RLPB 721. November 2023 Update, incl. Nigeria, Mali, Middle East & South Caucasus, Nepal

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 721 | Wed 29 Nov 2023
RLPB is published weekly to facilitate strategic intercessory prayer.

View RLPB archives at Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog.
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NOVEMBER 2023 UPDATE & ROUNDUP
By Elizabeth Kendal

ANNOUNCEMENT

Two separate health issues have meant that 2023 has been, for me, a very difficult year. Both issues will require attention into 2024.

I have come to accept that, after 24 years and roughly 1,250 religious liberty prayer bulletins, the time has come to retire the weekly Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin (RLPB) ministry. While I know I will continue to read, research, and remain engaged, I also know I need to stop writing – at least for a season (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

I will keep the www.ElizabethKendal.com website live, developing it and adding to it as I am able.

I will also keep my religiouslibertyprayer Instagram account live, using it to: (1) facilitate intercessory prayer for the persecuted Church; (2) share information that is relevant to suffering Church issues; (3) encourage and promote prayer as integral and indispensable to Christian and Church life; and (4) publish any personal announcements/news I might wish to make.

The RLPB and RLM archives will remain on-line for research purposes at:
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin
https://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com/
Religious Liberty Monitoring
https://elizabethkendal.blogspot.com/

Next week’s RLPB 722 (6 Dec 2023), will be the final RLPB.

Until then, every blessing to you
Elizabeth Kendal

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UPDATE: DURING NOVEMBER 2023 WE PRAYED CONCERNING

BURKINA FASO (RLPB 718, 8 Nov), as Islamic terrorists aligned with al-Qaeda and Islamic State retain control of around 40 percent of the country. The capital Ouagadougou is gradually being encircled, its critical transit routes imperilled and cut. At least 46 locations are totally besieged, leaving Christians trapped, persecuted and totally cut off from the outside world. Violence is escalating. Aid to the Church in Need’s interview with Fr Pierre Rouamba, the prior-general of Missionary Brothers of the Countryside (FMC), is a must-read! We must not forget our brothers and sisters in Burkina Faso. Please pray!

UGANDA (RLPB 719, 15 Nov), after recent convert Hajara Namwase (32) was dowsed in gasoline, and set alight as punishment (likely an attempted honour-killing) for leaving Islam. The perpetrator – her Muslim husband Musa Kalele (42) – fled to South Sudan, leaving their three young children in the care of his mother. Originally from Budaka in Eastern Region, Hajara is receiving specialised burns treatment in Kampala. Please pray!

NIGERIA (RLPB 720, 22 Nov), to praise and thank God that, after 28 months as a hostage to Muslim terrorists in Kaduna, Treasure Ayuba (now aged 14) had escaped from his captors and found his way home ‘in answer to the prayers of many’ (2 Corinthians 1:11). Treasure’s liberation inspires us to persevere in prayer for the 100 (of 276) ‘Chibok girls’ who, after being abducted in April 2014, remain missing to this day; and for Leah Sharibu (now aged 20). Abducted in February 2018, Islamic State jihadists retain Leah as a ‘slave’ precisely because she insists on remaining Christian. Lord have mercy! We also lamented the loss of two ECWA pastors slain by Muslim militants in mid-November. Please pray for the traumatised and imperilled Church in Northern Nigeria.

UPDATE to RLPB 717, Blasphemy in Bauchi, 1 Nov 2023
- Mrs Rhoda Jatau to remain in jail.

On Monday 27 November the Bauchi State High Court threw out the No-Case Submission put forward by advocates defending Christian healthcare worker, Rhoda Jatau; with bail denied, she remains incarcerated. Rhoda Jatau has been held in detention since May 2022 for forwarding a video in which a Ghanian Christian convert (from Islam) condemned the mob lynching of Christian student Deborah Emmanuel (triggered by a vexatious accusation of blasphemy). As noted in RLPB 717: ‘Human rights attorney Solomon Dalyop Mwantiri told TruthNigeria (17 Oct) that if, on 27 November, the No-Case Submission is successful, then Mrs Rhoda Jatau would be acquitted and released in what would be a great win for religious freedom in the country. However, if the submission is rejected, then Jatau could remain in jail indefinitely.’ The ruling bodes ill for Christians across Northern Nigeria. Please pray for Mrs Rhoda Jatau and her family; may the Spirit of God sustain and comfort them; may our sovereign Lord deliver justice.


NOVEMBER 2023 ROUND-UP – ALSO THIS MONTH

* MALI: ABDUCTED PRIEST IS RELEASED
Update to RLPB 704, Mali: Catholic Priest Abducted …seven and a half months missing, 2 Aug 2023.

Released: Father Ha-Jo
(via Aid to the Church in Need)

After twelve months in captivity, Reverend Hans-Joachim Lohre (66) is free! The German priest, affectionately known as Father Ha-Jo, had been abducted in Bamako on Sunday 20 November 2022. While circumstances of the release remain unclear, the release was reportedly negotiated directly by the German government. On Sunday 26 November 2023 the terrorists released Father Ha-Jo into the hands of Malian authorities, who delivered him into the custody of German representatives who immediately placed him on a special flight to Germany. [It is quite possible that the jihadists had demanded the priest’s removal from the country (after more than 30 years of ministry) as one of the conditions of his release.] Praise and thank God that Father Ha-Jo is now free. Pray for a breakthrough against jihadists in Mali. Pray for Mali’s imperilled Church.

