Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 428 | Wed 18 Oct 2017
by Anneta Vyssotskaia
TAJIKISTAN: CHRISTIANS PERSECUTED SEVERELY
Tajikistan is a country in Central Asia bordering Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China. Tajikistan was part of the Soviet Union and became an independent country after the dissolution of the USSR in 1992. Tajikistan suffered a five-year civil war which resulted in many deaths and had a devastating effect on the country's life and economy. It is officially the poorest country in Central Asia and one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Its population approaches nine million and is predominantly Muslim (about 98%).
The Christian churches are a tiny minority and face a lot of pressure from the government and Muslim society. The law prohibits children and young people under 18 participating in religious activities in both churches and mosques. The greatest pressure is on the Christians with Muslim background who experience persecution at all levels -- from their family members, the Muslim community and state officials. The pressure is especially strong in rural areas. The persecution can take different forms, from verbal to physical abuse, beatings, abduction, home detention, discrimination, losing jobs and in other ways. The number of Christian churches remains small and there are many secret believers. It is illegal to meet for worship without state registration, but it is also extremely difficult and practically impossible to get state registration. For that reason, many Tajik Christians meet secretly in house churches, facing the risk of police raids, detention, interrogation and fines.
President Emomali Rahmon was bestowed the official title, 'The Founder of Peace and National Unity, Leader of the Nation'. During his 25 years' rule, the religious freedom situation in Tajikistan has worsened significantly. Since 2016, human rights in general are also considerably worse, with many arrests and imprisonment of members of the opposition parties, including top officials.
Christian churches also have been experiencing increasing pressure in 2017. In the capital city, Dushanbe, two kindergartens were closed because of the Christians employed and a Christian book being found. In March, a registered church in Konibodom was raided, believers interrogated, threatened and beaten and the church was closed. In June, a non-registered Baptist church in Dushanbe was raided, books confiscated, believers videotaped, interrogated and their details taken. Demolition of the church building was threatened. Other non-registered churches were raided, books confiscated, church leaders threatened and fined.
In April, Bakhrom Kholmatov (42), the pastor of a registered Sunmin church in Khudzhand, was arrested, accused of inciting religious hatred and sentenced to three years' imprisonment. The accusations were based on Christian hymn books found in the church with songs like 'God's army is marching' and 'Our fight is not against flesh and blood', as well as the 'More Than a Carpenter' book by Josh McDowell. The judges considered they were all 'extremist material'.
PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL WORK FOR:
* all the Christians in Tajikistan, especially Muslim background Christians, to stand strong in their faith as they are interrogated and threatened.
* the restraint of the authorities, for human rights, the rule of law and cessation of attacks on and destruction of churches and their facilities.
* Pastor Bakhrom Kholmatov, his family and his church to be comforted and strengthened by the Holy Spirit.
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International Day of Prayer (IDOP) for the Persecuted Church
Sunday 5 or 12 November, 2017
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SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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CHRISTIANS PERSECUTED SEVERELY IN TAJIKISTAN
Tajikistan (formerly in the USSR) borders Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China. The poorest country in Central Asia and internationally one of the most corrupt countries, its nine million people are 98% Muslim. The Christian churches are a tiny minority and suffer great intimidation from the government and Muslim society, especially Christians with a Muslim background. There are many secret believers, meeting in house churches. Worshipping without state registration is illegal, risking police raids. The pastor of a registered church, Bakhrom Kholmatov, was arrested for 'inciting religious hatred' and jailed for three years. During Tajikistan's President's 25 years' rule, religious persecution has worsened significantly, as well as human rights in Tajikistan now being considerably worse. Members of opposition parties are frequently arrested. Please pray for Tajikistan and its Christians.
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Anneta Vyssotskaia is a religious liberty expert on Russia and Central Asia. She is the guest contributor to the RLPB ministry with this and the next two bulletins while Elizabeth Kendal is on leave.
Showing posts with label Tajikistan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tajikistan. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
RLPB 416. July Update incl. Mali, Philippines, Iran, China, Assyrians (in Iraq & Syria), Egypt, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Tajikistan
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 416 | Wed 26 Jul 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)
by Elizabeth Kendal
JULY 2017 UPDATE -- this month we prayed concerning ...
* MALI AND THE PHILIPPINES (RLPB 413), where Islamic militants are holding a number of Christians captive, as hostages for ransom and as human shields. The situation for these Christian captives could not be more serious.
MALI UPDATE: as noted in RLPB 413, American missionary Jeff Woodke, who was abducted from his home in Niger in October 2016, was not mentioned in Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin's 2 July video. On 11 July his wife, Els Woodke, released her own video in which she spoke of her husband's service to the people of Niger and appealed to his captors to contact her directly. As explained in RLPB 413, while we rejoice to see the six captives alive, we must not disregard the context in which the proof-of-life was given. Entitled 'The Correct Equation', the video is essentially a threat in which JNIM is saying, if you (infidel forces) kill us (jihadists), then we will kill you -- and we already have six of you right here. With anti-terror operations due to commence in September, this is a matter for urgent prayer. Please, Lord, deliver the captives.
PHILIPPINES UPDATE: Nine weeks on, and the grinding street-by-street Battle for Marawi continues. Meanwhile, President Duterte has signalled he will expedite the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) which would establish an autonomous Muslim region in Mindanao, complete with its own police force and Sharia courts and to be ruled by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The BBL is highly controversial and has not yet passed the parliament. Meanwhile, as rebel-held territory shrinks, the plight of some 300 civilians being used as human shields becomes ever more precarious. Please, Lord, deliver the captives.
* IRAN (RLPB 414), where a dozen believers had received 10-year (plus) jail terms in the space of a month. Sentences will be appealed. Sentenced to 15 years, Christian convert Amin Afshar-Naderi commenced a hunger strike on 5 July.
IRAN UPDATE: On 17 July Christian prisoner Ebrahim Firouzi (32) announced he was commencing a ten-day hunger strike 'in support of the rights of fellow Christians'. In jail since March 2013, Firouzi has been held in Ward 12 for political prisoners in the maximum security Rajaee Shahr Prison in Karaj since Oct 2014; he is not due for release until Jan 2020. On release, Firouzi must serve two years of internal exile in remote Sarbaz, more than 1600km south-east of Tehran, near the border with Pakistan's Balochistan Province. Firouzi has previously requested prayers for health and strength [RLPB 350 (30 March 2016)]. The ten-day hunger strike will doubtless leave him weak, depressed and exceedingly vulnerable. Please pray for Iran's Church, her Christian prisoners, and particularly for hunger-strikers Amin Afshar-Naderi and Ebrahim Firouzi.
