India: Religious freedom
05 Feb 2015
President Obama ended his visit to India with a speech referring to religious freedom. He warned India not to stray from its constitutional commitment to allow people freedom to ‘profess, practice and propagate’ religion. Obama's visit aimed to cement a strategic partnership with India, and the two leaders gave the media plenty of opportunity to see them developing a stronger relationship. The President chose his parting speech to deliver his message to the nation about treatment of non-Hindu faiths. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, Obama said that Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism are ‘all different flowers in the garden, India will succeed so long as it is not splintered along the lines of religious faith’. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power in 2014, Hindu activists have been eager to declare their country a nation of Hindus, which has led to an increasing number of attacks on minority faiths.
American Pastor Saeed is in an Iranian prison because of his Christian faith. He was found guilty of ‘undermining state security,’ because he built a church network in private homes. He’s serving an eight year sentence. He's endured serious health problems and his wife has petitioned President Obama on his behalf for 2 ½ years while fasting and praying. Now there is a glimmer of hope for the family. President Barack Obama met privately with Saeed's wife, Naghmeh, last Wednesday while he was visiting her town in Idaho. Their conversation only lasted 10 minutes but Naghmeh says it was an answer to her prayers. The president told Naghmeh that bringing her husband home is a top priority. Naghmeh said she told President Obama, ‘God brought you here, God set up this meeting.’ She later told CBN news, ‘I have hope for the next steps because God is in control.’
SAT-7 Kids presenter Mr Know visited camps for internally displaced people in Iraq. ‘I thought people would be miserable. The children miss their school and friends but they are full of hope. This is not denial. They talked about IS; one youngster said, ‘I will never react to what they have done to me;instead, I will pray that they feel the forgiveness of God in their hearts,’ Mr Know interviewed 11 year-old Miriam, asking if she was angry with Jesus because of what she had suffered but she said, ‘I know that he loves me because he kept me with my family; not one of us was kidnapped or sold.’ Mr Know began to cry and astonishingly Miriam comforted him, saying, ‘Do not cry for us. Your Christian broadcasting is giving us hope on screen. It is our turn to give you hope’.
Jordan: Zaatari Refugee Camp
05 Feb 2015
Abraham, Job, Moses, and Jesus walked Jordan’s land. Today only 2% of the population are Christian and Christians are persecuted or oppressed as a result of government policy. Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp is 10 kilometres east of Mafraq and has gradually evolved into a permanent settlement since opening in July 2012 to host Syrians fleeing the civil war. The camp features market-like structures along the main street where vegetables, basic household equipment and clothes are sold. There are also coffee shops where shisha can be smoked. The population has been increasing consistently and there have been demonstrations over lack of food supplies and poor accommodation. In the midst of the camp are Christians seeking to minister in these difficult conditions. Pray that in the heart of such hardship and uncertainty God will reveal Himself to many. Pray for families to have the opportunity to be resettled elsewhere. See also
Libya/Yemen: Potential for wars
05 Feb 2015
Both countries face collapsed governance. In Libya militias, tribes and militant groups vie for control. Egyptian Coptic Christians have borne the brunt of instability, with at least 20 reported abductions since December 2014. There is serious concern that IS or a similar regime could take control. In Yemen Houthi rebels control the capital and there are waves of Al-Qaeda terror.The expansion of IS’ expansion and its competition with Al-Qaeda and its associates are fuelling jihadi activities. Both countries face a precarious year ahead. 99.5% of the population in Yemen are Muslims (9,056 Christians). In Libya the situation for Christians has deteriorated since the downfall of Gaddafi. The government claims all Libyans are Sunni Muslims. It’s illegal to import Arabic Bibles or to evangelise.The Yemen power vacuum puts the future into peril and Libya has fallen from Africa’s richest state under Gaddafi, to a failed state after NATO Intervention – see:
Monsignor Oliver Dashe Doeme, Cotholic, Bishop of Maiduguri said, ‘We find ourselves in a very dangerous and difficult moment. We risk seeing Boko Haram conquer the entire north-east of Nigeria before the end of the election, unless foreign troops intervene.’ Presidential elections will be held February 14th. ‘The situation is very complex and the first victims are innocent civilians.’ concluded the Bishop who implied the existence of some ‘saboteurs’ and accomplices within the Nigerian army, who favour the advance of Boko Haram for political reasons. ‘Despite the violence Christianity continues to grow. Their faith is strengthened in the face of tribulation. What is heart-breaking is the number of displaced people.Refugee camps are growing. World Watch Monitor quotes a Nigerian cleric ‘What IS has done in Iraq, Boko Haram is doing in Nigeria.’ Pray that political parties and presidential candidates with Islamic agendas for Nigeria will not be elected.
News articles have an enormous marketplace and give a platform to share ideas, draw attention to incidents, communities and situations that need change. They give educated comments and decision and we rely on reporting to be honest with educated comments. However the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, plans to sue an American news network, Fox News, for inaccurate reports about Muslim 'no-go areas' in the city, claiming the people of Paris had been insulted and the city’s image had been damaged. Recently Fox News network ran multiple reports describing areas of Paris and British cities that were governed by Sharia law and off-limits to non-Muslims. Her comments came as a senior US politician said that in some European countries immigrant communities lived outside the reach of the law and the police.
Indonesia: Waves of Islamist violence
24 Jan 2015
Since last November the Indonesian town of Poso and the surrounding province have seen an escalation of targeted attacks and barbarism causing increasing ‘panic’ among people and appeals to the government to assure safety. Recent weeks have seen kidnappings, assassinations by Islamic Tendency with the barbaric mutilation of bodies. In spite of the 2001 peace agreement to end years of bloody clashes between Muslims and Christians, the region looks set to fall into chaos again. The situation is delicate, so much so that the police and local authorities invite citizens - for security reasons - not to leave their homes. The prohibition is extended to the farmers, who cannot tend their fields. In an attempt to end the violence, activists and human rights groups in the area have promoted a peace initiative, calling for the state to intervene to ensure the safety of citizens.