* MIDDLE EAST AND SOUTH CAUCASUS
Update to RLPB 702, Christian Crisis in Azerbaijan and Iraq, 19 July 2023.

Webinar, 14 Nov 2023
Watch on YouTube

On 14 November, Melbourne School of Theology’s Arthur Jeffery Centre held a webinar on the topic: ‘How the Current Middle Eastern Conflicts Affect Local Christians’, with Dr Mark Durie and special guest Elizabeth Kendal. After Dr Durie spoke on the history of Muslim-Christian relations in the Middle East and the reality of dhimmitude (a state of subjugation under Islam – something everyone needs to understand) I was able to share my concerns for Christians across the wider region. I am particularly concerned that escalating conflict in the Palestinian Territories could trigger hostility against churches in Jordan and Egypt; and that, should war spread to Lebanon and Syria (as appears likely), it could spell the end of remnant Christian communities there.

I am also concerned that war in the Middle East could act as a smokescreen for ethnic cleansing elsewhere: specifically of Assyrians in Iraq and of Armenians in Transcaucasia (the South Caucasus). From the west and the east, Turkey and Azerbaijan have their eyes on Armenia’s southernmost province of Syunik. Turkey’s President Erdogan dreams of creating a pan-Turkic Middle Corridor as part of China’s Belt & Road Initiative. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev claims Syunik – and much of Armenian territory – is historically Azerbaijani, referring to it as ‘Western Azerbaijan’. In September we witnessed the ethnic cleansing of Armenians out of Nagorno-Karabakh (land they have inhabited for millennia) [RLPB 712 (27 Sep)]; will Syunik be next? [See ElizabethKendal.com / Global Persecution / Transcaucasia.] 

Even more existential is the threat in Iraq, where a final solution to drive the Assyrian remnant out of the Nineveh Plains (the historic Assyrian heartland) is well underway. In recent weeks Iran-backed Shi’ite militias have escalated their attacks against US military bases and forces. If war returns to Iraq, only God himself will be able save Iraq’s remnant indigenous Assyrian Christians. [See RLPB label/Iraq.] Please pray!

* NEPAL: THE BATTLE FOR NEPAL HEATS UP
Update to RLPB 710, The Battle for Nepal, 13 Sep 2023

Pro-monarchy rally, Kathmandu, 23 Nov 2033
Free Press Kashmir (25 Nov)

On Thursday 23 November tens of thousands of Nepalis marched through Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, demanding the restoration of the Hindu monarchy and Nepal’s status as a Hindu state. They clashed with opposition Communists who, while also demanding the removal of the government, are totally opposed to a return of the bad-old-days of Hindu monarchy. They also clashed with police who were forced to resort to batons and tear gas to restore order. The pro-Hindu monarchy sentiment is driven by mass disaffection with the political process which has resulted in political paralysis, devastating corruption, soaring unemployment and galloping inflation. Furthermore, Hindu nationalists are desperate to arrest the rapid growth of Christianity in the country. On Friday 24 November tens of thousands of Nepalis thronged the streets of Jhapa in Nepal’s far southeast to see King Gyanendra unveil a statue of King Prithvi Narayan Shah, the founder of modern Nepal. With more events and protests planned in which violence is anticipated, security is being ramped up across the country.

Pastor Keshab Raj Acharya with his wife, Junu.
via ADF International

The popular shift towards Hindu monarchy and Hindu nationalism bodes ill for the Church in Nepal; we must expect persecution to escalate. In this context, the precedent set by a recent court decision further elevates the risk the Church faces. On 30 November 2021 a court deemed Pastor Keshab Raj Acharya (35) guilty of proselytising and sentenced him to two years in prison and a fine (reduced on appeal to one year in prison). On 6 October 2023 the Supreme Court dismissed Pastor Acharya’s second appeal without affording it any consideration. He now awaits a call to present himself to prison. 

Many fear the imprisonment of Pastor Acharya could trigger a flood of accusations of ‘proselytism’ or ‘forced conversion’ – without evidence. In Pastor Acharya’s case, witnesses told the court that the pastor did not ask them to convert, but only gave them tracts, which they read and discarded. Pastor Acharya and his wife Junu lead the 250-member Abundant Harvest Church in Pokhara, Nepal’s second largest city after Kathmandu, 200 km to the east.  Junu, dreads the day her husband is summoned to prison. She lamented to Morning Star News (15 Nov): ‘What can I do when that day comes, except pray? I must take care of the church as well as my children and provide for them.’ Fortunately, we do know that God hears, loves and has power to save. Please pray for Pastor Keshab Acharya and his family, and for the Church in Nepal.

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Elizabeth Kendal is an international religious liberty analyst and advocate for the persecuted Church. The Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin (RLPB) is a donor funded ministry. To support this ministry visit www.ElizabethKendal.com

Elizabeth 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). She is also an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology.

For more information see www.ElizabethKendal.com

RLPB 508. June Update, incl. Eritrea, Sudan, Iraq-Syria, Azerbaijan, Niger, Nigeria

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 508 | Wed 26 Jun 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

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31 ESV)

JUNE 2019 UPDATE -- during this period we prayed concerning:

click on map to enlarge

* ERITREA (RLPB 505), where a Christian crisis persists 12 months after Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a 'declaration of peace and friendship' and declared the 'state of war' over. Eritrean dictator Isaias Afwerki has long justified his brutal, repressive, totalitarian rule by citing the 'state of war' with Ethiopia. Hopes that peace would lead to an improvement in human rights are proving vain. In May more than 170 Christians were arrested in three raids across Asmara. Whilst around 50 were subsequently released, incarcerated Eritrean Christians continue to suffer inhumane conditions and brutality that routinely includes torture.

