Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 159 | Wed 16 May 2012

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ACEH, INDONESIA: NEW GOVERNOR ADVANCES ISLAMISATION
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by Elizabeth Kendal

Acehnese went to the polls on 9 April to elect a new governor. The
incumbent, Irwandi Yusuf, running as an independent, had been favoured to
win. However, in the end the people chose to put their loyalty behind the
Aceh Party’s candidate Zaini Abdullah (72). Founded in 2008, the Aceh
Party (Partai Aceh, PA) has dominated the parliament since 2009. PA is the
political party of the now defunct separatist guerrilla Free Aceh Movement
(Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, GAM). Both Irwandi and Zaini have their origins in
GAM. But in 2006, after GAM put Irwandi forward as its candidate for
governor, GAM strongman Malik Mahmud overruled and put his own man
forward, splitting the movement and forcing Irwandi to run (and win) as an
independent. The political rivalry continues. All through 2011, the PA
tried but failed to have Irwandi banned from the contest. Furthermore, the
increasingly autocratic and militant PA has been blamed for the deadly
political violence that has struck Irwandi’s team and supporters.
Moreover, the PA played the populist ‘religion card’, vowing to advance a
more ‘pure’ form of Quranic Sharia (Islamic law).

On 17 April governor-elect Zaini Abdullah pledged to ‘strengthen peace
across Aceh’ and ‘eradicate corruption’. Claiming that ‘moderate Islam’ is
what is ‘in line with the Koran and Prophet Muhammad’s hadiths’ (i.e. is
fundamentalist!), he pledged to raise awareness of right and wrong by
means of Islamic education, so that Islam in Aceh ‘can return to where it
was during the Sultan Iskandar Muda era’. (Iskandar Muda was a cruel 17th
Century Islamic autocrat who shed much blood in making Aceh strong,
expansive and Islamic.)

Aceh is around 98 percent Muslim and one percent Christian (mostly
Protestant). At the southern-most tip of Aceh, Singkil district has the
highest proportion of Christians of any district or city in Aceh, with
Christians making up about one-sixth of the 120,000 population. Despite
this, the administration has ruled that Singkil is only permitted to have
one church and four ‘undung-undungs’ (small prayer rooms without exterior
crosses).

On 30 April hundreds of Islamic hard-liners from the Islamic Defenders
Front (FPI) and the Aceh Singkil Muslim Forum held a rally in Singkil
demanding the undung-undungs be closed. The administration subsequently
shut down 17 Christian places of worship in four sub-districts of Singkil
on the grounds that they were built without permits.

A spokesman for the group ‘Pro-Democracy People’, Agusta Mukhtar,
denounced the administration for acquiescing to hard-liners and failing to
promote religious tolerance. ‘The religious peace here has been
shattered,’ he said, ‘by this anarchistic action that seeks religious
domination for an inflexible faith. This is a dark time in the history of
religious freedom and tolerance in Aceh.’ Everything indicates life is
about to get even more difficult for Aceh’s minority Christian community.

To see this RLPB with hyperlinks go to
http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com.au
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL –

* fill Acehnese Christians with full assurance of his presence, finding
their security, wisdom and strength in him in these darkening days.

* embolden Aceh’s many secular, moderate and folk Muslims, awakening them
to the fact that Quranic Islam brings cruel repression and culture
change (Arabisation), not the utopia the Islamists promise.

* work all things for good, so that repression will be replaced with
beauty and liberty; may Aceh know revival, for ‘ . . . where the Spirit
of the Lord is, there is freedom’ (2 Corinthians 3:17 ESV).

