Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 231| Wed 09 Oct 2013
Supporting International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
IDOP 2013: Sunday 3 Nov
See: Critical Prayer Requests (CPR)
SYRIA, IRAN AND THE SHI'ITE CRESCENT
By Elizabeth Kendal
The war in Syria is complex and multi-faceted. For the region's religious minorities and all other pro-Assad Syrians it is all about surviving in a state that is secular and free. For the Muslim Brotherhood and other fundamentalist Sunnis, it is all about the restoration of Sunni power (as it was pre-World War 1). For Turkey's President Erdogan ('the Sultan'), it is about expanding Turkey's sphere of influence (as in Ottoman times). For Iran and Hezballah, it is about maintaining a strategic alliance: the Shi'ite crescent, which is essentially an arch of Iranian influence. For the USA, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, it is all about weakening grand-nemesis Iran by taking a massive piece out of the Shi'ite crescent. For the Arabs, it is also about restoring Syria to the Arab axis. For Russia, it is about a strategic alliance, Orthodox Christians and not empowering al-Qaeda and other jihadis. For al-Qaeda, it is about controlling territory and establishing bases. Furthermore, the war in Syria is also about which axis -- the US-Arab-Turkey axis or the Russia-Persia axis -- will control the flow of natural gas from the Persian Gulf to Europe via Syria. [US-Arab axis control would require regime change in Syria.] Indeed, the key element virtually in all of this is Arab, Sunni Syria's strategic alliance with Persian, Shi'ite Iran.
The dilemma is this: while Assad is good for Christians, other religious minorities and non-fundamentalist Muslims, Iran -- indeed the whole Shi'ite crescent -- is openly hostile and belligerent towards Israel and the West. In fact, the Muslim Brotherhood and Sunni Arab monarchies are just as anti-Semitic and anti-West as is the Iranian regime -- they are just more duplicitous and more pragmatic. The 'election' of Rouhani indicates that Iran is now opting for strategic duplicity too.
Iran is a highly strategic nation, historically, geographically, linguistically and culturally. The Islamic Revolution of 1979 has brought nothing but suffering and shame to Iranians, especially for those who do not believe hard-line repressive Islam is compatible with their culture. Despair is evident in statistics, with the birth-rate below replacement, having plunged from 8.1 at the time of the revolution to 1.6 today. According to the UN's official statistics, around 2.2 percent of all adult Iranians are addicted to illicit drugs. This is the highest incidence of drug addiction in the world, and the real figure is doubtless much higher. Iran's suicide rate is also constantly climbing -- this, in a nation once lauded for its poets, cinematographers, artists and philosophers; a nation once allied to Israel and friendly with the West. Another vital statistic that is on the rise is the number of Iranians who are leaving Islam and embracing Christianity, both inside Iran and throughout the Iranian diaspora. The Lord is definitely doing something new -- a new exodus, a transformation (Isaiah 43:16-21).
Meanwhile, converts in Iran are imprisoned on charges of threatening national security. Despised as traitors, they are treated harshly. One such prisoner desperately needing prayer is Maryam Naghash Zargaran (35) (link includes photo). On 9 March 2013, after years of intimidation and harassment, Maryam was sentenced to four years imprisonment in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. Several years ago, Maryam had heart surgery and the stress of recent years has exacerbated her condition. Now in prison, she has suffered a heart attack. Maryam was transferred to hospital on 29 September and is said to be in a critical condition.
Back in Syria, the rebel and opposition forces are fracturing due to infighting. Whilst many Syrian rebels are defecting from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to the al-Qaeda-linked al Nusra Front, many others are defecting from the FSA to the government side, horrified at the prospect of Syria being over-run by international jihadis. Stratfor Intelligence reports that on Monday 7 October the Syrian Arab Army managed to break through the rebel siege of Aleppo to secure the at-risk, rebel-encircled, Safira defence factories, Syria's largest chemical weapons facility. The main road between Aleppo and Hama is now open and under government control.
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT --
* the Lord of Hosts will intervene to liberate Syria from those seeking to eliminate Christianity, impose Sharia Law and establish bases for terrorist operations and imperialistic Islamic jihad.
* God will supply all the needs of Syria's imperilled Christians and they will be sustained, comforted and encouraged; that the siege of Aleppo, which has brought so much suffering to so many Christians, will be over.
* the Lord of Hosts will intervene to liberate Iran from the cleric-led regime that persecutes the Church and suppresses the hope-restoring, life-transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ.
* the Holy Spirit will sustain, comfort and encourage all Iran's imperilled believers, especially Christian prisoners; may God bring peace, rest and healing to Maryam Naghash Zargaran. 'But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head.' (Psalm 3:3 ESV)
SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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SYRIA, IRAN AND THE SHI'ITE CRESCENT
The war in Syria is complex and multi-faceted and a key element is Syria's strategic alliance with Iran, the arch-nemesis of Israel, the US and the Sunni Arabs. Iran is a highly strategic nation, historically, geographically, linguistically and culturally. The Islamic Revolution there has created widespread despair. Whilst drug addiction and childlessness are soaring, so too is the number of Iranian converts to Christianity. God is at work. Meanwhile, in Syria the rebels are fracturing, with some defecting to al-Qaeda and others to the government, horrified at the prospect of Syria being over-run by foreign jihadis. The Syrian Army has broken through the rebel siege of Aleppo and opened the main road into Hama. May God deliver Syria and Iran from evil and build his Church.
