Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 101 | Wed 23 Mar 2011

By Elizabeth Kendal

MARCH 2011 UPDATE — During March we prayed for . . .

EGYPT, after the Egyptian Army fired live ammunition against the
community of St Bishoy Monastery in Wadi al-Natroun before using tanks
and bulldozers to destroy the monastery’s security wall — all that
protected the monastery from Arab raiders and jihadists.

* UPDATE (1): ARMY AS MUTAWEEN (Islamic religious police). Amnesty
International reports that after the military cleared Tahrir Square on
9 March, officers of the Egyptian Army took at least 18 women into
military detention where male soldiers were permitted to photograph
them being beaten, stripped and electrocuted. Whilst torture and
degradation in Egyptian prisons is not new, what happened next is. In
what is nothing short of sexual assault, the women were also forcibly
examined to see if they were virgins. Those who failed the ‘virginity
tests’ were threatened with prostitution charges. Further to this,
Middle East analyst Barry Rubin reports (28 March) that a text message
circulating widely in Egypt is demanding all women, Christians
included, adopt proper Islamic dress. Will the Army defend the rights
of women or the dictators of Islam?

* UPDATE (2): RECONCILIATION EGYPTIAN STYLE. On 20 March in the village
of Qana, Upper Egypt, Muslim fundamentalists torched an apartment
belonging to Coptic Christian teacher Ayman Anwar Mitri (45) because
they claimed he had leased it to ‘prostitutes’. When Mr Mitri arrived
at the scene he was taken away and attacked by a gang of 12 Islamic
fundamentalists. Claiming they were applying Sharia Law, they beat him
and sliced off his right ear. They also cut into his neck, other ear,
face and arm while shouting religious slogans and threatening to kill
him. When they had finished torturing him, they called the police who
took Mr Mitri away and coerced him into accepting ‘reconciliation’.
(Sharia Law does not permit Christians to testify against Muslims. This
is the most dangerous element of ‘dhimmitude’ or ‘state of
subjugation’.) When threatened with the kidnap of his daughters, Mr
Mitri agreed to drop the charges. The ‘reconciliation’ was conducted in
the presence of Colonel Ahmed Masood, vice military ruler of Qena.

ETHIOPIA, where a massive Islamic pogrom in Muslim-majority Jimma Zone in
Oromiya regional state had at least 59 churches, a Bible school and an
office razed, with more than 4000 Christians displaced.

* UPDATE: According to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the pogrom
was incited by preachers from the Islamist Kawarja sect and other
‘extremists’. Some Christian victims reported that those who torched
their homes and tried to kill them had been their neighbours and
friends. One victim heard Islamic leaders shouting that any Muslim who
did not join in the pogrom was not a true Muslim. Kawarja, which seeks
the establishment of an Islamic state, has reportedly been preaching
intolerance and hatred in the area for several years. Some 100
attackers have been arrested. Still, relations have soured and tensions
remain high.

SOUTH SUDAN, where Khartoum-backed militias and heavily armed soldiers of
the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) have invaded, razed, fortified and
occupied several villages in the northern Abyei region, forcing some
45,000 Southerners (Ngok Dinka) to flee south for refuge.

* UPDATE: The regime in Khartoum appears to be incrementally invading and
occupying the resource-rich, contested border region of Abyei. Recent
satellite images show that at least three more villages have been
occupied by the SAF, and that massive troop deployments and air-power
has been brought in. Clearly any Southern resistance to the SAF advance
will trigger a huge conflagration. Further to this, South Sudan faces
an implosion along tribal lines. Five Southern rebel/opposition forces
have now allied under the leadership of General George Athor to fight
against the main Southern force, the Dinka-dominated SPLA.

NIGERIA, where pre-election violence is mounting. Tensions are soaring,
especially on the ethnic-religious fault-line, and most notably in
flashpoint Jos where the political stakes are particularly high. The
Nigerian elections are: 2 April — National Assembly (parliament); 9
April — Presidential election; 16 April — State Assemblies and
governorships. Please pray for Nigeria.

MARCH 2011 ROUND-UP — also this month . . .

* IVORY COAST: CIVIL WAR ERUPTING

(For background see RLPB 085, ‘Ivory Coast: on the brink of war’, 8 Dec
2010 http://www.ea.org.au/ea-family/Religious-Liberty/Religious-Liberty–
Prayer-Bulletin—RLPB-085—Wed-08-Dec-2010.aspx )

As noted in RLPB 085, Ivory Coast (IC) is so profoundly divided that it
was never going to be unified by such high-stake elections. After dealing
with gross irregularities emanating primarily from the unmonitored north,
IC’s Constitutional Council declared Gbagbo the winner. Despite this, the
‘International Community’ remains firm in its support for Ouattara.

The high stakes in IC relate not only to race (‘Ivorite’ v immigrant) and
religion (Christian v Muslim), but also to Ivorian independence v French
neo- colonialism. Ouattara is essentially France’s man in Ivory Coast.
Through him, France will maintain its exploitative, colonialist hegemony
over Ivorian amenities, including the banks. On the other hand, Gbagbo is
fighting to end French colonialism, especially French control of Ivorian
funds. (The colonial pact brokered in the 1960s mandates that 65 percent
of the foreign currency reserves of former French colonies in Africa go
into the French Treasury, while a further 20 percent of reserves go to
cover ‘financial liabilities’. Did you ever wonder why Francophone Africa
was so poor?) This is one reason why US-educated, former IMF official
Alassane Ouattara — a Muslim who plays the race-religion card for
political gain, who triggered a civil war with a failed coup in 2002, who
is backed internationally by Islamic states and organisations — is so
favoured by the West. It is all about ‘interests’. But as rebel forces
advance on Abidjan, IC’s non-Muslims know they stand to lose more than
just their prosperity. IC’s traditional religious liberty and security
will be a thing of the past if Islam takes control of IC.

* LEBANON: CHURCH BOMBED IN THE BEKAA VALLEY

Early on Sunday 27 March a 2kg bomb ripped through the front of the Church
of Our Lady in Zahle industrial zone in the Bekaa Valley. Several homes
and cars in the vicinity were also damaged and one man suffered shrapnel
injuries. This bomb, remotely detonated in the church entrance, was
intended to send a threat. Despite this, Father Georges Bahy assured
journalists that the Christian community would ‘fix the church and
continue as normal’. The bombing came only days after seven Estonian
cyclists were kidnapped in Zahle. Former President and current Phalange
party leader, Amin Gemayel, is concerned that the Zahle church bombing may
herald a wave of persecution.

* PAKISTAN: KILLINGS CONTINUE

(1) ASSASSINATED! On 2 March Pakistan’s first Christian cabinet minister,
Shahbaz Bhatti, the Minister for Minorities, was assassinated on his way
to a cabinet meeting. Militants from Tanseem Al Qaeda and Tehrik-e-Taliban
Punjab drove into Islamabad’s secure diplomatic area, gunned down the MP
and drove away, leaving many suspecting that members of the security
forces were complicit. Bhatti, a Catholic and long-time religious liberty
advocate, was killed for his courageous public stance against the
blasphemy law and as a protest against the government’s appointment of a
‘disbeliever’ to the cabinet.

(2) MURDERED? Qamar David, another Christian victim of the blasphemy law,
died in Karachi Central Jail on 15 March. Whilst authorities maintain he
died of natural causes, his family and supporters are convinced he was
murdered. Charged in June 2006, David was sentenced to life in prison in
February 2010. He had faced endless threats on his life since his arrest.

(3) SHOT! On 21 March in Hyderabad a group of Muslims were harassing
Christian women entering the church, so four Christian men came out to
request respect. The Muslims left but returned with guns and four
Christians were shot. Younis Masih (47, married father of four) and Jameel
Masih (22, married a month ago) died instantly. The Christians had to
protest for hours, blocking the main road with the two dead bodies, just
to force the police to file their report.

(4) THREATENED! Death threats have been made against Joseph Francis, the
director of the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) in
Pakistan. These death threats started after Mr Francis spoke publically
about the misuse of the blasphemy law. Despite the dangers, Mr Francis is
refusing to back down. He simply requests prayers for himself and the
entire staff of CLASS.

~~~~

But I say to you, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes the
sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on
the unjust. ‘ (Matthew 5:44,45 ESV)

This verse is quoted fully appreciating that this is doubtless one of the
most difficult things Christ requires of us. Lord help us!

—————–

We usually provide a summary to use in news-sheets unable to
run the whole of an RLPB. As a summary is not practicable with
this monthly update posting we suggest one or more of the above
items be used instead.

—————–

For more information, updates and helpful links see Elizabeth Kendal’s
blog ‘Religious Liberty Monitoring’ <http://elizabethkendal.blogspot.com>.

This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious
Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international
religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC team.
Previous bulletins may be viewed at <http://www.ea.org.au/ea–
family/Religious-Liberty/Prayer-Postings.aspx>.

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