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War on Christians in Mozambique
Mozambique – Historically, Mozambique has been a country characterized by primarily peaceful co-existence between Christians and Muslims. The Constitution safeguards religious freedom and the right to worship according to one’s beliefs. As a secular nation, religious discrimination is prohibited. Once a Portuguese colony, Catholicism was first introduced following the slave trade. Today, Christians account for 50% of the population, with 33% of the population being Evangelical and Pentecostal, 27% Roman Catholics, and around 20% Muslim. [1]
Everything changed in 1917, when armed militants, named IS-M, bearing the Islamic State flag, began to wrench havoc predominately in the northern Mozambique province of Cab Delgado.
“The rise of IS-M was in part due to the radicalization of young men who had studied Islam abroad, where they received more fundamentalist religious training. Upon return to Mozambique, they recruited other disenfranchised young men to join their ranks. In June 2019, IS-M pledged allegiance to ISIS, affiliated with its Islamic State-Central African Province. Since that time, IS-M has conducted numerous deadly attacks primarily aimed at Christians.” [2]
Depending on the source, an estimated 1,800 to 3,000 Christians have been murdered in northern Mozambique since October 2017 in ongoing anti-Christian violence. [3] [4] Additionally, almost a million people have been displaced due to the violent attacks. Christians, primarily farmers, have had villages burned and crops destroyed, endangering the food supply and thus creating an “acute hunger crisis.” IS-M militants have also disrupted natural gas supplies. [5]
Recently, these attacks have increased at an alarming rate and frequency as the numbers of IS-M (also referred to as al-Shabab) have grown to several thousand. They have become increasingly sophisticated in their military operations, tactics, and weaponry, reportedly embedding intelligence cells within the Mozambican military. The situation is exacerbated by porous borders, with neighboring countries providing an influx of IS al-Shabab affiliates. The Mozambican government blames the violent attacks on foreign terrorists while downplaying the role of local IS-M elements. As the IS-M organization has grown in strength and level of brutality, it has broadened its international ties and financial base through illicit activities, including extortion and kidnapping. While most attacks continue to occur in the northern region of Cabo Delgado, IS-M is encroaching on neighboring provinces rich with natural resources. [6] Together with Christians, prominent local Muslim leaders have condemned these attacks, forming a coalition to address the conflict and support those adversely affected.
The international community has also intervened. In response to the growing insurgency, the Southern Africa Development (SADC), Rwanda, and the European Union have deployed troops and provided training to assist the Mozambican government. But these efforts have been compounded by the distrust of central government by regional leaders and the general population. [7]
The village of Ntontwe has been attacked several times by jihadists. In one attack, 43 homes were burned, and three people were killed. The village is located close to a major military base of Rwanda’s armed forces, but they arrived too late. “The Rwandan troops came to help us, but when they arrived, the insurgents had already done everything they wanted,” the village leader added. [8]
“On August 6, 2021, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the designation of IS-M leaders Bonomade Machude Omar and Ibn Omar as ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorists’ under Executive Order 13224. Such a designation freezes all assets and blocks financial transactions with these individuals.” [9]
The United States State Department website states: “After terrorist attacks began to destabilize northern Mozambique in 2017, the United States provided assistance to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs), in addition to working with Mozambican partners to address the drivers of terrorism, even as the security situation has improved in recent years. The United States and Mozambique share a commitment to regional security and stability, economic development, and improved living standards for all Mozambicans.” [10] However, given the increase in violent attacks in 2024 alone, I would suggest that security and stability have declined. Mozambique is also glaringly absent from the 2024 US Commission on International Religious Freedom Report. [11]
Following a visit to Mozambique, Gaviria Betancur, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, stated, “While the Government is now geared toward development initiatives for IDPs and host communities, these should complement, rather than come at the expense of protection and humanitarian assistance since the basic needs of the people still remain acute,” the expert noted. She continued, saying, “significant protection and humanitarian challenges remain, especially in the conflict-affected northern provinces of the country. [Author’s note: this UN report does not reference jihadists or terrorist attacks, rather refers to “conflict.”] Continued protection analysis of the situation and humanitarian response to displaced populations are crucial to identify and mitigate negative coping mechanisms affecting groups in vulnerable situations, including children, women and girls, persons with disabilities and older persons.” [12] Some reports indicate that 20% of Christian girls aged 13-17, in the northern region particularly, are vulnerable to being kidnapped and forced to marry a Muslim man. [13]
For the first time in 2021, Mozambique was included on the World Watch List published by Open Doors, Inc. It ranked 45 among the top 50 worst countries for persecution of Christians. This year, 2024, Mozambique moved up to the 39th place, indicating the dramatically worsening persecution of Christians. [14]
On January 4, 2024, IS-M launched a campaign against Christians, “And Kill Them Wherever You Find Them.” Within a week, eight “operations” were carried out against Christians in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province, resulting in 10 Christians murdered and more than 200 houses burned. [15] Between January 4 and February 12, 2024, a composite of multiple reports indicate that IS-M militants carried out attacks resulting in at least 22 murders (including one beheading), one abduction, 237 homes burned, five churches burned as well as a hospital, Christian school, military installations, and other infrastructure buildings burned. [16] [17] [18] [19] These attacks are occurring with little deterrence and counterattacks, leaving Christians at the mercy of IS-M jihadists. This is truly frightening and warrants international condemnation and intervention.
