- The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in Egypt released an official statement calling on its supporters to "prepare" for "jihad", in January 2015.
- "The Muslim Brotherhood at all levels have repeatedly defended Hamas attacks... including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians." — UK government expert review of the Muslim Brotherhood, December 2015.
- The Muslim Brotherhood not only funds one of the most virulent terrorist groups, Hamas, but there is barely any daylight between the various leaderships of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan and Hamas.
- Most of the terrorists who later founded al Qaeda were rooted in the MB. Osama bin Laden was apparently recruited as a young man to the MB, whereas Ayman al Zawahiri joined the MB at the age of 14 and went on to found the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ),"an organization that.... holds many of the same beliefs as the MB but simply refuses to renounce violence inside Egypt" — Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
- The Muslim Brotherhood believes today what it has always believed: that a caliphate, where sharia law will rule, must be established through jihad. Refusing to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization would be a grave mistake, playing straight into the strategy of the Brotherhood and, once more, revealing to the world the extreme gullibility of the West.
- The Trump administration is considering designating the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) a foreign terrorist organization, and Human Rights Watch is outraged.
"Designating the Muslim Brotherhood a 'foreign terrorist organization' would wrongly equate it with violent extremist groups like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State and make their otherwise lawful activities illegal," said Human Rights Watch. The press release went on to repeat the old claim that "...the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt officially renounced violence in the 1970s and sought to promote its ideas through social and political activities".
Adding its voice to the Muslim Brotherhood's apologists, the New York Times wrote:
"A political and social organization with millions of followers, the Brotherhood officially renounced violence decades ago and won elections in Egypt after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Affiliated groups have joined the political systems in places like Tunisia and Turkey, and President Barack Obama long resisted pressure to declare it a terrorist organization."
For decades, the Muslim Brotherhood has pushed a specific public narrative, intended exclusively for Western consumption. Just how extremely effective the MB has been was demonstrated in 2011, when then Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, unbelievably, claimed that the MB was "... largely secular... has eschewed violence and has decried Al Qaeda as a perversion of Islam...They have pursued social ends, a betterment of the political order in Egypt...there is no overarching agenda, particularly in pursuit of violence".
Nothing could be farther from the truth. The founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan Al-Banna made jihadist violence a focal point of his movement. He wrote, "Death is art" and "Fighting the unbelievers involves all possible efforts that are necessary to dismantle the power of the enemies of Islam." The MB inducts members into its deliberatively secretive and opaque network with the pledge that "Jihad is our way" and "Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope."…
There is nothing peaceful, lawful or democratic about the Muslim Brotherhood. It believes today what it has always believed and openly stated: that a caliphate, where sharia law will rule, must be established through jihad. Refusing to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization would be a grave mistake, playing straight into the strategy of the Brotherhood and, once more, revealing to the world the extreme gullibility of the West and its boundless willingness to believe anything the Muslim Brotherhood throws its way.”
Judith Bergman is a writer, columnist, lawyer and political analyst.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9942/muslim-brotherhood-terrorism
Let’s pray for the exposure and overthrow of this evil terrorist organization that is trying to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Pray that the governments of the world and international bodies like the UN will see the Muslim Brotherhood for what it is--- a jihadist organization that will stop at nothing to impose their own misguided and oppressive Islamic rule upon the rest of the world.
“Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; protect me from men of violence,” Psa 140:1
Let’s pray about world peace and the central role Pakistan plays. Eastern side - WAR BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN - Both countries have fought two wars over Kashmir that involves the rights of who controls the water of the five rivers that flow into Pakistan.
Shortly after Pakistan was created the U.N. and the World Bank established the “Indus Treaty.” The rivers first flow through India and then into Pakistan. India was to get the water from two of the rivers. They are now taking water from all five of the rivers.
Without water the people perish. The prime ministers in each country have brought this up in recent weeks again and again. The Indian P.M. has said several times that he does not care about the Indus Treaty - India will take all of the water. Some have referred to the “Zero Line” (where the Indus River passes through Kashmir) as the biggest potential for World War III. Both countries have threatened to go to war using their nuclear weapons; this would draw in many other countries. Even more alarming is the fact that China is diverting water from the Tibetan plateau for their own use. Almost half of the world’s population depends on the water from this plateau.
