DOCUMENTARY OF LIFE STORIES

The first four case studies come from individual Anglicans in Malaysia, Syria and Nigeria and United Churches in India. The case studies were shared with the writers in November 2014. Although what follows has been edited, the words, sentiments and conclusions are those shared by these individuals from these four countries.

Malaysia

“Although Malaysia had traditionally had an inclusive approach to religions, in 2001 the Malaysian government declared that Islam was the state religion. After race riots, there was a power struggle between different Islamic parties which moved thinking away from the previous inclusive approach and laws were introduced that marginalised minorities.”

“Currently Christians cannot use the word Allah for God. At the grass root level, communities are encouraged to introduce Sharia. It is not just the non-Islamic minorities that feel persecuted, but also some of the more liberal Muslims. This has led to migration from the country; as the more open and academic Muslims have left the situation has become more extreme.”

“The situation is being driven by identity, and a quest for meaning. For ethnic Malays, Islam gives them this security. They feel that Indians have India, Chinese have China and westerners have the West but Malays only have Malaysia! In a digital era young people are impacted by outside influences and Malaysian Christians are concerned by the extreme Islamic views in the Middle East.”

“Christians look towards the eschatological hope in Christ, until then they live with that hope and try to engage positively, rather than negatively. Of course, some Christians are keen to leave and ‘feel called’ to minister elsewhere!”8

“Malaysian Christians are unashamedly living by gospel values and living out their faith. Although many Christians elsewhere say that Islam is a peaceful religion this doesn’t tie in with Malaysia’s experience and it doesn’t sound as if such Christians know about Islam in the Malaysian situation; they need to acknowledge the pain of Malaysian Christians. Malaysian Christians want to see what these Christians are doing in the way of policies. Malaysian Christians do not believe in a prosperity gospel but are aware that Christians will suffer for gospel values. They feel that there is confusion and a sense of chaos within the Anglican Communion, related to the sexuality issue, as to what the world says and what the bible says. Malaysian Christians believe that Anglicans should first address what is happening within the Anglican Communion, then what is happening in their own countries. At this time of suffering, Malaysian Christians want narratives about what is happening that can encourage, rather than discourage them.” 

India

“In some places churches are being destroyed by the majority Hindu community despite the congregations feeling that they have done nothing to provoke such action. Elsewhere some Christian property is being annexed by RSS* and it is very difficult to open new churches.”

“There are examples of churches being destroyed after missionaries, from other parts of India, have demonised Hinduism either through the testimonies of recent converts or through distributing pamphlets that demonise Hindu gods. The missionaries doing this then leave the area and don’t suffer any consequences themselves. There can also be a reaction against perceived inducements for people to convert to Christianity; often there might be a narrow divide between Christian service, and respect for Christian service, and a material inducement to become a Christian.”

“In some places persecution is influenced by population explosion and economics; minorities are blamed for the economic impact and are persecuted. People enjoy the financial gains of a market economy, but fear the values that go with it.”

“Dalits** comprise 17% of India’s population and tribal people 8% but Dalits and tribal people together comprise 60% or more of Christians in the south and more than 80% of Christians in the north. This means that often it is difficult to say whether Christians are suffering for their faith or for their place within the caste system. The Indian constitution protects minorities but, with political changes, it must be questioned whether this can be sustained in the next five - ten years.”

* Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh - A Hindu nationalist non-government organisation

** This is the self-chosen political name of the castes in India that were formerly considered as "untouchable" within the Hindu Varna system. The word Dalit means “oppressed" in Hindi and Marathi.9

“In one area there was a situation where tribal peoples killed a Hindu leader leading to a conflict between the tribal peoples and the caste people with Christians being killed as ‘collateral damage’, rather than as part of any religious persecution.”

“There are also long term missionaries dedicated to the area and work whose theology is such that they expect to be persecuted for their witness, so they have acted knowing that their actions are likely to bring about persecution upon themselves.”

