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 710. The Battle for Nepal

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 710 | Wed 13 Sep 2023
RLPB is published weekly to facilitate strategic intercessory prayer.

Sign up for the RLPB at www.ElizabethKendal.com  
View RLPB archives at Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog.

THE BATTLE FOR NEPAL
extended RLPB: persecution escalates as Hindutva rises
By Elizabeth Kendal

Map of Nepal, showing locations (left to right)
of Lumbini Prov., Janakpur, and Dharan.
(click on map to enlarge)

On Monday 4 September anti-Christian (presumed Hindutva [Hindu nationalist]) elements attacked a church in Nawalparasi district, Lumbini Province, which is south-west of Kathmandu, bordering North India’s Uttar Pradesh. Images seen by International Christian Concern (ICC) ‘showed broken windows and other signs of violence around the property, including damage to fencing and a broken motorbike’. ICC reports (5 Sep): ‘Another photo shared on social media showed two men, identified as pastors, being assaulted on the street. Gathered locals appear to have smeared the pastors’ faces with a sticky black substance in an act described by ICC contacts as a cultural sign of hatred and disrespect.’ It was one of two churches to be attacked in the same town in as many days; and it was the seventh attack on a church in Nepal in two weeks. On Tuesday 5 September ICC received news of Christians being assaulted in Janakpur, which is south-east of Kathmandu, bordering North India’s Bihar State. It is also alleged that two men were recently arrested for street preaching in Kathmandu. As one Nepalese leader told ICC, anti-Christian hostility is ‘spreading like wildfire’.

According to Catholic media, the recent wave of persecution was triggered by a video which went viral on social media on 15 August. The video allegedly shows Nepalese tribals eating beef – and filming it, possibly as a form of protest – in a village near Dharan, in eastern Nepal. Hindus regard cows as sacred; and because Hindus are the majority (comprising 81 percent) they been able to use their political power to make slaughtering cows and eating beef illegal in Nepal. Christians, Muslims and tribals protest that it is unjust to enforce Hindu values on non-Hindus, especially in a state that is now officially secular.

Political tensions have been running hot since the November 2022 elections, which resulted in a hung parliament. The result has been the creation of a fractious and fragile multi-party coalition. Relegated to opposition, Hindutva parties are exploiting the political chaos and paralysis to advance the Hindutva cause. Like their Indian mentors and financiers, Nepal’s Hindu nationalists play the religion card and fuel sectarian strife for political gain. None more so than those associated with the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) whose calls for a return to Hindu monarchy and Hindu State grow louder by the day as it seeks to capitalise on widespread political disillusionment.

On 13 February the former King of Nepal, Gyanendra Shah launched a campaign to reinstate Nepal as a Hindu Kingdom. He was joined by his son, former crown prince Paras Shah. Since then, Hindu nationalists have been running regular religious processions during which they chant Hindu slogans and, in the words of RPP Chair Rajendra Lingden, ‘educate the Nepali people about their religion’, by which he means Hinduism! – the implication being that all Nepalis are, by definition, Hindu.

Baptism in Nepal.
Image via Silas G. of  HeartCry Missionary Society

The rise in political tensions coincides with the increased attention being given to the rapid growth of Christianity in the country. It is generally accepted that in 1951 there were no known Christians in Nepal, while by 1961, there were 458. After the fall of the Hindu monarchy (2006) Nepal underwent its own glasnost and perestroika (openness and economic reform). The openness enabled amazing Church growth. Then, in September 2015, Nepal adopted a new constitution [RLPB 325 (30 Sept 2015)]. Article 31 enshrines the right to profess and practise one’s own religion. However, in an addition made to appease Hindutva forces, clause 3 of Article 31 enshrines anti-conversion legislation [details: RLPB 321 (5 Aug 2015)]. Today there are roughly 1.34 million Christians in Nepal (4.4 percent of the population); most are Protestant.

In January 2023, the BBC screened a documentary entitled, ‘Nepal: The battle for souls.’ A narrator opens with what we already know: ‘The Gospel is spreading across Nepal, a Hindu majority nation. Nepal’s Christian community is one of the fastest growing in the world.’ He is then followed by a Hindu nationalist who spells out the problem, as he sees it: “[Christianity] is spreading like wildfire. The fabric of the national unity is at stake. The social harmony is at stake.’ In April, The Organiser (the mouthpiece of India’s Hindu nationalist paramilitary, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)) lamented [speaking of Nepal] that ‘infamous aggressive proselytising has made Christianity as the fastest-growing religion in the Himalayan country'. The author goes on to prophesy doom unless Nepal returns to the ‘political and socio-religious stability’ that was ‘ensured by the Hindu kingdom’ which prevented ‘conversions to Abrahamic faiths’. Any Nepali who is anxious about religious conversions and/or frustrated by the endless political chaos and paralysis would find this message very alluring indeed. On 3 June the government released statistics based on the 2021 Census which confirmed that while Hinduism and Buddhism are in decline, Islam and Christianity are on the rise.

