RLPB 499. April Update, incl. Indonesia, Sri Lanka, China, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Sudan

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 499 | Wed 24 Apr 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

'I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.' (John 16:33 ESV)

APRIL 2019 UPDATE -- during this period we prayed concerning

* INDIA (RLPB 496), where elections are currently under way, with the last of seven phases to take place on 19 May. Results will be announced on 23 May. Please pray for the Church in India and for a breakthrough against Hindutva.

* INDONESIA (RLPB 497), where elections were held on 17 April.

UPDATE: Counting to date indicates that Joko Widodo will win the presidential poll by a margin of around 10 percent. Despite this, Probowo Subianto is claiming victory and rallying his Islamist supporters, preparing them to protest if he is not declared the winner on 22 May. Analysts suspect that Subianto is inciting unrest so he might use his influence over the radical Islamists as leverage to secure seats in the cabinet for his Gerinda party. Meanwhile, Jokowi's running mate, the soon-to-be Vice President Amin Ma'ruf, is doubtless preparing to extract payment for the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) backing he provided which shielded Jokowi from Islamist attack and essentially got him over the line. None of this bodes well for Indonesian Christians. [See also Indonesia: from Pancasila to Islamisation, Religious Liberty Monitoring, 11 April.] Indeed, there is a real danger that, after the results are announced on 22 May, Indonesia's religious and ethnic minorities -- who voted overwhelming for Jokowi on 17 April -- might find themselves positioned as the objects of Islamist wrath. On top of that, they will also be forced to watch in horror as the NU agenda unfolds in parliament. Please pray for the Church in Indonesia.

* EASTER and the pivotal victory that Christ secured on the Cross. We prayed that the Church might be revived and emboldened to step out in faith to support the persecuted Church -- that we might be one that the world might believe (John 17:20-26). [See RLPB 498. Easter Reflection: A Redemptive Response to Persecution.]

EASTER CHURCH BOMBINGS IN SRI LANKA

Christians in Sri Lanka have long suffered at the hands of Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalists and even of Tamil Hindu Nationalists. However, the church bombings on Resurrection Sunday 21 April, perpetrated by a little-known Islamic terror group, were totally unprecedented. Muslims comprise only 9.7 percent of the population of Sri Lanka and, until now, fundamentalist Islamists have engaged in little more than menace. The six near-simultaneous bombings, targeting three churches and three hotels popular with foreign tourists, have so far claimed the lives of 359 people, including at least 45 children (CNN Live Updates) and left more than 500 wounded. Around half the fatalities occurred in these churches: the historic St Anthony's Church in Colombo, St Sebastian's Church in the neighbouring coastal resort town of Negombo and Zion Church (Protestant) in eastern Batticaloa.

For details see: Long War Journal

The bombings were carried out by nine Sri Lankan suicide bombers allegedly affiliated with National Thowheed Jama'ath (NTJ), which roughly translates as the National Monotheism Organisation. On 23 April Amaq News Agency released a statement in which Islamic State (IS) claimed credit for the Resurrection Sunday bombings. It also released a photo purporting to show the suicide bombers pledging allegiance to al-Baghdadi the day before the attack. According to the statement, Christians were the intended target because they are the ones who are at war with al-Baghdadi's Caliphate.

Whilst the IS spokesman did reference the New Zealand mosque attack, it was only to say that Muslims do not need an excuse to kill 'the mushrikin' (polytheists) -- on the contrary, it is their ongoing duty. [NOTE: IS deems Christians polytheists because of their doctrine of the Trinity.] Of course, neither Sri Lankans nor Christians had anything to do with the Christchurch attack, which was perpetrated by an Australian self-described atheist, ecofascist. If there is going to be genuine retaliation, then it is more likely to hit Australians at Gallipoli on Thursday 25 April (ANZAC Day). It would be foolish of IS to view Sri Lanka as a soft target.

Please pray for the Church in Sri Lanka; for those who are grieving, wounded and traumatised. Pray that God will redeem the situation for the good of Sri Lanka, to the benefit of the Church, and for the advance of the Gospel.

APRIL 2019 ROUND-UP -- also this month

* CHINA: CALLING ALL WILLING INFORMANTS

Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong Province, has become the first provincial capital in China to offer financial rewards to informants who report 'illegal religious activities'. Informants can earn between 5,000 and 10,000 yuan (US$1,500) for information that leads to the arrest of a non-Chinese religious leader, between 3,000 and 5,000 yuan for information that leads to the closure of a foreign religious group and between 100 and 3,000 yuan for information about locally organised unregistered (i.e., illegal) gatherings and their leaders. Ying Fuk-tsang, director of the Divinity School of Chung Chi College at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told South China Morning Post that the mobilisation of grass-roots officials and community groups for social control purposes, including cracking down on religious activities, is increasingly common. 'This will compress the survival space of house churches,' he said. 'Not only will they have to deal with the official crackdown but now also the threat from their neighbours.' Please pray for the Church in China.

* CUBA: A FRESH WAVE OF PERSECUTION RISES

In a referendum in February, Cubans voted in favour of amending the constitution to include modest reforms, to strengthen socialism, restrict religious liberty and pave the way for same-sex marriage. Because of its strong opposition, the Church was labelled counter-revolutionary' [see: RLPB 491 (27 Feb)]. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports that since then some of Cuba's largest Protestant denominations have been banned from receiving foreign visitors. During April, a number of pastors affiliated with the Apostolic Movement were cited and interrogated by the police. After 20 years of ministry, the Nazarene Church in Granma has had its land confiscated. On 18 April Rev Ramon Rigal and his wife Ayda Exposito -- who are home-schooling their children with the support of a Christian college in Guatemala -- were detained in Guantanamo and put on trial for refusing to send their children to a government-run school. [NOTE: All schools in Cuba are run by the socialist government; there is no alternative as teachers are expected to 'instil socialist values'.] Please pray for the Church in Cuba.

