Another Pakistan Christian woman accused of blasphemy for forwarding a text

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Another Pakistan Christian woman accused of blasphemy for forwarding a text

A Pakistan Christian woman, Shagufta Kiran from Islamabad, Pakistan has been accused of blasphemy for simply forwarding a message.

Shagufta was arrested on July 29 by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and she is still in their custody under investigation.

Shgufta’s husband Rafique Maish told the Pak Christian News (PCN) that armed police raided their home and arrested his wife and two sons accusing them of violating Pakistan’s blasphemy law by forwarding a WhatsApp post which included blasphemous content.

He said: “They harassed my family and took possession of our telephones, computer and other valuable items. The police were armed with firearms instructed us not to move and to keep our hands up. They arrested Shagufta and my two sons without prior information or an arrest warrant.

“They took my wife and sons to the police station, charged Shagufta under 295-A and 295-B of Pakistan’s blasphemy but later on freed my sons.”

He kept on saying they have fled Islamabad because of fear and threats and have moved somewhere they feel safer.

Rafique further said that Shagufta was arrested because she was a member of a WhatsApp group where someone allegedly shared a blasphemous message, which Shagufta forwarded to other persons without reading and knowing the consequences.

“Shagufta knew nothing about the post, she was not even the author of the post in question but was accused of passing it on,” Rafique explained.

Nasir Saeed, Director of the CLAAS-UK expressed his concern over the ongoing misuse and abused of the blasphemy law against poor and illiterate members of the religious minorities.

He said: “This is not the first time that someone has been charged for sharing a post on the social media, but there are several examples like Patras and Sajid and a young boy Nabeel who has been recently granted bail but the case is ongoing against him and he has to prove himself innocent. While police have failed to find and arrest the authors of such posts.

He said that Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar have recently been released after seven years of blasphemy charges and have safely reached the Netherlands.

Their case was another which broadly followed the pattern of the case of Asia Bibi, who was acquitted by Supreme Court in 2018 but not everyone is lucky like them. There are several languishing in prison for years but nobody speaks about them.

Mr Saeed said: “I don’t know how many years it will take for Shagufta Kiran to prove herself innocent.”

The European Union parliament has adopted a resolution in April for Shagufta and Shafqat Emmanuel, demanding that Pakistan allow space for religious freedom and urged the EU authorities to review the GSP Plus status for Pakistan.

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For more information contact Nasir Saeed: [email protected]

T: 02081506763  W: www.claas.org.uk

About CLAAS:

Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) is an interdenominational organisation working for Christians who are being persecuted because of their faith in Pakistan. CLAAS works for religious freedom, to stop persecution of Christians in Pakistan because of blasphemy and other discriminatory laws, raise awareness, disseminate information and highlight the plight of Christians on an international level. CLAAS provides free legal aid to victims of religious intolerance in Pakistan, as well as shelter and financial support for the victims and their families.

Christian Woman stabbed at Speakers’ Corner speaks following harrowing incident

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Christian Woman stabbed at Speakers’ Corner speaks following harrowing incident

A Christian woman who was attacked and stabbed multiple times by a man in a black Islamic robe at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park, London, has spoken for the first time since the incident.

Hatun Tash, 39, a well-known Christian preacher who regularly critiques and debates the Qur’an at Speakers’ Corner, the most famous place in the world for free speech, was attacked at 3.34pm on Sunday 25 July.

Hatun is an ex-Muslim who has converted to Christianity and is the director of the ministry Defend Christ Critique Islam (DCCI). It is well known that those who convert from Islam are deemed to have committed apostasy which, according to sharia law, deserves the death penalty.

Shocking video footage from Sunday’s incident has revealed a man clad in black, with a hood and face mask, unleashing a series of violent stabs at Hatun’s throat and body which left her with wounds to her face and hands. Hatun collapsed with blood down her face and is seen wearing a Charlie Hebdo t-shirt. Following the attack, the man immediately fled the scene and discarded the knife.

Woman stabbed at Speakers’ Corner

 

Only moments earlier, Hatun, who is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, had been quietly speaking to another member of the public and was not preaching.

She was treated by the London Ambulance Service and was then taken to a central London hospital where her wounds were stitched.

Despite a police car appearing immediately, police failed to catch and detain the attacker and have now appealed to the public for further evidence. Counter-terrorism are now also investigating.

‘I can’t believe this has happened’

Responding to the attack, Hatun said: “I am upset and disturbed by what has happened to me. I am asking myself if I have done anything wrong? I am convinced I have not broken any law or incited hate. All I did was question Islam and I wanted to debate, discuss and to tell people about Jesus Christ. Speakers’ Corner is a great place to do this, it is a shame that this has happened at the home of freedom of speech.

“Watching the video, the intention is clearly to kill me.

“I can’t believe this has happened in broad daylight at Speakers’ Corner. You do not expect such things to happen in Great Britain.

“Police inaction has led to what happened to me yesterday. In the past, they have seen it as easier to remove me than deal with people intimidating and threatening me. My attacker was not even afraid of the police as he did it right in front of them. It is heart-breaking that we live in a society where police do not want to arrest a Muslim for fear of being called ‘Islamophobic.’”

‘Series of disturbing incidents’

The incident is the latest in a series of concerning events at Speakers’ Corner involving Hatun.

Prior to Sunday’s incident, the Christian Legal Centre had already filed a pre-action letter with the London Metropolitan Police seeking damages on Hatun’s behalf for assault, false arrest, false imprisonment and harassment as a result of the repeated failures to protect her.

Disturbing incidents and threats to Hatun have been escalating at Speakers’ Corner since September 2020 when footage emerged of a threatening Islamic mob surrounding Hatun which resulted in her receiving death threats. Further incidents, outlined in the pre-action letter, have involved Hatun being slapped, punched and knocked to the ground by Islamic men.

Police have repeatedly failed to protect Hatun or make any arrests following her being assaulted and threatened. Instead, she has experienced being arrested, detained overnight in a police cell and had her belongings searched humiliatingly in public.

The Free Speech Union has also written to Metropolitan Police raising concerns over her treatment.

The story comes following protests and death threats about the Batley Grammar School teacher who is still in hiding and fearing for his life after showing a Charlie Hebdo cartoon to his pupils. Read more …

*Supporting Christian Concern to take the news of Christian Persecution out there

International Gathering of Champions (IGOC) 2021

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International Gathering of Champions (IGOC) 2021

Every year KICC hosts the International Gathering of Champions! This exciting 5 day convention features a Daytime School of Ministry that is attended by some 30,000 people and also special free events just for teenagers,
young adults and children. visit the website

Hosted by : Kingsway International Christian Centre

Pastor Joseph Agboli, Founder Of Victorious Army Ministries, is Dead

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Pastor Joseph Agboli, Founder Of Victorious Army Ministries, is Dead

Pastor Joseph Agboli, founder of the popular Victorious Army Ministries, with headquarters on Acme Road, in Ogba, Lagos, is dead.

The church has confirmed the death of Pastor Agboli on the his Facebook page, with his obituary displayed.

“Glory to God, It’s with a heavy heart, but unreserved submission to the will of God that the Victorious Army Ministries International announces the departure unto Glory of God’s servant, the Apostle, Joseph Dominic Agboli, who slept in the Lord on Wednesday, August 25th, 2021.

Pastor Agboli reportedly died in a London hospital after he was diagnosed with a heart related ailment.

Street Preacher Wins Lawsuit After False Allegations of Hate Speech

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Street Preacher Wins Lawsuit After False Allegations of Hate Speech

CBN News report –  A female street preacher in the United Kingdom, who was arrested last year for allegedly threatening members of the public, was exonerated by a district judge.

Police detained Hazel Lewis, 49, on Feb. 12, 2020, outside Finsbury Park tube station in North London for reportedly making homophobic and racist comments. Several community members defended her during the arrest, asking police “What law has she broken?”

Allegations against Lewis included making a child cry and using hostile language toward a citizen. Police also charged her with harassment, causing alarm, and provoking distress. Read more …

Christian Charity concerned about a push to Criminalize Prayer in UK

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Christian Charity concerned about a push to Criminalize Prayer in UK

A leading Christian charity in the U.K. is concerned about a push to criminalize prayer — even of a “gentle, non-coercive” nature — that doesn’t wholeheartedly affirm LGBT lifestyles.

In early June, David Walker, bishop of Manchester, told The Guardian he supports the ban, noting wherever activity “has harmed someone, the person who has caused the harm should face prosecution.”

He included in his support, however, a caveat. Walker said there should be an exception made for “gentle, non-coercive prayer” against LGBT behavior. Instead, the governmental prohibition should apply “where there is a level of power imbalance and a level of force,” he argued.

Jayne Ozanne, an activist and prominent lesbian Anglican, took issue with Walker’s suggestion there should be any allowances.

“I’m very grateful to Bishop David for his clear support for a ban, although I would strongly refute that ‘gentle, non-coercive prayer’ should be allowed,” she said. “All prayer that seeks to change or suppress someone’s innate sexuality or gender identity is deeply damaging and causes immeasurable harm, as it comes from a place — no matter how well-meaning — that says who you are is unacceptable and wrong.”

The U.K.-based Christian Institute issued a statement last Thursday, announcing it is “alarmed” by the push for the government to criminalize such prayers. Read more …

Source : CBN

Oregon Megachurch Pastor Steps Down Amid Allegations of Sexual Misconduct

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Oregon Megachurch Pastor Steps Down Amid Allegations of Sexual Misconduct

The Roys Report –  An Oregon megachurch pastor who’s broadcast on more than 500 radio and TV outlets, and has more than 150K followers on social media, has stepped down from ministry amid multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse. Two elders at the pastor’s megachurch have also resigned, claiming the church refused to properly discipline the pastor and took action only after the allegations became public.

The young leader, Ben Courson, 33, of Applegate Christian Fellowship near Medford, Oregon, is being accused by three former, female church members of misusing his authority and initiating sexual relationships with them.

The Applegate elders learned of two of the women’s accounts from Applegate administrating pastor Joe Stroble at an elders’ meeting in June, former elders Paul Sandu and James Meyers said. Read more …

Lecrae Posts Video of Pastor Telling Women It’s a Sin to Wear Pants; It Goes Viral

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Lecrae Posts Video of Pastor Telling Women It’s a Sin to Wear Pants; It Goes Viral

Recently, Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae posted a clip on Instagram of a pastor preaching from Deuteronomy 22:5 and telling the congregation that it is a sin for a woman to wear pants.

The video has since gone viral, racking up over 20,000 reactions and invoking over 2,400 comments. The pastor, who isn’t identified in the video or by Lecrae, may possibly be an Independent Fundamental Baptist preacher.

The preacher is using the King James Version of the Deuteronomy passage, which reads, “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.”

“A Christian lady wearing pants…Is it a sin? Ya,” the preacher says in the video clip. “A lot of ignorance today. She is sinning against God’s plan for civilization and she is not a part of the solution; she is a part of the problem. And a lot of Christian ladies are a part of the problem unknowingly.”

Lecrae wrote on his Instagram post: “This sermon was preached in 2021.” ChurchLeaders.com could not confirm when the pastor was speaking. Lecrae said, sarcasm evident: “Ladies, when you can’t find your size pants it may be because missionaries have been sent to the stores to save the world by buying them up.” The Grammy Award winning artist then told readers to go get their pastor because he was off to “get his wife a pantsuit,” mocking the pastor’s exegesis of the passage.

This interpretation regarding women’s attire seems not uncommon in the Independent Fundamental Baptist denomination. There are several similar sermon videos on YouTube and the internet offering a similar take.

Reactions to Lecrae’s Post

Christian hip-hop artist, author, and Bible teacher Jackie Hill Perry responded to Lecrae’s post with: “Oh darn. Now we gotta light our torches and start the britch hunt.”

Author, speaker, and television personality Jen Hatmaker said, “Sinning against God’s plan FOR CIVILIZATION?? Well, welcome to end times because these Joe Jeans cost me $165 and I d–n well wearing them.”

Social media influencer Chaz Smith posed a question: “Aight so obviously, dude is WILDIN, but my thing is this:

  • People who don’t follow Jesus will see sermons and read scriptures like this and then (understandably) believe either the Bible is written by a bunch of old white dudes who just wanna control and suppress everybody, or that Christians are hypocrites for not following all the rules in the Bible they claim to live by.
  • What’s an easy way to explain the context of Levitical law/verses like these?”

Another comment read: “Omgoodness! How much damage this guy is doing. I was ‘raised’ in that ‘manmade teaching’ crap. No ‘mixed bathing,’ no makeup, no cutting your hair, no shorts/pants, no coffee, no reading the funny paper, etc. I’m so thankful that God has blessed me and brought me out of that crap into a world of God is love and true meaning of the scriptures. Thank you, God. It was a world of DON’T and manmade laws. We are under Grace. Jesus died on the cross to get away with all the laws.”

Another comment said, “The kinda teaching that plagued my life for almost 20 years.”

Tell Us What You Think

Is this kind of preaching dangerous or valuable? Why?

Watch the entire clip below:

Source : Christian News Now

Teenage Christian cousins kidnapped at gunpoint outside their house

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Teenage Christian cousins kidnapped at gunpoint outside their house

On 16th August 2021 two teenage Christian cousins from Warburton, District Nankana Sahib were kidnapped at gunpoint outside their house by local Muslim men.

According to Mumtaz Bibi, the mother of Simran and aunt of Sheeza, on 11 August she went to attend the funeral one of their relatives in Faisalabad with another family member, but she left her daughter Simran, aged 15-16, her son Anoos and her brother, Ghafoor Masih’s daughter Sheeza, 15, to stay together and look after Anoos, who is disabled.

But when she returned Simran and Sheeza were not at home. Crying, Anoos told her the girls had been kidnapped by two Muslim men, Ali Raza and Lali Iqbal, at gunpoint outside their house.

Anoos told his mother that around 4PM Simran went to the shop to buy some food but Ali Raza and Lali who were present outside their house dragged Simran and forcefully pushed her into a rikshaw parked nearby. Simran started shouting and called for help. Sheeza went to help her, but she was also attacked. She started crying too and in the meantime Anoos came out and when he saw that both girls were struggling against Ali and Lali who were pushing them into the rickshaw, he started shouting for help to save his sister.

Their neighbour Sahil and some people gathered around and tried to rescue the girls but Ali and Lali pointed their guns toward them and threatened to kill them if anyone interfered and tried to stop them.

Mumtaz further said in her statement the family tried to search for the girls but couldn’t find them. They went to the kidnapper’s houses, but their houses were locked and there was nobody there.

A local resident, Nadeem, said that he saw Ali and Lali in the Warburton area about 5 PM.

The Police has registered a case against Ali Raza, Lali Iqbal, Sabira Bibi, Sarang Chanan, Gongloo Sumendar and some other people who are believed to be involved by the victims’ families. Until now nobody has been arrested but the family is fearful about the girls wellbeing as several days have passed and they don’t know whether the girls are alive or not. They have heard horrible stories about such cases but hope their daughters will return home safely.

Nasir Saeed, Director CLAAS-UK has expressed his concern over the ongoing situation, saying the kidnapping, forced conversion and forced marriage of teenage Christian and Hindu girls has become an everyday matter.

He said: “Parents of young Hindu and Christian girls are fearful of their future in Pakistan.

“In this year alone we have recorded over two dozen cases, and the majority of cases are of Christian girls from Punjab.”

He further said that it is frustrating as the government and law enforcement agencies – those with power – are aware of the situation but turn a blind eye.

Mr Saeed said: “Forced conversion of religious minorities primarily in girls, some younger than 12 years old, seems to have become a norm not only for the Pakistani government but for the community as well. Hardly any member of society admits to seeing the severity of the problem at hand.

He added that comments made by Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri that there should be no restrictions on converting religion before the age of 18, saying that if someone aged 14wished to convert to some other religion, they could “not be stopped”, were very disappointing.

Qadri said in the Islamic faith, anyone could convert to the religion regardless of age. He said “There are several incidents where someone expresses the wish to convert their religion out of their own choice before the age of 18. There are several examples in Islam of religious conversion before 18”.

Mr Saeed further said that the Islam-influenced judiciary system has also become a safety net for paedophiles and rapists who take advantage of the Islamic faith’s inherent good deeds to justify their criminal minds.

Mr Saeed said forced conversion and forced marriages are serious crimes and the government must pay attention and introduce new legislation to stop this growing problem.

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For more information contact Nasir Saeed: [email protected]

T: 02081506763  W: www.claas.org.uk

FAITH & FUNDS Virtual Summit

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FAITH & FUNDS Virtual Summit
Entrepreneurs who are about their FAITH and MONEY: A virtual summit designed just for you – Register now

About this event

Are you looking to transform your faith and money mindset?

If you’re interested in increasing your profit without compromising your faith this year, then keep reading.

I am super excited to invite you to the special edition of Real Money Talk Presents: Faith and Funds Entrepreneur Virtual Summit 2021! This powerful event will be held on August 28-29, 2021.

A summit designed for the faith based entrepreneur community to reveal to you all of the secrets, tips, and tricks about how to MAKE, SAVE, and PROFIT in your business without compromising your faith!

The amazing Crystal Clay, and I will be hosting this latest project, and you bet it’s going to be transformational!

Hear from the best experts and speakers who serves faith based entrepreneurs. Authentic, profitable, and game changing conversations right from the comfort of your home.

Register now to be a part of this summit and witness our phenomenal speakers, trainers, tools, raffles, freebies and so much more!

You can’t afford to miss this! This is YOUR Defining Moment ~ Be Awesome on Purpose!

For more information, reach out to Erica on [email protected]

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