http://www.barnabasfund.org Barnabas Fund serves the suffering Church and makes their needs known to Christians around the world, encouraging them to pray. It provides practical help to strengthen and encourage the Church in many different ways. Barnabas Fund was established in 1993 and channels aid to projects run by national Christians in more than 40 countries. This RSS feed is updated when we issue news reports or stories from these countries. http://www.barnabasfund.org/_Images/BF/7_Features/7_5_RSS/feed-icon-with-words.jpg http://www.barnabasfund.org eng Copyright 2010 Barnabas Fund News and stories from Barnabas Fund Genrator www.barnabasfund.org info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) webmaster@barnabasfund.org (Webmaster - Barnabas Fund) Sun, 14 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT An Iranian convert from Islam to Christianity was arrested on 16 December 2009 and tried at the Mashhad Revolutionary Court on 30 December, without a lawyer to represent her. She was sentenced to three months’ house arrest because of her contact with a foreign Christian TV network. In numerous interrogations she was asked to disclose the names of Christian evangelists and to return to Islam. In the face of threats to beat up her husband, she eventually signed a statement that she was mentally unfit. Citing her mental condition, the court also ruled that her 10-year-old daughter should be taken away and cared for by foster parents. But because the daughter is very ill and desperately needs her mother, this part of the sentence was not enforced. The mother was, however, told that if she and her husband insisted on their Christian beliefs and spoke publicly about their faith, then their daughter would be immediately taken from them. Pray for this Christian family facing such persecution that the Lord will strengthen, comfort and encourage them. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Sun, 14 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1422 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer Two attacks on Christian buildings in different parts of Tamil Nadu state, India, on Sunday 29 November 2009 were followed in the early hours of Monday 30 by a third attack in the same state, this time on a newly built church in Coimbatore. The attackers broke the windows and evidently planned to set fire to the building, as petrol, diesel and cotton waste were found after the incident. Please pray for an end to anti-Christian violence in India. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1421 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer The parliament of the Maldives has been debating a bill to ban non-Muslim places of worship and any public practice of non-Muslim faiths. Non-Muslim foreigners would be allowed to worship in private, but there is no provision for non-Muslim Maldivians, as the 2008 constitution forbids them from becoming citizens of the Maldives. Some MPs thought the bill was too strong, and some thought it was too weak, but none thought that non-Muslim places of worship should be allowed. The bill is now being considered by a committee. Pray that it will not be passed into law. Pray for the many thousands of Christian migrant workers who are unable to worship at all in the Maldives since there is no privacy in their accommodation. Pray also for the small number of Maldivian Christians, whose status has become alarmingly unclear since the 2008 constitution was passed; have they lost their citizenship in their own country? info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1420 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer “Many families would die without your help.” So wrote a South African Christian to Barnabas Fund. He is one of those who transport food parcels to Zimbabwe, food that is paid for by the donations of Barnabas supporters. The food is distributed by Zimbabwean churches to supplement the meagre food resources of the neediest people. But in some cases, for example, blind people, the food parcels are their only food. Thank the Lord for the generosity of those who give the finance for this feeding programme and the courage of those who drive the food from South Africa to Zimbabwe. The last year has seen some improvements in the political and economic situation of Zimbabwe; pray for more progress and for an end to the desperate hunger of most of the population. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1419 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer On Christmas Day, 25 December 2009, Zimbabwean riot police burst into a communion service in a cathedral in Harare, beat up worshippers and forced them out of the building. At least three other churches were raided by police on the same day. This happened despite a high court order instructing police not to interfere with church activities. The dispute may be related to an ongoing issue concerning an excommunicated bishop who is a great supporter of President Mugabe. Whatever the reason, pray that persecution of Christian worshippers in Zimbabwe will cease. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1418 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer A group of Christians from the Jahut tribe in the Malaysian town of Temerloh, Pahang state, heard on 5 January that they had lost a two-year court battle against the local and state authorities, who had disconnected power and water supplies to their church building. Not only will the Christians not get these basic amenities, but also they will have to pay the legal costs of the court case. The Christians plan to appeal – pray that their appeal will succeed. Tribal Christians in Malaysia are very vulnerable to discrimination of many kinds. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1417 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer Malaysian Christians were delighted by a ruling from a High Court Judge on 31 December 2009 that lifted the ban on Christians’ using the word “Allah”. This is the word for“God” in the Malaysian national language, and the ban has been used for many years to impound Bibles and other Christian literature. Muslims have argued that “Allah” is an Islamic word, whereas in fact it is originally an Arabic word that pre-dates Islam. Thank the Lord for this development, but please continue to pray about the issue. The government is going to take the issue to the Appeals Court, which is expected to be comprised of a majority of Muslim judges. A few days after the ruling, eight churches and a Christian school in Kuala Lumpur were attacked with firebombs, apparently in protest at the judge’s decision. Thankfully only one church suffered much damage. Pray that this will not begin a trend of anti-Christian violence in Malaysia. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1416 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer “Islam in Africa is strong and powerful just because Christianity is ignorant about Islam,” wrote a Ugandan Christian recently. The answer, he said, is “to have church leaders trained who in turn go to train Christians”. Barnabas Fund supports many specialist training programmes, large and small, across Africa for this very reason. Pray for each Christian leader who receives the training that he or she will remember all that is taught and will be able to pass this on clearly and effectively to ordinary Christians to equip them to stand firm against Muslim missionaries. “...what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well.” (2 Timothy 2:2, NRSV) info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Sun, 07 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1415 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer March About 5km from Farshoot (see above) is the town of Nag Hamadi, where there is a strong Christian community. Here six Christian worshippers and a security guard were shot dead by three gunmen who attacked a church service on 6 January, the Coptic Christmas Eve. A senior church leader had received a threat on his mobile phone, “Now it is your turn,” and other Christians had been threatened in the streets by people shouting, “We will not let you have your festivities.” Please pray for all who mourn, and pray that the Egyptian authorities will exert themselves to bring security for Christians in the more remote areas of the country. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1414 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer The Egyptian town of Farshoot in upper Egypt was the scene of mass anti-Christian rioting on 21 November 2009. Scores of Christian-owned businesses were looted, vandalised and burnt, and some Christian families were thrown out of their homes. At least seven Christians were injured. The mob made wooden crosses and burnt them in the streets. The violence was prompted by reports of sexual abuse against a Muslim girl by a Christian man, but Christians condemned the alleged rape and protested at the disproportionate scale of retaliation. One Christian leader reported that the attacks appeared to be pre-planned, which would suggest that the allegation of “rape” was used as a pretext. Egyptian security forces were present but took no action to stop the violence. Pray that the Egyptian authorities will exert themselves to provide justice and security for Christian citizens, just as for Muslim citizens. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1413 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer On 25 December 2009 a group of armed Shabaks (a Kurdish minority group) attacked the Christian-majority town of Bartilla, near Mosul in northern Iraq. They took over the entry check-point for more than five hours, and a mob tore down Christmas decorations in the shops. They also tried to enter a church in the middle of the market to perform the Shia self-flagellation ritual inside the building. This ritual is performed at the Shia festival of Ashura, which in 2009 coincided with the Christmas weekend. The church was successfully defended by its security guards, but four Christians, including a policeman, received gunshot wounds. The governor of Mosul visited Bartilla after the attack, and military officials promised that they would help if needed. But on 5 January a car bomb exploded near a church in Bartilla, injuring dozens of people. Pray for an end to the attacks on Iraqi Christians. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1412 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer Seventy new converts from Islam to Christianity gathered in the Iranian city of Karaj on 17 December 2009 for a Christmas and New Year celebration. Their meeting was raided by 15 police officers who photographed and filmed everybody present and arrested two of the leaders. They also seized all the Bibles and other Christian books and a laptop computer. Please pray for Kambiz and Ali, still in detention at the time of writing, and for all who were present, that this persecution will serve to strengthen their love for the Prince of Peace and their trust in their Heavenly Father to protect and keep them. (Psalm 5:12) info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1411 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer A church building in Bekasi Regency, near the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, was almost completed and on schedule to be ready by Christmas, when a mob of motorcyclists (men, women and children) arrived on 18 December 2009 with banners and kerosene and attacked the building. Despite the damage, police and government authorities urged the church minister not to cancel the planned Christmas service. The attack was organised by Front Pembela Islam (Front for the Defence of Islam), and they had previously forced 21 churches near Bandung to close on 24 November. Thank the Lord for the support from the authorities after the attack in Bekasi, and pray that Indonesian Christians will not be discouraged from meeting together to worship the Lord. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1410 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer The great felt need of many poor Christian parents in places of anti-Christian discrimination is for their children to get an education, preferably in a Christian environment. Sometimes they are faced with an offer of education on condition that they or their children convert to another faith or ideology. Pray that they may have faith to refuse these offers. Thank the Lord for the generosity of Barnabas supporters that enables us to assist 24 Christian schooling programmes to provide an education for 5,391 children of Christian parents in eight different countries. “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1398 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1397 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer The persecution of various kinds of Protestant Christians is one part of an overall context of extreme repression in Eritrea, which gained independence from Ethiopia in 1991. The Eritrean constitution has never been implemented; elections have never been held; and the interim parliament has not met since 2002. There is no free press, independent judiciary or political opposition. A huge army is maintained, and anyone up to the age of 50 can be called up for military service. One of the apparent reasons for the persecution of Christians is that the government seems to fear that Christians in the army might disobey orders. Pray for President Isaias Afewerki (his first name means “Isaiah”), who has banned all religions except three Christian denominations and one type of Islam, that he will release his iron grip on Eritrea. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1396 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer On 24 October 2009 Egyptian pastor Elia Shafik visited the home of a 37-year-old Christian called Maurice Salama Sharkawy to pray for and anoint his father, who had suffered a stroke (James 5:14). During the prayer time Egyptian State Security broke into the house, handcuffed Maurice and took him to the police station, where he was held for two days, accused of “praying without a licence”. Several relatives were also detained. After two days Maurice was released “on compassionate grounds” but placed under police observation. The village in which this occurred, Deir Samalut in Minya province, has no church building. The village mayor and his son have both complained that Maurice is using his home for prayer, i.e. as a church building, without permission. This is yet one more example of pressure from Egyptian Muslims on the issue of Christian places of worship. Please pray for a complete change of attitude in Egypt so that there is no longer any resentment of Christians’ meeting to pray in whatever venue. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1395 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer In recent years relations between Muslims and Christians have changed significantly. Many Christians have claimed that Islam is an essentially peaceful religion and have responded positively to calls for interfaith dialogue from Muslims and Western political leaders. At the same time Christians are increasingly being persecuted in Islamic areas. Pray that in their discussions with Muslims Christians may not compromise the uniqueness of the Lord Jesus Christ and of Christianity, and that they may accurately understand the nature of Islam. Pray especially that they may be bold to highlight the discrimination and persecution of Christians in Muslim states and to press Muslims for change. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1394 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer Recently we reported a brutal attack on 13 September 2009 on a church under construction in Linfin City, Shanzi Province, China. The foundations of the building were destroyed and several church members badly injured. Twelve days later nine of the church’s leaders were arrested by officials of the Political Security Bureau (PSB) as they were travelling to Beijing to petition the government for justice. The authorities blame the church for what they call a “violent uprising”. On 10 October the PSB offered to release the leaders on condition of keeping one of them, Yang Rongli, in custody, but they refused, saying “We are one team in the body of Christ! We will not leave prison without her.” Some of the leaders have since been sent for trial. Thank the Lord for the courage of our persecuted brothers and sisters and pray that they will receive justice from the courts. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1393 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer Christians in Burma (Myanmar) are still suffering the effects of Cyclone Nargis back in 2008. Barnabas is continuing to assist with rice supplies, repairing or rebuilding homes, and new village wells. We have also provided fishing boats and nets and ducklings to families who lost their livelihoods in the cyclone to enable them to support themselves again. Christians were very much neglected by the government aid programmes. Please pray for them as they gradually rebuild their lives, that they will find hope and strength in the Lord. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1392 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer An Egyptian Muslim motorcyclist beheaded one Christian and injured two other Christians on 16 September 2009. The first victim was Abdo George Younan (63), who was stabbed nine times and then decapitated. After cleaning his blade with the water hose which Abdo had been using, the motorcyclist moved on to another village where he severely injured a shoemaker called Adib Boulos. In a third village he attacked a blacksmith called Sobhy Barsum. Christians in the area are not only terrified but also very angry by the way in which the authorities immediately sought to make excuses for the killer’s actions. Pray that the Egyptian authorities will act to show that they consider a Christian life as valuable as a Muslim life. Muslims in Egypt rarely get punished for attacking Christians. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1391 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer Sarawak, on the island of Borneo, is the only state of Malaysia that has more Christians than Muslims. But the number of Christians in Sarawak has been rapidly declining in the last 25-30 years as a result of Christian children being converted to Islam at their kindergartens and schools. The children are taught to pray in the Muslim way, and the girls are asked to get money from their parents to buy Islamic headscarves. Thousands of youngsters from Christian backgrounds are sent from Sarawak to peninsular Malaysia for further education. They are put into residential schools and linked up with local "foster parents - always Muslims" who care for them and shower them with gifts and money. This also leads to some conversions. Pray that Christian parents in Sarawak will know how to develop in their children a strong commitment to the Lord Jesus, and that all Christians in this poor and underdeveloped state, whether old or young, will be alert to the tactics of Muslim missionaries. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Sat, 20 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1390 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, challenged fellow Muslims to condemn injustice towards non-Muslim minorities in Muslim countries, rather than simply to complain about the treatment of Muslim minorities and Muslim countries by the West. "you can't talk all the time about the injustice of the West if you have injustice in your own land, such as Christians and Hindus in Muslim countries," he said at the Parliament of World Religions, held in Melbourne, Australia, in December 2009. It is very rare for Muslims to admit to any kind of wrong-doing, especially in their treatment of non-Muslims. Pray that other Muslim leaders will follow Anwar Ibrahim's lead and take up this theme. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1389 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer The exact number of Algerian Christians is not known, but it is certainly measured in tens of thousands. Most of them are from the Berber minority rather than Arabs. Recent legislation forced many churches to close for a while, but before long Algerian church leaders decided to re-open their churches in defiance of the law. The result was a great surge of interest from nearby Muslims who admired the courage of the Christians. Some congregations have grown so that church buildings have to be extended or late-comers must stand outside the building to worship because it is full inside. On the other hand some more timid Christians have stopped going to church. Praise God for the courage of so many of His people in Algeria and for the openness of Algerian Muslims to the Gospel. Pray for Christians who have allowed their fear to get the better of them, that they will find strength in the Lord. Pray that there will be no attempts to enforce the new law again. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1388 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer There are many expatriate Christians working in Saudi Arabia and also a small number (the Lord knows how many) of Saudi nationals who have left Islam to follow Christ. All face huge restrictions in a country where Christians can be arrested and imprisoned even for meeting to pray together in a private home. Pray for God's grace and fortitude for our brothers and sisters, especially those from a Muslim background, who could even be executed by the state in accordance with sharia law. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1387 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer Algeria and Pakistan are heading a campaign by the OIC (Organisation of the Islamic Conference, which comprises 56 Muslim countries) to lobby the United Nations for an international treaty to protect religious symbols and beliefs from mockery. The process, which could eventually reach the point of a vote at the UN General Assembly, follows a series of non-binding resolutions that the OIC has managed to get passed at the UN Human Rights Council in recent years condemning "defamation of religions". But if a treaty is eventually approved by the General Assembly, it will be binding on any UN member state that ratifies it. A global blasphemy law of this kind would be a very serious challenge to freedom of speech and expression. Pray that no treaty of this kind will be passed at the UN. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Tue, 16 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1386 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer "The Return of the Islamic Emirate" is the title of an article in the October 2009 edition of the online Taliban monthly magazine Al-Sumud. The article warns that Asia's growing population will soon need to expand into Australia, which it says "is nearly empty of people, apart from scattered groups of white residents". This "white settler diaspora", says the article, will have to choose between (1) returning to its motherland in Europe and (2) becoming assimilated into Asia, an Asia in which Islam and the Taliban will constitute a strong moral force. If white Australians refuse both options, the article predicts a lengthy conflict that Australia will eventually lose. Pray that the influence of the Taliban will wane, even in Afghanistan, as its ultra-extreme Islam, which makes life so intolerable for women and non-Muslims, is rejected by more moderate Muslims. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1385 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer A senior immigration judge in the UK has commented that it is not reasonable to expect converts from Islam to Christianity to have to keep their faith completely secret and to "live a lie" in order to avoid persecution. On this basis Judge Nichols granted asylum in November 2009 to an Afghan man who had arrived in the UK on a hijacked plane in 2000 but had since converted to Christianity and been baptised while living in the UK. Pray for the protection of our Afghan brother, who would face the strong likelihood of death if he had to return to Afghanistan, but even in Britain is at risk from Muslim Afghans. He has received death threats from two Afghans he had shared a house with in London. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Sun, 14 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1384 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is urging Muslims to donate Islamic resource packs to 20,000 primary schools in the UK. This would cover almost all the primary schools in the country. The MCB calls this "an important dawah project". Da'wa (sometimes spelled dawah) is the term for Islamic mission, which aims to convert individuals to Islam and also to Islamise society. Pray that British teachers will be alert to this situation and will not let themselves become unwitting Muslim missionaries. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Sat, 13 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1383 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer After Switzerland voted to ban the building of minarets, there was a furious outcry in the Muslim world. This was despite the fact that mosques are still allowed in Switzerland (only minarets are banned), whereas churches are forbidden in many Muslim countries. "Switzerland is a fragile country which has always kept away from the conflict arena, but now is like other heretic countries in Europe and is placing itself at the top of the list of the sheep to be slaughtered by the Mujahideen," said one threatening comment posted on an Islamist terrorist internet forum. Pray that liberal Muslims will speak out against such attitudes and call for Christians in the Muslim world to be allowed the same freedoms as Muslims in the West enjoy. info@barnabasfund.org (Barnabas Fund) Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT http://www.barnabasfund.org/BFrssPrayer.php#1382 http://www.barnabasfund.org/daily-prayer