* MALAYSIA: PASTOR 'DISAPPEARED' BY POLICE FOR 'PROSELYTISING'

Documentary on disappearance
of Raymond Koh (14 Feb 2018)

Pastor Raymond Koh was abducted in broad daylight on 13 February 2017. The sophisticated operation -- conducted with military precision in less than one minute -- was caught on CCTV. No ransom demand was ever made and, instead of focusing on the crime, the police investigation focused on Koh's ministry and charity work among Muslims, work that had seen him accused of 'proselytising' and resulted in the family receiving death threats.

On 3 April the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) named the Malaysian police intelligence unit's Special Branch as the state actors responsible for the 'enforced disappearances' of Pastor Raymond Koh (64) and Amri Che Mat (45, a convert from Sunni to Shia Islam who was abducted on 24 November 2016 in a similar style to Pastor Koh). The investigation concluded that the men were 'disappeared' because of their religious activities. Pastor Koh's whereabouts and well-being remain unknown, as do the whereabouts and well-being of Amri Che Mat, and Pastor Joshua Hilmy and his wife Ruth Hilmy, who also disappeared in Malaysia in November 2016.

On Holy Saturday, Koh's wife, Susanna Liew, delivered a copy of the full Suhakam report [PDF] on the disappearance of her husband to the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), praying and hoping that by a miracle of grace, her husband might still be alive. Please pray for truth, justice and accountability. May Pastor Koh's family and the Hilmy family know the sustaining love and comfort of Christ.

*NIGERIA: INFANT DEDICATION CONCLUDES IN MASSACRE

They had been celebrating the
dedication of a child to God.
Morning Star News

On Sunday 14 April, Safaratu and her husband John Kabiru Ali dedicated their baby to the Lord in a special service in the Ruhaniya Baptist Church in Konshu-Numa village, Akwanga County in Nigeria's central, Middle Belt state of Nasarawa. Later in the day, as believers gathered for a celebration dinner, Fulani Muslim militants burst in and began shooting indiscriminately. Seventeen believers aged between 10 and 80-years died in the massacre, while eight others were wounded. The baby's mother is dead and its father is in a critical condition in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit. A funeral was held on Wednesday 17 April. Jacob Tantse told Morning Star News that 10 of those killed were members of the Ruhaniya Baptist Church; five were members of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ (ERCC); one was a member of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) and one was a musician who had been performing for the guests. Please pray for those who grieve, for the wounded and those who are traumatised. Pray for the imperilled Church across Northern Nigeria.

* SUDAN: CHURCH OFFICIALLY JOINS PROTESTS

While Christians have been participating (and dying) in the protests in Sudan since they commenced in December last year, the vulnerable and long-persecuted Church has refrained from taking an official position, deeming it simply too dangerous. As reported in RLPB 491 (27 Feb), the protests have been led by doctors and others from the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), an outlawed umbrella group of unions. Prior to the 11 April coup through which President Omar al-Bashir was forced out of power, the SPA issued a statement in which it urged the Church to join the protests. 'You have suffered sectarian and psychological restrictions for years … [and you are] without the right to worship freely… We invite you to raise your prayers and sing hymns for our country.' After the coup, the Church did just that and stood openly arm-in-arm with Sudan's repressed and persecuted as they called for equality, dignity, justice, peace and an inclusive, representative, civilian government. A local Christian source told Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) that 'when the protesters saw the Christians joining the demonstrations they were very happy. They were extremely excited to sing with us.' What is happening in Sudan is amazing and very promising; an answer to the prayers of many! However, it is unlikely that those in power will relinquish it easily. Please pray that God will insert himself into the process and blaze the trail for the benefit of Sudan, the Sudanese Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

-------------------------------------------------------------

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 421. August Update; incl. Vietnam, India, CAR, Philippines, China, Eritrea, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 421 | Wed 30 Aug 2017

by Elizabeth Kendal

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)

'Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence . . . From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.' (from Isaiah 64:1-4 ESV)

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

* VIETNAM (RLPB 417), where long-persecuted Protestant pastor and religious freedom advocate, Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh, had been released from prison on the condition that he and his religious freedom advocate wife Tran Thi Hong leave the county; and where internationally acclaimed human rights attorney and Protestant Christian Nguyen Van Dai (48) had been charged with 'carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the People's administration' under Article 79 of Vietnam's Penal Code.

UPDATE: Radio Free Asia reports that four members of an online democracy advocacy group, known as Brotherhood for Democracy (founded in 2013), were arrested on 30 July. The four have all served time in prison before, and all are connected to human rights advocate Nguyen Van Dai. Like Nguyen Van Dai, the four men -- one of whom is 'missing' -- have been charged with 'carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the People's administration' and could face anything from 12 years in prison to the death penalty if convicted. One of those arrested and charged is Protestant Pastor Nguyen Trung Ton (45).

* INDIA (RLPB 418), where Christians suffer escalating discrimination and violent persecution in line with the rise of Hindutva (Hindu nationalism with religious apartheid) and where the northern state of Jharkhand was considering enacting an anti-conversion law. The law had been approved by the cabinet of the Chief Minister on 1 August but had yet to come before the Legislative Assembly.

UPDATE: ANTI-CONVERSION LAW PASSED IN JHARKHAND
Jharkhand's 'Religious Freedom Bill 2017' was both introduced to and passed by the Legislative Assembly on 12 August. Under this law, anyone judged to have 'forced' another person to change their religion could face three years' imprisonment and fines of Rs 50,000 (US $800), or four years' imprisonment and a Rs 100,000 fine if the person converted is a minor, a woman or a member of the less-educated classes, such as Dalits. Furthermore, any conversion will require permission from the Hindu nationalist-dominated state government. While the law does not actually ban conversion, it hands anti-Christian forces a weapon with which they can persecute and prosecute Christians while reining in conversions. [Further analysis is available on Religious Liberty Monitoring (RLM) (2 Sept 2017).]

* CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (CAR) (RLPB 419), where Islamic militants, who are reportedly now 'more heavily armed than ever', continue to spread terror despite the presence of UN 'peacekeepers'.

