The Persecution & Prayer Alert The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada http://www.persecution.net Wednesday, May 7, 2003

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

*********************************** Contents: 1. Believers Face Arrest and Conscription (Eritrea) 2. Missionary Home Bombed; Believer Killed (Lebanon) 3. Christians Face Imminent Deportation (Saudi Arabia) 4. Pastor and Family Burned to Death (Nigeria) *********************************** 1. Believers Face Arrest and Conscription (Eritrea)

For the past several weeks, The Voice of the Martyrs has been following the increasing persecution of Protestant Christians in Eritrea.

In the latest incidents, Compass Direct reported on May 5 that, over the Orthodox Easter weekend, two members of the government-recognized Evangelical Lutheran Church were arrested and detained for three days. Following tradition, a group of believers was singing hymns in the streets of central Asmara on the evening of April 26 when police confronted them. Most of the group fled, but two young men stayed and were arrested and held without charges. They were released after being warned to not repeat this Easter tradition again.

Three days later, on April 29, military police raided homes and workplaces in the northern province of Sahel, arresting 56 members of independent Pentecostal churches. Military authorities justified the raid as “conscription for military service.” According to other church members, however, most of the 16 women and 40 men had already served their mandatory military service. They were all members of the Full Gospel Church or the Kale Hiwot Church.

None of the 56 have been heard from since their arrests. Security police said they were taken to the Sawa Military Training Center, but the families have been unable to confirm this. The families are concerned for their safety, particularly since another 74 Protestant Eritrean soldiers have been held in the Assab military prison for more than a year. They have been subjected to beatings, threats and abuse for refusing to deny their Pentecostal beliefs.

Pray for physical, mental, and spiritual strength for all those arrested. Pray that family members of the arrested soldiers will receive news soon. Pray that the recent increase in persecution in Eritrea will end. *********************************** 2. Missionary Home Bombed; Believer Killed (Lebanon)

Last night (May 6) the home of a European missionary couple was bombed in Qubba, a suburb of Tripoli, Lebanon. A neighbour, Jamil Ahmed Rifai, was killed instantly while trying to defuse the bomb. Rifai was a Jordanian convert to Christianity who was at the couple’s house when they heard a noise outside. Leaving the apartment, Rifai found a bag with sparks coming out of it. Inside he found a bomb with a lit fuse. While he was trying to remove the fuse, it detonated, killing him instantly and damaging nearby houses and cars. The missionaries, Jacob Jakarta from Holland, his German wife and their three children, were unharmed. A military official told The Associated Press the bombing was likely related to their missionary activities and did not appear to be linked to anti-Western sentiment.

According to Middle East Concern, Rifai had left Jordan in 1997 because of pressure from authorities over his conversion to Christianity. He was an active witness in Lebanon. Rifai was unmarried.

The missionary couple asks that we pray for inner peace and calm as they recover from the trauma of the attack as well as wisdom for their future. Pray for the friends and loved ones mourning the loss of this Christian brother. *********************************** 3. Christians Face Imminent Deportation (Saudi Arabia)

Two Christians face imminent deportation from Saudi Arabia because of their Christian work, according to a May 6 report from Middle East Concern. Both men are from the Ethiopian/Eritrean church in Jeddah. Endashaw Adane Yizengaw, the pastor of the church, had his residency permit revoked and was arrested on April 26 or 27. His deportation to Ethiopia is expected before the end of this week. The other man, Girmaye, was from Eritrea and was arrested in mid-March. Though his residency permit had expired two years ago, he had been detained and released several times. His deportation order came only three weeks after he began working at the church. Members of the church report that they have been questioned and threatened by the authorities, making them fearful of meeting together.

Pray that the church will stand firm in the Lord. Pray for the peace of God to rule over His Church throughout Saudi Arabia. Pray that there will not be the extended detention for these two men that others have faced in recent years. *********************************** 4. Pastor and Family Burned to Death (Nigeria)

A pastor, along with six members of his family, died in a fire in the northern Nigerian city of Kano which Christian leaders suspect was deliberately set. The only survivor was his son, Daniel, who remains in critical condition. According to a May 6 report from Compass Direct, Pastor Madumere and his family were asleep in their home on April 22 when it was engulfed by flames. While police authorities say the fire may have been caused by an electrical fault, Christian leaders have ruled out that theory, insisting that the pastor and his family were victims of religious intolerance. Pastor Madumere was known for his powerful preaching and many Muslims in Kano had converted to Christianity through his ministry, angering Muslim militants in the city.

In speaking about the incident, Bishop Nyam of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, said, “We are not surprised at all about this incident…. We saw it coming.”

For several years militant Muslims having been carrying out a jihad against Christians in northern and central Nigeria. Hundreds of Christians have been killed and homes, churches and businesses destroyed. Representatives from The Voice of the Martyrs recently visited Christian brothers and sisters in Nigeria who have been brutalized for their faith. Greg Musselman from VOM Canada visited hospitals in Nigeria’s Plateau state where he saw women, men, and children with bullet wounds and deep slash marks on their necks and heads inflicted by machete-wielding attackers. Despite this suffering, however, Musselman also witnessed how they were committing themselves to God’s care. The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter will have a special feature on the suffering and faith of believers in Nigeria in an upcoming edition this summer. For a free subscription to this publication, visit http://www.persecution.net/nlonline.htm.

Pray for a full recovery for Daniel as well as healing emotional scars with the loss of his family. Pray for members of Pastor Madumere’s church as they deal with this tragedy. *********************************** 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.

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