Re Westminster 2010 Declaration of Christian Conscience
The election result of a coalition government has produced a better balance on Christian conscience issues. 63 MPs with poor voting records and only 10 with good voting records stepped down. Thirty two MP’s made the Westminster pledge to 'respect, uphold and protect the right of Christians to hold and express Christian beliefs and act according to Christian conscience'. Thirty eight were ‘supportive' of the pledge, twenty four new MPs are Christians including nine members of the Conservative Christian Fellowship and one from the Christian Socialist movement.
Praise: God for mercifully watching over nations - and ask him to carry us deeper into a Christian inheritance. (Ps.22:4)
More: http://www.westminster2010.org.uk/news/election-results-in-more-mps-supportive-of-christian-conscience---mond/
Iran: Maryam and Marzieh acquitted, free and now safe
Two Christian prisoners of faith have been acquitted of all charges 14 months after their arrest - and are now safe in a country outside Iran. Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Esmaeilabad left Iran last Saturday - with a warning from the courts that they would be 'dealt with severely' if they were ever involved in Christian activities in Iran again. Maryam said: 'The prayers of people encouraged and sustained us throughout this ordeal.' They were arrested in March 2009 (Prayer Alert 1609) and charged with 'apostasy' and 'propagating Christianity'. They were held at Tehran's Evin prison where they endured repeated interrogations and solitary confinement. They were released on bail in November. (See Prayer Alert 4709) The Iranian authorities have also released on bail a couple from Isfahan, Hamid Shafiee and Reyhaneh Aghajary, following a large bail payment. They have been told to expect a future court summons.
Praise: God for the release of Maryam and Marzieh, bless them with a fruitful ministry and pray all charges against Hamid and Reyhaneh will now be dropped. (Ps.145:3-4)
More: http://www.releaseinternational.org/pages/posts/iran-maryam-and-marzieh-acquitted-free-and-now-safe-707.php
Iran: Maryam and Marzieh acquitted, free and now safe
Two Christian prisoners of faith have been acquitted of all charges 14 months after their arrest - and are now safe in a country outside Iran. Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Esmaeilabad left Iran last Saturday - with a warning from the courts that they would be 'dealt with severely' if they were ever involved in Christian activities in Iran again. Maryam said: 'The prayers of people encouraged and sustained us throughout this ordeal.' They were arrested in March 2009 (Prayer Alert 1609) and charged with 'apostasy' and 'propagating Christianity'. They were held at Tehran's Evin prison where they endured repeated interrogations and solitary confinement. They were released on bail in November. (See Prayer Alert 4709) The Iranian authorities have also released on bail a couple from Isfahan, Hamid Shafiee and Reyhaneh Aghajary, following a large bail payment. They have been told to expect a future court summons.
Praise: God for the release of Maryam and Marzieh, bless them with a fruitful ministry and pray all charges against Hamid and Reyhaneh will now be dropped. (Ps.145:3-4)
More: http://www.releaseinternational.org/pages/posts/iran-maryam-and-marzieh-acquitted-free-and-now-safe-707.php
Zimbabwe: 700,000 destitute evictees
Amnesty International and coalition of partners said the government of Zimbabwe must take action to protect hundreds of thousands of people living in substandard settlements five years after a programme of mass forced evictions and demolition of settlements across the country affecting more than 700,000 people - leaving them without a home or livelihood or both. Most were driven deeper into poverty by Zimbabwe’s economic crisis. An operation aimed to provide shelter for the victims and improve their living conditions was a failure and abandoned. The NGO has called on the Zimbabwean government to provide adequate alternative accommodation or compensation to those left homeless and jobless. Victims are surviving in plastic shacks without basic essential services and their needs are at risk of being forgotten because their voices are consistently ignored.
Pray: and cry out to God for His provision to be released for Zimbabwe’s forgotten victims of injustice. (Pr.2:21)
Gaza: Convoy of humanitarian aid
Eight cargo ships with more than 10,000MT of building materials, medical equipment, medicines, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines, unavailable in Gaza, CT scanners, X-ray and kidney dialysis machines will set sail for the Gaza Strip on 27 May in a symbolic attempt by activists to break the three-year Israeli blockade. Scores of smaller vessels carrying passengers from 140 nations are part of the ‘flotilla’ which will attempt to dock in Gaza City on 28 May. Passengers include 50 parliamentary members from EU and Arab nations, and Israeli Knesset member Hanin Zoabi. Israeli foreign affairs ministry spokesperson described the fleet as a ‘publicity stunt’ adding ‘International aid organizations and the private sector of Gaza ensure that all the necessary food, medicine and clothing are provided to the Strip via Israel.’
Pray: for God to spread his protection over the needy and have mercy on those suffering injustice. (Ps.9:8-9)
More: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=89255
Somalia: 14 Christians killed observing Pentecost
Somalia's minority Christians bravely observed Pentecost amid gunfire on Sunday May 23. Witnesses reported at least 14 people died in clashes between pro-government troops and Muslim militants who have killed Christians and pledged to turn Somalia into a strict Islamic state. Residents said fighters from the insurgent group al-Shabab tried to advance on the presidential palace overnight but were stopped by government troops and African Union peace keepers.
Pray: God will strengthen and protect the body of Christ in Somalia and intervene in every national conflict for His purposes. (Ps.5:8)
More: http://www.worthynews.com/8144-news-alert-somalia-christians-observe-pentecost-amid-gunfire-14-killed
Nigeria 2: al-Qaida offers to train and arm Muslims
The leader of North Africa's al-Qaida branch has offered training and weapons to Nigeria's Muslims to fight the Christians following sectarian violence. Abdelmalek Droukdel, leader of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, has accused Nigerian Christians of killing hundreds of Muslims in a ‘Crusader war’ and promises to train Muslim youths and supply them with weapons and equipment. He exhorted Nigerians to ‘push your sons into the fields of Jihad to become the fighting vanguard in defence of the Muslims blood and honour.’ Violence between Christians and Muslims in central Nigeria left 326 people dead late last month.
Pray: for law and order to be restored, that Christians will not retaliate with further violence but will show Christ-like love.(Ps.17:7) More: http://ausprayernet.org.au/newsletter/DisplayNewsletter.php?e_id=00000001889#st4
Nigeria 1: Politics of identity
Rev Zang Tengong said a religious war is under way for the soul of Nigeria and believes the central city of Jos is the frontline against Islam’s expansion southwards. ‘I know what Jesus says but Islam is a demonic religion and these people are very dangerous - this is a religious war, we will fight to the last drop of blood.’ Like many other Christian leaders across this city he is convinced the church is confronting Jihad; an echo of 19th-century campaign of Islamic conquest and conversion by Usman Dan Fodio. Nelson Ananze of Community Action for Popular Participation said, ‘A great divide is between indigenous people who claim it’s their land, and those they call settlers.’ Muslims are not given business contracts or indigene forms (entitlement to schooling and state jobs).
Pray: for God to intervene in ethnicity struggles, political power rivalry and religious tension in what was once a laid back cosmopolitan city. (Ps.3:8) More: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=89243
Jamaica: Brave stand against drug lords
The gun battles in Kingston to capture Jamaican drug lord Christopher ‘Dukas’ Coke are similar to Mexico's long war on its drug lords. See Mexico drug baron Leaders in both countries had to make courageous decisions when they decided to confront the most powerful drug lords with guns and the rule of law. They also decided to send their worst drug lords to the United States for trial. This takes tremendous courage. The drug gangs are tightly woven into each nation's politics, a co-existence ending up badly for the country, as Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding now admits. When he turned against established drug lord ‘Dudus’, the battle turned parts of Kingston into a war zone, as street battles are necessary for cleansing Jamaican society.
Pray: for a complete cleansing of Kingston, no longer labelled one of the murder capitals of the world, but called a city of blessings. (Pr.11:11) More: http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Editorial-Board-Blog/2010/0525/Jamaica-attacks-like-Mexico-s-drug-war-reveal-a-brave-stand-against-drug-lords
Europe seeks new levy on banks
A network of national funds should be introduced so the cost of bank failures are not met by the taxpayer, the EU internal market commissioner has said. Michel Barnier said such funds would provide part of a broader system aimed at preventing future financial crises. Banks would be required to pay a levy into the funds which would not be used to bail out failing banks, but manage failures in ‘an orderly way’. Mr Barnier said: ‘I believe in the 'polluter pays' principle. It is not acceptable that taxpayers should continue to bear the heavy cost of rescuing the banking sector. They should not be in the front line,’ he said. And the EU report said that any levies that banks were made to pay should not be passed on to their customers in the form of higher charges.
Pray: that this proposed levy would be found acceptable. (Lev.19:15) More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/10159631.stm