barnabas march april 2013

MARCH/APRIL 2013

THE AID AGENCY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH www.barnabasfund.org

CHRISTIANS IN SYRIACHRISTIANS IN SYRIAIN THIS ISSUE

Syria Will its stricken Christians survive?

Exodus Christians come home to South Sudan

Uzbekistan Supporting Christian leadership

O

UR GOD ISFAITHFUL

Why Christian Women Convert to Islam Rosemary Sookhdeo Reasons why many women are converting to Islam, its attractions and the implications faced by the women who convert.

EPUB ISBN: 978-0-9885930-0-8 .mobi ISBN: 978-0-9885930-1-5 Word count: 27049 Format: EPUB and .mobi (Kindle)

Islam in our MidstThe Challenge to our Christian HeritagePatrick Sookhdeo The challenge of Islam to America’s Christian identity and the stark differences between Muslim and Western worldviews are exposed. The call is for Christian and secular leaders to respond.


Heroes of Our Faith Inspiration and strength for daily livingPatrick SookhdeoThis outstanding devotional eBook contains 366 stories of brave Christians who gave up their lives for their Lord. Their stories inspire us to live wholeheartedly for Christ.

EPUB ISBN: 978-0-9853109-6-7 .mobi ISBN: 978-0-9885930-2-2Word count: 105997Format: EPUB and .mobi (Kindle)

Front cover of magazine: Syrian Christians who received emergency aid from Barnabas Fund To guard the safety of Christians in hostile environments, names may have been changed or omitted. Thank you for your understanding.Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version®.Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and obtain permission for stories and images used in this publication. Barnabas Fund apologises for any errors or omissions and will be grateful for any further information regarding copyright.© Barnabas Fund 2013

The paper used in this publication comes from sustainable forests and can be 100% recycled

To order these eBooks, visit the website of our US publisher: www.isaac-publishing.us

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Secrets Behind the Burqa Rosemary Sookhdeo What really happens behind the scenes in the lives of Muslim women? This eBook reveals a secret world-unknown to outsiders.


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2 BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013 3BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

WELCOME FROM THE DIRECTOR

H eavy clouds hang over many Muslim-majority countries around the world. The devastating war in Syria has seen over 60,000 lives lost at

the time of writing, and by the time you are reading this there may well be 4 million people displaced internally and over a million externally. The Syrian economy has been devastated, and the beleaguered Christian community in Syria faces the certain prospect of oppression if not destruction. The process of eliminating the Church in Iraq continues. A dreadful tyranny hangs over the Christian community of Egypt. Pakistan’s Christians exist in a failed state. In Africa, particularly Nigeria, the frequent murder of Christians, especially when they are gathered for worship, seems unstoppable. Add to this the natural disasters and widespread economic decline of our day, and we have a situation very much as the Lord Jesus predicted to His disciples: wars, rumours of wars, nations in conflict, famines and earthquakes (Matthew 24:6-7).

In the next verse our Lord explains that events such as these are part of the birth-pangs of the new age. He counsels His disciples that they must happen according to the divine purposes of God, and so believers can and should remain calm. But He interprets them as “the beginning of the suffering [literally, birth-pangs]”, which is a technical term for the distress that is coming upon the world before the end of the age.

As part of this distress, the people of God will be caught in horrific situations of persecution. Because of

loyalty to Jesus’s Name they will suffer affliction, hatred and death. Worse still, some will betray their fellow- believers; some will deny their faith; many will be deceived by false prophets; and “the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:9-12).

How much of this are we already seeing? In the face of such calamitous situations, we may be tempted to react with apathy or even despair, seeing no possible solution to the evil and wickedness of our world.

But the birth-pangs tell us that God is going to intervene directly in history. These birth-pangs will usher in the Day of the Lord when this present age, with all its sufferings, will be transformed into the age to come. As Daniel said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries,” (Daniel 2:28) and He has graciously revealed to us His plan so that we should not be alarmed.

God has not abandoned the world. It is still the scene in which God’s purposes will be fulfilled. The horror and suffering of Good Friday gave way to the glorious resurrection victory of Easter Sunday. The Gospel will be preached across the globe (Matthew 24:14). We should not be discouraged. “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). Judgment and a new creation are certain. We must remain faithful to Christ, because those who stand firm to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13).

Dr Patrick SookhdeoInternational Director

The beginning of the birth-pangs

Contents

7 13 16

In Touch Imaginative fundraising for Barnabas

Project Update Barnabas brings relief to needy Christians in Syria

NewsdeskConvert beheaded in Somalia; anti-Christian riots and bombing in Nigeria

CampaignsPromoting and defending freedom of religion

Windows on Islam How should Christians respond to the halal economy?

FocusThe tragedy of Syria’s suffering Church

Compassion in Action The Sudan Exodus takes to the road 4 11

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PULL-OUT

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how barnabas is helpingCOMPASSION IN ACTION

£19,669 for emergency aidin Mali (US$31,548; €23,263)

“It was really the hand of God that came to their rescue. Otherwise some might have lost their lives,” wrote a pastor after impoverished families in his congregation received food from Barnabas Fund. Some, he continued, had been eating only watery soup for three days, while others had not eaten anything at all.

Maize, rice and medicines were distributed to 2,295 Christians in rural areas. Many of them had fled the violent Islamist rebel takeover of the north in March 2012. All were hard hit by crop failures and spiralling food prices. Barnabas Fund also paid the rent for three months for some displaced Christians living in Bamako, the capital city.

Timely arrival of food

A Christian boy sits on the truck bringing food aid

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£8,048 for small businesses in Egypt (US$12,910; €9,897)

Showing the balance book of his new convenience store

Putting Christians in business

When “Adel” opened a pharmacy in a village where many Muslims lived, some of them decided to open another pharmacy nearby. Soon the Muslims were all shopping at the Muslim-owned pharmacy, putting Adel, a Christian, out of business. But a microfinance loan from Barnabas Fund enabled him to fit out a new pharmacy in a different area. Now he is able to make ends meet.

Besides Adel, eight other Christians in Upper Egypt, an area where there is much poverty among Christians, recently received loans to start up small businesses. Three started chicken farms, two a taxi service and one a convenience store situated on church grounds.

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£2,000 for Christian nursery in North Africa (US$3,208; €2,459)

Snack-time at the nursery

“What you’re doing is saving our kids from many major problems with the Islamic teaching,” said “Lila”, a coordinator of a Christian nursery. Thanks to a one-year grant from Barnabas that covers three teachers’ salaries, 20 under-fours from Christian homes are receiving a Bible-oriented education in a Christian environment.

The teachers consider their work a ministry rather than a job. Every day they start by making a Bible story come alive for the children, and then use it as an illustration for learning exercises such as writing, drawing or counting. A mother told Lila that she is amazed to see how her two children who attend the nursery now behave at home, how “they love each other, share their toys, pray for one another and dream to be like David and Gideon”.

A pocket of safety at a Christian nursery

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how barnabas is helpingCOMPASSION IN ACTION

Your gifts “gave them a living hope that there are people who care for them at the time of their need,” said a pastor in Nepal after Christian flood victims there received aid from Barnabas Fund. We regularly get feedback like this from Christians we have helped in contexts of pressure and persecution. Below and on the following pages you can read about just a small selection of the many people we have supported recently. Please pray as you read.

Church leaders listen to a presentation on legal rights

“I can see now that I didn’t know elementary laws about human rights,” said a pastor after receiving training on human and religious rights paid for by Barnabas Fund. “Now I know them and will teach them to my church members.”

Laws restricting Christians are getting increasingly tough in Kyrgyzstan. During a two-day legal course 61 church leaders, church administrators and church treasurers from seven regions of the country received an overview of current and draft laws on religious freedom and human rights. Then they learnt how they can better protect the freedoms of Christians, including by working together. They also drew up a petition on proposed laws that infringe the rights of believers.

Answers to questions on religious freedom

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A Kachin Christian with her own Bible

Bibles are immensely precious to Christians in Burma. So when tens of thousands of Christians recently received their own copies thanks to a grant from Barnabas Fund, they responded with great joy.

These Bibles are even more cherished because they are written in the Christians’ own language. Christians of the Kachin minority received more than 8,000 copies of the Kachin-Jingpaw Bible and 5,400 Kachin-Lhaovo Bibles.

