Displaying items by tag: Asia

Last week a Christian pastor was arrested on false charges of conversion activities in Uttar Pradesh and tortured for 24 hours. ‘I could not walk out of the police station. My two legs were swollen badly. There was so much pain. I could not move from one place to the other. Whenever there was a phone call about my arrest, the police increased the intensity of lashes with the belt and sticks. They beat me on three occasions while demanding I say “Jai Sriram” (Glory to Lord Rama).’ Local sources said the pastor and his family were visiting relatives and worshipping with them when a police van arrived after a neighbour complained. The police abused the family and arrested the pastor and his uncle. They took turns physically torturing them at the police station. At midnight his uncle was released when officers learned he was not a Christian.

In March the anti-Taliban group NRF started preparing a 2022 spring offensive against the Taliban government. Meanwhile tensions with Pakistan are high due to Pakistan security forces being targeted from Afghanistan. Islamabad has accused Kabul of doing little to stop this. Taliban-affiliated fighters (TTP and ISIL) have for years been operating along the porous border between the two countries, carrying out numerous attacks inside Pakistan. Now Pakistan’s air raids inside Afghanistan in response to the killing of its soldiers have raised tensions even higher. On 27 April the Taliban warned Islamabad of ‘consequences’ after nearly 50 people had been killed by Pakistani air raids in the border provinces. Pakistan has not confirmed being responsible for the raids, but Afghan residents have protested in the streets saying those killed were civilians. IS affiliates have also carried out attacks inside Afghanistan, posing a major security threat to Taliban rule.

A congregation of 100 Christians celebrating a Maundy Thursday service in Uttar Pradesh’s Fathepur District were threatened by a radical Hindu mob who surrounded the church and subsequently locked the doors. A First Information Report was lodged against 36 of the Christians on alleged forced conversion charges based on Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion laws after the mob’s leader, Himanshu Dikshit, complained that the church was working to convert Hindus to the Christian faith. Most of the congregation were freed from the locked church, but the 36 remained in jail until the wider Christian community raised their bail amount. One of the congregation said, ‘This is a perfect portrayal of Jesus’ suffering 2,000 years ago. We know Jesus endured, and we will.’

Over 220 million Indonesians are Muslim, 87% of the population. Christians are 8% of the population and live mainly in the major cities and the eastern Indonesian islands. Despite being a recognised religion Christians are persecuted, particularly in Aceh on the island of Sumatra where they apply Shari’a law instead of Indonesian law. Acehnese strongly oppose anyone who has converted to Christianity. There are 0.12% Christian and 0.00% evangelical Acehnese. Pray for missionaries to reach the Acehnese with the love of Christ so that many will know and believe Jesus died to pay for their sins and rose from the dead. Pray for them to understand the weight of their sin and that doing good works doesn’t erase their sins. Pray for the few Christians there to understand the imperishable inheritance they have in Jesus. See

Israeli police entered the al-Aqsa mosque compound in East Jerusalem on Easter Sunday, leading to renewed clashes with Palestinians. Tensions flared during a rare week in which Easter, Passover, and Ramadan coincided. Police confined Palestinians in the compound to a small area and denied entry to those outside after dawn prayers so that Jewish worshippers could tour the perimeter of the complex under armed guard. Whilst Jews are allowed to visit the al-Aqsa compound, which they refer to as Temple Mount, they are not allowed to pray there. The Israeli police arrested nine Palestinians, saying that they had hurled rocks and firecrackers at them. Footage has emerged of Israeli forces using batons to beat journalists recording the clashes, as well as Palestinians who appear to be bystanders. Hamas warned, ‘Israel will bear all the consequences of the brutal attacks on al-Aqsa’.

On April 8, in Mandalay, approximately 40 soldiers from the Burmese Army (Tatmadaw) raided Sacred Heart Cathedral during Lent preparations searching for gold, money and ‘hidden weapons.’ They held scores of worshippers hostage for hours, including Archbishop Marco Tin Win. They claimed to have been tipped off about weapons being hidden in the clergy centre. When the vicar general of the Archdiocese explained that the only money they had was donations raised for the poor, he too was pushed into the cathedral. The ongoing assaults against churches and religious leaders should not be ignored by the international community. They intimidate Christians, they also occupy, desecrate, and loot churches across Myanmar.

In East Jerusalem/Gaza City tensions are heading towards a large-scale eruption this Ramadan and residents fear another war. ‘We are moving gradually towards an escalation - the conditions are ripe for an explosion,’ said a Jerusalem-based political analyst. ‘The escalation may come from different places, including but not necessarily from Jerusalem,’ Fears are growing of a possible large-scale Israeli invasion of Jenin’s refugee camp, where the armed wings of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Fatah are active. On April 10, a PIJ threatened, ‘continued aggression on the Jenin camp will lead events to an open and full confrontation soon.’ Hamas said, ‘Things are likely to erupt based on developments on the ground. Hamas will not stand idly by if Israelis continue storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The resistance in Jenin is part of us; we will not allow harm to our people.’ On April 14 Hamas called for a ‘general mobilisation’ to defend against Israeli incursions into the West Bank and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Anger over the worst economic crisis in decades drives unrest as hundreds of people defied a curfew and rallied in Sri Lanka’s cities and towns demanding the president steps down. They believe their economic crisis has resulted from the incompetency and impulsiveness of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brothers (prime minister and finance minister) making seriously foolish decisions. The entire Cabinet resigned on 3rd April to try and appease protestors, but protesters won’t stop until the president resigns. Police are arresting hundreds for defying the curfew. India announced $1 billion credit to Sri Lanka to help shore up the sinking economy and keep food and fuel costs down. Sri Lankan doctors intend protesting as hospitals run out of essential drugs.   Meanwhile, a Christian worker said, I’ve never seen people in Sri Lanka praying as much as they are now. Around the clock, pastors and church leaders are gathering. There are many prophetic utterances that a big revival is taking place.’ 

Israel’s domestic security is among the world’s most effective, but it failed recently to foil three deadly terrorist attacks that killed 9 Israelis and 2 Ukrainian migrants. Israel has not experienced such intense terrorism since the second Palestinian intifada 20 years ago. Two attacks were carried out by Israeli Arab citizens identifying with IS, the third was a Palestinian inspired by the previous two. The timing is not coincidental, coming just before Israel’s most sensitive dates - March 30 Land Day protests, April 2 Muslim Ramadan started, April 15 the Jewish Passover starts, two days later is Easter Sunday. Major religious observances coinciding within less than a month in the small confines of one of the world’s perennial flashpoints is dangerous. As in the 2015-16 terror wave, the attackers were not terrorists under chains of command. Instead, Israelis face millions of Palestinians, some intent on achieving the glory reserved for martyrs, as depicted on TikTok and other social media.

Interserve works alongside the Church in nations across Asia and the Arab World, and in other locations where there is opportunity to disciple Asian and Arab peoples. Some missionaries serve long-term, others for a shorter time. Some join through as volunteers or as consultants. Pray for more people to hear God’s call on their lives to be involved in bringing transformation into the lives of the people by starting a business, or working in medicine, or ministering to refugees. Pray for God to send those with the skills to assist immigrants, now in the West, with language classes, teaching, and much more in partnership with the global Church. Pray for those already discipling people in dangerous situations; ask God to keep them safe. Pray for those countering human trafficking, working alongside refugees, and assisting immigrants in every way possible. https://www.interserve.org.uk/focus/ Times have changed, but Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and for ever.