Baptist leaders in Israel faced another problem with visas for their pastors when the Reverend Lauro Abdoun, pastor of a Filipino church in Tel Aviv, Israel was arrested and jailed, and with his wife deported, in the first week of April, after the government denied his application for a visa made by the Association of Baptist Churches in Israel.

The Tel Aviv church is one of 14 Arabic speaking and six foreign speaking churches in the Association.

In a letter to the Minister of Internal Affairs in Jerusalem, His Excellency Mr. Avraham Poraz, Fuad Haddad, Chairman of the Association, said the Baptist leaders "were shocked" at the action.

Haddad explained that Rev. Abdou, who entered Israel as a foreign worker, was ordained as a Baptist minister by the Baptists in the Philippines. The Association applied and recommended his application for a visa as one of three to which they are entitled. The request was channeled through the religious affairs offices and also supported by the United Christian Council in Israel which intervened on his behalf.

"We feel very distressed about the way the request was handled, "Haddad wrote, "and we felt degraded and insulted."

Haddad emphasized the legitimacy of the Association as a member of both the Baptist World Alliance, the global organization of Baptists, and the European Baptist Federation which represents Baptists in Europe and the Middle East in his request to the Minister of Internal Affairs to help them resolve the continuing difficulty they have with visas. "We feel the need for you as the Interior Minister to interfere and use your good offices to remedy the situation and stop this hassle over the visa problems for the Baptists and other Christian groups," Haddad wrote.


The following is the letter sent by Dr. Denton Lutz, the General Secretary of the Baptist World Allience to Mr. Avraham Boraz, Israel's minister of Interior.


His Excellency Mr. Avraham Poraz
Minister of Internal Affairs
2 Kaplan Street
Jerusalem
ISRAEL

RE: Visa for Rec. Lauro Abdoun

Your Excellency Mr. Avraham Poraz.

Many greetings from the headquarters of the Baptist World Alliance in Washington ,DC representing the community of 110 million Baptists worldwide. The Baptist World Alliance representing the largest Protestant community in the world and in USA. We were therefore very shocked and disturbed to learn that the government of Israel failed to give Rev. Lauro Abdoun a visa .As pastor of the Filipino guests in your country.

The Baptist World Alliance is one of the strong defenders of religious freedom worldwide .The history of Baptist in Eastern Europe and their suffering caused all of us to be shocked when religious freedom is denied .I believe that the nation of Israel certainly is also concerned about religious freedom and therefore we respectively request that you grant Rev. Lauro Abdoun a visa.

Te Association of Baptist churches in Israel is a member in good standing of the Baptist World Alliance. We appreciate the fraternal fellowship that we had over these many years of suffering. WE appeal to you and to the government of Israel to grant a visa to Rev. Abdoun. I believe that if you are not able to grant visa this will have serious negative consequences for Baptists as they relate to your government.

Thank you for your understanding, God Bless You.

Yours Sincerely

Denton Lotz
General Secretary


CC: President George W. Bush, USA
Secretary of State Colin Powell, USA
Fuad Haddad, President, Association of Baptist Churches in Israel
Saleem Ramadan, General Secretary, Association of Baptist Churches in Israel