US pastor denied release in latest trial hearing in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish court on Wednesday again denied a request for the release from custody of an American pastor based in Turkey who is on trial on charges of aiding terror groups and engaging espionage.

Andrew Craig Brunson, a 50-year-old evangelical pastor from Black Mountain, North Carolina, was arrested in the aftermath of a 2016 coup attempt for alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, as well as a network led by U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey blames for the unrest.

Brunson, who faces up to 35 years in prison for "committing crimes on behalf of terror groups without being a member" and "espionage," strongly denies the charges. Gulen has denied involvement in the coup attempt.

At the end of the third hearing, the court inside a prison complex in the town of Aliaga in western Turkey rejected Brunson's lawyer's request that he be freed pending the outcome of the trial. The case was adjourned until Oct. 12.

Brunson's case has added to already strained Turkish-U.S. relations, with some U.S. politicians calling for sanctions against Turkey if Brunson is not released.

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted in Brunson's defense earlier in the year, saying: "They call him a Spy, but I am more a Spy than he is." Brunson's case was among issues Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed by telephone earlier this week.

Speaking to reporters at the end of the hearing, the United States' top diplomat in Turkey expressed disappointment.

"I have read the indictment. I have attended three hearings. I don't believe there is any indication that Pastor Brunson is guilty of any sort of criminal or terrorist activity," said Philip Kosnett, the U.S. Embassy charge d'affaires. "Our government remains deeply concerned about his status."

Kosnett added: "We have great faith in the commitment of the Turkish people to justice and will follow this case closely and hope that Pastor Brunson is reunited with his family soon."

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert reiterated the administration's call for Brunson to be released.

"We believe he is innocent," Nauert said. "We continue to call on the Turkish government to quickly resolve this case in a timely and transparent and fair manner."

During the hearing, Brunson rejected evidence against him given by two witnesses, who have not been named and who claimed the pastor supported Kurdish militants, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

"I believe in and support Turkey's territorial integrity," the agency quoted Brunson as telling the court. "I forgive those who lie and bear false witness against me."

Brunson served as pastor of Izmir Resurrection Church, a small Protestant congregation, and has lived in Turkey for 23 years.

Prosecutors are seeking a 15-year prison sentence for crimes Brunson is charged with committing in the name of Gulen's group and the PKK. They want the pastor to serve another 20 years if he also is found guilty of obtaining state secrets for political and military spying purposes, using his religious work as cover.

The indictment against him — based on the testimony of witnesses, including three secret ones, and digital evidence — claims the pastor worked to convert Kurds to Christianity to sow discord in Turkey. 

Associated Press

DADA ZANGU NI VIZURI KAMA MKIYAFAHAMU HAYA..!

👉 Mwili wako sio Maonesho, kila mwanaume auone.

👉 Mwili wako sio Mdoli kila mwanaume Auchezee.

👉 Mwili wako sio dampo, upokee kila uchafu wa mwanaume.

👉 Mwili wako sio Mali ya umma kila mwanaume akutumie.

👉 Mwili wako sio kiburudisho, kila mwanaume Ajiridhishe.

👉 Mwili wako sio pazia la Sebuleni, kila mwanaume Akufunue.

👉 Mwili wako sio karanga za kutembezwa mtaani kila mwanaume
Akuonje Utamu wako.
******************************************************

🔹 Mwili wako ni wa Thamani sana. Mwili wako ndio utu wako.

🔹 Ebu Tunza Mwili wako nao Ukutunze. Uheshimu Mwili wako nao Utakuheshimisha.

🔹 Si kila mtu wa kuushika Mwili wako. Usitumie Mwili wako kama kitega uchumi, Usitumie Mwili wako kama dhamana ya kupata vile unavyohitaji.

🔹 Usitumie Mwili wako kama Njia ya kupata Mume Atakayekuoa. Kama Mungu amepanga Uolewe utaolewa tu
dada yangu hata bila ya kufunua Sketi yako. Muamini Mungu Yeye ndiye aliyeshikilia maisha yako.

🔹 Kuna mtu mmoja tu anayestahili kuugusa Mwili wako, kuuona Mwili wako, kuujua Uzuri wako.. Msubiri, Usiwe na Haraka, Mungu atamleta kwako. Endelea Kusubiri.

