JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA (Worthy News) – Approximately 35 Christians in Saudi Arabia face deportation on the charge of "illicit mingling," according to a report by the global rights body Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Police arrested the group of 29 women and 6 men after raiding a prayer meeting in the city of Jeddah. The group was arrested in a private home where they had gathered to pray during the run-up to Christmas, which is celebrated by Ethiopian Orthodox Christians on January 7. The men were beaten and called "unbelievers," i.e. infidels, and the women were strip-searched, apparently on the spot.

EXCUSE TO PERSECUTE CHRISTIANS

HRW spoke to a man and two women by telephone from the prisons where they are being held. They say they have been charged with mixing with unmarried persons of the opposite sex – even though HRW says Saudi Arabia has no law defining "illicit mingling."

Mingling of the sexes is not allowed in public – but normally pemitted in private unless for "the purpose of corruption", according to the religious police. By purposefully keeping the law vague, the Saudi government is granted free reign to define the law as it sees fit, even to the bearing of false witness upon persons, specifically Christians, in order to justify its actions.

The ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom bans the practice of any religion except Islam – but in recent years pledged to leave people of other faiths alone if they worshipped in private homes. This, however, seems unlikely due to the fact that in the Islamic faith, especially those persons and nations which strictly adhere to it, all non-Muslims are considered infidels and are worthy of death.

'Church of God' Pastor Neftali Leiva, a father of five daughters, was gunned down last week near the gathering, said his denomination's territorial administrative bishop, Jose Clara Vela.

He added that the shooting was witnessed by another pastor.

The witnessing pastor was quoted as saying that an unknown assailant walked up to the victim without a word and shot him point blank several times. When the shooter saw the witness a short way down the street, he reportedly also fired three times in his direction.

ASSASSIN WARNINGS

“The assassin shouted, ‘I’ll kill you,[also]’” the elderly pastor was quoted as saying.

It is the practice in the violent area to leave no witnesses, Christians said.

The pastor apparently felt the bullets go by and impact the trees behind him, but was unhurt."God’s hand of protection covered me, and the man ran away,” added the unidentified pastor, who is reportedly involved in a new Church of God church just across the border in Mexico.

World Missions, a mission group supporting indigenous Christians, said it has set up a relief fund to help care for the murdered pastor's widow and children.

VIOLENT TERRITORY

The border territory where the attack took place is only about 48 kilometers (30 miles) long, but is home to 73 Church of God congregations, Christians said.

Clara explained that 20 new churches were "planted" in the region in the last two years.

However he stressed that the latest killing underscores that the church is growing in an area suffering of violence caused by drug distribution and transit. “When we travel in the area, we go with the car windows down so people will see who we are and not confuse us with their enemies,” the overseer said in published remarks.

Christians said that the murdered pastor had been on leave for nearly a year because he had been severely injured when hit by a car. He and his family had been cared for by the territorial church office.

The church leaders meeting was to mark "his return to full-time ministry," Christians said.

It was not clear what prompted the killing and local authorities could not be reached for comment.

TEHRAN, IRAN (Worthy News)– A Christian convert has been sentenced to two years in prison by a Revolutionary Court in Tehran.

Leila Mohammadi received the sentence after spending five months in the infamous Evin prison, according to Mohabat News service.

Mohammadi was convicted of "broad anti-Islamic propaganda, deceiving citizens by formation of what is called a house church, insulting sacred figures and action against national security."

Mohammadi was first arrested after security agents raided her home July 30, 2011 in Kianshahr, east of Tehran.  After agents searched her house and confiscated some of her belongings, Mohammadi was taken to Horr Custody Center from where she was transferred to Evin prison.

Mohammadi was released on $150,000 bail after 74 days of solitary confinement in Evin.

NEW DELHI, INDIA (Worthy News)– Evangelical Christians in southeastern India were due to worship Sunday, January 29, amid heightened tensions after Hindu hardliners attacked a pastor and church members, representatives said.

