(Sources: CNN, Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin)
On January 1, the militant Islamic group Boko Haram issued an ultimatum giving Christians living in northern Nigeria three days to leave the area amid a rising tide of violence. Boko Haram spokesman, Abul Qaqa, also said that fighters were ready to confront soldiers sent to the area under a state of emergency declared in parts of four states by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.
Vowing to render Nigeria "ungovernable," Boko Haram targets anything that does not support its fundamentalist Islamist ends and jihadist means: universities, police, secular courts, Christian churches and even liberal mosques.
The state of emergency came after a string of attacks in late December, where churches, a state security building, and a mosque were bombed. By December 31, President Jonathan had closed Nigeria's borders with Chad and Niger Republic and declared the state of emergency in 15 hard-hit local government areas of Borno, Yobe, Plateau and Niger states, sending tanks and soldiers to patrol the streets.
Pray for those who were injured or who lost loved ones over Christmas. Pray the Lord will minister to them and help them overcome their present sufferings. Pray that those responsible will be brought to justice and that they will come to repentance and gain knowledge of Christ. Pray that God will frustrate the plans of the enemy (Nehemiah 4:15) so the current threat will come to nothing.
To post a prayer of solidarity with believers in Nigeria, visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall. For more on persecution in Nigeria, please visit the Nigeria Country Report.
Officials force Christians to recant in Laos
(Sources: Compass Direct News, Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom)
Officials forced Christians in a Lao village to give up their faith in order to bury a family member in the village graveyard. In Huey, Ad-Sapangthong district of Savannakhet Province, the village's eight Christian families quickly began to arrange a funeral for a woman named Wang who died on Christmas Day. On December 26, however, village officials ordered that her body be buried according to Buddhist funeral rites or be taken to a burial ground in Savannakhet city. Lacking the resources for a city burial, the 40 Christians reluctantly agreed. But the village monk then refused to carry out the ceremony because Wang was a Christian. With Wang's body already decomposing and officials demanding that they recant, the Christians verbally agreed to cease practising their faith in order to bury her in the village cemetery. Once the funeral was over, five of the families told church leaders in another city that they regretted their decision and that they would continue to worship God.
Meanwhile, authorities in Boukham village arrested eight Christian leaders on December 16 for gathering some 200 church members for a Christmas celebration. Officials have since moved seven of the leaders to an animal pen, have blocked visits from family members, and have banned direct delivery of food. The Christians are being held in wooden stocks, causing swollen and infected legs and excruciating pain.
Please pray the Lord will strengthen the faith of those who recanted and give them courage to stand boldly for Him. Ask Him to comfort them after this difficult trial. Pray that the believers being held will soon be released. Pray the Lord will grow His Church in Laos.
For more on the trials Christians face in Laos, go to the Laos Country Report.
Update: Human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng remains imprisoned
(Source: ChinaAid)
For the first time since his most recent forced disappearance 20 months ago, the whereabouts of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng has been confirmed. Gao Zhisheng's older brother, Gao Zhiyi, received written notification of Gao's incarceration in Shaya Prison in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in far western China. The notification was signed and dated by the prison on December 19.
Gao Zhisheng has been repeatedly kidnapped, arrested, imprisoned and tortured by Chinese authorities for defending the persecuted (for more, click here). He disappeared into police custody in April 2010, the most recent in a series of forced disappearances since his 2006 conviction on a subversion charge. On December 16, just days before his five-year probation period was to have ended, the Chinese government announced that it was sending him to prison for three years for violating his probation. It was the first word that he was still alive, but no information of his condition was released.
Thank the Lord that Gao's family has received word on his whereabouts. Pray the Lord will strengthen and sustain him and his family. Pray that Gao will be given the grace to exemplify the love of God through consistent love and prayer for those who persecute him (Matthew 5:43-48). Pray for his release.
For more information on China's suffering Church, go to the China Country Report.
Muslim extremists in Uganda throw acid on church leader
(Source: Compass Direct News)
Islamic extremists threw acid on a church leader on Christmas Eve, leaving him with severe burns that have blinded one eye and threaten his sight in the other. Bishop Umar Mulinde, 37, who was previously a sheikh (Islamic teacher), was attacked when a man who claimed to be a Christian approached him.
"I heard him say in a loud voice, 'Pastor, pastor,' and as I made a turn and looked at him, he poured the liquid onto my face as others poured more liquid on my back and then fled away shouting, 'Allahu akbar ,'" Mulinde said. At last report, his face, neck and arms bore deep black scars from the acid and his lips were swollen. The wounds are so severe that he may need plastic surgery. Police have reportedly arrested one suspect.
Mulinde is married and has six children. He has faced several injuries and attacks from Muslims since his conversion to Christianity in 1993.
Pray the Lord will heal Mulinde's physical and emotional wounds. Pray that he will receive all the treatment he needs. Pray he will remain steadfast in the faith (1 Peter 5:8-10). Pray that the perpetrators will repent and turn to Christ. Pray for those in authority who are dealing with this case.
