Nigeria: Boko Haram declares war
Police in Nigeria discovered ten more car bombs on Tuesday in Kano, an area already reeling from multiple bombings on Friday. Spokesman for Voice of the Martyrs USA, Todd Nettleton, says the level of sophistication is what's drawing their concern. ‘This was a very serious attack. It also shows the growing ability of Boko Haram to coordinate attacks and to maximize the body count.’ Boko Haram, a radical Islamist sect, claimed the bomb blasts that killed 256 people. The attacks
came shortly after Muslim prayers in that beleaguered nation's second-largest city. This time instead of churches, it was police headquarters and other police stations, a secret police building, and immigration offices that were targeted. According to a video released by the group's leader, the attacks were a response to a refusal by the authorities to release the sect's members from custody. This could amount to starting a civil war and destabilizing the government at the same time.
Pray: against these ongoing conflicts that a solution will be found that will bring ongoing unity and peace. (Jn.17:23)
Pakistan: Asia Bibi’s accuser admits to phony charges?
The case of Asia Bibi, the Pakistan Christian mother-of-five who was sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy, has taken an extraordinary turn. According to a story monitored by the ASSIST News Service, Qari Salam, who accused Bibi of blasphemy charges, which resulted in a jail sentence and possible hanging, is reported to have 'ostensibly' regretted filing a blasphemy charge against the impoverished Christian woman. ‘The source of his guilt is the realization that the case was not based on facts but on hyped religious emotions and personal bias of some village women, including his wife.’ Bibi has been languishing in Sheikhupura jail since a sessions court gave her a death sentence for insulting Prophet Muhammad. Qari, according to some of his close friends, was now thinking of not pursuing the case anymore and expressed his desire to some of his friends, only to find himself in a difficult situation when activists of an Islamic religious organization ‘convinced’ him not to change his mind. (See Prayer Alert 10-2011)
Pray: that the case against Asia Bibi will now be dropped and she will be set free. (Ps.142:7)
Niger: Thousands of villages hit by severe food shortages
Nearly half Niger’s population does not have enough to eat and the government says it is facing a grain shortfall of 692,501 tons, following another severe drought across the Sahel. The government says it needs 3.8 million tons of cereals to feed six million people spread across 6,981 villages, equating to 49.4 percent of the affected zones. Boukanda, a village with a population of 1,000 about 50km west of the capital Niamey, is typical of many insecure villages which have been largely abandoned by their younger residents. The able-bodied and young people of the village preferred to leave for big cities or abroad. Only a few ‘wealthier’ families pound sorghum instead of millet, the main staple of the village. These people still have small supplies but they will not last long. Boukanda village chief Seyni Seydou said the rains ended just when the plants needed water, and grasshoppers and other insects finished off the crops.
Pray: for the people of Niger as they face hunger and drought. Pray that the rains will come and supplies of cereals reach those in need. (Rev.7:16-17)
Indonesia: Church wants more Chinese participation
Divine Word Bishop Hilarius Moa Nurak of Pangkalpinang has urged Chinese Indonesians in Bangka-Belitung province to free up some of their ‘busy time’ and play a more active part in Church life. Many Catholic Chinese Indonesians are business people with a ‘time is money’ way of thinking. As such they are often busy which prevents them from being active in Church life, particularly in their own basic ecclesiastical communities’, the prelate said during a Mass on Monday at St Peter Church in Lubuk Baja, Batam, to celebrate Chinese New Year. ‘Some think they are taking part in Church life by donating money,’ he said, adding that although the Church does need money it does not mean money can replace physical participation. According to the diocese, some 18,000 out of a total of 45,000 Catholics are living in the diocese are of Chinese descent. The rest are from various other ethnic groups.
Pray: that the church and all believers would work together using their gifts in building the kingdom. (1Cor:12-13)
More: http://www.ucanews.com/2012/01/24/church-wants-more-chinese-participation/
