AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER
Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 173 | Wed 22 Aug 2012
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PAKISTAN: INTOLERANCE GROWS; CHILD ACCUSED OF BLASPHEMY
(plus IRAN: Nadarkhani update)
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by Elizabeth Kendal
Pakistan celebrated its 65th birthday on 14 August. Founded by Muhammad
Ali Jinnah, a member of the Shia religious minority, Pakistan was
initially established on a foundation of secularism and equal rights for
all. Today, however, after decades of Saudi-sponsored Islamisation,
Pakistan is the exact opposite of what it was founded to be. Abductions of
Christian and Hindu girls are on the rise. According to the parents, these
young girls are being forcibly converted to Islam and married off to
Muslim men. According to the Islamists, none of the conversions has been
forced. The rise in incidence has triggered debate in the media and a
Hindu exodus from Sindh Province, prompting President Zardari to call for
a law banning forced conversions. Sunni jihadist violence against the Shia
minority has also increased. On 16 August a bus en route to Gilit was
stopped by men in military uniforms just 100km north of Islamabad. The
‘officers’ then dragged at least 20 Shi’ites from the bus and executed
them. It was the third such attack on that road in six months. As a
minority throughout the South Asian sub-continent, Christians are the most
vulnerable of all.
In June 2009 a Christian woman Asia Bibi (41, married mother of five) was
abused before being accused of blasphemy and arrested. In November 2010 a
court sentenced her to death by hanging. Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer
and Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti (a Christian religious freedom
activist) were both assassinated in early 2011 for opposing the blasphemy
law and publicly supporting Asia Bibi.
On Thursday 16 August 2012 Rimsha (11), daughter of Misrak Masih, a
resident of the Meherabadi Christian slum colony on the outskirts of
Islamabad, was arrested on charges of blasphemy. Initially, police had
been reluctant to act on the complaint because the accused is merely a
child. However, hundreds of enraged local Muslims surrounded the police
station, blocked the Kashmir Highway for hours and threatened to take
matters into their own hands. Police took Rimsha, her mother and her
sister into ‘protective custody’ after they had been severely beaten by
the mob. Not only is Rimsha a juvenile, she is illiterate and mentally
impaired. Her mental impairment has left her unable to go to school or mix
with other children. Consequently Rimsha spends her days wandering through
the slum. Reportedly, locals complained that Rimsha had been ‘moving
suspiciously’ in the district, carrying a ‘shopping bag’. Actually she had
been collecting papers from garbage bins to use as fuel in the family’s
stove. When suspicious Muslims entered Rimsha’s home, they allegedly found
her holding burnt pages which had Islamic text and Qur’anic verses printed
on them. (They were pages from the Noorani Qaida, a Qur’an reading
education program.) At that point, Syed Muhammad Umma was sent to register
a complaint against the child.
On Friday 17 August the court ruled that Rimsha be remanded in custody for
14 days, pending further investigation. Understandably, Rimsha is confused
and traumatised. Death threats from fundamentalist Muslims have driven
over 300 members of the neighbourhood’s Christian community to flee for
their lives. (Some reports put the figure as high as 1000.) The All
Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) is providing assistance to the
displaced Christians. Paul Bhatti, the National Harmony Minister, APMA
Chairman and brother of the martyred activist Shahbaz Bhatti, has appealed
to Islamic clerics and police to bring the situation under control as
there has been widespread looting.
Leading political figures such as President Asif Ali Zardari and
opposition politician Imran Khan have spoken out against the ‘shameful’
and ‘un-Islamic . . . abuse’ of the blasphemy law. Whether they are
courageous enough to take on the Islamists who have martyred previous anti-
blasphemy advocates is another matter. However, this is not just about
law. The problem is profound, deeply ingrained, ideological, religious
hatred. Rimsha and her family – like Asia and her family – will need
asylum in the West if they are to survive this.
PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT THE LORD WILL –
* be a very real and present source of strength, comfort and protection
to young Christian girls who have been abducted, forcibly converted to
Islam and married off to Muslim men; may they not lose faith or hope;
and may the LORD rescue and restore them for his name’s sake. ‘For the
Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.’
(Isaiah 30:18b ESV)
* intervene for Asia Bibi and her family and for Rishma and her family,
so these gravely imperilled believers might be free to live in
security.