On Feb 12, 2024, a passenger bus was shot at in Cabo Delgado province, killing the driver, and the attackers left the following note for the passengers. [20]
We as the body of Christ must stand with and pray for our persecuted brothers and sister in Mozambique, many of whom have lost everything. One pastor whose family had been killed proclaimed: “They can burn our houses, they can burn our food—but they cannot burn Jesus out of me.” [21]
Sources:persecution
Malaysia — John Ilus, the Bukit Semuja member of Parliament for the Legislative Assembly of the Malaysian State of Sarawak, Borneo, recently advocated for the Bible to be reintroduced into local primary schools.
Ilus stressed on Nov. 14 that Christian missionaries had played a critical role in the Sarawak society and its educational system and that the Bible studies these Christians implemented strengthened the moral and spiritual development of generations of Sarawakians.
British Anglican missionaries first arrived at Sarawak in 1848. Ilus said that young Sarawakians should be able to have Bible studies and learn about the Christian faith just as they can learn about other religions through the current curriculum.
Ilus made this formal request to the Ministry of Education during the recent Legislative Assembly meeting. Datuk Seri Roland Sagah Wee Inn, the state Minister of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development, acknowledged Ilus’ formal request and said his ministry would consider it.
Census figures indicate that about two-thirds of Malaysia’s more than 3 million Christians live in Borneo (Sarawak and Sabah states). More than 50% of the population of Sarawak itself, the largest state in Malaysia, are Christians, again showing the strong and rich Christian heritage and presence in east Malaysia.
Sources:persecution
Pakistan — Javed Masih heaved a sigh of relief last week when he saw his 18-year-old daughter for the first time since she went missing for five months in Pakistan and was forcibly converted and married to an elderly Muslim man.
Sana Javed, 18, the youngest of seven children, had gone to a nearby shop in Lahore, Punjab Province on June 9 but never returned home.
“Our frantic search for her ended in mid-October, when I received a phone call from a Christian in Balochistan Province who informed me about her whereabouts,” said Masih, a Catholic truck driver. He would not see her again until Nov. 14.
Masih said that a Muslim woman identified only as Hafsa had befriended his daughter on WhatsApp a few days before she disappeared.
“Sana told us that the girl emotionally blackmailed and forced her to meet in person without her family’s knowledge,” Masih told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “She even sent her money and directed her to board a bus to Dera Ismail Khan, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. From there, Sana boarded another bus to cross into a remote village in Balochistan Province.”
When Sana Javed reached Hafsa’s house, she was immediately deprived of her phone and held hostage, he said.
A cleric was called, and Sana was forced to recite the Kalima [proclamation of conversion to Islam] and marry an elderly Muslim man under threats of violence,” he said. “She later found out that he was a maternal uncle of Hafsa.”
Three days after filing a report with police the same day of her disappearance, the family discovered officers had misplaced it, he said. Masih filed a new report and police registered a First Information Report (FIR), but officers made no effort to find her, he said.
