Syria: Assad welcomed by Arab League
25 May 2023
President Bashar al-Assad joined the Arab League summit in Jeddah and was embraced by the Saudi crown prince. A decade ago, the Saudis funded anti-Assad militias; now they want to remake the Middle East and need Syria onside. Assad insists, ‘Other countries should not interfere with what happened inside Syria’s borders. It is important to leave internal affairs to the leader and his supporters.’ Between them, princes and presidents at the summit have locked up many thousands of their opponents. Syrians blame the Assad regime for destroying their country. Over a million Syrian refugees have fled to Lebanon, but recently Lebanon sent 1,500 back to Syria at gunpoint. The UN insists Syrian refugees cannot return home until their country is safe and secure. The Assad regime remains under US and European sanctions. Amnesty International said, ‘Assad has turned Syria into a slaughterhouse’. President Bashar al-Assad broke his country to save his regime. There has been no justice for his victims.
USA: school district may ban Bibles
25 May 2023
Under a new Utah law that gives parents the right to challenge or report materials considered indecent, one parent wants the Bible removed from Davis School District, for its ‘pornographic’ content. If a book includes descriptions of sexual acts it must be immediately removed from school shelves. The parent sent an eight-page document to the school board stating, ‘Get this PORN out of our schools’, and quoted offensive Bible passages describing rape, incest, sex, and nudity. The district has removed 33 books from schools due to previous requests. Parents can also ask their child’s school to restrict a student from checking out certain titles. This parent wants the Bible completely removed because the Holy Book has ‘no serious value for minors’. The First Liberty Institute referred the review committee to surveys. One statistic established that 98% of English teachers said students who do not know the Bible are at a disadvantage when studying literature.
Myanmar: cyclones, camps, and conversions
25 May 2023
Cyclone Mocha tore through Myanmar last week with 175 mph winds, making it the strongest cyclone on record in the North Indian Ocean. It ripped trees and crushed homes, killing dozens and doing the most damage in fragile Rohingya refugee camps. Pray for the million displaced Rohingya people in these camps who are trying to rebuild their destroyed communities while suffocating in a cloud of fear of the ruling military junta and genocidal attacks. The dominant religions in these camps are Buddhism and Islam, but they both fail to provide lasting comfort for the fearful. Yet there is good news. The Church in Myanmar is growing, and the Gospel is spreading through faithful believers and Christian radio. 83.4% of the population are in unreached people groups.
Global: Tearfund action in Paris
25 May 2023
Next week Tearfund staff and campaigners from communities most affected by plastic pollution will be in Paris for the second round of negotiations on a UN global plastics treaty. The talks - known as INC-2 (Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee) - will run from 29 May to 2 June and mark a significant moment in a rubbish campaign. Tearfund is asking Christians to pray for the negotiations. Recent research showed that across the world 218 million people (equivalent to the populations of the UK, France and Germany combined) are at risk of flooding made worse by plastic pollution. At the talks, Tearfund will be calling for an ambitious and binding treaty that fully addresses plastic pollution and the impact it has on people living in poverty. It believes every person God created has value and should have the opportunity to live a full life, free of rubbish
Israel: threat to Al-Aqsa Mosque from Muslims?
25 May 2023
Bassam Tawil, a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East writes, ‘If anyone has been desecrating al-Aqsa Mosque, it is Muslims who have been rioting and using rocks and fireworks to attack police officers and Jewish visitors. Muslim rioters, not peaceful Jewish visitors, are the real threat to the sanctity of the mosque. Israeli authorities have clarified that the route of the “flag parade” absolutely does not include entry into any mosque. Such assurances have not stopped Palestinians and other Muslims from spreading fake news and libels against Jews. Iran's terror proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have also used the celebrations in Jerusalem to spread the libel that Jews are planning to “desecrate” al-Aqsa Mosque. As far as Hamas and other Palestinians are concerned, the very presence of Jews at their holy site and in Israel is a “provocation”. Terror groups are repeating the lie that the mosque is in danger.’
Network plants 10,000 churches
19 May 2023
Mission Board’s Send, North America’s largest church planting network, has announced that Southern Baptist churches have planted over 10,000 new churches since 2010. In 2022 alone, over 47,000 churches worked together to plant 745 new churches. They focus on the quality of the churches planted and are grateful that the survivability rate remains strong.
Iranian couple released from prison
19 May 2023
Praise God that Christian converts Homayoun and Sara have been acquitted and released from Evin Prison after being jailed in August 2022 for belonging to house churches, aka ‘crimes against national security’. Homayoun is particularly vulnerable, as he has Parkinson's.
70+ chaplains ministering after deadly storms
19 May 2023
Violent storms spawned 80 tornadoes across the Mississippi valley in April, resulting in over thirty deaths, levelling dozens of homes and flooding across south Florida. Throughout April and early May more than 70 chaplains from Billy Graham Rapid Response Team and Samaritan’s Purse have prayed with over 2,900 people as dozens professed their newfound faith in Christ.