Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 229 | Wed 25 Sep 2013
By Elizabeth Kendal
PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN: 'LET TEARS STREAM DOWN' (Lamentations 2:18)
On Sunday 22 September, as some 600 worshippers were mingling at the close of the service, two Islamic militants armed with automatic rifles and grenades stormed All Saint's Church, Peshawar. After slaughtering many, they detonated their explosive vests, triggering two huge explosions that blasted shrapnel through the believers. The death toll, presently 89, continues to rise; more than 150 were wounded, many critically. The internet images are shocking and deeply moving.
Two different wings of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have claimed responsibility. A spokesman from TTP Jundullah claimed: 'They [Christians] are the enemies of Islam, therefore we target them. We will continue our attacks on non-Muslims on Pakistani land.' Later a spokesman from Junood ul-Hifsa claimed the attack was in response to US drone strikes. This was the most deadly terrorist attack on Pakistan's Christian community in modern history.
CONTEXT: The church massacre comes as the government is reportedly trying to broker peace with the Taliban. The Taliban opposes peace with the government on principle. Meanwhile, senior military figures see peace, which will involve a military withdrawal and the release of militant prisoners, as akin to surrender. It has also been mooted that the peace talks are a farce, designed to demonstrate the futility of peace talks. It is quite possible that Peshawar's Christians may have been sacrificed -- the attack was permitted -- to legitimise military action and requests for military aid. Pray for the Lord of Hosts to encircle his Church.
In a short BBC news video a grieving father stands over the coffin of his 11-year-old daughter talking with the BBC reporter, who tells us, 'somehow he manages to talk of forgiveness'.
'My soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, "My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD." . . . But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mecies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."' (Lamentations 3:17,18,21-24 ESV)
Indeed, our hope must be in him.
[Six Bible Studies on the book of Lamentations can be found on Elizabeth Kendal's website.]
SEPTEMBER 2013 UPDATE -- During September we prayed concerning . . .
* REFUGEES & PAKISTAN (RLPB 226), when prayer was requested for Rabeel, a Christian university student from Punjab, Pakistan, who had been betrayed by a trusted Muslim friend into the hands of Lashkar e-Toiba militants who tortured him mercilessly for three days. The family fled in January 2013 and has since been languishing in a refugee camp. Like most persecuted Christians, they have not been able to get police reports or medical reports to substantiate their case. [We thank God for the ministry of the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) and pray God's blessing upon them.] We also prayed for all persecuted Christians who struggle to get asylum for the same reasons. Christian Faith and Freedom (in Australia, where Rabeel's family has relatives) is lobbying to have this case expedited so Rabeel can receive the medical care he urgently requires. Please pray that God will expedite this case.
[Rabeel's relatives in Australia also had five relatives wounded in the Peshawar church bombing; one critically. In this global age, the pain of persecution is felt right around the world.]
* CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (RLPB 227), where a humanitarian crisis has been unfolding in this French-speaking predominantly Christian nation since its fall to Arabic-speaking Islamic militants in March 2013.
UPDATE: CAR's Evangelical Alliance has expressed concern that sectarian Muslim-Christian violence could increase. On 8 September pro-Bozize (deposed president) gunmen attacked and killed Muslim civilians in Bossangoa, northern CAR. Seleka, the ruling Islamic rebel coalition, then despatched troops who retaliated by attacking Christians, causing many casualties. This clash left some 100 dead, more injured and over 4500 displaced. Two unexploded grenades were subsequently found in Bossangoa's Catholic Cathedral. The president of the Alliance of Evangelical Churches in CAR, Pastor Nicolas Guerékoyamé, has appealed to all communities of the CAR 'not to yield to the temptation of interfaith divide'. Human Rights Watch has released a new report on CAR: 'I Can Still Smell the Dead', (18 September 2013). Pray for peace in CAR, as well as for justice and liberty.
* EGYPT (RLPB 228), where a cycle of violence is emerging: the Muslim Brotherhood militants attack the military government; the military cracks down with deadly force; Muslim Brotherhood supporters react against Coptic Christians. [For a more detailed report see Religious Liberty Monitoring (18 Sept 2013).] Pray for the Church in Egypt.
SEPTEMBER 2013 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .
* KAZAKHSTAN (updating RLPB 223). Pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbaev of Astana's Grace Church (Presbyterian) was arrested on 17 May on charges of 'harming health' (essentially for praying over the sick). He was subsequently removed to the Almaty City Psychological-Psychiatric Assessment Centre with his detention extended until 17 September (RLPB 225). According to Forum 18, Pastor Kashkumbayev was transferred in early September, presumably back to Almaty's Investigation Prison, with his detention extended again to 17 October. Pastor Kashkumbaev's family and his congregation remain extremely anxious as nobody has any information as to his actual whereabouts or condition. Pray for Pastor Kashkumbaev and for the Church in Kazakhstan.
* LAOS: FAMILIES EXPELLED FROM VILLAGE OVER CHRISTIAN FAITH
Laotians who practise Asian traditional religion believe Christians anger the ancestral spirits, while the Laos government regards Christianity as a foreign religion that threatens social cohesion and national security and as such must be eliminated. On 30 August, village officials in Nongdaeng village, Borikhamsai Province summoned 11 Christian families (50 individuals) to recant their faith and return to traditional religion. The families all refused and on Sunday 1 Sept, they bravely worshipped together as usual, as is their constitutional right. This group has grown from 3 families to 11 families in six months, despite persecution. On 21 Sept, village officials in Huay village, Savannakhet province ruled that village Christians must renounce their faith or face expulsion. These Christians too have rejected the order and are claiming their constitutional right. Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF) is urging the Laos government to respect the constitution and punish officials who illegally issue Christians with eviction orders. Pray for the Church in Laos, and that God will bless the HRWLRF's advocacy. [Constitution of the Lao People's Democratic Republic]
* MOROCCO: EVANGELIST IMPRISONED FOR HIS WITNESS
On 3 September a court in Taounate, northern Morocco, found Mohamed El Baladi (33), a Christian for seven years, guilty of 'proselytising' and sentenced him to 30 months in prison. Morning Star News reports that Mohamed had been arrested only one week earlier and had not had time even to find legal representation. Under interrogation, Mohamed gave up names of other converts from Islam who are in no doubt Mohamed was tortured. His friends have since found a lawyer, Aababou Aderrazzak, who has launched an appeal and is pressing to have the appeal heard in Fez where it will be more difficult for local authorities to dominate and influence proceedings. Please PRAY about this. Since 2011 the government has been dominated by the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) which controls not only higher education and foreign affairs, but justice. Pray that God will overrule.