* CHINA (RLPB 415), where churches in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, were resisting the imposition of surveillance cameras inside their sanctuaries. It comes at a time when the Chinese Communist Party is advancing a nation-wide roll-out of surveillance cameras armed with sophisticated facial-recognition software for the purpose of collecting data on Chinese citizens.
For more on this subject see:
'Beijing Harnesses Big Data & AI to Perfect the Police State'
by Willy WoLap Lam, The Jamestown Foundation, 21 July 2017
CHINA UPDATE: To be legal in China, Protestant churches must be registered with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) approved Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM); then they must follow the CCP's rules. One of those rules is that minors (under 18) are not permitted to participate in religious activities. Despite this, authorities have long tolerated the existence of Sunday Schools and church-run summer camps. But, as China Aid Association reports, that has now changed. Initially the Henan Provincial Three-Self Patriotic Committee and the Henan Provincial China Christian Council arbitrarily forbade churches from organising summer camps for minors and students, citing high temperatures as a possible health risk. Sunday Schools were also ordered to cease ministry. Now the crackdown has extended to Zhejiang, where all Sunday Schools and church-run summer camps are now officially banned.
JULY 2017 ROUND-UP -- also this month ...
* ASSYRIANS: ROBBED AND MURDERED
Assyrians in the ancient Assyrian town of Alqosh (in northern Iraq) marched on 20 July to protest the illegal action of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). The KRG has deposed the town's Assyrian mayor, Fayez Abed Jawahreh, and replaced him with a Kurd, Adel Amin Omar, a member of Massoud Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). This is despite Alqosh being under the jurisdiction of the Iraqi government. This power grab, which will doubtless evolve into a land grab, comes ahead of a highly contentious 25 September referendum on Kurdish independence. Meanwhile, in Hasaka (in north-east Syria), the body of Assyrian University professor Dr Basil Isaac was found on 21 July, three days after he was kidnapped. No ransom had been demanded; rather, the professor was executed with a single gunshot to the head. Dr Isaac was buried in his home village of Tel Shamiram on the Khabur River. May God intervene for the Assyrian remnant in Mesopotamia.
* EGYPT: COPTS TARGETED FOR TERROR
Protestant and Coptic Orthodox churches have suspended all summer trips, conferences, camps and events for at least the month of July, after the security agencies warned they had credible intelligence that terrorists were plotting to target church-run summer activities. The warning came as Copts mourned the savage murder of a fifth Copt in six weeks. Nadra Mounir (26) was a devout Christian and member of her church's choir. On Thursday evening 6 July, Nadra went to a service at her church while her husband was at work. Not long after she returned to her apartment, she was murdered. Neighbours found Nadra lying on the floor in a pool of blood with all her hair cut off and her throat slit. The couple's precious Christian icons lay smashed, torn and scattered all over the floor; nothing had been stolen. Pray for Egypt's imperilled Copts.
* INDIA: PASTOR MURDERED IN PROBABLE RSS HIT
On Saturday 15 July Pastor Sultan Masih (50) of the Temple of God church in Peer Banda Mohalla, Punjab State, went to his church to set up for Sunday morning worship, just as he did every week. As usual, he finished at around 8:30pm and then stood outside chatting. At 8:45pm, Pastor Sultan was alone and speaking on his mobile phone when a motor-bike pulled up beside him and he was shot in the leg, chest and face at point-blank range. It is possible the attackers phoned the pastor in order to identify him. The attack was captured on security camera. Pastor Sultan had been leading the church -- which also ran a school for the poor -- for 20 years. His troubles only began recently after he led a special gospel celebration to commemorate the church's 25th anniversary. The event, which attracted some 800 people, infuriated the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS: a Hindu nationalist paramilitary), which then started harassing the pastor whom they accused of converting Hindus through allurement and force. Pastor Sultan leaves behind a wife, Sarabjit, and four children, two of whom were adopted. His eldest son, Alisha Masih (22) is training to be a pastor.
On 20 July Ram Nath Kovind (71) was elected to the largely ceremonial post of President of India, receiving 65 per cent of the vote by members of India's parliament and state assemblies. It is the first time a person linked to the RSS has been elected to the presidency.
DAY OF PRAYER FOR INDIA: Recognising the need for intercession, the Evangelical Fellowship of India is inviting intercessors worldwide to join with the Indian Church on Sunday 13 August as they observe a 'Day of Prayer for the Nation'. Resources can be found here https://www.nationaldayofprayer.in/ and https://www.facebook.com/EFoIndia
* KENYA: VIOLENCE AHEAD OF 8 AUGUST POLLS
As anticipated, violence is escalating in the lead-up to Kenya's 8 August General Election [see RLPB 411 (21 June)]. The worst violence is occurring in Muslim-majority coastal and eastern regions. While the violence is being perpetrated by Islamic militants linked to al-Shabaab, local police and church leaders insist that political forces are facilitating it so as to displace Christians ahead of the elections. The worst attack occurred in Jima village, Lamu County, commencing at around 11pm on Friday 7 July and continuing into the next morning. In that incident, nine men who could not recite the Islamic shahada (profession of faith) were beheaded; many more are not accounted for. Christians in the area have fled. Some 2000 Kenyans -- including many Christians -- are now sheltering in two churches (one Catholic and one Evangelical) and a school, waiting for security to be restored. Numerous reports confirm that local Muslims are protecting and aiding the militants who are operating from a base in the dense Boni Forest which borders Somalia. Pray for Kenya.
* PAKISTAN: ANOTHER MALICIOUS BLASPHEMY CHARGE
Shahzad Masih (17) worked as a sweeper at Shamim Riaz Hospital in Dinga town, Gujrat District, Punjab Province. In mid-July he quarrelled with hospital pharmacy employee Ishtiaq Ahmed Jalali. Though a senior medical officer intervened to calm the situation, Jalali, a member of the Islamist group, Tehreek Tahafuz-e-Islam Pakistan (TTIP), harboured a grudge. Jalali shared his grudge with Nadeem Ahmed, the president of the Dinga chapter of TTIP, who then registered a blasphemy complaint against Shahzad who was subsequently arrested. Shahzad's parents do not know his whereabouts, and threats have driven the family from their home. On 16 July, outside the Dinga police station, Jalali declared that, if the court acquits Shehzad, members of Tehreek will kill him. Pray for Pakistan and its beleaguered Church.