UPDATE: REGIME RETALIATES AGAINST CATHOLIC CHURCH

BACKGROUND: Eritrea is roughly 50 percent Muslim and 42 percent Orthodox, 3.4 percent Catholic and 1.3 percent Protestant Christian. Repression is severe and persecution is brutal; even religious groups that are legal are not actually free. In April 2019, to mark the first Easter since the declaration of peace with Ethiopia, Eritrea's Catholic Bishops wrote a 'Pastoral Letter' entitled 'An appeal for peace and national reconciliation.' In it they thank God for the reconciliation between Eritrea and Ethiopia, remember those who have died or who remain in prison because of their faith in Jesus Christ and lament the fact that thousands upon thousands of mostly young Eritreans continue to flee the horrendous human rights situation in the country. 'Reconciliation and peace,' note the bishops, 'are based on truth, justice, respect for human rights and freedom of people and communities.' This, they insist, is 'the plan of God for this nation and for this people whom He loves...'. They call for the establishment of a National Commission for 'truth and reconciliation', explaining that 'Reconciliation and mutual forgiveness are the inescapable prerequisites for the birth of a social order full of peace and tranquillity.' The letter, which is truly beautiful, concludes with this prayer: 'May the Lord bless our country and keep her, turn his face towards us and give us peace; let the light of his Resurrection shine on us.'

CLINICS SEIZED: In early June, the government of President Isaias Afwerki seized control of 22 medical clinics belonging to the Catholic Church. After closing the clinics and sending their employees and patients home, the regime deployed soldiers to stand guard. While the government does run health clinics, they are less accessible and of a lower standard than the Catholic-run clinics that serve many thousands of poor Eritreans. In a letter dated 13 June, the Church protested, describing their clinics as a 'labour of love' that contribute to nation-building. According to BBC Tigrinya journalist, Teklemariam Bekit, many analysts believe the government has closed the clinics to retaliate against the Catholic Church for its Easter 'Pastoral Letter' in which its bishops called for reforms to stem the tide of migration to Europe. Please pray.

* SUDAN UPDATE (RLPB 505), after the regime's infamous Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had crushed protests calling for a 'New Sudan' that is proudly multi-ethnic and multi-religious, without Arab chauvinism, Islamic Sharia or military rule. At least 100 protesters were killed and more than 100 wounded, including medics who were beaten and raped by RSF militiamen for treating the wounded. Comprised of Sudanese Arab mercenaries, the RSF (originally known as the Janjaweed, or 'devils on horseback') was commissioned by former president Omar al-Bashir for genocide in Darfur. The RSF is a rebellion-crushing killing machine; it is not a police force. Its commander, 'Hemeti', is the Deputy Head of the ruling Transitional Military Council and probably the most powerful man in Sudan. Having joined the protests and aligned itself publicly and officially with the protesters, Sudan's Church is in a very vulnerable position [RLPB 502 (15 May)]. Please pray.

* INDIA (RLPB 506), where the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had secured re-election and even increased its majority through a social media campaign unprecedented in its sophistication and its toxicity. After analysing data, the BJP customised an enemy for every group which they then 'microtargeted' with messages through Facebook and WhatsApp. When Christianity is presented as an existential threat for which Hindu nationalism is the only solution, Christian persecution will only escalate. Please pray.

* IRAQ-SYRIA (RLPB 507), where the Christian crisis is far from over; indeed the next stage of conflict is just beginning.

UPDATE: WHO CAN WITHSTAND THE IRANIAN SURGE?

source (pdf)

As noted in my book, After Saturday Comes Sunday, who falls is less important than who rises (p117) ... and the rising power in the Middle East today is revolutionary Iran! The Battle for Mesopotamia (Iraq-Syria) is a battle between Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia, i.e., the Turks, the Persians and the Arabs (who are divided between pro- and anti-Muslim Brotherhood factions). All the various jihadists and militias are mere proxies of these regional imperialist powers, each of which has ruled over Mesopotamia at various times in their history.

Now that the proxy war is coming to an end and Saudi Arabia (on the verge of collapse) is essentially out of the race, who can withstand the Iranian surge? In northern Iraq, where Assyrian lands in the Nineveh Plain are being devoured by Shi'ite proxies of Baghdad and Tehran, the Christian crisis is catastrophic and on-going. But in Syria, where Russia (secular and stabilising) and Iran (sectarian and destabilising) are clashing over their visions for post-war Syria, a window of opportunity is opening. Can the West and Russia co-operate to secure a free and secular Syria not imperilled by Iranian belligerence? US-Russia-Israel talks are underway in Jerusalem as I write. Success will require an abundance of unbiased strategic thinking and level-headed wisdom. Can Iran be convinced to back off and temper its ambitions? Whilst it seems unlikely, miracles do happen! Please pray for that miracle, and for the gravely imperilled Church in Iraq, Syria and the wider Middle East.