🔹 JITUNZE, JITHAMINI, JIKUBALI NA JIAMINI..!

SHARE NA WENGINE

MWISLAM SHAFQAT MALIK WA SIASA KALI AJILIPUA NA KUUWA WENZAKE 20 HUKU AKISEMA WALLAHU WAKBAR

ALIBEBA BOMU LA KILO 8 NA VIFAA VINGINE VYA KUJILIPUA VYENYE KILO 3

WAISLAM WASHANGALIA TUKIO HILO 

PAKISTAN: Watu 20 waangamia katika shambulizi la kujitoa muanga nchini Pakistan lililo fanywa na Waislam wa Siasa Kali.

Watu wasiopungua 20,ikiwa ni pamoja na mwanasiasa mwenye ushawishi mkubwa, Haroon Bilour,wameuawa katika shambulio dhidi ya mkutano wa uchaguzi.
=================

Kundi la Waislam wa Taliban limedai kuhusika na shambulizi hilo kwa mujibu wa maafisa wa usalama nchini Pakistani.

Shambulizi hilo lililotokea katika Peshawar kaskazini-magharibi mwa Pakistani, ni shambulizi baya lililosababisha vifo vya watu wengi nchini humo tangu kuanza kwa kampeni ya uchaguzi wa wabunge,uchaguzi uliopangwa kufanyika Julai 25.

Shambulizi hili lilitekelezwa wakati wa mkutano wa chama cha Awami National Party (ANP),ambacho tayari kililengwa na mashambulizi ya wapiganaji wa Kiislamu kwa kuonyesha upinzani wake kwa makundi kama vile Taliban.

"Idadi ya watu waliouawa imeongezeka na kufikia 20 na 63 wamejeruhiwa, ambapo 35 bado wamelazwa katika hospitali mbili huko Peshawar," mkuu wa polisi Qazi Jameel ameliambia shirika la habari la AFP.

Idadi hii imethibitishwa na afisa katika Hospitali ya Peshawar, Zulfiqar Babakhel.

Kwa mujibu wa mkuu wa kikosi cha kutegua mabomu, Shafqat Malik, mshambuliaji wa kujitoa mhanga,16, alikuwa amebeba kilo 8 ya mabomu na kilo 3 ya vifaa vingine vya kuripuka..UKWELI NA UHAKIKA.

Huu ndio Uislam dini ya haq.

2 Million Indonesian Muslims Find Jesus Per Year

No one can deny that over the past several years, millions of Muslims worldwide have converted to Christianity. Once they taste His love, they soon sense that real freedom can be found only in Christ.

Many missionary organizations, including Bibles for Mideast, engage in evangelism to Muslims. Out of concern for the security and safety of new converts in some regions, we cannot publish all the details. Even the converts themselves often must resort to secrecy to survive.

This concern over safety proves the greatest complication in assessing the number of Muslims converting to Christianity in Islamic nations, according to Albert W. Hickman of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity.

"Many of these converts keep their new faith a secret. Some of them are fairly isolated, not knowing any other Christians," he noted.

"Others are part of house churches that consist exclusively of secret converts. These individual house churches can be part of networks that are quite extensive, although most individual members might be unaware of exactly how extensive."

Violence against Christian converts is connected to the rising tide of violence against Christians in the Islamic world, according to persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA.

The website Muslim Statistics reports that “A major Christian syndication has provided video evidence to us from their user data around the world which proves that a massive 350 million Muslims live their outward lives as Muslims, on the surface, but have secretly converted to Christianity” (article here).

In December 2001, Sheikh Ahmad al Qataani, a leading Saudi cleric, appeared on a live interview on Al-Jazeerah satellite television to confirm that, sure enough, Muslims were turning to Jesus in alarming numbers.

"In every hour, 667 Muslims convert to Christianity," Al Qataani warned. "Every day, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity. Every year, 6 million Muslims convert to Christianity."

Stunned, the interviewer interrupted the cleric. "Hold on! Let me clarify. Do we have six million converting from Islam to Christianity?" Al Qataani repeated his assertion. "Every year." The interview has since been removed from Al-Jazeerah’s website, but you can both view and read it in its entirety here. 

