26 arrested after Indian Church accused of forced conversions/Ukraine Church will hold Easter services
Published: Fri, 04/22/22
Belated Easter blessings to those of you who have celebrated Christ's resurrection and our best wishes for a happy 'Great Day' for orthodox brothers and sisters who are still to celebrate.
We share an update on our aid work in Moldova and in Ukraine which includes an on the ground update via Pastor Vasilev in Ukraine and Pastor Vitali in Moldova. Pastor Vitali has noticed that a number of women and children are actually travelling back into Ukraine. Pastor Vasilev is holding a service including communion on Resurrection Sunday and will also hold his regular evening service. He asks for prayers they will all be safe on Easter Day (24th April) after Russia rejected a 4
day ceasefire proposed by the UN. Read more and watch videos (here). You can donate towards our aid in both these nations by clicking (here).
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33
Our 'Meals for the Homeless' project has seen a phenomenal growth in number of visitors in recent weeks. This is due to an increase in Ukrainian and Afghan visitors and an increasing number of people who are finding the economy difficult to cope with. You can read about our work (here). We are struggling to meet costs for the
service despite the many gifts for the community, this is due to an increase in fuel costs. There is a lot of travel we undertake to collect meals and other gifts, deliver meals and gifts and our regular outreach programmes to homeless and refugee centres. We are hoping to raise funds to obtain a fully electric vehicle to make the project sustainable for longevity. If you can assist with this or simply want to fund the food programme itself please donate (here).
Thailand:
A family who survived the attack on Gojra in 2009 that was responsible for the creation of the British Asian Christian Association (click here), are seeking help with the costs of overstay fines to be paid to Royal Thai Authorities. The family have benefitted from BACA's early work to get the Australian Government to add a quota of 100 Pakistani Christian families a year on their sponsored asylum
family programme. If they are unable to pay their fines for which they have to raise a further £1000 (We have already paid £400) they will have to spend 3 months in prison including their children, where they will be locked up with rapists and murderers. The family are still traumatised by the 7 members of their family that were burned alive during the attack on Gojra. Read more (here). Please help us raise the remaining amount of their bail fine by donating (here)
Pakistan:
Zafar Bhatti Pakistan's longest serving blasphemy victim ever has confirmed that doctors have found his health to be critical enough for need of treatment outside prison. We are hoping this will bolster our appeal for bail based on poor health. Please read update (here).
India :
55 Indian Christians were booked including women and 26 men later arrested and face charges of forced-conversion despite no evidence. Police colluded with a Hindu Nationalist group to bring this to fruition and it has all been caught on video. Read more (here). The Church has asked for help with legal costs and you can help us raise it by donating (here)
A Christian house Church was disrupted and some members were attacked after which police arrested 6 people including a Pastor who have been charged with forced conversion. You can read full article (here). You can help us raise the finance to provide an advocate for these victims by donating (here).
We are still seeking more help from supporters who are willing to help us with writing articles. We are behind on 7 articles which we will share next week but need commitments from people that can spare the time and have passion for the work going forward - especially as I have my A levels next month. If you are interested please email juliet@britishasianchristians.org or call 020 8500 1192.
We are seeking old computers and mobile phones that are no longer required to share with deprived communities in Pakistan and India. If you have items that you would like to donate please contact us as we might be able to collect them from you if you are in London. If you have something to share please email juliet@britishasianchristians.org or call 020 8500 1192.
Blessings
Hannah Chowdhry
We include a list of all the articles mentioned above in date order, feel free to read only those that interest you. If any of the links above and below do not work you can read all our international articles (here) and all our local UK community news (here).
UKRAINE: Easter services will take place – war cannot stop God.
Two elderly women gratefully receive British Asian Christian Association food packages.
When Russia shocked the world by initiating a war with Ukraine (click here). British Asian Christian Association’s trustees agreed to find ways to support both people fleeing the war and those choosing to stay in Ukraine.
Food supplies bought through British Asian Christian Association grant.
Our work towards this grows in strength and we gave the finance required to start a food programme for the many Ukrainians staying in Ukraine. Already our partners led by Pastor Vasilev have begun to share over 40 bags of food and Bibles with desperate people.
