The leader of Pakistan’s Christian political party slammed recently the move by a Muslim political group in to ban the bible in Pakistan because they claim that it is blasphemous.

Nazir Bhatti, head of the Central Council of the Pakistan Christian Congress issued a statement saying that the move by Maulana Abdul Rauf Farooqi, a leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, to ban the bible on the grounds of blasphemy will not prosper, the Pakistan Christian Post said.

Bhatti also said derided the claims of “an illiterate Muslim cleric” who expressed doubt about the health of the bible in a Lahore press conference. Bhatti said in his statement that only the bible points the way to eternal life, the Pakistan Christian Post said.

Bhatti said in his statement, “Christianity is [the] only religion on [the] globe that has spiritual, scientific and historical evidence to prove [the] health of [the] holy bible,” the Pakistan Christian Post reported.

Bhatti noted that the Islamic World has only one copy of the Qur’an which is displayed in Tashkent Museum [that was] written in [the] Kofi language in 300 years according to Hijra Calendar, the Pakistan Christian Post said.

By contrast, many museums have manuscripts of the holy bible that have been preserved for hundreds of years, and many scholars have translated the bible into different languages, according to the Pakistan Christian Post.

Bhatti said, “It is Islamic history which calls Caliph Omar as “Mujtaba-ul-Qur’an” meaning a title for Hazrat Omar on “Compiling Holy Qur’an.” The Islamic history goes on to state that during rule of Caliph Omar, different Muslim tribes were reciting different editions of holy Qur’an, therefore Caliph Omar ordered every tribe to assemble in with their versions of holy Qur’an,” the Pakistan Christian Post said.

Bhatti said, “The Islamic history further reads that Caliph Omar collected copies of [the] holy Qur’an from every tribe and burnt them. Then Caliph Omar called [those] who were experts in recitation of [the] holy Qur’an and ordered them to recite verse by verse. When one verse was seconded by [an]other Qur’an reciter, It was written and likewise Hazrat Omar compiled [the] holy Qur’an. But [the] Islamic world is unable to present that copy to the world, even,” the Pakistan Christian Post reported.

Bhatti also said that the JUI has an Islamic school in Akhora Khatak which produces “Taliban, not Islamic scholars.” He noted that the students in the school are not taught science or technology, the Pakistan Christian Post said.

Bhatti said that if the JUI tries to file its appeal to the Supreme Court in Pakistan, it will be dismissed because “Judges have studied in [the] 20th century education model, not in Akhora Khatak Maddrassa,” the Pakistan Christian Post reported.

Bhatti said the Pakistan Christian Congress is formulating a plan of action that will be implemented if JUI tries to petition a ban on the bible in Pakistan, the Pakistan Christian Post said.

Shiite clerics and media in Iran have stepped up a deliberate campaign recently that is designed to quell and intimidate religious minorities through threats and intimidation, especially Christians.

Much of the persecution comes from the militia and media that is linked to security forces, and is particularly focused on Muslims who have converted to Christianity, according to Assist News.

An article in Mohabat News noted that the gravitation of Iranian citizens had been a source of “aggravation” for the government and Islamic clergy, citing the “Pasdaran Militia and media outlets belonging to these organizations” which it said leveraged “ever-increasing pressure on Christian families and those who have recently become Christians,” Assist News reported.

Woman flees country in fear

Human rights groups have slammed “gross violations” by the government against Christians in Iran, including jailing Christians for blasphemy and recently, executing a Christian couple in secret, This is Derbyshire said.

Even just being found with a bible in one’s bag can lead to fear of death. This was the experience of Mina Aminoo, who has fled to the U.K. where she is seeking asylum, after police in Tehran told her, “Be very afraid. You have done a bad thing by having a bible,” according to This is Derbyshire.

The 56-year-old woman spent her life savings to get false papers to flee to escape to the U.K. She told This is Derbyshire, “The police were watching me, that’s what they said.”

The bible was found in her handbag at the Iranian airport when she was coming back from a vacation in Turkey. Aminoo told This is Derbyshire, “I was told that it was forbidden in Iran for anyone to convert to Christianity and I was asked if I was going to preach the words of the Bible in Iran.”

Aminoo told This is Derbyshire, “I tried to explain that I’d been given the Bible from a woman in the local church in Istanbul – but the police didn’t believe me.” Aminoo was lucky to escape, but many other Christians who are still in Iran continue to face serious danger.

