PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH & WORLD AWARENESS

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1 PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH & WORLD AWARENESS July, 2015 Vol. 1 Items and issues to watch carefully in prayer and to ponder as to their implications in relation to the fellowship and increase in Christ. The purpose of Prayer Release is to keep you informed and mobilized in prayer and intercession for the needs of justice and religious liberty in the Church around the globe, so that we can stand together for the work of the Kingdom and the healing of the Nations. The Prayer Release is comprised on the basis of different credible resources. We request prayers that the church would continue to serve the nation and faithfully share the Gospel of Jesus Christ which brings about reconciliation with God and one another. HEADLINES EMERGENCY IN SUDAN Hindu Extremists Instigate Tribal People Against Christians In Jharkhand, India BREAKING NEWS: Iran To Release Pastor Fathi From Prison; Concerns Remain Honor Crime': 11,000 UK Cases Recorded In Five Years Asia Bibi appears no closer to release from a Pakistani prison Senior Western Official: Links Between Turkey & ISIS Are Undeniable Police Complicit In Attack On Christians In West Delhi, India, Sources Say Boko Haram Kill 29 Villagers In Northeast Nigeria: Report DETAILS EMERGENCY IN SUDAN Time is running out. A Sudanese judge has charged two Christian pastors for their Christian faith. They could face severe lashes and even the death penalty. Their trial resumes in just days, but their attorney only has minutes to prepare for trial in a death penalty case. The attorney is barred from visiting Pastors Michael and Peter in prison. We ve mobilized our international resources to come to their defense. We ve already sent an urgent letter to Sudan. But now we ve launched a massive letter-writing campaign to Sudan s brand new Minister of Justice. Already more than 80,000 people have written letters demanding the pastors' freedom. But we need at least 25,000 more. We know international pressure can make the difference in their case. But we only have two more days. Sign this emergency letter now, and we ll deliver it before the deadline. Sign Emergency Letter to Sudan: Free Pastors Michael & Peter. Jay Sekulow ACLJ Chief Counsel

2 READ THEIR STORY: On December 14, 2014, Christian Pastor Yat Michael Ruot was arrested in Sudan. At a church service, Pastor Michael had condemned the sale of church land in Khartoum and had expressed concern about the treatment of Christians in Sudan. After the service he was arrested. On January 11, 2015, his friend, Christian Pastor Peter Yein Reith, was also arrested in Sudan after inquiring about Pastor Ruot in a letter he sent to the Religious Affairs Office in Khartoum. For months, both pastors, who are from South Sudan, were secretly detained and held on unknown charges. Their families did not know their whereabouts. They are now being held in Kober Prison in the north of Khartoum, Sudan The government charged Pastors Michael and Peter with acting together to undermine the constitution of Sudan, conducting espionage, the possession and disclosure of official documents and information, promoting hatred among or against sects, disturbing the peace, and insulting religious creed (commonly known as blasphemy). Their trial began on May 4, If convicted, they face a possible death sentence. Just like Mariam Ibraheem, who was sentenced to die for her Christian faith last year (but is now free), these two pastors could be sentenced to hang for their faith if the world is silent. Sudan is one of the worst persecuting nations in the world, but when the world speaks out, Sudan listens. Last year, Sudan freed Mariam Ibraheem from death row after a large international campaign for her release. We're again mobilizing our international resources to pressure Sudan to release these two Christian pastors. Your voice can make the difference. Share their story on social media with the hashtag #SudanPastors. Be heard for Pastors Michael and Peter. Hindu Extremists Instigate Tribal People Against Christians In Jharkhand, India Five families and pastor threatened, banished. By Our India Correspondent NEW DELHI (Morning Star News) Christian families driven from their village in India s Jharkhand state have returned home with police help, but tribal people instigated by Hindu extremists are still bent on expelling them, sources said. Hindu extremists last month mobilized tribal groups to banish the Christian families from Kullu village in Chanho Block, Ranchi District, about 30 miles from the state capital, Ranchi, an area pastor said. The Christians in the village have been discriminated and threatened for a long time, but the banishment started in the first week of June, when five Christian families were threatened and banished from the village, said pastor Moosa Minj, who also was forced to flee. The tribal families that have been banished have been Christians for more than 20 years. Minj fled the village on June 10 after receiving death threats, he said. Villagers threw his belongings out of his house. Also fleeing were the families of Gossner Ekka, Vardhan Kujur, Premchand Kujur, Masihcharan Kujur and Premchand Ekka, he said. They threatened me with dire consequences and misbehaved with me as they did with the others, Pastor Minj said. The expelled Christian families on June 13 approached the local police station at Narkopi, only to be initially turned away, the pastor said. The Rev. Vijayesh Lal of the Evangelical Fellowship of India told Morning Star News that when Christian groups in Delhi made inquiries to the police station in Narkopi, officers there said that no Christians had come to the station until June 15.

3 The local police want to portray this as a family feud, which it is not, Lal said. Rev. Moosa Minj gave a report and asked for protection for the Christians in the village. His appeal for protection was accepted, but his First Information Report was not filed. Members of Hindu extremist groups have provoked the tribal Adivasis, who practice the indigenous Sarna religion, against the Christians, Pastor Minj said. Marwari Uraon, the village head of Kullu, is guided by Gangotri Kujur, who is a member of the Legislative Assembly from the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP], he said. The Hindu groups are behind the trouble and discrimination that we are facing. The Sarnas do not consider themselves Hindus, although the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and other Hindu nationalist organizations have attempted to define them as Hindus, Lal said. Harassment of Christians in the area is not new, Pastor Minj said. Dr. John Dayal of the United Christian Forum said the RSS and its affiliates started activities against Christian missionaries in the region decades ago, intensifying them since the late 1990s. The harassment of the Christian tribals, many of whom have been Christians for generations, is increasing because of the divisive politics in the area being played out by the right-wing forces led by the RSS and its affiliates, Dayal said. The latest incident of the banishment of the Christian families is proof of the same. BREAKING NEWS: Iran To Release Pastor Fathi From Prison; Concerns Remain TEHRAN/VIENNA (BosNewsLife)- A jailed Iranian evangelical pastor has been told he will be released two years earlier than expected after international pressure, though fellow Christians expressed doubts whether Iran would keep the promise when wrapping up talks on a nuclear deal with the United States and other powers, BosNewsLife learned. Farshid Fathi spent most of his time behind bars in Iran since December 2010 when he was detained as part of a reported crackdown on Christians before New Year celebrations. The 36-year-old pastor, whose wife and two children were offered asylum in Canada last year, has thanked Christians for prayers. I sense the fragrance of your prayers as a cool breeze on my heart that together with your fatherly love strengthens me from afar, the pastor said in comments seen by BosNewsLife. Elam Ministries, a mission group founded by Iranian church leaders, said Fathi was told by prison officials that he would be released on December 10 this year. He had previously expected to remain in prison until December 2017, the group added. This is positive news, which has greatly encouraged Farshid and his family. We join them in praising God for this development, and for those who have made it possible. CONCERNS REMAIN Yet some Christians remain skeptical. Now the concern over this matter is [whether] Iranian officials keep their word even after the potential nuclear deal with the world powers?, commented Mohabat News, a news agency of Iranian Christians and activists. It remained unclear whether human rights were discussed during ongoing talks in Vienna, Austria, between world powers and Iran. Officials suggested that negotiators may announce Monday, July 13, that they ve reached a historic deal after nearly a decade of diplomacy that would curb Iran s atomic program in return for sanctions relief. However even if Fathi is released as promised, scores of other Christians remain detained for activities linked to their faith, according to Christians familiar with the situation. An estimated 90 Christians are in a prison in Iran because of their witness to Jesus Christ, Elam Ministries said.

