IPC would like to commend this prayer guide, 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World 2014 (published by WorldChristian.com)
30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World
June 28 to July 27, 2014
Join millions of Christians around the world who participate each year in this largest ongoing international prayer focus on the Muslim world.
Coinciding with Ramadan, Christians worldwide are called to make an intentional effort to learn about, pray for and reach out to Muslim neighbours.. across the street and around the world.
Media sound bites about Islamic extremism can too easily incite anger, fear and even hatred toward Muslims. Instead, pray with the mind and heart of Christ. This full-color prayer guide is a proven tool helping Christians to understand and to persistently pray for Muslim neighbours and nations.
The prayer is translated into many different languages. To find out which languages are available, please check the 30-Days Prayer Network site.
Each year a new illustrated prayer guide booklet is published in dozens of languages and locations around the world (the North American edition can be ordered here; it is in full-color, and consists of 50+ pages). The booklet contains daily reading pages with prayer points, informative background articles, and resources for further study AND involvement. While it is primarily produced for use during Ramadan, many individuals and churches use it also at other times throughout the year.
Alternatively, the daily prayers for 2014 are also being re-produced on the Pray4Nigeria Website.
More info on this recent article
Ukraine: Rebels agree to Poroshenko ceasefire
The separatist leaders of two regions in eastern Ukraine say they will now respect a Kiev ceasefire called last Friday by President Poroshenko until June 27th. They also indicated that they were willing to consider Poroshenko’s peace plan, which includes a buffer zone, decentralisation, and early elections. ‘We hope that, during the time of bilateral ceasefire, we can agree to at least start consultations on the peaceful resolution of the conflict,’ said pro-Russian rebel leader Alexander Borodai. Present for the announcement was former president Leonid Kuchma, who opposes any breakup of his country. ‘We resolved one of the most important issues, and that is to stop the military actions from both sides,’ he said. Outside, however, a crowd was protesting against Kuchma and appeared in no mood to compromise. They angrily surrounded his car and it was several minutes before he was able to leave.
Ukraine: Rebels agree to Poroshenko ceasefire
The separatist leaders of two regions in eastern Ukraine say they will now respect a Kiev ceasefire called last Friday by President Poroshenko until June 27th. They also indicated that they were willing to consider Poroshenko’s peace plan, which includes a buffer zone, decentralisation, and early elections. ‘We hope that, during the time of bilateral ceasefire, we can agree to at least start consultations on the peaceful resolution of the conflict,’ said pro-Russian rebel leader Alexander Borodai. Present for the announcement was former president Leonid Kuchma, who opposes any breakup of his country. ‘We resolved one of the most important issues, and that is to stop the military actions from both sides,’ he said. Outside, however, a crowd was protesting against Kuchma and appeared in no mood to compromise. They angrily surrounded his car and it was several minutes before he was able to leave.
UK Muslims gather to promote tolerance
Thousands of British Muslims are gathering at a mass peace rally in Surrey aimed at promoting religious tolerance and rejecting extremism. An estimated 5,000 members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA), considered the biggest Muslim youth group in the United Kingdom, will participate in the three-day event starting on Friday to promote dialogue about peace and rejection of religious extremism. ‘The Ahmadiyya Youth at the rally will be reminded of their duty, as Muslims, to serve their country and play a positive role in society,’ the AMYA said in a press release on Friday. Rafiq Hayat, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, said that the community was ‘troubled by the violence and terrorism that is based on a highly toxic extremist ideology that uses religion to further a fascist agenda. We share Prime Minister David Cameron's concern about how events in Syria and Iraq can have a potential impact on the UK,’ Hayat said.
Meriam Ibrahim re-released
Latest reports suggest that the Christian Sudanese mother-of-two who was sentenced to death for apostasy, released, and then detained at the airport yesterday, has been freed once more. Meriam Ibrahim was sentenced to 100 lashes and death by hanging on May 11. Though she was brought up as a Christian her whole life, Meriam was found guilty of converting from Islam and was also accused of adultery after marrying a Christian man - a union deemed invalid under Sharia law. Her punishment gained international attention, and campaigners from all over the world called on the Sudanese government to allow her to walk free. Her shock release from prison on Monday was therefore welcomed after the courts found her to be innocent of all charges. However, the BBC reported yesterday that Ibrahim had been arrested and taken into custody at Khartoum airport while trying to leave the country.