* TAJIKISTAN: KHUJAND PASTOR JAILED FOR THREE YEARS
Khujand City, the capital of Tajikistan's far north Sogd Region, is known as The Gateway to the Ferghana Valley. Forum 18 reports that in February, security forces in Khujand raided congregations affiliated with Pastor Bakhrom Kholmatov's Sunmin Sunbogym (Full Gospel) Protestant Church. Members were interrogated and beaten and Kholmatov was charged with using 'extremist songs' to incite sedition and religious hatred. [The charge concerns songs and hymns about the Church's spiritual battle.] Pastor Kholmatov was arrested on 10 April and held in police detention throughout his trial. In early July Khujand City Court sentenced him to three years in jail under Criminal Code Article 189, Part 1: 'Inciting national, racial, local or religious hatred or dissension ... ' He has since been moved to an unknown prison. Please pray for Pastor Kholmatov and the Church in Tajikistan.
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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
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
JULY 2017 UPDATE -- this month we prayed concerning ...
* MALI AND THE PHILIPPINES (RLPB 413), where Islamic militants are holding a number of Christians captive, as hostages for ransom and as human shields. The situation for these Christian captives could not be more serious.
MALI UPDATE: as noted in RLPB 413, American missionary Jeff Woodke, who was abducted from his home in Niger in October 2016, was not mentioned in Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin's 2 July video. On 11 July his wife, Els Woodke, released her own video in which she spoke of her husband's service to the people of Niger and appealed to his captors to contact her directly. As explained in RLPB 413, while we rejoice to see the six captives alive, we must not disregard the context in which the proof-of-life was given. Entitled 'The Correct Equation', the video is essentially a threat in which JNIM is saying, if you (infidel forces) kill us (jihadists), then we will kill you -- and we already have six of you right here. With anti-terror operations due to commence in September, this is a matter for urgent prayer. Please, Lord, deliver the captives.
PHILIPPINES UPDATE: Nine weeks on, and the grinding street-by-street Battle for Marawi continues. Meanwhile, President Duterte has signalled he will expedite the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) which would establish an autonomous Muslim region in Mindanao, complete with its own police force and Sharia courts and to be ruled by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The BBL is highly controversial and has not yet passed the parliament. Meanwhile, as rebel-held territory shrinks, the plight of some 300 civilians being used as human shields becomes ever more precarious. Please, Lord, deliver the captives.
* IRAN (RLPB 414), where a dozen believers had received 10-year (plus) jail terms in the space of a month. Sentences will be appealed. Sentenced to 15 years, Christian convert Amin Afshar-Naderi commenced a hunger strike on 5 July.
IRAN UPDATE: On 17 July Christian prisoner Ebrahim Firouzi (32) announced he was commencing a ten-day hunger strike 'in support of the rights of fellow Christians'. In jail since March 2013, Firouzi has been held in Ward 12 for political prisoners in the maximum security Rajaee Shahr Prison in Karaj since Oct 2014; he is not due for release until Jan 2020. On release, Firouzi must serve two years of internal exile in remote Sarbaz, more than 1600km south-east of Tehran, near the border with Pakistan's Balochistan Province. Firouzi has previously requested prayers for health and strength [RLPB 350 (30 March 2016)]. The ten-day hunger strike will doubtless leave him weak, depressed and exceedingly vulnerable. Please pray for Iran's Church, her Christian prisoners, and particularly for hunger-strikers Amin Afshar-Naderi and Ebrahim Firouzi.
* CHINA (RLPB 415), where churches in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, were resisting the imposition of surveillance cameras inside their sanctuaries. It comes at a time when the Chinese Communist Party is advancing a nation-wide roll-out of surveillance cameras armed with sophisticated facial-recognition software for the purpose of collecting data on Chinese citizens.
For more on this subject see:
'Beijing Harnesses Big Data & AI to Perfect the Police State'
by Willy WoLap Lam, The Jamestown Foundation, 21 July 2017
CHINA UPDATE: To be legal in China, Protestant churches must be registered with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) approved Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM); then they must follow the CCP's rules. One of those rules is that minors (under 18) are not permitted to participate in religious activities. Despite this, authorities have long tolerated the existence of Sunday Schools and church-run summer camps. But, as China Aid Association reports, that has now changed. Initially the Henan Provincial Three-Self Patriotic Committee and the Henan Provincial China Christian Council arbitrarily forbade churches from organising summer camps for minors and students, citing high temperatures as a possible health risk. Sunday Schools were also ordered to cease ministry. Now the crackdown has extended to Zhejiang, where all Sunday Schools and church-run summer camps are now officially banned.
JULY 2017 ROUND-UP -- also this month ...
* ASSYRIANS: ROBBED AND MURDERED
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| Assyrians march in Alqosh, 20 July, AINA. |
* EGYPT: COPTS TARGETED FOR TERROR
 |
| Nadra Mounir with her husband Girgis Samir (WWM) |
* INDIA: PASTOR MURDERED IN PROBABLE RSS HIT
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| Pastor Sultan Masih with wife, Sarabjit (MSN) |
On 20 July Ram Nath Kovind (71) was elected to the largely ceremonial post of President of India, receiving 65 per cent of the vote by members of India's parliament and state assemblies. It is the first time a person linked to the RSS has been elected to the presidency.
DAY OF PRAYER FOR INDIA: Recognising the need for intercession, the Evangelical Fellowship of India is inviting intercessors worldwide to join with the Indian Church on Sunday 13 August as they observe a 'Day of Prayer for the Nation'. Resources can be found here https://www.nationaldayofprayer.in/ and https://www.facebook.com/EFoIndia
* KENYA: VIOLENCE AHEAD OF 8 AUGUST POLLS
As anticipated, violence is escalating in the lead-up to Kenya's 8 August General Election [see RLPB 411 (21 June)]. The worst violence is occurring in Muslim-majority coastal and eastern regions. While the violence is being perpetrated by Islamic militants linked to al-Shabaab, local police and church leaders insist that political forces are facilitating it so as to displace Christians ahead of the elections. The worst attack occurred in Jima village, Lamu County, commencing at around 11pm on Friday 7 July and continuing into the next morning. In that incident, nine men who could not recite the Islamic shahada (profession of faith) were beheaded; many more are not accounted for. Christians in the area have fled. Some 2000 Kenyans -- including many Christians -- are now sheltering in two churches (one Catholic and one Evangelical) and a school, waiting for security to be restored. Numerous reports confirm that local Muslims are protecting and aiding the militants who are operating from a base in the dense Boni Forest which borders Somalia. Pray for Kenya.
* PAKISTAN: ANOTHER MALICIOUS BLASPHEMY CHARGE
Shahzad Masih (17) worked as a sweeper at Shamim Riaz Hospital in Dinga town, Gujrat District, Punjab Province. In mid-July he quarrelled with hospital pharmacy employee Ishtiaq Ahmed Jalali. Though a senior medical officer intervened to calm the situation, Jalali, a member of the Islamist group, Tehreek Tahafuz-e-Islam Pakistan (TTIP), harboured a grudge. Jalali shared his grudge with Nadeem Ahmed, the president of the Dinga chapter of TTIP, who then registered a blasphemy complaint against Shahzad who was subsequently arrested. Shahzad's parents do not know his whereabouts, and threats have driven the family from their home. On 16 July, outside the Dinga police station, Jalali declared that, if the court acquits Shehzad, members of Tehreek will kill him. Pray for Pakistan and its beleaguered Church.