* redeem all this appalling suffering, and use it to shame and awaken
Pakistani Muslims to the ugliness that has engulfed them, softening
their hearts to the Good News so that they and even their whole
communities can be radically transformed. (Isaiah 2:2-4)
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SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE
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INTOLERANCE GROWS IN PAKISTAN
Decades of Saudi-sponsored Islamisation have turned Pakistan ugly.
Violence against religious minorities is constantly on the rise. There has
been an increase in the number of young Hindu and Christian girls being
abducted, forcibly converted and married off to Muslim men, whilst the
blasphemy law continues to be wielded as a weapon of persecution. On
Thursday 16 August an illiterate, mentally impaired 11-year-old girl,
Rimsha, burnt papers collected from local bins as fuel in the family
stove. She was arrested because the papers reportedly bore Qur’anic
verses. Rimsha, her mother and sister have been taken from their home in a
Christian colony on the outskirts of Islamabad into ‘protective custody’,
pending investigation. Pakistan is simmering with religious hatred. Please
pray for Pakistan’s besieged and imperilled Christians.
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IRAN: URGENT UPDATE ON PASTOR NADARKHANI
Reportedly, Christian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani (34, married with two
sons), who was sentenced to death for apostasy in 2010, will be re-tried
on 27 August (although some reports say 8 September). This time the
charges are ‘banditry and extortion’. The regime is possibly seeking to
convince Nadarkhani’s supporters that he is a criminal unworthy of their
support. Alternatively, by launching a new trial with unprovable
accusations, the regime may be seeking to ‘wash its hands’ publicly of
Nadarkhani and release him to the Islamists and secret police while
declaring itself ‘innocent of this man’s blood’. This has happened before
in Iran. No matter what happens, Youcef Nadarkhani and his family will be
greatly in need of our prayers. Please pray for Iran’s Christian
prisoners.
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ONE VICTIM’S STORY OF AN AMAZING MIRACLE INSIDE THE AURORA SHOOTING
Twenty-two-year-old Petra Anderson was shot and critically injured at The Dark Knight Rises premiere in Aurora recently. Her pastor, Brad Strait, was at the hospital where Petra underwent delicate surgery to remove the shotgun pellet lodged in her brain. Following is his recall of the happenings that night. “One of the victims of the Aurora Theatre shooting was a 22-year-old woman from my church, Petra Anderson. Petra went to the movies with two young friends. What happened next was a bloody, unbelievable chaos. This is some of Petra’s miracle story.” Strait says “Her injuries were severe, and her condition was critical. A bullet had entered Petra’s face through her nose, and then travelled up through her brain until stopping at the back of her skull.
Prior to surgery the Doctors were concerned, because so much of the brain had been traversed by the bullet. They were hoping to keep her alive long enough to get her into surgery. The prognosis was uncertain – if she lived, Petra might struggle with speech, movement, and thinking due to considerable brain damage. With Kim, Petra’s mother, we simply cried, hugged, and prayed.” Petra was finally taken into surgery, using two different surgical teams. “One team was to open up the back of her skull to remove the bullet and clean up brain damage, the other was to work through Petra’s nose to follow the bullet’s path up into her brain. Their hope was to remove bone fragments and clean up damaged brain tissue” Strait said.
After waiting over five hours the doctors finally reported to us. ‘It went well, and she’s recovering now. We found very little damage to the brain, and got the bullet out cleanly. It went better than we hoped for. We just need to wait and see if she makes it for the next 48 hours.’ “Tears and ‘thank you’s abound. We sit. We pray. ‘We’ll understand better tomorrow.’ The next day Petra was moved back to ICU. “She looks surprisingly wonderful,” wrote Strait. “With a small hole in her nose, and her arm wrapped, she almost looks uninjured. She is medicated and sleeping. I sit, talk, and pray quietly with her mother Kim amid the darkened room. Nurses come in, march attentively through the machines, and go out.
Finally, one of the surgeons comes in to check on Petra. As she sleeps, he retells the story of the surgery, and we ask questions. He fills us in on the miracle. He doesn’t call it that, he just uses words like ‘happily’ and ‘wonderfully’ and ‘in a very fortunate way’ and ‘we were really surprised by that.’ But Kim and I know a miracle when we see it.” It seems as if the bullet travelled through Petra’s brain without hitting any significant brain areas. “The doctor explains that Petra’s brain has had from birth a small ‘defect’ in it. It is a tiny channel of fluid running through her skull, like a tiny vein through marble, winding from front to rear. Only a CAT scan would catch it, and Petra would have never noticed it.
“But in Petra’s case,” said Strait, “the shotgun buck shot enters her brain from the exact point of this defect. Like a marble through a small tube, the defect channels the bullet from Petra’s nose through her brain. It turns slightly several times, and comes to rest at the rear of her brain. And in the process, the bullet misses all the vital areas of the brain. A millimetre in any direction and the channel is missed. The brain is destroyed. Evil wins.” The doctor seems taken aback, said Strait. “If it were my daughter’ he says quietly, ‘I’d be ecstatic.’ He smiles. I can’t keep my smile back, or the tears of joy. In Christianity we call it prevenient grace: God working ahead of time for a particular event in the future.
It’s just like the God I follow to plan the route of a bullet through a brain long before Batman ever rises. Twenty-two years before.” Strait said. While the doctors were talking, Petra awakes. “She opens her eyes, and sits up. He talks to her, and she talks back. He asks questions, and Petra has the right answers. Amazed he smiles and leaves the set shaking his head. “Petra is groggy and beat up, but she is herself. Petra lays down, goes back to sleep — a living miracle who doesn’t even know it yet. “Thank you, Jesus,” Strait whispers. Strait said there is much ahead. ” The ending is yet to be written for this family.” On a final note, Strait wrote that he was told Petra will take her first steps the next day. “Time for the miracle to go for a walk,” he said.
Source: ASSIST News Service
CHILD EXPLOITATION OUT OF CONTROL IN BRAZIL
Countries that host the Olympic Games typically look forward to the tourists and money the events bring. But there’s also a dark side to that influx of visitors–the sexual exploitation of children by sports fans. Brazil, which is hosting the 2014 Soccer World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, is already making plans to ward off this potential disaster. In Brazil, a growing number of tourists are visiting the region to take advantage of its world-renowned beaches, colonial architecture, and rich history. Tragically, some also come to take advantage of Brazil’s children. “It’s very easy to buy a girl. It’s like buying a chocolate,” youth counsellor Carlos da Bomba,said. Da Bomba described child sex trafficking there as “out of control.”
Taxi drivers, hotel workers, drug dealers, and others work together to form an underground network, connecting children with adults who sexually exploit them. One young boy named explained “They come in the car. They ask how much it is. I tell them, and they say if they want me and if they want me, they take me.” He then uses the $25-50 he earns per trick to buy clothes and food for himself and his mother. He said he started several years ago at age 14. His life of pain was clear. “I don’t like it,” he said. “I hate it. I just do it because I need it.” Brazil may soon overtake Thailand as the No. 1 country for trafficked children. The United Nations estimates that more than a quarter of a million are sexually exploited in Brazil.
The most vulnerable are the children from poor communities who often wake up with no breakfast and few options. “It’s a way for them to have an income, to receive money easily” Pastor Jose Marcos da Silva said. “We’re trying to find a way to avoid this exploitation” Edivaldo Tauares, with the Defence of the Rights of Children, said. He’s done research on trafficking around the world. Most who work with youth believe more tourism means more child exploitation. In response, public officials and non-profits are teaming up to raise awareness and try to prevent a potential region-wide disaster. “The social workers are very concerned so they are working on prevention now with educational materials and workshops to educate the children.”
So far, the government has done little to go after the exploiters themselves. The U.S. State Department trafficking report on Brazil noted, “Despite continued prevention efforts on child sex tourism, there were no reported prosecutions or convictions of child sex tourists.” Many also recognize that a long-term strategy is needed to wipe out a tragedy that’s deeply embedded in the culture. Poor children here typically grow up in small, crowded homes where they see sexuality that should be private. They also often face abuse themselves. Drug dealers also take advantage of children addicted to crack. The drug dealer says, ‘If you want drugs, you need money.’ ‘But I have no money’ says the child, and he says, ‘I know away for you to get the money.’
It is common for desperately poor parents to encourage their children to sell themselves because they need the money. In the case of “Sofia,” a 15-year-old, her parents simply looked the other way. “I used to be like this but not anymore,” she said. Sofia said she stopped because she wanted a better life. That’s an insight many in Brazil hope children will adopt as they consider their futures. In preparation for the games a special curriculum known as “Claves” is being used to educate young people on sexual abuse and exploitation. Respect for the body, family relationships, and good decision-making are emphasized. The material is adapted for different age groups and is designed to strengthen children so they can avoid the situation when it happens.
