The Voice of the Martyrs

Prayers for September 6, 2005
From The Voice of the Martyrs
http://www.persecution.com/
CHINA (ASSIST News Service)
Two recent news releases from China Aid Association (CAA) document a shocking escalation of persecution in China. There seems to be a direct correlation between increasing Russian-Chinese-Central Asian solidarity and growing persecution of unsanctioned Protestant Christians in those states. China is systematically strengthening its assault on "cults" (which includes house churches.) On July 7th, Pastor Cai Zhuohua faced court in Beijing charged with "illegal business operations" for printing more than 200,000 Bibles and other Christian books. (As they were given away and not sold, there was no "business.") He is in prison awaiting sentence. Two women, Ms. Gu Junging (38) and Ms. Ren Daoyun (60) are still in prison following the detention and interrogation of two American students and 43 Chinese believers whom Ms. Ren Daoyun had hosted in her home. Mr. Song Jun, Mr. He Jiangwei and Ms. Liang Fanglan are still held incommunicado following a house-church raid in Xinjiang province on August 7th. On August 15th, five American church leaders were arrested in Jiangxi province along with 27 house-church pastors. The group had simply been enjoying Christian fellowship together. Where they are being detained is not known, but God knows, therefore, we will confidently and dependently approach his "throne of grace" (Hebrews 4:16).

Give thanks to God for these courageous Christians who know God is in control and will work all to His glory. Pray the Lord will grant them mercy and grace in their time of great need. Pray the supernatural grace of China's persecuted believers will convict their persecutors and the Holy Spirit will bring sweeping revival to all of China


INDONESIA (Compass Direct)
On September 1st, Indonesian judges sentenced three women to three years in prison for allowing Muslim children to attend a Christian Sunday school program. Rebekka Zakaria, Eti Pangesti and Ratna Bangun received their sentence after judges found them guilty of attempting to convert children under the Child Protection Act of 2002. The Sunday school teachers had instructed the children to get permission from their parents before attending the program, and those who did not have permission were asked to go home, according to Jeff Hammond of Bless Indonesia Today. The three women were relieved they had not been given the maximum five-year prison sentence but were devastated at the prospect of being separated from their children, who range from 6 to 19 years of age. Before the trial session, Islamic extremists took over the courtroom and made murderous threats.

Give thanks to God the lives of these faithful believers were protected from the violent mob in the courtroom. Pray God will comfort these faithful believers with the assurance He will protect their children, providing Christian friends to care for them with sympathy and tender love. Pray when this case is appealed in the Supreme Court, the fact the Muslim children had their parents' consent to attend the meetings will be emphasized and bring about their release.


IRAN (ASSIST News Service)
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has flooded the Majlis (parliament) with former Revolutionary Guards while Ayatollah Khamenei has made key changes in security structures and strategies to entrench the Revolutionary Guards' hegemony over all law enforcement agencies. Now that Iran has begun to enact a policy of zero-tolerance toward breaches of the ideals of the Islamic revolution, it does not require much imagination to see how much pain and trauma Christians, other non-Muslims and freedom-loving Persians are destined to experience as Ayatollah Khamenei and President Ahmadinejad forcefully advance their Shi'ite vision of a pure Islamic state. Under orders from their new police chief, Iran's police have commenced a crackdown on "models of corruption," or in other words poorly veiled women. (Iran Focus August 27th) Iran's new Minister of Justice vowed on Saturday August 20th, that "being improperly veiled and not wearing a veil are no different. When it is clear from the appearance of a woman that she has violated the law, then the crime is obvious and law enforcement agents can take legal measures against her." He has also made it clear members of the para-military Bassij and the notorious Ansar-e Hizbollah, government organized gangs of hooligans, are regarded as law enforcement agents in clergy-ruled Iran. (Iran Focus August 25th)

Pray God will raise up Christian prayer warriors worldwide to stand in the gap for His witness in Iran. Pray the Lord will empower the few Christians with a holy boldness to continue faithful to Jesus. Pray for the Muslim authorities who need to know the reality of our loving heavenly Father.


MEXICO (Compass Direct)
Huichol native mobs in Jalisco state have driven Christians from their homes and threatened to burn them to death, according to news reports. Beginning August 14th, the first wave of 70 Huichol refugees from the village of Agua Fria, near Mezquitic, fled on foot across the state border into Tepic, Nayarit, beginning August 14th. The total number of refugees was expected to reach more than 300. Most arrived ill from the 20-hour walk. The refugees took only one change of clothing per person. They left behind some 250 acres of land, along with bean and corn crops, cattle, horses, burros, chickens and houses, plus personal possessions. Town leaders insisted that if the Huichol Christians wish to return to Agua Fria, they must renounce their faith and return to native traditions and rites-such as drinking liquor and using hallucinatory peyote-which are practiced alongside Roman Catholic customs.

Pray these believers will remain firm in their faith during this time. Pray they will live out the words of the writer of Hebrews, "But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them" (11:16).


VIETNAM (Compass Direct)
On August 30th, as part of Vietnam's National Day amnesty, Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang, a Mennonite pastor convicted of resisting officers doing their duty, was released from prison. The Vietnamese Mennonite Church leader had faced severe pressure to sign an admission of guilt. Rev. Quang, convicted on November 12, 2004, has been held in five different prisons. According to area Mennonites, at times he was abused by fellow prisoners who were rewarded for doing so by the authorities. His health deteriorated considerably during hard labor at a prison in Dak Lak province, and he suffered frequent fainting spells.

Praise God Rev. Quang was released from prison. Ask God for his complete healing-body, soul and spirit-as well as eternal fruit from his time in prison.

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Prayers for September 20, 2005
From The Voice of the Martyrs
http://www.persecution.com/
EGYPT (Compass Direct)
Coptic Christian Rezk Shafik Attallah has not seen is 20-year-old daughter, Marianna Rezk Shafik Attallah, since she disappeared from work May 30th. He is convinced that she was kidnapped by a former police constable while running an errand for work in El-Fayou, 60 miles south of Cairo. Police have obstructed efforts by her fiancé, Bishoy Hosni, and her father to find her. An Egyptian security official reported that former policeman Ali Mahmoud Abdel Rasoul had taken the young woman and moved 250 miles south to Sohag. But the official warned her fiancé and father to stop looking for her, saying she had left of her own free will. "If she went of her own free will," Hosni told Compass, "then why didn't she come to say that (to us)?" Reportedly Rasoul had previously been fired from the police force for "bad behavior."

Pray God will move in His mighty and merciful power to protect Marianna and return her to her family. Pray the Holy Spirit will convict Rasoul of his actions and the light of Christ will overcome the darkness in his soul. Pray the Lord will empower Christians in Egypt to stand up for Jesus, showing His love toward their oppressors.


INDIA (Compass Direct)
Gospel Echoing Missionary Society's mission compound in Bihar state, India was surrounded by a mob of Hindu extremists August 31st . They were kept under siege for three days as the mob attempted to kill the Rev. Augustine Jebakumar, Director of the mission. The attackers demanded Jebakumar's arrest for allegedly desecrating a Hindu idol. The trouble began when a group of young people taking part in a religious procession passed the compound in Sikaria village. Jebakumar objected to their noise and a man in the procession hit him on the nose as others joined in the attack. The mob then hit the Christians with sticks and stones, injuring at least 12. Four were seriously injured; two were later hospitalized. One hundred families and 900 children were trapped inside the compound with no electricity for three days. Jebakkumar said he cooperated with the arrest as the police admitted they were unable to control the violent crowd. The Hindus are planning to build a temple on land near the compound.

Pray God will quickly heal the injuries of those who were attacked, assuring them of His loving comfort and power. Pray for opportunities for these Christians to express God's love to the Hindus. Pray God will sovereignly move to put a stop to the temple construction.


JORDAN (Compass Direct)
Three months after winning a final court victory for custody of her two children, Christian widow Siham Qandah has enjoyed her first anxiety-free summer in seven years. Although by law her children's Muslim guardian had 30 days to submit a petition against the June 13th decision revoking his guardianship, his lawyers took no legal action. He embezzled nearly $17,000 from the U.N. trust funds Qandah's daughter and son were to have inherited at age 18. For Qandah, the right to raise her children as Christians far outweighed the economic factors. Qandah's problem now is how to provide financially for her children. At her lawyer's advice, she has not asked for a Muslim guardian to be named for her children. Consequently, there is no channel through the Islamic courts to collect their military orphan benefits, totaling about $120 per month. She prefers to avoid any possible custody disputes until her children, now 17 and 15, reach age18. Under Jordanian law they can then declare their own religious identity. She is considering developing a small business in her hometown, perhaps a shop selling kitchen and household goods for local women.

Praise God for His mercy toward this faithful Christian mother. Pray He will lead her and bless her business. Pray Christians all over the world will continue to pray for her Muslim brother-in-law, Abdullah al-Muhtadi, to come to repentance and experience the peaceful reassurance of God's forgiveness.


PAKISTAN (ASSIST News Service)
Pakistani Christian, Younis Masih, a resident of Lahore, was arrested September 10th. According to the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), on September 9th, Masih went to the house of Baba Chaby, and told him the loud Islamic music he was playing was disturbing people and stopping them from sleeping. Chaby refused to turn down the music, saying his Muslim friends were listening to the songs. As a result, Masih went home. The next day some of the people who had been in the house listening to the music went looking for Masih. They thrashed him with sticks and beat him till he fell on the ground unconscious. When his wife attempted to intervene, she was also badly beaten, and her clothes torn to shreds. After Masih regained consciousness, he, his wife and a relative went to the police station to register a complaint. Announcements were made in area mosques, instigating the local Muslims to attack and burn Christian's houses...on the allegations a Christian man committed blasphemy and uttered derogatory remarks against the Prophet. Subsequently, about 400 local Muslim protesters attacked and looted houses where Christians lived. More than 100 Christian families fled the area to save their lives. A group of angry individuals then surrounded the police station, and demanded a complaint be registered against Masih. To appease the crowd, police registered a blasphemy case against him. Police then arrested Masih and his cousin, who were already sitting in the police station to lodge their complaint with police against the attack. According to APMA, the police took Masih and his cousin into custody and tortured them brutally. Masih was subsequently sent to jail. In its news release, APMA stated that organizational lawyers have submitted a request to the police to pursue their case against those individuals who harassed and attacked the Christians in their homes. The Christians in the areas are still in fear, although heavy police contingents are deployed at the area to avert any further unpleasant situation.

Please join with these suffering Christian brothers and sisters in their prayers that justice be done. Pray the Lord will surround Masih with His presence and the peace only He can give. Pray God will open the ears of the Muslims who have been deaf to His Word.


ISRAEL (ASSIST News Service)
Messianic Jews have called for international protests against violations of religious freedom in Israel. An orthodox group, Gur Chassidim, has been persecuting 30 Messianic Jews in Arad, by insulting them in public, calling them Nazis, whores and dirty Christians. Messianic Jews number approximately 6,000 in Israel, and at least 100,000 worldwide. They believe in the Messiah Jesus Christ, while Orthodox Jews regard them as apostates. According to eyewitnesses, the police have turned a blind eye and even sided with the persecutors. An assembly hall has been burned down. As the authorities, police and judicial system seem unable to protect the Messianic Jews, they are calling for international solidarity. Three Christian organizations in Germany have pledged their support. Letters of complaint should be addressed to Israeli embassies.

Pray the Messianic Jews will continue to trust the love and protection of their Messiah and Savior. Pray God will strengthen them to know and demonstrate the love of their Savior toward His chosen people. Pray they will follow the Shepherd of their souls as He leads them day to day. :162:

Prayers for September 27, 2005
From The Voice of the Martyrs
http://www.persecution.com/
CUBA (VOM-Canada)
House-church leaders in Cuba are expressing concern over new government directives issued in April and due to come into effect this month. According to a September 15th report from Forum 18, the new legislation requires all currently operating house churches to register with the authorities. In recent years, some leaders attempted to register their house churches and faced such restrictive complications, that few have managed to complete the process. Under the new directives, if registration is refused, permission can never be granted to meet in that home. Church members may file an application to hold services in a different home within 15 days of the refusal. The legislation also restricts the number of house churches within a particular area and requires detailed reporting of all services and those in attendance. No signs may be displayed that pertain to the church. Foreigners are prohibited from any involvement or attendance of services in house churches in mountainous regions, without government approval. Authorities retain the right to supervise the services to ensure compliance. House churches failing to comply will be closed down and face fines up to a sum equivalent to 50 months' wages.

Give thanks and praise to God for His faithful followers in Cuba. Pray God will give wisdom to church leaders who attempt to register and make plans for the future of their fellowships. Pray the Lord will continue to grow His church in Cuba in spite of government interference.


