MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

By Michael Carl – “Reports coming out of Iran say persecution of Christians is only growing more bold and brazen, as Iranian authorities once again raided a house church – this time in Shiraz – and arrested between 6 to 10 members of the congregation.

The detainees are being held in an undisclosed location.

Jihad Watch publisher Robert Spencer says that the Iranians don’t know that they’re doing the very thing that will produce more Christians.

‘They don’t know that Christianity grows amid persecution,’ Spencer said. ‘Islam has expanded through violence and intimidation, so it isn’t at all surprising that they’d resort to it again.’

Clare Lopez, a senior fellow with the Center for Security Policy agrees, speculating that if the Iranian mullahs know persecution grows the Christian church, they don’t care. They’re following their sworn duty as Muslims.

‘The issue has little to do with perceptions of how Christianity might respond,’ Lopez said, ‘but rather with the obligation under Islamic doctrine to put and keep dhimmis in their ‘place’ within Muslim society.

‘The forces of Shariah Islam are in the ascendant all over the Middle East these days,’ Lopez continued, ‘and with the new-found sense of empowerment combined with what is perceived as Western complicity and weakness in the face of that situation, it is to be expected that all religious minorities, but especially Christians and Jews, increasingly will feel the brutality of Islamic supremecism.'” Read more.

Flashback: Officials in Iran Frantically Refute Claims That Christianity is Spreading Through ‘Exclusively Islamic’ Cities – “The Iranian media is desperate to refute claims that Christianity is spreading among Iranian youth and through cities considered to be almost exclusively Islamic… but there are definite contradictions in fact to this statement. On October 2, the government-supported news website, Javan-Online, acknowledged that the acceptance of Christianity was becoming a trend and reported 200 house churches were discovered in just a few months in the traditionally Islamic city of Mashhad. Many high ranking government officials and Islamic religious leaders have also made statements expressing concern over the spread of Christianity.” Read more.

The only way to remove the root of intolerance in Turkey is to remove Islam, but this isn’t humanly possible with a population that is at least 96% Muslim.  Fortunately, there is Someone who can make a difference. And He’s coming soon …

“ISTANBUL, February 14 (CDN) — Despite some promising developments, Christians in Turkey continue to suffer attacks from private citizens, discrimination by lower-level government officials and vilification in both school textbooks and news media, according to a study by a Protestant group.

In its annual ‘Report on Human Rights Violations,’ released in January, the country’s Association of Protestant Churches notes mixed indicators of improvement but states that there is a ‘root of intolerance’ in Turkish society toward adherents of non-Islamic faiths.

‘The removal of this root of intolerance is an urgent problem that still awaits to be dealt with,’ the report states.

‘There is still a lot of room for improvement,’ said Mine Yildirim, a member of the legal committee for the association. ‘These problems have not been solved in some time.’

The report documented 12 attacks against Christians in 2011, including incidents in which individuals were beaten in Istanbul for sharing their faith, church members were threatened and church buildings attacked. None of the attackers have been charged. In some of the attacks, the victims declined to bring charges against the assailants.

In some places in Turkey, some church leaders have to ‘live under some sort of police protection,’ the report reads.

‘There are at least five church leaders who have bodyguards, and at least two have a direct phone line to a police protection unit,’ the report states. ‘Several churches have police protection during worship services.’

Yildirim said attacks have increased since the previous year, and that much of the problem lies in the fact that the Turkish government won’t admit there is a problem.” Read more.

It’s America’s fault …

“(AINA) — A mob of nearly 20,000 radical Muslims, mainly Salafis, attempted this evening to break into and torch the Church of St. Mary and St. Abram in the village of Meet Bashar,in Zagazig, Sharqia province. They were demanding the death of Reverend Guirgis Gameel, pastor of the church, who has been unable to leave his home since yesterday. Nearly 100 terrorized Copts sought refuge inside the church, while Muslim rioters were pelting the church with stones in an effort to break into the church, assault the Copts and torch the building. A home of a Copt living near the church and the home of the church’s porter were torched, as well as three cars.

The mob demanded the return Rania of Khalil Ibrahim, 15, to her father. She has been held with the Security Directorate since yesterday. Christian-born Rania had converted to Islam three months ago after her father, who had converted to Islam two years ago and took custody of her. She had disappeared from the village on Saturday, after claiming to go shopping. According to Reverend Guirgis Gameel, she had a disagreement with her father, who had arranged a marriage for her with a Muslim man.

Her father, Khalil Ibrahim, went to the police on Saturday and accused the priest of being behind her disappearance, and said she had gone to live with her Coptic mother.

