EEC Blog

About Uzbekistan (source: Wikipedia)

Uzbekistan is a dry, landlocked country in Central Asia.  Less than 10% of its territory is intensively cultivated irrigated land in river valleys and oases.  The rest is vast desert and mountains.  Its capital is Tashkent.  Uzbekistan’s economy relies mainly on commodity production, including cotton, gold, uranium, and natural gas.  About 45% of the population of 27.7 million lives on less than US$1.25 per day.

Uzbekistan was incorporated into the Russian Empire in the 19th century and in 1924 became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union.  It has been an independent republic since December 1991. Uzbekistan has been heavily criticised by international organizations for arbitrary arrests, religious persecution, and torture employed by the government on a regional and national level. 

Islam is by far the dominant religion in Uzbekistan.

Persecution of Christians
Read on…

About Iraq

Iraq lies between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and was known in Europe by the Greek word ‘Mesopotamia’ (land between the rivers).  The region is identified as the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of writing and the wheel.  Iraq has been home to continuous successive civilizations since the 6th millennium BC, including the Assyrian, Babylonian, Roman and British empires.

Recent events in Iraq have been dominated by the 2003 invasion and its aftermath.  The invasion was led by the USA backed by forces from Britain, Australia, Spain, Poland and Denmark. According to leaders of the USA and Britain, the reasons for the invasion were to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction (none were subsequently found), to end Saddam Hussein’s support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people.
Read on…

About Somalia

Somalia is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, the Gulf of Aden with Yemen to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Ethiopia to the west.

In antiquity, Somalia was an important centre for commerce with the rest of the ancient world. Its sailors and merchants were the main suppliers of frankincense, myrrh and spices, items which were considered valuable luxuries by the Ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Mycenaeans and Babylonians with whom the Somali people traded.

March 24th 2009 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Richard Wurmbrand, founder of Voice of the Martyrs. This month, in celebration of his amazing life in the face of grim persecution in Romania in the middle of the last century, we feature extracts from a message written by Tom White, the current Executive Director of VOM, USA.
Read on…

A six-month truce between Hamas and Israel expired on 19 December 2008 leading to an intensification in hostilities in Gaza.

After several weeks of bombings and fighting, on January 17th a ceasefire was announced and Israel withdrew their troops. Subsequently, the BBC reported that more than 400,000 Gazans were left without running water, 4,000 Gazan buildings were razed and 20,000 severely damaged and more than 50,800 Gazans were left homeless.

Articles on the web site persecutioninfo.blogspot.com say that even before the recent escalation in hostilities, the estimated 3,000 Christians in Gaza have been living in fear from threats from Islamic militants. However, they have been drawing strength from their faith in God. In an email, Suhad Massad, wife of pastor Hanna Massad and leader of the Palestinian Bible Society’s ministry in Gaza, wrote: “The church building (Gaza Baptist) was damaged when the police station opposite the church was bombed. In the attack 40 people were killed instantly but to the church only damage was done. The windows of the library fell down, but no members of the church were hurt.”

A Call to Prayer for Gaza

Open Doors has close contact with both the Palestinian Bible Society and the Bible Society in Israel. The leaders of both Bible Societies issued the following joint statement about the situation, requesting prayer:

“Our hearts are broken as we witness the escalation of hostilities in Gaza and southern Israel. We invite you all to join us in praying for a speedy end to this terrible war; for God’s peace and mercy, for the prevalence of godliness, and for respect for the sanctity of human life. Israelis and Palestinians are at war; we are not. Through our single identity in Christ and his lordship we experience his peace, practise his love, and hold on to him as our hope. We value our fellowship in him and with you all. We are committed to serving our communities with the Gospel of peace and forgiveness. We will sweat for that which Christ bled for, and labour for that which Christ died for.

We value your prayers and solidarity. “

Hamas MP’s Son Becomes a Christian!

The Anglican Friends of Israel report the amazing story of the conversion to Christianity of the son of a Hamas MP:

‘A moment before beginning his supper, Masab, son of West Bank Hamas leader Sheikh Hassan Yousef, glances at the friend who has accompanied him to the restaurant where we met. Masab knows that he has little hope of returning to visit the Holy Land in this lifetime. They whisper a few words and then say grace, thanking God and Jesus for putting food on their plates.

It takes a few seconds to digest this sight: The son of a Hamas MP who is also the most popular figure in that extremist Islamic organization, a young man who assisted his father for years in his political activities, has become a rank-and-file Christian. “I’m now called Joseph,” he says at the outset.

