RLPB 591. March 2021 Update, Incl. Burma (Myanmar), Algeria, Armenia-Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka.

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 591 | Wed 31 Mar 2021
RLPB is published weekly to facilitate strategic intercessory prayer.

Please forward this prayer bulletin widely and encourage others to sign up to “Follow by email” on the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin (RLPB) blog. ‘For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds’ (2 Corinthians 10:4 ESV). 

EASTER: DEEP TRAUMA; GREAT EXPECTATION

The Easter season provides the perfect paradigm for strategic intercessory prayer for the persecuted Church. Intercessors bury themselves in the suffering of God's people precisely so they might fight for them in prayer. However, though our prayers involve lament and more often than not tears, we do not pray as those who have no hope! Precisely because God has promised, Christ has risen and the Holy Spirit has come, we can be assured that the horror of persecution and the agony of what seems like divine silence, will ultimately be overtaken by joy and praise as God's purposes unfold and his promises are fulfilled. In Jesus Christ all the promises of God are 'Yes'; which is why we can say 'Amen' (so be it) (2 Corinthians 1:20) to prayers prayed in hopeful anticipation and then watch for the answer with great expectation.

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly (NIV) / watch (ESV) / keep watch (Hebrew: sapa) (Psalm 5:3).

DIARY

Western Easter (Catholic and Protestant): Friday 2 to Sunday 4 April.

Ramadan (Muslim month of fasting): 12/13 April to 12 May.

Eastern Easter (Orthodox): Friday 30 April to Sunday 2 May.

Please pray!

All four devotions from Easter 2020: Prayer Fuel from the Servant Songs of Isaiah (pdf)

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MARCH 2021 UPDATE
By Elizabeth Kendal

DURING THIS PERIOD, WE PRAYED CONCERNING:

click on map to enlarge.

* BURMA (MYANMAR), where Christians are imperilled [RLPB 587 (3 March)] now the Tatmadaw (Burmese military) - which has raped, killed, displaced, plundered and terrorised Christians for decades - has seized power in a military coup and where a 'Christian Crisis Looms' [RLPB 590 (24 March)] as the front-line moves outwards, from the Burman-dominated centre to the ethnic minority periphery. In the east, the Karen (including Karenni) are around 40 percent Christian, while in the north and west the Kachin and Chin are predominantly Christian. Burma's Christians are mostly Baptist, the legacy of American Baptist pioneer missionary Adoniram Judson (1788-1850).

BURMA UPDATE

ON THE GROUND: At 6am on Thursday 25 March, anti-coup protesters were preparing sandbags in Hpa-an (the capital of Burma's eastern Karen/Kayin State) when security forces swept in and cleared the streets using stun grenades, rubber bullets and live ammunition. Two young male Karen were shot and seriously wounded. Military violence was also unleashed in Taunggyi (the capital of Shan State, also in the east) and in Mawlamyine (the capital of Mon State, in the southeast). On Sunday 28 March more than 100 people were killed as the Tatmadaw moved to put down protests in several cities across the country, including Hpakant, the jade-mining hub in Kachin State (in the north). An ethnic Chin woman, Ah Khu (38) - a leader of civil society group 'Women for Justice' - was killed in the north-western Sagaing Region.

In scenes reminiscent of Omar al-Bashir's 
war in Sudan's Nuba Mountains,
Karen civilians are sheltering in 
 caves to escape aerial bombardment.
photo: Free Burma Rangers 

FROM THE SKY: On Saturday morning 27 March, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) seized control of a hilltop outpost formerly held by the Tatmadaw, killing 10 and capturing eight Burmese soldiers in the process. That afternoon, Karen villagers in Papun District noticed Burmese military aircraft encircling overhead. The first reprisal came at between 8:20 and 8:30pm when four bombs were dropped on the Day Pu No village area, just seven miles from the border with Thailand. This was followed by a second bombardment between 1am and 2am. Free Burma Rangers reports that three villagers were killed and six wounded, and that more than 2500 have fled their homes and are now hiding in the jungle. A civilian was also killed by an artillery shell in a punitive attack against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Hpakant, Kachin State, after KIA troops seized control of several strategic outposts. Ongoing aerial bombardment in Karen State has forced more than 12,000 people to flee their homes and hide in the jungle. Please pray.

* ALGERIA [RLPB 588 (10 March)], a fragile state within which rages an intense spiritual battle. On 21 January poultry farmer Hamid (43) - a Christian convert, married with four young children - was tried for blasphemy because of a cartoon he naively re-posted some three years earlier. For this, Hamid was handed the maximum punishment of five years in prison. On 27 February Pastor Rachid Seighir and Nouh Hamimi were convicted in absentia of 'proselytising'. Both were fined and sentenced to two years in prison.

UPDATE: On 22 March an appeals court in Oran upheld Hamid's five-year sentence. His lawyer, Farid Khemisti had expected the sentence would be greatly reduced. 'I expected at the worst, six months in prison,' he said. Khemisti is weighing-up whether to appeal to a court of cassation or to the supreme court. He is convinced Hamid only received the maximum penalty because he is a convert to Christianity. Please pray. Meanwhile, Pastor Rachid Seighir and Nouh Hamimi (who managed Pastor Seighir's Christian bookshop in Oran) will have their appeals heard on Sunday 18 April. Please pray.

* ETHIOPIA [RLPB 589 (17 March)], where massacres of Orthodox Christian ethnic Amhara - seemingly with the complicity of Oromo ethnic-nationalists inside the Oromia regional government, police and security forces - continue unabated in Oromia Region. Tensions will continue to escalate as parliamentary elections, scheduled for 5 June, approach. Please pray.

MARCH 2021 ROUND-UP - also this month:

* ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN: NEW WAR LOOMS

War looms over Syunik

Azerbaijan held massive military drills from 15 to 18 March with the stated aim of preparing Azeri troops to wage war in mountainous wooded areas. In response, Armenia staged its own military drills from 16 to 20 March. The escalation comes a mere month after Turkey and Azerbaijan held massive joint military exercises near the city of Kars in eastern Anatolia, close to the border with Armenia. During that time, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev accused Armenia of 'obstructing the creation of the Zankezur corridor', adding, 'they will not succeed; we will force them'. Aliyev also claimed that 'Zankezur' - the Azeri name for Armenia's southernmost province of Syunik - is 'a historic territory of Azerbaijan'. Aliyev's claim has raised alarm in Armenia. Furthermore, the Russia-brokered agreement signed on 9 November 2020 makes no mention of a 'corridor' through Syunik. [The term 'corridor' implies a degree of sovereignty.] It states only that Armenia will guarantee the safety of transport and the unimpeded movement of Azeri citizens between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Armenians suspect Aliyev is looking for a pretext to go to war over Syunik. Please pray.

NOTE: Back in 2012, Stratfor Worldview explained (while using the Azeri name for the Armenian province!) the strategic importance of 'Zangezur' (i.e. Syunik): 'Whoever controls the Zangezur Corridor can project power into the Turkish sphere of influence in Anatolia, the Russian sphere of influence in the intra-Caucasus and directly into the Persian core territories... Although Turkey, Russia and Iran have not paid much attention to the Zangezur Corridor in recent years, they are certain to revisit the Zangezur issue in time.' Armenians fear that time may have arrived.

* INDONESIA: CHURCH BOMBED IN MAKASSAR, SOUTH SULAWESI

On Sunday 28 March, a newly married young couple rode their motorbike to the entrance gates of  Makassar’s Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral. When the church security guard declined to let them through, they detonated their explosives, killing themselves and wounding at least 20 church officials and members, many critically. According to Cathedral pastor, Wilhelmus Tulak, it was 10:30am, the Palm Sunday worship service had just finished, and people were mingling outside when the explosion occurred. Police arrive to find shrapnel and body parts strewn across the church compound and street. President Widodo immediately instructed the police to increase security at churches over the Easter season. Police suspect the bombers were members of Islamic State-aligned Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD). Please pray.

