MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

By Maria Gomes – “Dhaka (AsiaNews) – ‘I believe in Christ. I welcomed him’ for ‘he is my saviour,’ said Vincent (not his real name for security reasons), a former Bangladeshi imam who is now Catholic and for this reason has endured persecution for a long time in his native community.

His journey towards conversion began abroad, far from Bangladesh. It led him first to baptism in the Presbyterian Church. After that, he fell in love with a Catholic woman, married her and then converted to her faith. Once they were back in Bangladesh, Vincent and his wife were welcomed by threats and violence. Members of his community beat him almost to death.

Islam in the state religion in Bangladesh but the constitution does not recognise Sharia and guarantees freedom of worship. This makes it one of the most open Muslim states, where conversions can occur in an atmosphere of general tolerance.

However, Islam’s social and cultural ascendancy is such that in many communities all sorts of pressure is put on people. In some cases, notaries refuse to sign papers testifying to conversions. In other cases, like that of the former imam, people resort to physical and psychological violence.

After almost two months in hospital, Vincent is back home. But the same Muslims who followed him and held him in high esteem when he was their imam now cannot accept his new ‘status’.

Beating is also not enough. Other forms of violence can be used. Both husband and wife have been ostracised, forced to move from home to home. Vincent eventually lost his job and now has to do odd jobs to survive.

Today he is a troubled man. Yet, his community’s banishment has not pushed him away from Jesus. He continues to attend Mass now more than ever, and repeat, ‘I believe in Christ. In him, I was reborn. He is my Saviour.'” Source – AsiaNews.it.

By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI, The Associated Press – “Bamako, Mali • Mali’s crisis deepened Wednesday, as officials in the fabled northern city of Timbuktu confirmed that the Islamic rebel faction that seized control of the town over the weekend has announced it will impose sharia law.

Rebels in the country’s distant north have taken advantage of the power vacuum created last month when renegade soldiers in the capital of Bamako overthrew the nation’s democratically elected leader. In the chaos that followed the March 21 coup, they advanced on strategic towns in the north, including the ancient city of Timbuktu, located over 620 miles from the capital.

The ethnic Tuareg rebels included a secular faction fighting for independence, and an Islamic wing, Ansar Dine, whose reclusive leader called a meeting of all the imams in the city on Tuesday to make his announcement.

‘He had the meeting to make his message to the people known, that sharia law is now going to be applied,’ said the Mayor of Timbuktu Ousmane Halle, who was reached by telephone. ‘When there is a strongman in front of you, you listen to him. You can’t react,’ he said, when asked what the reaction was of the imams of a historic town known for its religious pluralism and its moderate interpretation of Islam.

‘Things are going to heat up here. Our women are not going to wear the veil just like that,’ said the mayor.

Kader Kalil, the director of a communal radio station who was asked to cover the meeting and who later interviewed the Ansar Dine leader Iyad Ag Ghali, confirmed that sharia had been imposed.

He said in addition to the wearing of the veil, thieves will be punished by having their hands cut off and adulterers will be stoned to death.

In a show of force, the Islamic rebels on Wednesday drove through the town in a tank-like armored-personnel carrier, their ominous black flag flapping in the wind above the cannon.

More than 90 percent of the city’s roughly 300 Christians have fled since the city fell to the rebels on Sunday, said Baptist Pastor Nock Ag Info Yattara, who is now in Bamako. He said not one of the 205 people in his congregation, which has worshipped in Timbuktu since the 1950s, has stayed behind. ‘We cannot live like that,’ he said.” Read more.

By Katherine Weber, Christian Post Reporter – “An Egyptian court has sentenced this week a 17-year-old Coptic student to three years in jail for posting drawings of the prophet Muhammad on his Facebook profile in Dec. 2011. The court ruled that the images were offensive to Islam and mocked the prophet.

‘Assiut child’s court ordered the jailing of Gamal Abdou Massoud … for three years after he insulted Islam and published and distributed pictures that insulted Islam and its Prophet,’ a statement issued by the court read, as reported by Reuters.

The images appeared on Massoud’s Facebook page in December of last year, and caused riots and attacks on Coptic Christians in his hometown of Assuit, in southern Egypt.

Villagers attacked Massoud’s home as well as the homes of other Christians, and security and military forces were reportedly dispersed across Massoud’s hometown to prevent further vandalism, firing tear gas at the Muslim protesters.

Several Christian homes were burned during the attacks, and several Christians were injured.

Massoud was also accused of distributing the images to some of his school friends. The teen argued that he did not upload the offensive drawings onto his Facebook account, but rather they were posted without his knowledge.” Read more.

“Washington, D.C. (April 3, 2012) – On March 31, suspected Islamists threw a grenade and killed two Christians and wounded more than 30 in the Kenyan city, Mtwapa. The Christians were holding an outdoor worship service at the time of the attack. A simultaneous bomb attack was also carried out on a bar in the nearby city of Mombasa.

‘Three people who were sitting in a parked car near the site of the event threw a grenade and drove away. Then I heard a blast and saw some women down, crying for help. A lady died on the spot. About 15 people were seriously wounded. Two days after the blast, a young boy died from the injuries,’ said Rev. Simon Kirariuki Kimami, a pastor with the Kenyan Assembly of God, in a statement to ICC.

More than 150 Christians were attending the outdoor service. Muslims were also holding a meeting 900 feet from the scene of the attack. The Islamic preachers were vilifying Christianity in their sermon which could be heard from the location where the Christians were holding their conference.

Kenyan officials blame members of the radical Islamic group, Al-Shabaab, for the bomb attacks. Al-Shabaab has been carrying out attacks in Kenya after the government sent its troops to fight the Islamic group in Somalia.

‘My message to Christians around the world is to be steadfast in serving and honoring the Lord Jesus Christ, even in the face of persecution and sometimes violent attacks. [I urge Christians] not to retaliate. [Rather] they should show love even when they are attacked,’ said Patrick Muchiri in an interview with ICC. Muchiri is a pastor with the Mombasa Pentecostal Church.” Read more.

“Morocco (MNN) ― Two years ago, many foreign Christians were expelled from Morocco. It changed the face of the Moroccan church. The Christians, for example, now meet in smaller groups than they were used to. Twenty members are a big church nowadays.

2010 was a difficult year for the church in Morocco. ‘After the foreigners were expelled, almost half of the churches stopped; it was really a big crackdown’ says an Open Doors worker responsible for North Africa. A year later, things turned normal again for the estimated 3,000 Christians, but the tendency is to split up the groups of believers into smaller groups.

The current year is seen as a crucial year for the church. There are some signs that things might become more difficult. In the beginning of March, three brothers were arrested at a coffee shop. ‘It was clear that they were arrested because of their Christian activity. The police asked questions about this and tried to find Christian literature or material.’ According to the Open Doors spokesman, they also tried to find the pastor of the three men. He was warned, however, and went to a safe place. The three men were released a day after their arrest because of lack of proof.

“For the Christians in Morocco, these arrests are a sign. The country is now governed by a government with clear influence of Islamists. Christians believe that the arrests are the start of a new trend,” says the Open Doors worker.” Read more.