The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia has been given a new opportunity through the killing of Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, Al Qaeda’s top operative in Somalia and one of the most wanted men in Africa who plotted the bombings of the American Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and devised a plan in 2002 that nearly brought down an Israeli airliner in Kenya. He drove into a government checkpoint by mistake last week and died in a blaze of gunfire. The Islamist militant group he helped lead – the Shabaab – has also been “steadily losing ground as African Union peacekeepers and government troops go on the offensive”. Conditions are now ripe for the transitional government, which for years has been boxed into a tiny corner of Mogadishu, the capital, to assert greater control. However, many are doubtful that Somalia’s political leadership will be able to seize the moment. From their perspective, the prognosis for this chaotic, battle-weary nation remains grim.
Pray that somehow the government authorities will be able to act with wisdom and unity to bring Somalia into a new and better future for its long-suffering people.
According to reports we are receiving on the email from concerned brothers and sisters who are close to the scene, the “escalating violence against civilians in Sudan’s South Kordofan state is a major humanitarian catastrophe in the making, with an estimated 300,000 people besieged, cut off from relief aid, and unable to escape fighting.” Estimates are that up to 40,000 people have fled fighting between Sudanese government troops, Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), and members of the former southern rebel group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), in Kadugli, the capital of Sudan’s oil-producing border state of South Kordofan. Shelling and aerial bombardment has been going on in civilian areas. People have locked themselves in their homes without food or water, for fear of being killed. Others have fled to the Nuba mountains, where they are being hunted down like animals by helicopter gunships, says the Sudan Council of Churches, an umbrella organization representing all Sudanese churches.
Compass Direct News reports that: “Military intelligence agents killed one Christian, and Islamic militants sympathetic to the government slaughtered another last week after attacking churches in Sudan’s embattled South Kordofan state… Armed conflict in Kadugli broke out between southern and northern militaries on June 6 after northern forces seized Abyei last month. On June 8, Islamic militants loyal to the SAF slaughtered a young Christian man by sword in Kadugli Market, the sources said… The Islamic militias were heard shouting Allahu-akbar (God is greater) as they began shooting at a Roman Catholic Church building the same day… On Sunday (June 12), North Kordofan Gov. Mutasim Mirghani Zaki El-deen declared jihad (holy war) on the Nuba people, most of whom are Christians. Christians in the area said they are still traumatized as result of the atrocities committed against them by Sudan security forces and militias loyal to the government military. Sources in Sudan said Christians are calling their brothers and sisters worldwide to pray for the crisis in South Kordofan.” Let us join them in praying that the spirit of violence and death will be bound and that peace will be restored between North and South Sudan.
“Once again we are facing the nightmare of genocide of our people in a final attempt to erase our culture and society from the face of the earth. It is not a war between armies that is being fought in our land, but the utter destruction of our way of life and our history, as demonstrated by the genocide of our neighbors and relatives in Darfur. This is a war of domination and eradication; at its core it is a war of terror by the government of Sudan against their people.
As we approach the July 9 day of independence for the New South Sudan, President Bashir has declared for all the world to hear that Sharia will be the law of the land for the North, refusing to recognize the legitimate presence of the Christian minority. It is a declaration of their determination to also end the remembrance of our Christian heritage that dates back two thousand years to the story of the Ethiopian eunuch (who was from modern day Sudan)…There is a meeting in Ethiopia with the different parties of Sudan, the African Union and other international parties seeking to find a true path of peace that recognizes our right to survive and thrive as a people, both Muslim and Christian alike, with equality and justice for all. Please pray and fast with us as you are able for a solution to this crisis.”
A local evangelist writes: “There are so many difficulties nowadays and circumstances of our nation are being even worse. Some Mullas (Islamic priests) filed a case in the High Court against the Bible that it should be banned because there is blasphemy in it against the prophets since it talks about the sins of the prophet while prophets are innocent, etc. The rights of the Christians as nationals are being violated badly. Mullahs are making it too hard, asserting that Christians should follow their religion, Islam.”
“There is hate against Christians more than before. More people are being violated by the blasphemy law [often used to target people with false accusations they have spoken disparagingly of Mohammed]. There are a lot of seekers of the truth, but it has become very difficult to recognize who is genuine and who is not. Everywhere is corruption even religiously and physically. There are so many problems but we are busy in equipping believers and sharing the gospel with lost in spite of these difficulties.”
Continue to pray for the very strategic nation of Pakistan that Christ’s people will be strong and courageous in fulfilling their mission in their volatile and dangerous context.
A respected Christian leader from Cairo updates us on what the latest developments in his homeland:
“When a million ordinary and non-violent Egyptians from all walks of life camped for 18 days in Liberation Square, the world was mesmerized by their remarkable and unprecedented show of courage and willingness to suffer for the human rights of all Egyptians.
Yet none of those who were in Liberation Square could have imagined that their defiance would not only result in undermining most authority in the country, but would also pave the way for radical Muslim groups to begin restricting true freedom and equality for all Egyptians.
