Displaying items by tag: Asia

Asmaryan eats potatoes for every meal. He lives with 120,000 other ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave in Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus. They are cut off from Armenia by the Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only road in or out of Nagorno-Karabakh. They are under siege, with little food, essential medicines, hygiene products, baby formula, or fuel. Residents believe Azerbaijan wants to starve them into submission so that if or when the road reopens, they leave. It is a slow-motion genocide, with hunger the weapon. Asmaryan said outsiders don’t care about Karabakh as they have no natural resources: ‘They talk about human rights but do nothing.’ However, the Archbishop of London’s Coptic Orthodox Church, the Primate of the Armenian Church of the UK, the Bishop of Southwark, and other church leaders have written an open letter to Rishi Sunak urging immediate action to open the Lachin Corridor and prevent genocide. Also, Armenians will demonstrate in Yerevan on 2 September to express unity with Nagorno-Karabakh.

30 August was the two-year anniversary of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Despite promises of a more moderate rule, Taliban leaders have imposed harsh measures. ‘It’s not a very good time in Afghanistan because of the hopelessness, the fear. People are tired of Islam,’ says Mina, an Afghan Christian working with Global Catalytic Ministries. ‘At first, I was feeling sorry for myself. I cried for three weeks. Then God’s grace opened my eyes.’ In June, Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada described Afghanistan’s conditions as comfortable for women according to the Islamic Shariah: ‘The status of women as a free and dignified human being has been restored, and all institutions have been obliged to help women in securing marriage, inheritance and other rights.’ However the Taliban removed girls from school, barred women from public spaces, and cracked down on media freedoms. Earlier this year, officials banned women like Mina from the workplace.

There are 4.9 million Christians in Kazakhstan in the mostly Muslim population. Since 2011, religious freedom has been restricted as government surveillance and control increases. When somebody becomes a Christian, they risk being locked up by their families, kept from other Christians, verbally and physically abused or cut off from family, community and financial support. The authorities monitor and raid meetings of Christian converts and may arrest and imprison their church leaders. The risk of being forcibly married to a Muslim remains an ongoing risk for women who become Christians|: in rural areas, they are sometimes kidnapped for this purpose. Christian men are pressured by the state, and in the army, a highly controlled environment. It is difficult for Christians to earn a living; authorities can demand bribes from Christian business owners, and some keep their faith a secret. Converts and church leaders particularly risk losing employment.

Tens of thousands of Israelis continue with weekly protests over the justice system and as many as one in three are considering leaving Israel. A leading radiologist, Professor Hoffmann, is in the process of moving to a UK hospital and is trying to persuade other members of his family, who all have European passports, to consider leaving too. He is going to London for a sabbatical, to see if he can live outside Israel, where the situation is worsening daily. Protesters believe that government changes endanger democracy, while Israel's coalition argues that it fixes a judicial system where elected politicians are too easily overruled. Demonstrators hope to overturn new laws, but many admit that emigrating is something they, or those close to them, have considered. One demonstrator said, ‘It would be heart-breaking but I will not raise my children in a country which is not democratic. If I’m not sure that my daughter's rights as a young woman are guaranteed, we will not stay here.’

Over 100 people were arrested in Jaranwala after thousands of Muslims burned churches and vandalised homes. The unrest was sparked by claims that two Christian men tore pages from the Quran. The historic Salvation Army Church was still smouldering on 17 August, one day after the riot. The ruins are surrounded with barbed wire, The situation remains tense. Public gatherings have been restricted for seven days. The men accused of damaging the Quran have been charged with blasphemy, punishable by death. An accusation of blasphemy can result in widespread riots, lynchings and killings. Yassir Bhatti, a 31-year-old Christian, was one of those forced to flee their homes. ‘They broke the windows, doors and took out fridges, sofas, chairs and other household items to pile them up in front of the church to be burnt. They also burnt and desecrated Bibles, they were ruthless.’ Videos on social media show protesters destroying Christian buildings while police appear to look on.

