Mob Kills Christian Elder at Evangelical School in Omdurman, Sudan
Younan Abdullah, an elder with Bahri Evangelical Church, died in a hospital after being stabbed while he and others were defending women at the Evangelical School of Sudan, Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC). The incident occurred during a protest held by Christians against the attempted seizure of the school property by a Muslim businessman.
According to a report by Middle East Concern, police were present during the attack on the school but failed to intervene. Abdullah is survived by his wife and two young children.
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Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 216 | Wed 26 Jun 2013
by Elizabeth Kendal
WELCOME to the intercessors who have joined the list this month.
Intercessors in Canberra, Australia: please see your special footnote.
JUNE 2013 UPDATE - During June we prayed concerning . . .
* TURKEY (RLPB 213), which is polarising along secular versus Sunni
fundamentalist lines.
UPDATE: Turks who are objecting against Prime Minister Erdogan's
dictatorial rule, along with his re-Islamisation and re-Ottomanisation
of Turkey, are continuing their protests despite mass arrests and
heavy-handed police responses. At organised mass rallies, PM Erdogan
has described the pro-religious-freedom, pro-secular demonstrators as
terrorists and hooligans who are being manipulated by foreign forces in
a conspiracy led by Western media. Above all, the demonstrators are
being accused of offending Islam. Pray for Turkey, particularly that
the Holy Spirit will guide the Church in holy wisdom.
* SYRIA (RLPB 214), where the Syrian Arab Army, with support from
Hezballah, has liberated the strategic town of al-Qaisar from rebel
control. The battle for Aleppo looms, with many difficulties
(particularly that of maintaining supply). In battles between Hezballah
and Sunni jihadists, local Christians may well find they are wedged
between competing foreign Islamists, none of whom have any regard for
Syrian Christians. Pray for the Church in Syria.
'Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes
refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of
destruction pass by.' (Psalm 57:1 ESV)
UPDATE: According to Stratfor Intelligence (21 June), the head of Free
Syrian Army (FSA), Salim Idriss, anticipates that US weapons will
'change the balance of power on the ground'. As noted in previous
RLPBs, the FSA is a Muslim Brotherhood force that regards the
al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusrah Front as an ally. Furthermore, thousands of
FSA soldiers are defecting to al-Nusrah each month. Imported weapons
will not only further escalate and prolong the conflict, they will
doubtless end up in the hands of al-Qaeda jihadists. Their agenda
includes the total eradication of all traces of Christianity, the
establishment of al-Qaeda bases and jihad against the West. Pray that
God will intervene to advance his own glorious purposes. (Proverbs
19:21)
* PAPUA, INDONESIA (RLPB 215), where Javanese Muslim colonisation along
with Islamisation and militarisation are slowly effecting the genocide
of Papua's indigenous, mostly Protestant Christian Melanesians.
Historically, Papua benefited from the coming of the earlier Western
pioneer missionaries and nation-builders. Now the West is ignoring the
plight of the Papuans - will it acknowledge its complicity in their
genocide? (Proverbs 24:12)
JUNE 2013 ROUND-UP - also this month . . .
* CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (CAR): THE LRA STRIKES
(Updating RLPBs 210 and 211)
On 13 June a band of Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) fighters attacked two
villages in Bria, a mining region in central CAR. Six local people were
killed and ten wounded as the LRA went on a desperate looting spree. The
villagers fought back, killing four LRA. The LRA responded by launching a
fresh attack in which they killed six more villagers, putting their
decapitated heads on display as a warning. Meanwhile, the Muslim rebel
coalition (known as Seleka), which seized control of CAR in March, is
barely holding together. The fighters - many of them foreigners - are
protesting about their living conditions. Consequently, fighting could
erupt within the rebel ranks. The security situation for CAR's mostly
Christian population remains dire. Multitudes have been displaced. Food
and medical supplies are in short supply. More than a million people are
in need of aid, including some 595,000 children under the age of five
years old. Pray for the Church in CAR.
