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INTERNATIONAL NEWS 13th October 2008
Sent: Monday 13/Oct/2008 Topic: International
- IRAQI PRESIDENT SENDS MESSAGE TO CHRISTIANS OF IRAQ
- EMERGENCY PRAYER ALERT - SOMALIA
- UN WARNS OVER ZIMBABWE FOOD AID
- 15,000 GATHER FOR WORSHIP IN CANADA TO EXPERIENCE A FORETASTE OF HEAVEN
- LAOS: VILLAGE TO EXPEL 55 CHRISTIANS
- AMERICAN CITY TARGETS CRIME WITH PRAYER
IRAQI PRESIDENT SENDS MESSAGE TO CHRISTIANS OF IRAQ
Source: Assist News
In an interview at the opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Iraqi President Jalal Talibani was upbeat on Iraq. "Iraq is doing well. Violence is down dramatically and people are returning home," he said. Talibani is Kurdish, and Kurdistan, his area in Northern Iraq has autonomy. Kurdistan is in the middle of an economic boom and is in fact doing quite well. Separated from the rest of Iraq since the early 1990s, it has developed on its own and had a head start on the rest of Iraq which suffered under the control of Saddam Hussein and his Baath party.
A source of controversy for Christians is a bill recently passed in the Iraqi Parliament to abolish Article 50 of the Provincial Election Law that sets aside seats for Iraqi minorities. There have been demonstrations throughout the world by various groups, including over 5,000 in Iraq itself. In a nation where over 2 million people have become refugees both inside and outside Iraq, minorities such the Assyrian Christians and others are deeply concerned at what they see as an Islamic drift in the country with growing influence from Iran and other more conservative regimes.
They see Article 50 which sets aside seats for each minority to protect them as a check on that drift. One Assyrian Christian representative asking for anonymity said, "Article 50, which protects the minorities, is critical for the future of Iraq. We feel, in fact, that a similar provision should be in the Iraqi Parliament, where for example we have only two seats out of 275. "If our numbers are properly considered—2.5 Million or approximately 10% of the country at the last count during the time of Saddam Hussein—we should in fact have 10 seats."
"The law just passed," Talibani said, "is not consistent with the Constitution nor with what is needed for Iraq. We need to do all we can to help those who are currently displaced to return home. As President I have the right to amend what parliament passes and I will be amending the change in the law immediately." He continued: "We need to protect our minorities and this change sends exactly the wrong message. We are doing all we can to help those displaced to return by providing funding grants to help those who return to build a home and start a business."
In earlier statements the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister echoed Talibani's words by promising monthly payments to all refugees from the ballooning Iraqi Oil Fund, as well as recognition for an Assyrian Province in the homeland of the indigenous Assyrian Christians in Northern Iraq. "We need to get a message to the Assyrians and others that now is the time to come home. Whatever they need we will do for them," Talibani concluded. We will do all that is needed to get all of our people home, in particular our minorities and indigenous Assyrians.
Historically it has been the minorities that have been the engine of growth in Iraq. Until the 1950's, nearly 40% of Baghdad was Jewish and the large Jewish area exists today, albeit with only a few hundred people. All politicians make promises. The devil is in the details. All who hope for progress in Iraq hope that Talibani's promises come to be. In response to scepticism that his words will end up just that, words, Talibani thundered with his deep voice, "I am President! Don't worry."
EMERGENCY PRAYER ALERT - SOMALIA
Source: 10/40 Window International Network
Intense prayer is needed for Somalia after Islamists began demolishing an old Roman Catholic Church in the East African nation’s southern region in order to replace it with a mosque. They vowed to do the same with all other non-Muslim places of worship they find in the area, the Associated Press (AP) reported. According to the report, the act, and the threat, were the latest show of strength by the growing Islamic insurgency in and around the southern port of Kismayo. Somalia’s third-largest city has been in the control of al-Shabab, a powerful Islamist faction, since August.
“No one was hurt in the demolition,” said Sheik Hassan Yakob Ali, a spokesman for al-Shabab. “We have demolished a Christian church,” Ali told the AP. “And we’ll replace it with an Islamic mosque. We will demolish all similar Christian cathedrals and other places of worship for Christians and other religions.” Meanwhile, a Muslim mob recently attacked a house church in Tayeglow, a town 198 miles from Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, Assist News Service reported.
According to International Christian Concern (ICC), dozens of Muslims, demolished the church and attacked the Christians worshiping there. Two elders of the church suffered serious injuries as a result of the attack. ICC said the attack was likely in response to the conversion of the only son of a prominent Muslim religious leader in the district. ICC said this was the second time that Muslim extremists have targeted the church. In the first attack in 2007, a Muslim gunman opened fire on the Christians at the church and seriously wounded the pastor.
ICC said that when Muslims convert to Christianity in Somalia, they face death. In the past 12 months, five Somali converts to Christianity have been killed. Christians in Somalia are faced with unprecedented persecution from Islamic extremists who are hell-bent on destroying them. Somalia is ranked No. 12 among nations that are the worst persecutors of Christians based on Open Doors 2008 World Watch List.
