Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 143 | Wed 25 Jan 2012
By Elizabeth Kendal
WELCOME to the intercessors who have joined the list this month.
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Whilst political and religious dictators and repressers might be working
to encapsulate and enslave their people in spiritual darkness, the one to
whom we pray is the one who can shatter darkness with the word of his
mouth. 'And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.'
(Genesis 1:3 ESV)
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JANUARY 2012 UPDATE -- During January we prayed concerning . . .
NIGERIA (RLPB 140 & 141), where al Qaeda-affiliate Boko Haram is
escalating its terror campaign across Northern Nigeria.
* UPDATE: A string of coordinated bombings (including suicide bombings)
targeting police rocked Nigeria's second largest city, Kano, after
Friday prayers on 20 January. The death toll at present is 185, but is
continuing to rise. In claiming responsibility, Boko Haram reiterated
that it was not fighting the Nigerian people per se, only those
responsible for arresting Boko Haram members. In a highly offensive
statement peppered with dangerous, inflammatory disinformation, Boko
Haram declared: 'Our fight is against the government that is waging war
against Islam, the security services and the Christian Association of
Nigeria (CAN) -- an organisation that has been killing Muslims and even
perpetrated cannibalism by eating their flesh.'
On Sunday 22 January, 10 people were killed in a pre-dawn gun battle
between police and Boko Haram militants in the town of Tafawa Balewa in
Bauchi State. Then, at about 5 am, three bombs exploded at two churches
in Bauchi City. Whilst the Evangelical Church for Win All (ECWA)
suffered only minimal damage at its perimeter, Our Lady of St Lauretto
Catholic Church was completely destroyed. There were no casualties. In
Kano, police conducting 'bomb recovery' searches found ten bomb-laden
cars and 'over 300 unexploded devices'. The violence is causing many
Northern Christians to flee their communities. In Minna, the capital of
Niger State, a Christian missionary home that cares for orphans and
children from impoverished families was torched on 23 January.
According to its owner, Pastor Isaac Ogwu, Mission Field Co-ordinator
of Missionary Alliance for Africa, it was the fifth time 'Bethany Home'
had been targeted in recent days. Whilst residents had managed to
contain previous fires, this time the entire property was engulfed and
all its buildings razed. Fortunately the children were all evacuated
unharmed. Such an attack is likely to have been perpetrated by local
Muslims sympathetic to Boko Haram and eager to exploit the chaos.
NORTH KOREA (RLPB 141), where repression is likely to escalate as the
regime of Kim Jong-un consolidates.
KASHMIR (India -- RLPB 142), where on 11 January two Christians were
convicted in Kashmir's Sharia Court of hurting Muslim sentiment and
threatening communal harmony by engaging in 'unethical' conversions.
* UPDATE: On 19 January Srinagar's self-appointed Supreme Court of
Islamic Shariat issued a decree mandating the expulsion of Punjabi
Protestant pastor MC Khanna along with his wife, Kanta, and associate,
Gayoor Masih, as well as Dutch Catholic missionary Father Jaap (Jim)
Borst. It was claimed they were involved in 'unethical' conversions. A
case against a fifth Christian, Parvez Sameul Koul, principal of
Tyndale Biscoe School, is under investigation. Faced with a steady
trickle of conversions to Christianity, Kashmir's Islamists have
committed themselves to eliminating fitna (anything that could shake
the faith of a Muslim), particularly the fitna that arises from
Biblical Christianity.
[See
http://elizabethkendal.blogspot.com/2012/01/eliminating-fitna-in-indian.
html for more details.]
JANUARY 2012 ROUND-UP -- also . . .
* IRAN: REPRESSION ESCALATES
At a recent conference on 'New-Age Cults' in Varamin, a county south of
Tehran, Iranian cleric Akhond Mohsen Alizadeh epitomised the regime's
mindset when he described 'evangelical Christianity' as 'the most
horrifying intelligence and security organisation in the world'! Also in
January, the regime issued regulations giving Internet cafes 15 days to
install cameras and start collecting detailed information on all users.
The regime is preparing to launch its domestic (internal) intranet.
