Persecution & Prayer Alert

"Coming out of prison during this
month of [China's] Thanksgiving has
been full of God's grace – I have seen
the Holy Spirit's presence every day."
~ Pastor Zhang Shaojie

Canadian Marriage Commissioner Expects to Be a Victim of Gay Marriage Law

^{Canadian Justice Minister, Irwin Cotler}

With the passage of Canadian bill C-38 in the House of Commons and the Senate, the legalization of gay marriage in Canada is expected to receive royal assent today. When the bill was being debated, Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, repeatedly promised that religious rights would not violated with this law. However, those promises ring hollow for provincially appointed marriage commissioners. Several provincial governments have demanded that they perform same-sex marriages. According to a July 19 article in The Globe and Mail, at least one in ten commissioners have resigned in Newfoundland after being told they must perform the ceremonies. At least twelve commissioners in Manitoba and eight in Saskatchewan have followed suit. However, Orville Nichols from Regina, Saskatchewan has refused to resign.

In May, Nichols was asked to perform a same-sex marriage and refused. The couple filed a complaint with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission. In light of Nichols and others like him, Cotler said, "One should be able to find a way of accommodating those who for reasons of conscience feel they don't want to perform a same-sex marriage." Saskatchewan's Justice Minister Frank Quennell made his position clear in late 2004 when he said that marriage commissioners are expected to follow the law and could lose their jobs if they do not marry same-sex couples.

In light of the same-sex marriage legislation, VOMC's Communications Director, Glenn Penner, has written a weblog on the Roman Catholic Church's response to members of parliament who supported bill C-38. We encourage you to read his commentary and answer our online poll click here.

Pakistani Province Institutes Strict Islamic Law

^{Khalilur Rehman, Governor of North West Frontier Province}

The legislature of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) has passed a bill that has been described by critics as the "Talibanization" of Pakistan. The law sets up a watchdog with the power to reform the society in accordance to "Islamic values," which includes ensuring that such values are observed in public places. The legislation is strongly opposed by the federal government, which has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court's Karachi bench. The federally appointed governor of NWFP, Khalilur Rehman, has vowed to take every take every constitutional step available to prevent the law from being implemented.

NWFP borders on Afghanistan and is known for its support for the strict Islamic policies of the Taliban, many of whom were trained in Islamic schools in northwest Pakistan. Pakistan's Islamic schools have again come under close scrutiny after the London bombings. British Defense Secretary John Reid described Pakistan's madrassas (Islamic schools) as "a major source of international instability and contribute largely toward the growth of terrorist activity."

A special supplement to the Persecution and Prayer Alert is scheduled to be sent out this week asking the question, "Is the War of Terrorism Really Winnable?" by VOMC's Communications Director, Glenn Penner (click here). We encourage you to carefully evaluate this question in the light of Glenn's commentary.

Pray that this law will be overturned and that strict Islamic law will not be instituted in any area of Pakistan. Pray for wisdom for Christians in Pakistan who must face those endeavoring to institute such laws.

For more information on Pakistan and the difficulties facing Christians there, click here.

Update: Sudanese Class Action Lawsuit Continues Despite Canadian Government Interference

Talisman Energy, one of Canada's largest oil companies, is facing a class action lawsuit under the Alien Tort Claims Act in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The suit claims that Talisman was complicit in genocide in southern Sudan by the Islamic Sudanese government; allegations strongly denied by Talisman. The Canadian government has also become involved in the lawsuit, as evidenced by a fax from the Canadian Embassy in Washington to the U.S. State Department, opposing the lawsuit. Despite this intervention and some setbacks (click here), the lawsuit is continuing.

Glenn Penner, Communications Director for The Voice of the Martyrs, believes that such Canadian government involvement is inappropriate. "How does it appear to the world when Canadian officials seek to interfere in a lawsuit concerning the possibility that one of our companies what complicit in genocide," asks Penner. "Hasn't Canadian oil development in Sudan cost us enough shame in the past? Let's allow the courts to do their job."

Pray that justice will be done in this situation. Pray that full and lasting peace will be achieved in Sudan. Pray for the many who are suffering as a result of the devastation by the Sudanese government against the people of southern Sudan.

For more information on Sudan and the challenges facing Sudanese Christians, click here.

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