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Prayer Focus Update <http://www.barnabasfund.org>

May 2007 Issue 127

PRAYER FOCUS UPDATE is a monthly information bulletin with up-to-date news on the persecuted Church to help Christians pray for their suffering brothers and sisters. You can use this for prayer groups, your own information and for inclusion in church magazines.

It can be sent via email, is available as printable versions on the Barnabas Fund website or can be sent through the post FREE OF CHARGE. Please contact your national Barnabas Fund office or the UK office if you would like to recieve this in the post.

You can select an A4 or A5 PDF version to download by clicking here <http://www.barnabasfund.org/support/pfu.php>

* Turkey: Three Christian workers brutally murdered <#Turkey: Three Christian workers brutally murdered> * Holy Land: Christian bookshop bombed <#Holy Land: Christian bookshop bombed> * Iraq: Jizya tax <#Iraq: Jizya tax> * Pakistan: Twelve-year-old girl raped <#Pakistan: Twelve-year-old girl raped> * India: Church worker beheaded <#India: Church worker beheaded> * India: Churches attacked at Easter <#India: Churches attacked at Easter> * India: Hospital visitors arrested <#India: Hospital visitors arrested>

Turkey: Three Christian workers brutally murdered

Three Christian men in Malatya, eastern Turkey were killed on Wednesday 18th April. Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel worked at Zirve Publishing House, which prints Bibles and other Christian literature, while German national Tilman Ekkehart Geske worked for a Christian translation company based in Malatya. The three men were found in the publishing house, bound to chairs by their hands and feet; each of them had been severely tortured and had their throats cut. Ugur was still alive when they were found, but died later in hospital from his many wounds.

Tilman’s widow publicly forgave the killers, explaining that she intended to remain in Malatya with her three children. Necati’s widow has also publicly expressed forgiveness for her husband’s murderers.

Five young men, aged between 19 and 20, have been arrested. Each of them carried a note which read “The five of us are brothers, we are going to death, we may not return. Give up any legitimate claim against us.”

While it is not illegal in Turkey to share the Christian faith, many Christians, especially Turkish Christians and those active in evangelism, are constantly harassed, even by the police. Turkish nationalism includes Turkish ethnicity and the Islamic faith, and Malatya has a reputation for strong nationalist feeling. The Christian community in Turkey, who are mainly expatriates and make up less than 1% of the population, have seen a rising level of harassment and pressure, stemming from this increased nationalism and Islamic fervour within the country.

Pray for the grieving families of Necati, Ugur and Tilman, that they will know the comfort and closeness of our Lord Jesus Christ who understands our pain. Pray especially for Ugur’s family who buried him as a Muslim despite his conversion. Pray that they may come to know his Lord too.

Pray for protection for the staff of Zirve publishing house, who have previously received threats.

Pray for protection for Christians in Turkey. Pray especially that police will act to protect Christians and actively pursue the case to ensure that those responsible will be brought to justice.

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Holy Land: Christian bookshop bombed

In the early hours of 15th April a bomb exploded at the Bible Society book shop in Gaza, destroying most of the shop’s contents. Thankfully no-one was hurt in the explosions, though the man employed to guard the shop was kidnapped and badly beaten. Two Internet cafes were also damaged by bombs in simultaneous attacks. In recent months several Internet cafes and music stores have been attacked, and Palestinian officials have said they suspect an Islamic “vice squad” to be responsible.

The shop, the only Christian bookshop in Gaza, had previously come under attack in February 2006, when two small pipe bombs were exploded at the entrance. This was followed by written warnings for the Christians to leave or the whole shop would be blown up. While the shop was closed temporarily the decision was taken to stay, to retain a Christian presence in Gaza. After this new attack the staff are again determined to continue their work of Bible distribution among the 1.5 million non-Christians.

Pray for protection and guidance for those working in the Christian bookshop in Gaza. Give thanks for their courage to remain in order to continue the work God has set before them.

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Iraq: Jizya tax

Islamic militants in Baghdad, Iraq, are demanding payment by Christians of the traditional shari’a tax, jizya. Jizya was a humiliating tax levied on Jews and Christians who lived in Islamic lands in return for protection. Muslims also claimed it was a payment for not having to bear arms and fight in defence of the Islamic state – an honour reserved only for Muslims. Christians in the Dora neighbourhood of Baghdad are being told to pay the tax – otherwise they face the choice of converting to Islam or leaving Iraq.

Iraqi Christians have shared that the demands for jizya payment have been going on for some time. Though they have appealed to coalition forces for help, none has been forthcoming. The situation has not been helped by US troops using a church training centre as a base for their attacks on insurgents. This only reinforced the insurgents’ views that the Christians are allies of the coalition forces.

