Three violent incidents against Christian ministers have left believers concerned over the future of religious freedom. On Feb 17 gunmen waited for Father Evaristus Mushi as he parked his car outside his church, they surrounded the car and killed him. He was an advocate of interfaith dialogue. Also two days later a church was burned down. On Feb 2 Pastor Mathayo Kachili was hacked to death when he intervened in an altercation over the slaughter of an animal. A group of Muslims had demanded immediate closure of butcheries owned by Christians. On Boxing Day Father Ambrose Mkenda was shot as he left his car, the gunmen then ransacked the rectory. The Secretary General of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference said the situation signalled a plot to destroy peace in the country. The situations on Zanzibar remain tense. Islamic extremism is the main persecution dynamic for the country.

Pray: for peace to prevail in the communities affected by the violence, may the government take decisive action in resolving issues pertinent to the incidents. (Ps.7:8-9)

More: http://blogs.christianpost.com/opendoors/tanzanian-attacks-against-christians-leave-believers-wary-over-future-14790/

On the Zanzibar archipelago, Islamic militants bent on wiping out all Christians from the islands have burnt and looted churches and threatened persecuted Christians with death. The push for the spread of Islam is less violent but equally persistent on the mainland. If successful, it could threaten the presence of the Church on the Zanzibar archipelago. Over the last year violence has been steadily increasing while at the same time becoming more public. Last month a deadly church bombing occurred with more violence continuing on into this month. Two weeks ago the home of Pastor Robert Ngai in north-eastern Tanzania was broken into by a large group of radical Muslims with machetes. The pastor received serious cuts on his hands and arms when he raised them to protect his head from the blows. Local doctors said the injuries were beyond their ability to treat and he was rushed to a larger city hospital. Tanzania is a Christian majority country with a substantial Muslim population with a strong Islamist drive toward the Tanzanian ‘House of Islam.’

Pray: that pressure from Islamic extremists will be resisted and freedom of religion protected. Pray for protection for church leaders on Zanzibar and Pemba islands. Pray that Christians will have courage to share God’s love with Muslims. (Ps.20:1)

More: http://rescuechristians.org/more-violence-in-tanzania-sends-alarms-through-church/

Islamisation is increasing at an alarming rate in Tanzania according to a bishop from the country. Bishop Bernadin Mfumbusa of Kondoa warned that religious freedom and other civil liberties were under threat from intolerant radical Muslim influences sweeping in from countries neighbouring the east African nation. Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need, the Catholic charity for persecuted and other suffering Christians, the bishop said: ‘We see more and more itinerant Muslim preachers from Saudi Arabia and Sudan entering this country, – and Muslims are increasingly making political demands.’ These demands include extending Islamic Sharia law and making everyone subject to it – Muslim and non-Muslim alike. Bishop Mfumbusa said: ‘In recent times there has been a constant demand to introduce Sharia into other parts of Tanzania which do not have a majority of Muslims.’ Sharia law is already in force in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous archipelago with an almost completely Muslim population, but it does not apply to other parts of Tanzania.

Pray: against the growth of radical Islam and pray that Christians will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak boldly about their faith. (Ac.4:13)

More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/islamist.extremism.spreading.in.tanzania/30776.htm

Described as acts of frenzied madness, radical Islamists set on fire at least two churches in Zanzibar last weekend during running battles with security forces. Senior members of the ‘Uamsho’ (Swahili word for Islamic Mobilisation and Propagation) radical movement were arrested with scores of others from among the rioters, and there are serious concerns over the safety of tourists now that the threshold of burning Christian churches has been crossed. Last year the same radical group was accused of organising attacks on bars, clearly with the aim of introducing a radical form of Islam to the island by banning alcohol and turning tourist resorts into empty shells in what has in the past been a moderate and tolerant Islamic society on the Spice Island. Uamsho demanded a referendum to leave the union. Members have vowed to use whatever means necessary to force the issue, clearly not ruling out violence as seen this weekend.