Source: Charisma News
DUBAI: A SPIRITUAL OASIS
Religious persecution is often a way of life for Christians living in the Middle East. But in one Muslim country, Christians are experiencing unusual favour from government authorities. Dubai is one of seven states that make up the United Arab Emirates. It boasts legendary hotels, breathtaking landscape and glittering shopping malls. Rich in oil and natural gas, this island nation has grown into a bustling economic hub. It’s also home to the largest Evangelical church in all the Middle East. Dr.V.Dilkumaris is the pastor of King’s Revival International Church in Dubai. In 1991, Dilkumar, an engineer by trade, moved to Dubai from his native home in Sri Lanka. Like so many other expatriates, he came here searching for riches. But he says God had other plans for him.
He started a small house church with 7 people. More than 20 years later, King’s has some 7,000 members and 24 pastors. “Never did I ever expect such things,” Dilkumar explained. “I rejoice for what I am today because of Jesus.” Thousands come to worship Jesus in a multitude of languages seven days a week. On a typical Friday (the Islamic Sunday) services begin at 7.00am. Hundreds of people from seven different countries gather throughout the day for their turn at church. “We have 14 services a week,” Dilkumar beamed. “Four services are in English and the rest in other languages.” The majority of people who attend Kings Revival are expatriates. Seventy-six percent of the population in the UAE is Muslim and Islam is the official religion of the land.
But the government has gone to great lengths to allow non-Muslim religions to flourish. There are 31 churches operating across the country on land given to them by the government.” We are grateful to God, and to the leadership of this country and I would say there is an unprecedented level of tolerance,” Dilkumar said. There are some restrictions. Sharing the Gospel with Muslims is illegal. Printing the Bible or other evangelistic material is forbidden. And those who convert away from Islam face harsh penalties. So most of the church’s outreach is to the non-Muslim population. Still, Dilkumar doesn’t see these restrictions as barriers to sharing the love of God. Many have found at King’s Revival a home away from home.
“Before, I felt like I was far from home but immediately when I come to church, I feel, really this is home,” said Lucy Wambui, a Kenyan citizen.”Having a church like this in a Muslim country is amazing,” added Ian Richardson from India. Pastor Dilkumar says the other amazing thing that is happening is the miracles and healings that take place at the church.”That’s one of the main reasons the church has grown so fast, in fact practically in every service we see people healed instantly,” Dilkumar said. Kings Revival publishes a monthly magazine documenting some of these healings. The church also does extensive charity work and monthly supports 170 pastors who are serving throughout the Middle East and Asia.
Source: CBN News
BILLY GRAHAM’S “JUDGEMENT” LETTER SPARKS RESPONSE
Billy Graham has issued a letter calling America and its “deceived people” to repentance warning that the nation is in danger of God’s judgment. Other prominent faith leaders have echoed his call. “This may be our last chance to call the nation to pray,” says Anne Gimenez, national chairperson of America for Jesus which expects hundreds of thousands of people to gather at Independence Mall in Philadelphia September 28-29 to intercede for the United States. In his letter, “My Heart Aches for America,” Graham recalled how his late wife, Ruth, once expressed concerns about the nation’s “terrible downward spiral” exclaiming, “If God doesn’t punish America, He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Graham wondered what Ruth would think of the country today where “self-centred indulgence, pride and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle. The wonderful news is that our Lord is a God of mercy, and He responds to repentance. In Jonah’s Day, Nineveh was wealthy, unconcerned and self-centred. When Jonah travelled to Nineveh and proclaimed God’s warning, people heard and repented. I believe the same thing can happen in our nation” Graham said. Graham’s letter comes as a growing number of respected Christian leaders have issued similar warnings, noting that the nation is in a downward spiral of economic decline, immorality, corruption, growing secular humanism and attacks on religious liberty.
Jack Hayford, the founding pastor of The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California says Graham’s letter comes as the nation is in a “very grim hour as we approach the election this year. “I don’t feel despairing. I do feel the urgency. We are at a point that desperate action is needed and Billy’s voice, certainly as no other, can give rise to that” said Hayford. Rabbi Jonathan Cahn says Graham’s letter is a “prophetic word”. He said America is rapidly departing from God and is in danger of judgment unless it turns back to God in humble and genuine repentance. The fact that Graham released the letter “should get our attention” says Cahn, the senior rabbi at the nation’s largest messianic congregation.
