Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 174 | Wed 29 Aug 2012
By Elizabeth Kendal
AUGUST 2012 UPDATE -- During August we prayed concerning . . .
* SYRIA, SUDAN & BURMA (RLPB 170), where wars have displaced hundreds of thousands of Christians. In Syria they are fleeing Islamic jihadists; in Sudan they are fleeing an Islamic, Arab-supremacist regime; and in Burma they are fleeing a Buddhist Burman-supremacist regime. In each case, Western governments ignore the suffering of these 'inconvenient Christians' because addressing their plight would mean risking Western economic and geo-strategic interests. Though Western governments abandon them, God does not (2 Corinthians 4:9) and neither must we.
UPDATE BURMA: REFUGEES EXPELLED FROM CHINA
China has been forcing Kachin Christian refugees back over the border into the war zone. At least 1500 refugees have been forced back in recent weeks and another 4000 were set to be deported last weekend (25-26 Aug). Because it is the monsoon season, travel is exceedingly difficult, leaving many Kachin stranded in the Burmese jungle amidst armed conflict. According to Chinese authorities, the Kachin are returning 'freely' of their own volition. A Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) spokesman told The Irrawaddy that returning refugees report that the Chinese are demolishing the camps. The KIO reports furthermore that the Burmese military has been building up troop numbers in Kachin State in preparation for an offensive. The Burmese junta, which despises the Christian Kachin on racial and religious grounds, covets Kachin lands. Please pray.
UPDATE SUDAN: REFUGEE HEALTH 'ALARMING'
Around 170,000 predominantly Christian refugees from Sudan's South Kordofan and Blue Nile States are sheltering in camps in South Sudan's Upper Nile and Unity states. In February we prayed for the God who parted the Red Sea to open an escape route through the besieged Kauda Valley (RLPB 145) -- and he did (RLPB 148)! Consequently, the population of Yida camp in Upper Nile has more than doubled since then to some 60,000. Now we must pray for their provision. According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), at least half of the refugees in Upper Nile are under 11. The health situation is described as 'alarming', with rain, cold and lack of sanitation accounting for increases in malaria, diarrhoea and respiratory tract infections. Acute malnutrition is contributing to the shocking mortality rate (double the emergency threshold) of children under 5. Pray for God's provision for the camps and to displaced, imperilled believers still stranded north of the border. HE can do it!
UPDATE SYRIA: 'REBELS' BLOCKADE CHRISTIAN TOWNS
On Friday 24 August, the Syrian Army liberated Rableh killing 60 rebels in the process. Armed opposition groups linked to the Free Syrian Army had isolated and surrounded Rableh, a Christian town west of Qusayr, near Homs in the south of Syria. For two weeks, the 12,000 mostly Greek Catholic residents were besieged, their supplies of food, water and medicines dwindling as rebels enforced a blockade. Snipers killed at least three men: George Azar (20), an unnamed 21-year-old, and Elias Tahch Semaan (35) who was married with four children. While Rableh has been liberated, Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need is presently trying to get aid to another Syrian village in a similar situation. As in Rableh, bridges have been blown up, power has been cut and rebels are enforcing a blockade. 'We have organised ourselves so we could stand by each other and we are sharing everything so we could survive,' a local priest said. 'We need every help we could get. Please help us.' Pray that the LORD of hosts will intervene for his people.
* EGYPT (RLPB 171), where some 120 Coptic Christian families had been driven from their homes in Dahshur by rioting Muslims. Continue to pray for Egyptian Christians in these days of insecurity.
* IVORY COAST (RLPB 172), where some 5,000 predominantly Christian ethnic Guere had been driven from the Nahibly camp in Duekoue by rioting Muslims who killed 11, wounded dozens and burnt the camp to the ground. Pray for God's intervention and provision.
* PAKISTAN (RLPB 173), where hundreds of Christians have been driven from Islamabad's Mehrabad slum by rioting Muslims, after an illiterate, mentally-impaired 11-year-old girl, Rimsha, was accused of burning paper with Qur'anic verses on it. Rimsha was arrested on 16 August.