On Saturday 9 September the Hindu religious group ‘Vaidik Sanatan Dharmik Mahasangh’ led a march in Kathmandu to protest cow slaughter and demand Nepal be declared a Hindu State. On Wednesday 13 September the RPP will lead another mass protest in Kathmandu to protest cow slaughter and demand the re-instatement of the Hindu monarchy and the Hindu State. The battle for Nepal is heating up!


PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR MERCIFUL GOD WILL:

* grant Nepal’s pastors and evangelists – including many South Korean and North-east Indian missionaries – great wisdom (James 1:5) as they navigate the rapidly deteriorating situation. May the Holy Spirit guide them and empower their words as they share the Gospel, defend the faith, promote religious liberty and counter Hindutva propaganda. May the Lord’s purposes prevail! (Proverbs 19:21)

* comfort, encourage and sustain those pastors and evangelists who have been assaulted, humiliated and arrested in recent weeks. May churches that have been attacked and vandalised receive everything they need to rebuild and replenish.

* protect the Church against paralysing fear; for 30 million Nepalese still desperately need the ‘living and active’ Word of God (Hebrews 4:12).

May our Lord Jesus Christ – who has already overpowered and disarmed the ‘strong man’ (Satan) (Luke 11:14-22) – continue to build his Church in Nepal (Matthew 16:18).


SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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THE BATTLE FOR NEPAL

On 4 September Hindu nationalists attacked a church in Nawalparasi district, in Nepal’s south-western Lumbini Province. Windows were broken and property was vandalised. It was the seventh attack on a church in two weeks. Footage emerged showing two men, identified as pastors, being violently assaulted and publicly humiliated. Endless political chaos has left many Nepalis deeply disillusioned. Exploiting this, Hindu nationalists are ramping up their calls for the restoration of the Hindu State. Angered by the rapid growth of Christianity, they are also fuelling sectarian hatred – protesting religious conversions and beef consumption – for political gain. Today there are some 1.34 million Christians in Nepal (4.4 percent of population), mostly Protestant. It is one of the fastest growing Churches in the world. The battle for Nepal is heating up! Please pray.

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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 521. Sept. Update incl. Nigeria, Papua, Ethiopia, Algeria, Burkina Faso, India, Iraq, Nepal

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 521 | Wed 25 Sep 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)

by Elizabeth Kendal

SEPTEMBER 2019 UPDATE -- during this period we prayed concerning

* NIGERIA (RLPB 518), where a deeply traumatising Christian crisis, that has its roots in the Saudi-led revival of fundamentalist, imperialistic, militant, Wahhabi Islam, is being perpetuated and fuelled by systemic high-level corruption.

Pastor Elisha Noma, cut,
burned and with a
broken hand.
(Morning Star News)

UPDATE: In RLPB 518 it was reported that Baptist pastor Elisha Noma (abducted by Fulani herdsmen on 14 August) had been 'released unharmed' on 31 August upon payment of ransom. However, in a subsequent interview with Morning Star News (MSN) Pastor Noma (60) revealed that he certainly was not released 'unharmed' as reported in Nigerian media. To extract ransom, Pastor Noma's Fulani captors phoned his family and then beat, cut and burned their hostage in the hearing of his loved ones. [This method of extracting ransom is reminiscent of that used by human traffickers in Egypt's Sinai region.] Since being released Pastor Noma has received medical treatment for cuts, burns and a broken hand. MSN reports: 'In August alone, more than 40 pastors in Nigeria were either kidnapped or suffered some form of violence from herdsmen or Boko Haram terrorists, according to figures obtained from CAN [Christian Association of Nigeria].' Pastors are particularly vulnerable because of their profession and their distinctive clothing. Please pray.

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

* WEST PAPUA & PAPUA (INDONESIA) (RLPB 519), lamenting the Christian crisis in eastern Indonesia and the betrayal and abandonment of a Christian people. 'Unlike their Melanesian brothers and sisters throughout the Pacific, the Papuans were denied the right to self-determination.' Instead, in 1969 Dutch New Guinea (comprising today's West Papua and Papua Provinces) was officially incorporated into Muslim Indonesia. 'It has been all downhill since then.' Papuan protests against racial-religious hatred erupted in mid-August. Indonesia's deployment of thousands of extra Indonesian police and soldiers into West Papua and Papua has only emboldened the 'merah putih' (red and white / Indonesian nationalist) and jihadist militias which serve as proxies of the Indonesian security forces.

UPDATES:

(1) DEATH IN ILAGA, CENTRAL HIGHLANDS

Papuan mother shot in chest in Ilaga.

On Tuesday 17 September at least seven Papuan civilians were shot -- three fatally -- when Indonesian soldiers raided a Dani community in Puncak regency's Ilaga district in search of 'rebels'. Local witnesses told advocates in Australia that while a woman pictured with a bullet wound to her chest survived, the toddler she had been holding was killed, as was her 10-year-old. According to West Papuan sources, the attack was perpetrated by Indonesian police and military using ground forces and helicopters. According to the Indonesian military, the Papuans attacked the soldiers, shooting wildly, injuring locals in the process. Photos have emerged purportedly showing Dani huts engulfed in flames.