UPDATE: Complaints continue to surface against the UN peacekeepers, in particular the Moroccans. According to Catholic priest Father Jean-Alain Zembi, rector of Zemio on the nation's border with Congo, UN peacekeepers have been abandoning civilians. Going further, others accuse the UN peacekeepers of 'complicity' in the terror. The supreme question of who is funding these 'heavily armed' Islamic militants remains unanswered. According to Catholic priest, Father Desire Kpangou, the attackers wore turbans and spoke neither French nor the local language, Sango, suggesting they had come from nearby Sudan. [For more on Sudan's involvement in CAR see RLM Nov 2013.] In a desperate plea for international assistance to disarm the militants, Father Kpangou declared, 'If you [the UN] don't come soon to disarm these people, we [the priests] will have to organise confessions and a final Mass and viaticum [final administration of the sacraments of Holy Communion before death] and prepare ourselves and the rest of the displaced people here for the worst.' May God intervene in CAR.

* PHILIPPINES (RLPB 420), where some 50 to 60 local and foreign Islamic militants were holding 46 civilians hostage in Marawi's Grand Mosque as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) closed in.

INSIDE 3 | AlHayat Media Center
http://ou7zytv3h2yaosqq.tor2net.xyz/35246
(copy and paste into browser)

UPDATE: On 20 August Islamic State's Al-Hayat Media Centre released a graphic and typically slick and powerful video entitled 'Inside 3'. In line with the Islamic State (IS) strategy of promoting an image of Islamic success, the almost seven-minute ¬English-language production includes scenes of young jihadis firing their weapons, desecrating a church and stepping around the bodies of dead AFP soldiers. The narrator boasts: 'After all [the government's] efforts [to subjugate Islam] it would be the religion of the Cross that would be torn down and broken.' And later: 'After soldiers of the Taghut (infidel government) were left ¬embarrassed and demoralised, [President] Duterte ran to his masters, the defenders of the Cross -- America, along with their regional guard dog Australia and begged them for help.' In reality, it is IS that is begging for help, pleading with Muslims across South-east Asia to come to Marawi and die fighting for Allah.

UPDATE ON HOSTAGES: On the morning of 24 August the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) seized control of Marawi's Grand Mosque. While it is a hugely symbolic victory, the militants had already fled and no hostages were found. Gun battles continue. On Sunday 27 August jihadist sympathiser Cayamora Maute (64), father of the notorious Marawi-based Maute brothers (who have led this rebellion) -- died in a government hospital. Arrested on 6 June, Cayamora Maute had diabetes, hepatitis and hypertension; police rushed him into hospital when his blood pressure shot up. The fact that he died in police custody could complicate the situation for the hostages. Please pray.

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

* CHINA: GAO ZHISHENG 'DISAPPEARED'

Gao Zhisheng (source)
in 2005 (left) and 2017 (right)

Internationally acclaimed human rights lawyer and devout Christian Gao Zhisheng ran afoul of China's communist regime as soon as he started advocating religious freedom and defending the persecuted. First arrested in 2006, Gao has spent many years in China's secret 'black jails' where he was tortured and forced to endure long periods of solitary confinement. After many threats, Gao's wife and children fled to the USA in 2009. Released from prison in 2014 in an appalling state [see RLPB 275 (27 Aug 2014)], Gao has since been under house arrest in his mother's cave house in Shaanxi Province, denied access to dental or medical care. When Gao's wife, Geng He, phoned him early on the morning of Sunday 13 August, nobody answered. When Gao's brother subsequently went to check on him, nobody was there. The Wall Street Journal has surmised that Gao may have been detained because he recently gave an interview to a Hong Kong magazine, or because the regime might be rounding up dissidents ahead of the 19th Party Congress due to be held this Fall. ChinaAid is urging the relevant authorities in China 'to help locate Gao's whereabouts' and asking the international community 'to pray for Gao's safety and freedom'.

* ERITREA: ANOTHER CHRISTIAN DIES IN CUSTODY

Fikadu Debesay had been arrested along with her husband on 17 May, during raids targeting evangelical Christians in the town of Adi Quala [RLPB 409 (31 May)]. Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports that the Christian mother of three died in Metkel Abiet, a desert camp in Eritrea's Northern Red Sea Region. A relative at the 10 August burial told Morning Star News that Fikadu's body showed signs of torture. Fikadu's traumatised children are amongst the more than 50 children currently without one or both parents because of these raids. The number of Christians detained in desert camps and military facilities since May has risen to 210. In July, 16 teenage Christian girls were arrested while doing their compulsory national service and sent to the Metkel Abiet camp. When family members tried to visit, they too were incarcerated. During the first week of August, a further 23 Christians were rounded up in the capital city, Asmara. Prison conditions are appalling and torture is routine. May God intervene in Eritrea.

* KENYA: SHAHADA OR DEATH IN LAMU COUNTY

On  Friday evening 18 August, al-Shabaab militants killed four Christian men in Kasala Kairu, Lamu County, on Kenya's coast near the border with Somalia. First the militants seized Changawa Muthemba (40s) from his home and dragged him to the home of his brother-in-law, Joseph Kasena (42), an elder in the local church. They then dragged Joseph and his guest, neighbour Kadenge Katana (17), out of the house. When Changawa, Joseph and Kadenge refused to recite the Shahaada (the Islamic statement of faith) the militants tied them up and hacked them to death with machetes. Joseph's wife, Caroline (late 30s), witnessed everything and is 'severely traumatised'. The militants then went to the home of Joseph's mentally challenged older brother, Charo (late 40s), and murdered him. It is well known that the al-Shabaab has established camps in Kenya's Boni Forest which borders Somalia. Furthermore, al-Shabaab militants and their sympathisers are reportedly 'deeply embedded' in the local communities of wider Lamu and Tana Counties where they 'move around freely' while the police do nothing. On 8 July Kenya's Standard reported: 'Last week, 150 Al-Shabaab gunmen prayed at a local mosque [in Lamu county] before launching an attack on the police station, dispensary and school.' This appalling situation requires urgent attention from the Kenyan government. Please pray.