False Christians

Ayatollah Sobhani from Southern Khoarasan Province, in a meeting with leaders of the Islamic Guidance Foundation warned of the activities of “false” Christians referring to Protestants and born-again Evangelicals, Assist News said.

Sobhani did not define “false Christians,” but said, “[T]hese Christian evangelists have converted 600 people to Christianity in the city of Neyshabour.” He did not mention where he got his statistics, according to Assist News.

However, Assist News noted that Sobhani’s claims came after another Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Vahid Khorasani, claimed to have statistics of Christian converts from Islam in Qum City.

Khorasani slammed Iran’s government and security forces, saying they were neglecting this issue. He demanded forceful action. He also criticized Pope Benedict XVI whom he accused of working actively to spread Christianity in Iran, Assist News said.

Khorasani warned the Vatican that if it persists in doing this, there will be a harsh expose against the Catholic Church of issues that will cause it grave harm, according to Assist News.

The article in Mohabat News said, “These confrontations between the security forces with Christians, especially those who have recently become Christians, proves that despite the ongoing suppression of believers and measures that have made life more and more difficult for the Christian community, people still and willingly embrace the Christian faith as their personal belief,” Assist News reported.

The planners of a foiled bombing attack on a Christian church on Good Friday had planned to have the blast filmed for local and international media.

This was discovered when the 20^th suspect in the foiled plot, a media man, was picked up by police authorities. Cameraman Imam Firdaus of Jakarta-based Global-TV was recruited by Pepi Fernando, the group’s leader, the AP said.

Firdaus was tasked to film and broadcast the bombing and other acts of the terrorist group, the AP said. He was also asked by Fernando to invite foreign media to film the church bombing, Jakarta Globe said.

The suspects were picked up in a series of raids that the national police conducted this week, Col. Boy Rafli Amar, national police spokesman, told the AP. “He is now being questioned to determine his role in the group,” Amar said.

Amar told Jakarta Globe that Fernando wanted the church blast to be broadcast live. Some of the 20 suspects are also linked to a foiled book bombing campaign, the bombing of a police compound and a suicide blast last week at a Muslim mosque, AFP reported.

Plotters’ profiles

Fernando, who majored in Islamic religious education, graduated from Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic University. He is married to Deni Karmelita of the National Narcotics Agency. They have three children, Jakarta Globe said.

Many of the other detainees also have university degrees, and some of them could be linked to the suicide bombing last week in a
local police compound in Cirebon, West Java, police told AFP.

Family members of the suspected plotters would not speak to media. However, friends of Firdaus said the arrested media man had secular beliefs, even if he studied at an Islamic university, the AP said.

Foiled church blast

Police defused nine bombs around the 3,000-capacity Christ Cathedral Church in Serpong, Jakarta, some devices weighing up to 175 lbs, the AP reported. Some bombs were positioned beneath a gas pipeline. The blast was timed to occur on Friday morning when thousands of worshippers were expected to be present, Jakarta Globe said.

Mastermind arrest

Police arrested Fernando in Banda Aceh on Thursday, in connection with the foiled book bombing campaign plot which he also masterminded. Upon interrogation, they then learned of the planned attack on Christ Cathedral, Jakarta Globe said.

In the foiled book bomb plot, which took place last month, several bombs were mailed to a number of people, including a counter-terrorism government official and some liberal Muslim leaders for their “sins against Islam,” the AFP reported.

Mosque blast

Some of the arrested suspects are also linked to a suicide blast in a mosque last week where 30 people were injured. This is the first time that a suicide bombing occurred inside a mosque in this nation of 240 million, said to be the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, the AFP said.

Some 20,000 police were deployed to safeguard Christian Easter celebrations in Jakarta, the AFP said. While 90 percent of Indonesia is Muslim, most of the people are moderates who hate violence, the AP said.

Fringe terror groups

In recent years, regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah attacked several areas in Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali bombings. The AP reported that small, extremist fringe terror groups are emerging in recent years which tend to be more vocal and more violent.

International Crisis Group, a think tank in Brussels, said there is a new trend of terrorism where small groups adopt “individual jihad” directed at police, Christians and other local enemies, the AFP reported.