The pastor, who was only identified as Pastor Kiran, was among those attacked on January 17 in Nalgonda district of India's Andhra Pradesh state while trying to visit a church member, known as Ms. Rachel, said the All India Christian Council (AICC), a major advocacy group.

"Hindu fundamentalists" were angry as they saw the pastor and fellow church members "carrying some Christian literature", said the AICC, which has close contacts with the Christians.

Hindus allegedly started to attack the pastor and attacked church members accusing them of forcible conversations", a charge often used against devoted Christians. Evangelical Christians have denied they accusation, saying the Bible teacher that believing in Jesus Christ is a free, personal decision.

NO REPORTS

There were no reports of serious injuries, but Christians said Hindus took the pastor to a local police station where he was apparently briefly. In a statement distributed by church umbrella group Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) police said "no case" had been filed against the church pastor.

The EFI, a member of the larger World Evangelical Alliance and linked to the United Nations, said it had urged its supporters to write to the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradeshm, Shri Kiran Kumar Reddy, "appealing to him to safe guard the rights of the minority communities."

Evangelicals also urged him "to give protection to churches against attacks and to take immediate action against the perpetrators of violence." It was not clear which organization was behind the violence.

Attacks against Christians have increased across India. Hindu nationalist groups have expressed concerns over the spread of Christianity in India, a mainly Hindu nation.

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (Worthy News)– A mob of Muslims disrupted the worship services of about 100 members of a GKI Yasmin congregation that were being held at a member's home in Bogor, West Java on Sunday.

"We were conducting our worship at one member's home before people from Forkami and Garis came to our place," Yasmin spokeswoman Dwiati Novita Rini told The Jakarta Post.

Dwiati said she did not know why Forkami, the Muslim Communications Forum, and Garis, the Islamic Reform Movement, were disrupting the Yasmin service, but earlier 50 Public Order Agency officers also tried to stop their worship.

"The Satpol PP came around 9 a.m. and were trying to stop our activity because they didn't want any clashes to happen," she said.

The congregation peacefully finished the service around 10 a.m.; the demonstrators from Forkami and Garis left an hour afterwards.

Citing permit application problems, the Bogor City administration had already barred the Yasmin congregation from conducting religious services for more than two years, defying a 2010 Supreme Court ruling guaranteeing the congregation's right to hold services at its church building.

WASHINGTON D.C. (Worthy News)– The Barna Group recently surveyed Americans who attended church and reported on their worship experiences.

Barna is a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization that conducts research, produces media resources about spiritual development and facilitates the spiritual growth of Christian ministries

The survey found that connecting with God was the most important outcome facilitated by churches; most (66%) felt they had "a real and personal connection" with God while attending church, yet one-third of church attendees never experienced God’s presence.

Overall, one-quarter of Americans said their life had been profoundly changed by attending church, while one-fourth described church attendance as "somewhat" influential. Nearly half said their life had not changed at all.

The study revealed that nearly seven out of 10 respondents said they felt "part of a group of people who are united in their beliefs and who take care of each other in practical ways." Conversely, one-quarter agreed that church felt "like a group sharing the same space in a public event, but who were not connected in a real way." One in 11 said they were "not sure."

The survey also examined whether Christians believed their church cared for poor outside of its congregation; 40% of church-going adults said caring for the poor was emphasized "a lot," while 33% said it was "somewhat" of a priority.

Concerning congregation size, attendees of small, medium and larger churches described similar outcomes, while attendees of mid-sized churches — those with 100-299 adults — were less likely to report positive outcomes than those in both larger and smaller congregations.

Those attending larger churches (300 plus members) were more likely than average to have gained new spiritual insight and understanding.

Not surprisingly, older adults generally reported the most favorable experiences while in church, while the youngest generation — ages 18 to 27 — was significantly less likely to describe positive outcomes from attending church. There were also significant gaps between younger and older adults when it came to feeling cared for, experiencing God's presence, knowing their church emphasizes aiding the poor and being personally transformed.

