* ISLAM AND APOSTASY * SAUDI ARABIA: SHAKEN BY APOSTASY AND DISSIDENCE * UNCERTAINTY FALLS ON PAKISTAN AFTER NINE-YEAR PRESIDENCY ENDS * CHURCHES LIFT UP CHRIST WHILE HELPING SOUTH OSSETIAN (GEORGIAN) REFUGEES * REPORT ON CHILDREN IN PRAYER GLOBAL CONSULTATION * IRANIAN CHRISTIANS PLEAD FOR BIBLES AS CHRISTIAN NUMBERS INCREASE ----------------------------------------------- ISLAM AND APOSTASY Muhammad, once decreed: 'Whoever changes his Islamic religion, kill him.' (Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol. 9:57) This saying of Muhammad is the basis for Islam's law that deems apostasy (leaving Islam) a capital offence. Islamic states generally do not execute apostates but they do tolerate 'honour killings' and the Sharia- enforcing violence of Islamic vigilantes. In most Muslim countries, a person's religion is stated on their ID card. This means that a woman with a Muslim ID may only marry a Muslim man. This intolerance is being questioned in places with more openness. * EGYPT: An apostasy debate is presently simmering in Egypt over the merits or otherwise of religious liberty vis-a-vis Islamic apostasy laws. A group of Coptic Christians who converted to Islam for pragmatic reasons (such as marriage or jobs), or were deemed Muslim by official decree, are seeking the right to have their identities restored as Christian. On 2 August 2007 Mohammad Hegazi became the first Egyptian-born Muslim to sue Egypt's Interior Ministry for his right to leave Islam and be registered as a Christian. In January the court ruled against Hegazi and declared that a Muslim may not convert. Hegazi plans to appeal the ruling. Meanwhile, he and his wife and baby daughter have been forced into hiding. Even his own father has publicly threatened to kill him. On 4 August 2008 Maher El-Gohary became the second convert to launch a court challenge for his right to leave Islam. * IRAN: Iran is a Shi'ite revolutionary police state. The only apostasy debate (known to us) taking place in Iran is about whether to make the death sentence for apostasy mandatory instead of optional (at the judge's discretion).The draft Internet Crime Bill which is presently being debated in the parliament will, if passed, make apostasy and promoting apostasy (even through Internet articles and weblogs) a mandatory capital offence on the grounds that it harms the 'mental security' of society. Meanwhile, on 30 July, Abbas Amiri died in hospital after being beaten by police who raided his house church meeting. His wife, Sakineh Rahnama, died on 3 August 2008 from a combination of injuries sustained in the raid and heartbreak. On 29 July, 16 converts were arrested during a house church baptism ceremony. Another convert, Mohsen Namvar, is suffering severely physically and from memory loss after torture throughout June by Iran's secret police trying to extract information on the church. Upon his 'temporary' release, Namvar and his family fled Iran. Sources also reports that Christians Mahmood Matin and Arash Bandari have been jailed since their arrest on 15 May on suspicion of apostasy. In June, a newly converted couple, Tina Rad and her husband Makan Arya, were detained and ferociously beaten over four days leaving Rad unable to walk. Upon their release they were threatened that if they ever again attended a house church they will be charged with apostasy and lose custody of their 4-year-old daughter. They are experiencing intensive persecution from neighbours and family. PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR - * the Holy Spirit to open doors and windows into the Muslim world and infiltrate Muslim hearts and minds with a hunger for revolutionary love, tolerance and religious liberty. * the converts named in this bulletin. May God grant them peace, physical and spiritual healing and deliverance. May their testimonies be powerfully used by the Holy Spirit to convert their extended families, their accusers, their jailers and fellow prisoners, as well as to bring change to their respective societies. Source: Intercessors Network ----------------------------------------------- SAUDI ARABIA: SHAKEN BY APOSTASY AND DISSIDENCE The revolution in information and communication technologies is making it impossible for Islam to maintain its hold over Muslims through enforced ignorance, isolation and fear. Even in Saudi Arabia, information gleaned from satellite television and the Internet is leading some Saudis to question Wahhabi Islam. In November 2007 a Saudi girl aged 19 was sentenced to jail and lashes after being kidnapped at knife-point and gang-raped, because when she was kidnapped she was in the company of a male not her relative. A most courageous