Joe Willey with SAT-7 USA talks about a case from Northern Iraq. “Now these so-called honor killings can be defined as the killing of a relative, especially a girl or a woman, who is perceived to have brought dishonor to the family. One of these two women was killed after she posted a video of herself on TikTok singing Christian songs.”

“It’s suspected that her murder was in retaliation for her apparent Christian beliefs.”

This woman was the daughter of a Muslim cleric and had been married off at age 12. She had separated from her husband and had become an activist for women’s rights. Her brother and uncle killed her.

In Iran, a husband beheaded his 17-year-old wife after she returned from fleeing to Turkey. People took pictures of him parading her remains through the streets. She had also been married at 12 years old, younger than Iran’s legal limit of 13 for girls (15 for boys).

Sadly, the Iranian government’s response was to shut down the news agency that first broke the story.

Value of women

It’s an illustration of how little these societies value women. Willey says, “Iran’s civil law says that if a woman withholds her duties toward her husband, she does not receive financial support. Women face tension and challenges if they leave their home without the right kind of clothing. And I found this to be startling from my American perspective, but even riding a bicycle may subject a woman to criminal proceedings.”

SAT-7 programs work to change this culture through programs like Insiders, which airs on the Farsi language channel SAT-7 PARS. Willey says, “Viewers in Iran are presented with the biblical truth that women are made in the image of God and have intrinsic value. That’s the same value as a man. SAT-7 programming is also breaking a cultural taboo by even discussing these topics.”

 Ask God to change the cultural view of women in Iraq and Iran.

Header photo courtesy of SAT-7 USA. 

“We’ve [heard about] men who sold their wives to other men for money. We’ve [talked to] young girls raped by their own fathers, by their brothers,” says Nazanin Baghestani, who oversees the follow-up component of Heart4Iran’s trauma counseling program.

“Muslim men treat women as an object; they don’t care about their lives.”

Heart4Iran operates a call center alongside its satellite TV broadcast, Mohabat TV. Trauma counselors speak to approximately 1,000 callers each month, offering compassion and hope.

“It takes time, but I would say 95-percent [of the callers] open up to us and tell all their secrets. That’s the first step of healing because they acknowledge what they have gone through,” Baghestani says.

“In severe cases, we try to connect [callers] to a home leader inside the country that will get them connected to actual help.”

(Photo courtesy of Afsane Bz/Unsplash)

Healing and hope

Along with listening, trauma counselors help each caller work through grim questions.

“What do I do? I cannot divorce’,” Baghestani says, describing one of the questions callers and counselors discuss.

“I cannot leave this house because that’s my source of income. If I go, where do I go? My reputation is going to be ruined. Nobody’s going to marry me again, and I will end up on the streets.”

Most importantly, the counselors point callers to Jesus, the Great Physician.

“They hear the Gospel, and they cannot resist. I haven’t known anyone who will not give their heart to Jesus,” Baghestani says.

“We’ve had women (callers) who’ve been raped, and once they encountered Jesus, that [trauma was] completely healed.”

Pray for Heart4Iran’s trauma counselors; secondary trauma is a genuine threat. Pray callers who place their faith in Christ find healing and forgiveness, as well as a new purpose.

Help keep the call center open by donating to Heart4Iran. Your gift provides light and hope in a dark society.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Fakurian Design/Unsplash.

President of Russian Ministries Sergey Rakhuba says Chechnya's president "approved publicly, saying the killings were okay because the lady that got shot by relatives publicly had loose morals. He went on to describe women as the property of their husbands and say their main role is to bear children."

Rakhuba says influential people on national television announced they want Sharia law acknowledged throughout the Russian Federation, not just Chechnya. "He says if anyone will go against them, they will fill up the city with blood. It shows you how much radical fundamental Islam is getting into the day-to-day life in Russia."

Some suggest that up to 22 million people are Muslims in Russia. The increase is due to a decreasing birth rate in Russia, 13 abortions to every 10 live births, and immigration. Russia is fearful they could become minorities in their own country.

Rukhuba says his team is still committed to this area. "They understand the level of this risk. The risk is huge. They still like to go and reach this community with the Gospel. I believe summer camps in Chechnya are a most strategic approach to bring the Gospel to that autonomous republic there."

This is an area that knows violence well. Children there are recruited by radical groups. Rakhuba says that's why next generation leaders running camps are important. "They come with a good message. They come with good motives." As they come to Christ, "We begin to see the change. The young people change within weeks, and they understand people care about them."

In this case, summer camps may not only change the life of a child but potentially may change an entire area of the Russian Federation.

You can support a camper this summer. Click here to help.