Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 192 | Wed 09 Jan 2013
BURMA (MYANMAR): JUNTA ESCALATES WAR AGAINST CHRISTIAN KACHIN
(plus IRAN update)
By Elizabeth Kendal
Kachin State in Burma's far north has a profoundly Christian culture as the ethnic Kachin are overwhelmingly, devoutly Christian. The fact that Kachin State, which borders China, is rich in jade, timber and water for hydro-electricity is of more interest to Burma's Burman-Buddhist supremacist regime. The regime, which has no interest in the Kachin as human beings, is very interested in exploiting Kachin lands for the benefit of the Burman-Buddhist majority. The deeply flawed constitution of 2008 mandates centralisation of government and military against the interests and wishes of the long-marginalised and severely persecuted ethnic-religious minorities. In early June 2011 the junta used the Kachin Army's refusal to disarm, dissolve and become part of the National Army as grounds to end the 17-year-long ceasefire and go to war against the Kachin. The junta's aim is that the Christian Kachin will be terrorised into submission or otherwise they will be ethnically cleansed from their lands. This would be doubtless under a banner of 'democracy', for it is indeed what the majority of the 'elected' but junta-controlled parliament wants. [See RLPB 115 (06 Jul 2011) - Burma (Myanmar): Kachin Flee in Terror.]
In November 2011 Western governments flocked to praise and reward Burma for its 'irreversible reforms'. However, Religious Liberty Monitoring asserted that the 'token reforms' were nothing more than a smokescreen 'behind which [the junta] can pursue its brutal policies of racial and religious hatred; policies aimed at the subjugation and even extermination of the non-Burman, non-Buddhist ethnic minorities that live around Burma's periphery'. The concern was that the West was so keen to draw Burma out of China's embrace into its own that it might be willing to 'reward the tokens while ignoring the genocide'. [See Burma (Myanmar): Interests, Smokescreens, Chemical Weapons & Ethnic Cleansing, Religious Liberty Monitoring (RLM), 2 Nov 2011.]
These days it is difficult to tell whether the government of President Thein Sein in Naypyidaw, the capital of Burma, is a powerless front put forward by the military junta for Western consumption, or a chameleon that changes its colours according to the direction it is facing. As many as 100,000 Kachin are now displaced and the same regime that boasts reform continues to deny humanitarian aid to areas under Kachin control. Consequently 2013 brings with it the prospect of humanitarian catastrophe. Also, while facing the West the government has been calling for military restraint, but the Tatmadaw (Burmese military) actually has been escalating its war against the Kachin. Laiza is a stronghold of and the headquarters for the Kachin Independence Organisation / Army (KIO / KIA). More than 15,000 displaced Kachin are sheltered there, struggling to survive despite the junta-imposed aid blockade. In efforts to encircle Laiza, the Tatmadaw has established a base at Lajayang, just 20km (8 miles) from the strategic city. Recently the KIA seized control of the road running from the state capital Myitkyina to Lajayang, cutting the Tatmadaw's supply line. On Christmas Day the junta ordered the KIA to clear the road so the Tatmadaw could re-supply. Naturally the Kachin Army refused to stand aside and let its enemy re-supply for war. The junta has responded with aerial bombardment from fighter jets, strafing from helicopter gunships and mortar shelling. Initially the Burmese government denied that it had been bombing and strafing the Kachin. Later it amended its story, saying that the on-going aerial bombardment was an act of 'self-defence' for the purpose of maintaining security and stability. In Laiza the Kachin are digging trenches and bomb shelters. There are fears a ground invasion or a state of siege may be imminent. (To watch for updates, see Free Burma Rangers)
MP Aung San Suu Kyi said she would not intervene without an official invitation from the government. The truth is Suu Kyi had far more power as a political prisoner with nothing to lose than she has now as a lawmaker anxious to preserve her position in parliament. Furthermore, Suu Kyi actually wants what the junta wants: centralised government with the minority Kachin represented in the parliament. But the Kachin know they would be swallowed up in a junta-controlled parliament (just as Suu Kyi has been) through the clever strategy of the junta. The Christian Kachin will defend their lands and continue to press for autonomy, because their lives and liberty depend on it. Thankfully it is their God and ours -- who is not subservient to any junta -- who has power to save. In God we trust! (Psalm 56.)