JUNE 2019 ROUND-UP -- also this month

* AZERBAIJAN: CHRISTIAN COUPLE HIT WITH MASSIVE FINES

click on map to enlarge

Baptists Safqan and Gulnar Mammadov and their two small children live in Qaraguna Village on the western outskirts of Shirvan, 130km south-west of the capital Baku. To support his family, Safqan works in neighbouring Georgia. On 4 June the couple lost their appeal against massive fines imposed on them after they fell foul of Azerbaijan's harsh Administrative Code which bans the storage, sale or distribution of religious literature not bearing the 'control mark' which signifies state approval. In February, after receiving a complaint, the police interrogated Gulnar and raided the couple's home, seizing 106 items of Christian literature. In December the couple hosted a New Year's celebration in which treats and state-approved religious literature were gifted to the children. For being found in possession of unapproved religious literature and for hosting a 'religious gathering' without state approval, Safqan and Gulnar must each pay the equivalent of more than three months' average wages. Please pray that God our Heavenly Father will richly bless the Mammadovs, provide all their needs and encourage their hearts; may the Lord protect and build his Church in Azerbaijan.

* NIGER: CHURCH TARGETED AND INSECURITY ESCALATES

click on map to enlarge

(1) Security forces in Niger foiled three terror attacks on the weekend of 1 & 2 June. Forces were on high alert, having received warnings from foreign embassies that terror attacks were likely ahead of Eid el fitr (4 June), which marks the end of Ramadan. On Saturday 1 June five terrorists were arrested near the international airport in the capital, Niamey, which is in the west, about 100km east of the border with Burkina Faso. Then on Sunday 2 June two terror attacks were foiled in Niger's eastern Diffa region, which borders north-east Nigeria's Borno State. Four terrorists were killed near a major fuel depot belonging to Nigerian Petroleum Products Company, while a suicide bomber and his guide were arrested outside the Vie Abondante (Abundant Life) Church. They were also equipped with a firearm and ammunition for maximum carnage. Police were able also to uncover a cache of weapons and explosives. While we thank God that these attacks were thwarted, we are nevertheless reminded that terrorists have the Church in their sights.

(2) On 7 June a Christian woman from Kintchendi Village in eastern Niger's Diffa region was abducted by Islamists. Three days later she was released bearing an ultimatum: 'You have three days to go or you will be killed.' The Christian association of Niger is urging Christians in the rural areas of Diffa region to seek sanctuary in Niamey. Several families have already fled the area. Also, on the night of 15-16 June, Muslims in Maradi -- Niger's third largest city -- held a demonstration to protest the arrest of a prominent local imam. During the night, some protesters set fire to the local Protestant church -- the Assemblies of God church in Zaria district -- which was totally destroyed. Catholic sources report that violence against Christians has been escalating in that area; a violent attack on 13 May left parish priest Fr Nicaise Avlouké wounded in one hand and leg. As insecurity escalates across the Sahel, the Church is increasingly coming under attack. Please pray.

* NIGERIA: CHRISTIAN CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE BELT

On 12 June Nigeria celebrated its inaugural 'Democracy Day'. A number of African Heads of State travelled to Abuja to celebrate Nigerian democracy with President Muhammadu Buhari, despite Buhari's re-election being secured through massive fraud. In contrast, not one single Nigerian former Head of State attended, just as they did not attend Buhari's inauguration on 29 May. Four more years of Buhari misrule will be devastating for Nigeria, especially for the Christians of the North and Middle Belt. These Christians are threatened not only by Islamic terrorism, but by classic Islamic jihad, comprised of ethnic cleansing and colonisation, through which the Fulani herdsmen are securing territorial expansion. Please pray.

KADUNA: On 17 June Muslim Fulani herdsmen attacked two villages in Kauru Local Government Area (LGA), south-east of Kaduna City in Kaduna State, killing four. In one attack, more than 200 armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen invaded the predominantly Christian village of Ungwan Rimi in a 'commando-style' raid, shooting indiscriminately. Three children were killed, others were wounded. Fulani herdsmen also attacked the predominantly Christian village of Kikoba, killing one and kidnapping a Christian woman named Asabe Deme. Sources told Morning Star News that a total of 93 houses belonging to Christians had been torched, while farms and crops were also destroyed.

PLATEAU: Also on 17 June Muslim Fulani herdsmen attacked two villages in Riyom LGA, Plateau State (which borders southern Kaduna), killing nine. In Kangbro Village, three Christians were killed while 185 homes and two churches were burnt: a Catholic Church and a church belonging to ECWA (Evangelical Church Winning All). Six Christians were also killed in a neighbouring village where at least 54 homes were burnt. 

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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 326. Christian Crisis in the Middle East

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 326 | Wed 09 Sep 2015

CHRISTIAN CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
By Elizabeth Kendal

In any conflict, explains Australian author Denis Dragovic, the wealthy are the first to flee. Then, as life becomes intolerable, the middle class flee across borders into camps where they wait in hope that the fighting will end and they will be able to return to their homes and businesses. When the fighting doesn't end, they seek alternatives, including the services of people smugglers. 'In the case of Syria ... ,' says Dragovic, 'we are now in that last phase.' Lacking resources, the poor have little choice but to stay and watch their children grow up traumatised, brutalised and without stable education. When peace comes, says Dragovic, the fighters are rewarded with top jobs while the traumatised poor have little to offer, making reconstruction virtually impossible. At this point the protagonists -- neo-Ottoman Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, al-Qaeda and ISIS -- will doubtless fight to fill the void.

