Zprávy HCJB 16.7.2006 - 22.7.2006

 LIBANONŠTÍ KŘESŤANÉ V SEVŘENÍ MEZI BOJUJÍCÍMI STRANAMI
   Vojenské akce mezi Izraelem a frakcemi Hamásu a Fatahu se rozrůstají a křesťanská komunita v Libanonu tak prožívá těžké chvíle. Carl Moeller z Open Doors uvádí, že křesťané se ocitli v sevření mezi těmito bojujícími stranami. Organizace Open Doors je rozhodnuta podporovat zbývající sbory v oblasti s tím, je jedině křesťané mohou hovořit s oběma stranami sporu – Fatahem, Hamasem, extrémistickými muslimy i Izraelem.

Amin, křesťan zajišťující dětské programy ve školách v pásmu Gaza říká, že i na školním dvorku lze vidět koloběh nenávisti a extrémismu: „Děti v Gaze si zatím nedokáží vzájemně odpouštět ani drobnosti. V našich programech mluvíme o lásce a odpuštění. Postupně vidíme, jak se děti mění.“ Mueller cítí, že křesťanská komunita je z tohoto pohledu velmi důležitá: „Bez křesťanů by tu nebyl nikdo, kdo my mohl mluvit s oběma stranami.“ (Mission Network News)

 
 TWR ZÍSKÁVÁ LICENCI PRO PROVOZ 100 KW AM VYSÍLAČE V BENINU
   Trans World Radio (TWR) oznamuje, že dostalo novou vysílací licenci pro provoz silného 100 kilowatového amplitudově modulovaného (AM) středo- a krátkovlnného vysílače v západoafrickém Beninu. Na zvláštní schůzi ve čtvrtek 4. července úředníci v Cotonou předali povolení k provozu tohoto vysílače TWR. Nové zařízení, které je zatím ve výstavbě, zahájí provoz v dubnu 2007. Bude to patnáctý velký mezinárodní vysílač TWR. Skupina afrických autorů již pracuje na programové náplni, ve které bude převažovat biblické vyučování a kázání, dále programy pro děti, vysílání pro negramotné a pro osoby trpící AIDS. Vysílání TWR na FM je slyšitelné v řadě měst, ale nové AM vlnové rozsahy umožní poslech i v předměstských a venkovských oblastech. (Trans World Radio)
 
 CESTUJÍCÍ VYSOKÁ ŠKOLA NABÍZÍ DOKTORSKÉ VZDĚLÁNÍ V ASII
   Asijský baptistický teologický seminář při Cornerstone University nabízí teologické vzdělání studentům z celé jihovýchodní Asie ve svém univerzitním kampusu. „Teologické vzdělání studentům přinášíme do místa jejich pobytu,“ vysvětluje děkan Bob Rapa. „Nemusejí se vzdálit od svých sborů. Nemusejí odjet od svých rodin. Dvakrát za rok my zajedeme na celkem 10 míst po celé jihovýchodní Asii.“ Výuka se koná v Singapuru, Myanmaru, Thajsku, na Filipínách, na Nové Guineji, v Austrálii, Hongkongu a v jižní Koreji. Na programu se účastní přes 400 již promovaných i současných studentů z 20 zemí. „Pokud vím, neexistuje jiný akreditovaný program, který by nabízel doktorský titul po celé jihovýchodní Asii,“ dodává Rapa. Škola plánuje své další rozšíření do Číny, Indie a Nepálu. (Mission Network News)
 
 BÝVALÍ VRAHOVÉ OD KAMBODŽDSKÝCH RUDÝCH KHMERŮ JSOU VNÍMAVÍ KE KŘESŤANSTVÍ
   Křesťanští misionáři silně zasáhli v ultramaoistické baště ve městě Pailin v Kambodži. Město odolávalo téměř 20 po invazi vietnamské armády, která v roce 1979 ukončila panování Pol Pota. I nyní funguje jako částečně autonomní útvar. Ve městě „proslaveném“ Rudými Kmery a jejich vůdcem Pol Potem, který zabil asi 1.7 milionu lidí, hledají v Ježíšově odpuštění usedlí dřívější vojáci a vrahové úlevu od svých vin. Ve městě je nyní pět kostelů a asi 3 tisíce křesťanů. Okolní krajina je převážně buddhistická. Ve sboru Božích Samaritánů, který zde vznikl jako první, je i pět dřívějších funkcionářů Rudých Khmerů. Místní pastor stále navštěvuje ve vězení dlící bývalé představitele Rudých Khmerů a přináší jim naději od Ježíše Krista. (WorldWide Religious News)
 
 MLADÁ PAKISTÁNSKÁ NEVĚSTA ZNÁSILŇOVÁNA A BITA ZA ODMÍTÁNÍ ISLÁMU
   Křesťanská pakistánská dívka se skrývá, aby unikla před svými muslimským manželem, který ji bil a znásilňoval za předchozí útěk před nuceným sňatkem a za odmítání Islámu. 15letá Asaya Khadim je vdaná 13 měsíců, nyní její matka za ni v lednu ni vyplnila žádost o rozvod. „Zkoušeli mě donutit, abych četla Korán,“ uvedla dívka. „Můj manžel mě dva měsíce každý den bil, když jsem odmítala.“ Khadim pak utekla ke svým příbuzným s prosbou o pomoc. Když ji manžel našel, spolu s 10 jeho příbuznými ji odvedl pod hrozbou nožů a zavřel ji pod stráží do malého domku. Khadim řekla: „Manžel mě zavřel v mém pokoji a pak mě bil a zunásilňoval. Řekl mi, abych řekla, že jsem muslimka, jinak mě znásilní znovu.“ Khadimin příběh znovu otvírá diskusi o pakistánském společenském řádu Hudud odvozeném od muslimských zákonů, o němž někteří přímo říkají, že podporuje domácí násilí na ženách.
 
 VŠECHNY ZPRÁVY V ANGLIČTINĚ
   7.7-MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE TRIGGERS ANOTHER INDONESIAN TSUNAMI

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake beneath the ocean off the Indonesian island of Jakarta triggered a six-foot high tsunami that crashed ashore near the village of Pangandaran earlier today. Initial reports place the death toll as high as 80 with searches for survivors continuing in the popular resort town. The huge wave hit at 3:19 p.m. local time, destroying hotels and throwing boats onto the beach. Thousands, warned by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii, took refuge on high ground and in mosques, displacing more than 2,000 people. Today’s temblor follows a 6.3-magnitude quake less than 100 miles east of Pangandaran in Yogyakarta that killed more than 5,800. More than 130,000 people died in Indonesia during the December 2004 Asian tsunami. (BBC/Fox News)

* HCJB World Radio has helped with relief efforts in Indonesia since the 2004 earthquake/tsunami and subsequent quakes that devastated parts of the country, including the May 27 quake. In addition, the mission has worked with local partners to establish more than 14 local Christian radio stations nationwide since 2004. Indonesian broadcasts from HCJB World Radio-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra also encourage listeners nationwide.

LEBANESE CHRISTIANS CAUGHT IN ‘TERRIBLE VISE’ AMID VIOLENCE

The Christian community in Lebanon is facing terrible times as military action by Israel against Hamas and Fatah factions escalates. Open Doors’ Carl Moeller says Christians there are caught in a "terrible vise" between warring factions and Israel. Moeller says Open Doors is committed to supporting the remnant church in the area because, "Who else can speak to the warring factions, both internally among the Fatah and the Hamas in Gaza, and also between the extremist Muslims and the Israelis?" Amin, a Christian who runs children’s programs at schools says there is a cycle of hatred and extremism that can be clearly seen in schoolyard conflicts. "Children of Gaza can’t forgive each other, not even minor mistakes," he says. "In our programs we do speak about loving and forgiving. Gradually you see them change." Moeller feels the Christian community in Lebanon is strategic at this point. "Without a Christian community, there's almost no one who can speak to both sides," he says. (Mission Network News)

2 CHRISTIAN MEN TORTURED TO DEATH IN VIETNAMESE PRISONS

Two Vietnamese Montegnard Degar Christian men were killed in prison as a result of torture, lack of water and starvation. Held since 2004, 62 year old Siu Lul was denied food and water in Ha Nam prison and then tortured to death on April 24. Initially his wife lacked money to transport his body back to their home village so she agreed he could be buried locally. Prison officials later refused to release the body until the original prison sentence was past. In a second case, a Christian man named Siu Dolel was killed by "kicking, boxing, and beating him with electric batons until his right and left rib cages were broken." His wife was notified of his death on June 25 and lacked money to go view the body. The Montegnard Degar people have been the targets of years of government persecution and abuse in Vietnam. (Assist News Service)

FEMALE HOUSE CHURCH LEADER ARRESTED ALONG WITH 17 OTHERS

Prominent female house church leader Wang Jinhua was arrested along with her husband and 8-year-old son on Friday, July 14, in Jilin city. The boy was released after church members petitioned authorities while Wang was interrogated for three days and nights. Her husband was then released while she was transferred to a Jinlin provincial prison. Other leaders of her church are in hiding. Meanwhile in Henan province, Sunday, July 9, about 20 police interrupted a house church meeting of 30 worshipers, confiscating an offering box and a loudspeaker while arresting 15 people. Eleven of the Christians remain in custody with several receiving formal charges of engaging in "evil cult" activities. (China Aid Association)

* HCJB WORLD RADIO TEAM RESPONDS TO ERUPTING VOLCANO IN ECUADOR

HCJB World Radio sent a four-person team to the site of central Ecuador’s erupting Mount Tungurahua today to assess the situation and bring relief supplies, medical help and spiritual encouragement to those affected by the volcano that began spewing lava and toxic gases on Friday, July 14.

"We’re traveling with two physicians and our photographer," said Healthcare Director Sheila Leech. "We’re taking food -- things such as rice, tuna, sugar and cooking oil. We don’t know of anyone being injured or killed, but farm animals have been injured and crops damaged. Our doctors will look at evacuees in the refugee centers who have been affected by the ash. For example, irrigating their eyes as needed."

Leech added that the team will stay overnight in Penipe where some of the evacuees are located. "We’ll take a look and see if we need to return with a mobile medical clinic immediately or at a later date."

The Associated Press reported that some 3,700 people have abandoned their homes in half a dozen hamlets since Friday, Ecuador’s Civil Defense said. "There have been no victims, but all the vegetation has died, and we have lost cattle," said Juan Salazar, mayor of Penipe county which includes two villages where 300 families have been forced to flee.

In May the volcano, 105 miles south of Quito, began emitting its loudest and most frequent explosions since it rumbled back to life in 1999 after being inactive for nearly eight decades.

On Friday the Geophysics Institute reported that the 16,470-foot-high volcano had changed its behavior drastically by expelling at least four lava flows -- the first since activity resumed. Hugo Yepes, director of the institute, said the wind was carrying ash from the explosions up to 75 miles west of the volcano. Some roads near the volcano have been blocked, and at least one bridge was destroyed.

Leech said the explosions are facing in the opposite direction as Bańos, a town of 20,000. "There are reports of pyroclastic flows and explosions every 45 minutes to an hour," she said. "The volcano has settled down a bit, but volcanologists are very noncommittal about what could happen next. The danger is not over." (HCJB World Radio)

© Copyright 2006 - HCJB World Radio - Colorado Springs, CO USA

 
 VŠECHNY ZPRÁVY V ANGLIČTINĚ
   LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGN TO ENCOURAGE PALESTINIAN CHRISTIANS

Open Doors is launching a letter-writing campaign to encourage Christians in the Gaza Strip caught in the Israel-Palestine conflict. One Palestinian pastor named Hanna indicated that church attendance is down, and his parishioners face fear and desperation. "I need more and more of His presence and power to be able to minister to my people and share the message of hope and peace," he said. "I know that our Lord is bigger than any challenge we have to face." Open Doors is encouraging Christians everywhere to pass on letters of encouragement to the believers in the Middle East. (Open Doors)

CHINESE SEEKING SOCIAL, POLITICAL REFORM LOOK TO CHRISTIANITY

Growing numbers of Chinese activists for democracy and social reform in China are converting to Christianity as a source of strength for their causes. Beijing lawyer Li Heping, a former atheist who converted to Christianity several years ago, says he was impressed by Christianity’s role in promoting freedom, human rights and democracy worldwide. Christianity in China has grown exponentially in recent years, reaching an estimated 45 million believers -- the majority attending illegal house churches rather than state-approved organizations. Many believe this growth is associated with a popular shift from communist ideals toward capitalism and social change. The Chinese government is wary of Christianity because of its Western ties as well as the network of believers whom they cannot control. Prominent free-speech advocate Liu Xiaobo, a non-Christian, says, "Christianity is a challenge to the Communist Party because more people are turning to it, and it presents alternative viewpoints." (WorldWide Religious News/Newsweek)

UPDATE: FATE UNCLEAR FOR 2 CHRISTIANS IMPRISONED IN BHUTAN

Two Christian men who were arrested in the Himalayan nation of Bhutan Jan. 7 remain imprisoned without details of the charges against them. John Tamang, 35, and Benjamin Sharma, 32, were arrested at a friend’s house when neighbors reported an ongoing worship service to police. Initial charges of breaching the Security Act sentenced the men to four years in prison, but the outcome is unknown. Family members have been unable to meet with the men who are reportedly being moved from jail to jail with no outsider knowing their whereabouts. Jubilee Campaign is soliciting international pressure on the men’s behalf. (Jubilee Campaign)

NEW ORGANIZATION TEACHES COURSES ON INTERNET EVANGELISM

Using the Internet as a tool for evangelism is nothing new as Christian organizations of all sizes as well as individuals share the gospel online. The popularity of this medium has given rise to an organization dedicated to training people in Internet evangelism. In three six-week courses, Cybermissions.org provides theoretical and practical training in Web evangelism and the "cross-cultural" aspect of online ministry. Other courses outline how to use an Internet café or computer center for a missions base. Australian missionary John Edmiston, who also teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary in California, is the course lecturer. (Assist News Service)

TWR GETS LICENSE TO ESTABLISH 100,000-WATT AM STATION IN BENIN

Trans World Radio (TWR) announced the approval of a new broadcast license for a powerful 100,000-watt AM transmitter in Parakou in the West African country of Benin. In a special ceremony on Tuesday, July 4, officials in Cotonou granted the license to TWR. The new facility, still under construction, plans to be in operation by April 2007. It will be TWR’s 15th major international transmitting location. A group of African writers are already at work on radio programs that contain biblical teaching and discipleship training with plans for programs targeting children, nonreaders and HIV/AIDS patients. FM radio can be heard in many cities, but TWR’s new AM frequency will reach further into suburban and rural areas. (Trans World Radio)

* HCJB World Radio worked with the Council of Protestant and Evangelical Churches of Benin to help put a Christian FM station on the air in Cotonou in 1998. The station broadcasts the gospel in French, English and seven tribal languages. Partner ministry SIM also records programs in eight languages at the studios in Parakou. A nationwide FM network is being planned.

© Copyright 2006 - HCJB World Radio - Colorado Springs, CO USA

 
 VŠECHNY ZPRÁVY V ANGLIČTINĚ
   OPERATION MOBILIZATION EVACUATES MOST MISSIONARIES FROM LEBANON

Operation Mobilization (OM) missionaries in Lebanon have suspended operations as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah deteriorates. OM’s Lane Powell says the organization has active ministries in both Israel and Lebanon. “Most of the team in Lebanon left Monday, July 17, and the few who are staying will make day-to-day decisions about whether to leave, she said. “In Israel the workers are simply monitoring it hour by hour.” Powell urged believers everywhere to pray for the ongoing work of national believers in both countries. (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio has worked with local partners to provide technical equipment for partner radio stations in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Israel.

TRAVELING SEMINARY PROVIDES POST-GRADUATE DEGREES IN ASIA

Cornerstone University’s Asia Baptist Theological Seminary provides theological education by taking the campus to the students throughout Southeast Asia. “We take theological education to the student in their location,” explains Dean Bob Rapa. “They don’t have to leave their ministries. They don’t have to leave families. We come to them twice a year in 10 sites throughout Southeast Asia.” The seminary has sites in Singapore, Myanmar, Thailand, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Hong Kong and South Korea. More than 400 graduates and current students from more than 20 countries participate in the program. “To my knowledge there are no accredited programs that offer full masters degrees on location throughout Southeast Asia,” Rapa adds. The school plans to expand into China, India and Nepal. (Mission Network News)

RENEWED FIGHTING IN COLOMBIA DISPLACES THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE

Recent intense fighting between the Colombian Army and FARC leftist guerrillas has displaced thousands of people in remote areas of southwestern Colombia. The U.N. reports several Indian communities that are trapped by fighting and unable to reach safety. Near Colombia’s border with Ecuador in Narino province, more than 1,300 mostly Indian people are displaced. A U.N. statement said, “With combat ongoing, thousands more people could be at risk of forced displacement in the next few days.” Of great concern are about 92 Awa Indians, including pregnant women and elderly, who have been trapped by gunfire for days in a village school with little food. At Colombia’s northern border with Panama, fighting has also placed at least 137 Embra Indians at risk. The U.N. is monitoring both Panamanian and Ecuadorian borders for refugee crossings. Colombia has the largest displaced population in the Western Hemisphere and the third largest in the world after the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan. (Associated Press)

* Together with local partners, HCJB World Radio broadcasts the gospel on FM stations in four Colombian cities. The ministry also continues to air Spanish programs across the country and all of Latin America via shortwave from Quito.

CHRISTIAN INTERNET RADIO NETWORK ATTRACTS INTEREST WORLDWIDE

The Christian Internet Radio Network, also known as Spiritco1.com, is celebrating its third anniversary of providing Christian Internet radio programming. “During the first three years of Spiritcol’s operations we have witnessed an extraordinary increase in our listeners who tune in from every part of the U.S. and countries around the world,” said President Henry Harris, an expert in telecommunications. “Internet radio is part of the new technologies that are changing the way radio listeners receive musical and talk show content.” Spiritco1 was developed as a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week Christian Internet radio service that allows artists to include music and spoken words as well as other projects as part of the Spiritco1 Internet Radio Play list. (Christian Newswire)

U.S. EVANGELIST DIES DURING 4TH CROSS-COUNTRY WALK

Evangelist Ted Stone, 72, died of undetermined causes Sunday, July 16, a month into his fourth “Walk Across America.” Stone served four years in prison in the 1970s as a result of drug addictions, but broke those addictions through “dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ.” He spent 29 years spreading the hope he found to others, during which time he completed three long-distance walks across the U.S., two measuring more than 3,500 miles and the third 1,700. Stone’s desire to reach drug addicts brought him many “sons in the ministry,” most of whom he found trapped by drugs. In an April interview with Baptist Press before beginning his fourth walk, Stone said, “We are in the business of changing the hearts of men and women. We represent Jesus here on the face of this earth, and broken people depend on us.” (Baptist Press)

© Copyright 2006 - HCJB World Radio - Colorado Springs, CO USA

 
 VŠECHNY ZPRÁVY V ANGLIČTINĚ
   TURKISH EXTREMISTS ACCUSE PROTESTANT CHURCH OF ‘TREASON’

Turkish ultra-nationalists increased pressure on Agape Protestant Church in the northern city of Samsun. In a widely broadcast TV interview, prominent nationalist Izzet Altunbas said the establishment of the church revealed "extensive damage," caused as Turkey complied with standards required for entrance into the European Union. He called the church part of an "assimilation" drive focused on Turkish ethnicity and Islam. "This is treason against our Muslim and Turkish identity." Agape Protestant Church Pastor Orhan Picaklar, 35, was shocked to hear Altunbas read large sections from the church’s charter documents that were submitted to the Turkish Directorate of Associations, showing deep government connections conspiring against the church. The church has been meeting since September 2003, and Picaklar has received threatening and profane e-mails and telephone calls since the church was officially registered in November 2005. "The Lord has told us to be ready for all this kind of opposition," Picaklar said, "so we will continue on." (Compass Direct)

110,000 SIGN JOINT PETITION DENOUNCING ERITREAN RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION

Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Open Doors and Release International have submitted a joint petition signed by more than 110,000 people calling for the East African country of Eritrea to free Christians imprisoned for their faith. On Tuesday, July 18, representatives of each group joined together to hand the petition over to officials at the Eritrean embassy in London. Around 1800 Christians have been jailed in Eritrea as a result of their religious affiliations. Reports of hard labor, torture and solitary confinement have followed the government’s May 2002 closure of all churches other than Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Lutheran denominations. Other Christian activity, even within private homes, is illegal with many Christians facing imprisonment and persecution. Even approved church denominations have been subject to state interference despite Eritrea’s official claims that the "no groups or persons are persecuted in Eritrea for their beliefs or religion." (Christian Solidarity Worldwide)

PROPOSED ANTI-CONVERSION LAW THREATENS CHRISTIANS IN SRI LANKA

Christians in Sri Lanka are feeling threatened by a proposed anti-conversion law up for vote in the Parliament as well as the promise of further restrictions. The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka has filed complaints against the proposed legislation and fear, if passed, the law would simply legitimize already rampant harassment of minority Christians and violation of the right to religion and worship. For example, on Saturday July 1, a Harvest International house church in Hapugastenne was attacked by a mob and two young church workers were seriously injured, one requiring surgery. As members of the mob dispersed, they leveled demands that the church close or the pastor and his family would be killed. (Voice of the Martyrs)

FORMER KHMER ROUGE KILLERS RECEPTIVE TO CHRISTIANITY IN CAMBODIA

Christian missionaries have made big inroads in the ultra-Maoist stronghold of Pailin, Cambodia, that held out for almost 20 years after a Vietnamese invasion ended Pol Pot’s rule in 1979. In the region made famous by the Khmer Rouge and its leader, Pol Pot, who killed an estimated 1.7 million people, former soldiers and killers are finding relief from their guilt in the forgiveness of Jesus. Five churches now dot the landscape of the town with an estimated 3,000 Christians in the town of atheists surrounded by a predominantly Buddhist country. The congregation of the Good Samaritan Church -- the first church in town -- includes five former senior Khmer Rouge officials. Local pastors continue to visit ex-Khmer Rouge leaders in prison to share the hope that Jesus brings. (WorldWide Religious News)

* HCJB World Radio, in cooperation with Campus Crusade for Christ, worked with a local partner to plant Cambodia’s first Christian radio station in 1998. New Life Radio in the capital city of Phnom Penh broadcasts the gospel in Cambodian and English.

GROUPS RAMP UP RELIEF EFFORTS AFTER LATEST TSUNAMI HITS INDONESIA

A 7.7-magnitude quake and the resulting 10- to 20-foot tsunami on the southwestern coast of Java, Indonesia, killed at least 300 people and left about 30,000 homeless. "There are still many missing and there is damage to homes," said Grace Wiebe, Asia relief coordinator for the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC). "[Thousands] have fled their homes and are away from the shore." After more than 10 years of development work in the area, CRWRC and its partners were in place to bring immediate help to victims such as medical aid, food and tarps. Wiebe says Christian help in the Muslim-dominated area is strategic. "It’s a very big witness to have a Christian non-governmental organization providing relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction to people of another faith. It’s a very strong statement and they know it." (Mission Network News)

* HCJB World Radio has worked with local partners to establish more than 14 local Christian radio stations across Indonesia since 2004. Broadcasts from HCJB World Radio-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra also encourage listeners nationwide. In addition, HCJB World Radio has helped with relief efforts since the Dec. 26, 2004, earthquake/tsunami and subsequent quakes that devastated parts of Indonesia.

© Copyright 2006 - HCJB World Radio - Colorado Springs, CO USA

 
 VŠECHNY ZPRÁVY V ANGLIČTINĚ
   FAMILY-BASED MEDICAL OUTREACH FINDING SUCCESS IN UGANDA

Health workers in Uganda with Medical Ambassadors have found medical and spiritual success with the family-based model they call Community Health Evangelism. In Mbale, Uganda, the workers teach basic hygiene while working on projects and training focused on preventing diseases. They focus on family groups as a unit, says Medical Ambassadors’ Terry Dalrimple. "These workers that are going into the home are working with the families to meet the needs of the family both physically and spiritually." Special focus on overwhelming numbers of AIDS orphans is also family-oriented. "The solution is for Christian people in a community to organize their communities to come around and care for their own orphans." (Mission Network News)

YOUNG PAKISTANI BRIDE RAPED, BEATEN FOR REFUSING TO FOLLOW ISLAM

A Christian girl in Pakistan has gone into hiding to escape her Muslim in-laws who beat and raped her for fleeing her forced marriage and refusing Islam. Asya Khadim, 15, had been married for 13 months when her mother filed divorce papers for her in January. "They tried to force me to read the Koran," she said. "My husband beat me every day for two months because I refused." Khadim fled to a relative’s home for protection. When her husband found her, he and 10 family members took her at knifepoint and imprisoned her in a small house with guards. Khadim says her husband "locked me in my room and then beat and raped me. He told me to say that I was a Muslim, otherwise he would rape me again." Khadim’s story highlights the ongoing debate regarding Pakistan’s controversial Hudood Ordinances that are based on Muslim laws, and some say encourage domestic violence against women. (Compass Direct)

* HCJB World Radio sent two medical teams from Ecuador to Pakistan following the Oct. 8, 2005, earthquake that left tens of thousands dead and thousands more injured and homeless. Staff members helped SIM International with relief efforts.

‘MUSLIM-BACKGROUND BELIEVERS’ PERSECUTED IN UGANDA, KENYA

Open Doors reports a series of attacks targeting Christians who came from a Muslim background in Uganda and Kenya. Beginning in May, Islamic missionaries entered Uganda to train people in Islamic doctrines, triggering a series of persecutions against what Open Doors refers to as "Muslim-background believers." In one incident an unnamed Ugandan was attacked in his home, barely escaping with his family while the home was destroyed. On Monday, July 3, in Entebbe, Uganda, Muslims attacked a Christian seminar. Four gunmen and a number of others entered the meeting, shooting and throwing stones at the participants. Several people were injured, and a car was severely damaged. Kenyan Christians also have been kidnapped, driven from their homes and forcibly divorced because of their beliefs. A Christian radio station was also attacked on May 12, killing one and injuring three. (Evangelical News)

* HCJB World Radio has worked with local partners to install eight radio outlets in seven cities of Kenya.

HILTON GRANT HELPS CHARITIES PROVIDE CLEAN WATER IN ETHIOPIA

Six leading non-governmental organizations that focus on providing clean water to Ethiopia received at least $13 million in grant money from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The foundation, founded by the hotel entrepreneur of the same name, organized the foundation in 1944 as the philanthropic leader in water development in needy countries. "Water is life, and today 1.2 billion people lack this basic necessity," said Steven M. Hilton, president of the Hilton Foundation. "That’s why our foundation has made supplying potable water to developing countries a major priority." The main beneficiary is the Millennium Water Program, a consortium of organizations including Living Water International, CARE, WaterAid and World Vision. Combined, the Hilton grant will help provide clean water to an estimated 1.6 million people in the next five years. (Assist News Service)

* Staff members at HCJB World Radio-Australia’s studios record Oromo language programs that air to 28 million speakers in Ethiopia and Kenya via FEBA Radio’s shortwave facilities.

9th ANNUAL ‘SCRIPTURES IN SCHOOLS WEEK’ SET FOR SEPTEMBER

The ninth annual "Scriptures in Schools Week" is slated to take place the week of Sept. 24-30. Christian students, teaches and support staff in schools across the U.S. are encouraged to bring their Bibles to classes and "Tote ’em and quote ’em! And use ’em in class." The Scripture in School project was developed as a legal, low-key, friendly but effective way to introduce biblical concepts back into American public school classrooms. Coordinator Bob Pawson encourages everyone, saying, "Dare to bring your Bibles. Let’s return the Bible to our public schools and restore basic biblical literacy to America’s children." (Christian Newswire)

 

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