Kaunang

MEMORANDUM **

Theresia Asia Kaunang (“Theresia”) and Jonah Fritz Ibrahim Kaunang (“Jonah”), mother and son, are natives and citizens of Indonesia who petition for review of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (“BIA”) order affirming without opinion an immigration judge’s (“IJ”) order denying their applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”). We have jurisdiction under 8 U.S.C. § 1252 . We deny the petition.

We review for substantial evidence and uphold the denial of relief unless the evidence presented was “so compelling that no reasonable fact finder could fail to find the requisite fear of persecution.” INS v. Elias-Zacarias, 502 U.S. 478, 484 , 112 S.Ct. 812 , 117 L.Ed.2d 38 (1992).

The IJ’s conclusion that Theresia and Jonah have not established past persecution on account of religion is supported by substantial evidence. Persecution is an extreme concept that does not include every act that may be considered reprehensible. See Lanza v. Ashcroft, 389 F.3d 917, 934 (9th Cir.2004) (being blacklisted and on one occasion “pushed, punched, called names and threatened with her life” did not rise to past persecution).…