Like many analysts, Dragovic maintains that a more sustainable solution is to 'better resource the front-line countries, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, while putting pressure on Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states to accept asylum applications'.

[Despite fuelling the conflict, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Arab states have taken in ZERO Syrian (Arab Sunni Muslim) refugees.]

political cartoon by Carlos Latuff

A Europe struggling with demographic decline might hope to benefit from an influx of skilled migrants. However, the mass inflow of an alien culture brings with it huge risks. Parallel societies will consolidate and racial-religious tensions will escalate. This will most certainly end badly. Muslims (generally) are aware of Muhammad's alleged prophesy that Islam would first conquer Constantinople, the capital of eastern/Byzantine Europe, (which it did in 1453) and then Rome (the capital of western/Latin Europe). Islamic fundamentalist ideologues and militants are certainly aware of it and doubtless are deliberately hastening it.

Australia has promised to take more refugees, specifically family groups belonging to 'persecuted minorities in camps'. On one hand, it is very exciting to hear it finally acknowledged that Christians are facing an existential threat. Muslim, human rights and Opposition groups are rejecting the policy as 'discriminatory', which is untenable as Arab Muslims are clearly not facing elimination. The policy is needs-based. On the other hand, the Australian and UK commitment to only take refugees from camps is problematic, for, as Lord Carey recently pointed out, the Christians are generally not in the camps. This has long been the case -- the camps are simply too dangerous for religious minorities. Consequently Christians seek refuge in monasteries, churches and Christian schools. From there, most either share rental properties or are billeted out to local Christian families. Thus the local church carries the burden, not the UN. The global Church needs to share this load and send aid to the churches that are caring for refugees, but only through recognised Christian agencies.

Whilst multitudes of Christian youths and families are understandably desperate to leave the Middle East, their pastors and priests are understandably desperate for them to stay. 'The almost communal wave of youth emigration, especially in Syria, but also in Lebanon and Iraq breaks my heart, wounding me deeply and dealing me a deadly blow,' laments Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorios III. 'Given this tsunami of emigration ... what future is left for the Church? What will become of our homeland? What will become of our parishes and institutions?' he asks as he appeals to Christians to stay. Many Christian leaders believe the temptation to flee must be resisted, as the Christian exodus only serves to facilitate the Islamic agenda of a total religious cleansing of the Middle East. But Christians will only stay if they are secure.

In Syria, Christians are only secure in the 20 percent of the country still under government control. Instead of taking directions from regional powers Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran -- all state sponsors of terror -- the West should prioritise protecting minorities and working in their interests, so that Christians might be safe in Christianity's historic heartland. To do that, the West might need to swallow its pride and talk to Assad and to Russia. Ever since the Crimean War (in the 1850s) the Islamic powers of the Middle East have exploited their geo-strategic position and played the West off against the East to advance their own ends. Ever since the Crimean War the West has backed Muslims at the expense of persecuted Christians. Surely the time has come for the West to be astute, identify the real enemy and put an end to this ruse, for the sake of imperilled Christians.

The Christian crisis in the Middle East is existential. Of course Christian families should be rescued, but the greatest need of all is for a safe haven in the Middle East where Christians can preserve their heritage and culture and worship freely while educating their children in liberty and security. Around the time of World War One, as the Ottoman Empire unravelled, Assyrians sought to establish an independent free Assyria. [This story is now being told through the film, 'A Man Before his Time: The Unsung Story of Freydun Atouraya.'] More recently the appeal has been for an autonomous region in the ancient Assyrian homeland of the Nineveh Plain. Each appeal has triggered a massacre and today most Western politicians dismiss the prospect of an autonomous Assyrian province in northern Iraq as impossible. But the Assyrian hope lives on, fuelled by faith and rooted in the promise of God as found in Isaiah 19:23-25. As God is faithful, it will come to pass! And in that day, the Lord of hosts will say, 'Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance' (v25 ESV).


PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT

* the Lord of Hosts will intervene on behalf of each imperilled believer in the Middle East -- may those requiring rescue be rescued and those who want to stay in their homeland have sanctuary.

* God will intervene personally on behalf of each monastery and church sheltering and caring for Christian refugees; may the Lord raise all the necessary funds and give a voice to the voiceless.

* the Lord Almighty will secure justice and liberty for his precious people and the Lord of Hosts be their defence.

* the Holy Spirit will flood the hearts of all pastors, priests and Christian religious workers across the Middle East that they will know his love, grace and comfort; may their faith remain strong and their hope not fade; may the Lord bless them for their faithful service.

* our faithful God will intervene to establish 'the work of [his] hands' -- an autonomous Assyrian province in northern Iraq. And may all the glory go to him.


SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN WHOLE ARTICLE
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CHRISTIAN CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

A mass migration is under way as Syrians stream into Europe via Turkey. This is lessening Syria's prospects for reconstruction and is devastating its Church. Whilst multitudes of Christian youths and families are understandably desperate to leave the Middle East, their pastors and priests are understandably desperate for them to stay -- something they will not do without security. While some Christian families do need to be rescued, it is critical that a safe haven be established in the historic Christian heartland. Assyrians have sought this since World War One. Though most Western politicians dismiss this as impossible, the Assyrian hope lives on, fuelled by faith and rooted in the promise of God as found in Isaiah 19:23-25. May Christ intervene for his people and build his Church.

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

Her second book, 'After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding the Christian Crisis in the Middle East,' will be published by Resource Publications (an imprint of Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA) in early-mid 2016.