CONCERNING CHURCH SECURITY

Western Christians sometimes complain about all the various rosters they are required to be on in order to keep their church running smoothly: morning tea, welcoming, cleaning, lawn mowing, maintenance, technical etc. Before ever complaining again, we should all give a thought to Christians in Indonesia, Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq, Nigeria and elsewhere, who must contemplate having their name on the security roster that will require them to stand guard at the gate. The guard does not have to bake or sweep or put on a smile or push a mower through wet grass. He does however need to be prepared to tackle a suicide bomber or gunman to the ground, and in doing so, courageously and selflessly give his life that his Christian brothers and sisters might live. Please pray that God would foil every evil plot to bring terror and grief to churches this Easter. May God bless and protect every father, husband and son serving on a church security roster this Easter season.

* IRAN: COUPLE SUMMONED TO PRISON

Homayoun Zhaveh (62) with wife, Sara Ahmadi (42).

Christian converts Homayoun Zhaveh (62) and his wife Sara Ahmadi (42) have been summoned to begin their prison sentences for belonging to a house church. The couple were first arrested in June 2019. They were imprisoned initially in Sari, near Amol on the Caspian Sea coast, where they were holidaying with friends, and then in Evin Prison in Tehran. Homayoun was released after a month, but because Sara is alleged to have a leadership role, she was held for 67 days (includes 33 days in solitary confinement) during which time she was subjected to severe psychological abuse. In November 2020 Homayoun was sentenced to two years' prison for house church membership, while Sara was sentenced to 11 years due to her alleged leadership role. On 30 December Sara's prison term was reduced to eight years in prison on appeal. The couple received the summons on 19 March and were given just days to report to the prison. Grave concerns are held for Homayoun's health, for he suffers from advanced Parkinson's disease which, apart from anything else, will render him exceedingly vulnerable to COVID-19 in prison. Expressing dismay and indignation that a house church could be construed as an 'illegal organisation', their lawyer has requested a retrial. Please pray.

* KAZAKHSTAN: CHURCH AT RISK

Christian charity Open Doors (OD) reported on 15 March that Kazakh authorities with the Astana city police have charged the 400-member Shanyrak Church with insulting the feelings of Muslims, after individual members allegedly made negative comments about the Muslim community. As the pastor notes: 'This is a very serious charge with difficult, big consequences ... Our goal is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ without blaming or judging others. Today, we were called by the police and city hall. It is not yet clear [when] it will all end. The worst possible scenario is that the church will be closed, and several people may be jailed. Now a lawyer is helping us in this process.' Please pray.

For a very helpful and truly beautiful short video (4:33 mins) see: ‘Prayercast Video: KAZAKHSTAN’ (Aug 2017). 

* SRI LANKA: ANTI-CONVERSION LAW LOOMS

On Monday 22 March Sri Lanka's multi-faith International Religious Freedom Round-table sent a letter to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, urging him to abandon the planned introduction of anti-conversion legislation. Signed by 36 religious dignitaries, the letter affirms the fundamental human right of freedom of conscience on matters of faith and religion, while denouncing unethical conversion through force and violence. It also points out that anti-conversion laws are notoriously ambiguous, giving emboldened intolerant elements a weapon they can use against religious minorities for doing nothing other than worshipping together, sharing their faith, or performing charitable works. According to the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs, which is drafting the legislation, complaints are on the rise, especially against 'Born Again Christians'. The Church has grounds to be alarmed. In February 2020 PM Mahinda Rajapaksa signalled his intention to revisit the issue of anti-conversion legislation when he identified the conversion of 'traditional Buddhist families to other religions' as one of the greatest 'threats facing the Sinhala Buddhist Nation' [see RLPB 544, 'Easter Devotion and Prayer for Sri Lanka,' (8 April 2020)]. Please pray.

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Elizabeth Kendal is an international religious liberty analyst and advocate. She serves as Director of Advocacy at Canberra-based Christian Faith and Freedom (CFF) and is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology.

She has authored two books: Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today (Deror Books, Melbourne, Australia, Dec 2012) which offers a Biblical response to persecution and existential threat; and After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding the Christian Crisis in the Middle East (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016).

See www.ElizabethKendal.com 

RLPB 495. March Update. Incl. Algeria, Burma, China, India, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Pakistan

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 495 | Wed 27 Mar 2019
RLPB is published weekly to facilitate strategic intercessory prayer.

Please forward this prayer bulletin widely and encourage others to sign up to the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog. "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:16 NIV)

-- Elizabeth Kendal

MARCH 2019 UPDATE -- during this period we prayed concerning

* ETHIOPIA (RLPB 492), where political elements determined to resist PM Abiy Ahmed's reforms are suspected of being behind the ethnic and sectarian violence that has escalated markedly over the past six months. Religious violence included the 9 March torching of at least ten churches in a majority-Muslim region of southern Ethiopia. Please pray that God will complete the good work that he has begun in the nation of Ethiopia.

* IRAQ (RLPB 493), where Sunni transnational Islamic State is making a comeback and Sunni Kurds are competing with Shi'ite Shabaks (Baghdad's and Tehran's proxy against the Kurds) for control of Assyrian lands. Betrayed and abandoned, the indigenous Christian Assyrian nation is in a struggle for survival. Please pray for the Assyrian remnant in northern Iraq's Nineveh Province; may the Lord intervene to revive, sustain and deliver justice.

* SOMALIA (RLPB 494), where a Church has taken root and is growing despite severe persecution. Even in Kenya where there is freedom, Christian ministry among ethnic Somalis is exceedingly dangerous. Please pray that God in his grace will bring peace and freedom to Somalia.

* UPDATE ON NIGERIAN ELECTIONS

On 27 February Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that President Muhammadu Buhari (APC) had won the presidential election. Crying foul, but rejecting violence, his main opponent, Atiku Abubakar (PDP) rejected the result. According to the PDP's parallel tabulation, Atiku won the poll by more than two million votes. Ignoring warnings that his actions could trigger violence, Atiku is challenging the election result in the Supreme Court. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has defended Atiku's right to seek legal redress, noting that, if Buhari were permitted to seek redress over past losses (as he did in 2003, 2007 and 2011), then Atiku should be entitled to do likewise, as should any Nigerian who feels they have been denied justice. According to Obasanjo, those warning the case will trigger violence are simply those looking for an excuse to unleash violence. It is unlikely that the Supreme Court (overseen by Buhari's new Chief Justice [see RLPB 488 (6 Feb)]) will issue a ruling before Buhari is inaugurated on 29 May. Despite the seeming peace, the situation across Nigeria remains tense. Please pray.

Best Summary:
Atiku Appeals Buhari’s Election Victory in Nigeria, 
by John Campbell, Council of Foreign Relations, 19 March 2019.


MARCH 2019 ROUND-UP -- also this month

* ALGERIA: WATERSHED DAYS

The mass protests that erupted in Algeria on Friday 22 February have continued through March. On 11 March the regime conceded and, in line with the peoples' demands, announced that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika (82 and incapacitated from a stroke) would not contest a fifth term. However, the protesters are demanding not merely a new president, but a new regime -- a new system! For many years now, Algerian security forces have partnered with the US to keep al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Jund al-Khalifa (Islamic State's franchise in Algeria) in check. A number of analysts have expressed concern that escalating unrest 'is likely to spawn profound security challenges ... [in particular] by providing additional space for Algeria's militant groups to recover and expand' (Stratfor, 12 March).

On 9 and 10 March al-Qaeda social media channels publicised a speech by Abu Ubaydah Yusuf al-Anabi, a high-ranking AQIM official. In his speech, entitled 'Algeria … Getting Out from the Dark Tunnel', Al-Anabi agrees with the protesters' assessment of the government as corrupt and repressive. He then proposes a solution: Islamic governance with Sharia law and a real Muslim leader (as distinct from one who is 'loyal to the Jews and the Christians'). To that end he exhorts Algerians to 'unite' as Muslims and 'sons of Islam' and join AQIM's 'resistance'. According to al-Anabi, 'victory' under Allah is close at hand, as the 'signs have appeared' all across the country. These are watershed days for Algeria. For the sake of Algeria's young, persecuted but growing Church, please pray. May God protect his precious Church and may the devil have no victory here.