For many Kachin Christians this Bible is now one of the few possessions they own; many lost everything when they fled the violence of the Burmese army, and they are living in displaced people’s camps.

Receiving a treasured gift

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£8,089 for Bible distribution in Burma (US$13,090; €9,946)

£4,272 for leadership training in Tajikistan (US6,852$; €5,252)

Developing their knowledge and skills to lead Muslim-background-believer churches

“When I talk about Jesus to people,” said “Zemfira”, one of the students of a leadership training course funded by Barnabas, “they usually say that they have Muslim roots and that Christianity is a Western religion. They say, ‘Our ancestors were Muslims and we stay Muslims.’ Today I can explain that that it is not true.”

Zemfira, a ministry leader and convert from Islam, is getting a solid grounding in her new Christian faith together with 59 other Muslim convert church leaders. Every three months for a period of two years they are travelling from the remote areas of their country to meet for two days of training to help them resist pressure from the Muslim majority to stop their ministry. They are also equipped with skills to reach out to them with Christ’s love.

Skills for explaining their faith to Muslims

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£1,652 for human and religious rights trainingin Kyrgyzstan (US$2,650; €2,000)


COMPASSION IN ACTION

Severe repression by the authorities in Uzbekistan is not stopping a congregation run by a Barnabas-supported pastor from flourishing. Members have found ingenious ways to meet together while remaining under the radar of government spies. They have short get-togethers in cafés, or talk about their faith while driving together.

Under the guidance of their pastor, “Ilshod”, who was a Muslim extremist with links to the Taliban before finding Christ, the congregation has grown from ten members in 2007 to 120 now. It is too dangerous for the church to come together

as one large gathering, and so they meet in 19 separate home and family groups in various villages in the region.

Through his encouraging teaching Ilshod has changed the attitudes of many of his church members. Some were at first too afraid and ashamed to tell their relatives and friends that they were Christians. Now they want to talk about Jesus to everyone.

Others, previously too fearful of police raids and fines to attend home groups, learned the importance of fellowship and now relish meeting

up. Two church members were so strong in their faith that they were able to resist pressure from security service officers to spy on the church and the pastor.

The two-year support from Barnabas, which covers 90% of his family’s daily needs and 80% of his travel costs, is making it possible for Ilshod to dedicate all his time to his ministry. Several members assist him now by visiting the different groups every week and provide pastoral care to the members.

Support from Barnabas Fund helped “Dilfusa” out of a very difficult situation. When one of the leaders of her church had to flee Uzbekistan because of threats of arrest from the authorities, her own responsibilities within the congregation were increased. On top of this her employers fired her from her job after the police notified them that she was a member of a church and involved in ministry.

It was an answer to urgent prayer when 75% of Dilfusa’s daily needs were covered by Barnabas Fund for one year. She is one of six young ministry leaders, all converts from Islam, who are

receiving this support. The 25-year old now has the means to visit the eight home groups she cares for on a regular basis. She also has time to lead a prayer ministry and work with young people in evangelism. All the congregations that the six church leaders are overseeing are learning to stand strong in their faith.

Because the work is so full of risks and leaders often have to flee, it has been agreed that if this happens, Barnabas Fund’s support will be transferred to other people in the congregation. This way the small churches can be assured of continued care and support.

Project reference 00-477 (Pastor Support Fund)

£1,312 to help support “Ilshod” (US$2,050; €1,613)£4,524 for support of six young ministry leaders(US$7,256; €5,563)

FOCUS ON UZBEKISTAN Congregation thrives despite government pressure

Underground church assured of leadership

bringing hope, transforming lives

A Christian worker supported by Barnabas Fund, with two other Christians from Uzbekistan


COMPASSION IN ACTION

On boarding the plane many of the women and children whom Barnabas Fund was airlifting from

strongly Islamic Sudan to South Sudan looked a bit anxious. But they broke out into big smiles when getting off the plane, having safely arrived in their homeland. Suzy, one of the rescued, said at the Juba airport, “After many years of suffering and prayers, God opened the way for us.”

By way of three flights Barnabas Fund successfully brought 461 Christian adults and children and 31 infants to the safety of South Sudan in September 2012, at a cost of approximately £175 (US$282; €215) per adult or child. They are now embarking on new lives in their homeland.

Helen, one of the women, said that she was hoping to invest in farming in the Ku’da area of Juba County, the area where she is originally from. In Khartoum very few job opportunities were open to her as a Christian; the wealthy Muslim

Arabs who employed her as a servant paid so little that she could not to maintain her family with it; she and three children had to resort to living in a shelter of plastic sheets and cartons.

Like many other Christians from the South, Helen had fled north to escape the devastation caused by the bitter civil war that lasted from 1983 to 2005, following an attempt by the Islamic North to impose sharia on the predominantly Christian South. But Sudan is ruled by sharia, making life difficult for Christians. After South Sudan became independent in 2011, sharia began to be applied more strictly, and Southerners were threatened by the Sudanese government. Many have been able to return to South Sudan since then, but about 300,000 impoverished South Sudanese are still stranded in Sudan, many living in camps around the capital, Khartoum.

Praise God, because road connections between Sudan and South Sudan re-opened in October last year, we have been able to transport another

1,485 adults and children and 323 infants by bus at a cost of around £110 (US$177; €135) per adult or child. Because of this Barnabas Fund has been able to fulfil its original aim of rescuing 2,000 of the most vulnerable South Sudanese Christians. And at the time of writing we are planning to transport another group of around 1,500 by road in early 2013, Lord willing.

Embarking on their bus trip home to South Sudan

Flying back to safety

bringing hope, transforming livesBy plane and by bus, coming home to freedom

£408,732 for airlift and bus transport(US$658,519; €496,589)

Project reference 48-1078


THE TRAGEDY OF SYRIAWILL ITS STRICKEN CHRISTIANS SURVIVE?

Christian villagers in Hala faced an ultimatum: either to join the opposition demonstrations or to leave.

Two Christian men were kidnapped by the rebels in separate incidents and later found dead. The first was found hanged with numerous injuries, the second was cut into pieces and thrown into a river.

Basilios Nassar, a Greek Orthodox priest, was shot dead by a rebel sniper in Jarajima, Homs.

Four Christians in Homs were kidnapped by rebels.

Two Christians were killed as they waited for bread at a Homs bakery.

Around 70 Christian homes in Homs were invaded and pillaged by the rebels, who also seized vehicles.

The armed opposition occupied and damaged Ghassanid Greek Orthodox School in Homs.

More than 140 Christians were reported to have been murdered in Homs.

A Christian man in Homs was stopped and sexually assaulted at an armed rebel group’s checkpoint.

A young Christian boy was killed by rebels in Homs, who filmed the murder and later claimed it was committed by government forces.

2012 January FebruaryJan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Demonstrations in Homs became a daily activity. Muslim protesters began to travel to Christian neighbourhoods.

A Christian father-of-two was shot dead by three armed attackers while driving in Homs.

An opposition fighter in Homs mocks Christians

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!Destruction Threats and occupation of Christian areas Violence Murder

This timeline of selected known incidents shows how anti-Christian persecution in Syria has intensified. To protect our sources, we have not been able to name many of the victims. A fuller version with more incidents is available at www.barnabasfund.org/syria-timeline.


SPOTLIGHT

Destitute. Attacked. Intimidated. Vulnerable. This is the condition of Christians in Syria.

C aught in the crossfire of a bloody civil war that has displaced tens of thousands of Christians, our brothers and sisters are

in a desperate plight. They are being kidnapped, raped, tortured and murdered. Many have had to flee their homes, owing both to the fighting and to threats and intimidation from opposition groups. The displaced face a mounting humanitarian crisis in the cold Syrian winter as their supplies run short.

The Church has been in Syria since Biblical times. It was as he approached Damascus that Saul, who was going there with the intent of persecuting Christians, encountered Jesus Christ, and it was in that city that he was baptised and proclaimed the Lord’s Name (Acts 9:1-6, 17-22). And yet now, Christians are at risk of being wiped out from the country. Reacting to the desperate times faced by his community, one Syrian church leader said, “I am not very optimistic that our Christian community will survive.”