“I believe this is a very, very critical time for America and for God’s people in America, and I believe it has ramifications for world history,”said Cahn. “The way that America goes is going to affect the world, and the way God’s people in America go will affect America. “So we are in danger and the same progression of judgment that occurred in the last days of ancient Israel is now occurring in America. The call is ultimately for salvation for those who don’t know the Lord and for repentance and revival for those who do. I see Graham’s letter as another very stark sign that we are at a critical point.”
Source: Charisma News
CALL TO PRAYER FOR THE U.S.A. AT THIS CRUCIAL TIME
Dave Butts Chairman of the U.S. National Prayer Committee, has expressed his concern at this decisive time in American History: “If the Church does not respond in prayer, we won’t recognize our nation. The only hope is for God to step in. The 2012 United States elections will be held on Tuesday, November 6. We believe there is a narrow window of time for us to get on the Lord’s wavelength and pray out God-inspired, history-shaping prayers between now and the upcoming election. This election has been called the most important one in our lifetimes by Christians and secularists alike. Many who walk with the Lord feel that the long-term fate of the U.S.A. is very much at stake in the coming months.
Butts said “the battle we are in is ultimately not Republicans vs. Democrats but against the forces of spiritual darkness that want to subvert, dominate and ultimately destroy the nation spiritually, morally, economically and politically. The way this national election goes will also have major ramifications for the rest of our world.” He invited Christians around the world to join in praying for America at this time. Special prayer resources are available athttp://www.ifapray.org/ for the use of those willing to pray for the U.S. In addition, the National Prayer Committee has developed a 40-day initiative for united prayer from September 28 through to election day, November 6. More information and an election prayer guide are at www.40daysofprayer.net/
Please pray:
* that a new movement of spiritual and moral revival will catch fire in the capital Washington, D.C., and throughout the nation as we Christians identify with our people in repentance for national sins. Pray also for the raising up of a new generation of spiritual leaders in all walks of life to become a courageous force for deliverance and real transformation in this society.
* that wicked and corrupt leaders at every level of government, national, State and local, be removed from power and replaced by God-honouring, good and honest people. That these newly elected leaders will be used of the Lord to bring restoration by imparting a new vision based on our constitution and Judeo-Christian values in order to lead us into a new and blessed future as a nation.
* that we as the Body of Christ will use the authority He has given us for the effective binding and overthrow of principalities and powers of darkness that have come into the nation through our turning our backs on the Lord. We have not remembered or reverenced Him for who He is and for all the good He has done for the U.S.A. in the past. There is now much deception and division in our cultural and political life as well as increasing moves towards more and more government control with the potential for losing freedoms we have taken for granted as citizens.
Source: International Prayer Council
TEARS OF AN IMPRISONED MOTHER
Editor’s Note: Asia Bibi is a Pakistani Christian woman who was convicted of blasphemy against Islam by a Pakistani court, receiving a sentence of death by hanging. The verdict, which needs to be upheld by a superior court prior to being actioned, has received worldwide attention. Please continue to keep Asia in your prayers. It is not easy to be in prison isolation. It is not easy for her to not be able to see her children grow. It is difficult to grow in God’s Word without the Bible to read daily. Pray that God gives her wisdom and spiritual strength through her prayers to Him.
When Asia Bibi saw her son and his new bride she wept. Last month a Door of Hope International (DOHI) ministry partner and his team visited Asia in her cell along with her husband Ashiq and her son and his young wife. “I really missed all of you” she said, “I especially missed my son’s wedding. I cried bitterly when I thought about the big celebration in the house and that I was not there. It was a sad day for me to not be at my son’s wedding.” She broke down and cried uncontrollably. To not be able to take part in the arrangements, the wedding ceremony and all the joyous celebrations of a child’s wedding is hard on any mother. To be in prison during that time is deep heartache. All her family also missed Asia on that day.
Though she was sad she said she prayed for the newly married couple as well as for her family. Her faith remains strong. She says she prays daily and continues to believe that one day she will be free. “I am okay and there is no trouble in the jail” she told the team. There was no room to ask her any private questions. Two police women and one male police officer were in the cell with the team and Asia’s family the whole time. Mixed with her tears of sorrow were tears of joy to see her son and his new young wife. She has not seen her daughters for some time as they fear visiting their mother after receiving death threats from Muslims of her village. She bid her family and her visitors goodbye, happy that they had come to visit.
Source: Doors of Hope International
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