4 They also include Iranian-born American pastor Saeed Abedini who has been is recovering of injuries after he was viciously beaten in prison where he is serving an eight year sentenced on charges linked to evangelism and planting churches in Iran, Christians said. At least twelve have been sentenced, usually for the crime of working against national security. The sentences range from one year, to eight. The rest are believed to be in pre-trial detention, Elam Ministries explained, adding that there is very little information over the plight of some 30 detained Christians. As Iran is a strategic gateway nation, the growing church in Iran will impact Muslim nations across the Islamic world, the group said. It urged Christians to pray for the 90 known Christians detained behind bars. If we remain faithful to our calling, our conviction is that it is possible to see the nation transformed within our lifetime. Honor Crime': 11,000 UK Cases Recorded In Five Years By Divya Talwar and Athar Ahmad BBC Asian Network & Victoria Derbyshire programme More than 11,000 cases of so-called honor crime were recorded by UK police forces from , new figures show. The Iranian and Kurdish Women s Rights Organization, which obtained the data, called for a national strategy for police, courts and schools to follow. The crimes are usually aimed at women, and can include abductions, beatings and even murders. Commander Mak Chishty, head of police policy on the issue, said there was now a better understanding of the problem. So-called honour crimes are acts which have been committed to protect or defend the supposed honour or reputation of a family and community. Crimes unreported The figures revealed 11,744 incidences of these crimes between 2010 and 2014, consisting of data from 39 out of 52 police forces in the UK. They included forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM). The Metropolitan Police recorded the highest number of incidents at 2,188, followed by West Midlands Police with 1,269 and Bedfordshire Police with 1,106 examples recorded. South Yorkshire had 1,009 unconfirmed incidents in 2014 alone while Lancashire Police had 1,049. Diana Nammi, director of the Iranian and Kurdish Women s Rights Organization a charity that provides support to Middle Eastern women living in the UK who are facing honor violence said the figures suggested incidence of the crime remained consistently high in the UK and that the issue was not going away. Read the rest of this story at the BBC. And, read the Middle East Forum article showing that Muslims are responsible for 91% of the honor killings worldwide. Learn more about Muslim honor killings in the U.S.:Are Islamic Honor Killings a Growing Threat in America? After serving six years in a Pakistani prison on a blasphemy conviction, Asia Bibi appears no closer to release. Asia, 43, remains on death row. She was sentenced to death in November 2010 after being convicted of blasphemy, a charge resulting from an argument with co-workers. The Voice of the Martyrs has supported Asia and her family since her arrest in Through we've collected nearly

5 700,000 signatures of people calling for Asia's release. Last week we delivered the signatures to the Pakistani embassy in Washington, D.C. Despite calls for her release from inside Pakistan and abroad, her case seems to have been forgotten by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. While talking with her husband on June 18, Asia requested prayer from the brothers and sisters who are helping her. Senior Western Official: Links Between Turkey & ISIS Are Undeniable A report published on July 28 reveals the close working relationship between the Islamic State and the nation of Turkey and its army. The report, published on Yahoo, describes a U.S. raid on a compound of the Islamic State s chief financial officer. The raiders found records directly linking Turkish officials to the Islamic State. Reporter Natasha Bertrand writes: The officer killed in the raid, Islamic State official Abu Sayyaf, was responsible for directing the terror army s oil and gas operations in Syria. The Islamic State (aka ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh) earns up to $10 million a month selling oil on black markets. Documents and flash drives seized during the Sayyaf raid reportedly revealed links so clear and undeniable between Turkey and ISIS that they could end up having profound policy implications for the relationship between us and Ankara, senior Western official familiar with the captured intelligence told the Guardian. NATO member Turkey has long been accused by experts, Kurds, and even Joe Biden of enabling ISIS by turning a blind eye to the vast smuggling networks of weapons and fighters during the ongoing Syrian war. The move by the ruling AKP party was apparently part of ongoing attempts to trigger the downfall of Syrian President Bashar Assad s regime. In addition, a former ISIS member told Newsweek magazine that the Islamic State was given free reign to slaughter infidels in Syria. He stated: ISIS commanders told us to fear nothing at all because there was full cooperation with the Turks, the fighter said. ISIS saw the Turkish army as its ally especially when it came to attacking the Kurds in Syria. Turkey, of course, is now worried that it has created a monster by allying itself with the Islamic State. It has started bombing ISIS, but is also bombing the Kurds, who have been the most effective fighters against the Islamic State. Turkey is run by an Islamist who is working to bring back the Ottoman Empire a Turkish Caliphate that ruled large portions of the world for hundreds of years. It was destroyed after World War I and the leader who emerged after its collapse set up a secular, westernized nation in It makes perfect sense that Erdogan, the ruthless Islamist leader of Turkey and Obama are fast friends.