* BURMA (MYANMAR): THE TRAFFICKING OF KACHIN WOMEN 

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released a report on the trafficking of Kachin women, a crisis directly linked to the Burmese government's war against the Christian Kachin. Some 100,000 Kachin are displaced and struggling to survive in camps pressed up against the Chinese border. Because the Burmese government has blocked aid deliveries into 'rebel' (i.e. Kachin)-controlled areas, the situation in the camps is increasingly desperate.

Many Kachin women cross the border to take up jobs in China only to find that the recruiters were actually traffickers. Other women are trafficked by people known to them. After being drugged, they are taken across the border and sold to Chinese brokers. The price paid to the trafficker depends on the quality of the woman being sold: her youth, beauty, skills etc. After being sold to Chinese families as 'brides' for their sons, the trafficked Kachin women are locked away and raped daily until they are pregnant. Once a baby is delivered the 'brides' are often sent away or allowed to escape. HRW reports: 'Most ethnic Kachin are Christian, and many are deeply religious.' Consequently, HRW notes, 'there is a lot of stigma', and the women feel a lot of shame for what has happened to them. Please pray that God will intervene for the Christian Kachin of northern Burma. Pray for delivery of aid. Pray that the Kachin will be granted autonomy to maintain their Christian culture as they desire.

* CHINA: PERSECUTION WITH IMPUNITY

Jiang Tianyong (2017)

JIANG TIANYONG: Human rights lawyer and Protestant Christian Jiang Tianyong (48) walked free in early March having spent two years in prison for 'incitement to subvert state power'. A thorn in the side of the Communist regime, Jiang had been assisting persecuted human rights lawyers, including Gao Zhisheng (who remains 'disappeared') and many of those arrested in the July 2015 crackdown. In 2014 Jiang's wife and daughter left for the US where they received political asylum while Jiang remained in China to continue the struggle for justice and liberty. Today, despite being 'free', Jiang is being kept under surveillance around the clock by officers who prevent him from speaking to anyone. He is denied a mobile phone and visitors. Jiang wants to be reunited with his daughter and his wife, Jin Bianling, who wants him to travel to the US for medical treatment for injuries and ailments acquired in prison. These include a spinal injury, memory loss, eye inflammation and high blood pressure. Jiang has threatened to protest if he is not permitted to be reunited with his family. Please pray for this Christian family, persecuted for promoting righteousness and pursuing justice.

Liu, after interrogation
(see Morning Star News)

EARLY RAIN CHURCH: In 2018 the Communist Party escalated its persecution of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu city, Sichuan Province. Ultimately, on 9 December, the authorities swooped and arrested around 100 leading members [RLPB 483 (12 Dec)], dozens of whom remain in detention. On 19 March China Aid Association (CAA) reported that several church members had recently 'disappeared', usually right after receiving a visit from the government officials. Furthermore, Chengdu authorities have driven some Christians out of their homes and pressured landlords to cancel leases. One couple -- Liu and his wife Xing -- were visiting Christian friends on 2 March when police from Chengdu Shuyuan Police Station came and took them away for interrogation. Liu and Xing were 'personally humiliated, abused, and violently beaten by seven to eight police officers' through the night in Taisheng Road Police Station before being escorted back home. Please pray for the Church in China.

* INDIA: PERSECUTION WITH IMPUNITY IN TAMIL NADU

Indians will go to the polls in seven phases between 11 April and 19 May to elect a new Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament). The results will be announced on 23 May. Consequently, Hindu nationalist forces are in full campaign mode. Morning Star News reports unprecedented targeting of churches in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. In one case, area leaders from the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led a mob of Hindu villagers in a Sunday evening attack on a house church prayer meeting led by Pastor Raju and attended by 20 women whom the Hindu mob humiliated, abused, threatened and terrorised. In another case, Arjun Sampath, the founder of the Hindu Nationalist Party (Hindu Makkal Katchi), went door-to-door with a female police officer admonishing Christians and ordering them to cease their activities. 'They told me that there should not be any Christian prayers in the area,' said Pastor Vetri. In yet another case, a Hindu mob burnt a Christian meeting place, forcing the believers to meet in the hall. Under pressure, the landlord informed them they would have to vacate. According to Pastor Joseph, the congregation had been receiving threats for many months, but the police were simply not interested. Please pray for the Church in India, especially as the election approaches.

* KAZAKHSTAN: BAPTISTS UNDER PRESSURE

In Kazakhstan, all churches must be registered to be legal. The requirement for a local body to have at least 50 adult members can be difficult for Protestant communities, especially in rural areas. As in China, the restrictions imposed on registered churches make registration unpalatable for many. Churches belonging to the Council of Churches Baptists do not apply for registration on principle, maintaining that religious freedom is a fundamental human right. This brings them into conflict with the authorities, but no more than any of the restrictions would even if they did register. Forum 18 reports that on 3 March, Anti-Terrorism Police in the southern city of Taraz raided another Baptist church's Sunday morning meeting for worship, the third such raid on a Council of Churches Baptist community since 10 February. In total, five Baptists have been fined the equivalent of either one month's or two month's salary. While Kazakhstan's religion laws are designed to target genuinely problematic Islamic jihadist and revolutionary movements, they are eagerly applied to peaceful Protestants in Kazak/Muslim-majority areas with the goal of preserving 'social harmony'. Please pray for the Church in Kazakhstan.

* PAKISTAN: TRAFFICKING OF CHRISTIAN GIRLS

Sadaf Masih is a 13-year-old Christian girl from Bahawalpur, Punjab Province. On 6 February she joined the ranks of hundreds of girls to be abducted by Muslims and trafficked across religious lines in Pakistan. Indeed, it is widely accepted that at least 1000 minority girls are trafficked in Pakistan every year. The three Muslim men who abducted Sadaf are described as 'influential'. When Sadaf's family confronted the men they promised to return her. Instead, they sent the family a marriage certificate showing Sadif's age as 18, her religion as Muslim and her status as married. Despite death threats, the family has registered a case with the police, who are reluctant to get involved.


On 20 March two Hindu sisters aged 13 and 15 were abducted by 'influential' Muslim men in Ghotki District, Sindh Province. When video footage appeared online showing the girls being forcibly married to Muslim men against their will, the Hindu community erupted. Only then did police agree to register an official complaint. The incident triggered a 'mini-spat' between Pakistan and its nuclear-armed Hindu-majority neighbour, India. By 25 March seven men had been arrested. While the girls might be free they are not home yet; instead they are being held in a government shelter as the authorities investigate whether they were actually abducted and forcibly converted. As for Sadaf Masih (13), who will speak up for her? Unfortunately, she does not have a nuclear-armed neighbour on her side. But she does have the Church and she does have the Lord! Please pray.

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Elizabeth Kendal is an international religious liberty analyst and advocate. She serves as Director of Advocacy at Canberra-based Christian Faith and Freedom (CFF) and is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology.

She has authored two books: Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today (Deror Books, Melbourne, Australia, Dec 2012) which offers a Biblical response to persecution and existential threat; and After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding the Christian Crisis in the Middle East (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016).

See www.ElizabethKendal.com 

RLPB 404. April Update, Incl. Turkey, Indonesia, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Uganda

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 404 | Wed 26 Apr 2017

Please forward this prayer bulletin widely, and encourage others to sign up to the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog. "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:16 NIV)

by Elizabeth Kendal

'I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me' (Jesus, in John 10:14 ESV)

APRIL 2017 UPDATE -- this month we prayed concerning ...

* TURKEY (RLPB 401), where President Erdogan has narrowly won a referendum that grants the president sweeping executive powers.