RLPB 170. SYRIA + Sudan and Burma: the Battles Rage

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 170 | Wed 01 Aug 2012

SYRIA, SUDAN, BURMA: THE BATTLES RAGE

By Elizabeth Kendal

SYRIA
On Sunday 29 July the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Jim Middleton spoke to Prof. Vali Nasr about Syria's prospects. Nasr confirmed that al Qaeda was indeed gaining ground in Syria. He expressed concern that in the event of regime collapse, it is not clear who would 'prevent a massacre of the Alawites and the Christians and those Sunnis who supported Assad'. He also said it was not clear who would 'prevent al-Qaeda from setting up shop in various little emirates across Syria'. Furthermore, Nasr warned that should the regime fall 'in a bad way' then the whole region -- especially Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan -- will be massively impacted and destabilised.

THE BATTLE FOR ALEPPO
The battle for Aleppo is a decisive one. With a population of 2.5 million, Aleppo is Syria's second largest city after Damascus, and its commercial hub. Home to swaths of loyalist Sunni Arab and Kurdish business elite, Christians make up some 10 percent of the population of the city. Around half of them are Armenians, with the remainder belonging to the Syrian, Greek Orthodox and Maronite churches. Jihadists are pouring in for the battle. Syrian Sunni jihadists who have been fighting with al Qaeda against US forces in Iraq are returning home in droves. The West called them 'terrorists' in Iraq. In Syria it calls them 'rebels', 'insurgents' and 'opposition'. Furthermore foreign jihadists are coming in from the Caucasus, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Algeria and Gulf Arab states as well as Europe, including Britain, Sweden and France. It is not uncommon to see the Islamist black flag flying on rebel vehicles or hoisted in rebel-held areas, yet Western journalists seem as oblivious to this as they are to the Islamist beards, chants and overt threats. Still holding out dreams of 'democracy' these journalists also seem oblivious to the long-term global consequences of Islamist sanctuaries in Syria.

It is reported that Aleppo's Armenian community has hunkered down for the duration.  Other Christians are doubtless doing the same. Some Christians, though, feel their only option is to take up arms to fight for the survival of their family. The battle has not yet reached the Christian quarters. However, a standard tactic in Islamist asymmetric warfare is to use women and children -- and Christians wherever possible -- as human shields and then exploit their deaths for propaganda in the West. Therefore we can expect jihadists will attempt to deliberately infiltrate Christian districts not only to kill Christians (whom they want to eliminate anyway) but also to draw the regime's return fire into those districts. Indeed, only the LORD of hosts can prevent this.

SUDAN AND BURMA
Watching and listening to the news, one could be forgiven for thinking that the Syrian conflict was the world's only war. On the contrary, regimes are waging war against predominantly Christian peoples in South Kordofan, Sudan and in Kachin State, Burma. The difference is, whilst the West is for regime change in Syria, it is against changing the brutal, Islamist, racist, Arab-supremacist regime in Khartoum, Sudan and the brutal, Buddhist-nationalist, racist Burman-supremacist regime in Burma. In each case, the Christians are on the wrong side of Western economic and geo-strategic interests! In each case, Christian peoples -- children, parents, the elderly -- are suffering immensely with hunger, tears, spilt blood and broken bones. However, this is being covered up continuously and without discernment by lazy, conformist media -- apparently ignorant of historical and religious realities -- who are echoing the official line. Surely God is NOT pleased.

For more on Syria, Sudan and Burma see Religious Liberty Monitoring.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT THE LORD OF HOSTS WILL --

* by the power of the Holy Spirit draw his people close and increase their faith so they will hope in him (Psalm 33:18) and see answers to their prayers (Isaiah 30:19); may the devil have no victory over them.

* rise up to defend, shield and supply his precious people and vanquish their enemies. (Isaiah 40:10,11)

* raise his right arm against all jihadists and jihadist-allied forces in Syria, the regime of Omar el-Bashir in Khartoum, Sudan, and the Burmese junta in Naypyidaw; may those who seek to annihilate God's precious children succeed only in securing God's furious wrath. (Isaiah 31:4,5).

'But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenceless! Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers! Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely. (Psalm 141:8-10 ESV)

With whole Christian communities facing existential threat, consider Psalm 33:8-19.

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THE BATTLES RAGE IN SYRIA, SUDAN and BURMA

The battle for Aleppo is decisive. Jihadists are pouring in from around the world for this battle, fighting not for Syria, but for Islam. The Christians, who comprise about 10 percent of Aleppo's 2.5 million population, are gravely imperilled. Whilst the fighting has not yet reached the Christian quarters, the jihadists doubtless know the propaganda coup they could score by drawing the regime's fire into the Christian districts. Please pray for God's protection. Meanwhile, wars continue to rage against Christian communities in South Kordofan, Sudan and Kachin State, Burma. In all these cases, the Christians are finding themselves on the wrong side of Western economic and geo-strategic 'interests'. Please pray for God to rise up on behalf of his precious people.

RLPB 151. Middle East: Islamic blocs to trample minorities

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 151 | Wed 21 Mar 2012

MIDDLE EAST: ISLAMIC POWER BLOCS TO TRAMPLE MINORITIES
By Elizabeth Kendal

The Middle East is undergoing a massive upheaval wherein Islamist powers are struggling for regional and Islamic supremacy. According to terrorism analyst Yossef Bodansky, the 'buffer' that prevents the Islamic blocs from 'fratricidal violence' is the 'Fertile Crescent of Minorities' (Defense & Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy magazine (2/2012)). Thus it is in the interests of these blocs as they struggle in their quest for supremacy over the others that the 'Fertile Crescent of Minorities' be crushed. Unfortunately the West is so committed to majority rule that it cannot see that, by being complicit in the crushing of the region's minorities, it is actually setting the stage for a regional war of cataclysmic proportions.

* THE SUNNI ARAB AXIS (led by Saudi Arabia, backed by the West)

A Kuwaiti Member of Parliament, Osama Al-Munawer, has announced plans to submit a draft law that would ban the building of new churches while permitting existing churches to remain. On Monday 12 March a Kuwaiti delegate questioned Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, on the matter. The Grand Mufti responded by citing Muhammad's command: 'Two deens [religions] shall not co-exist in the Arabian Peninsula.' (Al-Muwatta Hadith - 45.18. Note that 45.17 uses the broader phrase 'in the land of the Arabs'.) Therefore, said the Sheikh, it is actually 'necessary to destroy all the churches of the region'. The Grand Mufti is Saudi Arabia's highest official of religious law. He is also the head of the Supreme Council of Ulema (Islamic scholars) and of the Standing Committee for Scientific Research and Issuing of Fatwas. Consequently his decree could unleash a tsunami of persecution. Beyond the Arabian Peninsula, Christians in the Arab lands of Egypt and Lebanon have expressed alarm and anxiety over the decree.

On Sunday 18 March militants in Yemen's southern city of Taiz shot and killed an American English-language teacher. Al Qaeda-linked Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law) claimed responsibility for the targeted assassination, describing the victim, Joel Shrun (29), as 'one of the biggest American proselytisers'. Shrun had lived in Taiz with his wife and two children since 2010. Church leader Ulf Edström told reporters that threats against the school had increased of late. 'Al-Qaeda is searching for Westerners,' he said. Yemen is home to some 41,000 Christians, more than half of whom are expatriate workers. Local believers, generally converts from Islam, are mostly 'underground'.

* IRANIAN AXIS

In Iran, security officials in Isfahan have arrested 12 Christian converts over the past month as part of a wider crackdown on Christian symbols and conversions. As repression and persecution escalate, some local church leaders allied to the regime are publicly distancing themselves from their suffering brothers and sisters. (This is a common problem in highly dangerous non-free states.) See Mohabat News

In Syria (where the struggle is currently centred) recent bombings have hit Christian districts. On Saturday 17 March simultaneous suicide bombings in Damascus targeting government facilities killed 27 and wounded more than 100. One car bomb was detonated as the bomber drove through the Christian neighbourhood of al-Qassa. The 'martyrdom' group al-Nusra Front to Protect the Levant (see RLPB 148) claimed responsibility. Then on Sunday 18 March a bomb was detonated near a Latin church and two primary schools in Aleppo's Sulaymaniyeh neighbourhood, a district heavily populated with Christians. A security guard and a Syrian-Armenian woman were killed and thirty people were injured.

In Iraq (which was formerly ruled by Sunni Arabs but is now ruled by Arab Shi'ites under Iranian hegemony) another church has been attacked. Baghdad's Syrian Orthodox Church of St Matthew was one of some 20 sites targeted in a nation-wide simultaneous bombing campaign on 20 March, the ninth anniversary of the US invasion. (At the time of writing, no group had claimed responsibility.)

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL --

* preserve a remnant of his people in their homeland; may he be their refuge, provider and deliverer, bringing guidance, healing, comfort and strength, along with justice and recompense.

'. . . 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 fulfills his purpose for me. [God] will put to shame him who tramples on me.' (Psalm 57:1b,2,3b ESV)

* facilitate the escape of those who are seeking and needing an escape route; may asylum be granted without delay.

* draw his people ever closer into communion with him, increasing their faith so they will know they are never alone, but have as their ally the sovereign creator of the universe, for whom 'nothing will be impossible' (Luke 1:37).

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ISLAMIC POWER BLOCS IN MIDDLE EAST TO TRAMPLE MINORITIES

The Middle East's minority Christians are being trampled as the region's Islamic blocs compete for regional hegemony and supremacy. On Monday 12 March the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia decreed that, in line with the teaching of Muhammad, all the region's churches should be destroyed. Days later, an American Christian English-language teacher was gunned down in Yemen. Repression and persecution are escalating in Iran with 12 believers arrested in Isfahan in the past month. In contested Syria, recent bombings in Damascus and Aleppo struck predominantly Christian districts. In Iraq, Baghdad's Syrian Orthodox Church of St Matthew was one of some 20 sites attacked on 20 March as bombs were detonated simultaneously across the nation. Please pray for the Church in the Middle East.

093. Dreams of revolution grip Arab world: Christians vulnerable

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 093 | Wed 03 Feb 2011

Christians more vulnerable than ever as . . .

DREAMS OF REVOLUTION GRIP ARAB WORLD

By Elizabeth Kendal

When hundreds of international Sunni jihadists infiltrated and seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on 20 November 1979, they attracted little interest. The eyes of the world were fixed on Iran where, on 4 November 1979, Shi'ite fundamentalists had seized the American Embassy, taking 66 American citizens hostage. Whilst the Iranian Revolution and the siege in Mecca were totally unrelated, both had the same goal: the removal of a brutally repressive and corrupt, US-allied regime.

