Pakistan

Today, December 27th, 2007, Pakistan erupted in violence due to the murder of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto during an election rally.

Per the conservative Canadian Post, Bhutto was "... a powerful secular politician who, despite a reputation for corruption, remained a symbol of modernity and democracy."Her murderers have made her a most courageous martyr, which may in the end prove to be a worse fate for them that had she won the election. However, in the meantime, the country is near to civil war over this incident.

In the Wall Street Journal, "Unrest wracked the world's most unstable nuclear power, as slain former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was laid to rest and questions remained about her killers."

Pakistan has been the center of travel and thus the blending and conflict of cultures for ages. The majority religion in Pakistan is Islam, and it is the second largest Muslim nation in the world. However, the primary religion was Buddhism centuries ago, when this country was part of India and this region was along the Silk Road from the Middle East to China.

Our prayers tonight are for the people of Pakistan.

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

"The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest." Isaiah 11:6-8 (NIV)

May there be

• the hope and peace and wisdom of Christ in the homes of people in Pakistan.
• open hearts that they may, person by person, learn the love and grace of Christ, to forgive and know that hate has no future for their children and their country.
  

Christian Arabs in the U.S.

There are Christians in our midst from many cultures and countries around the globe. These people have left behind much besides their families, their heritage, their homes to come here, and many have done it to be in a country where it is safe to worship as a Christian.

We have such a multicultural society, especially here in Dallas. The opportunity is in our own backyards to minister to the needs of others and bring the love and teachings of Christ into their lives. When we are confronted with ourself and self interests, our fears and mistrusting of others, we should deliberately look to the needs of others, especially those we consider possible enemies, through prayer, reaching out, helping, serving.

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." - Philippians 2:4 (NAS)

"I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." Luke 2:27-28 (NAS)

Pray for

• Former Muslims who risk their life to reach out as Christians, including Kamal and Victoria Saleem and Koome Ministries
• Local ministries that reach out to those from other countries in this north Dallas community, which include those led by Jalil Dawood (pastor of the Arab Church of Dallas) (jdawood@aim.com) and Vinay Patras (leader of the local ministry of International Students Inc.) (vinaypatras@tx.rr.com)

Vinay Patras has said, "Jesus Christ has commanded us to minister to all we can in our community and stand by those who minister to the world."

Northwest Africa

Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya - these countries have been Muslim since invasions in the middle of the 7th century. However, these countries were largely Christian by the third century due to Roman persecution. Roman persecution of Christians was often severe in these countries.

From African Christianity - "Within a century the Christian church had died out, without any particular persecution on the part of the Muslim rulers, who treated the Christians leniently because they were "People of the Book." Christians were, however, required to pay additional taxes, and within a generation or two found these taxes too onerous to be worth maintaining a Christian identity. The church, divided and quarreling, could not persuade its members of the truth and importance of the Gospel message. If the blood of the martyrs had been the seed of the North African church, the feeling that Christianity was unfashionable and rather expensive withered the plant. Had Islam persecuted the North African Christians rather than tolerating them, Christianity may well have continued to flourish."

With this heritage in mind, Tunisia, located between Algeria and Libya on the southern coast of the Mediterranean, is sort of an oasis that provides relative freedom from religious persecution. However, there is also much apathy toward spiritual things, including among Christians.

In the other northwest African countries, Christian evangelism is forbidden, and there are great conflicts between western youth culture versus their own. Today, most Libyans are Sunnah Muslims. Mohamar Qadhafi, due to his radical interpretation of Islam, began in the 1970s rejecting traditional Islamic jurisprudence and the greater part of Islamic law - rejecting obedience to authority in favor of the right to interpretation of the Islamic law. This is one of the things that makes it a very unstable country, as well as unsafe for Christians.

This month we pray that
- there will be strength, wisdom, and passion for Christ in Christian families.
- that young Christian believers will find mates who are also strong in their Christian faith.
- that Christian believers will commit their lives to Jesus Christ, and will be willing to share this faith with others by example, generosity, caring, and teaching.
- that there is more effective coordination and follow-up of media contacts.
- that government leaders in Algeria and Libya will move toward a more stable structure that will not foster radical Islamic factions, and will allow residents freedom to choose to listen to the Word and follow Christ.
- that government leaders will be able to continue to protect the Tunisia from radical Islamists.

Mirpuris of Britain

On September 27th, the 15th day of the celebration of Ramadan for Muslims, we, along with other Christian groups who were participating in the 30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus, prayed for the Mirpuris in Britain.

These are people who migrated to Britain decades ago from the Mirpur region of Pakistan, due to a dam being built in Pakistan which would destroy their homes and need for textile workers in Britain. The 30 Days booklet and a Dawn news article about the July 7 bombings in Britain give a good background on the conditions and hurdles in overcoming the move toward extremism among this sect in Britain.

Chuck Colsen discusses Islamic migration in his September 11 BreakPoint article:
"[Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo] notes that the process of migrating and establishing Muslim communities in non-Muslim areas is an important part of Islamic theology. In A.D. 614, Muslim refugees migrated to the Christian kingdom of Abyssinia, where they were allowed to worship freely. In A.D. 622, Mohammed and his followers migrated from Mecca, where they were persecuted, to Medina, where they established the first Islamic state.

"As Sookhdeo writes, Muslims view the establishment of Muslim communities in Britain as a contemporary migration, called a hijra. But, he adds, "an important question concerns which seventh-century hijra they compare it to: the hijra to Abyssinia in which the Muslims became contented and loyal subjects of a Christian king, or the hijra to Medina where they seized
political and military power.

"To Sookhdeo, the signs are not good. He notes that a book "published in 1980 by the Islamic Council of Europe gives instructions for how Muslim minorities are to work towards achieving domination of European countries through a policy of concentration in geographical areas.

"In England and France, this has already begun. Muslims have created large enclaves in urban centers in which sharia law is in effect, in "areas of finance and mortgages; halal food in schools, hospitals, and prisons, faith schools funded by the state; prayer rooms in every police station in
London." Instead of assimilating into the larger culture, Muslims have, he says, created a "parallel society in the UK."

"And with this parallel society has come increasing violence against non-Muslims, Sookhdeo warns. There has been a rapid growth of so-called "honor killings," and now, suicide bombings."

Pray for

• Christians to see the opportunity and have the courage to reach out and find ways to meet needs and open hearts to Jesus Christ and the love and mercy of God for all people.
• cross-cultural workers in these communities who are trying to overcome the generations of poverty and sense of disconnection, both in Pakistan before and in Britain now, due to inability to integrate into the communities. As the Dawn article describes, "Some in the Muslim community have been struggling with these problems for years, trying to challenge recalcitrant mosque committees, trying to set up youth projects; they have been well aware of the threat of extremism."
• wisdom for those working in these communities, as well as Christians who come into contact with the Mirpuris each day, in finding ways to build trust and soften hearts that have been hardened.
• Mirpuris Christians, that they will find ways to connect with each other to build strength and wisdom, to share the Gospel with sensitivity and the insight they have into the background of their people, and that they will be able to avoid persecution.
• the British people - those harmed directly and indirectly by the bombings on July 7 and other incidences of conflict.