(2) DEATH IN JAYAPURA
In recent days, Cendrawasih University auditorium has provided temporary shelter for some 300 Papuan students who have returned home from colleges outside of Papua where they no longer felt safe. On Monday 23 September Indonesian security forces ordered the students leave the auditorium. When the students refused, the security forces besieged and then stormed the auditorium. They then forced the students into trucks that transferred them to the Waena Museum and Arts Centre. Students report, 'We were brutally attacked the minute we arrived at the museum.' At least two students were shot dead, while ten required hospitalisation. One soldier died after being struck on the head with a bladed weapon.

(3) DEATH IN WAMENA, CENTRAL HIGHLANDS
Violence erupted in Wamena, Jayawijaya regency, on Monday 23 September, as Papuan school students protested a fresh incident of racist abuse in which an Indonesian teacher allegedly referred to a Papuan student as a 'monkey'. According to the Speaker of the Papua People's Assembly, Timotius Murib, the student protest was 'infiltrated by provocateurs' who instigated a riot. At least 17 people were killed and more than 65 seriously wounded. According to Wamena commander Lt. Col. Chandra Diyanto, the victims died after either being stabbed with sharp weapons or set on fire. Amateur video shows numerous buildings engulfed in flames, including government offices and the airport, while photos on social media show Papuan students shot, wounded and bleeding. According to the Indonesian military, reports that a teacher had referred to a student as a 'monkey' were a 'hoax', as are reports that soldiers have shot students.

It is absolutely urgent that the Indonesian government allow international observers into Indonesia's West Papua and Papua provinces. Please pray.

'The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.' (John 10:10 ESV)

* ETHIOPIA (RLPB 520), after members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church took to the streets in major cities across Amhara Region to protest peacefully about the escalating ethno-religious violence that has seen more than 30 churches burned in the past 13 months. We also prayed concerning the rising risk posed by Islamic State in Somalia (ISS) after it released a 3-minute propaganda video with Amharic subtitles.

UPDATE: On Saturday 21 September, Ethiopia's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) disclosed that at least ten suspected Islamic terrorists were in custody after the NISS foiled attacks by both al-Shabaab and Islamic State in Somalia (ISS). The alleged terrorists had reportedly been preparing to launch attacks on hotels, government institutions and popular religious gatherings in the capital Addis Ababa and other areas of the country. Praise God these plots were uncovered and thwarted. Please continue to pray that God would complete the good work he has begun in Ethiopia.

* ERITREA (RLPB 520), after the regime -- which recently confiscated all Catholic-run health clinics -- ordered that all religious schools be handed over to government authorities. Please pray.


SEPTEMBER 2019 ROUND-UP -- also this month

* ALGERIA

(1) UPDATE REGARDING CHURCH CLOSURE
In RLPB 517 it was reported that the Prince of Peace church in Ighzer Amokrane, Tizi Ouzou Province, had managed to resist closure. When police arrived on 26 August to close the church they faced resistance from some 200 praying believers, the president of the Protestant alliance (EPA), and the EPA's attorney who informed the police the order was not valid as it had not been issued by a court. Ultimately the police were forced to retreat [see RLPB 517 (28 Aug)]. UPDATE: the police returned at 6:45am on Monday 2 September. Taken unawares, the church has now been sealed shut. Please pray for wisdom and grace.

(2) ALGERIA'S PROTESTANT CHURCH DEEMED SUBVERSIVE
Algeria's Protestant Church is facing escalating pressure, much of which may be politically motivated. On Sunday 15 September Algeria's interim president announced that the presidential election – originally scheduled for April, and then July -- will go ahead on 12 December. Fearing that the election process could be corrupted, Algeria's protesters had demanded that the old regime be removed and political reforms be enacted before elections were held. That has not happened and consequently, protests have resumed. The regime is not impressed! This is the context in which persecution is escalating. [For more background see RLPB 449 (4 April 2018).] On 28 August Algeria's Minister of Interior, as head of the National Security Committee, issued an order instructing regional governors and security heads to investigate the financial activities of non-traditional religious groups -- specifically Protestants and two radical Islamic groups. The order describes the Protestant Church as a radical movement with a 'vicious plan ... supported by foreign parties' ... to spread 'destructive ideas'. Please pray.

* BURKINA FASO: UPTICK IN JIHADIST ACTIVITY

Both al-Qaeda's Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWA) have claimed responsibility for a string of terror attacks in Burkina Faso in recent weeks. The attacks have targeted military bases and operations, Burkinabe soldiers have been killed and large quantities of weapons and ammunition stolen. There have also been several incidents where vehicles have driven over improvised explosive devices (IEDs), resulting in mass deaths. The escalation of terrorist violence does not bode well for Burkina Faso or her Church which suffered a string of targeted terror attacks earlier this year. Please pray.