(See the following videos) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dtsqwvOJfc (the last 4 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2BMvL8gJxI
PRAY For the resolution over the water problems of these two countries.
PRAY for peace between these two countries.
Western side - TERRORIST WAR - AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN - Terrorism will not be stopped until there is peace between these two countries. Along the border these people are relatives and move back and forth between these two counties with ease. When NATO was in Afghanistan the terrorists moved and operated out of Pakistan. When NATO left Afghanistan, Pakistan’s new military commander in chief did a superb job of cleaning out the terrorists on the Pakistani side of the border. But the majority of the terrorists moved to Afghanistan. Until both governments work together it will be difficult to resolve this.
PRAY both countries will work together to resolve the terrorist issue and bring peace, that affects both countries and the world.
PRAY Pakistan’s new military commander-in-chief will continue to bring down the terrorists.
VISAS – There are still problems for missionaries getting visas. It seems to be every mission is having trouble throughout the country no matter what kind of work they are doing. Some have been promised visas even by the prime minister, and then this promise has been broken.
PRAY for God to intervene and visas to be granted
PRAY for those in this department that are blocking this.
The Syrian civil war is the deadliest conflict the 21st century has witnessed thus far.
- “Five years since the conflict began, more than 450,000 Syrians have been killed in the fighting, more than a million injured and over 12 million Syrians - half the country's prewar population - have been displaced from their homes.
What caused the uprising?
Initially, lack of freedoms and economic woes fuelled resentment of the Syrian government, and public anger was inflamed by the harsh crackdown on protesters. Successful uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt energised and gave hope to Syrian pro-democracy activists. Many Islamist movements were also strongly opposed to the Assads' rule. In 1982, Bashar al-Assad's father, Hafez, ordered a military crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in Hama, which killed between 10,000-40,000 people and flattened much of the city…
A severe drought plagued Syria from 2007-10, spurring as many as 1.5 million people to migrate from the countryside into cities, which exacerbated poverty and social unrest. Although the initial protests were mostly non-sectarian, armed conflict led to the emergence of starker sectarian divisions. Minority religious groups tend to support the Assad government, while the overwhelming majority of opposition fighters are Sunni Muslims. Although most Syrians are Sunni Muslims, Syria's security establishment has long been dominated by members of the Alawite sect, of which Assad is a member. The sectarian split is reflected among regional actors' stances as well. The governments of majority-Shia Iran and Iraq support Assad, as does Lebanon-based Hezbollah ; while Sunni-majority states including Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and others staunchly support the rebels…
The situation today
On November 26, the Syrian army launched a military offensive on Aleppo . In less than a month, Syrian troops, with unfettered Russian air support, were able to recapture 90 percent of the eastern part of Aleppo.
On December 13, the Syrian army claimed that 98 percent of east Aleppo was in the hands of Syrian government forces.
Besides, Aleppo, the Syrian government currently controls the capital, Damascus, parts of southern Syria and Deir Az Zor, much of the area near the Syrian-Lebanese border, and the northwestern coastal region. Rebel groups, ISIL, and Kurdish forces control the rest of the country.
Rebel groups continue to jockey against one another for power, and frequently fight each other. The Free Syrian Army has weakened as the war has progressed, while explicitly Islamist groups, such as the al-Nusra Front, that has pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda , became empowered. Last July, al-Nusra front leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, announced his group's name has also changed to Jabhat Fateh al Sham, or The Front for liberation of al Sham.
In 2013, ISIL emerged in northern and eastern Syria after overrunning large portions of Iraq. The group quickly gained international notoriety for its brutal executions and its energetic use of social media. Meanwhile, Kurdish groups in northern Syria are seeking self-rule in areas under their control. This has alarmed Turkey's government, which fears its large native Kurdish population may grow more restive and demand greater autonomy as a result. Last August, Turkish troops and special forces, backed by the Free Syria Army, launched operation "Euphrates Shield" against ISIL to liberate the strategic Syrian city of Jarablus on the border with Turkey. Euphrates Shield operation is considered to be the first Turkish ground intervention in Syria since the Syrian crisis started in 2011.
