MidnightWatcher's Blogspot

“In the Northern part of the African nation of Mali, a refugee crisis is quickly escalating. The front page of the Vatican newspaper expressed concern over the gravity of the situation. It noted that many of the refugees were Christians that were trying to escape persecution from a version of Sharia law that has been imposed in parts of the country by a group known as the ‘Ansar Dine’ movement.

The Algerian newspaper El Khabar has reported that some 200,000 people have fled to refugee camps in Mauritania and Algeria.

In August, the UN Secretary-General has also spoken out and encouraged the Security Council to consider taking more action such as travel and financial sanctions against those responsible for the violence… ‘I am also extremely concerned about reports that armed groups in the north are committing serious human rights violations, including summary executions of civilians, rapes and torture.’

The ‘Ansar Dine’ group, which is said to have ties with al-Qaida, has also been responsible for destroying nine of the 16 mausoleums in the country’s capital of Timbuktu. These places had previously been classified as world heritage UNESCO sites.

The country’s High Islamic Council has opened talks with ‘Ansar Dine’ in hopes of finding a peaceful resolution. In the meantime, thousands continue to flee and face shortages of food, water and basic health services.” Source – Rome Reports.

Flashback: Mali: Christian Leader Beheaded as Islamists Terrorize Country, Create List of All Christians They Intend to Execute by Beheading – “A Christian leader has been beheaded and others are being threatened with similar treatment as Islamic militants run amok in Mali, West Africa. Christians have fled the town of Timbuktu in the north of the country where harsh Sharia Law has already been imposed amid reports that churches in Gao, 200 miles to the east, have been completely destroyed… ‘We have escaped in the wake of horrible death threats as the Islamists have a list of all the Christians in Timbuktu whom they intend to execute by beheading.’” Read more.

“Damascus (Agenzia Fides) – A terrorist attack hit innocent Christian faithful and innocent Druzes in the area of Jaramana, a suburb of Damascus: yesterday, August 28, at 2 pm, a bomb in a car was detonated while a crowd of faithful, families, elderly people, women and children, were heading to the cemetery to bury two young people. The two had died the day before, on August 27, also victims of an IED. As the crowd, after the funeral, was accompanying the deceased to the burial, a taxi exploded causing 12 deaths (according to other sources 27), including 5 children, and injuring more than 50 people. In Jarmana about 600 thousand people live, mostly religious minorities: there are 250 thousand Christians (Assyrians, Armenians, Chaldeans, Melkites, Orthodox and other denominations), as well as Druzes and about 120 thousand Iraqi refugees, who fled to Syria in past years.

As reported by Fides sources in Damascus, the Christians in the suburbs of Jaramana (south-west of Damascus) and Zamalka (South-East of the city) are under pressure from armed groups jiahdisti and are terrified. Today in Zamalka a family of Armenian Christians was found murdered, and all members of the family horribly decapitated. The execution brings to mind the work of radical Islamist Salafis.

These acts, which affect innocent people, have generated anger and confusion in the Christian community. A leader of the Latin Catholic community of Damascus, who requested anonymity, told Fides: ‘These are terrorist acts: we do not know who is behind, some are groups that want to destroy Syria. Armed gangs of jihadists have begun to sow terror. The point is that even in the West, Christians are often portrayed as friends of the regime or collaborators of the repression, but it is not true. Christians are with the Syrian people and just want peace. But this propaganda gives terrorist groups, infiltrators among the rebels, a pretext to attack us.'” Source – Agenzia Fides.

James 5:8, “You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”

By John Okeke, The Guardian – “THE National Chairman, Scripture Union (SU) Nigeria, Ekpo Etim Ekpo, has advised Christians in the country to remain steadfast in their faith in Jesus Christ despite the bomb attacks on churches in the North.

The SU is an inter-denominational fellowship.

Ekpo made the charge during the Eighth Abuja Regional Conference of the union with the theme ‘The Christian and his conduct.’

He stressed that the activities of insurgents were geared towards the extermination of churches in Nigeria.

He affirmed that the union commiserated with the affected churches and the victims of bomb blasts in recent times.

‘We are all witnesses of the desperate attacks to exterminate the church in the country especially in the northern Nigeria. We use this occasion to affirm the faith of Scripture Union Nigeria in the Almighty God and in his son Jesus Christ to sustain Christians wherever they are. Scripture Union Nigeria identifies with all Christians and churches that are bombed and persecuted,’ he said.

James Ikape, the Abuja regional chairman of the union, lamented the demand of the aggrieved sect, urging Federal Government to convert 19 northern states into Islam states, adding that the request breached the freedom of worship as enshrined in the Constitution of Nigeria.

His words: ‘The enemies of the Gospel have called for the Islamination of the 19 northern states that constitute the geographical space of our region and the abridgement of our constitutional rights of freedom of worship as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution’, he stated.

Ikape stressed that despite the effort of the group to frustrate Christians in the country, God grace still abounds to the church.

He said: ‘These threats are not new to the Church of Christ. The church indeed was born in crisis and in spite of oppositions from the pit of hell. Thank God, for where sin (wickedness) abounds, grace much more abounds,’ he added.” Source – The Guardian.

Flashback: Nigeria: ‘Proud Soldiers Of Allah’ Vows To Take Down Government And Destroy Christianity, ‘We Will Devour You … Our Joy Is To Die In Jihad’ – “‘You, Jonathan, cannot stop us; instead we will devour you in the three months like you are boasting … We are proud soldiers of Allah; we will never give up as we fight the infidels. We will emerge as winners … for us, [death] is eternal victory to die working for Allah. Our joy is to die in Jihad for Allah … We are not doing physical human service, but Allah’s work … We are not afraid because we are not doing man’s work but Allah’s work…” Read more.