* INDIA: ANOTHER WAY TO LIMIT CONVERSIONS

On Monday 16 September India's Home Affairs ministry announced restrictive amendments to the Foreigners Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). The current minister for Home Affairs is Amit Shah, the president of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As reported by the Economic Times, the amended Act requires that each functionary and member of a non-government organisation (NGO) seeking registration under the FCRA will have to file an affidavit declaring that the individual has not been involved in any act of religious conversion or prosecuted for communal disharmony. According to the new rules, the affidavit will have to be executed by 'each office-bearer and functionary and member individually on non-judicial stamp paper of Rs 10 and attested by notary public.' Under the 2011 rules only top office-bearers of NGOs were required to sign an affidavit when seeking public grants. Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians, fears Christian NGOs -- including those run by local churches and missions which operate schools and clinics across the country -- will be 'selectively targeted' and their FCRA 'registration cancelled and their bank accounts frozen'. It is just another way to limit conversions. Please pray.

* NEPAL: NEPALESE PASTOR FORCED INTO HIDING

RED: Chitwan 

In March, Pastor Sukdev Giri (59) of Trinity Fellowship Church in Chitwan District (on Nepal's southern border with India) participated on a panel at the International Christian Media Workers Summit in Kathmandu. During the panel discussion, Pastor Giri was asked to explain the belief systems most prevalent in Nepal, which he did. The session was filmed, but only made available to Christian media workers. By mid-August the footage had been leaked and was freely available on YouTube. Nepalese Hindu nationalists now accuse Pastor Giri of being anti-Hindu. Due to death threats he now cannot return home but instead has been forced into hiding. Meanwhile, his family and friends are also receiving threatening phone calls. Please pray.

* USCIRF HEARING THURSDAY 26 SEPTEMBER: IRAQ

War has left Iraq's indigenous Assyrian community decimated, displaced, destitute and traumatised. While a remnant would like to return to their lands, gross insecurity amidst a massive land-grab by Sunni Kurds and Shi'ite Shabaks backed by Baghdad and Tehran is making this impossible [see RLPBs 507 (19 June) and 493 (13 March)]. As Chaldean Primate Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako notes, two years after liberation, 'only one per cent of the displaced has returned to Telkief and Batnaya'. He wants all armed groups withdrawn from the Nineveh Plain and security enforced by a federal police force incorporating locals. On Thursday 26 September the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) will conduct a hearing titled Religious Minorities' Fight to Remain in Iraq. [For more details see the press release on the USCIRF website.] It is hoped the hearing will shed light on how to help 'vulnerable populations return, rebuild, and remain'. Please pray for Thursday's hearing which will be live-streamed and available on the USCIRF website. Please pray for the Church in Iraq.

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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 470. August Update, incl. Indonesia, Assyrians in Iraq & Syria, China, India, Nepal, Nigeria

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 470 | Wed 29 Aug 2018

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

by Elizabeth Kendal

AUGUST 2018 UPDATE -- this month we prayed concerning ...

* PHILIPPINES (RLPB 466), after the assassination of three Catholic priests, all of whom had been openly critical of President Rodrigo Duterte's murderous policies. We also prayed concerning the situation in southern Philippines, now that Pres. Duterte has signed the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).  If it manages to pass a plebiscite and survive a legal challenge, the BOL will establish what would essentially be a mini-Islamic State within the Republic of the Philippines. Rather than establishing peace, the BOL may well trigger a fresh wave of conflict. Pray for the Church in the Philippines.

* COMOROS (RLPB 467), where the constitution has been amended to enshrine Sunni Islam as the state religion and framework for all law. While the main purpose of the amendment is to ensure Shia (and pro-Shia) Muslims are excluded from political office, Christians -- who are mostly expatriates and comprise less than 2 percent of the population -- are concerned that this will inflame religious sensitivities and fuel persecution ahead of the 2019 presidential elections. Pray for Christians in the Comoro Islands.

* ETHIOPIA'S SOMALI/OGADEN REGION (RLPB 468), where churches were burnt and priests killed as supporters of the corrupt and cruel regional president, Abdi Mohamed Omar (known also as Abdi Iley), rioted in protest at the reforming actions of Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed. Much of the protesting had been incited by fake news spread via social media which framed the government intervention as an ethnic-religious attack, when in reality the government intervention was aimed at ending the gross human rights abuses in the region.

UPDATE: Order has been restored and Abdi Iley, who has now been stripped of his immunity and formally arrested, will face justice for his crimes and human rights abuses. May God bless Ethiopia.

* INDONESIA (RLPB 469), after President Joko Widodo's shock announcement that Ma'ruf Amin (75) will be his running mate in the April 2019 presidential election. As one of Indonesia's most influential hardline Islamist clerics, Amin was a key facilitator of the blasphemy fatwa, protests and trial that sent popular ethnic Chinese Christian Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama to prison for two years. Widodo's party and coalition partners hope that by appeasing Amin they can shield Widodo from an 'Ahok-style' attack. Clearly, in this post-Ahok era, the 'sword' of weaponised Islam hangs over the head of every potential leader.

