News and Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Government Continues Mental Torture of Pastor as Court Frees and Immediately Re-Arrests Him  10/9/2013 Kazakhstan (International Christian Concern) Pastor Kashkumbayev, 67, was released to house arrest after having been imprisoned since May for his Christian activities, only to be immediately re-arrested for religious extremism.  He is not receiving adequate medical care while imprisoned. It is believed the government is making an example of him for being a Christian.     Full story Pray for Pastor Kashkumbayev's safety and protection while being detained Pray that God would bring comfort to Pastor Kashkumbayev's family during this difficult time Pray for international awareness for Pastor Kashkumbayev's quick and full release Muslims and Christians in Pakistan Protect Churches with Human Chain 10/8/2013 Pakistan (Opposing Views) In protest to the September 22 bombing of All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan Christians and Muslims joined together this past Sunday to form a human chain protecting a church.  Recent incidences of persecution in Pakistan include terrorist bombings of churches in response to US drone strikes.   Full story Pray the protests will be a catalyst for greater unity between Christians and Muslims in Pakistan  Pray for the healing of victims from the September 22 All Saints Church bombing Pray that the government will provide protection for Christians and religious minorities in Pakistan More Than 60 Church Leaders Remain Locked Up in Communist Vietnam 10/8/2013 Vietnam (International Christian Concern) International Christian Concern has received a tragically long list of the names of 63 Christian pastors and church leaders who remain locked up in deplorable conditions in four prison camps around the country.  There is hope that these Christians will soon be freed- the American government is working on passing a bill that will deny Vietnam certain aid until the human rights situation improves.    Full story Pray for the health and safety of the imprisoned pastors and church leaders Pray for hope in the midst of suffering for the families of the imprisoned leaders Pray that Vietnam would stop its persecution of Christians and religious minorities China Relentless in Persecution of House Churches 10/4/2013 China (International Christian Concern) There have been many recent incidences of beatings, detainment, vandalism, and general persecution of Christians in China. China claims to support religious freedom, but the only protestant church they officially recognize is the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, and it seems to be more an instrument of suppression than a true church.     Full story Pray that China's intolerance for religious minorities will garner the international concern it warrants  Pray the house churches will be legally recognized by the government and they will stop being targets for raids   Pray the local authorities will be stopped from persecuting Christians by higher authorities  Two Indonesian Christians Sentenced to Three Years Behind Bars for Evangelism 10/3/2013 Indonesia (International Christian Concern) It has been confirmed that two Indonesian Christians were sentenced to three years in prison on August 2 for conducting evangelistic activities among Muslims. The Christians, known as Kashfi Rosyid and Jalaudin, are brothers and were arrested by police on March 20 in Sukabumi, West Java,after an angry mob of approximately 200 Muslims attacked their home.  Full Story  Pray for courage and strength for the two brothers while they are detained Pray the Indonesian government will realize their policies that encourage religious tolerance are being violated  Pray this incident will not incite a rise of Christian persecution in Indonesia Out of the Darkness: Isolated Christians in Laos Consistently    Refuse    to    Give up on Christ 10/3/2013 Laos (International Christian Concern)     Christians in Laos are facing persecution for refusing to worship false gods. Though they are constitutionally given religious freedom, Christianity is not always recognized as a religion and foreign missionaries are not allowed to enter. Most occurrences of persecution are reported from small villages. The Christians being persecuted are showing strong resistance.    Full Story  Pray for strength and resolve for Christians who are facing persecution in Laos Pray the situation in Laos will gain more recognition which will lead to greater freedom for Christians

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of the destitute." - Proverbs 31:8

Trying to Make it Safer in Kuwait

Ministry Suspends Work Permits For Certain Nationalities

KUWAIT CITY, April 26: The Interior Ministry has suspended the issuing of work permits and new residence permits to Iraqis, Iranians, Syrians, Pakistanis and Afghans until further notice due to the current unrest in their countries. Reliable sources, however, added the final say in all matters related to work permits, visit visas and residence permits will lie in the hands of acting Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud and Undersecretary Lt General Ghazi Al-Omar, reports Al-Rai daily.

Referring to the suspension orders, sources said the ministry will take further decisions depending on the developments in these countries.

The General Department of Immigration has reportedly started acting on the instructions, but is continuing to renew the residence of people of these nationalities.
Sources said the new directive will not affect residence law violators who want to legalize their status or leave the country during the amnesty period as they can re-enter the country once the situation in their respective countries stabilizes.

Via THE ARAB TIMES ONLINE

Kuwait imposes visa ban on Syrians, Iraqis, Pakistanis, Iranians and Afghans Via IRAQ NEWS

Monday, June 27, 2011 15:33 GMT

The temporary visa ban on citizens from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan is ongoing until further notice due to turmoil in these countries, Kuwaiti Interior Ministry said. Brigadier Talal Al Maarefi, an official at the Immigration Directorate at Kuwait Interior Ministry told Kuwaiti Al Ra’i Newspaper that the ongoing visa ban on citizens from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan is ongoing until further notice. “The visa ban removal depends on the security situation in these countries affirming that Kuwait has the right to take preventive security measures which it deems convenient to secure the country from turmoil in other regions”, Al Maarefi said. “There are no exceptions regarding the visa ban omitting however those who have entered Kuwait before April 24 and did not manage to complete their papers before the law entered into force”, he added. Kuwait had announced on April 24 that concerned authorities at Kuwait’s Immigration General Directorate have halted visa procedures for five nationalities including Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan until further notice on account of demonstrations and turmoil in these countries. Visa ban on Syrians, Iraqis, Pakistanis, Iranians and Afghans include all kinds of visa whether familial, touristic, personal, commercial or visas for joining family members.