Saudi human rights lawyer named Abdulrahman Al Lahim stepped up to defend her, which guaranteed the case would attract wide media attention. On 12 August, Gulfnews.com reported that a Saudi man brutally killed his daughter for converting to Christianity. This young martyr had been blogging on the Internet about her new faith and trials. She wrote that her brother had been abusing and threatening her ever since he found some Christian articles she wrote as well as a cross sign on her computer screen. According to a friend who contacted 'Free Copts', the killer is in police custody and being investigated over the 'honour crime'. Gulfnews reports, 'The death of the girl sent out shockwaves and websites, where the victim used to write with various nicknames, have allocated special space to mourn her, while some others have closed temporarily in protest.' Saudi Christianity is a reality, and it is no small thing that the death of this 'apostate' is being widely mourned. This killing will probably lead to two things: (1) increased calls for anti-apostasy Internet laws (as in Iran); (2) increased rejection of Islamic intolerance. PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR:- Pray that this martyrdom will herald the beginning of a great apostasy debate in Saudi Arabia. Pray for our Redeemer God to be mightily at work inside Saudi Arabia, using this girl's martyrdom for his purposes: enlightening minds, softening hearts and breaking chains -- preparing the ground for the gospel of the love of Christ.- God to grant all Saudi dissidents great strength and courage; especially that converts to Christianity will receive immense wisdom from the Holy Spirit, protection by God the Father, and the perfect love and salvation they have in Jesus Christ will drive out all their fear. Source: Intercessors for America ----------------------------------------------- UNCERTAINTY FALLS ON PAKISTAN AFTER NINE-YEAR PRESIDENCY ENDS Uncertainty lingers after the resignation of Pervez Musharraf, as Pakistan's president of nine years, and only time will tell what will happen next, said Glenn Penner with Voice of the Martyrs Canada. Penner's first reaction to the news was one of both apprehension and relief. "Even Christians in Pakistan are somewhat mixed in their response. There are those that are quite glad to see a return to civilian government, and there are others that are also concerned with, I think, the uncertainty of what is going to happen now for the future." Musharraf's official resignation came after several months of pressure from inside and outside Pakistan. His reputation suffered fatal blows in 2007 when he ousted 60 judges who were against his election for a second presidential term. A coalition government comprised of the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was put in place in February 2008, and talk of impeachment resulted in Musharraf's resignation. Another sticking point between Musharraf and his opposition was his relationship with the West. To Islamic extremists, Christianity has the same ties. Since the majority of the coalition is Islamic, there also are concerns as to how far the government now will swing toward Islam and how that will affect ministry openness. In the wake of the news, militant violence has been deadly and is spreading across the northwest. The last deadly attack reported by Voice of the Martyrs Canada was in July when a suicide bomber attacked a contingent of policemen around the Red Mosque after a memorial ceremony. That attack showed the continued power of Muslim radical groups within the country. How the coalition government deals with this type of violence is the next concern. Their previous tactics of negotiating peace treaties with tribal leaders was far different from Musharraf's hard-line stand against insurgents. The coalition government has approximately one month to replace the president and make other decisions, such as whether or not to re-hire the fired judges. September 1 marks the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, during which businesses shorten their hours. With an Islamic majority in the coalition, major moves could be on hold until October. Penner says prayer for Christian leaders is much-needed. Pray "that they'll help Christians in the country to know how to be good citizens at a time when Pakistan needs good citizens. They need people who are concerned about their country and who are going to be able to make a positive impact." Pray also that Islamic elements in the army will not increase and that the small minority of Christians will find strength in the body of Christ. Source: Intercessors Network ----------------------------------------------- CHURCHES