UK Muslims gather to promote tolerance
Thousands of British Muslims are gathering at a mass peace rally in Surrey aimed at promoting religious tolerance and rejecting extremism. An estimated 5,000 members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA), considered the biggest Muslim youth group in the United Kingdom, will participate in the three-day event starting on Friday to promote dialogue about peace and rejection of religious extremism. ‘The Ahmadiyya Youth at the rally will be reminded of their duty, as Muslims, to serve their country and play a positive role in society,’ the AMYA said in a press release on Friday. Rafiq Hayat, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, said that the community was ‘troubled by the violence and terrorism that is based on a highly toxic extremist ideology that uses religion to further a fascist agenda. We share Prime Minister David Cameron's concern about how events in Syria and Iraq can have a potential impact on the UK,’ Hayat said.
Meriam Ibrahim re-released
Latest reports suggest that the Christian Sudanese mother-of-two who was sentenced to death for apostasy, released, and then detained at the airport yesterday, has been freed once more. Meriam Ibrahim was sentenced to 100 lashes and death by hanging on May 11. Though she was brought up as a Christian her whole life, Meriam was found guilty of converting from Islam and was also accused of adultery after marrying a Christian man - a union deemed invalid under Sharia law. Her punishment gained international attention, and campaigners from all over the world called on the Sudanese government to allow her to walk free. Her shock release from prison on Monday was therefore welcomed after the courts found her to be innocent of all charges. However, the BBC reported yesterday that Ibrahim had been arrested and taken into custody at Khartoum airport while trying to leave the country.
Fresh travel chaos as emergency passports may not be accepted
Fresh travel chaos emerged today as ministers admitted emergency passport extensions are not accepted in dozens of holiday hotspots. Nearly three quarters of countries will not accept passports given 12-month extensions under plans to alleviate the crisis. Popular travel destinations including Australia, China, India and Brazil are excluded from the list. The USA, Cyprus and Turkey – which were last year on the list of the seven most popular overseas holiday destinations for Britons – are also not allowing the passports. It’s another hugely embarrassing blow for Home Secretary Theresa May who last week announced that expat Britons who need to renew their passports would be given one-year extensions. The emergency move was supposed to ease the pressure of the recent surge in demand for the documents that has seen up to 55,000 people at risk of missing their holidays. But now the government has admitted only 50 countries have confirmed they will accept the extended passports.
John Sentamu condemns businesses that underpay workers
Dr John Sentamu has condemned businesses that pay less than the living wage, calling on the government to put an end to the harsh reality for millions of UK workers: ‘Low wages equals living in poverty.’ The Archbishop is the chairman of the Living Wage Commission, an independent inquiry into the rise of low pay and working poverty across Britain. Its first report, published in February, found that 6.7 million of the 13 million people in poverty in the UK are in working households – the first time that the figure has reached over 50 per cent. The report also revealed that 21 per cent of the workforce, 5.24 million Brits, are paid below a Living Wage, while housing costs have tripled in 15 years and bills have increased by a staggering 88 per cent since 2009.
UK law is 'intolerant' towards Christians, says cardinal
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor warns that UK law does not protect the rights of Christians, branding it ‘intolerant’. The former Catholic Archbishop has called for greater religious freedom in Britain, insisting that the law has done ‘too little’ to protect and promote the rights of Christians. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor has written an open letter to The Telegraph in response to its leader article which declared: ‘It is obvious that there is a growing conflict between religious freedom and legislation on equality, and that a new balance has to be struck’. The Telegraph itself was responding to a recent speech given by Baroness Hale, the UK's most senior female judge, who suggested that the law may be discriminatory against Christians. Speaking before the Law Society of Ireland in Dublin, Hale highlighted the case of Christian hoteliers Peter and Hazelmary Bull, who were found guilty of discrimination against a gay couple after instituting a policy that only married couples were allowed to stay in their double bedrooms.