Member of Kuwaiti royal family embraces Christ

Kuwaiti royal prince (Courtesy Mohabat News).

Member of Kuwaiti royal family embraces Christ: "The T.V. channel claimed that Prince Abdollah Al-sabah comes from a Kuwaiti royal family which currently governs the country. The channel also said that the prince recently denounced his Islamic faith and became a Christian.

The voice in the audio file introduced himself as Abdollah Al-sabah and stated, "First of all, I totally agree with the distribution of this audio file and I now declare that if they kill me because of this audio file, then I'll go into the presence of Jesus Christ and be with him for all eternity.""

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Arab Spring brings little change; Muslims still seeking

International (MNN) ― The uproar in nations across the Middle East and North Africa during the first half of 2011, in particular, included marches against oppression and petitions for democracy. The Arab Spring, as it's come to be known, was full of demands, violence, and in some cases, real change.

But Fouad Masri, founder of the Crescent Project, says despite the fact that coverage of the Arab Spring has waned, many nations have yet to resolve major issues.

"In Syria, we're now at almost 2,000 dead. Libya is in a mess of civil war. Tunisia hasn't settled down. Morocco is having some issues. We're noticing that it really hasn't settled, and change hasn't really come," observes Masri.
Of course, some nations appear to be making strides. Egypt has made an effort to revamp government, but even that, says Masri, has actually changed little from an evangelistic perspective.

"Right now, none of these things have changed any laws," explains Masri. "Even when you say there was a change of government in Egypt, the laws have not changed concerning Christian-Muslim relations. The laws have not changed concerning Muslims being able to read Scripture or being allowed to be baptized."

The lack of any new freedoms may be disconcerting, but on the other hand, Masri says, the Arab Spring has swung doors wide open for the Gospel. As people have not only had a chance to question their lifestyles, but also the opportunity to see via internet, social media and more the way the world is run elsewhere, questions are starting to emerge.

"That [globalization] is, in many ways, helping people ask questions: ‘Is it true that Islam is the only way? Is it true that Islam is the perfect religion? Is it true that Islam solves all the problems? Is it true that the political structure of Islam is the only structure?' And they're finding out it's not true," says Masri.
A
s Muslims make this realization--especially throughout the month of Ramadan which ended yesterday, they are more ready than ever to embrace change. Once they realize that even what is supposed to be a new government is not making great changes for them, they are looking for hope elsewhere.

Crescent Project is making the most of this openness. With their Give-A-Gospel Campaign, the ministry is encouraging believers to help Crescent Project train Christians who will reach out to Muslims.

Crescent Project focuses specifically on the 7 million Muslims that live in the United States, but Masri says even in reaching out to Muslims who live far from Arab Spring nations, the effects of sharing the Gospel reach thousands of miles.

"Whenever a Muslim becomes a believer in Jesus, now they're shining in their household, with their neighbors, with their countrymen," explains Masri. On several occasions, people trained by Crescent Project have shared the Gospel with Muslims foreign to the U.S. who have later gone back to their own countries and boldly proclaimed the Gospel there.

Give-A-Gospel funding goes toward materials to be handed out at festivals, trainings, and campaigns, but it also goes toward equipping believers with the proper tools to reach Muslims at this vital time. "It's important that people are equipped before they start the conversations with a Muslim, for the sake of Christ's glory and effectiveness in communicating the Gospel."

Millions of Muslims in the United States, in the Middle East, in North Africa, and elsewhere are hungry for Truth. If you want to help share Christ's love with them, visit www.crescentproject.org/give and click the "Give-A-Gospel" category.

‘Ground Zero Mosque’ leader gives 9/11 talks in Britain

EDINBURGH, August 25, 2011: The US Muslim leader at the centre of the recent storm over plans to build an Islamic community centre near Ground Zero in New York is arriving in Britain tomorrow and giving a series of talks and interviews in Scotland.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf will offer his perspective on 9/11 during a visit organised by the Festival of Spirituality and Peace in partnership with Edinburgh University’s Prince Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World.

Imam Feisal came to international prominence last year when his plans to build Plan51, a Muslim community centre, two blocks from where the Twin Towers stood sparked a heated debate within America and abroad about the relationship between the Islamic faith and the West since 9/11.

Author and activist Feisal has won several awards for his work bridging the divide and improving relations between the Muslim world and the West.

On Saturday 27 August he will be in conversation with Professor Hugh Goddard, head of the Alwaleed Centre. In the event, 'The Day The World Changed', he will discuss religious pluralism and Islam in the United States ten years after 9/11. It is a keynote event within the Festival of Spirituality and Peace.

The meeting will be repeated in Glasgow on Wednesday 31 August.

As part of the festival’s closing event on Sunday 28 August, Imam Feisal will receive a peace award from the festival, the City of Edinburgh, Edinburgh InterFaith Association, and the Conference of Edinburgh’s Religious Leaders.

He has founded two non-profit organisations, the Cordoba Initiative and the American Society for Muslim Advancement, dedicated to building bridges of understanding between the general public and the Muslim community through interfaith dialogue and the arts.

Professor Hugh Goddard, director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World, said: “Given the furore in the United States last year following the threat by Pastor Terry Jones to burn a copy of the Qur’an in public, it will be excellent for audiences in Scotland and the wider UK to hear the American Muslim leader against whom this threat was directed speak about being a Muslim in the USA today and the wider relationship between the world of Islam and the West.”

Director of the Festival of Peace and Spirituality, the RevDonald Reid, added: “Imam Feisal is an eloquent exponent of how the highest aspirations of Islam and US democracy concur – I can think of no better speaker therefore, for a festival dedicated to peace in a post 9/11 world as we approach this tenth anniversary.”

Simon Barrow, co-director of the beliefs and values think-tank Ekklesia, which has been involved in several aspects of this year's Festival, commented: "It is important for Europe to hear a senior US Muslim voice as part of the debate about religion, ideology, violence and peacemaking as we remember the horror of 9/11 and the continuing conflict and terror that followed it. Finding a path to just-peace in place of further justifications for war remains a global priority for human flourishing."

'The Day The World Changed' takes place at St John’s Church, Lothian Road, Edinburgh at 9.30am on Saturday 27 August 2011. The repeat event in Glasgow is at 6.30pm on Wednesday 31 at Wellington Church, University Avenue.

Tickets are £6 or £4 concessions, free to under-18s and claimants from Hub Tickets, Castlehill, Edinburgh.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. The full programme for the 2011 Festival of Sprituality and Peace can be found at:http://www.festivalofspirituality.org.uk/

2. News and comment on the Festival of Spirituality and Peace from Ekklesia:http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/festivalofspirituality

3. Founded in 2001, Ekklesia examines politics, values and beliefs in a changing world, from a Christian perspective. It has been listed by The Independent newspaper among 20 influential UK think-tanks. According to Alexa/Amazon, it has one of the most-visited religion and politics / current affairs websites in Britain. More: http://ekklesia.co.uk/content/about/about.shtml

4. Media contact for Imam Faisal's Scottish visit: Edd McCracken, University of Edinburgh - tel. 0131 651 4400; email: edd.mccracken@ed.ac.uk

Believers pray for Muslim 'Night of Power'

International (MNN) ― Since Ramadan began on August 1, millions of Muslims across the globe have been fasting, praying, and doing good works.

Ramadan is the "holy month" of Islam, during which, Muslims believe, the Muslim prophet Muhammad received the Islamic holy book, the Qur'an. All month, Muslims have been abstaining from food and water until sundown. Some have even traveled to the Muslim holy city of Mecca.

Throughout the entire month of Ramadan, Muslims are often more sensitive to spiritual issues, seeking God as perhaps they have not in the past. This openness to seeking God causes many Christians to pray daily for Muslims during Ramadan.

If ever there was a day to pray throughout the month, however, it's tomorrow.

Tomorrow is what's known as the Night of Power, or the Night of Destiny during Ramadan. The Night of Power is the very night that Muslims believe revelations were first given to Muhammad. During this night, more than perhaps any other night of the year, Muslims are praying and seeking spiritually.

"They believe that God in that night will answer your prayer and change your destiny for that year," explains Crescent Project founder Fouad Masri. "So on that night, many Muslims are spending time in prayer, in request. They might be reciting the Qur'an. Devout Muslims try to use that night as a way to change their fate, to change their destiny for the next year."

Because Muslims are praying more than ever during the Night of Power, believers are praying more than ever for Muslims.

"There are a lot of Christians meeting together, also praying for Muslims that night, because Muslims are very spiritually in tune; maybe they're thinking about eternity, maybe they're thinking about their destiny," says Masri.
Prayer is vital. Already this month, Crescent Project has seen Muslims come to Christ one after another, in part as a result of kneeling believers.

"We are seeing the fruit of those prayers, number one, in the openness in Muslims' hearts," notes Masri, who says Muslims are more open to the Gospel now than ever. "The second thing is the changes we see in the Muslim world."
As the Muslim world continues to evolve with new governments and alternative ways of thinking, people are starting to question Islam. Hearts are open and are responding to Christ.