BREAKDOWN OF AUTHORITY
If you challenge the President and win, you no longer fear any authority. One logical - yet unintended – result of this successful show of defiance is that nearly every sector of society is now challenging those in authority above them…
• Students challenge their teachers or educational administrators
• Employees challenge their bosses
• Ordinary citizens challenge civil authorities
• There is little respect for the police
• Even the respected and formerly- feared Army is now being challenged
The many acts of violence, burning of churches, shops, and factories - not to mention the spate of kidnappings for ransom and increased petty theft - are partly the result of a misunderstanding of freedom and a lack of fear towards anyone to whom these people could be held accountable!
A sad example of this is when criminals are arrested to await trial, their friends and relatives come in the hundreds, storm the jail, overcome the police, and free the prisoners. In the past, respect - or fear - of the police’s authority would have made such acts inconceivable. Now, they are frequent occurrences. Another example is that the two men who plotted to assassinate President Sadat in 1981 have been released from jail and are now popular talk show guests!
POTENTIAL TAKEOVER BY MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD
Another unintended result of the Revolution has been the paving of the way for the new Parliament to be overtaken by the well-organized Muslim Brotherhood. Having officially renounced violence many years ago, this group will protect Christians from the violent attacks we have been experiencing lately. But in establishing an Islamic state, they will undoubtedly seriously curtail what Christians can do outside their houses of worship. Undoubtedly they also will allow even less freedom than was previously available for Muslims to have religious freedom of choice.
FEARS AND FAITH
The increasing violence and danger has led to a general spirit of fear. Many Christians yearn to leave Egypt.
Please pray for Church leaders, to know how to comfort and encourage oppressed believers and yet challenge them to hold on to their faith and live according to true, Christian principles of love and forgiveness even in the face of injustice.”
“Five years after it abolished Hinduism as the state religion, Nepal is working on a new criminal code forbidding a person from one faith to “convert a person or abet him to change his religion.” Article 160 of the proposed code also says no one will be allowed to do anything or behave in any way that could case a person from a caste, community or creed to lose faith in his/her traditional religion or convert to a different religion. Offenders could be imprisoned for a maximum of five years and fined up to 50,000 Nepalese rupees (US$685).
Nepal’s Christian community, which has no representation in the Council of Ministers or in parliament, was caught unaware of the new criminal law in the offing. “We have not heard of this,” and Lokmani Dhakal, general secretary of Nepal Christian Society. “We need to look into this.” Nepal last weekend failed to complete a new constitution providing for religious freedom, thanks to a protracted battle for political power. Once the only Hindu monarchy in the world and now the youngest federal republic, Nepal was to have unveiled the document by midnight on Saturday (May 28).”
From PrayerFocus Hinduism: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The head of the EPA (The Algerian Protestant Church Association) has received the following order from the High Police commissioner in his town: “On May 5th, 2011, a decision has been made according to article number 566/11 to close down throughout the country all the Christian worship places, which are not designated for religious purposes.
Please pray:
1. May the Lord give wisdom to the Church leaders how to deal with this new wave of persecution. The vast majority of the churches are affected by the above order.
2. For the Lord to take away the spirit of fear and give His Spirit of power, love, and self control, to stand firm against the threats of the authorities. (2 Timothy 1:7)
3. For the abolishment of the March 2006 ordinances.
4. The Church will be granted the full license to be able to meet and worship freely. (The number of believers in Algeria today is estimated to be around 100,000 believers.)
5. May our Lord Jesus manifest powerfully His salvation and glorious victory against the evil one in the above situation. Amen!
Reuters News Agency reported that Syrian security forces shot dead at least 34 demonstrators in the Syrian town of Hama on Friday, as once again protesters were mown down as they left Friday’s noon prayers. The revolt against President Bashar al-Assad is in its 11th week and security forces, including snipers, fired into a crowd of thousands in an attempt to bring it to an end. “The firing began from rooftops on the demonstrators. I saw scores of people falling in Assi square and the streets and alleyways branching out. Blood was everywhere,” a witness who gave his name as Omar told Reuters from Hama. “It looked to me as if hundreds of people have been injured, but I was in a panic and wanted to find cover.” Funerals for the martyrs have already started, “he said. History may be repeating itself in Hama, where Bashar’s father, Hafez, slaughtered at least 30,000 of his own citizens in 1982, in order to suppress a revolt…
According to human rights groups, security forces have killed more than 1,000 civilians since March. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who originally called Assad a “reformer” has said that his legitimacy “had nearly run out.” Although the United States has joined NATO operations in Libya aimed at toppling Qaddafi, who has also killed his own citizens, no similar actions have been announced against Assad. The EU, Australia, and the United States have passed sanctions against the regime. Assad has responded to this continuing revolt against his rule with violence accompanied by promises of reforms, which protestors have dismissed as irrelevant. The media blackout instituted by the regime has made a mockery of those promises, and news is dependent on activists who manage to communicate via the web. A 13-year-old boy, Hamza al-Khatib, who is said to have been tortured to death, has become the symbol of the human rights outrages perpetrated by Assad’s forces. His picture is seen at protests.
From: “Anneli Dietz” Subject: Syria Bloody Friday in Hama, Syria as History Repeats Itself by INN Staff
Please pray for a just government to arise that will serve the people and that the current oppression by Assad’s administration will cease.