Prayer Alert

[ELSHIEKH]

[l] The Persecution and Prayer Alert is a free weekly email service of
The Voice of the Martyrs in Canada sent to anyone who subscribes for it.

The Persecution & Prayer Alert
The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada
http://www.persecution.net
Wednesday, October 1, 2003

A summary of news concerning the Persecuted Church and how you can respond.
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Contents:
1. Three More Christians Arrested (China)
2. Update on Siham Qandah (Jordan)
3. Detained Emigrant Faces Drug Charges (Egypt)
4. Churches Burned (Sri Lanka)
5. Proposed Constitution Omits Vital Freedoms (Afghanistan)
6. Question of the Week
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1. Three More Christians Arrested (China)

Two Christians were arrested on Friday and a third on Sunday in Ping Ding Shan, Henan Province, China. According to VOM sources, more than twenty Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers arrested Xiao Bi-guang and Zhang Yi-nan on Friday morning. On Sunday, Zhang's wife, Ding Guizhen was arrested at the hospital where she worked as a doctor.

The whereabouts of Xiao and Zhang are unknown and the families have received no official notification. Ding is currently being held in the PSB office. The home of Zhang and Ding was also searched and various possessions were confiscated, including computers and books.

Xiao is an active member of a Beijing house church and had served three years in a labour camp for providing "spiritual aid" for an independent labour union. He has also served on the legal team representing the leaders of the South China Church, whose leader, Pastor Gong Shengliang, is currently serving a life sentence. Xiao's wife was previously a theology teacher at the state-approved Beijing Theological Seminary until it was learned that she was involved in an unregistered house church.

Zhang is a church historian for the underground churches in China and has been one of the main writers for the Unity Movement, which includes four major unregistered house church groups in China.

Please pray for the release of Xiao Bi-guang, Zhang Yi-nan and Ding Guizhen. Pray for an assurance of Christ's presence with them. Pray for protection for thousands of other Christians worshipping in secret throughout China.

We encourage you to contact the Chinese embassy in your country and urge them to release these believers. For contact information for embassies in Canada and the UN, visit our website at http://www.persecution.net/links.htm.

Click here for pictures of Zhang Yi-nan and Xiao Bi-guang.
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2. Update on Siham Qandah (Jordan)

For several months, The Voice of the Martyrs has been following the plight of a Christian widow, Siham Qandah, in Jordan who has been ordered to turn her children over to her estranged brother or face imprisonment (for more details, see http://www.persecution.net/pnp_se.htm). Following the recent order to hand over custody or face prison, an appeal was lodged on September 21. It is expected that the appeal will take one to two weeks to be heard. In the meantime, the arrest order was suspended.

Efforts continue to find a solution. A meeting scheduled with a Supreme Court judge and a member of the royal family was cancelled, but there is ongoing communication. Pray that the appeal will be successful and that Siham will be able to retain custody of her children. Pray for continued strength for the family and wisdom for her lawyer and others involved in resolving this matter.
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3. Detained Emigrant Faces Drug Charges (Egypt)

In last week's Persecution and Prayer Alert, we asked prayer for Bolis Rezekallah, an Egyptian Christian detained at the Cairo airport just as he was leaving to immigrate to Canada. He was arrested when authorities learned that he was married to a convert from Islam. His wife immediately went into hiding when it was learned that Bolis had been arrested (see http://www.persecution.net/pnparchive/arch6.htm#1).

A VOM contact informed us today that Bolis had been released on bail. However, the police then accused him of being a drug dealer. According to the report, the police officer placing the charges told Bolis, "I forced you to sell your pharmacy, I forced you to sell your car, this time I will force you to commit suicide if you do not tell us where your wife is."

Pray for safety for Bolis and his wife. Pray for continued endurance and strength in these trials. Pray that these false drug charges will be thrown out and that both will be allowed to immigrate to Canada.

We also urge you to write, telephone, or email to your federal government officials and to Egyptian embassies on behalf of Bolis Rezekallah (links may be found at http://www.persecution.net/links.htm). In Canada, you can write to:

Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt
H.E. Dr. Sallama Mahmoud Shaker, Ambassador
454 Laurier Ave. E.
Ottawa, ON K1N 6R3

Phone: 613-234-4931/234-4935
FAX: 613-234-9347/234-4398
E-Mail: egyptemb@sympatico.ca
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cont.[/l]