Yesterday a Salafi mob of 2000 went to the priest’s home and destroyed his furniture and his car, surrounded the church and pelted it with stones. They demolished a large section of the church fence. In the evening security forces announced that they had found Rania in Cairo and that she was not abducted by Christians; she was brought to the police station in Meet Bashar.

‘After hearing this news yesterday everyone was relieved,’ said Coptic activist Waguih Jacob. ‘However, the Copts noticed that the Muslims did not completely disperse, but were hovering in all streets.’ The few security forced who were stationed in front of the church were dismissed as the village seemed to return to peace.

But the mob became more angry this evening when they heard that Rania refused to go back to live with her father, and returned in much greater numbers.” Read more.

FCNN – “Agents of Ministry of State Security of the Islamic Regime raided Mr. Maasis Mosesian’s work place and took him to Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj. As yet his family and friends have not been informed of charges against him, and or reasons for the sudden arrest.

Maasis was able to inform the church members, although denied contacting his family until Sat.11th Feb, some three days after his abduction.

Even then he was only able to use the phone just long enough to let them know where he was being held. His wife and son drove to the prison the following day, Sun 12th Feb; in the hope of meeting their husband and father. They were denied the right to see him and forced to leave.

Apart from an admission of his detention in Rajai Shahr Prison, as usual there is a noticeable lack of legal documentation or even verbal reasons for the sudden arrest.

Unlike the civilised world, in the Islamic Republic burden of proof rests with the accused. However, accusations are only levelled after lengthy interrogations, frequently under torture,.

Maasis is Armenian and married with two children and works in a private company as State Jobs are denied to non-muslims. He is a well known, long standing Christian and an Elder of Naarmak Church in Tehran.

Active in church, popular, and highly respected leader, He is known for his calm and quiet manner.

The news of his sudden arrest has been met with disbelief and apprehension amongst the membership.” Read more.

By Aaron Klein – “JERUSALEM – As Islamic groups gain power throughout the Middle East, Christians here fear for their safety and are concerned about their role with regard to the future of the volatile region.

‘I fear for the Christians of the Middle East because it’s a bad situation for them,’ Lebanese parliamentarian Samy Gemayel told WND.

Gemayel, a senior member of the Phalange party, said he received information last week about a specific assassination plot against him.

‘I just got the information from the head of security, and he asked me not to go to a specific place, because he had information that something was going to happen there,’ he said.

While the exact nature of the purported assassination plot remains unclear, Gemayel, who descends from a historic Lebanese Christian family, said he is taking the new threats seriously.

His older brother, Pierre, was a member of parliament and a government minister before his assassination Nov. 21, 2006. His uncle, former President-elect Bashir Gemayel, also was assassinated.

Christians have been a minority in numerous Middle East countries for several decades, facing routine mistreatment and occasional persecution for much of that time.

However, in the last year, the so-called Arab Spring has sparked intensified concern, with reports of an increase in attacks against Christians in some countries here.” Read more.

Egypt Becoming More Dangerous for Christians and Freedom – “Egypt is continuing to crack down on Christians and supporters of liberty and religious freedom, as the Egyptian government fails to protect some of it citizens and outright persecutes others. In the wake of the Arab Spring, Egypt is teetering on the brink of lawlessness as evidenced by recent kidnappings, melees, and killings. There are new reports that the Egyptian military government has arrested 43 individuals, including 19 U.S. citizens, ‘as it appears to be tightening the noose around the country’s pro-democracy civil society.'” Read more.

As order breaks down in Syria, its Christians suffer the consequences – “As Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov today meets with President Bashar al-Assad in Damascas, the estimated 2.5 million Christians in Syria live in fear, stuck between a rock and a hard place. As the news of Syrians being slaughtered continues at a relentless pace, it is thought that over one hundred Christians have now been targeted, either killed or kidnapped in brutal ways. Reporting last month, the organisation Barnabas Fund which campaigns on behalf of persecuted Christians has explained:” Read more.

Here’s an update on this story. Let’s hope he stays in custody and justice is served in full …

BBC News – “A man suspected of masterminding the deadly bombing of a Nigerian church on Christmas Day has been recaptured, Nigeria authorities have said.

Officials say the suspect, Kabiru Sokoto, was captured in the eastern state of Taraba.

He is accused of being a member of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, which has said it carried out the attack.

His escape last month was a huge embarrassment for the police, whose head was sacked shortly afterwards.

Boko Haram has staged a series of increasingly deadly attacks in recent years – last month 185 people were killed during a series of bombings in Kano.

