Deadly religous brawl erupts in Nigeria over soccer field

Nigeria (MNN) ― A weekend argument over a soccer field in Nigeria exploded into a free-for-all of violence between Muslims and Christians. 

There are differing news accounts of what happened, but most accounts agree that a Muslim and a Christian quarreled with each other on the field on February 23 in Wukari, northern Taraba State. Open Doors Minister-at-large Paul Estabrooks explains what happened next. "Essentially, the Muslim young person was able to get his hands on a gun, and he shot the young Christian that he was arguing with, which then started a whole conflict between the team and everyone around." 

Within minutes, the fight spiraled out of control. Estabrooks says various news accounts describe absolute mayhem. "The violence extended into the village and the town: 300 homes were burned. It's just incredible violence that occurred there that makes you shudder!"

Police say at the end, five people were dead, although the toll is expected to rise. As of Monday, the casualty list ranged from 20 to 30 victims. Aside from the loss of homes, places of worship also sustained damage. 

The explosion of violence unnerved authorities, and Estabrooks notes that it took very little to tip the scales after a Boko Haram attack on a Christian family in Abuja just two days prior. "It just shows us how deep the religious tensions are in that part of the world. It doesn't take much."

In that attack, military and government reports confirm that Muslim attackers used machetes and guns to murder 10 members of the same Christian family in Plateau state, with half of the victims under the age of six. 

The incident also highlights concerns that the violence won't be contained in the north. "What distresses me," says Estabrooks, "is that it's the young people of northern Nigeria who are the most restless about the violence and about the issues that the two religious groups face." 

What's more, the messages young people are hearing from their leaders are mixed, adding to the tension and confusion. Estabrooks explains: on the one hand, "there is one church leader in Nigeria who has a lot of influence, who says to the young people, ‘Jesus taught non-violence. We cannot respond to violence with violence. It's just not the biblical pattern.'"

On the other hand, "you have another leader who has possibly more influence with young people there who tells them, ‘We have turned the other cheek so many times, we have no more cheeks to turn. So it's time to take up arms and deal with this issue!'

Security forces on patrol. (Story photo by This Day)

"The whole area is just pulsing with antagonism to one another. It seems to me that it has to be even more than just religious differences." Estabrooks asks if there is a winner in this contest for the youth. "Being young and being very emotional when these things happen, you get this kind of conflict that's horrifying as the ultimate outcome."

The future is what's at stake, and the youth have a lot of energy that needs direction. Government efforts to protect Christians haven't been reassuring since the attacks continue. Much of the violence is blamed on the sect Boko Haram, whose name in Hausa means "Western education is sin." Their stated goals are to create an Islamic state, instill Sharia Law, and eradicate Christianity. 

Estabrooks says Christians in Nigeria need prayer for wisdom and grace. "We really need to pray for our brothers and sisters who live in that area of such high tensions, and that God would give them the ability to be peacemakers rather than respond to every little insult and let it erupt into violence that will just about destroy an entire community."

The Gospel message runs counter to the tit-for-tat that disintegrated into a melee Saturday. Estabrooks explains, "Jesus' teaching is a very attractive teaching to people of peace, love, and the ‘putting others before yourself.' But if we don't live it as Christians, no one else is going to accept it because they don't see it in reality."

Egypt's elections loom; future uncertain for Christians

Mission Network News: "Egypt (MNN) ― The disharmony between Egypt's military government and the Islamists continues to spread.

Parliament suspended sessions for a week to protest the lack of transition by the ruling military. Seated three months ago, this branch of government wants to form a Cabinet to replace the one appointed by the country's military rulers late last year."

Read more...

Whose Revolution is it?

Egypt (MNN) ― Everybody loves the underdog. That's part of the magnetic draw of Egypt's ongoing Revolution. 

There's a thrill of an uprising, the rooting for progress and the inevitable triumph should the downtrodden succeed in changing anything as seemingly immovable as government.

Pictures of nearly nightly protests reveal something unique in Egypt's demand for change. Church pastor Fawzi Wahib explains, "65% of our population is under the age of 25. So, most of those you see them interviewing in the media--on TV and in the newspaper--are over 50. There is a huge gap and misunderstanding, IF there is any understanding between the two generations."

Wahib is a well-known face in the Revolution, even laboring under  the nickname, "Pastor of the Revolution," because of a message he gave in the early part of uprisings. He says that while the revolution is for Egypt, it's being led by the cream of the crop. "Those who consider themselves wise and try to make a plan for the future, are missing the point entirely. 

These people of 25 and less have seen the dream come close to their hand, but all of a sudden, somebody came and took it away from them. They are willing to die to get this dream back and not let anybody take it from their hands."

Anger and frustration over not being heard and demands not being met has led to more waves of young patriots trying to effect some kind of change for the future of a sustainable country. "I think no one is going to stand against these waves of young people seeking freedom."

Wahib goes on to say that the passion shared for a new Egypt is contagious. The young adults want a country that will live up to its own public relations. Those confronting the police lines this week doubt the direction of the leadership and promises of the government. They're now calling for early elections, and "next week, on February 11, there is a call for a civilian's strike on the whole nation."

Students leading this movement represent all eight universities in Cairo. "Now you get the best educated people that are connected with real life who are leading this movement, and it gives you a clue about who is leading and where we are heading."

Among the more obvious demands: a civilian government and a plan to tackle a 35% unemployment rate (for those under 25) and growing economic distress. It all boils down to hope. Wahib said that desire was palpable on the "Day of Rage" in 2011 when he was called up on the stage.

He knew one misspoken word could destroy not only him, but also the credibility of Christians in the society. Suddenly, Isaiah 61:1 came to mind.   

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
   because the LORD has anointed me
   to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
   to proclaim freedom for the captives
   and release from darkness for the prisoners.

The crowd responded enthusiastically when he explained the freedom of hope. "'You know why Jesus came? He came to set the captive free. How many Egyptians are still captive until today? Jesus is still with us in the Square, because He wants to set the captive free!' Now, if you are totally politically motivated, then you understand the message."

Moments like that opened a lot of opportunities for the Church body to engage the community. Wahib says the whole team of pastors knew what the potential was. While they didn't plan a specific outreach campaign, they were poised to respond. First, they opened their doors to those who needed respite. "The Church became like a refuge. Muslims love to come into the church and sit. They find peace. Over all this, we had hundreds of contacts where we shared the Gospel without telling them it was evangelism."

Then, they responded with a field hospital for the wounded who were protesting right outside the church compound on Tahrir Square. That has been the pattern for over a year. It's obvious the Holy Spirit is moving. Hundreds are receiving visions and dreams and coming to Christ that way. The biggest issue now is how to disciple the hundreds that are coming. 

Actually, the bigger "problem," says Wahib, is what they'll do with the thousands they're expecting to see before Revolution ends. Wahib says the church leadership is also part of the group that was getting a strong message that pointed to unity and revival.

Revival, Wahib says, begins in revolution.

Egypt's fight for Freedom takes on a new angle

(Photo courtesy SAT 7) Prayer
meeting at the Cave Church.

Egypt(MNN) ― There are a lot of headlines proclaiming the fury of Tahrir Square, set in the heart of downtown Cairo.

"Revolution" is on people's lips, but a new word is joining that plea for the freedom of Tahrir, and that is "Revival."

On our first night in Cairo, we met with a Coptic Church partner in the basement of a ministry facility where he'd just wrapped up some teaching. His first answer to our questions about the riots was: "The barrier of fear has been demolished."

That's quite a different assessment of what's going on from the lips of others. There's word that people are angry over their revolution being stolen by the Islamists; people are full of despair because the city is still in chaos. Many of the images we see about Cairo right now are full of despair, fear and defiance.

Yet, this church leader insists there is something significant on the wing. Through a translator, he announced, "There is a big revival happening in the Orthodox Church -- not only in the Orthodox Church, but in all of the Egyptian Church."

That seems to run counter to other reports of a mass exodus of Egyptian Christians seeking asylum anywhere that seems safer. He answered that question with this hope: "The Lord is using the people, the congregation, more than the leaders in this revival."

The movement began to coalesce two years ago when a call to unity started to resonate across denominational lines. "The start of this revival was a prayer meeting where the people gathered together to pray seeking this revival. People from different churches gathered together to pray together."

Then, he says, in late 2010, "Just before the Revolution, God was telling us that something awesome was going to happen in Egypt. Although we are in different areas as leaders in the church, the Lord was sending the same message to everybody."

That message was this: "By the end of 2010, something great will happen." That was based off of Jeremiah 46 and Daniel 7 and a promise from God to allow Christians to take over the land. Indeed, God fulfilled that prophecy, but not in the way you might think.

In the first 20 minutes of 2011, a suicide bomber attacked The Saint's Church in Alexandria. At least 21 people were killed and 70 hurt. Then, "Sometime later, the 25th of January, the Revolution started. We saw the incidents happening, but we were telling ourselves that something spiritual was going to happen…a big spiritual event."

As the events unfolded, the church leaders who had given themselves to prayer, unity and revival began to teach confidently. Their boldness was picked up by the congregations who then began to take prayer much more seriously. 

That led to a prayer meeting. At a time of emergency, this church leader says, "About 50,000 people gathered together in the (Cave) church to pray for 12 hours."

Revival began to be the cry of their hearts. This Coptic Gospel partner along with others who were of like mind since the movement began two years ago also spent time teaching about the elements of revival to their congregations, emphasizing repentance, unity, humility, understanding, and a return to the authority of the Bible, among other things.

He also shared that he believes the change that will bring true liberty to Egypt won't come from the political side of things. It will come from the spiritual revolution.

Healing has begun in the freedom in Christ among Christians. It gives them the strength they need to persevere, because, as this pastor goes on to say, there are still a lot of obstacles to overcome. "There were many things against the church itself. Churches were being burnt, but the Lord has poured in an overflow of love. The outward thing that happened was that people, although they felt threatened by others, they went in and joined and started giving love to others. They even participated in Tahrir Square during the Revolution."

The story of Tahrir, or Freedom in Egypt, is ongoing. But, says this follower of Christ, it's not for Egypt alone. He's hoping Egypt will lead a global movement by her example. "I believe what happens here is transferring Egypt to the outside world."

As Egypt marks one year since revolution, Christians look past surface tension to real need

Photo by Ramy Raoof,
 Demonstrators heading to Tahrir
 Square in January 2011

Egypt (IMB/MNN) ― Egypt's new lower house of parliament just held its first session two days ago, after completing an historic election that put Islamic groups in the legislative lead.

A year ago, Cairo was in turmoil as thousands of angry protesters clashed with government soldiers and tanks.

While the square seems calm, there's an energy that leads Christian worker to note the region's volatility.

Lucy Hamilton (not her real name), with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board says the Arab Spring was the manifestation of the tension in the region. "In Egypt at least, there's a revolution attitude of ‘I can do what I want' because people are disillusioned and desperate, and the police force is unable to keep up with petty crime problems."

The changes in Egypt haven't been as deep as many expected, but they have still made a region-wide impact, says Nik Ripken (not his real name), who has served 25 years with the International Mission Board and is an expert on the persecuted church in Muslim contexts.

"I believe that the Arab Spring and what has happened in Egypt has begun to redefine the Arab if not the entire Muslim world," Ripken says. "What has happened to Mubarak has so terrified the leaders of countries like Yemen and Syria,  and of course we saw what played out in Libya -- that no dictator or leader is now willing to participate in a peaceful transition to a more democratic or less corrupt form of government."

The people seem to want something as different as possible from the leadership they've had, Ripken notes, adding that this may mean a more Islamic form of government.

Because Egyptian people don't feel like they have gotten the jobs, economic improvement, new opportunities or respect, not much has changed in their view. Proving Ripken's point, the winners of the elections came from the Muslim Brotherhood and the ultra-conservative Salafi al-Nour party.

But with this, much like Tahrir Square on its peaceful days, things may not be exactly as they appear, says Ripken. "This is not necessarily a bad thing from a believer's point of view, because having conversations concerning faith and religion are more important for us than conversations about government and corruption." Ripken continues, "Often it is in the most conservative of Muslim hearts that we are finding God appearing to them in dreams and visions and sending them on a spiritual pilgrimage that can last for years, where they secretly read the Bible many times and have quiet discussions with followers of Jesus Christ."

Hamilton says a sense of hopelessness in the government can bring them to Christ, too.

"We hear that many are turning to the One whose Kingdom is just and merciful and has no end," she says. "The church in Egypt also seems to be waking up as never before. It is great to watch Him use His church in the work of revolutionizing hearts."

In the light of this, Ripken says, "We want to pray that we will take every opportunity we can to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give that cold cup of water in Jesus' name. We must pray for the absence of fear for both believers in country and those from the West who are seeking to meet the needs of both the body and soul inside these countries." 

Pray that people will have access to the Gospel through any means possible. Ripken concludes with this thought: "Now we have time to prepare the next generation for going to people groups and countries that have experienced massive change."

As elections approach, fury builds in Egypt

(Cover photo of Tahrir protest by
 Tori Aarseth) Story Photo: Prayer
 vigil (Tallskinnykiwi)

Egypt (MNN) ― Thousands of protesters flocked to Egypt's Tahrir Square Monday. Clashes continued with tear gas and fire bombs. By day's end, Egypt's army-appointed government handed in its resignation--an effort to stabilize in advance of the November 28 elections.

The vote was intended to be the first milestone on the road to transition from military to civilian rule, but the oppressive response by the interim government is feeding a growing fury. SAT-7 CEO Terry Ascott explains, "As the election approaches, and the army does not seem to be yielding any constitutional power, even to a newly elected body, people feel that their revolution has been stolen from them, and so they're on the streets."

In practical application, although the President's ouster was triumphant for the masses in the streets, Ascott says, "The reality on the ground was that very little changed, except that Hosni Mubarak was replaced by another military consortium, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces."

Political forces have issued statements condemning the "excessive use of force" and acknowledging protesters' right to demonstrate. The November 28  elections are scheduled to go forward, despite security problems, but Ascott cautions a realistic approach to the vote. "This is not going to all be over by the spring. There's not going to be a new Constitution and a settled-down political identity phase yet for quite some time. I think there's going to be another decade of struggle between different parties trying to find their way to an Egyptian-styled democracy."

The Muslim Brotherhood has been gaining traction in Cairo's power vacuum, raising concerns of what might happen to Christians should they take power. "It does look likely that no one party is going to gain any kind of overall majority," says Ascott. That means there will likely be a coalition government, which is good news for believers. "Coalitions are good at moderating this [Muslim Brotherhood] kind of extremism."

However, the specter of violence against Christians and a massacre last month remains fresh on the minds of the community. They did the only thing they could: they prayed. "It's a very difficult situation for the church, for the Christians. In the middle of this, we did have this amazing night of prayer. Twelve hours of praise and worship in the open air."

SAT-7 is a Christian satellite television ministry to the Middle East and North Africa. Their teams have been providing coverage and a public forum of the upheaval in the region on a constant basis. Naturally, they provided full coverage of an amazing prayer movement on November 11, 2011 at the "Cave Church." 

Prayers for the night also focused on issues of personal and social peace and seeking God's blessing on all Egyptians--Muslims and Christians, the authorities, and the important parliamentary elections that begin on November 28th.  "SAT -7 was able to cover that, live, for 12 hours. Between 50,000 and 70,000 people attended at least some of that service. It was full of joy. It was a call to repentance."

SAT-7's participation also helped to guide audiences throughout the region in prayer for their own respective countries, as well as share in general prayers.

Nine days later, SAT-7 said they were still receiving requests for recordings of the event from other television stations.

Ascott says there was a lot of interest in what the Christians were doing. A Facebook page set up for the event drew more than 800,000 comments. "I think it was a wonderful testimony that will place Christians in a much better position in the eyes of the general public in Egypt."

Keep praying wisdom for the broadcast team as they continue to provide a biblical response in the public forum addressing the concerns in Egypt.