Date: Monday 3 September 2007
Subj: Maldives: Hope is born.
To: World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty News & Analysis
From: WEA RLC Principal Researcher and Writer, Elizabeth Kendal
MALDIVES: HOPE IS BORN
- the struggle for liberty is just beginning.
Five hundred kilometres south-west of the southern-most tip of India is a series of coral atolls. Looking like a patch of emerald sequins, the Republic of Maldives stretches 885km across the Indian Ocean. It might look extravagantly beautiful, but the Republic of Maldives has long been one of the world's most repressive Islamic police states. This name synonymous with luxury and elite tourism is also synonymous with totalitarian dictatorship and violent political and religious repression involving gross human rights abuses.
This longer posting concerns the issue of reform in Maldives. In 2004, to placate swelling domestic and international opposition, President Gayoom started a reform program that he didn't actually want and has been working hard ever since to obstruct and circumvent. But while Gayoom has been quite successful at delivering reform that is still-born, the promise of reform has given birth to real hope with real life, and a new hope for a 'New Maldives' is rising. Gayoom may have won this round, but it is clear that this new hope and life has a momentum and determination that will not be stopped.
-----------------------------------------------------
RELIGIOUS REPRESSION IN MALDIVES
Some dozens of Maldivians became Christians through the late 1980s and 1990s after Christian literature and gospel radio became available in the national language, Dhivehi. Even though these believers were ostracised and persecuted for their faith, they treasured the gospel radio broadcasts from Seychelles and were prepared to risk much to hear the gospel teachings and possess the newly published Dhivehi language gospels which had been smuggled in for the newborn church.
In June 1998, up to 50 local Christians were arrested, imprisoned and tortured in the notorious political prison of Dhoonidhoo, a tiny island close to the capital of Male. Up to 25 foreign workers were detained and their possessions confiscated before they were expelled from the country on allegations of missionary activity. The Maldivians were arrested for being Christians and while in prison they were under intense pressure to participate in Islamic rituals and return to Islam. As a result of loud international protest, the Christian prisoners were released in November that year.
POLITICAL UNREST
After a prisoner was tortured to death in September 2003, domestic and international outrage swelled to a crescendo. President Gayoom placated the mounting opposition by promising to create and implement a reform agenda. The reforms that Gayoom put forward in June 2004 were radical. He promised changes to the constitution that would limit presidential powers, permit political parties, separate the powers of the executive from the judiciary, introduce the office of Prime Minister and increase liberties. (Link 1)
However it took Gayoom less than two months to renege. On Thursday 12 August 2004, around 5000 pro-democracy supporters filled the streets of Male calling on the government to release five pro-democracy activists who had been arrested on 9 August. They also called for the resignation of the anti-democracy hardliners in Gayoom's government. The protesters gathered in Republican Square for a night vigil which continued with speeches into the Friday. The government's response to this was a violent crackdown both on the streets and through door-to-door round-ups. Members and supporters of the Maldivian Democracy Party (MDP) were savagely beaten and around 90 were arrested. A state of emergency was declared. In many ways it was Male's "Tiananmen Square". (For background see South Asia Analysis Group, paper 1086, link 2)
But Gayoom was advancing some reform. He was engaged in the process of legal reform and was preparing to formulate "the world's first criminal code of modern format that is based upon the principles of Shari'a". Daniel Pipes noted at the time that Gayoom was being assisted in this project by American legal experts and academics from the University of Pennsylvania Law School who were convinced that the Sharia promotes social justice. Pipes, who was horrified, protested: "The Shari'a needs to be rejected as a state law code, not made prettier." (Link 3)
The December 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami devastated Maldives and forced President Gayoom to re-address the issues of openness and reform for the purpose of reconstruction. But it has been more than three years since reforms were first promised and nothing has changed. Or has it?
REFERENDUM
On 18 August 2007, Maldivians turned out for their chance to choose what style of government they would prefer: a US-style Presidential system or a British-style Parliamentary system. A new constitution will be drafted by November and elections will be held in 2008.
In many ways the referendum was a vote on the popularity (or otherwise) of Gayoom. Gayoom, who monopolised the media during the campaign period, was of course advocating a strong presidency, while the opposition, which is totally fed up with presidential abuses of power, was advocating a parliamentary system.
There has been so much discontent in Maldives that Gayoom has frequently been described in the Western media as being embattled, losing his grip on power or of running a "failing dictatorship".
Prior to the referendum, those opposed to Gayoom - many in the media, some in Gayoom's government and all those other Maldivians frustrated by the slowness of reform and the government's human rights abuses - were anticipating change. "Wind of change stirs in Maldives as President's iron grip weakens", by Jeremy Page, South Asia Correspondent for the Times (17 Aug) is one pre-referendum piece that well described the mood. (Link 4)
On 18 August, the people of Maldives voted. For an interesting selection of opinions on the fairness and the choice, see "Referendum: Maldives Speaks" (link 5)
Whilst Gayoom's opponents felt positive before the referendum, that air of anticipation quickly evaporated after the referendum with Gayoom sweeping to victory. Now the opposition forces are crying foul. (Link 6)
But there are two possibilities: (1) that Gayoom is not as unpopular as it had been widely thought; (2) that the referendum was rigged and the result was fraudulent.
Underneath Jeremy Page's "Winds of Change. . ." article in The Times (link 3) is a "Have your say" spot. One respondent writes from Male, Maldives: "I'm ashamed of the lies you have printed on this article, our great and holy leader has done so much for us for the past 30 years, commoners are never thankful for what our great leader has done for us, we are the richest people in asia because of him, we are muslims because of him and we are so happy today because of him, our great leader Gayoom is a direct dissendent of the holy prophet and we should always obey and listen to him. There are just a few christian minded people in the Maldives who oppose our great and holy leader [sic throughout]"
This response is a blatant demonstration of what results when political leaders use religion (in this case Islam) to legitimise their rule, as Gayoom has done. (Also, from what I understand, the term "Christian" in this response is used primarily as a swear word, an obscenity, a bit of offensive name-calling. E.g., change-minded equals "Christian-minded" equals positively evil.)