* EGYPT: COPTIC CHRISTIAN TEACHER FINED FOR 'BLASPHEMY'
On 11 June the Luxor Misdemeanour Court found Demiana Abdel-Nour (23), a
Coptic Christian school teacher, guilty of 'insulting Islam' and fined her
100,000 Egyptian pounds. Three parents had complained that Miss Abdel-Nour
allegedly showed disgust when she spoke of Islam in a religion class. The
accusation led to Miss Abdel-Nour's arrest and imprisonment, against which
Amnesty International protested. Miss Abdel-Nour was later released on
20,000 Egyptian pounds bail, pending further investigations. The school
and the Ministry of Education had both investigated and found her
innocent. Despite this, the Luxor court deemed her guilty in a ruling that
went partly towards appeasing the Islamist protesters who were seeking
much severer punishment. This is the latest in a series of blasphemy
charges to impact Egypt since the Muslim Brotherhood came to power. Pray
for the Church in Egypt.
* KENYA: TERRORISM IN MOMBASA
Morning Star News reports that on 9 June assailants on a motorbike threw
an explosive device into the Earthquake Miracle Ministries Church in Mrima
village, in the coastal region of Mombasa. Fifteen worshippers were
injured, many critically, including two pastors. Al-Shabaab militants from
Somalia are suspects.
* NIGERIA: JIHAD CONTINUES
BORNO: On 13 June Boko Haram jihadists attacked four communities in Gwoza
Hills, Borno. The jihadists descended on the villages with cries of
'Allahu Akbar' and torched four churches with explosives. They also stole
grain and livestock. The militants seized Rev. Jacob Kwiza of COCIN
(Church of Christ in Nigeria). Eye witnesses report that the militants
slit his throat when he refused to renounce Christ and convert to Islam.
PLATEAU: Ethnic Fulani Muslims continue to attack villages in Wasa Local
Government Area, south-east of Jos. In the latest attack, a Christian man
was killed and four churches were torched on 18 June. Christian ministry
is reported to be paralysed by the endless violence.
* SOMALIA: ANOTHER CONVERT EXECUTED
According to Morning Star News, al-Shabaab militants in Jamaame district,
southern Somalia, had been monitoring Hassan Hurshe (28) since he returned
with his family to Somalia from Kenya in 2010. Having concluded that
Hassan had become a Christian, they seized him and executed him publicly
in front of horrified onlookers. Hurshe had converted to Christianity in
2006, married in 2008 and fathered a baby boy in 2009. His family has
since fled the area.
* TANZANIA: PASTORS ATTACKED IN GEITA
To ensure all meat sold in Tanzania is halal, only Muslims may be employed
in the meat industry. Tensions are escalating, particularly in Geita in
the north-west, as Christians resist both Islamisation and the Islamic
monopoly. In February Pastor Mathayo Kachili of the Tanzania Assemblies of
God Church was beheaded by Muslims rioting against Christians found
slaughtering their own meat. [See RLM, 19 Feb 2013]. Furthermore,
Tanzania's demographics are shifting: Tanzania may soon be majority
Muslim, if it is not so already. In late May, attackers attempting to get
to Pastor Daudi Nzumbi, who leads the Free Pentecostal Church of Tanzania
congregation in Geita, were driven off by his large dogs. On 2 June a
Muslim mob broke into the home of Pastor Robert Ngai, who leads the
Evangelical Assemblies of God church in Geita. He is in intensive care
with deep machete wounds. This was definitely attempted murder. Pray for
the Church in Tanzania.
* VIETNAM: EVANGELICAL PASTOR'S MURDER WHITEWASHED AS SUICIDE
Hoang Van Ngai (38) was an ethnic Hmong elder of Bui Tre Church in the
legally recognised Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South). Ngai was
arrested on 15 March in Dak Glong district, Dak Nong Province, South
Vietnam, along with his older brother, Hoang Van Pa, his wife and sister-
in-law, without an arrest warrant. Hoang Van Pa says he could hear his
brother screaming in pain as he was beaten and tortured through the night
in the cell next door. By 17 March Hoang Van Ngai was dead. According to
Hoang Van Pa, his brother was targeted because he had protested against
corruption and abuses of power. Ngai refused to pay bribes, strenuously
defending his church when the authorities demanded that he close it. As
Morning Star News reported, the killing terrorised the Hmong community.
When the Chairman of the People's Committee claimed that Ngai had killed
himself, Ngai's family refused to accept it because Ngai's body was
covered with evidence of torture and severe beatings. So the family
submitted an urgent petition to the Dak Nong Chief of Police, contesting
the claim. According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (11 June), the
authorities have now notified the family that their investigation shows
Ngai did die from 'suicide by self-electrocution'. Religious liberty has
declined markedly in Vietnam since its Communist Party realised it can
persecute with impunity. Pray for the Church in Vietnam.