UPDATE: NEW 'BLASPHEMY' CASE TRIGGERS BACKLASH
In July 2016 an ethnic-Chinese Buddhist woman named Meiliana complained to a neighbour that the local mosque's loudspeakers were now so loud that the Islamic call to prayer was hurting her ears. News of the complaint spread amongst local Muslims, who responded by rioting through the north Sumatran port town of Tanjung Balai, burning the homes of ethnic Chinese and at least 14 Buddhist temples. Blame fell on Meiliana, who was then charged with blasphemy. On Tuesday 21 August 2018 an Indonesian court deemed the 44-year-old mother-of-four guilty of blasphemy and sentenced her to 18 months in prison.

Praise God, the backlash against this draconian ruling has been swift and effective. By Friday 24 August more than 115,000 Indonesians had added their names to an online petition condemning the ruling. In fact the outcry was so strong that Indonesia's Ministry of Religious Affairs was forced to issue new guidelines on the use of loudspeakers. The guidelines recommend operators avoid anything that would 'arouse antipathy towards mosques'; that the call to prayer be 'melodious and easy on the ears'; and that sound levels not be raised while conducting prayer. Naturally, some mosques will comply and others will resist. What is truly significant here is the backlash. The May 2017 jailing of Ahok really did send tremors through the nation; maybe the 'awakening' we have been praying for has already begun [see prayer points, RLPB 469]. A ferocious spiritual battle is underway; please pray for Indonesia.

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:3,4 ESV)

AUGUST 2018 ROUND-UP -- also this month ...

* ASSYRIANS: THE STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL CONTINUES 
Assyrians are the indigenous people of Mesopotamia (also known as the Fertile Crescent, Iraq-Syria); they are a Christian nation.

Understanding the Christian
Crisis in the Middle East
By Elizabeth Kendal

(1) IRAQ
In August 2017 Basim Bello became the second Assyrian mayor in Iraq's Nineveh Province to be illegally ousted from office by Kurdish forces and replaced with a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). [For the case of Fayez Abed Jawahreh, Mayor of Alqosh, see RLPB 465 (25 July)]. Praise God, Mr Bello was reinstated as Mayor of Tel Kepe on 7 August 2018 after he won his case in the Iraqi Federal Court. With forces conspiring to change the demographics of the Nineveh Plains and to snatch and annex Assyrian lands, the Christian Crisis in Iraq is anything but over. [For more information on the situation in Iraq see: 'Erasing Assyrians', a report by the Assyrian Confederation of Europe, September 2017]. Pray for the Assyrian remnant in Iraq.

(2) SYRIA
The Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) -- which is the Syrian wing of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) -- has declared itself to be the ruling authority in Syria's north-eastern Hasaka Province. The PYD has mandated that all Assyrian and church-run private schools must re-register and adopt a new Kurdish teaching curriculum. On 7 August Kurdish authorities closed an Assyrian school in Derbiseye after school officials refused to adopt the Kurdish curriculum. Not only do Syria's Armenians and Assyrians reject the Kurdish curriculum as unacceptably ideological, they also believe it would not be accepted by the Syrian government which consequently might not recognise their children's credentials. Assyrians are demanding the PYD immediately revoke the decision to impose their curricula, and that they allow the reopening of Assyrian schools in Derek and Darbasiya before the new school year commences in early September. Pray for the Assyrian and Armenian remnant in north-east Syria.

* CHINA: PRESSURE MOUNTS ON CHRISTIANS

(1) GAO ZHISHENG: ONE YEAR 'DISAPPEARED'
On 13 August 2017 long-persecuted Christian human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng (54), with the help of two associates, escaped house arrest in Shaanxi province; he desperately needed medical and especially dental care. Though the men evaded police for 23 days, ultimately Gao was captured and taken into secret detention [see RLPB 432 (15 Nov 2017)]. One year has now passed, and still nobody knows his whereabouts. Grave fears are held for his safety and wellbeing. Please intercede for Gao, remembering that 'intercessory prayer is advocacy to the highest authority' (Turn Back the Battle, page 110).

(2) ENFORCING ‘THE MASS LINE’
The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is working to rein in the Church. Unregistered fellowships are being forcibly closed and landlords are being pressured not to lease property to church groups. In China's northwest Gansu Province, summer camps have been closed down and Catholic priests dismissed. In Henan Province churches have been raided, believers arrested and Christians forced to sign letters of commitment, promising not to join Christianity but to follow the CCP. In Beijing, the city's seven largest house churches have been forced to relocate, a process the authorities hope will result in closures. Across the country, churches are being forced to take down their crosses and replace them with Chinese flags. Some churches have been forced to display posters extolling socialism's core values, sing nationalistic songs during services and display images of Chinese President Xi Jinping. This is all part of President Xi's campaign to enforce ‘the mass line'’ (i.e., ideological conformity).

* INDIA: DRACONIAN BILL PASSED IN PUNJAB

On Tuesday 21 August, the Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) in India’s north-western state of Punjab unanimously passed a Bill which, if approved by the central government, will have enormous ramifications. The Bill aims to enact Section 295-AA of the Indian Penal Code and would criminalise sacrilege to holy books – Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Qur’an and Bible – or any religion with the intention to hurt religious sentiments. Such offences would be cognisable (no warrant required for arrest), non-bailable and would attract a sentence of life imprisonment. Pray this bill does not advance.

* NEPAL: ANTI-CHRISTIAN HOSTILITY RISING

(1) ANTI-CONVERSION LAW NOW IN FORCE
 In August 2017 the Nepali parliament passed a bill criminalising religious conversion and the 'hurting of religious sentiment'. Clause 158 of section 9 bans the hurting of religious sentiment and is similar to Pakistan's blasphemy law. Clause 160 in section 9 severely restricts religious conversion and is similar to the anti-conversion laws in force in India [RLPB 421 (30 Aug 2017)]. The law officially came into force on 17 August 2018. Christians are anxious that the law will be abused, especially as anti-Christian hostility is rising, fuelled in part by a wave of malicious fake news and false flags (violent crimes being 'claimed' by an alleged Christian 'Army' which no Nepalese Christian has ever heard about). Persecution seems likely to escalate. Pray for the Church in Nepal.

(2) 'JUSTICE IS TURNED BACK' (from Isaiah 59:14 15a ESV)
On 7 June Pastor Govinda Prasad Dhakal (63) was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a court deemed him guilty of raping a minor he and his wife had adopted in 2016.

Pastor Govinda Dhakal
and wife Saraswoti Dhakal.
(Morning Star News)

Unbeknown to the Dhakals, the young girl in question (now aged 12) had been raped in 2015 by a local boy from a wealthy family. On that occasion, the rapist's family settled the matter out of court with a cash payment to the mother. Unaware of the child's traumatic past, the Dhakals returned the girl to her mother in September 2017 claiming she was unmanageable. The mother then accused the pastor of rape in the hope she might receive a cash payment. Instead, Pastor Dhakal maintained his innocence and the case went to trial. When the mother realised the pastor would be convicted, she repented and confessed in court that she had fabricated the story in pursuit of cash for her daughter's education. Christians believe the court's decision to imprison Pastor Dhakal reflects the rising anti-Christian sentiment in the country and highlights the corruption in the legal system, because Pastor Dhakal had refused to pay a bribe. Pastor Dhakal has appealed the verdict; he filed a petition in the Makwanpur High Court on 10 July. He is currently detained in Chitwan jail. Please pray. [Full story Morning Star News]

* NIGERIA: CAPTIVE LEAH SHARIBU IS ALIVE 

Leah Sharibu (15)

In February 2018 a faction of Boko Haram abducted some 110 girls from a school in Dapchi town, Yobe State, northern Nigeria. Then, on 21 March, after their international sponsors chastised the jihadists for taking Muslim girls captive, they returned the girls -- all except one: Leah Sharibu (15), a Christian girl who 'refused to co-operate' and convert to Islam to secure her freedom [see RLPB 448 (28 March)]. Nigerian independent online newspaper The Cable has managed to obtain proof-of-life. The jihadists sent The Cable a photo of Leah dressed in a hijab and sitting on a mat, along with an audio file in which Leah appeals for 'the government and people of goodwill to intervene to get me out of my current situation'.  Pray that the Lord would intervene in Nigeria. Pray for the suffering Church in Northern Nigeria, and that Leah Sharibu will be returned to her family.

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfils his purpose for me. He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! (Psalm 57:1-3 ESV)

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

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 457. May Update, incl. Chechnya, Egypt, India, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Turkey, Zanzibar.

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 457 | Wed 30 May 2018

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


by Elizabeth Kendal

MAY 2018 UPDATE -- this month we prayed concerning ...

* BURMA (Myanmar) (RLPB 453), where a campaign of ethnic-religious cleansing is underway in the north. Using aerial bombardment and ground forces, the Burmese Army is driving the Christian Kachin from Kachin State's most resource-rich regions. More than 15,000 Christian Kachin have been displaced since the beginning of this year. They join the more than 100,000 Kachin displaced since 2011. Pray for the Kachin and that God will intervene to bring peace to Burma.

* CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (CAR) (RLPBs 454 & 456), where Islamic militias continue to threaten this mostly Christian nation. In mid-April, UN peacekeepers moved against Islamic criminal gangs in the capital, Bangui. Islamic militias vowed revenge. On 1 May heavily-armed rioting Muslims attacked Bangui's Catholic Cathedral, killing 24 and wounding over 100 (RLPB 454). On 13 May two French fighter jets conducted a show of force over the rebel-held front-line town of Kaga Bandoro to deter the Islamic militias which are regrouping there and threatening to 'march on Bangui' (RLPB 456). The state is on high alert. Pray for the Church in CAR and that God will intervene to bring peace.

* RAMADAN (RLPB 455), in particular that Christians will be safe and that Muslims will be saved.

‘The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son . . .’ (Deuteronomy 1:30-31 ESV)

MAY 2018 ROUND-UP -- also this month ...

* CHECHNYA, (South Russia): ISLAMIC STATE (IS) CLAIMS CHURCH ATTACK

On Saturday 18 May four militants armed with guns, knives, axes and explosives and shouting 'Allahu Akbar' attempted to storm the Archangel Michael Russian Orthodox Church in central Grozny. Inside, some 15 believers were engaged in evening worship, while outside, the priest's young children were playing happily in the garden. The church, which was established in the late 1800s, is located in the main tourist precinct, surrounded by shopping malls and cafes. Consequently, Chechen police were quickly on the scene. They shot and killed the four militants and rescued the church-goers and children. Unfortunately the militants had seized two hostages from the church before it was barricaded shut. One believer was killed in the attack and the other was critically wounded. Two police officers were killed and two wounded. IS has claimed responsibility. Pray for the Church in Chechnya and the wider North Caucasus region.

* EGYPT: 'RECONCILIATION' LEADS TO CHURCH CLOSURE

On 14 April Muslims rioted in Beni Meinin, torching Coptic property and attacking the church. This eruption of Islamic resistance was in response to the government's proposal to legalise the village church. Police arrested 11 Muslims and 9 Christians before demanding the village hold a 'reconciliation' session to end the matter [RLPB 452 (25 April)]. With their youths in prison (essentially as hostages), Muslim and Coptic clergy, village elders, local politicians and security officials from the village participated in a 'reconciliation' session. It was agreed that all 20 arrested residents would relinquish their legal rights (meaning none can seek legal redress for arson, looting, assault and suchlike) and the church will remain closed until it is legalised. Subsequently, on 22 May the arrested Muslims and Christians were acquitted and released. Such 'reconciliation' only serves to guarantee impunity, escalate insecurity and perpetuate violent persecution.

* INDIA: ANTI-CONVERSION LAW AS WEAPON

Uttarakhand state in northern India has become the seventh Indian state to approve an 'anti-conversion law'. Governor Krishna Kant Paul signed the ironically named 'Freedom of Religion' Bill into law on 18 April. The law will come into force as soon as the state government finalises the Bill's rules.

(From left) Rajni Pradhan and
couple Sarah and Subash Kumar,
after appearing in court.
See Morning Star News: India

On Sunday 29 April some 50 Christians were worshipping together in a house church in Danapur, Bihar State, when a mob of some 60 Hindu nationalists surrounded the house. The mob harassed, intimidated and threatened the believers while hurling foul abuse. They also called the police and accused the Christians of running a 'conversion racket'. The police arrested several of the Christians, of whom Rajni Pradhan and a couple, Subash and Sarah Kumar, remain incarcerated, accused of 'forcibly converting people'. At a hearing on 8 May, a judge rejected their plea for bail. Also on Sunday 29 April, Hindu militants attacked the Full Gospel Pentecostal Church in Baburia Khera, Uttar Pradesh State. They beat worshippers and threatened to kill the pastor, Kamlesh Kumar. To save her husband, Kumar's wife hid him in a locked room. Church member Ram Prasad (55) was beaten unconscious as he tried to shield other believers. A church member called police, but when they arrived the police berated the believers and advised them to 'flee from the church'; no arrests were made. Pray for the Church in India.

* NEPAL: CHURCHES ATTACKED, 'EVANGELISTS' ARRESTED

St Joseph's in better days.

Five churches were attacked in Nepal during May. St Joseph's Catholic Church in Kohalpur, in Nepal's western Banke District, was torched in the early hours of 5 May; the interior was 'entirely destroyed'. On the night of 9 May Hebron Church in Hilihang Rural Municipality, in the eastern district of Panchthar, was partly damaged after being set on fire. On the night of 10 May Emmanuel Church in Doti, in the country's far west, was set on fire; the church sustained significant damage. On 11 May Emmanuel Church in Kanchanpur was set on fire, resulting in significant structural damage. Then on the evening of 13 May Mahima Church in Dhangadhi city, western Nepal, was partly destroyed when an unidentified assailant threw an improvised explosive device through a window.  Fortunately, nobody was killed in the attacks. Police seem determined to blame Maoists, even though Christians have been receiving threats from a Hindu nationalist group. The geographically dispersed attacks were so similar that analysts suspect the perpetrators were part of a Hindu nationalist online community and that the attacks arose from online incitement.

Furthermore, two Nepali believers were arrested on 9 May for singing Christian songs in public. Four others were subsequently arrested from their homes. Charged with evangelism (prohibited in Nepal since 2015), the six faced court on 17 May where they were remanded to spend a further seven days in prison. Pray for the Church in Nepal.

