy” without running away. This is what really upset them... As the soldiers were demolishing the gate and the fence they were chanting “Allahu Akbar” [the traditional Islamic war cry, meaning “god is great”] and “Victory, Victory”.’ Christians were also targeted as Islamists took advantage of the mayhem and lack of police protection during the chaos
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and civil unrest that brought down the government in January. Two Christian families were massacred in their homes in Minya Province, Upper Egypt. Eleven people, including four children, were killed and four others seriously injured when two Islamist groups – aided by Muslim neighbours – accessed houses owned by Christians. INDONESIA - CHURCHES ATTACKED BY MUSLIM MOB A group of militant Islamists went on a rampage in Indonesia in February demanding the death penalty for a Christian convicted of ‘blaspheming Islam’. The mob set two churches ablaze and damaged a third. Antonius Richmond Bawengan had been found guilty of distributing books and leaflets that allegedly ‘spread hatred about Islam’ in Temanggung, Central Java, and was given the maximum sentence of five years in prison. Around 1,500 Muslims protested outside the courthouse, calling the sentence too lenient and demanding the death penalty. The crowd chanted ‘kill, kill’ as they pelted the building with rocks. The violence then spread to surrounding neighbourhoods, where the mob cried ‘burn, burn’ as they targeted the churches. One minister, who saw his church go up in flames, was beaten by the mob, and at least nine people were rushed to hospital with injuries. The protestors also threw rocks and other missiles at police, attacked a school building, and torched a number of vehicles. The violence came two days after three members of a minority Islamic sect were beaten to death by a Muslim lynch mob, who considered them to be heretics. Both these incidents took place as Indonesia started its ‘interfaith week’, when the country was meant to celebrate its religious diversity.
Source: Barnabas Fund.