The Barna survey also compared the experiences of Catholics, mainliners and non-mainline church attendees. Mainline denominations included American Baptist Churches in the USA, the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church, the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church. Non-mainline denominations are Protestant churches outside of those in the mainline category.

The research revealed that practicing Catholics generally had less positive outcomes in their congregational experiences than did Protestant attendees, where "practicing" described adults who attended a monthly Christain worship service and who said that faith was very important in their life.

"This research points to both good news and causes for concern," said David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group. "On the positive side, many churchgoers receive a diverse and rich set of inputs by being involved in a church or parish, most notably connecting with God and others.

"Yet, the research results are also a reminder that faith leaders cannot take these things for granted. Millions of active participants find their church experiences to be lacking. Entering the New Year, consider spending time thinking and praying how your faith community can identify, plan, and measure a deeper, more holistic set of experiences and outcomes so that people are not mere observers of ministry, but genuine participants."

The Barna report was based upon telephone interviews of a random sample of 1,022 adults — age 18 and older — selected from across the continental United States.

Militant Islamic group Boko Haram, or 'Western education is a sin', claimed responsibility for the multiple bombings and a shooting spree targeting the immigration services, police headquarters and State Security Service (SSS) building in Kano, claiming most reported lives.

The group had threatened to unleash multiple blasts there after one of their cells was uncovered in December 2011, saying they would take action if their people were not released.

In an open letter to Kano's residents following the weekend bombings, Boko Haram’s spokesman Abul Qaqa reportedly said that only the intervention of un-named Muslim scholars was preventing the group from unleashing an “endless campaign of violence” on the state.

In a statement distributed by rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) the Anglican Bishop of Kano said he had identifying the corpse of a member of his congregation who had been missing since Friday. “The target was the government, but who is the government? It is the people,” the official said.

CHURCHES ATTACKED

Elsewhere on Sunday, January 22, bombs were planted at churches in Bauchi including at the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) , in the Railway Area and at the Our Lady of St Lauretto Catholic Church in the Fadama Mada area, which sustained minor damage to their walls. There were no injuries or fatalities reported, as the bombs exploded in the early hours of the morning, Christians said.

On the same day in Tafawa Balewa Town, St Paul’s Anglican Secondary School was partially destroyed by a bomb, according to rights activists.

An attempted attack on a police station was foiled and two of the would-be bombers were reportedly detained and later confessed to the church attacks.

There was also a reported attempted robbery of First Bank, and an attack on a hotel and military checkpoint in the Bununu District. The violence is said to have claimed the lives of two army officers, a deputy superintendent of police and eight civilians, including a child.

CHRISTIAN UNEASE

Though both Muslims and Christians have been caught up in the bombings and subsequent shootings, "there is unease in the Christian community that they may be directly targeted in the future," CSW told BosNewsLife.

CSW’s Advocacy Director Andrew Johnston said "There is no conceivable justification for the mindless spree of brutality that has been unleashed in northern and central Nigeria, and has claimed the lives of so many innocent civilians, Muslim and Christian alike.

It is vital that state and federal officials and security agents maintain a state of alertness and take all necessary measures to end Boko Haram’s reign of terror, while ensuring that the rights of the innocent are protected.”

Boko Haram says it wants to establish a state based on Sharia, or Muslim, law and has ordered Christians to leave northern Nigeria, while urging Muslims in the south to move to northern regions. The violence is a major challenge for Nigeria's President Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian and southerner, has come under increased pressure to speed up protection for Christians.

Nigeria is 160 million people are roughly equally divided between a mainly Muslim north and a largely Christian and animist south, according to several estimates.

KHARTOUM, SUDAN (Worthy News)– Last week, sources told Compass News that Sudanese Police beat and arrested a church leader in Khartoum.

Evangelist James Kat of the Evangelical Church of Sudan was arrested Jan. 17; officers beat Kat as they took him to a North Division police station where he was released on bail later that day.