Dozens of people died when a church on the outskirts of the capital, Abuja, was bombed on Christmas day.

Mr Sokoto was first arrested last month, but escaped the next day while being escorted by police.

‘He was re-arrested this morning at Mutum Biu in Taraba State by the [secret police],’ a security source told AFP. ‘He’s being flown to Abuja now by the Nigeria air force.'” Read more.

By Mohabat News – “Plain clothes security authorities raided a house church and arrested 10 members who were gathered for prayer service. All 10 detainees were transferred to an unknown location.

According to Iranian Christian news agency, Mohabat News’ reporters, following the continued arrests of Iranian Christians, Iranian security authorities invaded a residential building used as house church on 8 February 2012, and arrested 10 Christian converts gathered there to worship.

These believers who had gathered in a home to hold a worship service were arrested and transferred to an unknown location using a police vehicle.

The location of the detainees is still unknown despite their family’s efforts. The authorities refuse to give any information in this regard.

Although precise details are still not available in this respect, the report from Mohabat News indicates that a man called Mojtaba Hosseini is among the people arrested. He was also arrested on 11 May, 2008 together with 8 other Christian converts on charges of having a Christian faith. Security officials had asked the then 21 year old, Mojtaba Hosseini to renounce his faith and collaborate with the Intelligence office.

It is also noteworthy that last month reports were published regarding the arrest of a number of Christians in the AOG church of Ahwaz including the pastor of the church and two other church members.

Today, the pressures and security measures implemented by the Islamic Republic against churches in Iran have resulted in the closure of churches in which services were being held in Farsi. The other churches which are allowed to remain open, are obliged by order of the Intelligence Ministry to prevent Farsi speakers from entering their churches. In spite of all these circumstances, when people from other religious backgrounds embrace Christianity, they feel the need to gather in small groups in their homes and dedicate their own personal houses for worship services. The Islamic Republic of Iran considers such groups security and spying tools for the west.” Source – Mohabat News.

Qur’an Sura 9:30, “… the Christians say, ‘The Messiah is the son of [God].’ That is their statement from their mouths … May Allah destroy them …”

Qur’an Sura 3:85, “And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the hereafter he shall be one of the losers [burning in hell].”

Commentary Magazine – “A story in today’s International Herald Tribune (read here on the New York Times website) provides an interesting insight into exactly what happens when a secular state is taken over by Islamists. The piece concerned the Hagia Sophia of Iznik, an ancient church that brought 40,000 tourists to the town south of Istanbul much to the delight of the locals. Iznik was once known as Nicaea, and it was there the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church met at the Hagia Sophia in the year 325. But the Islamist government of Turkey has put a damper on the prosperity of those who profited from the museum by formally converting the building into a mosque.

Of course, after the Muslim conquest of the Byzantine Empire, all churches in the region were turned into mosques, with the most conspicuous example being the majestic Hagia Sophia of Constantinople (now Istanbul). But unlike that more famous site, which was registered as a museum when Turkey became a secular republic, the one in Iznik was never formally named as such, though it served in that function and had not been used as a mosque in well over a century. The ruling AKP party of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken the initiative to reinstitute Muslim-only worship at the place, much to the dismay of the Muslim residents of the town who point out there was no shortage of mosques there. But to the AKP, the ancient surge to plant the flag of Islam over the ruins of other cultures is more important than tourism.

The irony here is the Turkish Ministry of Culture had been hoping to promote the place to increase its share of tourists from Europe and elsewhere, especially those interested in the considerable Christian heritage of the region. But like the abortive effort to entice Americans to go to Turkey to see the place where the original Saint Nicholas lived during their Christmas holidays, the AKP’s intolerance trumps other considerations.

While people in the town are appalled at this turn of events, it appears the decision came straight from the top…” Read more.

Christians burned alive by Islamists in Nigeria

“The Church of England’s ruling body called this week on the Government to ‘do all it can’ to support the protection of religious minorities in Nigeria.

In an address to General Synod, the Bishop of Durham the Rt Rev Justin Welby said violence in Nigeria had become ‘pervasive’.

‘[We are here] to consider the fate of a church that in the north of Nigeria is systematically, deliberately and progressively being eliminated,’ he said.

While he acknowledged that some attacks were being committed against Muslims, he said the ‘vast majority’ of the violence was being directed at Christians.

Nigeria is split roughly between a largely Muslim north and predominantly Christian south. Churches and Christian communities in the north have come under increasing attack from Islamic militant group Boko Haram.