“I know that I’m endangering my life and am even liable to lose my father, but I hope that he’ll understand this and that God will give him and my family patience and willingness to open their eyes to Jesus and to Christianity. Maybe one day I’ll be able to return to Palestine and to Ramallah with Jesus, in the Kingdom of God.”’

Open Doors suggest the following prayers for this troubled part of the world:

• for God’s comfort for the wounded and the bereaved
• for the Christians in Gaza who are facing loss of water, food, electricity and peace
• that godliness will triumph over political gain in the hearts of Israeli and Palestinian leaders and that a permanent ceasefire will soon be reached
• for unity within the body of Christ. Pray that this war would not drive a wedge into the body of Christ, with groups pro and contra.

Blessed are the peacemakers!

India was featured in the May edition of the Newsletter but, in light of recent violence in Orissa and the need for prayer for the church there, we have decided to focus again on their problems.

Mission India reports that over the past seven weeks, Christians in at least a dozen districts in Orissa have endured relentless physical attacks and threats by Hindu extremists. The extremists’ campaign of violence began in retaliation for the August 23 murder of Laxmanananda Saraswati, a Hindu fundamentalist leader.

Last week, police in Orissa confirmed that Saraswati was killed by communist insurgents, not by Christians as the extremists have maintained.

This year, IDOP, the largest prayer day event of its kind in the world, is scheduled for Sunday November 9th. Please join with believers in over 130 countries in remembering Christians who suffer persecution around the world.

Beginning in 1996 through the efforts of the World Evangelical Fellowship (WEF), its primary focus is the work of intercessory prayer and appropriate citizen action on behalf of persecuted communities of the Christian faith. Prayer is also encouraged for the souls of the oppressors, the nations that promote persecution, and those who ignore it.

Olympic Games

Open Doors says Christians throughout China fear tough restrictions on freedom to worship following the government crackdown ahead of Aug 08 Olympic Games in Beijing.

There are reports of Bible shortages, even in cities where Bibles once were readily available. By law, only the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) church is allowed to print and distribute Bibles. The US State Dept’s 2007 International Religious Freedom Report noted many evangelical Protestant groups refuse to register with TSPM due to theological differences, fear of revealing names and addresses of church leaders or members and concern it will control sermon content.

There are also reports of ongoing house church raids and arrests and an unprecedented number of foreign Christians have been expelled from China in recent months, possibly triggered by fears of evangelistic activity during the Olympics. Since the beginning of this year, over 100 foreign Christian workers have been forced to leave, the largest number in over 50 years.

Rural China
AsiaLink provides this insight through an interview with Tan, whose home fellowship is at a small rural house-church of 20-30 people. Believers and their leaders have been jailed on many occasions. One young girl was locked up and had sharpened bamboo pushed under her fingernails in a vain attempt to make her tell about the network of churches, its leaders, addresses, when meetings were held, etc.

Tan went on to say: ‘Don’t worry about the persecution. Persecution we can handle ourselves. We know what we have to do. But please pray for us. It’s the issue of wealth that is one of the greatest threats to China’s church today. If we don’t know how to manage it, materialism will destroy us.’

Story of Hope
Open Doors tells the story of Sister Tian who trains university students. A while ago she was invited to lead a meeting attended by 1,000 - 1,500 students. The day before, local organisers were warned by the authorities that ‘there had better not be any preaching!’

But Tian simply followed God’s lead during the evening, reading passages of Scripture and sharing her testimony. She felt strongly that those present should be able do the same.  Mindful of the police presence, she said, ‘I don’t need to see you because God sees you, so you don’t need to raise your hand. But everyone who wants to ask Jesus to be the Lord of their life, say this prayer after me…’

Then she prayed a simple prayer of salvation, sentence by sentence.  Afterwards, she described the response: "I was awestruck! The sound of voices repeating the prayer after me literally thundered through the auditorium!’ It is estimated that hundreds of students committed themselves to Jesus that night. Praise the Lord!

Prayers Needed
Pray that change and rapid increase in wealth in China will be managed in a way that encourages the growth of Christianity.

Pray for an end to the crackdown by Chinese authorities in the run-up to the Olympics and for God to strengthen the underground house-church networks.

Pray for encouragement for the foreign Christian workers who have been expelled from China in recent months and pray that the work they started will be continued by others.