6 Police Complicit In Attack On Christians In West Delhi, India, Sources Say Officers intervene only after Christians beaten enough, pastor says. By Our New Delhi Correspondent Leave a Comment NEW DELHI (Morning Star News) After watching idly as a mob of Hindu extremists dragged Christians from a prayer meeting in West Delhi and beat them, police questioned those who were attacked as if they were guilty of fraudulent conversion, sources said. A mob said to be members of the Hindu extremist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) stormed the prayer meeting in Nangloi, Nihal Vihar on July 18 and beat them, leaving one Christian with a damaged eardrum, they said. Police watched without intervening, and initially officers refused to register a case against the assailants, Christian leaders said. Three pastors had gathered at the home of Ayaid Prasad to pray for his sick daughter when about 15 Hindu extremists accused them of forceful conversion as they barged in with clubs at about 4 p.m. They shouted at the Christians to stop the meeting and beat pastor Harchand Singh and two guest pastors from Kerala, Pastor Singh said. West Delhi is an administrative district of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Also present at the prayer meeting were 13 other Christians. They pulled us out from the house to the road and beat us up where another 50 extremists were waiting, Pastor Singh of Shalom Mission told Morning Star News. The owner of the house tried to tell the Hindu extremists that the pastors had come at his invitation, and that they had witnessed improvement in his daughter s health after prayer, but the assailants continued to kick, punch, slap and beat the church leaders with clubs, Pastor Singh said. The attackers claimed that Prasad s family had been forcefully converted to Christianity, said A.C. Michael, former member of the Delhi Minorities Commission. The extremists claimed that Prasad now put up the picture of Jesus in his house, and they angrily demanded to know why he took off the picture of Hindu god Hanuman from his house, Michael told Morning Star News. Police took Pastor Singh and the two other pastors to the police station, the pastor said. The police asked us uncomfortable questions, like how much money we offered to people to convert them to Christianity, Pastor Singh said. Police released the pastors at about 9 p.m., claiming that they had kept them in custody for their own protection, attorney Pramod Singh of the Christian Legal Association (CLA) said. When another pastor, Rajan Gill, led a group of Christians to the police station to help the pastors in custody, the Hindu extremists beat them there, Pastor Gill said. Hurling verbal abused against us, about 15 extremists rushed towards me and started to push, kick and slap me, and they tore my shirt and beat me up, he said. When one church member, Ranjinder Masih, came to defend me, he was mercilessly beaten up.

7 They beat Masih, 36, for about 15 minutes before police intervened, he said. Pastor Gill sustained bruises and abrasions on his body. Masih suffered a serious eardrum injury as well as wounds on his face and neck, Pastor Gill said. After about 400 Christians staged a protest in front of the police station against police inaction the next day, police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the assailants. The Station House Officer of Nihal Vihar, Sharad Chandra, refused to comment on the case to Morning Star News. Michael said the Delhi Minorities Commission is submitting a memorandum to the lieutenant governor of Delhi demanding justice and prompt police action. One police inspector from the special branch did not talk like a police officer, but like that of an RSS member, and we were deeply saddened that the police were mute spectators of the beating and the utterance of their duty not pertaining outside, Michael said. Attacks In The Area The same anti-christian elements in the area have been harassing pastor Praveen Kumar of New Life Fellowship since March of last year. In March 2014, church members from New Life Fellowship were on a bus to attend an evangelistic convention when local leaders Vinod Singh, Sanjay Sharma and Om Pal led RSS members in stopping them and slapping some of them, Kumar said. A police complaint was filed, but no action was taken, he said. Boko Haram Kill 29 Villagers In Northeast Nigeria: Report Lagos: Witnesses say Boko Haram extremists shot and killed 29 people in two Christian enclaves of northeast Nigeria. Yesterday s was the latest in a spate of attacks that have killed hundreds in recent weeks and spilled across Nigeria s borders. Resident Paul Ali Dille said today that most people in Dille village ran but those who could not were gunned down and many homes were set ablaze. Villagers said the extremists last night attacked nearby Mwuthamam village. It is still not known how many people were killed. Survivors said a woman suicide bomber blew herself up at a busy market in northeastern Damaturu town on Sunday, killing 15 people and wounding 50. On Friday the target was Maikadiri village, where witnesses said at least 14 people died and 500 cows were slaughtered.

8 We request for the prayers that the church would continue to serve the nation in spite of innumerable suffering and pray also for those who are persecuting that they may experience the love of Christ.

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Syria's Civil War Explained By Al Jazeera, adapted by Newsela staff on 02.22.17 Word Count 675 Level 800L A displaced Syrian child, fleeing from Deir Ezzor besieged by Islamic State (IS) group fighters,