MUSLIM WOMEN COME TO PRAY IN A CHURCH

Thousands and thousands have turned to Christ in Bangladesh, India,  Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, Maldives, Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Tanzania, Cambodia, Somalia and many other Asian and African countries. Bibles for Mideast has about 150 gospel teams ministering in different Asian, African and Middle Eastern nations. Out of those, 20 are led by women, and many Muslim women convert because of these women evangelists. 

A vast number of Muslims who have turned to Christ in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Jordan and Palestine now worship in underground house churches. We hear many miracles of healing, deliverance and even resurrections from the dead.

Some members of ruling Arabian families have come to faith in Jesus as Lord and face persecutions such as house arrest or imprisonment (see Royal Family members believe in Jesus, now face death threats and prison).

While there were only 17 Christian converts from Islam in Afghanistan in 2001, more than 250,000 believers now exist. Hundreds of baptisms happen every week.

In 1990, there were merely three known Christians in Kazakhstan and none in Uzbekistan. Now more than 250,000 worship Jesus in Kazakhstan, and 350, 000 in Uzbekistan. In 1979 there were fewer than 500 Christians in Iran. Since then, millions of Iranians have come to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, most meeting in underground house churches.

In Sudan, despite a radical Islamic regime and an ongoing genocide that has killed more than 200,000, more than one million have converted since 2000, and some five million have become Christians since the early 1990s. Seminaries are being held in caves to train pastors to shepherd the huge numbers of people coming to Christ. Why such a dramatic spiritual awakening?

"People have seen real Islam, and they want Jesus instead," a Sudanese evangelical leader reports.

One of the most dramatic developments is that many Muslims—including Shiites in Iran and Iraq—are having dreams and visions of Jesus, and thus are coming into churches explaining that they have already converted and now need a bible and guidance on how to follow Jesus. This is the fulfillment of biblical prophecy from the book of Joel:

"In the last days, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.... And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." (Joel 2:28-32)

Even though persecution against Christians in Bangladesh is on the rise, so too is the number of Muslims converting to Christianity.

“When I began my ministry in Kurigram, there was only one Christian family with a Muslim background,” says Pastor Faruk of Bangladesh, who converted to Christianity from Islam in 1995. “Now, almost 1,500 believers from Muslim backgrounds are glorifying God in this area.” As many as 100,000 Muslims across Bangladesh have converted to Christianity in the last six years.

“Persecution will come more, but the believers and I are ready to face it," Pastor Faruk added.

In India, millions of Muslims are choosing to follow Christ and now face hardships and persecutions.

A large number of Muslim refugees in Europe from Syria, Iran and Afghanistan have also converted to Christianity, with some churches conducting mass baptisms.

REFUGEES LINING UP FOR BAPTISM

"I've been spat on and told that I've betrayed Islam,” confessed a Syrian refugee baptized as a Christian in Germany. “But through what I've learned, I can forgive them."

"In Islam, we always lived in fear. Fear of God, fear of sin, fear of punishment. However, Christ is a God of love," an Iranian refugee reported in Switzerland.

"I've been looking all my life for peace and happiness, but in Islam, I have not found it," added Shima, another Iranian refugee.

In Austria there were at least 300 applications for adult christenings in the first three months of 2016 alone, with up to 70 percent of those said to be refugees.

“Within a few years all of the Muslim nations will come to Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit,” Pastor Paul of Bibles for Mideast, himself a former Muslim, says with conviction. “Satan knows it, that's why he tries to discourage and destroy the Christian workers and the believers through terrorism, persecution and brutal murdering. But our Lord Jesus will have the final victory.”

Since making that statement, Pastor Paul was again a victim of radical terrorists and is still recovering (those stories here: Despite persecution, more than 3000 former Muslims baptized,  Stoned by terrorists, protected by a lion!,  Prayer support still desperately needed for Pastor Paul and family).

Idris, another pastor with Bibles for Mideast, reports that countless ordinary Muslims, witnessing the brutal behavior of fanatics and terrorists towards Christians, are turning secretly to Christianity.

Please keep this ministry and its workers in your prayers! We so appreciate your ongoing interest and support. If you would like to submit your own prayer request or support the ministry in any way, please use the form here. 

