Current Events

Arrested for Singing Worship Songs at School

Eritrean authorities have arrested 103 young Christians, some students, who gathered to sing together. The group had enthusiastically gathered and were singing when they were detained because their gathering and their churches are considered illegal. They are reported to have been taken to a notorious prison, where over the years thousands of Eritreans from churches banned by the government in 2002 have been held, often in shipment containers. It is feared that authorities might use this as an opportunity to prohibit them from returning to their studies, and instead send them for military service. These arrests bring the total number of Christian prisoners currently detained for their faith to about 500. In May 2002, Eritrea banned all faith groups not belonging to four recognized groups. None of those imprisoned have been given due legal process; instead many are tortured and asked to recant their faith.

—ChurchInChains.ie

Staff Force Christians Out of Museum

The Smithsonian Museum has apologized to a group of Catholic students and their chaperones for forcing the group to leave the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. because they were wearing blue caps with a pro-life message embroidered on them. The apology comes after a federal lawsuit was filed against the museum on behalf of nine students and three parents. According to the 20-page complaint, students of a Catholic school from South Carolina had participated in the March for Life. Afterwards they visited the museum. “Once in the [federal] museum, they were accosted several times and told they would be forced to leave unless they removed their pro-life hats,” said their law firm. The employee who forced the students to leave the museum was rubbing his hands together in glee as they exited the building. “It is clear that these Christian students were kicked out of the museum solely because of their pro-life and religious views, and the First Amendment DOES apply in a federal institution such as the Smithsonian,” the law firm continued.

—CBN.com

Parents Bill of Rights Passes House of Representatives

The Republican-led House of Representatives passed new U.S. legislation, opposed by President Biden. The Parents Bill of Rights Act would require school districts to provide parents with more information about their children’s education, to publicly post curricula for students, including a list of books and reading materials available in school libraries. Among other things, schools also would be required to offer are at least two in-person parent-teacher meetings annually, and school boards would be required to hear feedback from parents about students’ education. Sadly, the Senate, controlled by Democrats, is not expected to take up the legislation.

—NBCNews.com

Pastor Killed by Relatives in Uganda

A 42-year-old pastor was killed by Muslim relatives on March 10 in eastern Uganda. Two months earlier he had fled northern Uganda, following threats from local Muslims. The pastor leaves his widow and five children between ages four and sixteen. His wife explained, “We began preaching to the family members, and in early February four Muslim relatives got converted to Christianity, but the first-born son in the family [the Pastor’s oldest brother] resisted the Christian faith and gave a warning that we should stop misleading Muslims to Christianity. Two weeks later my husband was invited to attend a family meeting where he was pressured to recant the Christian faith, but he said he was ready to die for Christ’s sake.” At about 9.30 P.M., several Muslim relatives arrived at their home, angry and shouting, “We are a Muslim family, and Allah is our God.” The relatives forced their way in and took the pastor outside. In the morning the pastor’s body was found with a deep cut on the forehead, cuts on the left foot, and a cloth around his neck that suggested he had been strangled.

—ChurchInChains.ie

Church Closures in Indonesia

In Indonesian recently, a local government closed Purwakarta Simalun gun Protestant Christian Church (GKPS) because it did not have a building permit. Even though the Indonesian Consti tution technically guarantees legal protections for minority religions such as Christianity, local governments frequently make it difficult for churches to obtain building permits and church closures are a common occurrence. The decision to close the church building was because it did not have a permit and to avoid conflict in the majority-Muslim community. It was suggested that the congregation worship in a different building which is far away, too difficult for many to travel to. The church has asked to be allowed to carry out the Easter service at their building, but they have not received a response from the local government.

—Persecution.org

Christian Beliefs at a Christian School Punished

An Ontario Catholic high school student was arrested and charged for trying to attend class after speaking his mind over concerns of men in women’s restrooms at the institution. He said, “Female students complained to me that they were concerned because males were using their washrooms. This turned into a debate at the school. I stated my opinion on it, and I used Scripture to back it up. They removed me from the building for the remainder of the year and, when I attempted to attend class, I was arrested and charged.” He said he pointed out the school’s Christian identity, claiming that he took a related discussion to school administrators who refused to hear him out. His lawyer thinks there is some, but limited, legal recourse. He said, “We think there’s been religious discrimination…so we’re going to file a complaint to the Ontario Human Rights Commission.”

—FoxNews.com

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