U.K. remembers persecuted Christians

On Wednesday, the British Houses of Parliament and more than 30 churches and schools, mostly in the U.K., will bathe their buildings in red light to bring attention to the worsening problem of Christian persecution around the world.

The initiative is part of Red Wednesday—the second annual centerpiece of Aid to the Church in Need’s efforts to remember the most persecuted religious group in the world. Special services and vigils also are planned this week. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) urges people to wear red, the color of martyrdom, and post photos on social media using the hashtag #RedWednesday.

Speakers of the House of Commons and House of Lords agreed to participate in Red Wednesday after constituent pressure, according to ACN.

“We all need to get behind #RedWednesday—we need to stand together against violence carried out in the name of religion—we need to speak up about regimes which persecute people of faith,” one citizen who lobbied his lawmaker told ACN.

ACN’s Patricia Hatton told me that Red Wednesday is designed “to wake up the Christian community to the nature and scale of Christian persecution today, especially in the Middle East, and to call for prayer and practical support for all who need our help.”

Rohingya Muslim women, who crossed over from Burma into Bangladesh, wait to register as refugees. Associated Press/Photo by Dar Yasin

Rights group accuses Myanmar military of rape

Myanmar’s military committed widespread rape against Rohingya Muslims during a crackdown that began in August, according to a Human Rights Watch report released Thursday. The rights group interviewed 29 rape survivors who fled into neighboring Bangladesh, including three younger than 18. All but one of the survivors suffered gang rape, the report said. Many of them reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, and untreated injuries from the assaults.

The conflict started when an armed Rohingya militia group on Aug. 30 attacked Myanmar security posts in Rakhine state. The military responded with clearance operations that sent more than 600,000 Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh. Skye Wheeler, author of the Human Rights Watch report, said the military employed rape as a tactic in its ethnic cleansing efforts. “It also affects women’s memories, and their sense of being safe at home,” she said. “If this has been destroyed, it’s much harder for them ever to be able to return home.”

Government officials in Myanmar, also known as Burma, have denied all accusations of ethnic cleansing and claim its operations were necessary to maintain national security. Human Rights Watch called on the United Nations Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Myanmar and issue targeted sanctions on military leaders responsible for the abuses. —Onize Ohikere

Rohingya Muslim women, who crossed over from Burma into Bangladesh, wait to register as refugees. Associated Press/Photo by Dar Yasin

Replacing Jesus with Xi Jinping

Chinese officials asked Christians in southeast China’s Yugan county to replace their religious icons with portraits of President Xi Jinping—the Communist Party’s latest attempt to “transform believers in religion into believers in the party.” The officials said the Christians voluntarily removed 624 religious images, including pictures of Jesus and of the cross, and reposted 453 portraits of Xi.

The process is aimed to convert Christians to the party through poverty alleviation and other schemes to assist the poor, the officials said. More than 11 percent of Yugan county’s residents live below the poverty line, and nearly 10 percent of the population claims Christianity. Liu, a resident of one of the county’s townships, said the villagers did not voluntarily take down the images. “If they don’t agree to do so, they won’t be given their quota from the poverty-relief fund,” he said.

China’s Communist Party has increased its crackdown on opposition and efforts to consolidate power since its National Party Congress last month.The Changsa Intermediate People’s Court on Tuesday handed out a two-year sentence to Jiang Tianyong, a prominent rights lawyer, for inciting subversion of state power. Advocacy group Amnesty International dismissed the charges as “baseless.” —O.O.

Kenyan court upholds incumbent’s victory in election redo

Kenya’s Supreme Court on Monday upheld President Uhuru Kenyatta’s reelection victory in a controversial repeat vote, paving the way for the leader to begin his second and final term next week. The court dismissed allegations that irregularities marred the balloting. The Supreme Court ordered the Nov. 8 election redo after citing mismanagement by the electoral commission during the first election, held in August. Opposition contender Raila Odinga boycotted the new election, saying the electoral commission still failed to make the changes necessary for a free electoral process. In a Monday statement, Odinga said the court’s ruling did not come as a surprise and insisted the opposition still considers Kenyatta’s government illegitimate. Kenyatta will begin his new term Nov. 28, but the ruling likely won’t ease the country’s political tension. In the western city of Kisumu, an opposition stronghold, demonstrators already set up barricades and took to the streets to protest the court’s ruling. Officials confirmed at least two deaths during the protests. On Sunday, Odinga called for “international intervention” into the country’s crisis. —O.O.

UN lawyer urges Egypt to reopen shuttered churches

Joseph Malak, an attorney for the UN High Commission on Minority Affairs, warned Egyptian leaders they must abide by the law and constitution and reopen closed churches within a week. In October, Egyptian authorities closed four Coptic churches in the Minya governorate after harassment and threats from Muslim extremists. Church leaders complained about the closures in a statement: “The Copts always pay the price of this coexistence, not the aggressors.” Gov. Essam Badawi of Minya denied government-sanctioned persecution, claiming the churches were unlicensed. According to Egyptian Streets, Malak sent the demands by letter to Prime Minister Sherif Ismail on Nov. 12. The lawyer cited the constitution and church-building laws, which indicated all churches are licensed, reported Egypt Independent. Malak demanded all closed churches in Egypt be reopened, not just the four in Minya. —J.A.S.

Christianity spreads in Vietnam thanks to Filipino radio

In Vietnam’s ethnic Hmong community, which hosts a growing Christian population, the gospel first came in without the aid of foreign missionaries. During the 1980s, the Hmong stumbled across a Hmong-language evangelistic radio program broadcast from the Philippines, and they quickly spread the message. More than three decades later, an estimated 300,000 of the community’s 1 million residents now profess Christianity. Authorities first responded to the increasing spread of Christianity by denying its existence and through the publication of anti-Christian propaganda, including the book Don’t Believe the Snake Poison Words. State religious repression has eased in recent years, but discrimination persists. New churches struggle to gain official recognition, and Christians are often denied university scholarships and access to civil service jobs. —O.O.