"The prayers are being answered, [and] it's happening on different levels: openness of society, openness of Muslims, and then Muslims becoming believers in Jesus."

If you have been praying for Muslims for the month of Ramadan, or even if you've never thought to do so, Crescent Project has a program designed for you. Whether you come into contact with Muslims daily or just once a year, it's important to know how to reach them properly with the Gospel.

Crescent Project's Oasis Conference in 2011 will help you on your way to having intelligent, thought-provoking conversations with Muslims. This year the conference will be in Washington D.C. from November 3-5. To learn more about reaching the largest unreached people group in the world with the love of Christ, visit www.crescentproject.org/oasis.

After 50 years, ministry identifies the most vital mission field of the century

International (MNN) ― Islam has been in the spotlight via the news a great deal this year and in recent years. Especially during Ramadan, Muslims are on the hearts of believers. Many have joined in prayer efforts for the Muslim world this month, from August 1 to 30.

But is it enough? Is the Muslim world a bigger mission field than we thought?

As Operation Mobilization celebrates 50 years of ministry in the Muslim world, Julyan Lidstone, the leader of OM's ministry in Western and Central Asia, believes reaching this growing population is more vital now than ever.

"In the 20th century, communism was the big global issue facing the world. I think everybody would agree that in the 21st century, the big issue facing us all is Islam," says Lidstone. "So it needs to be our strategic focus."

Even the phrase "Muslim world" can strike fear in the hearts of some believers, though, and with good reason. "Over the years, we've had several folks deported, their visas refused. We've had people in prison for fairly short periods. We've had some folks killed," admits Lidstone.

Still, these factors have not deterred OM, nor have they remotely dimmed their fervor for reaching this unreached people group.

For one thing, "It's kind of like' risk' is a bad word, where as if you're going to get into mission, risk is inevitable," notes Lidstone.

More than that though, Lidstone adds, "There is amazing opportunity that God is working in the Muslim world, that more people are coming to faith in Jesus than has ever been the case in history, and we are looking to a harvest in the days ahead."

During this past week, we at Mission Network News have been focusing particularly on prayer for safety for believers in Muslim countries during the month of Ramadan. But even on this issue, OM is more excited than afraid.
"For Ramadan, what we like to pray is that God would reveal Himself to Muslims as they are kind of on a spiritual search," says Lidstone.

And He is revealing Himself more than ever. When OM first came to Turkey, they began a correspondence course through the mail. Although the man who began the program was initially arrested, the ministry lived on. Today, about half of believers in Turkey report that the correspondence course has been part of their pilgrimage to faith.

OM is celebrating 50 years of ministry to the Muslim world. Lidstone says since their start, "We've grown now so that we have about 1,000 people in 50 countries right around the world reaching out to Muslims."

Still, the biggest need remains recruits. Eighty percent of the Muslim world does not even have contact with a believer who can tell them about Christ. To learn more about reaching out in person, in prayer, or in support to the largest unreached people group in the world--and possibly the most crucial ministry focus of the century, visitom.org. Also, click here to pray for the Muslim world.

Learn more about effectively reaching Muslims this Ramadan

International (MNN) ― Today marks Day Four of the month-long Muslim observation of Ramadan. Sadly, out of the 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, 86% do not even know a Christian who could share the Gospel with them.
Essentially, Muslims constitute the largest unreached religious group in the world.

Especially during Ramadan, when many Muslims--even those who are merely nominal in their faith--are truly trying to seek God, it's vital that believers reach out to them with the Truth.

But for many Christians, reaching out to Muslims can be difficult, especially if they lack understanding of Islam and Islamic culture. A resources of Pioneers USA, "Encountering the World of Islam (EWI)," is changing that.
EWI equips Christian leaders and churches to understand Muslims, communicate the Gospel effectively, disciple new believers, and establish churches in unreached Muslim communities.

The program has classes in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., but it also has Web-based distance learning courses to learn from afar. Courses have been translated into Korean, Chinese, Indonesian, and Russian.
Once trained, course coordinators and instructors can reproduce their own EWI courses. Currently, new courses are planned for Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.

You can be a part of this program, or even partner with it. Partnerships are especially crucial as the ministry expands.
Pray that many believers would seek to understand Islam and would thus have effective ministry to the Muslims around them throughout the month of Ramadan. Learn more about participating in these courses here. To partner in funding the project, click here.