* NIGERIA: CHRISTIANS APPEAL -- 'END THE KILLINGS'

On 22 May a funeral was held in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, for 19 Christians (including two priests) who were massacred on 24 April by Fulani gunmen who surrounded their grass-roofed church in Aya Mbalom village and opened fire.  [Video report by Al-Jazeera.]

Christians rally for an
end to the killings (22 May).
Courtesy: Crux 

It was the second mass funeral for Christian victims of Fulani violence in Benue this year [see RLPB 442 (14 Feb 2018)]. According to Benue State Governor, Sam Ortom, 492 people have been killed in Benue State alone so far this year (which equates to 100 per month). On the day of the funeral, rallies were held in various Nigerian cities where Christians urged the government (in the words of Cardinal John Onaiyekan) to 'end the killings'. Bishops spoke of 'massacres', 'ethnic cleansing' and described people living in 'palpable fear'. Pressure is mounting on President Buhari, a Fulani Muslim from the north.

At 12:30am on Monday 28 May Fulani gunmen attacked Sacred Heart Minor Seminary in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State. Students were wounded and cars destroyed. The rector, Father Emmanuel Atsue, told Catholic media: 'They shot and injured one of the priests, Father Cornelius Pobah, in the leg, [and] beat up Father Stephen Bakari.' It seems Father Pobah was targeted because he had refused to allow Fulani herdsmen to graze their cattle inside the seminary grounds. The fact that nobody was killed could imply that the Fulani were issuing a warning and that this is far from over. Please pray.

* PHILIPPINES: BOMB EXPLODES OUTSIDE MINDANAO CHURCH

On Sunday 29 April in Koronadal City in South Cotabato, Mindanao, two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were detonated in the city. The first IED exploded at noon, just outside the Christ the King Cathedral along Rizal Street, injuring three. The other IED was found in a trash can two kilometres away and detonated by police. Two suspects have since been arrested. Pray for the Church in the southern Philippines.

* TURKEY: PASTOR FACES COURT A SECOND TIME

Update to RLPB 452 (25 April): American hostage of the Turkish regime, Pastor Andrew Brunson returned to court on 7 May. His lawyer Cem Halavurt protested the use of 'secret witnesses', noting that their outlandish accusations were presented without a shred of evidence. At the close of the 10-hour hearing, Brunson (50) was led back to his cell in a maximum-security prison. The next hearing is set for 18 July. World Watch Monitor has a detailed report on the 7 May hearing, while an article by Mindy Belz in World Magazine provides further insight, including a powerful, encouraging and deeply moving account of how our merciful God intervened for Brunson in the courtroom in answer to specific prayer. Both articles are highly recommended. Please continue to pray that God will uphold Andrew Brunson and intervene for his release. Pray for the Church in rapidly-changing Turkey.

Also, for those who are interested: On 29 May 1453, Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine [Greek-speaking Christian] Empire fell to Ottoman forces. Now, every 29 May, the Turkish government celebrates 'Conquest Day'. This year President Erdogan released a short but grandiose film, rich in computer-generated imagery, which links the conquest of Constantinople with the defeat of the ANZACs at Gallipoli (1915) and the rise of neo-Ottoman, imperialist, 'Sultan' Erdogan today.

* ZANZIBAR, (Tanzania): CHURCH UNDER PRESSURE

Bishop Daniel Kwileba Kwiyeya.
(Morning Star News)

A church in Kisauni, in mostly-Muslim semi-autonomous Zanzibar, has been facing pressure from local Muslims unhappy about its presence. When Muslims lobbied for the church to be closed, local authorities complied and issued the church with a notice. The church, which belongs to the Pentecostal Evangelistic Fellowship of Africa, is resisting and worshipping as usual. On Sunday 6 May plain-clothed police officers walked into the morning worship service and arrested the preacher, Bishop Daniel Kwileba Kwiyeya. Believers tried to intervene, but to no avail. The bishop's distressed daughter also tried to intervene and was taken away with her father. The distressed believers returned to the sanctuary to pray for Bishop Kwiyeya and his daughter. The pair were released later that day; no charges were laid. Tensions remain; please pray.

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

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

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

See www.ElizabethKendal.com 

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

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

by Elizabeth Kendal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

* CHINA: GAO ZHISHENG 'DISAPPEARED'

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

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

* ERITREA: ANOTHER CHRISTIAN DIES IN CUSTODY

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

* KENYA: SHAHADA OR DEATH IN LAMU COUNTY

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

* MALAYSIA: ISLAMISATION FOR POLITICAL GAIN

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

* NEPAL: A FURTHER BLOW TO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

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

* PAKISTAN: ANOTHER CHRISTIAN YOUTH ACCUSED 

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

* SUDAN: CHURCH UNDER PRESSURE

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

* SYRIA: SEVEN CHRISTIAN FAMILIES RESCUED FROM RAQQA

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

* TURKEY: US PASTOR CHARGED WITH SPYING AND INSURGENCY 

Rev Andrew Brunson
World Watch Monitor

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

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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