Barnabas Aid January/February 2011

8/7/2019 Barnabas Aid January/February 2011

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January/February 2011

HOPe anD aID FOr THe PerSeCuTeD CHurCH www.sfd.og

In THIS ISSue

Chisti wom d gils: victims of oppression in Muslim societies

God’s popl i egpt: vulnerable and persecuted once more

Th spd of halal podcts: why should Christians be concerned?



Pull-out Supplement

A Christian response to thehalal controversy

To guard the safety of Christians in hostile environments, names may have been changed or omitted.

Thank you for your understanding.

Front cover: A Christian woman in Cameroon at a conference for worship and fellowship (see pages 6-9)

Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version®.

Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and obtain permission for stories and images used

in this publication. Barnabas Fund apologises for any errors or omissions and will be grateful for any

further information regarding copyright.

The cover design on page 15 of the November/December 2010 issue was taken from the Farsi

Contemporary Bible. Copyright © 1995 by BiblicaTM. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

© Barnabas Fund 2011

Contents

3 Project NewsLong-term care after Pakistan floods

6 Focus

How Muslimspersecute Christianwomen and girls

Testimony

An Egyptian Christianconvert from Islamtells her story

11 OperationNehemiah

Challenging the spreadof halal in the UK

12 Country Profile

The deepening plightof Christians in Egypt

Th 2011 looks st to wckd istilit d violc. I Sd fdm ot idpdc fo thmil Chisti Soth, pld fo 9J, m ld to wd coflictwith th Islmic noth. Th lst ot of

civil w tw noth d Soth lstdfom 1983 to 2005 d sltd i thdths of od two millio Soths,mil Chistis. bt if th Soth gisits idpdc, fth polms mslt. Will th Soth th fgmt, dChistis fight gist ch oth? Whtot th ttmt of Chisti

Soths livig i th noth – will th pishd fo th Soth’sidpdc?

There is also potential for armed conflict in

the Middle East in the coming year. Iran mayacquire nuclear weapons. If a war is fought itcould draw in Syria, Lebanon, Israel andperhaps other countries. The war inAfghanistan continues, and its impact onPakistan is growing, with Pakistan becomingincreasingly destabilised as militants taketheir fight deeper into Pakistani territory.Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood movement isgrowing in influence. These are but a few ofthe difficulties facing us in the new year.

The position of Christians in these and othercountries, particularly Islamic countries, is

now very dangerous. In recent months wehave heard Al-Qaeda’s call to attack Christianchurches, leaders and institutions across theMiddle East, the growing calls for theimplementation of sharia in Muslim countries,thereby marginalising Christians, calls for thekilling of all converts in Afghanistan, and the

powerful Organisation of the IslamicConference calling for an end to allevangelism and conversion of Muslims. Asthe coming months unfold, these issues willbe top of the agenda, if our Lord does notcome, for Christians already in difficult

situations.

We do not know the times and seasons. Whatwe do know is that our times are in God’shands (Psalm 31:15). We put our trust in theLord (v.14) who holds the world, history andtime in His hands. In an age of uncertaintyand with dark clouds looming, we need toremember that God remains in control.

As we look to the coming year, the sufferingChurch needs your prayers and support morethan ever. We also need more people to getinvolved with the ministry of Barnabas Fund.

Would you consider asking some of yourfriends and relatives to let us send them ourmagazine and prayer diary? I am enclosing acard for you to reply to us with names andaddresses of those who are willing to learnmore about the persecuted Church andperhaps to join us in helping our brothers andsisters. Furthermore as we focus onOperation Nehemiah and the need to bring aspiritual transformation to the countries inwhich we live, will you join with us in theprogrammes we are developing? (Please seepage 11 for further details.)

I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to ourfriends and partners in the ministry for allyour prayers, encouragement and support.

D Ptick Sookhdo International Director

Welcome from the Director

Trusting God in ayear of uncertainty

BARNABAS AID NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010

9

18 In Touch

Helping us help thepersecuted Church

16 Newsroom

Dozens killed in attackon Baghdad church

10 Resources

New book on how toshare your faith withMuslims


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Thks to o gos sppot, w c ig id to Chistis who sff discimitio

o psctio cs of thi lov fo th Lod Jss Chist. Ths gifts chgig livs

d igig wd hop fo th ft. blow d o th xt pgs o will fid

slctio of pdts d ws fom jst fw of th m pojcts w hv l to

sppot cs of o gifts. Pls p s o d.

Barnabas often funds Christian literature

projects, which bring such encouragement to

believers under pressure. Usually we pay for

the printing of particular Christian books or

other materials. Recently, however, we paid

for the purchase of printing equipment, on a

small scale in Russia and a larger scale in Iraq.

A grant of £69,707 (US$112,713; €80,761)

was provided in order to make the printing

plant in Iraq operational. Based in a relatively

stable area, it will be used to produce

Christian literature to strengthen the faith of

Iraqi Christians who now face extreme

Russia and Iraq: Equipmentfor Printing Christian Literature

pressure and hostility in many parts of their

homeland.

Barnabas Fund also provided a ministry in

Russia with a grant of £463 (US$749; €536)

to buy a computer and printer for producing

Christian literature for evangelism amongst

the Central Asian immigrants living in one

particular city. For example, the equipment

was used to print hundreds of invitations to

Uzbeks to come to a Christian celebration.

More than 200 Uzbeks came to the event,

many of whom were Muslim. Many were

surprised to hear the pastor preaching about

Project News

nw pitig quipmt ig ulodd iIq. It will usd to pit Chisti littuto coug th lgud Iqi Chistis

Jesus rather than Muhammad. People were

invited to have a meal together and talk about

what they had heard. A local contact told us,

“It was very interesting because it was the

first time that there was such a chance to talk

with Muslims about Jesus. Some people after

that started to phone us and say that they

wanted to read the New Testament and talk

more with us about Jesus.”

Pojct fcs

20-905 (Iq – Chisti pitig

hos)

00-360 (rssi – Chisti

litt pojct)



Project News

Pakistan: Long-term Care for Flood Victims

BARNABAS AID JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011

The floods that ruined the lives of so many

people in Pakistan in August this year have leftmany Christians completely dependent on help

and support from outside. Having assisted with

emergency aid at the beginning of the floods,

Barnabas is now helping with long-term

needs, such as the repair and rebuilding of

Christian’s homes.

For example, one recent grant of £19,806

(US$32,019; €22,947) paid for 15 new houses

to be built, and another grant of £11,530

(US$18,638; €13,354) for renovating 31

houses severely damaged by the floods. A

Christian whose house was repaired with aidfrom Barnabas Fund said, “Prior to the

reconstruction of the house we were extremely

worried at how to restore our devastated lives.

Thanks to our Barnabas Fund friends, we are

able to live a more dignified and respectable

life.” Rebuilding their houses themselves is

almost an impossible task. A homeless

Christian told us, “On my present salary, even

in 50 years, I can’t rebuild my house.”

We are also sponsoring 1,000 Christian

families who have been affected by the floods

to provide their food needs while they re-

establish their lives and livelihoods. Every

family receives a monthly food package with

basic foods to support them. Sponsors are still

needed to join this programme and support a

family for just £30 (US$45; €35) per month. A photo and some details of the sponsored family

are provided to regular donors as well as a

twice-yearly newsletter about the programme.

Barnabas Fund is also helping the victims in

other innovative ways. Our coordinator for South

Asia provided a workshop on disaster risk

reduction to 13 local partners from four different

areas. This training enables our partners better

to prepare themselves for future disasters and

also plan a more durable reconstruction. For

example, they are now looking to rebuild

houses on higher ground where they are lessvulnerable to flooding.

Another unusual need concerned two families

with daughters who were about to get married.

But the floods completely destroyed the

furniture and bedding that the future brides

would have used as dowries. Without them,

according to the local culture, the weddings

cannot take place. A grant of £1,488

(US$1,724; €2,406) was provided so that new

furniture and bedding could be bought.

Pojct fcs

00-634 (Disst rlif Fd)

41-919 (Sposoig Pkisti

Chisti flood victim fmil)

Locl pts wokig i th flood-ffctds i Pkist ttd wokshop odisst isk ductio

Doos who sposo fmil lik this iPkist with mothl food pckgs civdtils out th fmil th hlpig

T h goat ar ound t h boy ’s shouldr s r pr snt s his f amily ’s nw liv lihood af t r t hir pigs w r culld by t h egy pt ian gov r nmnt

Christians face much discrimination in

Egypt and find it hard to get jobs. Manyare forced to do the most menial of jobs

and live in squalid and unhealthy

conditions, such as the “garbage cities”

surrounding Cairo. A number of

Christians living here used to be pig

farmers. The pigs ate the waste food and

were a source of protein for the families.

In April 2009 the pig farmers lost their

livelihood when the Egyptian

government decided to have all pigs in

Egypt killed, supposedly to protect

citizens from swine flu.

Barnabas Fund is helping former pig-

farmers to become self-sufficient

again by providing goats, sheep, buffaloes

or plastic recycling machinery. Our latest

grant was £32,000 (US$51,750; €37,000).

Egypt: New Trades for FormerPig Farmers

Ukraine: Water and GasProvision for ConvertChristian Worker

“Farid”, a Tatar church leader in the Crimea,Ukraine, has no water or gas on the premiseswhere he, his wife and four children live. Faridconverted from Islam more than ten years agoand has a ministry amongst Tatars in theregion. His neighbours have wells but refuse tolet his family access them because they areChristians. The family has to fetch water froma long distance, which is especially hard in thewinter when the roads are blocked by snow. Inthe summer, they need a lot of water forgrowing vegetables.

Barnabas Fund is financing the boring of a wellon Farid’s property as well as creating a

connecting gas line to a central gas line nearhis house. A total of £2,695 (US$4,358;€3,123) will cover all the costs and will enableFarid to focus on his ministry and outreach.

Pojct fc 00-345 (Victims

of Violc Fd)Pojct fc 11-819 (Hlp fo

Chistis whos Pigs w Clld)



Project News


In the past year, 38 church planters have

started churches in remote, rural areas of

Java, where the majority of people areMuslim. Church growth is slow due to

resistance from the Muslims, but the pastors

are persevering in their work. The villages

and hamlets in which they work are generally

very poor, and unemployment is high.

