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TURMOIL IN THE
MIDDLE EAST AS EGYPT THE NEXT NATION TO EXPLODE

The list of tumultuous events in the Middle East continues: an
uprising in Tunisia which ousted their President; the Jordanian prime
minister sacked by King Abdullah; unprecedented protests in Egypt
leaving scores dead and countless wounded; as well as echoing unrest
in Yemen, Algeria, Lebanon and northern Sudan. The crises in Egypt
and Tunisia reveal a real turning point in the Middle East:  ¢â‚¬Å“Most
Egyptians and Tunisians took to the streets to put an end to poverty,
corruption and oppression.
In Egypt massive protests against President  Mubarak’s authoritarian
regime have been gathering momentum.   With the recent attempts to
overthrow President Hosni Mubarak ¢â‚¬â„¢s regime, what might have been
cause for hope is now also ample cause for concern. Anti-government
protests have snowballed into rioting, vandalism, looting, and more
than 8,000 prisoners escaping from jail.  Prison guards  supporting the
protests have released members of the Muslim Brotherhood, causing
observers to question whether the upheaval could usher in a radical
Islamist regime.
Promising that he will step down from his nearly 30-year rule later
this year, Mubarak ¢â‚¬â„¢s assurances are failing to appease the crowds who
demand his immediate resignation.  One of the leaders in the
Opposition Movement, Mohamed ElBaradei is urging Mubarak to hand over
leadership to a transitional government.  ElBaradei  is the former
United Nations atomic agency chief, and an  apologist for Iran and the
Muslim Brotherhood. He is anti-Israel saying  in 2009 that  ¢â‚¬Å“Israel is
the number one threat to the Middle East. ¢â‚¬ 
Unfortunately, there is not a genuine, sincere and widely
recognized  popular leader of the Reform movement in Egypt right now,
someone who passionately believes in advancing free markets, free
elections and the protection of human rights and the rule of law.
There is no one visible in Egypt at the moment who can convincingly
take Mubarak ¢â‚¬â„¢s place, build on the country ¢â‚¬â„¢s recent pro-Western
heritage, maintain peaceful ties with Israel and robustly oppose the
mullahs in Iran and their bloodthirsty quest for an Islamic
Revolution and the Islamic Bomb.
Lost among the news is the fact that 15 to 20% of the Egyptian
population is Christian.  They are on the streets as well, demanding
greater freedom to practice their faith. They are fully aware that in
a free election, a government controlled by the terrorist-supporting
Muslim Brotherhood could take power. Patrick Sookhdeo of Barnabas Aid
said “We must  pray that as Egyptian citizens seek freedom from an
autocratic leader, they will not fall into the hands of a strict
Islamic regime that will only further oppress them.”
Please pray:
*  that stability will soon be restored in Egypt and that the outcome
of the current crisis will bring greater fairness, freedom and peace
for every Egyptian citizen.  Pray that corruption, lawlessness,
manipulation and the desire to control will be exposed and removed
from the Egyptian government.
*  that Egyptian Christians will know the Lord’s protection, presence,
peace and provision during this tumultuous time. Pray that the Lord
would use this time of instability and restlessness  to lead Muslims
into relationship with Jesus Christ.
*  that the Gospel will be advanced throughout the Middle East.  Pray
for  the salvation of governmental leaders. Pray for the Lord to bring
forth a great harvest of souls in Egypt  and  for the Kingdom of God to
come to this nation in great glory and power.
Source: Compiled by APN from various
sources
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ISLAMIC COUNTRIES
DOMINATE 2011 WORLD WATCH LIST OF PERSECUTING
COUNTRIES
Despite Communist North Korea topping the annual Open Doors World
Watch List (WWL) for the ninth consecutive year, the most dangerous
countries in which to practice Christianity are overwhelmingly
Islamic. Of the top 10 countries on the 2011 WWL, eight have Islamic
majorities. Persecution has increased in seven of them. They are
Iran, which clamps down on a growing house church movement;
Afghanistan, where thousands of believers cluster deep underground;
and Saudi Arabia, which still refuses to allow any Saudi person to
convert to Christianity.
