Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin – No. 237 – Wed 17 Sep 2003

—————————————- TENSIONS ON AFRICA’S RELIGIOUS FAULTLINE —————————————-

If you take a map of Africa and draw a line from the west coast at the Sierra Leone / Liberia border, east through the centre of Ivory Coast, the centre of Nigeria, the centre of Sudan and on to the Red Sea, then you have very approximately marked Africa’s religious ‘faultline’, where the Muslim (predominantly Arab) north meets the African Christian/non-Muslim south. Of course the line is not completely clear cut. There are small but growing numbers of Christians in the Muslim north, mainly in secret underground fellowships. Islam is both expanding and radicalising rapidly in the south through open Muslim proselytisation and oil funded development, driven primarily by Saudi Arabia and Libya. Whilst religious strife is escalating in many parts of Africa, the faultline is where the most severe religious tensions, flashpoints and conflicts occur.

IVORY COAST: A French-brokered peace agreement in January and cease- fire in May 2003 brought a fragile peace. However, many issues from the 19 September 2002 coup attempt remained unsolved, with the possibility of conflict returning at any moment. One key issue has been the rebel demand for their representatives to fill the Security and Defence portfolios in the government of national unity. (Northern Muslim rebels would then effectively control police and soldiers who have been loyal to the elected government.) President Gbagbo has instead chosen politically neutral appointees. Law professor and human rights activist Martin Bleou was named Minister of Internal Security, and Rene Amani, a political independant close to the Prime Minister, was made Minister of Defence. The rebels have rejected these appointments and the situation is extremely tense and volatile.

NIGERIA: Christians in some northern Muslims states are coming under increased pressure to comply with Sharia (Islamic law). In Kano state, all schoolgirls (Christians included) in all state government schools must now wear hijab. In Bauchi state, 12 nurses have been sacked for retaining their traditional white knee-length nurse uniforms in preference to the new Sharia-compliant uniforms. This Day (Lagos newspaper) described the nurses as ‘all non- Muslims, probably Christians’. To keep their jobs, nine others reluctantly agreed to comply.

SUDAN: The Sudan ‘last chance’ peace talks have resumed in Kenya – failure would re-ignite civil war. The Southern Sudanese have been resisting Islamisation and Sharia for twenty years. They have suffered aerial bombardments (including chemical weapons), forced starvation through scorched earth raids followed by food and aid blockades, systematic slavery, and violent massacres. After extensive talks with all parties, the African mediators came up with a set of peace proposals. The National Islamic Front /Government of Sudan (NIF/GoS) told them to ‘go to hell’. The Arab world, particularly Egypt, is encouraging GoS intransigence and the US is loath to aggravate or confront the Arabs. The NIF/GoS funds the war with profits from the southern oil fields. A return to war would be absolutely devastating for the predominantly Christian, war ravaged Southern Sudanese.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR:

* the northern Muslim rebels of Ivory Coast (IC) to accept the Security and Defence appointments, and that they will not try further to destabilise IC (and as a result the entire region). Pray especially for President Gbagbo, a Christian.

* the Christians of Northern Nigeria, especially the children, who suffer great loss and hardship if they do not comply with Islamic dress codes. Pray for wisdom, grace and strength, particularly for the pastors and leaders, and President Obasanjo, a Christian.

* God to work a miracle beyond what men can do in the Sudan peace talks; for compassion, humanitarianism and the will for a just peace to be infused into the hearts of all Sudan’s leaders and negotiators. Pray for the Holy Spirit to strengthen, encourage and comfort the long-suffering Christians of Sudan.

* Africa, that God will pour out his Spirit in great power again, and raise up Christians who can lead the nations to peace through justice, righteousness and reconciliation with God.

‘Some nations boast of their armies and weapons, but we boast in the Lord our God.’ Psalm 20:7 (NLT)

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SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE: ————————————————————

TENSIONS ON AFRICA’S RELIGIOUS FAULTLINE

A religious ‘faultline’ that runs west to east through Africa marks off the Muslim (predominantly Arab) north from the African Christian/non-Muslim south. It’s where the most severe religious tensions, flashpoints and conflicts occur, through central Ivory Coast, central Nigeria, and central Sudan. Christian women and young girls in some states of Muslim Northern Nigeria are being forced to comply with Islamic dress codes. Ivory Coast and especially Sudan are facing watershed moments that could see them return to civil conflict. The present talks in Sudan are at the highest level ever, and as such, most probably the last chance for peace. If the talks fail and the Government of Sudan resumes its jihad against the south, it will be devastating. Pray for Africa.

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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.

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