AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

* WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ISLAMIC TOTALITARIANISM MEETS CHRISTIAN
FREEDOM

* TRAFFICKED: THE ONLY WAY OUT IS UP

* 27th JULY 2010 WAS THE 57th ANNIVERSARY OF THE KOREAN WAR ARMISTICE

* PROTESTANT CHURCH IN EAST TIMOR CONCERNED OVER PROPOSED
ASYLUM PLAN

* CHRISTIAN GROUP HELPS BRAZILIAN INDIAN TRIBES OVERCOME
INFANTICIDE

* GOD IS OPENING DOORS LIKE NEVER BEFORE IN
HAITI

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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
ISLAMIC TOTALITARIANISM MEETS CHRISTIAN FREEDOM

In 1980, Egypt amended its constitution to elevate Sharia law as  ¢â‚¬Å“the
principal source of legislation ¢â‚¬ . This provision  ¢â‚¬“ now common in
Muslim constitutions  ¢â‚¬“ renders religious liberty and equality before
the law illusory. Sharia ¢â‚¬â„¢s principal aim is to eradicate apostasy
(rejection of Islam) through the elimination of fitna (anything
that tempts a Muslim to reject Islam) and the establishment of
dhimmitude (the humiliation and subjugation of Jews and Christians as
second class citizens). There is no religious liberty in Islam. In
Egypt, a person ¢â‚¬â„¢s official religion is displayed on their ID card.

Under Sharia, every child born to a Muslim father is deemed Muslim
from birth. A Muslim woman is only permitted to marry a Muslim man.
If a Christian father converts to Islam his children are
automatically deemed Muslim. If a Muslim parent converts to
Christianity they automatically lose custody of their children. In
2007, a Muslim convert Moham med Hegazy, applied to have his identity
card changed. He did not want his unborn child to be automatically
deemed Muslim from birth. His application was declined, so Hegazy
sued under his constitutional right to religious freedom.
The court ruled against Hegazy, so he, his wife and new born daughter
were forced to retreat  ¢â‚¬Å“underground ¢â‚¬  into a life on the run by
repeated death threats. In September 2008 Hegazy narrowly escaped an
assassination attempt. In August 2008, Maher el-Gowhary,who had
quietly converted to Christianity 35 years earlier wanted his true
religious identity acknowledged and his ID card corrected before his
daughter, Dina, turned 16. For when Dina turned 16 the state would
issue her with a Muslim ID card that would dictate her life and rob
her of her freedom.

In June 2009, the court ruled against el-Gowhary on the grounds that
Sharia prohibits apostasy and conversions would pose a threat to the
 ¢â‚¬Å“public order ¢â‚¬ . Religious leaders issued a fatwa calling for the
death of el-Gowhary. When el-Gowhary and his daughter subsequently
tried to leave Egypt, their passports were confiscated. Subsequently,
in April 2010, Dina was attacked with acid.. Fortunately she was with
her father who rescued her so that she was able to survive unharmed.

In early July, Maher el-Gowhary told ZDF German TV:  ¢â‚¬Å“We live in
constant fear ever since radical sheikhs have called for my death
because I left Islam. Our future is ruined. We are discriminated
against; I do not believe that we will ever receive justice. ¢â‚¬  On 5
July 2010, Maher el-Gowhary was ambushed by militants who stabbed him
several times in the neck. Despite being seriously
wounded, el-Gowhary is too afraid of the authorities to go to
hospital. It is unsurprising that el-Gowhary is afraid of the
authorities, for Egyptian police are infamous for their corruption
and brutality.

Last year, Nagla Al-Imam an Egyptian attorney publicly announced that
she had converted to Christianity. Her husband, family and friends
abandoned her, she lost her attorney ¢â‚¬â„¢s license and the State Security
put her under house arrest. In early July 2010, security officials
detained and bashed Nagla Al-Imam. She responded by posting a video
of herself (bruised and battered) on the internet with her two young
children singing a Christian lament. Nagla and her children totally
 ¢â‚¬Å“disappeared ¢â‚¬  soon after. This is what happens when Islamic
totalitananism meets Christian freedom.

Source: by Elizabeth Kendal, Religious Liberty
Monitoring

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TRAFFICKED: THE
ONLY WAY OUT IS UP

The United States recently added twelve more countries to its human
trafficking watch list. Tens of thousands of women are tricked and
trafficked into prostitution every year in East Asia, but what ¢â‚¬â„¢s
causing the alarming statistics?  ¢â‚¬Å“The huge driving factor of the sex
industry in East Asia is poverty, ¢â‚¬  says Ella Grere, a missionary in
an East Asian country with Pioneers. It ¢â‚¬â„¢s not that women choose
prostitution because they ¢â‚¬â„¢re poor, but it ¢â‚¬â„¢s that they ¢â‚¬â„¢re so poor
they ¢â‚¬â„¢ll flee to anyone offering them a job.

This is a particular problem in places like Burma, where people are
too poor to turn down any job offered them. This is an easy way for
traffickers to trick women into slavery. Grere tells of one girl
named Camille. She married into an abusive home, got divorced, and
moved back in with her family. However she had no way to care for her
daughter or for herself. So when her cousin offered her a job in the
city cutting hair and waitressing, she spent all of the money she had
left to get there. As soon as she arrived, her cousin took her to a
brothel.

Camille ¢â‚¬â„¢s story is similar to almost all of the women Grere
encounters at the brothels. She and her team minister to the women
through prayer walking, befriending them, and eventually offering
them a way out of the brothel by working for a jewellery business the
missionaries began two years ago, Tamarisk Tree. People outside the
situation may think this would be an easy decision for women trapped
as unwilling slaves, but it ¢â‚¬â„¢s not that easy.  ¢â‚¬Å“We ¢â‚¬â„¢ve had our business
going for two years now, and really only three women have come out of
the brothel to work for us full-time, ¢â‚¬  says Grere.

Grere explains that most of these women have been treated so poorly
that don ¢â‚¬â„¢t believe they deserve a better life. They might leave for a
pay increase, but Tamarisk Tree purposely offers slightly lower pay
than the women get in the brothels. Grere says this is intentional,
in order to  ¢â‚¬Å“not make it an economic decision for the women, but [to]
allow them to choose a new life and a change. ¢â‚¬  Other similar
ministries say this is the best way to ensure that women won ¢â‚¬â„¢t return
to the brothels but will really begin a new life.

Still, few women are ready for serious change. Even once trust is
gained in the missionaries, these women are still often too
emotionally defeated to leave their situation. Grere says that the
reality is,  ¢â‚¬Å“They can never leave the brothel behind unless they can
grasp the hand of Jesus. ¢â‚¬  This is difficult for women who have been
ill-treated and told they are worthless.  ¢â‚¬Å“The thing I hear most often
when I share the Gospel is,  ¢â‚¬ËœI could never face God: I ¢â‚¬â„¢m too dirty
and worthless, ¢â‚¬â„¢ ¢â‚¬  notes Grere.

Prayer is greatly needed for these longsuffering missionaries and
their ministry. Grere says women tell her everyday that they ¢â‚¬â„¢ll leave
the brothel  ¢â‚¬Å“tomorrow ¢â‚¬  but never do. Pray for these missionaries to
have patience and to be filled with love for these women and for the
Gospel. Pray also for the countless women throughout East Asia who
have been tricked into a life they never would have chosen. Only God
can truly free these victims from their despair. Pray  ¢â‚¬Å“that they
would actually have enough faith that when God calls their name, they
can listen and believe that He could truly love them. ¢â‚¬ 

Source: Intercessors
Network

———————————————–

27th JULY 2010 WAS
THE 57th ANNIVERSARY OF THE KOREAN WAR ARMISTICE

Multiple human rights groups, including Amnesty International and
Human Rights Watch, accuse North Korea of having one of the worst
human rights records of any nation. They refer to North Koreans as
“some of the world’s most brutalized people” with severe restrictions
placed on their political and economic freedoms. North Korean
defectors testify to the existence of prison and detention camps with
an estimated 150,000 inmates (about 0.85% of the population), with
reports of torture, starvation, rape, murder, forced labour, and
forced abortions.

Convicted political prisoners and their families are sent to these
camps, where they are prohibited from marrying, required to grow
their own food, and cut off from external communication. All
religious activity is seen as a revolt against North Korea’s
socialist principles and the cult of Kim Jong-il and his father. A
considerable number of secret Christians have been discovered,
arrested, tortured, and sometimes killed. Despite this many take the
risk of sharing their faith and the church is growing: there are an
estimated 400,000 believers.

“There is no other country in the world where Christians are being
persecuted in such a horrible and systematic manner,” says Carl
Moeller, President/CEO of Open Doors USA. One expert on North Korea
stated: “Christians are the target of fierce government action, and
once caught, are not regarded as human. Last year we had evidence
that some [of those captured] were used as guinea pigs to test
chemical and biological weapons.” Please pray for the Christians of
North Korea.

Pray for:

* boldness and protection for those seeking to share the good news.

* God to strengthen the 50-70,000 Christians detained in labour
camps. Many are desperately short of food. Pray that help will reach
those who need it most.

* the salvation of Kim Jung Il and his leadership team. Pray for safe
travel for those fleeing the country.

Source: Global Day of Prayer

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PROTESTANT CHURCH
IN EAST TIMOR CONCERNED OVER PROPOSED ASYLUM PLAN

The Moderator of the Protestant Church in Timor-Leste (IPTL), the
Rev. Moises A. da Silva, has expressed concern over the proposal by
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard to establish a regional
processing centre for refugees in the country, saying that he cannot
understand why refugees attempting to reach Australia must be sent to
a country that is already so poor. As the Australian Government
negotiates its plan with the Government of Timor-Leste, UnitingWorld
asks that Australia takes into consideration the social and economic
situation in the country.

UnitingWorld National Director, the Rev. Dr Kerry Enright, said that
the proposed processing centre raises questions that need addressing,
including the effect it will have on local communities in East Timor.
“Any proposal put forward by Australia needs to embody a genuine
partnership that allows both sides to participate equally in decision
making. This is vital to avoid damaging relations with one of our
closest neighbours. “As it stands, questions remain as to how a
centre will be genuinely reciprocal, who will manage it, how it will
be funded, and how it will impact communities that are poor.

“Timor-Leste is one of the poorest countries in the world; half the
population live on less than US $1 a day. “The country is also
continuing to establish itself after decades of conflict. “We want to
ensure that the voice of our Church Partner, the IPTL, is taken into
consideration as the proposal is developed. UnitingWorld works in
partnership with the IPTL and their development arm, Fundasaun Sosial
Naroman (FUSONA) on a range of community development programs aimed
at improving food security and access to basic health care in
communities living in poverty.

Source:
UnitingWorld

———————————————–

CHRISTIAN GROUP
HELPS BRAZILIAN INDIAN TRIBES OVERCOME INFANTICIDE

Amale is six years old and is like many other children his age, but
he stands out from the rest for a much more troubling reason. After
being born, November 21, 2003 at 7 am, he was buried alive by his
mother, Kanui. She was carrying out a ritual prescribed by the
cultural norms of the Kamaiuras, which require that children of unwed
mothers be buried alive. To seal the fate of Amale his grandparents
walked on top of the mound. Nobody heard even a cry from the child.
Two hours after the ceremony, in a gesture of defiance, his aunt
Kamiru set out to disinter the baby.

She found his eyes and nose bleeding profusely and he only started
crying eight hours later. Older Indians believe that Amale escaped
death because that day the earth of the pit was mixed with numerous
leaves and sticks, which could have created a small air bubble. The
dramatic story of this little boy is the visible face of a cruel
reality, one repeated in many tribes spread throughout
Brazil. “Before digging up Amale, I had already heard the cries of
three buried children,” says Kamiru. “I tried to dig them all up, but
Amale was the only one who didn’t cry and escaped with his life,” she
says.

The National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) hides many cases like this
one, but investigators have discovered infanticide in at least 13
ethnic groups. In addition to the children of single mothers,
handicapped and mentally retarded children, twins, and those born
with simple birth marks, can also be sacrificed. The Indians
themselves are beginning to rebel against the barbarity, and are
often helped by protestant missionaries and supported by Catholics.
“It’s absurd to close one’s eyes to genocide against children, under
any pretext,” says Edson Suzuki one such missionary.

Source: Intercessors
Network

———————————————–

GOD IS OPENING
DOORS LIKE NEVER BEFORE IN HAITI

Six months after the earthquake rocked the impoverished nation last
January, most of the rubble and piles of destroyed buildings still
remain, but there have been unprecedented changes in the spiritual
atmosphere. Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) report that a door has
remarkably opened up for the Gospel to be shared and received among
those who had previously opposed it. MAF president John Boyd notes
that as his ministry reaches out with that “cup of cold water,” the
prospects of communicating the Good News of Jesus are “phenomenal.”

Boyd went on “The Lord has opened a door of opportunity spiritually,
where tens of thousands of voodooists in Haiti are asking huge
questions about their own beliefs. The opportunity for the Gospel to
be preached and taught is unprecedented in Haiti.” Boyd warns however
that conditions and needs in Haiti are still at an “emergency” level,
and the ministry is straining to continue bringing aid and relief, in
addition to the Gospel message, to the people of Haiti.

Source: Mission Network
News

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