UPDATE: Though it would have proved enormously popular with his supporter base, President Erdogan did not play the Hagia Sophia card at all. Fortunately, Erdogan also happens to be constrained by Russia, which would not tolerate the Hagia Sophia being turned into a mosque. On the contrary, Russia has repeatedly requested the cathedral be returned to the Orthodox Church, even offering to contribute funds and expertise towards its full restoration. This year Ramadan commences on 27 May, which in Turkey will be followed two days later by Conquest Day when Muslim Turks celebrate the fall of Constantinople to Ottoman forces on 29 May 1453. Hagia Sophia remains a live issue. Its conversion into a mosque would be far more than symbolic with profound implications for all Turkey's Christians. Please pray.

* INDONESIA (RLPB 401), where Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama has lost his bid to continue as Governor of Jakarta.

ELECTION UPDATE: Ahok (a popular and respected ethnic-Chinese Christian) had been the clear front-runner before Islamists started propagating the view that Sura 5:51 of the Qur'an teaches that Muslims must not elect non-Muslims as leaders. When Ahok made light of this, he was charged with blasphemy. This, plus several massive Islamist rallies, left Jakartans feeling intimidated and nervous. The new Governor of Jakarta is Anies Baswedan; the Islamists' choice. Ahok conceded with grace: 'Destiny is in God's hands,' he said. 'God gives power and God also takes it away.'

TRIAL UPDATE: On 20 April Chief prosecutor Ali Mukartono proposed that if Ahok is found guilty of blasphemy he should only be sentenced to two years' probation and a one-year suspended sentence. Testifying in court on 25 April, Ahok hit out at those who he claimed had propagated lies for political gain. He criticised the blasphemy law as unclear, dubious and open to exploitation.
The verdict is expected in early May.

* EGYPT (RLPB 402), where Islamic State has launched a campaign of violence against the Coptic Church. Forty-five died and many dozens were wounded on 9 April when suicide bombers struck a Coptic church in Tanta city and the Coptic Cathedral in Alexandria, where the Coptic Pope was addressing the believers. On 18 April Islamic militants failed in an attempt to breach the security at the iconic 6th Century World Heritage listed St Catherine's Monastery in South Sinai [RLPB 403].

Gamal Gabriel (16)
Found with his throat slit on 13 April

UPDATE: A Coptic youth was found brutally slain in Quai village, Beni Suef Governorate, Upper Egypt, on Holy Thursday (13 April). It is widely believed the killing was perpetrated to 'cast terror into the hearts' (Sura 8:12) of the Copts ahead of Easter.  Allam Bashay Gabriel told World Watch Monitor that he found his son, Gamal (16), with his throat slit and lying in a pool of blood. He could not think of any reason why anyone would want to kill his son. Noting, however, that the method of killing indicated it was an Islamic ritual slaying, Mr. Gabriel believes his son was killed purely because of his faith in Jesus. Also on 13 April, three homes belonging to Copts were torched while other Copts were intimidated and their homes stoned in Kom El-Loufy, Minya Governorate. It seems the Muslims were angry that the Christians had gathered for prayer. Though there is no church in Kom El-Loufy, the 1500 Copts who live there do have permission to gather for prayer. Nobody was arrested and all other gatherings planned for Easter were cancelled because of insecurity. Pray for the Church in Egypt.

* SYRIA (RLPB 402), where Christians living, worshipping and ministering freely in government-held areas watched nervously as the US launched cruise missiles at a Syrian air-base east of Damascus. As Syria's Christians are well aware, the jihadists are close and ready to pounce should the opportunity present itself.

* NORTH KOREA (RLPB 403), where a long-suffering Church watches on nervously as belligerent rhetoric escalates and geopolitical tensions soar. North Korean's long-suffering Christians yearn to be liberated, not annihilated.

APRIL 2017 ROUND-UP -- also this month ...

* KAZAKHSTAN: FINED FOR MEETING OVER EASTER

In the Central Asian state of Kazakhstan, unregistered religious activity is illegal and registration is difficult to get. A local organisation requires 50 adult male members in order to achieve registration, something virtually impossible in regional and remote areas, especially for non-Orthodox denominations. The law gives police the authority to fine groups and individuals without going through the courts. The churches raided on Easter Sunday were Baptist house churches -- one in Temirtau in the central Karaganda Region and another in Taraz in the southern Jambyl Region. The raids culminated in four Baptist leaders receiving hefty fines. Meanwhile, other Protestants had temporary bans placed on their worship and an Indian Protestant was deported. According to Forum 18, the raids are part of a 'new wave' of repression. Pray for the Church in Kazakhstan.

* NIGERIA: EASTER MASSACRE IN KADUNA

On the evening of Holy Saturday, 15 April, gunmen believed to be Fulani herdsmen attacked Asso village in Jema'a Local Government Area, in Kaduna State's Christian-dominated south. Shooting sporadically as they made their way through the village, the gunmen burst into a church where believers had gathered for an Easter vigil. At least 12 believers were killed and many more wounded. Though Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai extended his condolences and claimed to have ramped up security, many Christians suspect he may actually be complicit.  Pray for the Church in Nigeria.

* UGANDA: PASTOR TERRORISED IN EASTERN REGION

Christopher James Kalaja pastors the Agape Sanctuary International Church in Nakabale Village, Kaliro District, in Uganda's Muslim-dominated Eastern Region. Morning Star News has learned that on 27 March, a band of nine Muslims invaded Kalaja's property and, to shouts of 'Allah Akbar' (Allah is greater), hacked down the trees on his farm and tore down the church on his land. Kalaja, a married father of six, fled for his life. Though he reported the case to police, they launched an investigation only after he filed a legal case in the Budaka District Court. Kalaja has been leading the congregation of some 80 members for ten years and has been witnessing to Muslims for decades. Long the target of serious persecution, Kalaja believes the Muslims, who have already killed his mother and his livestock, are trying to drive him from the region. Uganda's radical, run-away and corruption-riddled decentralisation has left Christians in majority-Muslim districts exceedingly vulnerable to violent persecution. [An article on this is being prepared for Religious Liberty Monitoring.]

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Elizabeth Kendal is an international religious liberty analyst and advocate. She serves as Director of Advocacy at Canberra-based Christian Faith and Freedom (CFF), and is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology.

She has authored two books: Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today (Deror Books, Melbourne, Australia, Dec 2012) which offers a Biblical response to persecution and existential threat; and, After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding the Christian Crisis in the Middle East (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016).

See www.ElizabethKendal.com 

RLPB 232. Kazakhstan; and Central Asia's complex reality

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 232 | Wed 16 Oct 2013

Supporting International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
IDOP 2013: Sunday 3 Nov
See: Critical Prayer Requests (CPR)

KAZAKHSTAN; plus CENTRAL ASIA'S COMPLEX REALITY
By Elizabeth Kendal

Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev (aged 67 in October), a convert from Islam and pastor of Grace Church (Presbyterian) in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, was arrested in May 2013 after the mother of a church member accused him of making her adult daughter mentally ill. Charged with 'intentional inflicting of serious harm to health' -- essentially for praying for the sick -- Pastor Kashkumbayev was detained and sent for psychiatric assessment (see RLPB 223, 14 Aug 2013). Despite an international outcry, Pastor Kashkumbayev's detention in the Almaty City Psychological-Psychiatric Assessment Centre was twice extended. Other prisoners of conscience recently treated this way include the atheist blogger and anti-corruption campaigner Aleksandr Kharlamov (63), charged with 'inciting religious hatred' for criticising religion, and Zinaida Mukhortova (56), a lawyer deemed delusional after she filed complaints against a regional governor.

Forum 18, closely monitoring the case, reports that Pastor Kashkumbayev was transferred back to Almaty's Investigation Prison in September. Then after being released to house arrest on 8 October, he was immediately re-arrested on charges of 'extremism'. If deemed guilty, the pastor will face seven years in prison. 'Expert analysis' of the activities of Grace Church has labelled books found at the church 'extremist' and in breach of the law against inciting religious hatred and social discord. The authorities regard evangelical witness to be just as much a threat to peace and social cohesion as jihadist or revolutionary Islam because it creates problems they would rather not have. For the authorities, it is easier to deal with the problem of unwanted minority Protestants than with the problem of majority religious intolerance.