Designed to shield Iranians from all 'un-Islamic' influences, this 'halal'
(permissible) intranet will eventually replace the (worldwide) internet.
Earlier this month, imprisoned Protestant pastor, Yusuf Nadarkhani, was
given the opportunity to secure his release from prison. All he had to do
was to renounce Christ indirectly by affirming that Mohammed was a prophet
of God. The faithful, long-suffering pastor refused. Consequently he
remains incarcerated on death row, separated from his wife and sons. If
the regime cannot break him but believes it cannot risk his execution,
then it may well opt for an 'accidental' death. Pray for Yusuf, his
family and the Church in Iran.
* LAOS: DETENTION, TORTURE AND CHURCHES CONFISCATED
On 16 December 2011 Lao police arrested seven Christian leaders after
authorities in Boukham village, Savannakhet Province, complained that the
beliefs of the Christians 'violated the village's hiit (traditional
customs and spirit beliefs)'. The Christians were incarcerated in wooden
stocks, tortured and told they would only be released if they 'confessed'
to their crimes and paid massive fines. When they were unconditionally
released in mid-January, each Christian was suffering severely from the
effects of the stocks and torture. Lao authorities are reportedly planning
to expel at least 47 Christians men, women and children from Natoo
village, Savannakhet Province. Until then, the Christians of Natoo
continue to worship the Lord in their homes. Meanwhile, Lao authorities
have confiscated the Nadaeng Church building and the Dongpaiwan Church
building. Many other churches are believed to be at risk. Laos, home to
some 200,000 Christians comprising over 3 percent of the population, is
one of the world's worst persecutors. The ruling Lao People's
Revolutionary Party (Communist) has long been open about its intention to
rid the land of Christianity. Pray for the Church in Laos.
* SOMALIA: CONVERT FLOGGED PUBLICLY
On 22 December 2011 al Shabaab Islamic jihadists publicly flogged Sofia
Osman (28) for embracing a 'foreign religion'. Sofia, a believer for four
years and member of the underground church, was paraded before a jeering
crowd before being lashed 40 times in front of several hundred abusive
spectators. According to an eye witness, the lashing left Sofia lacerated
and bleeding. 'I saw her faint,' the eye witness said. 'I thought she had
died.' After the flogging, Sofia's parents took her away. Sofia had been
in al Shabaab custody for over a month. She is so traumatised that nobody
has been able to learn what she suffered during her captivity. She has
been relocated for her own safety. Please pray for Sofia and her family.
Pray for the besieged, imperilled Church in Somalia.
* SUDAN: REGIME THREATENS PASTORS
Addressing cheering crowds on 3 January 2012, Sudan's President Omar al-
Bashir reiterated his pledge to advance the Islamisation of Sudan in the
wake of the secession of the South. That same day, Sudan's Ministry of
Guidance and Religious Endowments sent letters to leaders of the Sudan
Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC), threatening to 'take legal
procedures against pastors who are involved in preaching or evangelistic
activities'. The letter also warned that all pastors must comply with new
regulations requiring them to provide their names and contact information
to the authorities.
On 17 January police arrested evangelist James Kat of the Evangelical
Church of Sudan, alleging he was using the place of worship as his place
of residence. After being beaten and intimidated, Kat was released on bail
the same day. On 15 January a band of armed militiamen broke into a
Catholic compound in Rabak, just south of Khartoum, accusing the parish of
harbouring a former member of the oppositional Sudan People's Liberation
Army (SPLA). Along with computer equipment and other valuables, the
militants took two priests, Father Joseph Makwey and Father Sylvester
Mogga. According to Bishop Daniel Adwok, an auxiliary of the Khartoum
archdiocese, militants are operating right across Sudan with complete
impunity, intimidating 'Southerners' and pressuring them to leave.
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We usually provide a summary to use in news-sheets unable to
run the whole of an RLPB. As a summary is not practicable with
this monthly update posting we suggest one or more of the above
items be used instead.
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For more information, updates and helpful links see Elizabeth Kendal's
blog 'Religious Liberty Monitoring' <http://elizabethkendal.blogspot.com>.
Previous RLPBs may be viewed at <http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com/>.
This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious
Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international
religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC team.
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