tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7008487317696293475.post-33917313719269525032008-06-03T05:39:00.011-04:002008-06-05T13:07:48.318-04:00Telegraph.Co.Uk has reported that two evangelical minsters in Birmingham, England were threatened by police for handing out Christian gospel leaflets in a predominately Muslim area of Birmingham.<br /><br />Both of the minsters are Americans but have been living and working in the Birmingham, England area for many years.<br /><br />Arthur Cunningham, 48, and Joseph Abraham, 65, said that they were stopped and questioned by an officer when speaking to Asian youths.<br /><br />Abraham and Cunningham stated that when the officer realized they were Americans, that he launched into a tirade against President Bush and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The officer then went on to threaten them about their religion.<br /><br />"He said we were in a Muslim area and were not allowed to spread our Christian message," said Cunningham. "He said we were committing a hate crime by telling the youths to leave Islam and said that he was going to take us to the police station. You have been warned. If you come back here and get beaten up, well you have been warned."<br /><br />After a "full investigation" of the incident by The West Midlands Police, little was done to penalize the officer or discourage further mistreatment of Christians in the area. The department refused to even apologize to the men and simply stated that the officer responsible for the incident would receive additional "training in understanding hate crime and communication."<br /><br />Now imagine what would have happened if it had been Islamic literature handed out by two men from the Middle East in a predominately Christian neighborhood. Would the same "punishment" apply if the officer had reacted this way? There is little doubt that if the situation were reversed, the Midlands Police would hardly be as dismissive when dealing with the officer.<br /><br />"I couldn't believe this was happening in Britain," said Abraham. "The Bishop of Rochester was criticized by the Church of England recently when he said there were no-go areas in Britain but he was right; there are certainly no-go areas for Christians who want to share the gospel."<br />----------------<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">ref:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2058935/Police-advise-Christian-preachers-to-leave-Muslin-area-of-Birmingham.html</span>Holly Boreihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02500817369146131930noreply@blogger.com