Kat's arrest came amid increasing harassment of Christians following last year's secession of South Sudan.

In a letter to the Sudanese Presbyterian Evangelical Church leaders, Sudan's Ministry of Guidance and Religious Endowments threatened to arrest pastors if they were caught evangelizing, or if they failed to provide it with their names and contact information.

"We have all legal rights to take them to court," wrote Hamid Yousif Adam, undersecretary of the Ministry of Guidance and Religious Endowment.

In a related incident, another church leader was arrested last week in a SPEC church property dispute.

Officers arrested Gabro Haile Selassie, who lived on church property that was transferred to a Muslim businessman in a disputed arrangement; Selassie had refused to be evicted without police providing him an official document authorizing their action.

Now free on bail, Selassie said he fears being arrested again; police are threatening both him and his family, so they are staying with friends.

Police already began demolishing the church compound fence, Selassie said.

"They will definitely demolish my house," he said. "I am in great terror; I’m afraid to sleep in the house, because they may come again and arrest me. This is a clear form of terrorism against Christians."

Many other Christians face persecution from Muslim communities and their government representatives, both of whom want to rid Sudan of Christianity. Many claim that Christianity is now treated as an alien religion following the departure of 350,000 Sudanese — most of them Christians — to South Sudan after the secession.

Under Sudan's Interim National Constitution, shar'ia is a source of legislation and the laws and policies of its government also favor Islam, according to the U.S. State Department's latest International Religious Freedom Report.

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (Worthy News)– Syrian and Iranian Christians are being targeted for further persecution, according to Christian news reports.

In an e-mail to The Jerusalem Post, Giulio Meotti, a journalist with Il Foglio, wrote: "After the ethnic cleansing of Jews in 1948 from the Arab countries, Islamic fundamentalism is now trying to push away the Christians from the region. They want to establish a pure Islamic environment and the mass exodus already began under our noses"

"In Syria, Christians will be persecuted after Assad’s eventual fall, since they were the most loyal allies of the Baathist regime. Christians will be slaughtered, or squeezed from Cairo to Damascus; (the) Arab Christian era is near to its end everywhere," wrote Meotti.

The Pakistan Christian Post also reported that "The Christian community in Syria has been hit by a series of kidnappings and brutal murders; 100 Christians have now been killed since the anti-government unrest began. A reliable source in the country, who cannot be identified for their own safety, told Barnabas Aid that children were being especially targeted by the kidnappers, who, if they do not receive the ransom demanded, kill the victim."

In Iran, Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani — who has been on death row since 2010 — has again refused to renounce his Christian belief in exchange for his freedom.

According to the International Christian news agency BosNewsLife, "Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has rejected an offer to be released from prison if he publicly acknowledges Islam's prophet Mohammed as 'a messenger sent by God.'"

Nadarkhani was first arrested for questioning the dominant role of state-sponsored Islamic religious instruction in his children's public school.

According to Clifford D. May, president of the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the persecution of Christians in numerous Muslim-majority countries is the most pressing news story ignored by the mainstream media.

"If the situation were reversed, if such a war were being waged against Muslims, it would be the top story in every newspaper, the most urgent item at the UN, the highest priority of all the big-league human-rights groups."

CAIRO, EGYPT (Worthy News)– Chanting "Allahu Akbar" a Muslim mob attacked the Coptic community of Kebly-Rahmaniya last week, burning down Christian houses, shops and businesses.

According to the Assyrian International News Agency, Egyptian security forces didn't intervene in time to defend the Christians. Further, firefighters didn't arrive until 90 minutes after the mob attacked; by that time, most of the Copt's buildings were already in flames.

According to some Copts, the violence against them came just before the recent parliamentary elections so as order to discourage local religious minorities from voting; with 20,000 members, Copts could have voted with more moderate Muslims to shift the balance of power in the Qena governorate, assuming that they could get to the polls.