Others are lawless Somalia, ruled by bloodthirsty terrorists
threatening to kill Christian aid workers who feed Somalia ¢â‚¬â„¢s
starving, impoverished people; tiny Maldives, which mistakenly boasts
it is 100 percent Islamic; Yemen with its determination to expel all
Christian workers; and Iraq, which saw extremists massacre 58
Christians in a Baghdad cathedral on Oct. 31. Of the top 30
countries, only seven have a source other than Islamic extremists as
the main persecutors of Christians.
The top 10 in order are North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia,
Somalia, Maldives, Yemen, Iraq, Uzbekistan and Laos, which has a
Communist government. Iraq is new to the top 10 list while Mauritania
dropped out, going from No. 8 to No. 13. The annual World Watch List
is compiled by the research department of Open Doors International.
It tracks the shifting conditions under which Christians live in 77
societies and then ranks the top 50 where it is hardest to practice
the Christian faith.
The country that saw the greatest deterioration of Christian
religious freedom in the 12 month reporting period  to October 31,
2010, was Iraq, jumping from No. 17 to No. 8. The country has seen a
Christian exodus in recent years, with an estimated drop of more than
50 percent in the Christian population since the 2003 toppling of
Saddam Hussein. At least 90 Christians were martyred last year in
Iraq while hundreds more were injured in bomb and gun attacks.
Pray  for the dwindling Christian population in Iraq who are facing
 ¢â‚¬Ëœreligicide ¢â‚¬â„¢ from Muslim extremists.
The country with the largest Christian community on the WWL ¢â‚¬â„¢s top 15
is Pakistan with more than 5 million believers. Pakistan  leapt from
No. 14 to No. 11 on the current list. While persecution continues to
increase in Muslim-dominated countries, there is no question that
North Korea deserves its No. 1 ranking.  There is no freedom to build
churches or to worship in homes. Possession of Christian materials is
punishable by death. It is estimated that between 50,000 and 70,000
Christians suffer in prison camps.
Source: Open Doors
USA
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HAITI ONE YEAR
AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE
Media coverage since the  2010 earthquake has focused on government
inaction, the slow pace of recovery, and the seeming inability of
Haiti to recover.  ¢â‚¬Å“One year after the earthquake, the situation in
Haiti remains extremely grave. Overall reconstruction of the country
has been much slower than anyone would have liked, ¢â‚¬  said Aaron Tate,
Church World Service ¢â‚¬â„¢s Haiti earthquake response coordinator.
 ¢â‚¬Å“Haitians are frustrated, and I ¢â‚¬â„¢m frustrated. ¢â‚¬  Others in Haiti also
acknowledge problems in the last year.
“It ¢â‚¬â„¢s easy to blame the government, the humanitarian organizations  or
even the Haitian people for the problems of the last year. ¢â‚¬  Tate
said. “It is more useful however to work on  ¢â‚¬Å“things that can multiply
and build a new kind of Haiti. In the communities, we see people
trying to move on with their lives. ¢â‚¬  Tate added that while criticism
of rebuilding efforts is understandable, thousands of Haitians are
alive today because of the initial and ongoing response of  aid
workers and the agencies they work for. Many people would have died
without such assistance.
Haitians are living lives of quiet dignity, working together toward
the common good.  Co-ops assist in  pooling resources, raise and
harvest crops, and provide agricultural credit to members.  ¢â‚¬Å“It ¢â‚¬â„¢s the
co-op that has helped us since we ¢â‚¬â„¢ve returned from Port-au-Prince, ¢â‚¬ 
said Ophliase Joseph, 55, the mother of seven children  whose home was
destroyed in the earthquake. While Joseph said she misses the family
home in the Haitian capital, life in the  co-op, in Mayombe, has made
her realize that she and the family need to put life in
Port-au-Prince behind them she said.
The  food co-ops are also meeting the challenge of providing food for
their members and their families.  ¢â‚¬Å“It means life to us, ¢â‚¬  said Elvius
St. Fulis a member of the  ¢â‚¬Å“Hand in Hand ¢â‚¬  co-op. Efforts continue
to  expand the 13 food cooperatives, which have more than 3,000
members.  There is ongoing support for  vulnerable Haitian children in
Port-au-Prince, including restavek children (domestic servants),
former gang members and teenage mothers and there is continued
support for 1,200 persons with disabilities and their families in
metropolitan Port-au-Prince.
Source: Church World
Service
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UNITED STATES
CHURCHES CALL FOR GUN CONTROL
Less than 8 months after the National Council of Churches called for
action to end gun violence, a US Congresswoman has been critically
injured by a 9 mm bullet passing through her brain, while in the same
incident six people were killed and  14 others wounded.  In commenting
on the  attack upon Rep. Gabrielle Giffords  the Rev. Dr. Michael
Kinnamon, NCC general secretary said “Death and suffering from guns
— legally and illegally attained — is virtually a daily occurrence
in the cities and villages of this country,” Kinnamon said.

“The  tragedy in Tucson is just the latest reason why we should
re-examine how guns are so easily attained by unbalanced people like
the accused assailant. Police said the weapon used by the shooter was
a 9mm Glock, a semi-automatic pistol that fires multiple rounds in
rapid succession. The tragedy in Tucson was compounded by the use of
the weapon, which enabled the assailant to fire as many as 31 rounds
without reloading or cocking the weapon. Witnesses said a second
31-round magazine of bullets jammed before additional shots could be
fired.
The organization Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence, has  called
for action to “decrease the firepower available to civilians by
prohibiting high capacity ammunition magazines of more than 10
rounds.” Kinnamon also expressed concern that the nature of political
debate in the U.S. “has become increasingly vitriolic with overtones
of threats of violence. Kinnamon said. “But in the current climate
the use of words like “targeting” add nothing to political discourse
and can be dangerous provocations.”
The National Council of Churches, in a statement issued by the NCC
Governing Board, calls upon local, state and federal officials “to
enact reforms that limit access to assault weapons and handguns. The
resolution also calls upon the NCC’s member communions to
“prayerfully, financially, and otherwise support the NCC staff in
coordinating ecumenical efforts for gun violence reduction, including
preparing educational materials about the magnitude of gun violence,
developing avenues for dialogue among gun owners and gun control
advocates within our congregations.”
Source: Intercessors for
America
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PRAYER ALERT FOR
TUNISIA
Protests that forced President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to flee the
nation are now being considered  ¢â‚¬Å“revolutionary. ¢â‚¬  A month of student
demonstrations has forced the president of Tunisia to flee the
country. After promising to address the need for more jobs (the
underlying cause of the protests) and trying to blame the street
violence on terrorists, President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was forced
to take refuge in Saudi Arabia. Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi
assumed power and announced the formation of a transitional
government.
He pledged “that it would free all political prisoners, ensure
freedom of expression, allow new political parties to beformed, and
welcome international monitors at upcoming elections. ¢â‚¬  The size and
intensity of the uprising has shocked the Arab world.  Just before the
president fled, the demonstration in the capital of Tunis was  ¢â‚¬Å“the
largest public gathering in a generation. ¢â‚¬  It was described as  ¢â‚¬Å“the
Arab equivalent of the Solidarity movement in Poland ¢â‚¬  with observers
predicting that the unrest would sweep through other parts of the
Arab world as well.
PRAY FOR:
* the Lord to raise up leaders in the new government who will guide
the nation with integrity. Pray for an end to corruption and the
abuse of power. Pray that this time of instability would be an
opportunity for the Gospel to be preached in Tunisia. Pray for the
Lord to soften hearts and open minds to the Word of God.
* Christians in Tunisia to be bold in sharing their faith. Ask the
Lord to provide them with opportunities to preach and demonstrate
God’s love.  Pray for their protection and encouragement. Pray for the
tearing down of the strongholds of Islam in Tunisia. Pray for the
eyes of the spiritually blind to be opened to see the Light of
Christ.
*   a great harvest of souls in Tunisia. Pray for the Kingdom of God
to come to this nation with power, signs, wonders, miracles, dreams
and visions.
Source: Windows International
Network
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ZAMBIAN CHURCH
LEADERS WRESTLE OVER CHINESE INVESTMENT
Church leaders in Zambia are concerned that investment from China may
harm their nation. China now controls the country’s textile industry
and is also investing in the mining industry. While initially
welcomed, many people in Zambia now feel they have swapped one
colonial power for another, according to the United Church of Zambia
general secretary Rev Chrispin Mbalazi. Mbalazi said the closure of
factories and the replacement of Zambian workers with Chinese has
sparked growing discord within the country. “The ordinary Zambian is
yet to see the benefits.” he said.

Source: Christian World Mission
News

http://www.ausprayernet.org.au/