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1 Peter 1:5
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

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World's Largest Prayer Board Annointed.net News - Abdul Rahman, muslim who converted to Christianity is set free, thank the Lord

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  #1  
Old 03-28-2006, 07:40 PM
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Abdul Rahman, muslim who converted to Christianity is set free, thank the Lord

Abdul Rahman, muslim who converted to Christianity is set free, thank the Lord.

Abdul Rahman had faced the death penalty for abandoning Islam for Christianity was freed from prison and went into hiding Tuesday in Kabul after Muslim clerics threatened his life. Italy said it may grant him asylum.

He, was released from the high-security prison on the outskirts of the capital late Monday after a court dropped charges of apostasy against him for lack of evidence and suspected mental illness. President Hamid Karzai had been under heavy international pressure to drop the case.

Muslim clerics condemned Rahman’s release, saying it was a “betrayal of Islam.” They threatened to incite violent protests.

Justice Minister Mohammed Sarwar Danish said Rahman was staying at a “safe location” in Kabul. He has appealed to leave Afghanistan and the United Nations said it has been working to find a country willing to take him.

The Italian government said Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini will use a Cabinet meeting Wednesday to press for Rahman to be granted asylum there. Fini had earlier expressed Italy’s “indignation” over the case and Pope Benedict XVI had appealed to Karzai to protect Rahman.

Close ties with Italy
Italy has close ties with Afghanistan, whose former king, Mohammed Zaher Shah, was allowed to live with his family in exile in Rome for 30 years. The former royals returned to Kabul after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001.

An Italian diplomat in Kabul, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said no one from the Italian mission had been in contact with Rahman, but they had been assured his health was all right.

The U.S. and Germany welcomed his release.

“Obviously it’s good news that he has been released,” White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

Germany, a major donor with about 2,000 troops in the NATO security force in Afghanistan, also expressed satisfaction.

“I think this is a sensible signal to the international community but also for the situation in Afghanistan,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

Rahman was put on trial last week for converting 16 years ago while he was a medical aid worker for an international Christian group helping Afghan refugees in Pakistan. He faced the death penalty under Afghanistan’s Islamic laws.

Rahman’s ordeal began as a custody dispute over his two daughters, now 13 and 14. The girls had been living with their grandparents their whole lives but Rahman sought custody when he returned to Afghanistan in 2002 after living in Germany for nine years. A custody battle ensued and the matter was taken to police.

During questioning, it emerged that Rahman was a Christian and was carrying a Bible. He was immediately arrested and charged.

The case caused an outcry in the United States and other nations that helped oust the hard-line Taliban regime in late 2001 and provide aid and military support for Karzai. President Bush and others had insisted Afghanistan protect personal beliefs. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Karzai last week and appealed for a “favorable resolution” of the case.

Clerics united against Afghan
But the outrage put Karzai in a difficult position because he also risked offending religious sensibilities in Afghanistan, where senior Muslim clerics have been united in calling for Rahman to be executed.

“This is a betrayal of Islam and the entire Afghan nation by our government,” said Hamiddullah, a senior cleric in Kabul. “This will have very dangerous consequences for the government. Muslim leaders will react very strongly.”

A cleric in northern Kunduz town, Ubuiddullah, said, “We will protest this. We are very angry.”

However, a preacher in the northwestern Badghis province said the country’s religious leaders should not incite violence.

“Clerics shouldn’t be calling for people to riot and damage our country,” Mohammed Usman said.

On Monday, 700 clerics, students and others in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif protested Rahman’s acquittal a day earlier. The demonstration ended peacefully and there have been no rallies since.
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If I recall correctly, my memory is excellent but access to it is intermittent.

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  #2  
Old 03-28-2006, 08:16 PM
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Father I pray for protection and provision for this young man.
I pray his courage be a witness to the muslim world and his family.

I pray You be with him for the rest of his life in Jesus name.

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Old 03-29-2006, 02:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shawn
Clerics united against Afghan
But the outrage put Karzai in a difficult position because he also risked offending religious sensibilities in Afghanistan, where senior Muslim clerics have been united in calling for Rahman to be executed.


These crazy muslims..

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Old 03-29-2006, 04:50 PM
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Protect him and his family
Bless him and surround him with your Angels
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Christy

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Old 03-29-2006, 05:50 PM
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Hooray for Abdul! Father I thank thee for blessing this man as he accepted you and your truth. Please continue to keep him safe and protected. Use him for your purposes and for the building of your kingdom. Use him to lead other Muslims to Christ. I ask of you in Jesus name I pray, Amen.
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Old 03-30-2006, 12:40 PM
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PRAISE THE LORD
PRAISE THE LORD
PRAISE THE LORD
PRAISE THE LORD

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Old 03-30-2006, 03:10 PM
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Dear Lord, I praise Thee for this turn of advents. May Abdul and his family be safe from those that might seek to retaliate or get revenge against the family. I pray that Christianity may go forward in these countries and the door may be opened, in Jesus Holy name amen.
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Old 04-04-2006, 01:02 PM
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Post Praying for the Persecuted -- Seekers and Christian Converts

www . wilmingtonstar . com/apps/pbcs . dll/article?AID=/20060328/NEWS/203280324/1055/yourlife04
Many Islamic nations ban conversion to Christianity
By Jasper Mortimer, Associated Press
CAIRO, EGYPT - In the Middle East, Jordan is known as a tolerant country, but when a Muslim man converted to Christianity two years ago, a court convicted him of apostasy, took away his right to work and annulled his marriage.
Such prosecutions are rare – because they’re hardly ever needed. The law heavily discourages – or outright forbids – conversion by Muslims in most nations in the region. But weighing against it even more heavily are the powerful influences of family and society.
The sensitivity of the issue is highlighted by the case of an Afghan man who faced the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity – creating an outcry in the United States and other nations, which pressured Afghanistan for his release.
After an Afghan court dropped the charges against Abdul Rahman, 41, Muslim clerics threatened to incite people to kill him and hundreds demonstrated against the court decision.
But Afghanistan isn’t the only U.S.-allied government where Muslim converts to Christianity are threatened with execution.
Saudi Arabia neither permits conversion from Islam nor allows other religions in the kingdom. There are no churches and missionaries are barred. Regular criticism in U.S. State Department reports on religious freedom have had no effect on Saudi policy.
While Islam accepts Christianity as a fellow monotheistic religion, Islamic Shariah law considers conversion to any religion apostasy and most Muslim scholars agree the punishment is death. Saudi Arabia considers Sharia the law of the land, though there have been no reported cases of executions of converts from Islam in recent memory.
The only other nation in the region which carries the death penalty for apostasy is Sudan. Though no executions have been reported recently, a Sudanese man who allegedly converted was arrested in 2004 and reportedly tortured in custody, according to the State Department.
In Kuwait, a court convicted a Shiite Muslim man who publicly proclaimed his conversion to Christianity, but didn’t sentence him since the criminal code did not set a punishment.
Other countries in the region, such as Egypt, do not have laws criminalizing apostasy, but those who do convert can still face prosecution.
In May, an Egyptian man who converted to Christianity was arrested on suspicion of "contempt for religion," a charge that entails a prison sentence of up to five years, said Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.
Authorities in Egypt and most other Arab countries will not allow a change in religion on official documents, such as identity papers, which usually state a person’s faith.
Even if a convert is not prosecuted, "the issue is the pressure they are going to face from their families, the religious establishment, their friends and associates," said Fadi al-Qadi, a Middle East spokesman for Human Rights Watch. "It would be overwhelming. They would be really isolated."
There are exceptions. In strongly secular Turkey, a convert can walk into a Demographic Records office, sign a declaration saying they have converted from Islam to Christianity and leave with a new identity card reflecting the change.



http://www.annointed.net/pn_vb.php?...ed=1#post204382
http://www.annointed.net/pn_vb.php?...uote=1&p=138980

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Old 04-12-2006, 03:25 AM
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Post Agreeing in Thanksgiving and Supplications for Abdul Rahman

Quote:
Originally Posted by john
Father I pray for protection and provision for this young man.
I pray his courage be a witness to the muslim world and his family.
I pray You be with him for the rest of his life in Jesus name.
Amen!

Quote:
Originally Posted by christythompson
Protect him and his family
Bless him and surround him with your Angels
Amen!

Quote:
Originally Posted by FriendOfGod
Hooray for Abdul! Father I thank thee for blessing this man as he accepted you and your truth. Please continue to keep him safe and protected. Use him for your purposes and for the building of your kingdom. Use him to lead other Muslims to Christ. I ask of you in Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Amen!

Quote:
Originally Posted by JG
PRAISE THE LORD
PRAISE THE LORD
PRAISE THE LORD
PRAISE THE LORD
Amen!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sulten
Dear Lord, I praise Thee for this turn of advents. May Abdul and his family be safe from those that might seek to retaliate or get revenge against the family. I pray that Christianity may go forward in these countries and the door may be opened, in Jesus Holy name amen.
Amen!