No Copt from Rahmaniya-Kebly could vote, so the Salafis won the elections, said one local Copt.

In a related incident, last week Salafists from the Muslim Brotherhood broke into the Abu Makka Church in Bahteem, Qaliubia, informing the congregation that their place of worship was illegal. One Salafi reportedly said the 1,300 square meter building "is perfect for building a mosque and a hospital."

The local bishop who was to inaugurate the church and celebrate its first Mass suspended all opening ceremonies for security reasons, arousing anger and disappointment within the whole congregation.

"Jonglei State in South Sudan…severe inter-tribal warfare has caused an estimated 3,000 deaths and displaced over 100,000 people in the last two weeks," reported Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), which has been investigating the situation.

The region was reportedly a disaster zone by President Salva Kiir. "Tensions over cattle-raiding are common between tribal groups, However the violence in Jonglei constitutes the worst internal violence since South Sudan gained its independence," from Sudan in July 2011, CSW added.

The troubles have been linked to religious tensions, with Sudan known as mainly Muslim and Arabic-speaking, while South Sudan is more indigenously African in race, culture, and religion, with Christian influences and a perceived Western orientation.

Amid the chaos, Christians are  fleeing. That is also the case in the contested region of Abey, which has been viewed as being occupied by the forces of neighboring Sudan,  since May 2011.

"PEOPLE SUFFERING"

In published remarks, Zechariah Bol Deng, a senior elder of the Ngok Dinka tribe who are resident in Abyei, said, “Currently, people are still suffering, there are thousands living under trees near the river, unable to return to their homes due to the presence of the SAF in Abyei, and with very limited resources."

He added that the presence of the Sudanese army "means that people are afraid to return to Abyei, and their situation is getting more and more desperate. Children are dying of preventable diseases and only a limited number of relief agencies are able to reach them.”

CSW said that attempts at finding a political solution were halted in May 2011, when the Sudan's troops took "the area by force." At least 130,000 Ngok Dinka residents fled the fighting, including Christians, the majority of whom are still unable to return to their homes, according to rights investigators.

In Sudan's capital Kharthoum, minority Christians have also been pressured to leave the country towards South Sudan, with reports of detentions and beatings, church leaders said.

Among those briefly detained in recent days was evangelist James Kat of the Evangelical Church of Sudan with officers allegedly beating him as they took him to a North Division police station. Kat, who lives at the church site, was reportedly arrested for using the site as his home. He was freed the same day, January 17, but uncertainty remains as he was released on bail, Christians said.

MUSLIM "BIAS"

The previous say another church leader was arrested Monday, January 16, in a Sudanese Presbyterian Evangelical Church church property dispute in which police and courts "have been unjustly biased in favor of Muslims," Christian leaders said.

Officers arrested Gabro Haile Selassie, as he lives on the church property that has been transferred to a Muslim businessman in a disputed agreement. In published remarks Selassie, who was released on bail after a few hours, said he fears being arrested again and that police already started demolishing the church compound fence.

There was no immediate comment from Sudanese officials.

The tensions have overshadowed attempts by international organizations to help stabilize both Sudan and South Sudan. Two rounds of north-south civil war cost the lives of 1.5 million people, and a continuing conflict in the western region of Darfur has driven two million people from their homes and killed more than 200,000, according to several estimates.

Open Doors, another advocacy group investigating the situation, has warned that the tensions could add to persecution faced by Christians in the region.

Christians said 28-year-old Sofia Osman from Janale city in Somalia's Lower Shabelle region, had been taken into custody by fighters of the Islamic militant group al-Shabab militants in November and that the public mistreatment was meant to mark her release.

Compass Direct News, a Christian news agency investigating cases of persecution, cited witnesses as saying that the young woman received 40 lashes on December 22 "while jeered by spectators".

“I saw her faint. I thought she had died, but soon she regained consciousness and her family took her away,” an identified witness was quoted as saying.

The whipping was administered in front of "hundreds of spectators" after Osman was released from her month-long custody in an al-Shabab camps, Christians said.