If the troublesome, witnessing Christian is a foreigner, the usual action is deportation. Vyacheslav (Victor) Lim (37) was deported in August 2013 on the grounds he had attracted eight administrative offences in eight years: traffic infringements, late payment of tax, failing to report travel, insufficient fire safety and the like. All fines were paid immediately, even those Lim disputed. Lim was accused of conducting 'illegal missionary activity' because he had been leading a local congregation of the Grace Protestant Church (Baptist) in Borovoe, north of Astana. He had been a legal resident for eight years with a residence permit valid to 2020; his wife and two children who left Kazakhstan with him were all Kazakh citizens. Kazakh human rights activist, Yevgeny Zhovtis, considers Lim was deported for his religious activities. He described it as a 'typical religious case' and a 'misuse of justice'. Russian Orthodox priest Fr Sofrony (Pyotr Yevtikheyev) was deported from Almaty Region around the same time for reasons of 'national security'. A Russian citizen, Fr Sofrony had been a legal resident since 1991. He was the priest at St Sergy's Church in the village of Tuymebayev. He also ran an orphanage there that cared for around 110 children and an aged care facility that was home to some 120 elderly people.

THE COMPLEX REALITY OF CENTRAL ASIA

Central Asia (MAP) has real and serious problems. Soviet-imposed borders continue to be a major cause of ethnic tensions and peace is tenuous. Islamic jihadist and revolutionary groups agitating for an Islamic state pose a real and serious threat. Poor governance marked by widespread corruption, human rights abuses and indifference to suffering has turned many Muslims against the government and towards groups such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir which present Islam as the solution. Whilst the laws against 'extremism' and 'inciting religious hatred' were designed to target the Islamic threat, they are routinely abused to intimidate disgruntled Muslims and persecute witnessing Protestants. That the West is seen to be siding with jihadists further complicates the states' relationship with Protestants. Protestants in Uzbekistan have long suffered harassment, repression, arrests and the confiscation of property. Also as noted by Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL, 4 October), the government in Kyrgyzstan has recently proposed tightening the administrative punishment (i.e. no trial necessary) for 'illegal missionary activity' and 'religious propaganda'. The proposed law would ban collecting tithes, the propagation of religion in educational facilities and religious conversions.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL --

* intervene on behalf of Pastor Kashkumbayev and end the persecution of him and Grace Church; may the Lord have mercy on this family and this fellowship of believers; may justice be done.

* intervene for Pastor Lim and provide him and his family with everything they need, particularly a secure place of refuge and a divine appointment where they can witness to the Lord's goodness. 

* intervene in Kyrgyzstan to stop the highly repressive, punitive and retrograde amendments to the religion law; may the Holy Spirit infiltrate any debate about religious liberty and use it to open eyes, minds and hearts.

* raise up righteous, wise leaders in Central Asia who will address the real and serious issues of ethnic tension, Islamic jihadist and revolutionary movements, corruption, poverty and hardship while upholding religious liberty and confronting religious intolerance.  (1 Timothy 2:1-6)

* empower great and effectual Christian ministry and witness in Central Asia; may the Holy Spirit bring transforming revival to Central Asia. 'Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!' (Psalm 126:5 ESV)

SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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KAZAKHSTAN AND CENTRAL ASIA'S COMPLEX REALITY

Pastor Kashkumbayev (66) of Grace Church in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, was arrested in May 2013 for allegedly harming health, ostensibly by praying for the sick. He spent months detained in a psychiatric facility before being returned to prison in mid-September. On 8 October Kashkumbayev was released to house arrest only to be re-arrested immediately on charges of 'extremism'. If deemed guilty he faces seven years in prison alongside Islamic 'extremists'. Islamic jihadist and revolutionary movements are a real and serious threat in Central Asia.  Anti-terror and anti-incitement laws intended to target the Islamic threat are being abused to intimidate the desperate masses and persecute 'troublesome', witnessing Protestants. Kyrgyzstan is proposing a law to ban missionary activity, religious educational facilities and religious conversion.  Please pray for the Church in Central Asia.

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Elizabeth Kendal is the author of
Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today
(Deror Books, Dec 2012)

RLPB 229. Sept Update, Incl. Pakistan, Refugees, Central African Republic, Kazakhstan, Laos, Morocco

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 229 | Wed 25 Sep 2013

By Elizabeth Kendal

PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN: 'LET TEARS STREAM DOWN' (Lamentations 2:18)

On Sunday 22 September, as some 600 worshippers were mingling at the close of the service, two Islamic militants armed with automatic rifles and grenades stormed All Saint's Church, Peshawar. After slaughtering many, they detonated their explosive vests, triggering two huge explosions that blasted shrapnel through the believers. The death toll, presently 89, continues to rise; more than 150 were wounded, many critically. The internet images are shocking and deeply moving.

Two different wings of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have claimed responsibility. A spokesman from TTP Jundullah claimed: 'They [Christians] are the enemies of Islam, therefore we target them. We will continue our attacks on non-Muslims on Pakistani land.' Later a spokesman from Junood ul-Hifsa claimed the attack was in response to US drone strikes. This was the most deadly terrorist attack on Pakistan's Christian community in modern history.

CONTEXT: The church massacre comes as the government is reportedly trying to broker peace with the Taliban. The Taliban opposes peace with the government on principle. Meanwhile, senior military figures see peace, which will involve a military withdrawal and the release of militant prisoners, as akin to surrender. It has also been mooted that the peace talks are a farce, designed to demonstrate the futility of peace talks. It is quite possible that Peshawar's Christians may have been sacrificed  -- the attack was permitted -- to legitimise military action and requests for military aid. Pray for the Lord of Hosts to encircle his Church.

In a short BBC news video a grieving father stands over the coffin of his 11-year-old daughter talking with the BBC reporter, who tells us, 'somehow he manages to talk of forgiveness'.

'My soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, "My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD." . . . But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mecies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."' (Lamentations 3:17,18,21-24 ESV)

Indeed, our hope must be in him.

[Six Bible Studies on the book of Lamentations can be found on Elizabeth Kendal's website.]

SEPTEMBER 2013 UPDATE -- During September we prayed concerning . . . 

* REFUGEES & PAKISTAN (RLPB 226), when prayer was requested for Rabeel, a Christian university student from Punjab, Pakistan, who had been betrayed by a trusted Muslim friend into the hands of Lashkar e-Toiba militants who tortured him mercilessly for three days. The family fled in January 2013 and has since been languishing in a refugee camp. Like most persecuted Christians, they have not been able to get police reports or medical reports to substantiate their case. [We thank God for the ministry of the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) and pray God's blessing upon them.] We also prayed for all persecuted Christians who struggle to get asylum for the same reasons. Christian Faith and Freedom (in Australia, where Rabeel's family has relatives) is lobbying to have this case expedited so Rabeel can receive the medical care he urgently requires. Please pray that God will expedite this case.

[Rabeel's relatives in Australia also had five relatives wounded in the Peshawar church bombing; one critically. In this global age, the pain of persecution is felt right around the world.]

* CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (RLPB 227), where a humanitarian crisis has been unfolding in this French-speaking predominantly Christian nation since its fall to Arabic-speaking Islamic militants in March 2013.

UPDATE: CAR's Evangelical Alliance has expressed concern that sectarian Muslim-Christian violence could increase. On 8 September pro-Bozize (deposed president) gunmen attacked and killed Muslim civilians in Bossangoa, northern CAR. Seleka, the ruling Islamic rebel coalition, then despatched troops who retaliated by attacking Christians, causing many casualties. This clash left some 100 dead, more injured and over 4500 displaced. Two unexploded grenades were subsequently found in Bossangoa's Catholic Cathedral. The president of the Alliance of Evangelical Churches in CAR, Pastor Nicolas Guerékoyamé, has appealed to all communities of the CAR 'not to yield to the temptation of interfaith divide'. Human Rights Watch has released a new report on CAR: 'I Can Still Smell the Dead', (18 September 2013). Pray for peace in CAR, as well as for justice and liberty.