Because of this, the new believers in their

Indonesia: Helpfor Christians in

Triple DisasterIn the evening of 25 October 2010 an

undersea earthquake triggered a tsunami

that hit the coast of the small and remote

Mentawai islands just west of Sumatra,

whose population is mainly Christian. Many

houses and at least five schools and six

churches were damaged or destroyed. A

week later, Mount Merapi, a volcanic

mountain on Java, started spewing

blistering gas over the area nearby.

Hundreds of people died in the tripledisaster and thousands more were

displaced. Christians on the Mentawai

islands feared that aid would be slow to

arrive and that the disaster would be used

as an opportunity to increase the Islamic

presence there, as has happened in other

Christian-majority parts of Indonesia after

some natural disasters.

Barnabas sent immediate aid to Mentawai

through Christians in nearby Sumatra, who

provided the stricken islanders withmedicine, food and clothing.

Pojct fc 00-634

(Disst rlif Fd)

Nigeria: Aid for Victims of Anti-Christian RiotsLarge-scale anti-Christian rioting is an all-

too-frequent event in certain parts of Nigeria,

and 2010 saw an unprecedented number of

such incidents. Barnabas sent aid to the

victims in a number of places, including two

grants totalling £6,400 (US$10,300; €7,500)

to help after severe rioting in and around Jos,Plateau State.

Arson had left many of the victims homeless

after the riots. They received emergency

supplies such as mattresses, blankets,

clothing, soap, vegetable oil, and bags of

corn, rice and beans. Because many of the

victims are farmers and their machinery was

lost during the looting, Barnabas also

provided farming machinery so that they

could continue producing food. Two new

water pumps which had been destroyed by

the fires were installed for use by the

community.

A local partner told us that the donations

greatly “encouraged the traditional leaders

and the recipients. They were glad that,

though the state government and other

politicians took little notice of their plight, the

body of Christ thought of them and acted in

goodwill towards them.”

Pojct fc 39-772

Indonesia: Church-plantersin Java

Chistis fom Sumt igig food tothi oths d sists i thpdomitl Chisti Mtwi islds.(Souc: IFGF GISI Mtwi rlif Tm)

equipmnt f or t w o nw w atr pumps nabld local farmr s to har v st thir f ilds aft r thir or iginal pumps had bn damagd dur ing ant i-Chr ist ian r iot s. Clot hing w as also distr ibut d

Psto y. d his wif dcot wddigdsss s w to mo to suppotthi chuch-pltig miist. bs ispovidig th st of thi suppot, util thichuch hs gow lg ough to suppotthm

churches can contribute only modest amounts

in weekly offerings and monthly tithes.

The church-planting pastors are encouraged

to develop sidelines to generate income.

Pastor Y. and his wife and son, for example,

receive a weekly offering of only 50 pence

(US$0.60; €0.80) from the congregation. He

supplements their living by collecting grass

and selling it as cattle fodder. Together with

his wife, he also decorates wedding dresses.

A recent grant of £6,731 (US$10,884;

€7,797) will help support the 38 pastors for

another year. A further grant of £500(US$800; €600) will provide for their medical

expenses. And still another grant of £2,617

(US$4,231; €3,302) will be used to renovate

three church buildings that are in urgent

need of repair. One church, for example, is

no more than a hut, and the pastor and his

wife have to sleep behind the pulpit.

Pojct fc 22-828



Focus

forced into marriages with Muslim men. The

global number of forced conversions to Islam

per year is unknown, though it is definitely more

than the number of cases reported in national

media. (The lack of data shows the authorities’

lack of interest in the problem.)

In Pakistan, marriages of Christian girls to

Muslims as a result of forced conversions are

on the rise. Christian sisters Parvisha (18) and

Sanam (14) were abducted in November 2008

by a Muslim man who promised them free

training and jobs in his beauty salon. But

instead the girls were repeatedly raped by their

abductor and other Muslims, forced to convert

to Islam and given new Islamic names. After

being rescued the girls declared in front of a

magistrate that they wished to live and die in

their own faith, Christianity.

In Egpyt, Zeenahom Nady Adly, 19, was

abducted by two Muslim men as she walked

to the shops in her small village near Samalut

in June 2010. The men sprayed a substance in

her face to make her lose consciousness and

when she awoke two hours later she found

Chisti gils d wom gtl

dspisd i Mslim cotis. I thi ow

clts, Mslim wom ttd s

ifio to m1 d Chistis

hssd d psctd s mms of mioit fith i Mslim cotis, so

Chisti wom i this cotxt is likl

to sff dol hsh ttmt.

Christians are treated as second-class

citizens according to the principle of

dhimmitude, which grants fewer rights to

Christians and Jews. In addition, Muslims

often equate Christianity with what they

perceive to be the immorality of the Western

world. The argument runs that the immoral

Western society is “Christian” so localChristians must also be immoral.

Some Muslim men therefore think they are

justified in attacking Christian women and

girls because of the “lax morals” among

Christians. Worse still, Christian women are

often easy to identify, either because they

do not dress in an Islamic way or sometimes

because they are a different ethnic type

from the Muslim majority; for example the

Christians of Iraq, as ethnic Assyrians, are

often much fairer-skinned than the Muslims,

who are Arabs.

In Islamic culture, the all-important honour

of a family is held to reside chiefly in its

women. So someone may retaliate against

a man if he has a grudge by dishonouring

a female relative, for example, by rapingher. This is another reason why Christian

women suffer under Islam. In the case of

Shah Taj, described above, her kidnapping

and rape were a form of revenge following

a disagreement between her father and

the Muslim men.

Islam considers that the religion of a

family is set by the husband and father. In

many African countries it is reported that

Islam is being deliberately spread by a

campaign of Muslim men marryingChristian women. Some are even paid a

reward for doing so, and extra if they

manage to marry a pastor’s daughter.

In Pakistan and Egypt violent assaults by

Muslim men on Christian girls and women

are frequent and increasing and their

suffering goes largely unreported. Christian

girls are being kidnapped, beaten, raped,

forced to recite the Muslim creed (thus, in

Muslim opinion, converting to Islam) and


“I ht wht hs hppd to m,” ssShh Tj (ight), who ws kidppd, pdd focd to covt to Islm d m Muslim m i Pkist i Dcm 2008

Shah Taj (14), a Pakistani Christian, was

kidnapped at gunpoint by three Muslim

men in December 2008. She was raped

and forced to sign a blank piece of paper.

On it the men later wrote a statement that

she had embraced Islam of her own free

will and was “happily married” to the man

who had held the gun while she was

kidnapped. She was held prisoner at an

unknown location for two months but was

eventually rescued when she managed to

get a message to her mother.

1 Islam teaches that the woman’s place is in the home and that she is always under the protection of a male relative. Although a number of verses in the Qur’an teach that menand women are equal, this theoretical equality is not seen in practice. Traditionally, women in Islam are viewed as “weak, inferior, inherently evil, intellectually incapable andspiritually lacking”. (Rosemary Sookhdeo, Secrets behind the Burqa . USA: Isaac Publishing, 2008, p37.)

Chisti wom sh ml togth t cofc fo Chisti covts fom

Muslim ckgoud i Ctl asi



Focus

herself at the Islamic Sharia Association,

facing a Muslim leader who tried to

intimidate her and force her to convert to

Islam.

A Christian girl who has been abducted and

forced to marry a Muslim man faces a virtuallyhopeless future, held captive by a family who

may treat her as nothing more than a slave. In

Pakistan and Egypt, once all the paperwork is

finalised for the conversion and marriage, her

whole identity is changed. She receives an

Islamic name and her Christian religious

status is removed from her identity card.

Governments, local authorities and police

often turn a blind eye to the mistreatment of

Christian women. This is the case in Egypt,where the police do little to help in cases of

abduction of Christian girls and women.

Zeenahom (mentioned above) was, however,

one of the fortunate ones. Her family

demonstrated outside the police headquarters

demanding her return and compelling the

security forces to intervene and return the girl

to her family. For many Christian women this

will not happen.

The same problem occurs in Pakistan. In

February 2009 Ambreen, a 13-year-old

Christian girl from a poor family, waskidnapped as she put out the rubbish in her

village in the Sangla Hill region, Punjab

province. She was taken to a nearby

farmhouse by her abductors, where she was

gang-raped at gunpoint by five Islamic

extremists. When she was kidnapped, she

was told by her captors, “We will kill your

parents if you tell them this.” Following her

rescue, a case was registered against the

alleged rapists, but despite eyewitness

accounts and medical evidence indicatingguilt, police declared the men innocent of

rape.

Mothers who are converts from Islam to

Christianity can face an even more heart-

breaking trial as they find their children being

used in an attempt to convert them back. In

December 2008 Martha Samuel, an Egyptian

convert, was detained and beaten at Cairo

airport as she tried to emigrate with herfamily. Emmanuel, aged 4, and his younger

brother Carlos (2) witnessed their mother

being stripped and kicked, and the boys were

deprived of food to pressure her into

returning to Islam. The judge, who tried her

case, imprisoning her for a month, told her

that if he had a knife he would kill her for

leaving Islam.

In Islamic society, sharia (Islamic law)

teaches that women are of less worth thanmen. Sharia includes strict rules about

women’s clothing, leaving Christian women

in those societies particularly vulnerable.

Sometimes Christian women are attacked,

even having acid thrown at them, or arrested if

they fail to follow the laws.

Silva Kashi, aged 16, was arrested by police in

December 2009 for wearing a knee-length skirt

while walking near her home in Muslim-majority

Khartoum, Sudan. She was immediatelypresented before a judge, who sentenced her to

50 lashes. Silva is originally from the South of

Sudan, which is Christian-majority, and the skirt

and blouse she was wearing were normal for

Southern Sudanese women. But sharia is in

force in North Sudan, and its regulations are

applied to Christians as well as Muslims.

