RELIGIOUS OPPRESSION AROUND THE WORLD

Church Bombing in Tajikistan

Tuesday, December 11, 2000

A church that was nearly destroyed Oct. 1 celebrated its ninth anniversary last month. Seven people died and 70 were injured when two bombs exploded in Grace Sonmin Church in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, according to Compass Direct News Service.
    An annual Thanksgiving service celebrating the church's founding drew 500 people. They met in the church's partially completed mission center building because repairs are still being made to the three-story main building. Construction crews should finish the new structure before the winter snows, Compass reported.
    Tajik police have arrested two of three suspects in the bombing. All three were said to have connections with an Islamic institute that objected to the Korean Christian mission's ministry among Muslims. Police initially arrested and interrogated several church leaders, according to Compass.

--Used by permission of Religion Today

---

Muslim Fanatics Arrested in Tajikistan

Wednesday, November 1, 2000

   Police in Tajikistan arrested three Muslim fanatics suspected in the bombing of a church. Nine people died and more than 70 were injured Oct. 1 when two bombs exploded during Sunday services at the Sonmin Grace Church in Dushanbe, according to Baptist Press.
    Police originally arrested and interrogated 12 church leaders as suspects. They were beaten and some were ordered to recant their faith, BP reported. All have been freed but some are unable to leave their homes because police confiscated their official documents. Police won't allow church members to visit those still hospitalized in order to protect them from more harm, city officials said.
    The suspects are students at an Islamic school who have been described as "religious fanatics" and connected with other attacks in the area, BP reported.

--Used by permission of Religion Today

---

Victims of Bombing Arrested

Thursday, October 5, 2000

    Officials in Tajikistan arrested and interrogated leaders of a church that was bombed this week. Police took 12 members of the congregation into custody and held them for questioning, Compass Direct News reported. At least one of the men was beaten and four are still in custody, church members said. No other suspects have been arrested.
    Three more victims of the bombing died in hospitals, raising the total dead to 10, Compass said. At least 50 are in hospitals with serious injuries, including many burn victims. Police have determined that three bombs were placed in the building and set to go off at different times. The first bomb went off on the third floor and the second detonated on the first floor as people rushed downstairs seeking safety, according to Compass. A third bomb planted in the basement did not go off.
    The bombing came just two days after the U.S. Embassy evacuated its personnel from Tajikistan in response to what was termed "a confirmed threat against foreigners." Resident foreigners were informed on Sept. 30 of the U.S. pullout and advised to observe extra caution. "So it was not a surprise that this [the bombing] happened," a Dushanbe source admitted. "And yet, this [type of violence] has not been toward Christians and churches before."
    The church has been the target of harassment by government officials. The Committee for Religious Affairs threatened to revoke the church's registration because it has held evangelistic outreaches in the capital, Compass reported. In three incidents last year, police raided worship meetings and arrested some people at church meetings, confiscating their literature and handing down punishments for "illegal missionary propaganda."

--Used by permission of Religion Today

---

Church Bombed by Muslim Rebels

    Seven people died when bombs exploded at a church in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. At least 200 people were worshiping when two bombs planted in the back row at the Christian Korean Mission went off Oct. 1, Reuters reported. The blasts blew the doors off their hinges, shattered windows, and turned furniture into splinters. One bomb was the equivalent of 8 pounds of dynamite, police said.
    About 400 people, including many children, were in the three-story building at the time of the explosion, The Associated Press reported. Three people died instantly and 15 were rushed to a hospital with injuries; 20 others were treated at the scene. Police are investigating the site but have no suspects, according to AP. Dushanbe is the capital of the Central Asian nation, which has suffered sporadic violence at the hands of Muslim rebels and drug lords, according to news reports. Korean missionaries are active in Central Asia, according to news reports.

--Used by permission of Religion Today