Kenya: Al-Shabab: A war of vengeance?
A gun battle inside a shopping centre in the Kenyan capital Nairobi has left at least 68 people dead and more than 150 wounded. Twenty-four hours later, an operation to secure the Westgate centre, one of the city's most exclusive shopping malls, was ongoing. The Somali group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, demanding that Kenya pull troops back from its neighbouring country, where al-Shabab is fighting against the government. Its full name is Harakat al-Shabab al-Mujahideen - or the Movement of Jihadi Youth. It was formed in 2006 as an off-shoot of the Islamic Courts Union, a religious alliance which controlled large parts of Somalia, before being driven out. With as many as 9,000 fighters, al-Shabab has since fought a succession of foreign forces in Somalia from Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. The attack in Nairobi
Pray: for all those who have lost loved ones and friends in this atrocious incident. (Pr.28:5)
More: http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2013/09/20139236528364142.html
Kazakhstan: Laws restricting freedom of religion
Kazakhstan has recently closed mosques, churches and prayer rooms in prisons, citing two laws restricting freedom of religion or belief. ‘Mosques and Russian Orthodox churches were built in prisons in violation of building regulations and the law. They are illegal - that's why they are being closed down.’ Kazakhstan has also started closing prayer rooms in social care institutions. ‘We're all in shock,’ Fr Vladimir Zavadich of the Orthodox Church said. ‘We didn't expect this from our government. Now we fear this will happen everywhere.’ Orthodox Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen stated that this took away ‘the last consolation from those people who, for health reasons, find themselves in a desperate, helpless situation’. He described calls to bar priests from such homes, hospices and old people's homes as ‘inhumane’.
Pray: that Christians might meet for worship without needing state permission. (Pr.21:15)
More: http://www.forum18.org/index.php
Kazakhstan: Bids to tighten grip on religious freedom
The government of Kazakhstan is renewing its efforts to restrict religious freedom in the country under proposed changes to legislation that would require all religious groups to re-register with the state. President Nursultan Nazarbaev told Parliament that amendments to the religion law will be adopted in the current session, which ends in June 2012. The details have not yet been made public, but the head of the new state Agency of Religious Affairs, Kairat Lama Sharif, said that the law will require all currently registered religious organisations to re-register. The government previously tried to amend the religion law, in 2008, increasing the harshness of penalties for unregistered religious activities. But the move was blocked by the Constitutional Council the following year. Officials vowed that they would try again, and it is feared that the new amendments will be essentially the same.
Pray: that this fresh move by the Kazakh government would again be thwarted. (Is.8:10)
More: http://www.barnabasfund.org/Kazakh-government-bids-to-tighten-grip-on-religious-freedom.html
Jordan: Missionary stabbed to death
A missionary living in Jordan was stabbed to death by a teenager on Tuesday after she caught him stealing in her apartment, police said. The 17-year-old confessed to killing Cheryll Harvey, 55, in her apartment in Barha, the police told the Associated Press. As a minor, the assailant can't be named until he's sent to trial. Police said the suspect was paid by Harvey for grocery runs and other chores, but when she found him going through her purse and began to shout, he grabbed a knife from the kitchen, stabbing Harvey 10 times. A native of Sudan, Texas, Harvey earned an undergraduate and two master's degrees in Education before leaving for Jordan where she taught English for 24 years under the auspices of the Jordan Baptist Society. At press time, it was not determined as to whether Harvey would be buried in Jordan, or if her remains would be returned home.
Pray: for those God calls to the mission field that He will protect them from assault. (Jn.17:15)
More: http://www.worthynews.com/11720-missionary-killed-in-jordan
Jordan: King Abdullah II sacked his government
Street protests by thousands of Islamists, secular opposition groups and retired army generals in Amman, and other parts of Jordan caused King Abdullah to sack his government. Demonstrators demanded the dissolution of parliament and a change in electoral law to allow the Jordanian people to vote for their Prime Minister, a position presently selected by royal appointment. King Abdullah of Jordan bowed to street protests, sacked his government, and appointed an ex-army general and former ambassador to Israel as the new Prime Minister (an unpopular decision). Like other Arab states Jordanians complain of rising prices, widespread unemployment, low living standards, and view their politicians as corrupt and unaccountable. Jordan and Egypt were the only Arab states to sign the peace deal with Israel, and Israeli officials privately express concern that a power vacuum in Jordan could lead to the rise of the Islamic Action Front, an offshoot of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood that is hostile to Israel. Pray: for a just resolution to Jordan’s grievances and for Jordan to continue to be a moderate voice in the Middle East. (Jer.29:11)
Japan:Praying with Japan
Last Sunday Christians from inside and outside Japan asked Christians globally to pray ‘with Japan’ asking if mercy can triumph one more time over justice and to bring the current situation before God from a place of national repentance and a capitulation of its leaders before the King of Kings. According to leaders in society, business and politics, the Church, as it is, has next to no voice nor influence in the Japanese society. As intercessors however we have huge privileges and can and should pray for repentance and forgiveness, asking God to shorten the days of tribulation (Mark 13:20) and stand in the gap for a nation that God is calling back to himself. This would mark a historic chance for a new beginning, and could be the beginning of liberating the nation of Japan to stepping into the historic role. Pray: for a spiritual reconstruction based on the foundations of the Kingdom of God.(Ex.34:17)