Before the Arab Spring, Syria was one of the easiest places in the Arab world to be a Christian. The country’s 2.3 million Christians

were allowed the freedom to practise their faith without much official harassment. But because they have enjoyed such tolerance under the government of President Bashar al-Assad, opposition fighters assume they support the regime. Because of this assumption, and because there are Islamist groups among the rebels, Christians are suffering numerous and grave abuses.

Forced from their homes and streets Fleeing fighting and Islamist threats, the Christian population of Homs declined from 50,000-60,000 to less than 1,000 between February and May 2012. By December around 80 Christians remained in the Christian quarter. The area was surrounded by at least 2,000 armed rebels, who at the time of writing are holding the Christians hostage there. A church leader said, “They were 100m from freedom but the Salafis said, ‘If you leave we kill you; if you stay with us you live.’” In fact the Christians have been dying one by one because of severe hardship and lack of medicines. One of Barnabas Fund’s partners in Homs stated that the Christians were being held as “human shields” to deter government forces from attacking the area.

Our brothers and sisters in several mainly Christian areas of some Syrian cities have

seen their streets taken over and their homes ransacked as rebels have occupied their neighbourhoods. Christians have also been forced to flee following terrifying ultimatums from their Muslim neighbours, or simply because fighting has made their homes unsafe.

Abducted and murdered Christians are greatly at risk of being abducted; more than 30 Christians have been kidnapped in Homs alone. Some of those taken have been tortured and abandoned or held for exorbitant ransoms that many families cannot pay. Some families have asked for their loved ones to be killed outright rather than have them subjected to brutal torture. Our brothers and sisters are also being murdered, sometimes gruesomely, either by their kidnappers or simply gunned down in the streets.

In one tragic incident, Fady Haddad, a church leader, was found dead in Damascus in October 2012. He was kidnapped while trying to negotiate on behalf of one of his parishioners, who was being held captive by an armed group. His captors had demanded a ransom of 50 million Syrian pounds (c. US$700,000; £450,000) for Fady’s release. He had been subjected to severe torture.

The rebels occupied and shelled the evangelical school and home for the elderly in Homs.

A group of militants kidnapped and raped a Christian woman from the Hamidiya district of Homs.

Militants ordered the ten Christian families of Qastal al-Burg to leave empty-handed and took over their homes and church.

Christians fled Qusayr owing to fighting and Islamist threats.

A Christian man, Maurice Bitar, was shot by a rebel sniper in Qasayr.

Rebels detonated bombs at and around churches in Homs to trick people into believing that the Syrian army was shelling religious sites.

The burnt bodies of ten young Christian and Alawite men were found by a resident of Mashtaya after they were abducted.

People, including Christians, were blocked from leaving Homs by anti-government forces. Fighters wanted to keep them there as “human shields” in a bid to protect the areas they controlled from government troops.By January 2013, fewer than 80 Christians remained alive in the city and were still being held in Hamidya district.

Opposition fighters established checkpoints near Christian and Alawite villages in Wadi al-Nasara in order to kidnap people. They executed some and tortured others, demanding ransoms.

February March April May June July

Gunmen assassinated six Christian workers in Jander Resort, south of Homs.

St Mary’s Church in Homs before the conflict began

St Mary’s now lies in ruins

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SPOTLIGHT

Christian areas and churches bombed Opposition action in predominantly Christian areas has escalated from demonstrations to deadly attacks. Jaramana, a mainly Christian and Druze suburb of Damascus, has been repeatedly ravaged by car bomb attacks. At least 57 people were killed, and hundreds injured, in four separate bombings between August and November 2012. After one attack, a Christian leader said, “This is a purely residential area. The explosion was horrible and it terrified the innocent people.”

Whole congregations in Aleppo, Homs and Dair al-Zor have also been devastated by the loss of their places of worship. The destruction of a church is a symbolic act that causes emotional pain as well as physical devastation.

Displaced and in need Those who flee their homes also leave their jobs behind, and so cannot support themselves when their savings run out. Church leaders estimate that around 80% of Christians in Aleppo have no work. To make matters worse, prices of essentials have skyrocketed, and food, water, milk for infants, electricity and petrol are in short supply.

A senior church leader recently said, “People in Aleppo are getting poorer and poorer – you can see it on their faces and in their clothes.” Some Christians are showing signs of malnutrition and are without adequate shelter in the cold Syrian winter, and blankets and other means of staying warm are scarce.

Some Christians feel they have no choice but to flee the country. Some sell everything they own in order to put their lives in the hands of people traffickers, and others who cannot afford the extortionate fees are attempting to escape on foot.

Nowhere to turn There are few if any safe havens where Christians can take refuge. The conflict is now spilling over into neighbouring Lebanon, where many Syrians have fled. The borders into Turkey are controlled by the Free Syrian Army, who often prevent Christians from crossing, telling them “You are with Assad. You can stay here and be killed with him.” Those who do manage to leave face perilous journeys to Greece, via Turkey. Some have died en route.

Political leaders in the West are ignoring the plight of our Christian brothers and sisters in Syria. David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, have both spoken out against President Assad and the atrocities committed by his troops, but neither have mentioned the abuses committed by the opposition forces, whom they are supporting. The opposition National Coalition is now widely recognised as the legitimate government of Syria, and the plight of Syrian Christians is largely ignored by the Western media.

Christians in Iraq once faced a similarly dire situation. When their country was plunged into turmoil after the 2003 US-led invasion, a huge surge in anti-Christian violence forced many to become refugees. The Christian population in Iraq has decreased dramatically in the last two decades. Many have fled to Syria, where they are now seeing history repeat itself. It is feared that, if the conflict in Syria results in an Islamist takeover, a similar nightmare to that endured by Iraqi Christians may engulf the Church there.

August September October November December

12,000 inhabitants of the predominantly Christian town of Rableh were blockaded for two weeks. The rebels refused entry to food and medical supplies and three men who tried to leave were shot dead. In September, more than 200 Christians were again held hostage in the city.

Up to ten people were killed and 15 wounded when a bomb exploded in the Christian quarter of Damascus just as worshippers were travelling to church.

Two Christian areas of Aleppo were occupied by opposition groups who set up checkpoints and took over a Christian school.

Elias Mansour (84), one of the last remaining Christians in central Homs, was killed. Elias had chosen not to leave the area because he needed to care for his disabled son. A car bomb exploded

in front of a church in Raqqah, causing two deaths.

A church leader from Idleb, near Aleppo, was kidnapped, beaten and interrogated by armed Wahhabi Muslims who then abandoned him by the side of a road.

A car bomb exploded in front of the Beth Hasda Complex, a Christian charity in Aleppo that includes a care home for the elderly, a school and a hospital. It damaged the buildings.

A Syrian Orthodox church in Dair Al-Zor was blown up.

Seven Armenian Christians were kidnapped by an armed group whilst traveling by bus from Aleppo to Beirut.

Militants blew up the Presbyterian Church building in Aleppo, causing half of it to collapse.

A bomb exploded near a Syrian Orthodox Church in Aleppo, killing at least 20 people.

Two Armenian Christians were shot by gangs in Hassake. Abdullahad Bashoura was killed, and his son Yousef was severely injured.

Rev. George Andrea (director of the Bible Society in Syria) and Manu Pedrosian were kidnapped in Aleppo. They were later released.

Please turn to pages 16-17 to see how Barnabas Fund is bringing hope in this desperate situation.

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Photograph by:

Church leader Fady Haddad was kidnapped, tortured and murdered in Damascus.

A car bomb exploded in Jaramana, a mainly Christian and Druze suburb of Damascus.At least 57 people were killed in this and three subsequent attacks on the area between August and November 2012. On 12 January 2013 rockets exploded metres from a Jaramana church, thankfully without injury.

10 BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013 IBARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

SPOTLIGHTSPOTLIGHT

WINDOWS ON ISLAMThe challenge of the halal economy

In 2010 an investigation by a Sunday newspaper in the UK revealed that some schools, hospi-tals, pubs and famous sporting venues were

serving halal meat to the public without their knowledge. For example, the article stated that all the beef, chicken and lamb sold to fans at Wembley, the national football stadium, had been prepared in accordance with Islamic sharia law. Various other high-profile locations were also named, and further reports around the same time revealed how widely halal meat was being sold, not just in the UK but in many parts of the Western world.

