 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2) PHILIPPINES Attacker Shoots Two Pastors and Wife; One Pastor Killed – VOM Sources On April 15, Pastor Vic Vicera, his wife, Beth, and Pastor Noli Saturnino were shot at when an unknown assailant stormed Pastor Vic’s home in Mindanao, Philippines, and started shooting. Pastor Vic was killed in the attack. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts, “Pastor Vic and his wife, Beth, and Pastor Noli were having a conversation early that evening. They were talking about their plans to minister in a Muslim tribal area, when suddenly the killer came in and started firing at them.” VOM contacts added, “Pastor Vic got four gunshots, two at the upper part of the knees that went through his navel and two shots to the lower part of his knees, the bullets remained in his stomach. Beth, his wife, got two gunshots, one in her palm and one in her leg. Pastor Noli got one shot in his leg; the bullet went through his leg.” Pastor Vic was killed, and Beth and Pastor Noli are being treated by doctors. Even though VOM contacts could not confirm the reason for the attack, they reported that Pastor Vic lived among Muslims who wanted him to join Islam, but he refused. Pray for believers in the Philippines who face persecution because of their faith. Pray especially for the family and congregation of Pastor Vic, who have lost a father and pastor. Ask God to heal Pastor Vic’s wife, Beth, and Pastor Noli. Pray the testimonies of these faithful believers will draw their persecutors into fellowship with Christ. Psalm 107:35, Psalm 23 INDIA Pastors Beaten by Militants in Andra Pradesh – VOM Sources On April 14, three pastors-who were distributing Christian tracts to children in the town of Devarkonda, Andra Pradesh-were beaten with sticks by approximately 50 Hindu militants. Pastor John Kumar’s hand was broken and the other two pastors were severely injured in the attack. Pray for healing for these believers. Ask God to give them and other church leaders in India the wisdom to know how to shepherd the believers through times of suffering. James 1:5, Psalm 91 SINGAPORE Couple Charged For Distributing “Objectionable” Christian Material – VOM Sources On April 14, two charges were lodged against a married couple for distributing a Christian publication in Singapore in March and October of last year that allegedly cast the Muslim prophet Mohammed in a “negative light.” Ong Kian Cheong (49) and Dorothy Chan Hien Leng (44) are charged under the Sedition Act for “promoting feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore.” Cheong and Hien Leng were also charged under the Undesirable Publications Act, which defines “objectionable” material as an item which depicts “race or religion in such a manner that the availability of the publication is likely to cause feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility between different racial or religious groups.” The couple was alleged to have been distributing an evangelistic tract entitled “The Little Bride.” Pray the charges against Ong and Dorothy will be dropped. Pray the Holy Spirit will cause them to forgive their persecutors. Pray for continued opportunities for Christians in Singapore to share the truth of Christ. John 15:18-19, John 14:1 CHINA Bookstore Owner Re-Arrested in China – China Aid Association On March 19, Shi Weihan (37), a Christian bookstore owner, was re-arrested on charges of “illegally” printing and distributing Christian literature. Weihan was initially arrested on November 29, 2007, and was released in early January, due to “insufficient evidence.” He is being held without access to his family. His wife is concerned for his health in prison as he is a diabetic. 2 Samuel 22: 31, Isaiah 40:29-31 2 Samuel 22:31, Isaiah 40:29-31 |
Archive for April, 2008
VOM-USA News & Prayer Update (April 29, 2008)
Town claims teachers were killed for their beliefs
From this page:
Somalia (MNN) — Four Christian teachers were shot and killed in Somalia, reports It happened during a midnight raid by Islamic insurgents on a the Hakeb Private English School located in the south-central town of Beledweyne. Al-Shabab is the militant Islamic group responsible for the killings. However, they claim that the Christian teachers were simply caught in the crossfire of indiscriminate shots. Two of the teachers are British citizens with Somali origin: Mr. Daud Hassan Ali and Ms. Rehana Ahmed. The other two believers were unidentified Kenyans. Despite the group’s claim, townspeople say that the believers were targeted for their evangelistic work. Daud Hassan Ali’s wife claims that her husband was singled out because he was a born-Muslim man who converted to Christianity later in life. Somalia is nearly all Sunni Muslim–only .05 percent of people are Christian. Persecution is strong in many areas, but the number of Christians still seems to be rising. |
Christians face more restrictions in Kazakhstan
| From this page:
Kazakhstan (MNN) — The lower chamber of Kazakhstan’s parliament has passed new legislation that would impose severe new restrictions on foreign missionary activity and evangelical churches. According to Rev. Franz Tissen, president of the Kazakh Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, the bill contains a number of troubling provisions. It would: * Establish quotas of missionaries allowed in Kazakhstan’s cities, capital, and regions. * Forbid missionary activity by foreign workers without registration; this also includes those who are not representatives of religious organizations. * Forbid distribution of religious objects, spiritual literature and other informational material with religious content to citizens in public places, public transportation, on the street or in private homes unless the person receiving the literature initiates the contact and agrees to receive the literature. * Forbid the acceptance of financial and other donations by religious organizations from anonymous or foreign citizens and organizations. * Forbid religious activities, meetings or gatherings with children under the age of 18 without written agreement from both parents or legal guardians. Slavic Gospel Association’s Joel Griffith says, “When you read the language of this proposed bill, it does seem like they are really starting to tighten the screws. It remains to be seen just how far this is going to go.” Griffith thinks the government is getting paranoid about evangelical Christians. “In the mindset in some of the culture and some of the leadership, they often will see protestant or evangelical communities or foreign missionaries as western agents, which really isn’t the case.” There’s also another influence. Griffith says, “After the Soviet Union first broke apart, Kazakhstan was pretty close to equally divided between ethnic Russians and Kazaks. But it’s pretty much a Muslim majority within Kazakhstan now.” In addition to these provisions, the proposed bill takes aim at the activities and registration of religious groups that have only a small number of members. It would sharply restrict the right to publish religious literature and would also make it more difficult for a small group to obtain their own place for worship or to preach outside of the group itself. Pastor Tissen said, “This is an absolute intrusion into the inner lives of believers, and limits us by laws and fines as we work to fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. I appeal to all believers to join us in fasting and praying for the work of God in Kazakhstan.” Griffith says, “This has gone through the lower house of the Kazakh parliament. It still has to be acted on by the upper chamber as well as the president before it becomes law.” Whatever happens, Griffith says the church will remain. “We know that our God is sovereign. He’s promised in His Word that He will continue to build His church. And in the long run, it really doesn’t matter what man or the enemy tries to do. He will build His church, and His purposes will not be thwarted. And I have no doubt in my mind that Kazak churches will continue to proclaim the Gospel.” SGA is an interdenominational mission working in the former Soviet Union since 1934. SGA serves churches in the lands of Russia by sponsoring seminaries and Bible institutes, pastor and lay leader training, provision of Russian-language Christian literature, and sponsorship of national church planters. SGA is the official representative of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (UECB) and a sponsor of the Eurasian Federation of the Evangelical Christians-Baptists. |
Muslim mob attacks Christians in Kano State, Nigeria.
| From this page:
Nigeria (MNN) — Christians in Kano State, Nigeria are still unnerved after a Muslim mob attack on Sunday. A report from Compass Direct News says hundreds of Muslims went on a rampage burning Christian shops and vehicles on claims that a Christian had blasphemed the Islamic prophet Mohammed. Thousands of Christians were trapped in churches until police dispersed rioters. Voice of the Martyrs’ Todd Nettleton explains, “There has been tension in Kano, and across Northern Nigeria between Muslims and Christians. So, just hearsay that Mohammed had been blasphemed against was enough to stir people to violence.” Police intervened when Muslims at a market in the Sabon Garia area of the city reportedly attacked the Christian who was blamed for sparking the incident. The Compass report went on to say that the Muslim mob went to the police station, threatening to burn it down unless officers released the Christian to be stoned to death in accordance with Sharia law. Police were able to disperse the mob. Although the violence and the riots haven’t seen many headlines as of late, that doesn’t mean the sectarian troubles have disappeared. In fact, Nettleton says, the the push to implement Sharia law in the region may be inflaming the attacks. With jittery nerves, Christians, particularly those involved in outreach, are laying low. Nettleton says, “It is dangerous to be a Christian in northern Nigeria, particularly if you’re involved in outreach. Hundreds of Christians have now gone to the police station, they’ve gone to the military bases saying, ‘we believe this attack is not over, we believe there will be more violence. Protect us from that!’” Pray for peace and strength for Christians facing opposition from Muslims in Nigeria. Pray that Christians will demonstrate the love of Christ, in spite of the opposition that they face. |
When Muslims Embrace Christianity in the U.K.
