Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Nigeria: After two years, Leah Sharibu is still held by her Islamic captors because she refuses to renounce Jesus and convert to Islam.

2-19-2020 - Today marks the two-year anniversary of the kidnapping of 110 schoolgirls in Nigeria by the Islamic terror group, Boko Haram. Leah Sharibu remains the only one in captivity because she refuses to renounce her Christian faith and convert to Islam, as her captors demnd. The following press release, by the human rights organization Save the Persecuted Christians, updates her situation.

Save the Persecuted Christians Keeps Close Watch on Plight of Kidnapped Nigerian Teen, Kept by Boko Haram for Not Renouncing Her Faith in Christ

WASHINGTON—On a horrible day two years ago, then-14-year-old Nigerian Christian teen Leah Sharibu was kidnapped by a Boko Haram faction, the Islamic State West African Province, one of the most violent terrorist groups in the world, along with 109 of her female Dapchi schoolmates.

In the days following, five of the girls died in captivity, and 104 were released on March 20, 2018. Leah alone was kept because she refused to renounce her faith in Jesus Christ and convert to Islam, as demanded by her captors.

Save the Persecuted Christians, which advocates on behalf of hundreds of millions of Christians facing heavy persecution worldwide, has followed Leah’s story closely, calling on Christians worldwide to come together to demand her release. For many months, STPC has been working mightily for Leah to be freed—and continues to do so on this sad anniversary of her Feb. 19, 2018, kidnapping.

“Over many agonizing months for her family, it has been reported that Leah was alive, then killed in captivity, thought again to be alive and, most recently, that she is the mother of a newborn son,” said STPC Executive Director Dede Laugesen. 

“Just last week, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari claimed the Nigerian government is committed to ensuring that every child taken by insurgents will be released. Two years after Leah was taken, the world wants to see action rather than talk.”

At a Feb. 10 side event to the 33rd African Union (AU) Summit in Ethiopia, Buhari told those in attendance at a breakfast dialogue with the theme of “Stop the War on Children Affected by Armed Conflicts, Dividend of Silencing the Guns” that his government “will not relent until every child, boy or girl, every Nigerian adult in custody of Boko Haram, is freed.”

“Let me categorically reassure you of the steadfast commitment of the Government of Nigeria to ensure the freedom of all kidnapped children from the shackles of Boko Haram,” he said.

In an effort to protect believers like Leah, STPC has urged a U.S. special envoy to Nigeria and the Lake Chad region because of extreme and heightened violence against Christians there, and in fact delivered an open letter to President Donald Trump about this urgent need in January. At least 1,000 Christians were killed in 2019, with more than 5,000 killed since 2015, according to a U.K. report.

Another recent article quoted Leah’s father, who said his daughter’s ordeal will not cause him to stop attending church or serving God. He also said the Nigerian government knows Leah’s whereabouts.

In June 2019, STPC, along with the International Committee on Nigeria (ICON), aided in bringing Leah’s mother, Rebecca Sharibu, to Washington, D.C., to discuss her daughter and the ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria. Dr. Gloria Paldu, the head of the Leah Foundation, was also in attendance, and the two met with members of Vice President Mike Pence’s senior staff.

The Leah Foundation, founded by Leah’s parents, advocates for Nigerian girls seeking to gain an education without fear or harm. Last year, UNICEF reported more than 13 million children in northern Nigeria are not in school—the highest in the world. Many refuse to go to school out of fear. Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who visited Washington, D.C., last October to sound the alarm on incessant and increasing insecurity, told Laugesen the number of children out of school in Nigeria is likely higher than that reported by UNICEF.

Voice of America reports: “Education psychologist Mayowa Adegbile explains that increasing numbers of out of school children in Nigeria adversely affects economic growth. ‘Sixty percent of that population are girls only, and you know when you bring it back home, every girl becomes a mother or a woman who would in turn take care of other children. And for a woman who goes to school it has a ripple effect, an economical ripple effect. When she goes to school, she has education, she gets a job, even if she doesn’t have a job… even if it’s just basic secondary school education, she can communicate basic English and mathematics,’ Adegbile said.”

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation at 196 million in 2018, is among the world’s poorest nations. It is also growing very fast. The population, growing at 3.2% a year, is expected to double by 2050 and overtake the United States as the third most populous nation. In 2005, UNICEF reported that about 45% of the population was under age 15, and 40% of children aged 6 to 11 were not in school. The World Bank reports that, “While Nigeria has made some progress in socio-economic terms in recent years, its human capital development remains weak due to under-investment, and the country ranked 152 of 157 countries in the World Bank’s 2018 Human Capital Index.” Adding to these ominous numbers, the unemployment rate in Nigeria has skyrocketed to over 23%.