--------------------------
Elizabeth Kendal is the author of
Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah Speaks to Christians Today
(Deror Books, Dec 2012)
Showing posts with label Morocco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Morocco. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
136. Nov. Update; Incl. Burma, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, India, Nepal, Vietnam.
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 136 | Wed 30 Nov 2011
By Elizabeth Kendal
We must understand the times in which we live (Luke 12:54-56): persecution is escalating at an alarming rate. So: 'Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.' (Ephesians 6:18b NLT)
NOVEMBER 2011 UPDATE -- During November we prayed concerning . . .
BURMA (RLPB 132), where ethnic Kachin Christians are being driven from their lands behind a smokescreen of mini-'reforms'.
UPDATE: KACHIN IMPERILED; BURMA REWARDED.
Ten people were killed (all children) and 27 were injured on Sunday evening 13 November when a parcel bomb was thrown into an orphanage in Myitkyinar, Kachin State, during a study. The owner-manager of the orphanage, Dayaung Tangoon, was away travelling with Christian pastors at the time. Though Tangoon, a leader in the Kachin community, lost a son, a daughter and grandchild in the attack, he was arrested. Meanwhile the 27 wounded, including Tangoon's wife, are in hospital, barred from receiving visitors.
Furthermore, the regime is deploying chemical weapons against the Kachin. Residents of Mai Ja Yang village recently fled their homes reporting toxic and caustic 'yellow rain'. Likewise, residents fleeing Prang Ngawn village in western Kachin also reported that a plane had delivered 'yellow rain' to their village. On 17 November the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) announced that Myanmar (Burma) will chair ASEAN in 2014. Pray for the besieged Christian Kachin of northern Burma.
NIGERIA (RLPB 133), where the al-Qaeda-linked terror group Boko Haram, which wants Nigeria run as an Islamic State, is escalating its campaign of terror against Christian, educational and democratic institutions across the north.
UPDATE 1: BOKO HARAM STRIKES IN YOBE STATE.
On Saturday 26 November Boko Haram unleashed another wave of terror, this time targeting Geidam Local Government Area, Yobe State (north-east Nigeria). Armed with Kalashnikov rifles and explosives, the militants bombed Geidam police station, freeing suspects and looting the armoury before rampaging through the town, robbing a bank and looting a shopping complex. They torched numerous businesses, an abandoned beer parlour, a court, the local government secretariat and at least eight churches. Four police were killed. When claiming responsibility for terrorising Geidam -- -- the hometown of the Yobe state governor Ibrahim Geidam -- Boko Haram warned: 'Until all our members in detention are released and the Yobe state government stops intimidating and harassing our members we will continue carrying out attacks in the state.'
UPDATE 2: MUSLIMS MASSACRE CHRISTIANS IN PLATEAU STATE.
Compass Direct News reports that Fulani Muslim herdsmen, backed by Muslim soldiers, recently killed 45 ethnic Berom Christians around the town of Barkin Ladi in Plateau State. After accusing the Berom Christians of stealing cattle, the Fulani Muslims started randomly killing Christians: three on 20 November, two on 21st and another beheaded on 22nd. On Wednesday 23rd the Muslims attacked a church in Barkin Ladi, killing four Christians. The next day, straight after the morning call to prayer, hundreds of armed Muslims joined forces in a major assault. Chanting 'Allahu akbar' (Allah is great) they massacred nine Christians in Barkin Ladi and 26 Christians in nearby Kwok village. Please pray for the Church in Nigeria.
SUDAN (RPLB 134), where genocidal ethnic cleansing continues in the north (in South Kordofan and Blue Nile) while an oil war looms over South Sudan, threatening to engulf not only the whole nation but the wider region.
UGANDA (RLPB 135), which is launching a fresh offensive against the LRA, assisted by 100 US Special Forces troops. It is urgent that we pray for a spiritual breakthrough so that multitudes of the LRA -- most of whom are just kidnapped, traumatised, brainwashed children -- might be spiritually and physically freed to leave the LRA for rehabilitation. Pray for the religious leaders who are working to this end, especially for the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative. Pray that Ugandan Christians will unite across tribal lines to address historic injustices and inequity, for the sake of long-lasting peace and for the glory of God.
NOVEMBER 2011 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .
'ARAB SPRING': ISLAMIST POWER RISES ACROSS NORTH AFRICA
1) TUNISIA: EVIDENCE OF RADICAL IDEOLOGY SLIPS OUT
Last month, Tunisia's Islamist, long-banned Ennahda party emerged victorious winning 89 of 217 assembly seats in the first election of the 'Arab Spring'. Ennahda has been striving to present itself as 'moderate'. Yet on 13 November Tunisia's new Prime Minister, Ennahda's Hamadi Jebali, told a rally, 'My brothers, you are at a historic moment in a new cycle of civilisation, God willing. We are in a sixth caliphate, God willing.' With a Hamas MP by his side, Jebali declared that 'the liberation of Tunisia will, God willing, bring about the liberation of Jerusalem'. When this upset his prospective coalition partners, Jabali simply said his words had been misunderstood and taken out of context.('Moderate' and jihadist Islamists have the same radical goal and differ only regarding tactics.) Pray for the Church in Tunisia.
2) MOROCCO: ISLAMISTS WIN ELECTIONS
Last week Morocco's Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) emerged victorious, winning 107 of 395 assembly seats in the second election of the 'Arab Spring'. Though being lauded in the West as 'moderate', the PJD is the political wing of the Uniqueness and Reform movement which represents the Muslim Brotherhood in Morocco. Earlier this year, as the Middle East simmered in discontent, Morocco's ruling elite lessened the risk of mass revolt by enacting constitutional 'reforms'. According to the new constitution, Morocco is no longer a 'unitary sovereign state', but a 'Muslim sovereign state'. And whilst clause three of the preamble was amended to include the goal of 'deepening the sense of belonging to the Arab-Islamic umma [nation/community]', clause two of article 25 that guaranteed the 'freedom of conscience' was dropped entirely. Of the Moroccans who voted, 98.5 percent approved the constitutional amendments. Pray for the Church in Morocco.