EGYPT (Compass Direct)
Egypt's leading forensic doctor, Dr. Ayman Soda, has refuted a court physician's report against Coptic Christian Shafik Saleh Shafik. The case has prompted death threats by Muslims, where Shafik is accused of binding and beating Magda Refaat Gayed before she fled his Cairo shelter for troubled women, On September 20th, Dr. Soda testified it would have been impossible for Magda to have jumped from a height of 11 feet, as she claimed, as the ropes and chains would have precluded free movement. The Gayed family had requested that the then 16-year-old Coptic Christian girl be placed in Shafik's safe-house after she had run away from home with a Muslim man. Two weeks after she had disappeared from home, she was discovered living with a Muslim group that had promised she could marry the man as soon as she converted to Islam. The three judges of Cairo's Abbissiya Criminal Court No. 15 delayed giving a verdict until October 17th.
Give thanks to God that the truth has been revealed. Pray the Lord will convict Magda of her false testimony and bring her to repentance. Pray the judges who rule on this October case will not be intimidated by Muslim extremists.


INDIA (VOM sources)
Radical Hindus have expelled evangelist Zacariah (24) from his village for spreading the good news. Zacariah has been working among a poor Hindu community for four years. He started his ministry with a JESUS film team and later began a small, challenging ministry among the poor Hindus. Zacariah has a small congregation of 15-20 people in a village in the Chickmaglur district of Karnataka state in southern India, where he continued his prayer meeting despite an expulsion order issued by radical Hindus. They have now threatened a death penalty for his continued refusal to accept the expulsion order. Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) is intervening to protect the life of this bold soldier of Jesus Christ. A political leader has been asked to interact with the police to extend protection.

Praise God for the bold witness of this faithful believer who continues to reach out with the love of his Savior to the poor. Pray God will surround Zacariah with His strong arm of protection. Pray our merciful and omnipotent Father will reveal Himself to the radical Hindus and bring His peace to India.


PAKISTAN (Compass Direct)
Maria Samar John was bought by her husband, Abdul Ghaffar, and forced to convert to Islam. A year ago, he disappeared with their two toddler children, then 5-year-old Joshua and 3-year-old Mariam. Ghaffar left Lahore, Pakistan, with the children and there have been no new clues to their whereabouts since October 2nd last year when a judge issued a warrant for Ghaffar's arrest. "I miss them a lot and I have been weeping for them," John told Compass as she described the past year without Joshua and Miriam. "I pray to God for their safety and safe return."

Pray God will protect these innocent children and bring them home to their mother. Pray the Lord will reveal the whereabouts of Abdul Ghaffar and he will be brought to justice. Pray Jesus will make himself known and bring comfort to all women who suffer under the bondage of Islam.


VIETNAM (Compass Direct)
Officials in Son Ha district incited a mob to burn down the home of evangelist Dinh Van Hoang in Quang Ngai province on August 21st, because he would not sign a paper denying his Christian faith. Local authorities came to Hoang's home that Sunday morning and told him Christians were not accepted there. They warned him he would have to give up his religious faith or face the destruction of his home. Hoang, as he has done previously, replied he could not give up his faith. Soon after, a mob burned down his house containing all his possessions. Additionally, in late July authorities in Son Tinh, Quang Ngai Province, destroyed the homes of 10 Hre families because they would not give up their Christian faith. The actions came after Vietnam adopted legislative measures supposed to support greater religious freedom.

Pray Hoang will continue to trust in God, who works His judgment on all who are oppressed. Pray Christians in Vietnam will continue bold in their faith and loving witness. Pray officials will enforce the new legislation so it provides more religious freedom.
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Prayers for October 11, 2005
From The Voice of the Martyrs
http://www.persecution.com/
CHINA (China Aid Association)
State security agents threatened Christian businessman, Tong Qimiao, while he was being hospitalized for a broken chest bone, caused by brutal torture. The agents showed Mr. Tong China Aid Association's news release on his case and forced him to write a statement that he was never beaten during interrogation. The officials of the Bureau of Industry and Commerce also showed up at the emergency room and threatened him that his license would be revoked unless he cooperated with the state security agents. Mr. Tong Qimiao was so seriously beaten by the state security agents on September 30th that his chest bone was broken. Reliable sources told CAA that Mr. Tong and his family would not give in and they would file a lawsuit against the agents. "We are shocked by what happened to Mr. Tong, and it is even more inhumane and barbarian that this happened in the hospital," said Bob Fu, President of China Aid Association. "This kind of case happens as the Chinese government is ambitiously developing the Western region. We urge the Chinese government to take exact steps to protect people's freedom of religion, which is enshrined in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China."

