RLPB 701. Philippines: Still 'Red-Tagging' Missionaries

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 701 | Wed 12 Jul 2023
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PHILIPPINES: STILL ‘RED-TAGGING’ MISSIONARIES
By Elizabeth Kendal

Stop the Red-Tagging.
NCCP, Aug 2020

When the Philippines government wants to silence a person or an organisation that is openly critical of its policies, it will tend to label them communist sympathisers, supporters, recruiters or financers. Known as ‘red-tagging’, the tactic imperils the lives of the accused – be they journalists, conservationists, human rights activists and advocates, or Christian missionaries tending to the needs of the vulnerable poor and downtrodden. Victims of ‘red-tagging’ often end up disappeared, imprisoned, tortured or dead, mostly at the hands of security forces with wide ranging powers and guaranteed impunity. In November 2019, RLPB 530 requested prayer concerning the situation after the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence ‘red-tagged’ 18 groups – including Oxfam, and the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP, a non-denominational fellowship of Protestant churches) – naming them as ‘front organisations of local Communist Terrorist Groups’. Elected in a landslide in May 2022, the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and VP Sara Duterte appears poised to continue and even accelerate the brutal and unjust policies employed by their fathers.

On Friday 3 June 2022 church workers with the Protestant Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI, an independent member of the worldwide Anglican Communion) in Ilocos Norte province in the country’s far north-west, found posters and leaflets scattered in front of its cathedral in Laoag city and its church in Banna town. The publications bore the names and faces of IFI church leaders, accusing them of recruiting for the communist New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. In August 2022, 16 missionaries – including five nuns – with the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP, a Catholic mission that works to alleviate hardship in poor rural areas) were arrested and charged with alleged financing of terrorism; specifically, transferring funds to the NPA.

click on map to enlarge
(source: worldometers)

On 3 October 2022 the IFI was again the victim of red-tagging, when a Facebook account named ‘NTF-ELCAC Caraga’ [in eastern Mindanao, in the country’s south] published the names and images of church leaders it accused as NPA recruiters and terrorists. [NTF-ELCAC is the government-run National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.] In an official statement, the IFI lamented that ‘red-tagging has become now the present fashion and common face of harassment, intimidation and threats…’ It blamed ‘people and groups most likely associated with the state security sector and government’s agency NTF-ELCAC…’ adding, ‘The state security sector … [remains] hell-bent to propagate their devilish objective against the IFI, together with the UCCP [United Church of Christ in the Philippines] and certain quarters in the RCC [Roman Catholic Church], which only strive to be consistent with its prophetic ministry, social witness and pastoral advocacy. These churches have been named earlier as “enemies of the state” and the military and police have been circulating materials and personnel to proliferate this insinuation to the public.’

In November 2022 Reverend Edwin Egar of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) and his wife, Julieta Egar – along with 71 others – were red-tagged; charged with supporting terrorism. The NCCP lamented the situation, stating that ‘red-tagging’ occurs regardless of political beliefs or affiliations and is ‘an incitement to repression and persecution against those who are critical of the government’. Subsequently, Rev. and Mrs Egar, and lay leader Ronald Ramos, petitioned the Supreme Court for protection from ‘red-tagging by members of the Philippine Army’s 59th Infantry Battalion (59th IB) in Batangas’ [100km south of Manila]. Despite their legal success, the petitioners remain in hiding, ‘living in fear, wondering whether tomorrow will be their last’.

In late June 2023 the NCCP took its concerns to a meeting of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC). The WCC subsequently issued a statement condemning ‘red tagging’ and the ‘grave human rights violations’ allegedly being committed by the Filipino government, and exhorted believers to continue in prayer for all those affected by these injustices. On 1 July 2023 police in Sultan Kudarat province (south-west Mindanao) arrested Aileen Manipol Villarosa (41), a lay missionary with the Catholic Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP). She faces 55 counts of financing terrorism.


PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR MERCIFUL GOD WILL:

* motivate and embolden the Philippines Church to speak out – in unison and solidarity – against lies, abuse of power, exploitation and injustice. May the Church – as One Body – turn to prayer for revival in the Church and reform in government. (Matthew 5:1-16)

* intervene in the Philippines to end the country’s slide into a deadly, brutal authoritarianism – a decline in governance that would see the authorities increasingly standing in violent opposition against any believer who dares address, or speak out against, injustice. Lord have mercy!

* sustain, protect and defend Christian pastors, lay workers, missionaries, lawyers and aid workers who find themselves at odds with the authorities and the victims of vexatious ‘red-tagging’. May those who seek to silence or eliminate them – by way of imprisonment, disappearance, or murder – have no success. (Psalm 146)

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy (Proverbs 31:8-9 NIV).

… faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead (from James 2:14-17 NIV).


SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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PHILIPPINES STILL ‘RED-TAGGING’ MISSIONARIES

When authorities in the Philippines want to silence their critics – be they journalists, conservationists, human rights activists and advocates, or even Christian missionaries tending to the needs of the vulnerable poor and downtrodden – they will simply ‘red-tag’ them. That is, they will label them as communist recruiters or financers. People who are ‘red-tagged’ routinely end up disappeared, imprisoned and tortured, or murdered; usually at the hands of security personnel with sweeping powers and guaranteed impunity. Not to be a thing of the past, numerous Christian leaders and missionaries – both Protestant and Catholic – have been red-tagged, arrested, and driven into hiding since the May 2022 elections. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and VP Sara Duterte appear determined to continue and even accelerate the brutal and unjust policies employed by their fathers. 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 530. November Update incl. Sri Lanka, Central African Republic (CAR), Syria, China, Cuba, Indonesia and the Papuan provinces, the Philippines

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 530 | Wed 27 Nov 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

NOVEMBER 2019 UPDATE -- during this period we prayed concerning

* SRI LANKA [RLPB 527 (06 Nov)], ahead of a pivotal presidential poll. As noted, the failure of the Yahapalnaya ('good governance') coalition and the trauma of the horrific Easter terror attacks (which were enabled by the breakdown in government) had combined to set the stage for a return to the politics of the divisive and controversial Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist Rajapaksa clan.

