SUPER Work Katharine Birbalsingh!

Pay attention Powell! State school run by Britain's strictest head gets 70% A/A* grades despite education secretary claiming disadvantaged students are being 'let down' by focus on academic subjects!

Britain's strictest teacher is celebrating her pupils getting almost 70 per cent A and A* grades - more than double the national average. Katharine Birbalsingh runs Michaela Community School in Brent, London , which prides itself on focussing on academic subjects and a no-nonsense approach to discipline. Her school beat the national average of just 28.5 per cent of entries getting A and A* - despite serving one of the most deprived communities of the country. It comes after the new Education Secretary, Lucy Powell, forcing schools to prioritise academic learning was 'letting down' disadvantaged pupils.

Kurdish Pastor Released.

Kurdish pastor released from Syria after two weeks in detention.

Pastor Nihad Hassan (Photo: CSW)

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has welcomed the release of a Baptist pastor who was held by Syrian authorities for two weeks.

Pastor Nihad Hassan is a Kurd from an Islamic background. While visiting family members in Afrin, Syria, he was arrested reportedly for Facebook posts that insulted Islam and Mohammad.

Pastor Hassan leads a Kurdish-speaking congregation in neighbouring Lebanon.

He was held without charge from 20 July to 3 August. Upon his release Syrian authorities urged him to return to Lebanon for his own safety, which he subsequently did.

Pastor Hassan has also become known for raising the plight of Kurds in Syria.

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in late 2024, Syria has experienced an extremely uneasy peace with Christians remaining fearful of the Islamist group that spearheaded his removal. 

Over a decade of civil war and a plethora of armed groups representing different ethnic and religious interests mean the country remains volatile and the new government has struggled to bring order.

In March last year hundreds of Alawites were massacred by an armed group. A few months later in July fighting broke out between the Druze and Bedouins in Suwayda and towards the end of the year fighting broke out between government forces and Kurds in Aleppo, following the first parliamentary elections since the takeover of power.

In one of the latest developments, Christians in the town of Saydnaya were  told to restrict their religious activities to the inside of their churches. Some local church leaders accused security forces of targeting Christians for long stops at security checkpoints, while other local sources claim the security services are looking for Christians connected to Assad-era atrocities.

Mervyn Thomas, founder president of CSW, said, “While news that Pastor Hassan has been released and reunited with his family is welcome, we are concerned that he was detained for two weeks without charge and call on the transitional government of Syria to work towards ending the use of arbitrary arrest and detention in areas under its control.

“We encourage the leaders of every faith community to unite against sectarianism, and to counter it through the proactive promotion of peace, justice and reconciliation. We also call on the Syrian government to address issues related to intercommunity relationships with full transparency and in accordance with law.”

CT.

Deadly Distortions of Christianity In Africa.

 https://www.christiantoday.com/news/deadly-distortions-of-christianity-in-africa

Love The Lord Your God ...

 

Birdie.

 

Are You Interested In A Christian Job In Kent?

 https://mail.aol.com/f/newMail/messages/AADHidZrKfiPV16LkMVVFICbbJW

Liberia.

Africa

Liberia’s churches welcome army’s massacre apology but insist justice must follow

Thirty-six years after hundreds of civilians seeking refuge inside a Lutheran church were massacred during Liberia’s brutal civil war, the country’s military has publicly apologized for atrocities committed by its soldiers. Church leaders and survivors welcomed the unprecedented acknowledgment but said genuine reconciliation will require more than words.

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Clamp Down.

 Iran clamps down on Christian broadcasters.

 (Photo: Getty/iStock)

Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has declared a number of Persian-language Christian satellite broadcasters to be “hostile” actors, implying severe sanctions for any who watch them.

An anonymous Iranian Christian, writing for Open Doors, said a clampdown on Christian broadcasters was a blow to “one of the few remaining lifelines” for Christians in Iran.

The Iranian government has warned that “cooperation” with these “hostile” agents could lead to prosecution under espionage laws.

Open Doors currently ranks Iran as the 10th worst persecutor of Christians in the world. Conversion from Islam to Christianity is illegal and there are severe restrictions on Christian preaching in Persian.

Only Iran’s historic Armenian and Assyrian Christian communities are permitted to hold Christian worship services in Persian, although even these historic groups have faced repression, with the government recently seizing control of a 150-year-old church.

Churches are often raided and believers arrested. The situation has declined since the breakout of hostilities with Israel and the US, with Christians suspected of sympathising with the enemy.