Fernando learned how to make bombs through the internet, a source told Jakarta Globe, adding “Just Google it and you’ll find how to do it easily.”

Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi is trying to get himself out of the hot seat by stirring up the present war and portraying it, amid intervention from coalition forces, as another religious crusade of Christians in the West against all Islamic armies.

Gaddafi is hoping, in doing so, to provoke anger and reign in support not only from Muslims in Libya, but also from Muslims outside of the country, according to Barnabas Fund.

Coalition forces have reigned in Gaddafi and are keeping him under pressure with continued air strikes, and he is responding with religious rhetoric. Over the weekend Gaddafi declared that he was the defender of Libya and the country’s dignity against France, the U.S. and Britain, according to Barnabas Fund.

Gaddafi said in his government controlled media, “The Christians…are in a pact against us,” and said he would wage a “long-drawn war,” adding, “We have Allah with us, you have the devil on your side,” Barnabas Fund reported.

Last Tuesday Gaddafi made a public appearance—his first since the coalition declared Libya a no-fly zone. Gaddafi told supporters that there is a “new crusader battle launched by crusader countries on Islam,” according to Barnabas Fund.

Gaddafi added, “Long live Islam everywhere. All Islamic armies must take part in the battle, all free [people] must take part in the battle. In the short term, we will beat them. In the long term, we will beat them,” Christian Today reported.

Divisive

According to Christian Today, there have been some elements of division caused by the coalition’s intervention, threatening support from the Arab League, which expressed concern that it may have exceeded the boundaries of the UN resolution.

The US, according to Christian Today, has taken great effort to lay responsibility on Europe. After a series of talks, France, the U.K. and the U.S. agreed that NATO will take charge of the no-fly zone.

Amid all this, the U.K. Evangelical Alliance stated that the coalition must focus on protecting civilians. In a statement, it warned against the conflict escalating to the point where Libya becomes “another Iraq,” Christian Today said.

The Evangelical Alliance said the coalition should limit its operations to destroying Gaddafi’s capability to harm his own people, and ensuring a return of the country to normalcy as soon as possible, Christian Today said.

Steve Clifford, general director of the Evangelical Alliance said in a statement, “We ask that the current UN campaign does not go beyond its mandate and that civilian lives are protected in every possible way,” Christian Today reported.

Christians in Libya

Gaddafi’s newest strategy puts Libya’s vulnerable Christian community in harm’s way, as they may become targets of revenge for anti-Western wrath by Gaddafi supporters, according to Barnabas Fund.

The church in Libya is mainly comprised by expats, mostly coming from sub-Saharan Africa. It is likely many of them will leave due to the country’s unrest. Of greater concern is the safety of Libyan Muslims who converted to Christianity, Barnabas Fund  said.

Libyan converts live in isolation and are fearful of having contact with foreigners. They also fear meeting among themselves due to government infiltrators, according to Barnabas Fund.

Invoking al-Qaeda

Gaddafi has also responded to the international intervention by threatening to join al-Qaeda, saying, “If they [the West] behave with us as they did in Iraq, then Libya will leave the international alliance against terrorism. We will then ally ourselves with al-Qaeda and declare a holy war,”  Barnabas Fund reported.

Gaddafi has long dreamed of making Africa into a single Muslim government, ergo a United Islamic States of Africa. Now he is appealing to radical Islamists to help him overcome the coalition, according to the Barnabas Fund.

As some 1,000 Coptic worshippers in Egypt concluded their New Year’s Eve midnight service, a powerful bomb exploded, killing 21 and wounding 79 others.

The blast followed warnings from al-Qaida in Iraq that Christians in Egypt would be attacked. Police initially blamed the Saints Church in Alexandria attack on a parked car. Later, the Interior Ministry said it was likely a suicide bomber, The Guardian said.

The Ministry, in a statement said a number of cars were destroyed by the blast adding, “It is likely that the device which exploded was carried by a suicide bomber who died among the others,” The Guardian reported.

Both methods are commonly used by al-Qaida. The Egyptian government defeated a militant Islamic insurgency in the 1990s, and has long said there is no militant Islamic presence in the country.

However, there is a growing sector of Islamic hardliners who may have become more radicalized as sectarian tensions between Egypt’s Muslims and Christians heightened, the AP said.

