Sudan: judgment delayed again for Christians
Rev’d Kuwa Shamal, Rev’d Hassan Abduraheem, Mr Petr Jašek, and Mr Abdulmonem Abdumawla were arrested in December 2015 and held in prison on charges of national security crimes. They were charged with helping fund medical treatment for a student injured in a demonstration. The trial, which started in August 2016, has been subject to several delays and postponements. Rev’d Shamal was acquitted on 2 January 2017, and released due to lack of evidence. Christian Solidarity Worldwide said: ‘We continue to press for the immediate release of these three men and are deeply concerned at the unnecessary delays. They have committed no crimes and have been held unjustly for over a year, simply for an act of kindness.’
Maldives: picture of a church causes offence
Social studies textbooks for grades 1-4 were recalled after an outcry from concerned parents over a page illustrating two Christian churches. The books had been introduced by the new management at Gateway International School, without official approval from the appropriate Maldivian ministry. A local news website accused the school of being ‘a gateway to turning Maldivians into Christians’. Thomas Muller, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, commented, ‘That the mere picture of a church is seen as promoting Christianity and potential proselytism shows how deeply ingrained the fear of the Muslim majority is. The appointment of a radical cleric to the highest Islamic Council (reported last month) also fits this pattern and will lead expatriate Christians to exercise even more caution, and indigenous Christians to take the utmost care in remaining undiscovered.’
USA: Trump’s inauguration
The inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States of America took place in Washington, watched by tens of millions around the world. His speech was full of rhetoric and confirmed many of his aims mentioned in the campaign leading to his presidency: America First, never let you down, trade deals changing, Mexico wall, anti-terrorism. Think big, dream bigger. Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, before reading a passage from 1 Timothy, said: ‘Mr President, in the Bible rain is a sign of God's blessing. It started to rain, Mr. President, when you came to the platform. It's my prayer that God will bless you, your family, your administration, and may He bless America.’ We will wait to see when the rhetoric becomes reality and what priorities President Trump sets. One of his first actions was a memorandum designed to move forward the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. See:
Worldwide: prospects of martyrdom in 2017
The annual Persecution Trends report by the UK-based group Mohabat says that as well as the rise of brutalities against Christians in the Middle East, Pakistan and Africa, there is reason to worry about the safety of Christians in India and China. In India, the Religious Liberty Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship recorded 134 attacks on Christians or churches in the first half of 2016 alone, which is close to the annual totals for both 2014 and 2015 combined, adding that attacks on Christians are likely to continue to rise in 2017. In China, the Communist government’s 2016 draft regulations on religious affairs look set to increase the pressure on unregistered churches in particular. ‘China’s policy of Sinicisation, to make the Church somehow more Chinese in character, looks set to bite down harder in 2017.’ Last month, Pope Francis said the Church has more martyrs today than the early Church did. ‘But why does the world persecute Christians?’ the pontiff asked. ‘The world hates Christians for the same reason it hated Jesus: because He brought the light of God and the world prefers the darkness to hide its wicked works.’