3) EGYPT: MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD RISING
Egyptians are now voting in what is the third election of the 'Arab Spring'. The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood's long-banned Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) is widely expected to do well in a three-stage legislative election that began on Monday 28 November and concludes in January. There have been numerous reports of vote-buying and religious sloganeering. Christians are mostly voting for the Egyptian Bloc list headed by the liberal Free Egyptians Party, which is strongly opposed to the FJP. They are anxious about the future. If Islamist power rises in Egypt, the Copts will be in a very vulnerable situation indeed. Even now the media, the army, the Salafists and masses of radicalised 'loyal' Muslims are ready to subjugate the Copts as dhimmis under Islam. According to Islam, any resistance to dhimmitude may be met with jihad (slaughter). Pray for the Church in Egypt.
---------------
* INDIA: PERSECUTION RAMPANT IN KARNATAKA (south-west India)
Since coming under the rule of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2008, persecution of Christians has escalated in Karnataka. On Saturday 26 November members of the Bethel Ministry Church were praying together in a home on the outskirts of Kushalnagar village, Karnataka, when a mob of Hindu militants burst in. After accusing the Christians of engaging in forced conversions, the militants called the police who came and arrested a Mrs Janakiyamma, taking her to Madikeri Prison. This is the 41st case of anti-Christian persecution officially registered in Karnataka this year.
Two other church groups were attacked in Karnataka during the month, both in the district of Hassan. On 12 November six members of the Ministry of Bethel Church were attacked as they waited for a bus after attending a prayer service. The militants beat the believers and marched them off to the police station where they were subsequently placed under arrest. After an intervention by the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) three women and a child were released but the men are still imprisoned. The next day Pastor Nagaraj, of the Church of Immanuel Prarthanalaya in Arkalgud, had just started the Sunday service when a mob of Hindu militants stormed the church and began tearing up Bibles. When the police arrived they arrested the pastor and three believers who are still in prison. This is India! Pray for the Church in India.
* NEPAL: RELIGIOUS LIBERTY UNDER ATTACK
A crude bomb exploded in Thapathali, Kathmandu, on 22 November, outside the offices of United Mission in Nepal (UMN), a Christian non-governmental organisation (NGO) that has been working to relieve poverty in Nepal since 1954. A second bomb was disarmed. No one was injured. Police found leaflets at the site from the Nepal Defense Army (NDA), a militant Hindu nationalist group that has targeted Christians previously. The leaflets accused the UMN of converting Hindus to Christianity. Then on the following Sunday, 27 November, a suspicious parcel was discovered outside the Assemblies of God Navajiwan Church in central Kathmandu. The police bomb squad who defused the bomb said it contained three powerful explosives that would have done considerable damage had the bomb exploded. Meanwhile, on 22 Nov, two Christian brothers, Panchman Tamang and Buddhiman, were violently assaulted and expelled from their predominantly Buddhist village in Sindhupalchowk district, north of Kathmandu near the border with Tibet. On Instead of defending religious liberty, the government is appeasing the belligerent by drafting anti-conversion laws. Pray for the Church in Nepal.
* VIETNAM: EXTREME VIOLENCE WITH IMPUNITY
Leaders of the 2200-member Agape Baptist Church (ABC) -- a house church network near Hanoi -- were violently assaulted on Sunday 13 November, Compass Direct News reports. They were meeting in Lai Tao village, Bot Xuyen commune, My Duc district at the home of evangelist Nguyen Thi Lan, a former Communist Party (female) official who recently converted to Christianity. Unhappy about conversions in the village, the gang of over a dozen local thugs (including plain-clothed police) burst in savagely beating the leaders while looting and ransacking the home.
Nine pastors and other church leaders along with several of their teenage children sustained serious injuries. Most critically injured was Pastor Nguyen Danh Chau who was unconscious for several hours. When ABC head Nguyen Cong Thanh visited on 15 November he said, 'All they could do was weep, and I also could not prevent my tears from flowing.' With local hospitals proving reluctant to aid the pastors, ABC eventually evacuated the most critically wounded to a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Nguyen Thi Lan and Pastor Nguyen Danh Chau have suffered potentially crippling injuries. No one has been arrested and the gang is threatening to kill Nguyen Thi Lan if she ever returns. The impunity granted to the persecutors guarantees that persecution will only escalate. Pray for the Church in Vietnam.
-----------------------------
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Wednesday, May 26, 2010
057. May Update; incl. Iran, Laos, Morocco, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Vietnam
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 057 | Wed 26 May 2010
MAY 2010 UPDATE -- During May we prayed concerning . . .
IRAQ, where the indigenous Assyrian-Chaldean Christian population is besieged by escalating Muslim fundamentalism (that marginalises, discriminates against and persecutes) and Islamic terrorism (that kills). We prayed about the 2 May terrorist attack which targeted a convoy of buses transporting Christian students to Mosul University.
* UPDATE: Two students died in the 2 May attack while around 70 were injured, with 50 requiring hospitalisation. The most seriously injured have been transferred to hospitals in Turkey. Subsequently some 1000 Christian students dropped out of classes due to insecurity. On 7 May, lecturers and Muslim students at Mosul University staged a sit-in to protest the deadly attack. One Muslim student activist said the protest will only end when Christian students can return to their classes in security. This is an awakening of conscience. Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring religious awakening to the University of Mosul.
INDONESIA, where the politically driven, unconstitutional enactment of Shari'a requirements by local authorities in West Java is causing persecution to escalate, including the phenomenon of illegal forced church closures. Militant Islamists realise that the state law has no value and the reality on the ground is that Islam rules.
ERITREA, where some 3000 Christians of all ages are imprisoned for their faith in the most cruel and inhumane conditions where torture is rife. Pray for God's direct intervention for the sake of his Church. (Ephesians 1:19-23)
'God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.' (Ephesians 1:22 NLT.)
MAY 2010 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .
* IRAN: PRAISE GOD FOR MARYAM AND MARZIEH
Iranian believers Maryam Rostampour (28) and Marzieh Amirizadeh (31) were arrested on 5 March 2009 and imprisoned in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison on charges of apostasy (leaving Islam). When they told the Islamic judge who presided over the Revolutionary Court they would never renounce their faith in Jesus Christ, they were returned to prison to 'think it over'. As the months passed their health deteriorated but their faith and their faithfulness did not. On 22 May 2010, after being acquitted on all charges, Maryam and Marzieh fled Iran after being warned by judicial authorities 'that any future Christian activity in Iran will be seriously dealt with'. While they are now safe, they have escaped Iran with little more than their lives. Leaving behind families, friends and belongings, they will now start a new life with the freedom many of us take for granted. The women attribute their endurance through trial to God who 'kept and used us' and 'has chosen us. All the glory goes to him.'
