Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world. In today's edition:
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Opportunity for Gospel in Sudan after Security Compact
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Lawyer: Constitution Prevailed in Nigerian Stoning Case
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At Christian `Feast of Tabernacles,' Evangelicals Support Israel
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Author Challenges Christians to Resist Discrimination
Opportunity for Gospel in Sudanafter Security Compact
Allie Martin, Agape Press
The president of World Relief (worldrelief.org) says churches in America have a chance to help Christians in war-torn and poverty-stricken Sudan. A recent security deal signed by Sudan's government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army is a significant step toward peace in that country, according to World Relief president Clive Calver. He says the new security arrangement and opportunities for relief come at a critical time for many Sudanese who are suffering from hunger and health issues caused by a combination of war and natural disasters. Calver says the opportunities have never been greater for spreading the gospel in that country. "There's been almost no transportation -- there are no telephones [or radios], so…it's been a huge problem for the spreading of the gospel,” he explained. “And yet, Southern Sudan is [home to] one of the fastest growing churches on Earth. People are so ready for Jesus." According to World Relief, the security pact has important implications for the relief and development community. "The message from the church [in the Sudan] to the brothers and the sisters in the West is…we're going to get peace; now we've got a chance to share Jesus and change our country."
Lawyer: Constitution Prevailed in Nigerian Stoning Case
Michelle Gabriel, Religion News Service
The Nigerian government prevailed over Islamic Sharia law when an appeals court overturned Amina Lawal's death-by-stoning sentence after she was convicted of adultery in March, Lawal's lawyer told a news conference Wednesday (Oct. 8). Hauwa Ibrahim, the first female lawyer in northern Nigeria, was Lawal's lead counsel in both her appeals cases. "The rule of the law and due process were our ultimate goals," Ibrahim said. The decision set a precedent in Nigeria, where in some Muslim-dominated states, Sharia laws are held above those outlined in the Nigerian constitution. Ibrahim and her team of lawyers argued that Lawal had not been read her charge in her native language -- it was read in Arabic -- and had not been represented by a lawyer in her first trial. "This was a huge victory for Amina Lawal ... but it was an even more huge victory for Nigeria because it upheld the constitution," Ibrahim said. Ibrahim said her victory in Nigeria's highest appeals court also reinforced that the prosecutor -- not the victim -- had the burden of proof in court. Ibrahim, who defied her village's rule that women older than 13 cannot continue their education, received bachelor's and master's degrees from a Nigerian university.
