Friday, January 31, 2020

China: Harsh new regulations on religious affairs to go into effect Feb. 1

The following is an unedited press release by  Save the Persecuted Christians (STPC), a Christian human rights organization dedicated to raising awareness of the persecution and genocide of Christians around the world.

‘Harsh’ Rules That Go into Effect Feb. 1 Will Require ‘All Religious Personnel to Support and Implement Total Submission to CCP’

 

WASHINGTON—A new set of “harsh” rules announced in late 2019 in China will go into effect on Feb. 1, and advocates like Save the Persecuted Christians (STPC) say the measures will even further limit and endanger Chinese Christians and people of other faiths.

The rules will require “all religious personnel to support and implement total submission to the Chinese Communist Party,” reports The Christian Post. They complete the “Regulations on religious affairs” revised two years ago and implemented on Feb. 1, 2018. Six chapters and 41 articles make up the new measures and deal with “the organization, functions, offices, supervision, projects and economic administration of communities and groups at both a national and local level.”

“Christians in China are already under extreme persecution,” said Dede Laugesen, STPC executive director. “While very little religious freedom was afforded in China, now every aspect of life for religious groups or communities, including how they gather and operate, will be under the thumb of the government. To add insult to injury, religious leaders will even be required to support and implement submission to the CCP.”

Added Dr. Bob Fu, leader of China Aid, a partner of Save the Persecuted Christians, “The new rule codifies the CCP’s ideological and leadership supremacy over all religious affairs in China. From now on, the Chinese Communist Party becomes the head of church, temples, mosques and other religious institutions.

The CCP will dominate every sphere of religion, from religious doctrines, leadership selection, financial management and foreign exchanges. There will be little autonomy and independence left for any religious organizations in China. No independent religious institutions such as house churches will be legally allowed or tolerated for existence unless it’s coerced to join the CCP’s established ‘patriotic religious organizations.’”

Persecution watchdogs warn that the latest measures will be used by the Communist government as a “legal tool to further tighten space for religious groups,” as International Christians Concern told The Christian Post. A Chinese Catholic priest also told Asia News the new provisions are another example of the Chinese Communist Party’s continued crackdown on religion, stating, “In practice, your religion no longer matters, if you are Buddhist, or Taoist, or Muslim or Christian: the only religion allowed is faith in the Chinese Communist Party.”

China has put in place, and is exporting to other countries of persecution, advanced population surveillance techniques. The country has also received criticism for enacting a social score system that further encroaches on the right of Chinese to worship freely. 

The mission of Save the Persecuted Christians is to save lives and save souls by disseminating actionable information about the magnitude of the persecution taking place globally and by mobilizing concerned Americans for the purpose of disincentivizing further attacks on those who follow Jesus.

One way is through STPC’s “The People of the Cross” exhibit, which features images, facts and quotes about the persecution of Christians in multiple countries. The banner highlighting China reports that Christians in China are tracked and powerless to stop the destruction of their churches. The banner quotes Gordon G. Chang, commentator, essayist and author of “The Coming Collapse of China.” 

“The Communist Party’s totalitarian ‘social credit’ system—made possible by artificial intelligence, camera surveillance, data mining and other tools—will also be used to repress Christians and others outside China,” Chang says.

The banner continues: “The Communist Party represses its citizens, imprisons human rights lawyers and pastors, demolishes churches, and has engaged in large-scale forced abortions and organ harvesting. China forbids religious education, collects DNA and biometric data from religious believers, and tortures and kills prisoners of conscience, including many Christians.”

Additional banners in “The People of the Cross” exhibit feature countries such as Turkey, North Korea, Nigeria and India. A majority of the countries highlighted in the banners are high on Open Doors’ 2020 World Watch List, on which China moved up four spots to No. 23.