Bloomberg reported that the blast occurred at 12:30 a.m. on the first day of the New Year. Father Mena Adel, a priest at the service, said it occurred while people were leaving. He told The Guardian, “I was inside the church and heard a huge explosion. People’s bodies were in flames.”

Marco Boutros, 17, who survived the attack, told the AP, “The last thing I heard was a powerful explosion and then my ears went deaf. All I could see were body parts scattered all over—legs and bits of flesh.”

Another witness told The Guardian, “This is a scene from Baghdad.” People mentioned the burned chassis of a wrecked car, and several body parts and dozens injured nearby.

Within hours of the explosion President Mubarak, on state TV, vowed to catch the perpetrators saying, “We will cut off the hands of terrorists and those plotting against Egypt’s security…terrorism does not distinguish between Copts and Muslims,” the AP reported.

Bloomberg reported that Suleiman Awwad, presidential spokesman said, “the president, while expressing his condolences to the victims’ families, urges Egyptians, Muslims and Coptic Christians alike, to stand united against terrorism.”

Bishop Armia, a senior aide to Pope Shenouda III said, “This attack targets Egypt’s security as a whole. God will protect us,” the AP reported.

Tensions rising

Sectarian violence has worsened in Egypt, where only 10 percent of the populace of 80 million are Christians in a Muslim majority country. In November, a number of Christians were killed in a clash with police after they halted construction of a church, Bloomberg said.

The AP called it the New Year explosion the deadliest attack on Christians since 1999 when clashes in a southern Egyptian town led to the 20 people dead, mostly Christians. From 2004 to 2006, Islamic militants were responsible for three major bomb attacks in three Red Sea resorts that killed 125 people, the AP said.

The government blamed the attacks on local extremists but the AP said it may have been a ruse to draw attention away from fears of the al-Qaida, which would affect the country’s tourism industry.

No faith in government

Christians do not believe Egypt’s government is doing enough to protect them. After the church explosion, Christians clashed with police, and some forced entry into a mosque across the street where Christians and Muslims threw books, stones and bottles at each other, the AP said.

Later in the afternoon Christians waving kitchen knives again took to the streets. A Christian woman at Saints Hospital, which is affiliated with the church, shouted, “Now it’s between Christians and the government, not between Muslims and Christians.”

Christians are doubtful a full investigation of the blast will be launched. Archbishop Arweis, a leading cleric in Alexandria, said police want to blame the blast on a suicide bomber so that they can say the attacker acted alone.

Al-Qaida in Iraq has been relentlessly attacking Christians in Iraq since October when they held siege on a church which resulted in 44 deaths, on behalf of two Egyptian Christian women who allegedly converted to Islam, the AP said.

The women have been kept in hiding by the church, and many hard-line Muslims believe the church is imprisoning them. The church has denied this, but al-Qaida in Iraq had pledged to escalate attacks on Christians until the two women are released, the AP said.

Islamic principles govern Somali region in southern part of country.

NAIROBI, Kenya, November 29 (Compass Direct News) – A Christian in Ethiopia’s southern town of Moyale who languished in jail for more than three months after he was accused of desecrating the Quran has been sentenced to three years of prison, church leaders said.

Tamirat Woldegorgis, a member of the Full Gospel Church in his early 30s, was arrested in early August after a Muslim co-worker in the clothes-making business the two operated out of a rented home discovered Woldegorgis had inscribed “Jesus is Lord” on some cloth, area Christians said. His business partner later accused him of writing “Jesus is Lord” in a copy of the Quran, although no evidence of that ever surfaced.

Woldegorgis was sentenced on Nov. 18 for allegedly defacing the Quran and was subsequently transferred to Jijiga prison, a source said. Jijiga is the capital of Ethiopia’s Somali Region Zone Five, which is governed by Islamic principles, and his transfer there – after a period in which his whereabouts were unknown – puts his life in greater danger, a church leader said.

In Ethiopia’s federal state system, each state is autonomous in its administration, and most of those holding government positions in Somali Region Zone Five are Muslims.

“Three years in a harsh jail in Jijiga for an innocent man is quite costly,” said the church leader, who requested anonymity for security reasons.

The church is concerned about the condition of the father of two from Hagarmariam village.