“Nigeria’s youth face massive hurdles regarding education, employment and dire poverty,” Laugesen added. “As we’ve seen in other countries, this means they are ripe for radicalization and vulnerable to violence and abuse. The nation itself is blessed with enormous natural resources, most especially oil, making it a target for terrorist groups and state-actors looking to profit from corruption and chaos. The United States must get ahead of this burgeoning crisis of international concern with grave national security implications. If Nigeria unravels, the fallout will be felt worldwide. The appointment of a trusted, experienced diplomat as a U.S. special envoy to Nigeria and the Lake Chad region is a good place to start.”

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 newest traveling exhibit titled “Warfare on Women,” which reveals the specific terror-tactic used to demean and degrade female believers to instill fear into the heart of Christian communities. “Warfare on Women” highlights multiple stories of Christian women, many from Nigeria, who are harmed by religious violence.

The exhibit’s “Kidnapped” banner, which focuses on Nigeria and the abduction of Sharibu, states: “Nigerian girls are being terrorized and enslaved by three of the world’s most dangerous extremists, including Boko Haram, Islamic State in West Africa Province and Muslim Fulani herdsmen. Thousands of people are reportedly held captive in northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt, where kidnapping and banditry fund the terrorists’ genocidal agendas.”

The exhibit’s information banner further states: “In a growing number of countries, Christian women face many forms of discrimination and violence including: restrictions on freedom of dress and movement, employment and legal discrimination, violent assault, widowhood, forced abortions or death of children, false accusations, sexual harassment, forced conversion and marriage, kidnapping, rape, human trafficking and murder. If they survive and return, brutalized women and girls often face shame and exclusion from their families and communities. This must stop.”

Joining the “Warfare on Women” exhibit is “The People of the Cross,” which features images, facts and quotes about the persecution of Christians in multiple countries, including Nigeria. Additional banners feature countries such as Turkey, North Korea, China and others. A majority of the nations highlighted on the banners are high on Open Doors’ 2020 World Watch List, including Nigeria at No. 12. After Pakistan, it ranks No. 2 on the list of most violent countries.

With so much of the world’s Christian population being imprisoned and/or harassed for their beliefs, 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 systemicallythe suffering being experienced by so many of those following Christ.
---------------------
 
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.

Nigeria: At Least 32 Christians Killed in Islamic Militant Attack

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.

Note: Fulani militants are considered one of the deadliest Islamic terror groups in the world. According to WorldWatch Monitor, "The Fulani were early adopters of Islam, participating in holy wars, or jihads, in the 16th Century that established them as a dominant social and economic force in Western Africa." Today, the Fulani continue to wage "holy wars" against Christians and other non-believers in Western Africa.

Four Churches Burned Down During Fulani Attack

02/18/2020 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern)International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Fulani militants attacked three Christian villages in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria on January 26 and 27. During this attack, at least 32 people were killed in the villages of Kwatas, Rubio, and Marish. In addition to the 32 Christians who were killed, four churches in these communities were also burned down.

These churches include the Kauna Baptist Church and Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Rubio village, and the COCIN Church and Anglican Church in Marish. Although other structures were also destroyed, the destruction of these churches demonstrates a particular hatred toward Christianity. Despite this, the Nigerian government insists that there is no religious motivation in Fulani militant attacks throughout Nigeria’s Middle Belt region.

Aside from the churches, at least 65 compounds were burnt or razed in Rubio and another 45 compounds in Marish. This has left 7,500 people without homes, churches, or access to food and work.

Following the attacks, 20 of those who were killed were given a mass burial on January 30. This was attended by hundreds of those who knew and loved them. Dressed in black, mourners made up of primarily women, children, and the elderly, gathered at Luna Mortuary in Bokkos town to bid farewell to their loved ones. This attack has left many children without parents and has put a heavy strain on the communities to provide for those with nothing.

A community youth leader, John Akans, said, “The mass burial has been conducted and 20 bodies were buried; women and children who put on black clothes all gathered. Bokkos community was in a mourning mood.”

Nathan Johnson, ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, said, “These kinds of attacks on Christians in Nigeria are so commonplace that the world finds it easy to turn a blind eye. Few care that there are people killed daily. International media and organizations want to pass these kinds of tragedies off as normal or historical. They want to say that there could not be a religious motivation for them. That would make it too difficult to deal with. For the people involved daily, however, this is life and death. 