REFORM STAGGERS WHILE ISLAM GALLOPS
Gayoom has long promoted himself as the guardian and supreme propagator of Islam in the Maldives. His government retains considerable control over imams and preachers in the country through the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and so it is interesting that over recent years while reforms have stalled, Islamisation has progressed at a remarkable rate.
Two articles that examine the progress of Islamisation and radicalisation in Maldives are: "Stormclouds over the Indian Ocean: Behind the veil in the Maldives", by Meera Selva, 5 Oct 2006, (link 7) and "Is Islam A Threat To The Maldives?" by Taimour Lay, 8 Oct 2006 (link 8).
Selva notes that Maldives culture is being Arabised, that women's traditional colourful dresses are being replaced with black burkas, that little girls no longer play outside, that men are growing beards and asserting their dominance, while foreign-funded mosques and madrassas are proliferating. Selva comments that "individual preachers have been advocating a more radical version of Islam on the poorer islands which are cut off from the mainstream media". She says that while the government has been cracking down on political opponents, "fundamentalist preachers have continued with their mission in the villages, using simple language and dangerously persuasive arguments to convert people to a more radical Islam". (Link 7)
Selva comments that while the government is aware of political unrest and rising Islamic fundamentalism, "The government prefers to divert attention away from its shortcomings by arguing that the real threat to stability in the Maldives comes from Christianity, not a lack of democracy. This view sometimes seems to border on paranoia. This April [2006], for example, the minister of fisheries ordered the residents of Kulhudhuffushi island to tear down their new $75,000 indoor market built by Maldives Aid, a UK-based charity, because it was funded by 'Christian missionaries'. Schoolteachers from nearby Sri Lanka and India are regularly expelled from the island for trying to convert Maldivian citizens to Christianity."
Selva quotes one Maldivian commentator as saying: "The government respects Islam but is not Islamic. However, if the government does not act soon, it will find itself overtaken by a more extreme power, instead of the pro-democracy forces it so fears."
Selva's analysis is that Islamic fundamentalism has increased as the government has been distracted with other issues. She also claims that fundamentalism rises because "93 per cent of the population are illiterate", and therefore the "word-of-mouth form of conversion can be remarkably effective". In other words, she lays the blame at the feet of foreign Islamic fundamentalist preachers exploiting Maldivian ignorance while the government is not looking.
However, this analysis is not universally held. For a start, according to UNESCO "96.3% of adults and 98.2% of youth are literate". (Link 9)
The second article, which was written by Taimour Lay and published in Minivan (independent news for Maldives) questions Selva's analysis. Lay says: "The increasing popularity of 'conservative' Islam across the Maldives cannot be denied, but there is no consensus over its actual extent, and what is precisely fuelling it. The government blames foreign preachers. The opposition blames Gayoom and the politics of control. Other analysts point to broader economic and sociological changes that may, or may not, prove reversible in the medium term." (Link 8)
Lay continues: "Many in the opposition think it inconceivable that Gayoom has not sanctioned the spread of more radical ideas. Under Article 38 of the constitution, Gayoom is the 'supreme authority to propagate the tenets of Islam in the Maldives'.
"Discussion of religious freedom is 'vigorously denied and the few that dare to raise their voices are denounced and threatened', the UN Special Rapporteur Asma Jahangir concluded after her visit in August. She raised the cases of several Muslims imprisoned for preaching 'unsanctioned doctrines'." (In this case I understand that 'unsanctioned doctrines' relate primarily to messages against the government's corruption, dictatorship and political repression.)
Lay also notes that the goal of Gayoom's law reform is a criminal code based on Sharia! He writes: "There is considerable evidence that President Gayoom is responsible for the trend [Islamisation, rising fundamentalism], since he has long seen Islam as both a moral buttress for his personal authority and a useful tool of social control."
Lay continues: "Gayoom's attempt to portray himself as 'protector of Islam' in the Maldives, against unspecified foreign threats, has helped to create a paranoid atmosphere in which radical ideas have spread. Conservative supporters of the government, particularly on isolated islands, often say that 'Islam will only be safe with Gayoom' - testament to the president's success in undermining the Islamic credentials of the MDP."
As Lay notes, drug taking, endemic poverty and repression are all factors driving increasingly desperate Maldivians towards Islam in the hope that it will solve their problems. This is a common trend where Islam is believed to be the only alternative to corruption, poverty and repression. Isolation is the best friend of all those dictators and systems that cannot survive in an open and free environment.
HOPE
Most interestingly, Lay does not believe that Islam will continue to flourish in Maldives. He notes that the population is overwhelmingly young, literate and increasingly well educated and well connected. As such, he notes, they "are unlikely to be seduced en masse by teachings that decry their social and economic freedoms. Some observers think that conservative Islam is reaching its high-water mark now and will begin to decline once political change accelerates. . . I think it very unlikely that a majority of young men and women here will be voting for very conservative parties after 2008. They are more interested in jobs and marriage and Hindi pop music than imposing restrictions on themselves."
NEW CONSTITUTION
According to the reform agenda a new constitution will now be drawn up by November, in advance of multi-party elections in 2008. Hopefully the new constitution will enshrine real, not illusory, liberties. However, the fact that Gayoom's US-approved legal reform produced a criminal code based on Sharia doesn't inspire much optimism.
HOPE
While Gayoom has been quite successful at delivering reform that is still-born, the promise of reform has given birth and life to a genuine reform movement.
Three reformist young-guard members of Gayoom's cabinet resigned in August in protest over the slowness of reforms. They are Attorney-General Dr Hassan Saeed and Justice Minister Mohamed Jameel, who both resigned on 5 August; and Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed who resigned on 19 August.
Dr Hassan Saeed and Dr Ahmed Shaheed were key architects of the June 2004 reform agenda. Both men earned their PhDs at the University of Queensland, Australia. Dr Hassan Saeed has written a book on Freedom of Religion, Apostasy and Islam (2004) which describes the law of apostasy as largely a religio-political tool and, according to Taimour Lay, "calls for 'absolute' freedom of religion to be permitted in modern Muslim societies and says punishments for apostasy should be discarded".
Commenting on the 5 August resignations of the Attorney-General and Justice Minister, Minivan reports: "Dr Saeed said President Gayoom had blocked decrees on an independent judiciary and freedom of assembly. Jameel said, 'the President has not done enough to control extremist Islam.' 'We submitted an action plan to control religious extremism, but the President has sat on it for six months,' added Dr Saeed." (Link 10)
Concerning the Foreign Minister's 19 August resignation, Reuters reports: "Shaheed called Reuters from the capital Male just before handing his resignation letter to President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. 'There is a conservative guard within the parliament and cabinet which is resisting the proposals of reformists like me,' Shaheed told Reuters. 'So I think the answer is to work outside the system and find a middle ground and provide an alternative.'" (Link 11)
Reuters adds that Dr Shaheed "will now join fellow reformists - the former justice minister and attorney-general who quit earlier this month and call themselves 'New Maldives' - to forge an alternative centre ground ahead of the first multi-party presidential elections next year."
Minivan also reported that when the Attorney-General and Justice Minster resigned something quite new happened in Male: the resigning ministers held a press conference, which MinivanNews described as "the first public show of defiance by outgoing ministers under President Gayoom". (Link 10, includes pictures)
There is hope for Maldives yet. The struggle for liberty is just beginning.
Elizabeth Kendal
Links
1) Maldives reforms proposed. 10 June 2004
By Adam Mynott, BBC South Asia correspondent.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3793879.stm
2) South Asia Analysis Group. Paper no. 1086.
UNEASY CALM, RUMOURS GALORE IN MALDIVES
By B.Raman, 14 Aug 2004
http://www.saag.org/papers11/paper1086.html
3) The Maldives and the Professor
15 August 2004
http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/308
4) Wind of change stirs in Maldives as President's iron grip weakens
By Jeremy Page. The Times, 17 August 2007
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2274436.ece
5) Referendum: Maldives Speaks
By Aiman Mohamed, 18 August 2007
http://www.minivannews.com/news/news.php?id=3553
6) Maldives Backs President in Referendum
By RAVI NESSMAN, 19 August 2007
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6861471,00.html
7) Stormclouds over the Indian Ocean: Behind the veil in the Maldives
By Meera Selva, 05 October 2006
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article1799467.ece
8) Is Islam A Threat To The Maldives? By Taimour Lay
8 October 2006 http://www.minivannews.com/news/news.php?id=2500
9) UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Education in Maldives.
http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/document.aspx?ReportId=121&IF_Language=eng&BR_Country=4620
10) Cabinet Resignations Rock Government
By Ajay Makan, 5 August 2007
http://www.minivannews.com/news/news.php?id=3492
11) Maldives Foreign Min quits over reform pace. By Simon Gardner, 22 Aug 2007
http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-08-21T154210Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_India-290781-1.xml
Monday, September 3, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
North Korea: Positive Changes
Date: Friday 24 August 2007
Subj: North Korea: ". . .though your footsteps were not seen".
To: World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty News & Analysis
From: WEA RLC Principal Researcher and Writer, Elizabeth Kendal
NORTH KOREA: ". . .THOUGH YOUR FOOTSTEPS WERE NOT SEEN"
In June 2000, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il in a historic inter-Korea summit. It was the first rapprochement between the North and South since the border closed in 1953. At that June 2000 meeting in Pyongyang, the leaders signed a landmark document committing the two states to work toward reunification by (amongst other steps) facilitating the reunions of families separated by the Korean War, improving economic cooperation and building a railway line across the heavily patrolled border.
The situation improved to the point that when the then US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visited Pyongyang in October 2000 she was able to report: 'Kim Jong Il said I hope you'll figure out a way to send us some English teachers and if they're Korean-American, that's fine.' (Albright press briefing 26 Oct 2000: Link 1)
However, through 2002 US - North Korea relations soured and the North Korean regime retreated into a defensive posturing position, from where it has since been maintaining isolation and belligerently using the threat of nuclear weapons to ensure its survival and to extract concessions from the West.
Whilst North Korea is rated as the world's most severe abuser of religious liberty, there can be no question that, despite the souring of US - North Korea relations, North and South Korea have made significant strides towards fulfilling their historic commitment of June 2000.
* Family reunions have occurred.
* North Korea scrapped its centralised state rationing system and moved to a market economy. Public markets have been operating since 1 July 2002. Most significantly, this has enabled cross-border trade with China. (Link 2)
* During the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics, North and South Korea competed as separate nations but entered the stadium together under their 'Unification Flag'. At the 2006 Asian Games they competed as a single nation, as they will do again in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
* In May this year, two rail lines that now cross the demilitarised zone (DMZ) were given a test run. On Thursday 17 May, two trains carrying 150 passengers each - one train from each direction - crossed the border for the first time in over 50 years. A South Korean official said the test signified "re-connecting the severed bloodline of our people". A North Korean official said both nations "should not be derailed from the tracks" towards unification. (Link 3)
* Economic co-operation has also gone ahead with the opening of the Kaesong Industrial Park (Link 4) and the near-completion of the Christian-funded, English-language, Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (Link 5) (Also see North Korea Economy Watch.)
FLOODS
A second inter-Korean summit scheduled for 28-30 August 2007 in Pyongyang has been postponed to 2-4 October due to the severe floods that have devastated North Korea. Associated Press quotes UN Assistant Secretary-General Margareta Wahlstrom, the deputy emergency relief coordinator, as saying (17 August): "'There are approximately 300,000 people who are homeless. About 58,000 houses (are) destroyed. We've seen over 90,000 hectares of farmland which is flooded and about 60 missing, 83 dead so far. About 10 percent of the population in the provinces in the south are affected.'