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL --
* hear the cry of his besieged and imperilled people, and hear our cry as we intercede on their behalf; may the Lord of Hosts (the commander of heaven's forces) intervene for his beloved ones in justice and righteousness and in love, mercy and grace. 'This I know, that God is for me.' (Psalm 56:9b)
* intervene in foreign policy, opening eyes and piercing consciences so that the junta might be exposed and held accountable; so that it might no longer be able to persecute, kill, rape and plunder with impunity born of 'interests'.
* supply the Christian Kachin with all their needs, spiritually and materially, that they will praise God for his goodness, and that many will see it and believe.
SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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BURMA (MYANMAR): JUNTA ESCALATES WAR AGAINST KACHIN
The Kachin Army is defending the lands and rights of the Christian ethnic Kachin in Kachin State against Burma's Burman-Buddhist supremacist junta. This year brings with it the prospect of a humanitarian catastrophe because as many as 100,000 Kachin are now displaced and the regime continues to deny humanitarian aid to areas under Kachin control. The Burmese military has Laiza (the Kachin headquarters) virtually besieged, running a base only 20km away. Since Christmas Day Kachin positions close to Laiza have suffered aerial bombardment, strafing from helicopter gunships and mortar shelling. A ground invasion or state of siege may be imminent. MP Aung San Suu Kyi says she will not intervene without regime approval. It is God, however, who has power to save. In God we trust! (Psalm 56.)
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UPDATE TO RLPB 191 (2 January).
IRAN: After being taken into custody on Christmas Day, Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was released from prison on 7 January. Christians Rash Behzad Taalipasand and Mohammadreza (Johann) Omidi, arrested in Rasht on 31 December, remain in custody as does Pastor Vruir Avanessian, an ethnic Armenian arrested while celebrating Christmas with converts on 27 December. Pastor Avanessian requires dialysis for chronic kidney disease. He is being held in Tehran's infamous Evin Prison.
-------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Kendal is the author of
"Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today"
(Deror Books, Dec 2012)
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
RLPB 191. From Christmas to New Year: persecution calls for faith
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 191 | Wed 02 Jan 2013
FROM CHRISTMAS TO NEW YEAR: PERSECUTION CALLS FOR FAITH
By Elizabeth Kendal
Before Christmas we prayed for God's divine hand to be over several regions where gathered Christians risked terrorism and mob violence. While Christmas was not without incident, we can thank God that the violence was minimal and that the heightened security was effective.
UPDATING RLPB 190
NIGERIA: Despite increased security, gunmen (presumed Boko Haram) managed to attack two churches in the north-east: one in Yobe and one in Borno. In each case, the pastor and five worshippers were killed: a total of 12 believers slain in worship. Pray for the bereaved and for the traumatised congregations. 'Weep with those who weep' (Romans 12:15b ESV). Pray for God to intervene in Nigeria.
INDONESIA: Security in Indonesia was high, with police protection provided to 38,499 registered churches throughout the religious 'hot-spots'. While there were no casualties, rioting Muslims were able to prevent members of the Filadelfia Batak Christian Protestant Church gaining access to their land in Bekasi, West Java, where the local authorities refuse to allow them to build. More than 380 police did little to uphold religious freedom and stop the Muslims from hurling rotten eggs and bags of sewerage at the believers. However, the police did convince the Christians eventually to abandon Christmas celebrations and return to their homes.
OTHER CHRISTMAS PERSECUTION
SUDAN: KHARTOUM. Just days before Christmas, the racist and Arabist-Islamist regime in Khartoum arrested two Coptic priests for baptising an Arab convert from Islam. A group calling itself Al-Qaeda in the Nilien States has threatened violence against Copts in Sudan unless the woman convert is 'returned', claiming she has been 'kidnapped'.