The world can no longer turn a blind eye. We have to be willing to call this what it is: murder. The Nigerian government must be held accountable for not protecting its citizens, and the perpetrators must be punished. The Nigerian government must also show its commitment to the nation’s Christian citizens by helping to rebuild their places of worship which are daily burned down or destroyed.”
---------------------
 
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.

Friday, February 14, 2020

Boko Haram's Burning Alive of 30 Villagers Named "Atrocity of the Week"

By Timothy Gamble

2-14-2020 - Religion of Peace, a website that monitors and tracks terrorism and violence committed worldwide in the name of Islam, has named the February 9 attack by Boko Haram in Auno, Nigeria as the "Atrocity of the Week." The attack, in which 30 people were burned alive, took place on a village caravan on its way to sell fresh produce and other goods at markets in Nigeria's capital city of Abuja. In addition to the deaths, about 18 women and children were kidnapped by the Islamic militants. 

Boko Haram is a Muslim militant organization based in northern Nigeria, but also active in several other west African nations. The group's stated mission is to bring about the full implementation of Sharia Law in Africa.  In the Hausa dialect, the name Boko Haram literally means "Western education is forbidden."
---------------------

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.

Valentine's Day in "Moderate" Muslim Indonesia...

Sharia Law bans celebrations of the holiday, and Religious Police crackdown on immorality, arrest unmarried couples.

By Timothy Gamble

2-14-2020 -Westerners tend to think of Indonesia as a "moderate" Muslim country, but a quick look at Valentine's Day in Indonesia exposes the truth. 

Celebrations of  Valentine's Day are banned under Sharia Law. Government officials have warned people against "public displays of affection." restaurants, cafes, hotels, and other businesses have been issued warnings not promote the holiday. Police in several cities have announced crackdowns on "immorality." Reports are now coming out of Indonesia of Valentine's Day raids by police on hotels, restaurants, and other public venues, arresting unmarried couples. 

At least two dozen unmarried couples were arrested earlier today in the city of Makassar, according to press reports. In the city of Depok, students have been warned against "Valentine's Day romance" and threatened with unspecified "penalties" if they do. In the city of Surabaya, Muslim students were encouraged to take part in anti-Valentine's Day rallies. In the province of Aceh, government officials have encouraged clerics to deliver speeches today on the danger of Valentine's Day.

Indonesia is 88% Muslim and 10% Christian.
---------------------
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.

Monday, February 10, 2020

Prison Radicalization And Returning Foreign Fighters Are New Threats

The following is an unedited press release from the Counter Extremism Project. The Counter Extremism Project is an "international policy organization formed to combat the growing threat from extremist ideologies." More information can be found on their website, linked to above. The report referenced in the press release can be read by clicking here.

Terrorism In 2019 Analyzed: Prison Radicalization And Returning Foreign Fighters Are New Threats

2-10-2020 (New York, N.Y.) – Analysis of all Islamist terrorism attacks, attempted attacks and plots in the EU last year reveals trends in terrorism. The report identifies online radicalization, prison de-radicalization programmes and returning foreign fighters were the main drivers behind terrorist incidents last year. The report Terrorism in the EU in 2019 was published by Jean-Charles Brisard, Senior Advisor to the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) and Chairman of the Center for the Analysis of Terrorism (CAT).

The report found that online radicalization plays a huge role in terrorist actions; nearly a third  of the documented terrorist actions were inspired by terrorist content available online and in 4% of the cases, the individuals were in contact with a remote planner abroad. Almost 40% of terrorist actions in France were prepared in jail and they targeted prison officers.

The report shows that the main aspects behind terrorist attacks last year, online radicalisation, crisis in prison de-radicalization programmes and returning foreign fighters, are interlinked and remain to be main security threats which need to be addressed by European governments.

Jean-Charles Brisard states:

“Compared with last year, the 2019 report marks the emergence of two new trends: prison radicalization and returning foreign fighters. These trends are a major challenge for European security. The latest terrorist attack in London was by a former prisoner, and in France, the two out of 16 individuals involved in terrorist incidents last year were returnees from the Syrian-Iraqi area. Governments need to take concrete steps to tackle this threat to our safety.”

To access the Terrorism in the EU in 2019 report, please click here.
---------------------
 
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.


Christian Persecution Around the World

2-10-2020 - I want to make my readers aware of an excellent article on Christian persecution written by Jack Kerwick, published today on FrontPage Magazine. The article is entitled The Victims of Anti-Christian Persecution and a harrowing glimpse at their victimizers. (click link to read the article on the FrontPage Mag website). It is worth a few minutes of your time to read.
 
---------------------
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.