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FYI
Here is a list of the last 2 Months
of Be
Alert! Email Issues:
- September 10, 2007 Special
- August 31, 2007 Special
- August 29, 2007
- August 24, 2007 Special
- August 18, 2007
- August 16, 2007
- August 12, 2007
- August 9, 2007 Special
- August 4, 2007
- August 3, 2007 Special
- July 27, 2007 Special
- July 25, 2007 Special
- July 21, 2007
- July 18, 2007 - News Flash
- July 17, 2007 Special
- July 13, 2007 Special 2
- July 13, 2007 Special 1
BE ALERT!
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MORIEL
- Is a teaching ministry to believers that stresses
the
need to rediscover the scriptures as Hebraic literature
(as opposed to Hellenistic literature)
- Is an evangelistic ministry to people of other faiths,
beginning with the Jews and nominal (non-
evangelical) Christians, such as Roman Catholics
and liberal Protestants.
- Will stand against serious doctrinal error where it
threatens the credibility of the gospel or undermines
the authority of scripture.
See Moriel web site for full disclosure.
For our Statement of Faith see the Moriel
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Moriel publishes a FREE
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More Moriel Info
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Be Alert! Sheep in the midst of wolves
Published by Moriel Ministries
September 13, 2007
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Shalom in Christ Jesus,
Rosh Hashanah is on Thursday (Wednesday night), 1
Tishrei 5768 (September 13, 2007).
This edition of focusing on persecution covers a few
notable trends that we as believers need to pay
attention to and stay ever vigilant in our prayers and
study of the scripture.
The first article concerning forced Muslim conversion
is encouraging, but taken as a whole with the articles
that refer to South Korea promising not to continue
missionary work in Afghanistan and reports 16
through 23 cause me concern that anything
considered "radical" will eventually be targeted. That
will include true Bible believing Christians because
they do not compromise their beliefs and so will be
deemed "radicals" and targeted for elimination along
with radical Islam and Jews making way for a one
world Mystery Babylon that is already coming together
as Satan's masterpiece counterfeit.
You will notice that the greatest persecution of
Christians is still in the third world countries but it is
gaining steam in the West especially here in the
US.
Another trend that continues to grow is the attack of
the serpent (deception) alongside the dragon
(persecution). In article 13 a Valedictorian sues over
her gospel graduation speech but we find out in the
article that she is now attending liberal and falling
away Wheaton College whose president just signed a
letter among 34 other evangelicals against Israel's
biblical right to their land. This is a trend that will only
get worse as the day draws near.
I have also included a story that just broke this week in
my hometown Syracuse, where some
apparent "prophets" went loony in a synagogue.
These sorts of incidents will only fuel the ramifications
that fall upon the true church.
BE/\LERT!
Ed. Note: This prayer request came
in
concerning one of our Moriel Missionaries
and it inadvertently was lost in the mounds
of emails I receive. Although this particular
situation has passed, please keep all of
our missionaries and missions in your
prayers.
Prayer Request for Moriel
Missionaries
Today my son Miguel Hayworth (brother of
Salvador, a Moriel Missionary in S.
Africa) was threatened on two occasions
by the same man whilst preaching the
Gospel on the streets of Manchester UK.
This Moslem fanatic threatened to,
"slit his throat," "cut him up into tiny
pieces," and "knock his teeth out"
if he saw him preaching in the name of
Jesus, mention Islam, Mohammed and
Allah.
This same individual had threatened
Miguel once before a few weeks earlier,
that time he was holding a small infant in
his arms but was too wound up to
care if the child was injured or not.
He used such foul language and called
Miguel a "Zionist Jew," which is
funny really as Miguel is half Anglo Saxon,
a quarter Portuguese and the
other quarter Chinese!
The threat was real enough for us to report
the incident to the authorities.
Please pray for us as we continue to
declare the Name of Jesus Christ in
spite of the threats and
intimidation.
John Hayworth
Matthew 5:10-12
"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the
sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
"Blessed are you when people insult you and
persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against
you because of Me.
"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is
great; for in the same way they persecuted the
prophets who were before you.
Matthew 10:16
"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of
wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as
doves.
Revelation 6:9-11
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath
the altar the souls of those who had been slain
because of the word of God, and because of the
testimony which they had maintained; and they cried
out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy
and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging
our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" And there
was given to each of them a white robe; and they were
told that they should rest for a little while longer, until
the number of their fellow servants and their brethren
who were to be killed even as they had been, would
be completed also.
Matthew 24:9
"Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill
you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My
name.
Philippians 1:27-30
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the
gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you
or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are
standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving
together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed
by your opponents--which is a sign of destruction for
them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.
For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not
only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me,
and now hear to be in me.
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1) Petition: U.N. must address forced conversions to Islam
'If governments abridge right to choose religion, how
can this right be considered universal?'
WORLDNETDAILY - September 9, 2007
Headlines this week reported that Migsti Haile, a 33-
year-old Christian woman, was tortured to death in
Eritrea for refusing to recant her faith, and the
European Center for Law and Justice is asking the
United Nations to address what it described as the
growing problem of forced religious conversions
around the world.
"We had been getting notification from lawyers and
human rights groups that this issue was growing, and
we thought it was high time that the United Nations
address it," Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the ECLJ
as well as the organization's U.S. affiliate, the
American Center for Law and Justice, told WND.
He said the problem is not necessarily always
national governments, but local governments and
area factions, which are "putting pressure" on people
and "threatening people with up to death if they don't
renounce their conversion to Christianity."
The ECLJ, since it is officially recognized as a non-
governmental organization in special consultative
status by the United Nations, now has petitioned the
organization's Human Rights Council to address the
situation.
"We would like to draw the Council's attention to the
growing number of violations of the fundamental right
to freedom of religion that are occurring around the
world, specifically the right to choose one's religion
and change one's religious affiliation," the written
statement said.
"Forced religious conversions and punishment for
voluntary conversions are commonplace in many
countries. Laws against apostasy, blasphemy, or
proselytizing are used in conjunction with anti-
conversion laws to create an atmosphere hostile to
members of the majority faith who voluntarily convert
to another religion," the organization said.
Sekulow told WND that the problem is growing
significantly in the Middle East, although total
numbers are impossible to cite since so many of the
cases end with the death of the person who converted
from Islam, or refused to recant a conversion to
Christianity.
"A lot of these cases go unreported," Sekulow told
WND. "We think it's pretty significant." He cited
situations in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Egypt as
among those he's heard concerns about just
recently.
The Compass Direct News report said Haile was one
of 10 single Christian women arrested at a church
gathering in Keren who have spent 18 months under
severe pressure. The report said last February, Magos
Solomon Semere also died under torture at the Adi-
Nefase Military Confinement facility near Assab, and
last October, two other Christians died from torture
wounds.
