Pakistan's Christians protest against blasphemy laws and inequality

by ASSIST News ServicePosted: Thursday, August 12, 2010, 11:35 (BST)

Three days prior to Pakistan's 63rd Independence Celebrations, the Christians of the country observed "Black Day" on Wednesday to protest alleged discrimination against them.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan's founder, in his famous August 11, 1947, speech to the newly-formed Constituent Assembly promised "freedom and equality" for all faiths in the then new country and so this has become a symbolic date for Christian protests.

The latest protests were staged by Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP). Representatives of churches, Christian rights groups and believers from all walks of life, participated in a protest rally which ended at the Lahore Press Club.

Naveed Walter, President of HRFP, who addressed a press conference at the Lahore Press Club, later told ANS that the "increasing incidents of injustice and discrimination" against Pakistani Christians had prompted his group and other Christian organisations to observe August 11 as "Black Day".

Mr Walter told ANS, "We had urged all like-minded organisations across Pakistan to observe August 11 as 'Black Day' either with us or from their respective platforms."

He said that his group categorically demanded the repeal of Pakistan controversial blasphemy laws and that Pakistan's religious minorities be given the right to cast dual votes. He explained that, if implemented, members of the religious minorities under a dual vote system would be able to cast their vote for a Muslim candidate as well as to a member from minorities' communities on the "reserved seats".

Members of the religious minorities in Pakistan currently make their way to the national and provincial assemblies of Pakistan through the proportional representation system.

Criticising this system, Walter alleged that the people who make it to the national and provincial assemblies under proportional representation "only serve rulers instead of serving their respective communities".

Mr Walter added, "They are not accountable to the members of their respective community, but to the leadership of the political party that they belong to.

"The existing members of minorities in Parliament are puppets in the hands of the rulers. They are advancing the interests of the majority instead of their respective minority community."

He then alleged: "The rulers use them to stop the oppressed from agitating against the oppressors."

Walter said that he was of the view that under the Dual Vote System, the elected parliamentarians of minorities' communities would be accountable to their respective minority community.

When asked if he was in favour of an amendment in the blasphemy laws or even their repeal, Mr Walter said that the laws should be "repealed once and for all".

The Christian rights activist then claimed that there was "no equality" in Pakistan.

"I only wish there was equality here for people of all faiths," he added. "I wish that the Christians of Pakistan were treated equally in Pakistan as the Muslims and other religious minorities are treated equally in Western countries."

He also condemned the idea of observing what is called "Minority Day" in Pakistan.

"What is the rationale behind observing 'Minority Day' in Pakistan when the Christians of this country are being shot dead under the pretext of blasphemy?," he argued.

"Why should the Christians of Pakistan observe 'Minority Day' when their places of worship are being desecrated; when their homes are being burned down; and Christian girls are being raped?" he went on to say.

Mr Walter said that HRFP was planning to host Minorities Conference in Pakistan in future to discuss all the difficulties that these groups face.

"We will continue our struggle for equal rights for Pakistani minorities including Pakistani Christians," he vowed.
source:http://www.christiantoday.com/article/pakistans.christians.protest.against.blasphemy.laws.and.inequality/26483.htm

Pastor murdered in Dagestan, Russia

by Staff
August 12, 2010

(christiansunite.com) - On July 15, Pastor Artur Suleimanov (49) was murdered by a gunman who shot him in the head as he was getting into his car to leave the Hosanna House of Prayer in Makhachkala, Dagestan -- a federal republic of Russia in the North Caucasus region.

He passed away approximately an hour later in hospital. Pastor Suleimanov was well known as a dynamic leader of one of the largest Protestant churches in the republic. "Pastor Suleimanov was a wonderful Christian brother and his shocking death is a devastating loss for the Dagestan church," a coordinator with Barnabas Fund has said.

"He and the Hosanna House of Prayer church were very active in ministry and outreach in particular. We see his murder as an attempt to put further pressure on Christian converts in Dagestan." Pastor Suleimanov leaves to mourn a wife and five children. (Source: Barnabas Fund)
source:http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion09583.shtml

LA Times agrees: Gaza pullout was a mistake

Even the most liberal of commentators on the Middle East peace process are waking up to the fact that it was a mistake for Israel to unilaterally uproot the 10,000 Jews living in the Gaza Strip in 2005.

In a piece carried in the Sunday edition of the Los Angeles Times, columnist Edmund Sanders opined that the withdrawal implemented by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon under heavy American pressure was an error in judgment by all parties involved.

Sanders noted that while "disengagement enjoyed broad support at the time" both in Israel and abroad, "almost no one calls it a success today."

Among the negative results of the withdrawal, Sanders recognizes that it "helped put Hamas in power... Security for Israelis didn't improve - and even worsened... It contributed to increased isolation for Israel internationally... It raised doubts as to whether the Palestinians are actually ready for statehood... [and] it made Israelis more cynical about the chances for future land-for-peace deals."

