The Persecution & Prayer Alert

The Persecution & Prayer Alert

The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada

http://www.persecution.net

Thursday, March 31, 2011

“Once we serve God surely we must go the way of the cross

so I will not quarrel against the Lord for what has happened.”

– Pastor Quang, Vietnam

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In this week’s edition: reports from Vietnam, Malaysia, Pakistan and
China.

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1. Update: Vietnamese Christian lawyer released

(Source: VOM-USA)

Nguyen Van Dai, a Vietnamese human rights lawyer and religious freedom
advocate was recently released after serving his four-year sentence.
Van Dai, arrested in March 2007 on accusations relating to his defense
of religious freedom (see http://www.persecution.net/vn-2007-05-16.htm
), must still fulfill a four-year administrative, or “house arrest,”
sentence.

Praise the Lord for Van Dai’s release! Ask God to fill him with
enduring hope and faith as he serves his house arrest sentence. Pray
that the Church in Vietnam will continue to grow and be a light to
others. Pray for comfort for the many other Vietnamese Christians in
prison.

You can encourage an imprisoned Vietnamese Christian by writing to him
or her online at http://www.PrisonerAlert.com
. You can also download VOM’s free letter-writing guide, “Doing Time
for God,” which equips you to write to prisoners of faith around the
world at http://www.persecution.net/write.htm
.

For more on the persecution of Vietnamese Christians, go to

http://www.persecution.net/vietnam.htm

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2. Update: Detained Bibles released in Malaysia

(Sources: VOM-USA, AsiaNews)

Two shipments totaling approximately 30,000 Bibles detained by
Malaysian port authorities in January (see

http://www.persecution.net/my-2011-03-17.htm

) were recently released. Authorities seized the Bibles, which had
been imported from Indonesia for distribution in schools, churches and
longhouses, because they claimed they could cause a conflict with an
ongoing court case involving use of the word “Allah” in a Catholic
newspaper. Most Christians, however, believe the government is worried
that the Bibles will be distributed to Muslim Malays, and see the
seizure as part of a systematic plan to deny access to the Bible in
Malay. Authorities had taken similar action in March 2009, when they
detained 5,100 copies of the Good News Bible in Malay in Port Klang.

The government’s decision to release this recent shipment came with
the condition that the books are stamped with a serial number and the
inscription “For Christians Only” on the cover. Malaysian Christian
leaders have refused these terms, fearing the government would use the
serial numbers to track the Bibles and penalize those who accepted
them. At last report, the Malaysian Bible Society has rejected the
restrictions placed on the Bibles and is refusing to collect them.

Praise God for the release of these Bibles. Pray Christians in
Malaysia will remain faithful in spite of opposition from those in
authority. Pray they will know that they are not alone, but part of
the Body of Christ. Pray these Bibles will somehow get into the hands
of those who long for the life and truth found through Jesus Christ
(John 14:6).

You can learn more about the challenges facing Christian in Malaysia
at http://www.persecution.net/malaysia.htm
.

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3. Two Christians slain in Pakistan

(Source: Compass Direct)

Two Christians were recently killed by Muslim youths who opened fire
on believers outside a church in Sindh Province, Pakistan. Residents
of Hurr Camp, a colony of working-class Christians in the city of
Hyderabad, were reportedly celebrating the 30th anniversary of their
Salvation Army church when a group of Muslim youths gathered outside
the building and started playing music loudly on their cell phones.
The Muslims also started teasing Christian women as they arrived for
the celebration. Four Christians went outside the church building and
told the Muslims to stop teasing the women and to respect the sanctity
of the church. An argument ensued. The Muslim youths eventually left,
but returned with handguns. They then opened fire on the Christians.
Younus, 47, and Jameel, 22, were killed instantly. The other
believers, Siddique, 45, and Waseem, 20, were seriously injured. At
last report, they were hospitalized in the capital city of Karachi.

Younis leaves behind a wife and four children. Jameel is survived by
his wife of one month. The grief of the slain believers’ families has
been exacerbated by the police’s indifference to the case. Authorities
did not even register a case in the killings until late that night,
and only did so after local Christians blocked the main highway with
the two bodies for some hours. Jameel’s paternal uncle, Anwar, alleged
that the police were biased against the Christians, as none of the
accused has been arrested so far. “Please pray for us,” he said.

Ask God to comfort all those who mourn for Jameel and Younis, filling
them with the peace that surpasses understanding in the midst of their
grief (Philippians 4:7). Pray that the Lord will bring their murderers
to justice. Pray for cross-bearing disciples in Pakistan committed to
the Great Commission.

You can learn more about the suffering of Christians in Pakistan at

http://www.persecution.net/pakistan.htm

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4. House Church raided by police in China

(Source: ChinaAid Association)

Chinese authorities recently raided a home in Shaanxi Province where
believers were gathered for Sunday worship. On March 13, a dozen
Christians were attending a house-church service in the village of
Ma’an when the local police chief and two other officers barged into
the building. The officers confiscated Bibles and other Christian
literature. They also took all of the believers into police custody.
Ten of the Christians were released that same evening. At last report,
however, two believers–Weng and Zhang Yongkuan–remain detained.

Pray for the release of the two detained Christians. Pray that
believers in the village will not lose heart but will trust the Lord
in all things. Pray for wisdom for area church leaders in the midst of
opposition. Pray that authorities in China will truly respect the
religious freedom of all citizens.

You can find out more about the trials facing Christians in China by
visiting the Country Report at http://www.persecution.net/china.htm
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The Persecution & Prayer Alert is a ministry of The Voice of the
Martyrs, Canada. (Mailing address: P.O. Box 608, Streetsville,
Ontario, L5M 2C1)

Tel. (905) 670.9721. Website: http://www.persecution.net