Update: Indian Christians released from prison in Saudi Arabia

(Source: BosNewsLife) Two Indian Christians -- Vasantha Sekhar Vara, 28, and Nese Yohan, 31 -- have been released from prison in Saudi Arabia. They were arrested and charged with proselytizing in January 2011 after officials raided their house church of mainly Indian expat workers (for more information, click here). Vara was pressured to convert to Islam in prison, but he refused. The men were deported to India on July 24.

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Saudi Arabia is officially 100 percent Muslim. However, as in other Arabic countries, there have been reports of a growing interest in Christianity and many foreigners in the country are Christian. Praise the Lord for the faith of these men! Pray they will continue to serve and worship the Lord boldly. Pray that the Lord will shine through them as they follow Him. For more on the persecuted Church in Saudi Arabia, please visit the Saudi Arabia Country Report.

House church leader sentenced to labour camp in China

(Source: ChinaAid Association) The deputy chairman of the Chinese House Church Alliance, Pastor Shi Enhao, has been sentenced to two years of "re-education through labour," an extra-judicial punishment that is handed out by police and requires no trial or conviction of a crime. He has been charged with "illegal meetings and illegal organising of venues for religious meetings." This charge stems from the fact that Pastor Shi's large house church of several thousand members meets in various different sites around the city. Meanwhile, the police's Domestic Security Protection Department has ordered Pastor Shi's church to stop meeting and has confiscated the congregation's car, musical instruments, choir robes and 140,000 Yuan (approximately $20,900 CAD) in donations. Please pray the Lord will protect and sustain Pastor Shi, his family and his congregation. Pray they will keep their eyes on Jesus, persevere in their faith, and not grow weary or lose heart (Hebrews 10:32-39; 12:1-3). Pray for Pastor Shi's release and, in the meantime, that he will have opportunities to share the gospel in prison. For more information about persecution in China, please visit the China Country Report.

Muslim extremists torch churches in Tanzania

(Source: Compass Direct) On July 30, Muslim extremists burned down a church building on Zanzibar Island off the coast of Tanzania, just three days after another congregation's facility was reduced to ashes. In Fuoni on the south coast of Zanzibar, Islamic extremists torched the building of the Evangelical Assemblies of God-Tanzania (EAGT). The assailants were shouting, "Away with the church -- we do not want infidels to spoil our community, especially our children." In Kianga, the Free Evangelical Pentecostal Church in Africa was burned down in the early hours of July 27. On neighbouring Pemba Island, suspected Muslims extremists razed a Seventh-Day Adventist Church building in Konde on June 17. Please pray the Lord will give courage to these believers so they remain steadfast in the faith (1 Peter 5:8-10). Pray the Lord will grow His church in faithfulness and in number regardless of the opposition. Pray for church unity in this nation. Pray those who oppose believers will recognise them as Christ's disciples by the way they love one another (John 13:34-35).

Police harass pastor in Uzbekistan

(Source: VOM-USA) On July 9, security police harassed a pastor and confiscated his laptop while he was waiting for his wife at a market. As Pastor Salavat waited for his wife in their car, two men in military uniforms approached the pastor and asked him to step out of the car. The men grabbed Salavat and treated him roughly. Salavat demanded to see their IDs, which they showed him before searching his car without permission or cause. "It looked as though they were looking for something specific," Salavat said. It soon became clear that they were searching for his laptop, which they confiscated without offering a warrant or receipt. Ten days later, Salavat's laptop was returned without explanation. Pastor Salavat spent six months in prison for leading an unregistered church in Uzbekistan. He was later sentenced to a year of forced labour for continuing his Christian work (for more information, click here). Pray for peace and strength for Salavat and his family. Pray that those who oppose Christians will be moved by their steadfast faith. Pray that Uzbekistan's leaders will respect freedom of religion. To learn more about the challenges believers face in Uzbekistan, go to the Uzbekistan Country Report. Click here to watch a video of Salavat's testimony.

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