Displaying items by tag: Asia

Pastor Paul, director of Bibles for Mideast, writes: ‘My risen Lord Jesus Christ has saved my life once again, and I praise and thank God for His unspeakable grace! Certainly, I am not worthy of it. The Assembly of Loving God Church of Bibles for Mideast started praying and fasting from 13 March to 2 April. As that period ended, over three thousand former Muslims were baptised in our churches in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The Lord enabled me to baptise many people during this time. Then three weeks later, when I was changing after an early-morning baptism, militants began stoning our group. Although we were injured, God protected us from much worse.’

Yazidis revere the Bible and Qu’ran; much of their centuries-old religion is oral. Thirty-six Yazidis are free after nearly three years’ captivity by IS. They are in UN centres in Dohuk, in Kurdish northern Iraq. It is unclear whether they escaped or were freed; the UN wouldn’t give more information to avoid jeopardising future releases. IS killed and enslaved thousands of Yazidis after seizing the Sinjar area in 2014. Kurdish forces regained control in 2015, but many Yazidis were held captive by IS elsewhere as the group took over large swathes of northern Iraq. The 36 survivors - men, women and children - are being reunited with family members and offered care and medical and psychological aid. The women and children are being cared for at dedicated service points, and will be referred for more specialised treatment. A spokesperson said, ‘What these women and girls have endured is unimaginable.’

‘Our International Board meeting will take place from 27 to 30 April, in the Middle East. Our board members and the directors of our national offices in the UK, Holland, Germany, Australia, and the USA will meet. Please pray for wisdom, discernment and unity in all the decisions they have to make, and for a strengthening of the vision to gain access to many unreached people groups in the countries we work. From 30 April to 6 May, all our team members will meet for our annual conference. Please pray for safe travel, and that everybody will be strengthened and encouraged and equipped afresh for our work and ministry. This is a very important time for our teams, and God always ministers to us as individuals and as an organisation. Pray also for all those who will come to speak and minister to our team members.’

Ethnic Persians are born Muslim. It is illegal to run Christian activities in Farsi, the national language. Despite this, Christians from a Muslim background make up the largest group of Christians in Iran. A few years ago International Freedom of Religion or Belief reported, ‘There was cautious optimism when Hassan Rouhani became president that his influence would soften harsh policies toward religious and ethnic minorities. Sadly, his moderate language has not translated into any meaningful improvement.’ Since he is aiming for another term in office, many believe that next month’s elections pose an ultimate vote of confidence. Pray for political changes in Iran that will allow for freedom of religion. A Persian who leaves Islam can be sentenced to death if male, and life imprisonment if female. For many Muslim families, it is a disgrace when a family member converts. Pray for protection and provision for Christians who have been cursed and disowned by their families. See also:

The United Nations voted late last week to place Saudi Arabia on the Commission on the Status of Women for a four-year term beginning in 2018, despite that country’s appalling record on the treatment of women. The director of the Geneva-based UN Watch expressed his outrage: ‘Electing Saudi Arabia to protect women’s rights is like making an arsonist into the town fire chief.’ Every Saudi woman must have a male guardian who makes all critical decisions on her behalf. Men control a woman’s life from her birth until death. Saudi Arabia even bans women from driving cars. The most recent human rights report notes that despite being allowed to participate in municipal elections in 2015, the state of women’s rights in the kingdom remains generally abysmal. In 2015, Saudi Arabia reduced a Sri Lankan woman’s sentence for adultery from execution by stoning to three years in prison.

Donald Trump said the US would consider any lever, diplomatic, economic or military, to forestall North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and tweeted, ‘North Korea is looking for trouble.’ But experts say Pyongyang’s latest missile launch has underlined the futility of his efforts to bully Kim Jong-un into abandoning his nuclear ambitions. ‘There is a problem with playing the military threat card with North Korea because they are inclined to call the bluff,’ said John Delury, a North Korea expert in Seoul. ‘I’m not saying they tested because of the threats. But bringing a naval strike group doesn’t help if your goal is to put off a test. If anything you are increasing the odds.’ Delury added that sabre-rattling rhetoric and erratic use of force would only strengthen Kim’s determination to develop a nuclear deterrent to spare him the fate of Saddam Hussein or Muammar Gaddafi.

Half of Turkey is celebrating a win in a national referendum, the rest demand a recount. President Tayyip Erdogan has claimed victory and sweeping new powers as head of government, head of state and head of the ruling party. He will have power to appoint cabinet ministers, propose budgets, appoint judicial bodies and issue decrees without safe counterweight mechanisms that exist in democratic countries such as the USA. The opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) cited voting irregularities, including using unstamped ballot papers. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said the referendum had an ‘unlevel playing field’, as the ‘Yes’ campaign had unlimited media advertising, while the ‘No’ campaign was allowed virtually none. There was misuse of state resources by the ‘Yes’ campaign organisers, and obstruction of ‘No’ campaign events. Big cities did not back Erdogan or his changes. The win has caused both celebrations and protests across the country. See also:

New Catholics are traditionally baptised on Easter Sunday. In recent years, there has been a large increase of baptisms in Catholic churches at Easter time. Chinese Catholic churches don't have an official connection to the Pope. Some established churches treat Easter like a mini Chinese New Year, complete with red paper slogans called chūnlián (春联) on the church building and in the homes. There can be special music and decorations, with Easter eggs given as gifts or sold outside the church. Smaller Christian home groups celebrate, as family or friends quietly or even secretly say simple prayers, talk and meditate on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Moves are under way in Malaysia that could see parts of the country implement full sharia law with inhumane punishments; there are reports that the Deputy Prime Minister could agree to support this in parliament. Currently sharia courts have limited jurisdiction in family matters, with the main criminal courts operating at federal level making decisions based on the constitution. Even this situation can create significant problems for Christians, particularly converts from Islam. Their conversion is not recognised in the sharia court system, so they are still officially Muslims. Christian women converting from Islam cannot legally marry a Christian man, as sharia forbids Muslim women from marrying non-Muslims. There have been several previous attempts to extend the jurisdiction and sentencing powers of the sharia courts, with bills that included amputation of limbs for theft and death for blasphemy and apostasy. Government can only implement this if parliament changes the constitution.

In a referendum on 16 April, Turks will vote yes or no to constitutional amendments to shift Turkey from a system where executive powers lie with the prime minister and are checked by parliament to one giving unprecedented powers to the president. Many fear this will lead to one-person rule, with power to suspend parliament and appoint all ministers and high-ranking officials. Turkish Christians are concerned about rising nationalism, and also the random arrests since last summer’s coup attempt. American pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been in detention since October, still has no clear outline of the charges against him, although the prime minister has promised to speed up his court case. He and his family have been in Turkey for over twenty years, leading a church in Izmir. See: