* CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE NEW RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS IN LIBYA * HINDUS UPSET OVER YOGA BAN * DADS WALKING DAUGHTERS DOWN THE AISLE A NO-NO IN STOCKHOLM * RWANDA RATED MOST IMPROVED REGION IN AFRICA * IRANIANS FLOCKING TO CHRISTIAN TELEVISION * FANATICS CONTROL HALF OF BRITAIN'S MOSQUES ----------------------------------------------- CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE NEW RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS IN LIBYA A new wave of religious freedom is sweeping across Libya. This follows three decades during which, observers say, the tiny Christian community faced restrictions due to the overwhelmingly Muslim nation's hostile stance towards the West. "People are respecting us. They accept us. We are free," says Roman Catholic Bishop Giovanni Martinelli, who is based in the capital Tripoli. The 1969 revolution that brought Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi to power led to church buildings being confiscated and closed down. Catholics were allowed to keep only two churches. Many human rights organizations say the country is authoritarian. "The biggest church was a cathedral, but was turned into a mosque. They took almost all the churches with the revolution," recalls Martinelli. But now there are Greek Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, and Anglican communities, he said. The international community imposed sanctions against Libya in the 1990s after it was accused of involvement in the bombing of a US airliner over the Scottish town of Lockerbie. The UN lifted the sanctions when the country agreed to pay compensation to the families of the victims." During the sanctions, the Vatican quietly continued a dialogue with Tripoli. "The sanctions were political," recounts Martinelli, who was jailed by the Libyan authorities when the United States bombed Tripoli. Most worshippers are Africans, mainly illegal migrants, and Asians, and Martinelli now celebrates three services in different languages every Friday, whilst the Muslims go to their mosques. There are Christian services in Korean and English in the morning, and in the afternoon there is a service in Pilipino for the Philippine community. On Sunday the Mass is in Arabic. "Recently, and in a spirit of ecumenism, the bishop allowed a Catholic church, which the secular authorities had closed and taken over after the revolution, to be given to the Anglican community in Libya. "The church building dates back to the 17th century. It was rededicated on 9 March, after having been restored as part of a project to renovate the old City of Tripoli by a committee set up to protect the local heritage. "Still, the Anglicans can now only repaint the church, and must not add anything to the building. They are not even allowed to erect a cross. "Nevertheless, Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox bishops took part together in the rededication service attended by 300 people, including officials of the Islamic Call Society" Simon Martin, an Anglican evangelist, said, "We see this as the hand of God." Source: Assist Ministries ----------------------------------------------- HINDUS UPSET OVER YOGA BAN A British Hindu group have hit out at two clergy who they claim are 'bigoted' for banning yoga classes in their church halls. The Hindu Council UK (HCUK) believes the refusal to allow yoga in church premises breaches the Equality Act of 2006, and have ordered their lawyers to investigate the situation. They are also looking into comments made by the two clergy for labelling yoga a 'sham', 'false philosophy' and 'un-Christian', comments they believe may be discriminatory against Hinduism. HCUK General Secretary Anil Bhanot criticised the bans saying "These priests appear to be advising Christians not to practise yoga because they believe it is based on a 'sham' and a 'false philosophy', but what in effect they mean is that Hinduism is a false religion. "The yoga teacher concerned left religion out of the equation; they with their alarmist, uninformed, fundamentalist version of Christianity that lives in fear of any perceived unorthodoxy, dragged religion in. "In doing so, they have demonstrated the kind of bigotry that is precisely the cause of religious strife in this world." A spokesman for one of the Churches involved defended the decision not to allow the yoga group for pre-school children use the church hall. He said the principles behind yoga are contrary to the Christian gospel. He added: "From a Christian perspective we feel that alternative activities like yoga are not the real thing, they're a sham. "Yoga has its roots in Hinduism and Buddhism and attempts to use human techniques, such as breathing, to put a person into a calm frame of mind in order to be in touch with some sort of impersonal spiritual reality. "This runs contrary to the Christian gospel as we believe in a personal God who has revealed himself to us. "Yoga encourages people to think there's a way to wholeness through human techniques, whereas the Christian gospel says it's through the person of Jesus Christ" the spokesman said. Source: Intercessors Network ----------------------------------------------- DADS WALKING DAUGHTERS DOWN THE AISLE A NO-NO IN STOCKHOLM Brides in Stockholm who want their fathers to walk them down the aisle are likely to be told it can't be done, as some pastors are refusing to allow the practice they say is sexist. "In Sweden we have worked hard in many different ways to eliminate everything that is unequal," a Lutheran Church vicar in the Stockholm region, Yvonne Hallin said. She said she would not allow the custom in her parish, and noted that Stockholm's bishop issued a recommendation in 2003 that pastors discourage it. Couples who marry "are equal when it comes to finances, politics and values but when they come to the church the woman suddenly turns into a man's property", she said. The issue came to light when Hallin recently informed a father who was to walk his daughter down the aisle that he would not be allowed to do so. The mother of the bride, who was shocked by the news, said that the ceremony will go ahead as planned but the couple has had to give in to the pastor's wishes. "In this case it wasn't the couple who became angry but the parents," Hallin said, adding that most people "don't find it strange". She noted that the custom of fathers walking their daughters down the aisle "is not a Swedish tradition - it has been imported from American and British films". Source: Agence France-Press ----------------------------------------------- RWANDA RATED MOST IMPROVED REGION IN AFRICA The nation of Rwanda has recently been rated as the "most improved" region in Africa. The country was left a war-torn wasteland after a horrific genocide devastated the nation between April and June, 1994, when an astounding 800,000 Rwandans were brutally murdered. In an effort to rebound from such terror, Rwandans have taken steps to hopefully ensure that no genocide would ever again ensue in the nation. Several genocide memorial sites, listing names of the murdered, and providing education on avoiding any further tragedies, can be found in various places in the area. Perhaps a large reason why Rwanda has improved so notably is due to the many partners-in-ministry that have teamed up to help bring aid and restoration to such a distraught country. While visiting Rwanda in 2004, well-known Australian worship leader and recording artist, Darlene Zschech, and her husband Mark, were moved to found and direct a group to facilitate healing in the country. They named the organization Hope Rwanda, and held an outreach in 2006, known as 100 Days of Hope, spanning the same 100 days that hold such nightmarish memories. Today, Hope Rwanda partners with many different churches, NGOs, individuals, businesses, and even Christian bands, such as Delirious, to provide educational and medical supplies, building of homes, wells and orphanages, and other services that help to restore hope to the nation of Rwanda. Source: BBC News ----------------------------------------------- IRANIANS FLOCKING TO CHRISTIAN TELEVISION A Christian satellite TV network has reported "spectacular church growth" in Iran and noted the importance of media in strengthening the churches there as well as in reaching out to Muslims. SAT-7 is "receiving a lot of reports on people watching this channel more than almost any other channel in Iran," Debbie Brink, the network's executive director, reports. She said SAT-7 had deliberately chosen not to tackle political issues and focuses instead on the message of hope and peace. "I think we attract viewers in these times, because they're looking for an alternative message. They're tired of all the conflict and the war, and they do see opportunities for learning more about God's love, His forgiveness, reconciliation and peace," she stated. Muslims watching the shows have confessed that the message of hope and love is a stark contrast to the oppressive Islamic message conveyed by their government and on Islamic TV programs. * Pray for the safety and security of the churches in Iran; that they would flourish and grow; pray for a spirit of unity and for peace to exist between believers; pray that, in the midst of the pressures, all peoples, tribes, nations and regions will turn to Jesus of Nazareth. * Pray that the Arabs (especially youth) of Israel, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. Source: Mission Network News ----------------------------------------------- FANATICS CONTROL HALF OF BRITAIN'S MOSQUES Almost half of Britain's mosques are under the control of a hardline Islamic sect whose leading preacher loathes Western values and has called on Muslims to "shed blood" for Allah, an investigation by The Times has found. Riyadh ul Haq, who supports armed jihad and preaches contempt for Jews, Christians and Hindus, is in line to become the spiritual leader of the Deobandi sect in Britain. The ultra-conservative movement, which gave birth to the Taliban in Afghanistan, now runs more than 600 of Britain's 1350 mosques, according to a police report seen by The Times. The newspaper's investigation casts doubts on government statements that foreign preachers are to blame for spreading the creed of radical Islam in Britain's mosques and its policy of encouraging the recruitment of more home-grown preachers. Source: The Times September 1, 2008
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