USA: Muslim wipes website of lawyer who helped convert
A US lawyer who successfully defended Rifqa Bary, a teenage Christian convert from Islam, has had his organisation’s website destroyed by a Muslim hacker. John Stemberger is also facing a $10 million lawsuit filed by the lawyer who represented Miss Bary’s Muslim parents. Mr Stemberger represented Rifqa Bary, who hit the headlines last year when she told US media that she would not be safe with her Muslim parents and feared an ‘honour killing’. Her father has denied the allegations. Earlier this week Mr Stemberger’s pro-family organisation, the Florida Family Policy Council, said that a Muslim hacker had managed to access their website, disabling parts of it and interfering with the inner workings of the site. The hacker left an ‘obscene message on the events page explaining in broken English who he was and why he was hacking the site’, according to Mr Stemberger. Pray: that God would put a spiritual firewall around Christian websites. (Pr.2:8) More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/muslim-wipes-website-of-lawyer-who-helped-convert/
Indonesia: Church leaders attacked
The Sunday morning attack on the Rev Luspida Simandjunktak and church elder Hasean Lumbantoruan Sihombing left the former with a concussion and the latter with a knife wound to the liver. According to eyewitness reports, a gang of about seven riding on motorcycles ambushed the two church leaders. After stabbing Sihombing and striking Simandjunktak on the head with a wooden plank, the attackers fled the scene. Both church leaders were then rushed to Mitra Keluarga Hospital in East Bekasi for treatment. Following the attack, Indonesia's president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, immediately called on authorities to investigate and hold accountable those responsible. Yudhoyono has been widely criticized in the media for failing to crack down on Islamic hard-liners, who were immediately suspected of carrying out Sunday's attacks. While most people in Indonesia practice a moderate form of Islam and abhor violence, attacks on religious freedom by hard-liners have been steadily increasing. Pray: for God’s protection around His people and for the government to have success over hard-liners. (Ps.32:7)
Africa: Peacemaking highlighted by Day of Prayer
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is inviting Christians to observe the International Day of Prayer for Peace with prayers and liturgies that give special attention to peacemaking projects in Africa. This year’s Day of Prayer for Peace, set for 21 September 2010, features African churches working to build cooperation and reconciliation within and between diverse communities. African church leaders and the WCC General Secretary will observe the day with prayer and worship in Nairobi. The peace prayer day, on the same date as the United Nations’ International Day of Peace (http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/2010/) is an initiative of the WCC Decade to Overcome Violence. It focuses on Africa this year as part of the final year of the decade. One of the African projects featured is a ‘Peace Village’ project in Uganda which supports the process of healing in communities marked by conflict, trauma and pain. Pray: that our prayers will be heard and God would bring peace where there is discord. (Ps.65:2)
India: 14 killed as anti Christian violence spreads
Tensions remained high on Wednesday, September 15, in several parts of India where reports of Qur'an burning in the United States sparked deadly attacks against Christian institutions. In the village of Tangmarg, in India's Kashmir region, at least 14 people were killed and scores injured over the weekend when thousands of angry Muslims took to the streets and torched a Christian school. ‘The students are not hurt, but the building has totally burnt down,’ said Bishop Pradeep Kumar Samantaroy of the Church of North India. He said officials were informed of a possible attack and that Christians requested protection, but that ‘no action was taken’. The demonstrations were fuelled by reports that although a Florida pastor called off his plans to burnthe Qur'an, Iran's state-run TV, which is widely available in India, showed footage of a different man destroying a Qur'an in Tennessee. (See also Prayer Alert 3710) Pray: that any further actions that would bring the Church into disrepute and cause outrage would be stopped at source. (2Pet.2:1-2) More: http://www.bosnewslife.com/13830-14-killed-as-anti-christian-violence-spreads-in-india