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| The accuser (Jalali) threatens to kill the accused (Shehzad Masih, aged 17). The police response: "not our problem". |
* TAJIKISTAN: KHUJAND PASTOR JAILED FOR THREE YEARS
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| Pastor Bakhrom Kholmatov (Release International) |
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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
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
118. July Update; incl. Afghanistan, Ramadan, Tajikistan, UK.
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 118 | Wed 27 Jul 2011
By Elizabeth Kendal
Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18 ESV)
JULY 2011 UPDATE -- During July we prayed for . . .
BURMA (RLPB 115), where the predominantly devout Christian Kachin peoples of Kachin State in Burma's far north are fleeing the Burman-Buddhist junta as it seeks to advance its economic interests through the ethnic cleansing of the Kachin.
UPDATE: Despite all the efforts of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Burmese military is reportedly closing in on the KIA stronghold of Laiza, where thousands of displaced Kachin are seeking refuge. A humanitarian crisis is unfolding on the Chinese border where up to 20,000 refugees are holed up without humanitarian aid. China is refusing entrance. There have been more reports of systematic rape and of villagers suspected of supporting the KIA being tortured, mutilated and even killed (see http://www.kachinwomen.org/ ). Please pray for the Kachin. May our Mighty God, 'Jehovah Jireh' (the Lord will provide), supply the churches with the aid they need to care for the refugees. And may our Mighty God, Yahweh Sabaoth (the Lord of Hosts / Commander of heaven's armies), rise up in defence of his people.
NIGERIA (RLPB 116), where Boko Haram terror is increasing. Al-Qaeda is backing Boko Haram with the aim of establishing a foothold in Nigeria that would facilitate operations in West Africa. Boko Haram has declared its intent to carry out a massive campaign of terror at the end of July to commemorate the 31 July 2009 death in custody of their founder and leader, Sheikh Mohammed Yusuf. They have declared Christians to be targets. There will be an extreme risk of terror on Sunday 31 July. Please pray for the Church in Nigeria.
SUDAN (RLPB 117), where the Sudan government, having rejected dual citizenship, has passed a law that strips South Sudanese of their Sudanese citizenship, leaving them without rights -- and largely without jobs. Meanwhile in South Kordofan, Sudan's only oil-producing state, there is satellite evidence of mass graves containing many thousands of corpses. This confirms eye-witness reports of mass killings and ethnic cleansing of African, predominantly Christian Nuba peoples by the Arab-Islamist regime in Khartoum and its allied Arab militias. Please pray for God to intervene in Sudan.
JULY 2011 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .
* AFGHANISTAN: ANOTHER MARTYR
In early July WORLD Magazine received video pictures that reportedly showed the beheading of a convert to Christianity. In the video, Abdul Latif (in his 40s) is accused of apostasy and condemned to death by militants quoting passages from the Qur'an and Haddith (sayings of Mohammed). He is then pinned to the ground and beheaded to cries of 'Allahu Akhbar' (Allah is great). The killing comes as the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) claims that 'Christian missionaries have stepped up their proselytising activities' ahead of the US withdrawal (APP 18 July). The Ulema Union of Afghanistan (UUA) has reportedly strongly condemned the missionary activities that the UUA claims are carried on 'using the cover' of humanitarian aid and 'under patronage provided by foreign forces'. The Taliban, which is ascendant in Afghanistan, recently punished an unco-operative policeman in Helmand Province by kidnapping and hanging his eight-year-old son. The Taliban has been intimidating police in Uruzgan Province and many are surrendering due to the terror. Pray for God's remnant in Afghanistan.
* PRAY FOR MUSLIMS DURING RAMADAN (STARTING 1 AUGUST)
'And they will do these things [persecute and kill you -- John 15:18ff] because they have not known the Father, nor me.' (John 16:3 ESV.) Muslims need Jesus Christ so they may have their sins forgiven and be saved. Persecuted minority Christians in Islamic States need Muslims to be saved and transformed so that persecution might cease. Pray for Muslims during Ramadan . '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)
* TAJIKISTAN: PARLIAMENT PASSES REPRESSIVE LAWS
On 21 July Tajikistan's Upper House of parliament passed the highly controversial and repressive Parental Responsibility Law. It also amended the Criminal Code to extend criminal punishment to those who organise or participate in 'unapproved gatherings' such as unsanctioned religious meetings. These were approved by the Lower House on 15 June. (RLPB 114.) The Parental Responsibility Law bans children under 18 from participating in the activities of religious organisations, with the exception of State-sanctioned 'religious education'. 'Specialists' will infiltrate religious groups to monitor them and parents will be held accountable. Furthermore, the law bans parents from sending their children abroad for study without the permission of an appropriate state agency. As one Protestant lamented, 'It will be against the law for children to be in church.' The Parental Responsibility Law will be enacted as soon as President Emomali Rahmon -- who proposed the law -- signs it into force. (Full report: Forum 18)
* UK: THE BATTLE FOR BRITAIN HEATS UP
The UK Islamic fundamentalist group, Muslims Against the Crusades (MAC) have declared their intention to enforce Sharia (Islamic) Law in the Yorkshire towns of Bradford and Dewsbury, and in East London's Tower Hamlets. (MAC was formerly Islam4UK and before that, al-Muhajiroun, changing their name each time they are banned.) As part of its 'Islamic Emirates Project', MAC has erected posters in various districts warning: 'You are entering a Shariah controlled zone -- Islamic rules enforced.' MAC's first target for Islamisation will be Waltham Forest. According to the MAC leader, Anjem Choudary, Sharia will be enforced by thousands of volunteer 'Sharia cops' or Islamic 'Guardian Angels'. MAC is planning an 'Islamic Emirates March' on Saturday 30 July from Leyton Underground Station to Walthamstow Central. MAC hopes this will be a catalyst for nationwide campaigns during Ramadan, which starts on 1 August. MAC's 'Islamic Emirates Project' comes straight after Baroness Cox's proposal for an Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill that would criminalise any attempt to subjugate British law to another system. The battle has begun. Please pray for the UK, in particular for genuine Christian revival.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
114. June 2011 Update; incl. Burma, Egypt, North Korea, Tajikistan.
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 114 | Wed 29 Jun 2011
As was noted in RLPB 080 (3 Nov 2010), the sole purpose of Burma's fraudulent November 2010 elections was to legitimise the regime and give it a mandate to impose its will. Because the ethnic-religious minorities do not have enough confidence in the junta to disarm, the regime has branded them 'separatist' and tensions have escalated. Conflict has erupted in devoutly Christian Kachin State which borders China to the north. The trigger has been China's building of two hydropower mega-dams in Kachin, against the will of the Kachin people who protest that social and environmental damage will be catastrophic. With China wanting to build at least seven more such mega-dams in Kachin State, the Burmese junta's interest in controlling Kachin lands will intensify. Thousands of Christian Kachin are on the run and at least 50 have been killed. Pray for the Christian Kachin.