Although the law states that under-18s should

not be lashed, Silva’s parents were not even

aware that their daughter had been arrested

until after the punishment had taken place.

Sharia also forbids marriage between a Muslim

woman and a Christian man. A female Christian

convert from Islam who wants to marry a

Christian man from a Christian background may

find that this is not allowed if she lives in a

country where her new faith is not recognised.

Egyptian convert Raheal was arrested on her

way to work because of her marriage to a

Christian-background man in April 2010. As a

convert she could not have her new faith

officially recognised, and so the marriage was

considered to be between a Muslim woman and

a Christian man, and was thus forbidden bysharia. Five days after her arrest, she was

handed over to her Muslim family, but she

managed to escape two days later. She

immediately went into hiding.


Chisti gils i K sit outsidth rscu Hom suppotd bs Fud



Focus


bs fudd wom’s cmp iCmoo to giv Chisti wom thchc to mt fo fllowship d woship

Barnabas Fund seeks to serve our

persecuted Christian sisters in countries

where they are targeted because of their

faith and their gender. Many are very poor

and have had little opportunity for education.

We assist with programmes to educate

women through literacy classes, health

courses and income-generation projects. In

Pakistan, we provided funding for two female

doctors to visit the Christian communities

weekly to discuss women’s health issues,

give medical checkups and prescribe

medicine. In East Africa, Barnabas has

provided accommodation for Christian

women from an Islamic background with

nowhere else to live, whilst giving them

discipling in their new faith and training intailoring, computing and English language to

enable them to support themselves. We have

supported Christian women in prison in North

Sudan where many of the women were

imprisoned for breaking sharia dress codes.

Barnabas has also funded camps and

conferences in Cameroon and Kyrgyzstan for

Christian girls and women to meet together

for worship and fellowship. In the Arab world,

one Barnabas project provided training for

young Christian women from very deprived

backgrounds who had finished school, to help

them prepare for their adult responsibilities.

blow som of bs Fd’s

ct pojcts which spcificll hlp

Chisti wom d gils:

n Pkist: Women’s refuge for Christian

girls and women. (Project reference 41-

465)

n ugd: Supporting the Mothers Union

Training Centre and Guest House which is

currently being built in an Islamic part of

the country to train vulnerable women,

girls and boys with a view to employmentand self-sufficiency. (Project reference

56-909)

n K: Cana Girls Rescue Home. Christian

women also need protection in African

countries where they are under pressure

from African traditional religious beliefs

and practices. Barnabas Fund financed

the construction of a refuge centre for

around 50 Christian girls and young

women, and we continue to assist with

its running costs. (Project reference 25-

663)

n nig: This project provides goats and

sheep for needy Christians to help them

support their families. A number of the

local churches we work through select

only women to receive the livestock.

(Project reference 38-929)

n Ctl asi: This project helps to

support “Jamilya”, a widow who is

sharing the Gospel amongst women in

her homeland. She is herself a convert

from Islam and her husband was

murdered by Islamists. (Project

reference XX-861)

Will you support our Christian sisters in contexts where they are treated as

second-class citizens through your prayers and your generous gifts?



Testimony

but Standing Strong in Christ

Beaten and Bruised

Egyptian lawyer and convert

from Islam ngl al-Imm

was detained, interrogated and

beaten by security personnel

after a peaceful demonstration

of her Christian faith and against

Egypt’s lack of religious freedom

in July 2010.


He said, “Yes my lady, why are you making trouble f or us? Don’t you

want to be saf e?” I said, “You have restrained me f rom travelling, and I am

a human rights’ activist.” He said, “Yes.” Then he went to take

hold of the

cross [on a chain around Nagla’s neck] and asked, “Who is this?”

I told him, “Take your hands of f the cross, f or you don’t know its

worth.” He

said, “No, I know its worth.” He held the chain and tightened it around m

y

neck. He was showing that he was threatening to cut the

chain, or to hurt

my neck, or do anything. Then I answered him. I said, “If you touch me, I

will react severely. If you are a real man, hit me.”

He did not give me a chance to complete the sentence. Holding my hair, he

bashed my f ace against the desk. He slapped my f ace more than once, and

punched me in the ribs, and on my arm. By this time I was bleeding f rom

the side of my mouth.

I told him, “Proceed with your documentation, if you have any.” He said,

“I don’t have any documentation. I am just telling you this. This isjust

having f un. If you don’t want to be saf e, you will receive

what you have not

expected.” I said, “What is it that I could not exp

ect? Will you put me in

jail? So many other converts are in jail. You will kill me? So many converts

have been killed.” I told him, “I am not af raid because I know w

here I will be

going, but what about you, who do not know where will y

ou be going?

Mrs Al-Imam was eventually released and later reflected on her

ordeal: “My ribs and my body were hurting, my neck and my

shoulders... But my real hurt was not the [physical] pain. My real hurt

was that there was no real reason for them to do this. There is no

safety – human safety, worldly safety – apart from the true safety I

found with the Lord Jesus Christ. I am without work; threatened to

be deregistered; without an income; without family. I have no one but

enemies. I felt this was God’s discipline: He was teaching me what it

means to be humble; what it means that the Lord will fight for you,

and you shall hold your peace; what it means to focus my sight on

Christ alone, and not to depend on human hands.”

Following the incident, Mrs Al-Imam announced on an Arabic Christian

TV website that she would stand up for the human rights of converts

from Islam and would not leave her homeland. She sang a Christian

song with her two children, asking Christ to strengthen them through

their time of persecution. The bruises were clearly visible on her face

and she could barely open her mouth to sing. This broadcast was

immediately followed by fatwas calling for her death. Soon after this,

Mrs Al-Imam was kidnapped and beaten by people in burqas and

abandoned, unconscious, in the street. At the time of writing, she is in

hiding, from where she continues to broadcast and testify to the Lord

Jesus on an Arabic television channel.

Mrs Al-Imam was standing with her children in front of a

cathedral when two men called her name. “We need you for a

few seconds,” they said. Feeling suspicious, she asked a fellow

Christian to take her children to their own church. She was taken

to an office and made to wait four hours before her interrogation

began.

Below she describes her treatment at the hands of the interrogator:



Breaking Through the Barriers: Leading Muslims to Christ

Rosemary SookhdeoWould you like to reach your Muslim friendsand neighbours for Christ? If so, you willshare your faith most effectively if you knowsomething about what they believe, and alsoabout how they expect you to relate to them.

Rosemary Sookhdeo has provided thisaccessible introduction to help you getinformed. In it she lifts the veil on Muslimculture, practices and faith, and identifiesthe points of contact that will help Muslimsrespond to the Christian Gospel.

Part I explains the basics of Muslim cultureand how it differs from Western culture, andoutlines the attitudes and responses thatshould shape our outreach to Muslims. Itcovers such issues as what we should dowhen we invite a Muslim friend for a meal,what type of gift to bring on variousoccasions, and how to relate to differentmembers of a Muslim family. It also explainshow to lead a Muslim to faith in Christ.

Part II sets out some of the central beliefs ofIslam and also its key practices, such as

Resources

Now in stock!My Devotional Journal: A spiritual journey of prayer and encouragement with God’s suffering people Patrick Sookhdeo

This Barnabas Fund year journal is aninspiring collection of short testimonies,

poems and prayers from Christians aroundthe world. It also includes uplifting Bibleverses and lined pages for you to recordyour own thoughts and reflectionsthroughout the months.

My Devotional Journal takes us on ajourney with God’s suffering people,exploring themes such as loss, forgivenessand the cost of discipleship. Their storiesdemonstrate how Christians canexperience God’s peace and presence as

prayer, fasting and giving. We oftenoverlook the place of spiritual conflict inevangelism: another chapter describes howit can affect our outreach to Muslims, andtells us how to pray and what to do toprotect ourselves. The final sections outlinevarious barriers that hinder Muslims fromcoming to Christ and the main differencesbetween Islam and Christianity, answeringsuch questions as:

n

Is the Biblical God the same as Allah?

n Is the Muslim Jesus, Isa , the same asthe Jesus we know in the Gospels?

n How do Muslims view heaven and hell?n What part does the second coming of

Jesus play in Muslim thinking?

This helpful book will guide us safelythrough the challenges of Muslimevangelism and enable us to be goodwitnesses for Christ.

Isc Plishig, ppck, 160 pp,

off pic £5.00 pls £2.00 postg(rrP £8.99)

In this issue we feature a new book by Rosemary Sookhdeo on how

to reach Muslims for Christ, and our Barnabas Fund year journal.

To order either of these books, please visit www.barnabasfund.org/shop. Alternatively please contact your nearest Barnabas office (addresses on back cover). Cheques for theUK should be made payable to “Barnabas Books”.

sources of great joy and deep comfort inthe midst of “trials of many kinds” (James

1:2), and find God to be the protectiveFather who cares and provides for Hispeople.

This book can both inspire you in your ownChristian journey and be a great presentfor your Christian friends. The pages beginfrom January, but you can start using it atany time.

Isc Plishig, csod, 96pp, offpic £5.00 + £2.00 postg (rrP £7.99)



http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/barnabas-aid-januaryfebruary-2011 11/24i

T h e h a l a l c ont r ov e r s y

Pull-outsupplement

Sharia and the halal / haram system

Halal food laws in Islam are part of a much wider system in sharialaw. In the Muslim worldview they are based on Allah’s directrevelation in the Qur’an and sunna 1, part of his sovereign will thatcannot be changed by humans. Halal (permitted, lawful) and haram (forbidden, unlawful) represent a god-given, identity mark of Allah’spure community. These rules must be kept to ensure the pleasureof Allah and due rewards for the believers who keep them.

The realm of halal and haram extends beyond food and clothing toall matters relating to human life, both individual and communal.All beings and things are divided into pure and impure categories.These include foods, all goods and services, entertainments,finance and commerce, tourism, lifestyles and new technologies.

The quest for purity and the fear of pollution are very strongmotivators in Islam.

This wide range of applications gives the halal and haram rules avery important economic role in all Islamic societies. Institutions

have to be established to control and license goods and services toensure their sharia compliance. Religious specialists in the field ofhalal and haram gain positions of power and influence, as they canoffer or withhold licences and so ensure or endanger the survival ofbusinesses. This process can sometimes lead to corruption.

