Cannibalism, Child Mutilations in Central African Republic

Central african child peers through wall, photo by pierre holtz

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, Africa -- Violence among Christian and Muslim militias in the Central African Republic (CAR) remains alarmingly high.

Despite intervention efforts, death and displacement continue. In this troubled environment, there have been reports of cannibalism as well as revenge-killings targeting children.

Ouandja “Mad Dog” Magloire, a Christian, has admitted to beating and stabbing a Muslim man before dousing him with petrol, setting him on fire, and eating parts of his body.

Magloire claims revenge as his motive, saying that Muslims had killed his pregnant wife, his sister-in-law and her baby.

The victim of cannibalism, who was attacked in broad daylight by Magloire and approximately 20 other men, was not personally connected to Magloire’s losses.

Other revenge crimes involve children who are mutilated or beheaded. Over 130 children have been killed or maimed since January, usually in machete or knife attacks. These are clearly crimes against humanity, but there is no justice system currently stable enough to hold anyone responsible for their actions.

Not only are children preyed upon in retaliation attacks, they are also often recruited into armed groups. During the evacuation and displacement of over 500,000 individuals, already-vulnerable children are more likely to be unattended and harder to protect.

Hope may come in the form of Catherine Samba-Panza. She was elected in January to serve a one-year term of interim president while the CAR, hopefully, gains stability. She has no connection to either Muslim or Christian groups and urges both sides to lay down their arms. So far, nobody seems to be listening.

Muslim Cleric Burns Qur'an, Frames Girl

Ayanna Nahmias, Editor-in-ChiefLast Modified: 00:38 AM EDT, 5 September 2012

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - On 2 September 2012, Pakistani police officials have conceded that the young Christian girl, Rimsha Masih, who was arrested and being detained under the blasphemy law, was wrongly accused.

Police have determined that she was framed by a local Muslim cleric, Khalid Jadoon, who was among the first to accuse her of burning the Qur'an, a crime that is punishable by death under Section 295-C of the blasphemy law.

This section of the law states that, “Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.”

Masih is not the first female to fall victim to a law which some believe is designed less to protect the sanctity of the Qur'an, and more about disenfranchising Christians, Hindus, Ahmadies, and Shias, silencing dissident Muslims, and in some cases used as a tool by larcenous individuals to appropriate the property of others.

In July 2010 two Christian brothers who were accused of writing a blasphemous letter against the Prophet Mohammad were gunned down outside a court in the eastern city of Faisalabad. Then in November of that same year, a Christian mother of five, Asia Bibi, was convicted and sentenced to death under this law and remains on death row.

According to the Associated Press “a local man, Hafiz Zubair, came forward to offer testimony in which he claims to have seen Jadoon fabricating evidence by mixing holy text pages with ashes. Speaking to a local news channel, Zubair said: ‘I asked Jadoon why he was fabricating the evidence. He said that this would ensure a strong case against the girl and would ultimately help them in evicting the Christians from the locality.’"

Despite Jadoon’s arrest and vociferous national and international pressure to secure her freedom, Masih remains incarcerated. Attempts to overturn the blasphemy law have met with violent opposition including the assassination of two high profile Pakistani politicians; former Governor Punjabi Salman Taseer and Federal Minority Minister Shahbaz Bhatti both of whom opposed the death sentence of Asia Bibi.

Since 2009 Christian churches and houses across Pakistan have been targeted and burned by Muslim neighbors who had been incited to violence by false accusations of the desecration of the Qur'an. During at least one of these rampages reportedly seven Christians were burned alive. Christians, who make up four percent of Pakistan's population of 180 million, have faced increased persecution under the blasphemy law.

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Twitter: @nahmias_report Editor: @ayannanahmias

Related articles

• Muslim Cleric May Have Damaged a Qur'an to Frame A Christian Girl (cnsnews.com)
• Imam Tampered With Evidence in Teen Blasphemy Case. (greatriversofhope.wordpress.com)
• Pakistan arrests accuser in blasphemy case (aljazeera.com)
• Pakistani mullah 'planted charred texts' on girl accused of blasphemy (guardian.co.uk)

Ethiopian Christmas 2012 | Melkam Gena!

Ayanna Nahmias, Editor-in-ChiefLast Modified: 01:22 AM EDT, 6 January 2012

ETHIOPIA - At the end of 2011, Jews, Muslims and Christians celebrated major holidays commemorating the end of their religious calendars. Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christians in the Diaspora celebrate Christmas on the traditional 25^th of December. However, all Ethiopians celebrate the holiday on the 7^thof January which is the 29^th of December on the Ethiopian calendar.

Also known as Liddet, Gena and Qiddus Bale Wold, the holiday actually begins at sundown of the 6^th of January with a night long church service. Like Muslims and Jews, the traditional Ethiopian Orthodox Liturgical day always begins at sunrise and ends at sunset of the evening before the calendar date. Lidet is significant from a religious perspective, but does not have the commercial overtones that the festival has in Western countries.

Christmas also signals the end of 40 days of fasting which began on Advent (Sibket, in Amharic) and ends on Christmas Eve with the Feast of Gena. Like Muslims who fast for one month without eating or drinking from sunrise to sundown, Ethiopians also fast, but are allowed to consume vegetarian meals such as lentils, ground split peas, grains, fruit, varieties of vegetable stew accompanied by injera and/or bread. Meat and diary products are only eaten on feasting days i.e. Christmas, Epiphany, Easter and at all other times. Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christians, Jews and Muslims do not eat pork as it forbidden by their religious beliefs.

The morning of Christmas begins with a spectacular procession. After the mass service, people go home to break the fast by eating chicken, lamb or beef accompanied by Injera and served in beautifully decorated baskets. It is a very festive occasion filled with joy, family, great food and song.  Watch the video below and enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu83TJAjfoI]