By Elizabeth Kendal
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. [. . .] If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7,11 ESV)
JUNE 2011 UPDATE -- During June we prayed for . . .
* ZIMBABWE (RLPBs 110 & 111), where churches (particularly Anglican churches) are facing escalating political violence ahead of elections. See Religious Liberty Monitoring for more information.
UPDATE: according to The Tablet, a Catholic weekly newsletter, President Mugabe has branded the Catholic Church an enemy of the State. With secret police masquerading as Mass-goers, Catholic priests are increasingly at risk of arrest and torture. One priest laments: '[we] don't have any freedom to preach the Word as we would want to even within the Church because you never know what kind of visit you may get after Mass. You know that the secret police are attending and the moment you finish, things happen.' Even just acknowledging the existence of hunger in the country is enough to get a priest into trouble. Phones are tapped and Internet lines are monitored. Priests wearing clerical garb are routinely arrested, interrogated and humiliated. 'If you are lucky,' the priest said, 'you are interviewed and let go; if you are not so lucky you are tortured a little bit.' Pray for the Church in Zimbabwe.
see: Fear in the pulpit Oppression in Zimbabwe Sarah Mac Donald,
The Tablet - 25 June 2011
see: Fear in the pulpit Oppression in Zimbabwe Sarah Mac Donald,
The Tablet - 25 June 2011
* REFUGEES (RLPB 112), as increasing numbers of Christians are being forced to flee war, Islamic jihad and violent religious persecution.
* NUBA MOUNTAINS, SUDAN (RLPB 113): where as many as half-a-million mostly Christian Nuba -- some 50 African tribes indigenous to North Sudan's Nuba Mountains -- have been displaced by aerial bombardment and a violent ethnic cleansing campaign. Once again, as in the early 1990s, the Arab-Islamist regime in Khartoum has closed the Nuba Mountains off to all humanitarian aid as it seeks the genocide of the 'blacks' through the use of starvation as a weapon of mass destruction. See Religious Liberty Monitoring for more information. Please pray for God's intervention.
JUNE 2011 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .
* BURMA (Myanmar): CONFLICT ERUPTS IN KACHIN STATE
As was noted in RLPB 080 (3 Nov 2010), the sole purpose of Burma's fraudulent November 2010 elections was to legitimise the regime and give it a mandate to impose its will. Because the ethnic-religious minorities do not have enough confidence in the junta to disarm, the regime has branded them 'separatist' and tensions have escalated. Conflict has erupted in devoutly Christian Kachin State which borders China to the north. The trigger has been China's building of two hydropower mega-dams in Kachin, against the will of the Kachin people who protest that social and environmental damage will be catastrophic. With China wanting to build at least seven more such mega-dams in Kachin State, the Burmese junta's interest in controlling Kachin lands will intensify. Thousands of Christian Kachin are on the run and at least 50 have been killed. Pray for the Christian Kachin.
* EGYPT: VIOLENCE CONTINUES AGAINST COPTIC CHURCH
On 23 June hundreds of fundamentalist Salafi Muslims attacked the Coptic Church of St George in the village of Bani Ahmed in Minya Province, Upper Egypt, during Mass. The Salafis demanded that the priest, Fr George Thabet, either leave the village or be handed over to be killed. For months now, the Salafis have been protesting development work done on the church. After a five-hour siege the Army intervened, quelling the rioting and escorting Fr Thabet out of the village.
On 25 June a rumour spread through the village of Awlad Khalaf in Suhaj Province, Upper Egypt, that the home being built by a Coptic Christian, Wahib Halim Attia, was actually a church. Consequently, a mob of some 200 Muslims responded by attacking Mr Attia. After looting and bulldozing his home, they moved on to loot and torch another six Coptic-owned homes. Attia was subsequently arrested. Reportedly, local Muslims intervened to return many of the looted possessions. Pray for the Church in Egypt and that Egyptian Muslims will awaken to the fact that Islam is not the solution.
* NORTH KOREA: MILITARY GOING HUNGRY
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has obtained some very revealing film smuggled out of North Korea. The footage confirms: there is mass poverty, starvation and fear; there are scores of scavenging, homeless orphans whose parents have died either of starvation or in concentration camps; and work is being done by malnourished slave labourers. But the report also reveals something quite new: many uniformed soldiers are weak from hunger and malnutrition. This is significant because if the regime cannot sustain its 'military first' policy -- feeding its military to secure its loyalty -- then the regime's grip on power could be tenuous. Under the Kim regime, hundreds of thousands of Korean Christians suffer some of the most severe expressions of religious persecution known. See Religious Liberty Monitoring for more on North Korea. And please pray.
* TAJIKISTAN: SEVERE RELIGIOUS RESTRICTIONS THREATENED
On 15 June Tajikistan's Lower House of Parliament approved a controversial Parental Responsibility Law. An initiative of President Emomali Rahmon, the law obliges parents 'not to let children-teenagers participate in the activity of religious organisations [other than funerals], with the exception of those officially enrolled in [State-sanctioned] religious education'. Penalties will apply.
Also on 15 June the Lower House approved amendments to the Criminal Code that will extend punishments for 'unapproved meetings' to unapproved religious meetings, and prescribe lengthy prison terms for those found participating in 'religious extremist' teaching. With the courts left to define 'extremist', observers fear that all unsanctioned religious education will be penalised. Before they can be enacted as law, the draft law and amendments need to be approved by the Upper House (Majlisi Milli) and signed by the President. Chair of the Lower House's Science, Education, Culture and Youth Policy Committee, Marhabo Jabborova, told Forum 18 she felt 'sure' the Parental Responsibility Law and the Criminal Code amendments would be adopted by the Upper House in July. Whilst Islamic sects considered to be dangerous are the target, Protestant Christians will be caught in the net, a detail the authorities will keenly exploit. Please pray for God's intervention.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
091. Central Asia: legislation impacts religious liberty
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 091 | Wed 19 Jan 2011
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CENTRAL ASIA: LEGISLATION IMPACTS RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
---------------------------------------------------
By Anneta Vyssotskaia, a religious liberty advocate with a particular
concern for and involvement in Russia and the former USSR.
