Looking out Looking up
Iran The Christian population of the Islamic Republic of Iran is estimated at less than 1%.
Most Christians are from the historic churches of the region, but there are also churches comprising converts from Islam. Religious freedom in Iran is very limited, and Christians from Muslim background face particular persecution.
One convert was officially executed in 1990 and others have been mysteriously murdered, apparently by government agencies, as have Christians who are active in ministry or outreach. There remains the possibility of further executions for apostasy.
Two young Christian women from Muslim backgrounds, Marzieh and Maryam, were imprisoned last March but were released last November.
It is common for government spies to be present at Sunday services and for the phones of church leaders to be tapped. The pressure is such that many have fled Iran to live in other countries.
Pray for Iran's Christians, that they may be protected from harm and that the Gospel may be heard and received by all. Pray for church leaders and Christian workers, converts who are the main focus of government monitoring, harassment and persecution.
Pray that they will remain steadfast, never shaken by threats to their lives and that God will meet all their needs.
Pray that a provisionally approved Islamic Penal Code Bill, prescribing the death penalty for those who leave Islam to follow Christ will not be passed into law. At present, Iranian judges have to refer to sharia in order to apply the death sentence for apostasy, but having such a law within the Iranian statute books would make converts even more vulnerable.
Afghanistan While the military conflict with Taliban insurgents continues to make headline news, the persecution of Christians does not.
Afghanistan today is virtually 100% Muslim but in pre-Islamic times, there was a substantial Christian presence. Now the tiny Christian population consists mainly of foreigners.
It is said there are around 1,000 Afghan Christian converts though only God knows the actual number. There is just one church building, and that is within the grounds of a European embassy.
The converts are vulnerable, especially since the case of Abdul Rahman who was denounced by his family as an apostate in 2006. He was charged with apostasy, threatened with a death sentence, but finally released after international pressure.
Sadly, it is feared that this reaction has increased the likelihood that subsequent accusations of apostasy will be dealt with through unofficial executions before going to court.
In the last 30 years, Afghanistan has endured invasion by the Soviet Union followed by a jihad to oust them; five years of oppressive Taliban rule which has caused many women to commit suicide; and the 2001 Americanled invasion to oust the Taliban and introduce democracy, a mission which is now looking at the possibility of failure.
Yet the flight of refugees created by these years of conflict has produced one unexpected effect - some have become Christians outside the country and a few of these are returning home!
Praise God for the returning Christians. Pray that with their newfound sense of mission and calling, they will not be disillusioned when troubles assail them as they share the Gospel.
Pray they will press on in their service for God to their own kin. Pray for the protection of Afghan Christians in the chaos and war that continues to afflict their homeland. Their small number makes them extremely vulnerable.
Pray they will have opportunities to meet together for fellowship and encouragement.
Zimbabwe Once the 'bread basket' of Africa because of its large food output, Zimbabwe is now in the grip of long-term poverty and starvation caused by massive inflation and the destruction of the country's agricultural sector.
Zimbabwe has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world and Christian leaders and congregations have been among the many victims of President Mugabe's brutal oppression.
Barnabas Fund is supporting Christians in Zimbabwe in a number of ways: providing food parcels to alleviate the starvation among the Christians; supplying seeds and training local people how to farm their land in a more productive way; and providing equipment, uniforms for staff and funding for maintenance at a care home for elderly people.
The feeding project provides parcels of rice and other necessities to thousands of Zimbabwean Christians every month. The agricultural training project assists people who used to receive food parcels to move on to becoming self-sufficient.
Pray for protection for the courageous South African Christians who are driving food in to Zimbabwe to distribute it to the poorest. Pray for Christians being trained under the Barnabas Fund's agricultural training project to effectively share their skills with the other farmers. |