SUDAN: SOUTH KORDOFAN. Christian villages in South Kordofan spent Christmas Day under aerial bombardment, with at least eleven fatalities. A Nuba Christian leader told Morning Star News, 'We are surprised why the international community is so silent about the killing in South Kordofan.'
LIBYA: MISRATA. After Christmas, on Saturday 29 December two Egyptians were killed and others wounded when a bomb exploded in Mar Girgis (St George) Coptic church in the town of Dafniya in Misrata Province just as believers were emerging from evening mass. Reports indicate that a home-made bomb or grenade may have been thrown into the church.
TANZANIA: ZANZIBAR. A few months ago the Islamist separatist group Uamsho issued a death threat against all Zanzibar's Christian pastors. On Christmas Day, militants (presumed to be Uamsho) ambushed and shot Rev. Ambrose Mkenda through the face as he arrived at his home in Tomondo on the outskirts of Zanzibar city. He is now fighting for his life in intensive care in Dar-es-Salaam.
IRAN: RASHT. Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani (35) was released from death-row in September after spending nearly three years in prison on charges of apostasy. On Christmas Day he was taken back into custody when authorities maliciously decided that the remaining 45 days of his 3-year sentence for evangelising should be spent in prison rather than on probation. This is nothing but pure harassment, doubtless aimed at driving the family from Iran and also sending a message to all Iranian Christians that the regime can and will persecute them with impunity. This includes those presently in prison, one of whom is US citizen Pastor Saeed Abedini. Two more Christians, Behzad Taalipasand and Mohammadreza (Johann) Omidi, were arrested in Rasht on 31 Dec.
IRAN: TEHRAN. Middle East Concern reports that regime authorities raided a Christmas celebration in Tehran on 27 December. Some 50 believers, mostly converts from Islam, were interrogated and forced to provide numerous personal details including computer passwords and social media accounts. They also had to state how they came to convert from Islam to Christianity. Phones were confiscated and the believers were advised that they would be summonsed individually when investigations were complete. Pastor Vruir Avanessian, an ethnic Armenian, was taken into custody. His home was subsequently raided by security agents, causing great distress to his wife and children. Pastor Avanessian, who has chronic kidney disease, has been incarcerated in Evin Prison.
PAKISTAN: ISLAMABAD. At noon on Christmas Day, riotous Muslims attacked believers as they emerged from various churches in Iqbal Town, Islamabad. While no fatalities were recorded, numerous believers received bullet wounds and various blunt force injuries. Christians of Iqbal town spent the rest of Christmas Day under siege until Mr Basharat Khokhar, a human rights activist, came to their aid. Muslim clerics had issued a fatwa banning any Muslim participation in Christmas celebrations 'because it is against the concept of monotheism in Islam'.
SPEAKING OF CHRISTMAS FATWAS -- A number of Islamic clerics in free (non-sharia) states also issued fatwas banning Muslims from participating in Christmas in any way. In Indonesia a fatwa from the Ulema Council was over-ridden by the government. In Australia a fatwa from Lakemba Mosque was withdrawn after an outcry. Muslim clerics will doubtless learn from this and be better prepared to make their fatwas stand in 2013. Failing to comprehend the Christian doctrine of the One God as a Trinity, Islam regards Trinitarian Christianity as both polytheism and blasphemy. (See Qur'an Sura 5:72-75)
PERSECUTION CALLS FOR FAITH. As we prepare to face another year of advancing enemies and escalating persecution with soaring casualty rates and death tolls, may 2013 also be a year of advancing faith and increasing prayer. A mighty flood of persecution is upon us and we cannot turn back the battle in our own strength. Persecution calls for faith! And so we stand firm, exalt the Lord and pray! '. . . blessed are all those who wait for him.' (Isaiah 30:18)
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL --
* bring comfort and healing to those who start this new year filled with grief, trauma and anxiety. May the Lord comfort and encourage their hearts and provide all their material, emotional and spiritual needs.