The report said Haile died at the Wi'a Military Training
Center, where she was being detained.
"As the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or
Belief (Asma Jahangir) has observed, 'questions
related to change of religion are at the very heart of the
mandate on freedom of religion or belief,'" the NGO's
petition said.
It cited other recent cases:
- Just last month Fatah officials reported Hamas
gunmen abducted a university dean in the Middle East
and forced her to convert from Christianity to
Islam. "Sources close to the family said that she
would not willingly convert to Islam and she
had 'called her parents to say she was being held
against her will in order to marry a Muslim man---'"
- India in just the past few days has begun
considering
new anti-conversation legislation. That's in a nation
where many states already have instituted laws "that
allow the government to accept or reject the legitimacy
of religious conversions."
- Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have used India's
models
as the basis for their own laws. "Under the auspices
of upholding anti-conversion laws, arrests and private
acts of violence have contributed to the degradation of
religious freedom."
- "In the last few months, the first Muslim-born
Egyptian
to challenge that country's restrictions on conversion
away from Islam filed suit in the Egyptian court system
to have his conversion from Islam to Christianity
recognized by the government after the Interior Ministry
refused to change the religion on his identification
card. According to recent reports, the individual has
since gone into hiding due to numerous death threats
made against him, and his first two lawyers withdrew
from representation due to alleged harassment by the
government."
The NGO petition said the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations and
endorsed by most of the offending nations, recognizes
that "freedom of thought, conscience and religion"
and "freedom of opinion and expression" are among
the most fundamental of human rights.
Such rights also are enshrined in the Convention for
the Protection of Human Rights (1950), Fundamental
Freedoms and the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (1966), the Declaration on the
Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and
Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief (1981) and
other U.N. documents.
"If governments may abridge the right to choose one's
religion by relying upon regional practices or religious
doctinres, how can this right be considered
universal?" the NGO petition said.
The organization suggested the granting of the
authority to investigate the claims, and a request to all
religious leaders "to recognize the right to choose
one's religion."
There also needs to be a provision that encourages
governments to recognize voluntary conversions and
prevent coercion, the NGO said.
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2) Iraq: 36 church members disappear, 1 returns
Minister warns of increased persecution of Christians
WORLDNETDAILY - September 1, 2007
Three dozen members of one Christian church in Iraq
disappeared over the course of a week, and only one
returned, according to a minister who is warning of the
increase of persecution of Christians in that violence-
ridden nation.
The warning from Rev. Canon Andrew White is being
reported by Voice of the Martyrs, the ministry to
persecuted Christians around the world.
VOM cited an interview with White on CBNNews.com
in which the Anglican minister from Baghdad was
describing the conditions for Iraqi Christians for a
committee on religious freedom. He said
kidnappings, torture and executions of Christians are
rising.
He also noted the people's desire for Christ
sometimes is overwhelming. The small church he
leads in Baghdad was small, but has exploded to an
attendance of more than 1,300 recently.
"It is an Anglican church, and none of my people are
Anglicans," he said. "They simply come to church
because it is the closest church to come to in the
midst of great danger."
But White said the conditions have deteriorated at an
increasing pace in the past few months, and it's
sometimes hard to quantify the extent of the
persecution. But he said he asked members of his
congregation for their perspective on the situation.
"Things are bad for everybody in Iraq. I said them
(church members); tell me what has happened over
the past week. And the people went through what had
happened and I realized that 36 of my congregation in
that past week [had] been kidnapped," White said.
Only one was returned.
During his testimony before the commission, he said
although Christianity has been present in Iraq from
the "foundation" of the faith - ever since Thomas
stopped off in Nineveh and converted the people of the
city to Christianity - none of its historic tribulations
compares to the troubles today.
"In the past few months many Christians have had to
leave their places of residence, especially in Dora on
the outskirts of Baghdad," he said. "In Dora, many
people were threatened with death if they did not
convert to Islam or pay large sums [in Islamic tax].
There are now hundreds of Christians living in
churches in Baghdad, where the provision of food and
water is becoming increasingly difficult."
As WND has reported, radical Islamists in the region
have been documented to be using a video of an
actual beheading to terrorize Christians into leaving.
"In the past few months Christians have become a
specific target," he said. "They have become targets of
murder, kidnapping and torture. Sadly, there are
multiple examples of this. Thirty-six of my own
congregation have been kidnapped. To date, only one
has been returned."
The reasons given for the attacks including not being
Muslim, and belonging to a Western religion, even
though that is not accurate, he said. - - - -
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3) Video of beheading used to threaten Christians
3rd-generation homeowners flee from Islamic warning
WORLDNETDAILY - August 16, 2007
An international ministry organization reaching out to
Christians in Iraq is confirming the pressure from
Muslims on Christians to abandon their faith or their
homes is rising, with videos of actual beheadings
used to threaten believers.
The reports come from Open Doors USA, which has
had an arm of help reaching into Iraq for several
decades.
The newest report from the organization describes the
experience of Iraqi Christian dentist Shamir (a
pseudonym). He got a letter condemning him for not
being a Muslim.
"It said that he was impure because he was not a
Muslim. It said he should leave the country
immediately or face the consequences. And if he and
his family hadn't left their house within eight hours,
they would die," the report said.
"He felt rage and fear. Leave the house where his
family lived for three generations! He had lived in Dora
his whole life. It was the Christian district of Baghdad.
Who did those guys think they were?" continue the
report. "He remembered the story of one of his
neighbors. They had not fled when the first letter
appeared. After a few days, armed men came in and
killed their dog. His neighbors left their house the
same day. Within a few hours a Muslim family moved
into the house."
Then, the report said, "Shamir" picked up a DVD
enclosed with the letter.
"The DVD started with some verses from the Quran.
Then he saw a young man sitting on his knees. The
man was interrogated by an armed man wearing
balaclavas (headgear covering the entire head,
exposing only the face or upper part of it). The young
man said he was a Christian. He lived and worked in
Baghdad. Then the men explained to him that he was
going to die.
"Shamir had not heard his wife coming in. 'What are
you watching, Shamir?' she asked, but her question
went unanswered as he vomited. Before their eyes,
the young man was beheaded. Amal was sick,
too. 'We have to flee,' Shamir whispered. 'Pack only
what is really necessary.'"
Open Doors reported that within six hours Shamir was
driving to Kurdistan with all that he possessed,
completing his journey at an unheated home in a
mountain village where his children cannot go to
school because they don't speak the language.
Open Doors spokesman Jerry Dykstra told WND that
the situation is just one of many similar situations
he's heard, and they come from reliable ministry
sources within Iraq.
Ministry volunteers, he said, report what they see and
hear to various country or region directors for Open
Doors, who forward it to the United States as part
over "overview" reports on what is going on.
Open Doors said it estimates about 3,000 refugees
flee each day to northern Iraq, and 40 percent of those
are Christians.
