Uzbekistan: Crackdown on Christians worsens
24 Jul 2010
Several unjust rulings have been made against Christians since the start of 2010. The homes of numerous Christians as well as churches have been raided, and many Christians have been fined for sharing their faith, holding religious services, and illegally distributing Christian literature, according to Forum 18 News. Within the last three months, however, pressure has increased to the point of unlawful imprisonment. ‘In the last several months, 10 Christians have been sentenced to administrative detention for their Christian activities--that can mean something as simple as holding a Bible study in their home,’ says Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors USA. ‘This is four times the amount of detentions that we saw last year.’ It's unclear as to exactly why the crackdown has become so much worse so quickly. Moeller confirms, however, that the Uzbek government favours uniformity, not diversity. A rise in numbers of any group could be considered social and political dissension. Pray: for the Church in Uzbekistan that the authorities would cease its persecution. (2Th.1:4)
Uzbekistan: Churches banned from evangelism
18 Dec 2011Authorities warned churches not to allow youngsters and children to attend worship services and not to carry out missionary activities. Deputy Head of Administration met officials of the Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Presbyterian, Seventh-day Adventist and Baptist churches in Angren city telling them, ‘All unregistered religious activity is a criminal offense, in defiance of the international human rights agreements Uzbekistan is a party to.’ He demanded the churches provide him with lists of members (a move resembling the time when Uzbekistan was still part of the Soviet Union). Church leaders refused to give names amid concerns authorities could pressure individuals. These developments came after a Baptist Christian, was fined 80 times the minimum monthly wage when police broke up a meeting of Baptists on holiday together. Also, two schoolgirls stopped attending church after police threatened they ‘will be in police records and thrown out of school’.
Pray: that fanatical religious persecution will not re-emerge in the region. (Ps.37:11)
More: http://www.worthynews.com/11112-uzbekistan-churches-banned-from-evangelism-youth-worship
Two Protestant Christian churches in and near Tashkent were subjected to raids within two days of each other in mid-April. The first raid targeted a youth conference and the second - where the police were accompanied by television journalists - targeted a feeding programme for the homeless. In addition an ‘anti-terror’ raid in Tashkent targeted ten Protestant women gathering for a birthday party in a private home, eight of them pensioners. They were all given massive fines. No officials in Tashkent have been prepared to explain why peaceful religious believers should face such punishments. Protestants in north-western Uzbekistan have complained of mounting raids, threats, fines, literature confiscations and court-ordered destruction of religious literature. State-imposed restrictions on all faiths are tight and the latest raids, fines, threats and literature confiscations come as religious believers of a variety of faiths face criminal trials for peaceful activity.
Pray: for God to turn this situation around and for the Christians in Uzbekistan to be treated fairly. (Ps.9:13-14)
More: http://www.forum18.org/
Uzbekistan: Christians face fines and abuse
08 Sep 2011Uzbekistan's authorities continue to punish peaceful religious believers with fines, physical abuse and court-ordered destruction of religious literature. According to a story by Forum 18 police in eastern Fergana Region police raided the home of a Protestant couple. The police inspector who led the raid said that police found and confiscated ‘banned’ religious literature. Asked what literature found in their home was banned, he identified the Bible and the New Testament. Also courts in the capital of Tashkent and eastern Syrdarya Region have handed down fines of up to one hundred times the minimum monthly wage to ten Protestants to punish them for unregistered activity. In both cases, Forum 18 said, the courts ordered that confiscated Christian literature - including Bibles and New Testaments - be destroyed. Another court in central Samarkand Region fined a member of an officially registered Baptist Church for ‘illegal’ religious teaching.
Pray: for the Church in Uzbekistan the God will be their ever present help in times of trouble. (Ps.9:9)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.face.fines.and.abuse.in.uzbekistan/28566.htm
New US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel met with Ehud Barak for two hours on Tuesday, expressing strong support for Israeli missile and rocket defence systems despite fiscal uncertainty caused by across-the-board spending cuts. ‘Secretary Hagel is committed to working with members of Congress to ensure that there is no interruption of funding for Iron Dome, Arrow, and David's Sling rocket and missile defence systems,’ a US defence official said. During the talks, Barak stressed the importance of continuing to develop the special relations between the Israeli defence community and the Pentagon.
Pray: that God will bless security issues facing the Middle East today, foremost among them, Iran. (2Sa.22:4)
More: http://www.worthynews.com/top/jpost-com-LandedPages-PrintArticle-aspx-id-305409/
USA: TV ad shows God a key theme for Presidents
27 Feb 2012A new television commercial airing Presidents Day weekend reminds Americans how God and religion are foundational to the country. The minute-long spot highlights quotes from Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Kennedy and Reagan – each focused on the foundational role that God and religion play in American rights and government. The spot is running on national cable networks between Feb. 18 and 20. It is also running in regional markets from Connecticut to California.
Pray: that during the months preceding the Presidential election for the values of Christianity to function in the nation's public life. (Deut.30:16)
More: http://www.earnedmedia.org/kofc0220.htm
The Times Square bombing suspect was Pakistan-born Faisal Shahzad who received instructions from the Pakistan Taliban's suicide bomb trainer. If this is verified the suspected links between Pakistan Taliban and Shahzad would mark a stark shift in how it and related jihadist groups pursue their goals. So far Pakistan’s Talibans have focused on attacks within Pakistan and in India, not the US. Pakistani investigators are also probing Shahzad's possible connections with Jaish-e-Muhammad an outlawed Islamist militant group. US and British intelligence officials estimate that about 100 Westerners have in recent years taken advantage of lengthy trips to the region to complete training at jihadi camps in Pakistan and returned to their home countries. In the light of the new evidence the Pakistani army is likely to come under more pressure from its US allies to clamp down on Pakistan Taliban strongholds if strong links with Shahzad emerge.
Pray: that God’s presence in Pakistan would grow as Christians reach Taliban members with thw Gospel. (Ps.46:9)
USA: Texas - Late-Term Abortion
27 Jun 2013Members of the Texas House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a 20-week late-term abortion ban during the wee hours of Monday morning authorising a Senate Bill which will now be sent to the Texas Senate for consideration later this week. Recently Texas Governor Rick Perry said, ‘The horrors of the national late-term abortion industry are continuing to come to light, one atrocity at a time. Sadly some of those same atrocities happen in our own state. In Texas we value all life and we’ve worked to cultivate a culture that supports the birth of every child. We have an obligation to protect unborn children and to hold those who peddle these abortions to standards that would minimize the death, disease and pain they cause. The 19-page bill would tighten restrictions on abortion procedures and ban abortions after 20 weeks. Hundreds of protesters crammed into the State Capitol on Sunday night and Monday morning protesting against the bill, while pro-life supporters are praising the legislation.
Pray: that this step will prompt peaceful further stages towards saving lives in Texas and across the United States of America. (Job.1:21 & Is.44:24)