(Photo and front page photo courtesy of KRHamm)
Uzbekistan (MNN) ― Pastors and leaders in Uzbekistan's Baptist Union face criminal charges related to their children's summer camp ministry. Accused of misusing property and unlawfully teaching children religion against their will and the will of their parents, they may face fines and/or imprisonment, as well as the confiscation of the camp's property.
"It's just simply a ridiculous charge," said Joel Griffith of Slavic Gospel Association. "For any children that would come to this camp, their parents sign an agreement allowing them to be able to come there. It's well-known that they're Baptist; it's known what the Baptist church teaches. So none of this is done under any mystery per se, but they're trying to make it seem like this has been done without parental consent."
"Camp Joy" serves hundreds of children every summer. The first signs of trouble appeared when two articles attacking the camp appeared in a government-sponsored newspaper, according to Forum 18 News.
Forum 18 quotes one of the articles: "‘Children attend religious meetings every evening. They study various Protestant books. They ask Jesus for forgiveness of their so-called 'sins.' Children become psychologically traumatized in the camp.'"
The articles also alleged that conditions in the camp were unsanitary. Baptist leaders deny all the charges, Forum 18 reports, except a few fire code violations they had not finished correcting when authorities paid a surprise visit.
"'In Uzbekistan, optimal conditions have been created for representatives of various faiths who live in peace and accord,'" one of the articles concluded. "'However, the concept of freedom does not mean that a 'paradise' will be created here for all kinds of missionaries...who draw the youth of this country into their ranks by deceitful ways. Parents also need to be vigilant so their children do not fall under the influence of such missionaries.'"
The government has harassed believers before, Griffith said, but generally not to this extent. Usually it targets the unregistered church, but the Baptist Union is registered. Believers fear the development may indicate a government crackdown on evangelicals.
"I think the leadership there feels that they have a really serious problem with radical Islam," Griffith explained. "They're very, very afraid of having that get out of hand there. But for them to be able to crack down on radical Islam, they have to...in essence, crack down on everybody. That is just the reality of the situation there, and I think we're seeing that increase."
Technically, Uzbekistan's constitution guarantees freedom of religion. In reality, however, Christians are harassed and oppressed. Many countries in the former Soviet Union tend to respond to pressure from western countries, but in Uzbekistan, that is not the case.
"The leadership there just seems to do what it wants to do, regardless of western pressure of any kind," Griffith said. He urged Christians to pray for the Uzbekistan. While this situation presents serious challenges for the church, it cannot stop the progress of God's Kingdom.
"We know that nothing will hinder the Lord from building His church," Griffith said. "The evangelical churches survived under communism, and they've survived in countries that are even more oppressive than this. But we need to intercede for our brothers and sisters, to support them as much as possible during a time like this."