UPDATE: REVIVAL OF SINHALESE BUDDHIST NATIONALISM

As anticipated, Gotabaya Rajapaksa (70) won the presidential poll, securing 52.25 percent of the vote compared with Sajth Premadasa's 41.99 percent. [Click here for poll results.] Virtually all Sinhalese voted for Rajapaksa while virtually all Tamils and Muslims voted for Premadasa. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe subsequently resigned his post, clearing the way for the new president to form a new government. On 21 November President G Rajapaksa appointed his brother, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa (74), as Prime Minister and Minister for Defence and Finance. He appointed his eldest brother, Chamal Rajapaksa (77), as Minister for Trade and Food Security. President Rajapaksa has vowed to call a parliamentary election 'at the earliest opportunity' which, according to the constitution, would be March 2020. So we watch ('keep alert') and pray for the Church in Sri Lanka (Ephesians 6:18) as she faces the reality of a Sinhalese Buddhist Nationalist revival.

* CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (CAR) [RLPB 527 (13 Nov)], where some 80 percent of the country remains under the control of armed groups. The militants are fighting for diamonds and gold, as distinct from any ideological commitment to Sharia/Islamic Law. That said, they are still Muslims with an Islamic worldview. Furthermore, some two-thirds of these militants are foreigners. They have little regard for Central Africans who get in their way, especially non-Muslim Central Africans. The whole nation is groaning, the Church is suffering and the future of CAR truly is in the balance.

UPDATE: EX-SÉLÉKA MILITANTS EXPELLED FROM BASE

Locals in the BAAL camp, or 'Gboulo' area, of Bangui have long been pressing the CAR government to act against ex-Séléka militants who have established a military base in the area. The militants survive on crime, including drug trafficking, prostitution, robbery and extortion. They are extremely violent and local women are routinely raped. On the evening of Tuesday 19 November CAR's Armed Forces (FACA) stormed the area. The militants resisted; a firefight ensued. Eventually the FACA was successful: six ex-Séléka militants were killed, ten were wounded, some 60 were arrested and the rest were expelled from the city. Please continue to pray that all foreign fighters in CAR illegally will be expelled so that peace may return. Please pray for the Church in CAR as she seeks to be God's ambassador and agent of peace and redemption by way of repentance and reconciliation. May God redeem all this suffering to awaken the people and build his Church.

* SYRIA [RLPB 529 (20 Nov)], where Turkey and its jihadist proxies were pressing in on the Assyrian Khabur River town of Tel Tamer, while an Islamic State (IS) resurgence was stirring in Dir ez-Zor. We noted with urgency that the system currently detaining tens of thousands of individuals associated with IS in north-eastern Syria is at breaking point. 

UPDATE: CHRISTIAN CRISIS ON THE KHABUR RIVER

Turkey continues to contravene its agreement with Russia and advance beyond the agreed 'safe zone'. Free Burma Rangers was present in Ain Issa when that town came under attack this past week. Like the mostly-Assyrian town of Tel Tamer (in rural al-Hasakah), Ain Issa (in rural Raqqa) straddles the M4 Highway at a major crossroad and transport hub. To summarise: Syria and Turkey are fighting for control of Syria's M4 Highway. The situation in Tel Tamer is especially critical for Christians. Around 20,000 Assyrians lived in 35 Assyrian villages along the Khabur River before being forced to flee Islamic State in February 2015. Today, the remnant is fleeing the Turkish invasion. Once ethnically cleansed, the land around the Khabur River (the largest tributary flowing from southern Turkey into the Euphrates) will be open to colonisation by Arabs backed by Turkey. Khabur River resident Ms Simon (56) laments, 'We fear that the last of our Assyrian people will be pushed into exile.' Indeed, we are watching genocide. Please pray.


NOVEMBER 2019 ROUND-UP -- also this month

* CHINA: FORCING THE CHURCH BACK UNDERGROUND

Wheat Bookstore is an online Christian bookstore. Officials arrested its owner-manager, Zhang Xiaomai, on 1 September, seizing records of those who had ordered Christian books from the store. The business has sold more than 20,000 items to more than 10,000 customers. More than 800 of those items have been classified as illegal publications. On 29 October police received orders to track down all those who had purchased Bibles and other Christian literature from Wheat Bookstore. According to China Aid Association (CAA), raids were conducted in November in which books were confiscated; many of those who were questioned are now being monitored. Separately, CAA also reports that Chinese authorities recently demolished a church in Nanjing. According to CAA, the church hosted worship services for some 1000 Christians in the area. Believers who were inside the church when the authorities arrived, were dragged out into the night protesting and weeping. It is President Xi's intention that the Chinese Church be 'sinicised', which in reality means being made subservient to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Churches that resist will be eliminated. Please Pray.

* CUBA: INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST PERSECUTED -- AGAIN.