These reports have raised the issue of the place of halal food and other products in the West. Their grow-ing use by restaurants and retail outlets, often without the approval or knowledge of customers, has caused great concern, not least among Christians. We do not want to deny Muslims and other religious groups the freedom to buy food and other items that meet the requirements of their religion; on the contrary, we believe that in a free and democratic society such freedom is to be highly prized and stoutly defended. But there are at least three powerful objections to these products being forced on other people against their will:

1. When halal products are not labelled, or no alterna-tive to them is offered, consumers are being denied the freedom to make an informed choice about whether or not to buy them. But if the freedom of Muslims to follow Muslim practices should be guaranteed, then so should the freedom of non-Muslims not to follow Muslim practices.

2. Halal meat has to be certified as such by one of several Islamic agencies that oversee the production and distribu-tion processes. The fees charged by these agencies are

passed on from the wholesalers to the retailers and finally to customers, who have to pay extra for their meat. In at least some cases a proportion of the funds raised are thought to be used to fund Islamic mission (dawa). As a result, non-Muslim consumers can end up promoting an Islamic agenda without even knowing it.

3. Halal products are a major tool of dawa in the West. For many Muslims this mission includes imposing Islamic practices on non-Muslims and the gradual Islamisation of non-Muslim societies. The Islamisation agenda does not require non-Muslims to believe the tenets of Islam; it only requires that they submit to them, whether knowingly or unknowingly. By buying halal products non-Muslims are unintentionally assisting this process.

In this article we will briefly explain what the halal regulations are and how extensively they are being applied by Muslims in the West today. We will then examine the three objections above with special reference to Christians. Finally we will offer some suggestions for a Christian re-sponse to this vital issue.

The halal regulationsThe word halal means “permitted”, and halal goods and ser-vices are those that Islamic sharia allows Muslims to consume. In the Muslim worldview sharia is based on Allah’s direct revelation, which cannot be questioned or changed by humans. The halal regulations thus supposedly mark off Allah’s pure community from the polluted unbelievers, and they cover all aspects of human life, not just food.

The halal rules are applied to contemporary products and to social and technological developments to establish whether these are consistent with sharia. Food processing

WINDOWS ON ISLAM

THE CHALLENGE OF THE HALAL ECONOMY

10 BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013 IBARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

WINDOWS ON ISLAM The challenge of the halal economy

and distribution, banking and financial services, pharma-ceuticals and cosmetics, clothing and accessories, and travel are among the numerous areas subject to regulation. Thus halal products are now found in many non-food sectors, and the list is growing. Institutions have been established to ensure the “sharia-compliance” of some products, es-pecially food (see further below).

In order for meat to be designated halal it must come from an animal that has been slaughtered in such a way that its blood has been drained before consumption. The animal’s throat is cut while a Muslim slaughterer proclaims Bismillah Allahu Akbar, which means “In the name of Al-lah, Allah is great.” Most Muslim slaughterers do not stun the animal first, as they believe that only if it is conscious will drainage of blood be complete.

The spread of halal productsThe halal market is big business. The Muslim market rep-resents around a fifth of the world’s total population, and it is estimated to comprise some 1.2 billion people in 112 countries. Large Western multinationals are understandably eager to tap into the vast potential of this market, and many have introduced halal products into their ranges. Moreover, these products are being widely extended to non-Muslims too, often without their knowledge. The World Halal Fo-rum has stated unashamedly that “halal is for everyone”.

The spread of halal food in the West can be illus-trated from various countries:

• Much of the lamb and chicken sold by the British su-permarket Asda is slaughtered according to Islamic ritual. Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Somerfield and the Co-op also stock halal meat. Various UK fast-food chains, including Domino’s Pizza, KFC and Subway, pro-vide it too.

• In the United States branches of several well-known res-

taurant chains, including Burger King, McDonald’s and Pizza Hut, have launched halal menus. In addition, the provision of halal food to prison inmates in the US has become an area of growing legal controversy, with some Muslim prisoners claiming that the failure to provide halal meals restricts their religious freedom.

• New Zealand is the leading exporter of halal meat and has the largest halal slaughterhouses in the world. Despite its having a Muslim population of only 41,000 (0.9%), about 98% of its lamb and mutton and 60% of its beef come from animals slaughtered according to halal regulations.

• The halal industry in France is estimated to be grow-ing at a rate of 15% and to be worth around 5.5 billion euros annually. Its presence was highlighted in the pres-idential elections of 2012, with one candidate claim-ing that French people were eating halal meat without knowing it, and another calling for stricter labelling.

It is estimated that there are over 300 bodies world-wide that offer halal certification, though only a third of these are legally registered. In the UK there are at least two competing organisations: the Halal Food Authority and the Halal Monitoring Committee. In South Africa there are four different agencies; around 50 operate in France, and in the USA there are some 80 certification boards. These institu-tions oversee the entire process of halal meat production, distribution, packaging and sale. (Certification appears not to be so widespread for non-food products.)

The growth of the halal market has been matched by an expansion of the Islamic finance sector, which of-fers a range of financial products that are supposedly more compatible with sharia than their Western alternatives. The World Halal Forum is pressing for these two sectors to be integrated into a single “halal economy” that will play an increasingly influential role in shaping global markets.

Halal products as a tool of IslamisationTraditionally the halal regulations were promoted within the Muslim community as a way of pleasing Allah and protecting Muslims from the supposedly corrupting influ-ences of non-Western society. But more recently Islamists seem to have hijacked the system as a tool for expanding the place of sharia in the non-Muslim world, as part of what appears to be a campaign to spread Islam across the globe.

Many conservative Muslim scholars assert that the halal system is not for Muslims only, but for all human be-ings. They claim that those who break the rules are under Allah’s curse and deserve punishment. It is thus the duty of Muslims to spread the rules to non-Muslims, both to do Allah’s will and for the good of non-Muslims. For Islam-ists, this process is apparently part of a much wider agenda, to establish the global dominance of Islam in the political, religious, economic and cultural spheres, and thus to revive the ancient and golden age of Islam.

Supporters of halal products, and especially halal food, attempt to make it more attractive by arguing that the rules are scientifically proven to promote the health of

Halal and haramIslamic sharia divides actions into the two main categories of halal (permitted) and haram (forbidden). There are four sub-categories of halal:

Fard – acts that are obligatory; fulfilment of them is rewarded, and neglect of them is punishedMandub – acts that are recommended but not obligatory; fulfilment of them is rewarded, but neglect of them is not punishedMubah – acts that are permitted but neither rewarded nor punishedMakruh – acts that are disapproved of but neither forbidden nor punished

Haram refers to acts that are forbidden and punished

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WINDOWS ON ISLAMThe challenge of the halal economy

individuals and societies. They also claim that halal meat amounts to a safe brand that guarantees safety, quality and humane treatment of animals. The regulations are further supposed to guarantee just and fair business methods and to embody values of social justice and welfare.

Some non-Muslims accept these claims and have come to see halal as just another recognised brand name that seems to offer an ethical approach to production and distribution procedures. But claims that halal meat is healthy and halal slaughter humane do not seem to be supported by reli-able evidence. Moreover, in the context of a worldwide Islamic revival and the rapid and men-acing growth of Islamism, many Christians (and others) are deeply concerned about the growth in ha-lal products and the extension of these to everyone whatever their religion.

Some Christians see the consumption of these products as appeasement of Muslim commu-nities in the face of their increas-ingly assertive demands. Others see themselves as victims of discrimination against non-Muslims, who are effectively being forced to buy Muslim food and other items. Still others see the growth of the halal sector as undermining secular Western values.

Above all, Christians may be deeply concerned at being obliged to support, often without their knowledge or consent, a global Islamisation project that aims to extend the reach of sharia in the non-Muslim world. In so far as the halal economy is a tool of Islamic dawa, they may feel obliged to stand apart from it and resist its growth.

Halal certification agenciesWhen a consumer buys halal food, a portion of the money paid will usually be passed by the supplier to the agency that certified the product as halal. The agency may then use it to fund Islamic activities, including mission. A number of recent cases from various countries illustrate this practice: • The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand claims to certify over 90% of the country’s meat exports as halal. Over the past 20 years it has also been providing an-nual grants to its regional associations for dawa activities. It has financed the construction of mosques and Islamic cen-tres across the country, and it has plans for Islamic schools and libraries. Some of its groups have also invited speakers who (then or later) were banned from even entering the UK.