Pray: for Tanzania, hitherto one of East Africa’s most moderate countries, to return to her peaceful inheritance. (Ps.17:7-9)

More: http://www.eturbonews.com/29435/zanzibar-radicals-opposed-union-mainland-cause-weekend-chaos

On Tanzania’s semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar, Christians live in a climate of fear. It’s a place where a young man flees the island to escape death threats from his Muslim family where others opt for jail, by entering a guilty plea, rather than face certain death from a furious mob. Yusuf Abdalla fled to Moshi, mainland Tanzania, after his family threatened to kill him in June. Having converted to Christianity after hearing the gospel on the radio when his family found out that he had left Islam. The beating he then received from family members left him with injuries to his head, hand and torso, as well as a serious mouth wound and substantial loss of blood, said an area pastor who requested anonymity. As soon as he had recovered enough to leave, Abdalla found refuge at the pastor’s church before fleeing to Moshi. Click on the ‘More’ link for more stories.

Pray: that God would lift the fear from His people and give them a spirit of boldness. (Act.4:29)

More: http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/tanzania/article_117316.html

Church leaders from Syria, Russia, the United States and Europe have said that a political solution is the only way to secure peace in Syria. They are urging ‘public outcry’ against the ongoing civil war that has killed at least 100,000 people and forced two million to flee from their homes. The comments follow a meeting at the Ecumenical Institute in Geneva,  Switzerland with Kofi Annan, the former United Nations general secretary, and Lakhdar Brahimi, UN-Arab League joint representative for Syria. The meeting was organised by the World Council of Churches to discuss the role of churches in moving Syria towards a peace agreement. Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC general secretary, said peace efforts ‘must not fail now when thousands of people have already died’. He said the international community and all parties to the conflict in Syria had to take responsibility to make peace talks successful and that churches must support the process.

Pray: that the current moves to bring peace to this horrific conflict will be successful. (Ps.37:37)

More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/there.can.be.no.military.solution.to.syria.conflict.say.church.leaders/34057.htm

Situations needing prayer: Many Syrian refugees are fleeing to Turkey from the violent Assad-regime. Tanks and troops are under orders to advance on and attack Jisr al-Shugour after the government accused armed bands there of killing security men. Residents report the incident as an army mutiny by troops refusing to kill citizens. The UN Security Council are reportedly drafting resolutions on Syria condemning murder and torture of peaceful protesters, (despite opposition from veto-wielding Russia). Violence also broke out in a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus with fourteen dying after thousands of refugees attacked the headquarters of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The Syrian interior minister said they would respond firmly to attacks in the Muslim Brotherhood stronghold. international observers fear violence may enter a new and bloodier phase after three months of popular unrest that has left over 1,000 dead.

Pray: for God’s mercy to cover Syria, for the controlling strongholds to be broken and the land to come into Gods purposes. (Job.5:11-15)

More: http://www.jpost.com/

On Tuesday US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, ‘We believe there is a way forward and we are ready to pursue that. And we invite the Russians and the Chinese to be part of the solution.’ She spoke after Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and China’s President Hu Jintao agreed at a meeting in Beijing that they would work together more closely at the United Nations.Pres Jintao said the two giant neighbours could together ‘set the global political and economic order in a more fair and rational direction.’ The combination appeared to be a setback for Clinton’s efforts to get international backing for a political transition in Syria, ultimately including the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. On Wednesday she met with leaders from European powers and regional states that are increasingly fearful of a descent into all-out civil war in Syria, with destabilizing dangers for its neighbours.

Pray: for Russia and China to work positively with the United Nations to bring about a peaceful end to massacres and avoid a civil war in the region. (Mat.5:9)

More: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?section=middleeast&xfile=data/middleeast/2012/June/middleeast_June58.xml

UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous says the conflict in Syria is now a full-scale civil war. The comments come after reports that the Syrian government has lost ‘large chunks of territory’ in some cities. The UN also reported members of its observer team in Syria were attacked by angry crowds as they tried to reach an embattled mountain village near President Bashar al-Assad's hometown. The vehicles also were later shot at. The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) said that it is impossible to respond to all humanitarian needs at once due to simultaneous fighting that has spread to several parts of the country. The ICRC is trying to locate hundreds of citizens believed to have fled Homs in search of safe areas.

Pray: for the thousands of innocent families trapped in terrifying situations in Syria to receive help, aid and comfort; and may they see an end to this violence. (Gen.6:5)

More: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/06/12/annan-says-syria-conflict-is-now-civil-war/#ixzz1xbLtP4Hl