Remember Ambassadors

Sharia law is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, causes of Christian persecution in today’s world.  Sharia is the system of law based on Islamic holy writings - the system of law that governs, to one extent or another, in every Muslim country.

But Sharia is not just a system of law with Muslim underpinnings or a general Islamic worldview.  It is an imposition of Islamic values on everyone it controls - Muslim and  Christian alike.  In fact, Sharia puts a very real and overt pressure on any non-Muslim, and stringently denies anyone but a Muslim the freedom of religion.  While Sharia does not make it a de facto crime to simply be a Christian, it makes it a crime to convert from Islam, or to evangelize among Muslims.  In some cases, these “crimes” of converting and witnessing are punishable by death.

But Sharia law is not a static force.  As Islam expands, so does the impact of Sharia’s persecution - and hardline Islamic fundamentalists are determined to spread Islam by any means possible, including violence.  We’ve talked about Nigeria before (link goes to PDF document), where in recent years the Islamic incursion has brought very real terror and destruction to the Christians.  In other places, too, Islamic influence is growing - Indonesia and Malaysia, central Europe, even western China.

The latest stories are coming out of Somalia, where fundamentalist Islamic rebels are taking over the country piece by piece.  Wherever they go, they impose a drastic, almost unimaginable version of Sharia law.  They’ve made recent news by stoning a teenager to death for the crime of “adultery” after she was forcibly raped, and for murdering aid workers.

As the world kind of looks on at this growing persecution of Christians, let us pray.

There has been a lot of major persecution news since our last world update.  All around the world our brothers and sisters are being targeted for suffering - and they need our prayers!  Please use these news highlights to guide your intercession for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

China: Persecution Intensifies After Olympics

Eritrea: Officials Imprison 20 Members of Underground Church

India: Destroyed Church Building Leads to Unity

Even in the midst of persecution, believers are praising God for His faithfulness!

Iraq: What’s Behind the Attacks on Christians in Mosul?

Newsweek tackles a tricky, but very important question.

North Korea: Leader’s Reported Health Woes Unlikely to Affect Anti-Christian Policies

Kim Jong-Il has long been one of the world’s worst persecutors, but his illnesses are not stopping North Korea’s program of violence and intimidation against the Body of Christ.

Pakistan: Pastor Suffers Police Attacks, Death Threats

Somalia: Christian Aid Worker Beheaded for Converting from Islam

Somalia is not known for its ongoing persecution, but violence from further north in Africa continues to spread.

Lately, persecution news has focused in on Orissa, India, where violence is ongoing and intense.  Let’s not forget to continue to pray for those Christians - but at the same time, let’s not forget that there are so many other places where persecution is brutal reality.

The latest hotspot is the Iraqi city of Mosul (the modern-day location of ancient Ninevah).  If you have followed Remember’s work, you know that persecution in Iraq has been growing since in recent years (Background Briefing).  The toppling of the main dictator, Saddam Hussein, increased the power to local warlord dictators, many of whom hate Christianity.  The persecution is widespread throughout the country, causing the vast majority of Iraq’s Christians to flee the country for their own safety.  These are the Christians that we ministered to on our recent trip to Jordan.

But those Christians that remain are under constant threat of violence.  That violence recently broke out in Mosul in a terrifying way.  ANS is reporting that over 3,000 Christians have been forced to flee their homes in the last week alone.

Armed Islamic terrorists are walking in the streets and asking pedestrians for his or her identification card. The religion of the owner is written on every ID card, either Muslim or Christian. When “Christian” is read by the terrorists, the owner of the card is sometimes murdered on the spot with a bullet through the head.

These Christians need our prayers.

For More Information–

Islamic Fundamentalists: “Expel the Christians from Mosul”

Christians Targets in Iraq

Today “Generations with Vision” radio host Kevin Swanson was gracious enough to feature me and the work of Remember on his program.  The program covers some of the most recent stories of persecution, in Orissa, India, and across the world, and highlights Remember’s growing work - and it lays out a few suggestions for how we, as churches, families, and individuals, can fulfill our call to “remember them that are in bonds.”

Click here to listen!

Preparing for our upcoming banquet is taking about all of my time these days, so I haven’t had much time to update here. But I wanted to make sure to put out a reminder to pray for Orissa, India.

You can read the background of this prayer request in today’s Weekly Reminder. The violence started about two days ago, and has continued; pray for these Christians!

For more information–

Deaths Mount as Violence Spreads in Orissa

Carnage Continues in Orissa: Reports of 150 Houses and 20 Churches Destroyed

Aftermath of Swami’s Killing: The Christian Victims List

It has been a while since we did a World Update, but lots has been happening - please be sure to keep these stories in your prayers!

Bangladesh: Christians Flee After Attack on House Church

Bhutan: Missionary Asked to Renounce Christ

China: Christian Book Store Owner’s Condition Deteriorating in Prison

Shia Weihan was arrested four months ago for selling unapproved Christian books, and his condition continues to get worse as he languishes in prison.

Ethiopia: Muslim Mob Attacks Christians

Extremist Islam is growing in Ethiopia, sparking increasing violence. Ethiopia is not unique in this regard; the Muslim presence throughout northern Africa is causing problems in many countries. Pray for northern Africa!

India: Missionaries, Bible College Students Beaten, Tortured and Jailed

Iran: Christian Couple Dies from Police Attack

Last week, Iranian secret police raided a house church service, brutally beating, arresting, and interrogating many. This is the latest update from this tragedy.

Saudi Arabia: Plans to Deport 15 Christians

The crime committed by these believers was that they held a church service. The were arrested, had possessions confiscated, were mocked and interrogated - and now that they have been released, they face deportation.