Religious Liberty Prayer List - No. 217 - Wed 30 Apr 2003

WELCOME to the 20 intercessors who have joined the list this month.

----------------------------------------

DURING APRIL WE HAVE PRAYED CONCERNING -

THE PHILIPPINES: where the Christian communities of Mindanao, Southern Philippines, continue to suffer as targets and as collateral damage of the Muslim insurgency.

NIGERIA: where national elections heightened ethnic and religious tensions. Most local and international observers expected large-scale riots and bloodshed, particularly on the Christian/Muslim fault-line through central Nigeria.

civilian-run elections in twenty years amazed everyone. The elections were somewhat chaotic with violence only localised and minimal, mostly in the deep south oil-rich Delta region. Olusegun Obasanjo's party, the PDP, won the federal legislative elections and he clearly won the Presidential poll. Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the NAPP, have rejected the results, claiming fraud, rigging and even that Buhari really won but the Independent Nigerian Electoral Commission changed the results. Buhari has threatened there will be no government by 30 May if there is not a re-run.

On Sunday 20 April, the day after the Presidential poll, Mr Obasanjo's daughter Iyobe's car was in the middle of a three car convoy that was ambushed. Assailants attacked her car, killing four and wounding another, including friends visiting her for Easter. Iyabo, however was in the front car. Please pray on for religious and political peace in Nigeria, as well as for President Obasanjo and his family.

* PRAISE AND THANK GOD for the religious peace that held through the Nigerian elections. The day after the voting, Olusegun Obasanjo worshipped at the Owu Baptist Church, Abeokuta, thanking God for the general peacefulness of polls. 'We thank you for journey mercy,' he prayed. 'We cannot do it on our own. We are happy Father that you have done it for us. Father accept out thanks.'

ERITREA: where evangelical Protestants are suffering a violent police crackdown.

On 17 April, 15 members of a renewal group within the Orthodox Church in Kushte, near the capital Asmara, were meeting for Bible study when ten people, four of them reportedly Orthodox priests, burst in and beat them so severely they all had to be hospitalised. The next day, 11 members of the Mesert Christos Church in Asmara were detained by security police while meeting at their church building. The police released them that evening, strictly warning them not to meet again.

IRAQ: where Christians especially need us to pray about a new government and the Iraqi Constitution being drafted. We must pray also for Christians who are war victims, refugees or internally displaced.

emanated from meetings discussing the future of Iraq. Jay Garner (in a meeting about forming a transitional government): 'The reason I'm here is to create an environment in Iraq which will give us a process to start a democratic government which represents all people, all religions, all tribes, all the ethnics, all professions.' Iraqi Opposition groups meeting in Madrid declared, 'All the Iraqi political groups represented here agree to work towards a pluralist federal democracy with a constitution guaranteeing fundamental rights, regardless of religion, sex or gender.' It is a difficult path but we have a great God for whom nothing is impossible.

ANOTHER ISSUE DURING APRIL -

PAKISTAN: BLASPHEMY PRISONER GETS LIFE SENTENCE

On 8 May 1998, Ranjha Masih (then aged 50) was charged with taking part in a 'violent Christian procession', smashing a sign bearing Quranic verses and committing blasphemy during the funeral procession for Bishop John Joseph (who suicided in protest of the blasphemy laws). He denies completely all the charges laid and has been in jail without bail ever since then. On 26 April 2003, Ranjha, who is married with six children and several grandchildren, was sentenced to life in prison. Islamic militants had demanded the mandatory death sentence. He will appeal within 30 days. Ranjha is one of several Christians in prison in Pakistan on the charge of blasphemy.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR:

* a just resolution to the conflict in Southern Philippines.

* God's Spirit of peace and his mighty hand to remain on nations in our prayers, such as Nigeria (RLP 214) and Ivory Coast (RLP 206), where his might alone has been holding back bloody religious conflict in these unsettled days. (Psalm 65:5-7)

* God to bring the persecution in Eritrea to an end, and that he will strengthen and bless the believers through their suffering, so as to spread his glory and his message of salvation.

* God to guide those who are developing Iraq's future through a new Constitution and forming an interim government, that the Christian minority will be represented and protected, and religious freedom and peace will become a reality.

* the success of the appeal against Ranjha Masih's life sentence and that the case will again draw international attention to the injustice of Pakistan's blasphemy law; may it be repealed.

'A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope.' Matthew 12:20,21 (Isaiah 42:3,4)

---------------------------------------------------- Previous RLPs may be viewed at http://www.evangelicalalliance.org.au/rlc/ If you downloaded this message from a website or it was forwarded to you, you may receive future editions by sending an empty e-mail to <>

Please send this RLP to others, with attribution to World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) Religious Liberty Prayer List <> ----------------------------------------------------

The WEA Religious Liberty Commission sponsors this RL Prayer List to help individuals and groups pray specifically and regularly for religious liberty issues, and in particular to uphold the Church where it is suffering persecution.

RL Prayer is moderated by Ron Clough, a commissioner of the WEA RLC and convenor of the Australian EA RLC.

Elizabeth Kendal researched and authored this message.

--- You are currently subscribed to rl-prayer as: To unsubscribe, forward this message to