The Persecution & Prayer Alert

The Persecution & Prayer Alert

The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada

http://www.persecution.net

Thursday, June 30, 2011

“The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying.

He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and
prayerless religion.

He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we
pray.”

– Samuel Chadwick

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In this week’s edition: reports from Iran, Sudan, Nigeria, China and
Uzbekistan

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1. Update: Iranian pastor’s death sentence upheld

(Sources: Present Truth Ministries, VOM sources)

The death sentence of Youcef Nardarkhani, an Iranian pastor convicted
of apostasy, has been upheld and confirmed by the Iranian Supreme
Court. Pastor Youcef, a leader in the Full Gospel “Church of Iran”
network, was arrested and imprisoned in October 2009 after protesting
a decision by the government requiring that his son study the Qur’an
(see http://www.persecution.net/ir-2010-12-09.htm
for more). In September, Iran’s 11th Circuit Criminal Court of
Appeals for the Gilan Province upheld Pastor Youcef’s death sentence
and conviction for apostasy. The delivery of the death sentence,
however, was delayed. Many believe the delay was a means to pressure
him to him to turn away from Christ in prison. With the sentence now
upheld and confirmed, it is possible that the authorities will ask him
to recant his faith and execute him without advance notice if he
refuses — a typical pattern of action taken by authorities in such
cases. If Pastor Youcef is indeed executed, his would be the first
judicial execution of a Christian in Iran in two decades. He is but
one of several members of his church who have been arrested by Iranian
officials, and his wife has also spent time in prison because of her
faith in Christ.

Pray that God will continue to equip Pastor Youcef to stand firm in
his faith. Pray that he will sense the love and support of all those
praying for him and working on his behalf. Pray that the Iranian
authorities involved will be convicted of their injustice and overturn
the case. Pray for comfort to abound in the hearts and minds of Pastor
Youcef’s wife and children.

You can find out more about the trials facing Iranian Christians at

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

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2. Christians tortured and killed in South Sudan

(Source: Compass Direct)

Government agents and Islamic militants recently launched deadly
attacks on Christians in Sudan’s South Kordofan state. On June 8, a
Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) Intelligence unit detained a seminary
student, Nimeri Philip Kalo, near the United Nations Mission in Sudan
(UNMIS) in the capital city of Kadugli. Nimeri and other Christians
were fleeing the town after Muslim militias loyal to the SAF attacked
and looted at least three local churches. The agents reportedly
accused Nimeri of being a Christian and suspected he was therefore
opposed to the Islamic government. The UNMIS’s mandate is to support
the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of Sudan and
the country’s Christian and animist south, which is scheduled to
secede on July 9 (see http://www.persecution.net/sd-2011-06-16.htm
for more information). Nimeri was killed in front of several
bystanders. “They shot him in front of our eyes and forced us not to
cry, or else we would face the same fate,” said one witness.

The same day, Islamic militants aligned with SAF killed a Christian
bus driver, Adeeb Gismalla Aksam (33), by sword in the Kadugli Market.
That afternoon, other armed militants attacked a Roman Catholic Church
building where Christians were gathered for mass, firing guns and
shouting “Allahu-akbar.” No one was injured, but SAF agents arrested
Reverend Abraham James Lual in front of his congregation. They accused
Abraham of preaching that people should oppose the Islamic government
and took him to an unknown location. He was tortured for two days
before being released.

Pray for healing for Abraham. Pray for God’s enduring comfort to reign
in the hearts of the friends and family members of the martyred
believers. Pray that their example of costly discipleship will enrich
the witness of the Sudanese Church. Pray that Sudanese Christians will
continue to trust in God’s love and provision, even in times of
instability, violence and loss.

