Iraq: Israeli Arab slain by IS child
14 Mar 2015
A new IS video shows a child executing an Israeli Arab man accused of spying for Israel. The child shot him in the head with a hand gun. ‘So we fight in Iraq and our eyes are on Jerusalem,’ said a voice in Arabic at the conclusion of the video released on YouTube. The video also contained a lengthy confession by the victim who identified himself as Mohammed Said Ismail Musallam from Jerusalem. The Israeli government is investigating the authenticity of the video. IS has long expressed enmity toward Israel, but this would mark the first time they have killed an Israeli citizen. The use of a child executioner adds a twist to a propaganda campaign employing shock tactics to attract potential recruits and frighten enemies. The video comes a week before Israel’s general elections, in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has campaigned on a platform of protecting the country from Islamists.
Across the nations children are becoming traumatised through street violence, wars, domestic violence, kidnapping, child labour and trafficking. See the six Prayer Alert articles below. In South Africa the Petra Institute near White River, Mpumalanga, have developed a children’s ministry designed specifically to help traumatised children through the medium of play. It’s called the Walking with Wounded Children Course. The institute’s play therapy training model can be applied to any country or culture. To date the Institute has trained more than 13,000 people throughout Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and the Far East. Back in South Africa Petra recently presented their course in Modimolle (Nylstroom) to fifteen participants, eleven of whom were staff from an orphanage. After training the participants put their new skills to practice with non-competitive games that overcomes age, colour and gender differences. Children became relaxed and uninhibited and shared their emotions which is hugely therapeutic.
Global: Racism and equality
06 Mar 2015
Following unrest in Ferguson in America when an unarmed black man was killed by a white police officer, an inquiry reported that black residents routinely have their constitutional rights violated through unjustified arrests, traffic stops and other actions carried out by a racially biased police department. But USA is not the only country that needs to crack down on racism. In France recently a mayor was in a racism row after a dead Roma baby was refused a cemetery place. The Telegraph reported this week that British Sikhs are often the silent victims of backlash against Islamic extremism. In Russia a report by two anti-discrimination organizations said there had been more than 200 cases of discriminatory behaviour linked to Russian soccer over two seasons, while English police are probing reports of soccer fans' racism on trains and in Switzerland UEFA has charged Feyenoord with racist behaviour by fans. See also
Laos: Pastors in prison for praying for the sick
06 Mar 2015
Five church leaders in Laos were imprisoned last week for being ‘illegal doctors’ after they prayed for a sick woman who later died. They are currently in Savannakhet Provincial Prison serving a nine months sentence. They were also fined for emotional damages and forced to pay for funeral expenses. On the day the woman died, her family received permission from the village chief to hold a Christian burial ceremony on private property. (Christians are denied burial rights in village cemeteries). However the chief suddenly reversed his decision and banned the burial ceremony until the family recanted their Christian faith, which they refused to do. Laos is a landlocked country surrounded by Burma, the People's Republic of China, Vietnam and Thailand to the west. It is ruled by a Marxist and communist government. Its population was estimated to be around 6.8 million in July 2014 and 3.1% is Christian.
A young woman running away from her Afghan village and an arranged marriage is comparable to crossing a busy street blindfolded - there is a strong likelihood that she will be killed for bringing shame on her family. Over the last decade about 20 emergency women’s shelters have sprung up. They have cared for and protected several thousand women across Afghanistan from abuse or death at the hands of their relatives. As the shelters have grown, so has the opposition of powerful conservative imams and the Afghan government. They see shelters as Western assaults on Afghan culture. As the Western presence in Afghanistan dwindles this clash of ideas of the place of women means many gains women made after 2001 are at risk. Although the Taliban’s harsh restrictions on women alienated many Afghans, the idea that women must submit to men remains widely held.
A group of Christian leaders in the Eastern Free State town of Harrismith aim to help people get out of debt and into ‘a spacious financial space’ through an innovative programme that will provide interest free loans and financial mentoring. It’s called Fruits of Righteousness Programme. The vision is to empower the Body of Christ and to bring freedom in the financial sphere. Debt is a huge problem affecting many people in South Africa. After apartheid ended the international development community promoted the microcredit model to bring new jobs, incomes, empowerment and dignity to the poorest black communities and townships. However, the microcredit model has inflicted untold damage on the South African society. Unemployment is high, many of the poorest were forced to repay their microloan by selling household assets, borrowing from friends and family or taking out new microloans to repay old ones. Many are in chronic poverty. See also:
Syria: Update on situation in north-east
06 Mar 2015
Last week you prayed into a developing situation in north-east Syria involving the abduction of Assyrian Christians by Daesh. We are pleased to report that nineteen hostages were released on 1 March. However an estimated 200+ are still being held. The nineteen released were taken to the Church of Our Lady in Hassaka. Most are men and all are over fifty years old. There is speculation that an Islamic court ordered their release after 'tax payments' were made on their behalf. In the days following the abductions all sources increased their initial estimates of how many fled and how many were seized. Most sources now agree the number of abductees is over two hundred. The Assyrian Church of the East reported that fifty-one families escaped – but in fact they failed to escape. The number of families who have fled is expected to reach 1,200. Church leaders have appealed to the international community to redouble efforts to stop the killing and systematic displacement of Christians, and to promote a peaceful settlement in the region.
Nigeria: Boko Haram beheadings echoes IS
06 Mar 2015
The Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram released a video on Monday showing militants beheading two men. It’s their first online posting using the advanced graphics and editing techniques associated with IS. Past Boko Haram films have been cruder, often featuring a man identified as the leader Abubakar Shekau discussing local gripes. The latest one preaches ‘global jihad.’ The footage will stoke concerns that Boko Haram, which evolved out of a clerical movement focused on north-east Nigeria, is expanding its scope and seeking inspiration from global militant networks including al-Qaida and IS. Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, said ‘Boko Haram is allied to both al-Qaida and IS’, though it has not been confirmed by the militants who have killed thousands and kidnapped hundreds in a drive to carve out an Islamist state in Nigeria.