* EGYPT (RLPB 228), where a cycle of violence is emerging: the Muslim Brotherhood militants attack the military government; the military cracks down with deadly force; Muslim Brotherhood supporters react against Coptic Christians. [For a more detailed report see Religious Liberty Monitoring (18 Sept 2013).] Pray for the Church in Egypt.


SEPTEMBER 2013 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .

* KAZAKHSTAN (updating RLPB 223).  Pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbaev of Astana's Grace Church (Presbyterian) was arrested on 17 May on charges of 'harming health' (essentially for praying over the sick). He was subsequently removed to the Almaty City Psychological-Psychiatric Assessment Centre with his detention extended until 17 September (RLPB 225). According to Forum 18, Pastor Kashkumbayev was transferred in early September, presumably back to Almaty's Investigation Prison, with his detention extended again to 17 October. Pastor Kashkumbaev's family and his congregation remain extremely anxious as nobody has any information as to his actual whereabouts or condition. Pray for Pastor Kashkumbaev and for the Church in Kazakhstan.

* LAOS: FAMILIES EXPELLED FROM VILLAGE OVER CHRISTIAN FAITH

Laotians who practise Asian traditional religion believe Christians anger the ancestral spirits, while the Laos government regards Christianity as a foreign religion that threatens social cohesion and national security and as such must be eliminated. On 30 August, village officials in Nongdaeng village, Borikhamsai Province summoned 11 Christian families (50 individuals) to recant their faith and return to traditional religion. The families all refused and on Sunday 1 Sept, they bravely worshipped together as usual, as is their constitutional right. This group has grown from 3 families to 11 families in six months, despite persecution. On 21 Sept, village officials in Huay village, Savannakhet province ruled that village Christians must renounce their faith or face expulsion. These Christians too have rejected the order and are claiming their constitutional right. Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF) is urging the Laos government to respect the constitution and punish officials who illegally issue Christians with eviction orders. Pray for the Church in Laos, and that God will bless the HRWLRF's advocacy. [Constitution of the Lao People's Democratic Republic]

* MOROCCO: EVANGELIST IMPRISONED FOR HIS WITNESS

On 3 September a court in Taounate, northern Morocco, found Mohamed El Baladi (33), a Christian for seven years, guilty of 'proselytising' and sentenced him to 30 months in prison. Morning Star News reports that Mohamed had been arrested only one week earlier and had not had time even to find legal representation. Under interrogation, Mohamed gave up names of other converts from Islam who are in no doubt Mohamed was tortured. His friends have since found a lawyer, Aababou Aderrazzak, who has launched an appeal and is pressing to have the appeal heard in Fez where it will be more difficult for local authorities to dominate and influence proceedings. Please PRAY about this. Since 2011 the government has been dominated by the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) which controls not only higher education and foreign affairs, but justice. Pray that God will overrule.

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Elizabeth Kendal is the author of
Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today
(Deror Books, Dec 2012)

RLPB 225. August Update, Incl. Syria, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Iran, Russia, Somalia

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 225 | Wed 28 Aug 2013

By Elizabeth Kendal

'And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.' (Matthew 28:20b ESV)

AUGUST 2013 UPDATE -- During August we prayed concerning . . . 

* SYRIA (RLPB 222), where Christians in the north face siege (in Aleppo) and ethnic-religious cleansing (across the north-east).

SYRIA UPDATES

REFUGEES: In the past couple of weeks, thousands have fled north-eastern Syria as violence escalates between Kurds and al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadists backed by Turkey. Christian ethnic Assyrians comprise around 30 percent of the population of north-eastern Syria, which is contiguous with northern Iraq's Nineveh Province. More than 30,000 predominantly Kurdish refugees arrived in northern Iraq from 15 to 20 August, joining the 150,000 refugees already being sheltered there. The exodus continues. The Kurdish Regional Government in northern Iraq describes what is happening in north-eastern Syria as 'genocide'. The UN High Commission for Refugees has said that the latest 'exodus' is 'among the largest we have so far seen during the conflict'. (report, includes video)

CENTRAL SYRIA: On Saturday 17 August gunmen shot dead 15 people -- mostly Christians, including women and children -- who were dining at a roadside restaurant in Wadi al-Nasarra, a region in central Syria known as the Valley of the Christians. The massacre happened on a road in Homs Province that links the two Christian villages of Ein al-Ajouz and Nasrah. Eleya Dhaher, archbishop of the Wadi al-Nasarra region, laments that the killings have reached the very heart of the Christian homeland. 'It seems . . . no area can enjoy peace,' he said.

ALEPPO:  Rebels have tightened the siege on Aleppo in retaliation of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) retaking territory in the south and centre. Sources report that Christians in Aleppo are growing despondent as they rapidly lose weight, health and hope. Those whose homes have been totally destroyed are now squatting in empty office buildings without amenities or food. Many fear that a rebel invasion is imminent. Last week five bus loads of Armenian Christians left Aleppo for the coast. Subsequently, rebels linked to the Syrian Islamic Front took control of the road to Aleppo, cutting SAA supply lines. Nobody knows what has happened to the Armenians. A Protestant pastor in Aleppo tells how his young son recently asked him when the rebels will come and kill them for being Christians. He says the men of the church are preparing for a rebel invasion and for death. He says Christians are greatly distressed and discouraged by the news that the US is preparing to strike, believing a US strike will advance the cause of jihadists and terrorists and hasten the demise of the Church.

DAMASCUS:  Reports recently emerged of an alleged chemical attack in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta. Previously, US president Barak Obama declared that if the Syrian regime was found to have deployed chemical weapons then it would have crossed a 'red line', triggering US intervention. While the US-led West is rushing to blame the Syrian regime of using chemical weapons, several points should be considered. Who stands to gain from this chemical attack? The SAA has been making great gains against rebel forces, so why would the regime risk everything by deploying chemical weapons against civilians? The chemicals used and the means of delivery are primitive rather than the hi-tech product one might expect from the mighty SAA. According to terrorism analyst Yossef Bodansky, it was in Ghouta that Syrian rebels recently denounced the jihadists and laid down their arms with around a dozen reportedly defecting to the SAA. Interestingly, al-Monitor reports that the Saudis have some 25,000 fighters in Ghouta fighting with the Liwa' al-Islam armed group. Peace activist Walid Shoebat has released video footage showing rebels deploying chemicals, seized chemicals from Saudi Arabia and rebels discussing the use of Sarin nerve gas. In May a member of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, Carla del Ponte, reported that her panel 'had not yet seen any evidence of Syrian government forces using chemical weapons', while there were 'strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof' that the rebels were using nerve gas. [Note that in asymmetric warfare it is normal strategy for the weaker party to use human shields and 'false flag' operations to create propaganda aimed at securing military aid from a stronger force.]
FOR more details see:
SYRIA: Who is deploying chemical weapons?
-- and the tactics of asymmetric warfare.
By Elizabeth Kendal, Religious Liberty Monitoring, 29 Aug 2013

The consequences of a US intervention on the side of the jihadis would be diabolical, catastrophic for Syria and the whole region (especially for the Church) and detrimental to global security. Furthermore, God will not tolerate the West lending its military might to forces whose agenda includes eliminating the Church from the Middle East. Pray that God will intervene.

* KAZAKHSTAN (RLPB 223), where a Protestant pastor has been arrested on a charge of 'harming health' (by praying with the sick) and has been sent to the Almaty City Psychological-Psychiatric Assessment Centre. Pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbaev of Astana's Grace Church (Presbyterian) has expressed concern that the authorities, who are shamed by negative international attention, might seek to whitewash the case by having him declared insane, when he knows he is 'psychologically healthy'. 

