NIGERIA – Pastor killed amid rising Islamist militancy in Borno

A very interesting post from http://www.releaseinternational.org/ about Islamic persecution in Nigeria. This follows this post about a Muslim ice cream man in Philadelphia. This follows this post  about Miss USA 2010 and this article about the recent news about the former ban on offshore drilling which would encourage American energy independence and prevent money from going to hostile countries such as Iran   and Venezuela. For more that you can do to get involved click HERE and read this very interesting book HERE!

NIGERIA – Pastor killed amid rising Islamist militancy in Borno




Extremists shot dead a Nigerian pastor and his secretary in the north-eastern town of Maiduguri which is beset by increasing Islamist militancy.



Pastor David Usman and church secretary Hamman Andrew were killed in the Borno state capital by Boko Haram militants who have been blamed for several recent bomb attacks. The attacks have been widely interpreted as a protest against April's national elections which returned Christian incumbent Goodluck Jonathan to power.



A bomb attack on an army barracks in Maiduguri on May 29 killed 15 people and a series of seven bombs on June 7 included an attack on St Patrick's Church which killed three people. Boko Haram claimed responsibility for bomb attacks on the Plateau state capital, Jos, on Christmas Eve (Prayer Alert, December 29, 2010).



Another pastor in Maiduguri, Rev Titus Dama Pona of the Evangelical Church Winning All, told Compass Direct news agency that recent violence had left Christians in fear of their lives.



'We no longer feel free moving around the city and most churches no longer carry out worship services for fear of becoming targets of these unprovoked attacks,' he said.



Pastor David, 45, described as a gentle and jovial man, was shot in an area of Maiduguri called the Railway Quarters, where his church is based, on June 7. He had reportedly raised the problem of Boko Haram with his superiors and commented that the Government needed to do more to stamp out this threat.



This was the second time Boko Haram had targeted Pastor David's church, a Church of Christ in Nigeria congregation. In July 2009, militants set fire to their building and killed several church members.



Boko Haram is committed to extending strict Islamic law or Sharia across Nigeria and has regularly targeted officials – including politicians, military personnel and police – as well as Christians. It rejects democratic institutions, which it sees as based on Christian values, according to Compass Direct.



On June 6, Boko Haram killed Ibrahim Birkuti, a moderate Muslim cleric who had criticised the group. He was shot dead outside his home in the town of Biu, some 120 miles south of Maiduguri, according to the BBC.



(Sources: BBC, Christian Today, Compass Direct)



• Ask God to bless and comfort the grieving families of Pastor David Usman and Hamman Andrew. Pray that their deaths will not be in vain.

• Pray that moderate Muslims will stand up against the extremist activities of Boko Haram – and against Islamist extremism generally which so often targets Christians.