by | Aug 11, 2023 | Uncategorized
Wary of West African war and Western sanctions, Christian minority in the jihadist-plagued Sahel region nervously prays for peace.
The military coup in Niger has now entered its third week. Four days after the July 26 putsch, the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) threatened military action if democratic rule was not restored within seven days.
That deadline has passed, and leaders are still mulling their options while imposing sanctions against the junta, the group of military officials that seized power. But worried by the seventh coup in the Sahel region since 2020, the remaining democratic nations in West Africa believe they must draw a line in the sand.
Neighboring countries Mali and Burkina Faso, both with military governments after their own recent coups, have warned that any foreign intervention in Niger will be considered an act of war against them as well.
Niger suffered its last coup attempt in 2021, right before the elected president—now deposed—was sworn in. The former French colony had been the last bastion of Western military cooperation against jihadist militants in the Sahel, amid the expanded regional influence of Russia through its Wagner mercenary unit.
Niger, meanwhile, is the world’s seventh-largest producer of uranium.
CT interviewed Illia Djadi, Open Doors’ senior analyst for freedom of religion and belief in sub-Saharan Africa. Though he resides in London, he is a citizen of Niger, a nation which ranks No. 28 on the World Watch List of the top 50 nations where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
Djadi provided the regional context, described the difficult but improving situation of Christians, and issued a strong appeal against military intervention [interview also available in French]:
How serious is the situation in Niger right now?
I am very sad. As a Nigerien, I find the situation …
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by | Aug 10, 2023 | Uncategorized
Not all Christians in Ohio agreed on how to approach the referendum, which aimed to raise the threshold for passing constitutional amendments.
Ohio went to the polls on Tuesday to vote on whether to make it harder to amend the state constitution by ballot, just months before a significant abortion measure goes before voters. But the measure failed.
The headlines around the referendum, called “Issue 1,” framed it as another hot-button issue splitting Americans into the same factions—Democrats versus Republicans, abortion opponents versus abortion rights advocates.
For some Christians, Issue 1 wasn’t so black and white. Many supported it, believing the higher threshold would hurt the chances of the upcoming abortion amendment. Some opposed it, and others struggled to reconcile their views against abortion with their concerns over how it would affect other rights in the state.
Issue 1 would have raised the passing threshold for constitutional amendments to a 60 percent supermajority, up from the current 50 percent plus one vote needed to do so. It also would have required signatures from all 88 counties in the state, instead of the current 44 needed, to initiate a ballot petition.
The subtext of the referendum, however, was abortion. In November, voters in Ohio will be considering a constitutional amendment that aims to enshrine the right to abortion in the state—a measure that already has been adopted by several states and is supported by 58 percent of Ohio voters, according to a July poll by Suffolk University and USA Today. Opponents of Issue 1 saw it as an effort to hamstring that amendment before it came to a vote, as well as a threat to voting rights in the state.
But on Tuesday this week, about three million voters in Ohio participated in the referendum, and a majority (57%) said “no” to Issue 1, setting up a showdown in …
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by | Aug 10, 2023 | Uncategorized
Wise as serpents or naïve as doves? WEA defends why it co-sponsored a UN human rights forum organized by the Islamic Republic, after accusations of legitimizing a persecutor.
Last June, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) received a peculiar invitation. On the sidelines of the 53rd meeting of the United Nation’s Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, the government of Iran organized a forum entitled “The Role of Religions in Promoting Human Rights.”
The WEA was the only Christian group invited.
Upon its acceptance, the alliance—representing 600 million evangelicals—under UN protocol became an official forum co-sponsor with the Islamic Republic, designated by the United States as a state sponsor of terrorism since 1984.
Ranked No. 8 on Open Doors’ World Watch List (WWL) of the 50 nations where Christians experience the most persecution, Iran also partnered on the event with Pakistan, ranked No. 7 (both are considered “severe” offenders). Another co-sponsor was the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; 35 of its 57 members rank on the 2023 watchlist.
The intersection of topics, however, secured the participation of the HRC itself, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Geneva School of Diplomacy. The official title of the WEA presentation was diplomatically bland: “Harnessing the immense potential of religions in cultivating pluralistic societal cohesion and global peace.”
But behind the scenes, Iran wanted something different.
“They asked us to explain: What can evangelicals contribute to the good of society?” said Thomas Schirrmacher, WEA secretary general. “I would have a bad conscience if we did not use such opportunities to testify in the court of the world.”
American critics of the UN, however, believe “kangaroo” is this court’s most suitable adjective. One month after President …
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by | Aug 10, 2023 | Uncategorized
Benny Prasad was once a sickly, depressed teenager. How the Indian artist has since used travel, music, and hot beverages to share the gospel.
From the 2004 Olympic Games to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Kandukuri Benny Prasad has performed before presidents, parliaments, and universities with his “Bentar,” a bongo guitar that he designed himself.
A gospel musician and an instrumental guitarist, the Bengaluru native also set a world record in 2010 for the fastest time to visit 245 countries, an accomplishment he achieved in 6 years, 6 months, and 22 days, from May 1, 2004, to November 22, 2010.
However, these accomplishments are far from the trajectory his life seemed headed toward as a child.
“I was a failure in every aspect of my life—be it music, education, character, or even health,” said Prasad, who was asked to leave school in tenth grade because of his laziness and poor grades.
As a child, Prasad suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and asthma, and at the age of 16, doctors gave him six months to live. The illnesses damaged 60 percent of his lung function and his immune system broke down, causing Prasad to feel useless and to even contemplate suicide.
At this lowest point in his life, Prasad, who grew up in a Christian home, heard the voice of Jesus, who said, “Benny, even though you feel useless, I still want you. I can transform your life and make you a new person.”
Prasad said this was the first time someone embraced him in his weakness. Many close to him in his life had called him worthless.
“But here Jesus was willing to accept me just the way I was,” said Prasad.
Now at the age of 48 and living again in Bengaluru, Prasad spoke with South Asia correspondent Surinder Kaur in Delhi about his dramatic transformation, why he started traveling, and his mission to save young people.
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by | Aug 9, 2023 | Uncategorized
Are we using this calamity to hide from our sins?
Since the beginning of May, more than 180 people have lost their lives in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. Most of these victims are Christians from the minority Kuki-Zo tribe and, in turn, thousands from these communities have fled from the violence for shelter in other parts of the state or country.
Manipur is a hill-locked state with a fertile valley in the middle. The Meiteis occupy the valley districts, whereas the hill districts are the ancestral home of the various tribal communities, predating the British colonial administration. Both the hill districts and the tribal people are protected under a special act of the Indian Constitution that restricts land ownership in tribal areas.
The current conflict began after the tribal community’s peaceful protest against the Meiteis’ efforts to become a “scheduled tribe” (which would also give them access to this hill land) was met with violent retaliation by a radical Meitei mob. The violence was further fueled by explosive lies spread purportedly by the Meitei community themselves, which quickly spread to the state capital, Imphal. Violent mobs started ransacking tribal houses, churches, educational institutions, and hospitals, and attacking people, including women and children.
I am a pastor with the Evangelical Baptist Convention, and the following is an account of one of our pastors in Imphal who shared with me his experiences when the violence first unfolded.
-Chinkhengoupau Buansing
On the afternoon of May 3, 2023, we received news of clashes between the tribal community and the Meiteis in a village about 60 kilometers (about 37 miles) outside Imphal, the city we lived in. We were shocked but we did not expect the violence to escalate so …
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