The Chairman’s Report for July 17, 2020

In this issue of the newsletter
New: Fulani Herdsmen leader says: “Nigeria belongs to the Fulani”
Update: Nigerian orphanage farm doing well, but Christians murdered nearby
New: U. S. government agency complains about arrest of Nigerian … atheist!
Update: Will Covid-19 affect our Christmas for Refugees program?

“Nigeria belongs to Fulani”

Fulani leader says they can take whatever they want: The National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Abdullahi Bodejo, has said that the Fulani own Nigeria and will rule the country forever.

Abdullahi also revealed that his organization was creating its own “security force” that will number up to 100,000 vigilantes.

He also claimed that the Fulani don’t need permission to take any land they choose, because Nigeria was founded by the Fulani and belongs to them. While this statement is not true, the current president of Nigeria is a Fulani Herdsman and he has allowed his tribe to go all around Nigeria killing Christians and taking over their farms to graze the Fulani cattle.

Abdullahi said the security forces will be everywhere. He said, “It is going to be across the country because there is not any angle where you cannot find the Fulani in this country.”

He insisted that the Fulani have the rights “to go and settle in any bush in this country without asking anybody for permission.”

“Fulani are ruling Nigeria and they must continue to rule the country forever. That is the truth.”

The Western world just stands by and allows the violence against Christians to continue. Rather than condemn the murder of Christians in Nigeria, the European nations welcome Muslim immigration to exploit cheap labor. What their policy has brought to Europe is terrorism.

Fulani herdsmen murder five near Christian orphanage: Fulani herdsmen entered a store in BLACKOUT near the orphanage sponsored by the Religious Freedom Coalition and shot the owner and five others dead. No money or products were taken from the store.

The owner of the small store was a 42-year-old lady who was a member of a nearby Pentecostal Church. All of the murder victims in the store were Christians.

Teachers and other workers at our orphanage used to shop at this store, but they cannot now since it is closed.

The area around the store and orphanage is majority Christian, but this does not stop the constant attacks by the Fulani Herdsmen who are Sunni Muslim. The Western media refer to attacks like these as “ethnic conflicts.” There was no ethnic conflict; this was outright murder to declare Muslim supremacy in a Christian area of the state of Plateau.

Abdullahi’s statements encourage his Fulani herdsmen to believe that they can take away the lives of others and this is permissible, since they “own” Nigeria.

Each week I participate in conference calls concerning persecution of Christians and many times hear the pleas from the leaders of Christian organizations. Sometimes there are government officials on those calls and there is reluctance on their part to clearly state that the Nigerian government is making matters worse not better.

Shame on Western nations for turning a blind eye to the continued murders of Christians in Nigeria and other African nations.

Nigeria Orphanage: The farm for the orphanage continues to prosper by the grace of God despite the attacks on Christians nearby including the recent murders in a store just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the entrance to the orphanage.

The Irish potatoes were planted first and sprouted. It appears that there will be a huge crop of the potatoes which are a staple food in Nigeria.

The corn has now been planted as well. Last year the corn stalks grew to nearly eight feet. Many bushels of corn were provided to the orphanage. The orphanage actually “tithed” their bountiful corn, donating 10% of the crop to other Christian orphanages that were in need.

The farm is a tempting target for the Sunni Muslim Fulani Herdsmen to drive their cattle onto the property for a feast. Often when this is done the farmers, if they are Christians, are murdered. Please continue to pray for the farm to prosper without interference and for the continued safety of the children.

Helping the atheists of Nigeria: I was a little surprised that in the midst of the deadly attacks against Christians in Nigeria this year, that the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) moved to help an atheist arrested in Nigeria.

Although Nigeria is “officially” a secular nation, many of the states inside Nigeria are not. Twelve of Nigeria’s thirty-six states have Sunni Islam as the majority religion. Those twelve states began Sharia courts after Nigeria’s “decentralization” in 1999. A Sharia court may treat “blasphemy” against Islam as deserving of severe punishments up to and including execution.

The atheist in question is Mubarak Bala, president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria. Mr. Bala was detained in Kaduna State. Kaduna introduced Sharia courts in 2000. Those courts have the same power as criminal courts. He is accused of blasphemy against Islam. He has not been heard from since his arrest in April.

My long time acquaintance and noted Christian activist Tony Perkins was appointed by President Trump as the chairman of USCIRF. Tony Perkins is also the head of the Family Research Council and in that position has done much to promote the cause of Christ and social conservatism both across the nation and on Capitol Hill.

