Report about 'inaccurate reporting' by media

(Adapted from Christian Solidarity Worldwide) - Although tension has eased in Jos, Plateau State, following days of deadly violence, there is increasing resentment in the Christian community at "biased and inaccurate reporting of events" by the international media.

Several international news agencies have reported that the violence was triggered by the results of a local government election. However, Christians in Jos point out that voting passed off peacefully and the violence broke out in the early hours of Friday, 28 November, before electoral results had even been announced. Moreover, instead of targeting political institutions, rioters armed with guns, spears, machetes and other weapons immediately attacked Christian businesses, churches and the homes of clergymen. As usual, the rioters took Jos by surprise, and are now hiding behind election results to launch and excuse their mayhem.

Of even greater concern are reports that appeared to suggest that Christians had killed 300 Muslims over the weekend, whose bodies were deposited at a central mosque. In reality, the men died while obeying orders from a mosque in the Dilimi area, which was using its loudspeakers to instruct all Muslims to defy the authorities, participate in the "jihad", loot properties for money and then burn them. Local security sources insist the rioters were shot while defying a night-time curfew and launching fresh attacks, including an unsuccessful large-scale assault on police barracks. Commenting on these deaths the General Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Engineer Salifu said: "It was not Christians who killed them; it was their own unfortunate attitude". He also articulated local concern that such inaccurate reporting could fuel further violence against Christians elsewhere. 

While a final Christian death toll has yet to be determined, so far more than 16 churches are known to have been burnt down and at least four pastors are confirmed to have been killed, including a pastor from the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) who was shot dead in the suburb of Congo-Russia, and another from the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA), killed in the Rikkos area. From all indications, the final death toll among Christians will not be less than 100.

There is also growing evidence that the weekend's violence may have been planned in advance. So far 500 Muslim rioters have been arrested, some of whom were dressed in fake police and military uniforms. Two hundred are now known to be citizens of the neighbouring Republic of Niger, while 300 are from the northern Nigerian states of Kano, Katsina and Sokoto. Some of the rioters informed police that they arrived in Jos three days prior to the violence. "They had weapons, many weapons" said another source, "they were ready, very ready". 

Commenting on the recent violence, Rt. Rev Dr. Benjamin Kwashi, Anglican Archbishop of Jos said: "This crisis is a wake up call to state and federal authorities to undertake a serious appraisal of all the previous crises in Jos and elsewhere that have affected the church in northern Nigeria, and to ensure that truth is told, truth is maintained and justice is done. We have become a convenient scapegoat and target for those with grievances about events both at home and abroad. The Church in northern Nigeria needs urgent national and international protection. We have suffered this violence for over 20 years and it is now becoming unbearable."

Summary of recent events in Jos

(Adapted from Compass Direct News) – Communal violence broke out in the central Nigerian city of Jos on Friday (Nov. 28) after Muslims began attacking Christians on claims of vote-tampering, leaving hundreds dead and thousands fleeing their homes. After officials reportedly refused to post local council election results on Thursday (Nov. 27) – prompting speculation that a party backed largely by Christians had won – Muslim gangs in the Ali Kazaure area began attacking Christians, according to local residents. Violence along political, ethnic and religious lines followed, with security forces said to be responsible for killing more than 300 Muslims whose bodies were later brought to one mosque. 

On Saturday (Nov. 29) officials reportedly announced that the ruling People’s Democratic Party, backed mainly by Christians, had won 16 of 17 council seats, defeating the All Nigerian Peoples Party, said to be primarily supported by Muslims. Muslim militants burned several churches, including that of the Church of Christ in Nigeria in the Sarkin Mangu area of Jos, and its pastor has been confirmed killed. Several mosques also were reportedly razed. Plateau Gov. Jonah David Jang said in a radio and television broadcast Friday night that the crisis was pre-planned by disgruntled elements who had schemed to manipulate religious sentiments to create instability in the state. Gunfire heard Saturday morning (Nov. 29) died down by the end of the day as the government sent troops to quell the violence. 

But tensions remained high on Sunday as authorities had extended a curfew on residents of several districts of the city, with military guards ordered to shoot on sight.  By the end of the weekend state officials said that 500 people had been arrested. There was fear that the rioting could lead to a repeat of the violence that hit Jos on Sept. 7, 2001, which resulted in more than four years of bloodshed, killings of thousands of people and displacing thousands of others. In 2004 an estimated 700 people died in Plateau state during Christian-Muslim clashes. Located in Nigeria’s central region between the Muslim-majority north and the largely Christian south, the state is home various Christian ethnic groups co-existing uneasily with Muslim Hausa settlers. 

Prayer request for December 1 (Update on Jos riots)

The latest reports from Jos indicate that the city, under a strict 6 pm to 6 am curfew, has been reduced to a tense kind of quiet through the presence of troops and armored personell carriers. For some days the streets, especially in the northern and central parts, were full of people burning, killing, looting, and expressing deep hatred and anger. It will take many months to sort out who all was killed, and much longer for peace and sanity to be restored to these areas.

