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5/03/2006
'Nepalese
Christians Need a Helping Hand, Especially Now'
KATMANDU, NEPAL, May 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- Christian Freedom International (CFI), an organization dedicated to helping persecuted Christians, is launching new operations to help Nepal’s persecuted, minority Christians. CFI programs include distribution of medicine, food, Bibles, micro-enterprise or “self-help” initiatives, and legal assistance for Nepal’s fast growing, oppressed minority Christians. “Nepalese Christians need a helping hand, especially now. This is the right time for CFI to work in Nepal,” said CFI president Jim Jacobson at an undisclosed house church in Katmandu. In April, the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning urging American citizens not to travel to Nepal, which has been wracked by weeks of civil unrest. Embassy employees were ordered to leave the country. In spite of hardships Christianity is growing throughout the “Hindu Kingdom.” Pastor D.K., speaking on condition of anonymity, told CFI, “We have many problems, but we must do the Lord’s work.” Each Saturday, 26 men, women, and children worship together in a cramped 7’ x 12’ room, but this is typical. Like scores of other new house churches in Katmandu, D.K.’s church is not registered with the government. “The owner of the building said we must be quiet during worship service, but we are grateful just to have the space. Most landlords will not rent to you if they know you have a church,” said D.K. “People who convert to Christianity face persecution from local leaders and sometimes the government,” said D.K. “There are pastors in custody right now because they tell others about Jesus. The persecution is getting worse. Many Hindu leaders don’t want Christianity to spread, but it is spreading fast,” said D.K. Proselytizing is a crime in Nepal. According to the U.S. State Department, Hindus constitute an estimated 81 percent of the population; Buddhists, 11 percent; Muslims, 4.2 percent; and practitioners of Kirant (an indigenous animist religion) and others, 4 percent, of which 0.45 percent are Christian. Like India, Hindu extremism is on the increase in Nepal. In other parts of the country Maoist insurgents threaten Christians, suppress worship services, and force churches to close. “Christians are persecuted in Nepal. They need help, so we are responding to the challenge,” said Jacobson. Nepal is one of the world's poorest countries. Christian Freedom International (CFI) is an interdenominational human rights organization for religious liberty. For more information or interviews, contact Christian Freedom International at 540-636- 8907 or visit online at www.christianfreedom.org.
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