UPDATE: THE SHAME OF PAKISTAN
Rimsha is being held in solitary confinement in the high security Adiala Jail, the same jail housing Mumtaz Qadri, the bodyguard who assassinated Punjab governor Salman Taseer in revenge for his campaign against the blasphemy law. Rimsha's legal team has not been able to meet with her. Christian activist Xavier William visited Rimsha during the week and confirmed that she had been severely assaulted by the mob. He said she is in 'very bad shape' with 'bruises on her face and on her hands'. She would not speak or make eye contact. 'She was frightened and traumatised,' he said.
Hafiz Mohammed Khalid Chishti, a local imam in the Mehrabad slum, insists that his efforts to have Rimsha arrested actually saved the girl from a lynching. It is to Pakistan's shame that he is right. The whole family has been taken into 'protective custody' for their own safety and the Interior Ministry has asked the Islamabad police to oppose bail on the pretext that Rimsha's release would put the lives of the whole family in danger.
Imam Chishti maintains that the incident only arose because Muslims had not stopped the 'anti-Islam activities' of local Christians who 'caused antagonism by playing music in services at their makeshift church'. He says that though he warned the Christians at Christmas, they did not stop their 'vulgarity'. He regards it all as a 'conspiracy' and maintains that Rimsha knew exactly what she was doing. During his Friday sermon (24 August) he declared that it was 'time for Muslims to wake up' and defend their Qur'an. On the day of Rimsha's arrest he threatened to have all the Christians burnt alive. However, he will not face justice and neither will those who violently assaulted the family or burnt and looted Christian homes. That is because the Interior Ministry has asked the Islamabad police not to arrest anybody involved in the anti-Christian violence that swept over the slum at the time of Rimsha's arrest.
On 20 August, while the controversy over Rimsha's arrest raged, an 11-year-old Christian boy named Samuel Yaqoob disappeared from the Christian colony in Faisalabad, Punjab Province, on his way to the market. On 22 August his body was found dumped in a drain. He had been so severely tortured, mutilated and burnt that his family could only recognise him from a mark on his forehead. There had not been any ransom demand and detectives in Faisalabad are investigating whether accusations of blasphemy had been made against the boy.
'Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children . . ." (Lamentations 2:19 ESV)
AUGUST 2012 ROUND-UP -- also this month . . .
* SOMALIA: AL-SHABAAB SQUEEZED; CHRISTIANS ABDUCTED
On 27 August US-backed Somali, Kenyan and African Union forces liberated the port of Marka, 70km south of Mogadishu, from al-Shabaab. Despite gains, Christian aid workers remain at risk in Somalia. On 11 July three Kenyan nationals (including one woman) serving with International Aid Services were kidnapped by Islamic militants, possibly with the backing of al-Shabaab, in Somalia's Puntland region. The militants are reportedly seeking a prisoner swap for alleged pirates being held in Kenya. Please pray.
* KENYA: MUSLIMS RETALIATE AGAINST CHRISTIANS
On Monday 27 August Sheikh Aboud Rogo Mohammed, an al-Qaeda-linked radical cleric recently designated by the US as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, was assassinated in Mombasa. He had been responsible for raising funds and recruiting Kenyans for al-Shabaab. Francis Auma, from the local organisation Muslims for Human Rights, subsequently heard the imam of a local mosque shouting through the speaker: 'blood for blood'. Muslims retaliated against Christians, whom they doubtless view as supportive of the US-driven anti-terror laws that Muslims complain discriminate against them. Two churches were burnt and looted while at least four other churches were vandalised. Riots continued on Tuesday. One policeman was killed and 16 wounded when a grenade was thrown at police racing to save a burning church. Islamic leaders are calling the assassination an attack on Islam. Al-Shabaab has called on Kenyan Muslims to 'take the matter into their own hands, stand united against the kuffar (unbelievers) and take all necessary measures to protect their religion, their honour, their property and their lives from the enemies of Islam'. In particular they are calling for Muslims to boycott Kenya's presidential elections on 4 March 2013. Tensions are escalating.
