Prayer Focus 09/10

• AZERBAIJAN – CHURCH LOSES FIGHT TO REGAIN REGISTRATION, SETTING WORRYING PRECEDENT
• KYRGYZSTAN – SEVEN CHURCHES BROKEN INTO
• IRAN – BUS CARRYING CHRISTIANS INTERCEPTED BY SECURITY FORCES
• NORTH KOREA – THREE CHRISTIANS EXECUTED
• IRAQ – HOPE FOR IRAQI CHRISTIANS
• PAKISTAN – FEARS FOR CHRISTIANS FOLLOWING FLOODING
• INDONESIA – MOB ATTACKS CHRISTIANS

AZERBAIJAN – CHURCH LOSES FIGHT TO REGAIN REGISTRATION, SETTING WORRYING PRECEDENT

On 30 July a church in Azerbaijan lost its fight to win back legal recognition after being refused registration under a new religion law.

The law, passed in 2009, required all previously registered religious organisations to gain new accreditation. All churches had to submit documents to re-register by the start of 2010, and many were required by the authorities to amend their constitutions, particularly with regard to outreach and children’s summer camps. Churches soon began receiving letters informing them that their applications had been refused, including Cathedral of Praise Church, Baku City.

On 25 May Pastor Halilov, from Cathedral of Praise Church, wrote to the Committee of Religious Affairs (CRA) to contest the refusal, but two months later a judge delivered the disappointing verdict that the CRA had not acted unlawfully in rejecting the application. The outlook appears bleak for the other churches who have also contested the refusal of their applications, as this ruling sets a legal precedent for further appeals.

On 9 January the tent used by Cathedral of Praise Church for worship was destroyed in a fire; the CRA refused permission for the congregation to rent alternative premises for church services.

• Pray for all churches in Azerbaijan, as they face the limitations imposed by the new Religion Law. Pray for wisdom and courage for church leaders as they continue to campaign for legal rights.
• Pray that the authorities will recognise the right to freedom of religion and that there will be an easing of the restrictions imposed by the new law.

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KYRGYZSTAN – SEVEN CHURCHES BROKEN INTO

Seven churches have been attacked in Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, in the last six weeks.

A group of four men climbed over a fence and broke in through the back door of a church in the early hours of a mid-July morning. The church leader reported, “A woman, Valya, who was there was badly beaten, tied up with tape and then beaten more when very little money was found.” Rooms were trashed, the safe was demolished and some items were taken, including music equipment and a computer.

Three weeks later, news emerged that six other churches had received similar treatment by thieves. The police seem to be doing very little to investigate; in one case, they did not even come to the scene of the burglary.

Last month we reported that a new constitution, which offers hope for greater religious freedom, had been overwhelmingly approved by the people of Kyrgyzstan (Prayer Focus Update August 2010). This followed a spate of deadly clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in June, which left at least 190 people dead and thousands homeless as ethnic Uzbeks fled the violence.

• Pray that the authorities will bring to justice the perpetrators of the break-ins. Pray that Christians in Kyrgyzstan will know the Lord’s comfort and that they will continue to meet, in spite of their anxiety.
• Pray that the country will continue to work towards stability and that the new constitution will bring about a greater measure of religious freedom.

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IRAN – BUS CARRYING CHRISTIANS INTERCEPTED BY SECURITY FORCES

On Thursday 18 July, a bus carrying 15 newly-converted Christians was intercepted by government security forces in Iran, according to Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN). The group were on their way to the provincial town of Bojnoord to spend time with fellow believers there, when their bus was forced to stop in the city of Mashhad, the capital of the north-eastern province of Khorasan. Sources suggest that the security forces had prior knowledge of the trip, as their efforts to stop and board the bus and arrest all those present seemed well coordinated.

The Christians were all transferred to a central detention centre, where they were held for a week and subjected to harsh interrogation. After posting bail and signing statements, thirteen Christians from the group were conditionally freed.

Two of those arrested, Stephen Reza (48) and Eshan Behrooz (23), remain in detention after they would not post bail or sign any forms. At the time of writing, their whereabouts and condition were unknown, no formal charges had been announced and the prisoners had been denied access to legal representation.

• Pray for the families of Stephen and Eshan, as they seek to establish the location and condition of their loved ones. Pray too that Stephen and Eshan will know the comfort of the Lord Jesus as they endure their detention.
• Pray for all Iranian Christians, especially those from a Muslim background like those on the bus, that they will continue to meet together to worship our Heavenly Father, in spite of such persecution.

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NORTH KOREA – THREE CHRISTIANS EXECUTED

Three leaders of an underground church in North Korea have been executed and 20 Christians have been sent to a prison labour camp in Yodok. Sources say the arrests and executions were carried out in mid-May when police raided a house in Kuwal-dong in Pyungsung County, Pyongan Province, and arrested 23 believers who were gathered there. The leaders were tried and sentenced to death, and the authorities wasted little time in carrying out the executions.

A Seoul-based group that seeks to raise awareness about injustices in North Korea, the North Korea Intellectual Solidarity, confirmed the events.