Just before the so-called "disengagement," Sharon and the Bush Administration promised Israelis that wholly surrendering Gaza to the Palestinians would create an atmosphere conducive to final state peace negotiations and give Israel a more free hand to defend itself, which in turn would create a deterrent against continued Palestinian attacks from Gaza.

In reality, Hamas painted the withdrawal as an Israeli retreat created by its "resistance" and road that image to an impressive electoral victory and eventual military take-over of Gaza. Hamas then proceeded to fire thousands of rockets into southern Israel over a six-month period in 2008 that precipitated an Israeli invasion of the coastal strip. Rather than keep its word that Israel would have a more free hand in dealing with Gaza-based terror after the withdrawal, the international community blamed Israel for starting the "Gaza war" and accused the Jewish state of war crimes.
source:http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=21680

Sinai on high alert after rocket attack on Israel, Jordan

Egypt on Thursday deployed hundreds of extra troops to the border between the Sinai Peninsula and southern Israel, just days after terrorists used the Egyptian territory to fire at least five Grad missiles at the nearby Israeli and Jordanian resort towns of Eilat and Aqaba.

One Jordanian man was killed and three others were wounded when one of the missiles landed in front of an Aqaba hotel.

"Security forces will search the area and conduct investigations into the possible hiding place of Palestinians," and Egyptian official told the Egyptian Gazette, indicating that Cairo agrees with Israel's assessment that Palestinian terror groups were behind the attack.

"Egypt will never, under any circumstances, tolerate the use of its lands by any party to harm the country's interests," another Egyptian government source told the Middle East News Agency (MENA). "Security efforts are being intensified to unravel the circumstances behind the firing of the five rockets."

Meanwhile, Hamas, the Palestinian group most likely responsible for the missile attack, tried to blame the incident on Israel.

A senior Hamas official in Gaza told reporters that Israel was the only one with anything to gain from the attack since it provided "a justification for the (Israeli) occupation [sic] to condemn Egypt and strike the Gaza Strip." Israel has neither condemned Egypt nor retaliated against Gaza in the aftermath of the attack.
source:http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=21661

Two Christians murdered after accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan

by Staff
August 11, 2010

(christiansunite.com) - Rev. Rashid Emmanuel (32) and his younger brother, Sajid Emmanuel (30), were shot and killed on July 19 after they were accused of blaspheming the prophet Muhammad. The two men, leaders of United Ministries Pakistan, were being returned to jail under police custody when they were attacked and shot by several masked men. Sajid was instantly killed, while Rashid later died from his injuries. The bodies of the two reportedly bore cuts and other signs of being tortured while in police custody.

Rashid was arrested for blasphemy on July 1 at a train station, where he went to meet with a stranger who had requested to see him. When Rashid arrived he was surrounded by police, who showed him copies of a three-page document that insulted Muhammad and was supposedly signed by Rashid and Sajid. Police arrested Sajid three days later. On July 14, handwriting experts notified police that the signatures on the blasphemous document did not match the brothers' writing. Sources believe the brothers were likely to be exonerated of the charges.

When news of the murder reached the brothers' neighbourhood of Dawood Nagar, Faisalabad, Christians gathered to protest. Police fired teargas cannons at the protestors, who in turn threw stones. The situation quickly became volatile, with indiscriminate shooting occurring between Christians and Muslims. At last report, a curfew had been initiated in the area.

In the days before the murder, Muslims organized large demonstrations calling for the death penalty for the brothers. Islamic extremists reportedly led the protests, which were attended by hundreds of Muslims. A church building was damaged and believers hid in their homes or fled the area. Announcements were also broadcasted from mosque loudspeakers, calling on Muslims to "burn the houses of Christians." (Source: Compass Direct)
source:http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion09579.shtml

Ashkenazi: IDF couldn't predict flotilla raid's outcome

After Netanyahu, Barak shift responsibility for decision to storm Gaza-bound flotilla to IDF, army chief tells inquiry commission operation's circumstances were 'unprecedented,' says soldiers displayed 'calm, bravery, morality'

Ynet reporters
Latest Update: 08.11.10, 10:41 / Israel News

After Defense Minister Ehud Barak shifted some of the responsibility for the decision to storm a Gaza-bound Turkish ship to the IDF, Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told the panel investigating the raid that he "takes responsibility for the army's actions."

"The (committee's) decision to avoid summoning (Navy) commanders is correct," he said Wednesday morning, adding that he was "proud" of the soldiers who took part in the raid.

"The commandos exhibited calm, bravery and morality in accordance with IDF values," Ashkenazi told the committee.

Nine Turkish citizens on board the Mavi Marmara ship were killed in the May 31 raid.

Ashkenazi said the outcome of the raid was difficult to predict. "From the moment the operation began, it was clear that the circumstances were unprecedented," he said.

The army chief said during his testimony that the soldiers who raided the Marmara ship opened fire at the passengers because they felt their lives were in danger.

"The soldiers legitimately opened fire and shot those who they needed to shoot and not those who they didn’t need to shoot," he said.

