Jihad-Watch: Christian Students Executed by Boko Haram in Nigeria; Believers Pray for 'Change of Heart'

This was the Romanist slaughter of French, Calvinistic
Protestants in Paris, 1572, called the
"St. Bartholomew Massacre."  While inapplicable
to the Nigerians in this article, it reminds us
that Christians will find answers to murders
one day, vis a vis Rev. 6.9ff.  Barring the second
coming and Final Judgment, may the earthly
authorities find these Sharia-Islamo-facists
and STOP THEM! 

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=16624

 

Christian Students Executed by Boko Haram in Nigeria; Believers Pray for 'Change of Heart'

By Katherine Weber,
Christian Post Reporterhttp://www.christianpost.com/news/
October 3, 2012

Multiple sources have confirmed that about 25 to 30 Christian college students were massacred at a university in northeastern Nigeria late Monday night, causing Christians to pray for a "change of heart" among the extremist Islamist group Boko Haram to put a stop to the continued violence.

While there is speculation as to the motive of the massacre, sources close to the human rights watchdog Open Doors USA confirm that the massacre was performed by Boko Haram.

Emily Fuentes, the communications and public relations coordinator for Open Doors who recently visited Nigeria and spoke to Christian leaders about Boko Haram, told The Christian Post that believers around the world can agree that prayer is the "only thing that will change the people of Boko Haram."

"There are people who are turning to Christ who used to be in the Boko Haram, and God is changing their hearts," Fuentes told CP.

"A lot of Christians believe that God will change these peoples' hearts," she added.

The killings reportedly occurred in the late night hours on Oct. 1, when masked gunmen went door-to-door in the off-campus housing section of Federal Polytechnic College in Mubi, a city in the remote Adamawa State in northeastern Nigeria.

Open Doors USA sources confirmed that the gunmen separated the Christian students from the Muslim students, addressed each victim by name, questioned them, and then proceeded to shoot them or slit their throat.

"Open Doors is calling on Christians in the West to bear this horrific burden with our brothers and sisters in Mubi and Adamawa state," Open Doors USA spokesman Jerry Dykstra said in a press release emailed to The Christian Post.

"Nigeria is becoming a killing field," he added.

Fuentes told CP that according to a local Nigerian police chief, Monday night's killing were performed by Boko Haram as an act of reprisal after 156 Boko Haram members were arrested in Mubi in late September.

Fuentes told CP over the phone interview that the goal of the terror group, which has reportedly overtaken 13 of Nigeria's northern states, is to make the country a completely Islamic nation and rid it of all western influence.

"In these [Nigerian] states to be a Christian is of grave danger," Fuentes said, adding that killing Christians is "Boko Haram's way of wiping out western influence."

Fuentes confirmed that in Mobi, where Monday's massacre took place, there has been some form of violent attack on Christians nearly every day since Nov. 2011.

Fuentes shared the testimonials involving a change of heart by two Boko Haram members. In one testimonial, a former Boko Haram member found the Gospel of Jesus Christ and converted. He now serves as a witness to other Boko Haram members, and although he receives threats to his life daily, he has managed to stay alive.

Other Boko Haram members, according to Fuentes, have not converted to Christianity but have seen the "goodness of the Christian religion" and now warn Christians before there is an attack.

In light of Monday's attack, Open Doors USA requested that all Christians pray for the families of the deceased students, who have been "thrown into mourning" and are reportedly in "indescribably pain right now."

"Please pray for the parents, families and friends of the innocent victim of this slaughter. Pray that they will receive the comfort only our Lord can give. Pray that justice will prevail. Pray that Christians will not retaliate," Open Doors said.