Dozens of people were killed in a series of bomb attacks in Nigeria on Christmas Day. Targets included St Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla.

In the weeks that followed, dozens more Christians were killed in an attack on a church in Gombe and a town hall meeting in Mubi.

The scale of the violence has caused thousands of people to flee to the south.

A report to Synod warned that the church in the north east of the country in particular had received ‘little protection, if any’.

Many Anglican churches in Jos and Kaduna have been burned down and the Bishop of Damaturu is presently in hiding further south.

‘His flock is scattered, his church destroyed,’ said Bishop Welby.

‘It is too dangerous for him to return and there is little sign at present of that changing.'” Read more.

By Mohabat News – “In the latest approach of the Islamic Republic of Iran to oppose the growth of Christianity, a Christian convert was sentenced to one year of deprivation of education by a Revolutionary Court in Tehran.

According to Iranian Christian news agency, Mohabat News, Ms. Fatemeh Nouri, an art student in one of the universities in Tehran (The name of university is withheld for security reasons) was sentenced to one year of deprivation of education by the Revolutionary Court for believing in Christianity.

Ms. Nouri is a Christian convert who was arrested by security authorities on September 2011 at her residence in east Tehran and then transferred to Evin prison.

Ms. Nouri was convicted on charges of ‘attending a house church, insulting sacred figures and activities against national security’ in Revolutionary Courts branch of Moalem Street. The judge’s ruling was one year deprivation of education for her.

This Christian convert was released on 30 November 2011, after nearly three months in prison, but the sentence of deprivation of education remained in place.

Ms. Nouri’s arrest was related to the case of another Christian convert, Leila Mohammadi.” Read more.

Pakistan: Christian Denied Medical School For Not Memorizing the Qur’an – “Haroon Arif, a student from DG Khan in Punjab, could not get high enough marks to get into medical school. This is a standard situation for many young people in the country. What’s different here is that Haroon, who missed the grade by less than 0.1%, would have earned 20 extra marks if he was Hafiz-e-Quran. He tried to claim his knowledge of the Bible was equivalent, but this made no impact. ‘I deserved it and yet just because I am Christian, I have been put at a disadvantage,’ Haroon says. He found out about the discrimination on viewing the results at his test centre last month. ‘There was a separate column for Hafiz-e-Quran, and I found out that those who had memorised the holy book got 20 extra marks,’ he adds. Haroon got A grades in both matriculation and intermediate exams, but was an agonising 0.0255% behind the line for medical school in his final aggregate. This miniscule figure changed the course of his life.” Read more.

Hadith: Bukhari 9.84.57, “Muhammad said, ‘Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.’”

Sura 8:12b, “… terrorize and behead those who believe in scriptures other than the Qur’an.”

“NAIROBI, Kenya, February 8 (CDN) — Islamic extremists from the rebel al Shabaab militia in Somalia beheaded a Christian on the outskirts of Mogadishu last month, sources said.

The militants fighting the transitional government in Mogadishu murdered Zakaria Hussein Omar, 26, on Jan. 2 in Cee-carfiid village, about 15 kilometers (nine miles) outside of the Somali capital, they said. Omar had worked for a Christian humanitarian organization that al Shabaab banned last year.

His body was left lying for 20 hours before nomads found it and carried it into Mogadishu, a close friend said.

‘We have been communicating with Omar, and he was sharing with me his life as a Christian,’ the friend said. ‘Last year he mentioned to me that his life was in danger when the NGO [Non-Governmental Organization] he worked for was banned by the al Shabaab.’

The friend said he identified the body.

‘One of the persons who saw him said, ‘This is the young man who stayed in Ethiopia, and people have been saying that he left Islam and joined Christianity.”

Omar converted to Christianity seven years ago while in Ethiopia, where he lived with relatives. He returned to Somalia in 2008 and completed his university education in 2009 with a degree in accounting.

Omar had married in the latter part of 2010. He is survived by his wife, his parents (originally from central Somalia), a brother and four sisters.

Last September, the militants beheaded another young Christian near Mogadishu. The militants, who have vowed to rid Somalia of Christianity, killed Guled Jama Muktar on Sept. 25 in his home near Deynile, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Mogadishu.

Earlier that month, a kidnapped Christian convert from Islam was found decapitated on the outskirts of Hudur City in Bakool region, in southwestern Somalia. Juma Nuradin Kamil was forced into a car by three suspected Islamic extremists from the al Shabaab terrorist group on Aug. 21, 2011 and murdered on Sept. 2, area sources said.” Read more.