Additionally, two of Woldegorgis’ friends were fined 5,000 Kenyan shillings (US$60) each for supporting him by either taking food to him or visiting him while in prison. The two were said to be condemned for supporting a criminal who allegedly desecrated the Quran and allegedly defamed Islam, church leaders said.

Woldegorgis’ Muslim associate, whose name has not been established, had gone to a mosque with the accusation that Woldegorgis had written “Jesus is Lord” in the Quran itself, sources said. Angry sheikhs at the mosque subsequently had Woldegorgis arrested for desecrating the book sacred to Islam, they said. Other sources said, however, that Muslims accused Woldegorgis of writing “Jesus is Lord” on a piece of wood, on a minibus and then on the wall of a house.

Sources previously told Compass that authorities had offered to release Woldegorgis if he would convert to Islam.

Hostility toward those spreading faiths different from Islam is a common occurrence in predominantly Muslim areas of Ethiopia and neighboring countries, they said. Christians are often subject to harassment and intimidation.

Ethiopia’s constitution, laws and policies generally respect freedom of religion, but occasionally some local authorities infringe on this right, according to the U.S. Department of State’s 2010 International Religious Freedom Report.

According to the 2007 census, 44 percent of Ethiopia’s population affiliate with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, 19 percent are evangelical and Pentecostal and 34 percent are Sunni Muslim.

Some members of Texas’ State Board of Education supported recently a resolution that seeks to ensure that future state textbooks show balance and do not show bias towards any particular religion.

Bob Craig of Texas’ SBOE called for a balanced, unbiased curriculum in textbooks, in support of a resolution penned by Randy Rives which claims that “a Pro-Islamic, anti-Christian bias has tainted some past social studies books,” FOX News reported.

“Certainly, if Christianity is not getting an equal share of time in the book, (then) it needs to have that, without question,” Craig told FOX News. “I think there is legitimate concern that our textbooks need to be accurate…and they need to be fair.”

The resolution’s preliminary draft says, “Diverse reviewers have repeatedly documented gross pro-Islamic, anti-Christian distortions in social studies texts” throughout the U.S., and some social studies textbooks in Texas showed anti-Christian and pro-Islamic views. It warns publishers that the board will reject books that are biased, The Dallas Morning News said.

Not legal, campaign posturing

Thomas Ratliff, a Republican candidate who is expected to be an incoming board member said the resolution is in conflict with a 1995 state law which says the SBOE cannot determine the content in textbooks, the Dallas Morning News reported.

The 1995 law was penned 15 years ago by Ratliff’s father, former Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff. It states that the SBOE can only judge whether a textbook meets specified physical requirements, is factual, and meets the state’s curriculum standards, the Dallas Morning News said.

Don McLeroy, SBOE member, said the resolution is legal and said that in 2003 he personally identified one book which showed bias in favor of Islam. He talked to the publisher who concurred and made the text more impartial, The Dallas Morning News reported.

McLeroy said, “There is reason to be concerned about bias in our history books. That is what motivated supporters of the resolution.” Jay Diskey of the Association of American Publishers said the current textbooks were amended to balance coverage of religions, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Mary Helen Berlanga, D-Corpus Christi questioned the timing of the resolution and said it could be posturing in light of the elections. She told The Dallas Morning News, “We need to be focusing on real issues like how to graduate more of our students.”

Rives, who wrote the proposal, told FOX News, “We were just some parties that were really concerned (by) what we had seen in some of the textbooks in the past.” Rives said they also noted there was no safeguard to make sure it is not repeated in the future.

Samer Altabba, a Muslim from Texas is also concerned about bias and feels that Islam is misrepresented in textbooks. He told FOX News, “A lot of people perceive Islam as a religion of violence or terrorism or hatred, while Islam is a religion of peace.”

Craig said his interest is that textbooks are factual and balanced. He told FOX News, “I think really the resolution is nothing more than a resolution. It’s not binding, it’s just a comment. It has no authority as far as what the state board will do in the future.”

The resolution will be considered by the board next week, FOX News said.

Despite Indonesia’s secular constitution, a recent rise in tension between hard-line Muslims and Christians threatens to tarnish the moderate reputation that the country now enjoys.

Indonesia is the most Muslim populated country in the world, but most of the people are moderate Muslims. They have a secular constitution which gained them global acceptance and importance to the U.S. and their Western allies, who see enhanced relations with moderate Muslim nations as an important part of its war against terrorism, the Global Post said.

