Free Republic

Forty members of Congress are calling on the military commander who ordered the court martial of three Navy SEALs over the alleged punching of a terrorist to dismiss the charges. The letter, circulated by Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), was sent Thursday to Army Major Gen. Charles T. Cleveland, commander of Special Operation Command Central. Gen. Cleveland ordered the prosecution of the three SEALs. “In our opinion, prosecutorial discretion should have been exercised,” the 40 congressmen said. “Failing that, we respectfully and strongly urge you to exercise your leadership authority, stop the impending court martial and exonerate these men.” Earlier, 33...

HO CHI MINH CITY, December 14 (CDN) — On Friday evening (Dec. 11), history was made in communist Vietnam. Christian sources reported that some 40,000 people gathered in a hastily constructed venue in Ho Chi Minh City to worship God, celebrate Christmas, and hear a gospel message – an event of unprecedented magnitude in Vietnam. A popular Vietnamese Christian website and other reports indicated up to 8,000 people responded to the gospel message indicating a desire to follow Christ.

17 year old Rifqa Bary remains in near total isolation. Ohio Court officials say she will not be allowed any visits from friends. Gag order on case.

"Every three minutes a Christian is being tortured in the Muslim world, and in 2009 more than 165,000 Christians will have been killed because of their faith, most of them in Muslim countries" ... "El Shafie said that between 200-300 million Christians are being persecuted in the world, 80 percent of whom lived in Muslim countries and the rest in communist and other countries"

"Unlike American officials, German officials do not recognize the right of parents to opt their children out of offensive classes such as sex education which overrides the parent's beliefs or desires for their own children," "One of the reasons for this is that German officials view the children as belonging to the state, particularly during the time they are in school."

More than 1,000 Buddhist extremists armed with clubs, swords and stones ferociously attacked a Catholic church in the town of Crooswatta, Sri Lanka on December 6, destroying the altar, statues and pews. L’Osservatore Romano reported that Father Jude Denzil Lakshman, pastor of Our Lady of the Mystical Rose, said “I still can hear their shouts in my ears, ‘Cut him to pieces, kill him’.” The attack took place after the 7 p.m., Sunday Mass, leaving several parishioners wounded. “It is obvious that the attack was well-planned and that the mob waited for us to come out after Mass,” Father Lakshman...

to serve nearly 50,000 worshippers in the gritty heart of China's coal country. But that was before hundreds of police and hired thugs descended on the mega-church, smashing doors and windows, seizing Bibles and sending dozens of worshippers to hospitals with serious injuries, members and activists say Today, the church's co-pastors are in jail. The gates to the church complex in the northern province of Shanxi are locked and a police armored personnel vehicle sits outside. The closure of what may be China's first mega-church is the most visible sign that the communist government is determined to rein in the...

Someone posted that original link broke, hence this repeat. “In a startling disclosure from an exchange at an East London mosque, Imam Abdul Makin and a leading Muslim lawyer have supported the killing and raping of non-Muslims, declaring all non-Muslims as guilty and subject to lethal abuse.”

LINFEN, China — Towering eight stories over wheat fields, the Golden Lamp Church was built to serve nearly 50,000 worshippers in the gritty heart of China's coal country.But that was before hundreds of police and hired thugs descended on the mega-church, smashing doors and windows, seizing Bibles and sending dozens of worshippers to hospitals with serious injuries, members and activists say Today, the church's co-pastors are in jail. The gates to the church complex in the northern province of Shanxi are locked and a police armored personnel vehicle sits outside. The closure of what may be China's first mega-church is...

Christian human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng was seized by a dozen police officers and last seen in public on February 4, 2009. Gao Zhisheng has been repeatedly kidnapped, arrested, imprisoned and tortured by Chinese authorities for defending the persecuted. He has been an unyielding voice for justice in the Chinese courts and was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008.