At her family’s home she was seen looking dazed and did not talk to anyone. There was no immediate known comment from al-Shabab, which is known for enforcing a strict brand of Islam in areas under its rule and is believed to have links to the al-Qaida terror group.

MORE CHRISTIANS ATTACKED

Al-Shabab has been linked to the mistreatment and killings of several Christians in recent years. It also blocked most international aid workers from accessing parts of Somalia suffering from drought and famine.

The reported attack against Osman came shortly after Ibrahim, a 23-year-old Somali Christian, was beaten while on his way back home in an undisclosed town in neighboring Kenya on December 5, Christians said.

Locals claimed that he was beaten by "a gang of young Muslim men" because he was an alleged "apostate", the word used for abandoning Islam. His family said in published remarks that Ibrahim had been raised as a Christian his entire life.

They only used his first name amid security concerns.

Many Somali Christians are known to seek refuge in neighboring Kenya, amid growing tensions at home.

EXTREMISM SEEN SPREADING

While it was unclear whether the men attacking Ibrahim were al-Shabab members, Kenyan authorities said they were aware of the threat posed to Christians and others by the group's sympathizers within Kenya itself.

In October, a non-Somali Kenyan man was sentenced to life in prison after confessing to carrying out two grenade attacks in Nairobi that killed one person and injured 20 people.

And, a new video message posted to a jihadist website calls on Muslim youths in Kenya to join the Somali militant group in its fight against Kenyan forces in Somalia.

The Kenyan military launched a major operation in Somalia targeting al-Shabab, which Kenya blames for a series of cross-border attacks and kidnappings.

Additionally, Al-Shabab is recruiting Western fighters, including British and American citizens, U.S. and other officials say.

AMERICAN DETAINED

This week, the United States charged a former U.S. Army major for trying to join the militant group. He was detained by Kenyan police last month on his way to the border with Somalia.

Somalia has been without an effective central government since President Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991 as international peacekeepers have been unable to secure most of the nation.

Two-decades of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease have led to the deaths of up to one million people, according to Western observers and aid groups.

RANGOON, BURMA (Worthy News)– Churches and Buddhist monasteries in a mining area of Burma's northern Kachin state have taken in nearly 1,000 refugees, many of them Christians, since New Year's Day, after the Burmese military reportedly attacked a church and killed several people, Worthy News established Tuesday, January 10.

The Kachin News Group (KNG) cited locals as saying that most refugees arrived in the Hpakant region to escape Burmese troops who launched attacks, despite President Thein Sein’s order to stop the war against insurgents.

KNG said the Lawng Hkang Kachin Baptist Church cared for 300 people while over 120 people were seen in the Maw Si Za Kachin Baptist Church. An additional 300 plus people sought shelter at the Maw Si Zar Buddhist temple and over 170 people were thought to have fled to nearby Sha-it Yang village.

Burmese soldiers have been fighting against the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and its rebels who have fought for autonomy in the Christian-majority Kachin state since the early 1960s, when then-Burmese Prime Minister U Nu made Buddhism the state religion.

Some 90 percent of the roughly 56 million people in Burma, also known as Myanmar, are Buddhist, mostly from the Burman ethnic group.

"ALL KACHIN ENEMIES"

Local Christians have suggested however that Burmese soldiers see “all Kachin civilians as the enemy” and that civilians are killed as well. In one of the latest attacks, soldiers from the Burmese army shot and killed an unarmed Kachin villager on Christmas Day in the Kachin State's Loije town near the border with China, villagers said.

"About 6 p.m. Maran Zau Ja and a friend were walking home from a sugar cane farm when government soldiers opened fire. Zau Ja, 47, died from his wounds, his friend survived" the bullets, KNG quoted relatives as saying.

The soldiers were identified as members of the Burmese Army ’s Light Infantry Battalion No. 321, which is stationed in the area.

Local residents denied that the two men were members of the KIO or its armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army.