Loss of life is estimated in the hundreds. Our friend Dr. Ardill, who works at Evangel Hospital, close to the centre of trouble reported on Saturday that "the hospital is full and overflowing and the staff are tired after seeing over 200 injured in the last 24 hours. Although there were only 5 who died at Evangel, we have heard over 300 have been killed in the fighting." In the heat of the trouble last Friday and Saturday thousands fled their homes and took  shelter where they could, in army barracks, police stations and other public buildings. Some 6,000 people took refuge in a secondary school.

The McCains had about 60 taking refuge with them, while another 40 were able to sleep at our former university house not far from the McCains. A big problem was to feed them, since no one could get out, nor were markets open those first days. They report that university officials managed to get them some rice and garri (a starchy food).

Aside from Emmanuel Baptist church, which had already been burnt down twice before in earlier troubles (see the photo below), other churches near the university -- Trinity Anglican Church, where many faculty and students attend, a COCIN Church, a Deeper Life Church, and many others -- were totally destroyed.

Emmanuel Church after it was burned down the second time -- notice the text on the front wall, "Father, Forgive them, for they know not what they do," by which was meant the Muslims who burned down the church the first time. It has now been burned down for the third time and the blocks of the new building, which was not yet finished, were torn down and carted away. The pastor, who was our student, lost all his books and his thesis on which he had worked for many months.

*Pray for those who have lost loved ones, the hundreds who were injured, for the congregations who have lost their buildings, and for the families who have lost their homes. Pray for all who are troubled. Pray that those who are stirring up trouble will be cast into disarray.
*Pray for Danny, Mary, Katrina, Yoila, Roselyn, and others who are caring for these refugees and feeling the effects of weariness. Pray that they may be able to find enough food to feed the hungry.
*Pray for strength for the doctors and nurses, for those being treated and for those who have not been able to get treatment, those who get to clinics only to find no bandages or medicines are left in the cupboards.
*Pray that a lasting solution may be found to solve this problem and that peace may be restored to Jos, which was known at one time as "The City of Peace."

Prayer request for November 28 (Riots in Jos)

Unfortunately Jos is experiencing another major ethnic religious crisis. On Thursday the city had local government elections.  The rumor is that radical Muslims who were unhappy with the election results went on a rampage throughout Jos killing and burning.  They have burned ALL of the churches that are closest to our former house and the houses of our IICS colleagues who are still there (Danny and Mary McCain, Yoila and Roselyn Yilpet, and Katrina Korb).  They report that there was fighting within a half mile of their homes.  

Several Unijos students have been killed.  Danny McCain was invited to go to the university clinic to take pictures of some of the wounded. He reported that the carnage was horrific -- it was literally a war scene with blood everywhere. He went around and prayed for each wounded person.

Danny's house has become a refugee camp again, as it was in 2001 in the riots that preceeded those of 9/11 by four days. Currently, 57 people are sleeping downstairs at his place, similar to what happened in 2001, and another 40 are staying at our former home.  Katrina Korb, who normally resides with the McCains, is staying with this group. No one in the university compound has been hurt and all the IICS people are okay.

Mary McCain is praying that the food will be multiplied so that they will have enough to feed all of these people.  Please pray that the electricity will continue to to remain on, and the violence will be stopped.

Birth of James Thomas Roy

We are proud to announce the birth of our third grandchild, James Thomas Roy, who was born on Wednesday, November 19, at 2:30 am, to  Pauline and Greg Roy. He weighed 8 lbs 7 ozs, and measured 21 in. His sister, Grace, and brother, Christopher, are happy with their new brother. Pauline was going to be induced later that day, but she went into labor on Tuesday evening and the baby was born soon after that. Mother and baby are both doing well. Rejoice with us!

Prayer notes for October 31

1. We ask your prayers for our doctoral students, Dennis, Cosmos, and Chikas, who are working with Adrian; and Dauda, Kate, and Rebecca, with Wendy. They face many challenges in terms of the availability of internet, water and electricity—all things we take for granted in North America. Pray that they will persevere and make significant progress on their theses by January, when we hope to meet with them.

2. Thank God with us for the new course in New Testament Greek for Bible translators that started in Jos in September. The Nigeria Bible Translators Trust which sponsors the course faced some critical internal problems in August, which threatened to derail the course. Pray that whatever obstacles they face, these may be resolved. We are thankful that the first section of the course is nearly finished. The second section (for which Wendy wrote the text) will be taught early in 2009. Please pray for strength for the instructors, Rob Lillo and Rudy Wiebe, and for the students, that they may persevere and finish the course. Pray with us that their newly acquired language tools may be a real blessing to them in their translation efforts.

3. One of the top priorities for us to teach in Nigeria was to promote higher standards, so that students can stay in the country to finish degrees. Pray with us that initiatives we made while at Unijos to raise standards in our Religious Studies department may bear fruit. Unless standards are maintained students will still need to go abroad to finish their studies. 