| From this page: www.prophecynewswatch.com Muslims converting to Christianity is a thorny issue almost anywhere in the world, but recently U.K. media attention has focused in on the persecution of former Muslims not in foreign land but in its own backyard. Former Muslims who convert to Christianity are threatened with disownment and violence at the hands of their own family members – much like in parts of the Middle East. But the difference is these families don’t reside in a theocratic society, but in a western country that upholds religious freedom – including the right to convert to another faith. BBC, U.K.’s leading news network, featured several stories and programs in recent months devoted to the issue of persecution of Christian converts from Islam. In its latest feature on Monday, it highlighted real cases of England-based Muslims who convert to Christianity and the consequences that follow. Sophia (not her real name) is from a Pakistani background but lives in east London. Her family has put extreme pressure on her to return to Islam since she converted to Christianity. “They kept saying, ‘The punishment is death, do you know the punishment is death?” she recalled to BBC. She ended up running away from home, but her mother found her and showed up at her baptism. “I got up to get baptized, that’s when my mother got up, ran to the front and tried to pull me out of the water,” Sophia said. “My brother was really angry. He reacted and phoned me on my mobile and just said, ‘I’m coming down to burn that church,’” she remembered. Another U.K. convert case is Ziya Meral, who was disowned by his parents when they found out about his conversion. “They said ‘go away, you’re not our son,’” Meral said. “They told people I died in an accident rather than having the shame of their son leaving Islam.” Meral’s case is slightly different from Sophia because he was born and raised in Turey. His family still remains there. He went to England to study at a university and later became a follower of Jesus Christ. He had planned to gently break the news to his parents, but instead they found out when they saw him on national news being described as “an evil missionary” intent on “brainwashing” Turkish children. The wild story was based on a clip of Meral eating at a Christian summer camp right before heading back to Turkey. For converts such as Sophia and Meral, there is widespread belief by Muslims around the world that they should be punished by death. A poll conducted by the Policy Exchange last year suggested that over a third of young British Muslims believe that the death penalty should be used for apostasy. Former Muslim turned Christian leader, Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo of the Barnabas Fund, said he is “delighted” to see the British media zoom in on the issue of conversion from Islam and the persecution of former Muslims. “As a convert from Islam myself, part of my life’s work has been to seek to see this most cruel of laws removed from Islam, and to see that Christians like myself are given freedom to choose and believe without facing persecution and possibly death,” Sookhdeo wrote in a Barnabas e-mail newsletter Monday. “Finally the world is waking up to this outrage and injustice. The secular media is to be congratulated for taking up the issue.” The Islam expert – who advises British, American, and NATO military officials on jihadist ideology – called on Christians to pray that there will be real progress in religious freedom for former Muslims in the world. |
War Against Christians in Iraq Continues
When “Muhammad” first converted to Christianity from Islam, he kept his new faith a secret. In fact, the first person he told outside of his wife and son was a Christian named “Joseph.” He knew the risks of sharing his faith with others in his homeland of Iraq but felt led to do so anyway. So he witnessed to his extended family. Following radical teachings of Islam, family members killed Muhammad. Muhammad’s widow sent Muhammad’s friend “Joseph” an e-mail after the martyrdom of her husband. She wrote: “I have bad news. Muhammad is dead. Our family killed him for sharing his new faith in Jesus Christ. I miss him dearly. Muhammad left me two important things: my son and our Bible. I’ll never forget why he died. He died for Jesus. I believe Jesus will help me. Tell the people [other Christians] to pray for me.” Muhammad’s widow and son are now being supported by VOM’s Families of Martyrs fund. This is perhaps VOM’s most important work: reaching out to families who have been victims of severe persecution and martyrdom. Each week we learn about new cases that need our support. Would you like to help VOM expand this critical work? We invite you to follow the link below to learn more about VOM’s Families of Martyrs fund and to make a contribution. Your support will provide for the immediate needs of our persecuted family members. » Help expand VOM’s Families of Martyrs fund Thank you for your prayers and support for those persecuted for the cause of Christ. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your Christian friends and family. |
Chinese bookstore owner re-arrested
Hebrews 13:3 (King James Version) Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body From this page: China (MNN) — China continues to crack down on what they call illegal Christian activity in the country. Compass Direct News and Voice of the Martyrs are reporting a Christian bookstore owner in Beijing has been re-arrested. VOM’s Todd Nettleton says 37-year-old Shi Weihan is the man in question. “He was arrested late last year, held for just over a month. And then, in January the courts turned him loose and said there was insufficient evidence to keep holding him. We have now learned that he was re-arrested (and) is still being held.” The question is, what kind of evidence do they have now, that they didn’t have in January? His wife said she had received no word on her husband’s condition, and she has been prohibited from bringing him any food or change of clothing since his re-arrest. Nettleton says Weihan’s bookstore was legal. “All of the Christian books that he sold had the official government stamp. He paid the taxes he was supposed to pay. The bookstore was operating completly according to the law. “ However, Nettleton says he could have been arrested for something else. “There is also word that he was printing Christian literature for the house churches — printing Bibles there. Because the demand is so great and because the government presses do not print enough Bibles, the house churches in China are forced to do anything they can to get additional Bibles. That may be what the charges are this time, but it’s unclear at this point.” Nettleton was asked if this is Christian persecution, or just a Christian breaking the law. “Absolutely this is Christian persecution. If this man wasn’t a Christian, he would not be in jail. I also wonder if the Olympics were not going to start in August in Beijing, maybe he wouldn’t be in jail then either.” Many Christian groups suggest believers need to follow the laws in China. Nettleton counters, “Do we follow the rules of China, or do we follow the rules of God, which says, ‘Get His word into the hands of as many people as possible. Obviously the Christians are going to err on the side of following the call that God has placed on them.” Voice of the Martyrs is asking Christians worldwide to pray for Weihan. “This is a man who suffers from diabetes, who has been kept away from his family. We don’t know what his condition is. He definitely needs our prayers. The other thing we can do is call the Chinese embassy. Make them know that this case is now known outside of China, that this is a potential P.R. problem for them.” You can contact the Chinese Embassy by clicking here. In the U.S. call (202) 328-2500 or (202) 328-2551. |
VOM-USA News & Prayer Update (April 22, 2008)
Click here to Persecution Watch Page Join us in Prayer, click here for more lists.