"These figures are based on information from inside
Iraq and other sources, but are very difficult to verify,"
the ministry said. "The figures are a good indication,
however, of the present situation of the church in Iraq."
The organization said historically Christian
neighborhoods, such as Dora, now have
been "religiously cleansed" of most Assyrian
Christians.
Christian churches also have been targeted by
vandals, and in Mosul, a Christian told Open Doors
how his brother-in-law had been forced to pay $4,000
a month to a Muslim group to continue his
business.
Then the brother-in-law was kidnapped, and his family
got a demand for $600,000.
"They have managed to raise $150,000 so far, but this
was not enough for the group holding him.
Negotiations were continuing with this man, but it's
likely his brother-in-law has been murdered," Open
Doors said.
Outright murders also are haunting the Christian
community.
"On June 3 --- Father Ragheed Keni, pastor of the Holy
Spirit Church in the Al-Noor neighborhood of Mosul,
was murdered along with his deacons by unidentified
gunmen immediately after the Sunday Mass," Open
Doors said.
The organization estimates 200 million Christians
worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death
for their faith in Christ, and another 200 million to 400
million face discrimination and alienation.
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4) Radicals threaten to burn Christian pastor
Church congregation ejected, building vandalized
with 'Om' symbol
WORLDNETDAILY - September 8, 2007
Religious radicals have threatened to burn a Christian
church's pastor and his family, and the church
building was vandalized with a Hindu "Om" symbol,
according to the Voice of the Martyrs, the worldwide
ministry to persecuted Christians.
It's just the latest attack by Hindus on Christians
around the world that Voice of the Martyrs has
documented. Just weeks earlier, another church
leader in India was attacked, beaten and kicked for
being Christian.
In the latest attack, VOM sources within India reported
that the attackers were members of the Hindu
organization Hindu Ikyavedi.
Before the attack, Pastor Koshy Thomas and
members of his family had been warned to stop
holding worship services in their facility in
Bangalore.
A short time later the warnings turned into
threats.
"Two members of the Hindu radical organization
Hindu Ikyavedi threatened to burn Pastor Thomas and
his family to death if they did not vacate their home
and stop worship services," VOM sources reported.
Only a day later the radicals "barged into a prayer
meeting, abused the believers using filthy language
and assaulted the pastor's wife and another believer.
They snatched a Bible from another man's hand and
threw it out of the building," VOM's sources reported.
The Christians were ejected from the building, and
then the building itself was vandalized.
"The radicals vandalized the church building by
drawing Hindu symbols, the trishul, swastika,
Sanskritic Om and slogans such as 'Jai Shri Ram and
Hindu Dharma is ours, who is Yesu?'" VOM
reported. "They also conducted a Hindu religious rite
inside the church and locked it."
Thomas has been pastoring the church, which
includes about 50 members, for about a year, VOM
said.
"Pray God protects and provides for the pastor and
believers in this area. Ask God to use the testimonies
of Christians in India to draw non-believers into
fellowship with Him," VOM said.
VOM said the earlier attack involved Pastor Pabitra
Kata who was hospitalized with his injuries. Voice of
the Martyrs said about three dozen Hindus attacked
the pastor while he was returning from the home of a
convert he'd been ministering to.
"He was beaten with thick sticks, kicked on his jaw
and face and dragged on the road," according to
statements obtained by VOM from witnesses. "He was
screaming because of the pain and praying out loud,
asking God to forgive the attackers.
"He was bleeding profusely from his jaw and ear, and
was unable to see. In spite of his painful cries, the
attackers continued striking him until the police arrived
and stopped the beating," the sources
reported.
He remains alive only because of that reluctant
intervention, because VOM sources reported that after
the attack it was discovered the extremists planned to
murder him, then make a false report claiming he had
died in an automobile accident.
Even within the United States, there have been
attacks, although verbal instead of phsycial. As WND
reported, the Hindu American Foundation has
attacked Christian organizations ranging from the
Southern Baptists' missions board and Gospel for
Asia to Olive Tree Ministries, which aims to teach
Christians about their beliefs. - - - -
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7) Laos: Hmong Christians Killed, Imprisoned In Crackdown
Vietnamese, Lao forces searching rice paddies and
mountains and shooting on sight
COMPASS DIRECT - August 7, 2007
LOS ANGELES -- Soldiers, police and others have
killed at least 13 Christians in Laos in the past month
in a swarming crackdown on Hmong villagers falsely
accused of stirring rebel dissent, sources told
Compass. In the sweep, encouraged by communist
village leaders and others who have falsely accused
the Christians of joining the separatist forces of Gen.
Vang Pao, authorities have arrested and imprisoned
about 200 members of a 1,900-strong church in Ban
Sai Jarern village, Bokeo province in northwestern
Laos. Among those killed last month was Neng Mua,
a Christian who slipped back to his native Fay village
after hiding in the mountains from the police round-up.
On July 7 he went to a local villager�'s house to beg for
food, but his one-time friend instead shot him dead as
a suspected member of the "liberation army," a
Christian source said. Police have searched
intensively for Christians in rice fields and mountains
and are shooting them on sight, said the source, who
requested anonymity. "Many Christians were killed
and badly injured," he said. "Women and children
were arrested and sent to prison."
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8) Taliban frees remaining 7 S. Korean captives
Last hostages, 2 women and 1 man, walked out of
desert covered in dust
ASSOCIATED PRESS - August 30, 2007
JANDA, Afghanistan - Taliban militants on Thursday
released the final seven South Korean captives they
had been holding, bringing an end to a six-week
hostage drama, witnesses said.
The captives were handed over to Reto Stocker, head
of the International Committee of the Red Cross
delegation in Afghanistan, in two stages on a road in
Ghazni province in central part of the country, an
Associated Press reporter at the scene said.
Two men and two women were released first. Hours
later, two women and one man who were covered in
dust walked out of the desert, accompanied by three
armed men, and also were turned over to waiting
ICRC officials a few miles from the earlier site. - - - -
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9) Korea churches to end missionary work in Afghanistan
REUTERS - August 29, 2007
South Korean missionary groups said they would pull
out of Afghanistan to comply with a deal Seoul struck
with Taliban insurgents for the release of 19 Christian
volunteers held for almost six weeks.
Relatives of the hostages, who erupted in joyous
cheers on hearing the news of the deal, were
meanwhile eagerly awaiting their release and
return.
"Our work for now will be to make sure the freed
hostages return safely and have the time to recover,
and to make sure the family members of the two who
were sacrificed are comforted," said pastor Bang
Yong-kyun at the Saemmul Church in suburban
Seoul.
The 23 volunteers sent to Afghanistan by the
Saemmul Church were seized on July 19 from a bus
in Ghazni province.
The insurgents killed two male hostages early on in
the crisis, but released two women as a gesture of
goodwill during a first round of negotiations.
