MEXICO CONTINUES MISTREATMENT OF EVANGELICALS
NATIVE Minority Indian families face second forced exile in two years.
by Elisabeth Isais
MEXICO CITY, March 8 (Compass) -- Eighteen families of the indigenous Huichol tribe in Tenzompa, Jalisco, Mexico, -- more than 80 adults and children, in all -- are threatened with expulsion from their homes for the “crime” of believing in the Christian gospel.
An official decision to expel them has been signed and will go into effect
at the end of this school year. However, the men who signed the document do not
live in Tenzompa, but in a different municipality, according to Adolfo Garcia,
who has been helping to defend their cause.
The saga began in 1987, when the evangelical gospel message first reached the
Huichol mountain area in Tuxpan de Bolaños, Jalisco, and other communities such
as Cuamustita and Ratontita.
In 1988, a small group of Huichol Indians of the Santa Catarina zone who had converted to Christ began to construct a church building in Pedernal and Nueva Colonia. They suffered persecution, enduring jail, kidnapping and torture. Their ordeal was described in a July 1999 report appearing in the Zacatecas newspaper Angulos.
“The sentence was brutal: three days in jail subjected to the ‘tablita,’ irrespective of age or sex. The torture consisted of putting their feet into a piece of board with holes in it, pressing until the pain was unbearable.”
Among those who suffered mistreatment during four days in jail were 66-year-old Maria Gonzalez de la Cruz, Ismael de la Rosa Gonzalez, 25; pastor Paulino Avila de la Cruz, 25; Rito Lopez Flores, 28; Estela de la Rosa de la Cruz, 40; and Rosa de la Rosa Gonzalez, 27.
In addition, the newspaper reported, “inconceivably, Esteban Lopez, a six month old baby was tortured ... and all for being Christians.”
On August 24, 2002, the Christian families were expelled from their ancestral community, losing lands, houses, cattle and belongings. They took refuge in Tenzompa, four hours distant from their homes in the mountains.
They reportedly subsisted as best they could, hoping for the government to intervene in their plight. At the same time, they continued to testify of their faith. A strong movement of God produced many new believers, according to Adolfo and Rosy Garcia.
In December 2003, the exiles mustered enough boldness to ask for the right to land on which to sow their crops and build their homes in the new location, but the request was rejected. Town residents decided to expel them from Tenzompa to prevent them from claiming any more rights there.
Strangely, the expulsion decree was signed by indigenous leaders from Santa Catarina in the municipality of Mezquitic, despite the fact that Tenzompa is in Huejuquilla municipality. For that reason, says Garcia, the expulsion is not legal.
Garcia visits the exiled families several times a month from Zacatecas, taking supplies when possible.
On February 7, the newspaper El Sol de Zacatecas carried an article about the Huichol evangelicals entitled “They make them flee from their lands because of religious intolerance.” The writer commented on the “drama which they have confronted during the past 17 months.”
In fact, the drama has lasted five years. Unless the government intervenes, the 18 families expelled from their ancestral homes in Santa Catarina will be looking for yet another place to subsist, as soon as school lets out in the spring.
Compass News - March 8-2004
why President George Bush seems to kowtow to Mexican President Vicente Fox
...An author and veteran national defense correspondent believes there is an explanation why President George Bush seems to kowtow to Mexican President Vicente Fox. Rowan Scarborough recently published Rumsfeld's War: The Untold Story of America's Anti-Terrorist Commander. In the book, Scarborough has included excerpts from a formerly secret Defense Intelligence Agency report on hot spots around the world.
The Washington Times reporter says the document warns about continued instability in Mexico, which could lead to a collapse of the Fox government -- which would push refugees into the border states: Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California. "That's what these things always bring," Scarborough says. "So Bush wants to find a solution to keep this new Vicente Fox government in power." The author says the consequent flow of refugees would be ten times worse than the current illegal alien problem -- but he does not think American troops will appear along the two nations' border. "It's a policy decision," he says.
"I know we would have to increase the in-strength of our military -- it would be very costly to do that. And I just don't think there's the political will or the political majority at this point." Scarborough says the DIA report also reveals that because of a perceived U.S. meddling in its internal affairs, Mexico will work with other countries to limit U.S. power.
Agape Press - Mar 25/04
Our Comment: The fact is that Mexico has been unstable since 1920.
We would not have any refugee problem, if the U.S. closed that border. But too many people stand to loose too much profit (of the wrong kind) for the border to close. The reason why Mexico is unstable is because it has Corruption. The reason it has corruption is because it does not have a constitution that garantees its people true rights, and it does not have an independent Judiciary. As a result, many cases are disposed of, under the table.
The fact is that Mexico appears to be a case where the goal of the U.S.- Mexico Policy, is to introduce Political instability into the U.S. The result - of course - would necessitate harsher laws against ordinary Americans. If the U.S. would cancel NAFTA, GATT, and Close the Border, we would instantly have more Jobs than we ever could handle.
But truly serving the People requires being in touch with them. And too many in Washington are far more committed to governing at the expense of the People, while pretending to be confused and paralyzed. We can only pray that our leaders will wake up.
Traditional Catholics affiliated with the political party PRI have issued "hunt orders", promising 60,000 pesos for every evangelical pastor who is murdered in the area of San Juan Chamula. The alliance of pastors in Chiapas has confirmed that before the 24 October 2003 murder of Pastor Mariano Méndez Díaz (38), the reward for a "head" of an evangelical leader was 30,000 pesos, but now the reward has been doubled.
These reports have been ratified by the native American Indian Manuel Sanjuán, a traditional leader who recently converted. Sanjuán reports, "The Catholics are carrying out a campaign of persecution and crimes against the evangelical communities."
The evangelicals were assured that those involved in the ambush and murder of Pastor Méndez Díaz had been arrested on 28 October. However, the authorities captured only the persons who carried out the attack, while the masterminds still are free to organise new crimes.
The traditional Catholics believe that by putting a price on a head, they can hinder the advance of the Christian evangelical doctrine in the areas of San Juan Chamula and in other regions in Chiapas.
The brotherhood of pastors in Chiapas has demanded that
the Mexican army carry out an "operation of disarmament" in all the
areas of Tzajaltetic, Tzezelton, Botatulán and Pilanchen. This is because of
all the violent actions and the religious intolerance in San Juan Chamula, and
in the midst of new accusations and threats of ousting evangelicals.
They notified the authorities that in San Juan Chamula
there are actually about 6000 evangelicals who practise their faith under life
threatening conditions, facing threats of expulsion by groups sympathising with
Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN).
In early December a case will be decided involving 34
Christians accused by the Diocese of San Cristobal and a Catholic group called
"las Abejas" for having participated in the murder of 45 persons eight
years ago in a fight that took place in this area between farmers.
The reality is that in Chiapas
there is a strong persecution of Christians, many of whom have been driven from
their lands simply for being Christians. These 34 persons have been in
prison now for seven years. During this time Christian lawyers
have defended them. There has even been contact with President Fox and he has
promised to investigate all the problems to their roots in order to see what
conclusions can be made. Obviously these brothers are innocent and the case is
plagued by many unknown influences.
The evangelical churches of Chiapas have tried all
possible ways to secure justice. Yet in order to avoid bigger confrontations
they are also trying not to expose the Diocese and the "las Abejas"
group as the accusing parties.
Source: http://www.worldevangelical.org/persec_mexico_04dec03.html
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Core Universal Rights
The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one's belief or religion
The right to join together and express one's belief