There have been many encouraging answers to prayer for the Church in Central Asia: the unity amongst the Protestant churches is growing; there are many testimonies about a growing interest in the Good News amongst Muslims in Central Asian countries; many churches have a missionary vision for reaching out to the neighbouring Muslim countries with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, the churches in Central Asia still need daily prayer support amidst continuing restrictions and persecution.
* UZBEKISTAN
In 2010, the churches were raided by police, numerous Christians were detained and fined, while some were sentenced to short term imprisonment. Pentecostal pastor Dmitry Shestakov served his fourth year in prison and is due to be released this month. A Baptist believer, Tohar Haydarov, was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment in a labour camp on fabricated drug charges in March 2010. The most restrictive situation remains in the Karakalpakastan region where none of the churches have been able to register. The authorities insist that individual believers must get permission even to have a Bible. A decision on new religious laws is possible in 2011, bringing even more restrictions on religious freedom in Uzbekistan.
* TURKMENISTAN
Religious freedom is under the strict control of the authorities in Turkmenistan. Only a small number of churches are registered, while many others have been unsuccessfully trying to get registration for years. None of the ethnic Turkmen churches was registered. The unregistered churches meet secretly in homes, often changing meeting places. Police regularly raid the houses of believers, confiscating and destroying Christian literature. Pastor Ilmurad Nurliev was sentenced to four years in prison and forced medical treatment under a false accusation of drug addiction in October 2010 and is now in a labour camp that has extremely tough conditions. He has not been allowed to have a Bible since his arrest in August. He has diabetes and has been denied necessary medication. He was excluded from the recent prisoner amnesty.
* AZERBAIJAN
Religious freedom has been steadily deteriorating in Azerbaijan over the last few years. Since changes to the Religious Law were adopted in May 2009 the churches have faced problems with re-registration. Many have been denied registration and unregistered religious activities are illegal. Believers have been interrogated and fined when their gatherings have been raided by police. In October 2010 police raided the house where 80 members of an unregistered Baptist church were celebrating Harvest Festival. Four of them were arrested and sentenced to five days in prison. On 11 December an Adventist church was raided by police and its members were interrogated and fined heavily. New amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences are expected to be discussed in the parliament and if approved would impose even heavier fines for unregistered religious activities.
* KYRGYZSTAN
In Kyrgyzstan 2010 was a year of political riots and ethnic clashes, which affected the church as well. The church leaders hope that the highly restrictive religious law brought in by the former president Bakiev will be radically changed under the new government and restored at least to the level the country had before Bakiev. The churches are actively participating in helping those who lost their homes and businesses as a result of ethnic clashes between Kyrgyzs and Uzbeks in Osh.
* KAZAKHSTAN
Kazakhstan currently chairs the OSCE and proclaims religious tolerance. The Christian community is concerned that after 2010 the legislation will be changed imposing more restrictions on religious activities. While the majority of religious groups worship without government interference, the activities of unregistered minority groups, including some evangelical churches, are considered illegal. Some pastors and church members were fined for unregistered 'missionary' activities. In March 2010 new missionary visa regulations came into force that caused growing difficulties for some religious communities.
* TAJIKISTAN
Almost all registered churches in Tajikistan were able to re-register in accordance with the legal requirements. However, the Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists was denied registration as a union of churches. That limits their rights, e.g. to open new churches. Also some smaller new churches faced problems with registration. The majority of the population continue to live in conditions of extreme poverty, unemployment and frequent electricity blackouts. Many labour migrants from Tajikistan and elsewhere in Central Asia live and work in Russia and become more open to the Gospel there than in their home countries. =
PRAISE GOD FOR -
* the growing unity amongst the churches, the growing interest in the gospel amongst Muslims, and the missionary vision of the churches in Central Asia.
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR -
* God to sustain those who are in prison: Pastor Ilmurad Nurliev who was jailed for four years and forced to undergo anti-drug medical treatment, but denied his diabetes medication; Tohar Haydarov in Uzbekistan who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in March 2010; Pastor Dmitry Shestakov now due for release from his four-year imprisonment, and for his subsequent care and protection.
* positive changes in religious legislation in Central Asian countries.
* the churches in Central Asia to be filled with God's Spirit of power and wisdom to preach the Good News to local Muslims and to reach out to the neighbouring Muslim countries.
* labour migrants from Central Asia, that many of them will be saved where they go away to work and bring the gospel back to their home countries.
~~~~
SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
-----------------------------------------------------------
LEGISLATION IN CENTRAL ASIA IMPACTS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
In 2010 the churches in Central Asia continued to experience harassment, religious restrictions and persecution. They request prayer for positive changes to legislation that will permit greater religious freedom in their countries. Pastor Ilmurad Nurliev was jailed for four years with forced
anti-drug medical treatment, and denied his diabetes medication. Tohar Haydarov was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. Pastor Dmitry Shestakov is due to be released from his four-year imprisonment this month and will need subsequent care and protection. Meanwhile, labour migrants from Central Asia can hear the gospel where they go away to work and bring the
Good News back to their home countries. The Central Asia churches are experiencing greater unity and a desire to reach out to local and neighbouring Muslims. Please pray for religious freedom and outreach.
---------------------------------------------------
CENTRAL ASIA: LEGISLATION IMPACTS RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
---------------------------------------------------
By Anneta Vyssotskaia, a religious liberty advocate with a particular
concern for and involvement in Russia and the former USSR.
There have been many encouraging answers to prayer for the Church in Central Asia: the unity amongst the Protestant churches is growing; there are many testimonies about a growing interest in the Good News amongst Muslims in Central Asian countries; many churches have a missionary vision for reaching out to the neighbouring Muslim countries with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, the churches in Central Asia still need daily prayer support amidst continuing restrictions and persecution.
* UZBEKISTAN
In 2010, the churches were raided by police, numerous Christians were detained and fined, while some were sentenced to short term imprisonment. Pentecostal pastor Dmitry Shestakov served his fourth year in prison and is due to be released this month. A Baptist believer, Tohar Haydarov, was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment in a labour camp on fabricated drug charges in March 2010. The most restrictive situation remains in the Karakalpakastan region where none of the churches have been able to register. The authorities insist that individual believers must get permission even to have a Bible. A decision on new religious laws is possible in 2011, bringing even more restrictions on religious freedom in Uzbekistan.