• In the UK and Ireland more than a hundred Subway res-taurants are certified as sharia-compliant by the Islamic Foundation of Ireland. This agency is headed by the imam of the Dublin Mosque; it has helped to establish mosques in Ireland and also supports Islamic education.

• Some halal experts in France are authorised by the Union of the Islamic Organisations. This group has strong links with the Muslim Brotherhood, an international, political group that aims to establish Islamic states across the world. A journalist who began to investigate the involvement of the Brotherhood in the French halal food industry had his life threatened. He estimated that around 60% of the food was controlled by organisations belonging to the group.

Many Christians would object to buying halal products if they knew that a proportion of their money would be handed on to an Islamic certification agency, espe-cially if this agency then intended to use it to support Islamic dawa. This objection applies mainly to the halal meat industry, but can be extended to any area where halal certification is provided.

Labelling and choiceRequirements for halal labelling vary across the world. Some coun-tries, such as the UK, do not re-quire a halal symbol to be shown

on products at all. The European Parliament and the Brit-ish government have both stated that meat from animals killed without pre-stunning should be labelled, although they have yet to approve the necessary regulations. But such labelling will not cover all halal meat, some of which comes from stunned animals, and will also include some non-halal food; it will therefore be an unreliable guide to whether we are eating halal food or not.

British supermarkets are also not in favour of la-belling. Tesco has claimed that adding further labelling requirements would add unnecessary costs for the con-sumer, and it does not believe that all product informa-tion can reasonably be fitted on a single label. Sainsbury’s does not label its meat as halal on the grounds that it is not specifically aimed at Muslim customers and that the chain has never requested a halal “blessing” for its own brands. Moreover, many of the caterers who sell halal food do not mark it out from non-halal options or even inform the public about it.

There is also some resistance to labelling among Muslims. Dr Abdhalhamid Evans, the Project Director of the World Halal Forum 2010, responded to the EU pro-posal for the labelling of meat from non-stunned animals by saying that enforcing regulation for just one group of people was discriminatory. This appears to contravene principles of consumer protection that are a very high priority in European Union law. The right of consumers

“to information” and to “organise themselves in order to safeguard their interests” is meant to be guaranteed for all consumers in the EU.

Some companies and retail outlets have entirely gone over to halal food in order to simplify their processes and cut costs. Ascot Racecourse in the UK justified its decision

The stamps of three halal certification agencies

INSTITUTE OF ISLAMIC

JURISPRUDENCE BATLEY UK

II BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013 IIIBARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

WINDOWS ON ISLAM The challenge of the halal economy

www.barnabasfund.org

UK9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EXTelephone 024 7623 1923Fax 024 7683 4718

From outside the UKTelephone +44 24 7623 1923Fax +44 24 7683 4718Email [email protected]

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BARNABAS FUND HOPE AND AID FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

to serve only halal chicken by claiming that it was easier to store and cook only one kind of meat.

In light of the connections outlined above between the halal economy and Islamic dawa, many Christians expect to have the freedom to make an informed choice about whether or not they eat halal food or buy other halal products. They want to know if some (or all) of the meat on offer at their local supermarket or restaurant comes from animals slaughtered according to sharia, and to be able to identify it. And they would like non-halal alternatives to be readily available, ideally in every place. They do not want halal products to become the general default option in non-Muslim countries.

Other objections to halal foodAnimal cruelty. Western animal welfare groups consistently criticise some Muslim halal slaughtering methods and call for their prohibition. They also criticise the stressful methods of restraint used in some halal slaughtering plants. However, this objection applies only to meat from animals that have not been stunned before killing, not to halal meat as such. Animal-cruelty regulations throughout Europe cur-rently state that livestock must be stunned before slaughter, but the UK and most other countries allow exceptions on religious grounds.

Many Christians agree that slaughter without stun-ning is cruel and believe it is therefore contrary to the Biblical call to care for God’s creation (e.g. Proverbs 12:10). Some join in the calls for the banning of this practice; others defend it on religious freedom grounds, while not wanting themselves to eat meat from animals that were killed without being stunned. Again, this objec-tion does not apply to halal meat from stunned animals. Other Christians question the animal welfare argument altogether in light of the fact that the Old Testament re-quired the Israelites to perform ritual slaughter. Still oth-ers observe that the Law of Moses required the Israelites to use the most humane method of slaughter that was available at the time.

Biblical teaching. Some Christians believe that it is wrong and harmful on Biblical grounds to eat meat over which the name of Allah (or any other god except the God and Father of Jesus Christ) has been invoked. Others argue from Scripture that eating such meat does not make Christians impure before God or cause them any spiritual harm, while acknowledging that there are certain contexts in which they should nonetheless abstain: for example, so as to avoid

wounding the conscience of another believer or offending someone they are trying to reach with the Gospel. Many regard Muslim festivals in which halal food is eaten to honour Allah as idolatrous and will not participate in them.

RecommendationsChristians and other non-Muslims should argue for the right of Muslims to follow their own religious rules relat-ing to food and other products. But we should also protest against the process of Islamisation that tries to impose those rules and products on non-Muslims and thus extend the rule of sharia over us. In Muslim-majority contexts sharia has appallingly destructive effects, including discrimina-tion against Christians and women, obstacles to Christian mission, and brutal persecution. In these circumstances we have no option except to stand resolutely against any further extension of sharia, even when (as with some halal products) it may seem to be harmless.

Christians should also object to having to contribute to the fees for certification agencies, especially when these are used for Islamic mission. It seems fair that these costs be borne solely by the Muslims who ask for them.

The argument that halal slaughter should not be for-bidden by law, in the interests of religious liberty, is a strong one. But the case against the killing of non-stunned ani-mals, on the basis of animal welfare, is also very powerful, and many Christians are rightly reluctant to eat meat from animals that have been slaughtered inhumanely. Perhaps the best way to balance these arguments is to restrict halal slaughter to animals that have been pre-stunned.

The Bible does not suggest that it is wrong for Chris-tians to eat halal food as such; whatever we receive with thanksgiving to God in Jesus’ Name is fit to be eaten. But it does tell us to exercise our freedom responsibly, not least for advancing the Gospel. To the extent that our par-ticipation in the halal economy furthers the progress of Islamic dawa and contributes to the Islamisation of society, it hampers the task of Christian mission to which our Lord has called us. This suggests that we should at least be very cautious about buying halal meat or other halal products.

Christians ought to challenge the view that the ma-jority of people should have to follow the practices of a minority. So we should ask for choice, requesting that commercial outlets and public institutions that sell halal products also provide non-halal choices for non-Muslims. And we should support the clear labelling of all halal products, so that no-one has to buy or consume them without knowing it.

IV BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013 11BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

B arnabas Fund’s Operation Nehemiah campaign is committed to maintaining Christian values of freedom of

conscience, speech and religion for the next generation in church and society. One way in which we seek to achieve this goal is by drawing attention to the progressive Islamisation of Western societies.

Two recent stories (among many others) illustrate the ways in which Islam is extending its influence in the social and political life of various countries:

In Belgium, the city of Brussels has sworn in two municipal officials from a new Islamic party that wants to implement sharia. The party campaigned on three core issues: ensuring that halal meals

are served in government school cafeterias; securing the official recognition of Muslim religious holidays; and pressing for a law that would legalise the wearing of Islamic veils in public spaces. Referring to previous failed attempts to be elected, one of them told a public radio station, “The agenda is still the same, but our approach is different now. I think we have to sensitise people, make them understand the advantages of having Islamic people and Islamic laws. And then it will be completely natural to have Islamic laws and we will become an Islamic state.”

In the Netherlands, renovations in Amsterdam social housing apartments have sparked a political row. About 180 apartments in Amsterdam

have been given makeovers that reflect the needs of Muslims, including individual taps that can be used for ritual cleansing before prayers and sliding doors to keep men and women apart. The development in Holland is similar to plans in Sydney, Australia, where there are plans for an interest-free housing project aimed at the Muslim community. Described as “100 per cent Halal housing”, the project has raised concerns that it may create a Muslim enclave and discriminate against non-Muslims.

Our weekly Barnabas Persecution Update includes a link to some of the latest news from the press relating to the concerns of Operation Nehemiah. Please visit www.barnabasfund.org to sign up.

We are grateful to all those who have signed our Proclaim Freedom petition and those

who have organised signatures and sent in completed sheets. The petition was closed on 31 December, but if you still have any sheets with signatures, we will be glad to receive these.

Please send them to your nearest Barnabas office as soon as possible.

At the time of writing the total number of signatures we have received is 53,400. Please pray for us as we make plans for presenting the petition to the governments of various Western countries.

As part of the Proclaim Freedom campaign, Barnabas is continuing to work with governments at both national and international levels on issues of human rights and religious freedom. We were invited to attend a two-day conference in Brussels in December 2012 organised by the European Commission and the European External Action Service, which looked at (among other issues) the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FOROB).

FOROB is widely neglected and disregarded. Many countries subscribe to it in theory by writing it into their constitutions or laws, but the reality on the ground is very different, especially for Christians and other minorities. The international community seems reluctant to defend it, especially on behalf of individuals. Barnabas and other organisations are pressing for this right to be more widely and effectively recognised.

Many governments also require churches and Christian organisations to register with the state. The process is often extended and complicated; registration may be denied for no good reason; and the failure to obtain it can then be used as an excuse to close down a church or group or jail its leaders. After this issue was discussed at the conference, Barnabas was able to submit detailed papers to the European External Action Service on registration problems faced by Christians in Algeria, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Operation Nehemiah

Defending freedom of religion

IV BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013 11BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

CAMPAIGNS

NEWSDESK

CHRISTIANS MURDERED IN CHURCH ATTACKS AND RAIDS ON HOMES OVER CHRISTMAS

NIGERIA – Dozens of Christians were murdered over the Christmas period in attacks on churches and raids on Christian homes. On Christmas Eve, six people were killed by gunmen at a church service in Maiduguri in Borno state, in Northern Nigeria. Another six were killed and two injured in a shooting at a service on Christmas Day in Siri village, Yobe state. Then on 30 December, at least 15 worshippers were killed at a church in Chibok, Borno state. One report

said that some victims had had their throats slit. Christians were not safe even in their own homes; a number of Christian residents of Musari, Maiduguri were murdered in break-ins on 28 December. Although Nigerian officials put the death toll at five, residents and relief workers said that 15 people were killed. Most of the incidents took place in Borno state, where Islamist group Boko Haram had threatened to kill any Christians remaining in the

territory by Christmas. Although responsibility for these atrocities has not been confirmed, it is thought that the group carried them out. These attacks came after at least eleven people were killed in a suicide bombing at a church inside a military barracks in Kaduna state, Northern Nigeria.

During the attack on St Andrew’s Protestant Church in Jaji, which occurred on 25 November 2012, a bus was driven into the wall of the church building and exploded. This

blast caused no casualties, but as worshippers gathered around the scene, there was a deadly second explosion as a car blew up outside the church. Although officials said that eleven people were killed and 30 injured, several witnesses put the death toll at around 50. Boko Haram is thought to be responsible. Three days before this attack, residents of Bichi in Kano state said that four Christians were killed in rioting following an accusation of blasphemy.

Barnabas helps fund trauma counselling workshops for victims of violence in Nigeria

CHRISTIAN CONVERT BEHEADED By AL-SHABAAB MILITANTS

SOMALIA – Farhan Haji Mose, a Christian convert from Islam, was beheaded by militants from the Islamist group al-Shabaab on 16 November 2012. It is thought that his movements were monitored for six months, after his return from Christian-majority Kenya, before he was brutally executed in front of a crowd in the coastal city of Barawa.

Farhan was accused by his killers of being a spy for foreigners and embracing the “foreign religion of Christianity”. Al-Shabaab, which controls much of the south of Somalia, has murdered several Christians since 2011. The group said in the aftermath of an anti-Christian attack in 2010 that “We aim to get rid of the barbaric and non-Islamic culture in the country.”

The central Transitional Federal Government in Mogadishu is too weak to hold back al-Shabaab, and although it is moderate by comparison, it too prescribes the death penalty for apostasy from Islam. Al-Shabaab’s terrorist activities are also now spilling over into neighbouring Kenya, where it has been responsible for numerous

attacks, including some on churches and Christian gatherings.

Somali Christians, who are all converts from Islam, make up a tiny minority of the population and are very vulnerable. There are no church buildings in Somalia, and because of the danger to their lives, Christians must either meet secretly or follow Jesus alone.


NEWSDESK

BlaspHemy case agaInsT cHrIsTIan gIrl drOpped

PAKISTAN – Legal proceedings against Rimsha Masih, the vulnerable young Christian girl who was accused of blasphemy, have been dropped. Her case was thrown out by an Islamabad court on 20 November

2012, in a move that a Christian politician described as an “important precedent”.

Rimsha was accused on 16 August 2012 of burning pages of Noorani Quaida, a booklet used to learn the basics of the Quran. She was charged under section 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code, which carries a sentence of life imprisonment for desecrating the Quran. Rimsha’s family, along with around 600 other

Christian families, were forced to flee their homes in Maherabad, a slum of Islamabad, owing to a violent Muslim backlash.

Rimsha, who is 14 and is thought to have a lower mental age, was given bail after evidence came to light that she had been framed by the imam of the local mosque. Khalid Jadoon Chishti, who had called for Rimsha to be publicly burned in the aftermath of the accusation, was revealed to have

planted evidence on her in order to “get rid of Christians” from the area. He will now be tried for making a false accusation.

Paul Bhatti, the only Christian member of Pakistan’s federal cabinet, welcomed the court’s decision, saying, “I am optimistic. Pakistani society is changing.” He said, however, that the case will not be used to revise the “blasphemy law”, although it will be used to revise

its interpretation. Christians and other non-Muslims are particularly vulnerable to accusations under the law, which is often used to settle personal scores.

Despite her acquittal, Rimsha and her family are unlikely to be able to lead normal lives again, as those accused of blasphemy are sometimes murdered by zealous Muslims, even if they have been found not guilty.

Rimsha was accused on 16 August 2012 of burning pages of

Noorani Quaida

These Christians and their families are amongst hundreds forced to flee their homes after Rimsha’s arrest. Barnabas is assisting them

POOREST INDIAN CHRISTIANS STILL DENIED SOCIO-ECONOMIC RIGHTS

INDIA – Official discrimination continues to keep the most disadvantaged Christians in India in poverty. The Indian government denies Christian Dalits the rights that are given to their Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh counterparts. Dalits are at the very bottom of India’s hierarchical caste system, and the government aims to redress the disadvantage they face by giving them Scheduled Caste status, which bolsters their rights. This status was granted to

Hindu Dalits in 1950 and extended to include Buddhist and Sikh Dalits in 1956 and 1990 respectively. Christian and Muslim Dalits, however, are still excluded from the provisions because of their religion.

The inequality they face leaves Christian and Muslim Dalits trapped in poverty and less able to escape it than their Hindu counterparts. Christian and Muslim Dalits have long been campaigning for equal recognition; their latest protest took

place in New Delhi on 15 November 2012. Two-thirds of India’s 27 million Christians are Dalits.

Tribal Christians and even their non-Christian relatives also have difficulty gaining Scheduled Tribe status, which is also intended to redress disadvantage. Although, unlike for Scheduled Caste status, religious affiliation is not meant to affect the determination of Scheduled Tribe status, a number of cases of discrimination have recently come

to light. In one case, tribal Christian Prakash Pradhan was refused a caste certificate that could have obtained him a scholarship for his children. His brother, who is a Hindu, was also denied a certificate because he is related to a Christian.

Without a caste certificate, Christian Dalits and tribal Christians lack the social and economic rights that could enable them to escape the grinding poverty that goes hand-in-hand with their low status.


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ImprIsOned pasTOr wHO faced fIfTeen years In jaIl freed

UZBEKISTAN – A Christian pastor who faced up to 15 years in prison in his homeland was freed from detention and granted refugee status in Sweden on 4 December 2012. Makset Djabbarbergenov, who is from Nukus, Uzbekistan, fled to Kazakhstan following a prolonged campaign of harassment by the secret police because of his Christian activities. He was being held in detention while the Kazakh authorities considered an extradition request from Uzbekistan.