The Syrian war is creating profound effects far beyond the country's borders. Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan are now housing large and growing numbers of Syrian refugees, many of whom have attempted to journey onwards to Europe in search of better conditions. Fighting has occasionally spilled over from Syria into Lebanon, contributing to the country's political polarisation. Several rounds of peace talks have failed to stop the fighting. But with much of the country in ruins , millions of Syrians having fled abroad, and a population deeply traumatised by war, one thing is certain: Rebuilding Syria after the war ends will be a lengthy, extremely difficult process.”
Please keep Syria and this ongoing conflict in your prayers. Let’s pray for His peace to come soon after seven years of fruitless fighting that has wrought so much destruction on this land and its people.
PrayerHub Singapore
28 Feb 2017PrayerHub Singapore inaugurated
One of the most powerful combinations for the transformation of our nations is that of prayer and advocacy. Lawyers when filled with the Spirit of God and backed by the prayers of intercessors can do almost anything! Please consider this appeal for a large international coalition of about 30,000 Christian lawyers who are working on issues that will affect us all. They deeply need our prayers for the vital work they are doing. Here is their request for our support:
“In recognition of the need for prayer support of strategic and proven legal professionals engaged in the redemption of legal systems in the nations, coupled with the need for effective prayer warriors to be armed with state of the art intelligence concerning threats and opportunities in the Kingdom, this appeal is made to advance these important dynamics in the body of Christ. We have witnessed powerful outcomes when prayer and strategic action combine, in many nations. As an example, in South Australia, for 8 years not one piece of anti- family legislation passed our parliament because of the grace of God and the cooperation between parliamentarians and faithful intercessors. Just last December, the 15th attempt to introduce euthanasia was miraculously defeated in the same way.
We appeal to the readers to consider whether there is a resonance with the mission and vision of Advocates International reproduced below and a particular region listed below which has a well established leadership.
Once those of you to whom our Lord is speaking have been identified, we can consider how to best match you to the leaders in their physical regions. A segment may be identified of those of you who have a burden to pray in accordance with specific issues such as the sanctity of life or religious freedom, rather than a particular region and this can also be accommodated. Other synergies and combinations may emerge.
Vision Statement
A worldwide fellowship of advocates bearing witness of Jesus Christ through the legal profession.
Mission Statement
To encourage equip and enable advocates to meet locally, organize nationally, cooperate regionally, and link globally to protect and promote (i) integrity under rule of law, (ii) peace and reconciliation, (iii) doing justice with compassion, (iv) the sanctity of life, (v) religious freedom, and (vi) the family and community.
Further background can be obtained from advocatesinternational.org
If you are moved by this appeal and want to help support the mission of Advocates International, please contact Brent McBurney This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Mark Mudri This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Not all have been heard or written about what led to the smooth exit of Yahya Jammeh, the erstwhile President of the nation of Gambia, who ruled the tiny African country for twenty-two years, from 1995. The peaceful exit of Yahya Jammeh still remains a surprise in a continent known for turbulent elections and “sits tight” presidents.
Unknown to many, for five consecutive years, beginning from 2011 to 2015, leading to the Jubilee celebration of the nation of Gambia, corporate prayers were held by the Church for the peace, stability and progress of the nation. It is my view, as one who actively participated in those prayers, the peaceful exit of Yahya Jammeh without any gunshot and any soul lost, could not have been but for the corporate prayers which were made for the nation from 2011 till date. No doubt, international diplomacy brought tremendous pressure on Jammeh, but behind the scene prayers were made starting from 2011. What eventually happened 21st January 2017, was God's intervention in response to prayers.
Engineer Chinedu Meribole has been a missionary to the Gambia for over 25 years. After graduating in civil engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, he answered the call of God in 1986 and was sent to the Gambia as a missionary. For years, he had carried the burden of that nation reaching out to the unreached peoples with the gospel. For five consecutive years, before the Jubilee celebration of Gambia on 18th February, 2015, he held prayer seminars under the theme A NEW DAWN, and mobilized the Church in Gambia to pray to experience full spiritual Jubilee, not knowing what lay ahead of the nation. The peaceful exit of Yahya Jammeh from the stage without any blood bath was a political Jubilee of some sort. Indeed a New Dawn has come to Gambia.