Afghan Christian Beheaded

This is not the man mentioned in the post below but still a real Afghan Christian

I needed to share this blog post with everyone because it is unreal. As an American, it is so easy to hide behind your own world & ignore reality. I mean, we've got our own problems to worry about right? But what America needs is MORE awareness....it is IMPORTANT to know that this type of gruesome oppression to religious minorities (not just Christians) actually happens in the year 2011! 

Awareness will motivate people to pray- but there is also MORE you can do than just praying! There's a link at the top of this blog that can help you find out what you can do to support widows of martyrs, communities that have been destroyed due to persecution, & support pastors in discipleship. 

We know persecution will not end because Jesus said it WILL happen. 

“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. John 16:1-3

The following is not my blog but a copy (the link is below). Please pray....not just for the persecuted church but that Jesus would save those doing the persecuting. 

*BLOGGER is not properly aligning my text for some reason. Please click the link for the original article if you can't see my entire post. 
Original Article HERE

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Revelation 20:4

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death. Revelation 2:9-11

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11

Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name?And then I will say to them openly, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands]. Matthew 7:22-24

Graphic Video: Brutal Beheading in Afghanistan

A decade ago, it was not uncommon for beheadings captured on video to be released by the Taliban, usually a warning to the West to stay out of Afghanistan’s internal affairs. The now-too-familiar executions began with a recitation of Quranic verses, then a jolt to the victim’s neck and a slow severing of the head with a small and sometimes dull knife, and finally ended with a chant of “Allah Akbar” or “God is great” while blood flowed from the decapitated corpse. Some notable killings included Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan in 2002 and U.S. defense contractor Nick Berg in Iraq in 2004.

Recently, President Obama announced a pullout plan that will begin reducing troops this year, just one indication that the U.S. mission in Afghanistan is closer to completion and the ability for the Taliban to carry out their brutal beheadings has been somewhat constrained. 

Yet, all the while, Afghan Christians have been warning ICC that without a U.S. presence inside Afghanistan, they will be left defenseless and slaughtered if their religious identity becomes known. Their pleas for protection took on new urgency in early April when another video, this time a blatant warning to Afghan converts to Christianity, was smuggled out of the country by an Afghan Christian and immediately sent to ICC. “Please watch this and forward it to the world so they know how serious it is in Afghanistan to be a Christian,” a leader of the Afghan Christian refugee community in Delhi wrote to ICC.

In the two-minute video, believed to be filmed early this year, four Afghan militants who claim to be the Taliban behead a Christian man named Abdul Latif in Enjeel, a village south of the town Herat. The men, wearing explosive belts and kaffiya head scarves to cover their faces, pin Latif to the ground under their feet while he cries for mercy. “For God’s sake, I have children,” Latif pleads. The militants go on to announce his fate. “Your sentence [is] to be beheaded. Whoever changes his religion should be executed.” A blade is then thrust into Latif’s neck. Once decapitated, his head rests on top of his chest while the militants proclaim “Allah Akbar.”

We have decided to make this video available to the public due to the urging of our Christian contacts in Afghanistan who asked that it be forwarded to the world so that they would understand “how serious it is in Afghanistan to be a Christian.”

 The video is not intended to shock or exploit, it is simply intended to honor the wishes of Christians in Afghanistan and show the horrifying reality that many believers face around the world today for their faith in Christ. 

We have attempted to describe what you will see if you choose to watch this video in the paragraph above, so please understand that before you press play. If you do not wish to watch the video, a translated transcript has been provided below the video.

WARNING: The following video is extremely graphic and shows a man being completely

decapitated with a blade. Nothing is censored or cleaned up. Do NOT watch this video if you are

unprepared or unwilling to see that level of real violence.

Full translation of video:

Victim: For God’s sake, I have children. [He repeats this sentence many times]. 

I serve your religion. I serve you, my dear brother, ask me first. 

Let me speak, then kill me. Ask me once. I serve you. I have children.

Talib 1: Reading a verse in Arabic:

 "In the name of Allah, peace be on the leader of all human beings, 

and the high priest of all holy warriors, Mohammad, peace be upon him."]

 All praise be to our creator, almighty Allah, who helped 

and blessed the Holy Warriors of the Alfateh Movement. 

The Holy Warriors of Qenahat belonged to the Afghanistan Islamic Emirates, 

so we can implement the commandment of Allah on this infidel 

whose name is Abdul Latif from 

the (Zefareh/Zekhareh/Sefareh) village 

of the Enjeel District of Ancient Herat Province, 

so that he is punished according to his wrong deed. 

He is punished according to the commandment of Allah as a warning to other infidels.

 [A verse is recited from the Quran: "Holy and Almighty Allah says,

 'You who joined with pagans, cut their head.'"]

 You’re sentenced to be beheaded.

 [A verse is recited from the Hadith:

 "Mohammad (peace be upon him) says, 'Whoever changes his religion (converts), should be executed."]

 Praise and peace …….. Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar (God is great)!

Victim: I ate your leftovers, please leave me. I ate your leftovers, please leave me. [Victim is beheaded.] 

All Taliban: Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar!

Talib 2: Come to this side.

Talib 2: Why didn’t you behead him from the backside?

Talib 3: Go away.

Talib 4: Bring the notice (execution order) and hang it on the wall. Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar.

All Taliban: Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar!

Talib 4: Glory and honor to Allah, His messenger, and all believers (Muslims).

 This is the infidel. 

This is the infidel. [shouting in Arabic].