With so much of the world’s Christian population being imprisoned and/or harassed for their beliefs, such as Christians in China, the need has never been greater for the sort of grassroots campaign STPC’s SaveUs Movement is working to foster. Its efforts are modeled after a miraculously successful one that helped free another population suffering from heavy persecution—Soviet Jews—by penalizing those in the Kremlin responsible for such repression. Through this movement, Save the Persecuted Christians endeavors to provide American policymakers with the popular support they need to effect real change worldwide and alleviate systemically the suffering being experienced by so many of those following Christ.
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Thursday, January 23, 2020

Turkey: Priest’s Parents Mysteriously Vanish

The following is an unedited press release from International Christian Concern (ICC). Please check out the ICC website at www.persecution.org for more on the persecution and genocide of Christians around the world.

Priest’s Parents Vanish in Southeastern Turkey 

Search Continues 12 Days After Disappearance

01/23/2020 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern)International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on January 11, 2020, the elderly parents of a Chaldean Catholic priest in Turkey disappeared. The absence of Hurmuz and Simoni Diril was discovered the following day, and their son was informed that it was a kidnapping. The man who witnessed the abduction said that the couple was taken by PKK members, two men and one woman.

An investigation into the disappearance remains ongoing by the Turkish authorities. A search for their location has so far proven unfruitful, and winter weather conditions have made the search challenging. The abduction occurred in the village of Meer, in Şırnak Province, a rocky mountainous region in Turkey’s southeast, near the Iraqi border. This area is known to have an active PKK presence. The PKK is a Kurdish militant group designated by the US State Department as a terrorist organization.

Mehr is historically an Assyrian Christian village which has been repeatedly caught in the crosshairs of various conflicts. The village had previously been evacuated in 1989 and 1992 because of the conflict between the PKK and Turkish army. Ten years ago, the Diril couple had returned to the village despite the dangers in an attempt to rebuild. Their son, Father Adday Ramzi Diril, is a Chaldean Catholic priest based in Istanbul, known internationally for his pastoral care of 7,000 Iraqi Christian refugees displaced in Turkey.

Juliana Taimoorazy, president of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, said, “The kidnapping of this innocent Assyrian Christian couple only plants new fears in our community’s hearts and it expedites the exodus of Christians from their ancestral lands. We appeal to the Turkish government to make all efforts to rescue the kidnapped couple, and to bring the perpetrators swiftly to justice. We appeal to the international community to break its silence on the persecution of Middle Eastern Christians.” 

“The kidnapping of the Diril couple shows how multiple those who target Christians in the region are and why they should never be allowed to get away with their crimes,” said Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist. “Their aim is to make Assyrian (Christians) flee and steal the lands and properties that they are forced to leave behind. The more Assyrians are supported and empowered, the more difficult it will be for the potential perpetrators to target and harm them.” 

Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager for the Middle East, said, “We are extremely concerned for the welfare of the Diril family. This abduction has sent shockwaves throughout the Assyrian Christian community, especially among displaced Iraqi Christians who have personally benefited from the love and care that the Diril family has poured into their community. It is a targeted incident that unfortunately shows how hard it is for Christians to live safely in the Middle East. We are grateful for the ongoing investigation, and pray for the safe and speedy return of the Diril couple.”
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Monday, January 20, 2020

Statement on Self-Defense and the Use of Force

By Timothy Gamble

This statement reflects my views on Self-Defense and the Use of Force, prayerfully developed over many years of consideration. I do not seek to prove these views to the reader, but rather hope the reader will investigate the many sources given in the footnotes, should they have questions about why I hold these views. 

For the purposes of the following statement, I define self-defense as "the use of force, including potentially deadly force, as a last resort to protect oneself or others from the threat of imminent harm." This definition therefore excludes the use of force solely for personal gain, or out of a desire for revenge or vengeance. Also notice some key words of that definition - "last resort", "protect", and "imminent harm" - that suggest there are limitations upon the use of force in self-defense. Self-defense is not an excuse for the unlimited use of violence.  