North Korea is one of the most difficult places in the world to be a Christian, and it is estimated that there are at least 400,000 Christians, all of whom are living under constant threat of imprisonment, torture or public execution if the authorities discover their Christian faith. It is thought that between 40,000 and 60,000 Christians are currently in prison labour camps because of their faith. Such camps are notorious for brutal treatment, starvation and torture, sometimes to death.

• Pray for those who follow Christ in North Korea, that they will continue to have opportunity to meet together and share fellowship and encouragement with one another, and that the Lord will grant them protection.

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IRAQ – HOPE FOR IRAQI CHRISTIANS

The Iraqi government has pledged to help exiled Christians return to their homeland after thousands were forced to flee amid intense persecution.

Over the last 20 years, Iraqi Christians have been targeted in waves of savage anti-Christian violence, resulting in a massive decline in the Christian population of Iraq, from 1.5 million in 1990 to perhaps as low as 400,000 today. Much of this decline took place after the invasion of 2003, with many of the remaining Christians now internally displaced.

Following a meeting with the Pope last month the new Iraqi ambassador to the Vatican, Habbeb Mohammed Hadi Ali Al-Sadr, said that the government had offered assistance to those Iraqi Christians who had fled the country. He said, “For its part, the government has committed itself to all those who return, to give them a job, a plot to rebuild their homes and 1.5 million Iraqi dinars.” He affirmed that the Iraqi Constitution sanctions the total equality of rights for Christians and also gave them the possibility of creating a semi-autonomous region like Kurdistan.

This follows years of campaigning on behalf of the decimated Iraqi Christian community on an international stage by Barnabas Fund. In addition to sending practical help, Barnabas Fund stepped up efforts in 2003 when it became apparent that most of the international community was unaware that a Christian presence remained in Iraq – and nobody else was speaking up for them. In July 2010, Barnabas Fund’s International Director, Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, held high-level talks about the plight of the Iraqi church in Washington DC, where a prayer vigil involving senior Iraqi church leaders also took place.

• Praise the Lord that the plight of exiled Christians has finally been recognised by the Iraqi government and pray that the pledges made will be honoured. Pray now for a significant improvement in the treatment of Christians in Iraq.
• Pray that Christians who have fled will have the courage to return – thereby strengthening the Iraqi Church – and that they will be protected.
• Pray specifically for converts to Christianity from Islam, that they too will be granted equal humanitarian rights in Iraq.

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PAKISTAN – FEARS FOR CHRISTIANS FOLLOWING FLOODING

There are growing fears among the Christian community that Islamist groups are winning hearts and minds through relief efforts in Pakistan in the wake of the devastating floods, as extremists with terrorist links have stepped in to fill the aid gap. International support has been slow, and the Pakistani government has been criticised for its ineffective response thus far.

A Barnabas Fund partner, who is assisting with our relief efforts among thousands of Christian families in Pakistan, shared his concern that Islamists will be able to seize political power because of their effective response to the flooding crisis. If this happened, he said, it would make the situation of Christians in Pakistan even worse.

Over 150,000 Christians have been affected by the overwhelming floods that struck Pakistan at the end of July. Millions are struggling to rebuild their lives in a context that the United Nations has rated as the greatest humanitarian crisis in recent history, with numbers of people affected surpassing the combined total of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and the earthquakes in Pakistan in 2005 and Haiti in January this year.

The disaster zone stretches from the Swat Valley in the north to Sindh in the south, and the tally of people affected is now up to 20 million. The scene is increasingly desperate, as 1.2 million homes have been destroyed, leaving at least six million people homeless.

• Pray for all those who have lost everything in the flooding; pray that donations to reliable aid agencies would quickly increase so that flood victims do not have to turn to Islamists for help.
• Pray especially for our already-marginalised Christian brothers and sisters at this time, that they may experience hope and comfort in the Lord as they may feel extremely fearful about the future.
• Give thanks for the generosity of Barnabas Fund supporters to our ongoing urgent appeal, which has so far enabled us to provide immediate aid to thousands of Christian families.

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INDONESIA – MOB ATTACKS CHRISTIANS

A group of Christians were attacked at an open-air worship service in Bekasi, West Java on Sunday 8 August.

A mob of 300 Muslims surrounded worshippers while they were holding their service. Despite the presence of police officers, very little was done to stop the mob pushing past them and attacking the Christians. They threw shoes and water bottles at the worshippers, then chased down and punched several members of the group, injuring at least a dozen Christians, including the church leader.

This is the fifth reported attack on the church which has been forced to meet in an open field following a dispute with local authorities, according to local Christians.

Tensions are already high in Bekasi where a Muslim congress decided in June that Muslims should unite against “Christianisation” in the area (see Prayer Focus Update August 2010).

• Pray for those who were injured in the attack in August; ask the Lord to protect His people from further attacks and displacement from their churches.
• Pray too that our Heavenly Father will reveal His Light to those who were at the Muslim congress meeting and that they will come to see Christians as a blessing to Indonesia, not a threat.

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