An anxious time for the Middle East

“There is no doubt at all that it is a very anxious time for Christian communities,” said Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, in a recent interview with BBC News. “There have been extremist atrocities already, especially in Egypt.”

Dr. Williams continued, expressing concern that the vacuum left by the end of autocratic regimes in the Middle East was being filled by extremists. He remains optimistic, hoping the political upheavals will eventually bring greater democracy to the region. But for the short term, he fears for the Christian community, as he believes assailants are using the recent chaos to attack minorities.

For example, he claimed there were more Christians killed and churches burned in Egypt than have been reported. He argued life is unsustainable for believers in northern Iraq, while pointing out that in Syria tensions are nearly at breaking point.

Please keep our brothers and sisters in the Middle East in your prayers during this anxious time.

• Ask the Lord to bless and encourage the Church in the Middle East.
• Pray for peace and stability in these countries.
• Pray believers will be a Christ-like example to their neighbours, even when persecuted.
• Ask God to grant wisdom to the authorities and leaders of these areas.

You can read the full BBC article here.

Muslims warn that Christians may ‘pay the price’ for outcome of Nigerian election

Pray for protection and strength
for believers in Nigeria.

Violence erupted in many of Nigeria’s northern cities on April 16, after a presidential election that appears to have given a sweeping victory to incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, reported BBC News and VOM sources.

Goodluck, a Christian from the south and representative of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), took 57 percent of the vote. He received about 22.5 million votes compared with 12.2 million for his opponent, General Muhammadu Buhari.

Goodluck came to power a year ago when his predecessor, Muslim Umaru Yar'Adua, became ill and died. Goodluck was serving as vice president at the time.

Traditionally, leadership in the religiously and ethnically divided nation alternates between Muslim and Christian leaders in the top job; their running mates are often of the opposite religion.

As news of Goodluck’s apparent victory spread, rioters took to the streets in the cities of Kaduna, Kano and Jos, burning the homes of PDP supporters. The BBC also reported protests in the states of Gombe, Adamawa, Katsina and Sokoto.

A VOM source in Nigeria wrote, “Just this morning [April 20], we woke up to the fresh news of attacks on Christians in Kaduna city, mostly in Kawo, Gonin Gora and several other areas across Kaduna. Many churches, Christian houses and properties are now on fire. Many Christian families were trapped and surrounded by violent Muslims reacting to the outcome of the presidential election that is yet to be declared officially.

“The fear of Muslims is that they do not want a Christian leader and president in Nigeria. Even before now, it has been rumored that if the PDP wins the election, they will not accept the result and that Christians should be ready to pay the price. Please pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in Kaduna right now.”

Christian Solidarity Worldwide has noted that members of the Youth Corps are being targeted because they were employed to monitor the elections, and had resisted efforts at vote rigging. Also there are currently curfews in Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano and Kaduna States.

South Sudan referendum: 99% vote for independence

South Sudan looks to split from the North.

BBC News said yesterday that 99 percent of South Sudanese voted to secede from the north, according to the first complete results of the region’s independence referendum, reported the Assyrian International News Agency.

The referendum commission said that 99.57 percent of those polled voted for independence.

Final results from the January 9-15 vote are expected next month. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has said he will accept the results.

If the result is confirmed, the new country will formally declare its independence on July 9.

You can read the full BBC News report here.

Continue to pray for believers in Sudan. Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of Tombura-Yambio, in the southern region of Sudan, says his people have strong "expectations of change for the better" and urged continued prayers worldwide for "permanent peace in Sudan." Many Christians have reportedly left the North and capital city of Khartoum for the South out of fear that President Bashir's regime will shift toward "radical Islamization" in the wake of the referendum.

Thank the Lord for a peaceful voting process. Pray for the shalom of God to reign throughout Sudan. Pray Sudanese Christians will continue to courageously proclaim Christ's way of compassion and love, even to those who seek to oppress them.

Nigerian army implicated in attacks on villages in Jos

Members of the Nigerian Army have been implicated in an attack on a village in Plateau state, reports Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

On January 23, two men, one woman and a baby were killed in an attack in Farin Lamba. Villagers reported that the attackers wore military uniforms.

The villagers shot one of the attackers in the arm; he reportedly turned out to be a solider from a nearby security post. They pursued the men, who fled in a military vehicle. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the soldiers belong to a team led by Captain Zakari. The army has refused to comment on the allegations.

The latest attack follows the controversial introduction of a shoot-to-kill policy by the Nigerian army, reported BBC News.

On January 18, Military spokesman Captain Charles Ekeocha told the BBC that soldiers had been given permission to shoot-to-kill to retain order in Jos following outbreaks of violence over the Christmas period and the alleged murder of an election official at a polling station in Tina Junction on January 17.  However, continuing discrepancies in reports of this incident, coupled with persistent allegations of military complicity in violence, have forced a reappraisal of the policy.

You can read the full report here.

Pakistan's blasphemy law will change 'over our dead bodies,' say Muslim cleric

Protesters held a 24-hour strike in Pakistan on Friday against amendments to the country's blasphemy law, reports Mission Network News and BBC News.

The strike resulted in the transportation shut down of two cities, Karachi and Quetta, and a partial shutdown of Islamabad. Demonstrators blocked traffic, and bus owners were reportedly nervous that their vehicles would be set on fire if they tried to drive them.

Currently, the blasphemy law mandates that any person to insult Islam must be put to death. Although no one has ever been executed under the law, over 30 people convicted have been murdered by mobs. Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, was sentenced to death on November 8, 2010, under the blasphemy law and is currently awaiting an appeals court hearing, which the High Court has yet to set.

Muslim clerics went ahead with the strike despite the claim of the religious affairs minister on Thursday that Pakistan "has no intention to repeal the blasphemy law."

You can read the full report here.

Pray that believers would be kept safe amidst the conflict. Pray that the blasphemy law would indeed be repealed, and that if it is, Christians would be protected, as one Sunni cleric warned that any changes to the blasphemy law would happen "over our dead bodies."

Blasts in Jos kill 32 on Christmas Eve

BBC News is reporting at least 32 people—many assumed to be Christians—were killed in bomb blasts in central Nigeria on December 24. The bombs were detonated during Christmas Eve celebrations near the city of Jos.

No group has claimed responsibility for the string of attacks at this time. Nigeria’s president, Jonathan Goodluck, has said the government will do all it can to find those responsible for the attack.

More than 70 people were injured in the blasts.

ASSIST News Service reports that Gregory Yenlong, a spokesman for Nigeria's Plateau state, told Bloomberg news agency that there had been threats “to disrupt Christmas celebrations in Jos.”

You can read the BBC report here.

Read the full ASSIST News Service report here.