Perkins made the following statement regarding the atheist Mubarak Bala: “USCIRF is alarmed by this arrest, which appears to be for Mubarak Bala’s peaceful exercise of his rights to both freedom of expression and freedom of belief. The fact that Kano State frequently enforces Sharia law makes the situation particularly worrisome.”

The USCIRF complaint about the mistreatment of an atheist during the continued killings of Christians in Kaduna State is actually understandable — in Washington, DC think tank logic. It was this same logic that labeled Islam a “religion of peace” shortly after the 9-11 attack, and it was the logic that referred to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State as “extremists” without mentioning Islam.

American officials hesitate to complain about the treatment of Christians for fear of being called “crusaders” in the Muslim world. The State Department will instead refer to “minorities.”

I honestly believe that Tony Perkins, as chairman of USCIRF, and Ambassador Sam Brownback, as Ambassador at large for International Religions Freedom, are doing the best they can considering the prevailing logic on Islam that permeates every aspect of our government.

It is the same fear-driven logic that drove President George W. Bush to forbid Christians in Iraq to form their own militia to protect themselves, while allowing both Shia and Sunni Muslims to organize militias after the American invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

Not just Nigeria: In several Muslim countries Christians are in prison and often facing death after being falsely accused of blasphemy toward Islam. Often this is done to steal property or as some personal revenge.

Just one current example in Pakistan is Shafqat Emmanuel, who is partially paralyzed and his wife, Shagufta Kausar. They were accused by a local imam of committing blasphemy in 2013. They were both sentenced to death and have both been on death row for six years as appeals drag on and on.

What has the United States done about the many Christians imprisoned in Pakistan? Since the arrests of this one couple the United States has sold hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of military equipment to Pakistan. Pakistan has 76 American F-16 fighter jets and is currently negotiating to buy even more advanced military equipment. Pakistan also has nuclear weapons and is not a party to the nuclear test ban treaty.

Note: Working behind the scene with upper level Pakistani officials, Ambassador Sam Brownback managed to secure the release of Asia Bibi in 2019. She had served nine years on death row for the alleged crime of drinking from a Muslim well which is considered an act of blasphemy. Before her arrest she had been beaten nearly to death by a Sunni Muslim mob in front of her 9-year-old daughter. Asia Bibi now lives in Canada with her husband and now 18- year-old daughter.

The only good news about Pakistan is that Tony Perkins, chairman of USCIRF worked with Ambassador Brownback to get Pakistan designated in 2019 as a Country of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for having engaged in or tolerated “systematic, ongoing, [and] egregious violations of religious freedom.”

But overall, the deranged logic inside the beltway that refuses to see any threat from Sunni Islam continues. The Congress and White House still view Sunni Muslims as allies of the United States. Yet every terror attack against the West in the last 20 years has been by Sunni Muslims. Pakistan even refused to allow the United States to use its territory for the invasion of Afghanistan to topple the Taliban in 2002 and Osama bin Laden lived there openly after 9-11 until killed by Navy Seals in 2011.

Covid-19 or not there will be Christmas programs this year

Christmas preparations: Every year literally hundreds of people are involved in helping with our Christmas for Refugees programs in the Middle East and Nigeria. Right now the first budgets are being prepared in Lebanon, which is the most complicated location for us because of the ongoing economic turmoil there. The Lebanese Pound has dropped 40% against the dollar, nearly doubling prices in that nation.

The Christmas for Refugees events have become a tradition for displaced Christians. In some areas the same disadvantaged Christian children have attended the events we have held for
five years or more.

Will Christmas for Refugees programs be held the same way they have been since 2012?

Honestly, I don’t know what we will be able to do for Christmas. But we must prepare as if events are to be held in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, the West Bank and Nigeria. We can’t wait and decide later. Next month we will begin our normal fund raising campaigns for Christmas for Refugees just as if every event in every nation we had last year will be held again this year.

What happens if some areas are locked down in December again? We will do what we can where we can this year and if events have to be canceled the funds will be held for next year.

Diapers for Refugees: Our Diapers for Refugees program continues to function in most areas other than Iraq, where there are continuing problems because of Covid-19. Notably in Jordan we have expanded the distribution of adult diapers to more elderly and special needs people in need. Most of those are either Iraqi or Syrian refugees who do not qualify for any aid from the Jordanian government, as they are not citizens.

The diaper program has also expanded in the West Bank areas of Bethlehem and Beit Sahour. Adult diapers continue to be given at a Christian care center there, but we have also ordered diapers for a Christian orphanage that takes in severely handicapped children. As the children there are older, more expensive diapers are required.

Please pray for all affected by Covid-19. Please pray for our continued mission to persecuted Christians, in particular the children.

And please pray for the Holy Sprit to descend and bring peace to our nation.

William J. Murray, President