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Elizabeth Kendal is the author of
Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today
(Deror Books, Dec 2012)
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
RLPB 230. India: BJP pursues votes in Uttar Pradesh
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 230 | Wed 02 Oct 2013
Supporting International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
IDOP 2013: Sunday 3 November
See Critical Prayer Requests
INDIA: BJP PURSUES VOTES IN UTTAR PRADESH
By Elizabeth Kendal
Though 74 percent Hindu, India is officially a secular nation. High-caste Hindus are challenging this and are determined to preserve the power and privilege guaranteed them through the systematic racism of the Hindu 'caste' system. They are striving to secure majority power at the federal level so they can change the constitution and declare India a Hindu State. Traditionally they have created fear-mongering by demonising Muslims and Christians as threats to national security. They aim to dragnet the Hindu vote by offering Hindu nationalism as the solution to the existential dangers within -- separatism and terrorism -- and without -- cultural invasion. They persuade traditionally-animist, indigenous tribal Indians to convert to Hinduism and join the 'Hindu mainstream' to help fight the enemy. India's 172.5 million, often reactionary Muslims (the largest Muslim minority in the world), are being wooed today for their vote and Christians alone are being demonised. During its two terms (10 years) in power, the Congress Party led United Progressive Alliance government has done nothing at all to counter Hindu nationalist propaganda. Consequently, sectarianism and violent persecution has escalated on its watch.
On 13 September a Hindu nationalist mob in the south-western state of Karnataka ambushed Sannamma (50), a Christian woman. After beating her to the ground and kicking her, they dragged her to a nearby Hindu temple where they poured water over her, forcibly applied a red dot to her forehead and tried to coerce her to convert back to Hinduism. Under great duress, Sannamma (a believer for eight years) signed a document stating that she and her husband, Shidda Naik (members of The Glorious Church), would not spread the Christian message. In an attack that lasted six hours they then dragged her out of the temple and marched her around the village, slapping and abusing her continuously. Eventually her sister-in-law rescued her. Though hospitalised with internal injuries, Sannamma told Morning Star News, 'What I am suffering is nothing compared to what my Lord Jesus has suffered. I will love him forever for giving me a new life.' Appalling attacks like this are commonplace in India, occurring on a daily basis. If anyone is ever charged, it is usually the Christian.
India's next federal election will be held during April-May 2014. In mid-September the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) anointed Gujarat Chief Minister Nahendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate. To shift attention away from his image as a sectarian figure and rabid Hindu nationalist, Modi is exploiting Gujarat's massive development and marketing himself as India's most successful pro-business administrator -- an economic 'saviour' who will lift all Indians out of poverty. At a BJP rally in Gujarat on 17 September some 40,000 Muslims were persuaded to join the party. At a rally in New Delhi on Sunday 29 September the charismatic Modi spoke to a crowd of more than 200,000 who responded to his lofty promises with 'frenzied' excitement. It was, writes Sanjay Singh, 'a public rally, the likes of which it had not seen in many decades.'
From 1 October to mid-November Modi will be campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, India's strategic heartland and the home of Hinduism. Nine mega-rallies are being planned. The population of this northern state is 80.6 percent Hindu, 18.5 percent Muslim and around 0.1 percent Christian. It is India's most populous state, accounting for a massive 80 parliamentary seats. Writing in The Australian (18 September) Amanda Hodge expresses the prevailing view: 'After the Congress Party-led government's disastrous second term -- five years marred by corruption on a grand scale, parliamentary paralysis and sharp economic decline -- the BJP should sail into power.'
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL --
* protect, bless and sustain his precious Church in the face of militant Hindu nationalism, praying especially for Christians in Uttar Pradesh as Nahendra Modi campaigns there over the next six weeks. 'Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings' (Psalm 17:8 ESV)
* expose lies and malicious intentions, so that Indians are not seduced by offers of economic advancement to vote for a party that will perpetuate the systematic racism of caste and enslave them as second class citizens. 'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.' (John 1:5 ESV)
* raise up honourable leaders who will lead India with integrity and wisdom, doing what God calls leaders to do: '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)
SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
------------------------------------------------------------------
IN INDIA, BJP PURSUES VOTES IN UTTAR PRADESH
Despite holding power for 10 years, the Congress Party led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has done absolutely nothing to counter the Hindu nationalist propaganda driving the violent persecution of Christians in India. The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has anointed Gujarat Chief Minister Nahendra Modi to be its prime ministerial candidate in the April-May 2014 federal general elections. A high-caste hard-line Hindu supremacist, Modi is campaigning on a pro-development platform, capitalising on Gujarat's massive development and on the Congress Party government's failures. Many analysts believe the BJP is well on track to win the 2014 elections. For the next six weeks, Modi will lead rallies in Uttar Pradesh (UP). Pray that Indians will not be deceived. Please pray for Christians in UP as Hindu nationalist zeal flourishes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Kendal is the author of
Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today
(Deror Books, Dec 2012)
Supporting International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
IDOP 2013: Sunday 3 November
See Critical Prayer Requests
INDIA: BJP PURSUES VOTES IN UTTAR PRADESH
By Elizabeth Kendal
Though 74 percent Hindu, India is officially a secular nation. High-caste Hindus are challenging this and are determined to preserve the power and privilege guaranteed them through the systematic racism of the Hindu 'caste' system. They are striving to secure majority power at the federal level so they can change the constitution and declare India a Hindu State. Traditionally they have created fear-mongering by demonising Muslims and Christians as threats to national security. They aim to dragnet the Hindu vote by offering Hindu nationalism as the solution to the existential dangers within -- separatism and terrorism -- and without -- cultural invasion. They persuade traditionally-animist, indigenous tribal Indians to convert to Hinduism and join the 'Hindu mainstream' to help fight the enemy. India's 172.5 million, often reactionary Muslims (the largest Muslim minority in the world), are being wooed today for their vote and Christians alone are being demonised. During its two terms (10 years) in power, the Congress Party led United Progressive Alliance government has done nothing at all to counter Hindu nationalist propaganda. Consequently, sectarianism and violent persecution has escalated on its watch.
On 13 September a Hindu nationalist mob in the south-western state of Karnataka ambushed Sannamma (50), a Christian woman. After beating her to the ground and kicking her, they dragged her to a nearby Hindu temple where they poured water over her, forcibly applied a red dot to her forehead and tried to coerce her to convert back to Hinduism. Under great duress, Sannamma (a believer for eight years) signed a document stating that she and her husband, Shidda Naik (members of The Glorious Church), would not spread the Christian message. In an attack that lasted six hours they then dragged her out of the temple and marched her around the village, slapping and abusing her continuously. Eventually her sister-in-law rescued her. Though hospitalised with internal injuries, Sannamma told Morning Star News, 'What I am suffering is nothing compared to what my Lord Jesus has suffered. I will love him forever for giving me a new life.' Appalling attacks like this are commonplace in India, occurring on a daily basis. If anyone is ever charged, it is usually the Christian.
India's next federal election will be held during April-May 2014. In mid-September the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) anointed Gujarat Chief Minister Nahendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate. To shift attention away from his image as a sectarian figure and rabid Hindu nationalist, Modi is exploiting Gujarat's massive development and marketing himself as India's most successful pro-business administrator -- an economic 'saviour' who will lift all Indians out of poverty. At a BJP rally in Gujarat on 17 September some 40,000 Muslims were persuaded to join the party. At a rally in New Delhi on Sunday 29 September the charismatic Modi spoke to a crowd of more than 200,000 who responded to his lofty promises with 'frenzied' excitement. It was, writes Sanjay Singh, 'a public rally, the likes of which it had not seen in many decades.'
From 1 October to mid-November Modi will be campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, India's strategic heartland and the home of Hinduism. Nine mega-rallies are being planned. The population of this northern state is 80.6 percent Hindu, 18.5 percent Muslim and around 0.1 percent Christian. It is India's most populous state, accounting for a massive 80 parliamentary seats. Writing in The Australian (18 September) Amanda Hodge expresses the prevailing view: 'After the Congress Party-led government's disastrous second term -- five years marred by corruption on a grand scale, parliamentary paralysis and sharp economic decline -- the BJP should sail into power.'
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL --
* protect, bless and sustain his precious Church in the face of militant Hindu nationalism, praying especially for Christians in Uttar Pradesh as Nahendra Modi campaigns there over the next six weeks. 'Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings' (Psalm 17:8 ESV)
* expose lies and malicious intentions, so that Indians are not seduced by offers of economic advancement to vote for a party that will perpetuate the systematic racism of caste and enslave them as second class citizens. 'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.' (John 1:5 ESV)
* raise up honourable leaders who will lead India with integrity and wisdom, doing what God calls leaders to do: '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)
SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
------------------------------------------------------------------
IN INDIA, BJP PURSUES VOTES IN UTTAR PRADESH
Despite holding power for 10 years, the Congress Party led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has done absolutely nothing to counter the Hindu nationalist propaganda driving the violent persecution of Christians in India. The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has anointed Gujarat Chief Minister Nahendra Modi to be its prime ministerial candidate in the April-May 2014 federal general elections. A high-caste hard-line Hindu supremacist, Modi is campaigning on a pro-development platform, capitalising on Gujarat's massive development and on the Congress Party government's failures. Many analysts believe the BJP is well on track to win the 2014 elections. For the next six weeks, Modi will lead rallies in Uttar Pradesh (UP). Pray that Indians will not be deceived. Please pray for Christians in UP as Hindu nationalist zeal flourishes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Kendal is the author of
Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today
(Deror Books, Dec 2012)
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