US CHAPLAIN-TIANANMEN ANNIVERSARY
US Army chaplain was student leader during China crackdown
WASHINGTON (AP) — Twenty-five years ago tonight, student leader Yan Xiong (SHONG) watched in horror as the Chinese Army killed hundreds if not thousands of his fellow pro-democracy protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
Today, he’s a U.S. Army chaplain whose 20 years of service has included ministry to American troops in Iraq.
Commemorations of the 1989 massacre are strictly forbidden in China, but Major Xiong and other survivors recalled the crackdown and their crushed hopes for freedom at a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington.
Xiong says he spent almost two years in prison after Tiananmen. After his release, he met a member of an underground church who led him to faith in Jesus Christ.
In 1992, Xiong emigrated to the U.S. as a political refugee. He told members of Congress at Friday’s hearing, “Since the time of my baptism as a Christian, I also find the freedom that knowing God provides.”
Major Xiong said his prayer is that “the lives taken at Tiananmen Square will continue to live on in our memory.”
Sound:
315-a-09-(Major Yan Xiong (SHONG), U.S. Army chaplain, at House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing)-“knowing God provides”-Major Yan Xiong, a U.S. Army chaplain, says he emigrated to the U.S. as a political refugee in 1992. (2 Jun 2014)
< 314-a-15-(Major Yan Xiong (SHONG), U.S. Army chaplain, at House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing)-“the Christian faith”-Major Yan Xiong, a U.S. Army chaplain, says he was among the pro-democracy protesters arrested after the Tiananmen Square massacre. (2 Jun 2014) < 313-a-07-(Major Yan Xiong (SHONG), U.S. Army chaplain, at House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing)-“at the protesters”-Major Yan Xiong, a U.S. Army chaplain, says he was a leader of the pro-democracy student protests that were crushed 25 years ago in the Tiananmen Square massacre. (2 Jun 2014) < 317-a-08-(Major Yan Xiong (SHONG), U.S. Army chaplain, at House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing)-“in our memory”-Major Yan Xiong, a U.S. Army chaplain, says China’s 1989 crackdown should never be forgotten. (2 Jun 2014) < 316-a-15-(Major Yan Xiong (SHONG), U.S. Army chaplain, at House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing)-“exercise their faith”-Major Yan Xiong, a U.S. Army chaplain, says he now supports religious freedom in his work. (2 Jun 2014) < US-SUDAN-DEATH SENTENCE US says condemned Sudanese Christian’s husband is American WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. State Department is confirming for the first time that the husband of a Sudanese Christian woman facing execution for refusing to renounce her faith is an American citizen. Meriam Ibrahim is jailed in Sudan with her toddler son and a daughter who was born last week. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki (SAH’-kee) confirmed Monday that Ibrahim’s Christian husband, Daniel Wani, is an American. But she said U.S. officials don’t have enough information to say if the children can be considered Americans. Psaki said that might be established through genetic testing, but she wouldn’t confirm reports that Wani had been asked to provide DNA proof that he’s the father. The condemned woman’s father is Muslim, so Sudan considers her a Muslim even though she was raised by her Christian mother. The Islamic regime also refuses to recognize her marriage to Wani and has sentenced her to be whipped for adultery. Her hanging was delayed until the birth of her child, and could remain postponed until the baby is weaned. Sound: 319-a-20-(State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki (SAH’-kee), at briefing)-“a biological relationship (second reference)”-State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki says the U.S. doesn’t have enough information to say if a condemned Sudanese woman’s children could be considered Americans. (2 Jun 2014) < 318-a-18-(State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki (SAH’-kee), at briefing)-“on June 2”-State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki says Daniel Wani, the husband of a condemned Sudanese Christian woman, is an American citizen. (2 Jun 2014) < EGYPT-CHRISTIANS Mob torches Christian shops in Egypt ahead of trial LUXOR, Egypt (AP) — An Egyptian security official says a mob of angry Islamic extremists burned shops owned by Coptic Christians near the ancient city of Luxor on Monday, hours before a trial for a Coptic Christian accused of blasphemy. The official said he saw the mob throw gasoline bombs at the shops in the village of el-Mahameed. The attack came hours before the start of a trial in Luxor for Kerolos Ghattas, a young Coptic Christian charged with contempt to Islam over a series of alleged Internet postings. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists. Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s population. CANADA-MISSING LOTTERY TICKET Couple recovers $50 million lottery ticket TORONTO (AP) — A Canadian couple endured a roller-coaster ride of emotions when a lottery ticket worth $50 million went missing only to be found and returned by someone at their church. Hakeem Nosiru won the Jan. 17 Lotto Max draw and was one day away from claiming the money when the signed ticket, which he taped to the inside his wife’s purse for safekeeping, was missing after they attended church. That sparked a frantic search of their home, an effort that left Nosiru and his wife — who are originally from Nigeria — empty handed and feeling “miserable. But that despair turned to joy after a fellow member of the congregation discovered the ticket and gave it back to them on April 1. Nosiru then presented the ticket to Ontario Provincial Police, who investigated to ensure there were no further snags. Everything checked out and