* TURKMENISTAN
Religious freedom is under the strict control of the authorities in Turkmenistan. Only a small number of churches are registered, while many others have been unsuccessfully trying to get registration for years. None of the ethnic Turkmen churches was registered. The unregistered churches meet secretly in homes, often changing meeting places. Police regularly raid the houses of believers, confiscating and destroying Christian literature. Pastor Ilmurad Nurliev was sentenced to four years in prison and forced medical treatment under a false accusation of drug addiction in October 2010 and is now in a labour camp that has extremely tough conditions. He has not been allowed to have a Bible since his arrest in August. He has diabetes and has been denied necessary medication. He was excluded from the recent prisoner amnesty.
* AZERBAIJAN
Religious freedom has been steadily deteriorating in Azerbaijan over the last few years. Since changes to the Religious Law were adopted in May 2009 the churches have faced problems with re-registration. Many have been denied registration and unregistered religious activities are illegal. Believers have been interrogated and fined when their gatherings have been raided by police. In October 2010 police raided the house where 80 members of an unregistered Baptist church were celebrating Harvest Festival. Four of them were arrested and sentenced to five days in prison. On 11 December an Adventist church was raided by police and its members were interrogated and fined heavily. New amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences are expected to be discussed in the parliament and if approved would impose even heavier fines for unregistered religious activities.
* KYRGYZSTAN
In Kyrgyzstan 2010 was a year of political riots and ethnic clashes, which affected the church as well. The church leaders hope that the highly restrictive religious law brought in by the former president Bakiev will be radically changed under the new government and restored at least to the level the country had before Bakiev. The churches are actively participating in helping those who lost their homes and businesses as a result of ethnic clashes between Kyrgyzs and Uzbeks in Osh.
* KAZAKHSTAN
Kazakhstan currently chairs the OSCE and proclaims religious tolerance. The Christian community is concerned that after 2010 the legislation will be changed imposing more restrictions on religious activities. While the majority of religious groups worship without government interference, the activities of unregistered minority groups, including some evangelical churches, are considered illegal. Some pastors and church members were fined for unregistered 'missionary' activities. In March 2010 new missionary visa regulations came into force that caused growing difficulties for some religious communities.
* TAJIKISTAN
Almost all registered churches in Tajikistan were able to re-register in accordance with the legal requirements. However, the Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists was denied registration as a union of churches. That limits their rights, e.g. to open new churches. Also some smaller new churches faced problems with registration. The majority of the population continue to live in conditions of extreme poverty, unemployment and frequent electricity blackouts. Many labour migrants from Tajikistan and elsewhere in Central Asia live and work in Russia and become more open to the Gospel there than in their home countries. =
PRAISE GOD FOR -
* the growing unity amongst the churches, the growing interest in the gospel amongst Muslims, and the missionary vision of the churches in Central Asia.
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR -
* God to sustain those who are in prison: Pastor Ilmurad Nurliev who was jailed for four years and forced to undergo anti-drug medical treatment, but denied his diabetes medication; Tohar Haydarov in Uzbekistan who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in March 2010; Pastor Dmitry Shestakov now due for release from his four-year imprisonment, and for his subsequent care and protection.
* positive changes in religious legislation in Central Asian countries.
* the churches in Central Asia to be filled with God's Spirit of power and wisdom to preach the Good News to local Muslims and to reach out to the neighbouring Muslim countries.
* labour migrants from Central Asia, that many of them will be saved where they go away to work and bring the gospel back to their home countries.
~~~~
SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
-----------------------------------------------------------
LEGISLATION IN CENTRAL ASIA IMPACTS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
In 2010 the churches in Central Asia continued to experience harassment, religious restrictions and persecution. They request prayer for positive changes to legislation that will permit greater religious freedom in their countries. Pastor Ilmurad Nurliev was jailed for four years with forced
anti-drug medical treatment, and denied his diabetes medication. Tohar Haydarov was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. Pastor Dmitry Shestakov is due to be released from his four-year imprisonment this month and will need subsequent care and protection. Meanwhile, labour migrants from Central Asia can hear the gospel where they go away to work and bring the
Good News back to their home countries. The Central Asia churches are experiencing greater unity and a desire to reach out to local and neighbouring Muslims. Please pray for religious freedom and outreach.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
078. Central Asia: Christianity's past and present
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 078 | Wed 20 Oct 2010
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CENTRAL ASIA: CHRISTIANITY'S PAST AND PRESENT
By Anneta Vyssotskaia
---------------------------------------------------------------
The Central Asian region is a vast territory including five countries which were once part of the former USSR: Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. In ancient times it was inhabited mainly by nomadic tribes and was an important part of the Great Silk Road, which played a big role in the historical and cultural development of this region. The total population of Central Asia exceeds 60 million, the majority of whom are Sunni Muslims, and includes over 100 ethnic groups. In the Soviet period about 25 percent of the population were Russians but after the collapse of the Soviet Union the majority of the Russian population migrated out of this region. However, many Central Asian people still use the Russian language for international communication.
Christianity came to Central Asia from Persia in the 1st Century. According to legend, the Apostle Thomas went to Samarkand (now a city in Uzbekistan) by the Great Silk Road and appointed several bishops there. Documents confirmed that in the 2nd & 3rd Centuries there were Christian churches in that region and Christianity spread mainly through Nestorian Christians. However, around the 14th Century Christianity started to be wiped out by Islam and Buddhism and practically disappeared for several centuries. A new stage of Christianity started about mid-19th Century with the arrival of the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian farmer migrants. Russian Orthodox churches were built in all Russian settlements. At the end of the 19th Century many evangelical Christians came to the region, often as a result of persecution. Although the local population was quite tolerant of both Orthodox and evangelical Christians, Christianity was still considered the religion of the non-ethnic people.
During the Soviet period all religions were controlled and persecuted by the state authorities and several generations grew up as atheists. The end of the Soviet regime brought many freedoms to the people including the freedom of religion. It opened the door to numerous missionaries and resulted in many new churches of different denominations. Masses of people were attracted to the churches. However, very soon active support of traditional national religions started and also resistance to missionary activities. Islam became more active. The religious freedom and openness gradually were replaced by restrictions. The governments supported certain religions and denominations while resisting the activities of others, especially foreign missionaries and 'non-traditional' religions. This was partly an attempt to use certain religious teaching as an ideological basis for the whole population and partly to reduce the threat of destabilisation and ethnic conflicts in their countries. The next step was to amend existing laws to impose legislative restrictions, especially regarding sharing faith with other people, children's work and even religious education of church members.
According to Open Doors World Watch List, four out of the five Central Asian countries are included in the list of 50 countries where Christians are persecuted for their faith: Uzbekistan (10th), Turkmenistan (15th), Tajikistan (32), Kyrgyzstan (49).
In an environment where ethnic conflicts can be easily ignited, Central Asia churches suffer the problem that these conflicts may cause divisions and bitterness even amongst Christians.