“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” CHINA China Aid Association (CAA) reports that the Chinese Communist government recently launched a strategic campaign against house churches in Xinjiang Autonomous Region. As a result of this campaign, on April 13, 46 Christians were arrested by Public Security Bureau (PSB) officials during a Bible class and worship service in Kashi City, Xinjiang Province. CAA reported, “Forty-six house church Christians were holding Bible class and worship in the home of Mr. Ding Zhichun when PSB officials intruded into Ding’s home and arrested all of them. Forty-four Christians were released after the trial day, following a 50 Yuan deposit to the PSB, by the family members.” CAA added, “The Christians were mandated to confess their illegal Sunday worship activities and study the government’s handbook on Religious Policy. They were also required to return and recite the policy to officials within one week.” The Voice of the Martyrs supports and stands with Christians in China and encourages you to pray for believers who are living under immense pressure. Ask God to encourage and minister to the two Christians still being held by the police. Pray their testimony will draw nonbelievers into fellowship with Christ. Psalm 91 SOMALIA On April 13, four Christian teachers, two of them converts from Islam, were murdered by Islamic militants in Beledweyne in south-central Somalia. The four teachers, two British citizens of Somali origin-Mr. Daud Hassan Ali (64) and Ms. Rehana Ahmed (32)-and two unidentified Kenyans, were shot and killed by Islamist insurgents during a midnight raid on the Hakab Private English School. The Islamic extremist group responsible for the violence, alleged that they fired indiscriminately and that the teachers were killed in crossfire. Local people, however, believe the teachers were singled out for their suspected evangelistic work. The wife of Daud Hassan Ali alleged that her husband was targeted because he was a Muslim-born convert to Christianity. Pray the families of those killed will rest in the knowledge that those who die in the Lord will be raised with Him. Pray the perpetrators of this attack will come to repentance and salvation. Pray for wisdom and protection for those serving Christ in Somalia. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 UZBEKISTAN On April 3, Pastor Bobur Aslamov was beaten and jailed in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, following a police raid on a house church meeting. According to Forum 18 News, “Other members of the house church were also beaten during the raid. The pastor remains in detention in an unknown location.” At last report, no formal charges had been filed against him. Pray for the release of Pastor Aslamov from prison. Pray Uzbek Christians will continue to share Christ fearlessly despite the ongoing pressure. Ephesians 6:18-20 |
Islamic militants murder 4; widow claims one killed for faith
Click here to Persecution Watch Page Hebrews 13:3 (King James Version) Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body From this page:
64-year-old Daud Hassan Ali and three foreign teachers–a Briton and two Voice of Ali chose to return to his homeland to teach, knowing the risk. “Islamic In many parts of the country, the persecution of Christians is so strong many Konyndyk explains, “In Somalia, believers are always at risk when serving Christ. Pray for encouragement and strength for the Christians remaining in Somalia |
VOM-USA News & Prayer Update (April 15, 2008)
Join us in Prayer, click here for more prayer lists.
IRAQ Assyrian Orthodox Priest Killed – VOM Sources On April 5, Father Youssef Adel (40), an Assyrian Orthodox priest, was shot dead by unknown assailants INDIA Christians Attacked, Children Beaten for Distributing Bible Tracts – VOM Sources On April 2, pastors and members of the Manna Ministry in Krishnapuram, Andhra Pradesh, were beaten by a CHINA UPDATE: Christian Bookstore Owner Released from Prison – China Aid Association Praise God! On February 19, Zhou Heng, a well-known house church leader and manager of Yayi Christian |
