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While the dispute over the proposed Cordoba House near New York City’s Ground Zero has been highly publicised over the past few months, less known is the debate over Spain’s Cordoba Cathedral, which was formerly the Great Mosque of Cordoba. For some time now, Muslim groups have been trying to convince leaders of the Cathedral of Cordoba in southern Spain to allow the Catholic Church to be used for both Muslim and Christian worship as the site still remains significant for many Muslims. The Bishop of Cordoba, Demetrio Fernandez, says sharing the space with Muslims would be like a man sharing his wife with another man. Built in the 8th century after the Moorish invasion of Spain, the Cordoba house of worship was transformed from a mosque into a cathedral in 1236 when King Ferdinand III captured the city of Cordoba from the Moors. Pray: for Christians everywhere that they will hold fast to the ground that God has given and be wise in their deliberations. (Ps.107:43)
In various European countries, young Muslims protested against the arrest of a 19-year-old Muslim woman, Umm Usamah. She was arrested two weeks ago in the Netherlands because she tried to recruit Dutch Muslims for the civil war in Syria. In London, a group of men demonstrated in front of the Dutch Embassy. Banners shown had texts in Dutch and English including ‘Sharia for the Netherlands.’ Some of the texts posted on the internet calling for her release are extremely violent, including, ‘Where is the lone wolf who takes revenge for his sister?’ On a Dutch-Muslim website, ‘De Ware Religie’ (‘The True Religion’), a letter was posted which warned the Dutch authorities about the abduction of Dutch citizens in Muslim countries.
Pray: against this threat by radical Muslims. (Ac.4:29)
More: http://badnewsfromthenetherlands.blogspot.co.il/2013/07/muslims-in-various-countries-call-for.html
The rage over a US-made anti-Islamic video spread to Europe over the weekend, when clashes took place between protesters and police in several cities even as mainstream Muslim community leaders joined European governments in condemning violence sparked by the film. French police arrested 150 demonstrators who gathered outside the US embassy in Paris on Saturday, and 250 protesters were detained in Belgium over the weekend after confrontations in the country’s second city, Antwerp. Around 300 people chanted anti-US slogans outside the American Embassy in London on Sunday. Muslim leaders in France and Belgium were quick to condemn the violence despite their outrage over the video, which mocks the Prophet Muhammad. ‘Don’t associate French Muslims with these marginalized events,’ said Mohamed Moussaoui, President of the French Council of the Muslim Religion. ‘Muslims should use legal and just means to defend their religion.’
Pray: for all those who speak out the message of peace and reconciliation that their message will be believed and accepted. (Ps.133:1-3)
More: http://europenews.dk/en/node/58708
Moldova's pro-Europe government has fallen to a confidence vote brought on by scandal and bitter feuds within Prime Minister Vlad Filat's ruling coalition. The vote on Tuesday is likely to lead to new elections and raises questions over whether a new government will continue the drive towards the European Union (EU) or seek closer relations with Russia. ‘This is a blow to Moldova and its citizens who dream of integration into the European Union,’ Filat said. ‘After the resignation of the government, it cannot be excluded that there will be changes to the direction the country takes.’ The three-party Alliance for European Integration ousted the communists in 2009. It has worked since then to break with the Soviet past and integrate into mainstream Europe. The co mmunists seized the opportunity to call a no-confidence vote amid a backdrop of corruption as Filat fell out publicly with other coalition leaders who called for his resignation.
Pray: for the government of Moldova and that the confidence vote on Tuesday would bring stability. (Pr.29:4)
More: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/03/201335161737970263.htm
Eurochurch.net is happy to announce the culmination of a year’s research with the release of theire report on missions and church planting in Europe. Over 600 people in 35 countries have responded to a questionnaire, making it the largest project of its type ever carried out in Europe. The report contains a country by country directory of people involved in church planting, together with an overview of church planting activity in that country and some useful reports and analysis. It will also form a research database for the future. Every six months they will email all the participants asking them to confirm that the information held on them is correct, and will also ask them to answer a few simple questions about the work in which they are involved. By doing this systematically over a number of years they will build up a comprehensive understanding of the complex nature of church planting in Europe today.