Makset is wanted in Uzbekistan for violating the country’s harsh religion law. Although the original detention request made by the authorities referred to two charges that each carried a maximum three-year jail term, one charge was later changed to that of “creation, leadership or participation in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist or other banned organisations”, which is punishable by up to 15

years in prison. Although Makset and his family

were granted refugee status by the United Nations’ refugee agency (UNHCR), the Kazakh government disregarded this ruling and denied the family refugee status in 2011. The pastor was arrested by the Kazakh secret police in 2008 and freed only after the UNHCR actively sought his release. He was detained again in 2012.

Makset was reunited with his pregnant wife and four children at the airport, where they were issued with visas for Sweden before flying to the country. Barnabas Fund raised Makset’s plight with the authorities in the UK, Europe, and the US and petitioned the Kazakh authorities on his behalf. Makset has asked that his thanks be conveyed to everyone who has been praying for him and to those who helped secure his release.

Makset Djabbarbergenov has been reunited with his family

CHRISTIANS FEAR NEW RESTRICTIONS WILL MEAN MORE HARASSMENT

VIETNAM – It is feared that new restrictions on religious freedom in Vietnam will lead to more harassment of Christians by the authorities. Decree 92, which adds to the Ordinance on Beliefs and Religion that already strictly controls religious activity in the country, came into force on 1 January. The direction the country’s policy is taking has sparked concern amongst Christians; the Vice President of the Vietnamese Parliament said in late 2012 that “Vietnam will increasingly model itself on China in matters of religious policies”.

Christians in both China and Vietnam already face severe restrictions. In Vietnam, all churches

and other religious groups are required to register with the government and submit to its direction. Those that do not register or are unable to do

so endure intense hostility from the authorities. Christian communities, particularly in the hill-tribe areas, have seen their churches closed and their members arrested and given long

prison sentences. The new legislation uses

vague terminology to refer to the registration of churches, leading to

fears that accusations of generalised offences will be made. For example, a church will be required to prove that it has operated for 20 years without breaking any laws, including

“infringing national security”. But because the latter charge is often levelled at unregistered Christian gatherings, it is likely that this clause will be used to prevent churches from qualifying for registration. Leaders will also need to obtain the permission of the authorities before they can travel abroad for conferences.

If a church is denied full recognition, it is likely to face a great deal of harassment from the authorities, and the new measures, which have been described as “backwards” by a Hanoi-based Christian leader, appear set to increase the pressure on the beleaguered Christian community.

“Vietnam will increasingly model itself on China in matters of religious policies”


NEWSDESK

CHURCH LEADER WOUNDED IN ATTACK ON SERVICE

SRI LANKA – A church leader was injured in an attack on a church in southern Sri Lanka. A large mob, including many Buddhist monks, stormed a worship service at a church in Weeraketiya, Hambanthota district, on 9 December 2012. During the attack, which was witnessed by children, a rock was thrown at the pastor of the church, who was left with severe pain in his lower abdomen.

Church furniture and equipment were vandalised by the mob, as were Christian-owned vehicles parked outside it. The attack took place despite the presence of eight police officers, who had been sent to the scene to oversee a planned demonstration by monks against the church, but who were overwhelmed by the attackers.

On the day prior to the incident,

the pastor was visited by a group of Buddhists, including a number of monks. They told the pastor that he was not allowed to conduct Christian worship without the permission of Buddhist clergy. When he insisted that it was his constitutional right to do so, the monks falsely claimed that the constitution had changed. They then threatened to destroy the church if the pastor did not stop holding services.

Barnabas Fund supports theological training for Christian leaders in Sri Lanka

GRIP OF SHARIA

TIGHTENS IN

INDONESIAINDONESIA – The new mayor of Tasikmalaya in Indonesia has vowed that he will implement sharia law in the city, in the latest of a series of blows to Christians in the province of West Java. Budi Setiawan announced on 19 November 2012 that the city’s bylaws will be based on Islamic law in matters of custom and behaviour, to honour a pledge he made to Muslim leaders who backed his election campaign.

The mayor’s plans have met with criticism, as have previous proposals to implement sharia law in the area. Despite this opposition, sharia law is spreading in Indonesia, and in some areas the Christian minority is becoming increasingly vulnerable as Muslims become more intolerant and extremist. Elsewhere in West Java, both GKI Yasmin Church and Filadelfia Batak Christian Protestant Church have seen their buildings closed.

The mayor’s announcement came after a UN spokesperson slammed Indonesia’s record on the treatment of religious minorities, saying that “an environment of intimidation and fear” is being created. Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, met with representatives of Christian and other minority groups, and on 13 November 2012 she expressed her distress at hearing accounts of “violent attacks, displacements, denial of identification cards and other forms of discrimination and harassment” against them. She highlighted Aceh, the only province where sharia law is currently officially permitted, as a particular concern, citing its use of the “brutal punishments of stoning and caning”. Ms Pillay called on Indonesia to take “firm action” to combat worsening violence against Christians and other minorities.

CHURCH RECEIVES REPRIEVE FROM EVICTION AFTER TEN-yEAR BATTLE

WITH AUTHORITIESBELARUS – A church in Minsk that has been locked in a struggle with the authorities for ten years has narrowly escaped being forced to evict its premises. New Life Pentecostal Church, which was ordered on 27 November 2012 to hand over the keys to the renovated cowshed in which it meets, was given a last-minute reprieve ahead of the planned eviction on 5 December.

Obtaining the necessary official recognition of their places of worship is very difficult for Protestant groups, whose applications are generally refused. New Life, which had no choice but to meet in the barn since

the congregation is barred from using public buildings in Minsk, has been fighting to get it re-designated as a place of worship since 2002. During this time the church, which has a congregation of around 1,000, has faced numerous heavy fines for continuing to worship there.

Past attempts by the authorities to force the congregation out have included cutting off its electricity supply and freezing its bank account. When the building was formally confiscated in 2006 and a bulldozer was sent to demolish it, church members launched a hunger strike that generated high-profile support,

and the authorities backed down. The local housing authority was told to provide “vehicles, manpower and everything necessary to evict” the community in the event of its refusing to comply with the recent eviction order.

Church members celebrated their last-minute reprieve from this latest eviction attempt with a thanksgiving service but still anticipate further difficulties. Church administrator Vitaly Antonchivok pointed out that “the eviction is cancelled, but legally our land and building still belong to the authorities”.


HOPE IN THE SYRIAN CRISIS

Barnabas’ large-scale aid operation for Christians affected by the Syria conflict

Syrian Christian children love to see the ministry worker, who brings aid from Barnabas

“You are the first one who has come to check on us and what we need,” a girl of about seven said with tears of gratitude, when a ministry worker visited her home to see how Barnabas Fund could help them. The girl expressed what many of the visited families are feeling: deep appreciation for being remembered during their time of need.

16 BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

SYRIA PROJECT

Keeping families together Barnabas Fund, aware that Christians are targeted and forgotten victims of the conflict, started sending aid to Christians in Syria in February 2012. Food, milk powder for babies, rent, blankets, heaters and help towards medical costs were provided to those most affected by the civil war. Thanks to the generosity of Barnabas Fund supporters, we had sent well over a million pounds to help thousands of Christian families across the country through local churches by the end of 2012. This is in addition to our ongoing aid for Iraqi Christian refugees in Syria.

As one project partner wrote, Barnabas’ support is “keeping hundreds of Christian families together, providing food and shelter for them, supporting them to continue to live and educate their children”. Most importantly, she added, it is emphasising that a major factor in their survival is their faith in Jesus and membership of the Body of Christ.

Visiting their homes Local churches are joining forces to channel the aid from Barnabas to those in need. At the risk of their own lives, church leaders and ministry workers are visiting Christian families in their homes or shelters, often in war-torn areas. They sit with the families, listen to their stories and note their needs. Because of this they can tailor the aid from Barnabas according to each family’s situation. They also use the time to offer the families advice (when appropriate) and to try to give them hope and encouragement.

Besides working round the clock to provide this humanitarian assistance, the workers recognise the hugely important role the Church is playing at this time to bring comfort to the distressed families.

One leader said, “Our mission is to provide spiritual counselling with the Lord’s words and prayers.”