LIFT UP CHRIST WHILE HELPING SOUTH OSSETIAN (GEORGIAN) REFUGEES Families from South Ossetia are flooding north across the Russian border into the cities of North Ossetia, and into other southern Russian regions. Archbishop Songulashvili, leader of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia, says that "many villages and towns in central Georgia had been plundered by mercenaries, with several thousand people killed, thousands more injured, hundreds of women raped and an estimated 100,000 having lost their homes. We feel humiliated and devastated. Something has to be done. The coming winter will be fatal for many people." All of the churches in North Ossetia are sending people to visit the suffering injured in the area hospitals. They are trying to help the refugees with food and clothing. and to share the Gospel with them. A Church spokesman said that the refugees are coming in with heartbreaking stories. "They tell of bombings, people crushed by tanks, and others being burned alive. Many of them are from the city of Tskhinvali, where reportedly not one house is still standing. And some of these refugees from Tskhinvali are believers." Temporary shelters have been set up in government buildings, with many refugees taken into the homes of locals. But they cannot provide all of the food and necessities that the displaced people need. A great deal of help is needed, especially for the purchase of food and everything for children, baby foods, and hygiene items." The US Government has pledged to provide humanitarian relief to the war victims in Georgia. Russian Christians are also accepting responsibility for humanitarian relief to the South Ossetian war victims who have fled to southern Russia. Source: ASSIST News Service ----------------------------------------------- REPORT ON CHILDREN IN PRAYER GLOBAL CONSULTATION The Children in Prayer Global Consultation was held in Chennai, India from 2-7 July 2008. 153 Delegates from 35 nations took part in what was one of the richest and most impacting events I have ever taken part in. We enjoyed many presentations from around the world on the rapidly developing Children in Prayer movement and celebrated the wonders of God in raising up children to pray for community transformation, children at risk, national and global issues. One of the highlights was praying with over 1000 children at the Royal Kids prayer centre near Chennai. In total, there are over 8000 children in this program. Many of these children were picked up from the garbage, unwanted babies from poor families. Some come from HIV or leprosy- affected families. Others are little girls who were used as temple prostitutes and terribly abused. It was a deeply moving experience for all of us to see how the Lord is bringing healing and restoration through education programs and teaching the children how to engage in intercessory prayer. The children are on fire to know Jesus and in many cases are leading their parents to Him. They also run the prayer centre with 24/7 teams praying for the nations. There were prophetic messages indicating that the Lord would take Children in Prayer to the ends of the earth. At the same time, there is a need for watchfulness since the evil one would like to discredit and snuff it out if he can. Please pray for protection over this movement and all who are part of it. Pray for the effective implementation of the visions and strategies that participants received during the Consultation. Source: John Robb, International Prayer Council ----------------------------------------------- IRANIAN CHRISTIANS PLEAD FOR BIBLES AS CHRISTIAN NUMBERS INCREASE Requests for Bibles and New Testaments for Christians in Iran is at an all-time high, reports International Antioch Ministries (IAM), the outreach arm of the Iranian Christian Church. IAM believes that this growing demand for Persian Bibles and New Testaments is being fuelled by the rising number of Christian converts in Iran. Requests for Bibles in Iranian languages, particularly by new believers, are being received daily through IAM's 24-hour satellite television service, but the requests are more than the ministry can fulfil. According to IAM, the number of Christians in Iran is growing quickly. Estimates vary from 500,000 to as high as 1 million. Another factor comes from the difficulties of obtaining and keeping Bibles due to confiscations by Iranian officials and the Muslim "religious police." Even though it is illegal to print Bibles in Iran, let alone distribute them widely, demand for the gospel is increasing exponentially. Source: Intercessors Network
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