'For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.' (Romans 8:38-39)
* fan our fragile, flickering faith into flame and fill our hearts with his love, that we as followers of Jesus Christ might stand as one body, firm in faith against the flood, that the devil might have no victory over us; may the Church of Jesus Christ entrust her security to Christ alone who lives and loves, sees and hears, answers prayers and intervenes with grace in response to faith.
SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
------------------------------------------------------------------
FROM CHRISTMAS TO NEW YEAR: PERSECUTION CALLS FOR FAITH
Having endured State and vigilante terrorism, war and violent persecution, multitudes of Christians will enter 2013 filled with grief, trauma and anxiety. Over Christmas, Christians were violently attacked in Nigeria, Zanzibar and Pakistan; bombed in Sudan and Libya; arrested in Iran and abused in Indonesia. This was the tip of the iceberg. Furthermore, 2013 holds no promise of relief. Rather, the situation is set to escalate further with Christians in South Kordofan (Sudan) and right across the Middle East at risk of genocide. A mighty flood of persecution is coming upon the Church and we cannot turn back the battle in our own strength. Yet Christ is building his Church! And he lives and loves, sees and hears, answers prayer and intervenes with grace in response to faith.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Kendal is the author of
'Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today' (Deror Books, Dec. 2012)
FROM CHRISTMAS TO NEW YEAR: PERSECUTION CALLS FOR FAITH
By Elizabeth Kendal
Before Christmas we prayed for God's divine hand to be over several regions where gathered Christians risked terrorism and mob violence. While Christmas was not without incident, we can thank God that the violence was minimal and that the heightened security was effective.
UPDATING RLPB 190
NIGERIA: Despite increased security, gunmen (presumed Boko Haram) managed to attack two churches in the north-east: one in Yobe and one in Borno. In each case, the pastor and five worshippers were killed: a total of 12 believers slain in worship. Pray for the bereaved and for the traumatised congregations. 'Weep with those who weep' (Romans 12:15b ESV). Pray for God to intervene in Nigeria.
INDONESIA: Security in Indonesia was high, with police protection provided to 38,499 registered churches throughout the religious 'hot-spots'. While there were no casualties, rioting Muslims were able to prevent members of the Filadelfia Batak Christian Protestant Church gaining access to their land in Bekasi, West Java, where the local authorities refuse to allow them to build. More than 380 police did little to uphold religious freedom and stop the Muslims from hurling rotten eggs and bags of sewerage at the believers. However, the police did convince the Christians eventually to abandon Christmas celebrations and return to their homes.
OTHER CHRISTMAS PERSECUTION
SUDAN: KHARTOUM. Just days before Christmas, the racist and Arabist-Islamist regime in Khartoum arrested two Coptic priests for baptising an Arab convert from Islam. A group calling itself Al-Qaeda in the Nilien States has threatened violence against Copts in Sudan unless the woman convert is 'returned', claiming she has been 'kidnapped'.
SUDAN: SOUTH KORDOFAN. Christian villages in South Kordofan spent Christmas Day under aerial bombardment, with at least eleven fatalities. A Nuba Christian leader told Morning Star News, 'We are surprised why the international community is so silent about the killing in South Kordofan.'
LIBYA: MISRATA. After Christmas, on Saturday 29 December two Egyptians were killed and others wounded when a bomb exploded in Mar Girgis (St George) Coptic church in the town of Dafniya in Misrata Province just as believers were emerging from evening mass. Reports indicate that a home-made bomb or grenade may have been thrown into the church.
TANZANIA: ZANZIBAR. A few months ago the Islamist separatist group Uamsho issued a death threat against all Zanzibar's Christian pastors. On Christmas Day, militants (presumed to be Uamsho) ambushed and shot Rev. Ambrose Mkenda through the face as he arrived at his home in Tomondo on the outskirts of Zanzibar city. He is now fighting for his life in intensive care in Dar-es-Salaam.
IRAN: RASHT. Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani (35) was released from death-row in September after spending nearly three years in prison on charges of apostasy. On Christmas Day he was taken back into custody when authorities maliciously decided that the remaining 45 days of his 3-year sentence for evangelising should be spent in prison rather than on probation. This is nothing but pure harassment, doubtless aimed at driving the family from Iran and also sending a message to all Iranian Christians that the regime can and will persecute them with impunity. This includes those presently in prison, one of whom is US citizen Pastor Saeed Abedini. Two more Christians, Behzad Taalipasand and Mohammadreza (Johann) Omidi, were arrested in Rasht on 31 Dec.
IRAN: TEHRAN. Middle East Concern reports that regime authorities raided a Christmas celebration in Tehran on 27 December. Some 50 believers, mostly converts from Islam, were interrogated and forced to provide numerous personal details including computer passwords and social media accounts. They also had to state how they came to convert from Islam to Christianity. Phones were confiscated and the believers were advised that they would be summonsed individually when investigations were complete. Pastor Vruir Avanessian, an ethnic Armenian, was taken into custody. His home was subsequently raided by security agents, causing great distress to his wife and children. Pastor Avanessian, who has chronic kidney disease, has been incarcerated in Evin Prison.
PAKISTAN: ISLAMABAD. At noon on Christmas Day, riotous Muslims attacked believers as they emerged from various churches in Iqbal Town, Islamabad. While no fatalities were recorded, numerous believers received bullet wounds and various blunt force injuries. Christians of Iqbal town spent the rest of Christmas Day under siege until Mr Basharat Khokhar, a human rights activist, came to their aid. Muslim clerics had issued a fatwa banning any Muslim participation in Christmas celebrations 'because it is against the concept of monotheism in Islam'.
SPEAKING OF CHRISTMAS FATWAS -- A number of Islamic clerics in free (non-sharia) states also issued fatwas banning Muslims from participating in Christmas in any way. In Indonesia a fatwa from the Ulema Council was over-ridden by the government. In Australia a fatwa from Lakemba Mosque was withdrawn after an outcry. Muslim clerics will doubtless learn from this and be better prepared to make their fatwas stand in 2013. Failing to comprehend the Christian doctrine of the One God as a Trinity, Islam regards Trinitarian Christianity as both polytheism and blasphemy. (See Qur'an Sura 5:72-75)
PERSECUTION CALLS FOR FAITH. As we prepare to face another year of advancing enemies and escalating persecution with soaring casualty rates and death tolls, may 2013 also be a year of advancing faith and increasing prayer. A mighty flood of persecution is upon us and we cannot turn back the battle in our own strength. Persecution calls for faith! And so we stand firm, exalt the Lord and pray! '. . . blessed are all those who wait for him.' (Isaiah 30:18)
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL --
* bring comfort and healing to those who start this new year filled with grief, trauma and anxiety. May the Lord comfort and encourage their hearts and provide all their material, emotional and spiritual needs.
'For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.' (Romans 8:38-39)
* fan our fragile, flickering faith into flame and fill our hearts with his love, that we as followers of Jesus Christ might stand as one body, firm in faith against the flood, that the devil might have no victory over us; may the Church of Jesus Christ entrust her security to Christ alone who lives and loves, sees and hears, answers prayers and intervenes with grace in response to faith.
SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
------------------------------------------------------------------
FROM CHRISTMAS TO NEW YEAR: PERSECUTION CALLS FOR FAITH
Having endured State and vigilante terrorism, war and violent persecution, multitudes of Christians will enter 2013 filled with grief, trauma and anxiety. Over Christmas, Christians were violently attacked in Nigeria, Zanzibar and Pakistan; bombed in Sudan and Libya; arrested in Iran and abused in Indonesia. This was the tip of the iceberg. Furthermore, 2013 holds no promise of relief. Rather, the situation is set to escalate further with Christians in South Kordofan (Sudan) and right across the Middle East at risk of genocide. A mighty flood of persecution is coming upon the Church and we cannot turn back the battle in our own strength. Yet Christ is building his Church! And he lives and loves, sees and hears, answers prayer and intervenes with grace in response to faith.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Kendal is the author of
'Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today' (Deror Books, Dec. 2012)
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