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SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE

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NEW GOVERNOR IN ACEH, INDONESIA, ADVANCES ISLAMISATION

Aceh, on the north-west tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, is around
98 percent Muslim and one percent Christian (mostly Protestant). Acehnese
went to the polls on 9 April to elect a new governor. The winner, Zaini
Abdullah (72) of the dominant and increasingly autocratic and militant
Aceh Party, ran on a platform that included a vow to advance a more ‘pure’
form of Quranic Sharia (Islamic law). On 30 April hundreds of Islamists
protested in Aceh’s southern-most district of Singkil, which has the
highest proportion of Christians of any district in Aceh. The Islamists
demanded the closure of Singkil’s supposedly ‘illegal’ churches and prayer
houses. The administration quickly acquiesced and 17 places of Christian
worship across Singkil have since been closed. Please pray for Aceh’s
minority Christian community.

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We suggest that churches and fellowships using the above Summary might
also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their
worship by people who are leading in prayer.

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

Previous RLPBs may be viewed at http://rlprayerbulletin.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.

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AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

WORLD PRAYER ASSEMBLY BEGINS IN INDONESIA
OPENING OF MOROCCO ALGERIAN BORDER AN ANSWER TO PRAYER
NORTH KOREA UPDATE
PRAYING FOR EGYPT – THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD
NORTH SUDAN TERRORIZING CHRISTIANS
SOME AFGHAN PARLIAMENT MEMBERS EMBRACE CHRISTIANITY AS HOUSE CHURCHES GROW TREMENDOUSLY
MUSLIMS FIND JESUS AT HIGH COST
WORLD PRAYER ASSEMBLY BEGINS IN INDONESIA

As you read this some 6,000 delegates, including several dozen from Australia, are attending the opening sessions of the World Prayer Assembly (WPA) which is being held this week in Indonesia. Prior to the commencement of the Assembly Dr. Bambang Widjaya, the Indonesian WPA chairman in Jakarta, spoke of the awesome things the Lord has done in and through the Indonesian church as it prepared for the World Prayer Assembly. In the weeks leading up to this week more than 2,000 people have attended nightly prayer gatherings to undergird the preparations of the Assembly. This Thursday May 17 there will be 363 cities in Indonesia which will hold city-wide prayer rallies simultaneously, linked through satellite broadcasting, using outdoor and indoor stadiums as well as public halls.

At least 5 million believers in Indonesia on that day will pray together for a new wave of global revival. Daniel Pandji, the Indonesian WPA General Secretary said that an estimated 100,000 people will gather in the National Stadium in Jakarta on May 17 as part of the nationwide prayer. There have been many other prayer gatherings and prayer chains going across the nation to prepare for the WPA. The prayer awakening that was already going in the nation is becoming a veritable tsunami in the Spirit, rising more and more as the weeks have gone by. As 6000 gather from every region of the world and from the islands of Indonesia, May 14-18, in Jakarta, you can imagine the explosive mixture this can produce!

The first International Prayer Assembly that occurred in Seoul, Korea in 1984 was called “an atomic bomb blast in the Spirit” as over 300,000 Koreans prayed and fasted along with the 3000 international leaders that were present. Much of what has happened in the global prayer movement since can be traced to that original gathering. J. Edwin Orr, the great historian who documented the connection between the great revivals and the thrusting forth of new mission endeavours, said that “When God gets ready to do something new with His people, He always sets them a-praying”. Please imagine in faith what the Lord could be up to through the WPA.
Let’s pray if forth with expectation, welcoming a new era of spiritual revival and mission impact for the nations of our world! For those not able to come to Jakarta, some gifted media folks are working on trying to stream the plenary sessions of the WPA. Please see the WPAwebsite at http://www.wpa2012.org/ for any updates on this. As of this writing, all of the May 17 stadium event that is connected to 362 cities of Indonesia and around the world through God TV will also be available on the God TV websitehttp://www.god.tv/ so please watch for it. Here are some causes for thanksgiving to God and continuing key issues in prayer we hope you can focus on with us during the WPA:

Please pray:
* for the 6000 delegates registered to take part! Please pray also for the many speakers, facilitators and worship teams that they will be anointed as they play their part in the WPA.

