Day 12: The Persian World
Series: 30 Days of Prayer for Muslims and Christians – 2016 Ramadan
Presented in American Sign Language, no voice interpretation.
Link: http://vimeo.com/170844915

Written Transcript:

The Persian World encompasses all of modern-day Iran and also parts of Iraq, northern Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. About 100 inhabitants speak variations of the ancient Persian language. Most Muslims in Iran belong to the Shi’ite majority sect while the rest of the Islam world is made up of Sunni Muslims.

The modern day country of Iran was established by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, and a great persecution ensued for Christians in that area. Nowadays, millions of Iranians have rejected the Islamic theocracy and hundreds of thousands have turned to Jesus Christ.
While thousands of Christian converts have been arrested, others have been forced out of the country. Many more live secretly inside Iran, worshiping in underground house churches or in the privacy of their own homes through the guidance of satellite-television broadcasts. There have been some Christians who have paid the ultimate price of martyrdom, such as Iranian-American Christian, Haik Hovsepian.

Haik became the first national bishop of the Assemblies of God church in 1980. The Iranian government, although allowing ethnic Christians to practice their faith, forbidden them from sharing their faith with Muslims. Haik refused to yield to these government pressures, saying, “If we go to jail or die for our faith, we will not yield.”

Reverend Mehdi Dibaj was a Muslim covert who was arrested in 1983, sentenced without trial, and pressurized to recant his faith. In 1993, he was sentenced to death for the crime of converting from Islam.

When he heard about this, Bishop Haik was faced with a choice: remain silent and avoid persecution, or speak out against the Iranian government. He decided to go public with efforts to save Dibaj, which proved effective in response to international outcry. On January 16, 1994, Dibaj was released from custody.

Three days later, Bishop Haik was abducted from the streets of Tehran. His tortured body was found in an unmarked grave. At Haik’s funeral, Dibaj spoke through his tears, “When Jesus died on the cross, only Barabbas knew that Jesus had died for him. When Bishop Haik died, I know that he died for me.”

– Pray for bold Christian witnesses like Haik Hovsepian to continue to take the gospel to the Persian World’s Shi’ite Muslims.

– Pray for the nations in Persia to allow greater freedom of religion, permitting people to make up their own minds about what they will believe.

– Pray for Iraqi migrants and refugees rebuilding their lives in new places, to be blessed in their new lands and a blessing to those around them.

Sources: http://www.30daysprayer.com; www.wikipedia.org; www.hovsepian.com

Day 11: Turkey
Series: 30 Days of Prayer for Muslims and Christians – 2016 Ramadan
Presented in American Sign Language, no voice interpretation.
Link: http://vimeo.com/170847486

Written Transcript:

– especially in the light of recent European refugee crisis with over 1.7 million Syrian refugees fleeing from the destruction of their homeland.

At first, Turkey opened its borders to Syrian refugees about five years ago, expecting the civil war to be quickly resolved. But as the war stretched on, there is a tension in Turkey with refugees caught in a limbo – unable to return to their homeland and also unable to get work permits or settle permanently in Turkey. Turks are increasingly concerned that the violence that has engulfed Syria with the rise of Islamic State would spill over in their country – especially with the October 2015 bombing of its capital city, Ankara, which killed 102 people and injured many others. Thus, both the Syrian refugees and the Turkish government are unsure what the best solution.

– Pray for tolerance and patience on the part of Turks who are offering refuge and hospitality to Syrian refugees.

– Pray for peace in Turkey, and for the Church in Turkey to lead by example in unity and love.

– Pray for the refugees in Turkey who have been there for many years, longing for home.

– Although it might seem impossible, pray for peace in Syria. Psalm 46:9 says, “He makes wars ease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatter the spear; he burns the shields with fire.”

Day 10: Turkestan
Series: 30 Days of Prayer for Muslims and Christians – 2016 Ramadan
Presented in American Sign Language, no voice interpretation.
Link: http://vimeo.com/170811957

Written Transcript:

The Turkestan region covers part of the eastern European bloc, the country of turkey, most of the southern part of former USSR, and north-western part of China. It has a total of 16 nations and 227 Muslim people groups. The modern-day people groups of Uzbeks, Uighurs, Kazakhs, Tartars, Turkmen, Azeris, and Turks numbers at 200 million and are descendants of legendary names of nomadic Turkic tribes such as Attila the Hun, Tamerlane, and the Golden Horde. Almost 160 million of the Turkic people are Muslims.

Many Turkic Muslims are coming to faith in Jesus Christ today. In Kazakhstan and Russia which are called “open countries,” Christians meet frequently in church buildings. More often than not, Turkestan’s persecuted believers have to meet in private settings or even homes. Many of them come to faith after seeing a troubling dream of the risen Christ. They are seeking for truth, and believers’ faithful prayers and reliance on the Holy Spirit are bringing Muslims to faith.

– Pray for persecuted Muslim-background believers in Turkestan – especially for courage, fellowship and encouragement in their faith.

– Pray for countless missionaries who are taking the gospel to each of Turkestan’s 227 Muslim people groups.

– Pray that the nation of Turkestan would promote freedom in matters of religion, so that arrests, beatings and death would not be commonplace for those who are seeking.

Source: www.30daysprayer.com

Day 9: Iraq
Series: 30 Days of Prayer for Muslims and Christians – 2016 Ramadan
Presented in American Sign Language, no voice interpretation.
Link: http://vimeo.com/170072041

Written Transcript:

The area of present-day Iraq has been important for thousands of years – even before Christ. The Mesopotamia region comprised the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and included the biblical city of Nineveh and also Babylon as a political and economic center. More recently, Baghdad was a famous university city and the center of art and science. After recent conflicts and bombings in the area, none of this has remained. Two years ago, the extremist group Islamic State has invaded large parts of Iraq, including its second largest city in the country, Mosul.

Islamic State is routinely terrorizing Iraqi Christians and other ethnic people groups such as the Yezidis and even fellow Muslims unwilling to submit to their ideology with expulsion, murder and enslavement. The Shia and Sunni Muslims are fighting against each other. Hostility continues to divide the nation. There are many people groups such as the Turkmen, Shabak, and Kaka’i who are discriminated by the majority population. The Kurds are now strengthening the occupied area of their semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq, which makes many Iraqi Arabs uncomfortable.

Thousands are exiled out of the Iraqi region due to recent conflict with the Islamic State, and are living in refugee camps hoping that they will one day return back home. They are seeking safety in the West, and there is no end in sight for chaos that has engulfed the region. Christians are also being systematically persecuted for their beliefs and are fleeing the country.

In spite of all this, there are some Christians who are faithful in showing Christ’s love to Muslims and Yezidis in practical ways by offering food, blankets or counseling. Out of chaos, there are glimpses of a new Kingdom that is not of the earth.

– Pray that those who have been affected and grieved by the war will experience God’s mercy and comfort.

– Pray that a stable state can be created where all minorities are respected and welcomed.

– Pray that Christians in the area will persevere in their faith so that many will find Christ.

Sources: www.30daysprayer.com; http://looklex.com/e.o/nineveh.htm

Day 8: The Arab World
Series: 30 Days of Prayer for Muslims and Christians – 2016 Ramadan
Presented in American Sign Language, no voice interpretation.
Link: http://vimeo.com/170072026

Written Transcript:

As the birthplace of Islam, home to its holiest shrines, and guardian of the Qur’an, the Arab World is the spiritual heartland of Islam. Many people speak different dialects of the Arabic language and are unable to understand the Qur’an if not find it confusing. As a result, many Arab Muslims are seeking direction from other sources.

When Muslim-background believers find Christ, they immediately know that they will face persecution, imprisonment, and even execution for converting from Islam to Christianity. Many of them are strengthened with the knowledge that Jesus Christ will not leave them alone in midst of their persecution and tribulations. They depend on the promise Jesus made in Matthew 10:17-20.

– Pray for Muslim-background believers who are suffering persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ.

– Pray for the youth of the Arab world to learn about other faiths – especially Christianity – without fear of persecution or even threats.

– Pray for the political and religious leaders of the Arab World to support freedom of their people to explore and pursue their own understanding of God.

Source: www.pray30days.org