Iran President: Israel will be 'Wiped Out'

Dec 12, 4:37 PM (ET)
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's hard-line president said Tuesday that Israel will one day be "wiped out" as the Soviet Union was, drawing applause from participants in a conference casting doubt on the Holocaust.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments were likely to further fuel the outcry prompted by the two-day gathering, which has gathered some of Europe's and the United States' best-known Holocaust deniers.

Anger over the conference could further isolate Iran as the West considers sanctions in the standoff over Tehran's nuclear program.

But Ahmadinejad appeared to revel in his meeting Tuesday with conference delegates, shaking hands with American participants and sitting near six anti-Israel Jewish participants, dressed in black ultra-Orthodox coats and hats.

"The Zionist regime will be wiped out soon the same way the Soviet Union was, and humanity will achieve freedom," Ahmadinejad said during Tuesday's meeting in his offices, according to the official IRNA news agency.

He called for elections among "Jews, Christians and Muslims so the population of Palestine can select their government and destiny for themselves in a democratic manner."

Ahmadinejad has used anti-Israeli rhetoric and cast doubt on the Holocaust to rally anti-Western supporters at home and abroad, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. Several times he has referred to the Holocaust as a "myth" used to impose the state of Israel on the Arab world.

"The Holocaust is the device used as the pillar of Zionist imperialism, Zionist aggression, Zionist terror and Zionist murder," David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan leader and former state representative in Louisiana, told The Associated Press.

Ahmadinejad announced the conference would set up a "fact-finding commission" to determine whether the Holocaust happened or not. The commission will "help end a 60-year-old dispute," he said.

The Tehran conference was touted by participants and organizers as an exercise in academic freedom and a chance to openly consider whether 6 million Jews really died in the Holocaust, away from Western taboos and the restrictions imposed on scholars in Europe, where some countries have made it a crime to deny the Nazi genocide during World War II.

It gathered 67 writers and researchers from 30 countries, most of whom argue that either the Holocaust did not happen or that it was vastly exaggerated. Many have been jailed or fined in France, Germany or Austria, where it is illegal to deny the Holocaust.

Participants milled around a model of the Auschwitz concentration camp brought by one speaker, Australian Frederick Toben, who uses the mock-up in lectures contending that the camp was too small to kill mass numbers of Jews. More than 1 million people are estimated to have been killed there.

Rabbi Moshe David Weiss, one of six members attending from the group Jews United Against Zionism, told delegates, "We don't want to deny the killing of Jews in World War II, but Zionists have given much higher figures for how many people were killed."

"They have used the Holocaust as a device to justify their oppression," he said. His group rejects the creation of Israel on the grounds that it violates Jewish religious law.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday that the conference was "shocking beyond belief" and "a symbol of sectarianism and hatred."

In Washington, the White House condemned Iran for convening a conference it called "an affront to the entire civilized world."

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All right reserved.

Israel Nuke Comment Sparks Controversy

By MATTI FRIEDMAN

JERUSALEM (AP) - A slip of the tongue by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert about Israel's nuclear policy ballooned into a domestic crisis Tuesday for the Israeli leader, who came under criticism from across the political spectrum.

In an interview with a German television station broadcast Monday, Olmert appeared to list Israel among the world's nuclear powers, violating the country's long-standing policy of not officially acknowledging that it has atomic weapons.

Asked by the interviewer about Iran's calls for the destruction of Israel, Olmert replied that Israel has never threatened to annihilate anyone.

"Iran openly, explicitly and publicly threatens to wipe Israel off the map," Olmert said. "Can you say that this is the same level, when you are aspiring to have nuclear weapons, as America, France, Israel, Russia?"

Israel, which foreign experts say has the sixth-largest nuclear arsenal in the world, has stuck to a policy of ambiguity on nuclear weapons for decades, refusing to confirm or deny whether it has them.

The comments came days after incoming Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in testimony to a Senate committee, identified Israel as a nuclear power.

With Olmert's quote featured on the front pages of all of Israel's major papers Tuesday and with political rivals calling for his resignation, aides to Olmert - who was in Berlin Tuesday on a state visit - hurriedly said the remark had been misinterpreted.

Olmert spokeswoman Miri Eisin said the prime minister had been listing not nuclear states but "responsible nations."

"The prime minister stated clearly that Israel will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East," Eisin said, adding that the quote had been "taken out of context."

The uproar added to the political difficulties of a prime minister whose popularity has plunged since last summer's costly and inconclusive war in Lebanon.

In a front-page editorial, the daily Haaretz slammed Olmert, who it said "preferred to forget that he was prime minister, not another commentator" or minor politician.

Yossi Beilin, head of the dovish Meretz party, criticized what he termed Olmert's "carelessness." Together with Olmert's perceived failures of leadership during the Lebanon war, Beilin said, "it might be an indication that he isn't fit to serve as prime minister."

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, of the hard-line Likud, another opposition party, said the comment could hurt Israel's attempt to get the international community to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Shalom said Olmert "gave tools" to Israel's enemies, allowing them to say, "Why are you dealing only with Iran while Israel is confirming that it has the same kind of weapons?"

One of Olmert's few defenders was Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a member of Olmert's coalition government and a former defense minister. "There was no damage here," Ben-Eliezer told Army Radio.

Mordechai Vanunu, the whistleblower who gave Israeli nuclear secrets to the British paper The Sunday Times and served an 18-year sentence for his disclosures, said he hoped Olmert's comment wasn't a mistake, but rather "the beginning of a policy change" that would see Israel openly acknowledge its nuclear weapons.

Vanunu, who is still under tight security restrictions that bar him from leaving the country, said the authorities should now "end my case, which is making a mockery of the world."

Shlomo Brom, an expert on strategic affairs at Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Strategic Studies said Olmert had simply been misunderstood. "This is much ado about nothing," Brom said.

Proposed Israeli bill bans 'pressing' minors to become religious

Proposed Israeli bill bans 'pressing' minors to become religious
Knesset member says influencing involvement in Jewish tradition can 'damage' youth
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: December 12, 2006
11:34 a.m. Eastern

By Aaron Klein
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – A Jewish Knesset member yesterday proposed a bill to ban adults from "pressing" minors into becoming more involved in religion and Jewish tradition.

Ophir Paz-Pines, from Israel's Labor party, is seeking to pass legislation to prevent adults from attempting to increase or decrease the religious involvement of anyone under the age of 18. Labor is the main coalition partner in Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government.

According to Pines' bill, influencing the religious involvement of children can "cause the break-up of a family and cause damage to minors."

The bill was seen as targeting religious youth groups and outreach movements such as the Chabad organization, which runs programs for young Jews. Among Chabad's most successful campaigns here are street booths throughout the country that distribute Shabbat candles to Jewish girls and aid boys over the age of 13 in donning tefillin, or Jewish prayer phylacteries. The boys wrap the tefillin on their hands and head and say a prayer.

Rabbi Joseph Garlitzky, head of Chabad in Tel Aviv, accused Pines of "trying to rip apart the very fabric of Israel's foundation."

"It is the height of absurdity that here in the Jewish state a Knesset member would propose a bill like this," Garlitzky told WND. "The Knesset should be seeking ways to increase mitzvos (acts of loving kindness) among youth, not trying to ban them. And doing mitzvos in Israel has special holiness,"

Asked about Pines' contention youth may be coerced into making decisions regarding religious involvement, Garlitzky replied, "That is ridiculous. These youth know exactly what they are doing when they put on tefillin or light Shabbat candles at home. They have more ability to differentiate between good and bad than Pines."

Rabbi Shalom Butman, a prominent Chabad leader here and head of a tefillin campaign in central Tel Aviv, told WND Pines bill is "anti-Semitic."

"This is a very negative law, but even if it somehow passes in the Jewish state we will not stop our activity. We are not pushing ourselves on anyone. Most of the time the youth come up to us and ask us to help them. They put on tefillin with much pride and happiness," said Butman.

So far there has not been much outcry regarding Pines' bill from the Knesset's religious nationalist camp.

Several senior leaders of the National Religious and Shas parties were not even aware of the proposed bill until being contacted by WND.

One Knesset member, speaking on condition his name be withheld, said his colleagues are often unaware of many proposed bills.

Effie Eitam, leader of the National Union party and one of the most prominent religious Knesset members, told WND "this bill doesn't interest me."

KKK's David Duke joins Iran in condemning 'Zionists'

Duke joins Iran's chorus in condemning 'Zionists'
Tells Holocaust-deniers Jews control U.S actions, decisions

Posted: December 12, 20066:02 p.m. Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

An American who once led the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan has joined his voice with others at a conference in Iran in condemning the influence of "Zionists" on the United States, blaming them for the deaths of Americans in Iraq and the threats to "free speech" worldwide.

David Duke appeared this week at a conference that was arranged by and appeared to be a pep rally for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose stated goals include erasing Israel from the map and playing a role in the return of an imam Shiites believe with reign on earth before triggering the end of the world.

Duke, who was the national director of the KKK during the 1970s and was key to the group's resurgence then, had been invited to the conference by Ahmadinejad, who has called the Holocaust a "myth" invented to justify the occupation of Palestinian lands.

In a later address to the same conference, Ahmadinejad told audience members that soon Israel "will crash" and then "humanity will be free."

According to a transcript of Duke's speech Duke's own website provided, the former Louisiana state lawmaker is placing blame for the war in Iraq on those he calls Zionists, who he believes have controlling influence over the U.S. media and government.

"I love my country and my people, but I know that the Zionist extremists lead my country to catastrophe in the Mideast and elsewhere around the world," he said. "I know that the Palestinian people, the Lebanese people, even the American people have been sacrificed on the altar of the Holocaust. It is the chronic media and government playing of the Holocaust that has blinded our eyes to new holocausts and new outrages."

"As a truly patriotic American I oppose Americans being killed or maimed by the thousands in Iraq in a war not for America, but for Israel," he said.

News reports said the conference was primarily a gathering of those who reject the tragedy of the Holocaust and deny that Jews were targeted by the Nazi regime.

Duke, who's known more for his racial perspectives, once said on his website: "What we really want to do is to be left alone. We don't want Negroes around. We don't need Negroes around. We're not asking, you know, we don't want to have them, you know, for our culture. We simply want our own country and our own society. That's in no way exploitive at all. We want our own society, our own nation...."

But Duke, who previously pleaded guilty to tax evasion and fraud and served a prison term, also is commenting on "Zionists" at the conference he said focused on the "vital human right of freedom of speech." However, he quickly focused on those whose argument is that the Holocaust simply didn't happen as history has recorded.

The real tragedy, Duke said, is the "shameful imprisonment of European scholars and academics who simply dare to state their opinions of historical events that occurred over 60 years ago."

He said those people – David Irving, Ernst Zundel and Gemar Rudolf – are not simply Holocaust-deniers, as court cases would indicate. They simply "question" what happened during the Holocaust and want to have an "open" debate over such questions.

He said they, and others, are in prison now "for expressing the world's most forbidden opinion, the idea that the historical event trademarked as the Holocaust as it is popularly presented, is not an accurate historical portrayal, that it needs like all other events to be questioned, researched freely and constantly revised."

"In Europe you can freely question, ridicule, and deny Jesus Christ. The same is true for the prophet Muhammed (sic), and nothing will happen to you, heck you might even get to star in your own weekly TV show, but offer a single question of the smallest part of the Holocaust and you face prison!" he said.

Ahmadinejad, like Duke, holds opinions about the Holocaust that do not align with historical documentation. He also has expressed his belief that he will have a personal role in ushering in the age of the Mahdi, the imam Shiites believe will herald, and bring about, the end of the world.
He has urged Iranians to prepare by turning their country into an advanced Islamic society, and his dedication to bringing about that expected global battle between good and evil is part of what has world leaders concerned over his dedication to obtaining nuclear weapons.

White House Tony Snow this week told WND that the United States continues to work within the United Nations to apply pressure for Iran to halt its development of nuclear weapons, especially since it already has long-range missiles that possibly could be used to deliver them to a target.

While Duke said "free speech" was the focal point, the Iranian government didn't agree. A report in the Boston Globe noted that Khaled Mahameed, an Arab citizen of Israel, had wanted to attend to debate Ahmadinejad over his documentation of the Holocaust, but he was denied an Iranian visa at the last minute.

And Raul Hilberg, author of "The Destruction of the European Jews," said the Holocaust documentation comes from the Germans, who perpetrated the destruction of the Jews, "therefore any denial of these figures is absolutely senseless.'

"Obviously, Jews, as well as other nationalities suffered great losses during the Second World War. Repression, dispossession or murder against any group is wrong. Revisionists don’t deny that many Jews died and suffered greatly in the war, they condemn any and all injustices done to Jews in that period," Duke said.

But he said "some" crimes have been exaggerated for political agendas.

"An example is the contrast between the crimes of National Socialist Germany and that of Soviet Communism. Most researchers readily acknowledge that Bolshevism imprisoned, tortured and slaughtered many times more people in Russia and in Eastern Europe than even the high numbers alleged in the Holocaust. Yet, the Soviet Holocaust receives not one-hundredth of the attention of the Jewish Holocaust," he said.

The conference was going on even as dozens of Iranian students burned photographs of Ahmadinejad and chanted in a demonstration at a Tehran university for his death.

One student in the protest at Amir Rabir University, said the conference "Brought to our country Nazis and racists from around the world."

In a report in The Australian, Iranian foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki described the purpose of the conference as creating a place "for thinkers who cannot express their views freely in Europe."

One such man is French writer George Thiel, who has been convicted of violating France's laws against denying the Holocaust. He has called it "an enormous lie."

While not addressing the issue of the Holocaust or Iran's plans for the world, former President Jimmy Carter recently has been making statements that align with some of the feelings expressed at the conference.

He told "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" audience members this week there is "horrible persecution" of Palestinians at the hands of Israelis.

"A minority of Israelis want to have the land instead of peace. The majority of Israelis for the last 30 years have always said [they] will exchange their own land in exchange for peace. But a minority disagrees and they have occupied the land, they have confiscated it, they have colonized it, and they forced Palestinians away from their homes, away from their pastures, away from their fields, cut down the olive trees and severely persecuted the Palestinians," he said.

The 82-year-old Carter was on Leno's show to promote his new book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid."

When Leno noted that when Israel gives back territory, "it doesn't seem like they get anything for it. It seems like it just moves some angry people closer to them," Carter responded:

"No, that's not true at all," Carter said. "Israel hasn't really tried to give 'Palestine' back to the Palestinians. They did give up some of Gaza. And then they moved out, and the Palestinians captured one soldier and tried to swap [him] for 300 children – some as young as 12 years old – and 94 women, but the Israelis wouldn't swap. So then Israel reinvaded Gaza. But if Israel ever wants peace – and they do want peace – a majority of Israelis have always said, 'Let's get rid of the land, and let's have peace.' That's what we need to have."

Carter didn't mention the recent attacks on Israel by Palestinian terrorists.

And as WND reported last month, the Palestinian terror group Hamas announced the only way to stop its regular rocket fire on Sderot, an Israeli city of about 20,000 nearly three miles from the Gaza Strip border, is for the Jewish state to evacuate the entire city.

A longtime aide to Carter also recently announced his resignation over what he characterized as falsifications in Carter's new book.

Judge copied ACLU in anti-intelligent design ruling

Judge copied ACLU in anti-intelligent design ruling
Study: 90% of 'masterpiece' Dover opinion error-filled 'cut-and-paste' job by 'activist'verbatim

Posted: December 12, 200611:00 a.m. Eastern
By Art Moore
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

A historic judicial ruling against intelligent design theory hailed as a "broad, stinging rebuke" and a "masterpiece of wit, scholarship and clear thinking" actually was "cut and pasted" from a brief by ACLU lawyers and includes many of their provable errors, contends the Seattle-based Discovery Institute.

One year ago, U.S. District Judge John E. Jones' 139-page ruling in Kitzmiller v. Dover declared unconstitutional a school board policy that required students of a ninth-grade biology class in the Dover Area School District to hear a one-minute statement that said evolution is a theory and intelligent design "is an explanation of the origin of life that differs from Darwin's view."

University of Chicago geophysicist Raymond Pierrehumbert called Jones' ruling a "masterpiece of wit, scholarship and clear thinking" while lawyer Ed Darrell said the judge "wrote a masterful decision, a model for law students on how to decide a case based on the evidence presented." Time magazine said the ruling made Jones one of "the world's most influential people" in the category of "scientists and thinkers."

But an analysis by the Discovery Institute, the leading promoter of intelligent design, concludes about 90.9 percent – 5,458 words of his 6,004-word section on intelligent design as science – was taken virtually verbatim from the ACLU's proposed "Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law" submitted to Jones nearly a month before his ruling.

"Judge Jones' decision wasn't a masterpiece of scholarship. It was a masterpiece of cut-and-paste," said the Discovery Institute's John West in a phone conference with reporters yesterday.

West is vice president for public policy and legal affairs for the group's Center for Science and Culture, which issued a statement saying, "The finding that most of Judge Jones' analysis of intelligent design was apparently not the product of his own original deliberative activity seriously undercuts the credibility of Judge Jones' examination of the scientific validity of intelligent design."

Judge will not comment

WND reached Jones' deputy, Liz O'Donnell, at the judge's chambers in Williamsport, Pa. But she said Jones would not comment.

"He appreciates being given a chance to comment, however, other than advising anyone to read his opinion, he will not comment on any Discovery Institute release," she said.

O'Donnell said Jones has read Discovery Institute's two-page press release but not the full 34-page document that includes side-by-side comparisons between the ACLU's text and his opinion.

She declined an offer to have the study sent to Jones for his perusal and response.

Bruce Green, director of Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics at Fordham Law School, told the Associated Press it is not typical for judges to adopt one side's proposed findings verbatim, although there's "not a rule that categorically forbids it."

"Courts have sometimes criticized the practice, especially when it looks like the judge didn't do any independent thinking," Green said.

'We were stunned'

The Discovery Institute has opposed the Dover school board policy because it thinks attempts to mandate intelligent design are counterproductive. But the group became involved in the case as part of its effort to ensure courts do not restrict an open discussion of evolution in schools.

Proponents of intelligent design say it draws on recent discoveries in physics, biochemistry and related disciplines that indicate some features of the natural world are best explained as the product of an intelligent cause rather than an undirected process such as natural selection. Advocates include scientists at numerous universities and science organizations worldwide.

West, who noted Jones has been giving speeches on his ruling, said the Discovery Institute found out only in September that there had been "extensive copying going on."

"We were stunned," said West, who pointed out Jones even copied several clearly erroneous factual claims made by the ACLU.

Jones, for example, claimed that during the trial, biochemist and Discovery Institute fellow Michael Behe dismissed articles supposedly explaining the evolution of the immune system by saying they are not "good enough." But the court record shows Behe said the opposite: "It's not that they aren't good enough. It's simply that they are addressed to a different subject."

In another example, the judge claimed "ID is not supported by any peer-reviewed research, data or publications." But University of Idaho microbiologist Scott Minnich testified there are between "seven and 10" peer-reviewed papers supporting intelligent design.

The Discovery Institute said its study, written by West and David DeWolf, a law professor at Gonzaga University, showed the ruling "reflected essentially no original deliberative activity or independent examination of the record on Jones' part."

"The revelation that Judge Jones in effect 'dragged and dropped' large sections of the ACLU's 'Findings of Fact' into his opinion, errors and all, calls into serious question whether Jones exercised the kind of independent analysis that would make his 'broad, stinging rebuke' of intelligent design appropriate."

West and DeWolf point out Jones has described the breadth of his opinion as being the result of a "fervent hope" that it "could serve as a primer for school boards and other people who were considering this [issue]," which they see as a tacit admission he was a judicial activist.

Even an opponent of intelligent design, they note, Boston University law professor Jay Wexler, says the "part of Kitzmiller that finds ID not to be science is unnecessary, unconvincing, not particularly suited to the judicial role, and even perhaps dangerous to both science and freedom of religion."

West and DeWolf conclude: "The new disclosure that Judge Jones' analysis of the scientific status of ID merely copied language written for him by ACLU attorneys underscores just how inappropriate this part of Kitzmiller was – and why Judge Jones' analysis should not be regarded as the final word about intelligent design."

West contended the critics who saw the Dover decision as a major setback for intelligent design clearly were wrong, citing a recent New York Times report about a gathering last month of scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies where there was "a rough consensus" that the theory "of evolution by natural selection" was "losing out in the intellectual marketplace."

"A year after Dover, it's the Darwinists who seem filled with gloom, not us," said West.

He pointed to a number of recent developments. In March, the Lancaster School District in California agreed on a philosophy of science policy stating "Darwin's theory should not be taught as "unalterable fact." In June, South Carolina adopted a science standard requiring students to learn how "scientists ... investigate and critically analyze aspects of evolutionary theory." In September, legal scholar Francis Beckwith was granted tenure at Baylor University amid opposition from Darwinists. Beckwith believes ID can be taught in public schools without violating the Constitution. Last month, the Ouachita Parish School District in Louisiana enacted a policy protecting teachers who cover both evidence for and against Darwinian evolution.

Rabbi not Suing, Christmas Trees Back

Rabbi not Suing, Christmas Trees Back
December 12, 2006
CBN News

CBNNews.com- Christmas trees are returning to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The airport took them down after a rabbi complained the airport's holiday displays didn't include a menorah for Hanukkah.

Airlines allowed their employees to set up little Christmas trees on their counters while the big trees were missing.

Now the rabbi says he won't sue, so the airport's official trees are going back up. It's something airport employees and passengers are happy about.

"It's nature, and it's not a religious thing or anything, it's just a Christmas tree," said Leslie Mengedhoht, Delta employee.

Traveler Nancy Snyder said, "Lighten up, that's what I say."

"I think everybody should be a little more tolerant this time of year," said traveler Colin Fagan.

"I don't think it should offend somebody, a Christmas tree," said traveler Steve Giles.

There are no immediate plans to display a menorah, but the rabbi offered to give the airport an electric one to use.

Holocaust Deniers Ripped By White House

Holocaust Deniers Ripped By White House
Tehran Conference Called 'Affront'

POSTED: 5:19 pm EST December 12, 2006
UPDATED: 5:39 pm EST December 12, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Iran's hard-line president said Tuesday that Israel will one day be "wiped out" as the Soviet Union was, drawing applause from participants in a conference casting doubt on the Holocaust.

Related: Remembering The Holocaust

The White House condemned Iran for convening the conference, which it called "an affront to the entire civilized world."

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments were likely to further fuel the outcry prompted by the two-day gathering, which has gathered some of Europe's and the United States' best-known Holocaust deniers.

Anger over the conference could further isolate Iran as the West considers sanctions in the standoff over Tehran's nuclear program.

But Ahmadinejad appeared to revel in his meeting Tuesday with conference delegates, shaking hands with American participants and sitting near six anti-Israel Jewish participants, dressed in black ultra-Orthodox coats and hats.

"The Zionist regime will be wiped out soon the same way the Soviet Union was, and humanity will achieve freedom," Ahmadinejad said during Tuesday's meeting in his offices, according to the official IRNA news agency.

He called for elections among "Jews, Christians and Muslims so the population of Palestine can select their government and destiny for themselves in a democratic manner."

Ahmadinejad has used anti-Israeli rhetoric and cast doubt on the Holocaust to rally anti-Western supporters at home and abroad, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. Several times he has referred to the Holocaust as a "myth" used to impose the state of Israel on the Arab world.

"The Holocaust is the device used as the pillar of Zionist imperialism, Zionist aggression, Zionist terror and Zionist murder," David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan leader and former state representative in Louisiana, told The Associated Press.

Ahmadinejad announced the conference would set up a "fact-finding commission" to determine whether the Holocaust happened or not. The commission will "help end a 60-year-old dispute," he said.

The Tehran conference was touted by participants and organizers as an exercise in academic freedom and a chance to openly consider whether 6 million Jews really died in the Holocaust, away from Western taboos and the restrictions imposed on scholars in Europe, where some countries have made it a crime to deny the Nazi genocide during World War II.

It gathered 67 writers and researchers from 30 countries, most of whom argue that either the Holocaust did not happen or that it was vastly exaggerated. Many have been jailed or fined in France, Germany or Austria, where it is illegal to deny the Holocaust.

Participants milled around a model of the Auschwitz concentration camp brought by one speaker, Australian Frederick Toben, who uses the mock-up in lectures contending that the camp was too small to kill mass numbers of Jews. More than 1 million people are estimated to have been killed there.

Rabbi Moshe David Weiss, one of six members attending from the group Jews United Against Zionism, told delegates, "We don't want to deny the killing of Jews in World War II, but Zionists have given much higher figures for how many people were killed."

"They have used the Holocaust as a device to justify their oppression," he said. His group rejects the creation of Israel on the grounds that it violates Jewish religious law.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday that the conference was "shocking beyond belief" and "a symbol of sectarianism and hatred."

In Washington, the White House condemned Iran for convening a conference it called "an affront to the entire civilized world."
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Islamic Jihad resumes launching homemade rockets at Israel

Islamic Jihad resumes launching homemade rockets at Israel

www.chinaview.com 2006-12-13 02:51:21

GAZA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian militants had fired three rockets into southern Israel on Tuesday afternoon, violating a fragile ceasefire, Israeli and Palestinian sources said.
Israeli sources said the rockets were fired from northern Gaza Strip which has been the scene of a large-scale Israeli offensive in November.

Today's home-made rocket attack was the fifth breach by the Palestinians of the ceasefire, they added.

There were no reports about casualties.

Saraya al-Quds, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad (Holy War) claimed responsibility for the attacks which targeted Sderot city in Israel.

In a statement faxed to the press, the brigades said that the attack came in response to the ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire and the aggression against the Palestinian people.
The statement noted that Israeli troops had arrested a senior Islamic Jihad militant in the West Bank city of Tulkarem.

The ceasefire, took effect in the beginning of this month, has prevented Israel from expanding Gaza military operations. But Israel insists that the ceasefire was only applied to the Gaza Strip despite the Palestinians' request for an extension of calm to the West Bank

Christian song 'Awesome God' OK in after-school talent show, judge rules

Christian song 'Awesome God' OK in
after-school talent show, judge rules
Dec 12, 2006
By Michael Foust
Baptist Press

TRENTON, N.J. (BP)--A New Jersey school district violated the constitutional rights of a second grade student last year when it prevented her from performing the song "Awesome God" at a talent show, a federal district judge ruled Dec. 11.

The girl, known only as "O.T." in the lawsuit, was prevented from singing the popular contemporary Christian song at the Frenchtown (N.J.) Elementary School after-school program when the district attorney and school superintendent said the song's religious content was inappropriate for the event. Previous talent shows had included students singing songs by Nirvana, Bon Jovi and Stevie Nicks.

Allowing "Awesome God" into the program -- known as "Frenchtown Idol" -- would have violated the U.S. Constitution's prohibition against government establishment of religion, the attorney asserted. But U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson disagreed, saying the school's action amounted to viewpoint discrimination and violated the girl's First Amendment rights.

"Frenchtown Idol was not part of the school curriculum, but was, instead, a voluntary after-school event in which students were invited -- not required -- to participate," Wolfson, a nominee of President George W. Bush, wrote. "Frenchtown Idol participants were obligated to select their own pieces for the performance, and to develop and rehearse them at home.... [T]he speech at issue here -– a song selected and performed by an individual student -– was the private speech of a student and not a message conveyed by the school itself."

The Alliance Defense Fund represented the girl's parents and filed suit against the school in May 2005. In a rare instance of agreement, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey filed an amicus brief agreeing with ADF. The ACLU and the Alliance Defense Fund often oppose one another in legal battles. The U.S. Justice Department also supported the ADF suit with a legal brief.

“Religious speech should not be treated as second-class,” ADF attorney Jeremy Tedesco said in a statement. “... The effect of this court decision is that it permanently prohibits this school from discriminating against religious speech within the context of its school talent shows. [The] ruling is a tremendous victory for religious liberty and free speech, especially for students.”

The school had adopted talent show guidelines that said, among other things, songs must be "G-rated" and that a copy of song lyrics must be supplied to the school music teacher beforehand. According to court testimony, the teacher told the girl that the school superintendent, Joyce Brennan, would review "Awesome God" and determine its appropriateness. Brennan determined that the song was inappropriate because of its "overtly religious message and proselytizing nature," according to court records.

"[T]he song is not merely a statement of religious beliefs," Brennan said, according to the court. "Instead, the song is a pronouncement to all about the wisdom, power and magnificence of God, and of the need to follow the teachings of God. In my view, this song is the musical equivalent of a spoken prayer and constitutes a form of proselytizing."

Brennan said she would have permitted other songs, such as "God Bless the USA," "America the Beautiful," "Jesus Take the Wheel" and "Jesus is Just Alright with Me."

Wolfson, though, said Brennan's action "amounted to unlawful viewpoint discrimination." Wolfson asserted there indeed are "numerous" examples of "proselytizing" speech the school would have allowed.

"For example, the school would have permitted Frenchtown Idol performers to encourage audience members to: espouse a belief that it is important to take care of the earth, espouse a belief that it is important to help poor and impoverished people, and to lean on friends when they experience hardships," Wolfson wrote.

In a press release, the ACLU of New Jersey said, "[S]ince the school left the choice of songs up to the students (as long as they were G-rated), no reasonable observer (even a reasonable second grader) would have believed that the school endorsed the religious message behind the students' selections."

The case is O.T. v. Frenchtown Elementary School District Board of Education (05-2623).

God’s protection, trooper’s aid turn mishap into blessing

God’s protection, trooper’s aid turn mishap into blessing
Dec 12, 2006
By Staff
Baptist Press

JACKSON, Tenn. (BP)--For Morris H. Chapman, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, his first meeting as a Union University trustee was a memorable one.

So memorable that he arrived to the trustee meeting in a state police trooper’s patrol car.

Chapman was en route from Nashville to Jackson, Tenn., Dec. 1 on Interstate 40 and was about 10 miles from Union’s campus in Jackson. He was driving behind an 18-wheeler in the left lane when the truck moved over to the right lane. Suddenly, Chapman was staring down a wood chock that may have fallen from another 18-wheeler.

Chapman didn’t have time to dodge it entirely, so he swerved to the left and ran over the block with his two right wheels.

Both of the tires burst. Fortunately, Chapman said, the tires were run-flats and had enough firmness remaining to allow him to move over to the right side of the highway.

State police trooper Vester Jones arrived on the scene shortly. Chapman said Jones was flabbergasted that the tires remained firm despite a hole in the side wall about the size of a fist.

“He said he’d never seen one that stayed firm after blowing out,” Chapman said. “He couldn’t believe it.”

Jones escorted Chapman about a mile and a half to the nearest exit, where Chapman left his car at a gas station. Jones then offered to drive Chapman the rest of the way to the trustee meeting at Union.

“That’s part of what we do, is helping people,” Jones said. “That’s my job.”

During the drive, Chapman discovered that Jones is a Christian, and an active member of New St. Luke Baptist Church in Jackson.

“I expressed to him that day as we were riding how God has blessed me in my life and on my job every day,” Jones said.

He related to Chapman an example of God’s provision. One day when the weather was especially bad, Jones found out from the dispatcher that he was the only trooper working in Madison County that day. Jones was afraid there would be many accidents that would require his assistance, and so he prayed for God’s help.

“Not a call all day long,” Jones said.

Jones got Chapman to his destination, and Chapman was able to ride back to Nashville with a fellow trustee.

“It is the first time we have ever had a trustee arrive at a meeting in a patrol car, but we are so thankful that Dr. Chapman was able to able to get safely to the campus,” Union President David S. Dockery said. “We are excited about his service to the Union board of trustees in coming years.”

“I look back over the series of events with deep gratitude to the Lord Jesus Christ,” Chapman said. “As I reflect upon the series of events, so many things could have happened differently, resulting in a very serious accident.”

In a letter he wrote to Jones, Chapman thanked him for his help.

“I pray God’s abundant blessing upon you and your family, especially as we approach Christmas and the celebration of our Lord’s birth on earth,” Chapman wrote. “I will remain grateful to you and give thanksgiving to the Lord for the rest of my life.”

BIBLICAL EPISCOPALIANS REBEL VS. NEW NON-BELIEVING FEMALE BISHOP

BIBLICAL EPISCOPALIANS REBEL VS. NEW NON-BELIEVING FEMALE BISHOP
By Grant Swank on Dec 12, 06

Newly installed Episcopal Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori is not taken to by seven American dioceses. Therefore, they are adhering to another authority, a “primatial vicar,” to oversee those in rebellion. The vicar has yet to be named, per Religion News Service Adelle M. Banks and Kevin Eckstrom.

Schori was installed on November 4. Already there is opposition to her being the unbelieving leader of the American segment of the worldwide Anglican Church.

She is theologically liberal in the extreme, even discarding some of the teachings of Jesus. With that goes her societal liberal positions on issues such as endorsing practicing homosexuality as a God-blessed lifestyle. All this does not set well with biblically aligned Episcopalians left within the theologically liberal Protestant denomination.

Many biblical Episcopalians have exited that denomination some time ago to form their own denominations or become parts of other denominations than those of the Episcopalian tradition.

Schori “crafted” this ingenious position of the “primatial vicar.” Whether it will fly or not is yet to be seen.

Biblical Episcopalians regard Schori as representative of the current apostasy throughout theologically liberal denominations, the latter including the United Church of Christ (Congregational), Unitarian-Universalist Society, Evangelical (that term is a misnomer in this context) Lutheran Church of America and segments of the United Methodist, American Baptist and Presbyterian Churches.

Those denominations clearly preaching and teaching salvation only through Jesus Christ, the Bible as divine revelation, the truths of eternal existence consisting of heaven or hell, and personal accountability at the Judgment Seat of Christ upon death are the churches not endangered by the apostasy craze. These congregations adhere to biblical authority alone and therefore sideline the theologically liberal yen to manufacture one’s own religion.

Where salvation via Jesus Christ only is not clearly adhered to, denominations gather to form their own morality codes, doctrines apart from biblical data, and social issue conclusions formed more by the politically liberal than biblical guidelines.

“Jefferts Schori said she would appoint a ‘primatial vicar’ to perform her duties--such as consecrating new bishops--in dioceses hostile to her leadership. The vicar has not yet been named.

“Some conservatives, however, said the idea was dead on arrival because they had no say in who Jefferts Schori would send them.

“The ‘provisional’ approach to healing the rift in the Episcopal Church--and the wider Anglican Communion--was crafted by Jefferts Schori and a group of bishops that began looking for a solution at a September meeting. Several leading conservative bishops who attended the September summit, however, did not return for a follow-up meeting in November when the plan was put together.”

It is expected that more fallout will occur in future months due to Schori representing the apostate rebellion within this particular denomination. It has already spread throughout the worldwide Anglican church with African Anglicans in particular stating their firm convictions upon biblical data.

Content is Copyright ©2005-2006 the individual authors.

LifeWay Stores point to Jesus amid Christmas season bustle

LifeWay Stores point to Jesus amid Christmas season bustle
Dec 12, 2006
By Jenny Rice
Baptist Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn (BP)--With tight budgets, overwhelming schedules, frustrating traffic and politically correct retailers replacing "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays," LifeWay Christian Stores is aiming to put the focus of Christ back into Christmas shopping.

"Our gifts this year are based on the theme ‘Jesus, Blessed Be the Name,’" Alison Stacey, a buyer for LifeWay Christian Stores, said. "We want there to be no doubt when someone walks into our stores that Christ is the main focus."

Whether ministering to customers in the store or helping shoppers select gifts with a spiritual emphasis, LifeWay employees see the potential for eternal impact in Christmas shopping and giving in addition to increased opportunities to witness and encourage customers.

"This is the most important time for us to make an impact," said Richard Mencer, manager of a LifeWay Christian Store in Amarillo, Texas. "So many come into the store during this time who are not Christians or who are dealing with things such as losing loved ones. This is our opportunity to share Christ and minister to those who are hurting."

Prayer boxes are located in all 134 LifeWay Christian Stores in 23 states for customers to submit prayer requests lifted up by store employees each morning during staff devotional time.

"The church does a great job of ministering to people during this season," Mencer said. "We are open many times when the church is not, so we can minister to people as well."

Mencer encourages shoppers to focus on Christ while shopping this Christmas season, noting that the potential for spiritual impact does not reside within the four walls of a LifeWay Christian Store.

"As in everything, pray before you shop," Mencer suggested. "Ask God for direction on what to buy and for guidance in your shopping."

Customers are not the only ones praying. Before each Christmas season, LifeWay Christian Store gift buyers pray for God’s guidance in selecting themes for gifts offered to customers.

"As we prayed about this year’s themes, we decided that we wanted to focus on His name," Stacey said. "You can see ‘inspirational’ products in the mass market, but we wanted to make sure our gifts have Christ’s name or are based on Scripture."

Three themes emerged from the overriding "Jesus, Blessed Be the Name" premise, Stacey said: a traditional nativity theme based on Matthew 1:23; the “Believe” collection based on 1 John 3:23; and a whimsical gift line based on the song, "Jesus is the Sweetest Name I Know." Many of the gifts are exclusive to LifeWay.

"The messages on the products can encourage other Christians or provide an opportunity to share your faith with non-Christians," Stacey said.

LifeWay Christian Store gift cards also open the door for gifts of greater spiritual significance, Scott Chancey, a director with LifeWay Christian Stores, said.

"It is a great opportunity for Christian family and friends to select their own gift that will encourage them in their spiritual walk, or for a nonbeliever, whether it’s your neighbor or family member, to come into the store and learn about Christ," Chancey said.

"As God works through us, He has given us biblical solutions to provide to our customers," Mencer said. "Our heart’s desire is for people to know Christ and be spiritually transformed."
--30--
To find a LifeWay Christian Store location or order online, visit www.lifewaystores.com .

Video game encourages missions education

Video game encourages missions education
Dec 12, 2006
By Julie Walters
Baptist Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP)--Woman’s Missionary Union has announced a partnership with Third Day Games Inc. to merge multimedia technology with missions education.

The first step is the introduction of “Bible Champions in Action,” a new PC/video game series encompassing 12 monthly Bible story adventures that reinforce biblical learning and missions awareness.

“As we actively seek to engage a greater number of children in missions education, the interactive component to video games and other multimedia options provide a fun way for children to learn missions applications from Bible lessons,” said Carol Causey, WMU missions resource center director.

Mitzi Eaker, WMU children’s ministry consultant, agreed: “These games will help children grow spiritually as well as give them a global perspective in missions.”

The Bible Champions in Action video game series encourages children to learn about Bible stories and missions as they see and hear a recreated Bible story and then complete story-related tasks and acts of service throughout the game. Each game also teaches children facts about missions.

The Bible Champions in Action video game series automatically unlocks a new story each month, encouraging children to play each story repetitively while they anticipate the next month’s story. Each game coordinates with Girls in Action (GA) and Children in Action (CiA) curriculum and promotes education about missions pioneers such as Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong and missions opportunities like WMU’s Pure Water, Pure Love ministry.

The series offers three skill levels for grades K–6. The interaction creates faith formation opportunities as children play and ask parents questions, Eaker said, and it gives children a new tool for outreach to their unchurched peers.

Multiple copies can be made from the purchase of one Bible Champions in Action video game CD. Churches can place a link to the game on their website for families to download on their home computer or make copies of the CD for each child in their church and community. Some churches also may want to make copies available for checkout from their church library.

The Bible Champions in Action video game CD may be ordered directly from Third Day Games for $125 at www.BibleChampionsInAction.com or toll-free 1-866-663-5590.

Purchases also generate support of the mission of WMU. For each Bible Champions in Action CD sold, Third Day Games will donate $25 to WMU’s Joy Fund, which supports WMU’s ongoing operations and is managed by the WMU Foundation. For more information on the Joy Fund, visit www.wmufoundation.com .

Foreign Baptist forced out for "illegal" bible discussion

KAZAKHSTAN: Foreign Baptist forced out for "illegal" bible discussion
By Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service

After seven law-enforcement officials secretly filmed a foreign church member taking part in a bible discussion at a state-registered Baptist church, he was forced to leave the country Forum 18 News Service has learnt. Dan Ballast, an American who belonged for 11 years to the Spring of Water Church, was fined the equivalent of three months average salary and given a deportation order. This is the latest in a series of expulsions known to Forum 18. "This violates both freedom of religion and freedom of speech," a friend of Ballast's said. Kazakh law professor Roman Podoprigora told Forum 18 that "there are no provisions in law which prohibit foreigners from participating in religious ceremonies in different roles," and that "under the existing Religion Law, service in a registered religious organisation is not recognised as missionary activity." Asked by Forum 18 how officials knew to attend the service and film it, one church member responded: "Someone rang them. These things happen here." Ironically, officials had earlier praised Ballast for his educational work.

Some seven law-enforcement officials secretly attended a youth service at the Spring of Water Baptist church in Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk) in East Kazakhstan Region in August, church members have told Forum 18 News Service. The officials filmed a veteran congregation member, Dan Ballast, participating in a Bible discussion. Ballast – a US citizen - was later given a massive fine, together with a deportation order. Although the deportation order was later rescinded, Ballast left Kazakhstan on 22 November. "Dan was a member of our church for eleven years, but they said that as a foreign citizen he was not allowed to teach or even speak in the church," one congregation member told Forum 18 from the town on 6 December. "Officials questioned us for an hour and a half after the service, and we told them we didn't want to violate the law."

On 23 October, Judge Y. Kuderbayev of the town administrative court found Ballast guilty of violating Article 394 part 2 of the Code of Administrative Offences, which punishes "failure of the goals of entry to accord with the goals indicated in the visa". In addition to the deportation order, Ballast was fined 41,200 tenge (1,967 Norwegian Kroner, 242 Euros or 320 US Dollars), about three months' average salary in Kazakhstan. The East Kazakhstan Regional court annulled Ballast's deportation order on 14 November, as he was already due to leave the country when his contract at Oskemen's Kazakh-American Free University ended, and he was able to show the court his departure ticket. He left Kazakhstan after paying the fine.

A friend of Ballast in Kazakhstan insisted to Forum 18 that, as a church member, Ballast should have every right to take part in the religious life of his chosen religious community regardless of his nationality. "Apparently someone forgot to explain to the Kazakhstan government that residents and citizens are guaranteed their rights to religion regardless of profession," the friend noted. "This violates both freedom of religion and freedom of speech."

Forum 18 was unable to reach A. Islyamov, head of the town Migration Police, or any officials of the Internal Affairs Department or the Prosecutor's Office, who were prepared to explain why the Spring of Water church was being spied on during a service, and why Ballast was punished for speaking to a religious congregation he had belonged to for eleven years.

Rules restricting "missionary activity" by foreign citizens without specific authorisation were introduced in 2003 with amendments to the decree governing the entry, exit and presence in Kazakhstan of foreign citizens. Amendments to Kazakhstan's religion law in July 2005 banned both foreigners and local people from conducting "missionary activity" without specific state approval (see F18News 8 December 2005 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=701 ). Officials interpret this as banning foreigners from doing anything more than merely attending meetings. The Kazakhstan Migration Police claimed that, by speaking in his local church, Ballast had violated the terms of his business visa, which allowed him only to work at the university.

