RLPB 431. Nigeria: Fulani used as proxies for Islamic jihad

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 431 | Wed 08 Nov 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)

International Day of Prayer (IDOP) for the Persecuted Church
IDOP 2017: Sunday 5 or 12 November

See: Critical Prayer Requests (CPR)  

NIGERIA:  FULANI USED AS PROXIES FOR ISLAMIC JIHAD 
by Elizabeth Kendal

Plateau State (postcode map)
click on map to enlarge

In the early hours of Monday 16 October, ethnic Fulani Muslim cattle herders dressed in military fatigues stormed the mostly Christian, ethnic Irigwe village of Nkyie Doghwro in Bassa Local Government Area (LGA), in the north of Plateau State. Knowing that an attack was imminent, the villagers had requested extra security from the Special Task Force soldiers based nearby. The soldiers disarmed the residents and gathered them into in a schoolroom where they were to sleep under the protection of military personnel from Operation Safe Haven. However, when the Fulani invaded, the soldiers withdrew, leaving the residents defenceless. Christians have accused the military of complicity in the massacre which claimed 29 lives [graphic image] and emptied the village. The military denies this, claiming the soldiers were simply overwhelmed (an equally disturbing, though highly unlikely, proposition).

The Muslim Fulani attack at night, killing and displacing the mostly Christian indigenous residents. The emptied villages are subsequently occupied by Fulani Muslim settlers from the north. During the first two weeks of October, Christian villages in Plateau were attacked on an almost daily basis. [See recent reports from Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), World Watch Monitor (WWM) and Morning Star News (MSN).]

Church elder, Dauda Samuel Kadiya (38)
only narrowly escaped when Fulani attacked
his village at 11pm on 13 October. (MSN) 

In Bassa LGA alone, over the course of five weeks, numerous attacks targeting two indigenous Irigwe communities, left 72 villagers dead, 23 injured, 489 houses burnt and 13,726 mostly Christian Irigwe displaced out of a population of 80,000. The attacks continued despite a government imposed curfew. On 19 October the Nigerian Air Force announced it had deployed troops, fighter aircraft and attack helicopters to Jos, Plateau State, to join the military efforts in curtailing the violence, in particular to 'prevent reprisals from the natives'.

In the face of escalating violence in Plateau, a coalition of 25 ethnic nationalities has given the Plateau State House of Assembly two weeks to initiate a bill against open grazing and six months for it to be passed into law. Such a law would mandate that cattle be raised in ranches and banned from grazing on the gardens and crops of indigenes. Other states with Anti-Open Grazing laws are Middle Belt states Benue (law enacted 1 November) and Taraba (law to be enacted in January 2018).  Whilst Anti-Open Grazing laws could go a long way towards curtailing the crisis, Fulani violence is about more than feeding livestock.

While the Bible mandates Christians spread the Good News that God reconciles sinners to himself through Jesus Christ, Islam mandates Muslims expand the territory under Allah's rule (i.e., under Islamic Sharia Law -- a political mandate). Forced out by the ever-encroaching desert, the traditionally nomadic Fulani cattle herders migrate south in search of food and water for their livestock. These Fulani are then exploited by jihadists and other Islamists -- including those in the military and in the government -- who use them as proxies in an Islamic jihad to expand Muslim territory at the expense of Christians. This is why they routinely attack with high-powered automatic weapons, and wear bullet-proof vests and military fatigues. It is also why they are virtually never caught and never brought to book. Many suspect they also are supported by Islamists at the highest levels of government. Banning open grazing would actually eliminate one of the Islamisation strategies.

Whilst the most recent violence has occurred in Plateau, Fulani expansion is certainly not limited to Plateau. Speaking at a forum on 30 October, former head of state General Abdulsalami Abubakar released some grim statistics. In 2016, Fulani cattle herders killed 2,500 and displaced 62,000 mostly Christian indigenes in Plateau, Kaduna, Nasarawa and Benue alone. Human rights advocates and Christian leaders have criticised President Muhammadu Buhari (a Fulani Muslim from the north) for his silence over the crisis. They also question why, on 16 October, the United Nations rewarded the Buhari government by re-electing it to the UN Human Rights Council.


PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL:

* richly bless all Christian evangelistic ministry to Fulani Muslims, pouring out the Holy Spirit in abundance and with great power. '... they will do these things [i.e. persecute you] because they have not known the Father, nor me.' (John 16:1-4a ESV)

* bless and protect all Fulani Christian converts committed to evangelising their own people, not only in the interests of the Fulani, but also in the interests of peace. As converts, their lives are gravely imperilled. May the Lord guide them, bless them and be their shield. 'But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.' (Psalm 3:3 ESV)

* bless and supply the Bible Colleges that are training Fulani converts and other evangelists to work amongst Nigeria's Muslims. Fulani are coming to faith in Christ! May the Lord continue to build his Church in Northern Nigeria.

* intervene in Nigeria's political processes to enable the progress of Anti-Open Grazing laws where they are needed; may he also enable the traditionally nomadic Fulani to embrace the concept of ranches and remove all obstacles to their establishment. 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' (Matthew 19:26 ESV)


SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
-------------------------------------------------------
FULANI IN NIGERIA USED AS PROXIES FOR ISLAMIC JIHAD 

Attacks by ethnic Fulani Muslim cattle herders on mostly Christian, indigenous villages in Nigeria's volatile Middle Belt have escalated markedly. During the first two weeks of October, attacks in Plateau State occurred almost daily, despite a government-imposed curfew and the presence of Nigerian troops. In Bassa Local Government Area alone, 72 villagers were killed and 23 injured, 489 houses were burnt and 13,726 mostly Christian Irigwe were displaced, from a population of 80,000. Emptied villages were subsequently occupied by Fulani Muslim settlers from the north. Whilst the traditionally nomadic Fulani are genuinely seeking food and water for their cattle, they are being armed and used as proxies by jihadists and other Islamists in a jihad to expand Muslim territory at the expense of Christians. Please pray for Nigeria and its Christians.

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

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

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

See www.ElizabethKendal.com

RLPB 430. Russia: continuing deterioration of religious freedom

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 430 | Wed 01 Nov 2017

International Day of Prayer (IDOP) for the Persecuted Church
Sunday 5 or 12 November, 2017
See: Critical Prayer Requests (CPR) for states where Christians are persecuted and/or religious liberty is threatened.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RUSSIA: CONTINUING DETERIORATION OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
by Anneta Vyssotskaia

For centuries Russia was known as a country persecuting people who chose to believe differently from what was prescribed by the ruling authorities. Being officially a Christian country for over 1000 years, for centuries it persecuted Old-believers who refused to accept the reforms introduced by the Russian Orthodox Church. Some Protestant confessions (like Baptists), spreading quickly during spiritual revival, were considered 'dangerous sects' and were severely persecuted by the State in the 19th Century. The leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church co-operated with the authorities in persecuting the sects.

After the Russian Revolution in 1917, atheism was propagated at all levels, all religions were persecuted and many church leaders died as martyrs or spent decades in prison and labour camps. After the collapse of the communist ideology and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, there was a short period of religious freedom and a big spiritual revival all across its former republics. Many people accepted Christ and were added to his Church. Even during that period of religious freedom, the new Protestant Churches experienced a lot of pressure and restrictions on their activities, especially evangelism and mission work. In 1997, a law on religion brought more restrictions and its preamble recognised the 'special contribution' of Russian Orthodoxy. Since then,  religious freedom gradually worsened.

In July 2016, the so-called Yarovaya Law, a package of counter-terrorism measures, was signed into law by President Putin. These counter-terrorism measures include prohibition of any mission activity outside church premises or other sites designated for religious purposes. Missionary activity is defined as: 'The activity of a religious association, aimed at disseminating information about its beliefs among people who are not participants (members, followers) in that religious association, with the purpose of involving these people as participants (members, followers). It is carried out directly by religious associations or by citizens and/or legal entities authorised by them, publicly, with the help of the media, the internet or other lawful means." (Forum 18, 8 July, 2016). Put simply, it bans any evangelism and missionary work and directly affects about three million Protestant Christians in Russia as well as believers of other religions.

In August 2017, Forum 18 published a list of 193 cases of  'anti-missionary' punishment of individuals and religious communities since the Yarovaya Law came into force. The list includes Jehovah Witnesses, Muslims, Krishnaites and others. However, Protestant believers and churches are the majority of the list. The authorities seem to make the most active churches and their leaders the targets of persecution in their 'anti-missionary' attacks. A good example is the Evangelical Christian Church of Jesus Christ in Nizhny Tagil, which has had numerous raids and four cases opened against it under the Yarovaya Law.


PLEASE PRAY SPECIFCALLY FOR:

* changes in Russian legislation for religious freedom.

* the Russian Orthodox Church to accept the right of freedom of belief for Russian people and not see other Christian denominations as a threat.

* courage, wisdom and unity among other Christian Church leaders as they are targeted with persecution for the Gospel.

* the teachings of Christ to continue spreading in Russia and change the country and people's lives for God's glory.


SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTINUING DETERIORATION OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN RUSSIA

Although Russia was officially Christian for over 1000 years, some Protestant groups were considered 'dangerous sects' and were severely persecuted by the State in the 19th Century. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, atheism was propagated, all religions were persecuted and many church leaders were martyred or spent decades in labour camps. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, there was a short period of religious freedom and a spiritual revival across its former republics. Many people accepted Christ. However, Protestant Churches experienced  restrictions on their outreach. In 1997, further restrictions resulted in religious freedom worsening. A package of Kremlin counter-terrorism measures enacted in July 2016 included prohibition of any outreach activity outside church premises. This particularly affects three million Protestant Christians. Please pray for Russia and its Church.

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

Anneta Vyssotskaia, a Russian who is a religious liberty expert on Russia and Central Asia, is a guest contributor to the RLPB ministry. She is filling for Elizabeth Kendal who is currently on leave.