Christian Begins Sentence of Exile in Remote, Islamist Area of Iran

By Middle East Correspondent
Morning Star News

A Christian in Iran convicted of conducting evangelistic activities began a mandated two years in exile this month in a remote area on the border with Pakistan, sources said.

As part of a larger prison sentence delivered in 2013, Ebrahim Firoozi, 33, was sentenced to two years in exile in Sarbaz, a frontier town on the Iranian-Pakistani border known for its isolation and prevalence of Islamic militant groups.

The sentence, which will expose the convert from Islam to extended periods of danger and isolation, was meant to keep him “from having a positive influence on people and to stop him from fellowshipping with the people in the Tehran area,” a source at advocacy group Middle East Concern (MEC) told Morning Star News.

Released from Rajaei Shahr Prison in Karaj on Oct. 26, he was ordered to report to Sarbaz following a brief period to order personal matters. Firoozi, whose mother died while he was in prison, arrived in Sarbaz on Tuesday (Nov. 12).

Having found housing in “a remote desert town out in the middle of nowhere,” he was said to be looking for work.

Firoozi n August 2013 was convicted of charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic,” “launching and directing evangelism” and “running a Christian website” He was sentenced to a year in prison and the term of exile.

While serving the prison sentence, Firoozi faced a second trial where he was sentenced to an additional five years for “crimes against national security,” “participating in illegal gatherings” and “colluding with foreign entities.”

Court Hearing Delayed

A hearing of an appeal by a group of Christians with prison sentences as long as 15 years was postponed without reason Wednesday (Nov. 13).

The delay was one of several in the appeal process for the Christians. In February a judge who was later unseated for corruption inexplicably combined a case involving a pastor’s wife with two longstanding appeal cases against other Christians. The three cases were delayed in September when the judge declined to show up.

Although delaying court cases is a common method to harass Christians charged with or convicted of crimes of belief, a researcher at MEC who requested anonymity said some of the delays surrounding the three cases could be due to court confusion about why the third case was combined with the earlier two. No date has been set for a new hearing.

The first case involves an Assyrian pastor, Victor Bet Tamraz, and two converts from Islam, Amin Nader Afshari and Kavian Fallah Mohammadi; all were arrested at a Christmas celebration in December 2014.

The second case also involves Afshari, as well as Hadi Asgari, from a 2016 arrest during what was essentially a picnic.

In the third case, Pastor Tamraz’s wife, Shamiram Issavi Khabizeh, was summoned by authorities in June 2017. Pastor Tamraz was sentenced the next month to 10 years in prison for “acting against national security.” Afshari, Agsari and Mohammadi received prison sentences of between 10 and 15 years on similar charges.

For charges of “acting against national security,” and “acting against the regime by organizing small groups, attending a seminary abroad and training church leaders and pastors to act as spies,” Shamiram was sentenced in January 2018 to five years in prison.

Iran was ranked ninth on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2019 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.

Website: Morning Star News

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California Charter School Reverses Decision After it Rejects 'Joy to the World' for Being 'Religious'

By Caleb Parke
Fox News

A 13-year-old girl's choice of "Joy to the World" for a piano assignment was rejected for being too "religious" by a California charter school before reversing the decision Tuesday.

Brooklyn Benzel, an 8th-grade homeschooler, was told by a South Sutter Charter School education specialist that her choice "would not be acceptable" Thursday after submitting a video sample of her playing the beginner version of the popular Christmas song.

"My guess (regarding justification) is that there are words in the lyrics that can be considered religious such as 'savior,' and 'heaven,'" the official wrote. "It is widely considered as a Christian hymn and is typically played/sung at Christmas time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ."

But Julianne Benzel, Brooklyn's mother who emailed back and forth with school officials, told Fox News her daughter wasn't going to sing any words. She was just going to play the piano.

The school official suggested "Jingle Bells" as a "more cultural" choice "that won't be "construed as religious" and rejected by the school's auditors.

"Would Brooklyn's rendition of 'Joy to the World' pass the auditor's inspection or flagged as religious?" she wrote. "I am compelled to err on the side of caution, so my answer...is no."

The school official suggested "Jingle Bells" as a "more cultural" choice that won't be "construed as religious"and rejected by the school's auditors.

Benzel called it "extremely alarming" that the school official took time to research the song and pick out words that might be considered offensive for a classic song.

"You would think homeschooling would be the safest arena for conservatives," Benzel said. "We are tired and extremely weary of our Christian faith being attacked in this country."

The school official responded Tuesday after Benzel threatened legal action through the Pacific Justice Institute, which is suing the company that manages the charter school for a similar case alleging religious discrimination against a piano teacher.

Cynthia Rachel, director of communications and development for IEM Schools, told Fox News school leadership became aware of the situation Tuesday, reviewed it, and "determined it was an acceptable work sample."

"At South Sutter Charter School our goal is to provide students as much flexibility as is allowable by law in all aspects of their education. We recognize and value our students’

First Amendment freedoms, and acknowledge that all public schools must be nonsectarian," Rachel said. "South Sutter will continue to serve its students consistent with the law and its charter."

Brooklyn is also set to play her song at a retirement home for a Christmas concert in December. She chose the song because it's one of her favorite songs during Christmastime.

Website: Fox News

Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of our nation and all  free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest.

New Survey Shows 25 Percent of Europeans Have Anti-Semitic Views

“I am also concerned about the increasing expressions of antisemitism emanating from sources in the political Left and about discriminatory state practices towards Jews.”

By Will Maule
Christian Headlines

A new survey conducted by the Anti-Defamation League shows that approximately a quarter of the European population holds negative attitudes toward the Jewish community.

The ADL surveyed some 9,000 adults from 18 countries in Europe, Canada, South Africa, Argentina, and Brazil between the months of April and June of this year.

The shocking figures showed that there was a distinct increase in anti-Semitic beliefs among people in Central and Eastern Europe. According to the Times of Israel, Argentina saw a 6 percent hike in anti-Semitic attitudes, Poland an 11% increase, Russia 8%, Brazil and South Africa 9%, and Ukraine an astonishing 14%.

All in all, roughly 25% of Europeans gave anti-Semitic reactions to most of the 11 assertions that made up the survey.

The statements included “Jews have too much power in the business world,” “Jews are more loyal to Israel than to [this country/to the countries they live in]” “Jews have too much power in international financial markets” and “Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust.”

Those involved in the administration of the survey were profoundly troubled by the results.

“It is deeply concerning that approximately one in four Europeans harbor the types of anti-Semitic beliefs that have endured since before the Holocaust,” said ADL’s CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt. “These findings serve as a powerful wake-up call that much work remains to be done to educate broad swaths of the populations in many of these countries to reject bigotry, in addition to addressing the pressing security needs where violent incidents are rising.”

Over recent months, world leaders have been expressing their dismay at the distinct rise in anti-Semitic attitudes.

“I am alarmed by the growing use of antisemitic tropes by white supremacists, including neo-Nazis and members of radical Islamist groups, in slogans, images, stereotypes and conspiracy theories to incite and justify hostility, discrimination and violence against Jews,” said UN Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed last month, as reported by the Jerusalem Post. “I am also concerned about the increasing expressions of antisemitism emanating from sources in the political Left and about discriminatory state practices towards Jews.”

Left-wing British politician, Jeremy Corbyn, who is currently campaigning to become the UK’s next Prime Minister, has been personally accused of failing to stamp out anti-Semitism in his own party, “Labour.”

Earlier this month, the British paper The Jewish Chronicle, the longest-running Jewish publication in the world, ran a front-page spread warning Jews not to vote for Corbyn. “The vast majority of British Jews consider Jeremy Corbyn to be an anti-Semite,” the Chronicle explained in its November 8 feature piece. “In the most recent poll, last month, the figure was 87 per cent.”

The same poll indicated that half of British Jews would consider emigrating abroad if Corbyn was elected Prime Minister. The UK election is slated for December 12 and pits Corbyn against Conservative leader, Boris Johnson.

Photo courtesy: Joe Pregadio/Unsplash

Website: Christian Headlines
Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of our nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest.

Appeals Court Overturns Ban on Prayer before Florida High School Football Games

By Will Maule
Christian Headlines

An appeals court has overturned a legal ruling which banned a Christian school from hosting prayers before a football game.

Back in 2015, Cambridge Christian School in Tampa, Florida was ordered to cease praying over a loudspeaker at the start of its state championship game against University Christian School of Jacksonville. As a result of the order, Cambridge launched a lawsuit against the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA).

In a unanimous decision issued Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit slapped down the previous ruling by the district court that banned the school from praying, noting that the lower court was “too quick to dismiss all of Cambridge Christian’s claims out of hand.”

“Taking the complaint in a light most favorable to the plaintiff, as we must at this stage in the proceedings, the schools’ claims for relief under the Free Speech and Free Exercise Clauses have been adequately and plausibly pled,” wrote Eleventh Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus in his decision, according to the Christian Post.

“And while we agree with the district court that the loudspeaker was a nonpublic forum, we conclude that Cambridge Christian has plausibly alleged that it was arbitrarily and haphazardly denied access to the forum in violation of the First Amendment.”

The conservative law firm representing the school, First Liberty, welcomed the overturning.

“We are grateful to have won this appeal and look forward to presenting our case on behalf of Cambridge Christian School to the district court,” they said in a statement Wednesday.

“The First Amendment protects the rights of students and teachers at a private Christian school to pray before a football game, especially when both teams are Christian and have a tradition of prayer before games.”

The original incident occurred when both teams showed a desire to declare a prayer over the loudspeaker prior to their 2A state championship game at the Citrus Bowl Stadium. The FHSAA, however, rejected their request.

In his decision, HSAA head Roger Dearing told the schools that stadium was “a public facility, predominantly paid for with public tax dollars, [making] the facility 'off-limits' under federal guidelines and precedent court cases."

Website: Christian Headlines

Face and Fingerprint Scanning Installed in Churches as China Increases Surveillance

“Just like employees punch in at work,” the person in charge of one church venue in the Nanzhulin community in Huangshi explained to a churchgoer. “In this way, the church can know clearly who attends the services and who doesn’t.”

A local resident rides a bicycle past a church in Xiaoshan, commercial

suburb of Hangzhou, the capital of China's east Zhejiang province 

December 21, 2006.| Reuters/Lang Lang

By Brandon Showalter 
Christian Post

Hi-tech surveillance devices including face and fingerprint scanning equipment are now being installed in churches throughout China.

According to a report from Bitter Winter, a publication that explores human rights and religious freedom in China, a facial recognition system that was placed in a government-controlled church, called the Three-Self Church, in Urumqi — the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region — is now being introduced elsewhere in China.

"On October 6, Muyang Church (literally Shepherding Church) in the central province of Hubei, which is also the home of the Two Chinese Christian Councils of Huangshi city, had two biometric devices set up on its second floor. Since then, congregation members have to stand in line to have their faces and fingerprints scanned before being allowed to enter the church," the publication reported.

"Around the same time, in the city’s state-run Tian’en Church, facial recognition equipment has been also installed to check the believers who attend gatherings."

A Christian told the magazine several weeks ago that local authorities required every meeting venue established by Three-Self churches in Huangshi city to take the fingerprints of fellow believers and put on file their personal and family information.

The churchgoer was disturbed by the order since it requires not only that church members be under constant tracking and surveillance but that their families and relatives are implicated by association.

Other local believers also reported that since October, multiple state-sanctioned churches in Huangshi began using fingerprint sensors and face scanners to record their attendance at services.

"In late September, members of a Three-Self meeting venue in the Nanzhulin community in Huangshi had their fingerprints taken. The person in charge of the venue told them that all congregants have to have their fingerprints scanned to attend Sunday services," Bitter Winter noted.

“Just like employees punch in at work,” the person in charge of one church venue in the Nanzhulin community in Huangshi explained to a churchgoer. “In this way, the church can know clearly who attends the services and who doesn’t.”

Chinese Christians believe this is yet another example of the ever-increasing amassing of power by the government.

State surveillance of churches is not new in China. What is called the Sharp Eyes Project has long had a presence in state-run churches, with cameras placed even in washrooms of certain places of worship to ensure "comprehensive monitoring."

According to the South China Morning Post, the name of the surveillance program seems to stem from a Mao-era slogan aimed at urging people to denounce those who failed to follow Communist Party creed: “The people have sharp eyes.”

The surveillance program intends to cover all rural areas with the goal of achieving "blind-spot-free monitoring" by the year 2020, “covering all regions, sharing across all networks, available at all times, and controlled at all points.”

Earlier this year, reports emerged that state-run churches in Qingdao city in the eastern province of Shandong were ordered to stop singing songs from the Worship Songs or Spiritual Song Collection and were instead ordered to sing from a book of hymns approved by the state. The new approved songs only featured themes about loving the nation of China, celebrating birthdays and funerals, and respecting parents and the elderly.

“The hymns published by the government only promote political, secularized content. All believers are unwilling to sing them,” one director of a state-approved church told Bitter Winter in June, referencing the chorus of one of the hymns as an example: “China is beautiful; China is great; the sons and daughters of China love China. Bless China, O Lord.”

Website: Christian Post

Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of our nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest.

Pastor Tortured in Iranian Prison Fears Deportation from Turkey after 4 Years

Esmaeil Falahati |Courtesy Esmaeil Falahati

By Samuel Smith
Christian Post

A pastor who fled to Turkey after spending over a month in Iran’s most notorious prison is desperate for help as he and his family are facing deportation, which would result in his imprisonment and possible torture. 

Pastor Esmaeil Falahati, a former Muslim who came to Christ at age 23 and planted house churches across Tehran for a decade, told The Christian Post that his family might soon have to flee after four years in Turkey or run the risk of being sent back to the Islamic Republic.

In Iran, Falahati is a convicted man set to serve years in prison because he preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a community of ex-Muslims trying to live out their new faith in peace. 

Along with his wife, Falahati secretly led worship services and traveled to the homes of fellow convert believers.

But in August 2015, plainclothes police officers interrupted a prayer service attended by over 30 people in a garden in west Tehran. Falahati has suspicion to believe that they had been “ratted out” as Iran’s Shia theocratic regime bans Christians from sharing their faith with non-Christians.

All were arrested and questioned for hours, he said, while police searched the pastor’s house, gathered Bibles and other Christian items. Eventually, Falahati, the owner of the garden and two others were transferred to section 209 of Evin Prison.

Falahati spent 33 days in solitary confinement and was eventually charged with propagating against the Islamic regime and intent to disrupt national security. 

“I was tortured and questioned about my services and preaching the Bible,” the pastor said through a translator, adding that he lost a lot of weight and suffered from medical problems during imprisonment. 

During his imprisonment, his wife and family were also arrested, tortured and questioned for 12 hours for supporting his case. 

On Sept. 9, 2015, Falahati was temporarily released on bail by the Revolutionary Court. He said he was told by guards that it would be better for him to leave Iran or run the risk of being harmed. 

About 40 days later, Falahati, his wife and two children fled their native land. And a month after that, the family arrived in Turkey and registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 

The family has been in Muslim-majority Turkey, a NATO ally, for nearly four years. 

However, Falahati contends that the Turkish immigration department has not given his family a fair shake, especially after Turkish authorities found out about his new ministry work preaching to families in Turkey. 

“We don’t receive any services which are provided for other refugees,” Falahati said. “We have no security, identity and nationality only for the crime of being Christian. It seems that we are in a bigger prison.”

Turkey on Edge

The family arrived in Turkey the year before the July 2016 coup attempt against the government of authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took place. 

In retaliation, Erdogan began an enormous crackdown on anything and anyone it suspected of having ties to the coup attempt or groups the government considers to be terrorists. 

The Erdogan government reportedly detained over 160,000 people for questioning and formally arrested 77,000 people for alleged links to terror. 

As Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees of any country worldwide (over 3.6 million Syrian refugees), the country has in recent years carried out mass deportations or forced returns of Syrian and Afghan refugees. 

"Turkey has welcomed millions of refugees over the past decade, a situation which has put great strain on the nation’s economic and social systems," Claire Evans, a regional manager for the U.S.-based persecution advocacy nonprofit International Christian Concern told CP. "Most refugees live in Turkey for many years before they are placed in a new country. Since the 2016 coup attempt, Turkey has become more closed towards any foreigners." 

The Turkish government has been accused of deporting dozens of foreign pastors and missionaries. 

Although President Donald Trump seems to have an improved relationship with Erdogan today, the Erdogan government had arrested and detained North Carolina missionary Andrew Brunson for over two years before his release in 2018 on trumped-up charges of terror connections.  

Brunson, who spent over 23 years in Turkey before his arrest, told the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in June that he knows of dozens of foreign church leaders and their family members that Turkey has deported in recent months for being a “threat to national security.” 

Joining the list of deportees soon could be Falahati and his family. 

Christian Post report continues here

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North Korea: Christian Prisoner Asked During Torture, ‘Is it a Crime to Believe in God?’

With each river crossing and each miraculous escape from prison, God was with Eun Hye, transforming her life and growing her mustard-seed faith. What started as a memory of her grandmother's prayer and her hopeful whisper in a bathroom stall became her lifeline she would choose to hold onto for the rest of her life...

By Open Doors

Eun Hye closed the bathroom stall door. She was now in the safest and dirtiest place in the kotjebi camp for North Korean street children.

Only a few weeks later, she was caught by the police and brought to a camp for street kids. It was a crowded place with over 2,000 children. There wasn’t even enough room to sit. She had to stand day and night, which made her legs swell up. For food, she received five tiny dirt-covered potatoes three times a day.

With no opportunity to wash themselves, the children’s bodies were filthy and tormented by maggots. Every day, children passed away because of the malnutrition.

In the quiet of the stall, Eun Hye remembered the prayers of her grandmother. Could this invisible God save her? she thought. She remembered the way her grandmother would secretly find a place to kneel and speak to the one she called “Hanonim,” which means Lord.

Eun Hye whispered the words she had heard her grandmother whisper on so many occasions before. “Hanonim, please save me. Please rescue me. Bring me back to my family,” she said with the quiet voice of a 16-year-old girl.

In this place, nobody wanted to go to the bathroom unless they had no choice. But Eun Hye came to appreciate those precious moments alone with the God of her grandmother. “Lord, save me from this pain, sadness and death,” she would repeat in the quiet of the bathroom stall.

Two months after her arrival in the camp, the guards asked for volunteers to collect chestnuts by climbing up trees in the mountains. It meant a long, difficult journey. Eun Hye and the other children were very weak and she had no intention of participating in what could become a walk of death. But then she heard a voice in her head she didn’t recognize that told her to volunteer. So she joined the group.

Crossing the Reservoir

On the journey, they had to cross a large reservoir with small boats. Then she was placed in a unit of four children. Two climbed up the trees to pick the chestnuts, while two others stayed down to collect them.

Eun Hye saw this as an opportunity to attempt an escape with another girl in her group. “Can you swim?” Eun Hye asked. The girl shook her head. Once again, Eun Hye prayed for help.

Later, when no one was around, Eun Hye and her friend escaped and found a rope at a nearby house. When they arrived at the reservoir, the girls tied the rope around their waists. The girl would try to float, while Eun Hye used all the strength she had to swim to the other side, dragging her friend through the water.

They reached the shore safely and walked all the way to the city. Afraid they would be caught again, they decided to board a train. Because they didn’t have train tickets nor travel permits, they dug a hole under the wall with their bare hands and accessed the railway track. Once they were through, they went their separate ways.

Eun Hye went back to her hometown to see if there was any word of her parents or siblings. She found neighbors and strangers who helped give her a little food to survive. Again she prayed, “God, I have no place to go. My future looks so bleak. Please guide me.”

Eventually, the family of a nearby farmer took her in. At least she was safe for a while. Now her prayers shifted from survival to finding her family: “Thank you, Lord, for what you’ve done for me. May I please continue to live here? And please help me find my family.”

One day, a family friend contacted Eun Hye. “Your father is with us,” they said. “And your brother too.” She ran to see her father and brother. She was elated at the answer to her prayer. Eventually, she asked, “How is mother?” “Your mother is fine. And your sisters too,” her father said. “They are married in China. Life is so much better [there].”

Upon hearing his words, Eun Hye made up her mind to escape North Korea and return to China with her father and brother.

Passage into China

They went to the river at night. Her father tied her little brother to himself with a rope and made sure both of them arrived at the other side safely. Eun Hye swam on her own. Behind her, North Korea was pitch black. The Chinese city in front of her burst with lights.

When they finally reunited with her mother and other siblings, they celebrated. Eun Hye told her mother about her prayers in North Korea. She quickly noticed her father had told the truth about the living standards. There were no street children, no blackouts, every household ate rice, and everyone was friendly.

Eun Hye (Open Doors)

That Sunday, Eun Hye went to church with her mother. For the first time in her life, she saw the cross on the wall. And she could see other people praying. They prayed with the same gestures and the same words as her grandmother had, so many years ago.

She didn’t understand the Chinese sermon, but she felt at home. She realized that the prayers of her grandmother, of her mother, of her father and the prayers of the church allowed her to make it safely to China.

“I was so thankful for their prayers. Later, a translator explained more about God to me. [How] Jesus had died and was resurrected to cleanse us of our sins,” Eun Hye says.

Back into North Korea

All North Korean refugees are at risk of being caught in China and sent back to their homeland. And eventually, someone reported Eun Hye’s family to the officials. Shortly after, her parents, her brother and Eun Hye were arrested. Eun Hye cried when they were driven to a bridge connecting China to North Korea. Her parents were shackled together. Eun Hye, almost 17, and her 13-year-old brother were shackled as well.

 
Continue reading Eun Hye's story 

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Six Christian Schoolgirls, Others Abducted in Nigeria Released After Torture: 'God Brought Us Help'

Persecution Watchdog Open Door USA Ranks Nigeria 12th on its 2019 World Watch List of Countries Where Christians Suffer the Most Persecution

Protesters gather during a demonstration against Fulani herdsmen
 killings, Abuja, Nigeria March 16, 2017.Photo:Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde

By Leah MarieAnn Klett 
Christian Post

Muslim Fulani herdsmen have released six girls and two staff members kidnapped from a Christian-run high school in north-central Nigeria after torture and payment of a ransom.

Nearly a month after abducting the girls and staff members at gunpoint from Engravers’ College in Kakau Daji village, Chikun County near Kaduna city, their Muslim captors released them late last month, one of the girls’ parents told Morning Star News, a nonprofit persecution watchdog outlet.

“Several people prayed in churches and mosques,” Ohemu Fredrick said. “Through their prayers, God brought us help. God used a former governor of Kaduna state to assist us.”

Fredrick did not disclose the former governor’s name or the ransom amount but revealed the former official offered the children and staff members free medical treatment. According to another parent whose identity was withheld, the hostages were reportedly tortured each time the kidnappers called the parents so they could hear their screams.

“They were torturing them each time they called us (parents) so that we could hear them,” the parent told The Punch Newspaper. “They said they were being fed rice mixed with palm oil while in captivity.”

The parent said after the kidnappers set them free, police picked them up and dropped them off near a toll gate near the city center.

The State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the news in a statement: “We are relieved that this criminal violation of the right to liberty is over and that they are all back safely. The victims, most of whom are minors, and their families will now be focusing on recovering from this undeserved trauma. We appeal for considerate reporting of their ordeal and respect for their privacy," Aruwan said, according to The Punch. 

“As we continue to combat banditry, kidnapping and other crimes, the Kaduna State Government urges all our communities not to give comfort to criminals. The state government calls for vigilance in all our communities and continued cooperation with the security agencies in this battle to secure our state and all who live in it.”

Shunom Giwa, vice principal of Engravers’ College, previously revealed that the eight individuals were kidnapped early October when armed herdsmen appeared at the door of his house and spoke with each other in the Fulani language. Others with the school’s vice principal arrived shortly after they told him to lie down, and Giwa escaped, he said.

The school of about 100 students has a secular curriculum but includes a Christian perspective, and students take Christian Religious Knowledge as a subject, Giwa said.

Thousands have been killed in the last few years as a result of Fulani attacks against predominantly Christian farming communities in the Middle Belt and southern Nigeria. 

According to Human Rights Watch, an estimated 11,000 people have been killed in conflicts involving Fulani militia since 2011. The death toll is said to be six times higher than the murders committed by Boko Haram terrorists.

In September, Fulani herdsmen abducted and executed the wife of an evangelical pastor after collecting a ransom of 250,000 naira ($690) from the woman’s family.

Also in September, suspected Muslim Fulani herdsmen shot and killed Baptist pastor Alhamdu Mangadus of Nasara Baptist Church in Asso as he worked on his farm.

In August, it was reported that suspected Fulani radicals killed Catholic priest Paul Offu in Enugu.

Kaduna Gov. Nasir el-Rufai told media that with the latest spate of kidnappings and murders, Fulani “bandits” are likely working alongside elements of Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.

“We have been receiving intelligence some three months ago that the bandits have connected with some elements of Boko Haram, and they will be targeting schools to kidnap children because they know that that is what makes the news,” El-Rufai said.

Persecution watchdog Open Door USA ranks Nigeria 12th on its 2019 World Watch List of countries where Christians suffer the most persecution.

Website: Christian Post

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Obama Judge Deals a Blow to Religious Rights of Health Care Workers

"Judge Engelmayer's Ruling is Wrong and Morally Reprehensible." Allan Parker, Founder and President, The Justice Foundation

"

By Steve Warren
CBN News

Hundreds of health care workers say they face discrimination for their religious beliefs, but an Obama-appointed judge has now ruled that the current system that punishes people of faith is working just fine.

In the latest blow to religious liberty, a federal judge on Wednesday struck down a Trump administration rule that would have allowed health care workers to refuse participation in abortions and other services on moral or religious grounds.

The rule hadn't even gone into effect yet. The order by US District Judge Paul Engelmayer in New York blocks the rule from going into effect on Nov. 22.

Engelmayer said he was tossing out the rule in its entirety.

The rule came into being after President Donald Trump in May 2017 signed an executive order instructing the attorney general to issue guidance interpreting religious liberty protections in federal law.

Back in May of this year, the Department of Health and Human Services published a rule applying more than 30 "Conscience Provisions" that must be complied with for an entity to receive federal funding.

Lawsuits were immediately filed by states and cities led by Democrats and other liberals challenging the rule, arguing that the department exceeded its authority in establishing it, claiming it also violated the Constitution.

Engelmayer, who was appointed by Democrat President Barack Obama, wrote in a 147-page opinion that existing laws already define the duties of employers with respect to religious objections.

The new rule would have effectively superseded existing law in the health care field, he said.

The judge rejected arguments that the rule was "mere housekeeping." Rather, he said, it relocates "the who, what, when, where, and how — of conscience protection under federal law."

He said the Department of Health and Human Services lacked authority to create major portions of its rule, including to terminate an entity's federal health funding if it violates one of the provisions. It also put limits on an employer's ability to inquire about conscience objections, the judge wrote.

"These limits have clear potential to inhibit the employer's ability to organize workplace arrangements to avoid inefficiencies and dislocations," he said.

Health and Human Services and the Justice Department are reviewing the ruling but "will not comment on the pending litigation at this time," said Caitlin Oakley, a Health and Human Services spokeswoman.

Allan Parker, founder, and president of The Justice Foundation said Judge Engelmayer's ruling is wrong and morally reprehensible.

CBN News report continues here

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Chinese Congregation's Defiance in the Face of Regime Sanctioned Church Demolition Pays Off

                                                              Photo by Kevin Frayer / Getty Images

By Will Maule
Faith Wire

A brave group of Chinese Christians who put their lives on the line for the sake of their church have achieved a major win against the oppressive communist regime.