Recently Islamic hardliners in Indonesia have stepped up their aggressions. The extremist Islamic Defenders Front has formed militias to prevent alleged Christian proselytizing of Muslims, and they conduct raids against minority religious groups, Global Post said.

This group has stoned and burned down churches, closed down places of worship and mobbed Christians. Most recently, on August 8 some 20 parishioners of Batak Christian Protestant Church were beaten down by extremists wielding clubs, the Global Post said.

Such actions have negatively affected international perception of Indonesia as a moderate Muslim nation and the rising acts of religious intolerance may harm its standing in the global community, the Global Post said.

Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy chair of the Setara Institute, an NGO, said Indonesia follows the principles of Pancasila which sanctions six official religions—Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Protestanism, Catholicism and Confucianism, the Global Post said.

In 1978 the government ruled that it is forbidden to try to convert anyone who already has a religion. However Naipospos said Christians and Muslims largely ignore the regulation and that most conversions happen through marriage or personal choice, the Global Post said.

Naipospos also noted that many Indonesian families have multi-religious backgrounds due to migration which resulted in mixed marriages. When democracy was introduced 12 years ago, there was more freedom to practice one’s religion, the Global Post said.

Yoshua Pitoy, a pastor with the Christian Brotherhood Church said a double standard exists, however, in that while Christians may convert to Islam without persecution, Muslims who become Christians must deal with threats and potential violence from relatives and community members, the Global Post said.

In his own church, Pitoy is reluctant to name new members because some have not yet told their family about their beliefs due to fear for their personal safety and wellbeing, the Global Post said.

The Global Post does tell the story of Diena, a 20-year-old former Muslim who converted to Catholicism. Although she has not yet informed her parents, she is attending catechism classes prior to her baptism.

Her classmates are mostly converts through marriage. Others are elderly who were once Catholic and now want to go back to the faith. Diena was drawn to the Jesuit run Dnyarkara School of Philosophy because her love for the subject matter, Global Post said.

Her life is described as typical of many Indonesians. When she was young her parents separated. Her stepfather is a former Christian who converted when he married her mother, a Java Muslim. Her biological father is a Muslim from Yemen, Global Post said.

Last year an Egyptian girl wrote a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama from a Coptic Christian  website.

She told the president that Muslims in the United States are treated much better than Copts in Egypt, Compass Direct News (CDN) reported.

Dina Maher Ahmad Mo’otahssem and her father have been on the run for two years due to religious persecution in Egypt.

Dina Maher Ahmad Mo’otahssem, 16, has been in hiding since 2008 with her father, Maher Ahmad El-Mo’otahssem Bellah El-Gohary.  They have suffered constant persecution whenever people discover their identities, CDN said.

Dina asked Obama to pressure the Egyptian government to ensure religious rights, and expressed hope that she and her father could migrate to the United States, CDN reported.

Last week Dina and her father lived in a tiny, two-bedroom apartment in an unidentified city in Egypt.  The floor was littered with grime and trash. Clumps of dust and used water bottles were everywhere.  El-Gohary had taped over the locks and the inside of windows and doors to guard against eavesdroppers and intruders.

He taped over all the drain holes of the sinks and the shower so no one could pump in natural gas at night.  When the neighbors learned he was a Christian, they threw rocks and pebbles at his home, enough to litter the porch.  El-Gohary couldn’t open a window because rocks might get thrown in, according to CDN.

Whenever he leaves, he padlocks the door, wraps it with a small plastic bag and melts the bag to the lock with a match.  But he rarely leaves the place because it is not safe to go out.

Last month while walking to a market with Dina, someone poured acid over her jacket.  When El-Gohary saw it sizzle and dissolve he immediately ripped it off of her and threw it away before she was hurt, CDN said.

He can’t work and relies on other Christians to bring him food, water and the occasional donation. He cannot count on his own family for help.  When the food runs out, he has to brave going outside.

El-Gohary can’t attend a church more than once, nor can they go to a supermarket more than once.  He has been a Christian for 36 years, but he was forced to go into hiding after August 2008, because he sued the national government to allow him to change the religion listed on his state-issued ID from Islam to Christianity, according to CDN.

El-Gohary didn’t want his daughter to be forced to take Islamic education classes or have her declared an “apostate” by Egyptian Islamic authorities if she decided to stay a Christian into adulthood.  This is why he asked for the ID change.

Dina is required by law to possess an ID card, which is used for everything from opening a bank account to receiving medical care. The ID also determines whether Egyptians are subject to Islamic civil courts.  Dina is considered to be a Muslim because her father was born a Muslim, CDN said.

Conversion

El-Gohary became a Christian after he read the account of Jesus meeting a woman caught committing adultery.  He was touched by the level of mercy that Jesus showed her, CDN said.

El-Gohary said. “The basis of Christianity is love and forgiveness, unlike Islam, where it is based on revenge, fighting and war.”  He also said of the two religions’ versions of heaven, that the Islamic heaven is about physical pleasure, while for Christians it is about being with God, CDN reported.

El-Gohary was forced to hide because the State Council, a consultative body of Egypt’s Administrative Court, charged him with apostasy, the penalty for which is death, CDN said.  The case is still ongoing.

El-Gohary believes that he and his daughter are being used to set an example to other Muslims who want to convert.  Also, he thinks they fear that if he is allowed to leave the country, he will talk about how Egypt persecutes Copts.

He said, “We are trapped in our own country without even the rights that animals have.”  When the mosque across the street learned of his identity and of his case, they began to blast messages from their minaret megaphones on how to deal with Christians, CDN reported.

The imam shouted, “Do not shake their hands. Do not go into their homes. Do not eat their food.”  Since he has become a Christian, El-Gohary has been beaten, forcibly detained, endured death threats and poverty.

Still, he and Dina have no regrets about having become Christian, and they have no dreams to become Muslim again, the CDN said.

Somalia’s minority Christians still observed Pentecost, despite a spray of gunfire between  pro-government troops and Muslim militants causing 14 deaths.

The engagement occurred as the insurgent group al-Shabab advanced on the presidential palace overnight, but were stopped by government troops and African Union peacekeepers, according to BosNewsLife.

Somalia’s frail government faces unrest from two insurgent groups, al-Shabab and Hizbul Islam.  Although the two latter groups agree that they want a more strict Islamic state, they are also fighting each other, aside from both groups fighting the government.

As of now, much of central and southern Somalia and large parts of Mogadishu are under the control of insurgents.  The Sharif government controls small areas around the airport, seaport and presidential palace, with the help of African Union troops, BosNewsLife reported.

The Sharif government also struggles with internal conflict.  Last week President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed tried to fire the prime minister, but backed down this week, stating that he recognized the method of the firing was unconstitutional, according to BosNewsLife.

Both the Sharif government and the two warring insurgent factions would like to obliterate the Christians.   While the president proclaims himself a moderate, he embraces a sharia, or Islamic law, that mandates the death penalty for those who leave Islam, BosNewsLife reported.

On the other hand, both Al-Shabab and Hizbul Islam would like to rid Somalia of Christianity, and all non-Islamic culture, which they describe as barbaric.  It is believed that there are 1,000 Christians in Somalia, BosNewsLife said.

Al-Shabab recently shot and killed Christian leader Yusuf Ali Nur, 57 whom they suspected of being a Christian.  Nur was killed in Xarardheere, a small town 37 miles from the regional capital Jowhar.  Nur left behind a wife and three children, aged 11, 9 and 7, according to BosNewsLife.

Al-Shabab had also, before then, shot and killed Christian Mu’awiye Hilowle Ali in front of his house in the town of Afgoye, some 15 miles west of the capital Mogadishu.  Ali is survived by a wife and ten children, BosNewsLife said.

Over a dozen Christians are known to have been killed by militants within a year, according to Christian advocacy groups.  This troubled country has also seen tens of thousands of people killed in war, and over a million displaced in what aid groups call the most dire humanitarian situation in the world, BosNewsLife reported.

The president has met with the international community at a United Nations backed conference in Istanbul, Turkey, to shore up worldwide support for his fragile government, according to BosNewsLife.

On Saturday, May 22, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reportedly said that international support for the government is “the only way” to stabilize Somalia, which has not had a stable central government in nearly 20 years, BosNewsLife reported.

Somali pirates have earned well deserved notoriety for regularly attacking international ships, kidnapping their seamen and demanding ransom.