Pray: for that the information gathered will encourage the growth of church planting across Europe. (1Ki.8:28)
More: http://www.eurochurch.net/articles/report-on-missions-and-church-planting-in-europe.php
A British Cabinet minister has hit out at the way in which faith is being attacked by a rising tide of ‘militant secularisation’. Baroness Warsi, a Muslim, is leading a delegation of government ministers on a two-day visit to the Vatican. She said Europe needed to be ‘more confident and more comfortable in its Christianity’ as she criticised the way in which Christianity had virtually been written out of the European Constitution. Faith, she said, had been ‘neglected, undermined – and yes, even attacked – by governments’ in recent years. ‘My fear today is that a militant secularisation is taking hold of our societies’, she said. ‘We see it in any number of things: when signs of religion cannot be displayed or worn in government buildings; when states won’t fund faith schools; and where religion is sidelined, marginalised and downgraded in the public sphere.
Pray: that faith would rise and take a frontline position against those who criticise believers. (Is.26:2)
Parliament's organised crime, corruption and money laundering special committee (CRIM) has adopted a report which calls for a comprehensive acti organisations active in the EU, of which most have members from more than one country. The new report, adopted on Tuesday, calls for the creation of a European public prosecutor, for corrupt politicians to be banned from office and for a common definition of organised crime which includes the involvement with mafia-type organisations. Tanja Fajon, S&D spokesperson on organised crime and corruption, said, ‘EU countries are not immune to political corruption and we need to introduce stronger and more efficient measures to tackle it, including enhanced transparency for political parties' budgets and a five-year ban for corrupt politicians.’
Pray: for the authorities to be granted success against criminals. (Ecc.8:13)
Christian Aid has vowed to keep pressing the EU for tougher action on climate change after MEPs voted down a proposal to increase carbon emission cuts. The plan would have seen the level of emission cuts increase from 20 per cent to 30 per cent by 2020. The MEPs rejected the proposal despite intense lobbying by activists. The vote is non-binding, however Christian Aid said it would be pushing the EU to play a leadership role in the international climate negotiations in Durban at the end of the year. The aid agency argues that cuts of 30 per cent must be introduced by European countries, ‘as an absolute minimum’ if the climate crisis is to be addressed. Christian Aid, Greenpeace, Oxfam, WWF and Green Alliance have written jointly to Prime Minister David Cameron urging him to bring the Conservative MEPs into line with the Government’s support for the proposal.
Pray: for the authorities and nations to take action to protect the world that God has given us to look after. (Ge.1:26-30)
A new report has voiced concern over the ability of Christians in Europe to publicly express their faith. It warned that discriminatory laws were preventing the equal exercise of freedom in the areas of speech, conscience and religion, while the introduction of equality legislation was leading to ‘side-effect discrimination’ against Christians. The report raised concern over recent threats to freedom of conscience. They included the UK Supreme Court’s refusal to grant an appeal to a Christian registrar who was disciplined because she refused to perform ceremonies for same-sex couples. The report pointed to the arrest of Christian street preachers in the UK and an ongoing case against Christians in Turkey for supposedly slandering Islam as evidence that freedom of expression is coming under threat in Europe. Many of the incidents of discrimination highlighted by the report related to the experiences of Christians in the UK.
Pray: that this report will be widely read and seriously considered. (Ps.37:18)
European and American experts say changing Malta's divorce ban would show weakness to radical Muslims, who could capitalize on the island's drift toward secularism to push for Islamic laws. ‘Forced secularism is a gift to the radical Muslims,’ said Stephen Schwartz, a U.S. author and researcher on the Islamic world. ‘Everybody has reason to be worried about radical Islam, and this is an issue of radical Islam,’ said Schwartz, founder of the Washington-based Centre for Islamic Pluralism. ‘My opinion is: Malta should not change its divorce laws.’ Malta is the only European country that does not allow divorce. But this could change, depending on the outcome of a May 28 referendum in this tiny Mediterranean island nation of 408,000 people. Voters will decide the fate of proposed legislation that would permit divorce. If the referendum passes by popular vote, the legislation would then go before parliament for its approval.
Pray: that the people will be guided by God’s Spirit and not allow further incursions against His laws. (Mt.5:32)
More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue12941.html