Catholic priest felt ‘born again’ during Islamic State captivity
By Mark Ellis, Special to ASSIST News Service
SYRIA (ANS - October 28, 2015)
-- He was one of 250 Christians captured by Islamic State militants in
Syria. Miraculously, with the help of a Muslim friend he managed to
escape their clutches and regain his freedom October 11th. Recently, he
described his captivity and the remarkable resolve of his fellow
Christian captives.
“Even
while being deported, with my hands tied behind my back, I surprisingly
found myself repeating again and again: I am going towards freedom,”
Father Jacques Murad told Arab Christian broadcaster Noursat TV.
Before
his abduction on May 21st, Fr Jacques belonged to a monastic community
on the outskirts of Al Qaryatayn. His community was founded by the
Italian Jesuit Paolo Dall’Oglio, from Rome, who disappeared in 2013 from
Raqqa, Syria, which became a stronghold of ‘Islamic State’ jihadists,
according to Agenzia Fides, the information service of the Pontifical
Mission Societies.
After
his capture, Islamic State militants took Fr Jacques to the city of
Palmyra, where he was placed in a dorm that included 250 other
Christians, also captured from the same area.
“The
Christians were often questioned about their faith and about the
Christian doctrine, and they did not convert to Islam despite much
pressure,” he recounted.
“Almost
every day there was someone who came to my prison and asked me ‘what
are you?’ I would answer: ‘I’m a Nazarene, in other words, a Christian.’
“So
you’re an infidel!” the Islamic State militant shouted. “Since you’re a
Christian, if you don’t convert we’ll slit your throat with a knife.”
The
excruciating pressures related to his abduction and captivity brought
an unexpected result. “This experience of trial strengthened the faith
of everyone including my faith as a priest. It is as if I have been born
again,” he declared.
Phoro caption: Father Jacques Murad.
About the writer: Mark Ellis is senior correspondent for the ASSIST News service and also the founder of www.Godreports.com,
a website that shares stories, testimonies and videos from the church
aorund the world to build interest and involvement in world missions.
** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)
According
to the BBC, the controversial policy was introduced nationally in 1979,
to slow the population growth rate. It is estimated to have prevented
about 400 million births. However concerns at China's ageing population
led to pressure for change.
About
the writer: Michael Ireland is a Senior Correspondent for the ASSIST
News Service, as well as a volunteer Internet Journalist and Ordained
Minister who has served with ASSIST Ministries and ASSIST News Service
since its beginning in 1989. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica,
Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China, and Russia. Click 
PAKISTAN (ANS, October 30, 2015) --
The lawyer of the only Pakistani Christian woman to be given the death
penalty for alleged blasphemy met her in prison last week, reporting
that she is safe and in good health.
Through
Malook, a prominent attorney and expert in Islamic law, Bibi had been
allowed to take the final appeal against her death penalty to the
Supreme Court in Islamabad in July 2015.
NEW DEHLI, INDIA (ANS – October 30, 2015)
- Advocates Asia, a forum of Christian lawyers in 20 Asian countries,
has urged the Chinese government to release “immediately and
unconditionally” human rights lawyers and activists detained since early
July.
CSW
also highlighted the case of lawyer Zhang Kai, who defended Protestant
pastor Huang Yizi, who protested the demolition of churches and crosses
in China’s Zhejiang province. Two Christian activists, including one
leader of an unregistered church, have also been questioned, CSW said.
About
the writer: Dan Wooding, 74, is an award-winning winning author,
broadcaster and journalist who was born in Nigeria of British missionary
parents, and is now living in Southern California with his wife Norma,
to whom he has been married for more than 52 years. They have two sons,
Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. Dan is
the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints
in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He is also the
author of some 45 books and has two US-based TV programs and a radio
show called “Front Page Radio.”
NORWAY (ANS – October 30, 2015) -- The tragedy of Norway’s Utoeya massacre was directly linked with the country’s policy toward Israel, a new book claims.
On
July 22, 2011, right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik murdered 77
people. After detonating a car-bomb in the heart of the Government
complex, killing eight, he drove unhindered to Utoeya, where he
slaughtered 69 left-wing political activists.
The
party’s youth had long been aggressively campaigning for a much more
pro-Palestinian stance and, by 1993, the mother party became the
official peace broker for the Oslo Accords which set up the mechanism
for negotiations towards a two-state solution dividing Israel – against
the clear commands of God (Joel 3.2) – and breathing new life into the
PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) in the process.
Humanly
speaking, the whole tragic episode could have been avoided but for a
series of monumental communication blunders, starting with the approach
road to the government complex, which had been flagged up as a security
risk seven years earlier when it was recommended that it should be
blocked off. Then there were questions as to why sufficient road blocks
weren’t set up and how Breivik managed to board the only island ferry
disguised as a policeman. Indeed, communication between police rescue
teams broke down to the point of almost total confusion comparable to
that which afflicted the ancient enemies of Israel in biblical records.
Hoff
also sees prophetic significance in the number of those killed – 77 –
which is closely associated with vengeance in each of its three mentions
in the Bible. In addition, the name Lord of Hosts (also translated Lord
of Armies), a title denoting military authority, occurs exactly 77
times in the book of Jeremiah, generally seen as a prophet of doom
despite many inspiring passages focusing on Israel’s future hope. And
the generation experiencing the outpouring of God’s vengeance when
Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70 was the 77th from Adam.
About
the writer: Charles Gardner is a veteran Cape Town-born British
journalist working on plans to launch a new UK national newspaper
reporting and interpreting the news from a biblical perspective. With
his South African forebears having had close links with the legendary
devotional writer Andrew Murray, Charles is similarly determined to make
an impact for Christ with his pen and has worked in the newspaper
industry for more than 41 years. Part-Jewish, he is married to Linda,
who takes the Christian message around many schools in the Yorkshire
town of Doncaster. Charles has four children and eight grandchildren.
Charles can be reached by phone on +44 (0) 1302 832987, or by e-mail at 
