It can be costly to own religious literature in Uzbekistan. On 5 September, Artur Alpayev was fined 50 times the minimum monthly wage for storing religious literature at his home. The literature was seized when his home was raided during a prayer meeting. When sentencing Artur the judge said, ‘We will continue fining you unless you stop storing religious literature in your home.’ Local Christians complained that Artur’s right to ‘search, receive and spread any information, except that which is aimed against the Constitutional order’ under Uzbekistan’s constitution, is not being respected. Police also recently raided the homes of two other Christian couples in search of religious literature. In Uzbekistan all religious literature is subject to compulsory censorship before it can be owned. However, there is no law banning individuals from owning religious literature unless it encourages people to change their beliefs.

In September believers from Muslim backgrounds were arrested. In October, Moluk Ruhani, Hamidreza Borhani and Zainab Akbari were released though Mohammad Taslimi and Parsa Dadkhah remain in Dastgerd prison. Sepideh Morshedi’s whereabouts is unknown. On 27 September security officers entered the house of Shahram Ghaedi and arrested him, Heshmat Shafiei, and Emad Haghi. Shahram Ghaedi is the actor portraying Jesus in the Iranian version of the Jesus Film. Meanwhile a British Law student, Ghoncheh Ghavami, currently in Evin Prison for ‘propaganda against the regime’ has gone on hunger strike. She was visiting family and working for a charity in June when she was arrested for attempting to attend a men-only volleyball match. Her brother has over 500,000 signatures on a petition urging the British government to help bring Ghavami home. The government said they are unable to do much because of limited diplomatic relationship with Iran. See also: 

Father Hanna Jallouf and about twenty of his parishioners were taken from the convent in the village of Knayeh by the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front on Sunday. Nuns at the convent have taken refuge in nearby homes. Many nuns, monks and priests have been kidnapped or killed in Syria since 2011. A senior Franciscan official said Fr Hanna and the other Christians had been accused of being ‘collaborators’ with the government. ‘We don't know what to do. We don't know with whom to talk, we're totally unable to get in touch with anyone.’ he said. Christians have tried to avoid taking sides. However, they are gradually being drawn into the conflict. Many fear that if the secular government is overthrown they will be targeted by groups calling for an Islamic state and Christian communities will be destroyed

People were killed in demonstrations across Turkey as Kurds demanded that the government do more to protect the town of Kobane from terrorist fighters. On Tuesday night police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters who burnt cars and tyres as they took to the streets mainly in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish eastern and south-eastern provinces. Clashes also erupted in Ankara and Istanbul where almost one hundred people were detained and thirty were injured. Five died in Diyarbakir. A 25-year-old man died in Varto and at least half a dozen people were wounded there in clashes between police and protesters. Two people died in Siirt province and another died in neighbouring Batman. A curfew exists in Kurdish populated districts of Diyarbakir, Siirt and Van where thousands of protesters rallied against IS's advance on Kobane.

Traditional healers and witchdoctors are contributing to the spread of Ebola. Terrified people from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea have been handing over large sums of cash in return for spells, potions and advice from those claiming to have the antidote. A man in Nigeria going by the name of Dr Zack Balo says he can cure Ebola using animal parts providing he is given £200. Other suggestions include eating raw onions, using anointed water and bathing in salt water at certain times of day. Cases of people flocking to see these so-called healers has resulted in the disease spreading further, as the witchdoctors themselves often contract Ebola, which is spread through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. The first Ebola victim in Sierra Leone was a faith healer, whose funeral resulted in over 350 people contracting Ebola after touching her dead body.

In Luke 7, Jesus predicts that his encounter with a sinful woman will become famous throughout the world and throughout history. This woman washed His feet with an abundance of tears, anointed Him with embalming perfume and wiped it over His feet with her long hair. Jesus says in response, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Today that same desire, the desire for forgiveness of sins, is found on many blog sites, where men and women are asking if the Hajj will cleanse them not only of small common sins, but also of big serious sins. They are told that their desire will be granted by the Hajj, which if performed properly and sincerely for Allah, removes all sins. Muslims go on the Hajj to be cleansed of sin; we all desire to be clean of sin. Romans 6:23 states, ‘For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

As winter draws closer, displaced families in the Gaza Strip are still waiting for reconstruction to begin on their homes. According to a statement by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), 20,000 houses are now uninhabitable due to the war in Gaza. UNRWA stressed the need to ensure alternative housing is available for the displaced before the start of winter. Umm Raed and her eight member family live in a tent made from pieces of worn cloth. It’s the only shield from the heat of the sun, but what she is really afraid of is winter when they will be exposed to bitter cold and rain, which will turn their lives into an unbearable hell. Her family cannot afford to rent an apartment due to high prices, demand and landlords who exploit the situation. UNRWA promises to provide financial assistance in the form of ‘rental subsidies’ for those with uninhabitable homes.

Tens of thousands of activists have been demonstrating against China's decision to only allow vetted candidates to run for elections on the island in 2017. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will meet the Chinese ambassador later this week to make clear his ‘dismay and alarm’ at how authorities have handled the demonstrations. He said, ‘It is essential that the people of Hong Kong have a genuine choice of chief executive in 2017 through universal suffrage.’ The unrest began after it was ruled that in three years' time, Hong Kong residents must choose their leader, or chief executive, from candidates picked by Beijing who must declare their ‘love’ for China and its Communist system. The island's chief executive Leung Chun-Ying has called on protest leaders to ‘immediately’ withdraw from the streets. Student leaders threaten to take over government buildings if the region's leader does not resign by Thursday. See also: l

The following is a segment of the Bishop of Baghdad’s Facebook page entry for Sept.30th. ‘Thank you for your prayers, we seriously need them. The good news is - IS has been halted 5 miles from Baghdad. People are very fearful the nation looks as if it has collapsed. The usual hectic streets are almost empty. The news from areas surrounding Baghdad is worrying. ISIS or DAASH as they are known locally are very close to Baghdad. This morning I was with one of the soldiers assigned by the government to protect me. When asked what he would do if he saw IS coming he said he would take off his uniform and run. I asked if he took seriously his role to fight and protect his people. He assured me he did not. He did it for the money. Meanwhile yesterday at Church I spoke on the subject of why we must love Israel.