The overall picture in Central Asia is the Church has to survive and grow in circumstances of persecution, ethnic conflicts and economic hardship. Study materials are lacking in the local languages, which is a hindrance to discipleship especially in remote places. In Uzbekistan, it is especially difficult as Christian literature is searched for, confiscated and destroyed by police, and church members get detained and fined on a massive scale. It is now an impossible task to get a church registered, but even registration no longer protects a church from police raids and detention of its members.
Christianity in Central Asia has to walk a long and narrow path to growth, despite all the restrictions and difficulties imposed by state and religious authorities, as well as pressure from the predominantly Muslim society.
A believer in Uzbekistan says, 'I continue to live by the power of the One Who has loved me.' This was just written by the wife of a pastor serving his fourth year in prison for his Christian faith.
PRAISE GOD FOR:
* the spiritual revival in Central Asia following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
* Church growth across Central Asia despite growing restrictions on religious freedom and severe persecution in many places, praying that he will protect and strengthen his Church.
* faithfulness and boldness of Christian leaders who set a good example to the believers in their churches.
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL:
* enable his children to fulfil his Great Commandment of making disciples in all nations and all remote places, and that there will be enough material in their languages so every believer might study the Word of God in all its fullness.
* help and provide for many needy Christians living in this region of great poverty and unemployment.
* help his children of different nationalities to be united amidst all ethnic conflicts and be instruments of his peace.
~~~~
SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
-----------------------------------------------------------
THE CHURCH'S STRUGGLE IN CENTRAL ASIA
The Church in the former Soviet countries of Central Asia -- Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan -- struggles for survival and growth amidst persecution, ethnic conflicts and economic hardship. Lack of material in the local languages hinders discipleship training. This is especially a problem in Uzbekistan where the police search for Christian literature, seize and destroy it, as well as detain and fine church members on a massive scale. It is now impossible to get a church registered, but even registration no longer protects a church from police raids and detention of its members. Please pray for the Church in Central Asia on its long and narrow path to growth, despite all the restrictions and difficulties imposed by state and religious authorities, as well as pressure from the predominantly Muslim society.
---------------------------------------------------------------
CENTRAL ASIA: CHRISTIANITY'S PAST AND PRESENT
By Anneta Vyssotskaia
---------------------------------------------------------------
The Central Asian region is a vast territory including five countries which were once part of the former USSR: Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. In ancient times it was inhabited mainly by nomadic tribes and was an important part of the Great Silk Road, which played a big role in the historical and cultural development of this region. The total population of Central Asia exceeds 60 million, the majority of whom are Sunni Muslims, and includes over 100 ethnic groups. In the Soviet period about 25 percent of the population were Russians but after the collapse of the Soviet Union the majority of the Russian population migrated out of this region. However, many Central Asian people still use the Russian language for international communication.
Christianity came to Central Asia from Persia in the 1st Century. According to legend, the Apostle Thomas went to Samarkand (now a city in Uzbekistan) by the Great Silk Road and appointed several bishops there. Documents confirmed that in the 2nd & 3rd Centuries there were Christian churches in that region and Christianity spread mainly through Nestorian Christians. However, around the 14th Century Christianity started to be wiped out by Islam and Buddhism and practically disappeared for several centuries. A new stage of Christianity started about mid-19th Century with the arrival of the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian farmer migrants. Russian Orthodox churches were built in all Russian settlements. At the end of the 19th Century many evangelical Christians came to the region, often as a result of persecution. Although the local population was quite tolerant of both Orthodox and evangelical Christians, Christianity was still considered the religion of the non-ethnic people.
During the Soviet period all religions were controlled and persecuted by the state authorities and several generations grew up as atheists. The end of the Soviet regime brought many freedoms to the people including the freedom of religion. It opened the door to numerous missionaries and resulted in many new churches of different denominations. Masses of people were attracted to the churches. However, very soon active support of traditional national religions started and also resistance to missionary activities. Islam became more active. The religious freedom and openness gradually were replaced by restrictions. The governments supported certain religions and denominations while resisting the activities of others, especially foreign missionaries and 'non-traditional' religions. This was partly an attempt to use certain religious teaching as an ideological basis for the whole population and partly to reduce the threat of destabilisation and ethnic conflicts in their countries. The next step was to amend existing laws to impose legislative restrictions, especially regarding sharing faith with other people, children's work and even religious education of church members.
According to Open Doors World Watch List, four out of the five Central Asian countries are included in the list of 50 countries where Christians are persecuted for their faith: Uzbekistan (10th), Turkmenistan (15th), Tajikistan (32), Kyrgyzstan (49).
In an environment where ethnic conflicts can be easily ignited, Central Asia churches suffer the problem that these conflicts may cause divisions and bitterness even amongst Christians.
The overall picture in Central Asia is the Church has to survive and grow in circumstances of persecution, ethnic conflicts and economic hardship. Study materials are lacking in the local languages, which is a hindrance to discipleship especially in remote places. In Uzbekistan, it is especially difficult as Christian literature is searched for, confiscated and destroyed by police, and church members get detained and fined on a massive scale. It is now an impossible task to get a church registered, but even registration no longer protects a church from police raids and detention of its members.
Christianity in Central Asia has to walk a long and narrow path to growth, despite all the restrictions and difficulties imposed by state and religious authorities, as well as pressure from the predominantly Muslim society.
A believer in Uzbekistan says, 'I continue to live by the power of the One Who has loved me.' This was just written by the wife of a pastor serving his fourth year in prison for his Christian faith.
PRAISE GOD FOR:
* the spiritual revival in Central Asia following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
* Church growth across Central Asia despite growing restrictions on religious freedom and severe persecution in many places, praying that he will protect and strengthen his Church.
* faithfulness and boldness of Christian leaders who set a good example to the believers in their churches.
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL:
* enable his children to fulfil his Great Commandment of making disciples in all nations and all remote places, and that there will be enough material in their languages so every believer might study the Word of God in all its fullness.
* help and provide for many needy Christians living in this region of great poverty and unemployment.
* help his children of different nationalities to be united amidst all ethnic conflicts and be instruments of his peace.
~~~~
SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
-----------------------------------------------------------
THE CHURCH'S STRUGGLE IN CENTRAL ASIA
The Church in the former Soviet countries of Central Asia -- Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan -- struggles for survival and growth amidst persecution, ethnic conflicts and economic hardship. Lack of material in the local languages hinders discipleship training. This is especially a problem in Uzbekistan where the police search for Christian literature, seize and destroy it, as well as detain and fine church members on a massive scale. It is now impossible to get a church registered, but even registration no longer protects a church from police raids and detention of its members. Please pray for the Church in Central Asia on its long and narrow path to growth, despite all the restrictions and difficulties imposed by state and religious authorities, as well as pressure from the predominantly Muslim society.
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