Ricardo Fernández Izaguirre

At 1pm on Tuesday 12 November, having received a verbal police summons, Christian investigative journalist and religious liberty advocate, Ricardo Fernández Izaguirre, presented himself at the Camagüey police station. There he was immediately detained in a small windowless cell while officers informed his wife and colleagues that he was under investigation. The police confiscated Mr Izaguirre's glasses and kept his cell continuously lit with a bright light. Furthermore, while his cell was extremely hot the interrogation room where he was repeatedly threatened was air-conditioned and extremely cold. Together with the stress, these impositions caused Mr Izaguirre to suffer 'a severe headache'. After 29 hours in detention, Mr Izaguirre was released. This is not the first time he has been persecuted for exposing religious liberty violations [see RLPB 511 (17 July)]. It seems the Cuban government may be endeavouring to fabricate a criminal case against him, in order to silence him. It also prevented Cuban evangelicals from attending the World Evangelical Alliance General Assembly in Jakarta, held from 7 to 13 November. Repression is escalating. Please pray.

* INDONESIA: PAPUANS SHUDDER AS PRABOWO APPOINTED

On Sunday 20 October Joko Widodo was sworn into office for his second and final five-year term as president of Indonesia. Then, on Wednesday 23 October, he appointed Prabowo Subianto (68) to the post of Minister of Defence. A long-time political rival, Prabowo Subianto ran against Widodo in the 2019 presidential race, wooing and mobilising Islamists in the process [RLPB 497 (10 April)]. Prabowo is a controversial figure. During the era of military rule under President Suharto (1978 - 1998), Prabowo married Suharto's daughter and went on to become a Lt-General and chief of the feared Kopassus (Special Forces). Prabowo Subianto stands accused of human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings in Jakarta, East Timor and the Papuan provinces. Dishonourably discharged from the military, he went on to establish Gerindra (a political party). President Widodo is determined to push through his economic agenda. To that end he has pragmatically assembled a cabinet of rivals for the purpose of securing support. As researcher Evan Laksmana notes, 'This is a classical balancing strategy.'

On Monday 11 November, in his first meeting with the House of Representatives, Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto outlined his vision of 'total people's defence', explaining that 'every citizen of Indonesia has the right and duty to defend the country'. Unsurprisingly his vision aligns perfectly with the recently passed PSDN Bill 2019 on National Defence [see RLM, 8 Oct 2019]. Prabowo proposed that, in the event of war, 'all the people would become part of the national defence'. Defence would comprise a 'main component' (the TNI / Indonesian military), a militarily trained 'reserve component' and a 'support component' which would involve all sectors of society. According to Prabowo, creating this 'total people's defence' will require the participation of ministries outside the Defence Ministry, such as the Education and Culture Ministry.

Prabowo's appointment has caused alarm in the restive Papuan provinces, as has the concept of a 'total people's defence'. There is little doubt that President Widodo is determined to press ahead with his unwelcome and controversial development projects in the Papuan provinces -- projects that bypass demands for dialogue and accountability on human rights; projects like the Trans-Papuan Highway [see RLM, 14 April 2019]. To that end, maybe Prabowo is just the Defence Minister President Widodo believes he needs. Please pray for the Lord's mercy on the mostly Christian indigenous Melanesians of the Papuan provinces.

* PHILIPPINES: NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES 'RED-TAGGED'

List of front organisations of local
Communist Terrorist Groups.
NCCP named top right (number 10).
source: Rappler, 6 Nov 2019 
(click on image to enlarge)

On 5 November, in a Congressional hearing on the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence named 18 groups as 'front organisations of local Communist Terrorist Groups'. This process, commonly known as 'red-tagging', is a strategy used by State agents to legitimise the persecution of individuals and groups critical of the Duterte regime. Many of the groups named are humanitarian aid groups, such as Oxfam in the Philippines. [Click here for statement from Oxfam.]

[Click here for statement from NCCP.]

Included in the list is the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), which describes itself as 'an ecumenical fellowship of non-Roman Catholic denominations in the Philippines working for unity in faith and order'. To their credit, many Christian groups have bravely stepped forward to stand in solidarity with the NCCP. Still, the 'red-tagging' has serious consequences, including putting the lives of NCCP staff, workers, members and families at risk. It is absolutely urgent that the red-tagging be repealed. 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 487. Dec 2018 & Jan 2019 Update, incl. Philippines, Bulgaria, Egypt, Indonesia, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 487 | Wed 30 JAN 2019

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

- Elizabeth Kendal

DECEMBER 2018 & JANUARY 2019 UPDATE – during this period we prayed concerning

* AUSTRALIA (5 Dec, RLPB 482) where religious freedom hangs in the balance.

* CHINA (12 Dec, RLPB 483) where the Chinese Communist Party’s hi-tech and suffocating supervision of society and brutal crackdown on religion and dissent continues apace.

* CHINA & IRAN (19 Dec, RLPB 484) where, just as in Jerusalem 2000 years ago, rulers – like Herod before them – reject Christ and instead choose violence. Just as Herod’s efforts to eliminate Christ were in vain, so too will be the efforts of China’s President Xi Jingping and the Chinese Communist Party and Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei and the Shi’ite revolutionary regime. And just as Christ was crucified in Jerusalem only to rise to life again, so too will the light of Christ overcome opposition and rise in China and in Iran, to bring light and blessing not only to those lands but far beyond. Indeed – it has already begun! Which is precisely why the spiritual battle is so intense. Pray for the Church in China and Iran. 

