Release International

The president of Sudan says he will press ahead with plans to adopt an entirely Islamic constitution and strengthen Sharia or Islamic law across the north.

President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's confirmation of a proposal he first made last December will dismay Christians living in Sudan (North), who were suffering discrimination and persecution even before South Sudan became independent in July.

Churches report that officials are stepping up the pressure on Christians in areas of Sudan (North), such as South Kordofan, which are known to be pro-southern (Prayer Alert, July 8, 2011). Islamist militias were accused of bombing churches and Christian homes in South Kordofan in June.

Reuters news agency reports that many southerners 'no longer feel welcome in the north' since the split. Some have reportedly lost government jobs.

Compass Direct news agency reports that three churches in Omdurman, Sudan's second-largest city, have been threatened with demolition recently if they continue their worship activities. The churches were accused of operating on government land and without permission – but they deny both charges.

An estimated 1 million southerners still live in the north – and are now treated as foreigners requiring work and residency permits, according to Reuters news agency. President al-Bashir's regime has said they now have until next spring to leave or go through the complicated legal process of applying for the right to stay.

The referendum which led to the south's secession was a condition of the 2005 peace deal which ended a long civil war between the mainly Arab and Muslim north and the predominantly Christian and animist south.

NEWS UPDATE:
Release is urging supporters to continue praying and campaigning on behalf of Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, who faces the death sentence in Iran. Recently, various sources have suggested that the pastor from Rasht was granted a retrial by the Supreme Court – but his lawyer, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, says those reports were incorrect, according to the American Centre for Law and Justice (ACLJ). Mr Dadkhah has, however, confirmed that the court requested that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, should pass final judgment on Pastor Yousef's case, according to the ACLJ. Mr Dadkhah is reported as saying that he believes the Ayatollah's response will come within 20 days. Pastor Yousef's lawyer has himself been sentenced to nine years in jail, for 'actions and propaganda against the Islamic regime'. His appeal could take months and Mr Dadkhah fears that officials could enforce his sentence at any time, leaving Pastor Yousef without legal representation.

(Sources: American Centre for Law and Justice, Compass Direct, Reuters)

• Ask God to build the faith of His people in Sudan and South Sudan. Pray particularly for His protection over churches in the north. 
• Pray that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, will grant Pastor Yousef a pardon and quash the death sentence. Pray that Mr Dadkhah, the pastor's lawyer, will have his appeal heard quickly and that he will be acquitted.

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