Believers in Danger in Iraq

BAKERSFIELD, Calif., Jan. 22 /Christian Newswire/ — Phil Walker, President of International Christian Ministries (ICM) recently traveled to three different North Africa and Middle East Countries. In one country he taught leaders from four countries including Iraq. What follows is a plea for help from a Christian brother in Iraq for his family. He and his family are one of the thousands of other believers trapped in an almost impossible situation.

“Tuesday at 3:45 pm, me and my family were about to be killed. An unknown armed people attacked the street where I live and the shops which are beside my house. Thousands and thousands of bullets were randomly shot; no body believed what was going on. We just tried hard to hide somewhere in the house that looked safe. This thing lasted for 30 minutes. We thought we will never see the sun again. After some minutes of silence I opened the door to find 5 bodies in front of my house door. There was more than 12 people killed and 40 injured; some of the cases were very serious. They tried to kill every thing that was moving in the street at those minutes. I and my son John came to our house from the grocery shop, just 15 minutes before. If we were late a little bit there is no doubt that we were killed. More than 20 shops in my neighbors were smashed and some of the owners were killed.

Since Tuesday, I was not able to leave my house. The children are shaken from the fear and don’t want me to leave them. No one is able to go to school. We have had a serious shock. The situation is so bad in these days that more than 500 people were killed and injured during these days because of several attacks and bombings.

Besides all the killing, we have electricity for only one hour a day and it’s so hard to afford for the gasoline for generators. We are spending very hard days and dark cold nights.

Please I ask you and the brothers there to pray for us and for our safety.”

CAIR Calls for Arrest and Deportation for Speaking Against Terrorism

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: M.Sliwa Public Relations, 973-272-2861 or msliwa@msliwa.com

Muslim Convert and Refugee from Lebanon Addresses CAIR Canada’s Campaign of Bias

There is a growing and forceful campaign by CAIR and other Islamist organizations in Canada to silence the free speech of Zachariah Anani by calling for his arrest and deportation. Anani is a Muslim convert to Christianity, former terrorist-militant and refugee from Lebanon. CAIR, an organization which claims to be the voice of moderation, should be embracing Anani’s message against violence and the dangers of extremism instead of mounting a witch hunt against him.

It is no wonder that CAIR is attacking Anani, as it has been documented that many of the leaders of CAIR have openly supported the positions of Hamas, Hizballah and al-Queda – all recognized terrorist organizations.

Recently, Anani spoke on the dangers of radical extremism at a church in Ontario. A backlash ensued, with CAIR and other Islamist groups pressuring political leaders to throw Anani and his family out of the country. Two members of Parliament, and one member of City Council joined the mayor of Windsor in denouncing Anani. None of these political officials, however, attended the lecture or even watched a video of it. The content of Anani’s speech was almost exclusively from passages he read directly from the Koran.

Wally Chafchak, a member of the Windsor Police Services Board and the Windsor Islamic Association, is leading the charge to have Anani arrested. According to Arab American News of Michigan, CAIR Canada is also calling for Anani’s arrest.

In the Criminal Code there is a section that deals with spreading hatred in the community, Chafchak said. This instance should fall under those laws. Justice can only be served if this person is charged.

But Walid Shoebat, a former terrorist from the West Bank, believes silencing Anani is a dangerous trend with far reaching implications for the future of Canadian and eventually US freedoms.

“Incarcerating or deporting a former terrorist who wants to warn the world about extremism will set a dangerous precedence in Canada,” Shoebat says. “Instead of censoring free speech, CAIR should be encouraging Muslims to embrace Canadian culture, as other groups have, and not try to change it in a way that will censor the freedoms Canadians have fought and died for.”

Shoebat believes that CAIR and other Islamist organizations should join Anani in encouraging Muslims to speak out against terrorism and the killing, raping, forced conversion, mutilation and other acts of violence perpetrated by Jihadist groups worldwide against non-Muslims.

On Tuesday, January 30th at 7:00 p.m., Walid Shoebat, Zachariah Anani and Kamal Saleem, all former terrorists, will speak at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

See. http://3xTerrorists.com and http://Shoebat.com

Brownback Reintroduces Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act

WASHINGTON Jan. 22 /Standard Newswire/ — U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today reintroduced the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, which would require those who perform abortions on unborn children 20 weeks after fertilization to inform the mother seeking an abortion of the medical evidence that the unborn child feels pain.

“It is a scientific, medical fact that unborn children feel pain,” said Brownback. “We know that unborn children can experience pain based upon anatomical, functional, physiological and behavioral indicators that are correlated with pain in children and adults. Mothers seeking an abortion have the right to know that their unborn children can feel pain.”

The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, in addition to informing the mother seeking an abortion of the medical evidence that the unborn child feels pain would also ensure that the mother, if she chooses to continue with the abortion procedure after being given the medical information, has the option of choosing anesthesia for the child, so that the unborn child’s pain is less severe.

The bill, first introduced in the 109th Congress, has 27 co-sponsors.

Brownback continued, “Today, I participated in the 34th annual March for Life, an event which reminds us that every life is worthy of protection, especially the smallest lives. Unborn children do not have a voice, but we nonetheless must recognize that they can feel pain and should be treated with care.”

Brownback is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and chairs the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights.

