Persecution-Why JW's Feel They Are Chosen Ones

by Mister Biggs 20 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Mister Biggs

  For Immediate Release
  April 29, 2002

  Religious minorities receive harsh treatment
  in Turkmenistan labor colonies

  ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan—Six Jehovah's Witnesses remain imprisoned in Turkmenistan because they chose not to follow either Muslim or Orthodox forms of worship. Three of them are young Witness men in detention because of their conscientious objection to military service, and the three other Witnesses were sentenced on dubious charges. Among the latter is Oguldzhan Dzhumanazarova, a 40-year-old attorney. This mother of one daughter wound up in jail because of lending active legal support to her fellow believers.

  Kurban Zakirov is a 22-year-old Witness who was sentenced in May 1999 to one year in prison for refusal to perform military service. As a condition of release, he was asked to put his hand on the Koran and swear an oath of loyalty to the President of Turkmenistan. For his conscientious objection to that act, he was given a further prison sentence of eight years in a high-security corrective labor colony in Chärjew.

  Many of the Witness prisoners serve their time in the Seydi Labor Colony, located close to the Uzbekistan border in northeast Turkmenistan. Prisoners who are Jehovah's Witnesses are not allowed to own or even to read the Bible or Bible-based literature, and any such material that is found is confiscated.

  Reports coming from the Seydi colony tell of regular groundless punishments, such as 5 to 15 days of isolation in a penal cell. The colony administration openly discloses the treatment, explaining that people are being punished for "being Jehovah's Witnesses." However, the formal reasons put in the records include charges such as refusal to work or to give the State oath, refusal to serve the motherland and the President, refusal to obey the authorities, and violating the regime. Last year two of the Witness prisoners were penalized with additional sentences of one-month of isolation in a "chamber." They were also marked as "blatant violators."

  Witness prisoners report being repeatedly intimidated with threats to get them to renounce their faith: "You will live your whole life in prison," "We will taunt you until you die," "You'll be raped," "You will be crippled," and so on. Insults and public beatings are added to the existing poor conditions in the colonies, where prisoners are already known to get sick and die because of the inadequate diet and bad hygiene.

  Jehovah's Witnesses number more than six million members worldwide.

  Media contact: J. R. Brown, telephone (718) 560-5600
• 

  dungbeetle

  I'm sorry for anyone who is treated this way.

  On the other hand, SOME people shouldn't go around preaching the end is going to come and then it doesn't; that anyone who doesn't buy our books and come to our meetings to get more people to buy books and come to meetings and so on and so on is going to DIE DIE DIE;

  ...or to take a stand with such an organization. These people probably have no concpt of the true history of the organization they are willing to die for.

  My question is, how many OTHER people are there in prison for similar 'crimes'? However many there are, Watchtower isn't going to tell us.

  Good topic.
• 

  Mister Biggs

  Hey, dungbeetle...

  Another question is: How many non-JW conscientious objectors are there?
  What ticks me off is the WTS puts it out there like they're the only ones going through this.
  Obviously, the land is under Muslim rulership. There must be Christians (non-JW) there who are in prison with the JW's.
• 

  Dutchie

  If all this witness had to do to be released is swear allegiance to his president, he should be allowed to do so. After all, this could be counted as "theocratic warefare". So he could be lying about the allegiance and gain his freedom. Isn't it the same as getting a voting card, going into the voting booth and then what happens therein is between the witness and Jehovah. If its simply a matter of an oral declaration of loyalty why can't they be allowed to do this?

  I bet the GB is goating over the fact that witnesses are still being persecuted and will probably include an article to this effect in one of their magazines.

  I truly pity these poor, misguided witnesses. They really believe that by being in jail, they are serving Jehovah and will gain everlasting life.
• 

  Elsewhere

  Soooooo When THEY are persecuted - it is BAD.
  But when they persecute others (Like me) - they are doing gods will.

  [About to puke]

  "As every one knows, there are mistakes in the Bible" - The Watchtower, April 15, 1928, p. 126
  Believe in yourself, not mythology.
  <x ><
• 

  dungbeetle

  As an example, in Greece there were 600 men in prison for refusal to do alternative service. 300 of them were JW's; but the other three hundred were not.

  Watchtower consistently 'forgets' to mention the other 300 men.
• 

  Fredhall

  Biggs,

  The WT did not say that they are the only ones are going through this. At least they have the balls of speaking out about this mess.
• 

  Fredhall

  Dungbeetle,

  Are you going to protest for the other three hundred? When the JW's are talking about human rights, they refer to all people.
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  Mister Biggs

  The article says:
  

  For his conscientious objection to that act, he was given a further prison sentence of eight years in a high-security corrective labor colony...Prisoners who are Jehovah's Witnesses are not allowed to own or even to read the Bible or Bible-based literature, and any such material that is found is confiscated.

  So, eight years from now, won't this guy be "spiritually starved"?
  How does this benefit his so-called spirituality?
  Heck! Maybe after eight years he will realize that reading the Watchtower mags doesn't bring real satisfaction.
• 

  Mister Biggs

  Hi, Fredhall.

  Does it say that other religious groups are going through the same thing or do they lead the reader to believe that ONLY the Witnesses are getting persecuted?

  Also, read the quote above. It says that the JW prisoners are denied Bibles and literature. It's written in a way to imply that all other prisoner's have access to the Bible.