4. Pray also for the initiatives in fostering dialogue in our department between Christian and Muslim colleagues. Pray in that regard especially for the colleagues with whom we have worked closely.
 5. We would ask your prayers for us as we prepare to make the transition to Tanzania. Pray for safety in all the traveling that lies ahead. Pray that we may be able to adjust quickly, and that we may be given wisdom in assessing the needs, in providing help and advice. Pray also for our family as we will be separated again for some time, and for a safe delivery for our daughter Pauline, who is expecting their third child in November. And pray for our son David, who has just started a program in community development at Sheridan College in Brampton, and our eldest, Sharon, who just started teaching in an after-school tutoring program in downtown Toronto, in addition to her other jobs.

Prayer notes for October 19

"Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob" (Psalm 84.8). 

1. Please pray with us for our IICS/CSI colleagues in Nigeria. Infrastructure remains a real problem for many as they teach in the universities and teachers' colleges. We have heard much about lack of adequate internet provision lately, but provision of water, electricity, and petrol/gasoline is not at all dependable. 

2. We ask your prayers also for our doctoral students, Dennis, Cosmos, and Chikas, working with Adrian; and Dauda, Kate, and Rebecca, with Wendy. They face many challenges for their research in terms of the availability of internet, water and electricity—all things we take for granted in North America. Pray that they will persevere and make significant progress on their theses by January, when we hope to reconnect with them on a more personal basis. 

3. The next few weeks promise to busy for us, as we visit a number of church communities in southern Ontario. Please pray for wisdom for us as we seek to communicate the challenges and opportunities of God's work in Africa tody. Pray also for safety in travel. We are grateful for safe travel this past summer as we flew to Florida for dental care in July, and then attended the CSI/IICS Vision Conference in Kansas City. It was great to celebrate the 20th anniversary of IICS, to be inspired by our speakers, and meet with colleagues working in many varied locations around the world. Thank God with us for the expansion of the ministry of IICS in recent years. 

4. Thank God with us for the new course in New Testament Greek for Bible translators that started in Jos in September. Over the last months colleagues Rob Lillo and Rudy Wiebe have been busy revising the introductory New Testament Greek text used in Nigeria, adapting it for this course; and Wendy has been working on final revisions of her own Advanced New Testament textbook. We are grateful that the course is going ahead. Just a week before it was to start we heard from the director that some unpleasant developments at the school necessitated postponement. We encouraged him in prayer, and he decided to go ahead after all. Please pray for strength Robert Lilllo of the Federal College of Education in Gindiri, who taught the first section of the course, and also for Rudy Wiebe, who joined Rob at the end of September. Pray also for the students, for good health and stamina to absorb such large doses of Greek grammar in a very short time. Pray that they may persevere and finish the course. Pray with us that their newly acquired language tools may be a real blessing to them in their translation efforts. Please pray with us that whatever obstacles there were can be removed, and that the devices of the evil one may be undone; we believe this course will be a very helpful tool for Bible translators.  

5. Please pray for our Nigeria colleague Layne Turner, who recently had surgery in the USA. Pray for complete recovery, and for the granting of his visa to return to Nigeria, so that he may be able to take part in the Nigeria Bible Translators course in NT Greek. Pray also for the Gibsons, IICS colleagues who recently transferred from the Ukraine (they were already our colleagues there when we were working in Moscow) to work at a central university in Uganda. They had hoped to teach at the University in Juba, in the southern Sudan, but there have been some obstacles. Katrina Korb, our University of Jos and IICS colleague, also hoped to transfer to Juba, so we ask your prayers that the obstacles at the Sudanese university may also be removed. 

6. At this time we  ask your prayers for our Africa team leader, Danny McCain and his family as they mourn the recent passing of his elderly father; he and Mary were able to attend the funeral. Pray especially for grace and comfort for his mother at this time. It is a difficult time, also because of the hurricanes which have hit Louisiana where she lives. 

7. We are grateful for your prayers for  wisdom and clarity for us with respect to plans for teaching in the St. Augustine University of Tanzania to help them as they start a Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies. We hope to travel to Tanzania early next year to join them for the second semester. Please pray with us as we prepare for this new academic ministry. 

8. We would also like to ask your prayers for our family, especially our children; all three of them face some challenges at the moment. We would ask for special prayer for our youngest, Pauline, who lives near Boston, and has experienced some difficulties in this, her third pregnancy. Please pray with us for a safe delivery as close as possible to the due date (in a little over a month). Pray also for our son David, who has just started a program in community development at Sheridan College in Brampton. And pray for our eldest, Sharon, who is transitioning to new work with needy students in an after-school tutoring program connected with St. Silouan’s Orthodox Church in downtown Toronto. 

P.S. Please check out Adrian's new blog called 'ask a theologian' at http://helleman.blogspot.com.