Raids on illegal Christian churches are commonplace in Eritrea, a small East African nation sandwiched between Sudan and Ethiopia. In 2002, President Isaias Afewerki passed a law closing all churches not belonging to the Orthodox Christian, Roman Catholic, and Evangelical Lutheran denominations. Orthodox Christians and Sunni Muslims make up most of the population, and they were both unhappy with evangelical Christianity’s growth during Eritrea’s war with Ethiopia. Christians who risk attending underground evangelical churches are in a “cloak and dagger situation,” according to William Stark, the Regional Manager for Africa with International Christian Concern (ICC). Eritrean Christians have to be careful not to get caught and make sure they aren’t being followed. He said the Eritrean government plants individuals to find unsanctioned churches. “If you’re caught worshipping freely, the government is going to take you and essentially put you in a concentration camp,” Stark said. Christians who will not recant their faith are often sent to “secret military prison camps” where they are packed into metal shipping containers in the desert with many other prisoners. Since there is no official sentencing, they have no idea how long they’ll be detained. - See more at: zionica/2013/09/10/prayer-meeting-prison-camp/#sthash.VfsHiYym.dpuf Read more at zionica/2013/09/10/prayer-meeting-prison-camp/#E9y3UrxKpsTCVZJt.99
Posted on: Sat, 14 Sep 2013 02:36:05 +0000
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