Boko Haram has yet to openly claim responsibility for Monday night's massacre.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-students-executed-by-boko-haram-in-nigeria-believers-pray-for-change-of-heart-82646/#o0j3k9UDxmvgVBDr.99

Anglican Bishops Against Free Speech

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=16621

 

Anglican Bishops Against Free Speech
By David Mills
FIRST THINGS http://www.firstthings.com/
September 19, 2012

Four Anglican bishops serving in northeastern Africa and Cyprus have written the United Nations asking that "an international declaration be negotiated that outlaws the intentional and deliberate insulting or defamation of persons (such as prophets), symbols, texts and constructs of belief deemed holy by people of faith." They make this proposal in response to the recent movie on Muhammad and "similar offensive incidents [which] have occurred in some European countries" and "evoked massive and violent responses worldwide."

It is a bad idea, a very bad idea, on many levels. For one thing, such a law would violate the Western ideal of free speech we should not give up. For another, it would quickly be used to suppress not only "deliberate insulting or defamation" but reasonable criticism and disagreement. One man's well-and kindly-argued belief that another man is in error can be to that other man insult and defamation, especially if he has no natural appreciation for the free exchange of ideas.

What if, for example, someone pursuing higher critical studies of the Koran decides that much of it is made up, the way for two centuries now many people have argued that much of the gospel story is made up? What about the basic Christian proclamation of the uniqueness of Christ as the Savior of the world, which, however nuanced and with however great an understanding of the value of other religions (as described in Nostra Aetate, for example), still declares that other religions are deeply mistaken?

Would not those ideas be taken by the followers of the religions criticized as insult and defamation? And why should only the beliefs of the religious be protected? Shouldn't the "constructs of belief" of secular people be equally protected? If they believe that, say, the practice of homosexuality is a human good, shouldn't they be protected from the insult and defamation of those who insist it isn't?

Restrictions on free speech only expand. Nearly everyone, understandably, wants his ideas protected and freed from public evaluation. A proposal that begins with the hope that people will stop insulting Mohammad will grow to include limits on all sorts of ideas the proposers never intended. Except, of course, in the West, limits on attacks on Christianity. We will not see the solicitude extending to Islam and even to secular commitments extended, or extended very often or very far, to Christianity.

It is significant that the bishops, one of whom is a former colleague of mine, write solely about incidents of Muslims reacting violently to ideas or works they don't like. We don't see Christians, or Jews, or Buddhists, or Sikhs, or anyone else responding to ideas by rioting, much less by rioting against and killing people who don't have anything to do with the ideas they dislike. There's a reason many people are making jokes like "Remember the time we stormed the British embassy when The Life of Brian came out, and pulled down their flag and beat up all those guys working there? That'll teach them not to insult our faith. It was gre . . . oh wait, we didn't do that." It is a bad thing when violence and the constant threat of violence lead people to concede unilaterally an important part of their culture and law to placate those who do not think like that. That tells the world, and the violent themselves, nothing good.

*****

Bishops, Religious Freedom, and Islamist Terror

Mark Tooleywww.theird.org
September 21, 2012

Sadly, four Anglican bishops in the Middle East have joined to endorse international blasphemy laws.

"In view of the current inflamed situation in several countries in response to the production of a film in the USA which evidently intends to offend our Muslim brothers and sisters by insulting the Prophet Mohammed, and in view of the fact that in recent years similar offensive incidents have occurred in some European countries which evoked massive and violent responses worldwide, we hereby suggest that an international declaration be negotiated that outlaws the intentional and deliberate insulting or defamation of persons (such as prophets), symbols, texts and constructs of belief deemed holy by people of faith," they wrote the United Nations general secretary.

The four bishops serve in or are responsible for churches in Egypt, Cyprus and the Gulf, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa.

The bishops' letter, as noted by "Anglican Ink," somewhat echoes the 2011 United Nations' resolution urging nations to "combat" negative speech and attitude about religious groups. It dropped a specific reference to "defamation" long pushed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) of 56 majority Muslim countries. Like the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the resolution affirms freedom of expression. But clearly its emphasis is on squelching criticism.