“Having said this, most Hindus, as always, are living in close proximity, and in mutual respect, to Christians and share much, not least in education and other ways. Such majority Hindus are deeply embarrassed by the scapegoating of Christians; this is particularly true, in the South, where there are many Christians.” 

Syria

“Syria is facing a massive human tragedy with 300,000 lives lost and 5 – 6 million people displaced (Sources suggest that an additional 55,000 were killed in 2015 and by March 2016 figures suggest 6.5 million internally displaced and 3 million in neighbouring countries). Thousands of Christians are being killed and Christian and Alawi women are being sold in markets. The level of suffering in the Middle East is similar to that inflicted in 1259 – 60 by Genghis Khan. Young people, between 17 and 23, are sharing absolute despair and saying ‘Are you asking us to stay and die?’ The response is ‘If it is die or leave, then leave. If it to stay in difficult circumstances, then stay.’ People are finding ways to stay and paying a tax (in gold) to stay is a way of not converting.”

“What was suffered under ISIS (Daesh) was horrible, but Muslim neighbours, betraying Christians to ISIS, was worse. The Nazarene sign, meaning a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, was put on houses. This meant the occupier could be killed and property taken; there is the need to start building trust again. There is the need for a humanitarian response but awareness of the real issues as well.”

“It is my understanding that the rise of Islamic fundamentalism is still a taboo subject in the West who speak of Jihadi’s, rather than Muslims, as it is not politically correct to connect Jihadi’s to Islam. There is the need to engage with the current persecution by Muslims. The Church in the West has failed to respond adequately to the suffering of Christians in the Middle East. The West has also turned a blind eye to the flow of Jihadis to Syria through Turkey.”

“There has been no serious and persistent persecution of Christians in the western world for many centuries, so there is an absence of a theology of persecution and suffering for faith. Western Christianity has a habit of seeing Christianity as being a western phenomenon; there is no concept of Middle10

Eastern culture when we reflect theologically. Most protestant theology taught in the Middle East is Western, ignoring the Middle Eastern heritage. Eastern Christians are used to persecution, but not at this current level.”

“Martyrdom is not seeking death for the sake of Christ; martyrdom is seeking life. But if asked to carry the cross to death, we need to be obedient. The early church persecution was by pagans but during the Crusades Christian suffering was caused by Western Christians. Eastern Christians have been invisible to the West. Archbishop Rowan said ‘If you want to learn about Christian martyrdom go to the Middle East, not the history books’.”

“Three theological principles:

• Obedience to the Lord - Carrying your cross might be literal;

• Hope - the world should see the hope in us and wonder about that hope. The challenge of having, or not having, hope in the midst of persecution;

• Blessing – ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, and those persecuted for my name.’ We become a blessing in society and spread blessings; an example has been closer ecumenical relationships in Middle East than before.”

Nigeria

“In northern Nigeria, even outside of the Boko Haram areas you can’t get land for a church if you ask for it. Christians try to buy land for other purposes and then build a church on it. The church is then demolished and this is seen as persecution.”

“The north east, where Boko Haram is particularly active, is 96% Muslim, a similar percentage to Somalia. So why do Boko Haram, see the need for further Islamisation? The Sultan says that Boko Haram is not Islam, but this not being heard by the Christians the south of Nigeria.”

“Northern Nigeria had 11 million Muslims and 400,000 Christians in 1958. An increased Christian population in the southern part of the north has seen tensions rise. Only 3% of those in the northern part of the north are indigenous Christians; Christians from the southern part of northern Nigeria have sometimes moved to the northern part. Some Pentecostals are causing problems, by trying to convert Muslims without first having an existing relationship with them.”

“The theological mind-set is very Western and the leadership has often been trained in the UK or US. If there is no persecution then our belief in Christ is questionable. We are still evolving an African theological understanding. Africa is very diverse: East-West; North-South, Central; Ghanaian; Nigerian. There are huge differences within Nigeria. The West is very offensive in trying to stereotype Africans or even Nigerians; understanding the context is very important.”11

“In Africa there is often hatred between the different religious communities. In Nigeria, an exception has been the Yoruba, who have taken on board co-operation and who do relate and will go to mosques and churches with family members. Sadly the Yoruba are picking up on tensions from elsewhere. Relationships have been very bad, even in majority Christian or majority Islam countries relationships are bad, because of the lack of theological understanding.”

“Is the African able to separate Christianity from tribe? As a Christian and a Nigerian, am I a Christian Nigerian or a Nigerian Christian? Is the African Christian able to accept common beliefs across Bible and Qur’an? The Pentecostals refuse to do this, but we need to have some agreement before we can tackle Africa’s problems. Pentecostals would also say that Allah is not God.”

“Nigeria is a microcosm of Africa. What is the African biblical understanding of persecution? Africans see themselves as brothers and sisters who care for each other across tribal boundaries; but this has been lost amongst Christians.”

As was mentioned in the above narrative from Syria, ‘There has been no serious and persistent persecution of Christians in the western world for many centuries.’ However, we have included case studies from the USA and the Church in Sweden2. We are aware that these stories of persecution from the USA and Sweden are at a very different level from that described within the other narratives, but believe that they are representative of Western countries and that this material helps shape the understanding of persecution, and the theology of persecution, of many Christians in the West.

2 The Church of Sweden is, like other Lutheran churches in the Nordic and Baltic countries, linked in the Porvoo Communion with British and Irish Anglican churches in a relationship of full intercommunion and interchangeability of ministries’

Both case studies were shared with the writers in November 2014, but the Swedish story was updated a year later. Again, although what follows has been edited, the words, sentiments and conclusions are those shared by these individuals from these two countries. 12

Sweden

“If Christians can be said to be subjected to any form of persecution in Sweden, it is a question of very mild forms of harassment. Jews and Muslims are worse off, as there is widespread anti-Semitism and islamophobia in society; especially Muslim women, who wear a headscarf, are often subjected to harassment, sometimes in a violent physical form.”

“If you are religious at all in Sweden, many people tend to think that you are a bit daft. This will mean that children can be bullied at school if they are openly Christian; not only by their peers, but sometimes even by teachers. This, however, is slowly changing as more children with an immigrant background are proud to be Muslims or Christians, and the schools realize that they have to take religion more seriously.”

“As long as religion is a case of ideas, it is protected by the laws of freedom of speech. There have been two instances where a few years ago a pastor and recently an imam were brought to court for comparing homosexuality to a disease, but were acquitted. Even though their opinions went counter to Swedish legislation and the general opinion, they were allowed to express them.”

“A post-protestant, secular society like Sweden has, however, difficulties understanding that religion can also be expressed in dressing and eating. While halal slaughter, where the animal is sedated before it is killed, is allowed, Jewish kosher slaughter, where the animal cannot be sedated, is not allowed. Animal rights have taken precedence over religious rights. Circumcision of boys is allowed, but calls for making it unlawful have been raised several times lately. Children’s rights to bodily autonomy is more important than religious rights, is the argument put forward in favour of legislation.”

“A midwife cannot claim that because of her Christian faith she cannot assist at abortions. A Muslim nurse cannot claim that she must have long sleeves. Workplace rules and hygiene take precedence before religious considerations.”

“It is often hard to distinguish harassment on religious grounds from xenophobia. “Muslim” has become a code word for “immigrant” in right wing extremism. The Muslim is the ‘ultimate other’”

“When harassment happens, it is often between or within religious groups. A special Swedish feature is the great number of Christians from the Middle East, who carry persecution baggage with them; they are often very hostile to Muslims. This is a dilemma for indigenous Swedish Christians, especially the Church of Sweden, who want to cultivate good relations with both groups. Much anti-Semitism comes from Muslims with roots in the Middle East.”13

“Another case is the critique directed at Christians who engage publicly in inter faith dialogue, especially Christian-Muslim dialogue. This comes particularly from other Christians, often in liaison with right wing activists. This critique can indeed take the form of rather vile harassment on social media, as well as e-mail and phone calls of a threatening nature. At the moment this appears to be a growing problem, that might hamper the development of inter faith dialogue.” 

 North America 

“In 2013, there were 115 attacks on places of worship and 75 fatalities. These have included attacks on synagogues by neo-Nazis, which have also killed non-Jews.”

“There are ‘freedom of speech’ demonstrations at the funerals of some homosexuals in the armed forces and also at some family planning clinics. Some opposition by people to the ‘Obama Care’ health care reforms was because it includes family planning.”

“This persecution in the US is from the extreme right, often the Christian religious right, who are not comfortable with diversity. These acts are classified as hate crimes and are prosecuted. Secularism is seen as a bad thing.”

“Although the US considers itself the most religious country in the world, I believe that theological literacy can be poor, and that the persecution, referred to above, comes out of a particular Christian theology. On a positive note, acts of persecution can often bring people and communities together and lead to some sense of healing.”14

These two historic case studies consider some of the issues related to surviving persecution.

vii. 3rd century Carthage, North Africa

In the year 250, the Roman authorities demanded that all citizens should sacrifice to pagan gods; Christian bishops were particularly targeted with the threat of execution. Shortly before this, Cyprian had been appointed as Bishop of Carthage. This choice was controversial; welcomed by the poor, but opposed by many of the senior clergy who felt that his rise to this position had been too rapid. Rather than face potential execution, Cyprian fled. He explained that it was important for the bishop, as shepherd, to remain alive and be able to lead his people from a distance and that this was what God willed. He also saw precedents in the lives of some of the apostles. Those opposed to his appointment as bishop condemned him as a coward.

During the subsequent persecution, many Christians either, under the threat of persecution, signed a certificate to say that they had sacrificed to pagan gods or, in response to persecution, torture, confiscation of property or death had actually sacrificed. From a distance, Cyprian demanded public penance before such Christians were re-admitted to the church. Some of those presbyters who had opposed Cyprian’s appointment as bishop ignored his authority and allowed these Christians back easily, with minimal penance.

Schism occurred when these presbyters who were opposed to Cyprian elected Fortunatus as bishop in opposition to Cyprian. There was a similar schism in Rome at this time, when Novatian, who took a firmer stand than Cyprian, and refused absolution to any Christians who had sacrificed to Roman gods, was elected bishop of Rome, in opposition to Cornelius. The Novatianists then also appointed Maximus, a rival bishop of their own, as a third bishop in Carthage. Cyprian, insisting upon public penance, was now seen as a moderating influence between these other two positions of either not requiring penance or refusing any absolution.15 

 17th century Japan: 

Following the Shimabara rebellion of 1638, in order to eradicate Christianity, the whole population of Japan were required to register at a family temple and be issued with a temple certificate to confirm that none of them were Christians. To enable this, an annual rite, entitled ebumi (image trampling), required people to trample upon Christian imagery. To encourage apostasy, rather than death, some very long and lingering forms of death had been devised for those who confessed Christianity and refused ebumi.

To avoid death, and the wiping out of Christianity, many Christian communities chose ebumi followed by prayers of confession. Some communities took along spare straw sandals for this act of desecration and as soon as possible, changed out of these soiled sandals, burnt them, added water to the ash and drank this mixture as an act of penance.

From this period, there also survive several artefacts which present initially as ordinary Buddhist / Shinto / folk religious objects, but which closer inspection reveals to conceal Christian devotional aids, e.g. a Cross appears when light is shone through a Shinto sacred mirror, a crucifix is carved into the back of a sitting statue of the Buddha, the Virgin Mary is depicted in the form of the bodhisattva of compassion Kannon.