Religion is a growing force in the Arab awakening. Westerners should hold their nerve and trust democracy
Mar 31st 2011 | from the print edition
THE sight of corrupt old Arab tyrants being toppled at the behest of a new generation of young idealists, inspired by democracy, united by Facebook and excited by the notion of opening up to a wider world, has thrilled observers everywhere. Those revolutions are still in full swing, albeit at different points in the cycle. In Tunisia and Egypt they are going the right way, with a hopeful new mood prevailing and free elections in the offing. In Libya, Syria and Yemen dictators are clinging on to power, with varying degrees of success. And in the Gulf monarchs are struggling to fend off demands for democracy with oil-funded largesse topped by modest and grudging political concessions.
So far these revolts have appeared to be largely secular in character. Westerners have been quietly relieved by that. Not that they are all against religion. Many—Americans in particular—are devout. But by and large, they prefer their own variety to anybody else’s, and since September 11th 2001, they have been especially nervous about Islam.
Now, however, there are signs that Islam is a growing force in the Arab revolutions (see article). That makes secular-minded and liberal people, both Arabs and Westerners, queasy. They fear that the Arab awakening might be hijacked by the sort of Islamists who reject a pluralist version of democracy, oppress women and fly the flag of jihad against Christians and Jews. They worry that the murderous militancy that has killed 30,000 over the past four years in Pakistan (see article) may emerge in the Arab world too.
In Libya the transitional national council, slowly gaining recognition as a government-in-waiting, is a medley of secular liberals and Islamists. There are Libyan jihadist veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan among the rebels, though not in big numbers. An American general detects “flickers of al-Qaeda” among the colonel’s foes being helped by the West, raising uncomfortable memories of America’s alliance against the Russians with Afghanistan’s mujahideen, before they turned into al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which has branches all over the region, is the best-run opposition movement in Libya and Egypt; and last week’s constitutional referendum in Egypt went the way the Brothers wanted it to. Its members have long suffered at the hands both of Western-backed regimes, such as Hosni Mubarak’s in Egypt, and of anti-Western secular ones, such as Bashar Assad’s, now under extreme pressure in Syria. In Tunisia, too, the Islamists, previously banned, look well-placed. On the whole, these Brothers have gone out of their way to reassure the West that they nowadays disavow violence in pursuit of their aims, believe in multiparty democracy, endorse women’s rights and would refrain from imposing sharia law wholesale, were they to form a government in any of the countries where they are re-emerging as legal parties.
All the same, the Brothers make many people nervous. At one extreme of the wide ideological spectrum that they cover they are not so far from the jihadists, many of whom started off in the Brothers’ ranks. The leading Palestinian Islamist movement, Hamas, an offshoot of the Brotherhood, has been delighted by Mr Mubarak’s fall. It has in the past carried out suicide-bombings in the heart of Israel and refuses to recognise the Jewish state. Some liberals say that more extreme Islamist groups are riding on the more moderate Brothers’ coat-tails. In the flush of prisoner releases, hundreds if not thousands of Egyptian jihadists are once again at large.
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03-31-2011 10:31:17 AM CST
News and Prayer for the Persecuted
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3/17/2011 Ethiopia (ICC) Ethiopian Muslim Group Says More Attacks Against Christians Are Coming-
After a string of coordinated attacks on Ethiopian Christians, Muslims announced through loudspeakers that this attack is only the beginning and should be viewed as only a warning to the Christians.
On March 18, 2011 armed Muslims entered the home of an elderly Christian leader who founded a church near the town of Asendabo. When the militants began to assault the church leader, his grandson rushed to intervene, screaming at the men to leave his grandfather. The Islamists turned their attention to the young man. He sustained three wounds to his head and one on his hand before the men proceeded to rob the home and leave the young man for dead. His family was forced to make a three-hour journey on foot to take to a hospital in a nearby city, where he is still receiving treatment.
Muslims in the area have threatened that more attacks are coming and more Christians will be killed in the future attacks. Full Story
Pray that the Christians in this area remain steadfast and strong in their faith in Christ.
Pray the Muslim community sees the love of Christ displayed among the Christians and that their hearts will be changed towards worshiping Christ through their display.
Pray for the comfort of those who have been attacked and persecuted as a result of their faith.
3/17/2011 China (ChinaAid) Letter from Underground Chinese Church After Raid-
"The officials wouldn't listen to us and continued to hit the people with their batons. Everything was turned upside down and it was a scene of chaos! The officials handcuffed many people by force, and beat anybody who talked. Right on the spot, they destroyed any evidence of their illegal law enforcement (video and audio recording). Many camcorders, cameras, and cell phones were confiscated by force and destroyed. Are we supposed to believe that these law enforcement officers of our Party and our state are called people's police? How can people's police beat the people like this?"
These are the words of the Chinese underground church who issued a letter following an attack on a group studying the laws on religious affairs in China. Nearly 100 riot police officers and 80 plainclothes people burst into the home and burst into a violent attack on the believers in the house. Full Story
Pray for China as the persecution against the Christian population still continues.
Pray for the hearts of the Chinese people, as the numbers of those coming to know Christ increase daily. Pray that the Gospel continues to spread throughout the country despite fierce opposition.
Pray for the comfort and healing of those injured in these raids.
3/17/2011 Egypt (ChristianToday)
Coptic Christians Attacked by Egyptian Military After Suspending Demonstrations-
Dozens of Christian demonstrators have been attacked by Egyptian Armed Forces despite agreeing to suspend a sit-in protest outside the state-run television building that lasted 9 days.
The Coptic protestors came under fire on Monday, as the youth cleaned up the site and families from other provinces packed up their belongings, according to the Assyrian International News Agency.
Dr. Gameel Ebeid of the Coptic hospital in Cairo treated 15 victims of the assault, 14 of which suffered from broken feet and head wounds caused by electrified batons. Full Story
Pray for Egypt as the instability of the country over the past year has taken its toll on the Christian community there.
Pray for the future Egyptian government as there is deep concern over the future tolerance of the Christian church in Egypt.
Pray for the acting government as they appear to have taken a hard stance against the Christian population.
3/17/11 Pakistan (UCA) Asia Bibi Fears She's Next, After Pakistani Minister's Slaying-
Speaking from her prison cell, Asia Bibi has voiced her "pain and concern" following the assasination of Minister Shahbaz Bhatti in Pakistan. Bibi compared Bhatti to slain Punjab governor Salman Taseer, who defended her publicly "and paid with his life," her lawyer told Fides news agency.
Posters have appeared inside the jail showing images of Taseer and Bhatti with a large question mark and the threatening phrase: "Who will be next?" Full Report.
Pray that Asia remains reassured of God's sovereignty and grace in this situation, as some hope was lost with the assasinations of those who have supported her.
Pray that Asia may be released from prison and that she will be protected from militants who are passionate about seeing her punished for allegedly blaspheming Allah.
Pray for Asia's family as they have had to endure this grueling and heartwrenching situation.
3/16/2011 North Korea (ChristianToday) Campaign to End Persecution of Christians in North Korea-
Release International has launched a new campaign calling upon North Korea to protect the human rights of Christians.
The One Day campaign is asking people to sign a petition calling for religious freedom in the reclusive communist country, where all forms of Christian meeting, literature and Bibles are forbidden.
As one of the worst persecutors of Christians in the world, believers there are frequently detained, tortured and sent to labour camps because of their faith.
Entire families have been known to have been imprisoned beacuse one member of the family was found to be a Christian or in possession of a Bible. Full Story
Pray for the desperate situation in North Korea, as both intense persecution and hunger have become the norm in the country.
Pray for the North Korean government and that God would soften their hearts towards Christians.
Pray for the church in North Korea and that it will continue to grow despite what appear to be overwhelming odds.
3/18/2011 Iran (ChristianToday) Iranian News Website Suspended After Reporting Burning of New Testaments-
Mohabat News, the only active news agency inside Iran that reported on the recent mass arrests of Christians in the country, was suddenly suspended today. It is unclear why the website has been disabled, however in the past authorities have been known to shut down websites run by human rights groups and critics of the regime under the guise of defending the nation against "cyber warfare"
In recent months, a staff member of Mohabat News was allegedly threatened via an email from the Revolutionary Guard, which stated that he and his family would be targeted, and "bad things" would happen to them as a result of Mohabat's output.
The suspension came the day after the agency reported the seizure and burning of 600 New Testaments by authorities in western Iran on February 7, 2011. Full Story
Pray that Gospel continues to spread as much as it has in Iran. Nearly 300 Christians have been arrested in 34 cities in Iran since June 2010, yet the Gospel continues to spread and the church is growing.
Pray that although the New Testaments may have been burned, that the Word of God will continue to be distributed throughout the country and that God's Word will "not return void to Him."
Pray for the Mohabat News Agency as they have been the sole voice of the persecuted church within in Iran.
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Pakistan’s only Christiancabinet minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, was
accused of blasphemyafter denouncing the cold-blooded murder
of two Catholic brothers in handcuffs outside a courtroom last year.
On Wednesday, Islamic fundamentalists succeededin carrying out
the death sentence, in accordancewith Sharia law. (In other news,
CAIR vows to defeat a democratic effort to ban Sharia in America).
**We must remember to first and foremost pray for our Muslim friends, and remember that in almost every country that is under Sharia (Muslim) control; they are not allowed to read or study any other religion. While many Sunni Muslims are peaceful and loving individuals, more and more influence and leadership roles are being filled by the ever increasing terrorist groups of, but not limited to: All Wahhabism, The Islamic Brotherhood, Al Quaida, Hezbollah, Hamas, etc., are a grave threat to global security and human rights. And let us remember, even though most Germans were not Nazis during the WW2 era, this did not stop the Nazis from taking over supreme control of Europe and bring war to the world.
Anyone telling about another religion in a country under Sharia law, are subject to the death penalty. It is sad that if these countries had nothing to fear, then they would allow their people freedom of religion, but they know that once someone had the freedom to study religion, that they would find that Islam had many holes, and that Christianity fills those holes; so please pray for at least these countries to have the freedom of choice, to study religion without the fear of persecution. (please visit http://www.persecution.com/ or http://www.christianfreedom.org/ for more info and to request a free book and newsletter)
More than this - Christians can learn from their often watered down form of Christianity, from the discipline of many Muslims. Eastern Christians and Muslims take their religion must more serious than do many western Christians today, and we would do well to note this, and remember to give God the dedication that God deserves. While many historians feel that Islam started as a hybrid of early Eastern Christianity, it soon broke ties a few hundred years after Mohammed, and completely went it's own direction; and has drifted further away from their original roots, (which were very similar to that of early Eastern Christianity).
Food for thought... I am not sure what to say, other than Militant Islam is using the very nature of "sin" inside each of us in a way that is just beyond words? As you can see below from JUST this week's news, Islam is virtually taking over every area where it has a foothold in. We must pray and do everything we can to plant the seeds of love via Christ in both our neighbor, our friend, but also the Muslim populace. Until they are able to see "Christ" in Christians, and understand why God would rather love His creation than have it kill and destroy one another - Islam will slowly take over, killing anyone who does not submit. **If Islam takes over Egypt, expect the deaths of Coptic Christans to sky-rocket. If we are Christ-ians, we won't do nothing. (www.Persecution.org):
Larijani speaks about a "people's government" because he knows that pro-Sharia forces enjoy broad popular support. "Iranian leaders hope for Islamic republic in Egypt: Clerics say protests against Mubarak government were inspired by 1979 revolution in Iran," from Ynet News, January 29:
Iranian leaders expressed satisfaction with the anti-government protests in Egypt, with one leader saying he believes the protesters were inspired by the revolution in his country in 1979.
"Today, as a result of the gifts of the Islamic revolution in Iran, freedom-loving Islamic peoples such as the peoples of Tunisia, Egypt and nearby Arab countries are standing up to their oppressive governments," the New York Times quoted Ayatollah Mohammad-Taghi Mesbah-Yazdi as saying.
He congratulated the Egyptian people, saying their actions were "based on the principles" of the Islamic revolution.
Western officials fear Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will be replaced by a hardline cleric similar to the ayatollahs in Iran, like the Muslim Brotherhood opposition party, which also gave rise to Hamas.
The Iranian media organ PressTV interviews a Cairo lawyer to assert that the Egyptians want Mubarak out because of his ties to the United States and relatively non-belligerent stance toward Israel. If accurate, this would be another indication of the influence of Islamic supremacists in the Egyptian uprising, since they're the ones most fanatically invested in Islamic antisemitism and the demonization of Israel.
Yet another convert to Islam misunderstands his new, peaceful religion. Yet there is not a single program in any mosque or Islamic school anywhere in the world dedicated to teaching new converts to reject jihad violence and Islamic supremacism. Now, why is that?
"Moscow bomber 'was Islamist militant from North Caucasus,'" by Andrew Osborn in the Telegraph, January 27 (thanks to all who sent this in)
A direct challenge to the secular character of the Tunisian state. "Tunisia security forces chase Islamist protesters: 'We want freedom for the hijab ... and the beard,'" from Reuters, January 29:
MOST RECENT NEWS... We must get our churches as well as the stranger on the street involved and informed with what is going on throughout the world! PLEASE consider request FREE information from me, FREE newsletters from VOM (www.Persecution.com) and consider requesting a FREE spokesperson from VOM to speak at your local church, group, or work place today! (Virtually anywhere in the United States and completely FREE)
God Bless!
Ethiopian Muslims Warn Christians to
Convert, Leave City or Face Death
Washington, D.C. (January 25, 2011)–International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Christians in the Ethiopian city of Besheno are being harassed and physically abused after Muslims posted notices on the doors of Christian homes warning them to convert, leave the city or face death.
Three Christian leaders were forced to flee the city and two Christians have been forced to convert to Islam. In the Muslim majority city, the entire evangelical Christian community consists of about 30 believers.
Evangelist Kassa Awano remains in critical condition after Muslims attacked him on November 29, 2010. A few days after the attack, nearly 100 Muslims surrounded a vehicle carrying Christian leaders on their way to negotiate for peace with Muslim leaders. Two men, Tesema Hirego and Niggusie Denano, were seriously wounded, and the other leaders suffered minor injuries. On January 2, Muslims assaulted Temesgen Peteros with a knife after he testified about the attacks on these Christians in court.
Christians in Besheno have been targeted by Muslims for many years. On May 21, 2004, Muslims murdered the 7 year-old daughter of Evangelist Tesfaye Hobe. Muslims continuously attack Christians for listening to Christian songs and watching Christian videos.
“We ask for our constitutional right [to freedom of religion] to be respected. We want this inhumane act to stop. We are unable to live in our own city due to the inhumane acts,” one of the Christian leaders who fled the city told ICC.
The local Muslim officials of the city refuse to protect the Christians. The officials ignore their appeals for justice, declining repeated requests for the building of a place of worship and a cemetery. On January 19, a Christian mother was forced to bury her deceased daughter in a town more than 20 miles from Besheno, due to the absence of a cemetery for Christians.
Besheno is a city located in the province of Alaba in Southern Ethiopia. According to the 2007 national census, 93.84% of the population of the province is Muslim. Christians make up 5.82 % of the population.
“We are alarmed by the posting of threats on Christian homes and the attacks against Christians in Besheno. We urge Ethiopian officials to bring the perpetrators of the attacks to justice, protect the Christians from further attacks and grant them permits to build a place of worship as well as a cemetery,” said Jonathan Racho, ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa.
Please contact the Ethiopian officials in your country and politely ask them to protect Christians in Besheno from the ongoing attacks by Muslims and grant them land for building churches and cemeteries. Ethiopian Embassies: USA (202) 364-1200 Canada (613) 235-6637 Germany 493077206 UK 020 78383897/020 7838 3898.