* LAOS: PERSECUTION FOLLOWS REVIVAL
On 6 August Mr Tongkoun Keohavong was summoned before the village chief of Nahoukou village to explain why around 30 locals had embraced Christianity since February. He explained that the Lord had been healing diseases and liberating the people from evil spirits in response to prayer: 'We cannot deny the reality of God's power,' he said. The believers have been ordered to renounce their faith or face expulsion from the village. Similarly, Mr Bountheung, who had been living as a Christian in Nongpong village for 10 years, is also being persecuted. In May of this year, around 300 residents of Nongpong village decided they would embrace the Christian faith and worship the Lord as did Mr Bountheung. As leader of the village church, Mr Bountheung was summoned three times to explain to the authorities why people in his village were embracing a banned 'foreign religion'. On 3 August the believers were given until 10 August to recant their faith or be expelled from the village. After refusing to recant on 10 August, Mr Bountheung was told he had a week to sell his possessions. On 20 August he was arrested and taken to prison. Conditions in Lao prisons are severe and torture is routine. Please pray for the Church in Laos.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
RLPB 173. Pakistan: intolerance grows; child accused of blasphemy. (plus Iran update)
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 173 | Wed 22 Aug 2012
PAKISTAN: INTOLERANCE GROWS; CHILD ACCUSED OF BLASPHEMY
(plus IRAN: Nadarkhani update)
By Elizabeth Kendal
Pakistan celebrated its 65th birthday on 14 August. Founded by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a member of the Shia religious minority, Pakistan was initially established on a foundation of secularism and equal rights for all. Today, however, after decades of Saudi-sponsored Islamisation, Pakistan is the exact opposite of what it was founded to be. Abductions of Christian and Hindu girls are on the rise. According to the parents, these young girls are being forcibly converted to Islam and married off to Muslim men. According to the Islamists, none of the conversions have been forced. The rise in incidence has triggered debate in the media and a Hindu exodus from Sindh Province, prompting President Zardari to call for a law banning forced conversions. Sunni jihadist violence against the Shia minority has also increased. On 16 August a bus en route to Gilgit was stopped by men in military uniforms just 100km north of Islamabad. The 'officers' then dragged at least 20 Shi'ites from the bus and executed them. It was the third such attack on that road in six months. As a minority throughout the South Asian sub-continent, Christians are the most vulnerable of all.
In June 2009 a Christian woman Asia Bibi (41, married mother of five) was abused before being accused of blasphemy and arrested. In November 2010 a court sentenced her to death by hanging. Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer and Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti (a Christian religious freedom activist) were both assassinated in early 2011 (January and March respectively) for opposing the blasphemy law and publicly supporting Asia Bibi.
On Thursday 16 August 2012 Rimsha (11), daughter of Misrak Masih, a resident of the Meherabadi Christian slum colony on the outskirts of Islamabad, was arrested on charges of blasphemy. Initially, police had been reluctant to act on the complaint because the accused is merely a child. However, after hundreds of enraged local Muslims surrounded the police station, blocked the Kashmir Highway for hours and threatened to take matters into their own hands, police took Rimsha, her mother and her sister into 'protective custody' -- they had been severely beaten by the mob. Not only is Rimsha a juvenile, she is illiterate and mentally impaired. Her mental impairment has left her unable to go to school or mix with other children. Consequently Rimsha spends her days wandering through the slum. Reportedly, locals complained that Rimsha had been 'moving suspiciously' in the district, carrying a 'shopping bag'. Actually she had been collecting papers from garbage bins to use as fuel in the family's stove. When suspicious Muslims entered Rimsha's home, they allegedly found her holding burnt pages which had Islamic text and Qur'anic verses printed on them. (They were pages from the Noorani Qaida, a Qur'an reading education program.) At that point, Syed Muhammad Umma was sent to register a complaint against the child.
On Friday 17 August the court ruled that Rimsha be remanded in custody for 14 days, pending further investigation. Understandably, Rimsha is confused and traumatised. Death threats from fundamentalist Muslims have driven over 300 members of the neighbourhood's Christian community to flee for their lives. (Some reports put the figure as high as 1000.) The All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) is providing assistance to the displaced Christians. Paul Bhatti, the National Harmony Minister, APMA Chairman and brother of the martyred activist Shahbaz Bhatti, has appealed to Islamic clerics and police to bring the situation under control as there has been widespread looting.
Leading political figures such as President Asif Ali Zardari and opposition politician Imran Khan have spoken out against the 'shameful' and 'un-Islamic . . . abuse' of the blasphemy law. Whether they are courageous enough to take on the Islamists who have martyred previous anti-blasphemy advocates is another matter. However, this is not just about law. The problem is profound, deeply ingrained, ideological, religious hatred. Rimsha and her family -- like Asia and her family -- will need asylum in the West if they are to survive this.
For more on the plight of Pakistan's religious minorities, visit:
Heart And Soul (BBC radio)
"The Trouble with Pakistan's White Stripe"
Mobeen Azhar looks at the growing persecution of minorities and the power of fundamental Islamists in Pakistan. (Two excellent 28 minute audio programmes)
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT THE LORD WILL --
* be a very real and present source of strength, comfort and protection to young Christian girls who have been abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married off to Muslim men; may they not lose faith or hope; and may the LORD rescue and restore them for his name's sake.
'For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.' (Isaiah 30:18b ESV)
* intervene for Asia Bibi and her family and for Rishma and her family, so these gravely imperilled believers might be free to live in security.
* redeem all this appalling suffering, and use it to shame and awaken Pakistani Muslims to the ugliness that has engulfed them, softening their hearts to the Good News so that they and even their whole communities can be radically transformed. (Isaiah 2:2-4)
SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
----------------------------------------------------------------------
PAKISTAN: INTOLERANCE GROWS; CHILD ACCUSED OF BLASPHEMY
Decades of Saudi-sponsored Islamisation have turned Pakistan ugly. Violence against religious minorities is constantly on the rise. There has been an increase in the number of young Hindu and Christian girls being abducted, forcibly converted and married off to Muslim men, whilst the blasphemy law continues to be wielded as a weapon of persecution. On 16 August, an illiterate, mentally impaired 11-year-old girl, Rimsha, burnt papers collected from local bins as fuel in the family stove. She was arrested because the papers reportedly bore Qur'anic verses. Rimsha, her mother and sister have been taken from their home in a Christian colony on the outskirts of Islamabad into 'protective custody', pending investigation. Pakistan is simmering with religious hatred. Please pray for Pakistan's besieged and imperilled Christians.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
IRAN: URGENT UPDATE ON PASTOR NADARKHANI
Reportedly, Christian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani (34, married with two sons), who was sentenced to death for apostasy in 2010, will be re-tried on 27 August (although some reports say 8 September). This time the charges are 'banditry and extortion'. The regime is possibly seeking to convince Nadarkhani's supporters that he is a criminal unworthy of their support. Alternatively, by launching a new trial with unprovable accusations, the regime may be seeking to 'wash its hands' publicly of Nadarkhani and release him to the Islamists and secret police while declaring itself 'innocent of this man's blood' (after the manner of Pontius Pilate in Matthew 27:24, as has happened before in Iran). No matter what happens, Youcef Nadarkhani and his family will be greatly in need of our prayers. Please pray for Iran's Christian prisoners.
PAKISTAN: INTOLERANCE GROWS; CHILD ACCUSED OF BLASPHEMY
(plus IRAN: Nadarkhani update)
By Elizabeth Kendal
Pakistan celebrated its 65th birthday on 14 August. Founded by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a member of the Shia religious minority, Pakistan was initially established on a foundation of secularism and equal rights for all. Today, however, after decades of Saudi-sponsored Islamisation, Pakistan is the exact opposite of what it was founded to be. Abductions of Christian and Hindu girls are on the rise. According to the parents, these young girls are being forcibly converted to Islam and married off to Muslim men. According to the Islamists, none of the conversions have been forced. The rise in incidence has triggered debate in the media and a Hindu exodus from Sindh Province, prompting President Zardari to call for a law banning forced conversions. Sunni jihadist violence against the Shia minority has also increased. On 16 August a bus en route to Gilgit was stopped by men in military uniforms just 100km north of Islamabad. The 'officers' then dragged at least 20 Shi'ites from the bus and executed them. It was the third such attack on that road in six months. As a minority throughout the South Asian sub-continent, Christians are the most vulnerable of all.
In June 2009 a Christian woman Asia Bibi (41, married mother of five) was abused before being accused of blasphemy and arrested. In November 2010 a court sentenced her to death by hanging. Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer and Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti (a Christian religious freedom activist) were both assassinated in early 2011 (January and March respectively) for opposing the blasphemy law and publicly supporting Asia Bibi.
On Thursday 16 August 2012 Rimsha (11), daughter of Misrak Masih, a resident of the Meherabadi Christian slum colony on the outskirts of Islamabad, was arrested on charges of blasphemy. Initially, police had been reluctant to act on the complaint because the accused is merely a child. However, after hundreds of enraged local Muslims surrounded the police station, blocked the Kashmir Highway for hours and threatened to take matters into their own hands, police took Rimsha, her mother and her sister into 'protective custody' -- they had been severely beaten by the mob. Not only is Rimsha a juvenile, she is illiterate and mentally impaired. Her mental impairment has left her unable to go to school or mix with other children. Consequently Rimsha spends her days wandering through the slum. Reportedly, locals complained that Rimsha had been 'moving suspiciously' in the district, carrying a 'shopping bag'. Actually she had been collecting papers from garbage bins to use as fuel in the family's stove. When suspicious Muslims entered Rimsha's home, they allegedly found her holding burnt pages which had Islamic text and Qur'anic verses printed on them. (They were pages from the Noorani Qaida, a Qur'an reading education program.) At that point, Syed Muhammad Umma was sent to register a complaint against the child.
On Friday 17 August the court ruled that Rimsha be remanded in custody for 14 days, pending further investigation. Understandably, Rimsha is confused and traumatised. Death threats from fundamentalist Muslims have driven over 300 members of the neighbourhood's Christian community to flee for their lives. (Some reports put the figure as high as 1000.) The All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) is providing assistance to the displaced Christians. Paul Bhatti, the National Harmony Minister, APMA Chairman and brother of the martyred activist Shahbaz Bhatti, has appealed to Islamic clerics and police to bring the situation under control as there has been widespread looting.
Leading political figures such as President Asif Ali Zardari and opposition politician Imran Khan have spoken out against the 'shameful' and 'un-Islamic . . . abuse' of the blasphemy law. Whether they are courageous enough to take on the Islamists who have martyred previous anti-blasphemy advocates is another matter. However, this is not just about law. The problem is profound, deeply ingrained, ideological, religious hatred. Rimsha and her family -- like Asia and her family -- will need asylum in the West if they are to survive this.
For more on the plight of Pakistan's religious minorities, visit:
Heart And Soul (BBC radio)
"The Trouble with Pakistan's White Stripe"
Mobeen Azhar looks at the growing persecution of minorities and the power of fundamental Islamists in Pakistan. (Two excellent 28 minute audio programmes)
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT THE LORD WILL --
* be a very real and present source of strength, comfort and protection to young Christian girls who have been abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married off to Muslim men; may they not lose faith or hope; and may the LORD rescue and restore them for his name's sake.
'For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.' (Isaiah 30:18b ESV)
* intervene for Asia Bibi and her family and for Rishma and her family, so these gravely imperilled believers might be free to live in security.
* redeem all this appalling suffering, and use it to shame and awaken Pakistani Muslims to the ugliness that has engulfed them, softening their hearts to the Good News so that they and even their whole communities can be radically transformed. (Isaiah 2:2-4)
SUMMARY FOR BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
----------------------------------------------------------------------
PAKISTAN: INTOLERANCE GROWS; CHILD ACCUSED OF BLASPHEMY
Decades of Saudi-sponsored Islamisation have turned Pakistan ugly. Violence against religious minorities is constantly on the rise. There has been an increase in the number of young Hindu and Christian girls being abducted, forcibly converted and married off to Muslim men, whilst the blasphemy law continues to be wielded as a weapon of persecution. On 16 August, an illiterate, mentally impaired 11-year-old girl, Rimsha, burnt papers collected from local bins as fuel in the family stove. She was arrested because the papers reportedly bore Qur'anic verses. Rimsha, her mother and sister have been taken from their home in a Christian colony on the outskirts of Islamabad into 'protective custody', pending investigation. Pakistan is simmering with religious hatred. Please pray for Pakistan's besieged and imperilled Christians.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
IRAN: URGENT UPDATE ON PASTOR NADARKHANI
Reportedly, Christian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani (34, married with two sons), who was sentenced to death for apostasy in 2010, will be re-tried on 27 August (although some reports say 8 September). This time the charges are 'banditry and extortion'. The regime is possibly seeking to convince Nadarkhani's supporters that he is a criminal unworthy of their support. Alternatively, by launching a new trial with unprovable accusations, the regime may be seeking to 'wash its hands' publicly of Nadarkhani and release him to the Islamists and secret police while declaring itself 'innocent of this man's blood' (after the manner of Pontius Pilate in Matthew 27:24, as has happened before in Iran). No matter what happens, Youcef Nadarkhani and his family will be greatly in need of our prayers. Please pray for Iran's Christian prisoners.
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