The Taliban said they would release the remaining 19
provided Seoul pulls out its troops and stops Korean
missionary work in Afghanistan by the end of this
year.
South Korea had already decided before the crisis to
withdraw its contingent of about 200 military
engineers and medical staff from Afghanistan by the
end of 2007. - - -
South Korea's churches said the kidnapping had led
evangelical groups to rethink their missionary
zeal.
The National Council of Churches in Korea, one of the
largest groups representing the country's Protestants,
said in a statement it would abide by the
government's pledge to end missionary work in
Afghanistan. - - - -
Also
Afghanistan: Korean Christians Critical Of
Missionary Ban
Development work suffers from loss of South Korean
volunteers.
COMPASS DIRECT - September 11, 2007
ISTANBUL - More than a week after the Taliban
released Korean aid workers in Afghanistan, some
South Korean Christians are critical of their
government's ban on missionary travel to the country.
They claim that the ban limits religious freedom and
encourages extremist attacks on Christians around
the globe. A Taliban spokesman said last week that
his group would continue kidnapping foreigners
because they had found it to be an effective tactic,
according to Agence France-Press. Choi Han Eu,
president of the Institute for Asian Culture and
Development, told Compass that carrying out
religious activities is a basic human right that must be
protected. "In Iraq, in Somalia or any other country
where there is a dangerous situation, will Christians
not be able to go there if it is a Muslim country?" said
Choi. Christian sources said the ban has curtailed
almost all development work by Koreans in
Afghanistan.
Re
ad Full Report
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10) Traveling Americans threatened with Bible confiscation
National airline warns also about ban on crucifixes,
Stars of David
WORLDNETDAILY - August 9, 2007
Saudi Arabia has launched a series of initiatives to
lure tourists, but the Muslim kingdom continues to
prohibit Jews and Christians from bringing in Bibles,
crucifixes and Stars of David, threatening to confiscate
them on sight.
The Jerusalem Post reported the website of the
country's national carrier, Saudi Arabian Airlines,
declared: "A number of items are not allowed to be
brought into the kingdom due to religious reasons
and local regulations."
The website - after referring to a prohibition on
narcotics, firearms and pornography - states: "Items
and articles belonging to religions other than Islam
are also prohibited. These may include Bibles,
crucifixes, statues, carvings, items with religious
symbols such as the Star of David, and others."
The Jerusalem paper said it confirmed the rule in a
conversation with a Saudi Arabian Airlines employee
in New York, who would only give her name as
Gladys.
"Yes, sir," she said, "that is what we have heard, that it
is a problem to bring these things into Saudi Arabia,
so you cannot do it."
An official at the Saudi Consulate in New York, who
declined to give her name, also confirmed "you are not
allowed to bring that stuff into the kingdom."
"If you do, they will take it away," she warned,
adding, "If it is really important to you, then you can try
to bring it and just see what happens, but I don't
recommend that you do so."
The Post asked the consular official to explain the
policy.
"Every country has rules about what can or cannot
enter," she said.
The paper said the Saudi government-run Supreme
Commission for Tourism is trying to boost the number
of foreign tourists annually to 1.5 million by 2020.
Initiatives include issuing group visas to foreigners
through tour operators and granting longer entry visas.
As WND reported in 2004, when Saudi Arabia
announced a new policy to allow tourists, it brought
attention to the official Supreme Commission for
Tourism's website, which explicitly stated Jews were
barred from applying for visas.
But after WND published a story about the site's
contents, the reference to Jews was eliminated, and
the Saudi Embassy in Washington insisted the
Islamic kingdom does not bar anyone on the basis of
religion or ethnicity.
The website originally said the following people are
not allowed in the country:
- An Israeli passport holder or a passport that has
an Israeli arrival/departure stamp.
- Those who don't abide by the Saudi traditions
concerning appearance and behaviors.
- Those under the influence of alcohol ---
- Jewish People
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12) US: Giving out Gospel tracts becomes a federal case
67-year-old man jailed 2 days for violating 'parade'
ordinance
WORLDNETDAILY - August 24, 2007
A federal civil rights lawsuit has been filed on behalf of
a 67-year-old Georgia man who was arrested, held in
jail for two days and convicted without being given
access to a lawyer for passing out Gospel tracts on a
public street.
The action was brought by the Alliance Defense Fund
on behalf of Fredric Baumann, who was arrested on
the orders of police chief Mike Eason.
The ADF said a Georgia Superior Court earlier this
month agreed to its request to overturn the conviction
of Baumann, "a Christian man whom Cumming police
arrested in April for passing out religious literature on
a public sidewalk."
"Christians have the same First Amendment rights as
anyone else in America and cannot be treated as
second-class citizens," ADF Senior Legal Counsel
David Cortman said. "The government should not
force them to get special permission before practicing
their constitutional right to free speech.
"The fact that the court dismissed the charges against
Mr. Baumann is not just significant for him but for all
citizens who cherish their First Amendment rights," he
said. - - -
Bauman had been arrested April 22 for handing out
the tracts outside the City of Cumming fairgrounds.
Police told Baumann he was violating a city ordinance
requiring organizations to obtain a permit prior to such
activities.
However, the ADF said, the permit lacked definitions
for its provisions, and then said it only applied to
private organizations or groups of three or more
persons.
The man asked several times to see the ordinance,
but was refused. He then served two days in jail and
was convicted before a municipal court judge, who
sentenced him to time already served.
The trial came without notification to Baumann, so he
had no opportunity to seek legal counsel, the ADF
said.
"City officials not only acted illegally when they
arrested Mr. Baumann, they denied him his
constitutional right to due process under the law,"
Cortman said. "We are glad that this injustice has now
been reversed and that Mr. Baumann's right to free
speech has been affirmed."
The subsequent civil rights action, then, seeks to have
the ordinance, which prosecutors later admitted did
not apply to Baumann, struck down. It also is seeking
compensatory damages as well as punitive damage
from the city.
"The city denied Mr. Baumann his constitutional right
to free speech and due process under the law. We are
filing a civil lawsuit to have the city's unconstitutional
ordinance struck from the books so this doesn't
happen again to Mr. Baumann or anyone else,"
Cortman said.
The complaint alleges violations of free speech, due
process and equal protection provisions as well as
false arrest and false imprisonment.
The actual city rule reads, in its pertinent part: "Every
private organization or group of private persons who
wishes to use public property or public roads within
the municipal limits of Cumming, Georgia, for private
purposes in holding a parade, assembly,
demonstration, road closing, or other activity is hereby
required to have a permit from the City for the privilege
of engaging in any such activity within the City, unless
such a permit is prohibited under State law or the
activity is otherwise exempted by law, ordinance, or
other valid regulation."
