AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

* PROFILE OF NEW FRENCH PRESIDENT NICOLAS SARKOZY

* PAKISTANI CHRISTIANS FACE THREATS

* ANOTHER BLACK FRIDAY FOR THE COPTIC CHRISTIANS OF EGYPT

* AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL ADOPTS PRO-ABORTION POLICY

* CELEBRATION 2007 AIMS TO SPREAD THE LOVE OF GOD IN CANADA

* A CALL TO PRAY FOR LEBANON

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PROFILE OF NEW FRENCH PRESIDENT NICOLAS SARKOZY

France’s new President Nicolas Sarkozy, 52, casts himself as a moderniser, championing a clean break with the country’s traditional ruling elite. He has pledged to revive the work ethic, promote new initiatives and fight intolerance, including racism. Whilst interior minister he sharply divided opinion in France by adopting a tough stance on immigration – including deportations. He referred to young delinquents in the Paris suburbs as “rabble”. But he has also advocated positive discrimination to help reduce youth unemployment. His call for state help for Muslims to build mosques was also controversial. Correspondents say that one of the big questions is whether he will be able to temper his abrasive style to play the traditional unifying role of the president of France. The son of a Hungarian immigrant and a French mother of Greek Jewish origin, he was baptised a Roman Catholic. He is said to be a huge admirer of Tony Blair due to his ability to seduce the media, in the same way Sarkozy does. Mr Sarkozy says he wants to encourage social mobility, better schools and cuts in public sector staff.

He’s hyperactive, he’s ambitious, he’s a heavy worker, a workaholic, he never rests says Anita Hausser, political editor at the French broadcaster LCI. She says his appeal is simple. “He was a lawyer, so he seems close to the people, and he wants to show them that he understands their problems and that he will solve their problems.”

He is a pragmatist who will use any solution as long as it works. Even those on the left in France admit Mr Sarkozy is a formidable political force. He has shown strong protectionist instincts yet he also promises to make the French less scared of economic success. He was against the war in Iraq. He is not too keen on the old Franco-German alliance – and believes that new EU members with lower taxes than old Europe should not receive EU subsidies. He has voiced opposition to Turkey’s bid to join the EU.

Twice married, Mr Sarkozy has three children – the third by his current wife Cecilia. Cecilia Sarkozy, is a fiercely independent former model and PR executive unlikely to fit easily into the discreet role of first lady. “I don’t see myself as a first lady. It bores me. I prefer going round in combat trousers and cowboy boots. I don’t fit the mould,” the elegant 49-year-old brunette has said. Of Jewish-Spanish ancestry, in 2004 she made a point of saying she did “not have a drop of French blood in my veins.”

Cecilia was conspicuously absent from Sarkozy’s election campaign-setting tongues wagging and reawakening memories of 2005 when the couple split for several months. But she was conspicuously present for her husband’s election victory speech to tens of thousands of cheering supporters on the Concorde square in Paris.

Despite her protestations about not fitting the mould of first lady, and despite the rumours of marital problems, family friends insist the couple are still together and that Cecilia intends to join him at the Elysee-possibly acting as a communications adviser. “They have had their problems but she is hugely important to him. She protects him,” said one friend who asked not to be named. “She will take on the role of first lady. A bit like Bernadette Chirac – but a different Bernadette: one who knows what is going on.”

Source: Intercessors Network

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PAKISTANI CHRISTIANS FACE THREATS

The Voice of the Martyrs sources in Pakistan report that Muslim radicals have introduced a law in Parliament that any Muslim who converts to Christianity should be killed. Although the details are sketchy, Christians are asked to intercede for this situation and ask God to move so this law does not go into effect.

Christians in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province, have received letters demanding that they close their churches and to convert to Islam within ten days or face dire consequences. Copies of the handwritten letter were delivered to two churches and several Christian families recently. The towns have been facing heavy opposition from Islamic militants, including bomb attacks against video and audio stores. Militants have been carrying out a sustained campaign to prevent “anti-Islamic” activities.

The government says it is giving protection but Christians complain that not enough has been done. “We are in great danger and need protection,” said Michael John, the head of Pakistan’s Catholic Church and a minority Christian parliamentarian. “We have had to keep our Sunday services to a shorter period of time to keep the extremists from entering and causing problems.” Police say they have stepped up security around churches and homes to provide protection to the estimated 600 Christians in the district. A few families have left, but those who have stayed on live in fear for their lives.