Prior to the elections held on the 2nd of December, 2016 which saw the emergence of Adama Barrow, Gambia has been the most peaceful West African nation. The beautiful Gambian beaches are daily full of tourists especially from the months of January to April of each year. Though one of the most poorest nations in Africa, her main export is groundnut, yet the nation boasts of having one of the cleanest and most beautiful beaches in African which makes her a tourist attraction. What strikes a visitor is the security and the low crime rate of the nation. Visit the nation and you will see tourists roaming the streets and surrounding villages with their families as late as midnight. Credit must go to Jammeh for the low crime rate, but at the same time, he is responsible for the poor economic development of the country that has given rise to its having the highest rate of migration of youths in the African continent.
The aphorism that "when we work, we work, but when we pray God works" is exemplified in the Gambia political situation. Gambia is a testimony of the ability of the Church to unite in corporate prayers and prevail in politics. After 22 years of misrule, Yahya Jammeh finally fled the country looting the nation's treasury, and leaving the poor nation bankrupt. We must however, continue to pray for the success of the new President, Adama Barrow. We must pray that the bug of corruption and political misrule that has plagued African nations for decades will not inflict him. We must pray for him to maintain religious tolerance. Jammeh had declared Gambia an Islamic State. Barrow has started well by reversing that declaration. Prayer works even in the politics of a nation!
AUSTEN C. UKACHI
IPC, WEST AFRICA
Contact:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
New Year's Day (both solar and lunar) has come and gone and with it, Kim Jong Un's New Year's Address. Here is a link to the full text for anyone who is interested in wading through it all. A few highlights: As expected, he emphasized his nuclear program, vowing to strengthen its capabilities and issued a number of warnings to the West. He also emphasized agricultural development but without any real recognition of reality and what is needed. An interesting point was Kim Jong Un's unprecedented apology for short comings over the past year. However, there was not much of a positive response to this from a populace that wants to see actions not words.
On the economic front, the growing donju (money lords or money masters) are dropping more cash on expensive meals in Pyongyang and bidding up real estate in the capital as they follow South Korean styles in remodeling their new homes. North Korean restaurants are starting to offer free pizza to attract customers. At the same time new luxury food factories are languishing for lack of demand as people prefer imported foods. Yet, the vast majority still struggle to put food on the table and students, laboring under increased demands for "contributions" to fund growing budgets for "free" public education, are dropping out of school in order to go into business. North Korea is also selling their raw resources at a discount, especially coal to China in anticipation of China's coming ban on imports from the country. They are also making a push to get more involved with Russia's Maritime Province.
In the meantime, Kim Jong Un is giving mixed signals about building his personality cult, playing down his birthday but getting ready to erect solo portraits of himself around the country. At the same time, we are getting reports of growing discontent among the nation's elite and the potential for even more.
Remembering Our Brothers in Prison
Last month, we added Andrew Brunson to our list of pastors suffering imprisonment for the Faith. Andrew was charged by the Turkish goverment with terrorist activities and is in near solitary confinement. The accusation and actions came as a total surprise to this American family who have been serving faithfully in Turkey for 23 years. It seems that too many Muslims were coming to faith through his ministry. He and his wife are very discouraged and he is not sleeping well. His two sons are with their grandparents in Montreat, North Carolina. Hold this family up in your prayers.
We continue to pray for Pastor Hyeon Soo Lim of the Light Korean Church in Toronto as well as South Korean pastors Jeong Wook Kim, Kook Ki Kim and Choon Gil Choi and American Pastor Dong-chul Kim. We also lift up in our prayers University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier. There is little progress in his situation. Pray with us that these men be released to their homes and families soon. May 2017 be the year of full release!
Ben Torrey
Director
The Fourth River Project, Inc.
www.thefourthriver.org
Later development: Almost certainly, the North Korean regime carried out a hit-job in the assassination of Kim Jong Un’s older half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, at the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, airport on Feb. 13 with two assassination teams of four people in each.