It also defines "private organization or group of private
persons" as "any firm, partnership, corporation,
association, or group of individuals more than three in
number, or their representatives, acting as a unit."
The law firm said besides the constitutional issues,
the law on its face didn't apply to Baumann as an
individual.
The lawsuit said Bauman handed out tracts to people
willing to take them, without using any amplification or
hindering traffic in any way.
"At approximately 1:15 p.m., Mr. Baumann observed
Chief of Police Mike Eason speaking to Mr.
Baumann's acquaintance who was distributing
religious literature on the public sidewalk near Gate C.
Mr. Baumann approached the pair and learned of
Chief Eason's demand that the two men immediately
leave the vicinity for 'demonstrating without a permit,'
Mr. Baumann politely inquired of Chief Eason as to
whether the two men possessed a constitutional right
to peaceably distribute religious literature on the
public side," the filing said.
"Chief Eason, visibly irritated at Mr. Baumann's inquiry,
abruptly stated: 'Well, I guess he wants to get
arrested.' Immediately Chief Eason ordered Mr.
Baumann to be placed under arrest for 'demonstrating
without a permit' so as to constitute an 'illegal
demonstration.'"
The case said Baumann never was informed of his
right to obtain counsel, nor did he have an opportunity
to post bail.
"While incarcerated, Mr. Baumann requested use of
his his reading glasses so that he could read his
Bible ...; this request was denied," the filing said. He
also was denied an opportunity for exercise "to offset
a medical condition that causes chest congestion
when he remains sedentary."
Then without advance notice, he was taken to court
where he asked the charges to be dismissed.
Instead, the court listened to Eason's testimony and
convicted Baumann.
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13) US: Valedictorian sues over Gospel speech
Diploma withheld until she apologized for declaring
Christian faith
WORLDNETDAILY - August 30, 2007
A high school valedictorian is suing a Colorado
school district because she was forced to publicly
apologize for declaring her Christian faith and inviting
students to respond to the Gospel in a speech at her
graduation ceremony.
Erica Corder, who graduated from Lewis-Palmer High
School near Colorado Springs in 2006, alleges in a
First Amendment lawsuit filed by Liberty Counsel that
the school violated her civil rights.
Corder says officials withheld her diploma until she
issued an apology, and the school "continues to
portray her as a student who engaged in improper
conduct because she mentioned Jesus Christ during
her speech."
District spokeswoman Robin Adair, Supt. Raymond
Blanch and Board President Jes Raintree did not
return phone messages, according to the local
newspaper, the Gazette. But the paper reported Adair
said in an e-mail the district had reviewed the
situation.
"We are confident that all actions taken by school
officials were constitutionally appropriate. As a result,
we intend to vigorously defend the claims," the e-mail
said.
The action contends Corder's First Amendment rights
of free speech were violated when school
officials "refused to present her with her diploma
unless she issued an apology for mentioning Jesus
Christ." It alleges a violation of the 14th Amendment
right to equal protection because officials treated
religious speech "differently" than nonreligious
speech.
Liberty Counsel said before graduation in May 2006,
Principal Mark Brewer told the valedictorians they
could choose one student to speak, or all 15 could
deliver 30-second messages. The students chose to
all participate and picked a general topic for each
speaker. Corder and one other student were
assigned to deliver concluding messages.
The law firm said each valedictorian gave a proposed
speech to the principal ahead of the graduation. Then
during her 30-second message, Corder added some
comments about her faith in Jesus.
"We are all capable of standing firm and expressing
our own beliefs, which is why I need to tell you about
someone who loves you more than you could ever
imagine. He died for you on a cross over 2,000 years
ago, yet was resurrected and is living today in heaven.
His name is Jesus Christ. If you don't already know
him personally I encourage you to find out more about
the sacrifice he made for you so that you now have the
opportunity to live in eternity with him."
After the graduation ceremony, she was escorted to
see an assistant principal, who told her she would not
get her diploma because of her speech.
Principal Brewer said her comments were "immature"
and advised her she only would get her diploma if she
apologized to the "school community," Liberty Counsel
said.
Because she feared the school actually would
withhold her diploma and that officials would put
disciplinary notes in her file and generate negative
publicity that could affect her plans to become a
teacher, she wrote a statement that the message was
her own and not endorsed by the principal.
Then Brewer demanded she include the words: "I
realize that, had I asked ahead of time, I would not
have been allowed to say what I did," Liberty Counsel
said.
Corder and her parents met several times with school
officials, without resolution, and Liberty Counsel
eventually wrote to the school on their behalf,
explaining the First Amendment violations and
requesting an apology from the district for the forced e-
mail.
"The school board has thus far taken no remedial
steps. Meanwhile, Erica continues to be the subject of
public criticism from school officials," the lawsuit said.
"Valedictorians have the right to express their religious
viewpoints while at the graduation podium," said
Mathew Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel and dean
of the Liberty University School of Law. "School
officials have no right to threaten young graduates that
their diplomas will be withheld. The school district's
action in forcing Erica Corder to write an e-mail
apologizing to the community for exercising her right to
free speech is shocking."
Corder, 19, now is a student at Illinois' Wheaton
College, an evangelical liberal arts school. She told
the Gazette she wants the district to understand what
happened to her was wrong.
Her father, Steven, said the lawsuit was a last resort,
after the district declined to respond to any other
requests. - - - -
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14) US: School backtracks, will allow Bible reading
3rd-grader had been told Scriptures not allowed in
classroom
WORLDNETDAILY - By Jennifer Carden - July 26, 2007
School officials in Chicago have backtracked on their
ban on Bible reading during free "reading time" for a
third grade class, assuring the student's parents that
their ban based on the bogus separation of church
and state was nothing more than
a "misunderstanding."
Rhajheem Haymon was silently reading his Bible as
his classmates pored over the reading materials of
their choice when his substitute teacher informed him
that he could not read that particular book in the
classroom.
Aware his parents desired that all of the Haymon
children read their Bible every day, Rhajheem went
home that day and informed them he was no longer
allowed to do so.
When Rhajheem's father, Leslie Haymon, followed up
with questions to a substitute teacher and other
school officials, they confirmed that Rhajheem was
not allowed to read the Bible during reading time, as
the church and state must remain separate in the
classroom.
Haymon then called Thomas More Law Center, a
national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor,
Mich., which defends and promotes the religious
freedom of Christians through education, litigation,
and related activities.
Edward L. White III, trial counsel with the center,
immediately sent school officials a demand letter on
behalf of the family.
He explained the United States Supreme Court and
the United States Department of Education have
assured that students are free to express their
religious views while at school, a freedom that
includes a student's choice to read religious materials
in appropriate times at school.
"The law is clear here," White explained to WND, "And
not only the case law; a few years back, the
Department of Education shipped out guidelines
concerning constitutionally protected religious
activities, which say that students may pray and read
their Bibles with other students in non-instructional
times."
