October 10, 2006
From The Voice of the Martyrs

"The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father's God, and I will exalt Him."
(Exodus 15:2)

EGYPT
Christian Girl Abducted - Whereabouts Still Unknown – VOM sources/persecution . com
After working 14 hours in the fields, Saber, an Egyptian Christian, had his plans of relaxation interrupted by a knock on his door. It was his neighbor's teenage son who wanted to buy some hay. Having no energy to fetch the hay, Saber sent his 16-year-old daughter, Suzanne, to get the hay from his backyard. She never returned, and Saber suspects the teenager forcibly converted and married her. Our contact reports Saber has forgiven his daughter's abductor but desperately wants to know where Suzanne is and how she is living.
Pray Saber's Christ-like forgiveness will soften the hearts of his Muslim neighbors and they will not only return Suzanne to her home, but want to know the God who forgives.
KJV Romans 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

AZERBAIJAN (Location: Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia -- dictionary . reference . com)
Azeri Officials Deprive Christian Baby of Name – Compass Direct
Three-month-old Ilya Eyvazov has no official name. Local authorities in the town of Aliabad at first refused to issue a birth certificate when they saw the baby's name was the Russian form of Elijah. After a month, Novruz Eyvazov, the baby's father, succeeded only in securing a birth certificate that left his son's name blank. Considered part of a "foreign" religious sect, the three Baptist congregations in Aliabad face ongoing harassment from the local government, which has refused them official church registration for the past 13 years.
Pray the Holy Spirit will move in power to overcome the spiritual darkness in Azerbaijan and bring unity among the people.
KJV Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

INDIA
Youth Abducted, Tortured for Receiving Christ – Compass Direct
On October 4th, Hindu extremists in Orissa state abducted a Christian youth from his house. They tortured and tonsured him (shaved his head), allegedly to punish him for accepting Christianity. Ranjan Dangua remained missing at press time.
Pray God will protect Ranjan Dangua and help him be a strong witness for Christ.
KJV Psalm 7:9, 10 Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins. My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.

Hindu extremists in the Southern state of Andhra Pradesh attacked at least four Christians in the last three weeks, including a beating of three Dalits and a threat to have their government benefits withdrawn. On September 29th, a group of Hindu extremists barged into a church in Nizamabad district and manhandled Pastor Kavalla Shadrak late in the evening. On September 22nd, a mob of about 40 people surrounded three Dalit Christians in Nandiwaddeman village while three people beat them. When the church pastor went to the village head to report the attack, he refused to listen to him – then allegedly held a meeting with village elders to accuse him of forcibly converting the villagers.
Pray God will strengthen Christians in Andhra Pradesh to remain faithful to Jesus in spite of all opposition.
KJV 2 Thessalonians 1:11, 12 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

IRAN
Christian Couple Released on Bail – Compass Direct
After nine days in secret police custody, Reza Montazami and his wife, Fereshteh Dibaj, were released on bail this morning by order of a Revolutionary Court in Mashhad, Iran. Montazami's elderly parents posted bail for the detained Christian couple, turning over the title deed for property worth $25,000. Within hours, Montazami and his wife were allowed to return home. Although no specific charges against the Christian couple have been made public, the file on their case reportedly remains open.
Give thanks to God this couple is now free. Continue to pray for their protection.
KJV Psalm 64:1, 2 Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity.

NIGERIA
Young Christian Woman Eight Months in Hiding after Escape from Stoning – Compass Direct
Eight months after she escaped from a judgment by officials in Sokoto to be stoned to death for "blasphemy," 22-year-old Ladi Muhammed is still in hiding.
Pray the Lord will keep her safe and give her the supernatural peace that comes from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
KJV Philippians 1:2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

`

__________________
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you...."
2 Corinthians 13:14 KJV

"For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." (II Corinthians 5:1)

October 31, 2006
From The Voice of the Martyrs

INDIA
Pastor Arrested for Selling Books in Gospel Meeting Venue
- VOM Sources/persecution . com
Pastor Amit Kumar Raul of Cuttack was arrested on October 26 for causing communal disharmony. He was selling books in the venue where a gospel meeting was held in Udaigiri, Phulbhani. The radical Hindus with the support of police arrested Amit Kumar Raul for causing disharmony. They have also booked cases against Bishop Pramananda Nayak, Sachin Kanto and S. Nayak, the organizers of the Gospel meeting. The cases are registered in Baliguda police station. The Magistrate Quarters rejected the bail application of Amit Kumar Raul.
Pray God will comfort and strengthen Pastor Raul and all Christians in India with the Word they have hidden in their hearts.
Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.

ETHIOPIA
Five Churches Burned
- VOM Sources/persecution . com
VOM’s contact in Ethiopia has reported that five churches were burned recently. Religious conflicts in Dembi have taken the lives of Christians. International Christian Concern (ICC) reported on Thursday that it had just been informed of a brutal attack on Christians on July 20 in Henno, Ethiopia. Seven Muslim clerics in southern Ethiopia angry over the conversion of two prominent Muslims in 2005 brutally attacked at least 50 Christians, seriously injuring 12. However, many Muslims in the region have condemned the violence against Christians and some have refused to go to mosques. According to ICC, 47 Muslim leaders became Christians and renounced Islam stating, "If Islam means killing innocent brothers and sisters - we do not want to follow it!"
Pray God will use these conflicts to lead more and more Muslims to His love and peace.
Genesis 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

ERITREA (in Eastern Africa)
Two Christians Tortured to Death
- Compass Direct
On October 17, security police tortured two Christians to death, two days after arresting them for holding a religious service in a private home south of Asmara. The deaths came after officials detained a U.S. citizen and re-imprisoned a popular Christian singer who was hospitalized as a result of spending 29 months in a metal shipping container. Immanuel Andegergesh, 23, and Kibrom Fir Romans 10:8emichel, 30, died from torture wounds and severe dehydration in a military camp outside the town of Adi-Quala, eyewitnesses told Compass. Earlier this month, Eritrean authorities returned popular Christian singer Helen Berhane to military detention after she spent three days in Asmara’s Halibet Hospital for medical treatment. Berhane’s leg had been seriously damaged as a result of beatings she received while imprisoned in a metal shipping container since her arrest in May 2004.
Pray the Holy Spirit will move in power to overcome the vicious and senseless attacks against Christians in Eritrea.
John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.

INDIA
New Believer Arrested, Urged to Frame Pastor
- Compass Direct
Police on October 26th arrested a recent convert in Mayapuri, Madhya Pradesh state for the second time in three days in an apparent attempt to pressure him to give evidence that his pastor forcibly converted him. By nightfall, the new believer was charged with "insulting religious beliefs." The police detained Ramesh Thakur, 37, after having arrested him on October 24, and releasing him the next day after intense questioning. The pastor of his church in Ujjain district, Jagdish Bharti, is already fighting charges of "insulting religious beliefs." The officer-in-charge of the Dewas Gate police station, R.R. Malvi, told a church member that he was under tremendous political pressure to charge Thakur. Viju Varghese, Global Council of Indian Christians co-ordinator in Madhya Pradesh, told Compass that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had offered Thakur 25,000 rupees (US$552) to implicate Pastor Bharti in a charge of "allurement" to convert.
Pray God will work a miracle of His love and power to release both of these men.
2 Samuel 22:4 I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.


"Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." (Genesis 28:15)

November 14, 2006
From The Voice of the Martyrs

SRI LANKA (in Southern Asia -- an island in the Indian Ocean, south of India)
New Attacks on Christians
- VOM Canada
On October 23, a church worker and his family at Vineyard Community Church in Gonawela, Sri Lanka, were attacked by five men claiming to be police officers. According to a November 3rd report from the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEAL), the family was guarding the church building when five men approached at approximately midnight. The five men threatened the family, beat the man with clubs and aggressively shook a child. They also stole a woman's gold necklace, damaged the building's electricity supply and smashed pots and vases. The beaten man sustained serious injuries. A week later the church was again attacked, this time by a group of 10 men. They unsuccessfully tried to set the building on fire. No one was injured in this attack. In another attack on October 30, the pastor of Calvary Chapel of Lanka in Polhena was accosted by a group of local men at approximately 9 a.m. Two or three men beat him while the others looked on. He has been hospitalized for arm injuries.
Pray God will strengthen all who were attacked and they will be witnesses of Christ's love.
Psalm 50:15 The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.

ERITREA
Christian Singer Freed From Prison
- The Chicago Tribune
Gospel singer Helen Berhane, who belonged to a banned evangelical church in Eritrea, has been released after more than two years in detention. She was released in late October, according to a statement issued by Amnesty International. Berhane was arrested in May 2004. "She spent most of her detention in inhuman and degrading conditions inside a metal shipping container, which was used as a prison cell,” the statement said. The authorities reportedly tortured her many times to make her recant her faith. Give thanks to God Helen Berhane has been released at last.
Ask our merciful Father to heal her mind and body as she continues to be a witness for Christ.
Matthew 12:20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

INDIA
Dalit Christians Forced to Bow to Hindu Idols
- Compass Direct
Lambini tribal villagers in Karnataka state prohibited Pastor Revanna Naik and his congregation from worshiping on Sunday, October 29, instead forcing them to bow down and worship Hindu deities. Three of the 11 Christian families at the church in the remote village in Chitradurga district refused to bow before the idols or partake of the prasad offering that would indicate allegiance to the Hindu deities. The local council chief ordered the village to ostracize those families. This stigma of being ostracized will crush the very spirit of the Lambani, who are very clan-oriented people. On November 6, Hindu extremists forced Christians in a remote village in southern Karnataka to bow down before Hindu deities. The Christians were marched to the village temple, forced to bow down before the Hindu gods and had the vermilion mark applied to their foreheads. A police inspector only watched this violation of the Christians' rights. Pray the families who are shunned by the villagers will draw close to Jesus and know His loving presence as never before.
Pray the police officer and Hindu extremists will repent and come to know Jesus' forgiveness.
Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh.

AUSTRALIA
Girl Who Rejected Islam Now Facing False Murder Charges
- ASSIST News
Australian media reports that on October 9th, 17-year-old Kaihana Hussain was attacked with a knife by her father, Dr Mohammed Hussain, after she reiterated her commitment to convert from Islam to Christianity. According to the reports, Kaihana's mother was fatally stabbed when she tried to intervene, and her father attempted to kill himself after Kaihana escaped the apartment. Police confirmed at the time that Kaihana was not a suspect. Dr Hussain survived, and now alleges that Kaihana stabbed her mother to death and attempted to murder him because they disapproved of her boyfriend. Kaihana was subsequently arrested and faced a court on November 7, where she was charged with murder and attempted murder. She did not speak and no plea was entered. Kaihana Hussain remains in custody until her trial, which has been slated for May 22, 2007.
Pray God will reveal the truth in this matter and Kaihana will be set free.
Matthew 10:26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

`
Note: VOM News and Prayer Update: November 14
Since last week's prayer update, additional details have been reported in the case of Australian teen Kaihana Hussain. While she continues to need prayer that she will know and live for Christ, it now appears that her case does not involve Christian persecution.
`

Christian Freedom International
November 17, 2006

Pray for Bangladesh
Bangladesh is a country that fails to prevent violence toward minority Christians. Christians here experience severe violence, harassment, and discrimination from Muslim authorities. Religiously motivated violence is a continuing problem. Police are ineffective in upholding law and order and assisting members of Christian minorities who are victims of crimes. Christians are continuously faced with religiously motivated killings, rapes, attacks, and forced evictions and conversions. The Bengali government fails to investigate such crimes. Proselytism is not permitted. Foreign missionaries and religious activists are treated with suspicion and are often watched. Foreign missionaries who have been perceived converting Muslims to Christianity face severe punishments. Fundamentalist Islamic forces are rising and government agencies continue to discriminate against minority faiths.

`

__________________
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you...."
2 Corinthians 13:14 KJV

__________________
Father of lights, every good and perfect gift is from YOU!!!
Vater des Lichts, alles was gut und Vollkommen ist, kommt von DIR!!!

11/05/01
PAKISTAN: Renewed threats against Christians
ISLAMABAD, 5 November (IRIN) - A Pakistan-based human rights group is
worried about increasing attacks on Christians in the country following a
number of recent threats received by them in the south of Punjab Province.
The concern follows an attack on a church in the province in which 16 people
were killed.
"Recently, in the district of Muzaffargarh, near Multan in Pakistan's Punjab
Province, Islamic extremists have been hanging banners calling on Muslims to
kill Christians as part of their religious duty," Aftab Multan, the
executive secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) in Multan,
told IRIN, on Monday.
He added that although Christian leaders persuaded those responsible for
hanging the banners to remove them, a few days later they had reappeared,
and that some threats had also been sent in the post and by telephone.
The mounting resentment towards the Christian community and those linked
with the West, Mughal said, was in response to the US-led air strikes on
Afghanistan. "There is a misconception among Muslims that Pakistani
Christians are somehow linked with the US. We need to correct them." He
explained that the JPC was also trying to address the Muslim community to
say that Christians were firstly Pakistanis and facing the same problems as
the Muslims in the country.
Following the attack, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf addressed the
nation, condemning it and vowing to catch the culprits. The incident took
place at St Dominic's Church in Bahawalpur in Punjab Province, in which 15
Christian worshippers and a Muslim policeman died instantly when they were
gunned down by what were thought to be Islamic terrorists.
According to witnesses, five men on two motorcycles entered the church lawn and opened fire. Mughal said although some arrests had been made, it was still unclear as to which groups the culprits belonged to.
"This was not the last incident, it may just be the beginning," Mughal said,
adding that JPC was demanding that the government protect minorities while
the US-led air strikes continued. He said church leaders across Pakistan
were very worried about the safety of their places of worship, and were
meeting in Islamabad in the next few days to work out a strategy to present
to the government.
Referring to the situation in Bahawalpur, Mughal said the church had
remained closed since the attack on 28 October, and that a special prayer
ceremony was to be held soon, after which the place of worship would reopen.
However, he said, Christians were now too scared to go back to that church
and others. "Attendance is low at churches across Pakistan," he said.
"People are taking their own weapons to church to ensure maximum safety."
Christians make up 1.5 percent of the population in Pakistan, and are
concentrated in Punjab Province in cities such as Lahore, Rawalpindi,
Bahawalpur and Faisalabad.
Christians were angry, believing they had no future in this country, that
they were helpless and thinking about how they were going to survive, he
said. "It is going to take some time before they can begin to feel
comfortable again," he added.
The last time there was such an attack on the minority community in Pakistan was in 1997 when the village of Shanti Nagar, near Multan, was burnt down.
Mughal warned that the same could happen again if the government did not act fast in stopping extremist groups from lashing out.
Security has been stepped up at churches across Pakistan, and Christian
leaders have been advised to take precautions and restrict their movements
in and around cities.
At the Our Lady of Fatima Church in Islamabad, four armed officers are
carrying out thorough checks on everyone entering the building. "We had a
solidarity meeting with Muslim leaders last week who have been supportive,"
Fr Nevin told IRIN. "However, worshippers are a little frightened, and they
have also organised their own extra security at their homes."
A practising Christian, Sonia Rubiaqa, aged 18, told IRIN she was being
cautious in her movements around the city, especially on Fridays, which is
the Islamic holy day. "Some of my friends at school are always asking me why I don't convert to Islam. I don't say anything, I just keep quiet. But I am
proud to be Christian," she said.
www . domini . org/openbook/pak20011105 . htm

Ranjah Masih Convicted of Blasphemy
2 May 2003
On 26 April a Faisalabad court convicted Pakistani Christian, Ranjah Masih, of
blasphemy. The judge sentenced him to life imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 rupees for damaging a neon sign depicting the Islamic creed.
On 8 May 1998, following the death of Bishop John Joseph, several youths amongst a large group of Christian mourners threw stones, damaging a sign that hung over a shop. Fifty year old Masih was arrested for this, on the complaint of the local mayor’s son. He has spent five years in jail since his arrest, and is the only person to have been found guilty of the offence. He was tried under Section 295-C of the blasphemy law, which carries the death penalty; however the judge handed down a life-sentence and fine instead. This, in itself, is a punishment disproportionate to the crime committed. There is evidence that he did not receive a fair trial: the police produced little evidence and despite a full court, no other Christians are reported to have been present. He is likely to appeal, but this process will take 18 months.
This case highlights the vagaries of the Pakistani legal system and the ease
with which a Christian can be charged with blasphemy in Pakistan. Seven other Christians are currently facing trial under the blasphemy law. The law is an easy way to intimidate the Christian community. They are desperate to free from the threat of this law, in the words of Ranjah Masih, “I will be happy if [the] sacrifice of my life could contribute in the abolishment of this black law of blasphemy."
Pray that Ranjah Masih will have a quick and fair appeal.
Pray that the blasphemy law will be amended or removed.
Pray for the ongoing safety of the Church in Pakistan.....
www . domini . org/openbook/pak20030502 . htm

Conviction of Two Christians Upheld by Pakistani Court
August 7, 2003
VOM News, Lahore, Pakistan--A Pakistani court has upheld the conviction of two Christians accused of committing blasphemy against the Islamic holy book.
The Voice of the Martyrs has learned the Lahore High Court has agreed with prosecution arguments that Amjad and Asif Masih set fire to a copy of the Koran while detained at a police station in February 1999.The court stated that, "The act of the accused was calculated to outrage the religious feelings of the Muslim(s)." The court also said, "There is not even a remote possibility that the police officials who were all Muslims could willfully dare or even think of desecrating the Holy Quran in the manner it was done."
Amjad and Asif were originally arrested under a false charge of vagrancy. They claim Muslim police officers framed them and set fire to the Islamic holy book because the two street sweepers refused to pay them a $300 bribe.
The two Christians received life sentences--the maximum penalty fordesecration of the Koran under Pakistan's 295-B blasphemy law.
Amjad's wife Kauser works as a maidservant earning only $16 U.S. per month to support their four young children. The Voice of the Martyrs is helping to pay the school fees of the children, including 4-year old Sundas, the daughter Amjad has never met. The assistance provided to Amjad's family is coming from VOM's Families of Martyrs fund.
Amjad and Asif are expected to appeal the Lahore court decision to Pakistan's Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has regularly reversed the blasphemy case rulings of lower courts that are often threatened by radical
Islamic groups to uphold false blasphemy convictions.
www . domini . org/openbook/pak20030807 . htmBlasphemy

Quote:

Originally Posted by JG 10-07-2004 .... Another Pakistani Christian Pastor Kidnapped and Beaten by Compass Direct ISTANBUL, September 28 (Compass) -- A Protestant pastor in the northern part of Pakistan’s Sindh province is recovering slowly after being kidnapped, drugged and beaten severely two weeks ago by bearded assailants. The Muslim attackers held their hostage for two days before dumping him along a road nearly 600 miles away. His Muslim captors told Pastor Yousaf Masih, 33, that they were taking revenge for the United States’ military presence in the country and ordered him to stop “praying for Muslims” in his Baptist church in Jacobabad. The Baptist minister was abducted off a back street near his home after dark on Sunday evening, September 12. Walking home from a worship service, Masih was confronted by a bearded man who held a revolver to his side, warning, “If you try to resist me, I will shoot you and your wife and children.” With the help of another accomplice, the man forced Masih into a red car parked along a nearby main street. Although the men spoke Urdu with Masih, he said they spoke with each other in Pashto, the language of the tribal Pathans living in southern Afghanistan and the northwest territories of Pakistan. Although Masih was blindfolded, he understood from the shouts of transport hawkers along the way that they were driving through Sukkur. “After this they turned left [north], but then the car turned many ways, so I had no knowledge where I was being taken,” Masih told Compass by telephone today from Jacobabad. When the car stopped, Masih said he was taken into a room where his head was shaved, and his shirt and trousers exchanged for traditional “shalvar kamiz” clothing. “Then they injected something into my right arm, and I went unconscious,” he said. When he came back to his senses, he said he found himself in another room with an iron girder, where his captors suspended him by his legs, with his hands tied behind his back. “They beat me on my legs and arms and back with long wooden sticks, shouting, ‘Christians are dogs!’” Masih said. The pastor said his captors denounced the “Christian” American military for killing “many, many of our Muslim people,” complaining specifically about the U.S. contingent based at Shahbaz Air Force Base near Jacobabad. “You are a Christian, and the Americans are also Christians. So tell the Americans to leave this airbase. Otherwise, we will continue to give trouble to you and other Christians,” they warned. In addition, the kidnappers ordered Masih to stop praying for Muslims at his church. Masih said he told them that Hindus and Muslims and people from the Christian community all come to visit his home. “So I pray with them over their problems,” he said. After the threats and extended thrashing, he was taken down and given some bread, lentils and water. Soon afterward he again fell unconscious, causing him to suspect they had drugged the food. He awoke in yet another room, where he was whipped on the soles of his feet and fed bread and vegetable curry. When he next regained consciousness, he said he found himself lying on the ground outside, in the dark of night. “My whole body was seriously swollen, my feet and my legs, but I started to walk slowly,” he recalled. After he came to a small road, a Suzuki pickup came along and stopped for him. Masih explained what had happened, asking where he was. The driver told him they were just a half-hour’s drive to Bannu City, some 600 miles north of Jacobabad. So he agreed to take the injured pastor to the Bannu Christian Hospital, where he was admitted shortly before midnight on September 14. According to a medical report issued by the Bannu hospital, the effects of the heavy beatings caused serious swelling and damage to the pastor’s leg tissues and injury to his back. His blood pressure continues to drop as low as 100/40 at times, he said. Masih was transferred on September 17 under police protection back to his home in Jacobabad, where the small government hospital continues to monitor his treatment. It has been recommended that he go to the Agha Khan Hospital in Karachi within the next week for an advanced medical checkup. Although local police resisted initial attempts to file a report on his disappearance, an official First Information Report was registered on September 14. Since Masih’s return home, Jacobabad’s senior superintendent of police has insisted it was a faked kidnapping, and that his alleged captors were Christians, not Muslims. “You were not kidnapped,” Din Mohammed Baloch reportedly told Masih on September 23. “You were doing a drama.” Married with a nine-year-old son and four-year-old daughter, Masih admitted, “My wife is really feeling very troubled now. So pray for us.” Masih is the second Protestant pastor subjected to kidnapping and torture at the hands of Islamist extremists in Pakistan within the past four months. Pastor Wilson Fazal of the Pakistan Gospel Assembly in Quetta was abducted, shaved and beaten in May by a group of fanatic Muslims who tried to force him to convert to Islam. He escaped 40 hours later by jumping out of the jeep while being transported in the direction of the Afghan border. Quote: Originally Posted by BrendaMagana Dear Father hedge Your protection about this pastor and all other serving pastors and servants of Yours across the globe. Protect them, their families and their possesions by the power in Your mighty hand. Draw Your sword against the enemies of the church and scattter them to the four winds . In the Name of Jesus I have prayed. Amen Amen. ~

Accuser Drops Blasphemy Charges Against Pakistani Christian
Posted by: Jubilee on Jan 13, 2006 - 10:37 AM
The man who accused Pakistani Christian Yousaf Masih of blasphemy for allegedly desecrating the Qur'an has dropped the charges, Compass Direct news service reported late yesterday. Mohammed Saleem had publicly accused Masih of dropping a lit match into a Qur'an Mahal, a room used to store discarded copies and fragments of the Islamic holy book, sparking a night of violent destruction in the village of Sangla Hill. Eyewitness reports say that before all was said and done, more than 2,000 Muslim men had rampaged through the Christian section of the village, burning four churches, a convent, a Catholic girls' school and ten Christian homes. Other witnesses claim that Saleem had first brought the charge against Masih because he wanted to get out of paying a gambling debt he owed the Christian.
The dropping of the blasphemy charge came as the result of a compromise between the leaders of the Muslim and Christian communities. To secure the dismissal of the charges against Masih, Catholic and Protestant leaders agreed on January 5 not to press charges against those who participated in the mob action. The priest of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Sangla Hill, Father Samson Dilawar, and Presbyterian pastor Tajjamal Pervaiz, both of whose church buildings were destroyed in the riots, were among those who signed the agreement.
Since the agreement was signed, the anti-Christian rhetoric in area mosques has been toned down, but some from both the Christian and Muslim communities are dissatisfied with the compromise. Masih remains in jail, as do the 88 men arrested for taking part in the riots. What will happen to them is unclear. The families of the 88 men continue to agitate for their release, while some Christian leaders have expressed their anger at what they consider another example of systemic injustice against Pakistan's religious minorities.
www . jubileecampaign . org/home/modules . php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=91&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

VOM (The Voice of the Martyrs) News and Prayer Update: November 21, 2006
PAKISTAN
Christian Acquitted on 'Blasphemy' Charges - Compass Direct
On November 10, after eight and a half years in jail on unsubstantiated blasphemy charges, Pakistani Christian Ranjha Masih was acquitted by the Lahore High Court. He was arrested in May 1998, during a funeral procession for former Catholic Bishop of Faisalabad, John Joseph. Masih was convicted and sentenced to life in prison by a district court in April 2003. At the end of a two-hour appeal hearing on the case, the Presiding Justice ruled that the lack of any solid evidence against Masih required him to issue a release. According to the Lahore-based Center for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement, the former hospital worker will be transferred to a secure, undisclosed location after his release.
Give thanks to God for answered prayer and pray His continued protection for Ranjha Masih.
2 Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
www . persecution . com



http://www.annointed.net/ForumTopic_45366__15.htm
Christian, Abdul Rahman, faces death penalty for leaving Islam, please pray for him.

http://www.annointed.net/ForumTopic_45368__15.htm
President Bush upset over Christian Afghans trial. Please Pray

http://www.annointed.net/ForumTopic_45467__15.htm
Abdul Rahman, muslim who converted to Christianity is set free, thank the Lord

http://www.annointed.net/Community/...ad.php?p=221246
Death could await Christian convert in Afghanistan


`

__________________
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you...."
2 Corinthians 13:14 KJV

From: Crosscards
Sent: Monday, December 18, 2006 9:26 PM
Subject: Crosscards - The Amazing Rescue of a Pakistani Christian Teen (EXCERPT)


Christians in Pakistan continue to be persecuted for their faith. Many have been forced to work in brick kilns practically serving as slave labor. The following story of Azra Bibi a young Christian girl in Pakistan is both tragic and inspiring.

Azra was forced to work in the brick kilns at the tender age of 7. She had to help her mother just so the family could eat. They also faced the danger of being the only Christians in a Muslim community. But their faith held strong.

One tragic day a Muslim woman began the verbal attacks. Before long others women joined in and Azra’s mom was badly beaten. They were both taken to the brick kiln owner where Azra’s mom was murdered in the most horrific way. Young Azra was devastated.

The brick kiln owner had plans to force Azra to convert to Islam with the intention of marrying her off. But God had other plans. With the help of a courageous local pastor and support from Christians in the US, Azra was miraculously rescued with her debts paid. Plans are now underway to provide training and a small house for this courageous young Christian girl who stood firm in her faith through such difficult trials.