Statement on Self-Defense and the Use of Force

I strongly believe in the unalienable right of self-defense, including the defense of others. It is a biblical concept, which can be proved with numerous passages from both the Old and New Testaments. (see footnotes 1, 2, 3, 4, 8)

I strongly support the Second Amendment. We have the right to possess the tools of self-defense, including guns and knives. (see footnotes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,)   

I reject retaliation, revenge, and vengeance, because God's Word makes it clear that such belongs to the Lord, not man. (see footnotes 1, 6)

I reject unwise and inappropriate use of force in self-defense. This includes being too quick to anger, and lacking self-control. Defensive force should only be used as a last resort. "Employing potentially lethal force out of anger, hatred, jealously, or revenge is always wrong and is condemned by Scripture." (see footnote 7)

I reject unprovoked aggression (the initiation of force without just cause). Aggression (force) is necessary, and ethical, in some circumstances to protect ourselves (or others) from actions or threats against our lives, freedoms, rights, or property. 

I reject the concept of absolute pacifism (the idea that force should never be used under any circumstances, even in self-defense or defense of others). I consider refusing to help defend those in legitimate need, when you have the ability to do so, to be a potentially immoral and cowardly act, because it suggests that life isn't worth defending.

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Footnotes

1) See the website Biblical Self-Defense for a lengthy examination of dozens of Old and New Testament passages on self-defense.

2)
See the article Self-Defense by Fr. John Whiteford on the Orthodox Christianity website. 
 
3) A book on the subject of biblical self-defense that may be of interest is Stand Your Ground: The Biblical Foundation For Self-Defense, by Steve Jones.

4) The article The Six Things Americans Should Know About the Second Amendment, by Richard W. Stevens, contains an examination of self-defense within a Judeo-Christian framework.

5) See The Bill of Rights, particularly the Second Amendment, and parts of my article Fight Back! -- Defending the Second Amendment.

6) See the page Revenge and Retaliation on the Knowing Jesus website for 37 verses on retaliation, revenge, and vengeance belonging to God, not people.

7) Quote is from The Biblical View of Self-Defense, on the Biblical Self-Defense website.


8) Watch the five minute video, Do Not Murder, by Dennis Prager. 
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Tuesday, January 14, 2020

More Christians Murdered by Muslim Extremists in Kenya

The following is an unedited press release from International Christian Concern (ICC). Please check out the ICC website at www.persecution.org for more on the persecution and genocide of Christians around the world.
 

Three Christian Teachers Murdered in Kenya

25 Killed by Al-Shabaab Over the Past Five Weeks

01/13/2020 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern)International Christian Concern has learned that three Christian teachers from Kamuthe Primary School in Garissa, Kenya, were killed by the Somali-based terror group al-Shabaab in the early hours of January 13, 2020. The armed militants ambushed Kamuthe village around 2:00 a.m., targeting the school’s resource center that hosted the teachers. Prior to the ambush, the attackers destroyed a telecommunication tool in an effort to paralyze communication as they carried out their heinous attack.

Mr. Robert Kibutu, a teacher who resides outside of the school’s residential area, confirmed the attack, saying, “My fellow teachers were fatally shot by an unknown number of suspected al-Shabaab militia who stormed Kamuthe primary school early this morning and leaving one severely injured by two gunshots. We are sad and at the same time scared because we are targeted for being non-local government workers that belong to the Christian faith.”

Those killed were Caleb Mutua, Titus Ushindi, and Samuel Muthui Kyonzu. Joshua Mutua survived with serious leg injuries.

According to the region’s security head, “One local teacher was taken away by the militants and a non-local female nurse [was] spared due to [her] gender.”

Today’s attack comes against the backdrop of a series of attacks from the terrorist group in the last five weeks, leading to the loss of 25 people total in Wajir, Lamu, Mandera, and Garissa. On December 6, 2019, four teachers were among the 11 non-local Christian passengers killed en route to Mandera from Nairobi when al-Shabaab flagged down the bus they were traveling in. The militants separated the passengers and killed those on the spot who failed to recite the Islamic Shahada.

