Persecution and Prayer Alert, Voice of the Martyrs

Update: Eritrean church leader in urgent need of medical care

By Guest Column (Bio and Archives)  Thursday, March 22, 2012 | Print friendly | Subscribe | Email Us

(Source: International Christian Concern)

An imprisoned church leader in Eritrea is in desperate need of medical attention as he is diabetic and his health is rapidly deteriorating without treatment. Patriarch Antonios, head of the Eritrean Orthodox Church, was detained for asking the government to stop interfering with the church and to release members of his church who have been held in prison for their faith (for more information on his arrest, click here). “It is a miracle that he remains alive without medical care,” said an Eritrean Orthodox priest in the United States.

Since 2002, the government has jailed, tortured and killed numerous Eritreans for political and religious reasons, and tortured and killed many of them extra-judicially. Today, it is estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 Christians are in Eritrean prisons. Believers face deplorable conditions, including torture. Many are held in metal shipping containers with no ventilation or toilet facilities.

Please pray that the Lord will continue to protect Patriarch Antonios’ health, astounding those who imprison him and causing authorities to recognize the one true God. Pray that imprisoned Eritrean Christians will exemplify the love of God through consistent love and prayer for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:43-48).

For more information on the persecution of Christians in Eritrea, go to the Eritrea Country Report. Visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall to post a prayer of support for Antonios during this latest trial.

Suicide bombers attack Nigerian church

(Sources: Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Compass Direct News)

A suicide bomber has killed eight people, including two boys and an expectant mother, after detonating an explosive device just outside a church in Nigeria. The car bomb that was detonated outside the gate of St. Finbarr’s Catholic Church on March 11 could be heard up to two kilometres away, shattering the glass in buildings within a 200-metre radius. It is believed the attacks are the work of Boko Haram, an Islamic extremist group that seeks to impose a strict version of Shariah (Islamic law) in Nigeria.

The bombing has led to outbreaks of more violence, and some state health and police sources have reported unconfirmed “reprisal” attacks against Muslims. Witnesses have also reported additional deaths of Christians at the hands of military personnel. Some sources said soldiers killed four Christians when they were confronted about how the car containing the bomb had made it past security.

This is the second such bombing in the Christian community of Jos in Plateau State in recent weeks. An earlier bombing at a church in late February killed several people (for more information, click here).

Please pray that those mourning the loss of loved ones will find comfort in Christ. Pray for a peace that surpasses all understanding for those living amidst the ensuing violence. Pray that God will give Nigerian Christians the patience to entrust true justice into the hands of God (Romans 12:17-21).

For more on the persecuted Church in Nigeria, go to the Nigeria Country Report.

Pakistani woman charged with blasphemy after refusing Islam

(Source: Compass Direct News)

A young mother who angered relatives when she refused to deny her Christian faith has been falsely accused of blaspheming Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.

Shamim Bibi, the 26-year-old mother of a five-month-old baby girl, was arrested by police in Khichiwala, Bahawalnagar district, in Punjab Province on February 28 after neighbours accused her of uttering remarks against Muhammad—an offence punishable by life imprisonment or death under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. Shamim’s brother and brother-in-law say she was wrongly accused because she had resisted pressure from her husband’s sister as well as her nephew and niece to convert to Islam just four days before her arrest.

A local leader claimed that Shamim’s neighbours told him and other Muslims that they had heard the Christian woman making derogatory remarks about Muhammad in her courtyard. Shamim’s brother-in-law says after gathering information from an accuser and the neighbourhood, he found that neither accuser was even present at the time of the alleged remark. The Superintendent of Police Investigation also acknowledged that one of the two witnesses had admitted to not being present at the alleged “crime” scene.

Please pray that the accusers will recant any untruth and that Shamim will be freed. Please pray that her infant daughter and her husband, Bashir Masih, will remain safe and will soon be reunited with Shamim. Pray that Shamim will keep her eyes on Jesus, persevere in her faith, and not grow weary or lose heart (Hebrews 10:32-39; Hebrews 12:1-3).

For more on the persecution of Pakistani Christians, go to the Pakistan Country Report.

Deadline looms for South Sudanese Christians to evacuate Sudan

(Source: ENInews, VOM-USA, Sudan Tribune)

South Sudanese Christians have just a couple of weeks to leave the north or risk mistreatment by the Islamic-majority Sudanese government. Former citizens, known by the Sudanese government as “southerners,” were stripped of nationality after South Sudan’s January 2011 vote to secede (for more on the secession, click here). They now have until April 8 to leave or establish alien residency, though no residency terms have yet been established. The ultimatum will impact between 500,000 and 700,000 people who are mainly Christians of southern origin that still live in the north.

Sudan amended its laws after the South’s independence to say that Sudanese people automatically lose citizenship when they acquire by right or by other means the citizenship of South Sudan. Sudanese people in the north with any parents, grandparents or great grandparents born in South Sudan or belong to any southern ethnic group are considered South Sudan nationals. Some church leaders fear increased persecution of Christians in the north or even forced repatriation for those who may want to stay.

Please pray that Christians in Sudan will be guided by the Lord during this difficult time. Pray that the government will cease in its strategy to persecute Christians remaining in the north. Pray that, in all things, Christians in Sudan and South Sudan will remain steadfast in their faith (1 Peter 5:8-10).

For more information on persecution in Sudan, visit the Sudan Country Report.

 

Items of notes and interest from the web.