# Iran & Belarus



## py3ak (Dec 21, 2005)

*God´s people in Iran are facing difficulties:*

1. Last week during Friday prayers in Pakistan's Punjab province, Muslim clerics, flanked by government officials, demanded the public execution of a Christian accused of blasphemy. An Islamist group leader has since called for a nationwide protest tomorrow urging the execution of Yousaf Masih, a Christian accused of burning pages from the Koran three weeks ago. The accusations triggered Muslim violence in the Punjabi town of Sangla Hill that destroyed four churches. Eyewitnesses have said they saw a Muslim who owed Masih a large amount of money throw a burning match into a room containing a Koran. Sangla Hill police have arrested and tortured four of Masih's six brothers, prompting the alleged blasphemer to give himself up in exchange for their release.

2. The situation of Uzbek Christians has deteriorated considerably since the May demonstrations in the city of Andijan in the Ferghana Valley. Christians are now under much tighter control, and they are getting more "invitations" to come to the police office to answer questions and receive more fines. In the last few months, there have been more frequent incidents of physical and psychological violence against Christians to force them to renounce their faith. President Karimov is very afraid of losing his job," said Esther Amado, Open Doors coordinator for Central Asia. "For this reason, he deals harshly with everyone he considers a threat to his regime." During these past months, many congregations have lost their registration and worship services have more frequently been interrupted by the police. Not only church leaders, but also those present in the meeting are taken to the police station to be interrogated. Police officers sometimes exert extreme pressure on Christians. Kural Bekjanov, 19, was held in prison and tortured for one month this summer. Fellow inmates also beat him terribly when they found out about his Christian faith. Bekjanov's physical and mental recovery may take years. His family is in serious financial difficulty because they had to pay for Bekjanov's food when he was detained and for medical treatment since his release.

*And a rather encouraging note from Belarus*

F18 recently saw a report written by a top religious affairs official expressing regret officials have not been active enough in controlling and repressing religion. He complains of the state's failure to return an alternative Orthodox community to the Moscow Patriarchate, failure to stop Baptists conducting two or three services a week, "freely and systematically distributing religious literature," and conducting "an illegal water baptism" lasting over four hours with over 300 participants. He describes the situation as "depressing" and vows to ensure religion is brought under control by the end of the year.

_From VOM_

[Edited on 12-21-2005 by py3ak]


----------



## Casey (Dec 28, 2005)

To anyone's knowledge, are there any Reformed churches in Belarus?


----------