* MALAYSIA: ISLAMISATION FOR POLITICAL GAIN

On 4 August the Malaysia Islamic Development Department (Jakim) established a special national-level committee called the Shariah Courts Empowerment Committee (JKMMS), tasked with 'empowering the shariah judicial system in line with the position of Islam in the Federal Constitution'. Then on 7 August the Malaysian government withdrew the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) (Amendment) Bill 2016, claiming a new version was required. The new version removes Article 88(A) which had protected children from forced conversion to Islam upon the conversion of one parent. The government has also banned more books promoting moderate Islam, on the grounds that they are 'likely to be prejudicial to public order' and 'likely to alarm public opinion'. In early August, when images went viral showing members of an atheist club enjoying fellowship, the government vowed to 'hunt down' atheists and warned anyone caught propagating godlessness could face prosecution. Analysts surmise that UMNO (the ruling United Malays Nationalist Organisation party) and its leader, Prime Minister Najib Razak, are advancing Islamisation ahead of the August 2018 elections to shore up Muslim votes. Pray for the Church in Malaysia.

* NEPAL: A FURTHER BLOW TO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

In September 2015, Nepali lawmakers passed a new constitution [RLPB 329 (30 Sep 2015)] which defined Nepal as a 'secular' state, while appeasing Hindu nationalists with the inclusion of anti-conversion measures [for details see: RLPB 321 (5 Aug 2015)]. On 8 August 2017 the Nepali parliament passed a bill criminalising religious conversion and the 'hurting of religious sentiment'. Clause 158 of section 9 bans the hurting of religious sentiment and is similar to Pakistan's blasphemy law. Clause 160 in section 9 severely restricts religious conversion and is similar to the anti-conversion laws in force in India. Christians fear it will foster intolerance and provide anti-Christian forces with a weapon to use against them. The law now awaits the approval of Nepal's President Bidhya Devi Bhandari. Tehmina Arora, an expert in human rights law, writes, 'The fundamental right to religious freedom includes the practice and sharing of a belief. The president should veto this new bill and allow her citizens to enjoy basic human rights'. Pray for the Church in Nepal.

* PAKISTAN: ANOTHER CHRISTIAN YOUTH ACCUSED 

Asif Masih (16), an illiterate and mildly mentally challenged Christian youth, worked as a scavenger in Gujranwala District, Punjab Province, scavenging through garbage for salvageable items that could be cleaned up, repaired and reused. On 12 August a rival scavenger named Muhammad Nawaz decided to remove Asif from the scene, so he accused him of having burnt a Quran. Before long a crowd had gathered and Asif was being beaten so savagely that when the police finally arrived he 'confessed' to the crime to save his own life. Asif is now in prison, accused of blasphemy.

* SUDAN: CHURCH UNDER PRESSURE

The Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC) in Omdurman (across the Nile River from the capital, Khartoum) continues to face extreme pressure from the Islamic Government of Sudan (GoS). Morning Star News reports that, on Wednesday 23 August, seven SCOC leaders were jailed and interrogated for six hours before being charged with refusing to comply with an order to turn over leadership of their congregation to a government-appointed committee. Among those detained was Rev Kwa Shamaal, head of missions at the SCOC, who was only released from prison in January this year [for background see RLPB 372 (24 Aug 2016)]. The harassment and persecution is all part of the expressed intent of GoS to rid Sudan of Christianity [see RLM March 2013].

* SYRIA: SEVEN CHRISTIAN FAMILIES RESCUED FROM RAQQA

Some 95 percent of Raqqa's Christian families managed to flee as the city fell to rebel forces in March 2013. However, when ISIS took control in January 2014, those who remained were trapped. On Tuesday 8 August two Armenian and five Assyrian Christian families were rescued from Raqqa by Christian fighters from the 200-strong Syriac Military Council (MFS; established in 2013), which is fighting with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Sawsan Karabidian (45), who was rescued with six members of her family, said, 'They [ISIS] forced us to wear the headscarf and allowed us to reveal our faces to distinguish us from Muslims. We had to hide our faces to avoid insults. We were forced to pay tribute [jizya/protection money] by hand and we were humiliated and insulted; what a homeland that makes you pay an additional tax because you are different.' MSF fighter Matay Hanna told reporters, 'Some say we are Christians and we must love everyone. But if we do that there will be no Christians left in the Middle East. We are Christians and should defend our people. We don't need another genocide against us; it's enough. ... We must defend ourselves.' The MFS fighters hope Christians will return to Raqqa. 'We will fix the church, or build a new church,' Hanna said. 'We will finish this mission, and let the people go back to their homes.' Pray for the Christians of Mesopotamia (Syria-Iraq).

* TURKEY: US PASTOR CHARGED WITH SPYING AND INSURGENCY 

Rev Andrew Brunson
World Watch Monitor

American Presbyterian Pastor Andrew Brunson was arrested in October 2016 [RLPB 389 (21 Dec 2016)] in the wake of July's alleged coup attempt which the Erdogan regime blamed on the US [see RLPB 367 (20 July 2016)]. Pastor Brunson and his wife, Norine, ministered in Izmir's Dirilis (Resurrection) Church and had lived in Turkey for 23 years. Jailed without charge, Brunson was eventually accused of being a member of a terrorist organisation. Now, World Watch Monitor reports that on 24 August 2017 the state-run Anadolu news agency confirmed that Brunson will now face charges of spying and insurgency with prosecutors demanding he receive four consecutive life sentences in prison. Pastor Ihsan Ozbek, who leads Turkey's Association of Protestant Churches, denounced the charges as 'absurd'. It has long been suspected that Turkey will seek to exploit Brunson to broker a prisoner swap with the US. Please pray.

-------------------------------------------------------------

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 282. Malaysia & Indonesia. In Malaysia 'defending Islam' guarantees impunity. Plus: Update on the battle for Indonesia.

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 282 | Wed 15 Oct 2014

------------------------------------------
Supporting International Day of Prayer (IDOP) for the Persecuted Church
IDOP 2014: Sunday 2 or 9 Nov.  See: Critical Prayer Requests (CPR) 
-------------------------------------------

MALAYSIA: 'DEFENDING ISLAM' GUARANTEES IMPUNITY
Also: The battle for Indonesia (Update)

By Elizabeth Kendal

Little inflames Malaysia's Muslim fundamentalists more than the fact that Malaysian Christians use the word 'Allah', even though it is just the Malay word for God, adopted from Arabic centuries ago. The issue has gained traction in recent decades as Malaysian Muslims have radicalised, as Malaysia has gradually Islamised and, most critically, as Muslim politicians in this democracy have exploited the issue for political gain.

