New South Wales: Secularists discredit religious education
Scripture books promoting ‘dangerous’ messages about sex and male power are being used in NSW public schools according to a parent-run lobby group, Fairness in Religions in Schools (FIRIS). FIRIS targeted the publication ‘Teen Sex By the Book’ and its companion manuals, produced by Australia's biggest evangelical Christian school curriculum publisher. FIRIS claims the book describes homosexuality as ‘misplaced sexual desire’ and warns that girls wearing short skirts and low-cut tops might tempt their Christian brothers to lust. The battle to remove Christianity from public school curricula is not a new one. A spokesman for the Anglican Church said Christian Special Religious Education (SRE), an optional course, teaches what the Scriptures say about the forgiveness of sins, hope for life after death and wisdom for living now. SRE teachers teach children to honour their parents and love their neighbour. One Sydney Christian leader asked, ‘What is wrong with Christians teaching the children of parents who select Christian SRE that we believe monogamy is God's good purpose, and that sex is best reserved for marriage?’
The Islamic State one year on - foreign fighters
Thousands of foreign fighters have travelled to Iraq and Syria in the year since Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's (ISIL) lightning sweep through the two territories. According to the most recent publicity available Tunisia has contributed the largest contingent, with some estimates putting the figure as high as 3,000.The foreign loyalists can expect to join fighting battalions, or even take up positions in the extremist group's extensive bureaucracy, which implements Islamic law and harvests taxes across its territory. Saudi Arabia - a country battling IS terrorism against Shia residents in its eastern province - is thought to be the second most prolific source of foreign fighters, with up to 2,500 people believed to have joined the fray in Iraq and Syria. IS will be more violent than ever in order to survive. Nearly a fifth of fighters are residents or nationals of western European countries, and an estimated 1,200 people have travelled from France alone.
Islamic State one year on - consequence on communities
On 9 June 2014, IS militants invaded Mosul in Iraq. All residents who didn't conform to their brand of Islam had to convert, pay a high tax or be killed. 120,000 Christians and other minorities fled and for the first time in 1,600 years there were no church services held in the city. Many families were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs, as IS militants stripped them of their belongings as they fled. Mariam, a gynaecologist who is a Christian, had to flee Mosul as the city fell. Her house was confiscated by IS and marked with the letter 'N' for Nasrani - a word used by IS to refer to Christians. Her precious library was emptied onto the street. Secret footage obtained by the BBC showed what life had become for those who stayed. Open Doors has been working through local churches and partners to provide relief to these refugees. In the past twelve months they have helped some 80,000 with immediate needs of water, food, medicine, hygiene kits and mattresses. They also work with the children, many of whom are deeply traumatised by their experiences.
Sudan: A prayer request
Christians in Sudan request our prayers for Michael Yat (49) and Peter Yen Reith (36), two South Sudanese pastors on trial in Khartoum who had their latest hearing on 15 June. According to their lawyer, prosecutors failed to produce any new evidence, as officials from Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) repeated statements they had made earlier in the trial. The lawyer was also able to present his defence to the court. The next hearing was scheduled for Thursday 18 June. They were detained in Khartoum by the NISS on 14 December and 11 January respectively, charged with a range of criminal offences including crimes against the state which are punishable by death, a life sentence or lesser detention and confiscation of property.
Gaza: Government is expected to resign
President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority told leaders of his political party on Tuesday that the government he formed a year ago after signing a reconciliation pact with the rival Hamas movement would resign within 24 hours, according to a senior Palestinian official and local news reports. The so-called consensus government, headed by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, has never been seen as effective, and it has been unable to assert itself in the Gaza Strip or meaningfully lead a reconstruction effort there after last summer’s devastating war between Hamas and Israel. It was unclear whether Mr Hamdallah, a former university president who was first tipped two years ago to lead a previous government, would be replaced or reappointed with a reshuffled cabinet. The move is an acknowledgment that the April 2014 pact between the West Bank-based Palestine Liberation Organisation and Hamas, the Islamist faction that dominates Gaza, has - like several before it - failed to bridge years of bitter schism.
North Korea: News agency reports bad drought
State news agency KCNA said main rice-growing provinces have been badly affected and more than 30% of rice paddies were ‘parching up’. Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans are believed to have died during a widespread famine in the 1990s. This drought is unlikely to be as deadly because of recent agricultural reforms, correspondents say. The United Nations World Food Programme says North Korea regularly faces significant food shortages and currently about a third of children in the country are malnourished. North Korea's closed economy means it is likely to suffer more in the drought. It is unusual for North Korea to talk openly of its shortages, so the very appearance of the report in state media is significant. It indicates the situation is serious, and it may well indicate that North Korea wants outside help. The drought report coincides with the release of two South Korean prisoners from North Korean custody, which may underline the desire of the North to elicit sympathy and more tangible aid.
Libya: IS captures 88 Christians
The IS terror group kidnapped 88 Eritrean Christians from a people-smugglers' caravan in Libya last week, a U.S. defence official confirmed on Monday. The defence official confirmed initial reports of the mass kidnapping to Fox News after seeing a recent intelligence report. The independent Libya Herald newspaper reported that the convoy was ambushed by militants south of Tripoli before dawn this past Wednesday morning. Meron Estafanos, the co-founder of the Stockholm-based International Commission on Eritrean Refugees, told the paper that the group of migrants included about twelve Eritrean Muslims and some Egyptians. They put them in another truck and they put twelve Eritrean women Christians in a smaller pickup. The militants had initially stopped the truck and demanded that the Muslims on board make themselves known. Everyone who responded was asked about the Qu'ran and their religious observance in an attempt to catch Christians pretending to be Muslims.
Global: 30 days of prayer for the Muslim world
30 days of Prayer is an international movement of intercession for the Muslim world. The purpose is to mobilise the church to pray! The origin of this call to prayer and fasting for the Muslim world came about as a group of Christian leaders were praying about the Islamic world during a meeting in the Middle East in 1992. God put a burden on the hearts of these men and women to call as many Christians as possible to pray for the Muslim world. Today this event draws millions of Christians worldwide to a united, global prayer meeting. In 2015 the prayer will start on 18 June and finish on 17 July. A wave of mission mobilisation and Muslim mission awareness is occurring across the globe, and this prayer event is planned to coincide with the Islamic month of Ramadan.
Pakistan: New Christians enrolled on a course on prayer
In an area where being a Christian is very dangerous, brave intercessors are running courses on how to pray and to hear from God with the vision of building a strong network of prayer groups in 24/7 prayer for Pakistan. The organiser said, ‘During this course we shared how God has worked in hopeless places around the world to bring change. We had periods of forgiveness and reconciliation between churches and denominations, with them coming forward and asking forgiveness. People told of how they had never done this in person before and the blessing it was to them. With demonic activity more evident against Christians, we taught ‘cleansing your house of evil’ - using Scripture to rebuke the evil one and send him out of your home. Many came back the next day telling of the peace they had for the first time in their homes.’
USA: 'Lucky to be alive' - prisoners’ getaway in New York
A man and his friend saw 48-year-old Richard Matt and 34-year-old David Sweat in their backyard with what looked like a guitar case. The witnesses' identities are being withheld because of safety concerns. When the witnesses confronted the men they said they were lost and then ran away. The man added, ‘we’re lucky to be alive.’ The escaped convicts used power tools to cut through a steel wall in their adjoining cells and escape through a steam pipe. The search for the two men has been extended to Canada and Mexico as well as New York. Matt was serving a life sentence for killing and dismembering his former boss. Sweat was also serving life for torture and murder.