In Iran, the revolutionaries were successful primarily because their demands were political -- liberty, human rights, improved living standards and more -- and because the US administration of President Carter chose to support them. It took 12 months of protests and strikes (from January 1978 to January 1979) to force the Shah into exile. The Islamists merely rode the wave and then filled the vacuum. It soon became clear to many Iranians that their revolution would not bring them their hoped for liberty, prosperity and dignity.

In Saudi Arabia, the revolutionaries failed because they seized the Grand Mosque instead of the Royal Palace, opening the way for the Saudi regime to denounce them on religious grounds. Furthermore, because their overtly religious demands included the demand to end alliances with 'infidels', Saudi Arabia's Western backers rushed to the aid of the House of al Saud, rightly perceiving their oil supply was endangered. The Saudi regime only survived by a hair's breadth, and only through the involvement of French special forces.

Whilst the siege in Mecca was reported as a 'domestic incident', it most certainly was not. Not only were the jihadists an international force, the incident sent shockwaves through the Sunni Muslim world. A massive, violent, Islamic and anti-US uprising erupted in Pakistan and two Americans were killed as the US Embassy was besieged and torched. This in turn inspired protests against US Embassies and consuls in Turkey, Bangladesh, India, Kuwait, Philippines and Libya. Though the rioters were Sunnis, they praised the Iranian Shi'ite revolutionaries for defeating 'American imperialism' which they said supported tyranny.

The House of al Saud subsequently brokered a deal with the kingdom's Islamic clerics. The regime would support the religious establishment as it advanced Islamic fundamentalist ideology and global jihad (holy war). In return the religious establishment would support the House of al Saud. Fortunately for the House of al Saud, the Soviets -- perceiving US weakness -- invaded Afghanistan in December 1979, giving the Saudi regime a jihad it could support far from home, and subsequently jihads in Bosnia, Kashmir, Kosovo, North Caucasus and Somalia. So while the Sunni revolutionaries failed to achieve their goals, Sunni fundamentalism reaped huge rewards. Meanwhile, the emerging Arab middle class grew increasingly angry and disillusioned because secularism was being maintained by tyranny rather than by reason.

Sunni Islamists have doubtless learned from this history that there is an art to revolution. In Egypt today the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is lying low and attending to the protesters' needs for food, water and medical assistance, just as Hezballah has done in Lebanon and Hamas has done in the Palestinian Territories. The Islamists know they need an acceptable facade and in a strategic master-stroke, the MB is lining up behind Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei. ElBaradei doesn't mind, for he does not regard the MB (the mother of Hamas) as in any way extremist.

Today a smug Iran and a nervous Saudi Arabia both note that the present Middle East unrest is targeting America's allies. Hezballah has displaced Saad Harari in Lebanon and Abbas is virtually besieged in Ramallah. In Tunisia the regime of Ben Ali has collapsed. Riots persist against the secular, US-allied regimes in Egypt, Yemen and in Jordan. In Jordan, the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood, is now in dialogue with the regime of King Abdullah II. Western hopes that 'transition' will lead to something better (as was once predicted for Iran) or that an Islamic leadership will be moderate (as was also predicted for Iran) are likely to be dashed, for the 'Arab Street' has been thoroughly Islamised and radicalised. While the US faces losing all its geo-strategic gains in the Middle East, Israel may once again face existential threat as Egypt would need only to reverse its policy on Gaza and open the Rafah Crossing -- for humanitarian reasons of course!

Lost amidst the noise and chaos are the region's Christian minorities. Already viewed as 'infidels' and allies of the enemy (i.e. America and Israel), the Church is now more vulnerable than ever. As US influence diminishes in the Middle East, so too does the protection of the Christian minorities. Furthermore, militant Muslims may well decide to exploit the chaos to do some under-the-radar removal of Christians. For instance, on Sunday 30 January eleven Coptic Christians were massacred inside their homes in Sharona, Al Minya Province. Christians cannot hope in the US and the UN -- our hope must rest in the one who is eternally supreme and always sufficient: Yahweh Sabaoth (lit. the Lord of Hosts; the commander of heaven's forces).

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR GOD TO:

* draw the region's Christians into dependent prayer and then answer their prayers, protecting them, providing all their needs, and making his presence known.

[God] has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?' (Hebrews 13:5b-6 ESV)

* awaken Arabs across the Middle East to the fact that Islam -- because it is repressive rather than liberating, and legalistic rather than transformative -- can never be the solution for those yearning for freedom and dignity. Pray for an Arab Awakening! (Ephesians 3:20,21)

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CHRISTIANS VULNERABLE AS CHAOS GRIPS EGYPT

For decades now the West has supported corrupt, repressive Arab dictatorships as a means of preventing religious, Sunni Islamic fundamentalist revolutions that would threaten oil supplies. However, because secularism has been maintained by tyranny rather than by reason, the emerging Arab middle class has grown disillusioned and angry. Meanwhile there has been effectively a revival of Islamic fundamentalism, sponsored primarily by Saudi petro-dollars. Today the 'Arab Street' is in revolt against its dictators. Unfortunately it is probable that Islamists will quietly ride the wave and fill the vacuum. Christians are more vulnerable now than ever. On 30 January militant Muslims exploited the chaos to slaughter eleven Coptic Christians in al Minya Province. Please pray for the Church in the Arab world.