* UGANDA (16 Jan, RLPB 485) where massive decentralisation has resulted in Uganda now being comprised of roughly 130 self-governing districts. Despite living in a predominantly Christian country where religious freedom is guaranteed in the constitution, Christians living in Muslim-dominated self-governing districts in Eastern Region are being forced to live as dhimmis (second-class citizens, subjugated under Islam) and persecuted with impunity. It is absolutely urgent that the supremacy of the constitution be established and the law of the land upheld before persecution becomes ethnic cleansing, killings become massacres, and  Uganda loses control of Eastern Region all together. Pray for Uganda: for her government and her Church (especially for Christian solidarity in this matter of persecution). 

* PHILIPPINES (23 Jan, RLPB 486) where a plebiscite had been held to determine the peoples’ willingness (or not) to adopt the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL; also known as the Bangsamoro Organic Law). If passed, the BBL/BOL would establish an autonomous Islamic sub-state in Western Mindanao. Championed widely (but not by this ministry) as the harbinger of peace, the BBL/BOL emerged out of peace talks between the Government of Philippines (GoP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

UPDATES: 

1) BBL PASSES

On Friday 25 January, the Philippines’ election commission ratified the results of the plebiscite: 87 percent of voters in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) voted ‘YES’, indicating they approve the BBL/BOL. The ARMM will now be replaced by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) complete with greatly expanded, essentially state-like powers.  In Sulu Province (long an Abu Sayyaf stronghold) a majority voted ‘NO’, but as Sulu is part of the ARMM it cannot opt out of the BARMM now a majority of the ARMM has voted ‘YES’. Sulu Governor Abdusakur ‘Toto’ Tan II (whose family has long held power over the region) has challenged the constitutionality of the BBL in the Supreme Court, which is yet to rule on the matter!  In two cities not in the ARMM – Isabela and Cotabato – residents were asked to decide if they wanted their city included in the BARMM. In Cotabato, 59.9 percent voted ‘YES’; while in Isabela 54.1 percent voted ‘NO’.

On Wednesday 6 February a plebiscite will be held in Lanao del Norte Province and seven towns in North Cotabato Province to see if residents would like their region or town to be included in the BARMM. [Live Updates via Rappler]

2) CHURCH BOMBED IN JOLO

On Sunday 27 January terror struck Jolo city, the capital of Sulu Province. At 8:15 am, a suicide bomber detonated his vest inside the inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, targeting Catholics. Around 45 seconds later, a second bomb left in the utility box of a motorcycle exploded in the car park, targeting security personnel and first responders. On Monday afternoon officials put the toll at 20 dead and 97 wounded. [Earlier reports put the death toll at 27.] Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility, boasting their fighters had bombed a ‘Christian temple’, during  a ‘gathering of the Crusaders to perform their polytheist rituals’. While the role of IS remains unclear, one assailant –identified through CCTV footage – was known to authorities as a member of the Adjang-Adjang Group. Adjang-Adjang, which means ‘Soldiers of the Martyrs’, is a subgroup of the IS affiliated Abu Sayyaf Group. It is made up of youths orphaned by the conflict; most are drug addicts and delinquents. Though small in number, they are feared throughout the city. This is the first major attack ever perpetrated by the group. Pray for the Church in southern Philippines.


JANUARY 2019 ROUND-UP – also this month

* BULGARIA: RELIGION DENOMINATIONS ACT PASSED

Bulgaria’s re-drafted Religion Denominations Act was passed by parliament on 21 December. Two months of weekly street protests by Bulgarian Christians had served to highlight the problematic and highly repressive nature of the original draft amendments and attract the attention of European rights advocates and intercessors worldwide. Praise God . . . virtually all of the provisions that the churches had protested against were dropped from the final draft. The new and greatly improved Religion Denominations Act became effective on 1 January. [For more details click HERE.]

* EGYPT: BEHIND THE FACADE, NO CHANGE.

Minya Governorate, in Upper (south) Egypt, is home to Egypt’s largest population of Copts (indigenous Egyptians, as distinct from Arabs). Despite being home to some 1000 Copts (who are Christian) the village of Manshiyet Zaafarana has only one designated place where Christians are permitted to gather for prayer and worship. Known as Mar Girgis (St Georges) Church, Coptic Christians gathered there in number on Christmas Eve (6 January) for the traditional midnight Mass. Angered by the activity, Muslims subsequently stormed the building only to be evicted by police. On Friday 11 January at 1:30pm – i.e. straight after Friday noon prayers – a mob of some 1000 angry (doubtless incited) Muslims converged on the church. They shouted ‘leave, leave’, along with Islamic chants such as, ‘No other God other than Allah’, and demanded that the church be closed. Unable to pacify the mob, the police agreed to their demands. After evicting the two priests and few believers who were inside, the police shuttered the building as the Muslim mob cheered and gloated.


This is increasingly how business is done in Egypt: the government opens churches, issues religious freedom decrees and establishes commissions to tackle sectarian conflict while Muslims, aware of their power and confident of impunity, know they only need to riot to get their way. As long as persecution with impunity is the order of the day, then all government pretense is meaningless. Lack of enforcement renders the law worthless. Pray for the Church in Egypt.


