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2015-08-20

  • Islamic State Abducts Hundreds Following Capture of Town

    Islamic State (IS/ISIS) militants have recently captured hundreds of unsuspecting Syrians after seizing the strategically located town of Qaryatain -- located in the central Syrian province of Homs -- on Friday, August 7th. At least 230 people were kidnapped or detained, including dozens of Christians, some of whom were taken from the Dar Alyan monastery.

    Among those seized were 45 women and 19 children, including 11 families. A number of the abducted victims were on a list of persons suspected by the militant group of "collaborating with the regime." The families of hundreds of Christian and Muslim residents from Qaryatain have lost contact with their abducted loved ones since ISIS militants captured the area. There are concerns that the militant group may also target other Christian population centres in Hawwarin and Sadad.

    Towns like Qaryatain are susceptible because they are located along the Damascus-Homs Highway, a route used to ferry supplies and fighters. The Syrian army launched a large-scale counter offensive to recapture the city, which lies in a region where some of Syria's largest gas fields are located, but so far has made no significant advances.

    This past February, the hardline jihadists abducted at least 250 Assyrian Christians, the majority of whom were women and children, during raids on villages in northeastern Syria. The fate of many remains unclear, as is the outcome of numerous priests who had gone missing and are believed to still be in captivity. For a previous report on the February 2015 incident, you may click here.

    Pray for the Lord to strengthen, protect and uphold the alarming number of Syrians who are being forcefully held captive by ISIS militants. May they not despair but trust explicitly in Him during this time of urgent crisis. Pray that He will miraculously provide deliverance from their captors, reuniting them with their distraught loved ones. May the suffering that's being experienced by so many victims and their families somehow be used for ultimate good and greater blessing (Romans 8:28), also serving to open the spiritual eyes of multitudes in the Middle East and around the world who are in desperate need of our Lord's salvation -- including the members of Islamic State.
  • Plea for Intervention of National Government
    Communal farmland in Mexico

    On August 1st, Álvaro López had his personal farmland vandalized and farming tools stolen by a "traditionalist" living in the same area. (The term "traditionalist" is used by those who have erroneously combined their ancestors' pagan Mayan rituals with the ordinances of Catholicism.) While the police did intervene, their relatively minor scolding of the perpetrators had done very little to comfort Álvaro and his fellow evangelical Christians who are all living in a constant state of uncertainty regarding their personal safety.

    This incident follows an ongoing conflict that other evangelical families in southern Mexico began facing within their own communities. The opposition has included personal intimidation, attacks on homes, imprisonment, forceful expulsion, and even physical injury or death to some members of the families. (Previous reports on incidents of persecution in this country -- including video reports -- can be viewed at the Mexico Country Report.)

    While the state of Chiapas officially guarantees the protection of vulnerable groups such as evangelical Christians, governing authorities have not been effective in the enforcement of applicable laws. In a recent commission to raise awareness of religious persecution, the state's Secretary General Juan Carlos Gómez Aranda encouraged minority groups that are suffering discrimination with the promise of necessary action. Yet the recent attack on Álvaro and the continued harassment of other evangelicals within the state prove that no substantial progress has been made.

    Under the guise of protecting their syncretistic rituals and customs, traditionalists have purposely cut off supplies of water and electricity from reaching various evangelical Christian communities in Chiapas and also prevented many families from cultivating crops in their own farmlands. As the state government has ignored or blatantly supported such hostilities, these fellow believers in Christ have begun urgently calling on the country's federal government to mediate on their behalf and, thereby, uphold agreed upon protection.

    Ask the Lord to strengthen the suffering Christians of Mexico so they can endure these hard struggles, exposure to reproach and affliction, and the plundering of their property (Hebrews 10:32-34; Psalm 145:18-19). Pray that these suffering believers will be reminded of the fact that they have a far more worthy possession; one that's promised to last forever in a place where thieves will never break in and steal (Matthew 6:20). May their attackers also experience the reality of God's life-changing presence, the richness of His enabling grace, and the power of His resurrection glory to help them overcome the challenges of this world.
  • New Constitution Could Make Christianity Illegal
    Pray that evangelism in Nepal
    will not be restricted as there
    are many in need spiritually.

    Nepali Christians fear that proposed amendments to the country's new constitution, likely to come into effect this August after seven years of parliamentary discussions, could eventually render all Christian activity illegal. Christians are deeply concerned that the draft, though it affirms the right to profess and practise one's own religion, criminalizes evangelism and conversion.

    Article 31(3) states that "any act to convert another person from one religion to another, or any act or behaviour to undermine or jeopardize the religion of another (will be) punishable by law." Christians are worried that if the latest draft is passed, regular Christian activities, such as holding church services accessible to all or even simply organizing events to aid the disadvantaged, could be interpreted as being evangelistic and, therefore, considered an offense.

    Once the world's only Hindu kingdom, Nepal was declared a secular, democratic republic in May of 2006. However, Hindu nationalists have run a highly successful propaganda campaign convincing Nepalis that "secularism" will lead to mass conversions to the detriment of Nepalese culture. C.B. Gahatraj, a representative of the Federation of National Christian Nepal, believes that the number of Christians in the Himalayan nation is underestimated, adding that people are not being forced to convert. "Hindu groups may have been alarmed by the fact that people who were praying quietly earlier are doing so openly now," he says. "All citizens must be allowed to practise the religion of their choice freely."

    According to the following statement by David Kainee, another concerned Nepali believer, the implementation of the new constitution could be potentially disastrous: "For peace and prosperity, we need to defeat the forces of religious extremism in the country, otherwise Nepal is sure to take the path of communal politics like in the Gulf and Middle Eastern countries where hundreds of people are being killed in religious violence every day. Let's close the chapter of giving a political colour to religion which is polarizing Nepali society, and instead plant the seeds of tolerance and unity."

    More information on the country of Nepal can be found at VOM Canada's website.

    Please join us in prayer for our Nepali brothers and sisters whom this new law could seriously affect. Let our hearts' desire be for the Lord to intervene on their behalf, granting those in authority wisdom as they endeavour to preserve religious liberty for the benefit of all. May He give prominent Christians within the country insight and authority as they seek to influence the debate, advocate for religious freedom, and counter the propaganda of Hindu nationalists. Intercede for all of Nepal's believers -- including evangelists, church workers and their leaders -- that they may have divine wisdom as they navigate the path ahead (Psalm 46:1). Throughout the process, may God continue to build and equip His church in Nepal.