EGYPTIAN CHRISTIANS SENT TO PRISON AFTER BRUTAL POLICE RAID ; PRAY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE .

ISTANBUL – Following a brutal raid on six Christian brothers and their café because they had opened for business during Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, a judge on Jan. 22 sentenced them to three years in prison with hard labor for resisting arrest and assaulting authorities.
Last September, 13 police officers raided the café in Port Sa’id, a city in Egypt’s Nile delta, overturning tables, breaking chairs and smashing glasses and hookah pipes, according to the Coptic Christians’ lawyer. They beat the brothers with sticks, leaving two with broken arms and a third needing 11 stitches for a head wound.
“The police attacked these people and assaulted them unjustifiably,” said Ramses el-Nagar, the Christians’ lawyer. “Police did not want to see people eating during Ramadan. This is unfair, because whatever people’s beliefs are, the law is something else and they should not be mixed.”
There is no law in Egypt under which the brothers could be prosecuted for opening their café during Ramadan. When they tried to defend their café, the brothers, all in their 30s, were arrested on Sept. 8 and charged with resisting arrest and assaulting authorities. They were held for 30 days before being released on bail, set at 12,000 Egyptian pounds (US$2,173).
At the trial last week, defense counsel showed a video of the incident shot by an onlooker as evidence of police brutality. The footage did not sway Judge Mohammed Hassan El-Mahmody, prompting some Coptic activists to claim religious zeal and prejudice as the true motives behind the convictions.
“The police very often pressure the Copts to accept unfair situations,” said El-Nagar. “Unfortunately, with the power of the police and Egypt being a police state, we don’t have the inclination to take the police to court.”
The names of the imprisoned Christian brothers are Ashraf Morris Ghatas; Magdy Morris Ghatas; Osama Morris Ghatas; Nabil Morris Ghatas; Walid Morris Ghatas; and Hany Morris Ghatas.
Ibrahim Habib, chairman of advocacy group United Copts of Great Britain, told Compass that Egypt needs to take certain steps for progress toward justice.
“What we would like to see is the government implementing the law, showing fairness, maintaining total separation between the state and religion, and removing the second article from the Egyptian constitution,” which makes Islamic law the source of statutory law, he said. “We would like to see Egypt free and treating all citizens equally.”
El-Nagar has 30 days to appeal the decision before the Court of Cassation, a high appeals tribunal. He said he plans to do so.

BEHEAD A CHRISTIAN AND RAISE YOUR RANK : Islam's Shariah Cited in 7 out 0f 10 nations world wide , PRAY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THESE COUNTRIES

Reports that at least 10 Christians were abducted and killed for their faith – sometimes by beheading – during 2008 has pushed Somalia into the Top 10 among nation's that aggressively persecute Christians, according to a new report from Open Doors USA.
The organization today released its 2009 World Watch List, which cited Korea – for the seventh straight year – as the nation that persecutes Christians more intensely than any other around the globe.
But Somalia rose from 12th in 2008 to 5th this year because of the growing level of attacks there, according to the report which noted two of the worst three nations, Saudi Arabia and Iran, are nations governed by Islamic Shariah law, and seven of the Top 10 nations fall into that category.
Paul Estabrooks, the organization's minister-at-large, told WND that those Islamic nations "certainly are impacted significantly by Shariah."

According to reports from Compass Direct News, it was only about 12 weeks ago when an aid worker was beheaded in Somalia specifically for converting from Islam to Christianity.
Witnesses told the organization Muslim extremists had gathered a crowd in Manyafulka village by telling them of a feast that was being prepared.
Eyewitnesses who insisted on anonymity because they feared reprisals said the Islamics carried guns and swords and dragged a handcuffed Mansuur Mohammed with them. They reported one Muslim pulled back Mohammed's head, another recited the Quran and another twisted his head so an executioner could slit his neck.
The killers then displayed the severed head to the petrified crowd, the report said.
The report said a video taken on a mobile telephone later was circulated in what many saw as a strategy to terrify anyone contemplating conversion from Islam to Christianity.
Open Doors said Afghanistan, Somalia and the Maldives are fourth, fifth and sixth, with Afghanistan moving up three spots because of an aggressive effort from Taliban officials during 2008.
In seventh is Yemen, Laos is No. 8, Eritrea, a newcomer to the Top 10, is No. 9 and Uzbekistan No. 10.
Estabrooks told WND Eritrea's jump into the Top 10 was because of its dictator's decision to place as many as 3,000 Christians in prison cells – many made of no more than steel shipping crates – without court hearings.
China dropped from No. 10 to No. 12 this year and Bhutan dropped from No. 5 to No. 11, although they remain of high concern, officials said.
The top offenders influenced by Shariah are Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Maldives, Yemen and Uzbekistan. North Korea and Laos are communist while Eritrea is a dictatorship.
The World Watch List is compiled from a specially-designed questionnaire of 50 questions covering various aspects of religious freedom. A point value is assigned depending on how each question is answered. The total number of points per country determines its position on the World Watch List of countries that are the worst persecutors of Christians.
"It is certainly not a shock that North Korea is No. 1 on the list of countries where Christians face the worst persecution," said Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors USA. "There is no other country in the world where Christians are persecuted in such a horrible and systematic manner."
The rights of Christians deteriorated in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan (13), Iraq (16), Mauritania (18), Algeria (19), India (22), Northern Nigeria (26), Indonesia (41), Bangladesh (43) and Kazakhstan (50) for the 2009 report, Open Doors said.
Persecution continued "unabated" in Saudi Arabia, where the daughter of a member of the nation's religious police force was killed for writing online about her new faith in Christ.
According to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, Saudi police also just two weeks ago arrested a man "because of his opinions and his testimony that he had converted from Islam to Christianity."
In Iran, Islamic crackdowns have been boosted aggressively on house churches, in Afghanistan, a Christian was killed after being accused of "spreading" Christianity, and India's ranking rose from 30 to 22 because of the "worst outbreak of religious violence on record for Christians in … the state of Orissa," the report said.
The organization estimates 100 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with millions more facing discrimination and alienation.

GREEN FAMILY GIVES $10 MILLION TO ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY

TULSA, Okla. -- The excitement continues to grow on the campus of Oral Roberts University. On Wednesday, Jan. 28, Dr. Mark Rutland was chosen as ORU's third president by the ORU Board of Trustees. In a closing meeting on Thursday, it was announced that the Green family will donate $10 million for renovations on the ORU campus this summer.
"This gift will help to improve the quality of education for students at the new ORU," said Board Chair Mart Green. "Our family is excited to continue partnering with ORU financially to ensure this great university continues to provide an excellent, whole-person education."
This additional gift will build on the $10.4 million of tremendous renovations that have already been realized on the campus from last summer as a result of the initial gift of the Green family. Some of the renovations from last summer included renovations and remodeling in the library; restoration of the porches of the Learning Resources Center and Graduate Center; a new gazebo; additional walkways and sitting areas; new wiring to the dormitories; new microfridge units in every dorm room; total renovation of Zoppelt Auditorium; new lobby furniture in many of the dormitories; and new carpet, furniture, game tables and flat panel televisions in the lobby of the Towers dormitories. Projects intended for this summer are being determined.
In other Board news, two members have been added to the ORU Board of Reference. The two additions are Stephen Strang, founder of Charisma magazine and founder and president of Strang Communications Company, and Terry Law, founder and president of World Compassion.
Oral Roberts University is an interdenominational Christian liberal arts university located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963 by evangelist Oral Roberts, ORU serves students from throughout the U.S. and more than 60 countries, representing 40 denominations. Offering 65 undergraduate majors, 14 master's programs and two doctoral degrees, plus NCAA Division I athletics, ORU is preparing its students spiritually, mentally, and physically to go into every person's world. For more information about ORU, visit www.oru.edu.

WYCLIFFE BUILDING AIRSTRIPS TO RESCUE MISSIONARIES IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

ORLANDO, FLORIDA -- U.S.-based Bible translation group Wycliffe Associates (WA) is raising funds and providing volunteers to restore and reopen airstrips in Papua New Guinea to evacuate missionaries for medical reasons should the need arise

Most travel in the Pacific nation is done by air as its mountainous terrain and thick jungles make travel difficult and time-consuming, said WA President and Chief Executive Officer Bruce Smith. "Time is of the essence in the case of a life-threatening situation. It’s hard for us in America to fathom the difficulty and the panic one faces when isolated in a jungle with an emergency," he added.

There are up to 1,000 volunteers, Bible translators, support personnel, and children in Papua New Guinea at any given moment. Medical emergencies are inevitable, and air transport is their only "safety net," the WA official explained.In addition to medical emergencies, Smith said the airstrips and planes that often fly in and out of the country are crucial for the work of Bible translation.Last year, 1,693 volunteers served in 35 countries as part of WA’s worldwide Bible translation teams, he said.

In 2009, the organization plans to send over 2,000 volunteers to 41 different countries for several projects, ranging from renovating facilities, constructing roads and airstrips, to teaching at a 'Vacation Bible School'.

DALLAS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY ADMINISTRATOR ACCUSED OF EMBEZZLING $165,OOO

FORT WORTH - Dallas Theological Seminary claims someone took $165,000 and Channel 8 has learned the school is accusing a former administrator.
There's a complicated money trail to follow in all of this.
At the Tarrant county courthouse, a judge has now frozen money in the former administrator's bank accounts.
It was Rodney Bryant's job to protect Dallas Theological Seminary financially.
He served as the school's Chief Financial Officer for nearly a decade.
But this week, in court papers, the seminary asked a judge for help, claiming it was Bryant, the school needed protection from.
The accused embezzler's wife, Lisa Bryant, denies her husband was involved in any wrongdoing.
"My husband is innocent," she said.
Lisa Bryant is talking about allegations Dallas Theological Seminary is making against her husband, Rodney Bryant.
"Dallas Theological Seminary has found itself in the unpleasant position of needing to take appropriate legal action... to protect the seminary's interests and assets," said Mark Yarborough of the Dallas Theological Seminary.
A seminary spokesman could say little publicly but according to this lawsuit, filed by the seminary, Rodney Bryant signed off on $165,000 in payments to two companies in 2007 and 2008.
The paperwork, on the surface, was in order, complete with bills and letters engineering and legal services.
Once a seminary employee started checking, however, it became obvious the companies were not what they appeared to be. One, for instance, an environmental legal services firm, has an address that traced back to a UPS store.
The seminary is claiming they were just shell companies that were there for him to embezzle the money.
"My husband embezzled no money," said Lisa Bryant.
This week a judge signed orders freezing money in bank accounts in the name of both Rodney Bryant and the companies named in the lawsuit. Bryant's wife maintains her husband's innocence.
"I know him," she said.
Dallas Theological seminary terminated Bryant in October.
In court documents, the seminary says the decision was unrelated to the embezzlement claims.
A hearing in this case will be held in two weeks.