Last Friday, members of Wugaozhuang Church of Guantao in Hebei Province were left horrified when government officials notified them of their church’s impending destruction. As Faithwire previously reported, the demolition had been ordered on account of the church, which is state-mandated, not being in possession of all the required permits.

But in a risky bid to sway the government away from the action, church members decided to organize a stakeout, refusing to leave the site.

Now, it appears that this brave show of defiance has paid off.

After a series of negotiations between parish priests and government officials, an agreement has been reached.

“Eventually, the state officials relented and promised to provision the church a new parcel of land and 200,000 Yuan to rebuild a church building upon that land,” reported persecution watchdog, International Christian Concern. 

“The priests have demanded the land be granted immediately in return for relinquishing the present church building, although it is presently unknown whether or not the land promised has been turned over.”

During the stakeout, police reportedly blocked those attempting to deliver food to the faithful inside the building.“Local police blockaded the scene and prohibited anyone from entering or leaving,” a parishioner told UCA News. “Even food was not allowed in to coerce the priests and church members into giving up the protest.”

Considering the government’s relentless campaign of destruction against churches across the country, this will be viewed as a win for the embattled congregation, who refused to be cowed by the brutal state forces.

Earlier this month, a 3,000-member church in Anhui province was bulldozed as congregants worshipped. Another church was flattened in Henan province.

Do continue to pray for all those who face persecution on account of their religious beliefs.

Website: Faithwire

Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of our nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest.

Pray for Persecuted Christians. It Makes a Difference.

A Christian church in Sudan - Reuters

By Todd Nettleton, Voices Contributor
Christian Post

Our persecuted brothers and sisters know they are being prayed for, and the knowledge that they are not forgotten, that they are a vital and honored part of the wider family of God, makes a difference. 

My coworker at The Voice of the Martyrs, Petr Jasek, was imprisoned in Sudan for 445 days and forced to share a cell with ISIS supporters. I talked with Petr just eight days after he was released from prison and allowed to return to his native Czech Republic, and I’ll never forget one of the things he told me.

He said there were two times each week during his long imprisonment when he knew with absolute certainty that people were praying for him. One of those times was on Sunday morning — Sudan is just one hour ahead of Prague — when Petr knew that his home church was meeting for worship, likely with his wife, Wanda, in their midst.

The other time was in the early evening on Tuesday — Sudan is eight hours ahead of Oklahoma — when Petr knew that we at VOM were meeting for our weekly chapel service.

Petr told me that throughout his 14 months in prison, which included a long trial and a judge’s decision to sentence him to life in prison for espionage, he was encouraged every single Sunday and every single Tuesday by the knowledge that people were praying for him in those hours.

Petr told another story about the difference prayer made for him while he was in prison. He said that at 9 p.m. every night, when the lights went out in his cell, he was able to go right to sleep. He was not restless or distracted by the other men or the noises around him. He would just lie down and almost immediately fall into a restful sleep.

When Petr returned home, he learned the reason for his slumber. The people in his church had agreed to stop whatever they were doing every night at 8 p.m. and take time to pray for Petr. And they did that throughout his time in prison. When Petr heard about their nightly prayers, he immediately understood his peaceful sleep: 8 p.m. in Prague is 9 p.m. in Khartoum, the hour at which the lights went out and he fell into a comfortable sleep.

As your church gathers to pray for Christians imprisoned in China or Iran, or a pastor missing in Malaysia, or Christians fearing the next Boko Haram attack in Northern Nigeria, or Christians trying to decide when to announce and explain their newfound faith in Jesus to their Muslim family members, don’t take it lightly. Your prayers make a vital difference. Our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ feel and experience your prayers in very real ways.

To receive a new, specific prayer request each day throughout the year, install VOM’s Pray Today app on your smartphone or tablet.

Todd Nettleton is the host of The Voice of the Martyrs Radio (VOMRadio.net), heard each week on more than 1,000 radio stations. He has met with and interviewed hundreds of persecuted Christians in more than 20 years of service at The Voice of the Martyrs. 

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Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of our nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest.