Syria in Disarray

(Photos by Douma Revolution)

Mission Network News: "Syria (ODM/MNN) ― Syria was wracked with protests beginning Friday--another manifestation of the upheaval since  the anti-government movement began 14 months ago.

Jerry Dykstra, spokesman with Open Doors USA, says despite an April ceasefire, "Things are breaking apart. We've seen that with the twin car blasts in Damascus that killed 55 outside of the Syrian Intelligence Compound on Thursday, and other bombings also.""

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Brutality in Syria creates humanitarian crisis

(Photos courtesy Christian Aid Mission) 

Syria (MNN/CAM) ― The crisis in Syria has created a flood of refugees. According to the United Nations, the number fleeing the regime's wrath has risen by several thousand in the past few days and now tops 34,000.

Their most recent numbers show that hundreds of thousands are thought to be displaced within Syria. Bill Bray with Christian Aid Mission says, "Almost every day, we're getting new reports of increasing numbers of refugees and increasing sacrifice being made by the Christian community in the surrounding countries to reach out."

Most of the poor refugees, made up of nominal Christian and other minorities, are fleeing to neighboring countries where the reception has been chilly. "They are trying to contain the refugee crisis, and displaced persons within Syria and not welcoming them across their borders. All the borders are mined and armed--protected. They don't want a huge rush of refugees from Syria coming into their countries. They don't want to set up great refugee camps and so forth."

Bray says their team has been responding to the building humanitarian crisis since last June. Their first inkling of how bad it was going to be was when "the leaders that we assist kept saying, 'Can we have permission to divert the funds that you've been giving for evangelism or other causes that were earmarked.... Can we start using this to aid the Christian refugees that are coming across the border?'  They asked for more help, and we've been sending more and more help." 

Why? "The Christian community is often neglected in the distribution of aid to the refugees. And the host governments in Turkey and Jordan and Lebanon really are not welcoming these refugees and don't want to recognize them." Bray adds that it's not just Christians, but also "the Bedouins, the gypsies--there are minority groups that are neglected in aid distribution." As a result, "An amazing number of Bedouins are coming to believers for help," says the Christian Aid Mission spokesperson.

The good news is that more help is getting in. But the bad news is that things are getting worse. Even as international pressure grows on President Assad al-Bashar, the government response has been bruising. For most Non-Government Organizations, that means no aid in the country. For informal response like Christian Aid, it's quite a different story. "We have a vast network in all of hose countries. They're already in place. There are missionaries that are doing covert evangelism; they're reaching out to their communities. They're seeing the needs, and the heart of Christian compassion is in them."

This is an opportunity to show the love of Christ to people who are suffering terribly, says Bray. First, the physical needs. "There's a lot of need for anything that provides warmth. Fuel oil, mattresses, warm clothes, blankets, shoes, because they're fleeing with what they've got on their backs." Feeding and housing one refugee family costs about $130 a week in temporary shelters -- the cost of food alone is $70 a week.

When believers help, the inevitable "why" is answered with "Christ." As a result, "They very much want Arabic Bibles, CDs, Christian literature. There's a great demand to receive spiritual aid as well as material aid."

"We are not really prepared to help these people," says a local missionary leader, "but we cannot keep our doors closed when we see our brothers and sisters in need--whether they are from Christian or Muslim background."

"God uses times of crisis to soften hearts to the gospel," added the Christian Aid staff spokesman. "This may be a time of harvest among Muslim and Christian refugees. God is sovereign. He cares for Muslims. Countries in the Middle East are going through great upheaval. Now many Muslims are turning to Christ. Maybe the long turmoil in Syria is God's way of bringing this about."

Bray concludes, "They can pray for strength for the Christian community and wisdom in dealing with the government and local police officials. A lot of these people are illegal immigrants, they're undocumented; there are no jobs for them so we need to pray for the Christian community as they try to integrate these refugees into their churches and into the community."

Christian Aid has set up a special emergency fund: Gift Code 400REF. Check our Featured Links Section for details.

U.S. declares war in Iraq at an end

(Photos by Gregg.Carlstrom)

Iraq (MNN) ― U.S. defense secretary Leon Panetta formally declared an end to nine years of a war in Iraq on Thursday at a ceremony in Baghdad.

The cost: 4,500 American dead, 32,000 wounded and more than $800 billion. However, Mr Panetta said that "the mission had succeeded in "making that country sovereign and independent and able to govern and secure itself."

According to government reports, the pullout of U.S. troops began in 2009, and combat operations stopped a year later. U.S. troops pulled out of the cities in 2009 and halted combat operations a year later. Training Iraqi personnel has been on schedule, so it's assumed that the withdrawal will have little immediate impact on the lives of most Iraqis.

However, that might not be true for one of the minority groups in Iraq: the Christians. Spokesman for The Voice of the Martyrs USATodd Nettleton explains, "The potential is there for it to affect believers, because believers have had a sense that American presence provided at least a little bit of protection, a little bit of oversight for them."  

However, Nettleton notes that "the reality is that there have been attacks on believers while the Americans have been there. There will be attacks on believers, now that they're gone. It is simply a continuation of the persecution that Christians in Iraq face on a day-to-day basis."

About 334,000 Christians remain in Iraq, less than half of the number there in 1991. The violence has caused hundreds of thousands of Iraqi people--both Muslim and Christian--to leave the country, and many more are displaced inside Iraq, particularly in Kurdistan.

There is one question Iraq's believers want answered. "Now that the Americans are leaving, now that the Iraqi government is fully in charge and fully in place, what will be done about religious freedom? Will there be protections for Christians to meet together?"

A wait-and-see approach is the only option. In the meantime, the Gospel is going forward. "The Voice of the Martyrs is directly involved in ministries that equip the church, particularly equipping Christians who are doing evangelism. We provide Bibles, we provide other Gospel materials. We are also providing other material needs to Christians, especially those who have been displaced by the violence."

Pray for protection for the Christians who remain. Nettleton says their teams are praying for government leaders who will stand for religious freedom. "We can pray about the evangelism efforts that are going on. We can pray for those who are spreading the Gospel that God will protect them, that seeds will be planted, and that lives will be changed by the love of Christ." 

Embattled Syria reveals parallels to Iraq's remnants

File footage of Syria protest
 (Courtesy Associated Press)

Syria (ODM/MNN) ― At the beginning of 2011, the blossoming "Arab Spring" promised hope of new beginnings throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

As 2011 draws to a close, it's beginning to look more like a chilly "Arab Winter" for some. 

Christians have borne the brunt of regime changes in both Egypt and Syria. Unrest remains part of the landscape. While the people can agree they want to be free from oppressive regimes, no one can seem to agree on who will be in charge. Open Doors minister-at-large Paul Estabrooks notes, "Syria has a lot of parallelisms with Iraq."

Christians, in general, are afraid of what might happen to them in the future, especially if fanatic Muslims take over or obtain more freedom and seek revenge against believers. Estabrooks says, "One of the groups advocating for the fall of the Assad regime is a group of extremist Muslims who want to rule the country. If that became the situation, our brothers and sisters would be in dire need."

Some Christians have already reported violent acts against them as a sign of more threats and violence to come. There, too, Estabrooks confirms the reports. "Some of our reporters tell us that taxi drivers in some of the cities have made a vow to harm all women who take their taxi, [women] who are not totally veiled the way they think they should be."

"Christians inside Syria are caught in the crossfire as they are in many other Middle Eastern countries," says Open Doors President/CEO Dr. Carl Moeller. "Until the protests started against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, the Christian community enjoyed some protection. Now they are afraid of the future. Will they have to flee their country like Iraqi Christians have done over the last several years? Please lift them up in your prayers."

Because of months of protests and violence against the government of al-Assad, Syria is on the brink of civil war. Thousands of protesters have been killed. Because of the continued crackdown on the protests, there is an international boycott in place. Inside Syria the central government is losing its grip on the situation.

Notes Estabrooks, "The word we're getting is that the situation is getting worse, especially for our brothers and sisters. There's a lot of criminal activity, where the military have withdrawn, and there's a lot of activity by fundamentalist Muslim groups." 

A field worker writes, "In the city of Homs, for example, the Sunni Muslims gained power on the streets when the government pulled out its troops for a few days. Some of the radical elements in this group have raided several churches. They robbed the churches of their most valuable things."

The hostile atmosphere in Syria is creating another dark parallel to Iraq. "There is a real worry in the minds and hearts of our brothers and sisters there, to the point where they, like the Iraqi Christians, are seriously considering emigrating, leaving the country."

Syria has more than 20 million inhabitants. About 1.5 million Syrians are Christians. It's a nightmare twice over for some because, Estabrooks says, many of the Christians in Syria sought refuge from the persecution in Iraq. 

As the situation deteriorates, Estabrooks urges believers: "Pray for the situation because we believe God is in control. He, fortunately, is the one who sees the end. He knows what's going to happen. We need to intercede on behalf of our brothers and sisters."

Because of the chaos, the United Nations has voted in sanctions. According to an Open Doors worker, the impact throughout the country has been severe.

He reports, "Petrol is running out, or being preserved, or thrown out by opposing groups to create more of an issue within the country. You also see in the supermarkets that products are missing. Prices are rising because of the shortages.

People stand in lines for hours just to get a tank of gasoline for heat; sometimes they go away empty. With electricity getting cut for few hours a day, no gasoline and no petrol are available as before."

And yet, the Gospel is still going forward. There are some who are dedicated to sharing the hope of Christ in Syria. To those, Estabrooks says, "We provide Bibles, literature and training--especially leadership training."

Bloody week in Iraq raises terror concerns

Iraq (MNN) ― Although no one claimed the bloodiest day this year for Iraq, the attacks this week bore the hallmark of al Qaeda.

Suicide bombers, car bombs, and roadside explosives hit more than a dozen Iraqi cities and towns. The explosions killed roughly 70 people. Homes, business and houses of worship were targeted.

Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs says the group behind the Monday assault was sending a message. "When you talk about more than 40 attacks coordinated all across the entire country, you're talking about: 'We're still here and we can make a lot of trouble.' I think the other message that they're sending is: 'You should be very afraid.'"

As U.S. troops draw down and leave Iraq, the Christians there have a very real concern. Nettleton explains that they're wondering if the government can respond to the threats against them. Believers are asking, "Who will protect us? Who will make sure that our churches are not bombed, that our people are not attacked and killed?" Nettleton says, "There's a very real concern about what role the Iraqi government will play in providing protection for the Christian citizens of Iraq to meet together, to gather for worship."
 
Attempts to destabilize the region have been ongoing, but there has been a concerted effort to erase the presence of the Christians in Iraq since the beginning of the war. Watchdog groups like Open Doors USA and Voice of the Martyrs have been calling the eradication effort a "religicide."

According to Open Doors' statistics, there are fewer than 250,000 Christians who call Iraq home. Thousands more are reported to have fled to neighboring countries. The resilience of the insurgency threatens to disrupt outreach efforts.
Nettleton says their teams are active in many directions, but the two most obvious are through Bible distribution and Action Packs.
  
Whenever possible, VOM will distribute complete copies of the Bible. Where it is too dangerous or costly to deliver complete Bibles, VOM will deliver New Testaments.

When participants  order an Action Pack, Voice of the Martyrs will send a special pre-printed vacuum bag and a list of suggested items which are needed. Participants purchase items, fill the bags, and ship them back to The Voice of the Martyrs who will distribute them along with a color Gospel storybook, He Lived Among Us.

These help keep believers encouraged. Nettleton says the projects allow Christians to answer these questions: "How do we live out the Gospel? How do we share our faith with the people around us when there's so much danger and so much threat?"

Equipped with these tools, the resources of the church are also keeping doors open to share the hope of the Gospel.

 "The other thing that comes to mind is acts of love and service," says Nettleton. "We've heard of churches in Iraq that are providing medical clinics, medical care, and medicines. They are really seeking to be Christ."

Is it effective? Nettleton thinks so. "When all around you is turmoil, and yet you have a peace in your heart and a peace on your face, that is a witness in and of itself, without ever saying anything."

Pray for protection for Christians during this time of upheaval and danger. Pray for ministry opportunities for churches and Christian relief organizations working in Iraq. Nettleton adds, "We can pray for the salvation of the attackers, the troublemakers, the people in Iraq, to come to know Christ in a personal way."

Church bombing in Iraq reveals the vulnerability of Christians

Story photo by Tamra Hays: Iraqi
 church. [Cover photo from Google
 Maps]

Iraq (MNN) ― A car bomb shattered hopes for peace during Ramadan. It exploded outside a church in central Kirkuk, Iraq on August 1.Officials say 23 were wounded in that attack. The blast damaged the church as well as neighboring structures, police noted.

Since 2003, attacks by insurgents and religious extremists against Christians have driven more than half of Christians out of the country, leaving a remnant church, says Carl Moeller, president and CEO of Open Doors USA.

More violence is likely. Moeller explains, "When a church is bombed like this in Iraq, or anywhere else, we have to look at those precipitating opportunities. Here, on the very first day of Ramadan, to have a church bombed in a country that is known for violence against Christians, I think there's an opportunity to link those two things together."

Ramadan is the 30-day annual Islamic fast which began August 1. From dawn till dusk, Muslims seek to shed their sins through acts of restraint as they believe this is a time of purification accomplished through good deeds and self-control.

There are concerns that the fervor stirred may expose Christians to an increased risk of persecution in Muslim-majority countries. "The fact is: the extremists in that country are still bent on extermination of the church," Moeller says. "I think the animosity is always there, the daily pressure is always there," he addds," but during Ramadan in particular, we see a heightened intensity of those that are extremists against Christians."

Describing Monday's attack as normal sectarian violence versus a connection to Ramadan specifically is hard to differentiate because the ideology is the same. "Predisposition of violence in a country like Iraq means that the expression of that hostility against Christians is going to take the form of church  bombings, or kidnappings or killings of Christians."

According to Open Doors, some governments in Islamic countries forcibly enforce observance of Ramadan, and extremist groups increase their vigilante activities against both non-abiding Muslims and non-Muslims, tending to become more intolerant toward them. But it's not all bad, says Moeller. "During Ramadan when Muslims are praying and intensely seeking God during this spiritual month for them, we can pray that the Spirit of God penetrates the lives of Muslims."

At the same time, the remnant church sees this time as an excellent opportunity to share the hope of Jesus. "The church itself, in these situations, sometimes actually grows stronger. That doesn't mean it grows larger, necessarily, but it does grow stronger, that those who are strengthened by the Holy Spirit are able to stand with greater conviction."
 
Pray for protection for Christians during this time of upheaval and danger. Pray for wisdom as they respond to the fear surrounding them. "They are the ones who end up witnessing to neighbors who look at their situation and ask, ‘Why?' They get a chance to testify to the reality of Jesus Christ in their life."