World in Brief

On 13 November, three top religious leaders of the Central African Republic were awarded a prize for their efforts for peace in the war-torn Central African Republic.

In the midst of the country's two years of violence, often portrayed as confessional conflict, the three clerics formed a joint platform to promote peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims. Their message: violence in CAR is not primarily caused by religious conflict; instead, the root of the conflict lies in the struggle for political power.

A media project taking the gospel to more than 92 million people in China went on-air in early November.

In each of the 15 languages included in the project, 60 programmes will be offered featuring a dramatisation of one of Jesus’s miracles, an explanation of how to accept Christ as Saviour, indigenous music and prayer. An ‘orality’ approach is being used because many of the groups live in rural areas and favour oral learning.

Two Colombian activists met with US policy makers in mid-November to raise concerns about freedom of religion or belief in Colombia, and presented a report outlining five categories of religious freedom violations.

The categories include the extortion of pastors and churches, and assassinations of and threats against religious leaders, mostly carried out by neo-paramilitary organisations. There were 336 murders of and 880 threats against church leaders documented over a ten-year

From 22 October to 2 November a mission was held in Matadi, with the local mayor and his staff pleased to welcome the mission team.

Many are reported to have turned to Christ. Several prisoners also gave their lives to Jesus during a meeting in the Matadi Prison. AEUK donators contributed £6,000 to Matadi – almost 50% of the total costs of the mission.

In response to the increasing violence against women in Central America, Hope for the Heart has developed a collaborative partnership in Guatemala with individuals who can provide biblical counselling to those in need of spiritual and emotional healing, it was reported in November.

In addition to biblical guidance, individuals also receive work-skills training. Hope for the Heart is also developing an online training platform for those interested in becoming Points of Hope (trained lay-counsellors).

Police tortured a Christian to death on 22 November while the father of five was in custody on drug and alcohol charges fabricated without evidence, relatives said.

His home was raided and he was removed from his house, but his relatives could not trace him at various police stations. They were told he died of heart failure, but family elders saw signs of torture on the body as they prepared it for burial.

A Christian was inaugurated as Governor of Jakarta on 19 November.

Speaking at his inauguration ceremony, Mr Purnama said: ‘I…promise to give my best possible service to the people of Jakarta and to the nation for I know the Lord will help me to do so.’ On 10 November, over 2000 individuals from various Islamic groups took part in a march to Jakarta’s city hall to protest against the president’s choice of governor.

The lawyer representing Pastor Behnam Irani, Pastor Matthias Haghnejad and Deacon Silas Rabbani was denied access to his clients ahead of their appeal hearing, it was reported in late November.

Their lawyer, Vahid Moshkani Farahani, said that he is only allowed to meet with his clients on the day of the trial; multiple requests to meet with them beforehand were rejected. He has expressed concern about the welfare of Pastor Behnam Irani, who is unwell and has been deprived of adequate medical care.

Iranian prison guards sexually harassed a female Christian prisoner as they searched her upon her return to prison from a four-day leave on November 12.

Female guards forcefully demanded her to remove all her clothes, while others were present in the room. Some then proceeded to touch her inappropriately and insult her. She has been imprisoned for ‘action against national security’ which is a reference to her faith.

On 2 December, 36 mostly Christian non Muslims were shot dead in a stone quarry.

The people were separated into Muslims and non-Muslim groups by being asked to recite the shahada, the Islamic creed, and then ordered to lie down and shot in the back of the head. Some were beheaded.

The international community has been called upon to hold Mexico to account on religious freedom issues, it was reported in mid-November.

A national conference on freedom of religion and belief in Mexico City included testimony from victims of religious freedom violations. The conference coincided with a peaceful protest by communities who have been forcibly displaced because of their religious beliefs, calling on the State government to address their cases as a matter of urgency. At least one of the affected communities has been displaced for more than five years.

Islamic extremists from Boko Haram killed 11 people and kidnapped 20 women as they attacked the predominantly Christian town of Lassa in NE Nigeria on 3 December.

Survivors, who escaped, arrived at Jos. ‘As it is now, Boko Haram is fully in charge in Lassa town and has declared the town a caliphate’, said one of the escapees.

The UN General Assembly, in mid-November, recommended that the Security Council refer North Korea to the International Criminal Court.

The Commission of Inquiry concluded that ‘unspeakable atrocities’ continue to be perpetrated against the North Korean people, and that ‘the gravity, scale and nature of these violations reveal a State that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world’.

Police in Pakistan have said that the Christian couple tortured and slain over accusations that the wife desecrated the Qur’an were innocent; relatives said that politicians are trying to shield the killers from justice.

Police confirmed that Shama Masih was illiterate and so had not committed blasphemy as there was no intent in her action. She and her husband were attacked and thrown into a burning kiln.

The Christian mother of five children, sentenced to death for ‘blasphemy’ in Pakistan, has filed an appeal to the country’s top court on 24 November.

Asia Bibi’s lawyer has asked the court to reconsider the case on the basis of manipulated and deficient evidence, and in particular the delay between the time of the incident and the police investigation. In a statement he said: ‘We expect an early hearing of the appeal and hope that the proceedings will be over in one year’.

A Christian woman, Elishba, who was three months pregnant, was stripped naked and beaten by two Muslim men in Sheikhupura, the home town of Asia Bibi, after an argument relating to the woman as being untouchable.

The two beat her with iron rods and sticks, leaving welts across her body, while they spat at her. The assailants were not satisfied with her public humiliation and stole 1,000 rupees (£10) from her, Elishba’s entire weeks wages, a gold necklace she was wearing and her mobile phone.

Fines have been placed on people for meeting or facilitating meetings for Christians, it was reported in November.

The fines imposed varied from ten times one month’s salary to 55 times a monthly minimum salary. In the latter case it appears that police planted ‘evidence’ and produced a ‘witness’ in order to bring about the prosecution. The judge in that case also ordered the destruction of a Bible.