A seven-year legal battle over the use of the word 'Allah' culminated in June 2014 when Malaysia's highest court dismissed an attempt by Christians to have the October 2013 ban overturned. Therefore it is now official: Christians are banned from using the word 'Allah'; it belongs to Islam. As Sudanese-born British writer Nesrine Malik remarks, 'The ban is less about religion than about putting minorities in their place, subordinating their status to that of Muslims.' Indeed, it is little more than an act of religious bullying. The other issue that inflames Malaysia's Muslims is the usual Muslim grievance about Muslims leaving Islam for Christianity. The language issue plays into this, as it is used as grounds to ban Malay-language Bibles.

Perkasa's Ibrahim Ali

Tensions rose in January 2013 after it was revealed that Malaysian Christians had been distributing Bibles outside a secondary school in Penang. At the time, the word 'Allah' was not restricted, so the Bibles were legal, as was the evangelism. Despite this, the president of the Malay Supremacist organisation Perkasa, Ibrahim Ali, commented on the matter at a press conference, saying: 'Muslims must unite to protect their religion. They must seize those Bibles, including the Malay editions, which contained the term Allah and other Arabic religious terms, and burn them. This is the way to show our anger against disrespect to our sensitivity.'  A police investigation was launched to see if Ibrahim Ali had breached the Sedition Act or the Penal Code, in particular Section 298 which criminalises uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings, or Section 505 which criminalises uttering statements that could cause public mischief.

On 8 October 2014 the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department responsible for law, Nancy Shukri, confirmed that the police and the Attorney General's office had concluded that Ibrahim Ali would not be charged with anything because -- and this is where it gets dangerously convoluted -- 'he only meant to defend the sanctity of Islam'. The Christian Federation of Malaysia was quick to point out the problem with this ruling, warning that in viewing threats to burn the Bible as acts in defence of Islam, the government was giving 'free rein to other extremists to do likewise, not just to Christians but to any other religious community that is not Muslim'. By no logic, it said, could 'a call to violent action, [such as] desecration of a sacred text, be considered defensive'. The ruling establishes a dangerous precedent: defending the 'sanctity of Islam' guarantees impunity.

UPDATING The Battle for Indonesia (Updating RLPBs 268 & 271 of July 2014)

On Monday 20 October Joko Widodo (known as 'Jokowi') will be inaugurated as President of Indonesia. The election of this 'new breed' outsider has caused the 'old guard' political elite to go quite apoplectic. The 'old guard', who rose to power during the Suharto dictatorship, is not used to seeing its monopoly on power challenged. With the inauguration looming, the attacks on Jokowi and on Indonesian democracy have begun in earnest. Exploiting their majority in parliament, the 'old guard', led by Prabowo Subianto (who lost to Jokowi in the presidential election), has already passed a law returning Indonesia to indirect elections for mayors and governors. This way the political elite, not the citizens, will elect Indonesia's mayors and governors. Direct elections were introduced only in 2005, and Jokowi is the first 'new breed' politician to gain office via that process.  Now the 'old guard' has said, 'Enough!' Indonesians are outraged by this attack on their democracy. The opposition has called for the inauguration to be delayed as they launch a corruption inquiry against Jokowi. The 'old guard' will do everything it can to restrain and ultimately remove Jokowi, and to ensure that no 'new breed' politician challenges its monopoly on power again.

Meanwhile, several hundred members of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) marched on Jakarta's City Hall on 24 September. They were protesting against the incoming 'infidel' and 'devil' mayor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (known as 'Ahok'), the ethnic Chinese Christian directly elected as deputy mayor of Jakarta under Jokowi. While that protest was generally peaceful, but the FPI returned on 3 October and rioted, leaving 16 police officers wounded. The FPI insists that Sharia Law does not permit a Christian to rule over Muslims [e.g. Qur'an, Sura 4:141 'God will not let the unbelievers triumph over the faithful']. Ahok said he was not surprised by the FPI protest and vowed not to be intimidated by their intolerance. 'They are only a small group who have yet to accept me,' he said. 'Everyone else has.'


PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL --

* roll back Malaysia's rising tide of Islamisation; may he raise up voices to say 'No!' to injustice and intolerance, while opening eyes, ears, hearts and minds to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in which there is hope not only for individuals, but for nations.

'He [the Lord Jesus Christ] will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.' (Isaiah 42:4 ESV)

* bless the Church in Malaysia with divine wisdom as she navigates the language issue that essentially renders all Malay-language Bibles illegal; may Jehovah-jireh (the Lord our provider) provide the Malaysian Church with all her needs.

* bless, protect and preserve Jokowi (president of Indonesia) and Ahok (governor of Jakarta);
  * may Jokowi survive politically as president to press through reforms -- to ease suffering in Papua and to rein in Islamic intolerance across the archipelago; may God use Jokowi for his purposes.
  * may Ahok (a Christian) survive; may no violent hand be permitted to touch him and may God use Ahok for his purpose and for his glory.

'[The Lord] is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.' (Psalm 144:2 ESV)


SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE 
-------------------------------------------------------------
TROUBLES STIR IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA

Two rulings in Malaysia have serious implications for the Church. In June 2014 the Supreme Court dismissed the Christians' appeal against the ban on Christians using the word 'Allah' (the Malaysian word for God). This ruling effectively makes all Malay language Bibles illegal. On 8 October the government confirmed that the head of a Malay-supremacists organisation who called for Malay language Bibles to be burned would not be charged because he was only defending the 'sanctity of Islam'. This ruling establishes a dangerous precedent of impunity. Please pray for the Church in Malaysia. In Indonesia, Jokowi (new reformist president of Indonesia) and Ahok (new Christian governor of Jakarta) are facing intensive opposition from the Suharto-era political establishment and from Islamists. Please pray for Indonesia and its Church.