* LAOS: EXPELLED CHRISTIANS SUFFERING
Forty-eight Laotian Christians were expelled at gunpoint from Katin village, Saravan Province, on 18 January 2010 for refusing to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ. The district head has said that he will not tolerate the existence of Christianity in areas under his control. After the Christians were driven out, their homes, papers, farms and livestock were acquired by others. Locals have been warned not to have any contact with the expelled Christians who have since made temporary shelters in the jungle several kilometres from the village. Due to prolonged lack of adequate food and clean water, one believer has since died and two have been hospitalised. The others are wracked by diarrhoea, dehydration, eye and skin infections, fainting and weakness. Pray that God will intervene for these and other persecuted Laotian Christians, providing all their needs and delivering comfort and justice.
* MOROCCO: SECOND WAVE OF DEPORTATIONS
Twenty-six more foreign Christians have been expelled from Morocco, bringing the total to 105 since early March. In violation of Moroccan law, the expelled foreign Christians have had no right of appeal and often no opportunity to inform their family or pack a bag. Reportedly Muslim hardliners inside the government -- specifically in the Ministry of Interior -- are pressuring the king to demonstrate his Islamic credentials. A media campaign has been unleashed to demonise Christians and turn the masses against them. Compass Direct News reports that some 7000 Muslim leaders signed a document describing the work of Christians within Morocco as 'moral rape' and 'religious terrorism'. At least two Moroccan Christians have been beaten in recent days, while others have reportedly been interrogated and harassed. This is a turning point for Morocco. However, according to one deported European Christian, 'it is massively backfiring', as many Moroccan Muslims impacted by the deportations are shaken by the injustice, persecution and repression being waged in the name of Islam against peaceful, servant-Christians. Pray for religious awakening in Morocco.
* NIGERIA: CHURCHES DEMOLISHED IN KANO
Three Protestant churches and a pastor's home were demolished in Kano State in Northern Nigeria after a local Shari'a court consented to their destruction. On 15 May a Baptist church in Banaka, Takai Local Government Area (LGA), was destroyed. Then on 19 May, a mob of around 100 Muslim youths destroyed two church buildings and a pastor's residence all belonging to the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Kwasam, Kiru LGA. While no lives were lost, death threats have driven the local ECWA pastor into hiding. The mob's ringleaders were reportedly Muslim converts from the Christian community. Pray for God's Holy Spirit to bring conviction of sin leading to repentance and faith. May Kano hear a new testimony: of grace and sacrifice conquering hatred and destruction.
* UZBEKISTAN: MEMBERS OF REGISTERED CHURCH FINED AND IMPRISONED
On Sunday 16 May Tashkent City Church of Christ, which has been legally registered since 1999 and is one of the largest and most active churches in the Uzbek capital, was raided by five government agencies: the police, the National Security Service (NSS, secret police), the Tax Inspectorate, the Fire Brigade and the Sanitary-Epidemiological Service. The police arrived without a warrant, confiscated cash, literature and property, and filmed everyone who was present, including the children. They acquired the passport details and car number-plates of the 500 adults present as well as the names and addresses of the children. The police then officially closed and sealed the church while the Fire Brigade cut off the electricity. Eight members were arrested and tried in the Mirzo-Ulugbek district criminal court of Tashkent on 17 May. On 18 May, three members, including the assistant pastor, Artur Avanesyan, were sentenced to 15 days administrative detention, while five others were issued heavy fines. The government views Protestant Christianity as a threat to social harmony.
* VIETNAM: VCP CRUELTY IN CENTRAL HIGHLANDS
The story of K'pa Lot exemplifies Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) cruelty to the Degar/ Montagnard Christians indigenous to the Central Highlands. K'pa Lot was arrested on 20 May 2007 for publicly expressing his faith and refusing to worship in a VCP-built 'official' church. In prison he was kept isolated and was always relocated just prior to prison visits by human rights monitors such as the Red Cross. On 9 March 2010, K'pa Lot was released from prison and hospitalised so he could die in hospital rather than in state custody. He was so swollen from beatings and torture that his own family did not immediately recognise him. After K'pa Lot (31) died from internal bleeding on 11 March 2010, his widow, H'Nguen, leaked this information to international religious liberty advocates. On 3 May, H'Nguen and her two children, H'Danh and Y-Ly, were forced into the Nhan Hoa Police Station, where H'Nguen was ordered to sign her children over to government custody. H'Nguen resisted for six hours and was eventually permitted to leave with her children. K'pa Lot died for his beliefs. Now his widow and children are at risk for leaking that information. Such cruelty is not uncommon in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Pray for the Church in Vietnam.
MAY 2010 UPDATE -- During May we prayed concerning . . .
IRAQ, where the indigenous Assyrian-Chaldean Christian population is besieged by escalating Muslim fundamentalism (that marginalises, discriminates against and persecutes) and Islamic terrorism (that kills). We prayed about the 2 May terrorist attack which targeted a convoy of buses transporting Christian students to Mosul University.
* UPDATE: Two students died in the 2 May attack while around 70 were injured, with 50 requiring hospitalisation. The most seriously injured have been transferred to hospitals in Turkey. Subsequently some 1000 Christian students dropped out of classes due to insecurity. On 7 May, lecturers and Muslim students at Mosul University staged a sit-in to protest the deadly attack. One Muslim student activist said the protest will only end when Christian students can return to their classes in security. This is an awakening of conscience. Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring religious awakening to the University of Mosul.
INDONESIA, where the politically driven, unconstitutional enactment of Shari'a requirements by local authorities in West Java is causing persecution to escalate, including the phenomenon of illegal forced church closures. Militant Islamists realise that the state law has no value and the reality on the ground is that Islam rules.
ERITREA, where some 3000 Christians of all ages are imprisoned for their faith in the most cruel and inhumane conditions where torture is rife. Pray for God's direct intervention for the sake of his Church. (Ephesians 1:19-23)
'God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.' (Ephesians 1:22 NLT.)
MAY 2010 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .
* IRAN: PRAISE GOD FOR MARYAM AND MARZIEH
Iranian believers Maryam Rostampour (28) and Marzieh Amirizadeh (31) were arrested on 5 March 2009 and imprisoned in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison on charges of apostasy (leaving Islam). When they told the Islamic judge who presided over the Revolutionary Court they would never renounce their faith in Jesus Christ, they were returned to prison to 'think it over'. As the months passed their health deteriorated but their faith and their faithfulness did not. On 22 May 2010, after being acquitted on all charges, Maryam and Marzieh fled Iran after being warned by judicial authorities 'that any future Christian activity in Iran will be seriously dealt with'. While they are now safe, they have escaped Iran with little more than their lives. Leaving behind families, friends and belongings, they will now start a new life with the freedom many of us take for granted. The women attribute their endurance through trial to God who 'kept and used us' and 'has chosen us. All the glory goes to him.'
* LAOS: EXPELLED CHRISTIANS SUFFERING
Forty-eight Laotian Christians were expelled at gunpoint from Katin village, Saravan Province, on 18 January 2010 for refusing to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ. The district head has said that he will not tolerate the existence of Christianity in areas under his control. After the Christians were driven out, their homes, papers, farms and livestock were acquired by others. Locals have been warned not to have any contact with the expelled Christians who have since made temporary shelters in the jungle several kilometres from the village. Due to prolonged lack of adequate food and clean water, one believer has since died and two have been hospitalised. The others are wracked by diarrhoea, dehydration, eye and skin infections, fainting and weakness. Pray that God will intervene for these and other persecuted Laotian Christians, providing all their needs and delivering comfort and justice.
* MOROCCO: SECOND WAVE OF DEPORTATIONS
Twenty-six more foreign Christians have been expelled from Morocco, bringing the total to 105 since early March. In violation of Moroccan law, the expelled foreign Christians have had no right of appeal and often no opportunity to inform their family or pack a bag. Reportedly Muslim hardliners inside the government -- specifically in the Ministry of Interior -- are pressuring the king to demonstrate his Islamic credentials. A media campaign has been unleashed to demonise Christians and turn the masses against them. Compass Direct News reports that some 7000 Muslim leaders signed a document describing the work of Christians within Morocco as 'moral rape' and 'religious terrorism'. At least two Moroccan Christians have been beaten in recent days, while others have reportedly been interrogated and harassed. This is a turning point for Morocco. However, according to one deported European Christian, 'it is massively backfiring', as many Moroccan Muslims impacted by the deportations are shaken by the injustice, persecution and repression being waged in the name of Islam against peaceful, servant-Christians. Pray for religious awakening in Morocco.
* NIGERIA: CHURCHES DEMOLISHED IN KANO
Three Protestant churches and a pastor's home were demolished in Kano State in Northern Nigeria after a local Shari'a court consented to their destruction. On 15 May a Baptist church in Banaka, Takai Local Government Area (LGA), was destroyed. Then on 19 May, a mob of around 100 Muslim youths destroyed two church buildings and a pastor's residence all belonging to the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Kwasam, Kiru LGA. While no lives were lost, death threats have driven the local ECWA pastor into hiding. The mob's ringleaders were reportedly Muslim converts from the Christian community. Pray for God's Holy Spirit to bring conviction of sin leading to repentance and faith. May Kano hear a new testimony: of grace and sacrifice conquering hatred and destruction.
* UZBEKISTAN: MEMBERS OF REGISTERED CHURCH FINED AND IMPRISONED
On Sunday 16 May Tashkent City Church of Christ, which has been legally registered since 1999 and is one of the largest and most active churches in the Uzbek capital, was raided by five government agencies: the police, the National Security Service (NSS, secret police), the Tax Inspectorate, the Fire Brigade and the Sanitary-Epidemiological Service. The police arrived without a warrant, confiscated cash, literature and property, and filmed everyone who was present, including the children. They acquired the passport details and car number-plates of the 500 adults present as well as the names and addresses of the children. The police then officially closed and sealed the church while the Fire Brigade cut off the electricity. Eight members were arrested and tried in the Mirzo-Ulugbek district criminal court of Tashkent on 17 May. On 18 May, three members, including the assistant pastor, Artur Avanesyan, were sentenced to 15 days administrative detention, while five others were issued heavy fines. The government views Protestant Christianity as a threat to social harmony.
* VIETNAM: VCP CRUELTY IN CENTRAL HIGHLANDS
The story of K'pa Lot exemplifies Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) cruelty to the Degar/ Montagnard Christians indigenous to the Central Highlands. K'pa Lot was arrested on 20 May 2007 for publicly expressing his faith and refusing to worship in a VCP-built 'official' church. In prison he was kept isolated and was always relocated just prior to prison visits by human rights monitors such as the Red Cross. On 9 March 2010, K'pa Lot was released from prison and hospitalised so he could die in hospital rather than in state custody. He was so swollen from beatings and torture that his own family did not immediately recognise him. After K'pa Lot (31) died from internal bleeding on 11 March 2010, his widow, H'Nguen, leaked this information to international religious liberty advocates. On 3 May, H'Nguen and her two children, H'Danh and Y-Ly, were forced into the Nhan Hoa Police Station, where H'Nguen was ordered to sign her children over to government custody. H'Nguen resisted for six hours and was eventually permitted to leave with her children. K'pa Lot died for his beliefs. Now his widow and children are at risk for leaking that information. Such cruelty is not uncommon in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Pray for the Church in Vietnam.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
048. March Update; Incl. India, Morocco, Pakistan.
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 048 | Wed 24 Mar 2010
MARCH 2010 UPDATE -- During March we prayed concerning . . .
BURMA (Myanmar), where ethnic-religious minorities suffer Buddhist imperialism and horrific human rights abuses at the hands of the junta. (The largest ethnic minority, the Karen, are 40 percent Christian, while the Kachin and Chin are both around 90 percent Christian.) Tensions are escalating.
NIGERIA, where some 500 predominantly Christian ethnic Berom residents of Jos South were massacred by Hausa and Fulani Muslims in the early hours of Sunday 7 March.
* UPDATE: Early on Wednesday 17 March, ethnic Fulani Muslims laid siege to two more ethnic Berom villages in Jos South. Once again villagers were burned in their beds or shot and hacked to death as they fled. This second massacre left 12 dead. In a demonstration of extreme hatred, the mouths of some of the victims were mutilated. While the security forces were absent during the 7 March massacre, survivors of the 17 March massacre are claiming that several of the attackers were actually dressed in military fatigues. The ethnic-religious fault-line city of Jos is a tinderbox. (For more information see Religious Liberty Monitoring)
UZBEKISTAN, where a Baptist church member Tohar Haydarov (27) has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on what local Baptists and neighbours believe to be false drugs charges. Christians in Uzbekistan are experiencing escalating persecution. They are being heavily fined, removed from their posts and threatened with prison, accused of all manner of religious offences. Meanwhile, state-run media are busy inciting hatred of Protestant Christians.
MARCH 2010 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .
* INDIA: HATE AND VIOLENCE IN KARNATAKA
The Evangelical Fellowship of India reports that on 15 March police in India's southern state of Karnataka arrested Pastor M S Valsalan (55) of Bethesda Assembly of God Church after Hindutva (Hindu nationalists) elements lodged a complaint against him, accusing him of 'forceful conversions'. Paster Valsalan was detained in Mangalore's central jail. Further details concerning bail and a trial date are as yet unknown. Then on 17 March, Christians attending a funeral at St Thomas Church in Gijahalli were shocked when some 150 Hindu militants stormed the compound shouting, 'Jai Shri Ram [Victory to Lord Ram].' The militants then ripped the coffin apart and stole the body of the deceased Christian who had been a member of St Thomas Church for 50 years. They threw the body into a tractor and dumped it outside the village. The Hindu militants said they did not want the bodies of Christians contaminating their soil.
Jesus also bore reproach and suffered 'outside the gate' (Hebrews 13:11-14). He understands, so we can draw near to him, and find mercy, grace and help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).
* MOROCCO: UNPRECEDENTED CRACKDOWN ON FOREIGN CHRISTIANS
In an unprecedented move, Morocco -- formerly known for its religious tolerance -- has expelled up to 70 Christian aid workers they accuse of proselytising. Some of those deported had been working in Morocco for ten to twenty years with the acceptance of the authorities. This crackdown against Christians (or anyone for that matter) seen to be threatening the faith of Muslims could well be aimed at appeasing Islamic fundamentalists agitated by government reforms. (For more information see http://elizabethkendal.blogspot.com/ )
* PAKISTAN: VIOLENT HATE CRIMES AGAINST CHRISTIANS
(1) When a group of six Muslims in Khanewal district, southern Punjab Province, grew envious and resentful of local Christian Rasheed Masih (36) because his potato business was more successful than theirs, they first tried to convert him to Islam. Compass Direct reports that for six months the Muslims tried, with insults and threats, to get Rasheed Masih and his brother Munir Asi to become one of them. Eventually on 9 March, when it was clear the Christians would not convert, Rasool (a radical Muslim) in collusion with the other five lured Rasheed to his farmhouse under the pretence of wanting to purchase potatoes. Once there, Rasheed was ambushed and then tortured and struck repeatedly with an axe over several hours. When Asi and two other Christians came looking for him, the Muslims sped away with the fatally wounded Rasheed, who died before he could be found.
(2) Arshed Masih (38), his wife Martha and their three children aged 7-12 are a Christian family who have been living in the servant quarters of Sheikh Mohammad Sultan's estate in Rawalpindi since 2005. BosNewsLife reports that Arshed (a driver) and Martha (a maid) recently fell out of favour with their wealthy employer because they refuse to convert to Islam. When Arshad offered to resign, Sultan threatened to kill the family if they ever tried to leave. On Friday 19 March a group of Islamic fundamentalists (including local police) set fire to Arshed and raped Martha in front of their two younger children. Arshed has burns to 80 percent of his body and is not expected to survive.
Not so long ago Muslims would have used a false blasphemy charge to remove or punish Christians they resented. (In Pakistan, anyone accused of blaspheming Islam can be immediately imprisoned.) Increasingly now it is 'convert or die!' The situation in Pakistan is deteriorating rapidly.
'He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!' (Rev 22:20 ESV)
MARCH 2010 UPDATE -- During March we prayed concerning . . .
BURMA (Myanmar), where ethnic-religious minorities suffer Buddhist imperialism and horrific human rights abuses at the hands of the junta. (The largest ethnic minority, the Karen, are 40 percent Christian, while the Kachin and Chin are both around 90 percent Christian.) Tensions are escalating.
NIGERIA, where some 500 predominantly Christian ethnic Berom residents of Jos South were massacred by Hausa and Fulani Muslims in the early hours of Sunday 7 March.
* UPDATE: Early on Wednesday 17 March, ethnic Fulani Muslims laid siege to two more ethnic Berom villages in Jos South. Once again villagers were burned in their beds or shot and hacked to death as they fled. This second massacre left 12 dead. In a demonstration of extreme hatred, the mouths of some of the victims were mutilated. While the security forces were absent during the 7 March massacre, survivors of the 17 March massacre are claiming that several of the attackers were actually dressed in military fatigues. The ethnic-religious fault-line city of Jos is a tinderbox. (For more information see Religious Liberty Monitoring)
UZBEKISTAN, where a Baptist church member Tohar Haydarov (27) has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on what local Baptists and neighbours believe to be false drugs charges. Christians in Uzbekistan are experiencing escalating persecution. They are being heavily fined, removed from their posts and threatened with prison, accused of all manner of religious offences. Meanwhile, state-run media are busy inciting hatred of Protestant Christians.
MARCH 2010 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .
* INDIA: HATE AND VIOLENCE IN KARNATAKA
The Evangelical Fellowship of India reports that on 15 March police in India's southern state of Karnataka arrested Pastor M S Valsalan (55) of Bethesda Assembly of God Church after Hindutva (Hindu nationalists) elements lodged a complaint against him, accusing him of 'forceful conversions'. Paster Valsalan was detained in Mangalore's central jail. Further details concerning bail and a trial date are as yet unknown. Then on 17 March, Christians attending a funeral at St Thomas Church in Gijahalli were shocked when some 150 Hindu militants stormed the compound shouting, 'Jai Shri Ram [Victory to Lord Ram].' The militants then ripped the coffin apart and stole the body of the deceased Christian who had been a member of St Thomas Church for 50 years. They threw the body into a tractor and dumped it outside the village. The Hindu militants said they did not want the bodies of Christians contaminating their soil.
Jesus also bore reproach and suffered 'outside the gate' (Hebrews 13:11-14). He understands, so we can draw near to him, and find mercy, grace and help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).
