Religious Liberty Prayer List – No. 153 – Tue 29 Jan 2002

DURING JANUARY WE HAVE PRAYED CONCERNING –

SAUDI ARABIA: for the Christian house fellowship leaders in detention in Jeddah. Prison conditions are deplorable and the imprisoned men were reportedly discouraged, unwell and anxious for their families.

imprisoned in Saudi Arabia during the July-August 2001 crackdown have been released from prison for deportation. The remaining eight Christian prisoners are still detained because red tape is complicating the deportation process. They cannot leave Saudi Arabia until their property has been transferred to another name. Pray for the men to be encouraged and reunited with their families soon. Ask that God will raise up new leadership for the house fellowships they leave behind.

CHINA: where followers of Christ continue to suffer for their faith. The South China Church, an evangelical house church network, has been labelled an evil cult by the government and is being severely persecuted through China’s anti-cult legislation.

Church, was sentenced to death in December after a secret trial where he was charged with using an evil cult to undermine the law. Pastor Gong’s case is now on hold. His niece, Li Ying (36), has been given a death sentence, suspended for two years. Of the 14 others who were arrested in August 2001, 11 of the women have reportedly been stripped and tortured with electric batons, and founding member, Ms Sun Ming Hua, has been sentenced to indefinite imprisonment. Zhong Ju Yu, one of the 63 South China Church members who were arrested in May 2001, was beaten to death in custody. Another member, Xuequei Gu, who was arrested on 20 September 2001, has not been seen since he was taken away in a prison van on 10 October. Rumour has it that he died from injuries sustained during torture.

* Hong Kong trader Li Guangqiang was recently charged under China’s evil cult legislation for illegally importing Bibles, i.e., ‘evil cult’ literature. This charge could attract the death penalty but it was reduced to that of ‘illegal trade’ with a maximum of five years’ imprisonment. The sentence now imposed is for two years. It seems that Beijing is aiming to remove potential irritants ahead of next month’s visit by President Bush. As Chinese academic, Lau Siu-kai said, ‘I think the lenient treatment (for Li) will remove a potential hurdle in improvement in Sino-US relations.’ Pray that no European or Western government (or the WTO or the IOC) will accept that any sentence for importing Bibles can be considered ‘lenient’, especially in view of prison conditions. Pray for continued religious liberty advocacy and international pressure.

PAKISTAN: where President Musharraf is taking advantage of the tense situation in the sub-continent to do something he has tried before but without success – control Islamic militancy and loosen the suffocating grip of the hardline Islamists.

the country’s discriminatory electoral system. On 16 January, the government announced that a joint electoral system would now operate, scrapping the Separate Election System (SES) introduced in 1979. Under the SES, members of minority communities could vote just for their set tiny number of seats. Only four of the 217 seats in the National Assembly were reserved for Christians, four for Hindus, two for ‘others’, with 207 for Muslims. This reform will make for a more democratic and non-discriminatory system. The move has delighted Pakistani Christians. Thank God for this blessing and pray for further reforms while the climate is right, in particular for the removal of the oppressive blasphemy law from Pakistan’s penal code.

* Pray for peace in Pakistan. Sunday 27 January saw the first protest since President Musharraf’s crackdown commenced. Nearly 2,000 people, mostly members of banned Islamic militant groups, have been detained and some 650 of their offices have been closed and sealed since mid-January. Around 2,000 pro-Taliban Muslims rallied in Peshawar, threatening jihad, the removal of Musharraf, and to ignore the ban on religious parties and resist the reforms proposed for madrassas (Islamic schools) and mosques. They called for a second protest to be held in Lahore on 3 February. Pray for international support for Pakistan during this time of positive reform and for the Church to be strengthened, encouraged and protected from violent attack.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SITUATIONS OUTLINED ABOVE AND:

* for God’s arm to bring justice to the nations, so that people will be free to hear the Gospel and to receive it without threat of death or imprisonment, so bringing salvation to the nations.

* that God will go before Johan Candelin (WEA RLC International Director) and John Langlois (WEA RLC Chairman) and others involved in sensitive and strategic diplomacy and advocacy for religious freedom where the Church is persecuted and the Gospel is suppressed.

“Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: The law will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations. My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations.” Isaiah 51: 4, 5a

** Each Update paragraph is self contained and written so that it may be used as a prayer item in newsletters or church bulletins.

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The WEA Religious Liberty Commission sponsors this RL Prayer List to help individuals and groups pray specifically and regularly for religious liberty issues, and in particular to uphold the Church where it is suffering persecution.