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

RLPB 221. July Update, Incl. Malaysia, Egypt, Central African Republic, Eritrea, India (the Afghan Church) and India (Madhya Pradesh)

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)

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 Hindu 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 essentially 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 -- including the closing of Farsi-speaking fellowships and the imprisonment of converts from Islam -- is continuing under the new president, Hassan Rouhani. 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.' [Full text of the letter.] 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.  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 a 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, as well as 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 'ghar vaspi': i.e. '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.

---------------------------------------

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

RLPB 218. Egypt: Islamic wrath falls on the church

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 218 | Wed 10 Jul 2013

EGYPT: ISLAMIC WRATH FALLS ON THE CHURCH;
plus update on Malaysia

By Elizabeth Kendal

On Wednesday 3 July the Egyptian military ousted the country's first democratically elected President, Mohamed Morsi, and placed him under 'house arrest'. Tanks moved into Cairo, the Parliament was dissolved and the Constitution was suspended. Whilst the military ousted Morsi in pursuit of its own interests, it did so under the cover of anti-Morsi protests, all but guaranteeing that Morsi's civilian opponents will suffer the reprisals. No soft target so clearly represents opposition to Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) as the Coptic Church, making it exceptionally vulnerable. The Coptic Pope compounded this vulnerability when he blessed the coup and supported the suspension of the Constitution. On Friday 5 July MB leader Mohamed Badie addressed a gathering of tens of thousands of justifiably enraged Islamists outside the Rabaa al-Adweya Mosque in Nasr City, Cairo. He slammed the Coptic Pope, condemned the coup and called on Muslims to rise up and not stop fighting until Morsi was returned to office.

UPPER EGYPT: On Wednesday 3 July Islamists in Minya Governorate attacked the evangelical church in el-Saleh, injuring two. In Delgia village dozens of Christian homes were looted at gunpoint and burned by Muslim rioters chanting anti-Christian slogans. Delgia's Coptic Church of St George was set ablaze. The priest survived only because his Muslim neighbours pulled him out of the inferno through a hole he'd made in the roof and gave him refuge. Most Christians have now fled the area. Further south in Qena, Islamic rioters attempted to attack the main Coptic cathedral but were repelled by the military. The rioters then looted and ransacked Coptic homes and businesses. Most Christians have now fled this area. On Saturday 6 July Christians in the village of Nag Hassan in Luxor Governorate came under attack from a Muslim mob; four people were murdered and three others injured while 16 Coptic homes and businesses were torched. The Church of the Virgin Mary was also attacked; most Christians have now fled this area too.

MEDITERRANEAN COAST: On 3 July the military repelled Muslim rioters who were stoning the Church of Holy Virgin in the coastal resort city of Marsa Matrouh, 240km west of Alexandria. On 9 July gunmen opened fire on the Mar Mina Church in Port Said (at the mouth of the Suez Canal); no casualties were reported.
 
SINAI: On 4 July at least two explosions were heard in the Israeli city of Eilat on the Red Sea. Remnants were found of a Grad rocket believed to have been fired by jihadists in the Sinai, Egypt. On 5 July the military opened fire on Morsi supporters who were demonstrating during Friday prayers in the coastal city of el-Arish, North Sinai, wounding at least 21. Jihadists immediately retaliated, expelling the military and raising the black flag of al-Qaeda. Salafi jihadist group, Salafiyya al Jihadiyya, slammed the 'crime' and announced the formation of a new group, Ansar al Sharia in Egypt, which it said was acquiring weapons and preparing to fight.  The next day, gunmen on a motorbike shot dead a Coptic priest, Mena Aboud Sharoben (39), as he was walking through the Masaeed area in el-Arish.

JUST THE BEGINNING: Whilst the military may have ousted an Islamist President, dissolved a Muslim Brotherhood-dominated Parliament and suspended an Islamised Constitution, these actions have actually increased the risk to Egyptian Christians. Military violence -- such as the army's firing on pro-Morsi demonstrators in Cairo on Monday 8 July, killing 51 and wounding more than 300 -- is only further inflaming the situation. The coup will serve to radicalise many MB supporters, especially as Islamic groups from Tunisia to Somalia are citing the coup as proof that democracy does not work and that Islam can be established only by the bullet not the ballot. Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Zawahiri (an Egyptian) has ominously warned: 'The battle in Egypt is far from over, it has only just begun.'

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL --

* pour out his Holy Spirit abundantly on the Church in Egypt, so that the fears of Christians would be calmed and so they will   trust the Lord for their every need.

'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)

* shield, protect, sustain and deliver all who look to him in faith.

'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. I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfils his purpose for me.' (Psalm 57:1,2 ESV)

* use the present troubles to awaken Arabs not merely to the fact that Islam is not the solution, but to the truth that the solution and empowerment for transformation are found in Jesus Christ.

SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
------------------------------------------------------------------
ISLAMIC WRATH FALLS ON THE CHURCH IN EGYPT

Egyptian Islamists are justifiably furious that their democratically elected President Morsi has been ousted in a military coup effected under the cover of anti-Morsi protests. The Coptic Church is clearly a soft target amongst the opposition to Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, making it exceptionally vulnerable to Islamic reprisals. Since the 3 July coup churches have been attacked in the cities of Marsa Matrouh and Port Said on the Mediterranean coast, as well as in al-Arish, North Sinai, where a Coptic priest was assassinated. In Minya and Luxor Governorates, Upper Egypt, many churches have been attacked, four Christians killed and dozens of Christian homes and businesses have been looted and torched by Islamic mobs chanting anti-Christian slogans. Hundreds of Christian families have fled. Please pray for the Church in Egypt.

------------------------------------------------------------------

MALAYSIA UPDATE

RLPB 217 (3 July 2013) called for prayer against the Administration of the Religion of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 which would permit the unilateral forced conversion of minors. Praise God: on Friday 5 July, the Cabinet agreed to withdraw the Bill so that it might be reviewed by Cabinet. Groups that have protested the Bill are calling on the government to amend related laws that contain the same wording. Meanwhile, Islamic leaders who maintain that 'there is no need for both parents to consent to their children's conversion if one of the parents has already embraced the Islamic faith' are calling on Muslims to rise up and unite in defence of Islam. Pray that the government will have the courage to protect human rights and implement the law in the face of Islamic challenges.