“He would instead ask us to provide leads for the investigation, when in fact we neither had the information nor the resources,” Masih said.
Putting their trust in God, family members began asking others to pray along with them for her return, he said. They began visiting various pastors and churches for prayer support, and finally their prayers were answered when Masih received a call from a Christian schoolteacher in Balochistan Province identified only as Waseem. The teacher told him his daughter was in his village, and that a local politician had contacted him to help find her family.
The Muslim politician had received information from a female family member about her, Waseem told Masih.
“I do not know the man’s name, but God used him to rescue our daughter from captivity,” Masih said of the Muslim politician. “When I informed the police about my daughter’s location and sought their help, they told me that they would need official permission and resources to travel to another province. I contacted a Christian paralegal group for help, and I’m grateful that they provided us with legal and financial support to help bring Sana back to Lahore.”
A legal team from Christians’ True Spirit (CTS) accompanied police and the family to the village in Balochistan, where they recovered Sana Javed on Nov. 14, he said.
“I cannot express my gratitude for the Baloch political leader and Waseem, the schoolteacher, who not only helped us in rescuing Sana but also forced her ‘husband’ to sign an affidavit of divorce,” Masih told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “The Muslim [political] leader also used his influence to ensure the security of the visiting team who otherwise could have faced resistance from the hostile villagers.”
Sana Javed said she hoped others would learn from her ordeal to be cautious about befriending others on social media.
“I’m unable to explain how she managed to influence me to make this huge mistake of leaving my home,” Sana Javed told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “I was forced to convert to Islam and put my thumb impression on the marriage certificate. They said they would kill me if I did not obey their order.”
Prayers kept her hope of returning home alive, she said, adding that despite her circumstances, she found solace in hymns and some biblical verses that she had memorized in church.
“There were times when I would slip into depression, but then I would recite Psalms and verses, and it helped in uplifting my spirit,” she said.
The U.N.’s Human Rights Committee on Nov. 7 expressed concern about persistent reports of abduction and forced marriages of girls from minority religions, regardless of their age and prevailing law. Forced to convert to Islam under threat of violence, they suffer rape, trafficking and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence.
The U.N. body expressed concern about reports of the widespread impunity surrounding these cases.
“Victims are usually not returned to their families during investigations but forced to stay with their abductors, including members of organized criminal groups, or placed in unnecessary and inappropriate alternative care facilities, with no or limited regard for child protection standards, exposing victims to further risk of exploitation, abuse and harmful practices,” the committee stated in its concluding observations on Pakistan’s second periodic review of human rights situation earlier this month.
It urged Pakistan to intensify efforts to eradicate forced conversions and marriages, including strengthening its legal framework and enforcement mechanisms.
“The state party should also ensure that all allegations of forced conversions and forced marriages of girls are promptly, impartially and effectively investigated, that those responsible are brought to justice, and that all victims have access to effective remedies and support services such as adequate shelters, legal aid, psychological counselling and rehabilitation programs,” it stated.
Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian, as it was the previous year.
Sources:Christian Post
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പാക്ക് പീഡിത ക്രൈസ്തവര്ക്ക് വേണ്ടി സ്വരമുയര്ത്തുന്ന യുവതിക്ക് എസിഎന്നിന്റെ ധീരത അവാര്ഡ്
ലാഹോര്/ ലണ്ടന്: കൊടിയ മതപീഡനത്തിനും വിവേചനത്തിനും ഇരയായി ദുരിതങ്ങളിലൂടെ കടന്നുപോകുന്ന പാക്കിസ്ഥാനിലെ ക്രൈസ്തവര്ക്ക് വേണ്ടി ധീരതയോടെ പോരാടുന്ന യുവതിയ്ക്കു എസിഎന്നിന്റെ ധീരത അവാര്ഡ്. കത്തോലിക്ക സന്നദ്ധ സംഘടനയായ എയിഡ് ടു ദ ചര്ച്ച് ഇന് നീഡ് (എസിഎന്) ഏര്പ്പെടുത്തിയ അവാര്ഡിന് റിബ്ക നെവാഷ് എന്ന യുവതിയാണ് അര്ഹയായിരിക്കുന്നത്.
