NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2007 - Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer’s trial is scheduled for this Thursday. An informal group of New York City residents are joining together in solidarity for a peaceful protest of the government of Egypt’s treatment of Kareem, and to plead for all charges against him to be dropped.
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Landlord demands eviction as two-year campaign against Black Sea church continues.

ISTANBUL, January 30 (Compass Direct News) - Assailants on Turkey’s Black Sea coast vandalized a Protestant church this weekend, days after nationalists from the region murdered a well-known Armenian journalist. Attackers shattered the Agape Protestant Church’s windows and spray-painted its street sign early Sunday morning (January 28) in the city of Samsun, Pastor Orhan Picaklar told Compass. Located in a region infamous for producing the nationalist killers of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink 11 days ago and an Italian Catholic priest last year, the congregation has suffered a dozen stoning attacks and weekly e-mail threats during the past two years. “I was shocked, because, though we’ve been stoned before, it was never this big of an attack,” Picaklar said.

JAKARTA, January 19 (Compass Direct News) - An Islamic extremist on Wednesday (January 17) admitted to taking part in the killing of three Christian high school girls in Poso in 2005. He also confessed to shooting the Rev. Susianty Tinulele to death in Palu in 2004. In a written statement in Central Jakarta District Court, Lilik Purnomo also confessed to participating in other acts of violence in Poso: a bombing at Immanuel Church, beheading a village chief, and shooting Ferry Silalahi, a Christian attorney who had defended the Rev. Rinaldy Damanik, a Christian peace activist. Purnomo confessed to taking part in the murder of the three girls - Theresia Morangke and Yarni Sambue, both 15, and 17-year-old Alfita Poliwo - as they walked to school on October 29, 2005.

Egypt

Events of 2006

Egypt displayed a heavy hand against political dissent in 2006. In April 2006, the government renewed emergency rule for an additional two years, providing a continued basis for arbitrary detention and trials before military and state security courts. Torture at the hands of security forces remains a serious problem.

After a period of relative tolerance of political opposition and dissent in early 2005, the government reversed course starting in late 2005. In November 2005 the government responded to the Muslim Brotherhood’s strong showing in the first round of national elections with extensive irregularities and violence by police and ruling party vigilantes in the subsequent two rounds. It renewed its crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in March 2006, arresting at least 792 members of the banned organization over the following six months. The crackdown was emblematic of continuing limits on freedom of association and expression in Egypt.Â
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The Court has ruled Ibrahim deserves refugee status because, if he returned to Egypt, he is “unlikely to receive governmental protection against persecution by Islamic group who threaten him.”
Seoul (AsiaNews) - A Korean court has given refugee status to an Egyptian man who said he was persecuted at home after converting to Christianity, a court official said yesterday.The 40-year-old man, identified only by his surname Ibrahim, fled Islam-dominated Egypt in 2005 after a group of Egyptians physically harassed him and demanded that he revert to his former beliefs, this according to the official of the Administrative Court, who was not identified.

Upon entering Korea, the man asked South Korean government for refugee status, but the Ministry of Justice denied his request, citing a “lack of integrity in testimony,” the official said.
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FIGHTING FOR THEIR SURVIVAL

Part 2: A history of discrimination

Egypt’s Coptic Christians, numbering at least 5 million, are by far the Middle East’s largest Christian minority. The Coptic Christian Church, which dates back to St. Mark the Evangelist, begins its calendar in 284 A.D., the high point of Roman persecution of Christians. Its spiritual leader is the 83-year-old Pope Shenouda III.
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‘Christ shed his blood - now you do the same,’ youths tell pastor.

MUMBAI, India, January 10 (Compass Direct News) - Seven youths beat Pastor Robert Kennedy of Bangalore in Karnataka state on Sunday (January 7), after asking him to “pray for a sick friend.” The pastor required 16 stitches to his head and back after the assault. In neighboring Andhra Pradesh state, Hindu extremists beat two pastors on January 6 and 7 after warning them to cease Christian activities in their villages. And on December 28, Hindu extremists beat Pastor Pawan Kumar, an independent pastor ministering near Bodhan, Telangana. The extremists entered the home of local believer Issac Raju and beat some 14 Christians, burning their Bibles and sound system. “The RSS and the Bajrang Dal have become much bolder in their attacks on Christians in Telengana,” Lionel Francis, coordinator of the Global Council of Indian Christians, told Compass. “Even though we have filed complaints, no arrests have been made.”

NEW DELHI, January 5 (Compass Direct News) - After launching several anti-Christian attacks during the last week of 2006, Hindu extremists went on to beat more Christians, vandalize vehicles and organize a protest rally against a church, dampening New Year celebrations. Extremists beat four pastors and vandalized a vehicle in the north central state of Uttar Pradesh state on Tuesday (January 2). They attacked two more Christians and damaged another vehicle in neighboring Madhya Pradesh state, while others staged an anti-Christian rally in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, the same day. Dr. John Dayal, secretary general of the All India Christian Council, condemned the Uttar Pradesh attack near Delhi. “The fact that Christians can be attacked in the National Capital Region reflects how insecure we are in this country,” he told Compass.