--------------------
To view this RLPB with hyperlinks or to access RLPB and RLM archives,
visit the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog at
http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com
--------------------
We usually provide a summary to use in news-sheets unable to
run the whole of an RLPB. As a summary is not practicable with
this monthly update posting we suggest one or more of the above
items be used instead.
--------------------
This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious
Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international
religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC team.
Elizabeth Kendal is the author of
'Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today'
(Deror Books, Dec. 2012) http://turnbackthebattle.com/thebook.html
Elizabeth is Adjunct Research Fellow in the Centre for the Study of Islam
and Other Faiths at the Melbourne School of Theology. She is Director of
Advocacy for Christian Faith & Freedom based in Canberra, Australia.
NOTE for Canberra, Australia. Elizabeth will lead a Symposium on the
Persecution of Christians in the 21st Century. Saturday 29 June 2013 7pm
at the Canberra House of Prayer for All Nations. RSVP admin@cffreedom.org
If this bulletin was forwarded to you, you may receive future weekly
issues direct by sending a blank email to <join-rlpb@hub.xc.org>.
Psalm 25:15
The World Evangelical Alliance is a global ministry working with local churches around the world to join in common concern to live and proclaim the Good News of Jesus in their communities. God is glorified and the nations of the earth are forever transformed.
We are on Social Media!
Pastor Kashkumbaev, 66, was ordered to be held for up to 2 months in pre-trial detention while the case against him was investigated. His arrest, however, has now been prolonged until 17 August 2013.
If convicted of the charges, pastor Kashkumbaev could face a jail sentence of up to 3 to 7 years.
On 18 July pastor Kashkumbaev announced that he was launching a hunger strike to protest the authorities' decision to transfer him to a psychiatric facility to undergo a mandatory mental-health examination.
Christian students detained for their faith in ERITREA
25 July, According to reports, Eritrean authorities have arrested 39 high school students for their "Christian beliefs and commitment to Christ"
The students, including 11 females, were detained after completing a 4 month compulsory military training. It is reported that the students have been beaten and subjected to hardlabour during their detention. They have also been threatened with prolonged imprisonment and exclusion from university should they refuse to renounce their Christian faith.
In May 2002, all churches except those belonging to the Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran denominations were banned in Eritrea. It is believed that, at present, there are at least 1200 Christians detained for their faith in Eritrea.
Prayer points:
Pray that the students would stand firm in the faith and place their trust in the LORD;
Pray for God's protection over the students and all other Christians detained in Eritrea;
Pray that the authorities would put a stop to all discrimination and harassment based on religion.
Read more...
24 July, The Madhya Pradesh state in India has passed legislation that could imprison converts and their religious leaders for failing to obtain permission from the authorities at least a month prior to conversion.
Existing law in the state stipulates that converts should notify government officials of the change of religion subsequent to conversion. The new legislation, however, not only makes prior notification mandatory but also obligates religious leaders to report conversions to the authorities. According to the proposed law, religious leaders should submit an application form on behalf of persons seeking conversion at the district magistrate's office a month prior to conversion.
The new legislation has also increased the prison term from 1 year to 3 years for religious leaders and converts who fail to follow the due procedure set out by the law.
However, the proposed law requires the governor's approval prior to coming into effect.
Prayer points:
Read more...
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 221 | Wed 31 Jul 2013
by Elizabeth Kendal
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to
the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but
have divine power to destroy strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:3-4 ESV)
WELCOME to the intercessors who have joined the list this month.
JULY 2013 UPDATE -- During July we prayed concerning . . .
* MALAYSIA (RLPB 217), where children were put at risk of forced
conversion by a draft law that had been submitted directly to
Parliament, by-passing the Cabinet where certainly it would have been
rejected by non-Muslim members. Doubtless the government hoped it would
be approved without scrutiny. PRAISE GOD, the plot failed and the
ruling Barisan Nasional was forced to withdraw the Bill so it could be
scrutinised by the Cabinet.
UPDATE: THE STRUGGLE FOR CHILDREN CONTINUES -- On Thursday 25 July a
Malaysian High Court quashed the religious conversion of three children
who had been converted to Islam in a Sharia Court in 2009 by their
convert father, in their absence and without the consent of their
mother. Justice Lee Swee Seng declared the religious conversions
'unlawful' and 'unconstitutional'. But the four-year legal battle is
still not over. The husband, K Patmanathan (now known as Mohammad
Ridzuan Abdullah), will appeal the ruling (unless he is found to be in
contempt of court). Pray that the court will uphold the rights of
children not to be converted to Islam at the whim of a convert parent.
[In Islam, conversion is a legal and not a spiritual matter.]
* EGYPT (RLPB 218), where the military had ousted Egypt's first
democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, in a military coup
staged under the cover of anti-Morsi protests. This triggered a violent
backlash against anti-Morsi forces, particularly the Coptic Church.
UPDATE: The military is pursuing its own interests while deflecting blame
onto anti-Morsi protesters. Recently they called for anti-Morsi forces
to come out into the streets and provide the military with a mandate to
crack down on 'terrorism', i.e., the Muslim Brotherhood. Now the
military is using lethal force against Muslim Brotherhood protesters,
claiming a mandate from the pro-secular forces. Is the military really
trying to set Egypt on a path to civil war? Pray for the Church in
Egypt.
* PAKISTAN (RLPB 219) where Muslims in the sectarian hot-spot of Gojra
have accused Christians of sending blasphemous text messages by mobile
phone. Instead of applying the law, the police and the court are only
interested in appeasing belligerent Muslims and clerics. Pray for the
Church in Pakistan.
* IRAN (RLPB 220), where persecution is continuing under the new
president, Hassan Rouhani. This includes closing Farsi-speaking
fellowships and the imprisonment of converts from Islam. Pray for
Iran's Christian prisoners.
JULY 2013 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .
* CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (CAR): 'DO NOT FORGET US'
A letter from a local believer in Bangui has been forwarded to RLPB. The
writer describes the situation as like 'enduring Calvary', adding that it
is only 'by the grace of God that we survive'. The picture is one of utter
devastation, rampant hunger and widespread terror. 'From what we are
currently experiencing we have the impression that it is Islam -- at the
expense of Christianity -- that is in the process of settling in our
secular country.' [The full text of the letter is on Religious Liberty
Monitoring.] The Catholic Church's Peace and Justice Commission likewise
laments the wanton destruction, rampant looting and extreme violence,
stating: 'It seems Beelzebub, chief of all demons, now inhabits the hearts
of certain daughters and sons of this country.' The Secretary-General of
the Central African Republic's Catholic Bishops' Conference, Mgr Doumalo,
told CatholicHerald.co.uk that Christians face continual danger and
uncertainty. 'This is why we're asking the world not to forget us,' he
said.
* ERITREA: SYSTEMATIC PERSECUTION OF PROTESTANT YOUTHS
In Eritrea, the law requires all citizens between the ages of 18 and 40 to
perform national service, comprising 6 months' military training and 12
months' deployment. It is not uncommon for the deployment to be extended
and for conscripts to be exploited as slave labour. Cruelty, including
torture, is widespread. The 12 months' deployment can be on either
military duties or some national development project. To address the
problem of evasion, in 2003 the government ruled that the final year of
secondary school be undertaken at the Sawa Military Training Camp (SMTC).
Amnesty International reports that some of these students are under 18,
with some as young as 15. A student must complete this military service to
graduate. Every year reports emerge of Protestant Christian students
suffering violent persecution in SMTC. On 25 July Morning Star News
reported that 39 school students in SMTC had been excluded from
graduation. They were being subjected to beatings and forced hard labour
with insufficient food and water, as well as being threatened with prison,
simply because they refuse to 'renounce Christ'. Pray for the Church in
Eritrea, particularly for these youths.
* INDIA: AFGHAN CHURCH GROWS AMIDST STRUGGLES
Christian converts started fleeing Afghanistan around 2005 as the Taliban
gained strength. In May 2009 a Kabul-based television network, Noorin TV,
broadcast images taken of a worship and baptismal service in a Kabul
secret house church. A member of the Afghan parliament subsequently called
for apostates to be executed. An estimated 100 Afghan Christian converts
fled to India in the following months. Afghan converts are still arriving
in India, with some 40 up to July this year. The Afghan Church of New
Delhi has from 200 to 250 Afghan converts, refugees who have fled
religious persecution in Afghanistan. Whilst they are relatively safe now,
as Afghans they suffer discrimination in Indian society and hostility from
Afghan Muslims who despise them as apostates. Pray that God will bless,
protect, provide for and build his Afghan Church in India.
* INDIA: PERSECUTION ESCALATING IN MADHYA PRADESH
Madhya Pradesh {in central India) is ruled by the Hindu nationalist
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It has long had a law requiring that those
who convert to anything other than Hinduism must notify the authorities.
[Hindu nationalists do not regard conversion to Hinduism as conversion,
but as 'homecoming' or reversion.] On 10 July the Madhya Pradesh
Legislative Assembly voted to increase the repression by passing a bill
that requires converts and clergy to obtain permission from the
authorities prior to conversion. An application form providing names of
converts, as well as the date and venue of any conversion ceremony
(baptism), must be submitted to the district magistrate one month prior to
conversion. Once a request is submitted, the police may investigate. If
the prospective converts are minors, women or members of Scheduled Castes
/ Scheduled Tribes (Dalits), the legislation stipulates a jail term of up
to four years and/or a fine of up to 100,000 rupees (US$1,680). The law
is unconstitutional, breaching the citizen's rights to privacy and freedom
of religion. India's BJP-led states are enacting laws that are
unconstitutional knowing the Federal Government is unwilling or unable to
defend the constitutional rights of citizens. Pray for God's intervention
in India.
----------------
RAMADAN commenced on 9 July and will run through to 7 August. Please pray
for Muslims during Ramadan. For resources, visit http://www.30-days.net/
----------------
To view this RLPB with hyperlinks or to access RLPB and RLM archives,
visit the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog at
http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com
----------------
We usually provide a summary to use in news-sheets unable to
run the whole of an RLPB. As a summary is not practicable with
this monthly update posting we suggest one or more of the above
items be used instead.
--------------------
This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious
Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international
religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC team.
Elizabeth Kendal is the author of
'Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today'
(Deror Books, Dec. 2012) http://turnbackthebattle.com/thebook.html
Elizabeth is Adjunct Research Fellow in the Centre for the Study of Islam
and Other Faiths at the Melbourne School of Theology. She is Director of
Advocacy for Christian Faith & Freedom based in Canberra, Australia.
If this bulletin was forwarded to you, you may receive future weekly
issues direct by sending a blank email to <join-rlpb@hub.xc.org>.
The violence was a reaction to the government's crackdown on 2 camps in Cairo, established to call for the reinstatement of President Mohamed Morsi.
Media reports state that 27 church buildings and at least 30 Christian-owned homes were attacked in the violence unleashed by pro-Morsi supporters. The government, however, reported attacks on only 7 churches.
According to the Egyptian Health Ministry, 235 people were killed and more than 1000 injured in the clashes. However, estimates of the casualties vary widely with some reports even stating that the death toll could be around 1000.
Since President Morsi was ousted, extreme Islamists have targeted the country's Christians, stating that they hold them partly responsible.
Only last week, a 10-year-old Christian girl was shot dead on the way home from her Bible class.
Prayer points:
Psalm 25:20
The World Evangelical Alliance is a global ministry working with local churches around the world to join in common concern to live and proclaim the Good News of Jesus in their communities. God is glorified and the nations of the earth are forever transformed.
We are on Social Media!
8 months on, pastor Palti Panjaitan, from the Filadelfia church in the village of Jejalen Jaya, east of Bekasi, remains in a legal battle and was even deemed too psychologically fragile to attend the latest hearing of the case last month.
Pastor Palti Panjaitan maintains that he was the victim of the incident and that he was intimidated and subjected to death threats by his accuser.
The Asian Human Rights Commission, writing to the Indonesian national police stated that, "With no evidence to support the case against Rev. Panjaitan, we are questioning the legal and moral reasoning of your officers at Bekasi District Police in being so persistent in this case."
Christians under attack in the CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
17 August, Christians have comeunder attack in the Central African Republic after an Islamist rebel coalition seized control of the country in a military coup in March 2013.
According to reports, the recent onslaught against the country's Christians by Islamist militants have killed at least 15 and displaced about 1000 people.
It is believed that the rebels are sparing Muslim villages and homes as they go on a killing, looting and raping spree in the country.
On 6 August, Rev. Nicolas Guerékoyamé, the President of the CAR's evangelical Alliance was briefly arrested for openly criticising the new regime in a sermon delivered at his church in the capital, Bangui.
Prayer points:
Read more...
9 August, It is reported that an Algerian Christian convert from Islam is still awaiting a verdict on his appeal to a harsh 5-year jail term handed to him by a court for proselytism and defaming Islam.
According to reports, Krimo Siaghi was arrested on 14 April 2011 after he refused a merchant who tried to force him to recite the creed for converting back to Islam.
Subsequently, the merchant filed a complaint against Siaghi on charges of proselytism and of defaming Islam and its prophet.
Christian leaders in Algeria say that government officials influenced the judge's strict sentence and that the ongoing court delay was a guise to divert international scrutiny on the incident.
Krimo Siaghi, however, has been allowed to remain free pending his appeal.
Prayer points:
- Pray that Krimo Siaghi would place his trust in the LORD during this difficult time;
- Pray for God's guidance upon Siaghi and his legal team;
- Pray that court proceedings would speed up and that Siaghi would be cleared of any wrongdoing.
Read more...Psalm 27:1
The World Evangelical Alliance is a global ministry working with local churches around the world to join in common concern to live and proclaim the Good News of Jesus in their communities. God is glorified and the nations of the earth are forever transformed.
We are on Social Media!
It is reported that on 18 August, the attackers barged into the woman's house in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka and questioned her about her faith. They later dragged the woman and her daughter to a nearby Hindu temple and forced them to convert to Hinduism. When the 2 Christians refused to renounce Christ, the attackers assaulted them mercilessly.
The mother and daughter were hospitalised for 3 days following the incident.
Mob led by Buddhist monks attack church in SRI-LANKA
9 September, It is reported that a mob of around 30 villagers led bya group of Buddhist monks forcibly entered a church in Meegoda, Sri Lanka and attacked Christians who were gathered for prayer and worship.
The mob vandalised the church's premises and destroyed all musical instruments. The pastor was then assaulted by a Buddhist monk who hit him on the head with a guitar.
The mob also verbally abused the other Christians who were gathered and demanded that prayer meetings be stopped immediately.
Prayer points:
NCEASL
22 August, According to reports, on 5 August suspected al-Shabaab militants kidnapped a Christian mother of 2 in Somalia afteridentifying her as secretly a Christian.
Her husband, Osman, said in a media report that following the abduction Shamsa had sent a text message asking him to leave the area adding that, she had been sexually abused by the kidnappers.
Osman and his 2 daughters, ages 3 and 5 have since fled. Osman has not heard from his wife following her text message in August.
Prayer points:
- Pray for the release of Shamsa Hussein;
- Pray that she would experience Jesus comforting presence during this time of unimaginable distress;
- Pray for God's protection over Shamsa and her family.
Read more...Psalm 27:11-12
The World Evangelical Alliance is a global ministry working with local churches around the world to join in common concern to live and proclaim the Good News of Jesus in their communities. God is glorified and the nations of the earth are forever transformed.
We are on Social Media!
According to a report by International Christian Concern, he was re-arrested for charges of extremism under article 233 of the country's Criminal Code.
In a media report, an investigator stated that the pastor would remain in prison for 3 days, following which the authorities would decide whether to keep him in prison further or let him go.
In a letter to the United Nations Human Rights Council in August 2013, pastor Kashkumbaev stated, "though I am 67, and I cannot boast of ideal health since I had a serious heart attack in 2011, with chronic otitis of both ears, varicose veins in my legs, chronic bronchitis, chronic gastritis ... I am psychologically healthy (but) it will not take much for the authorities to make me a vegetable ... I am begging you to protect me."
Prayer points:
3 October, It is reported that a local council official has halted the construction of a church and forced Christians to worship at a mosque in Tangail district, Bangladesh.
According to reports, the local council chairman also threatened the Christians at the Tangail Evangelical Holiness Church to recant their faith or face expulsion from the village.
In the incident, 8 of the church's 25 Christians agreed to return to Islam under orders of the local council official.
"The chairman is clipping the wings of our faith. I do not know how long we can grin and bear it. We want religious freedom. We want to practise our religion freely" stated one of the Christians who agreed to return back to Islam.