Dear God, the only God, our Heavenly Father, we agree in prayer for Abdul Rahman and his family. We praise Thee for his life being spared. May Your peace which passeth all understanding keep his heart and mind through our Lord Jesus Christ, his joy be complete in You, and he be used mightly as Your instrument to bring other Moslems to Thee. We pray for religious freedom in Afghanistan -- and also in Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and other places where freedoms are wanting. May Abdul continually know the joy of thy salvation, have safety in Italy, find comfort among Christians there, and be able to stand fast in the faith. May those in his family who are lost be saved and they be reconciled and comforted together with mutual faith. We pray in the all powerful and merciful name of Jesus, Amen.
(Psalm 51:12-13; Matthew 18:18-20;28:18; Luke 1:50; Romans 1:12;15:10-11; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Ephesians 5:20; Philippians 4:6-7; Colossians 2:6-10;4:11-12)



"...We pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
2 Corinthians 5:20-21 KJV

"Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises...."
2 Peter 1:2-4 KJV

"The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them."
Psalm 34:7 KJV

"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy."
Psalm 126:5 KJV

"...Your sorrow shall be turned into joy."
John 16:20 KJV

"...The joy of the LORD is your strength."
Nehemiah 8:10 KJV

"Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation." Habakkuk 3:18 KJV

"Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side."
Psalm 71:21 KJV

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"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

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Old 04-21-2006, 12:07 AM
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Father, I thank You for the safety of our brother Abdul. You are the One God with power above all. I ask for protection for him and his family. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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Old 04-21-2006, 03:38 AM
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From: The Voice of the Martyrs
Afghan Christian Freed But No Change to Laws

While international attention has centered on Abdul Rahman's specific case, the constitutional law under which he was arrested has not changed. It remains illegal for Afghans to convert from Islam. Those who convert face the death penalty.

On March 22, Compass Direct reported on the arrest of two other Afghan Christians. The names and locations of these converts remain confidential for their safety. Other Christians have recently been beaten, threatened and subjected to police raids.

While VOM is thankful that the life of Rahman has been saved, we urge Christians to continue to pray for Afghanistan's Christians and urge government leaders to pressure the Afghan government to change the laws restricting religious freedoms in this tumultuous country.

Pray that Rahmad will maintain a heart of forgiveness for those who have persecuted him. Pray that he will find continued opportunities to share his faith with others wherever he lives. Pray that Christians who remain within Afghan prison walls because of their love for Christ will also be released soon. Pray that the government of Afghanistan will honour individuals' religious rights, including the right to convert.


The Voice of the Martyrs was born in prison, in the heart of Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, as he languished in the inhumane prisons of communist Romania during the 1950's and 60's, so considerable effort is dedicated in putting together resources to assist in the valuable ministry of serving the Persecuted Church through writing letters to, and on behalf of, Christians who are in prison for the their faith -- with links that provide practical opportunities to pray, protest and participate by writing to governments and the media on behalf of persecuted Christians and even writing to Christian prisoners themselves. [persecuted(net)]

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Old 07-25-2006, 12:05 PM
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U.S. Releases 2006 International Religious Freedom Report
U.S. finds religious freedom threatened worldwide
Two U.S. allies called 'of particular concern' for intolerance
• On May 3, 2006 CNN reported, "A U.S. government report warned on Wednesday that threats to religious freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan are mounting, and included Washington allies Saudi Arabia and Pakistan among countries 'of particular concern' for religious intolerance.
The annual report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to designate 11 nations as "countries of particular concern" for violations of religious freedoms. Those were Burma, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Vietnam, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
In a letter to Rice, included in the report, commission chairman Michael Cromartie said the panel is trying to draw attention to "countries whose governments have engaged in or tolerated systematic and egregious violations of religious freedom."
"The situations in Afghanistan and Iraq serve to underscore the precarious state of this fundamental freedom," Cromartie wrote. The report said Afghanistan and Iraq were two countries where "the universal right to religious freedom is imperiled."
"Religious extremism, even in official circles, is an increasing threat to democratic consolidation in Afghanistan,"
the report said.
President Bush has said U.S. troops were deployed to Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 in part to overthrow tyrannical governments and to protect basic human rights.
Two months ago an Afghan man faced possible execution as punishment for abandoning Islam to convert to Christianity. In Iraq, sectarian violence between Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims has been escalating, as well as attacks on non-Muslim religious groups.
"There has been an ongoing stream of violence and extremism in Iraq driven by religious intolerance,"
the report said.
The commission, an independent body appointed by the White House and Congress, cannot mandate any specific action. However, last year the United States denied the export of some defense items to Eritrea, according to Reuters. It was the first action to be taken against another country as a result of its designation by the commission as a "country of particular concern," Reuters reported.
Although its violations are not egregious enough for the "particular concern" designation, Afghanistan was placed on the commission's "Watch List," which means the situation must be monitored closely. Afghanistan joins Bangladesh, Belarus, Cuba, Indonesia, Nigeria and U.S. ally Egypt as nations where "discrimination, intolerance and other human rights violations affect a broad spectrum of religious groups," the report said, including Coptic Christians, Bahais, Jews and members of minority Muslim communities.
The panel annually assesses "the facts and circumstances regarding violations of religious freedom around the world" each