Nosiru and his wife Abiola were beaming for the cameras at the prize center Monday, telling reporters they were planning on travelling the world and helping out their family. FRANCE-BRUSSELS SHOOTING Brussels killings arrest mocks bid on jihadists PARIS (AP) — The suspect in the recent killings at the Jewish Museum in Brussels is a text book case of the West’s longstanding fear — the threat posed by radicalized citizens returning from the battlefields of Syria. French-born Mehdi Nemmouche was arrested Friday at the Marseille bus station, carrying a large supply of ammunition and a banner of Syria’s most notorious fighting group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. His camera contained a video showing weapons and clothes appearing to match those of the killer in the furious minute-long May 24 museum attack, which left three people dead and one seriously injured. A voice said the video was made because a camera to live broadcast the killings failed to function. Sound: 245-a-12-(Ronald Lauder (LAW’-dur), president, World Jewish Congress, at news conference)-“taught to kill”-World Jewish Congress president Ronald Lauder says research suggests more than 780 people who’ve returned to Europe from the Mideast have spent time fighting in Syria. (2 Jun 2014) < 244-a-17-(Ronald Lauder (LAW’-dur), president, World Jewish Congress, at news conference)-“left of radicalism”-World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder says there’s no good way to deal with radicalized fighters returning from world hot spots like Syria — and he points to the suspect in the Brussels shooting. ((note cut length)) (2 Jun 2014) < TENNESSEE MOSQUE Supreme Court refuses to hear mosque case NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear the appeal of a group of neighbors who tried unsuccessfully to block the construction of a mosque in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. A board member of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro said he was hopeful that the refusal of the nation’s highest court to hear the case will restore unity in the community. Neighbors have been arguing since 2010 that approval for construction of the mosque was illegal because there wasn’t enough public notice for the planning commission meeting where the approval occurred. The mosque was built anyway as the case moved through the courts. Opponents of the mosque have now filed suit against plans to build a cemetery on Islamic Center property. NATIONAL MOTTO-SCHOOLS Pa. House approves ‘In God We Trust’ posting bill HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A proposal that would allow Pennsylvania public schools to post “In God We Trust” and the Bill of Rights is on its way to the state Senate after final passage in the House. The House voted 172 to 24 on Monday in favor of the bill, which had been watered down from an earlier version that mandated that the national motto be posted. The National Motto Display Act credits a 19th century Pennsylvania governor, James Pollock, with suggesting the phrase be added to currency. Congress and President Dwight Eisenhower made “In God We Trust” the national motto nearly 60 years ago. An opponent, Philadelphia Democratic Rep. Mike O’Brien, calls the bill “an exercise in silliness.” A Senate Republican spokesman says the bill will be reviewed, and there’s currently no timetable for it to be considered. PRIEST ABUSE-ST LOUIS Priest pleads not guilty to abuse charges ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Catholic priest from St. Louis has pleaded not guilty to charges that he had sexual contact with a 14-year-old boy. The Rev. Joseph Jiang faces two counts of statutory sodomy. Jiang is accused of sexually abusing a student at St. Louis the King School, the elementary school at the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica. He entered the not guilty plea at a court hearing on Monday. The Archdiocese of St. Louis suspended Jiang from duties pending results of the case. He previously had been accused in Lincoln County of contact with a teenage girl. That case was dismissed. Jiang is free on $150,000 bond. MILWAUKEE ARCHDIOCESE-BANKRUPTCY Judge asks about cost of Milwaukee cemeteries CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge in Chicago is asking a lawyer how much it costs to maintain Catholic cemeteries in the Milwaukee area. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing arguments from lawyers in a case tied to the archdiocese’s bankruptcy. The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2011, saying it wouldn’t have the money to pay if lawsuits filed by victims of clergy sexual abuse went against it. Lawyers for those victims want about $55 million of a cemetery trust fund made available to compensate their clients. An attorney for the fund says the Catholic faith requires the money to be used to maintain cemeteries. Judge Joel Flaum asked Monday whether court documents show how much the archdiocese spends to maintain its cemeteries. The trust fund’s attorney says they don’t. MYANMAR-UNILEVER Unilever banners in Myanmar used extremist symbol YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Consumer products giant Unilever is scrambling to remove advertising banners from shops in western Myanmar that prominently display the symbol of the Buddhist extremist movement blamed for a wave of bloody attacks against minority Muslims. Sher Mazari, external affairs director for the multinational, says the movement’s symbol was included without the company’s knowledge. Mazari says Unilever is against discrimination of any kind. Myanmar is a predominantly Buddhist nation of 60 million. It only recently emerged from a half-century of military rule and self-imposed isolation. Sectarian violence in Rakhine state in the country’s west has killed up to 280 people and forced another 140,000 to flee their homes, most of them Rohingya Muslims.