Security intelligence agencies are warning of potential attacks in the coming days when Kenya marks the deadliest murder of its forces in El Adde, Somalia, on January 15, 2016, and the DusitD2 attack on January 15, 2019. It is common for al-Shabaab to commemorate anniversaries by carrying out more attacks.

ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Nathan Johnson, commented, “We pray for the families of the deceased and for peace to come to a region that has seen increased violence toward Christians who are just trying to survive. We hope that the government will take effective action to stop the senseless killing of so many Christians in Kenya at the hands of Islamic extremists like al-Shabaab. We praise God as the refuge and strong tower that He is for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ who continue to endure so much.”
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Saturday, January 11, 2020

Turkey Arrests Syriac Priest and Two Other Christians, Denies Them Access to Lawyers

Official Government Harassment and Persecution of Christians in Turkey Continues to Increase

01/11/2020 International Christian Concern (ICC), a Christian human rights organization,  and other sources are reporting that on January 9, 2020, Turkey’s anti-terror branch arrested three Syriac Christians in a raid and transferred them to the city of Mardin, where they remain unreachable with no access to a lawyer. The exact nature of their official charges is not yet known. 

The names of the affected Christians are: Father Sefer (Aho) Bileçen from the Monastery of Mar Yaqoub al-Suruji, Musa Tash Takin from the village of Sidri, and Youssef Yar from the village of Üçköy.

A statement by the Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights expressed their “full solidarity with the three Christian detainees. We hold the Turkish authorities fully legal [responsible] for their physical integrity, and we demand that they release them immediately and without any delay.”

“These arrests have left the 3,000 remaining Christians of the Syriac-Orthodox faith and the Assyrian-Syriac ethnicity in a state of fear and confusion,” stated A Demand For Action. “This kind of behavior by the Turkish authorities is the reason why the vast majority of Christians of Tur Abdin have left the region, and live in scattered diasporas.

The Syriac Union President, Yuhanna Aktas, told Hristiyan Haber that they “could not get any information about those detained… Why can’t we make sense of a priest who was detained?”

Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, shared with ICC, “Assyrians have for centuries been targeted and massacred for their ethnicity and religion. Although they have been left all alone by the world powers, they have been so resiliently trying to hold on to their ancient homeland. And they need the voice and support of faithful Christians and all other human rights advocates more than ever now.” 

“Assyrians have been exposed to physical attacks, murders, injuries, seizures through violence, harassment, intimidation, threats, kidnappings, and illegal confiscations of their properties mostly by the Kurds and other Muslims in the region,” Bulut added. 

The recent detention of the three Assyrians might also be due to the continued conflicts between the PKK and the Turkish military. 

Unfortunately, Assyrians have been stuck between and terribly affected by the unending fights between these two hostile groups.”

The PKK is a designated Kurdish terrorist group that has a significant presence in southeastern Turkey. Although Turkey is constitutionally a secular country, it has strongly leaned toward incorporating Islam into the government’s policies under the tenure of President Erdoğan. Turkey is ranked as a Tier 2 Country of Particular Concern by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager for the Middle East, said, “Turkey’s anti-terror activities have long trampled on human rights, including religious freedom. Unfortunately, this latest incident once again puts Turkey’s police state tactics on full display and is part of an ongoing trend demonstrating institutional hostility toward the nation’s Christian community. We urge Turkey for transparency regarding this incident. Allow these Christians legal representation, communicate their status with their communities, and publicly state the reason why they were arrested.”

Sources: 1) International Christian Concern press release dated 1-10-2020. 2) Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights statement on Facebook dated 1-9-2020. 3) A Demand For Action statement on Facebook dated 1-9-2020.
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Friday, January 10, 2020

Burkina Faso Bus Bombing, Killing School Children, Named Atrocity of the Week

By Timothy Gamble

1-9-2020 - Religion of Peace, a website that monitors and tracks terrorism and violence committed worldwide in the name of Islam, has named the January 4 bombing of a school bus in West African nation of Burkina Faso, as 2020's first "Atrocity of the Week." The bombing killed 14 and injured 9, most of which were students returning to school after the holiday break. 

Islamic extremism has been growing in recent years in Burkina Faso, with over 1,000 civilians killed by jihadist groups in 2019 alone. On Christmas Eve, Islamic jihadists killed at least 35 civilians, mostly women, in an attack in northern Burkina Faso. 

Approximately 60% of the Burkina Faso population is Muslim, with about 23% being Christian, according to government statistics.
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Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Islamic Terror Group Boko Haram Kidnaps Christian Pastor in Nigeria

The following is an unedited press release from International Christian Concern (ICC). Please check out the ICC website at www.persecution.org for more on the persecution and genocide of Christians around the world. 

Local Council CAN Chairman in Northern Adamawa Remains Missing

01/07/2020 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern)International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Boko Haram, an Islamic insurgent group based out of northeastern Nigeria, kidnapped a church leader from Michika town in Adamawa State, Nigeria. Reverend Lawan Andima, who serves as the Local Council Chapter Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and also a pastor with the Church of the Brethren (EYN) at the District Church Council of Michika, was abducted when the insurgent group attacked the town on January 2 around 7:00 p.m. Reverend Lawan Andima is 58 years old, married, and the father of nine children.

Reacting to the abduction, the Vice Chairman of the Adamawa State Chapter of CAN, Reverend Philip Shehu, said, “Yes, he was abducted. I still don’t have much information about him at present.” 

Reverend Philip confirmed that Reverend Lawan is a pastor with the EYN, adding, “Truly we have been greatly concerned since it happened. We called for concerted prayers for him. Even at the commissioning of our Secretariat last week, we also took time to pray for him.  We are still calling on fellow Christians everywhere to join us in earnest prayers for his release from the captors.”

Narrating the incident, the EYN General Secretary, Rev. Daniel, said that when the insurgents struck that day, Rev. Lawan, his wife, and their children immediately fled from their home. However, the pastor quickly returned, intending to get a car to help more people escape. Then, the intensity of the attack increased. Sounds of deafening gunfire came from nearby, so Rev. Lawan’s wife and children quickly fled to the bush. Rev. Daniel explained, “He (Rev. Lawan) then came out of the house, along with the church security guard, to flee. They noticed a Hylux van by the roadside and thought it was soldiers, so they moved on. The security guard first crossed the road and headed to the bush. He then turned to look out for the pastor, but noticed that he had disappeared!

The following day, additional information was revealed to the EYN General Secretary. Some women who were in hiding said that they saw the pastor being dragged into the Hylux van and taken away.

Wearied by the mounting attacks on the Church and Christians in the region, the EYN General Secretary lamented, “I have said it over and over that religious violence has festered and, in truth, the Church in Nigeria is under serious persecution.” This attack and abduction came just one week after Boko Haram beheaded 10 Christian aid workers on film.

Nathan Johnson, ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, said, “As Boko Haram, particularly the ISWAP faction, continues to grow in strength and power, we are likely to see more of these attacks on Christians and the Church. Their recent video showed that they have a special hatred for Christianity and will be brutal toward those whom they hold captive. We are praying for Pastor Lawan and his family as they go through this tough time. We hope to see him returned safe and unharmed in the near future.”
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Kenya: New al-Shabaab Terror Attack Kills Four

By Timothy Gamble

1-7-2020 - Multiple sources are reporting that four civilians were shot to death by the Islamic terror group al-Shabaab earlier this morning. The attack focused on a telecommunications facility owned by Safaricom, One of those killed was a child.

Kenyan police officers killed two of the terrorists and recovered their rifles and bomb-making materials. An unknown number of al-Shabaab members managed to flee the scene.

This attack appears to be part of a recent surge in al-Shabaab terror attacks, including an attack on a joint U.S.-Kenyan military base on Sunday, January 5, that left 3 Americans dead. Al-Shabaab has also committed a number of recent attacks on buses, in which they stop the buses, separate the passengers by religion, then kill the Christians.
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Monday, January 6, 2020

Muslim Terror Group Al-Shabaab Kills 3 Americans at Camp Simba, Kenya

By Timothy Gamble

1-6-2020 - An al-Shabaab terrorist attack on on the joint U.S.-Kenyan military base, Camp Simba, left three Americans dead, including a service member and two Department of Defense contractors. Several others, both American and Kenyan, were injured. Several aircraft at the Manda Air Strip at Camp Simba were also damaged in the attack, which included the use of a car bomb. Four terrorists were killed, and at least five others have been arrested.

Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, more commonly known as al-Shabaab, is a Muslim jihadist group based in Somalia, but active throughout East Africa. Al-Shabaab is a Sunni muslim group affliated with al-Qaeda, and has no known ties to Shiite muslim Iran. The attack does not appear connected to Iran's threats of retaliation for the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
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Saturday, January 4, 2020

Muslim Jihadist Group Al-Shabaab Murders Four in Kenya Bus Attacks

By Timothy Gamble


International Christian Concern (ICC) is reporting that three passengers have been confirmed dead and several others critically injured after suspected al-Shabaab militants attacked a bus in southeastern Kenya, on Thursday, January 2.  A second bus attack in the same area on the same day left one passenger dead.

Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, more commonly known as al-Shabaab, is a Muslim jihadist group based in Somalia, but active throughout East Africa, primarily in rural areas. In 2012, it pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda. In recent years, al-Shabaab has become notorious for its tactic of stopping buses, forcing passengers to separate by religion, and then executing the Christians on board.

A security officer at the scene confirmed: “The incident happened at noon Thursday, January 2, 2020, after the Mombasa Raha bus was ambushed by heavily armed Somali-based militant members that ordered the vehicle to stop. The driver defied their orders, causing the terrorists to open fire randomly towards the bus. This led to the shooting of three people and many others injured.”

Highway patrol officers responded quickly and, after a severe exchange of fire, scattered the attackers who fled into the bush. 

One of those on the bus quickly made a call to the local security services after the attack. The police on duty arrived in time to rescue many of the injured passengers. The injured have been taken to the hospital and the bus [was] towed. Identities of the victims, who are believed to be non-local Christians returning to Lamu after spending the Christmas season in upcountry, have not yet been established,” said the security officer.

A similar incident took place in Mandera on December 6, 2019, when 11 Christians were separated from other passengers and killed.


Sources: 

Press release dated 1-3-2020 by International Christian Concern.

Reports provided by The Religion of Peace website.

Information from the Al-Shabaab entry in the online edition of Encyclopædia Britannica.

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Christians and non-Muslims In Middle-East concerned over Iran's threats of retaliation.

The following is an unedited press release from International Christian Concern (ICC). My comments follow immediately below the press release. Please check out the ICC website at www.persecution.org for more on the persecution and genocide of Christians around the world.

Iranian Regime Takes Posture of Aggression Toward Non-Muslims

01/03/2020 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern)International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on January 2, 2020, an airstrike targeted senior Iranian and Iraqi leadership within the vicinity of Baghdad’s airport. General Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force, was one of the men killed in the airstrike. Iran was quick to declare his assassination as a war crime against Muslims and has promised reprisals. The other men killed were militiamen supported by Iran.

As head of the Quds Force, Soleimani’s job description primarily involved organizing Iran’s proxy militias in the region. However, as a key leader within the IRGC structure, his role also included protecting the ideology of Iran’s Islamic government. He was just as ruthless within Iran as he was outside of the country. Soleimani was a celebrity figure within the Iranian regime, and his speeches were famous among IRGC’s leadership.

“For many Iranians, Qassem Soleimani was a warmonger,” tweeted Iranian human rights activist Masih Alinejad. 

"Unfortunately, Western media misses the point by glorifying Soleimani. He was the common enemy for people in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria.”

