India: Christian couple hacked to death
Police in eastern India were investigating Saturday, June 21, why a Tibetan couple was hacked to death after converting to Christianity. The investigation came while a funeral was under way for Dominic Bhutia, 45, and his 35-year-old wife Christina who were hacked to death in Git Dabling village in India's West Bengal state. One of the couple’s two daughters, Rinjee, 12, was seriously wounded, Christians said. Masked assailants also gouged out the eyes of the victims in front of Rinjee, Indian media reported. A younger daughter, aged seven, was spared as Rinjee hid her under a bed, local Christians said. The attack, 28 kilometres (17 miles) outside the town of Kalimpong in Darjeeling Hills, underscored concerns about a lack of security for minority Christians in India. Christians and churches have been attacked in several parts of India, often by Hindu and other radical religious groups opposing the spread of Christianity.
Nigeria: Sixty more schoolgirls and women kidnapped, plus 31 boys
At least 91 people – including 60 schoolgirls and young women, plus 31 schoolboys – were kidnapped last week by Boko Haram extremists, two months after the same group kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls in northeastern Nigeria, according to the Los Angeles Times. They were also abducted from villages in that part of the country, an area where such attacks have been happening almost daily, while Nigeria’s army appears to be unable to enforce security in most of the country. Many have criticised Nigeria’s government and military for their slow response to the abductions of more than 200 schoolgirls from their school in Chibok on April 15: several dozen of the girls had been able to escape. About 30 people were reported to have been killed by the extremists in the latest attack. Elderly residents fled their homes, trudging 15 miles to get help.
USA: Don’t talk about faith, Christian student told
A Christian high school student was told he would be violating the US constitution if he mentioned his faith in his graduation speech. Officials from Brawley Union School District in California told Brooks Hamby, 18, that “reference to religious content” was inappropriate, and opposed “government case law”. But Hamby said he did not want to compromise his values by removing all references to God or Jesus. Three drafts of his speech were rejected by officials, and he had received no reply about his fourth version by the time he delivered it. Despite the district telling him that the sound would be cut off if he talked about religion, Hamby quoted from the Gospel of Matthew and mentioned God during his graduation speech. A lawyer for Liberty Institute, an American religious liberty organisation, confirmed that Hamby was well within his legal rights to deliver a speech containing references to God.
Central Asia: Persecution threatens summer ministry
Preparations are under way for summer Bible camps in several nations formerly belonging to the Soviet Union. At the same time, in Central Asia persecution is on the rise. ‘For example, in Kazakhstan, one of the largest Central Asian countries - we see that new laws that regulate religious affairs [have] been tightened.’ says Sergey Rakhuba of Russian Ministries. In Uzbekistan, ‘authorities are scared of any evangelical activity,’ Rakhuba continues. Believers are doing whatever they can to overcome persecution and share Christ with the needy. ‘We are preparing for the summer and summer camps – sports camps, community camps – in Central Asia that have become one of the most effective ministries today,’ Rakhuba states. Part of the training students receive from Russian Ministries involves the planning and execution of summer Bible camps in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, and the countries of Central Asia.
