Aceh, Indonesia: new governor advances Islamisation

Aceh, Indonesia: new governor advances Islamisation: "Aceh, on the north-west tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, is around 98 percent Muslim and one percent Christian (mostly Protestant). Acehnese went to the polls on 9 April to elect a new governor. The winner, Zaini Abdullah (72) of the dominant and increasingly autocratic and militant Aceh Party, ran on a platform that included a vow to advance a more 'pure' form of Quranic Sharia (Islamic law). On 30 April hundreds of Islamists protested in Aceh's southern-most district of Singkil, which has the highest proportion of Christians of any district in Aceh. The Islamists demanded the closure of Singkil's supposedly 'illegal' churches and prayer houses. The administration quickly acquiesced and 17 places of Christian worship across Singkil have since been closed. Please pray for Aceh's minority Christian community."

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Harsh Era Looms in Aceh, Indonesia

Harsh Era Looms in Aceh, Indonesia: "Election of hard-line Islamic governor followed by closure of 17 churches.

JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 16 (CDN) — The election of a hard-line Islamic governor in Indonesia’s Aceh Province last month appears to have opened the way for a crack-down on the minority Christian community, which saw 17 churches sealed shut in early May.


Emboldened by the April 9 election of Zaini Abdullah of the militant Aceh Party (Partai Aceh, or PA), hundreds of Islamists demonstrated in front of the office of Aceh Singkil regency on April 30, demanding area church buildings be not only sealed but demolished. "

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From China, Blind Activist Chen Testifies Before Human Rights Panel - Christian Newswire

From China, Blind Activist Chen Testifies Before Human Rights Panel - Christian Newswire: "WASHINGTON, May 15, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese human rights lawyer who caught the attention of the world over the past two weeks in his bid to escape house arrest in China by seeking help in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, testified via telephone about his well-being and that of his family and brave supporters Tuesday at a hearing held by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04)."

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Injured Convert in Pakistan Tries to Rebuild Life

Injured Convert in Pakistan Tries to Rebuild Life: "Christian, pregnant wife endure threats while he seeks treatment for injuries from beating.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 15 (CDN) — Muhammad Kamran isn’t sure who sent the men to beat him after his Muslim wife told both her family and his that he had become a Christian.


The 34-year-old native of Karachi said his wife’s brothers had begun coming to his office to threaten him before unidentified assailants attacked him as he was returning home two years ago."

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Two pastors set on fire in Kenya

Mission Network News: "Kenya (MNN) ― Last Tuesday, May 8, two pastors were burned to death in Jomvu area Mombasa, Kenya.

Yesterday, police arrested five suspects who may have instigated the attack, says Open Doors, USA. Otieno Awour, the Officer Commanding Police Division, Changamwe Division Mombasa said the five suspects will be arraigned in court once the investigations are complete.

It's the most recent in a bout of increased violence in Kenya, a nation filled halfway with Christians. In this case, the two pastors, Benjamin Juma of Nyali Baptist Church and Jackson Kioko of Melchidizek Church, were planning to hold an evangelistic outreach in the Jomvu area of Mombasa City. While planning, a crowd gathered and suddenly accused them of being thieves."

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A series of explosions in Ukraine could be ‘politically motivated’

A series of explosions in Ukraine could be ‘politically motivated’: "By Victoria Uzunova of the Christian Telegraph (www.christiantelegraph.com) 
Special to ASSIST News Service

DNEPROPETROVSK, UKRAINE (ANS) -- A Ukrainian pastor says he believes that the series of explosions that occurred in Dnepropetrovsk on April, 27, 2012, could have been “politically motivated.”

He is Vladimir Ivanov, pastor of the Good News Church in Dnepropetrovsk, who has now asked for Christians around the world to pray for the situation in his city.

According to media reports in media, four explosions occurred, but the pastor claims that there were actually five of them."

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