RAMADAN commenced on 9 July and will run through to 7 August. Please pray for Muslims during Ramadan. For resources, visit 30 Days

-----------------------------------------------------------------

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

RLPB 217. Malaysia: move to legalise forced conversion of minors

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 217 | Wed 03 Jul 2013

MALAYSIA: MOVE TO LEGALISE FORCED CONVERSION OF MINORS

By Elizabeth Kendal

In early 2009 there was an outcry in Malaysia after three children born to an Indian Hindu couple were converted to Islam by the father without the mother's consent after he converted to Islam. At that time, the Cabinet discussed the case and decided that the children of an estranged couple should remain in the 'common religion of the parents at the time of their marriage'. In Malaysia, Cabinet decisions are essentially unwritten laws that civil servants are obliged to implement. Despite the April 2009 Cabinet decision, Islamic officials have continued to convert minors at the request of one parent, without the consent of the other. For example, in April 2013 an estranged husband, who converted from Hinduism to Islam in prison, secretly took his two children aged 5 and 8 to an Islamic Centre where they were officially converted to Islam and given Islamic names. When their Hindu mother sought redress she was told that because her children were now Muslims she would have to go through the Sharia courts. Believing that to be futile and possibly even dangerous, in early June she opted instead to lodge a complaint with the police. This case triggered a fresh outcry when it was exposed in the media. [Note: in Islam, the Islamic State determines and manages a person's religion; it is not a matter of personal freedom.]

In Malaysian politics, a draft law or 'bill' is discussed and approved by the Cabinet before it is submitted to the Parliament. Yet on Wednesday 26 June a bill permitting the unilateral conversion of minors into Islam went to the Parliament without first going to the Cabinet. If passed, the Administration of the Religion of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 will replace the 1993 Act. This bill would further Islamise Malaysian law by mandating that a minor may be converted to Islam by 'his parent' (singular). The bill employs the same language as the Constitution (Article 12(4)). However, Article 160(1) of the Constitution clarifies that the Constitution is to be interpreted according to the 'Eleventh Schedule' which states: 'words importing the masculine gender include females'; and 'words in the singular include the plural, and words in the plural include the singular'. As such, it has always been understood that where the Constitution says 'his' it includes 'her' where relevant, and where it says 'parent' it may be interpreted as 'parents' where both parents are alive.

Because the bill bypassed the Cabinet it was introduced into Parliament without any scrutiny from the Cabinet's non-Muslim members, leaving non-Muslim MPs feeling betrayed and marginalised. Malaysia is 50 percent ethnic Malay and 60 percent Muslim, but a significant proportion of those Muslims would be nominal or secular. The government was wrong if it thought it could get passage of this bill by stealth, for the bill has caused an outcry, particularly amongst Malaysia's non-Muslims. Despite this, the government is standing firm. On 1 July Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin insisted that the bill would proceed despite it being contrary to the April 2009 Cabinet decision, maintaining it is based on the Constitution, court precedents and present realities.

The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) has slammed the 'stealthy' tabling of the bill. As MCA vice president Gan Ping Sieu notes, 'It contains controversial provisions that affect the constitutional and religious rights of the non-Muslim. This will seriously and irredeemably affect the religious harmony and national unity of our country.' According to the Malaysian Bar Council President, Christopher Leong, the unilateral conversion of minors is unconstitutional. Roman Catholic Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing comments: 'I understand this amendment contravenes a decision by the Cabinet announced on 23 April, 2009 that a single parent cannot convert a minor. If so, this would not be the first time that the Cabinet is overridden by civil service functionaries -- the main drivers of creeping Islamisation in this country.'

It is not uncommon to find non-Muslims (including nominal and backsliding Christians) converting to Islam for personal gain: in particular, men converting to Islam so they can take another wife. If passed, this bill will legalise the forced conversion of non-Muslim children. And as the bill states (Article 99): 'From the moment of his conversion, a mualaf (convert) becomes subject to the same duties and obligations as any other Muslim.' For the sake of vulnerable children, we must pray against this bill.

'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.' (Jesus: Matthew 19:14 ESV)

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT ---

* the Spirit of the Lord will arouse passionate indignation in all Malaysians who treasure personal liberty and the fundamental human rights of children, so that this bill will not pass and the loopholes will be tightened to protect vulnerable children from Islamic mischief.

* God will halt the Islamisation of Malaysia and that the Malaysian Church looks to the Lord of Hosts who has promised to be 'strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate' (from Isaiah 28:5-6 ESV).

* our faithful Lord Jesus Christ will establish justice for all Christian children and parents who have been robbed through Islamic mischief, not only in Malaysia, but in Egypt (where it is also uncommon) and throughout the Islamic world.

----------

Ramadan commences on 9 July and will run through to 7 August. Please pray for Muslims during the 30 days of Ramadan. For resources, visit 30-Days.
-----------

SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
------------------------------------------------------------------
MOVE TO LEGALISE FORCED CONVERSION OF MINORS IN MALAYSIA

On 26 June a bill that would further Islamise Malaysian law went to the parliament. It provides that a minor may be converted to Islam by 'his parent' (singular) without the consent of the other parent. Thus a parent who (for whatever reason of self-interest) has converted to Islam could get their children registered as Muslims. (Christian parents and children suffer this mischief throughout the Islamic world.) The government was wrong in thinking it could get the bill through by stealth as it has caused an outcry, particularly amongst non-Muslims. May the Malaysian Church, amidst all this, look to the Lord of Hosts to be her strength. Please pray against this bill, for the sake of Malaysia, its children, the Church and all others vulnerable in this situation.

------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

----------------------------

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)

040. January Update; Incl. Algeria, Indonesia, Nigeria, Vietnam

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 040 | Wed 27 Jan 2010

JANUARY 2010 UPDATE -- During the month we prayed concerning . . .