Prayer points:
Pray that the local council chairman would experience a change in heart and would stop harassing Christians in the Bilbathuagani village;
Pray that the authorities in Bangladesh would uphold the freedom of religion.
2 Christians killed in LIBYA
1 October, It is reported that 2 Egyptian Christians living in Libya were robbed by a group of Muslim extremists who later shot them to death for refusing to convert to Islam.
On 25 September, a group of Muslims accosted Waleed Saad Shaker, 25, and Nash'at Shenouda Ishaq, 27, in the Derna District in northeastern Libya and demanded their possessions. During the robbery the attackers demanded that the Christians convert to Islam. Upon refusal, the attackers tied up the 2 Christians and shot them.
According to reports, no arrests were made in connection with the incident. Alarmingly, the attack marked the 3rd time in 2 weeks where aCoptic Christian was robbed and killed in the Derna District.
Prayer points:
Psalms 25:16-17
The World Evangelical Alliance is a global ministry working with local churches around the world to join in common concern to live and proclaim the Good News of Jesus in their communities. God is glorified and the nations of the earth are forever transformed.
We are on Social Media!
In the attack, the retired Reverend Jacob Kwiza of the Church of Christ in Nigeria was killed after he refused to renounce his Christian faith.
An area resident, commenting on the incident said, "The gunmen threw some explosives at our church, they forced the Reverend to renounce Christianity and to convert to Islam, but Reverend Jacob defied the gunmen's threat of being killed." "After he refused to renounce his faith, they slit his throat with sharp objects; and we started to flee for safety, as we did not know the next targets of these gunmen", he added.
Christian man beaten and arrested in AZERBAIJAN
19 June, It is reported that a member of a church in the Azerbaijan capital city of Baku, was assaulted and arrested by the police.
The reason for the arrest, however, remains a mystery.
According to reports the father of 4, who is also the guard at the church, was detained at his apartment. His whereabouts remain unknown.
Prayer points:
Read more...
10 June, At least 15 people were injured when assailants on a motorbike hurled explosives into a church compound in Kenya.
According to reports, the incident occurred during an evangelistic service of the Earthquake Miracle Ministries Church in Mrima Village in the Mombasa District. There were around 50 people present at the time.
It is reported that pastor Collins Maseno lost both his legs in the blast and was left in a critical condition. The senior pastor of the church, Dominic Osano, was also seriously injured in the explosion.
Prayer points:
Pray that God would bless the Church in Kenya and enable it, in spite of the persecution, to continue to grow.
Read more...
30 November 2015
"The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein"
Psalm 24:1
25 November, According to reports, 2 Christian converts from Islam in Yemen were killed during the past couple of months.
It is reported that in September in Taiz in southwest Yemen, a Christian man was ambushed and shot to death by a suspected Al Qaeda member. On 2 October, a Christian man was shot to death in his home.
The slain Christians were known to have been openly confessing their faith.
Yemen, a 99.9-percent Muslim country is ruled by sharia law and is presently caught up in a civil war.
Prayer points:
It is believed that those arrested were part of Emmanuel Protestant Church in Tehran, which was forced to stop its Farsi-language services in 2012.
Prayer points:
- Pray for the release of imprisoned Christians in Iran;
- Pray for God’s protection over them;
- Pray that God would strengthen Christians in Iran to stand firm in their faith in spite of the pressure and persecution.
Read more...Hindu extremists attack prayer meeting in INDIA
24 November, According to reports, on 12 October, a mob of around 60 Hindu extremists stormed a Christian prayer meeting in Telangana state, India, beating the Christians who had met together.
It is believed that a pregnant Christian woman who was among the beaten lost her baby as a result of the attack.
It is reported that local police arrested 7 people in relation to the incident. However, they were released on bail the same day.
Prayer points:
- Pray that God would comfort and strengthen the Christians who were assaulted in the attack, especially the woman who allegedly lost her baby in the incident;
- Pray that those persecuting Christians in India would experience a change in heart, repent and turn towards God;
- Pray that those responsible for the attack would be brought to justice.
Read more...The purpose of the WEA Religious Liberty Commission is to promote freedom of religion for all people worldwide as defined by Article 18 of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, and in accordance with Scripture. Our aim is to help all people, but especially Protestant Christians, to exercise their faith without oppression or discrimination.
WEA Religious Liberty Commission · P.O Box 113 · Colombo, Western 10350 · Sri Lanka