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Today’s News Headlines:

MUSLIM CLERIC IN U.K. CONVICTED OF SOLICITING MURDERS MONTAGNARD BELIEVER EXECUTED IN VIETNAM AS CRACKDOWN CONTINUES MOODY MAGAZINE TO CEASE PUBLICATION AFTER 112 YEARS PAT ROBERTSON RESUMES WORK A WEEK AFTER CANCER SURGERY OPEN DOORS DELIVERS 2.7 MILLION SCRIPTURES TO PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS PRESSURE ON BELIEVERS IN INDIA FAILS TO SLOW DOWN FILM OUTREACH

Today’s News Stories:

MUSLIM CLERIC IN U.K. CONVICTED OF SOLICITING MURDERS The first Muslim cleric to go on trial in a British criminal court was convicted Monday, Feb. 24, of soliciting the murders of “unbelievers” (including Jews, Hindus and Americans) with chemical weapons and faces the possibility of life in prison. A jury in London also found Abdullah el-Faisal — a self-styled “sheik” born in Jamaica as William Forest — guilty of preaching racial hatred in a series of videotaped recordings. The 39-year-old convert to Islam preached across Britain and sold Arabic-language tapes of his speeches in specialty shops. El-Faisal, who studied religion in Guyana and Saudi Arabia, denied that his recordings were abusive or threatening and insisted he was interpreting and updating the words of the Koran. The case marked the first time in more than 100 years that anyone had been charged under Britain’s 1861 Offenses Against the Person Act for soliciting murder without a specific victim — a crime that can mean life imprisonment when he is sentenced on March 7. During his trial, videotapes were played showing el-Faisal preaching that “every Muslim hates the unbeliever,” and that “we want to see their extermination.” He singled out Americans, Jews and Hindus. “One of the truths about Islam is that Allah said, ‘Kill them.’ You can use anything — even chemical weapon,” the bearded cleric said. (Religion Today/Associated Press)

MONTAGNARD BELIEVER EXECUTED IN VIETNAM AS CRACKDOWN CONTINUES Vietnamese authorities recently executed a jailed Montagnard believer, apparently in retaliation for his political activities and Christian faith. On Jan. 31 Vietnamese authorities tortured Y-Su Nie, then executed him with a lethal injection. He was arrested last November for being a Christian and land-rights advocate. Montagnard, a Vietnamese word meaning “mountain people,” includes several predominantly Christian tribal groups living in the country’s central highlands. Vietnamese authorities seized some of their land, sparking peaceful protests in February 2001 as the Montagnards demanded land rights and religious freedom. The government responded by attacking the protesters with tanks, helicopter gunships and 13 regiments of soldiers. Thousands of Montagnards fled into neighboring Cambodia. Then the Vietnam government offered bounties for the return of the refugees, and the Cambodian government rounded up many of them and returned them to Vietnam for a price. In other recent incidents, police abused two relatives of political activist Kok Ksor, a Montagnard who escaped from Saigon the day before it fell and has lived in the U.S. since 1975. He heads the South Carolina-based Montagnard Foundation that advocates rights for Vietnamese Montagnards. They took Ksor’s 18-year-old niece, H’Ngon, to an undisclosed location where she was repeatedly raped over three days in retaliation for her uncle’s political activities. Earlier, security forces beat up Ksor’s 80-year-old mother, H’ble Ksor, breaking three ribs and threatening to kill her after she refused to read a document denouncing her son on Vietnamese TV. (Missions Insider)

MOODY MAGAZINE TO CEASE PUBLICATION AFTER 112 YEARS Moody Magazine will cease publication after its July/August issue. A statement from Moody Bible Institute (MBI) said the decision was due to a number of factors, including a crowded magazine field, the resultant decline in subscriptions and the ongoing need for significant subsidization. MBI’s daily devotional guide, Today in the Word, used by more than 200,000 readers, will become the school’s primary periodical for its constituency. Moody Magazine was founded in 1891 as The Institute Tie and originally served as a publication for alumni and friends of MBI. After several name changes in its early years it became Moody Monthly in 1938, and for more than 20 years its content was directed to those in Christian ministry. In the 1960s its focus changed to reflect more of an emphasis on the Christian family. The name was shortened to Moody Magazine in 1990, and six years later it adopted a bimonthly publication schedule, focusing on in-depth coverage of key topics designed to helping readers think and live biblically. Other MBI media ministries include Moody Publishers and the Moody Broadcasting Network. (Latin America Mission)

PAT ROBERTSON RESUMES WORK A WEEK AFTER CANCER SURGERY Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson reappeared as host of “The 700 Club” on his Christian Broadcasting Network Monday, Feb. 24, just a week after having cancer surgery. Robertson, 72, underwent an operation to remove a cancerous prostate on Feb. 17. “I am profoundly grateful and touched by the thousands of prayers and expressions of goodwill that were made on my behalf by people all across the U.S.,” he said. “I hope that my example will serve as a reminder to men over 50 to be diligent in early screening for this silent and deadly killer that is affecting hundreds of thousands of men.” In a statement, the Virginia Beach, Va.-based ministry reported that the cancer had spread to the edge of the prostate but not to neighboring tissues, so Robertson was declared to be “cancer-free” after the surgery. (Religion Today)

OPEN DOORS DELIVERS 2.7 MILLION SCRIPTURES TO PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS Open Doors delivered 2.7 million Bibles, children’s Bibles, study Bibles and other scriptural helps to persecuted Christians worldwide in 2002 even as many ministry areas became more difficult because of the rise of global terrorism. In addition, 23,054 pastors and church leaders received intensive training on how to lead their congregations in the midst of persecution and discrimination. “We’re grateful that our teams were able to accomplish so much last year despite the increased dangers they faced,” said Open Doors USA President Terry Madison. “But the numbers are important only because they represent persecuted Christians whose lives have been touched by other Christians who cared enough to pray and help.” An estimated 200 million Christians worldwide suffer persecution for their faith today with an additional 200 to 400 million enduring discrimination and various types of pressure. (Open Doors)

PRESSURE ON BELIEVERS IN INDIA FAILS TO SLOW DOWN FILM OUTREACH As persecution against Christians continues in India, it isn’t stopping film teams from Dayspring International from spreading the gospel. “I’ve seen up to 20,000 people watch a movie at one time, sitting on both sides of the screens,” says Dayspring’s John Gilman. “Our average audience is probably about 400, but we’ve shown it to more than 80 million people. According to our reports, more than 6 million have responded outwardly to follow Christ.” The film, called “Dayasagar” which means “oceans of mercy” in Hindi, tells the story of Christ. (Mission Network News)

* In partnership with FEBA Radio, HCJB World Radio airs weekly Christian programs to eastern India via shortwave in three languages: Bhojpuri, Chattisgarhi and Mundari. A five-hour block of English programs also beams across India from a shortwave site in Kununurra, Australia. The ministry is investigating potential opportunities to help launch local Christian stations in key cities across India.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * James A. Ferrier HCJB World Radio U.S. Ministries Communications Director E-mail: Phone: 1-719-590-9800 Fax: 1-719-590-9801 Web: http://www.hcjb.org http://www.beyondthecall.org * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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