Likewise the Anglican bishops insisted their proposed declaration would not contradict freedom of expression. But their suggestion is to "outlaw" defamation of religion, which certainly does assail free speech. They understandably want to preempt violence, but by restraining "malicious opinions." The bishops concluded that "as people living here in the Middle East, we see that the way ahead for peaceful coexistence and religious harmony is through mutual respect and love."

Who can fault these poor bishops, responsible for tiny, besieged flocks, saying what they must for continued survival? Unlike the U.S. Embassy in Cairo trying to appease the mob, Christian communities in the Middle East have no earthly power to defend them. Amid ongoing Christian exodus from the region, they are trying to preserve what remains. God bless them. But Christians elsewhere, with other people of conscience, must defend truly free expression, even when Islamist killers threaten. Otherwise, today's free societies may slide into what these bishops must now routinely experience.

Christians in sub-Saharan Africa, who unlike declining Mideast churches are surging in numbers, are typically more robust in defending religious freedom. Nigeria's Catholic bishops recently denounced the Islamist terror group Boko Haram and demanded their national government act aggressively to defend vulnerable Christians in the country's mostly Islamic north.

"The patience of Christians, especially in the north, has been tried and tested for too long now through the unprovoked and senseless killing of Christians by the dreaded Islamic sect," the bishops announced. "We ask that the reckless attacks on them and other innocent Nigerians be brought to a halt through the proper use of intelligence and expertise available of government and security agencies both within and beyond Nigeria."

Nigeria's Catholic bishops cited their national Constitution's protection of religious freedom. But they regretted that "some Nigerians misunderstand their right to religion as right to persecute other Nigerians of different religious persuasion. The right to propagate one's religion must not be exercised in ways that violate the right of people of other religions. We deplore the use and abuse of religion to trample on the rights of others."

Not shy, the bishops denounced their violent enemies as blasphemous and fraudulent. "We wish to note that those who claim that they love God while hating their fellow human beings, even to the extent of killing them, are liars," the bishops declared. "God has not given anyone the right to kill in his name. Neither has he authorized anyone to violate the dignity of other human beings."

One bishop preached to his fellow Nigerian prelates: "We must speak out loud and clear against some states in the northern part of our country, where the fundamental human rights of Christians to freedom of religion and worship are abbreviated, where Christians are not permitted to proclaim their faith publicly; where they are not allowed to acquire lands for the building of Churches, schools and hospitals."

Despite supposed national legal protections, Muslim law often prevails in Nigeria's northern provinces. Nigeria's Catholic bishops, similar to its Anglican and most other Protestant leaders, do not trumpet limits on freedom of speech to "protect" religion but instead are demanding full religious liberty for all persons.

No doubt many American church leaders could profit from their courageous and morally consistent example.


The following article appeared on the American Spectator website and was reposted with permission

(BBC) Jihad Watch: 1400 Dead at Hands of Nigerian Islamo-Facists

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19691781

Nigeria church bombed in Bauchi, Boko Haram flashpoint

Continue reading the main story

Nigeria under attack

• Fuel on Jos fire
• Boko Haram's shadowy leader
• 'My city of fear'
• Who are Boko Haram?

A suicide bomber has attacked a church in northern Nigeria , killing at least two people and injuring 48, according to the Red Cross.

Witnesses at the scene in the city of Bauchi said they heard a blast near St John's Church, possibly in a car park.

Bauchi has often been targeted by the Islamist Boko Haram group, which wants to impose Sharia law across Nigeria.

Sunday attacks on churches took place regularly earlier this year but had eased in recent months.

Attacks in central and northern Nigeria blamed on Boko Haram have killed some 1,400 people since 2010.

On 16 September, Nigerian security forces said they killed Boko Haram's spokesman Abu Qaqa in a gun battle in the northern state of Kano.

However, the group has not confirmed his death.

Meanwhile, the military in Yobe state imposed a 24-hour curfew on two cities as soldiers went door-to-door, searching for Boko Haram members.

"Residents of the two cities are to remain indoors until further notice to enable security personnel to fish out Boko Haram terrorists," a military spokesman told the AFP news agency.