* MOROCCO: UNPRECEDENTED CRACKDOWN ON FOREIGN CHRISTIANS
In an unprecedented move, Morocco -- formerly known for its religious tolerance -- has expelled up to 70 Christian aid workers they accuse of proselytising. Some of those deported had been working in Morocco for ten to twenty years with the acceptance of the authorities. This crackdown against Christians (or anyone for that matter) seen to be threatening the faith of Muslims could well be aimed at appeasing Islamic fundamentalists agitated by government reforms. (For more information see http://elizabethkendal.blogspot.com/ )
* PAKISTAN: VIOLENT HATE CRIMES AGAINST CHRISTIANS
(1) When a group of six Muslims in Khanewal district, southern Punjab Province, grew envious and resentful of local Christian Rasheed Masih (36) because his potato business was more successful than theirs, they first tried to convert him to Islam. Compass Direct reports that for six months the Muslims tried, with insults and threats, to get Rasheed Masih and his brother Munir Asi to become one of them. Eventually on 9 March, when it was clear the Christians would not convert, Rasool (a radical Muslim) in collusion with the other five lured Rasheed to his farmhouse under the pretence of wanting to purchase potatoes. Once there, Rasheed was ambushed and then tortured and struck repeatedly with an axe over several hours. When Asi and two other Christians came looking for him, the Muslims sped away with the fatally wounded Rasheed, who died before he could be found.
(2) Arshed Masih (38), his wife Martha and their three children aged 7-12 are a Christian family who have been living in the servant quarters of Sheikh Mohammad Sultan's estate in Rawalpindi since 2005. BosNewsLife reports that Arshed (a driver) and Martha (a maid) recently fell out of favour with their wealthy employer because they refuse to convert to Islam. When Arshad offered to resign, Sultan threatened to kill the family if they ever tried to leave. On Friday 19 March a group of Islamic fundamentalists (including local police) set fire to Arshed and raped Martha in front of their two younger children. Arshed has burns to 80 percent of his body and is not expected to survive.
Not so long ago Muslims would have used a false blasphemy charge to remove or punish Christians they resented. (In Pakistan, anyone accused of blaspheming Islam can be immediately imprisoned.) Increasingly now it is 'convert or die!' The situation in Pakistan is deteriorating rapidly.
'He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!' (Rev 22:20 ESV)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
024. September Update; incl. Lebanon, Morocco, North Korea
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 024 | Wed 30 Sep 2009
SEPTEMBER 2009 UPDATE -- During the month we prayed concerning . . .
UZBEKISTAN, where 'foreign and non-traditional' Christian fellowships (i.e. not Russian Orthodox) are afflicted with the same security provisions designed to repress 'foreign and non-traditional' Islamic groups: Wahhabi fundamentalists and jihadists, and Hizb-ut-Tahrir Islamic revolutionaries. Even though the government knows the evangelical minority are peaceful, another reason they are targeted is because their very existence causes social tension with the Muslim and Russian Orthodox majority, a tension the government would like eliminated. Donam Protestant Church, a registered (and therefore legal) church in Tashkent pastored by Vladimir Tyo, is being attacked by the government. Also Pentecostal pastor Dmitry Shestakov remains incarcerated in the third year of his four-year prison sentence for illegal religious activities.
LAOS, where ethnic minority Christians are being specifically targeted for persecution by an increasingly paranoid and insecure government whose hatred and brutality is no longer being restrained. The registered Boukham Church is experiencing serious persecution under the supervision of the local police chief, Thao Somphet. Church elder Thao Oun is in prison (where torture is routine) and being threatened with death. New believer Thao Aom was expelled from his village because he refused to renounce Christ throughout three hours of police 'interrogation'. Please pray for the Church in Laos.
PAKISTAN, where decades of Islamic radicalisation, primarily through the free education provided by hundreds of thousands of fundamentalist Islamic madrassas, has prepared large swathes of the Muslim population for exploitation by the Islamic fundamentalists. They are now specifically targeting Christian communities so as to inflame Islamic zeal in the general Muslim grassroots. Islamic clerics have incited four large-scale violent pogroms against Christian communities in Punjab in the past three months -- with impunity. Also, on 14 September a Christian boy named Fanish Masih (19) was tortured to death in a Pakistani prison. He had been falsely accused of blasphemy, but the real reason for his imprisonment was his romance with a local Muslim girl. Fear and anxiety is rising in the Christian community. Please pray for them.
SEPTEMBER 2009 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .
* LEBANON: HEZBALLAH'S STRENGTH GROWS
Though the Saudi and US-backed, Sunni-dominated, pro-West March 14 Alliance won Lebanon's June 2009 elections with 70 seats to 58, the Syria and Iran-backed, Shia-dominated, Hezballah-led opposition actually won the popular vote with 55 percent of the ballot. Moreover, Hezballah is still the strongest military force in the state. In such circumstances it is not entirely surprising to find the minorities allying themselves to Hezballah in the hope that when fighting breaks out they will be on the winning team. Some 70 percent of Lebanese Christians (including many evangelicals) are allied to Hezballah in what must certainly be a 'covenant of death' (Isaiah 28:14-22). Now Walid Jumblat, leader of the Druze-led Progressive Socialist Party, has deserted the March 14 Alliance and, while feigning neutrality, is aligning himself with Hezballah and Iran for security's sake. He regards the Maronite Catholic commitment to the 'March 14' liberal ideals as 'suicidal'. Lebanon's Daily Star reports (28 Sep 09) that over 70,000 Christians have fled Lebanon since mid-2006. Pray for the church in Lebanon.
* MOROCCO: A NEW MOVEMENT SEEKS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
A new group has emerged called the Alternative Movement for the Defense of Individual Liberties (MALI). It has declared its intention to defend 'all freedoms . . . including freedom of worship' (MoroccoBoard.com 24 Sep 09). MALI's founder, Ms Zineb El-Rhazoui (a journalist) appealed through the group's Facebook site for supporters to join her in an act of civil disobedience on 13 September. With Article 222 of the Moroccan Penal Code criminalising public eating during Ramadan, the group planned to hold a public picnic during fasting hours in the woods outside the town of Mohammedia. However, on 13 September a large contingent of police besieged the Mohammedia railway station and recorded the details of the religious dissidents. Outraged Islamic clerics have demanded their punishment and MALI's leaders have received death threats. Reportedly the 'Moroccan blogosphere' is now abuzz with debates about 'freedom of conscience in a Muslim society' (LATimes 21 Sep). The Moroccan Association of Human Rights is very concerned about Ms Zineb El-Rhazoui, who has 'been disappeared' since 17 September. Pray for religious liberty in Morocco. Pray for King Mohammed VI (46), a visionary Arab leader and force for modernity, democracy and liberty.
