A Filipino pastor has been found guilty of "Abusing Islam and Christian Missionary Activity" in Dubai, UAE. He received a suspended sentenced, deportation and confiscation of seized materials except the Bible. The only witness against him, an Egyptian man to whom Rev. Alconga had given Christian literature in Arabic in November 2002, testified that he had willingly accepted the materials knowing what they were.
The court had asked a panel of Islamic experts to evaluate the materials. Their judgment was that, according to Islam, the materials were acceptable for private use but not for distributing to non-Christians.
The case began in November 2002 when Alconga gave a package of Arabic Christian materials to an Egyptian man. The next day two men approached him asking for Christian materials in Arabic. Rev Alconga said that he had materials in other languages, Chinese, Russian, French and Indonesian, but not Arabic. He explained that he could get them materials if they wished to have some. At this point the men revealed that they were plain clothed policemen and arrested him. The Egyptian man had filed a complaint against him.
While disagreeing with the conviction, the Christian community in Dubai is grateful that the case is over and that Rev. Alconga is free. He plans to leave Dubai this summer with his family to minister in a church in the Philippines.
Original Persecution and Prayer Alert story published on December 18, 2002 and February 19, 2003
(Report received April 29 from Middle East Concern)