Court supports Muslims’ opposition to construction of church in Zanzibar

A court on the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania, ruled on July 20 that a church cannot continue constructing a worship building it has tried to finish for eight years, sources told Morning Star News. Hard-line Muslims outside Zanzibar City have been fighting construction of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God building since 2009, having demolished the partially built structure twice before then. They claim the party that sold the property to the church was not the rightful owner.

   THREAT FOR THE SURVIVAL OF THE CONGREGATION Christians believe the court on the overwhelmingly Muslim island acted out of religious bias. A previous court ruling allowed construction to go forward. Pastor Amos Lukanula of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God church said last week’s ruling has serious implications for the survival of congregation on the island, and that the church plans to appeal to the High Court of Zanzibar. “Our church members have persistently worked alongside with me and are frustrated and weary, but we are always hopeful that God will still intervene,” Pastor Lukanula said. “We cannot allow the Muslims to put up a mosque in place of the church.”   

PROBLEMS SINCE 2009 The case has dragged on for more than eight years as the area Muslims have forced the church in Chukwani to incur legal costs of $100 per month in an effort to take over its property, sources said. Pastor Lukanula said the court had been waiting for the church to fail to attend the monthly court hearing in order to rule against it on a technicality. The church purchased the property in 2004 and began putting up a temporary structure, but the area Muslims pulled it down. 

The church then spent three years putting up a semi-permanent structure, which the hard-line Muslims also destroyed, sources said.   Pastor Amos Lukanula, his wife, and church members in Zanzibar. / MSN After a third structure of stone blocks was half-way finished in 2009, the Muslims stopped construction with a court order until the legal dispute could be resolved. This forced the church to raise 5.7 million Tanzanian shillings, more than US$2,500, to fight the case in court, with an attorney from mainland Tanzania traveling to Zanzibar each month at a cost of $100 per visit.   

TRIALS FOR THE OWNERSHIP “We bought the land from Harun Gikaro Wanzo, who passed on in 2009, and now his widow is the one remaining who has a small piece of land,” Pastor Lukanula said, saying the church has allowed Wanzo’s widow, Annah Philippo Barihuta, to remain living on the premises. 

“Now she might too lose that land, and she has several children to take care of. We appeal for support and prayers as we appeal for justice to be done.” On Feb. 21, 2011, a lower court ruled in favor of the church, which then continued with construction. But after the death of Amina Binti Saleh, the seller of the property to Wanzo, area Muslims and Saleh’s daughter, Jilubai Binti Saleh, filed another appeal to stop construction in 2011. 

The Muslims claimed that Saleh’s son, Sadik, was not the blood son of her late husband, Abdul Shakar, and hence did not have the right of ownership of the land that was sold to Christians. They held that Saleh’s daughter, Jilubai Binti Saleh, had been the rightful heir. 

In the church’s bid to show that Barihuta’s late husband, Wanzo, had the right to sell the land to the church, the impoverished widow and her family have borne much of the costs of the court case. Barihuta is a member of the church. 

The Muslims claimed in court that Barihuta invaded Saleh’s land in 2004 and uprooted 20 coconut trees, then put up a house illegally, and that in 2007, Pastor Lukanula illegally put up the church building within a residential area and destroyed trees worth 2 million Tanzanian shillings (US$885).

See more: http://evangelicalfocus.com/world/2755/Court_supports_Muslims_opposition_to_building_church_in_Zanzibar

Disturbing Photos Surface Of Chained Children At ISLAMIC Terrorist School

These pictures are shocking, but the story behind them is even worse. Terror investigator Neil Doyle uncovered the images after authorities carried out a raid on a school in Mogadishu. These children were kidnapped by Al Qaeda in Somalia and were being brainwashed so that they could be used in future attacks on the West. The children – some as young as seven – were chained up to beds while they were taught an extreme version of Islam.

According to a teacher at the school, the children were in chains because they were “missing classes”. Most of the children’s parents were unaware they were actually there. The raid was one of a number of operations sanctioned by the government in recent months and led to the arrest of 200 people.

Doyle is the author of Terror Base UK and Terror Tracker.

The images suggest Al Shabaab has turned to slavery in order to produce a generation of child soldiers and suicide bombers. They are following in the footsteps of other militants who target children, unfortunately, like the Afghan Taliban who regularly poison students at girls’ schools and shoot teachers.”

Denzel Washington Prayed and Read the Bible Every Day While Shooting 'Roman J. Israel, Esq' (Interview)

Denzel Washington stars in "Roman J. Israel, Esq.” alongside Colin Farrell and Carmen Ejogo. The film hits theaters November 22, 2017. Getty Images

Denzel Washington revealed that while shooting the forthcoming film, "Roman J. Israel, Esq.," he and producer and writer Dan Gilroy prayed and read the Bible every day.

"God put us together," the 62-year-old Academy Award winner told The Gospel Herald during a press junket at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles Saturday. "We prayed every day, we read the daily Word every day."

He added, "Dan and I have been prayer partners in this whole collaboration...We were on the same page from day one. We know Who we work for, and we're just trying to do our best work."

Roman J. Israel, Esq.," also starring actors Colin Farrell and Carmen Ejogo, follows an idealistic defense attorney (Washington) whose deeply-held beliefs are shaken when an unexpected series of events challenge his passion for helping the poor and disenfranchised.

"He is Old Testament, he knows the law, but, not to say he doesn't have faith, but he has faith in the law," Washington explained of his character. "His conviction was through the law."

While the film isn't "faith-based," it's chock-full of biblical themes, including sacrifice, (Roman gives up family, fortune, and reputation for the sake of a cause he firmly believes in), honor, and faith in the unseen.

"I speak now and I'm doing what God told me to do from the beginning," Washington told GH. "It was prophesied that I would travel the world and preach to millions of people. It was prophesied when I was 20. I thought it was through my work and it has been."

"My mother said to me when I was 59, she said, 'Denzel, you do a lot of good. You have to do good the right way and you know what I'm talking about,'" Washington continued. "I don't drink anymore, I don't do any of those things. I'm all about the message, to the degree that I know it, and I'm unashamed and unafraid to share it!"

In the age of social media, Washington said it's easy to lose sight of one's convictions, as society is constantly bombarded with an overwhelming amount of information.

"I was reading about this today in my prayer and meditation - it is so difficult to trust that Jesus died for our sins because the mind never shuts off, especially in this world," he said. "We know, we know, we know, but we forget, moment by moment."

He urged young people to ask themselves: "What is the long, if not short-term effect of too much information?"

"It's accelerated now, it's on steroids, it's moving so fast that it's almost impossible to keep up," Washington said of the social media age. "What happens to the part of the brain that figures things out? We better understand that we are addicted to this," he added, holding up a cell phone. "It's not its fault, it's a magnification and a reflection of our own free will."

Washington revealed that Pastor A.R. Bernard, senior pastor of Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York, once shared with him Daniel chapter 10 from the Bible, saying, "'God puts leaders in place for a reason and a season.'"

"There's a reason, you may not like what's going on but the boss has a reason," Washington said, pointing heavenward.

Like Roman, Washington urged millennials to hold fast to their convictions and share the truth of the gospel with a watching world -- no matter how unpopular.

"I pray for your generation," he said. "What an opportunity you have! Don't be depressed by it because we have to go through this, we're here now. You can't put that thing back in the box."

The actor went on to say that his father, who was a pastor, once "slapped him down" because he questioned his father's predictions about the End Times.

"Each generation, we're all guilty of it, we think it's gonna happen when we're here. We as a species, God's children, have to go through this!" he emphasized. "We don't know where we are in it [the End Times]'. We may think we're at 10, but we may just be at one. None of us know, but we are going through it. And you, after we're long gone, are going to have to go through. So at least be aware."

He added, "I would say to your generation - find a way to work together because this is a very divisive, angry time you're living in, unfortunately, because we didn't grow up like that."

"Roman J. Israel, Esq." hits theaters on Nov. 22. For more information on "Roman J. Israel, Esq." visit the movie's website.

Daughter of Muslim Ruler Imprisoned for Embracing Christianity After Seeing Light, Hearing Voice of Jesus

The Islamic State terrorist group executed a pregnant woman and took away her four children after they tried to flee their village in Iraq, a horrific new report has revealed. Over the past two years, thousands of Yazidi and Christian women in the Middle East have experienced extreme brutality at the hands of Islamic State militants, prompting US Secretary of State John Kerry to class such atrocities as ''genocide.'' Photo Credit: Reuters

Matthew 5:10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

The daughter of a Muslim ruler in the Middle East who embraced Christianity after a miraculous encounter with Jesus Christ has been imprisoned for her faith, according to a local ministry.

Evangelist Paul Siniraj, founder of Bibles For Mideast, an undercover Bible smuggling ministry that gets the Word of God into some of the most repressive Muslim countries, shared the story of 16-year-old Najima, once a devout Muslim who followed the Five Pillars of Islam, never missed the required five-times-a-day prayers, gave to the poor, and even fasted, as Islamic law requires.

However, while studying at a Western university, she noticed a small piece of paper stuck in a crease at the table at which she was sitting. It was part of a Bible tract about Jesus Christ.

It read: "For God hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

She thought it was strange and asked herself, "How can Jesus be sin for us?"

The young woman threw the tract in the trash can, thinking that would be the end of it, but the verse kept lingering in her mind. One night, while Najima lay awake pondering the verse, a presence came into the room, filling the room with blinding light.

A voice spoke, saying, "Daughter, you're a sinner. There is none righteous, no, not one: All are gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; But I came to take all of your sins. I did ransom for many. Believe me and accept me. I give you eternal life".

Najma knew the voice was that of Jesus Christ, prompting her to kneel to the ground and confess him as her Lord and Savior.

Filled with joy, the young woman told her friends and family about her newfound faith. However, her father and brothers were filled with rage and stripped her naked and bound her to a chair fixed to a metal plate with which they wanted to electrocute her. She asked them to lay a Bible in her lap.

Her father responded, "If you want to die together with your false religion, so be it."

"That will show that your religion is powerless," one of her brothers added.

Siniraj revealed that while bound, Najima was able to touch a corner of the Bible, and felt an overwhelming peace, as if Jesus was standing beside her. Her father and brothers pushed the plug into the socket, but miraculously, nothing happened.

They tried four times with various cables but still nothing happened. Livid, Najima's father hit her and cried, "You are no longer my daughter." He then threw her into the streets, naked and cold.

Humiliated but refusing to renounce her faith, Najima found refuge in a friend's house. The report reveals that the next day, her friend asked neighbors what they had thought when they saw a girl running naked through the streets.

"What are you talking about?" they responded.

"We saw a girl was running with a wonderful white dress like angels. We asked ourselves why someone so beautifully clothed had to run through the streets."

Pastor Siniraj said that Najima remains under house arrest, and is need of prayer; because of her conversion, the Muslim ruler under whom she lives banned all religious activities in the area that don't strictly follow Islam.

Authorities have searched people's property for evidence of Christianity, imprisoning anyone who is found in possession of a cross or icon. However, Pastor Siniraj said his ministry will continue to spread the Gospel:

"Planets are rotating themselves as well as go around the sun in a path. We adopt this method for the ministries of Bibles for Mideast," he said. "Often we change our location and work fields to different areas in an order...We worship and adore Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords."

"We wish and pray to distribute minimum 100,000 Bibles this year. At least 50,000 Arabic Bibles and 50,000 Bibles in other languages. It is our target for this year," he said. "Once in a week as well as three days in a month we are fasting with prayers to achieve our target by God's grace."

Najima's conversion story is just one of many to emerge out of the Middle East and Africa, where Muslim extremist groups rule with an iron fist. Christians and minorities are subject to harsh persecution, and many of them are killed by stoning, beheading, hanging, and other violent means.

However, despite such persecution, a ministry leader in the Kurdish Region of Iraq told the Christian Aid Mission that there is currently a "spiritual hunger" that is "unprecedented" among Muslims. He added that his organization can barely keep up with the desire of refugees to learn about Christ and the Bible, which has grown increasingly strong since ISIS overtook many parts of the region.

"They're just sick of Islam," he said. "People are very hungry to know about Christ, especially when they hear about miracles, healing, mercy and love."

http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/63872/20160502/daughter-of-muslim-ruler-imprisoned-for-embracing-christianity-after-seeing-light-hearing-voice-of-jesus.htm

Syrian Pastor Says 'Hundreds of Thousands of Muslims' Coming to Christ: 'God is Moving'

A Syrian pastor who has shared the gospel in the war-torn country over the past six years despite continued dangers has said he's witnessed a staggering number of Muslims, disillusioned by the atrocities committed in the name of Islam, come to Christ.

"God is moving and doing great things around us," Pastor Simon, who ministers in war-torn regions of Syria, shared with persecution watchdog Open Doors USA. "What the Lord did in the past six years, he saved hundreds of thousands of Muslims in different countries. Before the war, we only saw some believers from a Muslim background. God is moving and doing great things around us, many are being saved."

The pastor revealed that that since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, hundreds of thousands of Christians have fled the country. In the city where he ministers, there were some 900 Christian families in the city when the crisis began. Now, only 310 Christian families stayed, including three evangelical families.

Pastor Simon said: "In the places where I work as a pastor, we don't have young ministers anymore, the last one left us eight months ago and relocated to another country."

But while Christians continue to flee the country, more and more Muslims are coming to Christ, the pastor revealed. He shared that in the past years, he has baptized many people from both Druze and Muslim backgrounds. Such conversions come with a cost, however.

"I visited a family," the pastor recalled. "The brother of the wife had tried to run her over with his car because she was baptized, but the Lord saved her. Her 8-year-old son was with her. "Next time I'll kill you," the brother said afterward. I prayed with them and now search for a safer place for the family."

Despite fearing for the safety of his wife and three daughters, the pastor feels called to stay in Syria and share the gospel -- for now.

"When I see the number of people coming to know the Lord, this puts a pressure on me," he admitted. "I know that if I were to leave, no one would stay to serve these people. I pray to God: 'If we leave, Lord, send someone else.' Some time ago a pastor came to advise me to leave. The pastor never arrived at my place, he was kidnapped, and only after one a half years was he released."

He added, "I feel great pressure to stay, we're going through pain, but we still have hope there will be a solution. But I can't guarantee I will still be in Syria six months from now."

The pastor said the support he receives from Open Doors helps him: "The Lord has not yet told me to leave," he said. "When I meet with people in their pain, I see that my presence makes a big difference. They say, 'Don't leave us here'...I encourage people to stay, I speak from my own experience. When I say that God saves, I have the same experience as the people in the church."

A new report from Open Doors, Served and Middle East Concern estimates that 50-80% of the Christian populations of Iraq and Syria have emigrated since the start of the Syrian civil war. In Syria alone, the charities estimate that the Christian population of around 2 million in 2011 has "roughly halved"

According to the report, by the time ISIS infiltrated many parts of the country, Christians had already experienced an "overall loss of hope for a safe and secure future" stemming from the ongoing civil war.

The report also notes that for the Christians who have settled elsewhere, there is "little incentive" to return, with several interviewees saying "the Middle East is no longer a home for Christians".

Nevertheless, the charities note that "many" of those who remain "want to play their part in rebuilding the shattered societies of Iraq and Syria. They want to be seen as Iraqi or Syrian citizens, enjoying the full rights of citizenship, such as equality before the law and full protection of their right to freedom of religion or belief, including the ability for everyone to freely worship,practice, teach, choose and change their religion. They are not calling for special privileges as a religious minority."

http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/70852/20170607/syrian-pastor-hundreds-thousands-muslims-coming-christ-god-moving.htm

Madrasa Education: Inhumane machinery to produce Brutal Jihadists.

Would you like to send your wards to any Madrasa (Quran School)?

Juvenile beaten up and forced to learn Arabic, kept in chains at madrasa, flees madrasa, lands in judge’s house…

Sangareddy (Andhra Pradesh – India) |  :: IF YOU DON’T LEARN ALLAH’S LANGUAGE (ARABIC) PROPERLY, YOU BE PUT IN CHAIN. ALLAH IS GREAT AND MERCIFUL. In an inhuman incident that has come to light, a boy was kept chained in a madrasa (Islamic seminary) in Medak town for 15 days and was forced to learn Arabic.

A 12-year-old boy was allegedly chained by authorities of a local madrasa to prevent him from escaping from the school, following which a case was registered against its management, police said on Sunday. According to Medak town police, the boy has been studying in ‘Minhaj-ul-uloom’ religious school for the past three years and had earlier made several attempts to run away from the madrasa, as he was not a quick learner and had a stammering problem.

However, he escaped with the locked chains on and knocked on the doors of a judge in the early hours of Saturday.