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As foreign journalists weigh the risks of reporting on the unrest in Syria, many nameless locals are putting themselves in greater danger for fewer rewards covering an uprising in a tightly controlled police state that often literally shoots the messenger. We are witnessing the birth of citizen journalism, and Razzan Ghaxxawi, a popular blogger said, ‘Syrian journalists are targeted now, that's why we witnessed the birth of citizen journalists who are doing excellent work. Syria’s citizen journalists have learned to employ a variety of creative means to evade the radar of the vigilant authorities. When carrying out their daily work of media coverage they rely heavily on internet proxies, satellite phones, modems, hidden cameras often placed in buttons, pens and wristwatches. However some have learned that the sneakier they are the greater the punishment. The Smart Phone is more dangerous to the government than Israel now. (See also North Korea story below)
Pray: and thank God for the way technology is being used positively asking Him to protect those who communicate events truthfully. (Is.21:6)
Almost 40 people, including women and children, were killed when opposition fighters attacked the village of Dweir, on the outskirts of Homs, on 27 May. A Barnabas Fund partner reported that the rebels tortured some residents before they killed them. On the day after the incident, independent United Nations investigators warned that opposition forces were becoming increasingly radicalised, and that only a minority of them were pro-democracy and wanted a state for all Syrians. Despite these developments, Western governments are moving towards increased support for the rebels. The United States will now provide direct military aid to the Syrian opposition for the first time. We are asked to pray for the Lord to guide Western governments as they respond to increasing radicalisation amongst the rebels, and pray that He will bring hope to Syrian Christians, whose position in their own country is becoming more and more precarious.
Pray: for comfort for all those who lost loved ones in the massacre. Pray also for those who had to flee their homes and may be traumatised by what they have witnessed. (Ps.34:17-18)
More: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYywK6Z5zrc
A London-based priest, The Rev Nadim Nassar, who is in Latakia, reported that ‘it felt like the whole city has closed down because people are scared to leave their homes and people don’t know what’s going on and what is next’. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he added: ‘On Sunday, you could hear a lot of shooting and bombing from different parts of the city. At least 30 people are reported to have been killed in Latakia so far, and government forces are accused of shooting at women and children trying to escape. Tanks have gathered on the outskirts of the city. Syrian government television has denied that any civilians have been targeted, and authorities say that it is tackling armed terrorist gangs. The crackdown began last Saturday, a day after there were anti-government protests in the city. The next day, activists say, Syrian warships fired shells at the city.
Pray: for the situation in Syria that a just solution would be found to bring about changes in the Syrian Government to halt the hostilities. (Ps.7:6)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/priest.tells.of.fear.and.uncertainty.in.syria/28507.htm
The condition of the Church in Syria is becoming more and more desperate. Christians, their property and their churches continue to be the targets of violent attack. According to a prayer bulletin from Barnabas Aid, a group which provides assistance to the persecuted church, a senior church leader reported some disturbing facts. Christians in Syria also face ‘inflation, poverty, growing of sectarian enmity, shortages of supplies of food and fuel, cold weather, revenge, kidnapping for big amounts of ransom, risks of travelling, frequent Internet cut off and (more).’ While the Christian population of Homs was once 50,000-60,000, just 80 Christians remain in a Christian neighbourhood of the old city in December 2012. They are being held hostage by rebels and prevented from leaving. They’re dying one by one as a result of serious hardships and lack of medication. They are being kept there as ‘human shields’ by Salafist rebel groups to deter government forces from attacking the Christian area, which is now occupied by rebels.
Pray: that all in Syria would know the Lord's peace in these desperate times. May God make a way for them to live in safety in their own country. (Hos.2:18)
Pro-democracy protests begun in March 2011 are continuing despite fierce government opposition. President Bashar al-Assad has responded by killing over 5,000 of his citizens according to new statistics from human rights researchers. Thousands more have been arrested and tortured. 148 children were killed mainly by gunshots to the upper body. A report found 16 of the children had suffered severe torture in detention before their deaths. Amnesty International said, ‘It is difficult to second guess the motivation for torturing and killing children in custody. It may be that security forces hope to terrify people off the streets with the threat of what could happen to their children.’ International leaders are calling for al-Assad to step down and cease his attempts to put down and crush the serious threat to his family's 40-year rule. He repeatedly rejects these calls claiming demonstrations are ‘foreign-inspired plots,’ Syrian Christians request prayers for God to intervene and for political and emotional healing for the land.
Pray: for a peaceful transition of power, and for leaders to truly know God and serve with integrity. (Zec.13:9)
More: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/syria-new-report-indicates-over-5000-deaths-since-march
Syrian Christians continue to request our prayers for their country. They note that, in recent months, there have been increasing numbers of attacks on Christians that seem to be religiously motivated. One example occurred on 9th February when two priests, Michel Kayyal (Armenian Catholic) and Maher Mahfouz (Greek Orthodox), were kidnapped when travelling by public bus between Damascus and Aleppo. The bus was stopped by armed men belonging to one of the groups fighting the government. The gunmen checked the identity documents of all passengers and only the two priests were taken. A Salesian priest travelling with them was not kidnapped. Negotiations for their release are on-going. Other kidnappings have been reported, especially in al-Hasakah Province where some Christians have demonstrated publicly to protest against this alarming new trend. There have been a number of assaults on church buildings and other Christian property. Such attacks are often interpreted as warnings or threats to the Christian communities.
Pray: that the violence in Syria will cease, and peace and justice will be established for all Syrians; those who have been kidnapped will be released unharmed. (Ps.7:9)
In an extraordinary show of unity of Christian denominations - Churches in Syria will unite in prayer on Saturday 11th May and are asking their brothers and sisters around the world to pray and fast with them. ‘As Christians in Syria continue to suffer from the devastating effects of the two-year-old civil war including killings, kidnappings, homelessness, lack of food and shelter and closing of schools; they are also seeing that God's hand is at work as all denominations are joining in passionate prayer.’ said Open Doors representative Steve Ridgway. ‘Christians in Syria know only Jesus can bring redemption and true peace. I urge you to take time on May 11 to pray with Syrian believers for their country. Please pray for:- The release of two Orthodox bishops, kidnapped in April, and other Christians who are missing; counselling for children who have been traumatized by violence; return of peace'.
Pray: for God to watch over the third of the population who are either refugees outside the country or homeless inside Syria. (Zec.9:8)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/syrias.churches.to.unite.in.prayer/32277.htm
A major attack by the Syrian regime on a town west of Homs is being led by the Lebanese Shia militia Hizbollah, according to the opposition Syrian National Coalition and activists. The area is a key supply route to rebel forces in and around Homs and also on the main road from Damascus to pro-regime Alawite districts further north. Hizbollah fighters are better trained in guerrilla warfare than the regime’s and have taken over from regime forces on the ground and are leading the battle in Qusayr, with its elite forces. It’s not necessarily fighters coming from Lebanon. It’s Hizbollah fighters from Shiite villages on the Syrian side which are inhabited by Lebanese. The war has put great pressure on Lebanon’s fragile internal politics, with Hizbollah supporting the Assad regime and Sunni Muslims supporting the rebels, in some cases with arms and money. The Omar Farouq Brigade, a prominent rebel militia, admitted shelling Shia villages inside Lebanon, a move condemned by Human Rights Watch on Monday. See item 7 below.
Pray: against groups in Lebanon getting further involved in the Syrian conflict, pray for protection for the civilians increasingly paying the price of indiscriminate attacks.
Palestinians who fled Syria’s war to neighbouring Lebanon are living up to 20 in a room with no water, fresh air or electricity, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said on Tuesday. More help is needed for at least 20,000 Palestinians who have already come in and more than 200 who join them every day, the chief of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Filippo Grandi, told Reuters. Most of the Palestinians who crossed Syria’s south-western boundary into Lebanon were living with friends and family in existing Palestinian camps set up to take in refugees after the creation of Israel in 1948. He toured the Shatila Palestinian camp in Beirut and found ‘the conditions were horrible’ for new arrivals. The main problem they have is accommodation. They rent small, cramped, very unsanitary premises without running water, without ventilation, without electricity.
Pray: for NGO’s to be able to bring relief to the 200,000 refugees and for new camps to be built and resourced. (Ps.68:9-11)
Besieged residents of Homs have resorted to carrier pigeons to communicate with each other. One message attached to a pigeon’s leg read, ‘please tell us what you need in terms of supplies, medicine and food. God willing we will deliver them to you.’ The city has been under a barrage of heavy machine-gun fire, tank shells, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades since February 4th. The UN reported 300+ people dead in Homs, which has the second largest Christian population in Syria. Last week Reuters reported, ‘Rising violence is forcing hundreds out of Homs’ Two weeks ago a refugee fled with his family and nothing but the clothes they stood up in after being trapped inside for days. Since then, heavy bombardment has killed hundreds more and levelled dozens of buildings in a matter of days. Cold weather has slowed the flow of refugees into Turkey.
Pray: for those struggling to escape to be able to dodge Syrian military patrols, and for God’s protection on those who stay. (Ps.7:10)