MidnightWatcher's Blogspot

AFP/NEWSCORE – “MADARGANJ, Bangladesh — Three American missionaries were injured in northern Bangladesh on Wednesday after their car was attacked by a mob who suspected they were converting Muslims into Christians, police said.

Police arrested two teachers and a student from an Islamic seminary in Madarganj, 120 miles (200 kilometers) north of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, following the attack.

At least 200 angry locals chased the missionaries’ car and threw stones at it, leaving three with cuts from broken glass, the district police chief said.

The missionaries were part of a group ‘of seven Presbyterians who were attacked by the Muslim villagers. They have been given first aid and moved to a safer place,’ Abdur Razzaq told AFP.

The US citizens were accompanied by a Bangladeshi Christian convert to assess a piece of land for setting up a church, a school and a hospital to conduct missionary activities in the largely Muslim area, he said.

‘We could not arrange security for the Americans as they did not inform us or other security agencies in advance about their visit in such a remote place,’ Razzaq said.

Muslims make up around 90 percent of Bangladesh’s population of 150 million. Although Islam is the state religion of the country, there is no bar on missionary activities.” Source – New York Post.

By Mohabat News – “Inquiry court for Masoud Delijani, a Christian convert was held in Revolutionary Court of Kermanshah. He had been arrested by plain clothes security forces in a house church gathering.

According to reporters of Iranian Christian news agency, Mohabat News, Masoud Delijani has been sentenced in the Revolutionary Court of Kermanshah province to three years in prison.

Knowledgeable sources reported that the Christian convert was sentenced to three years in prison by the Revolutionary Court while the judicial process in this show-off court was unclear. He was also denied the right to choose his own advocate and was not even given the chance to defend himself against the charges.

This sentence has been issued although the Islamic Republic constitution clearly states that all defendants have the right to access a lawyer and according to the law, the court should provide the means so that the accused will have access to a lawyer.

Masoud Delijani, a school teacher in Kermanshah, is now being held in Deizal-Abad prison of Kermanshah to serve his three year prison sentence. The central prison of Kermanshah, also known as Deizal-Abad is described as deplorable by knowledgeable sources.

The wife and family of Mr. Delijani are not in a good mental state knowing he should remain in prison for 3 years. Received report indicates that his wife is only allowed to have a brief visit with him every two or three weeks from behind a glass and through the intercom.

It should be remembered that Masoud Delijani was arrested by plain clothes intelligence officers on March 17, 2011, together with his wife and nine other Christian converts when they had gathered in a house church for a service. Then, on July 9, 2011, after being held in custody, mostly in solitary confinement for 114 days, and after being severely pressured both mentally and physically, he was temporarily released on a bail of 100 million Tomans (about 100,000 USD).

While waiting for a call from the court, he was again arrested two weeks later and tried in the Revolutionary Court of Kermanshah. The court charged him with having faith in Christianity, holding illegal house church gatherings, evangelizing Muslims and action against national security.” Read more.

By Joseph Mayton – “CAIRO: Egypt has jailed a Christian man for 6 years on charges of showing contempt of religion and insulting the Prophet Mohamed, the country’s state-owned al-Ahram newspaper reported on Thursday.

The court, in the southern Egyptian province of Assiut, said that Makram Diab, a school employee, had made offensive remarks against Islam’s prophet, according to the report.

The remarks infuriated Diab’s Muslim colleagues, who went on strike until he was arrested and prosecuted.

The sentencing comes after a Cairo court earlier this week dismissed a lawsuit against the Christian business tycoon, Naguib Sawiris, who was accused of insulting Islam by tweeting images of Mickey Mouse with a beard and his counterpart Minnie wearing a veil.

Sawiris faces two other lawsuits over the same images.

Recent parliamentary elections have produced a strong showing for Islamists in Egypt, sparking concerns over freedom among liberals and Christians, who make up around 10 percent of the country’s 80 million population.” Read more.