* INDONESIA: AHOK OUT; ELECTIONS ON 

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama – formerly known as ‘Ahok’, now preferring to be known as BTP – walked free from prison on 24 January. The long-popular former Governor of Jakarta fell prey to a politically motivated blasphemy accusation while running for governor in November 2016. Sentenced to two years prison in May 2017, Ahok/BTP was released four months early, reportedly for good behaviour but more probably because President Joko Widodo wanted him out before the April elections. It seems Widodo might also have wanted Islamic terror leader Abu Bakar Ba’asyir released from prison and moved to house arrest before the elections. That, however, is looking less likely now that Ba’asyir has refused to pledge loyalty to the Unitary State of Indonesia and the Pancasila state ideology, insisting instead that he only answers to Allah. Clearly rattled by the jailing of Ahok/BTP, Widodo is desperate to bolster his Islamic credentials. [See RLPB 469 (22 Aug 2018), Indonesia: ‘sword’ of weaponised Islam revealed.] Pray for the Church in Indonesia.

* MALI: DARKNESS DESCENDS ON CAPTIVES 

In the days just prior to Christmas, Al Qaeda’s branch in Mali and West Africa, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM, or the ‘Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims’) released a new 10-minute video. According to the English-speaking jihadist, JNIM – which is holding a number of foreign Christians hostage – will no longer release regular videos providing proof-of-life and demanding ransom. The Malian desert is going dark! No reason was given for the change in procedure.  In the video, the JNIM spokesman discussed the cases of Sophie Petronin (French), Iulian Ghergut (Romanian), Dr. Ken Elliott (Australian), Beatrice Stockly (Swiss), and Sister Gloria Navarez (Columbian). This is an ominous development and will be exceedingly difficult for the families involved. Please pray for these captives, as well as for Jeff Woodke (American) and Joerg Lange (German) who are also being held captive somewhere in the Malian desert.

[For background see:
RLPB 413 (5 July 2017) and RLPB 445 (7 March 2018)]

‘Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you’ (from Psalm 139, ESV).

* NIGERIA: A CALL TO PRAYER

The crisis in north-east Nigeria is one of the most neglected crises in the world today. The Nigerian presidential election – slated for 16 February 2019 – will likely bring the situation to a head. As reported by Defense & Foreign Affairs (Special Analysis, 28 Dec 2018) ‘Islamist groups – loosely referred to as Boko Haram (BH) – continue to gain dominance in north-eastern Nigeria’. On 25 December BH ambushed Nigerian soldiers and police near Baga, 198km north-east of Maiduguri, in Borno State, killing fourteen. On 27 Dec, BH overran two military bases belonging to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) in Baga forcing troops to withdraw and thousands of civilians to flee (mostly into Cameroon). The militants carried off gun trucks, ammunition and multiple rocket-launchers. BH is also known to be using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV: i.e. drones). On 13 January 2019, BH targeted a military base near the town of Magumeri in Borno (50km north-west of Maiduguri) forcing thousands of civilians to flee. On 14 Jan, BH overran and seized control of Rann (174km east of Maiduguri) a makeshift town for displaced persons which was controlled by the military. The army has retreated and thousands of civilians have fled into Cameroon.

Led by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Nigerian Church held a National Day of Prayers on 10 January. The focus was on the release of captives, including Leah Sharibu and the remaining Chibok girls, and that the February elections might be free, fair, credible and peaceful.


To say Nigeria is in crisis would be an understatement. The 16 February presidential election – which will force many issues to the surface – will be a primary focus of RLPB ministry in coming weeks. Please Pray.

* PAKISTAN: ASIA BIBI IS FREE; PAKISTAN IS NOT

On Tuesday 29 January, the Supreme Court of Pakistan upheld its acquittal of Christian woman, Asia Bibi, dismissing as without merit a petition to have the ruling reviewed. Under guard at a secret location since her acquittal last October, Asia Bibi is now free to leave Pakistan. Bibi’s lawyer, Saiful Malook who returned to Pakistan for the hearing, said, ‘The verdict is a way forward, and it is positive. The judges raised pertinent legal questions, focusing on law and evidence, expressing displeasure over the perjury that was committed by the complainant against Asia and other witnesses.’  Radical anti-blasphemy party Tehreek-e-Labbaik said on Monday it would not accept any decision in favour of Ms Bibi’s release and asked its followers to prepare for more mass protests.  Pray for the Church in Pakistan.

* SUDAN: A CALL TO PRAYER

Protests erupted in Khartoum on 19 December after the government trebled the price of bread. The economic situation has been deteriorating for years, especially since the secession of South Sudan. Now anger has escalated to breaking point. True to form, the Government of Sudan (GoS) is responding with violence. Over the past month, more than 40 protesters have been killed, well over 300 wounded and more than 800 arrested. While protests are nothing new, what makes these protests unprecedented is their size and longevity, as well as the diversity of those protesting. Either the crackdown will get much worse and more deadly or the protests could force the GoS to accept radical change. Of course change rarely comes quickly; the protests that brought change to Ethiopia lasted one whole year. If a similar change was to occur in Sudan it could result in regional parties and peoples being empowered through a more representative government, thus reviving the late Dr John Garang’s vision of a ‘New Sudan’ built on inclusive government and freedom (albeit without South Sudan). President Omar al-Bashir is hunting for international support. Please pray that God will intervene in Sudan for the benefit of its ‘harassed and helpless’ un-free masses and its suffering Church.

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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 486. Philippines: Sharia Descends

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 486 | Wed 23 Jan 2019

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)


PHILIPPINES: SHARIA DESCENDS
By Elizabeth Kendal

On Monday 21 January some 2.8 million eligible voters in the 'core territory' of the proposed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) participated in a plebiscite. They were asked if they are willing to adopt the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). Residents in the cities of Isabela and Cotabato were asked if they were willing to have their city included in the BARMM. The result should be available after four or five days. If a majority in each region votes 'yes' -- as is expected -- then the BARMM will be established and another plebiscite will be held on 6 February in which residents of Lanao del Norte Province and seven towns in North Cotabato Province will be asked if they would like their region or town to be included in the BARMM.

Whilst pre-polling indicates that a 'yes' vote is almost certain, polling will be tight in regions with larger Christian minorities, in particular the cities of Isabela (64 percent Muslim) and Cotabato (76 percent Muslim). On 18 January Isabela City officials and Church leaders who strongly oppose their city's inclusion in the BARMM expressed their objections to a rally of thousands of concerned Isabelenos. On 21 January Cotabato City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi -- who opposes Cotabato City's inclusion in the BARMM -- complained that members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were engaging in voter intimidation and fraud. [Live Updates (Rappler): votes are in for Cotabato City: 59.5 percent vote 'yes'.]

By this coming weekend, the BARMM will almost certainly have replaced the ARMM (Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao) in line with the Bangsamoro Basic Law (also known as Bangsamoro Organic Law and Republic Act No. 11054). A three-year transition period will follow, during which time the BARMM will be governed by a MILF-dominated Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte. If all goes to plan, polls to elect an 80-seat parliament will then be held in 2022. Actually, the future is anything but certain.

click on map to enlarge

After some 50 years of Islamic separatist insurgency, MILF's ability to govern remains to be seen. Will MILF be able to create jobs, deliver services and manage the budget?  In a recent survey conducted across Mindanao, only 30 percent of respondents believe MILF is capable of governing the BARMM (with 19 percent confident MILF is definitely capable). Meanwhile, 38 percent believe MILF is not capable (with 28 percent insisting MILF is definitely not capable!).

Critically, victory for the 'yes' vote will trigger the decommissioning process through which MILF's 30,000 to 40,000 armed fighters are to surrender their weapons. We might wonder, however, how many decommissioned MILF jihadists will find work in policing and security -- putting down one weapon in exchange for another without any change in ideology at all? Many MILF fighters are full-time jihadists who have known nothing but war. Whilst some will surrender their weapons and enter the mainstream of society, many might find it easier to join other groups offering salaries to combatants: i.e., the Islamic State-aligned Abu Sayyaf Group, Maute Group and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). Rejecting autonomy, these groups will fight on striving for their dream of an independent Islamic State/Caliphate -- something that MILF understands better than most, having previously rejected autonomy in preference for war!

Then there is the matter of inclusion. Though two seats in the 80-seat parliament (to be elected in 2022) will be reserved for Christians, this will be totally meaningless if a majority has no intention of respecting their rights. As many Christian leaders and voices are keen to point out, MILF has promised to respect religious freedom. However, the fact remains that the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL/BOL) will impose Islamic Sharia Law on all the BARMM's Muslim residents. Consequently, Islamic zeal and repression will escalate, with serious repercussions for Christian ministry, witness, freedom and security. Furthermore, the BBL/BOL provides for future plebiscites, thereby enabling perpetual territorial expansion of what is most certainly an Islamic 'state in all but name'.

For a more detailed analysis of the BBL, see:
Bangsamoro Basic Law Looms Over Mindanao 
By Elizabeth Kendal, Religious Liberty Monitoring, December 2017.
See also RLPB 466 (1 Aug 2018).


PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR GOD TO

* comfort all those Christians in Mindanao who are feeling anxious, even afraid, for the future; may the Holy Spirit draw the Church ever deeper into prayer; may greater faith, love, unity, urgency and co-operation be the result ... to the glory of God the Father.

'... that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me ...' (from Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, John 17:23 ESV).

* bless the churches of Mindanao as they seek to maintain a faithful witness among the Muslim majority; may they have divine wisdom, grace and courage as they navigate an increasingly challenging environment (Matthew 10:16).


SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE 
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SHARIA LAW DESCENDS IN THE PHILIPPINES

On 21 January some 2.8 million voters in western Mindanao participated in a plebiscite organised to facilitate the establishment of an Islamic sub-state in southern Philippines. Once the 'yes' victory is confirmed, a three-year transition period will follow. During that time a Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)-dominated council will govern the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and facilitate the decommissioning of tens of thousands of MILF fighters. If all goes to plan, polls to elect an 80-seat parliament will then be held in 2022. The Bangsamoro Basic Law will impose Islamic Sharia Law on all of the BARMM's Muslim residents. Consequently, Islamic zeal and repression will escalate, with serious repercussions for Christian ministry, witness, freedom and security. Please pray for the Philippine Church, especially for Mindanao's minority Christians.

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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 466. Philippines: Priests Assassinated; Duterte signs Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL)

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 466 | Wed 01 Aug 2018

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PHILIPPINES: PRIESTS ASSASSINATED; DUTERTE SIGNS B O L 
by Elizabeth Kendal

PRIESTS ASSASSINATED
After being sworn in as president in June 2016, Rodrigo Duterte immediately instigated a 'war on drugs'. The lawless manner in which this 'war' is prosecuted has facilitated the emergence of a culture of violence and impunity. To date this 'war' has claimed the lives of some 23,000 Filipinos -- victims of extrajudicial killings. By speaking out against unjust and violent government policy, the Church has put itself in Duterte's 'sights'. Indeed, Duterte's expletive-laden, hostile and blasphemous rhetoric has increased over recent months to the point that it is bordering on incitement. Activist priest Father Robert Reye is unsurprised by Duterte's blasphemies -- as far as he is concerned, Duterte's attack on 'the God of life' began with his attack on life.

Three Catholic priests and 16 mayors and vice mayors have been assassinated since Duterte took office. The three priests -- killed in the space of six months -- were all vocal critics of government policies; two were assassinated while leading worship. On 4 December 2017 Father Marcelito 'Tito' Paez (72) of Nueva Ecija Province, north of Manila, was shot dead by gunmen on a motorcycle as he was assisting with the release of a political prisoner. On 29 April 2018 Father Mark Ventura (37) was shot dead after saying mass in northern Cagayan Province. On 6 June former police chaplain Father Rey Urmeneta (64) was on his way to a church meeting when he was shot and wounded by two gunmen in a failed assassination attempt in Calamba City, south of Manila. On 10 June Father Richmond Nilo (44) was shot dead through a church window in front of parishioners as he stood at the altar preparing for mass in Nueva Ecija Province. There is considerable concern that Duterte's 'war on drugs' is widening to include a war on dissent and, in particular, a war on the Church.

DUTERTE SIGNS BANGSAMORO ORGANIC LAW (BOL) 

On Thursday 26 July President Duterte signed the Bangasmoro Organic Law (formerly known as the Bangsamoro Basic Law). A formal ceremonial signing will take place in Malacañang (the presidential palace) on Monday 6 August. The BOL is the embodiment of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) brokered in March 2014 between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The GRP and the MILF both deny that the BOL will establish a state within a state, or more precisely, an Islamic State within the Republic of the Philippines. Many analysts, however, are not so sure. If it is achieved, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will (from 2022) have its own elected parliament. While the BOL guarantees religious freedom, it also enshrines Sharia law [Article X (Ten)] which will be enforced on all Muslims. Consequently, Muslims will actually lose many of their constitutional rights, including the rights to question and leave Islam. Christians, meanwhile, are supposed to believe the GRP's and the MILF's assurances that Sharia will in no way affect them.

Stratfor map showing
proposed BARMM (2014)
Click on map to enlarge.

Before the BARMM can be established the BOL must be ratified by a plebiscite, and might even have to survive a legal challenge regarding its constitutionality. When the Supreme Court issued a Temporary Restraining Order on a similar law in August 2008, MILF responded with violence [see Religious Liberty Monitoring, Aug 2008].  The GRP and the MILF both extol the BOL as the road to peace. Most analysts, however, are not convinced. The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF, which broke away from MILF just as MILF broke away from MNLF) and Abu Sayyaf have both pledged allegiance to Islamic State which is known to be regrouping and recruiting in the Southern Philippines. On Tuesday 31 July a Moroccan suicide bomber blew himself up at a military checkpoint in Lamitan city, on the southern island of Basilan, killing at least eleven, including five civilians. Islamic State claimed responsibility. Furthermore, disarming and demobilising some 30,000 MILF fighters might be easier said than done. Many might be tempted to keep their guns and receive salaries from Islamic State rather than try to work for a living in a depressed region with few jobs. Far from bringing peace, the BOL might actually trigger a whole new round of conflict.

Background: 
RLPB 435, 'Battle for Mindanao far from over,' 6 Dec 2017
RLM (analysis), 'Bangsamoro Basic Law Looms Over Mindanao,' 11 Dec 2017

For the text of the Bangsamoro Organic Law click here: abs-cbn.com 


PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL:

* redeem the suffering of the Philippine Church; may the sacrifice of those speaking in defence of justice, righteousness and life not be in vain. May the Lord bring revival to the Philippines; and may those who pursue violence repent.

* protect vulnerable Christian communities across Mindanao, in particular those in Muslim-majority regions; may the Lord lead, guide and grant wisdom to the Church in Mindanao as Islamic rule and Sharia Law loom over the Muslim-majority regions.

* intervene in the Philippines to restore security and preserve liberty.

'First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,  for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour,  who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.' (1 Timothy 2:1-4 ESV)


SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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PRIESTS ASSASSINATED IN THE PHILIPPINES; DUTERTE SIGNS B O L

Three Catholic priests have been shot dead in six months, while a fourth has survived with bullet wounds. The targeted priests all openly criticised the violence and impunity being fostered by President Rodrigo Duterte. Meanwhile, President Duterte has signed the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) which will place territory in the Southern Philippines under the control of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The imposition of Sharia Law will see Muslims lose their constitutional right to religious freedom and make Christian ministry to Muslims even more dangerous than it is already. Before the BOL can be enacted, it must first survive a plebiscite and a legal challenge. While many hope the move will bring peace, it is actually more likely to trigger conflict. Please pray for the Philippines and its Church.

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

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.

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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 435. Philippines: Battle for Mindanao far from over.

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 435 | Wed 06 Dec 2017

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

PHILIPPINES: BATTLE FOR MINDANAO FAR FROM OVER
-- plus, Risk of Advent and Christmas Terror 

by Elizabeth Kendal

In a military offensive on 16 October the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) killed Isnilon Hapilon (former leader of Abu Sayyaf and Islamic State's 'emir' for Southeast Asia) and Omarkhayam Maute, leader of the pro-ISIS Maute group and the last of the Maute brothers to be killed. Commenting on the killings, Singapore-based terrorism expert Kumar Ramakrishna warned (16 October): 'Just because the Marawi siege is coming to an end does not mean the threat is over. ISIS-linked militants there will regroup ... and lay low for a while, while rebuilding their strength.' Recent reports from Mindanao indicate that this is precisely what is happening.

Whilst the Battle for Marawi is now over, the conflict has left Marawi City uninhabitable. The city is mostly rubble, all the banks have been emptied and every house and business has been looted and destroyed. Eager to exploit the situation, Islamic State recruiters target displaced Muslims and Islamist sympathisers who are furious about the destruction of Marawi, which they blame on the AFP (rather than on the jihadists whose plot to seize Marawi for their Caliphate started the conflict). Sources report that ISIS is actively recruiting across Mindanao, including in Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) in Zamboanga. Recruits receive a 'sign-up purse' (one-off payment) with the promise of further payments and benefits if they join a battlefront. Rommel Banlaoi from the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research warns that cashed-up 'sleeper cells are everywhere'.

Ominously, Banlaoi also warns that Islamic State is encouraging the Philippines' four main pro-Islamic State groups -- the Bangsamoro ¬Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), the Abu Sayyaf Group, Khilafah Islamiyah Mindanao and Ansarul Khilafah Philippines -- to unify. Lt-General Carlito Galvez Jr, commander of the Western Mindanao Command, warns that Cotabato City (around 60 percent Muslim and 35 percent Christian) in Mindanao's Maguindanao Province 'could be the next Marawi'. 

Philippines
click on map to enlarge

Furthermore, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is exploiting the situation for political gain. During the conflict, MILF (which seeks to rule an autonomous Islamic sub-state Mindanao) took up arms against IS-linked BIFF, which split from MILF in 2010. Though it was doubtless little more than a power struggle, it afforded MILF the opportunity to present itself to Mindanao's Muslims and to the Philippine government as a rescuing counterforce to the ultra-hardline transnational ISIS, and the best hope for peace. MILF maintains that peace on Mindanao can be secured only through the creation of an autonomous Islamic sub-state, with local Muslim (MILF) rulers and Islamic Sharia Law. Not only would MILF defend this Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, it maintains that Muslims living there would no longer have any reason to sympathise with transnational groups like ISIS which threaten the central government. President Duterte (a 'Catholic') does not need convincing -- he is eager to see the potentially unconstitutional Bangsamoro Basic Law passed and enacted by March 2018.  Pressure is mounting and Christians in western Mindanao are exceedingly anxious about the future. While the predominantly Christian cities of Zamboanga and Davao would not be forced to join the Bangsamoro political entity, thousands of Christian villages throughout western Mindanao will be offered a plebiscite, which (I fear) could trigger ethnic-religious cleansing.

An analysis of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, see:
Philippines: Bangsamoro Basic Law Looms over Mindanao
By Elizabeth Kendal, Religious Liberty Monitoring, 11 Dec 2017

Vandalised chapel, Shariff Aguak
images

On 9 November vandals broke into a Catholic chapel in a village in Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao Province. The intruders gathered the Catholic icons onto the central table, dowsed them in gasoline and burnt them. No group has claimed responsibility and residents suspect that jihadists (possibly from BIFF) are attempting to generate religious conflict between the town's Muslims and minority Christians.  Late on Sunday 3 December some 30 BIFF fighters attacked a village in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, killing two and wounding seven (including four pre-schoolers) in homes adjacent to a military base. The Battle for Marawi is over, but the Battle for Mindanao most certainly is not.


PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR:

* the Lord to protect, bless, fortify and sanctify Mindanao's Christian minority; may the Church grow in prayerfulness, faith and grace, that God will be glorified in Mindanao.

* the Holy Spirit to energise, empower, sustain and bless all those who minister to Mindanao's multitudes of harassed and helpless Muslims and displaced persons; may the Lord provide all their needs and send out more workers into that harvest field. (Matthew 9:35-38)

* the Almighty Creator God -- for whom 'nothing will be impossible' (Luke 1:37) -- to intervene in the political process so that conditions in the south will be improved as constitutional freedoms are retained.


SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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PHILIPPINES: BATTLE FOR MINDANAO FAR FROM OVER

With the battle for Marawi City over, ISIS and its affiliates are recruiting and regrouping across western Mindanao. They target displaced Muslims and Islamist sympathisers who are furious about the destruction of Marawi, which they blame on the Philippine military. Senior intelligence officials warn that cashed-up 'sleeper-cells are everywhere' and that Cotabato City 'could be the next Marawi'. Exploiting the situation for political gain, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is insisting that peace in Mindanao is only possible with the establishment of an autonomous Islamic sub-state. President Duterte agrees and is eager to have the potentially unconstitutional law enacted by March 2018. With continuing Islamic guerrilla war and the prospect of MILF rule, there is much to concern Mindanao's Christian minority. Please pray for the Philippines and its Christians.

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

RISK OF ADVENT & CHRISTMAS TERROR

Islamic State (IS) and its affiliates are taking a battering from the Philippine military in Mindanao, the Egyptian military in Sinai, the Nigerian military in northeast Nigeria and from Russia and the West in Syria. Consequently, we should assume that IS will seek to inflict pain and send a symbolic message to these governments by bombing a Philippine, Egyptian, Nigerian, Russian or Western Cathedral over Christmas. Failing that (should security prove too tight) IS will doubtless seek out softer targets, such as Christmas or New Year festivities. May the Lord be powerfully present, working in and through his Church. May the Lord watch over and protect his precious children (Psalm 121:7) and 'frustrate the ways of the wicked' (Psalm 146:9 ESV).

THREATS TO THE WEST:  Using posters and videos, IS has issued Christmas threats against London, New York, a Mormon Temple in San Diego, the Vatican and Europe's Christmas markets. Melbourne, Australia, is on alert, after a major terror plot targeting St Paul's Cathedral was averted last Christmas and one plot for a New Year's Eve massacre has been foiled so far this season.

May the message of Christmas ring out loud and clear: 'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.' John 1:5 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