Launch of New Online Tool for Church Websites

MEDIA ADVISORY, Jan. 23 /Christian Newswire/ — “Does your church’s website communicate to outsiders as well as to the members?” asks a new web resource. A church site is the congregation’s ’shop window’ to its community. To fulfill this function well, it must be enticing, people- centered and easily understood by outsiders. Unfortunately, many churches are unsure how to achieve this vital mix.

So the Internet Evangelism Day team has just launched an online self-assessment tool. It leads a church through a series of questions, to highlight areas of their website which may need development: www.InternetEvangelismDay.com/design

“I think it will be very helpful to churches,” comments Gene Anderson of Resurrection Lutheran Church, California.

A church site which has been prioritized for non- Christian visitors can be remarkably effective in reaching the community. “Week in, week out, more visitors turn up at our church on a Sunday because of the website, than anything else,” writes one growing church in London UK using these principles.

The Internet Evangelism Day (‘IE Day’) website also explains other types of online evangelism, such as outreach sites, video clips, blogging and podcasts. There is even a free ‘conversation starter’ screen- saver to download.

Church Focus Day Increases Awareness

The IE Day team also encourages churches and other groups around the world to hold their own ‘web awareness’ focus day on (or near) 29 April 2007. The IE Day site provides downloadable video clips, drama sketches, posters, handouts and a PowerPoint presentation, making it easy for any church to create its own ‘IE Day’ program. This can as brief as a 2- minute spot within a worship time, or an entire themed church service, seminar, or midweek meeting.

Churches that have already held their own focus day are enthusiastic. “It was a real eye-opener for many,” writes one in Muncie, Indiana. “We held a midweek evening presentation of 90 minutes, for other local churches,” says another from Dawlish UK.

A Canadian church leader comments, “I used a 10- minute presentation that focused on how anyone can get involved in reaching out to the Internet community. I also added a section on using our church website as an evangelism tool, as some of our members have already had great success with it.”

IE Day is supported by a wide range of Christian leaders. “I am glad to commend Internet Evangelism Day,” says John Stott.

Internet Evangelism Day is an initiative of the Internet Evangelism Coalition, an umbrella group of major interdenominational Christian groups involved in Web ministry. IE Day’s purpose is to explain to the worldwide church the potential of the Web for effective proclamation of the Christian Good News by: – a detailed resource website – encouraging churches and other groups to hold an annual web awareness focus day

Interviews available: www.InternetEvangelismDay.com/publicity
Photos available: www.InternetEvangelismDay.com/photos
Recommended photo for this item: www.InternetEvangelismDay.com/churchphoto
Additional articles – ready-made material: www.InternetEvangelismDay.com/articles
Leaders supporting IE Day: www.InternetEvangelismDay.com/supporting

Christian Newswire

102 Sudanese Slaves Freed

PRESS RELEASE

January 23, 2007

Christian Solidarity International
http://www.csi-int.org

Contact: Maria Sliwa, M. Sliwa Public Relations, 973-272-2861

CSI: “An Excellent Example to all Abolitionists”, says Anti-Trafficking Specialist

(AWEIL, Southern Sudan) Last week, 102 Black African slaves were liberated from Baggara Arab masters and returned to their homeland in Southern Sudan in an action supported by Christian Solidarity International (CSI).

Most of the liberated slaves – mainly boys and young men – had been captured by Sudanese government-sponsored Arab militias during two decades of civil war, pitting the Arab-Muslim dominated Government of Sudan against the predominantly Black African Sudan People’s Liberation Front (SPLA).

Interviews reveal a strong pattern of physical and psychological abuse. The overwhelming majority of the liberated slaves had been subjected to beatings, racial and religious insults, forced labor and denial of the freedom to practice any religion other than Islam. Most of the girls and women had been subjected to sexual abuse. Among the slaves were:

16-year-old Agor Deng: Agor was repeatedly raped by her master, Adam Abakir and his associates. Adam Abakir and his wife excised her finger nails with a knife after she failed to obey an order to grind grain. They also forced her, using death threats, to pray like a Muslim.

30-year-old Garang Akot Wiir: Garang’s right arm and leg were partially paralyzed after having been beaten and tied up tightly for 24 hours as punishment for attempting to escape. He was renamed Abdelrazik Ezzadin by his master.

45-year-old Achol Loc Wiel: Achol was shot in her leg during a slave raid. She also lost her husband and three children during the slave raid and forced march to Northern Sudan. Achol was gang raped by her master’s friends. She was also forced to abandon the practice of her Christian faith and pray like a Muslim.

The liberation and documentation of the 102 slaves was the result of cooperation between Arab-Dinka Peace Committees, the civil authorities in Aweil State, local churches and CSI.

The Sudanese Episcopalian priest, Rev. Tito Athian – a longstanding local CSI partner – expressed joy at the liberation and repatriation of the slaves, stating: “Thank you for helping bring back our people from slavery. Now they are free to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ and choose their own religion.”

After witnessing several CSI slave liberation actions, including last week’s, anti-trafficking consultant and author of The Jubilee Prophecy, Aaron Cohen, said: “I have seen first hand, in 23 countries, the positive changes good programs can have in the lives of enslaved people. CSI has created in Sudan a sustainable and effective program which has liberated thousands of slaves, inspired anti-trafficking legislation, and brought hope to people in bondage. CSI’s pioneering work in Sudan is an excellent example to all abolitionists.”

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CSI has been in the forefront of the campaign to eradicate slavery in Sudan since 1995, and is commemorating this year the 30th anniversary of its foundation and the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade.