>> today on "christian world news" clashing in cairo. why egypt's coptic christians said the government targeted them instead of their attackingers. >> why this cafe owner almost got arrested for displaying bible verses. >> and secret missions, see how undercover christians are launching the gospel into north korea. >> welcome to this week's edition of "christian world news" hello everyone i am george thomas. >> and i am wendy griffith.

more than 24 people dead and 200 wounded after an attack on a coptic christian church sparked riots. john waage has that story. >> reporter: the worst violence since hosni mubarak last february in march. police arrested dozens of people in tahrir square after clashes between coptic christians, muslims and security forces escalated out of control. christians had gathered to protest after muslims partially demolished a church last week. attacks against christian churches increased. christian represent just ten percent of the country's 80 million people. some said the clashes were not as much related to religion as to the army's handling of the situation. the army has controlled the egyptian government for the past 40 years.

rioters burned army vehicles and brutal of friends of victims who posted on the internet. >> an emergency cabinent meeting. the latest violence created new concerns about the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for late november. john waage, cbn news. >> joining us now is gary lane. gary has been to egypt this year three times alone. egyptian security forces said the christians started this, is that correct? >> the christians were carrying crosses and poster board around the tv station. >> what sparked this? >> it was a church that had been attacked. every since hosni mubarak stepped down, at least 60 attacks on christians. the attack that happened a year ago at st. marks church in

alexandria, did you know not one person has been arrested yet? no one charged or prosecution. >> what is it, gary, about the christians in this country? are they third class citizens not worth protecting? >> they are treated as second and third class citizens about ten percent of the population. they shoe the coptics as being weak, infadels. the military government in control 40-50 years uses the secret police to attack them. it shows the military is needed. only the military can provide stability and security in the country. >> we haven't seen these images during hosni mubarak's 30 years in power in essence because he protected them, right? >> there were quite a few

attacks of persecution, not to the level we are using today. >> he used the christians for his benefit. we are seeing more attacks since he has left. in recent years. >> what do we tell our viewers can be done to make sure these men and women are not marginalized? >> we have to remain engaged. not only pray for them but be engaged. u.s. state department is talking to muslim brotherhood. why are you doing that? we are the ones you should be talking to and working with. we stand for freedom and democracy. >> amazing. we have another story to report on that we need your insights on, wendy? >> case of iranian pastor facing possible execution is being referred to iran supreme leader,

ayatollah khomeini. yousef nadarkhani is facing possible death sentence. the court wants the ayatollah khomeini's opinion. the latest move suggests the verdict could be delayed. a new bipartisan effort in congress to save the pastor, members from both parties are calling on secretary of state hilary clinton to pressure for his immediate release. we must not stand by why the iranian regime has commitmented to crime. they are calling on the united nations on iran for his release. gary, is the ayatollah khomeini like the emperor? thumbs up? thumbs down? that is the way it goes? >> what he says is law there. there is not an execution for

apostsi law on the books. it has been discussed. they haven't approved. this wasn't about apostasy. >> he has been accused of all kinds of things including rape. there is absolutely no evidence. why are they doing this? >> they want to silence him. that is because he stood up to the government and said look, it is not right christian children have to be forced in public schools to learn the koran and islam. in addition he has one of the fastest growing house churches in iran. 400 members, most former muslims. they want to stop the spread of christianity and iran. he is a target for that. maybe a ruling from the ayatollah. if he is released and set free,

agents from the government have come and killed them or disappeared. >> it is clear how we as believers need to be praying for him. >> his life is in danger. >> bible says god controls the hearts of the kings and ayatollah. pray in jz jesus' name. police tell one restaurant owner, he is guilty for insulting speech for playing the bible on dvd.

>> the head of the anglican church traveled to zimbabwe to speak out against abuse and intimidation. archbishop row wan williams addressed thousands at mass. he met with president robert

monogovi. the supporter was excommunicated in 2007. that archbishop has taken a stand against homosexuality and leaving main stream anglicans without places to worship. britain has threatened people that don't support gay rights. they are trying to take a gay rights crusade to the third world. britain has slashed aid from ma lou wi and sentenced two homosexuals to hard labor and threatening to pun issue uganda. the owner of a christian

cafe was told to stop displaying quotes from the bible on the wall. >> the police say they made a mistake and how hate speech laws can be used against christians. ? >> >> jamie murray says police threatened to arrest him for playing a bible dvd. >> police came here to the salt & light coffee house to make a complaint about insulting and homophobic material. bible text displayed on a tv screen at the back of a cafe. the entire new testament on a loop. murray says he was surprised by being treated like a criminal to playing scripture.

>> it is quite shocking. >> police have since backed off giving murray a partial apology and the officer was wrong to tell him displaying the bible verses is a breech of law. lancaster police issued this statement: officer discussed the matter with the cafe owner and he was never told the remove materials or arrested. the officer misinterpreted the public order act and we apologize to the cafe owner. still murray is angry the investigation ever occurred. >> we were certain dictatorships and before it gets like that stage, we need to defend the freedom to preach the rights of the bible. >> the christian institute is

calling for the word insulting to be removed from the public order act proposal supported by the national secular societies. >> the case of the cafe owner displaying the bible illustrates probably more than any other before how stupid the interpretation of the law is coming. we need to look at the law itself, we agree in this instance with the christian institute, the words insulting needs to be taken out of the law. >> christian institutes says christians are vulnerable to this kind of legislation. >> once these laws are in place, then you get campaign groups to be enforcing them. christians who are expressing their beliefs end up getting investigating by the police

simply for expressing biblical truth. >> murray is expected to launch a formal complaint with the police. >> it is important that these matters are put on record. we'll be looking for a full and frank and unreserved apology for investigating mr. murray. this case is about publically displaying the bible without the police coming along saying you can't. >> the christian institute continue to highlight the issue of free speech. christian are concerned this legislation will restrict them with fear of being arrested themselves. peter wooding, cbn news, england. operation dandilion, how the mission of one human rights group is encouraging believers in north korea.

>> when it comes to human rights and religious freedom, north korea, that is the last place you want to look. >> that's right. for christians, one human rights group is taking action with an arial offensive. they want to encourage the country's secret believers. here is their operation from south korea. >> just before sunset, a van load of christians from seoul heads north. we cannot show you their faces or reveal their names. >> what we are doing could get us into trouble. where are we going today? we are going here some four miles from the north korean border and close to the zone. >> demilitarized zone on dmz is

the most dangerous places on earth. >> we will wait at the top of the stairs. one million troops and south has just as many. >> one factor that could ruin this whole thing is the weather. >> one slight change in the wind direction could mess up the operation. >> we started this project back in 1991. just as a dandilion needs wind to spread seed, we need the wind to spread the message. >> that is message is the word of god on thousands of bright orange balloons. >> it is almost impossible to get bibles into north korea. using balloons is the most effective way. >> tank in the back of the van

pumps helium into the balloons. the team works quickly keeping tabs, prayers whispered over each balloon and then the release. the balloons begin their slow drift across north korean air space. >> we let our brother's and sisters know we are praying for them and meant to encourage them. >> earnest prayers begin here in seoul. every week since 1991, 78-year-old omar derek has been preparing the flight into north korea. >> this is my way to get the gospel back to my country men. >> in essence, they have a whole in here that they fill helium in, put a tape around it and off it goes into the skies of north

korea. >> the helium leaks out of the balloon and falls to the ground. they'll be able to read all 16 dhapters of the book of mark. >> peter used boats to launch balloon offensives from the sea. balloons are larger and contain a small bible and christian literature. peter's group launches a weekly radio broadcasts. >> the broadcast is like a regular church service. the north korea government trying to jam our signal. we have other methods of getting it across. in new cbn news obtained exclusive underground church meetings inside north korea.

>>[ whispering ] >> when a north korean accepts jesus christ, he or she will fay persecution, imprisonment and possibly death because of their faith. cbn gave footage that aired on a channel allegedly showing execution of north korean christians. trying to get precise figures on the number of christians in north korea is extremely difficult. >> based on data gathered to north korean defectors, we estimate approximately 30,000

christians being held in political prison camps and ten thousand underground believers in hiding. >> back on the stretch of the north korea border, it is passed midnight. using the cover of darkness peter's team continues to deploy hundreds of balloons at multiple locations. today the wind conditions have been good. >> often the wind changes and we wait. we will continue until the christians can worship jesus christ without fear. >> and you can learn more about the church in north korea and

>> welcome back to "christian world news." south sudan

national anthem gives thanks to god. south sudan gained independence in a peace treaty ending a 20-year bloody civil war. recently a ministry sent us a verse from their national anthem. it says oh god, we praise and glorify you for your grace on south sudan, land of great abundance. uphold us united in peace and harmony. >> that is pretty cool. a high speed cat ma ran became a link to independence for hundreds of handicapped people in singal last month. >> stan jeter reports that it reached the people that needed it the most. >> reporter: the hs 2 swift moves faster than anything in the u.s. navy.

it serves as a good will ambassador delivering humanitarian cargo. when the swift arrived in decar, they donated wheelchairs. >> it is a three-wheeled chair and has a compartment underneath the seat where people can put stuff. >> john castle worked with the christian hospital to deliver the chairs to various parts of the muslim country. >> being in this 95 percent muslim country, we told people it is christian donors making and giving these chairs and an effort to demonstrate the love and compassion of jesus christ. >> the government believes president -- stepped in to make sure the chairs reached the

people that needed them. >> i saw the u.s. navy and government of sengal get involved to make sure they delivered 400 wheelchair for the handicaps. this was an outstanding, a major break through and thank cbn for their leadership. >> chairs are manufactured by the u.s. through a ministry through pet, personal energy transportation. >> these men would get together on a saturday and build these carts out of wood and get wheelbarrow tires and put them together. >> pet wheelchairs have lifted the land capped off the ground in more than 80 countries giving them personal independence from one day to the next. >> he saw one handicap that bought and sold goods.

>> he went to the market, bought his goods and said i am independent. >> at the one distribution, the imam, head of the mosque and the town got up and offered a prayer praising god for cbn's presence there and giving these chairs. >> stan jeter, cbn news. >> fantastic. this is a quick show, already over. we are so glad you joined us. >> until next week, good-bye and