For over two years British Asian Christian Association have been providing free meals for homeless people, the economically deprived and refugees and asylum-seekers. Our work began after Trustees became acutely aware of the growing homeless community in Ilford during a series of outreach events in Ilford Town Centre (click
here).
You can read a full review of our ‘Meals for the Homeless’ project and watch videos (here). It includes an account of how we grew the service by meeting the homeless on the streets were they took shelter.
55 Christians including women have been booked for alleged illegal conversions in India.
35 parishioners were taken to a Police station after a mob of around 200 Hindus, locked over 100 Christians in the 19th Century building of the ‘Evangelical Church of India’ (ECI) in Uttar Pradesh, during Maundy Thursday prayers.
At the station 9 women were allowed to leave and go home and 26 men were arrested and put in a cell, after being charged for unlawful conversions.
Despite rioting and holding over 100 Christians against their will in a building, none of the mob of at least 200 Hindu radicals were arrested.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal two Hindu nationalist groups masterminded the whole event.
Leaders from VHP have now registered several charges with the police against the Christian congregation in an attempt to persecute pariah Christians.
Still in shock members of the congregation are praying for safety
A Christian House Church was heckled and then members were attacked by several members of a Hindu Nationalist Youth Movement.
Though the attack was instigated by the Hindu Youth, police arrested 4 men and 2 women from the church and have accused them of running a lottery, forced conversions and causing hurt. Despite a paucity of evidence.
BACA has video footage which we share below that proves otherwise but this is being ignored by ignorant and Christianophobic authorities.
On Sunday March 13th, members of a church, meeting in Amlapur Village, Betul District, in the state of Madhya Pradesh were peacefully praying and worshipping as they’ve done every Sunday for the past three years in a home.
7 members killed, 10 years in asylum limbo and finally Pak-Christian family find refuge in Australia
Qaiser and his family seek your help to pay overstay fines so they can finally end 10 year exile and enter new home in Australia.
In August 2009 the community of Gojra was attacked by a Muslim mob of over 3000 after a Muslim man who coveted the bride declared a blasphemy had been committed at a wedding ceremony. Read more (here)
Three local mosques had issued a fatwa against a whole Christian community and men left the mosque to wreak revenge on Christian homes.
75 – 100 homes and 2 churches were burned to the ground in the attack, worse still one family were shot at and burned alive, while incensed Muslims revelled in the demise of the hated ritually unclean Christians. Read more (here)
The attack followed one the previous day in Koriyan which is less than 40 miles away from Gojra. Only a month later another attack in a place called Sumbrial left Christians fearing for their lives. Read more (here)
The awful event created an international furore and Pak-Christian diaspora’s across the globe set up protest groups and charities to raise awareness of the plight of Christians in Pakistan and to provide succour. One of the groups formed after that incident was British Asian Christian Association. Read more (here)
It's Nawab Bibi's ambition to see Zafar released in her lifetime.
Please sign and share widely our petition for Zafar Bhatti (here)
Fears that Zafar Bhatti (55 yrs), Pakistan’s longest serving blasphemy convict could be the first ever to be lynched heightened after a judge increased his sentence from life imprisonment to death on 3rd January 2022 (click here)
Judge Sahibzada Naqeeb Shehzad, of Sessions Court Rawalpindi made this ruling despite clear physical and electronic evidence of the innocence of Zafar Bhatti.
No forensic evidence exists for any blasphemy by Zafar Bhatti, in fact every piece of physical and electronic evidence suggests he is innocent. Zafar Bhatti however was convicted based on an unsubstantiated report declaring his guilt, made by police in the early stages of their investigation. During that investigation Zafar Bhatti states he was coerced into a false investigation under a brutal police interrogation. Read time line (here)
Zafar Bhatti could still be killed any day under the terms of his blasphemy conviction under Section 295C of the Blasphemy law of Pakistan. Read more (here).
On 10th March, A BACA team visited Adiala jail to meet with Zafar Bhatti and to supply him with regular monthly grocery and sanitary items as per our commitment to him.