"In North Hwanghae, she said about 70 percent of arable land has been affected and 50 percent of the health clinics destroyed. According to an overview by UN relief officials in the region, more than 800 public buildings, 540 bridges, 70 sections of railway and more than 500 high voltage towers were destroyed, and more than 30 reservoirs and 450 agricultural structures were damaged. In addition, the heavy rains have ruptured river banks in more than 800 places and dikes in 10 places, the UN said." (Link 6)
Whilst this is not North Korea's first major catastrophe, it is the first time the regime has chosen not to hide it. Aid agencies have been surprised by the regime's new-found willingness to swiftly reveal information and seek assistance so that suffering may be relieved. (Link 7)
Of course sceptics would be forgiven for wondering if this response could be one of sheer political expediency. It could indicate merely that internal discontent is so palpable the regime is desperate to ensure suffering is alleviated quickly before there is a revolt! However, it could also indicate that the regime is waking up to reality, accepting the inevitable and beginning to "test the water" (so to speak) of openness.
INTERNET
There have been other tentative steps towards increasing openness and connection to the outside world. Koh Yoo-hwan, a professor at Dongguk University, Seoul, recently told the Korea Times that the Internet will be the first gateway to the outside world for North Korea when the tension on the Korean peninsula eases after the South-North summit. "Kim Jong-il has great interest in the information technology sector. Pyongyang has kept its network closed from the outside because it was concerned about the Web's possible influence on its regime. But if it wants to come out to the international society, it is inevitable to utilise the Internet, first of all.'' (Link 8)
Koh told the Korea Times that there already are broadband networks set up in North Korea and that Kim Jong-il has already established and opened a computer technology centre.
As noted by the Korea Times : " '.kp' has been allocated as North Korea's country code domain. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) clarifies: "At the present time there is no delegated operator for the KP domain, but ICANN has received a request to delegate the domain. This request was discussed by the ICANN Board at its meeting on 14 August 2007 . . the minutes will be published shortly." (Link 9)
As Professor Koh told the Korea Times, "Using of the domain suffix indicates that North Korea is now ready to jump into the ocean of information and it wants to prepare for the change. The opening can only be possible when the political climate gets warmer in the Korean peninsula. If the North Korea - US relations improve, reforms and opening will follow.'' (Link 8)
SECOND INTER-KOREA SUMMIT: 2-4 OCTOBER
The 2-4 October inter-Korea summit in Pyongyang is hugely important. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun will travel to Pyongyang through a reconnected cross-border road. Reunification could and probably needs to take a long, long time. However if trust and confidence can be built - confidence that South Korea will not be swamped with destitute refugees and confidence for Kim that his position is secure - then openness and liberty need not be so far away. (Democracy, with its emphasis on equality, rule-of-law, separation of powers and such principles, has its roots in biblical Christianity; it grew out of the Reformation and is a fruit of Biblical truth. Religious liberty needs to come before democracy so that the foundations for democracy can be established.)
North Korea is presently the world's worst abuser of religious liberty, with extreme repression and Christian suffering. But the people of God have a lot of "handles" to take hold of in prayer for North Korea. This should not surprise us and we should not be too discouraged. Over the past 54 years the predominantly local (Korean) chorus of prayer for North Korea has grown into a global symphony. Why should we not expect great things from God?
"Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen." Psalm 77:19 (NIV)
Elizabeth Kendal
Links
1) Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright. 26 October 2000
Press Briefing on plane en route Washington, DC from Seoul, Republic of Korea
As released by the Office of the Spokesman, US Department of State
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB164/10_26_00%20Albright%20Press%20Briefing%20on%20plane%20en%20route%20Washington,%20D.C.%20from%20Kor.pdf
2) North Korea: Reassessing self-reliance?
By Elizabeth Kendal. 31 July 2002
World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty News & Analysis
3) BBC. Korean trains in historic link-up.17 May 2007
4) A Capitalist Sprout In N. Korea's Dust
Industrial Park to Broach Free Market
By Anthony Faiola, Washington Post Foreign Service, 23 May 2004
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48491-2004May22.html
ALSO North Korea Economy Watch, Kaesong category:
http://www.nkeconwatch.com/category/economic-reform/special-administrative-regions/kaesong-industrial-park/
5) Pyongyang University of Science and Technology http://www.pust.or.kr/eng/
ALSO: On a mission for God. By David McNeill. 15 Aug 2007
A Christian-funded, English-language university is being built in Pyongyang, writes David McNeill. "NORTH Korea seems set to take a giant leap out of the intellectual cold with the development of an English-language university, in which academics from across the world will teach the best of the country's graduate students."
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22245921-27702,00.html
6) UN official says 300,000 homeless, 58,000 houses destroyed, 83 dead in North Korea floods. 17 Aug 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/17/news/UN-GEN-UN-NKorea-Floods.php
For more on the floods see: DPRK hit by floods
http://www.korea-is-one.org/spip.php?rubrique5
7) North Korea Opens Up Over Flooding
By Jennifer Veale, Seoul. 15 Aug 2007
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1653130,00.html
ALSO: N Korea changes tune on aid amid floods
By Jennifer Macey. 16 Aug 2007
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/16/2007215.htm
8) N. Korea to Connect to Rest of World via Web
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/08/123_8472.html
9) Clarification Regarding .KP Country Code Top-Level Domain.17 August 2007 http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-17aug07.htm
Subj: North Korea: ". . .though your footsteps were not seen".
To: World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty News & Analysis
From: WEA RLC Principal Researcher and Writer, Elizabeth Kendal
NORTH KOREA: ". . .THOUGH YOUR FOOTSTEPS WERE NOT SEEN"
In June 2000, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il in a historic inter-Korea summit. It was the first rapprochement between the North and South since the border closed in 1953. At that June 2000 meeting in Pyongyang, the leaders signed a landmark document committing the two states to work toward reunification by (amongst other steps) facilitating the reunions of families separated by the Korean War, improving economic cooperation and building a railway line across the heavily patrolled border.
The situation improved to the point that when the then US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visited Pyongyang in October 2000 she was able to report: 'Kim Jong Il said I hope you'll figure out a way to send us some English teachers and if they're Korean-American, that's fine.' (Albright press briefing 26 Oct 2000: Link 1)
However, through 2002 US - North Korea relations soured and the North Korean regime retreated into a defensive posturing position, from where it has since been maintaining isolation and belligerently using the threat of nuclear weapons to ensure its survival and to extract concessions from the West.
Whilst North Korea is rated as the world's most severe abuser of religious liberty, there can be no question that, despite the souring of US - North Korea relations, North and South Korea have made significant strides towards fulfilling their historic commitment of June 2000.