Christians are discriminated against, especially in school. “Children from Christian families are often denied the right to attend a government-sponsored school. Often they’re forced to sit at the back of the classroom, if they’re even admitted to the school.” Some of the students’ lives are threatened.

Pray that these threats against Christians will come to nothing. Pray that Pakistani Christians will not give in to fear but stand firm in the faith (2 Timothy 1:7).

Here is a current profile of the nation of Pakistan: The Muslim-majority state of Pakistan was born out of the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947. Created to meet the demands of Indian Muslims for their own homeland, Pakistan was originally in two parts. The east wing – present-day Bangladesh – and the west wing – present-day Pakistan. War with India over the disputed northern territory of Kashmir came shortly after independence.

Pakistan came under military rule again in October 1999 with the coup leader, General Musharraf, pledged to revive the country’s fortunes, but instead has faced economic challenges and law and order problems. The latter are a major concern with thousands having been killed since the early 1980s in violence between Sunni and Shia factions.

Pakistan’s place on the world stage shifted after the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US. It dropped its support for the Taleban regime in Afghanistan and was propelled into the frontline in the fight against terrorism, becoming a key ally of Washington. Pakistani forces say they have arrested hundreds of suspected al-Qaeda and Taleban-linked militants along the Pakistani-Afghan border. Tens of thousands of troops are deployed in the area, which has been the scene of fierce fighting between security forces and suspected militants.

Tensions with India over Kashmir remain and have fuelled fears of a regional arms race. However, an ongoing peace process has brought the two nucluear-armed powers back from the brink of renewed conflict.

Source: Intercessors Network

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ANOTHER BLACK FRIDAY FOR THE COPTIC CHRISTIANS OF EGYPT

For the past 35 years the Coptic Christians of Egypt have been targeted by a wave of brutal attacks on their persons, churches, homes and businesses. Over one hundred and twenty major attacks have been documented on the Copts during this period. It is estimated that over 4000 Copts have been killed or injured during this period, not to mention the material losses running into tens of millions of dollars.

Many of the documented attacks took place after Muslim Friday prayers in mosques. The vast majority of these attacks were not committed by organized terrorist groups, but by ‘ordinary’ people from the neighbourhood, under the influence of hate propaganda emitted through the media, the education system and mosque preaching. The Egyptian justice system has yet to adequately punish a single Muslim perpetrator.

The latest attack on Friday May 11, 2007 in Bamha, 15 miles south of Cairo, was a result of a rumour circulated among the Muslims that the Copts of the village were planning to convert a house, which they used (with the authorities’ knowledge) for prayers, into a church. The Muslim worshippers were incited by the Imam of the mosque and a few other fanatics to rise and defend Islam against the ‘Christian infidels.’ A Muslim mob estimated in excess of 500, went on a rampage using fireballs, knives and hatchets that in burning 27 homes and shops owned by Copts. At least 10 Copts including several women, were injured; one of the victims is in a serious condition.

The developments that followed were even more serious. The frightened Copts were expecting the authorities to ensure their safety, security and justice, but what took place simply added insult to injury. The authorities conducted a meeting of “reconciliation” between the victim Copts and the aggressors, where an imposed settlement virtually stripped the Copts of all rights. Under the terms of the settlement, Muslims were not bound to pay for damages nor assume any criminal responsibility; and the house which was the centre of the dispute could be used only for Sunday school classes and the cross cannot be displayed on the building.

Once again, the Egyptian Government has foregone its duty to prosecture lawbreakers and guarantee the safety of its citizens. Once again, the Copts have been denied basic justice and the fundamental right to pray in peace without being harassed. The reprehensible failure of Egypt to guarantee religious freedom, justice and accountability towards the Copts simply amounts to an invitation to continue the same against them in the future.

Source: Christian Newswire

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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL ADOPTS PRO-ABORTION POLICY

Amnesty International has abandoned its long-held ‘neutral’ policy on abortion in favour of a new stance which endorses abortion in certain cases. It calls for abortion to be decriminalised globally. Amnesty’s new policy does stop short of backing abortion as a fundamental right because, according to spokeswoman Widney Brown, that approach was not supported by international human rights laws.

Amnesty branches in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and the United States, among others, voted to move away from the previous neutral stance on abortion. A subsequent poll of UK members had a majority against the change, but this was not binding. Here in Australia, the local branch was unable to reach a formal position on the change. Australia’s mainstream press has shown little interest in the debate.

Many Catholic members of Amnesty will face the painful decision of whether they should remain members of the organisation. One Catholic Principal of a school with an active Amnesty group, says such a change in policy has placed him in the unwanted position of contemplating the closing down of Amnesty’s presence in the school. An English bishop, Michael Evans, a member of Amnesty for thirty years, a council member, and the author of the Amnesty Prayer, has indicated that he will resign from Amnesty. Other people from other religious traditions, or from none at all, with sincerely held convictions about abortion, would also find themselves in a difficult position.

Bishop Evans made the point that Amnesty International was not founded to be an all-embracing human rights organisation, but rather to focus effectively, as it so clearly has, on certain key issues. Amnesty, with 2.2 million members, has a proud record of working for the freedom of prisoners of conscience, for fair trials, and against the sanctioned use of torture and the death penalty. Amnesty is largely responsible for introducing into the vernacular the term “prisoners of conscience”. Its strength comes from a clear and limited focus that allows people from almost every belief system and ideology to find common cause.

Amnesty’s abandonment of its neutral stance on abortion will exclude those whose religious beliefs lead them to a position of conscience opposing abortion. It will weaken the ability of Amnesty to work effectively in many parts of the third world. It will identify Amnesty as a secular, partisan, first world body, playing into the hands of, for example, Islamic radicals looking to discredit human rights activism as a Western driven agenda. It will weaken the campaign against capital punishment in the United States by driving a wedge between its two most vocal institutional critics, the Catholic Church and Amnesty. It could embroil Amnesty in campaigns against abortion laws in countries such as Ireland or in Latin America.

Amnesty was founded in 1961 by an English Catholic, Peter Benenson, who died last year. Amnesty and the Church have worked together in many areas. Here in Australia, Amnesty and the Church stood together in the campaign against the execution of the Australian, Van Tuong Nguyen, in Singapore in 2005. Amnesty played an important role in the campaign to gain the freedom of Australian priest and social activist Fr Brian Gore who was jailed in the Philippines by Ferdinand Marcos in 1983. Defending the rights of refugees and asylum seekers has also been an area of common endeavour.

Source: Compiled by APN from various sources

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CELEBRATION 2007 AIMS TO SPREAD THE LOVE OF GOD IN CANADA

Christians across Canada are gearing up to be a part of Celebration 2007, hopeful of sparking a spiritual renewal in the nation. According to the Celebration 2007 organisers, churches are invited to pray and work together to celebrate the love of God publicly, by sharing it through creative and expressive acts in local communities.

Celebration 2007 is a catalyst to draw people together in new and different ways to demonstrate God’s love in practical ways to their communities. Through participation in this initiative, local churches are encouraged to make a greater positive impact in their communities for years to come. Celebration 2007 has three stages: 1. Prayer. Churches are encouraged to seek the Lord for direction on what activities best suit their individual resources and community. Initiatives could include such things as mowing lawns, cleaning a walkway, a free picnic, a drama, a festival or something else. It is hoped by scheduling the activities for three weekends from May 26 – June 10, 2007, a chain reaction of God’s love can be set off across the country. Congregations are encouraged to pray for the people they will impact, the other congregations they choose to work with, the success of their own initiatives and for an inflow of new people to start attending their church.

2. Prepare. Church leaders are encouraged to gather resources and contacts and plan for their community outreach. 3. Participate. Organisers believe Churches will be amazed at how open unchurched people are to the love of God expressed in thoughtful ways through loving believers, and of the impact that all churches will make nationally by working in the same timeframe. Celebration 2007 is not an “event” but an opportunity to discover new resources, try new ideas, make new partnerships plus strengthen existing networks that will enrich the life of each church for years to come.

Source: Celebration 2007

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A CALL TO PRAY FOR LEBANON

Once again the security situation in Lebanon is jeopardized as extremist militants fighting against the Lebanese Army in North Lebanon threaten to expand the battles to other areas in the Country.

In recent days there has been considerable loss of lives in the North – including the massacre of Lebanese Army soldiers and officers who were taken unawares. This, in addition to two car explosions that have rocked Beirut injuring scores of people and killing one elderly lady. The first explosion was in a predominantly Christian area, while the second targeted a predominantly Muslim area. Please pray that God may intervene and prevent further losses in lives and property.

Pray for the leadership in Lebanon that they may put their differences aside and find solutions with the best interests of Lebanon and the Lebanese in mind.

Please pray that God may forbid the expansion of the battles to other places in the Country.

Pray for the leaders of Evangelical schools and ministries that are spread all over the country, that God may give them wisdom and guidance in making the right decisions. And last but not least,

Please pray that the Church may be alert and reflect the love of Christ to those who are weary and broken-hearted more so amidst this troubled period.

Source: Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development

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