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Persecution and Prayer Alert, Voice of the Martyrs

Ugandan convert to Christianity flees country



(Source: Compass Direct News) A convert to Christianity who was formerly a member of a Muslim extremist group has fled Uganda and is in hiding in Kenya. Hassan Sharif Lubenga, 54, was was a sheikh and a member of a violent Islamist group. In June 2011, after dreams and visions in which Jesus appeared to him, Hassan made a full commitment to follow Christ. Extremists have been threatening Hassan since 2007, when he first began to speak of dreams and visions of Christ. Dangers peaked when Muslims saw him visiting a church. By April 2010, one of his four wives poisoned him because of his budding faith in Christ, leaving him unconscious. Due to increasing hostility, Hassan fled to Kenya in July 2011. Upon returning to Uganda in September, he learned that extremists and his former colleagues were threatening to kill him.
When Hassan felt like giving up on his new faith, he received a call from Bishop Umar Mulinde, his former pastor who was later attacked by Muslim militants (for more on Umar's attack, click here). Umar told him the church was praying for him, and Hassan was deeply heartened. Hassan has since fled again to Kenya, where his movements are severely restricted. Ask the Lord to continue to strengthen Hassan -- may God use his testimony to encourage the faith of other Christians in Uganda and Kenya. Pray that Hassan's conviction will also cause many of his former friends and contacts to question their Islamic faith. Ask the Lord to provide for Hassan's every need. Praise the Lord for the way He touches people through dreams and visions.

Pastor released from prison in Vietnam

(Source: The Voice of the Martyrs) Y Wo Nie, a Vietnamese pastor who was arrested in August 2004, has been released from prison. Y Wo Nie was given a nine-year prison sentence for leading a demonstration demanding more religious freedom and the release of property confiscated by the Vietnamese government. He was released in December 2011. At last report, he had been spending time with his family and was planning to have a medical check-up to assess his health after more than seven years in prison.

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While Y Wo Nie was imprisoned, his wife told VOM partners, "I'm worried for my husband but God gives me His comfort that He is always with us though we have to face sickness or hard situations; He will help me to overcome my hard times." Praise the Lord that this pastor has been released! Pray that God will give Him complete and lasting healing. Pray that, like Paul, Y Wo Nie's time in prison will result in the advancement of God's kingdom (Philippians 1:12-14). Pray that God will strengthen the faith of this pastor's family and friends. For more information on the persecuted Church in Vietnam, visit the Vietnam Country Report. In the February edition of The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter, we invited readers to write a letter of encouragement to Y Wo Nie, as we had not yet heard of his release at the time of publication. Since he is no longer in prison, why not write a letter to a different imprisoned Christian? Go to our "Writing Letters" page for our complete prisoners' list, or you can compile a letter in a prisoner's own language at www.PrisonerAlert.com.

Christian convert sentenced to two years in prison in Iran

(Source: Mohabat News) Leila Mohammadi, a Christian convert from Islam, has been sentenced to two years' imprisonment after enduring five months of uncertainty in Iran's notorious Evin prison. Her trial was held on January 18, where she was charged with "collaboration with foreign-dependent groups, broad anti-Islamic propaganda, deceiving citizens by formation of what is called a house church, insulting sacred figures and action against national security." She was acquitted only of collaboration with foreign-dependent groups because the judge believed she had done that unintentionally. Leila was arrested after a number of security agents raided her home on July 30, 2011, in Kianshahr town, east of Tehran. The agents thoroughly searched her house and also confiscated some of her belongings. Another Christian, Parviz G, was freed after spending three days in the Evin custody centre. Apparently his arrest was related to the Christian activities of his wife, who was linked to the case of Leila. Please pray Leila will be released from prison. Ask the Lord to strengthen, protect and sustain her and all those in Iranian prisons for their faith in Christ. Pray that God will provide opportunities in prison for Leila to clearly share the gospel for which she suffers (Colossians 4:2-3). To learn more about persecution in Iran, go to the Iran Country Report. To post a prayer of solidarity with Leila, please visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall.

Extremists in Somalia arrest man whose sons converted to Christianity

(Source: International Christian Concern) On January 14, Somali Muslim extremists arrested a Muslim man after two of his teenage children converted to Christianity in Kismayo. The two teenage sons of Mo'alim Mohamud Aw-Omar converted to Christianity in late 2011. They fled their home following their conversion. Members of the radical Islamic group, al-Shabaab, accused Aw-Omar of "failing to raise his sons as good Muslims" because "good Muslims cannot convert to Christianity." Aw-Omar, who is still a Muslim, insisted that his sons had memorized the Qur'an, fasted and prayed regularly, and therefore he should not be accused of failing his duties. According to sources on the ground, the Islamists have refused to release Aw-Omar until his two sons return to Kismayo. This is unlikely to happen because the young men will be killed if they return. According to the strict interpretation of the Islamic law that al-Shabaab follows, leaving Islam is a crime punishable by death. Radical Islamists have killed a number of Christian converts in Somalia. This is the first confirmed case of a parent being arrested for the conversion of children. Please pray that Aw-Omar will also put his hope and trust in the Lord. Pray for his release. Pray the Lord will protect and provide for his two sons. Pray that Christians in Somalia will take up their cross, loving Christ more than anything or anyone else, even their families (Matthew 10:37-38). Pray believers will remain steadfast in their faith despite increasing persecution in Somalia. Go to the Somalia Country Report for more on Somalia's suffering Church.

Update: House church leader released from prison in China

(Source: ChinaAid Association) image Shi Enhao, a house church pastor and vice president of the Chinese House Church Alliance, was unexpectedly released from a labour camp on January 20. At last report, the legal basis for his early release was not yet known. Pastor Shi was sentenced to two years of "re-education through labour" in July 2011 for "illegal meetings and illegal organizing of venues for religious meetings" (for more, click here). Following his arrest, police ordered Pastor Shi's house church, which has several thousand members and meets in various locations, to stop gathering. They also confiscated instruments, choir robes, a car, and 140,000 Yuan (approximately $20,900 CAD) in donations from the church. Praise God for Pastor Shi's release from prison! Pray that the Lord will meet every need of this pastor and his family. Pray that believers in Pastor Shi's church will be encouraged to continue to meet together despite opposition (Hebrews 10:23-25). Pray that the gospel will continue to advance in China. Please visit the China Country Report to learn more about China's suffering Christians.


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