ക്രൈസ്തവ സ്ത്രീകൾക്കും പെൺകുട്ടികൾക്കും നീതി ലഭിക്കുന്നതിനു വേണ്ടി ശബ്ദമുയർത്തുന്നതിൽ അസാമാന്യ തീക്ഷ്ണത കാണിക്കുകയും ക്രൈസ്തവരോടുള്ള അനീതിയ്ക്കെതിരെ ശക്തമായി പോരാടുകയും ചെയ്യുന്ന റിബ്കയുടെ ധീരതയാര്ന്ന നിലപാട് കണക്കിലെടുത്താണ് ‘കറേജ് ടു ബി ക്രിസ്ത്യൻ അവാര്ഡ്’ നല്കുന്നതെന്ന് എസിഎന് വ്യക്തമാക്കി.
24 വയസ്സു മാത്രം പ്രായമുള്ള നെവാഷ് പാക്കിസ്ഥാനിലെ ക്രൈസ്തവ സ്ത്രീകളുടേയും പെൺകുട്ടികളുടേയും ദയനീയാവസ്ഥയെക്കുറിച്ച് തുറന്നുപറയുകയും തട്ടിക്കൊണ്ടുപോയി ഇസ്ലാം മതത്തിലേക്ക് പരിവർത്തനം ചെയ്യുന്ന അനീതിയ്ക്കെതിരെ ശക്തമായി സ്വരമുയര്ത്തുകയും ചെയ്തിരിന്നു. അക്രമാസക്തമായ പീഡനങ്ങളെ അതിജീവിച്ചവരെ സമൂഹത്തിലേക്ക് മടക്കിക്കൊണ്ടുവരുവാനും അവരുടെ ശബ്ദമായി മാറാനും ഈ യുവതി തന്റെ യൗവനം മാറ്റിയിരിക്കുകയാണ്. 2023 ഓഗസ്റ്റിൽ പാക്കിസ്ഥാനിലെ പഞ്ചാബ് പ്രവിശ്യയിലെ ജരന്വാലയില് അരങ്ങേറിയ ക്രൈസ്തവ വിരുദ്ധ കലാപത്തില് സര്വ്വതും നഷ്ട്ടപ്പെട്ട ക്രൈസ്തവര്ക്കു നീതി ലഭിക്കണമെന്ന് ആവശ്യപ്പെട്ട് നിരവധി പത്രസമ്മേളനങ്ങളിൽ അവർ പങ്കെടുത്തിട്ടുണ്ട്.
പാകിസ്ഥാനിലെ പീഡിത സഭയ്ക്കുവേണ്ടി വാദിക്കുന്ന അസാധാരണമായ ശക്തിയും ധൈര്യവും നിശ്ചയദാർഢ്യവും പരിഗണിച്ച് റിബ്ഖയ്ക്ക് അവാര്ഡ് നല്കുന്നതില് ഏറെ സന്തോഷമുണ്ടെന്ന് എസിഎന് യുകെയിലെ ദേശീയ ഡയറക്ടർ ഡോ. കരോലിൻ ഹൾ പറഞ്ഞു. 2024-ലെ ക്രിസ്ത്യൻ അവാർഡിന് തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കപ്പെട്ടതിൽ ബഹുമാനവും നന്ദിയും അറിയിക്കുന്നുവെന്നും പീഡിത ക്രൈസ്തവരെ സഹായിക്കാൻ തന്നാൽ കഴിയുന്നതെല്ലാം ചെയ്യുമെന്നും റിബ്ക നെവാഷ് പ്രതികരിച്ചു. പീഡിപ്പിക്കപ്പെടുന്ന ക്രൈസ്തവരെ പ്രത്യേകം അനുസ്മരിക്കുന്ന റെഡ് വെനസ്ഡേ ആചരണത്തിന്റെ ഭാഗമായി ഇന്നലെ ലണ്ടനിലെ ബ്രോംപ്ടൺ ഓറട്ടറിയിൽവച്ച് റിബ്ക നെവാഷിന് അവാർഡ് സമ്മാനിച്ചു.
കടപ്പാട് :പ്രവാചക ശബ്ദം
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