The Persecution & Prayer Alert (June 4, 2008)
Pastor Dale Morgan
The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
A weekly news digest on the Persecuted Church
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In this week's edition: Reports from India and Eritrea with updates
from Algeria and Iran
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1. Pastor Beaten; Churches Attacked in India
Pastor Rampal Kori was beaten by two Hindu militants in Rewa, Madhya
Pradesh while returning from a prayer service at approximately 7:30 a.m.
on May 27. The militants repeatedly struck the pastor with an iron rod
and accused him of forcibly converting villagers to Christianity. They
also robbed him of 3000 Rupees ($70 CAD). Pastor Kori sustained serious
injuries that required stitches in his head.
Hindu militants attacked at least two churches in recent weeks. On the
evening of May 26, militants demolished a thatched church in the
district of Adilabad, Andhra Pradesh. Similarly, the Masihi Mandir
Church in the district of Oriya Para, Chhattisgarh was attacked by a
group of Hindu militants during a morning church service on June 1. At
approximately 11:00 a.m., the militants barged into the church building
and destroyed the facility's furniture. The attackers accused the
believers present of forcibly converting people, and threatened them of
dire consequences if they continued to worship Christ.
Pray for healing for Pastor Kori. Ask God to strengthen the believers
whose churches were attacked to continue to stand in His grace (1 Peter
5:12).
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2. More Christians Arrested in Eritrea
Eritrean police arrested 34 evangelical Christians in the city of Keren
on May 28, according to a June 2 report from Compass Direct. The
Christians, who are members of the Berhane Hiwet (Light of Life) Church,
were meeting in a private home for prayer and fellowship. All 24 men and
10 women present in the meetings were taken to prison, with their
children left behind. The next day security officials transferred the
women prisoners to the Adi-Abeyto Military Confinement facility on the
outskirts of the capital city of Asmara.
Pray for the release of Eritrean Christians who are imprisoned for the
sake of Christ (Acts 12:5). Ask God to strengthen and comfort their
families. Pray that the Eritrean government will respect the rights of
Christians to freely worship their Lord.
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3. Christians Concerned over Hindu Nationalist Party Victory in
Karnataka, India
A Hindu nationalist leader from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), B.S.
Yeddyurappa, was elected as the chief minister of Karnataka state on May
25, according to a May 29 report from Compass Direct. This first-ever
victory of the BJP in a south Indian state is causing concern among the
minority Christian community in Karnataka, where anti-Christian attacks
have been on the rise since 2006. The BJP is the parent organization of
the Hindu militant group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a major force
behind attacks on Christians.
Ask God to embolden Christians in Karnataka to remain steadfast as they
suffer for the sake of Christ (Rev. 2:10). Pray that those who persecute
Christians will see Christ's grace and mercy and be reconciled to Him.
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4. Christians Found "Guilty" for Seeking to Convert Muslims in Algeria
Four of the six Christians detained by police while leaving a prayer
meeting in Tiaret on May 9 were given suspended sentences and fined by
an Algerian court on June 3 for seeking to convert Muslims to
Christianity, according to a June 3 report from Compass Direct. The
court gave Rachid Muhammad Seghir a six-month suspended sentence and a
200,000-dinar fine ($3,282 CAD). He was originally charged with
"distributing documents to shake the faith of Muslims." Chabane Beikel,
Abdelhak Rebeih and Djillali Saibi were each given two-month suspended
sentences and 100,000-dinar ($1,640 CAD) fines. The two other believers
on trial, Mohamed Khene and Abdelkader Hori, were acquitted.
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5. Christian Converts Released from Prison in Iran
An Iranian Christian convert, Homayon Shokohie Gholamzadeh (48), who was
arrested on May 11 by police in the city of Shiraz , was released from
prison on May 22, according to a May 29 report from Compass Direct. He
was taken into custody with his wife and another couple of Christian
converts before boarding a flight at Shiraz International Airport. On
June 2, another Iranian Christian convert from Islam arrested on May 11,
Mojtaba Hussein (21), was also released from prison, according to a June
3 report from Compass Direct. The authorities demanded valuable property
deeds as bail collateral for the release of the two believers.
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