Many of the church leaders we are working through had the opportunity to escape the country, but instead they have all chosen to stay with their suffering flock. One said, “I will never leave my congregation. What is the use of me as a [church leader] without my congregation?”

As the crisis in Syria continues Barnabas Fund will remain focussed on helping affected Christians. Even in times of escalating danger and violence, your gifts enable us to make a difference and bring hope.

Whom is Barnabas Fund helping?

Total grants from March to December 2012 for Christians

affected by the Syria crisis:

£1,274,850 ($2,054,073; €1,548,826)

Sudanese refugees in Syria. A group of Christian Sudanese refugees, stranded in Syria, have temporarily found shelter in a Christian school. They had to leave everything behind when they escaped repression in Sudan and now have no means of leaving Syria. Barnabas Fund is providing them with food and other basic needs.

Displaced Syrian Christians. This winter Barnabas Fund provided 1,500 heaters or 2,250 blankets at a cost of around £31 ($50; €38) per heater and around £19 ($31; €23) per blanket to approximately 3,750 displaced Christians. Last summer they fled from their homes to safer towns and villages in Syria, taking only light clothes with them as they expected to return to their homes in a few weeks’ time. When winter came, these sources of warmth were extremely welcome.

Needy Syrian Christians. Food packages are given to widows, jobless Christians and other needy Christians. With the price of bread going up by sixteen-fold (at the time of writing) in parts of Syria many would have gone hungry otherwise.

Christians with medical needs. Christians suffering from health problems, especially those with

diabetes and heart conditions, received medicines and

medical care.

Syrian refugees in Greece Jordan and Lebanon. Warm children’s clothes were given this winter to the children of families who had fled to Greece. Baby milk and other emergency basic needs were also handed out to them; many were mothers with infants, children and

adolescents. They had fled to Greece in desperation to escape the violence, risking their lives. Many of them soon ran out of money, and some were sleeping in parks. In Jordan we provided Syrian refugees with medical support.

Iraqi refugees in Syria. Barnabas Fund has already helped this vulnerable Christian group for many years. Having fled from anti-

Christian persecution in Iraq and found safety in Syria, they are now once again experiencing violence, this time in their place of refuge. We are continuing to support them.

Assembling care packages, including baby milk and nappies for infants

2,250 blankets were distributed

1,500 heaters kept Christians warm during the cold winter

Project reference 00-1032

17BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

SYRIA PROJECT

IN TOUCH

Rode Heath Chapel supports the suffering ChurchBarnabas would like to thank the congregation of Rode Heath Chapel in Cheshire, UK, who organised a Suffering Church Sunday service on 4 November 2012. During the service, worshippers held flags from countries where Christians suffer persecution and prayed for their suffering brothers and sisters. Their children’s group, Sparklers, got involved by making the origami doves of peace, Scripture paper chains and flags of the nations, which were provided in Barnabas Fund’s SCS pack. The service also raised £217 to help persecuted Christians.

Barnabas Fund is so grateful to all the churches that hold Suffering Church Sunday services. It is a huge encouragement to our persecuted brothers and sisters that Christians in other countries will set aside a Sunday to lift them up in prayer and raise awareness of their plight.

Going the distance for Barnabas

We at Barnabas are so grateful to all who get involved in fundraising activities on our

behalf. Here are just some of the ways in which our supporters raised awareness and

funds for us in 2012.

Canon John Bowers, who is a long-time fundraiser for Barnabas, biked for us last year.

Along with his son Chris, Canon John cycled a total of 197 miles on a pilgrimage to Skellig

Michael in Western Ireland, beginning on 24 July. Canon John’s sterling efforts are in aid

of the Cana Girls Refuge Centre in Kenya, which provides a loving home, as well as an

education, for Christian girls who are at risk from the abusive customs associated with

African Traditional Religions. Our thanks go to Canon John, who raised a total of £16,541

for Barnabas Fund in 2012.

It’s not only on two wheels that our supporters have been clocking up the miles. Barnabas

Fund would like to thank David Chester, from Havant, UK, who ran the Great South Run on our behalf. David, who describes himself as “not a typical

runner”, not only raised £200 for the persecuted Church in the race on 28 October but also beat his personal best time.

If you would be interested in joining David to make up a group to run for Barnabas Fund in a future Great South Run, please let us know and we will

pass on your contact details to him.

David Chester went the distance for Barnabas

in the Great South Run

Driven to support Barnabas? Give a carNow there is a way to get rid of your unwanted or scrapped car and support the persecuted Church at the same time. GiveaCar is the first licensed, non-profit social enterprise that puts the money from the sale of old, unwanted cars towards the work of charities. Since it launched in 2010, more than £820,000 has been raised for over 800 charities. It is easy to donate your old or scrap car, as GiveaCar will collect it for free, and you can choose how much of the proceeds go to Barnabas Fund. Donating your old car makes a real difference to our persecuted brothers and

sisters. Visit www.giveacar.co.uk for more information.

Four friends from Dundee, UK, have proved that thinking outside of the box

(but not outside the chicken coop!) is a great fundraising tactic. Eilidh (14),

Julian (15), Rosanna (13) and William (10) have been selling the eggs laid

by their four free-range hens to their friends and family. Their sales have

raised a fantastic £43 for the persecuted Church. These funds will make a

huge difference to their chosen projects, which support Christian children

through education and impoverished Christians with small business start-

ups. Barnabas Fund would like to thank the Four Friends club for their great

idea and for the super total raised so far.

Feathered friends raising funds

From left to right: Julian holding Penny, William

holding Ginger, Rosanna holding Henny and Eilidh

holding Jenny

Young people at Rode Heath Chapel share what they have made and learned

18 BARNABAS AID MARCH/APRIL 2013

Instruction to your bank or building society to pay by Direct Debit

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Registered Charity number 1092935 Company registered in England number 4029536

ALTERNATIVE GIFT CARD If you would like to make a donation as an alternative gift for a friend or relative, we can supply you with an attractive “Thank you” card, which you can send to the person for whom you have made the donation. Please fill in the details as you would like them to appear on the card. “Dear .................................................... A gift of £ .......... has been received on your behalf from ................................ This gift will assist Christians who are persecuted for their faith. With many thanks on behalf of the persecuted Church”

Tick here if you do not want the amount to be stated on the card Tick here if you do wish details about the project to be included on the card

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A B C D

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Supporters in Germany: please turn to back cover for how to send gifts to Barnabas Fund. Phone 0800 587 4006 or visit our website at www.barnabasfund.org to make a donation by Direct Debit, credit or debit card. From outside UK phone +44 1672 565031.

HERE IS MY SINGLE GIFT OF £ ...........................................................................

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Mag 03/13

Mag 03/13

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Wherever the need is the greatest (General Fund) Other ................ *(give reference number of project to be supported)

UK 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX Telephone 024 7623 1923 Fax 024 7683 4718

From outside the UK Telephone +44 24 7623 1923 Fax +44 24 7683 4718 Email [email protected] Registered charity number 1092935 Company registered in England number 4029536 For a list of all trustees, please contact Barnabas Fund UK at the Coventry address above.

Australia PO BOX 3527, LOGANHOLME, QLD 4129 Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365 799 Fax (07) 3806 4076 Email [email protected] Germany German supporters may send gifts for Barnabas Fund via Hilfe für Brüder who will provide you with a tax-deductible receipt. Please mention that the donation is for “SPC 20 Barnabas Fund”. If you would like your donation to go to a specific project of Barnabas Fund, please inform the Barnabas Fund office in Pewsey, UK. Account holder: Hilfe für Brüder e.V. Account number: 415 600 Bank: Evang Kreditgenossenschaft Stuttgart Bankcode (BLZ): 520 604 10

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© Barnabas Fund 2013. For permission to reproduce articles from this magazine, please contact the International Headquarters address above. The paper used is produced using wood fibre at a mill that has been awarded the ISO14001 certificate for environmental management.

barnabasaid the magazine of Barnabas Fund

Managing Editor: Steve Carter Published by Barnabas Fund The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK Telephone 01672 564938 Fax 01672 565030 From outside UK: Telephone +44 1672 564938 Fax +44 1672 565030 Email [email protected]

How to Find Us You may contact Barnabas Fund at the following addresses:

Thanking the Lord for 20 years of Barnabas Fund

20 years giving aid to persecuted Christians

barnabas march april 2013

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