* NORTH KOREA: NEW UNIVERSITY OPENS
The first privately funded university in North Korea, the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) , was officially opened on 16 September after a two-year delay and will eventually have 2000 undergraduate students. PUST is being built mostly with donations from international religious groups and South Korean individuals as well as with $1 million from the South Korean Ministry of Unification. Its founder, American entrepreneur Dr James Kim, refutes suggestions he 'paid-off' Kim Jong Il to get permission for the project. As a faithful Christian Dr Kim gives all the glory to God, while rejoicing that he (Dr Kim) has 'unlimited credit at the Bank of Heaven' (Daily NK, 16 Sep 09). Dr Kim, who spent 40 days in a North Korean prison cell in 1998, acknowledges the project is totally dependent on the grace of God as it is constantly being held hostage to geo-political agendas and whims. Pray for this miracle to continue; that God will frustrate the way of the wicked (Psalm 146:9c); and that PUST will achieve 'immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine' (Ephesians 3:20 NIV).
SEPTEMBER 2009 UPDATE -- During the month we prayed concerning . . .
UZBEKISTAN, where 'foreign and non-traditional' Christian fellowships (i.e. not Russian Orthodox) are afflicted with the same security provisions designed to repress 'foreign and non-traditional' Islamic groups: Wahhabi fundamentalists and jihadists, and Hizb-ut-Tahrir Islamic revolutionaries. Even though the government knows the evangelical minority are peaceful, another reason they are targeted is because their very existence causes social tension with the Muslim and Russian Orthodox majority, a tension the government would like eliminated. Donam Protestant Church, a registered (and therefore legal) church in Tashkent pastored by Vladimir Tyo, is being attacked by the government. Also Pentecostal pastor Dmitry Shestakov remains incarcerated in the third year of his four-year prison sentence for illegal religious activities.
LAOS, where ethnic minority Christians are being specifically targeted for persecution by an increasingly paranoid and insecure government whose hatred and brutality is no longer being restrained. The registered Boukham Church is experiencing serious persecution under the supervision of the local police chief, Thao Somphet. Church elder Thao Oun is in prison (where torture is routine) and being threatened with death. New believer Thao Aom was expelled from his village because he refused to renounce Christ throughout three hours of police 'interrogation'. Please pray for the Church in Laos.
PAKISTAN, where decades of Islamic radicalisation, primarily through the free education provided by hundreds of thousands of fundamentalist Islamic madrassas, has prepared large swathes of the Muslim population for exploitation by the Islamic fundamentalists. They are now specifically targeting Christian communities so as to inflame Islamic zeal in the general Muslim grassroots. Islamic clerics have incited four large-scale violent pogroms against Christian communities in Punjab in the past three months -- with impunity. Also, on 14 September a Christian boy named Fanish Masih (19) was tortured to death in a Pakistani prison. He had been falsely accused of blasphemy, but the real reason for his imprisonment was his romance with a local Muslim girl. Fear and anxiety is rising in the Christian community. Please pray for them.
SEPTEMBER 2009 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .
* LEBANON: HEZBALLAH'S STRENGTH GROWS
Though the Saudi and US-backed, Sunni-dominated, pro-West March 14 Alliance won Lebanon's June 2009 elections with 70 seats to 58, the Syria and Iran-backed, Shia-dominated, Hezballah-led opposition actually won the popular vote with 55 percent of the ballot. Moreover, Hezballah is still the strongest military force in the state. In such circumstances it is not entirely surprising to find the minorities allying themselves to Hezballah in the hope that when fighting breaks out they will be on the winning team. Some 70 percent of Lebanese Christians (including many evangelicals) are allied to Hezballah in what must certainly be a 'covenant of death' (Isaiah 28:14-22). Now Walid Jumblat, leader of the Druze-led Progressive Socialist Party, has deserted the March 14 Alliance and, while feigning neutrality, is aligning himself with Hezballah and Iran for security's sake. He regards the Maronite Catholic commitment to the 'March 14' liberal ideals as 'suicidal'. Lebanon's Daily Star reports (28 Sep 09) that over 70,000 Christians have fled Lebanon since mid-2006. Pray for the church in Lebanon.
* MOROCCO: A NEW MOVEMENT SEEKS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
A new group has emerged called the Alternative Movement for the Defense of Individual Liberties (MALI). It has declared its intention to defend 'all freedoms . . . including freedom of worship' (MoroccoBoard.com 24 Sep 09). MALI's founder, Ms Zineb El-Rhazoui (a journalist) appealed through the group's Facebook site for supporters to join her in an act of civil disobedience on 13 September. With Article 222 of the Moroccan Penal Code criminalising public eating during Ramadan, the group planned to hold a public picnic during fasting hours in the woods outside the town of Mohammedia. However, on 13 September a large contingent of police besieged the Mohammedia railway station and recorded the details of the religious dissidents. Outraged Islamic clerics have demanded their punishment and MALI's leaders have received death threats. Reportedly the 'Moroccan blogosphere' is now abuzz with debates about 'freedom of conscience in a Muslim society' (LATimes 21 Sep). The Moroccan Association of Human Rights is very concerned about Ms Zineb El-Rhazoui, who has 'been disappeared' since 17 September. Pray for religious liberty in Morocco. Pray for King Mohammed VI (46), a visionary Arab leader and force for modernity, democracy and liberty.
* NORTH KOREA: NEW UNIVERSITY OPENS
The first privately funded university in North Korea, the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) , was officially opened on 16 September after a two-year delay and will eventually have 2000 undergraduate students. PUST is being built mostly with donations from international religious groups and South Korean individuals as well as with $1 million from the South Korean Ministry of Unification. Its founder, American entrepreneur Dr James Kim, refutes suggestions he 'paid-off' Kim Jong Il to get permission for the project. As a faithful Christian Dr Kim gives all the glory to God, while rejoicing that he (Dr Kim) has 'unlimited credit at the Bank of Heaven' (Daily NK, 16 Sep 09). Dr Kim, who spent 40 days in a North Korean prison cell in 1998, acknowledges the project is totally dependent on the grace of God as it is constantly being held hostage to geo-political agendas and whims. Pray for this miracle to continue; that God will frustrate the way of the wicked (Psalm 146:9c); and that PUST will achieve 'immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine' (Ephesians 3:20 NIV).
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