Iraq: Who are the Yazidis?
The name Yazidis means ‘worshippers of god’, which is how Yazidis describe themselves. They call themselves Daasin, the name originates from the Ancient Church of the East. Many Daasin beliefs are rooted in Christianity. They revere the Bible (and the Koran). Their tradition is oral. Children are baptised with consecrated water by a priest. At weddings he breaks bread and gives one half to the bride and the other to the groom. The bride then visits Christian churches. They practise sacrifice of animals and circumcision as the ancients did. Their supreme being is Yasdan, the Creator of the world. A great spirit emanates from Yasdan to execute divine will. Yazidism is monotheistic. Over the centuries they have never abandoned their faith or their sense of identity. They are a reserved people with deep roots in their communities. If they are driven from Iraq and Syria they will probably settle in southeast Turkey.
Iraq: Please pray
The situation for Christians in Iraq has deteriorated badly. Sinjar, (Northwest of Mosul) is a city of mixed minorities; 30,000+ of these are scattered around and on the mountains. Telkeif, Batnai,Tel Esquff, (Bishops Hill) Bartella, Qara-quash, Al Gure, Ba'ashiqa and Bahzani cities are mainly populated by Christians. The IS has attacked their churches – raising IS flags on them and calling upon their god inside them. Pastor Farouk, (Senior Minister/ Baghdad) called for fasting and prayers. John Robb, (International Prayer Council) said, ‘I believe it's a spiritual warfare more than a ground battle. During my personal prayer and the intercessory group's prayers, I found it's the old days monster, the old serpent, filled with hate and poison. I trust the Almighty for a Divine intervention, we need an urgent move of the Holy Spirit to turn the scales and balance of the situation on the ground. Your prayers and intercessors will make a big difference'. See urgent aid appeal at
Pakistan: Christian persecution drastically increases
Christians make up 4% the population in Pakistan and are targets in the rapidly increasing violence against minorities. Pakistan's blasphemy laws are frequently misused to settle personal scores. ‘It's not safe for Christians in this country.’ said the bishop emeritus of Peshawar. ‘Everyone is ignoring the growing danger to Christians in Muslim-majority countries.’ Increasing persecution is causing panic. 16,000+ Christians have fled to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand. In an attempt to end this mass exodus authorities illegally removed 1000+ Pakistani Christians from their flights in Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore. Sri Lanka detains them as refugees. Pakistan has moved to number 8 on Open Doors World Watch List of the worst persecutors of Christians in the world. Pray and ask God to soften the hearts of extremists, convict them of their sins against humanity and to provide protection over Christians in Pakistan
Nigeria: Kidnapped girls – trauma rises
For the families of the missing girls kidnapped more than a hundred days ago, another trauma has emerged. Eleven of the grieving parents have died, many after heart attacks and stress-related illnesses. President Goodluck Jonathan pledged to secure the girls release during his first meeting with parents recently. Parents pulled out of previous meetings believing they were being used for political reasons. Despite the support of the USA, France and the UK the whereabouts of the girls is still unknown. President Jonathan reassured parents, appealing for patience, understanding and cooperation. ‘Anyone who says we are aloof and not doing what we are supposed to do to get the girls out is not being truthful. Our commitment is to get the girls out and to rout Boko Haram completely from Nigeria.’ Please pray for security in the area; there are concerns of a humanitarian disaster as Christians flee Boko Haram. See:
Africa: A prayer request for un-reached people groups
An evangelist reports, ‘1,536 adults and 1,808 children attended activities during our Botswana & Namibia outreach, where we explained the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people living in remote areas and small villages. A hundred Bibles and a few thousand tracts were distributed, as well as different topics from Jericho Walls International Prayer Network on prayer and Bibles studies. We worked with nearby churches in these remote areas. Using guides and translators is always key to the age old problem of follow-up programmes to isolated groups.’ Pray for the reached communities and the participating churches to experience God’s blessings and be greatly encouraged as they grow in God’s Kingdom.
Lebanon: Hamas/Hezbollah - who’s inspiring whom?
Hamas had been digging tunnels in Gaza for decades. The Lebanese Shiite organization has used tunnels and underground bunkers since the IDF withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000. Now there’s concern that Hezbollah has expanded its network of tunnels inside south Lebanon, to enable offensive infiltration into Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu said the Hamas cross-border tunnel network had the ‘catastrophic’ potential of gunmen emerging into southern Israel near army positions, kibbutzim and settlements. Israeli communities on the Lebanese border have in the past reported hearing muffled sounds underground, which they believe indicate Hezbollah tunne-digging. Now, such reports are gaining new resonance and the Israeli security establishment is taking their concerns seriously. An article published on Hezbollah’s website cited that ‘security elements’ spoke of booby-trapped tunnels prepared over the past two years inside southern Lebanon, allowing fighters to move easily from place to place during battle. Last month, Hamas official Osama Hamdan said that the exchange of knowledge between Hamas and Hezbollah on Israel is ongoing.