"During lunch, a student is free to talk about how well
the Chicago Cubs are doing, just as another kid is
free to talk about Jesus. During reading time, when
students are reading 'Harry Potter' or whatever else,
Rhajheem has the right to read his Bible to himself,"
White stated.
White also noted in his letter that a public school may
not suppress or exclude the speech or expression of
individual students for the sole reason that the speech
is religious or contains a religious perspective.
"A lot of times what we experience is that there's a
knee-jerk reaction against anything religious and
generally dealing with Christianity," said
White. "School officials forget that these sorts of
actions are by private individuals, not by teachers
trained to tread carefully in matters of the church and
state."
"Even a third-grader is a private citizen with
constitutional rights," he continued.
Soon after receiving the letter, the school district sent
written assurances that Rhajheem could bring his
Bible to school and read it at appropriate times during
the school day.
White said the letter essentially tried to smooth over
the situation, advising, "Regardless of whatever
happened, of course he's able to read his Bible, as
long as he's not disruptive."
In a statement, Leslie Haymon expressed his thanks
for White's assistance. "I thank [the Thomas More Law
Center] for protecting our rights as Christians and as
Americans. I thank God for the work of the Thomas
More Law Center," he said.
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15) US: Kindergarten cops rule: Witches in, Bibles out
'Sounds the death knell for religious freedom'
WORLDNETDAILY - August 31, 2007
A court decision that opens the doors of Culbertson
Elementary School in Pennsylvania to books about
witches - but rejects the Bible as being
too "proselytizing" - is being challenged.
The Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund has
submitted amicus briefs in a lawsuit filed when a
kindergarten student, under an assignment in which
parents were invited to read their child's favorite book,
was denied permission to have his mother read a
Bible story.
A decision in U.S. District Court that sided with the
school's decision to ban the Bible reading, while
allowing teachers to suggest reading books
about "witches and Halloween," effectively "sounds
the death knell for religious freedom in public
schools," the ADF argues.
"By transmuting private religious speech into
government speech, granting school officials carte
blanche authority to determine what religious speech
is 'too religious,' and holding that a school's desire to
avoid a perceived Establishment Clause violation
justifies viewpoint discrimination, the lower court's
opinion permits a blatant violation of the Constitution,"
the group said.
"The school's decision to ban religious speech is
nothing more than blatant viewpoint discrimination,"
said ADF Legal Counsel Jeremy Tedesco. "This was
not about proselytizing anyone," continued ADF Senior
Legal Counsel David Cortman. "It was about letting
students tell the class about what things are important
to them, and the Bible is important to this student."
The classroom assignment was called "All About Me,"
and was intended to provide an opportunity for
children to "identify individual interests and learn
about others," the ADF said. The activity at the school -
which lists an unspecified "religious holiday" in
September but a "winter recess" in December -
allowed students to talk about their interests through
the use of their favorite stuffed animals, posters,
snacks and games and books.
When his turn came, Culbertson Elementary student
Wesley Busch asked his mother to read from his
favorite book, the Bible. But the ADF said school
officials told Donna Kay Busch that the school viewed
the Bible as "proselytizing" and as "promoting a
specific religious point of view," banning it from the
class.
Officials with the Marple Newtown School District had
defended their actions as reasonable, and the trial
court judge agreed.
However, the ADF's brief argued "the lower court's
radical departure from settled First Amendment law
poses a serious threat to religious expression."
The brief noted that the school allowed discussion of
religion in the "All About Me" assignment. "Because
Wesley liked to go to church, he created a poster that
included a picture of a church with the words, 'I like to
go to church' below it. This poster was displayed on
the wall."
But the Bible reading Wesley requested was rejected
because the Bible promotes "a specific religious point
of view" and the teacher instead suggested Wesley's
mother "read a book 'about witches and Halloween'
instead."
The ADF said the district court erred in assuming that
such private speech would be attributed to the school.
"Indeed, the Bible reading at issue in this case is
Wesley's speech: his mother came to the class at his
request, to read his book selection, so that he could
share himself with his classmates," the ADF said.
The filing also noted the dangers the district court
ruling left in its wake.
"The lower court presumes that certain religious
speech - i.e., religious speech that crosses some
indeterminate threshold where it becomes 'too
religious' - automatically violates the Establishment
Clause and thus may constitutionally be censored.
This holding is plain legal error under controlling
precedent. Moreover, it impermissibly interjects
government officials into the affairs and doctrines of
religion."
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16) US: Christian TV show out, Muslim pressure group blamed
Preacher says CBS 'caved' to demands of Islamic
organization
WORLDNETDAILY - August 24, 2007
A CBS television station in Tampa, Fla., has
announced it is taking the ongoing "Live Prayer with
Bill Keller" program, on the airwaves since 2003, off
after the local chapter of the Council on American-
Islamic Relations complained of the religious views
Keller expressed.
CAIR-Tampa issued a statement that "WTOG-TV
(CS44) dropped 'Live Prayer' after the station and its
parent company CBS received a letter from and had
discussions with the Islamic civil rights and advocacy
group."
"It's clear what happened. CAIR pressured CBS in
New York to take us off. I have always dealt with the
issues of the day from a biblical worldview on my
program," Keller told WND. "[The Bible] calls Islam a
false religion. They took great offense. CBS caved."
Keller, who has been involved in controversy before,
said the last show on the old station will be on Friday,
Aug. 31, and the following Monday he will launch a
morning program on a competing station.
"We already had our new morning show in the works,"
he said.
WTOG station manager Laura Caruso told the St.
Petersburg Times the decision to end Keller's contract
was a mutual decision and had nothing to do with
complaints from individuals.
But CAIR's leaders "say both local and network
representatives assured them that the program would
no longer air on the station after Sept. 11," according
to the Times report.
And Keller told WND he didn't go willingly. - - - -
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17) Canada: Christians would rather move than hear evolution
'They have to obey the law in educating their kids,'
official says
WORLDNETDAILY - August 17, 2007
Fifteen Christian families from a tiny community of
only about 1,300 people are making plans to leave
their homes and work behind so that their children will
not be forced by the Canadian government to
attend "sanctioned" schools where evolution is
taught.
A report in the Vancouver Sun said provincial officials
have threatened the families with legal action,
including the potential loss of their children to state
control, if they do not abide by the mandatory
education curriculum.
But leaders of the Mennonite families say they'll leave
Quebec before giving up their children to the state
indoctrination.
"It's kind of sad because we enjoy the community, we
have friends and we have good rapport with our
neighbors," said Ronald Goossen, 56, who in the
1990s was among the first Mennonites from Manitoba
to move to Roxton Falls, about 75 mile east of
Montreal.
"But when they threaten to take our children and put
them in foster homes, that's beyond what we can
accept," he said. - - -
Children are taught reading, writing, math, science,
geography, social sciences and music, as well as
English and French.