Let’s continue to pray that this ruthless and wicked regime will be removed from power and that North Korea can be saved from the horrors of its rule. Pray too for the release of those who have been imprisoned unjustly
Dear Prayer or Mission Leader,
We have almost reached our full registration for the Herrnhut consultation in May. There are some places still left for those who lead prayer networks or mission endeavors. You are invited to a special time of convergence as key ministry leaders gather from around the world! We want to more closely and effectively connect the prayer and mission movements for the final push to the accomplishment of Matthew 24:14, that everyone may hear and “that the Lamb may receive the due reward for His suffering.” (Moravians’ prayer and mission motto).
The International Prayer Council is a team of 25 leaders of major regional and international prayer initiatives and movements, who together lead the “network of networks” known as International Prayer Connect. We have decided to invite those who lead prayer networks and ministries at the national, regional or international level to come together along with key mission leaders for a unique time in the presence of the Lord. We will unite in prayer, learn from one another, and plan strategies for closer cooperation in the international prayer and mission movements. The Light of the World Prayer Center in Bellingham, Washington, led by Jason Hubbard has close ties with the Jesus Haus in Herrnhut and has graciously agreed to help us organize this gathering. Ms. Jamie Frey, one of his colleagues will be assisting us with the administration and registration process.
This will be the first time we have met in this way since the launch of the IPC. This “network of prayer networks” around the world was conceived just after 9/11 in 2001 near “Ground Zero” and formally launched by international prayer leadership in 2002 in Cape Town, South Africa. That gathering of almost 300 prayer network and ministry leaders was called “Globalizing Prayer, Transforming our World”. It was an inspiring, magnificent time of connecting with one another in His presence, establishing relationships and regional networks that continue to be used by God to bring transformation to our world. This is the link to the video if you have not seen it. IPC Prayer Globalizing Prayer Transforming Our World https://youtu.be/5ZYVFLML1sU
May 8-12, 2017, we will re-gather, this time at Herrnhut, the Moravian center for prayer and mission in southeast Germany. It was the site of the 1727 revival that ignited a 24/7 prayer chain which was used of God to send out the first Protestant missionaries to the unreached peoples around the world. Prayer and mission were joined together intimately and powerfully!
- For this reason, we plan to include some cutting-edge mission leaders who can share the status of mission to the unreached peoples of our day along with up to date information and research so that we can move towards a closer, more integrated linking of the prayer and mission movements. That is a crucial step to bringing back the King. Jesus said that He would not return until all the nations (ethne = ethnic groups) have had the gospel of the Kingdom proclaimed as a witness to them (Matthew 24:14). It is therefore critical that these movements connect more deeply and purposefully.
- A related emphasis will be on strategic-level prayer for the overthrow of strongholds that hinder people from seeing the light of the glory of Christ, barriers both to the spread of the Gospel and social and political transformation in favor of His Kingdom values.
- We will also give a major focus to the Next Generation, the raising up of youth and children through prayer for their unique missions in life and featuring those initiatives that specialize in this kind of ministry.
- There will be times of waiting on the Lord together with a prophetic sensitivity to what He is saying to the prayer movement of our day and how we can move forward together into that desired future He has for us as co-workers in Christ. We will learn about various models of prayer ministry that He is blessing around the world and will have time to develop strategic plans together as He leads, much as we did at the launch of the IPC.
If you lead a prayer or mission network at the national, regional or international level, please do pray about coming to Herrnhut, May 8-12, and register immediately so you will get a place. We will fly into Prague, the Czech Republic, and have buses arranged to take us to southeast Germany where Herrnhut is located.
Good and comfortable accommodations are available and have been booked, but there is just room for 120 participants in this picturesque German town. Please, therefore, do not procrastinate about registering or your space will be taken by someone else. The total cost for transport from and back to Prague, accommodation (twin-sharing) and food will be $265 per person.
For more information: www.prayerandmission.com
To register: www.prayerandmission.com/registration
Registration will close on March 10
Contact/Questions: Ms. Jamie Frey at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
We look forward to a life, ministry, and history-changing encounter with the Lord and one another and hope you can be with us in Herrnhut.