Sins of the General’s Part 5: Political Equivocation at the BOI http://warchronicle.com/DefendOurMarines/Weimann/SinsOfGenerals_PartFive.htm “Moreover, defense attempts to disqualify Brig. Gen. Lewis Craparotta, the President and senior member of the Board, who during pre-hearing questioning expressed a personal view that investigating every civilian death is the right approach because “that’s the way to protect Marines,” also failed. Defense attorney LtCol Shelburne had challenged the fact that he was sitting on the Board of Inquiry with a pre-existing opinion of what to do in a similar situation as LtCol Chessani.” Folks, if the defense wanted to disqualify General Craparotta at LtCol. Chessani’s BOI,...

NOTE the post's date and then realize that the persecution continues as I type; however, Muslims respond by stating all this is bogus. Some have to read Muslim prayers in order to survive. Others have to proclaim aloud that they have converted from Christianity to Islam in order not to be slain. Still others have to read from the Koran and say they agree with what they read.

America, like so many countries in the West, laments its strained relations with the Islamic world. In June, Pres. Barack Obama traveled to Cairo to speak against the “fear and mistrust” that exist between the West and Islam. Yet Muslim governments demand respect for Islam while refusing to offer similar respect for religious minorities within their own borders. The recent Swiss vote to ban the construction of minarets in that European nation has become the latest controversy to generate Muslim protests worldwide. However, Islamic governments are in no position to complain about Western intolerance and “Islamophobia.” Most Muslim nations are...

If Christians do not keep watch over their freedom of religious expression, it could be taken away from them even in a free nation. Then they would be hampered like the Christians are in India.

"Pakistani Christian on Run from Taliban Death Threat Islamic extremist sermonizing leads to altercation at barbershop in South Waziristan." SNIPPET: "LAHORE, Pakistan, November 27 (CDN) — A young Christian man is in hiding in Pakistan from Taliban militants who seek to kill him for “blasphemy” because he defended his faith. In February Jehanzaib Asher, 22, was working in a barbershop his family jointly owns with his cousin in Wana, South Waziristan – a Taliban stronghold in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in Pakistan’s northwest – when the Islamic militants showed up to try to convert him to Islam." SNIPPET: "He...

Photos included. # SNIPPET: "Cairo (AINA) -- In an effort to cover up the Muslim mob violence against the Copts which broke out last week in the town of Farshoot and neighboring villages (AINA 11-22-2009, 11-23-2009), and in view of the complete news blackout imposed by the Egyptian government, Egyptian State Security has intensified its pressure on the Coptic Church in Nag Hammadi and the victims of the violence into accepting extrajudicial reconciliation with the perpetrators, and opening their businesses without any compensation. Similar State Security scenarios have been experienced by Copts in all sectarian incidents in the past, in...

“How does what a person does in the privacy of his home hurt you”? Answer: When what is done in the privacy of one’s home is sanctioned by the government it creates a legitimization for that action or lifestyle that inevitably invades the homes of others through the media – newspapers, TV, movies, the internet – through the schools – requiring students, regardless of religious or moral beliefs, to take classes with the purpose of indoctrinating them with the State’s values – through the law – criminalizing thoughts, words, or actions (Hate Crime Laws) the State deems offensive or intolerant....

The Court's conduct throughout the trial clearly indicated the government had decided upon the verdict and prepared it in advance. There were only two 20 minutes breaks for recess, and only four family members of the convicted prisoners were allowed to be present during the trial. Government prosecutors showed over 1000 pages of so-called "evidence materials" related to this case, but the defense lawyers were only allowed to review about 50 pages before the trial to prepare their defense. The six Christian rights defense lawyers, including reknowned Attorneys Li Fangping (Simon) and Zhang Kai (Kevin), presented a very clear and...

The blessings of God and the promise that He made to protect the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel save them from their neighbors, relatives and enemies. However, this very success and achievements of this small family, as per God’s promise and against all odds and opposition, raises the hatred and jealousy of their neighbors... ... This is also a lesson that our father Yaakov intended to teach us. We are not allowed to rein in our talents and achievements.

I have had the privilege of appearing on several hundred radio shows over the past 12 years speaking about my books. I always try to bring the conversation around to the Rapture and the truth of the Word which states that the Lord will gather together His church and take them to Heaven before the Apocalypse proper begins. Invariably I receive emails from sincere fellow Christians insisting that we are indeed to go through the Great Tribulation and that I am a coward for not wanting to accept this trial of faith. I always reply with Romans 5:9 where Paul...

Iran has effectively admitted that what it calls Islam is a fraud and a self-serving lie whose sole purpose is to enable its rulers, and that Christianity is the superior belief framework. We reported previously that Iran imprisoned, tortured, and threatened to execute two women who converted to Christianity. Iran also hanged Hossein Soodmand for becoming a Christian. This proves that what Iran calls Islam is a lie and a fraud while Christianity, if not a scientifically proven truth, is still the superior belief system. The reason is obvious: mullahs and ayatollahs who spent decades studying the Koran were unable...

Victims of Bomb Blast in Israel Recovering as Suspect Indicted Ami Ortiz, then 15, nearly six weeks after he opened Purim basket containing a bomb. (photo: Leah Ortiz) Messianic Jews hope for punishment from courts, mercy from God, for confessed killer. ISTANBUL, November 13 (CDN) — One morning during the week of March 10, 2008 in Ariel, Israel, David Ortiz opened his Bible randomly, read the words on the pages that opened before him and was filled with dread. “I opened the book to Jeremiah, and a verse jumped out, “Ortiz said, referring to Jeremiah 9:21: “Death has climbed in...

Islamic Extremists Execute Young Convert in Somalia Christian accused of trying to convert Muslim teenager found shot on Mogadishu street. NAIROBI, Kenya, November 23 (CDN) — Islamic extremists controlling part of the Somali capital of Mogadishu this month executed a young Christian they accused of trying to convert a 15-year-old Muslim to Christianity. Members of the Islamic extremist group al Shabaab had taken 23-year-old Mumin Abdikarim Yusuf into custody on Oct. 28 after the 15-year-old boy reported him to the militants, an area source told Compass. Yusuf’s body was found on Nov. 14 on an empty residential street in Mogadishu,...

Iran: Maryam and Marzieh free On November 18, Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Amirizadeh were released from Evin Prison in Tehran after being held for 259 days, according to Elam Ministries. Family members picked them up at the prison, and the women expressed heartfelt thanks to Christians around the world who prayed for them during their days in prison. “Words are not enough to express our gratitude to the Lord and to his people who have prayed and worked for our release,” they said. Maryam and Marzieh were released without bail, but charges against them have not been formally dropped, and...

What would they do to JESUS?Militant "Muslims" seek to appeal to Christians by invoking the ancient blood libel of Jews as Christ-killers. It is not Jews, however, but militant "Muslims" who persecute and even kill Christians in the 21st century, and it is pretty easy to imagine what they would do to Jesus. ...Two young Iranian women, Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad, suffered physical abuse and torture in Iran's notorious Evin Prison because they converted to Christianity. Iran had in fact threatened to put them to death, much as the depraved Roman Emperor Nero fed Christians to lions to...

A Reason to Rally Malcolm A. Kline, November 13, 2009 One piece of hope and change on the campuses that voted overwhelmingly for the party in power is that anti-war rallies centered on the American occupation of Iraq have virtually disappeared. Ironically, there are developments worth protesting in the nascent democracy. For example, the plight of Iraq’s Christian population should be of concern to anyone who claims to be energized by human rights concerns. By all accounts, Iraqi Christians account for less than 10 percent of the country’s population but a much greater proportion of its refugees and internally displaced...