Islamic extremists have also been demanding the payment of jizya from Christians in northern Iraq. Many Christians have taken the decision to leave Iraq, trying to find safety from the violence. It has led to a sharp decline in the Christian population. Though Christians comprise only 5% of Iraq’s population, approximately 40% of Iraqi refugees are Christians. This is stark evidence of the anti-Christian nature of much of the violence.

Pray that coalition forces will be aware of the perculiar dangers facing the Christians, and the effect that their actions have on the Christian community. Pray that they will take action to protect them. Pray that the demands for jizya will be halted.

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Pakistan: Twelve-year-old girl raped

On the morning of 8th April, Easter Day, 12-year-old Cheena Masih was kidnapped on her way to local shops near her home in Lahore. Four men knocked her unconscious, and took her to a factory warehouse, where they raped her, keeping her there for two days and before moving her to a private home.

Realising she was missing, Cheena’s family went to the police; the police refused to file a report, so the family searched for the missing girl themselves, and on 10th April managed to identify one of the kidnappers. Cheena’s father and brother found the man at the factory where he worked. He admitted that he was holding Cheena, and promised to return her. At 9pm that night Cheena was delivered back to her home, and was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

The following day the police arrested four men at the factory. However, the police continued to obstruct the case, refusing to lodge a report until they had a medical report for Cheena, and not exerting themselves to help the family get the medical examination done. Eventually, after the intervention of a Pakistani Christian advocacy organisation, the examination went ahead on 13th April and the police promised that they would register the case.

Pray for Cheena as she recovers from her terrifying ordeal. Pray both for physical healing, and for healing for the hidden, emotional scars. Pray that she will not feel shame for what was done to her, but the love of her Heavenly Father will bring her peace.

Pray that Pakistani police will seek true justice, and that they will pursue the case rigorously. Pray that those responsible will repent of what they have done.

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India: Church worker beheaded

Manzoor Ahmad Chat, a convert from Islam to Christianity, was due to lead a prayer meeting at his church in Pulawamar district, Kashmir on 13th April. On his way there he met two Christians and reminded them about the prayer meeting. However Manzoor never arrived. Police suspect that he was kidnapped by members of the Islamic militant group Leshkar-e-Toyiba. The following day Manzoor’s head was discovered in a polythene bag near a mosque in Pinglena village. Following its discovery police searched the area and found the decapitated body in a nearby paddy field. The post mortem showed that he had been brutally tortured before he was killed.

On 20th April police in Pulawamar district accosted a cell of Leshkar-e-Toyiba members. In an ensuing gun battle, in which two policemen were injured, seven militants were shot dead one of whom is believed to have been involved in Manzoor’s murder.

Paul Ciniraj, a church leader who knew Manzoor, has praised the state government for taking quick action against the militants. However he said that Christians in the area continue to be in danger.

Please pray for Manzoor’s widow, also a convert from Islam to Christianity, and their children, as they mourn his death. Pray that they will be provided for.

Pray also for the church in Pulawama District. Only four months ago another church worker, Basheer Ahmed Tantry, was shot dead in public. Pray that the Christians in this area of Kashmir will be protected while they continue their witness to their community.

Join Paul Ciniraj in prayer that where the persecution grows so also the Christian faith is spread.

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India: Churches attacked at Easter

Hindu extremists disrupted a worship service on Easter Sunday in Manali district, Himachal Pradesh state. About 60 Hindus entered the church and began accusing Pastor Yona Babu of using force to convert people. They tried to make him renounce his faith and demanded he burn his Bible. When Pastor Babu refused the mob began to beat him severely, until he was unconscious.

The mob, stealing musical instruments, left the church and headed to a nearby house church where they warned the Christians to stop gathering or they would face the same treatment.

Pray for courage for Christians in Manali to continue meeting despite the threats of violence.

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India: Hospital visitors arrested

On 14th April five Christians in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh state were arrested at the Gandhi Hospital where they had been visiting the sick and distributing Christian literature. Junior doctors had posed as relatives of patients in order to listen to the Christians. They then complained to the police. The Christians were arrested but released later in the day.

Pray for the patients and staff at the Gandhi hospital who received Christian literature or talked with the Christians. Pray that their witness will point others to the love and compassion of the One who heals both body and soul.

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At the close of the petition on 30th April there are 108,333 signatures, from all over the world. The UK petition will be handed in to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 14th May. The Right to Justice petition will be remaining in action in the United States where momentum has been growing, so this figure of total signatures will continue to rise.

The e-petition on the website of 10 Downing Street which calls for the protection of Iraqi Christians closed on 23rd April with 3,181 signatures. This petition will be automatically presented to the UK Government for consideration.

Pray that the e-petition will bring about a change in UK government policies towards the protection of Christians in Iraq.

Pray that the Campaign will result in real change for the better for persecuted Christian minorities, that they will be given equal treatment with non-Christian majorities.