The Persecution & Prayer Alert The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada http://www.persecution.net Wednesday, March 12, 2003

A summary of news concerning the Persecuted Church and how you can respond.

*********************************** Contents: 1. Talisman Sale Finalized (Sudan) 2. Jailed Church Leaders Released (Ethiopia) 3. Churches Not Allowed (Saudi Arabia) 4. Persecution and Prayer Alert Celebrates 5th Anniversary 5. Question of the Week

*********************************** 1. Talisman Sale Finalized (Sudan)

Following three days of contradicting media reports, Talisman Energy confirmed today the final sale of all of its interest in the Greater Nile Oil Project in Sudan to ONGC Videsh Limited (“OVL”), a subsidiary of India’s national oil company.

Talisman Energy of Calgary, Alberta has been under intense pressure from human rights organizations because of its involvement in this oil project in southern Sudan. Oil revenues have been used extensively by the government to finance weaponry and attacks which have often targeted civilians, including hospitals, churches, and relief centres. Runways supposedly for oilfield purposes only have been used by military planes to conduct these bombings. Government-backed militia groups have been guilty of involvement in massacres, torture of civilians, and other atrocities, including slavery.

With the sale of its interest in Sudan for $1.13 billion CDN, Talisman is hoping to leave behind the problems and controversy that have followed the company since its purchase of these assets in 1998. The problems that the oil development has brought to the people of Sudan, however, will not be as easily disposed.

Pray for the people of southern Sudan who face these ongoing attacks. Pray that the peace talks will be successful and that the government forces will live up to the ceasefire agreements. The feature story of the April edition of The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter reports on the state of the church in south-eastern Sudan following a visit by Voice of the Martyrs earlier this year. Subscribe today to receive a twelve-month subscription to Canada’s only monthly magazine on Christian persecution. Go to http://www.persecution.net/nlonline.htm.

*********************************** 2. Jailed Church Leaders Released (Ethiopia)

Evangelical church leaders Kiros Meles and Abebayeh Desalegn were released from prison on March 7 after being jailed without charges for 10 months in the northern Ethiopian town of Maychew. According to a report by Compass Direct, the magistrate found no basis for the charges, calling their imprisonment “a shame.”

The men were arrested after a riot in April 2002 in which an Ethiopian Orthodox man was killed. The local police accused the two evangelical leaders, even though the shot came from the local police chief’s gun and an off-duty police officer was also jailed. Local Christians are skeptical that charges will ever be laid against the police officer.

Join with us in thanking God that these men have been released. Pray for Ethiopian Christians as they face opposition. VOM has released a brand new video on the persecution facing evangelical Christians in Ethiopia. “Faith Under Fire … Ethiopia” is available online at http://www.persecution.net/catalog.htm.

*********************************** 3. Churches Not Allowed (Saudi Arabia)

Saudi Arabia, as the birthplace of Islam, will not allow churches to be built on its land, said the Defense Minister, Prince Sultan to reporters on March 8. According to a March 10 AP report, Sultan said that foreigners are allowed to worship freely in their homes, but churches would not be permitted, since it would affect Islam. Calling those who want churches “fanatics,” Sultan told reporters, “We are not against religions at all … but there are no churches – not in the past, the present or future.”

Saudi Arabia is well known for forbidding any religion other than Islam. Despite assurances from Sultan, foreigners have been arrested and deported for worshipping in their homes and Christians face imprisonment, torture, and death.

Last week the P+P Alert reported that Saudi Arabia was to be left off the US State Department’s list of “countries of particular concern” as religious rights violators. While he would not comment directly on Sultan’s comments, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said that they are seeking opportunities to work with Saudi Arabia to improve the state of religious freedom. Other countries left off the list were India, Laos, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Vietnam, even though the US Commission on International Religious Freedom strongly recommended that they be labeled as “countries of particular concern.”

Pray for Christians in Saudi Arabia, that they may stand firm in the face of constant danger. Pray that world leaders will see religious freedom as a fundamental human right that must be upheld by all countries regardless of political allegiances. *********************************** 4. Persecution and Prayer Alert Celebrates 5th Anniversary

It was a Friday afternoon on March 13, 1998. Believing that prayer on behalf of persecuted Christians around the world was a priority and that email now made it possible for people to brought up-to-date more quickly on urgent prayer requests, VOM’s Glenn Penner sent out a brief email to 12 friends and colleagues inviting them to become part of a prayer network. Some of them, in the following weeks, forwarded the emails to their friends, who asked to be included in the mailings. At the time, there were virtually no email lists on persecution, so the P+P Alert (as it became known) filled a unique gap. With the launch of VOM Canada’s website http://www.persecution.net in September of 1999, membership in the list exploded. With almost 6000 active subscribers today, the Persecution and Prayer Alert continues to fill an important role in informing the Christian community of the needs of their persecuted brothers and sisters. The emphasis is still on the priority of prayer.

It is hard to believe that once we sent out the P+P Alert using Hotmail or that once we kept the addresses of all of our subscribers on Glenn’s Outlook Express address book or that it used to take us over 2 hours every time that we sent out a mailing. With the move to an automated Listserv program in 2001, we have been able to save valuable manpower expenses and devote more time to researching and writing stories that continue to impact thousands very week. We praise God for how He has blessed our modest efforts. We have seen prisoners released, lives saved, prayers lifted up, and thousands of letters written to, and on behalf of, those are in chains for Christ’s sake. We want to thank each of you who take the time to read and distribute the Persecution and Prayer Alert each week in your prayer groups and churches. If you know of others who you think would benefit from receiving the P+P Alert, may we recommend that you go to our website at http://www.persecution.net/pnpforward.htm and recommend the latest P+P Alert to them using this special form. Make a new friend for the Persecuted Church by urging them to receive the Persecution and Prayer Alert.

*********************************** 5. Question of the Week

Some of you have been receiving the Persecution and Prayer Alert for five years now. For others, this is your first edition. We thank God for each of you. For our question of the week, we want to know how valuable you have found the Persecution and Prayer Alert in equipping you and others for more effective prayer on behalf of persecuted Christians. We also welcome your suggestions for improvement.

To participate in our poll and discussion, go to http://www.persecution.net and click on “Discussion Forum.” If you have not registered on our forum in the past, click on “Register” and select a username and password.

*********************************** The Persecution & Prayer Alert is a ministry of The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada. (Mailing address: P.O. Box 117, Port Credit, Mississauga, Ontario L5G 4L5) Tel. (905) 670.9721. Fax: (905) 670.7642 Website: http://www.persecution.net

*********************************** Contact Person: Glenn Penner, Communications Director.

Important Notice: The Persecution & Prayer Alert is an open email news service sent only to those who have specifically requested it from us. We do not send it unsolicited and ask that subscribers show the same discretion in forwarding it to others.

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