Pray God will work out His justice in this case. Pray the Lord will heal Mr. Tong quickly. Pray international publicity concerning Mr. Tong's treatment will bring an end to China's persecution of Christians.


INDIA (Compass Direct)
Religious tensions in Punjab state increased last week, as police beat several Christians in jail. They had taken them to jail to presumably protect them from Hindu extremists. At least 40 Christians were praying at a home in Maloud the night of September 25th when a mob, including members of the Hindu extremist group Bajrang Dal, stormed the house. The mob threatened the Christians and beat some of them. Believers called the police, and four of them-Gurdev Singh, Balkaran Singh, Jaswant Singh and Amar Singh, a pastor-were taken into custody, as the mob grew increasingly violent. At Maloud's police station, Assistant Sub-Inspector Hukum Chand Sharma, repeatedly struck the Christians, gravely injuring Gurdev Singh and Amar Singh. Later he also beat a 60-year-old pastor, Sukhdev Singh, who was later hospitalized with serious injuries.

Nine Christians in Chattisgarh's Durg district are on trial for disrupting the peace between two communities, by "attempting to convert" Hindu villagers with offers of money. On Monday, September 26th, the pastor and eight members of a church appeared before a judge, who offered to dismiss the case if the Christians would agree to stop their activities.,They declined to do, asserting that the allegations against them were false. Police had arrested the group on June 6th and charged them with disturbing the peace, after a mob of around 200 people attacked the Christians and accused them of offering money to convert Hindu villagers. Police did not file any charges against the attackers. Meanwhile, two other Christians in another district of Chattisgarh are awaiting charges against them for their alleged role in fraudulent "conversion."

Pray our compassionate Savior will physically and emotionally heal the injured believers. Pray they will display God's heart toward their enemies. Pray the police will recognize that their attempts to wipe out Christianity were in vain.


INDONESIA (Christian Freedom International)
Christian Freedom International, a fact-finding mission to Indonesia, reveals alarming and growing evidence of religious persecution against minority Christians. Christian Freedom International (CFI) president Jim Jacobson, conducted a fact-finding mission to Indonesia, the world's largest Islamic nation, in September 2005, visiting numerous forcibly closed churches in West Java. CFI urges the Indonesia government to allow religious freedom, to intervene and stop the forced shut-down of churches and to denounce the radical Islamic group known as AGAP. AGAP is an abbreviation for Aliansi Gerakan Ant Pemurtadan, which translated into English means Anti-Apostasy Alliance Movement. According to Jacobson, "AGAP has a mission to close churches and basically eradicate Christianity in Indonesia. They use fear, intimidation, threats, and obscure government regulations, in cooperation with local officials, to accomplish their goal." At least 35 churches in Bandung and neighboring regions have been closed by Islamic mobs during the past 12 months alone. A free copy of the Christian Freedom International fact-finding report entitled, "Churches Forced to Close in Indonesia" can be viewed or downloaded online by visiting www.christianfreedom.org.

Pray Christians in Indonesia will remain faithful to Jesus, knowing His grace is sufficient for them. Pray that as the persecution of Christians increases, our powerful God will grow His church. Pray many Muslims will tire of the violence and seek the God of peace and His Son, Jesus Christ.


NIGERIA (ASSIST News Service)
Rejoice Gwammikat Daniel Chirdap, the 16-year-old who disappeared during a visit to her father's house in Kagadama, Yelwa, has been returned to her family. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports that Rejoice disappeared on September 12, 2005. Two days later her family received a letter from the Bauchi State Shari'ah Commission informing them it had given custody of Rejoice to Imam Yakubu of Kagadama, Yelwa. There has been no explanation as to how Rejoice, a minor, came to be in the Commission's hands without parental consent. CSW states that following widespread publicity and high-level advocacy on Rejoice's disappearance, the Bauchi State Police Force finally took action on September 23rd. "They intervened decisively and the Bauchi State Shari'ah Commission handed Rejoice over to her family. Although somewhat traumatized by her experience, a medical examination revealed that Rejoice was otherwise unharmed," CSW said.

Give thanks to our merciful Father that Rejoice was returned to her family unharmed. Praise God that the international publicity and prayers of thousands of Christians caused the Bauchi State Shari'ah Commission to act on her behalf. Pray God will also grant His mercy to all those who persecute Christians in Nigeria, bringing them into His loving arms and eternal Kingdom. :162: