Praying for the Persecuted Church

Why is Morocco suddenly deporting foreign Christians?

Elizabeth Kendall | As Reuters reports (12 March): "Morocco has expelled up to 70 Christian foreign aid workers since the start of this month, saying they were abusing its tradition of religious tolerance to try to convert local Muslims."

According to Compass Direct News (12 March), "A Moroccan pastor, his wife and a relative were arrested on Wednesday [March 10] and released on the next day, raising fears among local Christians that the wave of intolerance may spread to the country's small but growing church of nearly 1,000 believers.

"An expert on religious freedom in the Middle East who requested anonymity said that attacks on the church are inevitable even in a Western-looking, modern country like Morocco, as the church grows and becomes more visible.

"'Because conversion is a taboo, if the government looks like it is doing nothing in regard to all the foreign missionaries that are coming and "corrupting" the country and its "national soul," it gives credit to Islamists who could challenge the "Islam-ness" of the Royal Family and the government, and that's just what Morocco can't afford,' said the expert.

"The clampdown on foreign workers could signal government malaise toward the growin! g church. 'The more they grow, the more visible they becom e, the more they'll attract this reaction,' said the expert. 'And that's why they've been so quiet with house groups. It's just a matter of time.'"

Nigeria: Why is Jos such a tinderbox?

Elizabeth Kendall | In 1991, President (General) Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) (a military dictator) introduced reforms to make local governments more autonomous and democratic. At the same time, as the the daily Sun news reports, "Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida created Jos North Lo! cal Government to respond to the 'need' of the settlers [H ausa and Fulani Muslims] to feel a sense of belonging". (See: The Sun, Undercurrents of the Jos mayhem, By Chinelo Agina. 17 Feb 2010)

The Sun News continues: "For many years, the Beroms and the Anaragutas, the original owners of the local government, co-existed side by side with the Yorubas, the Hausas and the Fulanis who had come there to settle, but after a while, the Hausas and Fulanis, who had increased in population started agitating for an Emir (a King), an Hausa who will represent them and protect their interests at the state and national levels.

According to the Sun, they were also demanding that the Local Government Chairman of Jos North be a Hausa or a Fulani. Of course the Beroms vehemently objected to this, fearing that if such discrimination were permitted, then Muslim tribes would dominate and Christians would lose their rights.

Dr Aliyu U. Tilde comments that the creation of Jos North Local Government gave the Hausa and Fulani Muslims "a sor! t of majority assurance", whereby they could "use their nu mber in a democracy to mitigate [their] vulnerability. That is why some natives see the creation of Jos North as a deliberate attempt by Babangida to protect [or advance] the Hausa/Fulani.

"The Hausa, however, became dominant in the heart of Jos City, the old Jos, where their parents and grandparents were among the first to settle. That area formed Jos North Local Government where all commercial and government activities take place. This raised a unique situation where the non-natives are the dominant ethnic group of the capital city."

In November 2008, a Berom Christian from Jos South was named the winner of the Jos North local government chairman elections. While this was widely cited as the cause of the November 2008 Muslim rioting left at least 300 dead, around 10,000 displaced, and "settler" vs "indigene" ethnic-religious tensions higher than ever, the rioting actually started before the result was known. Furthermore, as Christian Solidarity pointed out, the! Muslim rioters did not target political institutions. Rat her, "rioters armed with guns, spears, machetes and other weapons immediately attacked Christian businesses, churches and the homes of clergymen". A local source informed Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW): "As usual they took Jos by surprise, and are now hiding behind election results to launch and excuse their mayhem." Sixteen churches were razed in that riot, and four Christian pastors were killed. (See: CSW press release Jos, Nigeria - 'Inaccurate reporting' causes resentment among Christian community. 1 Dec 2008)

Many in the Christian community believe that the "settlers" / Hausa and Fulani / Muslims are intent on driving the "indigenes" / Berom / Christians out of Jos -- or at least forcing their surrender.

Burma (Myanmar): Praying for God's Intervention

Elizabeth Kendall | Burma's ruling military junta violently represses dissent and relentlessly persecutes citizens on three grounds: ethnicity, religion and politics. The ethnic Burman majority (60 percent) are virtually all Buddhist. However, many of the ethnic minority peoples who live in the hills around Burma's periphery are Christian, whilst the Rohingya are Muslim. The junta ruthlessly promotes ethnic (Burman) and religious (Buddhist) supremacy and nationalism. Political opposition is not tolerated, not even from Burman Buddhists.

The largest ethnic minority, the Karen of south-eastern Burma, are 40 percent Christian. On Christmas Eve 1948, Burmese militiamen threw grenades into a church in Palaw, Mergui district, killing 80 Karen Christians. The Karen have been fighting a guerrilla war against the regime ever since. They simply want autonomy so they can preserve their Karen culture in peace and freedom. Historically the Karen had been united in this struggle. However, in recent years the regime has managed to exploit the religious divide to create the proxy Democratic Karen Buddhist Army that persecutes and kills Karen Christians for gain. The Burmese army uses Karen Christians as porters. However, conversion to Buddhism will win  slave porters not only release, but a stipend and education for their children.

In the 1980s the Burmese military stepped up its aggression against Karen village chiefs.  As the traditionally male chiefs were tortured and killed, women increasingly had to take on this role. On 24 February 2010 the Karen Women's Organization (KWO) released a report, 'Walking Amongst Sharp Knives'. It is based on interviews with 95 Karen women from 2005 to 2009 on their experience of being village heads and being targeted for systematic abuse by Burmese Army troops. They describe many forms of state-sponsored terror, including gang-rapes, tortures and beheadings. One testimony reports that Burmese troops took Karen women from the fields and crucified them before eventually cutting their throats.