* for the May 17 national stadium event which will link the 100,000 participants live to 363 cities within Indonesia with an estimated audience of 5 million as well as many millions of others throughout the world through satellite TV and Internet streaming. Please pray for an anointed, powerful program, for excellent collaboration with Christian and secular media outlets, and that all the technical aspects will work flawlessly.

* for excellent security, both spiritual and physical, to surround the venues, hotels and ground transport. The evil one wants to hinder such a global prayer tsunami from happening, of course, and we must not underestimate his resolve to disrupt it. Finally, pray that the WPA will be mightily and wonderfully used of God to fulfil His purposes and to be avehicle for world revival and breakthrough in mission.

Source: World Prayer Assembly organising team

OPENING OF MOROCCO ALGERIAN BORDER AN ANSWER TO PRAYER

After many calls to re-open the border, sources in Algiers say that Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has taken the decision to reopen the closed border with Morocco which has been closed for 15 years. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah undertook mediation with President Bouteflika as he was recovering from surgery recently in Morocco. Another source familiar with the issue of reopening the Moroccan-Algerian border said it was also influenced by internal calculations in Algeria. Most Algerian tourists went to Tunisia to spend their holidays, and as long as Tunisia is now in a transitional phase after the overthrow of the dictator Ben Ali, the only other alternative tourist destination is Morocco due to its geographical proximity.

A tourism executive in Morocco said that Morocco could host an additional 1.5 to 2 million tourists from Algeria annually, and this could be a shot in the arm for tourism, and also revive a number of projects in the east of the country, which were damaged by the earlier decision to close the border. On the other hand, observers do not exclude the importance of the recent visit by U.S. envoy to North Africa and the Middle East William Burns to the region that addressed the relationship between Morocco and Algeria, and the need for normalization between the two neighbours to confront the major challenges faced by both systems of governance from the outbreak of demonstrations calling for reform, led by young people in this region.

Editors comment: Praise God for he answers the prayers of His saints! After a six ¢â‚¬ year prayer campaign across the five nations of North Africa to ¢â‚¬Ëœunlock the ancient doors and re ¢â‚¬ build the highway of righteousness from Gibraltar to Jerusalem ¢â‚¬â„¢ we stand upon the threshold of a new dawn for North Africa. It ¢â‚¬â„¢s time!The season has undoubtedly changed with  ¢â‚¬Ëœstrongmen ¢â‚¬â„¢ dictators ousted after generations in power. It has exposed divisions amongst the peoples in who should lead them and Islam appears to be a big winner. Transition is a vulnerable time where we need to maintain our watch and be alert in prayer. Can a nation be born in a day? Call forth God ¢â‚¬â„¢s plan in this hour for the salvation of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. Let not His purposes be aborted!

In 2007 the Lord led an Australian prayer team to Morocco where they prayed for the border with Algeria to be opened. The word to them was, ‘you will pray on the other side (Algeria) in the season of its opening’. In 2008 they were directed to go to Egypt, then the next year Tunisia, then Libya and finally this year 2012, Algeria. At the same border crossing six years later but on the other side, they cried out for an open border. Over the past six years a literal multi ¢â‚¬ lane highway has been constructed across North Africa. Coincidence? For those who have eyes to see, ears to hear and who understand the times and seasons of God, join us in prayer for this region. Give Him no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62:7).

Look out for our full report on the strategic prayer journey to Algeria due soon. Consider joining us in 2013 as we complete our campaign in Jerusalem.

Source: Morocco Board News

NORTH KOREA UPDATE

The unveiling of a new statue, the first public speech of Kim Jong-Un and a disastrous rocket launch were the ‘highlights’ of the celebrations for the 100th birth anniversary of Kim Il-Sung in North Korea last month. Only hours after the failed launch, the government revealed a giant statue of Kim Jong-Il. Thousands of citizens in the capital paid homage by offering flowers at the statue, which stands next to an updated image of Kim Il-Sungon Pyongyang’s Mansu Hill. And in one of the more surprising parts of the celebrations, Kim Jong-Un made his maiden public speech – something his grandfather used to do regularly. The young leader told his subjects, “As a socialist nation we must firstly, secondly and thirdly in all possible means reinforce our People’s army. ¢â‚¬ 

This policy reinforcement means that North Koreans have to take care of their 1.2 million soldiers first. It also means most resources will be used for the development of weapons, missiles and likely the nuclear program. In effect the pressure on the society to carry the burden will continue to be high, especially because it is the military-first policy that makes the international community isolate the country. In fact, the effects of the policy were already all apparent – as part of festivities, citizens had been promised bags of items including rice, fish, fruit, soap, toothpaste and Soju (a popular alcohol made of rice); since factories and governmentofficials were not provided with any money to buy them, it is doubtful that many people received their promised presents.

The North Korean propaganda has tried to make it look like their efforts are all about the people and their ‘saviour’, Kim Il-Sung. The regime went to great efforts to showcase the alleged economic recovery and military strength. But the attempts failed. The humiliation of the rocket launch is probably reason enough for the government to save face by conducting another nuclear test soon. An estimated 200,000 to 400,000 Christians are living out their faith in secret in North Korea. Despite the threat of death if they are caught in possession of the Bible, Christianity continues as the largest underground religion in Kim Jong-Un’s hermit kingdom. “Your prayers make us feel less alone, ¢â‚¬  one Christian wrote in a letter smuggled out of the country. Please continue to pray for them.

PLEASE PRAY:
* for North Korean believers, both those worshipping in secret and in prison. Pray they will feel God’s presence and know people around the world are praying for them.

* for Kim Jong-Un and the leaders of North Korea – that they will come to know and accept Jesus Christ as the one true Lord and Saviour.

* for the safety of believers and the ongoing expansion of the church in North Korea.

Source: Open Doors

PRAYING FOR EGYPT – THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD

After stating repeatedly that the Muslim Brotherhood would not back a candidate in Egypt’s first presidential election since Hosni Mubarak was forced from office, the group reversed itself. The Brotherhood has nominated Khairat al-Shater. This former political prisoner now serves as one of the Muslim Brotherhood’s three deputy leaders. Al-Shater is a millionaire businessman who in recent months has “developed the Brotherhood’s economic policy and met the International Monetary Fund team.” He has also represented the organization in “meetings with ambassadors, visiting foreign officials and international investors.” The Muslim Brotherhood is now saying that the victories by Islamists in the parliamentary elections indicate that the people of Egypt want an Islamic state.

Observers believe Shater has a very good chance of winning the election.”The nomination of Khairat al-Shater is a smart choice,” writes Mustafaal-Zahran, an expert on Islamist political movements, “because he has mass popularity among the grassroots membership and a long history of struggle.” Egypt’s first presidential election since Hosni Mubarak was forced out of office is scheduled for May 23 and 24, 2012.

PRAY FOR:

* the Lord to raise up leaders of His choosing in Egypt. Pray for men and women of integrity and humility to be elected to office. Pray for the Lord to give Christians the Joseph/Daniel anointing to serve the government of Egypt. Pray for the Lord to give them wisdom and discernment. Pray for the salvation of Khairat al-Shater and others in the Muslim Brotherhood. Ask the Lord to open their blind minds so they can see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ.

* the Lord to reveal the wicked plans and purposes of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamic groups seeking to seize control in Egypt. Pray for their schemes to be defeated.

* Muslims in Egypt to hear the Gospel and put their faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. Pray for the Lord to encourage and strengthen Christians in Egypt. Ask Him to remind them of His promises, and give them the courage and steadfastness to face opposition and persecution. Pray for the Kingdom of God to come to Egypt in great power, with signs, wonders,miracles, dreams, and visions and for a supernatural move of God among these precious people whom God dearly loves!

Source: Windows International Network

NORTH SUDAN TERRORIZING CHRISTIANS

The violence being carried out by the Bashir regime in South Kordofan is now being described as more than just ethnic cleansing. Christians are being specifically targeted by government and militia forces. The United Nations estimates that more than 400,000 people have been displaced. Approximately185,000 have fled to South Sudan and Ethiopia. Those who have remained live in constant fear of bombs being dropped on them and roving bands of militiamen who go house to house, looking for Christians. They cannot farm and, as a result, the UN says at least 300,000 people are now in danger of starvation. The Islamic north sees Nuba Christians as infidels who need to be Islamized through Jihad. We the church have a spiritual obligation to stand with our brothers and sisters who are suffering.

PLEASE PRAY FOR:

* God to comfort and encourage Christians in the Nuba Mountains. Pray for them to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Pray for the Lord to command His angels concerning the Christians in this region to guard them in all their ways.

* the salvation of North Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Ask the Lord to take Bashir’s heart in His hand and turn it away from murder and greed. Pray for Christian humanitarian agencies to be allowed into the Nuba Mountains to provide clean water, food, and medicine to those who have been displaced and who are facing starvation. Pray that Muslims in North Sudan will see the atrocities being carried out in the name of Islam and begin to question their faith. Pray for them to hear the Gospel and put their faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.

* Christians in South Sudan to join together to pray for their Brothers and Sisters in South Kordofan. Pray for the Church to grow strong and have an impact beyond its national borders. Pray for the kingdom of God to come to North and South Sudan as it is in heaven.

Source: Windows International Network

SOME AFGHAN PARLIAMENT MEMBERS EMBRACE CHRISTIANITY AS HOUSE CHURCHES GROW TREMENDOUSLY

Afghanistan, a country long suffering from civil wars, has not experienced peace for many years. Ongoing bombings by fundamentalist Muslims have stolen peace from the lives of Afghanis. However the country has recently seen signs of change. Informed Afghan sources acknowledge that Christianity has obtained a special place not only among youth, but also among various layers in society. In addition, house churches are growing tremendously.” An independent Shi’ite website in Iran has quoted a knowledgeable Afghan official as saying, “There is evidence of widespread Christian propaganda in Afghanistan, and the existence of more than ten churches that operate secretly in residential houses have been proven.”

Negative media reports have been published about American soldiers and organizations providing humanitarian aid in Afghanistan. The aim of the reports has been to persuade Afghan rulers and politicians that the objective of the aid is really to spread the Christian Gospel. At the same time human rights advocacy groups are concerned that reducing the power of the U.S. in Afghanistan will result in the growth of religious based violations and Islamic persecution of religious minorities, especially Christians. Farsi News Service has published a unconfirmed report that some members of the Afghani Parliament have converted to Christianity. This clearly indicates that a reform is taking place in Afghanis’ zealous and traditional beliefs.”

Source: Mohabat News

MUSLIMS FIND JESUS AT HIGH COST

Thousands of Muslim people across the world are having encounters with Jesus Christ through dreams, visions and personal visitations. Many Muslims have converted to Christ through receiving a supernatural revelation of Him. When two sisters saw a note on a telegraph pole advertising a ‘Christian meeting and healings’, they went along and witnessed the blind seeing and the lame walking. Discovering that such miracles were authenticated in the Bible, they asked their family what the Koran said about them. But they were threatened with sulphuric acid instead, and managed to escape to a ‘safe-house’ run by Christians. One of the women told of a subsequent encounter with Jesus himself.

Another family experienced the miraculous deliverance of their daughter from demon possession when they turned to Jesus (Isa in the Koran). When they opened the Bible, their house was bathed in light even though the shutters were down to keep out the bright sun. God is revealing himself to Muslims in miraculous ways. In one country hundreds of mullahs have turned to Christ. The government is really afraid of the youth there because so many have turned to Jesus.” But new believers face terrible persecution. In one North African country some 2,000 Christians were locked up in metal containers where they virtually cooked by day and froze by night. Many die under such persecution rather than renounce their faith.”

Source: Intercessors Network

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