Please pray for:
* demonic forces that are using al-Shabab and other Islamists like puppets, to be toppled, and that the people will be set free to worship the Lord. Pray that their leaders will experience conversion to Christianity.
* persecuted Somali Christians to know God’s protection, comfort, and encouragement in the midst of persecution.
* Somali Christians to have Holy boldness to witness to those who are persecuting them about God’s plan of Salvation.
* revival to break out in Somalia with multiple thousands of Somalis coming to know the Lord in the next thirty days, and that the Kingdom of God will be firmly established in this land.
* religious tolerance and true religious freedom in Somalia. For God to protect Muslim background believers in Somalia. Pray that they will stand strong against tremendous pressure to return to Islam.
* Somali Christians that they will not lack of food, shelter, or medical needs even in the midst of persecution.
UN WARNS OVER ZIMBABWE FOOD AID
Source: Intercessors Network
About half the population of Zimbabwe could soon be in need of constant food aid and medical assistance, the UN’s humanitarian chief stated. John Holmes said three million people were already reliant on aid, and that figure could rise to five million. He said the situation was already grave and deteriorating. However, he acknowledged that access for aid agencies had improved greatly since a political power-sharing deal was signed two weeks ago.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF agreed to work together after years of political and economic crises. Under the deal, Mr Mugabe remains president while MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai - who pulled out of a presidential election earlier this year, citing violence - will become prime minister. At the time the president said he expected a unity government to be formed within a week, but the MDC says talks have failed as Zanu-PF wants all the key ministries.
The hope is that a new government can overcome the acute economic crisis. Zimbabwe’s official inflation rate is still about 11 million per cent and there are severe food shortages. Mr Holmes warned that preparations needed to be made for next year’s harvest to avoid millions more people becoming reliant on aid. “Planting season for the next harvest starts in five or six weeks’ time, at least for maize, and there is massive shortage of seeds and fertilisers in the country because of the economic situation,” he said.
“We’re looking to see whether we can accelerate even at this late stage and get some of those seeds and fertilisers and other imports into the hands of small farmers.” He said he hoped the farmers would plant more seeds “so they can harvest more, so we have less of a food assistance problem next year”.
15,000 GATHER FOR WORSHIP IN CANADA TO EXPERIENCE A FORETASTE OF HEAVEN
Source: Breaking World News
'Heaven's Rehearsal' drew a sold-out crowd of more than 15,000 people in Toronto recently. The massive worship service was billed as an historic opportunity to demonstrate unity and ignite hearts by gathering Christ-followers from every nation, in one place, worshipping Jesus, the King of Kings. Despite a series of unexpected technical problems, and some microphone malfunctions people who attended described the evening as "awesome," "beautiful," "absolutely wonderful," and "very well organized." "This is what heaven will be like, one nation under Christ." said one.
In order to keep the evening's focus on Christ, none of the performers was named; none of the organizers appeared on stage; no sermon was preached; no announcements were made; and no offering was taken. Volunteers collected donations as people exited the building. The program flowed through a series of 14 scenes that illustrated topics such as 'The Lamb,' 'Casting Down Crowns,' 'Martyrs' and 'Eternal Hope.' Multi-national pastors read scripture passages whilst worship leaders led the crowd in a series of contemporary worship songs and hymns.
The entire evening was choreographed to the performance of 100 dancers. Organizers said 'Heaven's Rehearsal' was meant, to the best of their ability, to be a foretaste of the worship believers one day will experience in heaven. A few audience members found it hard to loosen the bounds of earth, as their attention spans wavered and they checked text messages on their cell phones. For others, it was a transcendent experience. One white-haired, East Asian man spent most of the evening on his knees, his Bible clasped to his heart and his face raised towards heaven.
LAOS: VILLAGE TO EXPEL 55 CHRISTIANS
Source: Intercessors Network
The chief of Boukham village in Savannakhet province, Laos, recently called a special community meeting to resolve the “problem” of eight resident Christian families who have refused to give up their faith. The meeting concluded with plans to expel all 55 Christians from the village. Although all adult members of a village are usually invited to such meetings, on this occasion the Christians were deliberately excluded, according to rights group Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF).
Pastor Sompong Supatto, 32, and two other believers from the village, Boot Chanthaleuxay, 18, and Khamvan Chanthaleuxay, also 18, remain in detention in the nearby Ad-Sapangthong district police detention cell. HRWLRF earlier reported that police have held the men in handcuffs and wooden foot stocks since their arrest on August 3, causing numbness and infection in their legs and feet due to lack of blood circulation. Authorities have said they will release the three only if they renounce their faith.
AMERICAN CITY TARGETS CRIME WITH PRAYER
Source: Christian News Northwest
Portland, Oregon, has been targeted in an effort to reduce the city's crime rate through prayer. The Portland project, which meets under the official title of the Greater Portland Prayer Coalition, says that 24-hour prayer, seven days a week, 365 days a year, is their goal.
In New York City, back in 1995, 35 area churches divided the "Big Apple" up into sections, and through focused, committed prayer asked God to change their city, resulting in a 70% drop in the crime rate. Today, more than 120 New York churches are still involved in the continued effort. Churches in Portland are expecting to see the same results.