Another Christian in the country spoke of the importance of Christian broadcasts, “There are so many people in Iran hearing the gospel for the very first time through these satellite TV programmes. When there is no church to visit, no Christian community you know, no Bible and no Christian materials available, these TV programmes become the only place where people can hear God’s Word.”

He added that the sense of isolation that comes with being a Christian in Iran is itself a part of the persecution.

“When you think you are the only Christian in your town or city, these programmes help you pray, hear God’s Word and realise you have not been forgotten; you are connected to a much bigger body of believers," he said. 

“Many young people already don’t dare follow Christian pages on Instagram, or like or comment on Christian videos on YouTube. Even visiting those pages means using secure VPNs and carefully deleting search history afterwards. We are not even allowed to access Christian resources freely.”

According to Open Doors, despite the best efforts of the Islamic regime to suppress Christianity, the Church is still growing. Indeed, the group argues, if it were not growing, the regime would not feel the need to increase its repressive measures.

CT.

Acts 2 - In The Last Days.

 17) ‘In the last days, God says,

    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your young men will see visions,
    your old men will dream dreams.
18) Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
    and they will prophesy.
19) I will show wonders in the heavens above
    and signs on the earth below,
    blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20) The sun will be turned to darkness.

Odd Sparrow Out?

 

Dear All.

Dear All, In Iraq, your faith or religion isn’t decided by you. It’s dictated by the state. Maryam was raised in a Christian household. But when her mother separated from her father and remarried a Muslim man, Iraqi law automatically converted Maryam and her sisters to Islam in the state's official records. As a minor, she had no say in this decision. The government simply reassigned her faith. Correcting the record Once Maryam reached the age of legal majority (18), she decided to take action. In January 2025, she filed a legal claim asking the government to correct her official religious status to reflect her actual faith: Christianity. In May 2026, a lower court ruled in her favour. Now, Iraq's Court of Cassation - the country's highest court for civil, criminal, and family matters - has affirmed that ruling, ordering the correction of Maryam's religious classification in the state's database. Maryam's two younger sisters are still officially registered as Muslim. Similar legal battles will need to be fought for each of them once they reach 18. Why state-assigned religion matters This isn’t just happening in Iraq. Across the Middle East and Asia, governments record citizens' religion in official databases or on ID documents, often without consent, and make it extremely difficult to change. The consequences can be severe: mandatory enrollment of children in religious education programs not of their faith, barriers to marriage, including being unable to marry someone of their own faith in a church if they are officially registered as Muslim, automatic assignment of children’s religion based on parental records, inheritance complications, family law conflicts, and exposure of non-Muslims to Sharia court jurisdiction. Some parents have even had to leave their names off their children's birth certificates just to stop an incorrect religious designation from being passed down. A person's faith becomes a fixed, state-certified label, regardless of what they believe. ADF International’s support of Maryam Kelsey Zorzi, ADF’s Senior Counsel and Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom, who supported Maryam's case, has said: “We commend Iraq’s Court of Cassation for affirming this ruling and granting Maryam the freedom to have her Christian faith accurately reflected in her state-issued documents. Christians and other religious minorities across Iraq and the broader Middle East suffer real harm when governments assign them a religion that is not their own. In a region where marriage, inheritance, burial, and education are governed differently according to one’s religion, it is essential that individuals—not states—retain the right to choose their own faith.” This ruling sets a persuasive precedent for the many other Christians in Iraq facing the same legal and personal consequences of state-assigned religion. We praise God for this victory and ask that His hand continues to work across the Middle East and Asia. Thank you for your ongoing support and prayer. With gratitude, ADF International (UK)

Tanzania.

 

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Voice magazine Believing in Jesus Pastor Ezekiel* has ministered and shared the gospel in several rural Muslim communities in Tanzania for a number of years. ‘When Muslims start believing in Jesus, that’s when persecution begins,’ he says. In the latest edition of our quarterly magazine, Voice, you can read of Christians in Tanzania and Kenya who, despite rejection and persecution, are seeing God’s kingdom come as they faithfully proclaim the gospel. The July magazine also features a centrespread article on our name change, to Voice of Persecuted Christians. We’re always inspired by our brothers and sisters, and one quote that stuck with the team particularly this quarter was “There’s no greater privilege than to be a servant of the Word”.   If you haven’t done so yet, do take time to read this latest edition, and let it inform your praying for those who suffer for Christ and the gospel. * Name changed. Read Voice online The latest electronic version of Voice magazine is now available on our website for you to read!  Please do click the button below and read on the website or download a pdf copy to read on the go.