However, Almaty-based law professor Roman Podoprigora, who specialises in laws on religion, believes such interpretations of the law to be illegal. "There are no provisions in law which prohibit foreigners from participating in religious ceremonies in different roles," he told Forum 18 from Almaty on 8 December. "Under Kazakh law there is no special type of missionary visa, while under the existing Religion Law, service in a registered religious organisation is not recognised as missionary activity."

Congregation members stressed to Forum 18 that the church – which is outside the framework of the Kazakhstan Baptist Union – has state registration and has not otherwise encountered problems. "There shouldn't be any consequences for the church over what happened to Dan."

The youth service on Sunday 20 August was attended by some 60 people, and it was during a discussion of various Bible passages that Ballast came up to speak. "Dan didn't preach but merely gave his personal view of a Bible passage," church members told Forum 18. "He spoke for about thirty minutes." Asked how the law-enforcement officials knew to attend the service and film it, one church member responded: "Someone rang them. These things happen here."

After the service, police officers present, who had filmed Ballast speaking, questioned the pastor and congregation members for an hour and a half. They forced witnesses to sign statements that Ballast had been preaching. The following day, he was summoned to the town prosecutor's office and was questioned for three hours. Prosecutors initially intended to prosecute Ballast for working as a "missionary" without being registered with the town authorities, sources told Forum 18. But a few days later, the prosecutors dropped the case and sent the papers to the Migration Police, to see if they could find a way to punish him.

Ballast was ordered to report to the Migration Police on five separate occasions over the following six weeks. Eventually, they opened a formal case against him, stating that he had violated the terms of his visa. They stated that the law requires that a person must engage only in activities related to their visa.

Ironically, officials had earlier praised Ballast for his educational work in Kazakhstan and administration of scholarships for local students to the United States. Ballast received awards from the East Kazakhstan Regional administration and the Ministry of Education. Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev personally presented Ballast with his Master's Degree in Kazakh Language and Literature, that he earned from East Kazakhstan State University.

The Kazakh authorities have been treating foreigners who are active in local religious communities with growing suspicion. South Korean pastor Kim U Sob, who led the Love Presbyterian Church in the southern Kazakh town of Kyzyl-Orda [Qyzylorda] for eight years – and had been invited to an event as an official speaker by the authorities - was punished for conducting religious activity in a town near Kyzyl-Orda, while having permission to conduct "missionary activity" only in the town itself. His accreditation was revoked and the Migration Police then refused to extend his visa once it expired (see F18News 15 November 2006 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=871 ). Pastor Kim was forced to leave Kazakhstan on 14 November.

One source, who wished to remain unnamed, told Forum 18 that the judge in Pastor Kim's case told his lawyer, Timur Kupeshev, that he had been given 10,000 US Dollars to prosecute him. If Kim offered the judge 15,000 US Dollars the case could be dropped, the source stated. Forum 18 has been unable to confirm this independently.

Members of the Tabligh Jama'at international Islamic missionary organisation – both Kazakh citizens and foreigners – have been fined this year for preaching in mosques without accreditation. A number of the foreigners have been expelled (see F18News 14 November 2006 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=868 ).

Choosing not to try to extend his visa in November was Hare Krishna devotee Govinda Swami, an American member of the embattled Sri Vrindavan Dham commune (named after the "beautiful forest of Vrindavan" in India where Krishna spent his youth) in Karasai district near Almaty. Govinda Swami told Forum 18 on 7 December that after the government commission formed allegedly to resolve the conflict had begun its work, local religious affairs official Ryskul Zhunisbayeva complained that he was working as a "missionary without a missionary visa" and threatened that his visa would not be renewed.

On 21 November, the day after Govinda Swami left Kazakhstan, the authorities began bulldozing Hare Krishna-owned homes at the commune. The authorities seem determined to complete the demolition and confiscation despite an international outcry (see F18News 8 December 2006 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=885 ).

In recent years other foreign citizens leading local religious communities have seen their visas revoked or not renewed, while other foreign citizens invited to Kazakhstan for religious events have faced denials of visas (see F18News 8 June 2005 www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=578 ).

Meanwhile, two local Baptists in East Kazakhstan Region, given heavy fines in June for continuing to lead their unregistered congregation, are still refusing to pay the fines. This is despite the imminent confiscation of property from one, and the deduction of the amount from the pension of the other (see F18News 1 December 2006 www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=881 ).

"We refuse absolutely to pay as we're not guilty before God or the state of any crime," Pyotr Shevel told Forum 18 from Zyryanovsk on 7 December. "Our Constitution allows us freedom of worship, so why do they our church as if it is a terrorist group just because we worship without registration?" Shevel said his refrigerator and other property designated for confiscation, if he does not pay the fine, have not yet been seized. Nor has the fine yet been deducted, as threatened, from the pension of his fellow-Baptist Yegor Prokopenko. However, Shevel fears this could happen at any time.

"Fines on our people are happening almost everywhere in Kazakhstan because we won't register with the authorities," Shevel reported. Other Baptists of the Council of Churches – who refuse on principle to register their congregations as they believe this leads to unacceptable state control over their internal affairs – have told Forum 18 that fines have recently been handed down in the capital Astana, as well as in towns as far apart as Kokshetau [Koshetau] in the north and Shymkent in the south.

Information demanded for state registration in Kazakhstan often greatly exceeds any information reasonably necessary just to obtain legal status. Both Baptists (see F18News 9 June 2006 www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=797 ) and Hare Krishna devotees (see F18News 8 December 2006 www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=885 ) have complained to Forum 18 about the highly intrusive and unreasonable demands the state makes for information, under the guise of registration applications.

Legal restrictions on religious freedom have been increased by the authorities, with the 2005 passage of "extremism" and "national security" amendments, which (amongst other things) ban unregistered religious activity, greatly curtail missionary activity, enhance state control over religious education, and permit suspension of registration of a religious organisation, with a ban on speaking to the media by members of the organisation (see the F18News Kazakhstan religious freedom survey at www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=701 ).

Some fear that more legal restrictions being planned by the KNB secret police will ban sharing beliefs and all missionary activity (see F18News 24 October 2006 www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=859 )(END)

For a personal commentary on how attacking religious freedom damages national security in Kazakhstan, see F18News www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=564

For more background, see Forum 18's Kazakhstan religious freedom survey at www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=701.

A survey of the religious freedom decline in the eastern part of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) area is at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=806 and a survey of religious intolerance in Central Asia is at www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=815.