In response to the regime’s threats of retaliatory violence, several Iranian people have voiced a different message. Officials will say the Iranian people want revenge,” tweeted one Iranian Christian activist. “No! We want to see a good life and peace!” 

“People are smarter and wiser. They can see through the fog of confusion created by the Iranian government,” said an Iranian church leader. “The clergy has filled their pockets and left Iran battered.” 

Christians are often heavily targeted by the regime, since they are unjustly viewed as a national security threat. It is common for Christians to experience an increase in scrutiny from the regime during times when the government feels under increased pressure.

"The regime specializes in fear,” said a Christian ministry leader working in Iran. “They make you look over your shoulder.”

An Iranian pastor further explained, “It is the policy of the Islamic government not to put thousands of Christians in jail [even though they easily can]. Their policy is to arrest a few and put [a] maximum sentence on minor offenses [like just gathering in a home]. They then publicize it in order to put fear in the hearts of Christians. Their strategy is causing fear and isolation.” 

A former IRGC member, who is now a Christian, advised, “In my opinion, Christians need to know their position, where they are. We need to walk through the right path by awareness and not to be surprised by anything.” 

Iran is designated as a Tier 1 Country of Particular Concern by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager for the Middle East, said, “Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has promised retaliation. They always seek to sow seeds of fear wherever they are present, and they are quite active in the persecution of Christians, who are falsely labeled as a national security threat. At a time when Iran’s Islamic regime feels its security is threatened, we must keep the Christian community in prayer for their safety.”

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Timothy's Comments: I decided to publish this press release because it shows several different aspects of the killing of
Soleimani that are not being covered in the mainstream media. One is the fact that Soleimani was NOT well-liked or respected outside of the hardliners within the Iranian regime. As I reported in my article yesterday, Soleimani was feared and despised by most in Iran and throughout the region as a murderer and terrorist. "He was the common enemy for people in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria."

Unfortunately much of the mainstream media is presenting the Iranian government's propaganda line that Soleimani was a wildly popular and revered figure in Iran. This is blatantly and demonstrably false. In fact, Soleimani's death is being celebrated by many in Iran, Iraq, and throughout the region.

Second, this press release exposed the plight of Christians and non-Muslims in Iran that has existed for decades. Non-Muslims are treated as second class citizens at best, have few legal rights, and are actively persecuted as a matter of government policy within Iran. Concerns that Christians in Iran may face a crackdown by the Iranian regime as part of their retaliation are well-founded.

Finally, I do want to take issue with one word in the press release - "assassination." As I reported in yesterday's article, Soleimani wasn’t “assasinated”, he was legally (according to U.S. and International Law) killed on the battlefield during active operations. Soleimani was also considered a terrorist under US Law since he heads the IRGC Quds Force, which is officially designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Furthermore, he had no legal right to even be in Iraq, as he was in violation of a still active 2007 UN Security Council travel ban.  Please read my article U.S. Airstrike Against Soleimani was Legal and Justified for more information.
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Thursday, January 2, 2020

Russia: Islamic extremists stab two police officers to death

Magan, Russia:  Islamic terrorists attacked and killed two police officers at a police checkpoint in Magan, Russia on New Year's Eve. The town was immediately put on lockdown, and a New Year's concert and fireworks display was cancelled over safety concerns.

The terrorists struck one of the officers, identified as Zelemkhan Kokorkhoev (a 34year-old father of four), with their car, before getting out and stabbing him to death. They then attacked a second officer, identified as Zurab Daurbekov, who later died at the hospital. 

One of the terrorists was shot and killed by other officers on the scene. The other terrorist was also shot but survived and was arrested.
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Please subscribe to www.TimGamble.com using the Follow By Email field at the bottom of the right hand column.

On Social Media:

Twitter: @TimGamble - My main account. News, politics, and economics, with some survivalist posts.

      
Twitter: @DystopianSurv - My account specifically for my prepping, survivalist, and homesteading website, www.DystopianSurvival.com.
 
GAB: @TimGamble - Mainly a back-up account for both websites.