To find out more about the persecution believers face in Sudan, go to

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

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3. Pastor killed in Borno state, Nigeria

(Sources: Compass Direct)

Two Christians were recently killed by members of the Islamist sect
Boko Haram in the northeastern town of Maiduguri, Nigeria. Pastor
David Usman (45) and Hamman Andrew, the church secretary, were shot
dead near the church in an area of Maiduguri called the Railway
Quarters. In 2009, when the church was set on fire by militants,
Pastor David had reportedly raised the problem of Boko Haram with his
superiors and commented that the Government needed to do more to stop
their aggression.

Boko Haram, a sect committed to extending strict Islamic or Sharia law
across Nigeria, has been responsible for several recent attacks in the
region, including deadly bombings. The violence has been widely
interpreted as a protest against April’s national elections, which
returned Christian incumbent Goodluck Jonathan to power. The fighting
has left many in the Christian community terrified for their lives.
“We no longer feel free moving around the city and most churches no
longer carry out worship services for fear of becoming targets of
these unprovoked attacks,” said one local pastor.

Thank the Lord for the life and faith of Pastor David and Hamman. Ask
God to surround their grieving loved ones with his comfort. Pray that
Nigerian Christians will be emboldened and sustained by the Holy
Spirit as they serve the Lord in a climate of intense violence. Pray
that those who persecute Christians in Nigeria will repent and embrace
Christ as Lord.

For more information on suffering Christians in Nigeria, please visit

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

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4. Update: Harassment continues for Shouwang Church in Beijing, China

(Source: ChinaAid Association)

Members of the Shouwang Church in Beijing, China have been arrested
and repeatedly harassed by authorities for their attempt to hold
outdoor Sunday worship in recent months (see

http://www.persecution.net/cn-2011-05-19a.htm

for more information). In the latest such incident, 15 Christians
were detained for gathering at the church’s designated outdoor worship
site on June 26. Several of the detained believers were visiting from
other churches, including one woman who had traveled from Henan
province to show her support. Police had reportedly stopped two other
Christian women from another house church from leaving their home to
visit the worship site. By 9:00 p.m. that evening, all of the
believers were released.

In another development, pastors belonging to China’s official
Three-Self Patriotic Movement recently sought out Shouwang Church
members for long sessions of “pastoral counseling” on the government’s
behalf. Three-Self representatives were also on hand a few weeks ago
when police interrogated detained members of the Shouwang Church about
the theological basis for the church’s actions.

Thank the Lord for the faithful witness of these Christians. Pray that
the Shouwang Church members will continue to look to God to keep them
strong and vigorous in spirit. Pray they may be a challenging example
of love and hope to those who oppose them. Pray that Christ will
continue to equip Chinese Christians to follow His example of
faithfulness amid persecution (2 Corinthians 1:8-9)

You can learn more about Chinese Christians standing firm in their
faith at great cost at http://www.persecution.net/china.htm
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5. Uzbek Christian threatened by police

(Source: Forum 18)

A Christian man is facing threats and harassment from police in
Tashkent, Uzbekistan for challenging a fine he received for his
religious activity. In April, Anvar Rajapov was fined 80 times the
minimum monthly wage after police raided his home and confiscated
literature. In an attempt to stop Anvar from appealing against the
police actions and court decisions, local police summoned him to the
police station in late May. An officer then threatened Anvar with
violence if he challenged the hefty fine. “I have prepared an axe for
you, which will be flying after you, observing you, and if need be get
you,” the officer reportedly said. Anvar has since made written
complaints about his treatment to President Islam Karimov, the Supreme
Court, and other state agencies. Court officials have warned him that
if he did not pay the fine by June 15 he would be fined again. At last
report, Anvar had been summoned in writing to the bailiff’s office.

Pray for endurance of faith for Anvar amid opposition. Pray that he
will be a confident witness for the Lord (Matthew 10:19-20). Pray
those in authority will recognize the lack of religious freedom in
Uzbekistan and make changes accordingly.

To read more about trials facing Uzbek Christians, go to

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

. You can post a prayer of solidarity with Anvar on our Persecuted
Church Prayer Wall at http://www.persecution.net/prayerwall
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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