Love Thy Neighbour: January 2006 Archives

England: A Londonpastor has been arrested and is being questioned about allegations that he incited child cruelty. Dr Dieudonne Tukala of the Church of Christ Mission in Tottenham is alleged to have accused several children of witchcraft and recommended violent solutions to their parents.

Dr Dieudonne Tukala, 46, from the Church of Christ Mission, is being questioned over claims that he diagnosed several children as witches, advising their parents to beat the devil out of them or send them back to the Democratic Republic of Congo so that he could pray for them to be killed.

Such superstitious beliefs are common within some African Christian churches, and the Daily Telegraph, based on BBC reports, gives several cases which have resulted in convictions or suicide. Not even a fœtus is safe:

The same report also interviewed the former wife of a Congolese man, Nzuzi Mayingi, 26, found hanged in Crystal Palace Park, having committed suicide 18 months after he arrived in Britain as an asylum seeker.

She alleged to the BBC that when she was pregnant with the couple's second son, Dr Tukala had accused her, their son, and their unborn son of all being possessed, known as kendoki. Her husband, who had deeply-held beliefs in witchcraft, beat her then threw her out of their home, she said.

If someone is thought to be kendoki in our country in the Congo, they can kill you. You would die with your children, said the woman, who is now living in the north of England, having reportedly received threats.

A police respresentative was keen to point out that There was no suggestion, ... that the issues related solely to Congolese, or that the issues related generally to the Congolese community. Indeed. The newspaper does not mention a case, also in London, from last year when three people were convicted of cruelty to an Angolan girl. In that case, she was cut with a knife, beaten with a belt and shoe and had chilli peppers rubbed in her eyes to beat the devil out of her

Pastor is arrested after inquiry into claims of cruelty to 'child witches'—Daily Telegraph, 13th January 2006. See also Three convicted of 'witch' girl abuse—Pagan Prattle, 3rd June 2005.

The Great Tsunami Conspiracy List has just been updated with the addition of a link to a fascinating posting in alt.rush-limbaugh. The posting centres around a CNSNews story, America, Israel, India Caused Tsunami, Conspiracy Theory Says, in which we learn all about the Egyptian version of the Weekly World News:

The Egyptian nationalist weekly Al-Usbu' accused the U.S., Israel and India of carrying out nuclear testing that may have cased the tsunami. Those nations were testing how to liquidate humanity, the newspaper said.

Was [the earthquake] caused by American, Israeli, and Indian nuclear testing on 'the day of horror?' Why did the 'Ring of Fire' explode? Mahmoud Bakri asked in his investigative piece published in the weekly on January 1.

The writer of the CNS piece was sceptical of the allegations. The poster to alt.rush-limbaugh seemed less so, what with him titling his post 1st. Anniversary Of Jewish Tsunami Devistation!. He even managed to tie it in with current affairs, and conspiracy theories concerning earlier events:

The only reason why Israel hasn't unleashed their evil weapon again is because Ariel Sharon has been hospitalized and unable to give the final order! More proof that Israel was behind the Dec. 26 2004 genocide which took 200,000 lives. In fact, the same experts who've testified that Israel used remote control Boeing 757's and a controlled demolition to cause the horror of 9/11, have concluded that no one but Israel has the technology to cause such a devastating wave. Why haven't these criminals been brought to justice?

United States/Israel: In a move which has totally stunned the residents of Prattle Towers, Pat Robertson has declared that a man has suffered a stroke as a punishment from God. The man in question is in his late 70s, is grossly overweight and has an extrememly stressful job, but none of this is relevant according to the televangelist:

The Reverend Pat Robertson says Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's massive stroke could be God's punishment for giving up Israeli territory.

The founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network told viewers of The 700 Club that Sharon was dividing God's land, even though the Bible says doing so invites God's enmity.

Robertson added, I would say woe to any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course.

He went on to observe that a previous Israeli leader, Yitzhak Rabin, had been assasinated and implied that his imaginary friend was the murderer in that case.

Robertson: Sharon's Stroke May Be Punishment—WLTX News, 5th January 2006. (Thanks, Rick).