Ashkenazi continued to say that, "The main mistake was that we thought there were 10-15 people on the (ship's) deck. We thought we could throw stun grenades, clear (the passengers) and then fast-rope soldiers onto the boat. This was the mistake. We should have used precise fire to incapacitate those preventing the soldiers from boarding the ship to reduce the risk to our soldiers. This is the main lesson for the next operation.

"The IDF is a transparently controlled organization which studies from its mistakes and is committed to examine its actions and investigate every operation. I focused mainly in investigating the Shayetet's actions on the Marmara as soon as the raid began," the army chief told the panel.

Ashkenazi said the army was not familiar with IHH, the Turkish group that organized the sail to Gaza. "We did not investigate the organization. It was not a priority because it is not defined as a terror organization and is based in Turkey, which is not an enemy state," he explained.

Addressing the Israeli naval blockade on Gaza, Ashkenazi said, "Hamas has come a long way; it carried out murderous attacks in city centers and seized Gaza in a brutal manner. Its extremist ideology rejects Israel's existence and poses a threat to the State of Israel. Thousands of rockets (fired from Gaza) led to the launching of Operation Cast Lead.

"Hamas has not abandoned the path of terror, but another, less conspicuous threat has developed alongside it," said the IDF chief.

According to him, Hamas is expanding its smuggling operation in order to obtain long-range rockets and anti-tank missiles.

"This process of strengthen would not have been possible without a policy that supports terror, particularly Iran's," Ashkenazi told the panel.

Barak blames IDF

In his testimony before the Turkel Commission on Tuesday, Barak assumed “overall responsibility” for the decision to send navy commandos to intercept the Turkish ship, but said it was the military's job to warn the government if “the mission cannot be carried out."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the panel a day earlier that the so-called forum of seven ministers met before the navy operation, but only discussed the media and public diplomacy aspects of the mission.

However, Barak said the ministers who took part in the meeting also discussed military aspects of the operation, and received an intelligence briefing.

The panel is headed by former chief justice Jacob Turkel.
source:http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3933948,00.html

More deadly attacks on Christians in Nigeria

by Staff
August 9, 2010

(christiansunite.com) - Muslims attacked the predominately Christian village of Mazzah, near the city of Jos, on July 17, killing eight people and burning seven houses and a church building. At approximately 1:30 a.m., Muslims entered the village and began shooting sporadically in the air to lure sleeping residents outside their homes. They then attacked people with machetes, including children. Seven were killed instantly, while another died on the way to the hospital. Three others were seriously injured.

During the attack, Reverend Nuhu Dawat of the Church of Christ in Nigeria escaped with one of his children, but his wife and two other children were killed. His grandson, Nanfa, was shot in the foot, thrown in a bathroom and left to die. Fortunately, he was found by the police and taken to hospital, where he is recuperating well.

Villagers claim that although the security forces were called and arrived in time to quell the violence, they waited until the attack had ended before entering Mazah. The area is currently reported to be "quiet but tense." Some residents have fled the area in fear of further violence.

The attack followed recent clashes in eastern Nigeria in which eight people were also killed and several buildings torched. Some observers say the violent attacks are the result of religion being exploited in the struggle for local power. There is also fear that such conflict could increase in the run up to elections expected early next year. (Source: AFP, Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

source:http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion09574.shtml

US Congress halts aid to Lebanese army

The US Congress has put an indefinite hold on $100 million in military assistance to Lebanon after what congressional leaders termed an "outrageous incident" when Lebanese forces opened fire on Israeli troops conducting routine border maintenance last week.
An Israeli commander was killed and one of his deputies was seriously wounded by Lebanese army snipers while pruning a tree that was disrupting the Israeli border security fence. Two Lebanese soldiers were killed when the Israelis returned fire.
The UN confirmed that the Israelis and the tree in question were on the Israeli side of the UN-demarcated Blue Line that acts as the de facto border. Lebanon said it disputes that part of the Blue Line and considers the area to be Lebanese territory, thus justifying the unprovoked attack.
US Rep. Nita Lowey (D-New York), who chairs the House appropriations subcommittee, told The Jerusalem Post that the deadly confrontation was "tragic and entirely avoidable." Lowey said that US military aid "is intended to enhance our safety and that of our allies," and will not be given to Lebanon if it uses the assistance to threaten another US ally.
Congress also wants to find out just how closely the Lebanese army is working with the Hizballah terrorist militia, which largely controls southern Lebanon and enjoys veto power in the Lebanese government.
The $100 million in aid was earmarked for 2010, but had not yet been paid out. Sources on Capitol Hill said whether or not the funds are released depends largely on Lebanon's response to the incident.
Days after the attack, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman visited the site of the border clash and praised Lebanese troops for their "heroic act" of foiling "Israeli aggression." Suleiman suggested that if the US did not like the way it behaves, Lebanon would look for other countries to supply it with arms and military aid.
source:http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=21669