But they didn't use the government-mandated
curriculum that includes the teachings of evolution,
and other subjects to which parents objected. So
authorities warned the parents they would face legal
proceedings if their children were not enrolled
in "sanctioned" schools this fall.
Goossen said the 30 parents and children in families
who would be endangered will move immediately; the
rest of the group will follow shortly later. - - - -
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18) Evangelical pastor told to leave Israel
THE JERUSALEM POST - By Etgar Lefkovits - August
16, 2007
An American evangelical pastor and his wife who have
been living in Israel for nearly two decades have been
ordered to leave the country within two weeks, after
their request for permanent residency was turned
down, officials said on Thursday.
Ron Cantrell, 59, and his wife Carol, 54, have run a
small Jerusalem-based ministry, Shalom Shalom
Jerusalem, for the past four years. Cantrell previously
worked for Bridges for Peace, an evangelical
organization, for 14 years.
Two of the couple's children have married Israelis and
have Israeli ID cards.
Interior Ministry officials said the decision was made
following suspicions that Cantrell was involved in
missionary work. The pastor categorically denied the
allegations as baseless.
Cantrell, who has been active in raising money for
Israel as well as working on behalf of Soviet Jews,
had resided in Israel on a special clergy visa during
his work for Bridges for Peace, but then went back to a
regular tourist visa, which needed to be renewed every
three or six months, he said.
The highly-coveted but sparsely-distributed clergy visa
is primarily given to officials from mainstream
Christian organizations.
Cantrell, who travels extensively on lecture tours,
could have continued living in Israel if he had left the
country at least once every three months, but said that
was an "unworkable solution" for his wife.
Cantrell said the Interior Ministry had cited no reason
for rejecting the residency request.
Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sabine Haddad said
that the couple's request to receive residency status,
after residing in Israel for years on various temporary
permits, had been brought before all ministry levels
up to the acting head of the population authority, who
was also the director-general of the office.
The request was turned down last month, she said.
Ministry officials cited suspicions of missionary
work.
The Shalom Shalom Jerusalem Web site says that
the couple "encourages Christians and Messianic
Jewish believers in their understanding of the
prophetic Scriptures" and "encourages believers to
participate in God's end-time plans by being involved
in positive support for the nation of Israel and Jewish
communities worldwide --- in the regathering of the
Jewish people to their homeland."
The issue underscored the delicate balancing act
evangelical Christian supporters of Israel face,
between proselytizing, which is banned in Israel, and
their fundamental belief that the return of the Jews to
the Holy Land was foretold in the Scriptures and
heralds the return of the messiah.
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19) Virginia man indicted for threatening Arabs
ASSOCIATED PRESS - August 15, 2007
WASHINGTON - A Virginia man was indicted
Wednesday on charges that he left threatening
messages at an Arab political organization in the U.S.
during fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in the
Middle East last year.
Patrick Syring left phone and e-mail messages last
summer with the Arab American Institute saying, "The
only good Lebanese is a dead Lebanese. The only
good Arab is a dead Arab," federal prosecutors
said.
At the time, Israeli was bombing targets in Lebanon
while Hezbollah was firing rockets into northern Israel.
James Zogby, the founder of the Arab American
Institute, criticized the U.S. for not doing enough to
protect U.S. citizens visiting family members in
Lebanon.
Syring, in expletive-laced messages, accused Zogby
of being anti-Semitic, prosecutors said.
"You wicked evil Hezbollah-supporting Arabs should
burn in the fires of hell for eternity and beyond," Syring
wrote in one e-mail, according the prosecutors. "The
United States would be safer without you."
Syring, according to an e-mail cited in the indictment,
praised Israeli forces for "bombing Lebanon back to
the Stone Age where it belongs" and said "Arabs are
dogs."
Syring faces charges of threatening and violating civil
rights laws. The indictment was signed by Assistant
Attorney General Wan J. Kim, the Justice
Department's top civil rights prosecutor, and U.S.
Attorney Jeffrey Taylor. - - - -
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20) Dreams Led 'Prophets' On Mission to Syracuse
THE POST-STANDARD [Advance/Newhouse]
(Syracuse, NY) - By Sue Weibezahl - September 13,
2007
A mother and daughter from Georgia arrested after
disrupting services at two local Jewish temples
Saturday claim they are missionaries who travel the
world to warn people about their prophetic dreams.
They have been arrested in at least two other states,
according to police records.
Peggy Davidson, 44, and her mother, Judy Overby, 74,
have been held at the justice center jail since their
arrest Saturday on charges of disrupting a religious
service, harassment and falsely reporting an incident.
They first went to the Young Israel-Shaarei Torah
synagogue at 4313 E. Genesee St. in DeWitt
and "became loud and obnoxious," state Trooper Jack
Keller said.
After they were asked to leave, they apparently went to
Temple Adath Yeshurun on Kimber Road in Syracuse.
At Temple Adath, they started screaming about
redemption and threatened to blow up the temple,
Rabbi Charles Sherman told police. Sherman
escorted the women out of the building and Syracuse
police arrested them.
State troopers went to the jail Tuesday night and
charged them in connection with the Young Israel
incident.
"They both said they were homeless and employed as
prophets," said Investigator Amy Honors of the state
police. "They didn't say how they were funded and
we're still looking into whether there was anyone else
with them."
The women came to Syracuse in a car rented in
Pennsylvania. Syracuse police impounded the car; it's
unclear who paid for the car.
In a newspaper article that appeared June 2004 in
News Daily in Clayton County, Ga., Davidson said they
receive messages from God on where to go
next.
The article quoted her as saying they typically don't
stay in one place for more than a few days. They stay
in motels when they have money and with people who
let them stay over when they don't.
They said they were non-denominational Christians
who have been traveling since 1998 warning about
Davidson's dreams. Overby, who formerly worked as
an alcohol and drug counselor, said she, too, has
prophetic dreams but none of them have come true,
the article said.
Davidson said she had dreams about Princess
Diana's death and the attack on the World Trade
Center before those incidents.
The women claimed to have traveled to the Middle
East and throughout the United States to share their
visions.
The women told local police they were from
McDonough, Ga. They were arrested there in May
2005 and charged with criminal defamation.
According to police reports, the women had passed
out fliers containing false information about their
brother and son, Edward Coleman Padgett, who got a
restraining order against them.
The following year, they were convicted of invasion of
privacy in Vicksburg, Miss., after posting "injurious
messages" about a state trooper there, according to
the Warren County District Attorney's office.
Saturday marked Shabbat Selichot, which is
celebrated before Rosh Hashana and includes the
reciting of prayers for repentance and forgiveness.
Rabbi Sherman said the morning ceremony at the
chapel in Temple Adath Yeshurun also included a
baby-naming ceremony.
It had begun at 9:15 a.m. and the women arrived
about a half hour later.
"They stood up and they looked like they were in a
trance," Sherman said. "They were caught up in the
babbling and hysteria, staring straight ahead. It was
obvious they had done this before."
Although Sherman couldn't recall specifically what the
women said, he didn't interpret it as an anti-Semitic
threat, but perhaps the targeting of beliefs other than
their own.
City police said the women talked about blowing up
Jewish temples and the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic
temple built on the site of Solomon's ancient temple in
Jerusalem.
Sherman went to Davidson and took her by the arm.
"I'm Rabbi Sherman," he said he told her. "And I want
to tell you what you are doing is wrong, wrong, wrong.
It's inappropriate and I'm taking you out right now."
Davidson didn't resist, he said. As he was leading her
out of the building, he called to others in the
congregation to call 911 immediately.
The women's car was not parked in the temple lot, but
nearby in a restricted area. Sherman said another
man escorted Overby outside and members of the
congregation got in front of and behind the car to
prevent the women from leaving before police arrived.
"It was not my responsibility to educate them,
interrogate them or tell them how evil they are," he
said. "My responsibility was just to get them out of the
building."
Sherman said he's never experienced such an
incident in his 36 years as a rabbi.
"If this happened 30 years ago, you'd just think they
were wacky people and escort them out," he said. "But
in the culture we live in now, you never know, so it's
better to err on the side of caution."
The women are now being held without bail in the
justice center jail's mental health unit. Although they
agreed to be interviewed, defense lawyers
representing them would not allow it, Deputy Joseph
Caruso said.
Syracuse and DeWitt judges ordered psychological
examinations for the women, police said.
State police Capt. Jeff Robb said it may be hard to get
answers to the questions people are asking about the
the case.
"It's certainly bizarre and it is very intriguing," Robb
said.
The silver lining, Sherman said, is that after the police
arrested the women, "Our service went on. It was
symbolic, because it means that life goes on. There
was a sense of relief and a sense of celebration."
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21) Suspect in church shooting charged
Pastor and two deacons of Micronesian congregation
murdered
ASSOCIATED PRESS - By Marcus Kabel - August 13,
2007
NEOSHO, Mo. - Prosecutors filed three murder
charges Monday against a Micronesian man accused
of opening fire in a church, killing three people and
wounding five others during a service for a mostly
Micronesian congregation.
Prosecutors also charged the man, Eiken Elam
Saimon, 52, with assault, felonious restraint for
holding the congregation hostage, and armed
criminal action. Another assault charge was pending,
Newton County Prosecutor Scott Watson
said.
At a news conference, police and prosecutors
declined the discuss the motive. But Watson told The
Associated Press earlier Monday that the alleged
gunman had targeted congregation leaders.
"I think that you'll find that the victims were what some
would term elders or leaders (of the Micronesian
congregation)," Watson told The Associated Press
earlier in the day. "As information continues to come
forward, it appears that the shots that were fired were
not random." - - - -
Also
Islanders grieve for 3 slain pastors
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE [WEHCO Media] -
By Ginny Laroe - August 19, 2007
ANDERSON, Mo. - After the eulogies, after the a
cappella hymns in their native tongue, and after
hundreds filed out of the funeral home, came the
wails.
And the screams. And the streams of tears for the
three men who were gunned down in their church
sanctuary last week.
Standing over the open caskets of Kernal S.
Rehobson, Intenson Rehobson and Kuhpes "Jesse"
Ikosia, the people who were closest to them heaved
and wept, still in disbelief of the horror a gunman
unleashed on their tight-knit Micronesian
community.
A gunman barged into the First Congregational
Church in Neosho on Aug. 12 and opened fire, killing
the three and wounding four others before holding at
least two dozen people hostage. - - -
The rampage may have been sparked by the
accusation levied against Saimon the night before that
he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl who is a
member of the church - an accusation authorities
say they believe. - - -
Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland said the night
before the rampage, the 14-year-old girl went with her
family to a hospital emergency room to report a sexual
assault. She named Saimon as the suspect.
"There is nothing to indicate she is not telling us the
truth," Copeland said last week. He said he
anticipated prosecutors filing charges once the
investigation is complete.
Saimon has denied the allegation, Copeland said.
Prior to last Sunday, the only crime authorities say
Saimon committed was driving drunk. - - - -
Read Full Report
Suspect in Missouri church shooting charged with
rape
ASSOCIATED PRESS - August 28, 2007
SPRINGFIELD, Missouri: A Micronesian man accused
of a deadly shooting spree inside a Missouri church
was charged Tuesday in the sexual assault of a 14-
year-old girl two days before the shooting.
Eiken Elam Saimon, 52, is charged with one count of
second-degree statutory rape and one count of
second-degree statutory sodomy, both felonies.
Saimon already is being held without bond on three
counts of murder and related charges for the Aug. 12
shooting at a church service of South Pacific
immigrants from Micronesia.
In court papers, a sheriff's department investigator
said the teenage girl alleged that Saimon was mad at
her for stealing his car and wrecking it. The girl said
Saimon attacked her as punishment.
The alleged assault happened at Saimon's home.
Prosecutors have declined to discuss Saimon's
motive in the shooting, but family members of the
victims have said Saimon was jealous of their
standing in the community and feared he might be
outcast after the 14-year-old girl made the rape
allegation.
All three shooting victims were pastors or associate
pastors of the Micronesian congregation.
Read Full
Report
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22) State suspends prisons' special meals for Jews, Muslims
ASSOCIATED PRESS - By Matt Sedensky - August 23,
2007
MIAMI -- Jewish inmates who follow strict religious
diets at state prisons are no longer provided meals in
line with their beliefs. Muslims must now eat vegan
food to satisfy their religious requirements.
The Corrections Department has ended the Jewish
Dietary Accommodation Program, which provided
kosher meals to not only Jews, but to Muslims as
well, because the state prison system does not offer
halal food. Cost -- and fairness -- were cited as
factors.
``We have 100 faiths represented by DOC inmates, so
it would be impossible to satisfy everyone's
preferences and unfair to do it for one group and not
another,'' agency spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger
said. ``We just have to look at what our mission is and
what's best for our overall department and the overall
population of inmates in our system instead of a
smaller group.''
The department has suspended use of pork products
in an attempt to appease religious adherents and will
continue to serve vegetarian and vegan meals. It said
many Jews and Muslims could choose the vegan
option, which is free of any animal products, to adhere
to their faiths.
But for the strict followers of kosher and halal diets, it
is far from ideal.
Rabbi Jack Romberg of Temple Israel in Tallahassee,
who was a member of a group that reviewed religious
dietary accommodations in prisons, noted that unless
the vegan food is prepared separately from other
meals, it would not satisfy kosher law. - - - -
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Contact Information
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| Editor |
| Scott Brisk |
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