During a visit to Israel’s border with Lebanon, the defence minister Yoav Gallant warned Hezbollah not to test the Jewish state, referring to ongoing provocations by the Iran backed terrorists violating legally-binding UN resolutions. Gallant toured the region with other senior officers and was updated on defensive efforts made along the border and the construction of a barrier. In a Hebrew-language video statement, he warned Hezbollah secretary-general Nasrallah not to ‘make a mistake’, saying, ‘If an escalation or conflict develops here, we will return Lebanon to the Stone Age. We will not hesitate to use all our power and erode every inch of Hezbollah and Lebanon if we have to. We don’t want war, but we are ready to protect our citizens, our soldiers, and our sovereignty.’ The UN resolution forbids Hezbollah from operating anywhere near the border between Lebanon and Israel. Alarmingly, Hezbollah’s armed patrols stationed along Israel’s northern frontier are provocations.

Pakistani Christians are crying silently for peace, understanding, and respect for their religious symbols. But their cries are not heard domestically or globally. Christianity has been an integral part of Pakistan's multi-religious society since its inception in 1947 when Muhammad Ali Jinnah promised equal citizenship rights. In 2023 Christians are treated as second-class citizens, discriminated against, and targets of hostility and violence. Often the blasphemy law is misused against them, further worsening their situation. A comprehensive strategy that includes improved security measures for religious minorities and educational campaigns to foster tolerance and mutual respect is needed urgently. The government needs to uphold its commitment to religious freedom and safeguard all its citizens, as enshrined in its constitution and in line with international covenants. Pray for the government to reassess its approach toward religious minorities and condemn violence and threats against them. Pray for incorporating religious tolerance and coexistence in the curricula for school and public awareness campaigns.

Praise God for rapid church growth, even under government restrictions and persecution. Indigenous Laotians lead almost all churches and evangelism efforts. The government recognises two Protestant groups. The largest is the Lao Evangelical Church, where most Christian growth occurs. Growth also happens through ‘underground’ house groups. Over 90% of all trained leaders left Laos in 1975, and most congregations lack a trained pastor. Pray urgently for leaders both in the recognised churches and in the house church networks. Pray that new believers will grow strong in faith and not fall away. The Church suffers through persecution, but recognises that it drives them to prayer and total dependence on God. Much of Laos remains unevangelised. The church's growth is dwarfed by remaining tasks. The Gospel has not easily crossed ethnic barriers. Buddhism and tribal religions blend together. There are 5,000 temples but only 250 church buildings.

President Herzog acknowledged that ‘ultra-nationalist Jews attacking Christians is on the rise’. Attacks of stones, eggs and rotten fruit are regularly thrown into Jerusalem’s New Polish House. Aggressors broke into the sisters’ private property at nighttime, smashing pots and damaging the front door. Also, several dozen Breslov Hasidic extremists have entered a Catholic church eight times in the early hours, praying and alleging, incorrectly, Elisha’s tomb is there so they can claim Jewish rights over the church property. Police removed them. In a video, Dormition Abbey’s abbot was escorting the German federal minister of Education by the Western Wall when he was asked by an Israeli official to hide the cross he was wearing; saying the cross is ‘really big and inappropriate for this place. It's a Jewish place, you must respect that.’ Pray for God to encourage Christian communities and for church leaders to respond wisely and appropriately to opposition.

Some say ‘to be a Kazakh is to be a Muslim’. Most Kazakhs follow a version of Islam influenced by shamans and indigenous practices. Other Muslim countries send Muslim missionaries to Kazakhstan, successfully converting even ethnic Russians to Islam. After the Soviet Union broke up, the number of mosques grew from 46 to 2,300 in 2020. The government keeps Islam moderate and is the only Central Asian state where Islam has no special status. Pray for freedom from historic spiritual bondages. Kazakhstan's cultural and religious diversity provides many opportunities for evangelising. A number of Kazakh Uzbeks and Uyghurs are turning to Christ and taking the gospel back to their own people. Christianity is still largely an urban phenomenon, but churches and missions (Baptists, Korean groups, Western agencies) are recruiting for village ministry. Pray that the Gospel might be shared in the listeners' language, in the many towns and villages of this sprawling land.