HEAD LINE NEWS - 2003
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Christian center attacked by army this morning.

Egypt. 5th January 2004. The Patmos Christian Centre has been attacked for the ninth time. In the fracas one of the employees was killed.
Today beginning at 11.30am local time the Egyptian army subjected the Patmos Christian Centre to an hour long attack. Five hundred soldiers descended upon the ce

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South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

ISLAMABAD : The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) opened its 12th summit Sunday in the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad. This is the first summit between South Asian leaders in two years.
The regional bloc comprises the seven countries of South Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,

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Assassination of Pastor Mukhtar Masih. CLAAS Report.

Khan Pur is a small town within the city of Khanewal containing about two thousand houses (about 5 hours west of Lahore). About half of the population is Christian.
Pastor Mukhtar, aged 50 years, has been serving the Christian community in Khan Pur for about 14 years as a pastor for the Church of

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Institute Condemns Ongoing Discrimination of Ahmadiyya Muslims in Bangladesh. PCP. Report

Washington, D.C. - In a letter to Bangladesh Ambassador Syed Hasan Ahmad dated January 9, 2004, Institute on Religion and Public Policy President Joseph K. Grieboski called on the government of Bangladesh to "end the ongoing discrimination and violence against Ahmadi Muslims in Bangladesh."

In a

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Sister Josephine and Sister Grace visiting Pakistan in January 2004. PCP Report.

Kampala. Sister Mary Agnes, The Provincial Econome of HOLY FAMILY CONVENT Kampala, Uganda have announced that Our provincial procurator, Sr.Josephine and Sr.Grace are scheduled to visit Lahore and Karachi this coming January and February, 2004. They will arrive in Pakistan on January 25, 2004 and s

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High alert in Pakistan on eve of Christmas, New Year

ISLAMABAD, : Pakistani authorities have taken appropriate security measures around the foreign missions in the federal capital and provincial metropolises on the eve of Christmas and New Year to avoid any untoward eventuality.

Official in the Ministry of Interior told here Tuesday that strict se

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Stop the Deportation of the Harney family.

Gavin Harney, Angie Harney and their young son Warren are currently in Dungavel Detention Centre, Scotland and are due to be removed on Thursday, 11 December 2003.

The family fled Bangladesh in April of this year. They are Christians in a predominantly Muslim country. They fled Bangladesh because

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Radical Islamists Target Christians in Somalia.

Several Christians and Westerners have recently been killed in violent attacks on Christian workers in Somalia while a Christian delegation attempts to make itself heard at Somali peace talks.

During 2003 several cases of violent attacks against Christians and westerners took place in Somalia as

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Rally demand protection of citizen. By Shamshad. PCP Report.

HYDERABAD. December 10. Rally taken out by various organizations on the occasion of Human Rights Day here on Wednesday, led by National Commission For Justice and Peace has demanded the government to provide protection to its citizens and to curb such elements that were damaging the country. Apart

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BISHOP IJAZ INAYAT LAUNCHES INTER-FAITH FRIENDSHIP FORUM. Appreciated by all walks of society

Karachi: November 30, 2003 Bishop Ijaz Inayat of Karachi launched "The Inter-Faith Friendship Forum, Karachi" at an Eid Milan Party arranged by the forum as the Chairman of the forum at the Bishop's House, Diocese of Karachi, Fatima Jinnah Road, Karachi to promote friendship and tolerance between

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Fr. Emmanuel Assi led the march for peace in Lahore.

LAHORE: November 23. Thousands of Christians marched on the city roads on Saturday praying for international peace, national solidarity and religious harmony.

The Christ the King Procession is an annual feature in Lahore arranged by St Anthony's Parish. It started at St Anthony's Church on Empre

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Naulakha Church 150 years old this Christmas. By Anjum Gill

LAHORE: The Naulakha Presbyterian Church will this Christmas celebrate 150 years of service in Lahore. Established in 1853 with a modest congregation, today Naulakha boasts one of the oldest and largest congregations in the Punjab. Naulakha Church was set up by the American Presbyterian Church (APC)

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Christian center attacked by army in Egypt.

Cairo. 19 November 2003. (BF) The Egyptian Army has once again carried out a totally unprovoked attack on the Patmos Christian Center 30km to the east of Cairo. Just after midnight in the early hours of Tuesday 18 November an army dump truck was driven repeatedly into the perimeter wall surrounding

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Non-Muslims be exempted from Hudood laws: NCSW

ISLAMABAD, Nov 16: The special committee of the National Commission on the of Women (NCSW) has recommended that non-Muslims shouldn't be dealt with under the Hudood laws.

The issue was raised in the committee meetings, which in its final recommendations has proposed the repeal of the Hudood laws

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CHILDREN DEMAND RELEASE OF KIRSHAN SHARMA. BY ABBAS KASSAR

HYDERABAD (PAKISTAN)November 13,2003: The Children of Kirshan Sharma journalist, writer and social workers of district Tharparkar in southern Sindh province of Pakistan have demanded from the authorities to release their father. His children Rajnesh, Rahul, Manjeet, Marvi and Meet who were accompan

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"Declaration by the Christian Converts of Egypt". Submitted by Barnabas Fund. PCP

UK. Barnabas Fund is pleased to publicise the following statement issued by the Christian Converts of Egypt on 26 October in response to the arrest of 22 converts and those who helped them obtain new identities in Alexandria in late October.