Several criteria must be met before products can be certified ashalal :

n Halal meat products must be produced from animalsslaughtered according to Islamic law

n Halal products must be free from any haram substance oringredient, such as enzymes and emulsifiers made from pigs or

from other haram sourcesn Halal products must be produced, manufactured and stored

Introduction

In August 2010 Harrow Council in North-West London introducedhalal -only menus at its 52 state primary schools. The Arabic wordhalal means “permitted”, and halal food is anything that Islamic sharia lawallows to be eaten. The Muslim population in Harrow is not very large: according to the 2001 census only 7 per cent isMuslim. But the dietary principles of this small religious group are now to influence the diet of primary-school children

of all faiths and none, and without the consent of their parents.

This incident is one of many that have raised the issue of the place of halal food and other halal products in Westernsocieties. Its increasingly extensive use by retail outlets and restaurants, often without the approval or even theknowledge of customers, has caused widespread disquiet. Consumers are being denied the possibility of choicebecause they are not given the necessary information to make a decision. The practice of slaughtering animals by halal methods has also been called into question on ethical grounds.

There are four principal reasons why many Christians and others are concerned about the increased presence of halal products:

n The denial of choice to consumers, unless food is labelled and alternatives provided, and following from this:n The commitment of many Muslims to Islamic mission (dawa ) and the Islamisation of their non-Muslim host

societies, which includes imposing Islamic practices and Islamic law on non-Muslims. Halal food is an importantexample of this.

n The unnecessary suffering to animals involved in halal -compliant methods of slaughter.n For Christians in particular, the Biblical teaching on the eating of foods associated with non-Christian religious

practice. (Space prevents us from examining this issue further here.)

1 The sunna is Muhammad’s way of life (sayings and behaviour), codified in the traditions (hadith ). Muslims see the sunna as a model which they must follow. It is also oneof the main sources of Islamic law (sharia)


The halal

controversy



using utensils, equipments and machines that have beencleansed according to Islamic law

n Manufactured products should be free of contamination andmust not come into contact with haram substances during theirpreparation, production and storage

Islam requires that animals should be slaughtered in a way thatensures the draining of their blood before they are eaten. TheIslamic method of slaughtering is to cut the animal’s throat, while itis alive, to enable the blood to run out and not congeal in its veins.At the same time the slaughterman proclaims in Arabic either thebismillah (in the name of Allah) or the shahada , the Muslimcredal statement (there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is hismessenger). The incision is made with a sharp blade, cutting thethroat and oesophagus, the jugular vein and the carotid arterybut leaving the spinal cord intact. Most Muslim slaughterers donot stun the animal first before slitting its throat, in the belief thatdrainage will be complete only if the animal is conscious.

These rules are derived from the Quran:

“O you who believe! Eat of the good and pure things We haveprovided you with, and render thanks to Allah if it is He aloneWhom you really worship. He has forbidden you only (to eatcarrion) that which dies of itself, the blood, the flesh of swineand that over (the sacrifice of) which thename of someone other than Allah hasbeen invoked.” (Q 2:172-3)

“And do not eat that on which Allah’s namehas not been pronounced.” (Q 6:121)

Muslims also argue that the halal / haram laws are scientifically proven to promoteindividual and societal health. They alsostress the universal ethical value of halal products, arguing that because of the religiousconditions imposed on their production,stringent controls are in place throughout.Halal can therefore, they say, be accepted asa trustworthy brand that ensures the safety,quality and humane treatment of animals.Halal is also claimed to guarantee just and fairbusiness methods and to embody values ofsocial justice and welfare.

The process of Islamisation

Many Muslim scholars assert that the halal / haram rules are notjust for Muslims, but for all human beings. Thus, they believe,halal and haram are part of dawa (Islamic mission): it is the duty ofMuslims to spread their rules to non-Muslims.

Religious, economic and political pressures combine to furtherthe spread of the halal / haram system around the world. Thearchitects of the current Islamic resurgence want to establish the

global dominance of Islam. As large, international, non-Muslimcompanies adopt halal products, they introduce sharia into theirstructures, thus expanding its reach in the non-Muslim world. Inseveral sub-Saharan African states with non-Muslim majoritiesmost butchers and most of the meat trade has passed into

Pull-outsupplement

The halal controversy

ii

Muslim hands. Halal foods are promoted as ethical alternativesfor all people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

The population of Muslim states has outpaced the local foodsupply, forcing them to import foods from countries such as NewZealand, Australia, Brazil and the USA. As the Muslim marketbecame globally significant, Muslims demanded that producersand distributors provide certified halal products.

The Muslim market represents one-fifth of the world’s totalpopulation (estimated at 1.2 billion people). The global halal marketis potentially worth $2.3 trillion. Large Western multinationalsare eager to tap into its vast potential, and many have started tointroduce halal products into their ranges. Some have gone overto marketing only halal products to simplify their processes andcut costs. Hundreds of companies across the world are becomingsharia-compliant or halal -compliant, and much halal food is nowproduced and processed in non-Muslim countries under Muslimreligious supervision and certification. This means that some

slaughterman posts are open only to Muslim applicants.

Halal products have now spread into many non-food sectors,including cosmetics, tourism and holidays, clothing, stickers, rugs,greeting cards and logos and ring tones on mobile phones. The listis growing.

Halal products in Britain

Halal food is being introduced secretlyto Britain. All over the country, schools,hospitals, pubs and sporting venues areserving halal meat, often without informing

the public. It has also been allegedthat some big supermarkets are sellingunlabelled halal meat products.

The British halal meat industry is expandingso fast that many more halal butchers areneeded. A programme has been organisedthat could enable as many as 5,000Pakistani butchers to obtain jobs in theBritish halal meat industry.

Non-Muslim halal producers

It is estimated that currently some 90% of theworld’s halal food market is supplied by non-Muslims.

Major halal meat producers are found in Argentina, Australia,Brazil, Canada, China, India, New Zealand, the UK and the USA.

The Middle East has become a major market for New Zealand meatexports. As a result New Zealand has become the largest exporterof halal -slaughtered sheep meat in the world and a significantexporter of halal beef. About 98% of lamb and sheep as well as60% of cattle in New Zealand are halal -slaughtered, as companiesfind it easier and more cost-effective to shift their productionprocesses to halal only. Halal meat production has become an

essential part of New Zealand’s economy.

New Zealand is also targeting countries with wealthy Muslimpopulations for inbound tourism. This has increased the demandfor halal food in the local catering, hospitality and tourism


Halal food is ig

itodcd sctlto biti. all ov

th cot, schools,

hospitls, ps d

spotig vs

svig halal

mt, oft withot

ifomig th plic.



Pull-outsupplement

T h e h a l a l c ont r ov e r s y

iii

industries. People involved in these industries are being madeaware of halal rules concerning food production and catering.In Australia, halal slaughter is carried out through the Australian

Government Muslim Slaughter programme by governmentemployees supervised by independent Islamic halal agencies.

Muslim food authorities

Muslim and non-Muslim governments and public bodies haveencouraged the formation of halal food certifying bodies to overseethe abattoirs and the slaughtering process and offer detailedguidelines on how to ensure food remains halal right through thevarious modern production, distribution and catering processes.Worldwide it is estimated that there are over 300 bodies offeringglobal halal certification. Most of the bodies justify their demandsto oversee the food industry and ensure that it meets the religiousstandards of the Muslim community by claiming that Islam is atotal way of life that embraces all spheres of human activity.

Halal certifying agencies charge fees to companies to undertakeaudits of production facilities, inspect documentation on productsand manufacturing, and issue halal product certificates. These feesare passed on to the customers in higher prices.

In some countries there exist several independent and competingMuslim food councils, sometimes representing various streamsof Islam. Different organisations often accuse their competitors offraud or of not being Islamic enough, casting doubt on the validity

of their certification.

For example, in the UK there are at least two competing halal

certification organisations: the Halal Food Authority (HFA) and theHalal Monitoring Committee (HMC). The HFA allows the use ofmachines in the slaughtering process, while the HMC says that onlyanimals slaughtered by hand are halal .

It is argued by Muslims that the absence of globally recognised halal certification bodies and standards poses a serious problem to theindustry and that there is an urgent need to have clear standardsthat apply globally. There are calls to regulate the halal industry,harmonise halal certification rules and create binding, global halal standards to promote trade and speed up the certification process.

Implications

While the halal / haram system has always been part of Muslimreligious doctrine, it was usually applied only to Muslim populations.But in the context of Islamic resurgence and Islamist growth, theexpansion of halal across the world is seen by many commentatorsas part of a global Islamisation project, designed to extend the reach

of sharia in both Muslim and non-Muslim states and to restore thepower of Islam worldwide. The economic interests of the large globalindustries seeking to penetrate the growing Muslim markets tend toencourage this Islamisation drive.

Many Christians are uneasy about buying halal food or other productsbecause of its inseparable association with Islamic dawa . Theysee such purchases as advancing the cause of global Islam, and ofIslamist radicalism in particular, and as putting themselves implicitlyunder the authority of Islamic sharia. For this reason they argue thathalal products should not be forced on the non-Muslim community orsold without appropriate labelling. Christian farmers also do not wantto be responsible for sacrificial slaughter of animals to Allah.

Cruelty to animals

Many believe that halal slaughter is cruel. Western animal welfaregroups consistently criticise Muslim halal slaughtering methods andcall for their prohibition. They also criticise the stressful methods ofrestraint used in some halal slaughtering plants.

The Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) reported on Muslimslaughter practices in 2003:

When a very large transverse incision is made across the neck a number of vital tissues are transected including: skin, muscle,trachea, oesophagus, carotid arteries, jugular veins, majornerve trunks (e.g. vagus and phrenic nerves) plus numerousminor nerves. Such a drastic cut will inevitably trigger a barrageof sensory information to the brain in a sensible (conscious)animal. We are persuaded that such a massive injury wouldresult in very significant pain and distress in the period beforeinsensibility supervenes.2

The report concluded that killing animals without first stunning themcauses unnecessary pain and suffering. It therefore recommendedthe government to pass legislation banning all religious slaughterof animals. The British animal welfare charity RSPCA also opposes

halal slaughter on grounds of animal welfare, and it advocatesclear labelling of halal products to inform the welfare-consciousconsumer about the method of slaughter.


a ctifict i nw Zld stut widow, ppovig llth igdits usd th s halal -complit

2 Report on the Welfare of Farmed Animals at Slaughter or Killing . London: Farm Animal Welfare Council FAWC, June 2003.



The halal controversy

iv

Pull-outsupplement

www.barnabasfund.org

barnabaS FunD HOPE AND AID FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCHUK 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX

Telephone 024 7623 1923

Fax 024 7683 4718

From outside the UK

Telephone +44 24 7623 1923

Fax +44 24 7683 4718Email [email protected]

Registered Charity Number 1092935

Company Registered in England

Number 4029536

New ZealandPO Box 27 6018, Manukau City, Manukau, 2241

Telephone (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805

Email [email protected]

AustraliaPostal Suite 107

236 Hyperdome

Loganholme QLD 4129

Telephone (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365799

Fax: (07) 3806 4076


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Jersey, Channel Islands JE3 9GB

Telephone 700600 Fax 700601


USA 6731 Curran St, McLean, VA 22101

Telephone (703) 288-1681

or toll-free 1-866-936-2525

Fax (703) 288-1682


International HeadquartersThe Old Rectory, River Street,

Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK

Telephone 01672 564938

Fax 01672 565030

From outside UK

Telephone +44 1672 564938Fax +44 1672 565030


Animal welfare groups also insist that humane slaughter mustinvolve pre-stunning, which renders the animal unconscious,before the killing. Animal-cruelty regulations throughout Europesay that livestock must be stunned before slaughter, but Britainand most countries allow exemptions on religious grounds forMuslim (and Jewish) religious slaughter practices. Several states

have however forbidden these exclusions on the grounds that pre-stunning is more welfare-friendly. (It should be noted that Muslimsdo not agree among themselves overwhether an animal needs to be consciouswhen killed for its meat to be halal .)

Implications

Many Christians believe the method of

killing without stunning to be cruel and

therefore contrary to the Biblical creation

mandate. Some of them endorse the calls

from animal welfare organisations for thebanning of halal slaughtering practices.

Others defend the current exemptions for

ritual slaughter on grounds of religious

freedom, while not wanting themselves

to eat meat from animals that were killed

without first being stunned. However,

the prescription of ritual slaughter in the

Old Testament leads other Christians to

question the animal welfare argument

against halal killing.

RecommendationsWhile Christians and other non-Muslims

should argue for the right of Muslims to observe

their religious rules in matters of halal food and other products

within their own community, they must protest at the Islamisation

project that seeks to impose these rules and products on all non-

Muslims, expand the reach of sharia, advance Muslim economic

interests and dominate world trade in the food and related

industries. The domination of sharia often results in anti-Christian

discrimination and persecution and hinders Christian mission.

Christians should therefore be committed to the struggle against

Islamist ideology, the Islamisation process and the extension of

sharia to include non-Muslims, including the spread of the halal

system. If we do nothing, Muslims will believe that we do not mind

about these things.


Christians should also object to having to pay for certification

agency fees and the other extra costs involved in the halal

processes and industries. These should be borne exclusively

by Muslims. We should also protest against the greed of

businessmen who withhold choice from most of the world’s

population because of their eagerness to tap into the lucrative

global Muslim market.

Regarding the spread of halal to many

commercial outlets, and halal food’s being the

only kind offered to non-Muslims in schools

and other government and public institutions,

Christians should object when there is no

choice for non-Muslims. We must challenge

the view that the majority must conform to the

practices of a minority.

In the public square, Christians and other

non-Muslims ought to support the followingdemands:

n Governments should not legislateregarding the standards required forhalal products, thus endorsing them byimplication.

n All halal products should be clearlylabelled as such.

n Government and public institutionsshould offer halal products only as achoice. Halal should never be the onlyoption available there.

Due weight should be given to the argument, ongrounds of religious liberty, that halal slaughter should

not be prohibited by law, and different views are held amongChristians (and others) regarding its alleged cruelty. Even so,however, the case against the practice on the basis of animalwelfare is very compelling, and suggests that halal slaughtershould be modified or banned by government legislation.Moreover, the aversion of many Christians to eating meat fromanimals that have been slaughtered inhumanely is anotherreason to insist on the provision of choice and the labelling ofhalal products.

The freedom of Muslim people to follow their own religiouspractices should be affirmed. But the freedom of non-Muslims notto follow Muslim practices should also be protected.

Th fdom of

Mslim popl to

follow thi owligios pctics

shold ffimd.

bt th fdom of

o-Mslims ot

to follow Mslim

pctics shold lso

potctd.



Halal awss CmpigOptio nhmih hs civd cogig spos

fom sppots sic w lchd o Halal awss

Cmpig i Octo.

11

Operation Nehemiah

Further investigations have revealed the

extent of the problem. Many UK supermarkets, restaurants and schools are

serving meat that has been sacrificiallyslaughtered, prepared and transported inaccordance with sharia (Islamic law), often

without telling the public. Pressure is now

mounting on these outlets and institutions tolet consumers know what they are eating.

We do not object to Muslims eating halal food. But we believe that Christians andother non-Muslims should have the freedom

to make an informed choice about whetheror not to eat it. We are therefore asking that

halal food should always be labelled as such,and that non-halal alternatives should alwaysbe available to consumers.

There are several reasons why Christians

and others may not want to eat halal food:

n The spread of halal is part of the

commitment of many Muslims to Islamic

mission (dawa ) and the Islamisation of

their non-Muslim host societies, which

includes the imposition of Islamic

practices on non-Muslims.

n Halal -compliant methods of slaughterraise questions relating to animal cruelty,

as many Muslims believe that animals

must not be stunned before killing

(although others disagree).

n The eating of foods associated with non-

Christian religious practices and its

spiritual and social effects within the

Christian community are also a concern

for many Christians.

An article, “The Halal Controversy”

(http://barnabasfund.org/spread-ofhalal ) is

available on the Operation

Nehemiah section of our website

(www.barnabasfund.org/nehemiah) and

explains the background and serious

implications of the spread of halal

products. An abridged version has been

included as a pull-out in this magazine.

Operation Nehemiah would like to thank

those supporters who have made

enquiries or complained to local suppliers.

Pls visit th Optio nhmih

sctio of th bs Fd w sit

to pticipt i th Halal Cmpig

d gist o sppot fo pop

lllig d th fdom to choos.

To receive further updates about the halal

campaign, please contact Operation

Nehemiah at [email protected].


Optio nhmih updts

If you would like to receive Operation Nehemiah news and prayer updates, please email [email protected] register your interest in the campaign, or phone 01672 564938. Regular updates are also available on theOperation Nehemiah section of the website www.barnabasfund.org/nehemiah.

In October, 35 Church of England schools in

Blackburn received Muslim Council of Britain

(MCB) “Books for Schools” packs as part of a

project to reach 23,000 primary schools. The

packs, which contain £250 worth of books and

Islamic items, are carefully designed to appeal

to young children. In an email to its supporters,

the MCB describes this as a dawa project.

These and similar reports, which include

compulsory visits to mosques and the

building of an RE classroom facing Mecca,

raise serious questions about the elevating

of Islam and sidelining of Christianity in

education. The former Bishop of Rochester,

Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, writing in Standpoint

magazine, has urged Education Secretary

Michael Gove to restore the teaching of

Christianity in Britain’s schools. He says that

Christianity was the most significant link in

the story of Britain.

Operation Nehemiah wants to appeal to our

supporters to provide us with information

about what is being taught in primary schools

about Christianity and Islam. We are also

planning to launch a school pack about

Christianity later in 2011, which will be

available for supporters to sponsor and even

donate as a gift to local schools. We hope that

it will be a transforming and treasured

investment for them.

Please pray that God will give us His wisdom

for this developing project.

“GreaTerunDerSTanDInG OFISLaM” SeMInarS

Operation Nehemiah is planning a

series of training seminars across

Britain in 2011 to provide churches

with a greater understanding of

Islam and training in outreach to

Muslims and care for converts.Topics will include sharia, why

women convert to Islam, and

theological differences between

Christianity and Islam.

Any church or group of churches that

would like to host a seminar is invited

to contact Operation Nehemiah.

Focs o edctio



Country Profile

Egyptegpt hs mixd pttio i th bil. O th o hd it is plc of fg, fo Jco

d his fmil i tim of fmi, d fo th ift Chist d His fmil flig fom

Hod. bt o th oth hd it is th plc of Isl’s slvmt, fom wh God

lits thm i th exods, d wh H svl tims foids thm to t. It stds

oth fo God’s gcios povisio fo His popl, d fo thi oppssio d psctio

thi mis.

egpt cotis to hv this mixd pttio tod. It is hom to th lgst Chisti

commit i th Middl est, whos oigis li i th fist Chisti ctis. nmicll

d histoicll th Chch is tstimo to God’s fithflss to His popl. bt th

cot lso hs disml cod of ti-Chisti hostilit, d it is kd mog th

wold’s wost psctos of covts fom Islm.

No safety innumbersEstimates of the size of the Christian

population in Egypt vary between 8 and 12

per cent, or about six to ten million people.

The early Church flourished in Egypt, and

many of today’s Christians are descended

from these early believers. But in AD 651

the land was invaded by Arab Muslims. The

dominance of Islam was quickly established,

and the Christians were reduced to the

status of second-class citizens. Today the

great majority of the population are Sunni

Muslims, and despite their numbers theChristians are an oppressed minority.

The Egyptian constitution guarantees

freedom of religion, but it also specifies that

sharia (Islamic law) is the principal source of

the country’s legislation. In 1980 Islam was

declared to be the state religion. More

recently Egyptian courts have ruled that

religious freedom does not extend to Muslim

citizens who want to convert to another

religion, and that it is restricted by the

principles of Islam. In 2010 the Supreme

Council of Islamic Affairs, a government

body, stated that Egypt is an Islamic state

where “the citizenship rights of non-

Muslims were conditional to their abiding by

the Islamic identity of the State”.

Restrictionson buildingsOne major area in which Christians find

themselves severely restricted is the

construction and repair of church buildings.

All applications for new buildings must be

approved by the President in person. No

church building may be put up within 100

metres of a mosque, and the approval of

the neighbouring Muslim community must

be secured before a permit can be granted.

The expansion or rebuilding of existing

churches require the consent of a Provincial

Governor, and not even the smallest ofrepairs, such as the

replacement of a broken

window, can be made

without local authority

agreement.

These restrictions make the

process of obtaining permits

long, slow and often futile.

The Muslim community is

generally hostile to the

construction of Christian

places of worship: on many

occasions Muslim mobs

have attacked Christians

because of information or

rumours about work on

church buildings (see p14). Many local

officials delay the application process,

demanding documents from the Christians

that are almost impossible to obtain, and the

security forces may prevent them from usingany permits that are given. Some church

properties have even been destroyed by the

authorities.

As a result there are not nearly enough

church buildings in Egypt to meet the needs

of the Christian community, so Christians

have sometimes to resort to meeting in

private buildings or homes. But because

these buildings are unlicensed places of

worship, the churches are sometimes closed

down by the local authorities.

although th Chuch i egpt is lg d hs log histo, itfcs sv hostilit fom th cout’s Muslim mjoit




Country Profile

Discriminationand poverty

Christians in Egypt have to endure another,more indirect limitation of their freedom, in

the form of serious discrimination in many

areas of life. For example, they are largely

excluded from government jobs, high-

ranking positions in the military and

security services, and positions in the state

universities. They are rarely nominated to

stand in elections, and there are very few

Christian members of the People’s

Assembly. Only a handful of Christians

hold senior political office. The long-

standing contempt of most Egyptian

Muslims for their Christian neighbours hasbeen exacerbated in recent decades by the

political instability of the wider region.

Although there used to be many

prosperous Egyptian Christians, most of

them have emigrated because of anti-

Christian pressure and hostility. The majority

of the Christians who remain in Egypt live in

extreme poverty, and thousands are in

“garbage villages”, where they earn a living

sorting household rubbish. Two years ago

many of them lost a major part of theirlivelihood when the government culled their

pigs on the pretext of restricting the spread of

swine flu.

Persecutionof convertsEgyptian converts from Islam to Christianity

are particularly vulnerable to hostility from

the government and wider society. There isno law against leaving Islam, but converts

usually face harassment and severe

pressure, and sometimes even threats to

their lives. Some have been detained and

pressured to return to Islam, and have

suffered physical abuse while in custody.

It is not possible for

converts to Christianity

to register their change

of faith officially or to

alter the religion listed

on their identity cards.

Converts whose

religion is still listed as

Islam face difficulties

in marriage,

inheritance, and even

in attending church.

Attempts in the courts

by converts to have

their conversions

formally recognised

or their ID cards

altered have

repeatedly failed. (By contrast, if a Christianconverts to Islam their ID card is promptly

changed to show that they are now Muslim.)

When one or both Muslim parents convert to

Christianity, their children are still considered

to be Muslims. But when a Christian parent

converts to Islam, the children are reckoned

to follow his or her Islamic faith, and the

religion on their birth certificates can be

changed to Islam. In March 2010 a court

rejected a lawsuit from a Christian mother

asking for the Christian identity of her twinsons, whose father converted to Islam, to be

reinstated before their identity cards were

due to be issued at the age of 16. This

decision was made despite the fact that the

boys are firm believers in Christ.

ONE CONVERT’S

STORY

Mh l-Goh is covt fomIslm to Chistiit, d i M 2009

h tid to hv th ligio o his ID

cd chgd to flct his fith. H

d his dght Di, lso

Chisti, w focd ito hidig,

d th hd to mov ptdl to

void dtctio. I J 2009 cot

fsd his qst, d wh l-

Goh d his dght ttmptd

to lv th cot, th w

stoppd t th ipot d thi

psspots w cofisctd. Mo

th o ttmpt hs md o

Mh’s lif, d Di hs

ttckd with cid.M of egpt’s Chistis v poo d hv to livig sotig uish i“gg citis”

T hese t w in boy s, w ho ar e commit t ed Chr ist ians, had t he r eligion on t heir bir t h cer t if icat es changed f r om Chr ist ianit y t o Islam w hen t heir f at her conv er t ed. T hey hav e been denied t he r ight t o hav e it changed back




Anti-ChristianviolenceRecent years have witnessed an alarming

surge in brutal attacks on Christian

individuals and communities in Egypt. A

study by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal

Rights found that in the two years to January

2010 there were at least 53 incidents of

sectarian hostility or tension, in 17 of Egypt’s

29 governorates.

The acts of violence, which generally occur

in more remote or rural areas, take various

forms and arise from various causes. Some

of the most serious are acts of “collective

retribution”, when Muslims seek revengeagainst all Christians in an area for the action

of one Christian. Christians also risk attack

when they meet for worship or prayer, try to

convert a building into a church, or construct

a new building. Buildings themselves may

also be targeted. Some incidents of

premeditated murder have been reported.

One specific and extremely distressing form

of anti-Christian violence is the abduction

and rape of Christian girls, their enforced

conversion to Islam, and their marriage to

Muslim men. For example, within the space

of a few weeks 15-year-old Marian Bishay

was kidnapped on her way to collect dinner

for her family from the local restaurant, 50m

from her home in Giza, and 19-year-old Amal

Estephanos was abducted in broad daylight by

a group of Muslims. Witnesses reported that

Amal was drugged and bundled into a pickup

truck with the assistance of local villagers. Itappears that neither of the girls has ever been

restored to their families.

InadequateprotectionThe Egyptian authorities do very little to

help the victims of anti-Christian attacks.

The police are often slow to respond to

reports of violence; they frequently seem

unwilling to protect Christian properties or

Christian people, and there are

documented cases of security forces

joining the attackers or arresting the

victims. Normally little effort is made to

arrest those responsible.

Even when suspects are detained and

their guilt is not in question, many cases

never reach court. After major incidentsthe government pressures the Christian

victims into “reconciliation”, supposedly

as a way of easing tensions and resolving

disputes. But the real goal of these

sessions, Christians believe, is to

persuade the Christian victims to withdraw

their complaints against the Muslim

attackers, thus preventing their

prosecution. Offenders who are brought to

court may receive very lenient sentences.

In the meantime Christians can be illegally

expelled from their homes in order toappease Muslims in the affected areas.

The frequent failure to bring the

perpetrators of anti-Christian violence to

justice has created the impression, largely

justified, that Muslims can attack and

even murder Christians with impunity.

Indeed, some Christians believe that the

Egyptian government is now deliberately

inciting Muslims against them, and using

Islamist radicalism as a political weapon.

Islamistthreats

A number of militant Islamist groups

operate in Egypt, with the goal of turning it

into an Islamic state under the rule of

sharia law. They have secured a

significant place in education and the

media, and have launched many violent

attacks. Some of these are againstChristians, and the government’s failure

adequately to counter Islamist activities

and influence thus endangers the

churches. But now Islamist leaders are

RECENT INCIDENTS OF ANTI-

CHRISTIAN VIOLENCEa Mslim mo ttckd th tow ofFshoot o 21 novm 2009,pomptd mos of sxl sgist Mslim gil Chistim. up to 3,000 Mslims gthdotsid th polic hdqts i

ttmpt to kidp d md thm. Th mo th lootd, vdlisdd d Chisti-owd shopsd sisss d thw Chistifmilis ot of thi homs. at lstsv Chistis w ijd. O 6J 2010, i th ighoig tow of ng Hmmdi, six Chisti

woshipps d scit gd w killd wh th gm stomd woship svic. Th chch’s ld hd pviosl thtd csof his qsts fo compstio fo th Chistis of Fshoot.

O 12 Mch 2010 hdds of Chistis w tppd isid chch iMs-Mth fo t hos wh thosds of Mslims ttckd th ildig.Som of th cowd td th chch d ssltd th Chistis, d thwt o to popt. Twt-th Chistis w ijd. Th ptxt foth ttck ws th costctio withot pmissio of wll od plot ofld owd th chch.

O 20 Mch 2010 chch i Lxo ws sodd lldozs dhdds of polic. Th commit ct ws dmolishd d ll th chch’sld ws tk ov, pt fom th chch ildig itslf. Th thoitis sidtht th w dgod chologicl mis o th sit, t thChistis sw this clim s m xcs fo dstoig thi popt.

a Mslim motocclist hdd o Chisti d ijd two oth Chistis

o 16 Sptm 2009. Th md victim, ado Gog yo, ws stdi tims fo ig dcpittd. Th ttck th movd o to two

ighoig villgs, wh h svl ijd locl shomk dssltd lcksmith.

Chr ist ians in F ar shoot w r injur d and t hir pr opr t is dst r oy d by a Muslim mob

Country Profile




Fdig d sic ds

Many Christians in Upper Egypt live in severe poverty, and some children do not even

know what an egg is. Barnabas Fund has given grants to help local Christians to supply

the poorest Christians with food and other basic needs. (Project reference 11-220)

Voctiol tiig cts

In a very poor area Barnabas is assisting the Church to establish a number of vocational

training centres to help Christians learn skills by which they can support themselves and

their families. The courses include training as car mechanics, electricians and carpenters

and in IT skills. (Project reference 11-859)

Livlihoods fo Chisti pig fms

In April 2009 many Christians lost their livelihood and an important source

of protein when the Egyptian authorities ordered the slaughter of 300,000

pigs on the pretext of preventing swine flu. This unnecessary measure

damaged only the Christian population, as Muslims do not eat pork or rear

pigs. A local church in one “garbage village” is providing alternative ways

for Christian families to support themselves, helped with funds from

Barnabas. (Project reference 11-819)

Dst clmtio d jo tiig

In an area of high unemployment, this project supported by Barnabas is

reclaiming 80 acres of desert land for irrigation and farming. Between 80

and 100 Christian workers will receive job training and employment on

the farm. The project will also provide food for the local Christian

community and a source of income from the sale of produce.

(Project reference 11-926)

BARNABAS FUND HELPING EGYPTIAN CHRISTIANS

also spreading unfounded accusations

against them.

In September 2010 Muslim anger was

ignited when Egyptian Christians were

accused in the media of supporting Israeland stockpiling weapons in preparation

for waging war against Muslims. Tensions

were also fuelled by rumours that

Christians were kidnapping and torturing

women who had converted to Islam.

Numerous mass demonstrations involving

thousands of Muslims took place against

Christians, with the previously unknown

group “Front of Islamic Egypt” promising

them a “bloodbath”.

The Egyptian authorities were accused of

complicity for political reasons in theescalating crisis in light of forthcoming

elections. Christian leaders suggested

that the government was trying to use

Islamist threats and violence as a means

of channelling social discontent away

from itself and on to the churches.

Certainly it did little to quash the untrue

reports or restrain the hostility of the

demonstrators.

Pray for Egypt’sChristians

The growing strength of Islamism, added to

the longstanding problems of restriction and

discrimination, harassment and violence,

places Egyptian Christians in a highly

precarious position. They are also unable to

turn to the authorities for protection with anyconfidence of receiving it. Yet the Church

remains faithful to Christ, and even considers

martyrdom for His sake to be a great

blessing. Please pray for our brothers and

sisters, that the Lord will protect them from

harm and give them courage and strength to

stand firm in the face of hostility. Pray too

that the harsh conditions they have to endure

will be relieved.

THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD (MB)

Th Mslim bothhood, th fist gssoots Islmist movmt i mod

tims, ws fodd i egpt i 1928. Its mi gol is to stlish

Islmic stt sd o shi i egpt d oth Mslim cotis. This

wold th xpdd to icld o-Mslim cotis d vtll to

com glol Islmic Clipht domitig th whol wold. Th Mb

livs tht ll govig sstms opposd to Islmist idolog mst

gdll ifilttd, olishd d plcd. It clims to wok fo its gols

pcfll d withi th lw, d it wo ssttil m of

plimt sts i th 2005 lctios. bt it hs lso stlishd

sct ch tht ss violc gist pcivd mis, d most of

th dicl Islmist toist ogistios i th a wold offshoots

fom th Mb.

a pojct suppotd bs hs supplid ths gotsto povid livlihood fo Chisti fms whos pigsw culld th govmt

This school was uilt with support from

barnaas to provide a Christian education for students aged 12-15

Country Profile

BARNABAS AID JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 1



Fears for Iraq’s beleaguered Christiancommunity have accelerated after a bloody

siege at a Baghdad church left more than

50 dead and militants threatened further

violence.

The Islamic State of Iraq, an Al-Qaeda front

group, claimed responsibility for the attack

and afterwards said that the “killing sword

will not be lifted”. When a 48-hour deadline

for the release of Muslim women they

falsely claimed the Egyptian Church was

holding captive expired (see Egypt article,

page 17), the threat was extended to “allChristian centres, organisations and

institutions, leaders and followers”.

On Sunday 31 October armed militants

entered the church in central Baghdad,

where around 100 people were taking part

in an evening service, and immediately

killed the church minister. The attackers

demanded the release of Al-Qaeda

prisoners as well as the women in Egypt.

But negotiations failed, and security forces

IraQ: CHurCH unDer THreaTaFTer bLOODy SIeGe

stormed the building in an effort to free the

hostages. Dozens of worshippers, as well as

security forces and attackers, died in the

ensuing fighting, with scores more

wounded. Among the victims were pregnant

Raghada al-Wafi, and Thar Abdallah, the

church minister who had conducted her

wedding ceremony.

It was the deadliest recorded attack against

Iraq’s Christians, who have endured

repeated violence since the US-led invasion

in 2003. Hundreds of thousands have been

forced to flee as a result of the repeatedattacks; the number of Christians has fallen

from 1.5 million in 1990 to perhaps as low

as 400,000 today.

In the last edition of Barnabas Aid we

reported that the Iraqi government had

pledged to help exiled Christians return to

their homeland. But the Iraqi Church could

now be facing further haemorrhage as

Christians are once again forced to consider

seeking asylum elsewhere in light of the

growing hostility.

A pastor in Turkmenistan has been jailed

for four years on what his wife and

church say are false accusations.

Ilmurad Nurliev (45) was convicted on 21

October on charges of swindling, which

they insist were fabricated as a

punishment for his religious activity.

He is expected to serve his sentence in a

labour camp where, according to some

claims, mind-altering drugs have been

used. Worryingly the grandfather-of-twois diabetic, and his wife has not been

allowed to see him or give him his

medicines since he was arrested in

August.

The credibility of the prosecution

witnesses – one of whom was

apparently in jail when the authorities

claimed she gave Pastor Nurliev money

– has been strongly questioned.

According to his wife, Maya Nurlieva, the

court said that if Nurliev paid the moneyhe is alleged to have swindled from

people who came to his church, he

might be eligible for prisoner amnesty.

“But he’s not guilty,” she told Forum 18

News Service.

Pastor Nurliev had previously been

targeted by the authorities. He was put

on the country’s exit blacklist without an

official explanation. And the church he

leads in Mary has been repeatedly

denied registration since 2007.

TurKMenISTan:

PaSTOr JaILeD On

FaLSe CHarGeS

Newsroom

1

Two Christian men who were arrested

in Algeria after they were seen eating

lunch during Ramadan have been

acquitted. Hocine Hocini and Salem

Fellak were accused of offending Islamby breaking the rules of Ramadan, the

Muslim month of fasting during daylight

hours. The colleagues were arrested in

aLGerIa: CHrISTIan PaIr CLeareD OF OFFenDInG ISLaM

a doo to th bghdd chuch iddldwith ullt hols

August after eating on the building site

where they worked in Kabylie, northern

Algeria. They admitted they had been

eating but said they had done it discreetly.

A state prosecutor sought a three year

prison sentence, but at their trial in October

the judge threw the case out of court,

saying, “No article [of law] provided for a

legal pursuit” against the men.

A group of people who had gathered

outside the courthouse applauded whenthey heard the verdict.

Mour ner s f illed t he st r eet s f or t he f uner al pr ocession of t hose k illed in t he siege




Newsroom

1

Three churches were torched by arsonists

in Russia’s mainly Muslim North Caucasus

region, where Islamists are fighting to

establish a separate state ruled by sharia(Islamic law).

The fires at churches in Karachayevo-

Cherkessia republic all happened in the

early hours of 1 November in what was

described by a senior church leader as

“well-orchestrated provocation”. He

ruSSIa: THree CHurCHeS TOrCHeD

Mainly Christian islands were at the heart

of a three-fold disaster of earthquake,

tsunami and volcanic eruption that killed

hundreds and left thousands homeless in

Indonesia.

A 7.7 magnitude undersea earthquake

triggered the three-metre high tsunami,

which pounded the Mentawai Islands, off

the coast of West Sumatra, on 25 October.The following day Mount Merapi on Java

erupted, and afterwards continued to spew

out clouds of ash and gas. The combined

death toll reached 450, while tens of

thousands of people became refugees as

homes were destroyed.

Barnabas Fund sent immediate financial aid

for the provision of food, clothing and

InDOneSIa: CHrISTIanS aT CenTreOF TrIPLe DISaSTer

Chistis fom Pdg iskd thi sftto hlp oths d sists i Mtwi.(Souc: IFGF GISI Mtwi rlif Tm)

added, “The intention is to destabilise

inter-religious harmony, but they will

not succeed.”

One of the churches was almost

completely gutted, but all three buildings

were saved by the immediate intervention

of church members who, after alerting the

fire brigade, began fighting the flames

themselves. No one was hurt in the

attacks.

The North Caucasus is plagued by

violence, but vandalism of churches is

rare. And Karachayevo-Cherkessia, which

has a sizeable Christian minority, hadpreviously enjoyed relative peace. It is not

known who was behind the fires, but

there has been an upsurge in Islamist

militancy in the North Caucasus region,

where radicalised youths are fighting for

an independent state separate from

predominantly Christian Russia.

Thousands of Egyptian Christians staged

a demonstration in front of the United

Nations to appeal for international help in

stopping violence against the country’s

believers.

The protest at the end of October

followed a series of false allegations,threats of violence, and mass

demonstrations by Islamists against the

Church in Egypt.

At least ten mass demonstrations

involving thousands of Muslims had taken

place against Egyptian Christians, with

the previously unknown group “Front of

Islamic Egypt” threatening them with a

“bloodbath”.

In addition to baseless rumours that

Christians were kidnapping and torturingwomen who had converted to Islam,

Muslim anger was ignited when entirely

unfounded accusations were made on Al-

Jazeera TV that the Egyptian Church was

aligned with Israel and stockpiling

weapons in preparation for waging war

against Muslims.

Egyptian Christians’ rights were also

threatened by the Supreme Council of

Islamic Affairs, a government body,

following remarks by a church leader

about a verse in the Qur’an. The councilsaid that “the citizenship rights of non-

Muslims were conditional to their abiding

by the Islamic identity of the State”.

medicine in Mentawai, a collection of small

islands that are predominantly Christian.

Our partners from churches in Padang,

West Sumatra, worked with their Mentawai

counterparts to co-ordinate relief efforts.

Supplies were gathered by the Padang

churches and taken by boat to the islands,

with brave volunteers risking their own

safety in dangerous conditions to help their

brothers and sisters.

Around 500 homes were destroyed, with a

further 200 damaged. Six church buildings,

five schools, six government buildings,

seven bridges and an eight-kilometre

stretch of road were also damaged or

destroyed. The rescue and relief operation

was expected to last for up to three months

followed by extensive rehabilitation work.

eGyPT: CHrISTIanSunDer InTenSeaTTaCK




In Touch

Do you share our passion for persecuted Christians who are suffering for theirfaith? You can stand with our brothers and sisters around the world by helpingyour local church to understand their plight.

Barnabas Fund’s development manager in the UK, Peter Burnett, says:“For the work of Barnabas Fund to be effective, we need people who arewilling to go that extra mile; people who will be a voice for our brothers andsisters who are discriminated against because of their faith in our Lord.”

I o Chch: Chch psttivs are a voice for the persecuted

Church worldwide within their local congregations. The role can be adapted tosuit the individual and their church.

What does a representative do?

n Pliciss th plight of psctd Chistis by distributing Barnabas Aid magazine and other printed materials to church members.

n ecogs p by raising items at church prayer meetings and/or forthe church’s notice sheet; perhaps setting up a local prayer group.

n riss ficil sppot by encouraging the church to consider allocatingpart of its outward giving and/or holding a special offering for BarnabasFund projects.

n Pomots spcil vts such as Suffering Church Sunday andencourages people to support petitions and campaigns.

I o a: a psttivs promote the work of Barnabas Fundacross a local area, organising and encouraging meetings for people from localchurches and Christian groups. They may speak at meetings themselves orinvite Barnabas Fund to provide a speaker for an event they are organising at alocal venue.

as spk: Barnabas Fund receives frequent enquiries from groups andchurches for someone to speak to them about the persecuted Church. Weneed volts who are gifted in preaching and public speaking to give avoice to persecuted Christians who cannot speak for themselves.

For more information about the support available for these volunteer roles,please visit our website (www.barnabasfund.org/volunteer) or contact PeterBurnett at the Coventry office (address details on the back cover). The timeneeded can be very flexible to fit in with your schedule and othercommitments. Many volunteers fulfil more than one of these roles!

Representing theSuffering Church

1

In t he week s before Easter we especially remember our Lor d’s suff er ing, so t his is also a very

appr opriate t ime to remember t hose ar ound t he world who ar e suffering for their f ait h in Him. Barnabas Fund invit es you to join us in prayer f or the persecuted Chur ch as you pr epare for Easter. Please look out for your copy of the Barnabas Fund 2011 Lent Prayer Book let, which will beincluded with t he March/ April 2011 edit ion of Ba rn a b a s Ai d . W e hope you f ind t his a useful tool to inspir e andassist your prayers for Christ ians around the world.

Regular Givin g to Barn abas F un d?Would you consider giving regularly to

Barnabas Fund? Regular gifts allow

us to plan ahead k nowing that we will

have a steady income stream to rely

on. It also helps us respond quick ly to

new or emergency requests.

If you would lik e to set up a regular

gift to Barnabas Fund, please

complete the Direct Debit form on the

inside back cover. If you are a UK

taxpayer, don’t forget to complete the

Gift A id declaration, so that Barnabas

Fund can reclaim the tax on all of the

donations that you make. This means

that your gifts are worth up to 28%

more to us at no extra cost to you.

Praying for thePersecuted Churchin Lent


F in d us on F acebook ; F ollow us on T witter

Barnabas Fund has a

Facebook page where

we can share

information, press

releases and items for prayer with

our supporters. To receive frequent

updates on current issues, visit

www.facebook .com/BarnabasFund

and “lik e” the page.

You can also follow us on Twitter, a

quick and free service that lets you

k eep in touch with up-to-date stories

relating to persecuted Christians

around the world. Barnabas updates

Twitter regularly with prayer points

and link s to news

stories. To get involved

with Barnabas Twitter,

visit http://twitter.com/

BarnabasFund.



Yes, I would like to help the persecuted Church

Here is my gift of ______________________

Please use my gift for

Wherever the need is greatest (General Fund)

Other ___________________________________________*

I enclose a cheque/voucher payable to “Barnabas Fund”.

Please debit my Visa Mastercard American Express Maestro CAF card /other charity card

Number

Maestro issue number or issue date /

Expiry date / Signature ______________________________

I do not require an acknowledgement of this gift.

I would like to give regularly through my bank. Please send me

the appropriate form. (UK supporters may use the Direct Debit

form below.)

Alternative Gift Card To make an alternative gift for a loved one, please

contact your national Barnabas office.

DIRECT DEBIT for UK supporters who would like to give regularly

I/We want to bring hope and aid to the persecuted Church by a regular gift, to be used

where it is most needed (General Fund) or for ________________________________*(give reference number of project to be supported)

Gift Aid Declaration (Applicable to UK tax payers only)

I authorise Barnabas Fund, registered charity no. 1092935, to treat alldonations I have made since 6 April 2006 and all subsequent donationsas Gift Aid donations until I notify you otherwise.

Signature ______________________________________ Date ____________

If you have previously signed a Gift Aid Declaration for Barnabas Fund, you do not need to sign again. To qualify for Gift Aid, what you pay in income tax or capital gains tax must at least equal the amount of tax reclaimed on donations to registered charities in the tax year. Please inform us if you change your name or address or stop paying tax.

Name (Mr,Mrs,Miss,Ms,Rev,Dr)

Address

Postcode Telephone

Email

Please return this form to Barnabas Fund at your national office or to the UK office.

Addresses are on the back cover. Barnabas Fund will not give your address or email

to anyone else.

Phone 0800 587 4006 or visit our website at www.barnabasfund.org to make a

credit card donation. From outside UK phone +44 1672 565031.Registered Charity number 1092935 Company registered in England number 4029536

*If the project chosen is sufficiently funded, we reserve the right to use designated gifts either foranother project of a similar type or for another project in the same country.

Supporters in Germany: please turn to back cover for how to send gifts to

Barnabas Fund.Mag JF11

Devotional Journal (£5 + £2 P&P)

Please send the following resources (indicate quantity required):

The aid agency for the persecuted Church

*If the project chosen is sufficiently funded, we reserve the right to use designated gifts either for another project of a similar type or for another project in the same country.

Name (Mr,Mrs,Miss,Ms,Rev,Dr)

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Starting on 1st / 11th / 21st _________________ and then everymonth/quarter/year (delete as applicable) until further notice.

This Direct Debit is a new one / in addition to / replaces an earlier StandingOrder / Direct Debit in favour of Barnabas Fund. (delete as applicable).

THE DIRECT DEBIT GUARANTEEThis Guarantee is offered by all Banks and Building Societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits.If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit Barnabas Fund will notify you 14 working days in advance of your account being debitedor as otherwise agreed.If you request Barnabas Fund to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request.If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit by Barnabas Fund or your bank or building society, you are guaranteed a full and immediate refund of the amountpaid from from your bank or building society.If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when Barnabas Fund asks you to. You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Writtenconfirmation may be required. Please also notify us.

Instruction to your bank or building society to pay by Direct Debit

Please fill in the whole form including official use box using a ball pointpen and send it to: Barnabas Fund, 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX

Service User Number 2 5 3 6 4 5

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Date

Instruction to your bank or building society: Please pay Barnabas FundDirect Debits from the account detailed in this instruction subject to thesafeguards assured to by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that thisinstruction may remain with Barnabas Fund and, if so, details will bepassed electronically to my bank/building society. DD18

Mag JF11



How to Find UsYou may contact Barnabas Fund at the following addresses:

UK 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX

Tlpho 024 7623 1923 Fx 024 7683 4718

From outside the UK

Tlpho +44 24 7623 1923 Fx +44 24 7683 4718

emil [email protected]

Registered charity number 1092935

Company registered in England number 4029536

For a list of al l trustees, please contact Barnabas Fund UK at the Coventry address above.

Australia

Postal Suite 107, 236 Hyperdome, Loganholme QLD 4129

Tlpho (07) 3806 1076 or 1300 365 799

Fx (07) 3806 4076 emil [email protected]

Germany

German supporters may send gifts for Barnabas Fund via Hilfe für Brüder who will

provide you with a tax-deductible receipt. Please mention that the donation is for “SPC

20 Barnabas Fund”. If you would like your donation to go to a specific project of

Barnabas Fund, please inform the Barnabas Fund office in Pewsey, UK.

accot hold: Hilfe für Brüder e.V.

accot m: 415 600 Bank: Evang. Kreditgenossenschaft Stuttgart

bkcod (bLZ): 520 604 10

© Barnabas Fund 2010. For permission to reproduce articles from this magazine, pleasecontact the International Headquarters address above.The paper used is produced using wood fibre at a mill that has been awarded the ISO14001

tifi t f i t l t

Jersey

Le Jardin, La Rue A Don, Grouville, Jersey, Channel Islands JE3 9GB

Tlpho 700600 Fx 700601 emil [email protected]

New Zealand

PO Box 27 6018, Manukau City, Manukau, 2241

Tlpho (09) 280 4385 or 0800 008 805


USA

6731 Curran St, McLean, VA 22101

Tlpho (703) 288-1681 or toll-free 1-866-936-2525

Fx (703) 288-1682 emil [email protected]

International Headquarters

The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey,

Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK

Tlpho 01672 564938

Fx 01672 565030

From outside UK:

Tlpho +44 1672 564938

Fx +44 1672 565030


barnabasaid the magazine of Barnabas Fundexctiv edito Steve Carter

Plishd bs Fd The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9

5DB, UK Tlpho 01672 564938 Fx 01672 565030

From outside UK: Tlpho +44 1672 564938 Fx +44 1672 565030emil [email protected]

We are always seeking to make more people aware of the plight of the persecuted Church, and whatBarnabas Fund does to bring hope and aid to our suffering brothers and sisters. We would like to ask you to help us spread our message wider. Will you introduce your Christian friends to our work andencourage them to take an interest in it?

Wh ot sd s ms d cotct dtils (with pmissio!) of o fids/fmilwho sh o coc fo th psctd Chch? eclosd with this ditio of thmgzi is cd fo o to fill ot d t to o st bs offic(ddsss low).

Thank you so much for anything you can do to raise awareness of the needs of our suffering brothersand sisters, and of what Barnabas is doing to help them. We are so grateful for the faithfulness of oursupporters in prayer, concern and giving.

Help us share the

message of Barnabas Fund

“yo lov fo th Lod’s popl givs s gt jo d cogmt, cs o hv

fshd thi hts.” (Philmo 1:7)

Documents

Barnabas Aid January/February 2011