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Hindus and Muslims react violently to Christianity because they are unable to compete with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They have nothing to compare with the living God of the New Testament, and certainly no answer to grace.
Hindu Extremists Attack Christian-Run School in Madhya Pradesh, India
ChristianHeadlines.com
NEW DELHI, January 3, 2022 (Morning Star News) – Incited by false information on YouTube, a mob of hundreds of Hindu extremists last month threw stones that smashed through the glass of a Christian-run school in Madhya Pradesh, India where 12th-grade students were taking critical exams, sources said.
Shouting Hindu nationalist slogans like Jai Shri Ram (Victory to Lord Ram) and Bharat Mata Ki Jai (Hail mother India), 400 to 500 people with iron rods on Dec. 6 ransacked St. Joseph School in Ganj Basoda, Vidisha District, incited by false reports that school personnel were converting Hindu students to Christianity.
The assailants broke chairs and pots, damaged vehicles and threw stones that terrorized staff members and students during mathematics testing known as board exams that are key in the course of students’ academic lives and careers.
Some of the stones landed near the classroom where 16 students were taking the exams, said Bishop of Sagar Diocese James Athikalam, whose diocese includes the area where the school is located.
“Stones had reached near the classrooms, and the exam had to be stopped and the children shifted to a safer location where they could continue their exam,” Athikalam told Morning Star News.
School Principal Antony Pynumkal said the mob formed at noon at a site five minutes away.
“They made a big noise,” Pynumkal said. “They all together pushed the gate, and the lock of the gate broke, and they came inside. They had iron rods and stones, and once inside, they started to pelt stones. All the elevations of the school structure are made of glass. Teacher vehicles were also parked here, which they vandalized as well.”
The attack followed a YouTube post by a Hindu extremist group asserting two provocative falsehoods – that eight children baptized at St. Joseph Church in Ganj Basoda on Oct. 31 were Hindus, and that they were students at St. Joseph School.
There is much more on this story on Christian Headlines:
The Harrowing Life of Being a Christian in Pakistan
Voice of the Martyrs (VoM)
Today's Pakistani Christians come from diverse faith backgrounds, including traditional and evangelical denominations. Regardless of their roots, these followers of Christ experience opposition for their Christian identity at many levels – whether it be from neighbours, local governmental leaders, members of the police, and/or federal officials.
The country's controversial blasphemy laws pose tremendous risks for those who are not Muslim. Individual business or personal disputes can result in one party accusing the other of blasphemy in order to gain an advantage. Accused Christians frequently endure lengthy periods in jail and, if convicted, may be sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment or even the death penalty.
Thankfully, there have been cases this year in which Christians were acquitted of false charges; those specifically involving Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar (June 2021) and Sajjad Masih Gill (November 2021). Unfortunately, even if ultimately proven innocent by the courts, these believers are often at increased risk of vigilante attacks by disgruntled community members who refuse to accept the validity of their acquittals. Though released from prison, these endangered believers may be required to relocate for their safety, some having to move with their families to an undisclosed location in a different country.
In Pakistan, young Christian women face the added dangers of kidnappings and forced marriages. There have been numerous accounts of young girls being abducted for this reason. Forged documents stating that these girls have "converted" to Islam are created by their captors, who either force the young women to wed the attackers or to comply with unethical monetary transactions for the purpose of future marriage. Such arrangements often result in forced labour. When taken to court, the judges frequently side with falsified birth certificates and marriage documents rather than the heartfelt pleas petitioned by distraught families longing for the rescue of these young women.
Such prayer alerts are provided to raise awareness of the need for urgent prayer on behalf of these women and other Christians encountering life-threatening situations and other forms of persecution in this strict Islamic country. To review previously posted reports covering current and past incidences of persecution in Pakistan, go to https://www.vomcanada.com/pakistan.htm.
Algeria Closing Churches and Jailing Leaders
The Voice of the Martyrs (Canada)
While Christianity has had a small part in Algerian society since the arrival of Islam, there is evidence of significant church growth taking place across the country. Since 2017, however, the government has carried out a concerted campaign against churches, particularly targeting the federation of Protestant churches known as the Église Protestante d'Algérie (EPA), even though it was officially recognized by the government. In July of this year, three more EPA churches were forcibly sealed after being ordered to close by the governor.
Individual Christians, including pastors, have also faced charges for practising their faith. The pastor of a church that operated a Christian bookstore, along with the manager of the store, were charged with "shaking the faith" of Muslims through the literature they had available for sale. Thankfully, their two-year sentence was later reduced on appeal to a one-year suspended sentence with a fine.
More recently, during the month of December, the president of the EPA was arrested, together with three other Christians. All four believers were charged with "practising non-Muslim rites without permission," as well as organizing an assembly in connection with an earlier rally to oppose the church closures.
To help you pray more specifically for the church in Algeria, further information is available at https://www.vomcanada.com/algeria.htm
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