YEMEN, where the security of Christians (most of whom are expatriate and refugees) and Yemeni Jews is threatened by sectarian conflict (Sunni v Shi'ite Muslims).


MALAYSIA, where nine churches suffered arson attacks after a High Court ruled that Malaysian Christians may continue using the Arabic word 'Allah' for God.

* UPDATE: Two more churches have been attacked since, as has the office of the lawyers who represented the Catholic newspaper, Herald Malaysia, in the 'Allah' case. Last year the Home Ministry seized eight CDs belonging to a Christian woman from Sarawak because they used the word 'Allah' in their teachings of Christianity. The woman, Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, is challenging the seizure. The case will be heard on 15 March.


EGYPT, where Muslim thugs fired an automatic weapon into a crowd of Coptic Christians as they emerged from St John's Church in Nag Hammadi, killing six youths. Whilst the government has arrested and charged the culprits, reportedly around 100 Coptic youths have also been arrested, possibly with the aim of corrupting the trial. It has also prevented human rights, democracy and religious liberty advocates from visiting Nag Hammadi.

* UPDATE: The government is claiming the massacre at Nag Hammadi was not religiously motivated but that it was a criminal attempt or even a foreign conspiracy to discredit and destabilise the government. The government's aim is to depict itself as the intended victim (not the Coptic Christian community) while portraying politically inspired terrorism as the culprit (not Islam-inspired violence). Thus the government would save face and be relieved of having to deal with the problems of Islamic intolerance and impunity along with escalating persecution of Christians. If the problems are not dealt with, persecution will continue to grow. Egypt's Christians greatly need our prayers.


JANUARY 2010 ROUND-UP -- Also this month . . .

* ALGERIA: 'LIGHT' UNDER ATTACK IN TIZI OUZOU
'. . . a faintly burning wick he will not quench . . .' (Isaiah 42:3b ESV)

In November 2009 Algerian authorities notified the 300-strong 'Tafat' ('Light' in Kabyle) Fellowship in Tizi Ouzou (100km east of Algiers) it would have to close. Though the fellowship is affiliated with the Protestant Church of Algeria and so legal, they meet in a residential property and not a dedicated religious site, thus violating the 2006 religion law. On 26 December 2009 members of the Tafat church were prevented from attending their Christmas worship service by a large group of Muslims blocking the road. The mob ordered the believers home and ransacked the church, destroying books, musical instruments, furniture and ripping the cross from the wall. Then on 9 January the Muslims returned and torched the church. Whilst Pastor Mustapha Krireche is relieved the attacks have not been more serious, he is frustrated by the authorities' continued unwillingness to extend protection.

As in Egypt, the government claims that because Islam is (supposedly) inherently tolerant and peaceful, the violence must be due to other factors: political opponents out to discredit or destabilise the government; foreign conspiracies; or Christian evangelism that provokes justifiable negative responses.


* INDONESIA: CHURCHES BURN IN NORTH SUMATRA

On Friday 22 January a mob of some 1000 Muslims burnt down two unlicensed Protestant churches and a pastor's home in Sibuhuan village, North Sumatra. Though the churches have operated there since 1982, local authorities had ordered they be dismantled. Reports indicate Christians are having increasing difficulty in getting licences for churches. Islamic intolerance is escalating and violence is becoming more frequent. Though over 270 Christians have reportedly fled Sibuhuan, the authorities say the situation is 'under control'. According to The Jakarta Post (27 January) nobody has been arrested because the police do 'not want to take action that might trigger more problems'. Police Chief Subandriya told the paper: 'Our job is to ensure this case does not develop into a serious racial or religious conflict.' Pray that Indonesia's constitutional religious liberty will be respected and upheld.


* NIGERIA: ETHNIC-RELIGIOUS CONFLICT RETURNS TO JOS

Jos, the capital of Plateau State, is an ethnic-religious 'fault-line' city in Nigeria's volatile middle belt. Ethnic-religious conflict erupts periodically, usually over Islamisation or migration, issues that are frequently related. Instead of dealing with the issues, politicians routinely exploit them for political gain. Disputes between 'indigenes' (generally Christians) and 'immigrants' (generally Muslims) always risk developing into warfare with ethnic-religious gangs targeting each other's communities and symbols in defence of their tribe. With tribal identity and religious affiliation inseparable, churches are prime targets. However, any attack on an Islamic symbol risks a declaration of jihad echoing across the country. Last week's violence in Jos claimed around 500 lives and left some 17,000 people displaced. Details are still emerging. Several churches were reportedly destroyed. News of a massacre of Muslims in Kuru Jantar could cause immense trouble for Jos's Christian community. 'Blessed are the peace-makers.' (Matthew 5:9a)


* VIETNAM: UNDER SIEGE IN DONG CHIEM

Ever since the parish of Dong Chiem was established over 100 years ago on the southern outskirts of Hanoi, it has owned the land at the top of the hill. Since 1944 the hilltop site has been a cemetery, marked by a large cross. However, the Communist authorities reject the concept of private property and maintain that all land belongs to the State. On 6 January Vietnamese police blew up the cross. Five local Catholics who erected a new bamboo cross on the site were arrested. Police then sealed off the area with roadblocks while state-run media went to work disseminating anti-Catholic Communist propaganda. A group of Catholic university students managed to scale the back rockface undetected and planted dozens of small crosses there. More troops were sent in. When freelance journalist JB Nguyen Huu Vinh tried to get photos on 11 January he was seized and bashed by police. On 20 January, Redemptorist brother Anthony Nguyen Van Tang (36) when trying to visit the parish was also seized by police and savagely beaten, leaving him unconscious and bloodied. On Sunday 24 January thousands of Vietnamese Catholics attended prayer vigils outside St Joseph's Cathedral in Hanoi and the Redemptorist Monastery in Ho Chi Minh City.

------------------

* ELSEWHERE: more converts to Christianity have been imprisoned in Iran; more Christians have become the victims of targeted killings in Iraq and Somalia; and more churches have been attacked in Karnataka, India. The Body of Christ is suffering.

-----------------