At the prompting of Islamic extremists, authorities in Indonesia's Aceh Province have forbidden nine churches to worship, saying they are ‘illegal,’ reports Jeremy Reynalds, Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service. According to a story by Morning Star News, Illiza Sa'aduddin Djamal, Deputy Mayor of Banda Aceh, capital of Aceh Province, called pastors of nine churches and five Buddhist monasteries for a meeting on Oct. 15, said Veryanto Sitohang, head of rights group United North Sumatra Alliance. Representatives from five of the nine churches attended the meeting. Morning Star News reported they were forced to sign an ‘agreement’ saying they would stop all activities because they did not have official permits. Those permits are obtainable only by meeting very difficult requirements from local governments, Sitohang told Morning Star News. The other four churches will also be told to sign the agreement soon, he added.
Pray: for the Church in Aceh that it will stand firm against persecution. (1Cor.16:13)
More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue17717.html
Indonesia: Anti-Christian incidents in 2011
12 Jan 2012Acts of violence and intolerance against Christians in Indonesia almost doubled in 2011, with an Islamist campaign to close down churches symbolizing the plight of the religious minority. The Indonesian Protestant Church Union, locally known as PGI, counted 54 acts of violence and other violations against Christians in 2011. Some are saying, ‘The the worst is perhaps yet to come if authorities continue to overlook the extremism threat.’ At least 36 regulations to ban religious practices deemed deviant from Islam were drafted or implemented in the Indonesia in 2011. The hot-bed of extremism is West Java which has about 520,000 Christians. 160 incidents against religious minorities were witnessed by West Java Churches, and on Christmas Day, two churches in Bogor city suffered Islamist vigilantes screaming and threatening Christians as they tried to hold a Christmas service.
Pray: for the growing Church in Indonesia to know God's provision as He builds his church in South Asia. (Ps.60:4-5)
More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue15070.html
Indonesia: Angry Muslims attack churches
22 Feb 2011More than 1,000 Muslim protesters have stormed a courthouse and burned two churches in central Java after a Christian man was sentenced to five years in jail for distributing leaflets deemed insulting to Islam. Indonesian police said the crowd considered the sentence too lenient and were demanding the death penalty.The violence spread to surrounding neighbourhoods where two churches were set on fire and a third was damaged. A body which advises the US government on religious freedom has said Indonesia must act against ‘extremist’ attacks, and should be more intolerant of extremist groups. Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population but it is currently a secular nation. International observers say more hard-line fringe groups have been harassing religious minorities in recent years.The Indonesian president has been criticised for not doing enough to protect the rights of all citizens.
Pray: for God to lead the Indonesian government into actions that would end hate crimes and revoke a 2008 decree that encourages vicious attacks. (Ps.109:30-31)
India: ‘Blood bricks’ industry
09 Jan 2014Bricks are a crucial part of India’s growing economy as brick kilns supply the country's booming construction sector who in turn are raising buildings owned by Indian, British, and multinational companies. There are more than 2 million brick workers in India. Many kilns use bonded labourers working in conditions of near-slavery earning at best around £1.50 for a 12-hour day. Many suffer ill health from the acrid smoke and harsh working conditions leading campaigners to call the bricks they make ‘blood bricks.’ By a mound of coal, barefoot women and children squat to break pieces of coal with ungloved hands. Two of the children are barely four years old their faces smeared black as they break coal by hitting pieces against each other. All of this is against the law. Among many reports of abuses, last week labour contractors were accused of cutting off the hands of two workers who tried to leave their jobs.
India: Violence against Christians rises
12 Oct 2013Incidents of violence against Christians in Karnataka state have spiked since June, including hospitalisation of Sannamma a 50 year old Christian school helper who was attacked by about 40 extremists when she visited a village to invite students back to school. Hindu nationalists stopped her and demanded she give money for a Hindu festival. She agreed to give money later, as she did not carry any cash. They called her ‘pagan,’ accused her of forceful conversion, punched and kicked her then dragged her to a Hindu temple to attempt to forcefully convert her back to Hinduism by pouring water on her (as a symbol of religious cleansing from Christianity) and applying a red dot on her forehead to symbolise Hindu reconversion. They then forced Sannamma to sign a paper stating that she and her husband, Shidda Naik, (he was not with her at the time of the attack) would not spread word of Christianity.
Pray: God’s protection and provision for all of India’s Christian residents who bravely share their faith amid hostile communities. Pray for a harvest of Christian believers to grow in the dark places. (Lk.10:2)
India: Two Christian communities attacked
28 Nov 2011Ultra-nationalist Hindu Bajrang Dal activists attacked members of two different Christian communities engaged in a prayer service, accusing them of practicing forced conversions. The episodes took place on November 12th and 13th in Karnataka.The assaulted Christians are now in prison. This brings to 40 the number of attacks against the Christian community of the state in 2011. ‘Two incidents in two days belie every promise regarding religious freedom made to the Christian community by the Chief Minister of Karnataka, a member of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party). Collusion between the government of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar is very real, the attacks are deliberate and meticulously planned. As long as these movements escape the harsh measures of the Indian criminal justice system, violence will continue.’
Pray: for freedom of public worship for Christian minorities across secular India. (Ps.71:1)
India: Thousands affected by floods and cyclone
12 Jan 2012Global development agency Christian Aid has released £50,000 to partner organisations in India after more than 6,000 Indian villagers were forced from their homes and 48 were killed by Cyclone Thane which swept through east-India’s state of Tamil Nadu on December 30th uprooting trees, destroying roads and buildings and bringing down power lines. As villagers attempt to rebuild their homes many are without electricity and clean drinking water. 15000 hectares of paddy crops and 20000 hectares of cashew and jackfruit trees were also destroyed, affecting both immediate survival needs and long term livelihoods. The two most vulnerable groups of concern to Christian Aid are the socially excluded Dalit community and Sri Lankan Tamil refugees.
Pray: for speedy distribution of emergency aid and refugee rehabilitation for the thousands still suffering. (Ps.86:12)
More: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/16029
India: Satanic worship
20 Sep 2012A prayer request from one of our contacts in North East India: ‘Many youth in the Christian community in north east India have resorted to the worship of Satan to get fulfilment of their needs and aspirations. There have been many cases of desecration of churches by these Satanic worshippers where Bibles are torn and black masses are conducted inside the church buildings. Also there are many incidents of gatherings in cemeteries for the conduct of black masses. It has become a sort of trend among many wayward youth to listen to music glorifying Satan and dabbling with the occult and the Satanic. All these things are happening in the predominantly Christian areas of North East India.’
Pray: for the youth of north east India, the future generation, that they would be set free from the wiles of the Devil. (2Tim.2:26)