Clashes have intensified between the KIA and Burmese government troops since June, when a 17 year cease fire between Burma's second largest armed rebel group and the central government ended. KNG explained.

FUNERAL SERVICE

The local Baptist church in Loije held a funeral service on December 27 for the murdered man, who leaves behind his wife and three children, friends said.

The funeral came despite threats against Baptist Christians.

Before the Christmas Day incident, troops of Light Infantry Battalion No. 142 burned a building housing the kitchen of a Baptist church in Dingga village, in Bhamo district, Kachin sources said. Though villagers prevented wider destruction of the church, the fire engulfed five wooden homes, KNG said.

Earlier, on November 30, Burmese soldiers reportedly killed a woman and injured six villagers as they fired mortar shells targeting civilians in Tarlawgyi area in Waingmaw Township.

A bishop in Burma said he has urged urged the international community to intervene on behalf of Kachin Christians, saying tens of thousands have already fled theirs homes since fighting resumed on a full scale in June.

PEOPLE "TRAPPED"

“Many ethnic Kachin are trapped and blocked along the border, because they are rejected by China,” said Bishop Raymond Gam of Banmaw in published remarks. China borders Burma on the north.

“They cannot escape, they are severely suffering and are victims of war,” he added. “We ask the international community and foreign governments to stop the fighting immediately and to start a path of peace and reconciliation.”

Christians and rights groups have also expressed disappointment that only a fraction of the estimated hundreds of political detainees in Burma were among about 900 prisoners released last week.

About a dozen political detainees out of as many as 600 were released, said Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party.

Suu Kyi, a leading opposition figure in the country and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said last week she would mount a campaign for a seat in parliament.

Christians of ethnic groups fighting for more rights are believed to be among those supporting her, a Worthy News team learned in Burma.

Gabriel Cadis, the chairman of the Jaffa Orthodox Church Association, was reportedly killed late Friday, January 6, in Jaffa, a predominantly Arab port district of Tel Aviv.

Witnesses said he was attacked by a person dressed as Santa Clause while marching during a parade marking Jesus's birth according to the Eastern church calender.

Police said the stabbing occurred at the end of a march held by the Christian community along a Jaffa street. “People nearby evacuated him from the scene,” Police spokesman Moshe Katz told The Jerusalem Post news paper.

RUSHED TO HOSPITAL

Cadis was rushed to Wolfson Medical Center in nearby Holon where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, the news paper reported.

A funeral procession was held for him in Jaffa on Saturday, January 7, with over an estimated thousand mourners joining the Cadis family home to St. George Church.

There was no claim of responsibility and police said they do not suspect a religiously motivated attack.

Yet, the violence was expected to add to mounting religious tensions in Israel.

Hardline Orthdox groups have been linked to attacks against women as well as against Messianic Jews, who believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

Pastor Johnson Jauro told reporters that his wife was among those killed when gunfire sprayed his Deeper Life Church in Gombe, the capital of the African nation's Gombe state.

The assault came after Islamic group Boko Haram, or 'Western education is a sin', ordered Christians on Monday, January 2, to leave northern Nigeria "within three days" or face deadly attacks.

Boko Haram, which wants to establish a state based on Shariah, or Muslim, law did not immediately claim Thursday's violence, but it is known to have attacked several churches.

MORE ATTACKS

The shadowy militant group also claimed responsibility for a series of bomb attacks across Nigeria on Christmas Day, including one at a church near the capital Abuja that killed close to 40 people and injured nearly 60 others.

In published remarks Pastor Jauro recalled that when the attackers started shooing they "shot through the window" of the church. "Many people were killed including my wife." He added that "many" worshipers, apparently 10, "were also injured."

Local police confirmed the attack but declined to say how many people were killed or injured. Church leaders and politicians have expressed concerns that the group want to trigger reprisals from Christians against Muslims. Nigeria’s close to 160 million people are divided between the mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, has declared a state of emergency in four northern states.