Rabu, 25 Januari 2012

pray for Kyrgyz of Kyrgyzstan



Kyrgyz of Kyrgyzstan
Although they are related to the Kazakh and other Turkic peoples of the region, the Kyrgyz look very much like the Mongols. They are culturally Muslim, but the practice and understanding of Islam is low. Spiritism is widespread, with ubiquitous shrines, amulets, the occult, shaman priests, and demonization.

Ministry Obstacles
Because of past experiences, misconceptions about the nature of the Christian Gospel must be overcome.

Outreach Ideas
A recent translation of the entire Bible is available in the Kyrgyz language, as well as many excellent communication tools. Pray for workers to use these means to communicate the Gospel message to all of Kyrgyzstan.

Pray for the followers of Christ
Evangelicals are growing at an encouraging rate among these people. Pray these individuals will be properly instructed in the faith, and will hold fast to Jesus as their first love.

Pray for the entire people group
Pray that each Kyrgyz individual will increasingly hunger to know the truth found in Jesus Christ, and that this hunger will then be satisfied.

Scripture Focus
"Give thanks to the Lord, call on His Name; make known among the nations what He has done." Psalm 105:1


People Name: Kyrgyz
Country: Kyrgyzstan
10/40 Window: Yes
Population: 3,805,000
World Population: 4,401,000
Language: Kyrgyz
Primary Religion: Islam
Bible: Complete
Online Audio NT: No
Jesus Film: Yes
Audio Recordings: Yes
Christ Followers: Few, less than 2%
Status: Unreached
Progress Level:
1.2

Seven Christians Killed in Bauchi State, Nigeria


Many injured, church building destroyed

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

BAUCHI CITY, NIGERIA (ANS) -- Compass Direct News (CDN) is reporting that early morning attacks in Tafawa Balewa, Bauchi state on Sunday (Jan. 22) left at least seven Christians dead and a church building destroyed.

Boko Haram gunmen
The attack on the Evangelical Church Winning All Church 2, residents of Tafawa Balewa said, was carried out by area Islamic extremists alongside members of the Boko Haram sect, with the church building and surrounding houses bombed. Yunnana Yusufu, pastor with the Church of Christ in Nigeria in Tafawa Balewa, told Compass that the assailants arrived in the early morning hours and began shooting at Christians in the town, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Bauchi City.

"I saw seven dead bodies of some of the Christians killed," Yusufu told Compass by phone. "The situation is terrible, and I am about to go out to other parts of the town, to see the extent of the damage caused by the attackers."

CDN went on to say that Yusufu said that many other Christians were injured. Bauchi Police Commissioner Ikechukwu Aduba reportedly confirmed the attack on Tafawa Balewa, saying two soldiers and a policeman, as well as eight civilians, were later killed in a gunfight. He added that six suspects had been arrested.

"Police also reported that bombs were thrown at a Catholic church building and an evangelical church building in Bauchi City, causing little damage and no deaths or injuries," added the CDN story.

"Two weeks ago, gunmen believed to be Muslim Fulani herdsmen attacked three Christian farmers on their farms in Pyakman village, near Tafawa Balewa, killing the three. Corpses recovered from the farms had bullet wounds and machete cuts, said Bukata Zhadi, secretary of the Christian Elders Council in Tafawa Balewa."

Note: Boko Haram, the name given to the Islamic extremist group officially called Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad - "The People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad" - seeks to impose a strict version of sharia (Islamic law) on Nigeria. The name Boko Haram translates loosely as "Western education is forbidden."

For more information, please go to: www.compassdirect.org

Egyptian Judiciary Accused of Collusion in Kidnapping and Forced Islamization of Christian Minors



By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

CAIRO, EGYPT (ANS) -- A Middle East journalist is reporting that an Egyptian court has ordered a 16-year-old Christian girl to be held in a state-owned care home, instead of returning her to her family, allegedly for expressing her wish to convert to Islam.

The 16-year-old girl
"She is to be held in state care until she reaches the age of 18. The decision has been widely criticized by Copts, who say it encourages Islamists to continue unabated the abduction of Christian minors for conversion to Islam," said Mary Abdelmassih writing for the Assyrian International News Agency (www.aina.org).

"The decision taken by a prosecutor in Boulaq El Dakrour district, Giza, makes him an abductor and makes the law an accomplice to the crime," said Dr. Oliver, a Coptic activist. "What this prosecutor committed is a crime -- he legitimized child abduction and detention."

Dr. Oliver explained that these crimes are committed by thugs, criminals and kidnappers of children and, when the State legitimizes them, it makes itself a partner. In addition, he said, placing a girl under care for allegedly wishing to convert to Islam while still a minor is "tantamount to abduction by the State".

Abdelmassih went on to say that the abduction of 16-year old Amira Gamal Saber, from Saft-el-Khamar village, Minya province, who disappeared from her home over 40 days ago, has turned into a tug of war between the Christian family and Islamist lawyers from an organization named Alliance for the Support of New Muslim Females.

They claim that they are "defending the rights of their Muslim sisters" and that "according to the Egyptian constitution, the principal source of legislation is Islamic Jurisprudence (Sharia), which should apply to both Muslims and non-Muslims, and therefore at 16 years of age, Amira can chose her own religion."

According to the Al-Azhar Islamic Institution, a person cannot convert to Islam before reaching the age of 18 years.

In December 2011, Amira attended a school lesson but failed to return home. Her teacher said she had left school with two veiled girls. Her family looked for her in all the neighboring villages and were informed that she had accompanied three Muslim men to Cairo. They filed a report with the police on December 4. The head of security in Minya confirmed her kidnapping and assured her family that the culprits were being watched and not to take any action until they were detained. However, time passed and nothing was heard from security.

The journalist added that attorney, Tawfik Kamel, who accompanied the Sabry family to Giza, said that on January 15 a man named Mohammad Ahmed Ibrahim phoned the family and said that Amira had been staying at his home in Boulaq El Dakrour for the last 38 days and asked for 200,000 Egyptian pounds ($33,110.41 USD) for her return.

"The family asked to speak to their daughter, and she spoke to her mother," he added.

According to Kamel, "We had no idea that Islamists were involved. We went to Giza to pay a ransom to someone and collect our daughter, instead we were directed to the police station where Amira is, and then we were told there that government prosecuters are handling the case."

They were detained and interrogated for seven hours.

"We were surprised to find a bearded lawyer," said Kamel, "backed by another 12 Salafist lawyers, appearing in the session, claiming that Amira wants to convert to Islam, and that she does not want to return home as she is afraid of retribution." He presented prosecution with the birth certificate proving Amira is 16-years-old and a certificate from the Fatwa department of Al Azhar saying they have no record of her, and conversion is not permitted for people under 18 years old.

"We thought we would bring Amira home but were stunned by the decision to send her to a care home in Giza until she reaches 18," said her uncle.

Abdelmassih added that Tawfik Kamel said that he heard that Amira is presently not in a state-owned care home, but in a home affiliated to the Sharia association in Giza, which is in violation of the court decision. He said that he is in the process of appealing the decision to the Attorney General.

Nancy and Christine Fathy
The decision of the prosecutor in Boulaq El Dakrour was not the first time that prosecution has taken such a measure. On June 12, 2011, 14-year-old Nancy Magdy Fathy, and her 16-year old cousin Christine Ezzat Fathy disappeared from their home in Minya. The family accused two Muslim brothers from a neighboring village of abducting them. Two weeks later they were found in Cairo, but said they converted to Islam, refused to go back to their families and applied for protection from them.

Prosecution decided to put them in a state care home and provided protection for them, until completion of the investigations. It was discovered they had lied about converting to Islam, according to Al Azhar.

"To this day they are still in the care home," said activist Waguih Yacoub, "and no progress on their status had been made, except that the two brothers implicated of their disappearance were released".

According to Dr. Oliver there is an active ring called "Sharia Association of Ain Shams" in the Cairo suburb of Ain Shams, which kidnaps Christian minors. "It depends on the protection and backing of a prosecutor serving there who colludes with this association," he said.

"It is also not uncommon that prosecution detains parents of abducted minors so that they cease to search for their abducted daughters."

Abdelmassih concluded by saying, "Similarly organized Islamization rings, which depend on the protection and collusion of high profile personalities, including prosecutors and policemen, exist in Alexandria. They target Christian minor girls through sexual coercion".

Kamis, 19 Januari 2012

Satanism is growing among Iranian youth


By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

IRAN (ANS) -- A recent survey reveals that seventy factions of Satanism are active in Iran and these Satanist groups have attracted around two thousand members in some cities in the country.
This has been revealed in a story by Mohabat News (http://mohabatnews.com), the Iranian Christian News Agency.

It says in a story, "The findings of a recent government survey show that the dangers of such groups regarding cultural and moral matters have reached a critical level. The survey also reveals that New-age Satanist groups are more active in central and south-west Iran, especially in Shiraz (924 KMs South of Tehran) and Karaj (25 KMs, North-West of Tehran) than elsewhere.
"Members of such groups range in age from 16 to 24 and boys show 10 times more interest than girls in joining these Satanist groups. The survey also indicates that internet and private parties are the primary ways used to attract youth.
"The report was submitted to senior authorities of the country indicating that baggy clothes, clothes with tawdry colors, special sharp horned rings, unusual wristbands, skull necklaces and long hair or shaved heads are symbols of the groups that tend toward Satanism. As a result of this report the police have opposed such Satanist groups and their symbols. From time to time Iranian police have reported the closure of a number of shops in which the symbols and clothes representing Satanism are being sold."

The story went on to say that some religious experts believe that Satanism and its factions have no place in the Islamic world and note that Satanism is in its early stages in Iran. However, the tendency towards Satanism has grown to the extent that the Intelligence Minister of Iran warned students against corrupt and heretical beliefs, especially Satanism. The Intelligence Minister also associated activities designed to attract youth to such groups, with the soft-war of the enemy. "It seems this soft-war has even penetrated the government T.V. and Radio organization (I.R.I.B). A member of the group researching this issue said some of the music used in commercials and advertisements for movie and T.V. series are taken from the ceremonies and music of Satanist groups," added the news agency.

"Although Satanism is a corrupted belief system and joining Satanist groups could eventually ruin the lives of people, we should also remember that most Iranian youth who use the symbols of Satanism are only seeking to attract attention to themselves and know nothing of their meaning."

NIGERIA: BOKO HARAM KILLS CHRISTIANS



Nigeria: Boko Haram Kills Four Christians and Threatens Village Attacks
This home-grown terrorist group is conducting a brutal campaign that has claimed the lives of many Christians in Nigeria, and the killing continue

By Dan Wooding, who was born in Nigeria
He is the Founder of ASSIST Ministries

YORBA LINDA, CA (ANS) -- Boko Haram gunmen on Thursday, January 12, 2012, shot dead four Igbo Christian men in Potiskum town in Yobe State, and threatened to launch an attack on two nearby villages later that evening.

Boko Haram gunmen
"The four men were reportedly shot in a vehicle as they were migrating southwards to rejoin their families, who had already moved to that area to escape the violence. Previous attempts to join them had been hampered by the indefinite general strike against fuel subsidy removal, which has brought the nation to a halt," said a spokesperson for UK-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

"On the same day, Boko Haram also threatened to attack Kukargadu and Dagare villages, both of which have large populations of indigenous Christians. However, extra security personnel were deployed to the villages, which were consequently kept safe through the night."

The CSW spokesperson went on that say that on Tuesday, eight men and a woman were killed by suspected Boko Haram gunmen in Potiskum. All nine are thought to have been Christians. The group, which included a lecturer at the Federal College of Education/Technical in Potiskum, four policemen and a young man employed by Jam'a Clinic, were in a bar in the Dorawa Ward when they were shot at by gunmen who escaped on motorcycles. On the previous day, two Christians were also shot at by gunmen on a motorcycle in the Barracks area of Potiskum, but escaped unhurt by falling to the ground and playing dead.

A 24-hour curfew has now been imposed in Yobe, and motorcycles have been banned due to Boko Haram's regular usage of these vehicles.

The deteriorating security situation has led to rising speculation that Yobe State could soon be entirely emptied of its Christian population as entire lorry-loads of people have been departing the state. One source, who informed CSW-Nigeria he was assisting over two hundred families of indigenous Christians with relocation, said, "If this continues unabated, in the next few months or weeks there may be no Christians in Yobe State. Though our houses, jobs and churches are here, we have no choice but to leave".

In several instances, added the CSW spokesperson, fuel subsidy removal protests are being used for alternative agendas.

On Tuesday, a fuel protest in Gusau, Zamfara State, degenerated into an attack on Ebenezer Baptist Church as rioters removed equipment and other valuables from the premises and set them on fire. A 24-hour curfew was imposed in Kaduna City and its environs yesterday, after Muslim youths went to the governor's official residence on Tuesday claiming they wanted to seize control.

On Wednesay, a 6am to 6pm curfew was imposed in Niger State after rioting broke out in the capital, Minna, and the governor's campaign headquarters was attacked.

Meanwhile, retaliatory attacks on Hausa-Fulani neighborhoods in Benin City in southern Nigeria on 9 and 10 January during fuel protests resulted in five deaths, mass displacement and the destruction of an Islamic School attached to the central mosque. This worrying development follows a week of violent events in Adamawa State that left at least 37 people dead in which southerners were specifically targeted.

Mervyn Thomas
CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said, "CSW is deeply grieved by the continuing deaths, injuries and displacements across Nigeria. The fact that an entire local Christian population is being forced to flee from their homes and the deliberate targeting of the Igbo population by a terrorist group are appalling manifestations of religious and ethnic cleansing. We call on the state and federal officials and security agents to do everything in their power to end Boko Haram's reign of terror and bring an end to the ongoing violence, which constitutes an immediate threat to the unity of this multi-religious and multi-ethnic nation."

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is a Christian organization working for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice.

Note: Boko Haram, is a terrorist organization based in the north east of Nigeria, in the areas predominated by the Kanuri ethnic group founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2001or 2002, the group is a Muslim sect that seeks to "abolish the secular system and establish an Islamic state" and "establish Sharia system of government in the country."

For further information or to arrange interviews please contact Kiri Kankhwende, Press Officer at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 (0)20 8329 0045 / +44 (0) 78 2332 9663, email kiri@csw.org.uk or visit www.csw.org.uk.

PRAY FOR BEDERIA OF SUDAN



Bederia of Sudan
The Bederia are mixed-race Negroid Bedouins, in Kordofan, one of the numerous Baggara tribes of northern Sudan. The Baggara, also known as Shuwa Arabs, are a nomadic Bedouin people inhabiting Africa between Lake Chad and the Nile. They are cattle-herding Arabs, although sometimes mixed with indigenous tribes.

Ministry Obstacles
The Bederia tribe lives in an area difficult for outsiders to access. They also likely have a low literacy rate.

Outreach Ideas
Christians need to care for the physical and material needs of these people. Trust and friendship are needed.

Pray for the followers of Christ
Even though there may be no followers of Jesus today among the Bederia tribe, pray for those that will soon be led to Christ. Pray they will faithfully fellowship together, and that pastors and teachers will be provided. Pray for Scripture availability.

Pray for the entire people group
Pray for the Bederia tribe to be able to care for their families, for good water supplies and adequate food and housing. Pray for peace in Sudan.

Scripture Focus
"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." Matthew 9:37-38


People Name: Bederia
Country: Sudan
10/40 Window: Yes
Population: 810,000
World Population: 810,000
Language: Arabic, Sudanese Spoken
Primary Religion: Islam
Bible: New Testament
Online Audio NT: No
Jesus Film: Yes
Audio Recordings: Yes
Christ Followers: Few, less than 2%
Status: Unreached

Rabu, 18 Januari 2012

PRAY FOR MASALIT OF SUDAN




Masalit of Sudan
The Masalit are a non-Arab people group living in the most remote and unknown areas of the North African countries of Sudan and Chad. In the past, the Masalit developed a reputation for being fiercely independent. They primarily make their living through agriculture. Each village has a masik, or central shaded clearing, where men gather to socialize, pray and discuss village matters. The Masalit practice Islam, and the religion dominates political and social life and values. Many are becoming increasingly orthodox.

Ministry Obstacles
Sudan provides a difficult environment in which to live. The climate and terrain are harsh, and outsiders are often seen with suspicion.

Outreach Ideas
Christian workers can carry the good news of Jesus to the tribes of Sudan using Gospel recordings and films, as well as relating stories from Scripture. Oral communication is needed, for evangelism and for discipleship purposes.

Pray for the followers of Christ
Pray for the followers of Jesus among the Masalit. There are only a few, and they need prayer support. Pray they will find each other in order to fellowship together. Pray they will clearly understand the basis of their faith, and rest firmly on Christ and His finished work on the cross.

Pray for the entire people group
Pray the Masalit people will be able to live peacefully with the neighboring tribes, and will be able to care adequately for their families. Pray for clean water to drink, and for sufficient, healthy food.

Scripture Focus
"Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised." 1 Chronicles 16:24-25

People Name: Masalit
Country: Sudan
10/40 Window: Yes
Population: 243,000
World Population: 456,000
Language: Masalit
Primary Religion: Islam
Bible: None
Online Audio NT: No
Jesus Film: No
Audio Recordings: Yes
Christ Followers: Few, less than 2%
Status: Unreached

Kamis, 05 Januari 2012

Christians warned by Islamist militants in Nigeria to leave north within 3 days

Christians warned by Islamist militants in Nigeria to leave north within 3 days

By Michael Ireland
Senior International Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
NIGERIA (ANS) -- The militant Islamist group Boko Haram has issued an ultimatum giving Christians living in northern Nigeria three days to leave the area amid a rising tide of violence there.

CNN reports that Boko Haram spokesman, Abul Qaqa, also said late Sunday that Boko Haram fighters are ready to confront soldiers sent to the area under a state of emergency declared in parts of four states by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday.

"We will confront them squarely to protect our brothers," Abul Qaqa said during a telephone call with local media. He also called on Muslims living in southern Nigeria to "come back to the north because we have evidence they will be attacked."

CNN said that recent weeks have seen an escalation in clashes between Boko Haram and security forces in the north-eastern states of Borno and Yobe, as well as attacks on churches and assassinations. Nearly 30 people were killed on Christmas Day at a Catholic church near the federal capital, Abuja -- a sign that Boko Haram is prepared to strike beyond its heartland.

Human rights activist Shehu Sani told CNN that the latest Boko Haram threat is credible, but many Christians born and raised in the north have nowhere else to go.

"The killings will continue," he said, and Boko Haram may respond to the state of emergency by taking its campaign of violence to areas not yet affected.

Sani said the state of emergency and an enhanced presence of the security forces would not improve the situation, alleging that troops had already been involved in human rights abuses and had done little to reduce violence.

CNN explained that Nigeria has almost equal numbers of Christian and Muslims, with the south predominantly Christian. Boko Haram and other Islamic groups claim the north has been starved of resources and marginalized by the government of Jonathan, who is a Christian.

Boko Haram (which according to the group means "Western civilization is forbidden") is demanding the imposition of Islamic sharia law across Nigeria.

CNN goes on to say that Christian leaders have demanded a stronger response to the attacks from the government and the Muslim community. Ayo Oritsejafor, head of the Christian Association of Nigeria, complained last week that the response of Islamic leaders had been "unacceptable and an abdication of their responsibilities."

"The Christian community is fast losing confidence in government's ability to protect our rights," Oritsejafor said.

David Cook of Rice University, who has studied the rise of Boko Haram, said that "if radical Muslim violence on a systematic level were to take hold in Nigeria ... it could eventually drive the country into a civil war."

CNN said corruption, poverty and a lack of government services have helped Boko Haram gain support, especially among young Muslims out of work. So has a perception that the Muslim north has been marginalized by a political establishment drawn largely from the Christian south.

Cook says the group has been responsible for at least 45 major attacks, which have included assassinations -- frequently using gunmen on motorbikes -- and, more recently, suicide bombings beyond its northern heartland.

Beyond the security forces and Christian targets, it has assassinated Muslim clerics who oppose the group, and even killed a prominent Boko Haram member who had attended talks to explore a truce. Boko Haram's presence in the city of Maiduguri has made it almost ungovernable, according to analysts.

Analysts say its ability to inflict mass casualties has grown fast. In August, a suicide bomber struck the U.N. building in Abuja, killing 23 people. In November, some 150 people were killed in a series of bombings and shootings in Damaturu, capital of Yobe state.

CNN also stated the commander of U.S. Africa Command, Gen. Carter Ham, has suggested Boko Haram may have developed links with other Islamic jihadist groups in the region, especially al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Sani agrees, and says Boko Haram's leaders have established sanctuaries across the desert borders in Niger and Chad, out of reach of the Nigerian security forces.

CNN added that the former U.S. ambassador in Nigeria, John Campbell, says that Boko Haram is able to finance itself "through bank robberies and is arming itself by thefts from government armories and purchases -- there is no shortage of weapons on the market."

Less than two months ago, President Jonathan described attacks by Boko Haram as a temporary setback, which would soon be a thing of the past, CNN said.

CNN said Jonathan now appears to see the group as a lethal threat that demands the full attention of the security services. But since Yusuf's death, Boko Haram has had no obvious leader or structure, and appears to act as loosely connected cells. And it is feeding on deep-seated grievances that the government seems unable to address.

According to CNN, Cook warns that "as more and more territories become ungovernable, such as Maiduguri, then Muslims more and more will want to join Boko Haram, if only because it represents the one group that can actually project power and hold out the illusion of security to the people."



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** Michael Ireland is the Senior International Correspondent for ANS. He is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB UK, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649, at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can make a donation online under 'Donate' tab, then look for 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' under 'Donation Category' to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.' Michael is a member in g ood standing of the National Writers Union, Society of Professional Journalists, Religion Newswriters Association, Evangelical Press Association and International Press Association. If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please contact him at: ANS Senior International Reporter