200 million Christians who they claim suffer interrogation, detention, torture and even death for their faith in Jesus Christ, the BosNewsLife News Center in Budapest monitored.
Organizers of the ‘International Day of Prayer (IDOP) for the Persecuted Church’ published a prayer list of countries they claim are among the worst violators of religious rights. They include Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh where the situation of Christians has "deteriorated" in 2006 and in previous years, rights groups said.
The IDOP website www.idop.org, which has backed by churches and human rights groups from around the world, also mentioned concerns over the former Soviet republic of Belarus where evangelicals have reportedly been among those persecuted by what Washington described as "Europe’s last dictatorship." In one major legal victory, the 600-member New Life Church on the outskirts of Minsk, won a long court battle this week and may now be able to worship "without harassment," Christians said.
The church bought a cowshed to use as a church building and although government departments had given the church approval to change the designated land usage needed to renovate the shed into a church, authorities later tried to close down the building. Now the ruling from the economic court has given fresh hope that the church will finally be able to worship without government interference.
PERSECUTION CONTINUES
Yet elsewhere in Belarus and other countries in the region harassment of Christians reportedly continue. Another country of concern starting with ‘B’ is the tiny Asian nation of Bhutan where the IDOP list says a "transformation is under way, but spiritual warfare expected." A "great spiritual battle" was also seen in China where particularly President Hu Jintao has been under international pressure to heed calls for more religious liberty.
The IDOP website said that churches hope "China’s Christians may worship freely without danger, Bibles and theological study will be readily accessible, and that China’s evangelists may witness freely and safely across the nation and throughout the world." It also expressed concerns over "China’s appalling network of some 1100 ‘loagai’ or slave labor prison camps, where many Christians and dissidents are believed to be detained.
Several churches have been destroyed in recent months, yet despite the reported crackdown China now has at least 80 million active Christians, according to several estimates. Other countries on the prayer list seen by BosNewsLife include Egypt, described as a nation which should turn "hearts away from resurgent, militant Islamism and death" and become more towards "religious liberty and abundant life," and Eritrea where organizers of the prayer day say the situation deteriorated since May 2002.
THOUSANDS JAILED
Over 2,000 people, mainly Christians, ere imprisoned for their faith in the African nation, church sources say. A "critical deterioration" was also seen in India where IDOP supporters urged "authorities to uphold justice and prosecute militant Hindu nationalists who break the law and create social unrest by attacking Christians and
forcing villagers to ‘re-convert’ to Hinduism."
Elsewhere in Asia, in Indonesia, concerns have been raised over reports of fresh attacks against Christians. The IDOP website said that Christians are praying Sunday, November 11, that "President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Vice President Jusuf Kalla and all in authority will have the motivation, moral conviction and strength to implement justice and fight terrorism, Islamic radicalization, corruption in both the government and the security forces."
They were also urged to "halt the movement of illegal small arms and explosives." Prayers were urged for the "protection of churches, pastors, evangelists, Christian leaders and all believers in these days of terror, radicalization and jihad" that "God will hear the cries of the Christians of Papua and deliver them from expanding Javanese Muslim hegemony and Islamist militancy that could have genocidal results."
IRAN CONCERNS
Yet Indonesia is not the only Muslim dominated nation where tensions have been report. A "critical deterioration" was also recorded in Iran, where several Christians have been detained, and some even killed, for alleged blasphemy or converting from Islam to Christianity. Christian believers were asked to pray "the Church for safety, wisdom, provision and perseverance for Iran’s oppressed and severely persecuted Christians."
A similar prayer request was published on the IDOP website for neighboring Iraq where tens of
thousands of Christians have already fled the region. Many Christians have been killed or kidnapped in the ongoing violence and attacks by insurgents, church sources say.
The alphabetic list of countries with persecution also includes Laos, where it is time for "an end to the violent Communist oppression of Christianity, which the government regards as ‘a threat to national security’ and has vowed to ‘exterminate’. May rights-affirming nations use their influence to leverage human rights reform and religious liberty in impoverished Laos," IDOP organizers said.
"TRULY ASIA"?
Malaysia, widely advertised as "truly Asia" in international television commercials around the world, may be less open towards non-Muslims than the ads suggest, according to religious rights watchers as the situation for Christians "deteriorated" in 2006. The IDOP will see prayers so "God fill the hearts of Malaysians with a strong desire for continued openness, progress and liberty, so they may reverse the creeping Islamisation and demand full religious liberty."
Morocco is another country on the list for prayer requests so "God will use this nation as an example and agent for change in the Arab Muslim world, particularly North Africa, where it leads in political and social reform with increasing openness, tolerance, human rights and literacy." The IDOP website singled out "Morocco’s young King Mohammed VI who along with his wife is driving reform [and] may they be instruments in the hand of God for good."
In the kingdom of Nepal "transformation" is also "under way" but a "spiritual warfare is expected" as the nation moves from "isolated repression into openness and liberty," organizers said, adding there was concern that Indian Hindu nationalists will seek "to stir up sectarian strife."
RELIGIOUS FAULT-LINE
In Africa, Nigeria was described as a "religious fault-line nation" following several deadly attacks against churches this year. "May God give the free and often prosperous Christians of southern Nigeria a deep burden for their persecuted and mostly impoverished brothers and sisters in the north," was a prayer request on the IDOP website monitored by BosNewsLife.
Prayers were also requested asked "for protection for the Christian minorities in northern Nigeria where Islamic Sharia law heightens Islamic zeal and leads to crippling discrimination and violent persecution."
The country with "severe persecution" is North Korea where thousands of Christians are in labor camps. "The Church exists primarily in horrendous prison labor camps, but also in underground, secret house-churches," the IDOP organizers explained. They hope that "these most cruelly abused believers will be preserved and strengthened in their faith and hope by the ever-present Holy Spirit."
PAKISTAN PRAYERS
In Pakistan prayers were requested so "the Pakistani government, police and courts will pursue justice and security for all Pakistani people regardless of their religion" and for "the removal of the unjust and widely abused Blasphemy Law." On Saturday, November 11, Pakistan’s longest held Christian prisoner of conscience, 58-year old 
, a former hospital worker, was preparing for his release following eight and a half years in jail after being acquitted by the Lahore High Court of blasphemy charges.
Concerns were also expressed about the Palestinian Territories where "Islamism has replaced nationalism", Russia, where there are concerns that religious liberty may be undermined "in the battle against Islamic militancy and extremism" and Saudi Arabia, where Christian "expatriate workers" have to search for ways to worship and "to share the Gospel without unnecessarily endangering life."
In the "S till V" column of the extensive prayer list based on human rights groups investigations was mentioned Somalia "where the situation deteriorated during 2006" as the church has been "intensively persecuted," the Southern Philippines, where "pastors and evangelists risk their lives to witness for Christ in Muslim communities" and Sri Lanka amid concerns over "Buddhist nationalists" who have attacked Christian groups and churches.
VIOLENT JIHAD
Sudan is another "religious fault-line nation" where "after 21 years of violent jihad and severe trauma", Christian "humanitarians from across the world" are needed, including engineers, entrepreneurs, teachers, health-care workers" and others, the IDOP officials said.
Turkey, which seeks to join the EU, was mentioned as a county in need for more tolerance so that "anti-Christian and anti-‘missionary’ sentiment [will] be dissolved," while Turkmenistan needed God’s "strength for Turkmen believers who suffer continual threats, harassment and persecution under President Niyazov’s oppressive dictatorship." Uzbekistan was another ex-Soviet republic where the religious freedoms "deteriorated seriously during 2006."
In Vietnam, the last country mentioned on the prayer list, it was high time "for God to bring religious freedom" so "the Church can minister and witness in freedom and security." At least hundreds of Christians, many of them Montagnards, remain jailed, according to several human rights groups and church leaders.
"GREAT URGENCY"
"We believe this year the Church needs a sense of great urgency as we enter a critical stage in
this spiritual battle," stressed Elizabeth Kendal, Principal Researcher and Writer of the World Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission, which supports the IDOP initiative. "While the IDOP 2006 material may seem somewhat dark, it is also beautifully optimistic. The central focus is as always our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Christ unites us [and] hears and answers our prayers," she added.
Although "the Church faces critical times as resistance to the Gospel escalates, we can be assured that Jesus will never abandon us or this world. What’s more, he who taught us to pray ‘. . .deliver us from evil,’ Kendal said.
IDOP Global Co-ordinator Johan Candelin noted that the "followers of Jesus Christ are now called to give away the blessing there is in prayer, and again take part in the world’s largest prayer group in November." The IDOP was also to be held on November 19.