Muslim Extremists Attack Worship Service in Uganda Christians examine damage to their church outside of Kampala, Uganda. Church member taking photos beaten, building damaged. NAIROBI, Kenya, November 11 (CDN) — About 40 Muslim extremists with machetes and clubs tried to break into a Sunday worship service outside Uganda’s capital city of Kampala on Nov. 1, leaving a member of the congregation with several injuries and damaging the church building. Eyewitnesses said the extremist mob tried to storm into World Possessor’s Church International in Namasuba at 11 a.m. as the church worshipped. “The church members were taken by a big surprise,...

Convictions Few in Anti-Christian Violence in Orissa, India Violence devastated Kandhamal district, Orissa state in August-September 2008. BJP legislator, a key suspect in Kandhamal violence, acquitted again and out on bail. NEW DELHI, November 11 (CDN) — Following six acquittals last week in trials for those accused of the 2008 anti-Christian violence in India’s Orissa state and the release on bail of a key suspect, Christians are losing heart to strive for justice, according to a prosecuting attorney. The acquittal of six suspects last week raises the total to 121, with just 27 convicted in the Orissa violence by Hindu...

Indonesia: Police Evict Students On Oct.27, The Voice of the Martyrs contacts reported nearly 1,000 Arastamar Bible school students face eviction from a West Jarkata Mayors office building where they were living temporarily, in Indonesia. The day before the High Court of West Jakarta’s eviction notice, local government authorities cut off electricity and water to the site and this led to the student demonstrations. “That day … a thousand students were demonstrating outside of the building and making [a barricade with their bodies] to prevent the police troops, local government security troops, and High Court officials from going into the...

The FBI is investigating terrorism threats posted on a homosexual blog that appear to be aimed at Christians. Pro-family activists have drawn attention to a disturbing exchange on a homosexual blog run by Joe Jervis of New York. The exchange takes place between individuals named Fritz and Tex in the comment section of a blog discussing the Maine homosexual marriage defeat and pro-family activists Matt Barber of Liberty Counsel and Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth about Homosexuality. LaBarbera says the two commentators discussed carrying out acts of terrorism against Christians. "One guy [Fritz] sort of raises [the concept] and...

Where is the hardest place in the world to be a Christian citizen? North Korea, perhaps? Saudi Arabia? According to Lars Widerberg of Intercessor's Network, it is the nation of Somalia. There are thought to be no more than a thousand Christians in a resident population of 8 million people, with perhaps a few thousand more in the diaspora. The Islamist Shabab militia, which controls most of southern Somalia, is dedicated to hunting these remaining Christians down and eliminating every one of them. Christian men attend mosques on Fridays, so as not to arouse suspicion. Bibles are kept hidden. There...

Sacramento, Calif., Nov 3, 2009 / 06:45 am (CNA).- A think tank has compiled and analyzed reports of the harassment, intimidation, and “gross expressions of anti-religious bigotry” shown in reaction to the successful passage of Proposition 8. If partisans of marriage redefinition continue to increase in power, the analysis warns, those who seek the preservation of marriage as a union of man and wife may risk paying a price legally, socially and economically. The Heritage Foundation’s Oct. 22 report “The Price of Prop 8,” authored by researcher Thomas M. Messner, said that many individuals and institutions who defend the...

Christians gathering in snow after forced out On Sunday, Novermber 1, Beijing Christians gathered in heavy snow after they were banned from an indoor place.

In spite of the cover up, this is perhaps the first time in the history of Islam that Muslims finally have access to the truth about their own religion, thanks to the Internet and satellite dishes (invented by infidels). There are daily news reports of heart-broken Muslims who say they cannot believe what is written in Muslim scriptures and say that Muslims have been living under the greatest lie in human history. Others simply deny and say that it can't be so. While Saudi Arabia is spending billions to Islamize the West, many Muslim prisoners of Islamic submission are dying...

According to the actions of Franklin County Juvenile Magistrate Mary Goodrich, and the Franklin County Children's Services, there isn't. At least not in their treatment of Rifqa Bary.After Rifqa Bary was returned to Ohio per a Florida Judge's order, Mary Goodrich acted on a request from the Franklin County Children's Services to restrict and supervise Rifqa's use of her cell phone and internet.This amounts to trampling on her Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, and Expression. Constitutional rights that even "illegal aliens" are acknowledged to have.Their reasons for doing so are based on a false narrative that Jim Zorn, a spokesman for the Franklin...

SNIPPET: "SUSPECTED Islamic insurgents shot and killed two people and wounded three others in a bomb blast in Thailand's troubled Muslim-majority south, police said. Gunmen broke into a house in Yala province and shot dead a 16-year-old Buddhist girl, also wounding her 29-year-old husband, they said.... More than 3900 people have died in shootings, bomb blasts, beheadings and crucifixions since a separatist insurgency erupted in Thailand's southern provinces bordering Malaysia in January 2004."

Pastor in India Lured into Violent Trap [Photo] Pastor Paasu Ninama Hindu extremists entice preacher into house, beat him unconscious. NEW DELHI, October 21 (CDN) — A group of Hindu extremists in Madhya Pradesh earlier this month beat a pastor unconscious and chewed off part of his ear, pelting him with stones after he fainted from the pain. Paasu Ninama told Compass that the six attackers first lured him into a house in Malphalia village, Jhabua district with an offer of water on Oct. 4. The 35-year-old resident of Pipal Kutta village said he was on his way back from...

‘Moderate’ Islamist group had long suspected woman in Puntland was Christian. Three masked members of a militant Islamist group in Somalia last week shot and killed a Somali Christian who declined to wear a veil as prescribed by Muslim custom... Members of the comparatively “moderate” Suna Waljameca group killed Amina Muse Ali... in her home . Ali had told Christian leaders that she had received several threats from members of Suna Waljameca for not wearing a veil, symbolic of adherence to Islam. She had said members of the group had long monitored her movements because they suspected she was a...

Several parents - named as victims in the indictment against three Baptist Union leaders now on trial in Tashkent - have told the court that statements that their children were taught the Baptist faith against their wishes were fabricated or dictated by Investigator Anatoli Tadjibayev, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. The head of Uzbekistan’s Baptist Union Pavel Peichev and two colleagues went on trial on 24 September accused of teaching religion illegally to children at church-run summer camps and evading tax on profits from the camp. They deny all the charges - which carry punishment of up to three...

Matthew Continetti, an associate editor at The Weekly Standard, has written a book about Governor Palin. The title of the book is The Persecution of Sarah Palin: How the Elite Media Tried to Bring Down a Rising Star. Continetti has always been very fair to Governor Palin and wrote a long and thoughtful article about her for the July 20, 2009 edition of The Weekly Standard. Amazon provides the following description of Continetti's book: The real story of the Republican vice presidential nominee and her collision with the elite liberal media As the second woman ever nominated as a candidate...

A Christian couple in England is now at risk of losing their business after being prosecuted for debating Islam with a Muslim guest. Police arrested Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang, who run the Bounty House Hotel in Liverpool, after a Muslim woman complained that she was offended by comments made to her in March. Because the legal case is ongoing the couple cannot comment publicly. According to newspaper reports, the debate at the hotel involved discussion of whether Jesus was the son of God or just a minor prophet of Islam. Newspapers also reported the debate included comments that Mohammed was...

As I read online, I notice that there are plenty of people who believe that Egypt is some kind of "moderate" Islamic country where non-Muslims are treated fairly. The reality is that Muslims of Egypt, preach hatred towards Jews, and have been persecuting the Coptic Christians there for centuries. Yet the US government has poured billions of dollars into Egypt. Unfortunately we ask for little in return.

Islamic Groups Shut Down Worship of Church in Indonesia The Rev. Bedali Hulu (photo: Compass) Under pressure from Islamists, local officials order halt to services in home. JAKARTA, Indonesia, October 5 (CDN) — Several Islamic organizations have pressed officials in a sub-district near Indonesia’s capital city to forbid Jakarta Christian Baptist Church to worship in a house, resulting in an order to cease services. The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), the Betawi Forum Group, and political party Hizbut Tahrir have told officials in Sepatan sub-district, Tangerang district, near Jakarta that worship activities cannot be conducted in a residence. The house belongs...

Worship Site Demolished, Pastors Arrested Demolished worship site (photo: China Aid Association) Officials put on alert to use military force against potential “unrest” by churches. LOS ANGELES, October 7 (CDN) — Following a mob attack on a church in northeastern China and the demolition of their worship site last month, the government put officials on alert to use military force against churches to quell potential “unrest,” according to a leading advocacy group. Citing reliable government sources, China Aid Association (CAA) reported that the central government on Sept. 26-27 ordered officials in “all relevant government agencies” to prepare to use military...

Christian Arrested for Distributing Tracts in Egypt Protestant Copt, 61, illegally detained then released without charges after four days. ISTANBUL, October 6 (CDN) — An Egyptian Christian arrested in Cairo for handing out gospel leaflets and held in prison illegally for four days has been released, the freed Protestant Copt told Compass. Abdel Kamel, 61, was arrested on Sept. 23 in downtown Cairo for handing out copies of a Christian leaflet. As they arrested him, police told Kamel it was “unlawful” to hand out religious information on public roads. When Kamel countered that Muslims commonly hand out Islamic literature, police...

China: Prominent Leader Arrested On Sept. 17, Pastor Hua Huiqi was arrested by Chinese authorities in Fengtai District, Beijing, according to China Aid Association. Pastor Hua reportedly called his wife, Ju Mei, and told her he had been forced into a Public Security Bureau (PSB) vehicle while on his way to a dinner meeting. Less than 30 minutes later, Hua phoned his wife again and told her that the police had taken him to an unknown location. The phone line then went dead. Six days later, Pastor Hua was seen being escorted to Beijing Tiantan Hospital by five PSB officials...

India: Pastor Attacked On Oct. 4, Pastor Prakash was attacked by 25 Bajrang Dal extremists while he was ministering in Kaiwara village, Bangalore Rural District, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. The extremists assaulted the pastor and accused him of cheating people. After the attack, the pastor was questioned and held on complaints of “illegal activity.” Fortunately, other believers provided evidence that the pastor had not broken any laws but had visited their homes for prayer. At last report he was still in custody. Pastor Prakash has been in ministry for more than 10 years and pastors a...

Colombia: Pastor Martyred On Sept. 21, Pastor Manuel was shot and killed by The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas in San Jose del Guaviare, Colombia, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. FARC guerrillas made an appointment with Pastor Manuel and his family. “He thought they were going to authorize him to have a church officially, which he had discuss[ed] and asked [for] before,” said VOM contacts. “One of them came in [the house] with the pastor’s wife, Gloria, and his daughter while the pastor was outside. He was shot five times.” A FARC guerrilla who was...

SHANXI--At 3:00 AM the morning of Sunday, September 13, 2009, a mass of 400 deviants in police suits and red armbands broke into the"Good News Cloth Shoes Factory", on the site of Fushan Church’s new building in Linfin City, Shanxi province. Two shovel loaders tore at the factory and new church building foundations, while the mob, with bricks and other blunt instruments in hand, beat Fushan church members who were sleeping at the church construction site. Within the hour, more than ten church members lay bleeding heavily; some were severely injured and sent to the emergency room. Several people lost...

Al Shabaab extremists shoot 69-year-old after finding Bibles on him at checkpoint. NAIROBI, Kenya, September 18 (CDN) - The faith journey of a long-time underground Christian in Somalia ended in tragedy this week when Islamic militants controlling a security checkpoint killed him after finding Bibles in his possession. Militants from the Muslim extremist al Shabaab killed 69-year-old Omar Khalafe on Tuesday (Sept. 15) at a checkpoint they controlled 10 kilometers from Merca, a Christian source told Compass. A port city on the Indian Ocean 70 kilometers (45 miles) from Mogadishu, Merca is the main city of the Lower Shabele region....