__________________
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you...."
2 Corinthians 13:14 KJV

VOM-USA News & Prayer Update (January 30, 2007)
The Voice of the Martyrs www . persecution . com

"Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
(2 Timothy 3:12-15)

PAKISTAN
Evangelists Beaten at Muslim Festival - VOM Sources
A team of Pakistani Christian evangelists supported by The Voice of the Martyrs was attacked and beaten Friday, January 26th, after handing out more than 13,000 Christian tracts at a Muslim festival in Pakpattan, Pakistan. Three members of the four-member team were roughed up by radical Muslims then taken to the police station where they were detained and questioned before being released. However, the fourth evangelist, the leader of the team, was badly beaten by a mob of more than 100 angry Muslims, who then dragged him through the crowd before taking him to the police station. He was beaten so severely that he reported blood in his urine and his stool. VOM contacts are taking him to a hospital for medical care.
Pray for God's protection for these courageous believers. Ask God to heal their injuries and for the Holy Spirit to comfort their families during this difficult time.
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."
Hebrews 12:1-3 KJV
"He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions."
Psalm 107:20 KJV

VIETNAM
Four Church Leaders Arrested - VOM Sources
Four church leaders from Tuyen Quang province were arrested by border patrol police at the border between China and Vietnam in Ha Giang province. They were on their way home from collecting books and funds for the Pastor Support Program in Vietnam. There is no further information on their arrest.
Pray God will protect them in prison and open a door for them in prison so they can share the gospel for which they suffer. Ask Him to encourage their families and for the Vietnamese government to release them.
"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds."
Colossians 4:2-3 KJV

ERITREA
Sixty-eight Christians Arrested - Compass Direct News/VOM Sources
Police and military authorities in Eritrea (in eastern Africa) jailed 68 Christians in three official round-up operations conducted the first week of January.
January 4 - Military commanders at Sawa Military Center held "random check-up on the activities of Christian extremists" on teenage student conscripts. They found 250 Bibles, which they burned in front of the whole military camp. They arrested 35 students and ordered they be subjected to severe military punishment, including torture.
January 5 - Police took 8 government workers into custody. The Christians are being interrogated and pressured by police to identify leaders and name anyone supporting them.
January 5 - Thirty-five Christians in Assab were arrested by police. They were pressured to recant their faith.
Pray for the release of all Christians in Eritrea who are imprisoned for their faith. Pray those being tortured will be strengthened and delivered by the Lord.
"But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf."
2 Corinthians 1:9-11 KJV

INDIA
Worship Service Disrupted In Madhya Pradesh - VOM Sources
A worship service in Kanpur was disrupted when Hindu extremists stormed the meeting. According to the Global Council of Indian Christians the militants were targeting foreign missionaries from Japan, present at the meeting. The pulpit and sound system were destroyed and those attending the meeting were pushed and abused for two hours before police arrived.
Thank God no one was seriously hurt in this attack. Pray Christians will remain bold and continue to proclaim the gospel in India.
"But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul."
Hebrews 10:32-39 KJV

PAKISTAN
UPDATE - Christian Released from Prison after Six Years
On Friday, January 19, 2007, Shahbaz Kaka, was released from prison after serving six years of a life sentence. According to a statement issued by Justice Ejah Ahmad Chaudry (High Court Lahore), Shahbaz will spend a month under medical care and then return home. Shahbaz was arrested in June 2001, after he used the bathroom at a mosque. "Qari Rafique, the head of the mosque, asked him why he was using the toilet that was adjacent to the mosque. He quizzed Shahbaz on whether he was a Christian because he was wearing a cross around his neck," a VOM source said. The source added that after the conversation, Rafique initiated false allegations against Shahbaz. A complaint was made to the authorities stating Shahbaz disgraced the Quran by tearing pages out, cutting them into pieces and trampling them under his feet. Shahbaz was arrested and later charged with blasphemy. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2004. VOM rejoices with Shahbaz Kaka and his family at his release.
Pray his testimony will cause Muslims in Pakistan to follow Christ. Ask God to protect and comfort Christians in Pakistan who face persecution.

__________________
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you...."
2 Corinthians 13:14 KJV

Father I pray for Your son. I ask for mighty warring angels to be stationed round about him as he is being persecuted for Your name's sake and Your will in his life. I ask that You station angels round about his family and friends and strengthen them in this time of need. I praise you for the VICTORY!

__________________
Mt 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.


And always:

"nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." quote from Jesus in Mt 26:39


In Jesus' most precious name Amen.