* Family reunions have occurred.
* North Korea scrapped its centralised state rationing system and moved to a market economy. Public markets have been operating since 1 July 2002. Most significantly, this has enabled cross-border trade with China. (Link 2)
* During the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics, North and South Korea competed as separate nations but entered the stadium together under their 'Unification Flag'. At the 2006 Asian Games they competed as a single nation, as they will do again in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
* In May this year, two rail lines that now cross the demilitarised zone (DMZ) were given a test run. On Thursday 17 May, two trains carrying 150 passengers each - one train from each direction - crossed the border for the first time in over 50 years. A South Korean official said the test signified "re-connecting the severed bloodline of our people". A North Korean official said both nations "should not be derailed from the tracks" towards unification. (Link 3)
* Economic co-operation has also gone ahead with the opening of the Kaesong Industrial Park (Link 4) and the near-completion of the Christian-funded, English-language, Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (Link 5) (Also see North Korea Economy Watch.)
FLOODS
A second inter-Korean summit scheduled for 28-30 August 2007 in Pyongyang has been postponed to 2-4 October due to the severe floods that have devastated North Korea. Associated Press quotes UN Assistant Secretary-General Margareta Wahlstrom, the deputy emergency relief coordinator, as saying (17 August): "'There are approximately 300,000 people who are homeless. About 58,000 houses (are) destroyed. We've seen over 90,000 hectares of farmland which is flooded and about 60 missing, 83 dead so far. About 10 percent of the population in the provinces in the south are affected.'
"In North Hwanghae, she said about 70 percent of arable land has been affected and 50 percent of the health clinics destroyed. According to an overview by UN relief officials in the region, more than 800 public buildings, 540 bridges, 70 sections of railway and more than 500 high voltage towers were destroyed, and more than 30 reservoirs and 450 agricultural structures were damaged. In addition, the heavy rains have ruptured river banks in more than 800 places and dikes in 10 places, the UN said." (Link 6)
Whilst this is not North Korea's first major catastrophe, it is the first time the regime has chosen not to hide it. Aid agencies have been surprised by the regime's new-found willingness to swiftly reveal information and seek assistance so that suffering may be relieved. (Link 7)
Of course sceptics would be forgiven for wondering if this response could be one of sheer political expediency. It could indicate merely that internal discontent is so palpable the regime is desperate to ensure suffering is alleviated quickly before there is a revolt! However, it could also indicate that the regime is waking up to reality, accepting the inevitable and beginning to "test the water" (so to speak) of openness.
INTERNET
There have been other tentative steps towards increasing openness and connection to the outside world. Koh Yoo-hwan, a professor at Dongguk University, Seoul, recently told the Korea Times that the Internet will be the first gateway to the outside world for North Korea when the tension on the Korean peninsula eases after the South-North summit. "Kim Jong-il has great interest in the information technology sector. Pyongyang has kept its network closed from the outside because it was concerned about the Web's possible influence on its regime. But if it wants to come out to the international society, it is inevitable to utilise the Internet, first of all.'' (Link 8)
Koh told the Korea Times that there already are broadband networks set up in North Korea and that Kim Jong-il has already established and opened a computer technology centre.
As noted by the Korea Times : " '.kp' has been allocated as North Korea's country code domain. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) clarifies: "At the present time there is no delegated operator for the KP domain, but ICANN has received a request to delegate the domain. This request was discussed by the ICANN Board at its meeting on 14 August 2007 . . the minutes will be published shortly." (Link 9)
As Professor Koh told the Korea Times, "Using of the domain suffix indicates that North Korea is now ready to jump into the ocean of information and it wants to prepare for the change. The opening can only be possible when the political climate gets warmer in the Korean peninsula. If the North Korea - US relations improve, reforms and opening will follow.'' (Link 8)
SECOND INTER-KOREA SUMMIT: 2-4 OCTOBER
The 2-4 October inter-Korea summit in Pyongyang is hugely important. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun will travel to Pyongyang through a reconnected cross-border road. Reunification could and probably needs to take a long, long time. However if trust and confidence can be built - confidence that South Korea will not be swamped with destitute refugees and confidence for Kim that his position is secure - then openness and liberty need not be so far away. (Democracy, with its emphasis on equality, rule-of-law, separation of powers and such principles, has its roots in biblical Christianity; it grew out of the Reformation and is a fruit of Biblical truth. Religious liberty needs to come before democracy so that the foundations for democracy can be established.)
North Korea is presently the world's worst abuser of religious liberty, with extreme repression and Christian suffering. But the people of God have a lot of "handles" to take hold of in prayer for North Korea. This should not surprise us and we should not be too discouraged. Over the past 54 years the predominantly local (Korean) chorus of prayer for North Korea has grown into a global symphony. Why should we not expect great things from God?
"Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen." Psalm 77:19 (NIV)
Elizabeth Kendal
Links
1) Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright. 26 October 2000
Press Briefing on plane en route Washington, DC from Seoul, Republic of Korea
As released by the Office of the Spokesman, US Department of State
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB164/10_26_00%20Albright%20Press%20Briefing%20on%20plane%20en%20route%20Washington,%20D.C.%20from%20Kor.pdf
2) North Korea: Reassessing self-reliance?
By Elizabeth Kendal. 31 July 2002
World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty News & Analysis
3) BBC. Korean trains in historic link-up.17 May 2007
4) A Capitalist Sprout In N. Korea's Dust
Industrial Park to Broach Free Market
By Anthony Faiola, Washington Post Foreign Service, 23 May 2004
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48491-2004May22.html
ALSO North Korea Economy Watch, Kaesong category:
http://www.nkeconwatch.com/category/economic-reform/special-administrative-regions/kaesong-industrial-park/
5) Pyongyang University of Science and Technology http://www.pust.or.kr/eng/
ALSO: On a mission for God. By David McNeill. 15 Aug 2007
A Christian-funded, English-language university is being built in Pyongyang, writes David McNeill. "NORTH Korea seems set to take a giant leap out of the intellectual cold with the development of an English-language university, in which academics from across the world will teach the best of the country's graduate students."
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22245921-27702,00.html
6) UN official says 300,000 homeless, 58,000 houses destroyed, 83 dead in North Korea floods. 17 Aug 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/17/news/UN-GEN-UN-NKorea-Floods.php
For more on the floods see: DPRK hit by floods
http://www.korea-is-one.org/spip.php?rubrique5
7) North Korea Opens Up Over Flooding
By Jennifer Veale, Seoul. 15 Aug 2007
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1653130,00.html
ALSO: N Korea changes tune on aid amid floods
By Jennifer Macey. 16 Aug 2007
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/16/2007215.htm
8) N. Korea to Connect to Rest of World via Web
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/08/123_8472.html
9) Clarification Regarding .KP Country Code Top-Level Domain.17 August 2007 http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-17aug07.htm
Monday, July 16, 2007
ALGERIA: Christians and the extremist threat.
Date: Monday 16 July 2007
Subj: Algeria: Christians and the extremist threat.
To: World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty News & Analysis
From: WEA RLC Principal Researcher and Writer, Elizabeth Kendal
On 13 June the Italian daily Corriere Della Sera published a column by Magdi Allam on the persecution of Christians and the lack of religious tolerance in Muslim countries. In the very last paragraph Allam names Algeria, just once, saying ". . .from Algeria to Pakistan, Indonesia to Nigeria, Saudi Arabia to Somalia", Christians are victims of persecution and discrimination. (Link 1)
Allam's assertion that Algeria is a nation where Christians are persecuted drew the ire of the Algerian government, with Liberte Algerie publishing an official response from Algeria's Religious Affairs Ministry on 8 July. MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute) reports: "An official response by Algeria's Religious Affairs Ministry to an article in the Italian daily Corriere, which listed Algeria among the Muslim countries in which Christians are oppressed, stated that 'Christians in Algeria enjoy greater rights and liberties than do Muslims in Christian countries'. The ministry also asserted that a new Algerian law mandating two to five years in prison for anyone found guilty of trying to convert a Muslim to another religion was in accordance with international conventions." (Link 2)
These assertions by Algeria's Religious Affairs Ministry, that "Christians in Algeria enjoy greater rights and liberties than do Muslims in Christian countries" and that Algeria's religion laws are "in accordance with international conventions" should elicit a response from religious liberty monitors.
LAW AMENDED; CHRISTIANS ARRESTED
In March 2006, a presidential order that established new conditions for the exercise of non-Muslim religious practice was passed in both the Algerian Ummah council (Senate) and in the Algerian National Assembly (Parliament). The law is essentially an anti-missionary, anti-proselytising law that prescribed prison terms and hefty fines for anyone who "incites, constrains or uses seductive means seeking to convert a Muslim to another religion (. . .), or
who produces, stores or distributes printed documents or audio-visual formats or any other format or means which seeks to shake the faith of a Muslim". (For background see link 3).
On 4 June 2007 the government announced amendments to the religion law. Pursuant to Executive Decree 07/158 of 27 May 2007 all non-Muslim religious activities now fall under the auspices of the newly established National Commission for Non-Muslim Faiths which is chaired by the Minister for Religious Affairs and Wakfs or its representative (a wakf/waqf is a Muslim
trust). The commission is composed of representatives from the Ministry for National Defence, the Interior and local communities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Directorate-General of National Security, the Command of the National Police, the national advisory commission of the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.
From now on non-Muslim religious activity may not take place except in recognised and approved associations and structures unless there is prior written permission from the civil authorities. This does not affect Sunday worship in recognised and approved churches but it does acutely restrict spontaneous worship, home fellowships, open air meetings and public ministry.
(Link 4)
According to an article by B Mokhtaria in Le Quotidien D'Oran the new commission now has authority over non-Muslim business and worship. It also has the right to contribute a preliminary opinion regarding the registration of religious associations and the approval of sites for worship. (Link 5)
The spokesman for and advisor to the Ministry for Religious Affairs, Mr Tamine, told Oran that the new laws were promulgated simply to fill in an existing gap in the law as the authorities have become aware of the origins of "extremists" in recent years. He said that the new laws will enable the authorities to crack down on foreign missionaries who enter Algeria on tourist
visas to seduce Algerians and convert them to Christianity by fraud and allurement. According to Mr Tamine, these missionaries act under the cover of religion while in reality, he alleges, their agenda is not religious at all. He maintains that Algeria must resist the activities of these non-Muslim "extremists". He asserts that the new law is not repressive, but protective, and will even protect the Christian expatriate working community from the consequences of religious demonstrations and reactions against Christian "extremism".
CHRISTIANS CHARGED WITH POSSESSION
On 20 June, five Algerian Christians faced court on charges of possession of Christian literature. (Link 6)
One believer appeared before the court for a second time on 27 June and will reappear in court on 19 December. He had been approached by two men pretending to be interested in the gospel on account of a satellite programme they had seen on El Hayat. The men asked the Christian if he could give them a Bible. When he did, the enquirers revealed themselves as police, arrested the believer and confiscated the box of Bibles he had in his possession. Two other believers were reportedly tricked into giving a Bible to a police officer at a road block. They will face court in September. According to sources the Algerian media did not cover the June trials.
Many believe that the Algerian authorities are overwhelmed and confused by the growing phenomenon of Muslims converting to Christianity.
Whilst this is doubtless true, it is also reasonable to question if the government's increasingly repressive policies regarding Christianity are in some measure being driven by a desire to appease increasingly threatening Islamic forces.
THE REAL EXTREMIST THREAT
Algerians know that the real threat to Algerian security and stability, progress and prosperity is Islamic "extremism" and fundamentalist militancy.
In late 2006 the Algerian Salafite Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda. On 24 January 2007, with the blessing of Osama bin Laden, the group changed its name to The Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb. On 11 April, around 30 people were killed and 22 wounded when this group detonated two bombs in Algiers, one at a police station and one which ripped the facade off the President's headquarters. (Link 7)
On Wednesday 11 July a 20-year-old jihadist from an al-Qaeda cell bombed an army barracks in Lakhdaria village, 120 km (75 miles) east of Algiers. This suicide truck bombing killed 10 soldiers and wounded 35. (Link 8)
A MEMRI article issued after the 11 April bombings in Algiers entitled "Reactions in the Algerian and Arab Press to the Al-Qaeda Attacks in Algiers" shows that Algerians are under no illusions about the real extremist threat.
MEMRI reports: "Hakim Outoudert, writing in the regional daily La Depeche de Kabylie, questioned the Interior Minister's assertion that the attacks were an isolated event, and called for an ideological battle against fundamentalism in order to dry up the 'terrorist matrix'.
". . . 'Where did these young people contract this evil, if not from within Algerian society, through a bigoted media literature, but above all within the mosques in subversive suburbs? . . . [Should we] do away with fundamentalism, the matrix of terrorism, by drying up [its] ideological ground, or maintain [its] destructive potential by ceding it the terrain of political initiative? One day we'll have to choose. The sooner the better.'" (Link 9)
Elizabeth Kendal
rl-research@crossnet.org.au
Links
1) Una manifestazione per i cristiani in Oriente perseguitati
Magdi Allam, 13 Giugno 2007
http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Esteri/2007/06_Giugno/13/magdi.shtml
2) Algerian Religious Affairs Ministry Denies Persecution of Christians In Country. MEMRI. Source: Liberte, Algerie, July 8, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/2084.htm
3) Algeria: severe new penalties for 'proselytising'
World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty News & Analysis
By Elizabeth Kendal. Friday 24 March 2006
http://www.worldevangelical.org/news/view.htm?id=408
ALSO, Algeria: Text of Presidential Order Concerning Religion.
http://ea.org.au/default.aspx?id=0b0bd037-22c5-442e-9f2d-6bd6120e1c5e
The Presidential Order was published in the Official Journal of the Algerian
Republic (Journal Officiel de la Republique Algerienne) Number 12, 1 March
2006. The direct link to that journal is:
http://www.joradp.dz/JO2000/2006/012/F_Pag.htm . The Presidential Order
concerning religion is on pages 23 & 24. (French)
4) Restriction de la liberte religieuse pour les Christiens. 18 Juin 2007
http://evangelique-kabyle.blog.mongenie.com/index/p/2007/06/388071
AND – with a clarification submitted from 'Liberte Algerie'
Les messes chrétiennes n'ont pas besoin d'autorisation des walis
Par Samar, Mercredi 27 Juin 2007, Liberte Algerie
http://www.blogdei.com/index.php/2007/07/06/2261-pratique-des-cultes-non-musulmans-en-algerie-les-reunions-chretiennes-n-auraient-pas-besoin-de-l-autorisation-des-walis
5) Une commission pour reguler la pratique des cultes non musulmans.
par B.Mokhtaria, 7 Juin 2007
http://www.lequotidien-oran.com/index.php?news=501222&archive_date=2007-06-07
6) Cinq Chretiens Algeriens devant la justice le 20 Juin.
22 Juin 2007
http://evangelique-kabyle.blog.mongenie.com/index.php?idblogp=391554
7) Al Qaeda claims responsibility for Algiers bombings
ABC, 12 April 2007
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/04/12/1894940.htm
8) Suicide Attack In Algeria Kills Ten, Wounds 35 Soldiers
12 July 2007. By Joseph S. Mayton - AHN Middle East Correspondent
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7007888238
9) Reactions in the Algerian and Arab Press to the Al-Qaeda Attacks in Algiers
MEMRI, 17 April 2007, Special Dispatch Series - No. 1546
http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD154607
Subj: Algeria: Christians and the extremist threat.
To: World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty News & Analysis
From: WEA RLC Principal Researcher and Writer, Elizabeth Kendal
On 13 June the Italian daily Corriere Della Sera published a column by Magdi Allam on the persecution of Christians and the lack of religious tolerance in Muslim countries. In the very last paragraph Allam names Algeria, just once, saying ". . .from Algeria to Pakistan, Indonesia to Nigeria, Saudi Arabia to Somalia", Christians are victims of persecution and discrimination. (Link 1)
Allam's assertion that Algeria is a nation where Christians are persecuted drew the ire of the Algerian government, with Liberte Algerie publishing an official response from Algeria's Religious Affairs Ministry on 8 July. MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute) reports: "An official response by Algeria's Religious Affairs Ministry to an article in the Italian daily Corriere, which listed Algeria among the Muslim countries in which Christians are oppressed, stated that 'Christians in Algeria enjoy greater rights and liberties than do Muslims in Christian countries'. The ministry also asserted that a new Algerian law mandating two to five years in prison for anyone found guilty of trying to convert a Muslim to another religion was in accordance with international conventions." (Link 2)
These assertions by Algeria's Religious Affairs Ministry, that "Christians in Algeria enjoy greater rights and liberties than do Muslims in Christian countries" and that Algeria's religion laws are "in accordance with international conventions" should elicit a response from religious liberty monitors.
LAW AMENDED; CHRISTIANS ARRESTED
In March 2006, a presidential order that established new conditions for the exercise of non-Muslim religious practice was passed in both the Algerian Ummah council (Senate) and in the Algerian National Assembly (Parliament). The law is essentially an anti-missionary, anti-proselytising law that prescribed prison terms and hefty fines for anyone who "incites, constrains or uses seductive means seeking to convert a Muslim to another religion (. . .), or
who produces, stores or distributes printed documents or audio-visual formats or any other format or means which seeks to shake the faith of a Muslim". (For background see link 3).
On 4 June 2007 the government announced amendments to the religion law. Pursuant to Executive Decree 07/158 of 27 May 2007 all non-Muslim religious activities now fall under the auspices of the newly established National Commission for Non-Muslim Faiths which is chaired by the Minister for Religious Affairs and Wakfs or its representative (a wakf/waqf is a Muslim
trust). The commission is composed of representatives from the Ministry for National Defence, the Interior and local communities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Directorate-General of National Security, the Command of the National Police, the national advisory commission of the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.
From now on non-Muslim religious activity may not take place except in recognised and approved associations and structures unless there is prior written permission from the civil authorities. This does not affect Sunday worship in recognised and approved churches but it does acutely restrict spontaneous worship, home fellowships, open air meetings and public ministry.
(Link 4)
According to an article by B Mokhtaria in Le Quotidien D'Oran the new commission now has authority over non-Muslim business and worship. It also has the right to contribute a preliminary opinion regarding the registration of religious associations and the approval of sites for worship. (Link 5)
The spokesman for and advisor to the Ministry for Religious Affairs, Mr Tamine, told Oran that the new laws were promulgated simply to fill in an existing gap in the law as the authorities have become aware of the origins of "extremists" in recent years. He said that the new laws will enable the authorities to crack down on foreign missionaries who enter Algeria on tourist
visas to seduce Algerians and convert them to Christianity by fraud and allurement. According to Mr Tamine, these missionaries act under the cover of religion while in reality, he alleges, their agenda is not religious at all. He maintains that Algeria must resist the activities of these non-Muslim "extremists". He asserts that the new law is not repressive, but protective, and will even protect the Christian expatriate working community from the consequences of religious demonstrations and reactions against Christian "extremism".
CHRISTIANS CHARGED WITH POSSESSION
On 20 June, five Algerian Christians faced court on charges of possession of Christian literature. (Link 6)
One believer appeared before the court for a second time on 27 June and will reappear in court on 19 December. He had been approached by two men pretending to be interested in the gospel on account of a satellite programme they had seen on El Hayat. The men asked the Christian if he could give them a Bible. When he did, the enquirers revealed themselves as police, arrested the believer and confiscated the box of Bibles he had in his possession. Two other believers were reportedly tricked into giving a Bible to a police officer at a road block. They will face court in September. According to sources the Algerian media did not cover the June trials.
Many believe that the Algerian authorities are overwhelmed and confused by the growing phenomenon of Muslims converting to Christianity.
Whilst this is doubtless true, it is also reasonable to question if the government's increasingly repressive policies regarding Christianity are in some measure being driven by a desire to appease increasingly threatening Islamic forces.
THE REAL EXTREMIST THREAT
Algerians know that the real threat to Algerian security and stability, progress and prosperity is Islamic "extremism" and fundamentalist militancy.
In late 2006 the Algerian Salafite Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda. On 24 January 2007, with the blessing of Osama bin Laden, the group changed its name to The Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb. On 11 April, around 30 people were killed and 22 wounded when this group detonated two bombs in Algiers, one at a police station and one which ripped the facade off the President's headquarters. (Link 7)
On Wednesday 11 July a 20-year-old jihadist from an al-Qaeda cell bombed an army barracks in Lakhdaria village, 120 km (75 miles) east of Algiers. This suicide truck bombing killed 10 soldiers and wounded 35. (Link 8)
A MEMRI article issued after the 11 April bombings in Algiers entitled "Reactions in the Algerian and Arab Press to the Al-Qaeda Attacks in Algiers" shows that Algerians are under no illusions about the real extremist threat.
MEMRI reports: "Hakim Outoudert, writing in the regional daily La Depeche de Kabylie, questioned the Interior Minister's assertion that the attacks were an isolated event, and called for an ideological battle against fundamentalism in order to dry up the 'terrorist matrix'.
". . . 'Where did these young people contract this evil, if not from within Algerian society, through a bigoted media literature, but above all within the mosques in subversive suburbs? . . . [Should we] do away with fundamentalism, the matrix of terrorism, by drying up [its] ideological ground, or maintain [its] destructive potential by ceding it the terrain of political initiative? One day we'll have to choose. The sooner the better.'" (Link 9)
Elizabeth Kendal
rl-research@crossnet.org.au
Links
1) Una manifestazione per i cristiani in Oriente perseguitati
Magdi Allam, 13 Giugno 2007
http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Esteri/2007/06_Giugno/13/magdi.shtml
2) Algerian Religious Affairs Ministry Denies Persecution of Christians In Country. MEMRI. Source: Liberte, Algerie, July 8, 2007
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/2084.htm
3) Algeria: severe new penalties for 'proselytising'
World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty News & Analysis
By Elizabeth Kendal. Friday 24 March 2006
http://www.worldevangelical.org/news/view.htm?id=408
ALSO, Algeria: Text of Presidential Order Concerning Religion.
http://ea.org.au/default.aspx?id=0b0bd037-22c5-442e-9f2d-6bd6120e1c5e
The Presidential Order was published in the Official Journal of the Algerian
Republic (Journal Officiel de la Republique Algerienne) Number 12, 1 March
2006. The direct link to that journal is:
http://www.joradp.dz/JO2000/2006/012/F_Pag.htm . The Presidential Order
concerning religion is on pages 23 & 24. (French)
4) Restriction de la liberte religieuse pour les Christiens. 18 Juin 2007
http://evangelique-kabyle.blog.mongenie.com/index/p/2007/06/388071
AND – with a clarification submitted from 'Liberte Algerie'
Les messes chrétiennes n'ont pas besoin d'autorisation des walis
Par Samar, Mercredi 27 Juin 2007, Liberte Algerie
http://www.blogdei.com/index.php/2007/07/06/2261-pratique-des-cultes-non-musulmans-en-algerie-les-reunions-chretiennes-n-auraient-pas-besoin-de-l-autorisation-des-walis
5) Une commission pour reguler la pratique des cultes non musulmans.
par B.Mokhtaria, 7 Juin 2007
http://www.lequotidien-oran.com/index.php?news=501222&archive_date=2007-06-07
6) Cinq Chretiens Algeriens devant la justice le 20 Juin.
22 Juin 2007
http://evangelique-kabyle.blog.mongenie.com/index.php?idblogp=391554
7) Al Qaeda claims responsibility for Algiers bombings
ABC, 12 April 2007
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/04/12/1894940.htm
8) Suicide Attack In Algeria Kills Ten, Wounds 35 Soldiers
12 July 2007. By Joseph S. Mayton - AHN Middle East Correspondent
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7007888238
9) Reactions in the Algerian and Arab Press to the Al-Qaeda Attacks in Algiers
MEMRI, 17 April 2007, Special Dispatch Series - No. 1546
http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD154607