UPDATE: Forum 18 reported on 22 August that Pastor Kashkumbayev is still in Almaty Psychiatric Clinic undergoing 'tests'. His detention has been extended until 17 September. Please pray that God will protect and deliver Pastor Kashkumbayev and preserve his church in Kazakhstan.

* EGYPT (RLPB 224), where violence against the Church is escalating.

UPDATE: Terrorism analyst Yossef Bodnasky reports (Defense & Foreign Affairs, 7,2013): 'The Ikhwan [Muslim Brotherhood has] dispatched several leaders -- both religious and former military -- to Arab countries with strong jihadist traditions in order to recruit jihadist volunteers for the Ikhwan's "Free Egyptian Army" to fight the Egyptian military, reverse Morsi's ouster, and unleash a jihad against Israel and for the liberation of al-Aqsa. Algerian security officials warned that the Egyptian recruiters had already signed up a few thousand Algerian volunteers. Among the recruited Algerians are dozens of street leaders and commanders from the Algerian civil war.'

AUGUST 2013 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .

* IRAN: CONVERT SENTENCED TO TEN YEARS (updating RLPB 220) 

Mostafa Bordbar, a 27-year-old convert from Rasht, was arrested along with 50 believers on 27 December 2012 at a Christmas celebration in a private home in Tehran. He was detained in Evin Prison and Judge Pir-Abbas (the 'hanging judge') heard his case on 9 June. The judgment and sentence were released on 31 July. Bordbar has been found guilty of being part of an 'anti-security organisation' and of 'gathering with intent to commit crimes against Iranian national security'. He has been sentenced to ten years in prison. Pray for the Church in Iran.

* RUSSIA: FAITHFUL PRIEST FOUND MURDERED

Russian Orthodox Priest Fr Pavel Adelgeim (75), a gulag survivor who ministered in Russia's north-western Pskov region, died on 5 August from blood loss after being stabbed. His death was doubtless hastened by the reluctance of medical services to come to his aid. Fr Pavel was known as a 'dissident priest' because of his fearless criticism of the systemic corruption plaguing the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). Recently he outraged ROC elite by pointing out that what Pussy Riot had said about church corruption was actually correct; consequently, the church should reflect, humble itself and show grace rather than unleashing mechanisms of state power against them.  Upon hearing of Fr Pavel's death, Archdeacon Andrei Kuraev lamented: 'The last free priest of the Moscow patriarchate has been killed. Which one of the priests, who are married and employed, can now say publicly and not anonymously, "Master, you are wrong"'? Fr Pavel was stabbed to death by a young man from Moscow who had come to him seeking help. Over a thousand attended his funeral at the Church of the Myrrh Bearers, where he served for the last decades of his life. Whilst the incident is being written off officially as the random act of a mentally ill person [article includes photo], circumstances around the killing are mysterious, arousing suspicion. If (as some suspect) corrupt church officials are complicit in the assassination of a faithful dissident, then ROC corruption will become a religious liberty issue.
(translated articles can be found here)

SOMALIA: CHRISTIAN MOTHER OF TWO KIDNAPPED

Morning Star News reports that on 5 August Islamic militants (suspected to be al-Shabaab) abducted Shamsa Enow Hussein (28) and threatened her husband, Mohamed Isse Osman (31), because of their Christian faith. Osman, who has gone into hiding with their daughters aged three and five, has not heard anything from his wife since she was taken. Leaders in Somalia's underground Church confirm that Osman and his daughters are safe, but the family is greatly distressed and girls are constantly crying. Please pray that Shamsa will be freed and reunited with her family and that they will be safe. Pray for the gravely imperilled Church in Somalia.

RLPB 223. Kazakhstan: pastor victim of Soviet methods

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 223 | Wed 14 Aug 2013

KAZAKHSTAN: PASTOR VICTIM OF SOVIET METHODS

By Elizabeth Kendal

The population of Kazakhstan is 63 percent Turkic (mostly ethnic Kazakhs) and 31 percent Slavic (mostly ethnic Russians). It is 54 percent Muslim, 34 percent non-religious and 12 percent Christian (who are overwhelmingly Orthodox). Protestant fellowships are viewed with suspicion, derided in the media and targeted in policy as 'new religious movements' (cults) and 'foreign'. Religious liberty has been in decline for several years, in line with the loss of US influence. The treatment being suffered by several dissidents (including a Protestant pastor) indicates Kazakhstan is returning to Soviet-era methods of social control. The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, was appointed Prime Minister of the Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan in April 1990. He has continued on as President since the break-up of the USSR.

Lyazzat Almenova (34) is a member of Grace Church in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana. In July 2011 her mother alleged that her daughter had developed paranoid schizophrenia as a result of Pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev's religious services, an assessment confirmed in September 2012 by a state 'expert'. In October 2012 authorities launched a criminal investigation into Pastor Kashkumbayev (66) 'for causing considerable harm to the psychological health' of a church member. On 17 May 2013 Pastor Kashkumbayev was arrested, accused of violating Criminal Code Article 103, Part 1: 'Intentional inflicting of serious harm to health'.  In court, the prosecutor alleged that 'the crime was carried out by Kashkumbayev under the guise of carrying out charitable and religious activity by means of exerting psychological influence on church members, including using  stupefying substances with the aim of collecting gifts for the use of the association'.

Lyazzat Almenova, who has been subjected to forced psychiatric treatment by the state, told Forum 18 that Pastor Kashkumbayev is 'totally innocent and has not harmed my health at all'. In a letter to the Astana Prosecutor's Office, Almenova claims she is psychiatrically healthy and the psychiatric assessment conducted on her in September 2012 was conducted illegally; she appealed for the case against Pastor Kashkumbayev to be dropped. Likewise, other church members are adamant that Pastor Kashkumbayev has not done anything wrong nor has he harmed anyone. The 'stupefying substances' alleged to have been administered have turned out to be nothing other than the readily available red tea used by Grace Church as a non-alcoholic communion wine. With the case against Kashkumbayev falling apart, the authorities appear to be making moves to save face.

Astana Police Investigator Vyacheslav Glazkov has ordered that Kashkumbayev's detention be extended until 17 August so he can undergo further psychiatric assessments. On 19 July Pastor Kashkumbayev was transferred to Almaty City Detention Centre No. 2, from where he would be transferred to the Almaty City Psychological-Psychiatric Assessment Centre. Pastor Kashkumbayev protested, writing in a letter that, even though he does suffer many physical ailments, he knows he is 'psychologically healthy'.

Kazakhstan's use of forced psychiatric treatment on dissidents has drawn international condemnation. Kashkumbayev now fears that the authorities may move to whitewash his case by having him committed as insane. 'In order to make me mad they will inject me with special substances,' he writes. 'Because of this I announce [a] hunger strike and refuse to leave for the psychiatric ward.' Kashkumbayev's lawyer warned his client that this could be really dangerous but Kashkumbayev was unmoved. He has expressed the fear that 'it will not take much for the authorities to make me a vegetable', pleading, 'I am begging you to protect me.' Since he was forcibly moved to the Almaty Psychiatric Centre, Kashkumbayev's family and lawyer have not heard anything.

Prosecutor Alen Tlenchiyev confirmed to Forum 18, 'Kashkumbayev is charged with the serious crime of inflicting serious harm on the health of citizens. [He] prayed for the sick, and psychologically influenced [Church members] . . . [and] 'people's health was harmed as a total result of his actions.' Pastor Kashkumbayev's son, Askar, believes the police investigator is trying to find evidence that does not exist. 'He may also hope that my father will be diagnosed as mentally ill so he can close the case now that there is so much international attention to it.' As Forum 18 notes, this would allow the Pastor to be confined in a psychiatric hospital. 'Our only hope,' said Askar, 'is the support we can get from wider public and international community. The local news media publish materials against my father. It looks like the authorities are intent on punishing my father.'

(RFE/RL Photo)

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT --

* the ever-present Lord of Hosts will shield, protect and deliver Pastor Kashkumbayev.

'Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who do me violence, my deadly enemies who surround me. Arise, O Lord! Confront him [the enemy], subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, from men by your hand, O Lord, from men of the world whose portion is in this life.' (Psalm 17:7-8,13-14 ESV)

* the Lord, who does not approve of abuse and injustice (Lamentations 3:34-36), will intervene in Kazakhstan to reverse its slide into darkness. May Kazakhstan's citizens be awakened to reject and protest this shameful and dangerous regression.

* God will give Kazakhstan's Protestant and independent Christian fellowships great wisdom, courage and grace in these delicate and difficult days. May the Holy Spirit bless their gospel witness with effectual transforming power.

SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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PASTOR IN KAZAKHSTAN VICTIM OF SOVIET METHODS

Lyazzat Almenova (34) is a member of Grace Church in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana. In 2011 her mother made allegations against the church, claiming the pastor had caused her daughter to become 'schizophrenic'. After a state 'expert' confirmed the diagnosis, the police started investigating Pastor Kashkumbayev (66). He was arrested, accused of 'praying for the sick' and thereby 'psychologically influencing' church members so that their health is harmed. He is also accused of using 'stupefying substances' (which turned out to be the non-alcoholic red tea used in communion) to 'collect gifts' (church offerings) from members. With the prosecution's case collapsing, Pastor Kashkumbayev has been sent to the Almaty City Psychological-Psychiatric Assessment Centre. There are great fears for his well being there. Please pray for him, Kazakhstan and its Church.

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Elizabeth Kendal is the author of
Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today
(Deror Books, Dec 2012)

131. Oct Update; incl. Papua (Eastern Indonesia), Libya, Malaysia, Tunisia, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Somalia, Sudan

By Elizabeth Kendal

OCTOBER 2011 UPDATE -- During October we prayed for . . .

IRAN (RLPB 128), where repression is escalating and Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who has been sentenced to death for apostasy, awaits the 'opinion' of the supreme leader Ayatolla Ali Khamenei. Please continue in prayer. Any resolution will be posted to Religious Liberty Monitoring.

RUSSIA (RLPB 129), where proposed amendments to the Law on the Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organisations (1997) threaten to impact non-Russian Orthodox denominations negatively and significantly restrict religious freedom.

EGYPT (RLPB 130), where Copts are reeling from the 9 October Maspero Massacre, when Egyptian security forces attacked Coptic Christians (and sympathetic Muslims) who were peacefully protesting against religious discrimination. Twenty-six people -- mostly Christians -- were killed and over 300 were wounded as the army beat, shot and drove armoured vehicles into the protesters whom they abused as 'infidels' and 'sons of dogs'. The military has assumed control of the investigation. The Copts are the indigenous people of Egypt and the descendants of the Pharaohs. The Copts have been Christian for 2000 years. A full report is available on Religious Liberty Monitoring.


OCTOBER 2011 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .

* INDONESIA: DEATHS IN PAPUA (formerly Irian Jaya)

Some 5000 Papuans from across the Eastern Indonesian province gathered in Jayapura for the third Papuan Congress from 17 to19 October, its 50th anniversary. The Congress opened with prayers and included several church leaders amongst the speakers, including Rev Benny Giay, Rev Socrates S Yoman and Rev Yemima Krey. By 8am on 19 October the streets were lined with some 3100 military and police officers wearing full combat gear and holding assault rifles. Armoured vehicles and police trucks were also out in force. As in past Papuan Congresses (1961 & 2000), a declaration of independence was read and the Morning Star flag raised. The police responded by storming the Congress ostensibly to put down the 'coup'. More than 300 Papuans were arrested, dozens wounded and six killed. The Melanesian Christian Papuans seek an end to the racial-religious discrimination and persecution they suffer at the hands of Javanese Muslims and the Indonesian government. Please pray. (For extended reports, see Religious Liberty Monitoring: 26 Oct 2011 & 10 Nov 2011.)

* LIBYA: SHARIA TO RULE NEW LIBYA

On Monday 24 October, National Transitional Council leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil declared Libya to be 'liberated'. Operating free of any democratic constraints, Jalil also declared that the law against polygamy will be repealed (bad news for women), Islamic banking will be adopted (bad news for the economy) and Sharia (Islamic) Law will form the basis for all Libyan law (bad news for all who desire religious liberty). As has happened in Iraq and Afghanistan, any concession to religious freedom will be rendered void by the supremacy of Sharia which prohibits fitna (anything that could shake the faith of a Muslim), especially proselytism (Christian witness), blasphemy (criticising Islam) and apostasy (leaving Islam). Please pray for the Church in Libya.

* MALAYSIA: ISLAMISTS DEMAND END TO APOSTASY

On 3 August Islamic religious leaders and police raided the church of Pastor Daniel Ho, ostensibly to prevent 'apostasy'. Whilst Muslims were present, the meeting was actually a dinner for people involved in the church's welfare programmes, including single mothers and HIV/AIDS victims. The raid caused a stir in Malaysia. On Saturday 22 October an Islamist non-government organisation, with permission from the ruling Umno and police, held an anti-apostasy rally in Shah Alam on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. An estimated 5000 slogan-chanting Muslims attended, though the organisers had hoped for a million. BN-Umno (which rules, but with a greatly reduced majority) doubtless supported the event hoping to dragnet the Muslim vote. This can only embolden Malaysia's intolerant Islamist forces.

* TUNISIA: ISLAMISTS EMERGE VICTORIOUS

Tunisia's once-banned Islamist 'Ennahda' party has claimed victory in the first democratic elections of the 'Arab Spring'. Ennahda party officials have said they are prepared to form an alliance with two left-wing secularist parties, the Congress for the Republic and Ettakatol. Early results indicate that Ennahda will win more than 40 percent of the 217 seats. The anti-Islamist Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) will lead the opposition. Ennahda leader, Rachid Ghannouchi, recently returned from 22 years in exile in the UK. Prior to the elections, the formerly-banned party opened offices across the nation and flooded it with fliers, though where the funding came from is unclear. The Ennahda-dominated national assembly will have one year to draft a new constitution. Pray for tolerance and religious freedom to survive in the new Tunisia.

ALSO --

* KAZAKHSTAN: On 13 October President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed into law two amendments that will effectively repress all non-officially sanctioned expression of religion. The new laws came in to force on 24 October. (See RLPB 127, 29 Sep 2011).

* MALDIVES: Any lingering hopes for reform may be discarded as Maldivian authorities expel an Indian teacher accused of spreading Christianity after he was found with a Bible in his house. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs is signalling its intention to enforce fully the Protection of Religious Unity Act (1994) which bans the promotion of any religion other than Islam or any opinion that disagrees with Islamic scholars. This is the result when reformists hold power only by means of alliances with Islamists as it gives Islamists the balance of power, the most powerful position.

* SOMALIA: It was recently reported that Guled Jama Muktar, a 17-year-old Somali Christian, was kidnapped from his home and beheaded by al-Shabaab militants in Hudur City in south-western Somalia last month. After quickly burying their son, Guled's parents, also Christians, fled for their lives. Nobody has heard from them.

* SUDAN: On 12 October the president of Sudan, Omar el-Bashir, announced that Sudan will go ahead with plans to adopt an entirely Islamic constitution and strengthen Islamic law. Meanwhile authorities in Omdurman, on the Nile River opposite Khartoum, have threatened to demolish three churches in the Madinat al Fath area if they continue to conduct worship services. One Christian leader told Compass Direct News he fears that 'evil plans' are being directed against the churches and against Christianity in Sudan. The Islamic jihad continues in South Kordofan and Blue Nile where the SPLM-North is fighting for the survival of the Christians and non-Arabs of Sudan's 'new south'. Humanitarian corridors remain closed.

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Please join with multitudes around the world for International Day of Prayer (IDOP) for the Persecuted Church on 13 November 2011 .

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
(Psalm 121:1,2 ESV)