Students for the Relief of the Oppressed

1. CHINA - Christian activist, SHEN PEILAN, has been abducted by government officials for the second time in a month. Please pray for her safety and immediate release. Thank God! Christian lawyer, GAO ZHISHENG, has been released and allowed to go home. However, it is believed that he remains under close surveillance and is not yet free. Pray that he will soon be completely free and reunited with his family (his wife and children are living in the United States). Pray for Uyghur house-church leader ALIMUJIANG YIMITI, serving a 15-year sentence. The Court has rejected his appeal. Ask the Lord to protect and strengthen him while in prison, and that authorities will act justly in his case. Pray that he, his wife, and their two young sons will rest peacefully in the knowledge of God’s love. 2. IRAN - Praise God for the temporary release of Pastor WILSON ISSAVI. The Court plans to review the charges against him. His faith remains strong, and he is in good spirits. H...

Being a Christian in Pakistan has been difficult for a long time. In recent weeks their plight has grown even more difficult, as the Taliban are increasingly trying to enforce Islamic beliefs. The extreme application of sharia law will give rise to many serious problems for Christians, with the most serious application being death for converts from Islam. Please pray for the safety of the Christian community. If you would like to help the Christians practically then please get in touch with us, and we can provide you with further details.

Somalia has not earned for itself an enviable reputation over the past two decades. The country has suffered from border disputes, drought and war ever since its independence and has not had a functioning government in almost twenty years. It is a nation well-known for its warlords, Islamist militia and, just recently, pirates. Last November Somali pirates successfully captured and held ransom the Sirius Star – the largest ship ever to be captured. The Saudi oil-tanker was released this last month. Other than the occasional mention in the news, most people probably associate Somalia with Blackhawk Down, a movie documenting the downing of a Blackhawk helicopter and the killing of U.S. Army Rangers by Somali militias in 1993. The newly formed government based in Djibouti has just elected Sheik Sharif Ahmed, a more moderate Islamist leader, as their president. However, he and his government face a hard task ahead of them as the Islamist militia in Somalia (Al-Shabab) are unlikely to recog...