"A plea from Egyptian converts to Christianity who are

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MAHATHIR MOHAMAD AND MUSLIM ANTI-SEMITISM. ISIC BRIEFING. PCP REPORT.

Mahathir Mohamad, the long serving Prime Minister of Malaysia who stepped down on 31 October 2003 after 22 years in power, used his speech at the opening session of the 57-state Organisation of the Islamic Conference OIC) in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on 16 October 2003 to argue that the Jews control the

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Clement Shahbaz Bhatti name demanded to remove from ECL, Minorities demanded.

ISLAMABAD: In a joint emergent meeting of the executives, the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), the Advisory Committee of APMA, the justice & Peace Commission of the Catholic Bishops Conference and the Christian Organizations for Social Action in Pakistan (COSAP), condemned harassment being

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Bishop of Lahore Alexander Malik told me drinking was permitted in Christianity. Excise Minister of Punjab.

Lahore. October 28. Mr. Mohammad Shafiq, Excise and taxation Minister of Punjab government disclosed today on floor that Bishop Alexander Malik, the Lahore Bishop of church of Pakistan also confirmed in a visit " Drinking is permitted in Christianity"
The Excise Minister was replying to a question

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WORLD EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE offers a DEFINITION of PROSELYTISM and EVANGELISM. PCP. Report.

Rev. Gary Edmonds, Secretary General of WEA have issued a statement to define the evangelisim. He explains that "As there is misunderstanding and misuse of the words proselytism and evangelism in the world today, World Evangelical Alliance wants to share an official definition of these words. WEA st

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Pakistan Agrees To Station Nuclear Weapons, Long-Range Missiles In Saudi Arabia; European, Indian Targets Within Reach. PCP Report.

Exclusive. Analysis. By Yossef Bodansky and Gregory R. Copley. With input from GIS (Global Information System) Stations Islamabad, Riyadh and Kuala Lumpur.

Pakistan has reached a secret but definitive agreement to station nuclear weapons on Saudi soil, fitted to a new generation of Chinese (PRC)-

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Institute Decries Anti-Semitic Remarks of Malaysian Prime Minister. PCP Report.

Washington, D.C. - The Institute on Religion and Public Policy denounces remarks made by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad at the Organization of the Islamic Conference summit, which he was hosting.
"The remarks of the Prime Minister make evident the unfortunate fact that anti-Semitism, rac

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Institute President Calls on Religious Leaders to Once Again Condemn Terrorism and Repudiate Bin Laden's Latest Call for Holy War

Washington, D.C. - Institute on Religion and Public Policy President Joseph K. Grieboski, in a letter to the participants of the Congress of World and Traditional Religions, called on the leaders of the 17 religious delegations to "carry out our pledges signed in the Declaration of the Congress by d

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Catholics warned against Hinn's meetings. By: Manoj Nair and Priscilla Mehta.

The Catholics in Mumbai have been warned not to attend prayer meetings of the US-based preacher Benny Hinn when he visits India early next year.
Hinn's meetings have been scheduled for 13, 14 and 15 February at the Bandra-Kurla Complex. This worries the Catholic Church who fear that their faithful,

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Need for repealing Hudood Ord stressed.

LAHORE. National Commission for Status of Women chairperson Justice Majida Rizvi (retired) has said that the Hudood Ordinance should be repealed because it is "un-Islamic on the one hand and makes a mockery of Islamic justice on the other".
Speaking at a seminar on Hudood Ordinance under the aegis

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88pc women in jails due to flaws in Hudood Ord.

ISLAMABAD. As many as 88 per cent of women prisoners in the country are languishing in jails as a result of ambiguities in the Zina Ordinance.
This has been stated in the final report of the special committee on Hudood Ordinance, which was constituted by the National Commission on the Status of Wo

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ONE MORE JOURNALIST FALLS VICTIM TO FEUDALIMS. BY ABBAS KASSAR. PCP Report

HYDERABAD. One more Journalist Amir Bux Brohi district reporter of Sindhi language daily has fallen victim to the 16th century feudalism still not only prevalent in Sindh province of Pakistan but reigning as de facto rulers of this part of world. Mir Bux Brohi was gunned down by 3 unknown armed men

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BONDED PEASANTS SEEK HELP OF NCJP. By Abbas kassar. PCP Report

HYDERABAD. October 14, 2003: The Bonded peasants mostly belonging to minority community languishing under the private jails of feudal lords/land lords of Sindh have began to seek help from National Commission For Justice and Peace (established by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Pakistan) On 10 Oc

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CHRISTIAN PASTORS TAKEN TO COURT TO SILENCE CRITICISM OF ISLAM

AUSTRALIA. Two Christian pastors have been taken to court by the Islamic Council of Victoria and three Australian Muslims after making critical statements about the Islamic faith on a website and at a seminar for Christians held in March last year.

A complaint of religious vilification was made a

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MUSLIM CALLS FOR SECULARISATION OF EDUCATION SYSTEM WITHDRAWN

ZIMBABWE. A Muslim group which issued demands to the government of Zimbabwe to scale down the Christian emphasis in schools - with the threat of legal action - has backed down.

In a letter received by the Education Ministry on 5 August, the Islamic Convent of the Strict Observance (ICSO) complai

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NWFP, PA opposes repeal of Hudood laws

PESHAWAR, Sept 9: The NWFP assembly on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution against proposed recommendations of the National Commission on the Status of Women that seek repeal of the Hudood Ordinance, 1979.

The session was presided over by Speaker Bakht Jehan Khan. Naeema Akhtar of the Mutta

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NGOs demands repeal of Hudood ordinance

ISLAMABAD, : The various Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and progressive elements in the society Monday strongly reiterated their support for the Pakistan National Commission on the status of Women (NCSW).

They commended the findings and recommendations of the Review Committee regarding re

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Christian Newspaper Boycotted by Muslims in Ohio. PCP. Report.

USA. September 9. Today, September 8, a regional Christian newspaper in Ohio was notified by the Marc's Discount Store chain that the distribution of Connection Magazine would no longer be allowed in their 44 Marc's Discount Stores, due to complaints by Muslims. Connection Magazine recently featured

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DISSOLUTION OF PARLIAMENT IN PAKSITAN ON CARDS. BY ABBAS KASSAR

HYDERABAD. August 31,2003: The Taluka Nazims (the elected administrators of Taluka municipal towns) of Sindh, the fourth and politically volatile province of Pakistan including Karachi have demanded dissolution of National and Provincial Assemblies as according to them these assemblies have failed t

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Rights of minorities stressed. PCP report by Afzal Masih

Hyderabad Aug 24: Leaders of different political parties and social welfare organizations have demanded equal rights for minority people. They were speaking at a seminar titled as "Challenges of democracy and the role of minority councilors" organized by minority's right commission of Pakistan (MRCP

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POLICE WITHDRAW FROM MONASTERY.

EGYPT. 19 August 2003. The police officers who were this morning surrounding the Coptic Orthodox
Monastery of St Anthony's on the Red Sea coast have withdrawn following the intervention of President Mubarak's office according to information received by Barnabas Fund.

Some 200 - 300 police offic

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Old Custom Impacts Terrorism and Freedom via Saudi Arabia and the Middle East!

New York, NY, August 19, 2003 - Although most Mid-Eastern governments, the general population of that region, and its ivy-league educated elite are seemingly pro-western, restriction there and terrorism continue to perplex the West with the question "What is provoking them?" The answer evidently li

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Three Pakistani Christians received highest civilian award. By Afzal Masih. PCP Report.

President General Pervez Mushrraf on Wednesday announced civil award for 112 prominent personalities for their services in their respective fields to mark the 56 independence day of Pakistan. Among the 122 personalities three Pakistani Christians Maj (retd) G. D. Langlands (Education) Ms Tessie Flan

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Staines International Award cemony in USA. PCP Report.

USA. August 17. Dr. Diana Barnes , South Asia Desk Officer at the U. S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor and the Office of International Religious Freedom presents the "Staines International Award For Religious Harmony" instituted by The International Council of Evang

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MONASTERY BESIEGED BY POLICE AT THIS MOMENT

Egypt. Barnabas Fund has been contacted urgently by a partner in the Coptic Orthodox Church this morning with the urgent news that St Anthony's Monastery on the Red Sea is under siege by the police at this very moment.

Some 200 - 300 police officers equipped with 14 bulldozers have closed and blo

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ITALIAN IMAM FIRED FOR PRAISING SUICIDE BOMBERS

Muslim authorities in Rome recently sacked the Egyptian imam of Rome's Grand Mosque, Abdel Sami' Mahmoud Ibrahim Moussa, for praising Palestinian suicide bombers and calling for the annihilation of all enemies of Islam.

His remarks sparked controversy, and caused the Italian Interior Minister,

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CHURCH OPENING BLOCKED BY AUTHORITIES IN EGYPT.

Local authorities in Sheikh Zied City, 15 km north of Cairo are opposed to a newly built church and have gone to extreme lengths to disrupt the official opening.

Prayers of dedication for the church were due to be held in early July at an official celebration of the church's opening; however on t

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Muslim Convert Butchered.

HOLY LAND. 29 July 2003(Barnabas Fund) The body of a Muslim convert to Christianity who went missing in mid-July, has been returned to his family, slaughtered and cut into four pieces by Islamic extremists.

The man left his friends and family almost two weeks ago heading into a mountainous region

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Eight- member body to probe Priest's murder. By Ajay Afzal Masih

Pakistan's leading English newspaper Dawn has reported in its July 31 issue that Punjab chief minister Pervez Elahi has constituted an eight-member committee to probe the murder of Father George Ibrahim, the committee will submit it's report to the chief minister within one week.
It is learnt that

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UN launches Pakistan anti-corruption crackdown. PCP. Report

The United Nations has appointed London-based Barrister Khawar Qureshi to advise the Government of Pakistan as UN member States prepare to sign a new Anti-Corruption Convention later this year.
Mr Qureshi, 37, will recommend to the Government's Nation Accountability Bureau how to establish a new, s

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Coalition Asks Congress to Continue Support of Democracy-building, Human Rights, and Religious Freedom in Russia. PCP. Report.

Washington, D.C. - A coalition of religious leaders, activists, and academics has asked the United States Congress to maintain support and development of non-governmental organizations in Russia to address issues of religious freedom, human rights, and democracy.

In a letter to House and Senate

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Minister Sadiq Waryam visiting Canada. By Afzal Masih

Toronto. July 17. Minister Sadiq Waryam is arriving to Toronto, Canada on a four days trip to attend the international Christian broadcasters seminar. Minister Waryam a native of Lahore has devoted his life in serving the Christian community of Pakistan. After earning a master degree in Punjabi lit

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Chairman CPEF demands to ensure rights of CDA sanitary workers.

ISLAMABAD, July 17. The Former Federal Minister and Chairman Peace Education Foundation (CPEF) J. Salik has demanded the government and CDA Officials would ensure the rights of CDA sanitary workers according to agreement. Alleging the private contractors were exploiting of sanitary workers and they

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Roberts Liardon Returns to Regular Preaching.

After stepping aside from active ministry due to a "moral failure," pastor and writer Roberts Liardon has returned to regular pulpit preaching. Liardon, who founded Embassy Christian Center in Irvine, Calif., 10 years ago, resumed Sunday morning preaching last month. Liardon confessed to a short-ter

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Hindu Girl Kidnapped in Sindh Pakistan. By Shamshad Nasir.

Hyderabad. July 6, 2003: The members of Hindu minority community has been agitating in Jaccobabad city of Sindh against what they called abduction of their unmarried girl Sonya by a shopkeeper Zulfiqar Ali Ghenchyo since 23 June 2003.Hundreds of Hindus took out protest procession demanding recovery

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Hindu Social worker picked up by police. By S. Nisar

HYDRABAD. July 8. Expressing doubt that a young Hindu writer, poet, journalist and social worker of Thar district of Sindh, Kirshan Sharma has been picked up by agencies, the activists of HRCP, Sindhi Adabi Sangat and his relatives have appealed to higher authorities for his release. Ms. Nasreen Sha

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A CATHOLIC PRIEST KILLED IN PAKISTAN.

A 38 yrs old Roman Catholic Priest Fr. George Abraham was gunned down at his Perish house in the premises of Catholic Church at Renala Khurd, district Okara, 180 miles of South of Islamabad city.

According to the facts after mid night on July 4, 2003, five armed men entered in the Church boundar

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Barnabas Fund launches new petition on Islamic law of Apostasy. PCP. Report.

London. July 4 .International Christian charity Barnabas Fund this month launched a major new petition focusing on the Islamic law of apostasy. According to traditional Islamic law (Shari'ah) adult Muslim men who choose to convert to another faith (apostatize) and refuse to return to Islam, should

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Institute Concerned by French Government Attempts to Impose Secularism. PCP. Report

Washington, D.C. - July 4. The Institute on Religion and Public Policy is concerned by a new law proposed in France to ban Muslim veils and other religious symbols in public schools and buildings if people do not respect the republic's secular policies.
Stepping into a growing debate about the vei

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40 MPS sign motion on apostasy law. PCP. Report.

London. July 2. Following extensive lobbying by Barnabas Fund supporters forty British MPs have signed up to an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons expressing support for converts suffering for their faith and calling for reforms to cruel traditional punishments for apostasy.

Barnabas Fund l

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2003 Christian Freedom Conference in Mae Sot, Thailand. PCP Report.

Christian Freedom International, a prominent human rights organization, based in USA, working for persecuted Christians in Asia, Africa and other parts of world have announced to hold its 2003 Christian Freedom Conference in Mae Sot city in Thailand from August 4-10. The conference shall focus on me

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Jamail Inayat donates land for Jesus 777 Church. PCP Report.

Karachi. June 29. The first incident when a local Christian donates land for construction of Church when most Churches and non-government organizations in Pakistan have depended on the funds from the western churches. This notable Pakistani Christian layman is working with Bin Qasim Port Authority K

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Anti-Christian, Anti-Western violence: Churches attacked in Malawi.

On Sunday 29 June army units were deployed across Malawi following violence on Friday and Saturday which saw extensive damage to property and three people injured. Muslims were protesting that the government had allowed the US to secretly extradite five suspected associates of al-Qaeda.

In rece

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Brad Adams of HRW writes to U.S. President George Bush to Press Musharraf on rights abuses, elections. PCP Report.

June 20, 2003
The Honorable George Bush
President
United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500


Dear President Bush,

I write to you about your June 24 meeting with President General Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan. In addition to issues related to the war on te

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Coalition Asks President Bush to Press for Religious Freedom and Democratization in Pakistan During Meetings with President Musharraf. PCP Report.

Washington, D.C. - A coalition of leading academics, activists, religious leaders, and concerned citizens wrote to President George W. Bush in anticipation of his upcoming meeting with President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan to press for democratization and religious freedom.

"The very idea of dem

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Memorial services of Begum Khurshid Ghulam, the mother of Christian leader Abid Parvez. PCP Report.

New York. June 18. The Memorial services of Late Begum Khurshid Ghulam shall be observed with all religious rituals at St. Ann Church, Flushing, New York, on June 22 at 5 pm led by Fr. Anthony Sikander. Begum Khurshid Ghulam passed away at Lahore, Pakistan on June 2, 2003 leaving behind the grieved

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Bishops urged to take over Karachi YMCA. PCP. Report.

New York. June 13. Mr. Arshad Rehmat, an ex member of Karachi YMCA have demanded an immediate take over of YMCA administration. Talking to PCP, Mr. Arshad Rehmat said " Its in best interests of YMCA that Catholic Bishop of Karachi and Bishop of church of Pakistan at Karachi may be declared as the ca

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Pray day for Pakistan in Netherlands. PCP Report.

ROTTERDAM - June 13. Pakistani Christians in The Netherlands have planned a pray day on Saturday 28th of June. They want to pray for fellow Christians in Pakistan who are under attack.

Those who are organising the pray day say that they're tired of hearing about the difficulties Christians are l

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Coalition to Support Democracy and Pluralism in India. PCP Report.

Washington, DC. June 10, 2003. The Peace Vigil organized by coalition partners at the Gandhi Statue in Washington DC today was peaceful and successful. Many individuals from the Indian community took part in the vigil. The participants included people from several religious backgrounds: Hindus,

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The High Court of Pakistan acquits Aslam Masih this morning that was charged under blasphemy law. PCP. Report.

Lahore. June 5. Aslam Masih a middle age Christian, resident of Mamoun Canjan, Faisalabad was charged under blasphemy law in 1998. He is an illiterate person who was accused of giving a written Taveez (contain Quranic verses) to Khadim Hussain (Muslim) to be tied around the neck of his dog, which he

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Cathedral of Resurrection is historic and cultural monument of Lahore. By Robin Fernandez.PCP Report.

LAHORE: State-run television on Friday night carried a report in its main news bulletin about the famed Cathedral of Resurrection here. The church is an integral part of Lahore's architectural landscape and its status as a cultural icon is unchallenged, Pakistan Television quoted a senior clergymen

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Pakistan based NGO Chief " Kindly tell us what you can do for our org?"

Greetings in Jesus Good name from Islamic sate of Pakistan. I am Henry Soloman Peter S/O Dr. Eric Simon Peter. Minority forum the NON- PROFIT NON-GOVERNMENT INTERDENOMINATIONAL WELFAR EVANGELICAL ORGANISTATION FOR MINORITY RIGHTS

The Founder of the Minority Forum Dr.Eric Simon Peter was also the

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COALITION FORCES FAIL TO PROTECT CHRISTIANS

IRAQ. 30 May 2003. (Barnabas Fund Report) Because of lawlessness and hostility from some Muslim extremists the Iraqi Christian community is increasingly vulnerable, but coalition forces are failing to provide adequate protection.

Christian women who go out in public without a head covering have b

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African Leader Appointed Chair for the International Council of World Evangelical Alliance. PCP. Report.

Edmonds, WA. May 22. Rev. Ndaba Mazabane, president of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA), was named Chairman of the International Council of World Evangelical Alliance. The appointment took place during WEA?s recent Council meetings May 7-10 at Mulberry House in High Ongar, U.K.

Bes

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Nisha Sharma, who rejected her groom's dowry demands and had him arrested, has become India's new overnight sensation. By JAMES BROOKE. New York Times

NOIDA, India, May 16 - The musicians were playing, the 2,000 guests were dining, the Hindu priest was preparing the ceremony and the bride was dressed in red, her hands and feet festively painted with henna.

Then, the bride's family says, the groom's family moved in for the kill. The dowry of two

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Briefing by Mr. Harsh Mander in Washington DC. PCP. Report.

Washington DC. May 14, 2003.The Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America (FIACONA)ina press release have invited all to attend a Briefing by Mr. Harsh Mander is cosponsored by FIACONA along with other orgnaizations in Washington area.

Mr. Mander, a Hindu by faith,

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CHRISTIAN STABBED TO DEATH

BANGLADESH. 7 May 2003Christian evangelist becomes Bangladesh's first martyr in modern times following attack by at least seven Muslim extremists armed with knives.

Just after midnight, early in the morning of 24 April Hridoy Roy was returning home after showing a film version of Luke's Gospel.

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CHRISTIAN COUPLE IMPRISONED FOR CONVERSION.

EGYPT. 7 May 2003. Naglaa, a Christian convert from Islam, and her husband Malak have been held in prison since mid-February in an effort to force Naglaa to give up her Christian faith and return to Islam.

Naglaa and her husband Malak Gawargios Fahmy were arrested at the airport as they tried t

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WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR CHRISTIANS IN IRAQ?

IRAQ. 8 May 2003. 700,000 Christians fear the establishment of an Islamic state governed by Shari'ah.

The political and constitutional future of Iraq is an immediate concern for Iraqi Christians. According to Archbishop Sleiman of Baghdad, "If the influence and pressure of extremist groups, wh

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BOMB KILLS CHRISTIAN CONVERT.

LEBANON. 8 May 2003. A Jordanian convert to Christianity has been killed by a bomb planted outside the home of a missionary couple in Tripoli, North Lebanon.

Initially the Police stated that Jamil Ahmad al-Rifai, 28, had himself planted the bomb; but it is now apparent that he was killed when com

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Christian Minister reprieved in UAE.

Rev Fernando Alconga has been found guilty of "Abusing Islam, and Christian missionary activity", but has been given a suspended sentence.

Fernando Piedad Alconga, a Filipino Christian serving in the United Arab Emirates, was arrested for distributing Christian literature on 12 November 2002. Af

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CFI Letter to President Bush Regarding Christians in Iraq. April 25, 2003

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:
As president of Christian Freedom International, an interdenominational Christian human rights organization active around the world, I am writing to you to express my concerns for Iraq's mi

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Global Peace Movement Convenes in Jakarta to Strategize. PCP Report.

Bangkok. May 2. Focus on the Global South (FOCUS) in a press release said that Peace activists representing anti-war movements from all over the world are set to converge in Jakarta, Indonesia
from May 19 to 21 in to plan for its next moves. Entitled "Iraq and the Global Peace Movement:

What

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Christian life worth only a twelfth that of a Muslim.

Iran. April 23. In mid-April the conservative Guardian Council of Iran once again rejected a Parliamentary bill on equal diyeh, or blood-price, for non-Muslim Iranian nationals. This effectively affirms that the life of a Muslim is worth more than that of a Christian or other non-Muslim in accordan

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Dr. Stephen Gill congratulates the Coordinator of Kitchener PEACE Conference Rev. Harding.

Cornwall, Canada. April 27. The prominent peace campaigner, writer, poet and critic writer, d. Stephen Gill in a letter to Rev. Mark Harding have written that.

Dear Brother Mark Hardy:

I appreciate your continuous struggle to protect the beauty of human rights that the fundamentalists try to

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AUD Management denied permission to hold " holy Jihad" conference in Ontario. PCP. Report

Canada. April 27. Rev. Mark Harding, on behalf of The Association of Christian Evangelists of

Canada, in a press release have said " Dear friends it is with great sadness that I have to tell

you, that the AUD management has not allowed us to have our conference there. It seems that once

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Panel Discussion on Prospects for a Pluralist, Modern Democratic Governance in Afghanistan and Iraq in washigton. PCP. Report.

Washington DC. April 25. The Policy Institute for Religion and State, is working with, hard line political parties in many countries to moderate their social and political views through number of ways. We believe, showing the advantages of having a plural, liberal democratic system with free market

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Christian Widow's arrest is to be enforced.

JORDAN. 14 April 2003. A court in Jordan has said that it will be enforcing an earlier order that Siham, a Christian widow, should be arrested and her children taken from her to be raised as Muslims.

The latest developments in Siham's case (received in March from Middle East Concern) are twofold.

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Christian Children interrogated about their Faith.

TURKMENISTAN. 15 April 2003. Turkmenistan's secret police, the National Security Committee, have been taking Christian children from their classrooms and interrogating them about "internal church life and their Christian education in their families" in the city of Balkanabad, western Turkmenistan ac

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Christian Center attacked in Egypt.

Cairo. 16 April 2003. Reports have reached Barnabas Fund of an attack on a Christian center on 5 April by elements of the Egyptian army, commanded by a high-ranking officer.

Soldiers attacked the Patmos Center, some 30 kilometers east of Cairo, on 5 April, who came with armored vehicles, tear-gas

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India's Oldest American missionary Maxton Strong enters Heaven. Special Report.

The oldest American-born missionary serving in India went to be with the Lord last week. Maxton Strong, born in Ohio in 1915, went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, April 2 in Banbassa, India. He served the Lord over 62 years in India, his adopted country. He was 88.

Strong graduated from Oklahom

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CHURCH STRANDED IN MID-RENOVATION, LOCAL GOVERNMENT WITHDRAWS LICENCE.

EGYPT. 3 April 2003. The church in Assiut, Upper Egypt, received notification in March that permission had been granted to demolish and rebuild their building. However, after demolishing their old building and laying new foundations the local government withdrew their building licence.

The con

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VIOLENCE ESCALATING: CHRISTIANS KILLED.

THE PHILIPPINES. 9 April 2003 On Tuesday 25 March dozens of rebels stopped a Christian lorry-driver and his helper, and then shot and killed them. Five Christians were killed by Islamic rebels in the town of M'Lang on Wednesday 26 March. More violence followed on Monday 31 March, wounding 12 Chris

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A Russian Evangelical Alliance is Back on the Scene. PCP Report.

Berlin. April 4. The refounding of the Russian Evangelical Alliance took place in Rumyantsevo near Moscow on April 2. The step was supported by the vast majority of the more than 150 participants stemming from over 40 churches, organisations, associations, missions and local alliances. A final const

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J. Salik on Dove like Cross. PCP Report.

Islamabad April 5, 2003. Christian leader, convenor of peace Education Foundation and former federal minister J.Salik today hanged himself on ahuge dove like Cross to self-pity protest increasing killings of civilians specially children in the ongoing war on Iraq.

The magnificient dove like Cross

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Fight injustice on a single front, Catholic priest tells Pakistanis. By Robin farnandez. PCP

KARACHI: April 3. A former rector of the Karachi Archdiocese invited his compatriots to battle global injustice on a single front and not as separate communities in the wake of the U.S.-led war on Iraq.

"This is a time when we must not allow a human tragedy to become a religious tragedy," Fr. A

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I am a pastor in Iraq. From Back to the Bible International Ministries.

We just received an urgent communication from the Middle East regarding one of our scholarship recipients from last fall. One particular young man felt God's specific leading a few month's back to return to his native Iraq to pastor a church in Basra, Iraq -- the exact city surrounded by coalition f

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J. Salik leads rally hoisting cross to end war in Iraq. PCP. Report.

Islamabad March 26. Hundreds of Christians of Islamabad gathered and marched with the Cross, the symbol of peace to demand end war in Iraq.
The rally sponsored by Peace Education Foundation was led by the Foundation's chairman Shaikh Ehtasham-ul-Haq and convenor J.Salik former federal minister led

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Rev. Rinaldy Damanik controversial Trial by Indonesian authorities.

INDONESIA. 21 March 2003 Rev Rinaldy Damanik, a Christian pastor in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, is currently on trial for the alleged possession of weapons following Muslim-Christian violence. Local Christians and human rights monitors have collected overwhelming evidence indicating that he is bein

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No more terror attacks on Christians In Pakistan, JI leader says. Younas S Khan, Ishaq Inayat and other Christian leaders hold dialogues with Muslim leaders. By Robin Fernandez. PCP Report.

KARACHI: March 27. Pakistani Christian leaders secured an open-ended pledge from an influential Muslim party to stop terrorist groups from attacking Christians and their places of worship. The pledge came in a landmark dialogue with the Jamaat-e-Islami party leadership here Tuesday night. "I promise

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Rev. Cannon Patrick leads peace prayer vigil of Episcopal Church for safety of US Troops in war..

La Crosse, Wisconsin. March 25. The Rev. Canon Patrick P. Augustine, Rector, Christ Episcopal Church Said " This evening as this community of faith gathers to pray, our troops are engaged in war with the forces of Saddam Hussein in Iraq".

The President of the United States of America has said th

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Kalvin Preaching Ministry in Pakistan appeals for help.

What ever you do, do it as you do it for the God and not for the men.

First of all, I tell you about me. I reside in Faisalabad with my family. Faisalabad is the third largest city of Pakistan. Our area is the largest Christian area of Pakistan.

80% Pakistani Christians are very poor.70% are s

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Charity group hopes to build Sindh's first-ever model village. By Robin Fernandez

KARACHI: A Catholic charity group on Wednesday finalized its blueprint for the first-ever model
Village homes in the southern Sindh province, amid hopes that it will trigger a new construction order in Pakistan's rural heartland.

The proposed village homes, located 54 kms away from Karachi's cit

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Saleem and Rasheed Masih Brothers Charged under 259-C are Released. CLAAS UK Report.

Today on 19th March 03, Saleem and Rasheed brothers are released by the high court of Lahore, Pakistan. The High Court Judge, Mr. Justice Rustam Ali Malik at last has given his decision after 6 weeks. Saleem and Rasheed Masih's case was heard on Monday 3rd February 2003 in the Lahore High Court, by

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IRAQIS FLEE WAR TO COME; SEEK ASSISTANCE

Tens of Thousands of Christian refugees from Iraq are lining the roads into Jordan, Syria and Turkey, fleeing from the approaching war.

They are contacting churches and Christian families in these countries, seeking shelter.

Indigenous churches and other evangelical ministries want to care for

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Hindu Campaigners Combat Christian Conversions. By Myra MacDonald

JASHPUR, India (Reuters) - Christian missionaries first rode to the remote town of Jashpur on horseback 150 years ago, educating the poor and converting them in their thousands.

Now they are at the heart of a debate engulfing India, pitting Hindu revivalists against those determined to maint

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SAUDIS WILL NOT ALLOW CHURCHES TO BE BUILT ON ITS LAND

Saudi Arabia, as the birthplace of Islam, will not allow churches to be built on its land, according to Defense Minister Prince Sultan.

Islam is the only accepted religion in Saudi Arabia, home to the faith's holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina.

"This country was the launch pad for the proph

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RELIEF AND AID FOR IRAQ AND JORDAN VIA CHRISTIAN AGENCIES.

A separate committee known as "The Pool" exists in Jordan to assist third country nationals who have been evacuated from Iraq to Jordan. The Pool incorporates the major churches, evangelical charities and evangelical organisations including Manara Ministries. Its primary work will be to care for

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MCP holds Rehabilitation Convention in Lahore District. PCP. Report.

The event opened with the Sacred Name of Lord God, followed by "Confirmation of Pastors & Congregations" for the Rehabilitation of The Methodist Church of Pakistan. It was vowed that in all the country, the need to hold such Conventions in each District is very great. To begin with, the MCP is looki

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World Evangelical Alliance Appoints Rev. Gary Edmond as Goodwill Ambassador. By Angela Watkins. PCP. Report.

World Evangelical Alliance with more than 150 million members in 116 National Alliances and in special consultative NGO status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations is pleased to announce the appointment of the Very Rev. Johan Candelin of Finland to the position of Goodwill Amba

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INDONESIA: TROUBLE ACROSS THE ARCHIPELAGO

Religious tensions are simmering across the Indonesian archipelago. In Maluku, four Pakistani Islamists were deported on 26 February for provocative activities. These included preaching sermons that the police said had the potential to re-ignite religious conflict.

In Central Sulawesi, Rev Ren

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Pakistani students favour equality for minorities PCP. Report.

ISLAMABAD: March 11. A majority of students enrolled in local schools support the idea of equal rights for religious minorities, according to a sample study released this week. Between 68 and 85 percent of the students in English medium schools recognised the need for granting equal opportunities t

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Senate of Pakistan without minorities representation again. PCP. Report

KARACHI: February 25. Minority leaders made a last-ditch appeal Monday to the government to include non-Muslims in the Senate as federal and provincial lawmakers cast their votes in assemblies around the country. "Don't make the august House an all-Muslim Senate," pleaded Saleem Khurshid Khokhar, t

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A Call For National Day Of Prayer And Fasting by The evangelical alliance of Pakistan.

Rawalpindi. February 25. Mr. Ifrahim Mathew, secretary of the evangelical alliance of Pakistan in a statement said, "Today we are at a point of imbalance in the world".

As Iraq-America war has become inevitable. The EAP concern is what would be the after effects of war upon the Church in Pakist

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Christar work among Hindu youth in Holland. Global Prayer digest. Submitted by Angela Watkins.

Many of the world's immigrant youth are caught between two cultures and ideologies that neither attract their allegiance nor guide their decisions. Complicating the matter, many face far more distractions of materialism than did their struggling parents. Nowhere is this truth more apparent than in H

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Message for peace and solution to prevent war. from Pastor Malik Iftikhar founder of ' Jesus 777 church'.

Karachi. February 24. This solution was revealed upon me in a vision in 1997 when I was praying. It was mid night when an angel appeared in my dream and said to me fear not Iftikhar God is with you and ordered me to write down these things and spoke to me in my language' URDU' The number of 777 is a

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"He lost his mind!" after the death of his three year’s child. VOM Germany issues report of Stimme Der Martyrer about Lebanon and Syria. By Michael Hussein.

Early August 2002 our courier Fouad Adel returned from his trip to Lebanon and Syria. His reports from this journey are heart-stirring recordings of the suffering Christians there. Until the outbreak of the Lebanese civil war in 1975 a careful well-contrived system between the religions provided pol

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Muslims Forced Hotel to cancel Symposium on Peace. PCP Report.

Canada. Feb. 17. A symposium was scheduled at Walper Terrace Hotel in Kitchener, Ontario in Canada on February 1, 2003. Dr. Stephen Gill was going to speak on the besieged Christians of Pakistan. Rev. Mark Hardy, a prominent evangelist from Canada and John McTernan, a reputable author of books from

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Rehabilitation convention of Methodist Church of Pakistan. Jamshed John

Raiwind. February 1. Mr. Jamshed John, Executive Secretary, The Methodist Church Of Pakistan have said that First Convention on Rehabilitation of MCP shall be held in February, 2003 in Punjab where members of Methodist congregation and leaders shall deliver lectures on Rehabilitation of Christians i

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Pakistan Ministry Trains New Workers. Mission Insider. Submitted by Angela Watkins.

Despite recent attacks against Christian churches, a ministry in Pakistan is training and sending out more workers to the Lord's harvest fields.

The ministry gave 40 new leaders 112 hours of training for church-planting work in January. "We are encouraged that the Lord is giving laborers for a gr

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Delhi Declaration, World Punjabi Conference Delhi By Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed, Moderator Asiapeace

Fakhar Zaman has been campaigning for a long time for Punjabi being taught in our province during at
least primary school, but no government has accepted this demand. In criticism one can say that even
when Fakhar Zaman enjoyed the status of a cultural minister he could not convince the government

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Indian Christians seek ban on RSS. By Jawed Naqvi. Dawn.

NEW DELHI, Jan 15: A murderous attack on an American Christian missionary in India's southern Kerala state by Hindu fanatics on Monday has raised the worrying prospects that western religious preachers in South Asia were vulnerable not to Muslim extremists alone, but faced a real threat from o

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Council of Advocates International report on Kashmir civil liberties. PCP Report.

Ottawa. January 18. The fundamentalist militants have expedited the process of Talbanization of civil society in Kashmir. Women in Kashmir are the latest victims of their brutal attacks against civil liberties and social values. Council of Advocates International seeks immediate attention of UN Hig

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Nativity play wows Karachi's Christians. By Robin Fernandez.

Karachi. January 13. With axe in hand, the biblical world's most famous carpenter Joseph chips away at a misshapen log of wood. He labors hard to fashion it into a piece of household furniture. His unceasing work from dawn to dusk is emblematic, for it signifies the world's long wait and anguish fo

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Caritas Holds international volunteers day celebrations. By Robin Fernandez. PCP Report.

KARACHI: January 9. A Catholic charity group has feted members of its volunteer force as part of its International Volunteers Day celebrations held earlier this week. Caritas-Karachi officials presented shields to eight men and women who were adjudged the charity's best volunteers. This is the firs

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ARREST OF CHURCH ATTACKERS DEMANDED. FROM ABBAS KASSAR

Saleem Khokhar and Michael Javed made it clear that they were the patriotic citizens of Pakistan since their forefathers but they were being made target by the terrorists to whom government has failed to bust. They expressed that if the terrorism against minorities was not stopped it will prove dang

"Trial of Pakistani Christian Nation" By Nazir S Bhatti

On demand of our readers, I have decided to release E-Book version of "Trial of Pakistani Christian Nation" on website of PCP which can also be viewed on website of Pakistan Christian Congress www.pakistanchristiancongress.org . You can read chapter wise by clicking tab on left handside of PDF format of E-Book.

nazirbhattipcc@aol.com , pakistanchristianpost@yahoo.com