FMI’s Nehemiah* says this is an unprecedented moment in Pakistan.

“Most importantly, which is more important than even Mr. Khan’s arrest,…we have never ever seen the Pakistani people…go face-to-face with the military, with the army. That is the very, very first time. We have never seen something like this in 70 years of Pakistan’s history.”

Since Pakistan’s establishment in 1947, the nation spent more than three cumulative decades under martial law.

Pakistan flag (Photo courtesy of Abuzar Xheikh/Unsplash)

Now, with people revolting and the military clamping down, Nehemiah speculates, “I think we are moving towards another martial law in Pakistan or maybe official emergency is going to be declared in Pakistan very soon after this situation.

“People have entered into the buildings of military establishments — that we have never ever seen before…. A very strange thing is that when people were entering into these buildings, there was no such security. There was no one there who can stop them. It looks like that is a trap that people may enter so they have a reason to impose Sharia law or impose an emergency so a military establishment can come officially and take over Pakistan.”

Khan, a former cricket star turned philanthropist and politician, founded the political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 1996. Eventually, Khan became the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan in 2018.

However, Khan’s administration was marked by economic struggles and waning military support for his leadership. He was ousted in April 2022 after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament.

Amidst clashes between Khan supporters and police, the streets in many provinces have become dangerous and impassable.

Nehemiah says, “I was talking to one of the brothers in Pakistan because roads are blocked, there is nowhere to go, and he is still about 200 miles away from his home. He doesn’t know how to reach his home. So this is a difficult situation.”

(Photo courtesy of FMI)

Meanwhile, Pakistani Christians are heartbroken for their Muslim neighbors who feel let down by police and politics and have no hope.

“We have an opportunity and room to share the Word of God with people, although this is a chaotic and difficult situation right now in Pakistan. But still, when there is no hope, we have only one hope in God, and that is Jesus.”

Pray for Gospel opportunities in Pakistan. Also, Nehemiah says, “Today, I want to request pray for Pakistan at-large, not only Christians in Pakistan but for peace in Pakistan and stability in Pakistan.”

Learn more about FMI’s ministry.

*Name withheld for security.

Header photo of Imran Khan, former PM of Pakistan. (Photo courtesy of Financial Times/Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/51005181@N05/8414079377)

Over 600 million people voted in this election, and Modi won by a landslide. His political party (Bharatiya Janata Party) won 354 of 545 seats (272 seats are needed for a majority) in The Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s Parliament—a win even bigger than their share of the vote in 2014.

In recent years, persecution against Christians in India severely increased—and now, Mission India’s partners in India anticipate challenges continuing.

Mission India’s Bartholomew* says, “Our partners in India have been faithfully praying…as they just try to see what the new round [of political leadership] looks like for them in terms of ministry and how God’s going to move amidst all of this.

“But they’re also at the same time energized, knowing that regardless of what happens politically, God is still in control. We’ve heard that a lot from our partners. They know that God will be faithful and they’re going to keep doing what they believe God is calling them to do.”

This year, Open Doors USA ranked India as the 10th worst country in the world for persecution of Christians, who have faced violence and loss of rights.

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Now is the time to stand with Christians in India, both in prayer and by empowering them with tools and training to continue to push the light of the Gospel against the spiritual darkness around them. Opponents of the Good News seem to be growing in numbers and in strength, and the future feels uncertain.

But we know who holds the future, and so we pray. Please join our Indian Christian brothers and sisters in praying for protection, for wisdom, and for an open door to the Gospel message.

If you would like to receive Mission India’s daily prayer e-mail, India Intercessor, click here and you’ll be automatically signed up to receive daily prayer requests from India.

Header image obtained from Narendra Modi’s personal feed on Flickr.

*Name changed for security purposes.

Earlier this month, the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) and Council of Churches of Malaysia urged Christians to vote wisely and to pray. This is sound advice for any Christian, but in Malaysia, it points to the fact that there is a lot at stake.

David Curry of Open Doors USA gives some background:  “Malaysia is a predominately Muslim country. And [it’s] very close to Indonesia, very close to Singapore. And it has a reputation as a financial center within that region; you have Kuala Lumpur as the capital city. And so, a lot of people, they don’t think about Malaysia when they think about persecution of Christians, issues related around religious liberty. But it’s a significant player in that region.”

Malaysia has moved up Open Door’s World Watchlist to number 23. The persecution that takes place in Malaysia manifests in the way Christianity is monitored and controlled.

“You have a government that is imposing restrictions on Christians in very practical ways, in some very subtle ways. And they have some infrastructure there that makes it very difficult.”

Dr. Mahathir in 2009. (Photo courtesy of M Afif via Flickr)

Not only are traditional groups like the Roman Catholic Church monitored, but those Christians who have an emphasis on sharing their faith are more heavily persecuted. However, if you’re born into a Christian family and are not too loud about sharing your faith, you might not be as much of a target.

“The average Christian in Malaysia may not fully understand the levels of persecution that exist around them.”

He believes that this could be why Christians were urged to vote wisely and to pray—to not only consider their own situation in Malaysia, but also those of their brothers and sisters who face more persecution.

For instance, Curry says, “If you’re a Muslim in Malaysia, you can’t change your mind and become a Christian. You are stuck there… This is a governmental thing, directly related to these elections—they have re-education camps…. If a Muslim decides they want to be a follower of Christ and study the Bible, they’re sent away to a camp to be brainwashed back into the Muslim faith. Imagine that! That’s the government of Malaysia.”

For the last 30 years, the Barisan Nasional political party has been in power. But the winning opposition party, Pakatan Harapan, believes that people should be able to change their religion and have clear and legal guidelines as to how to do that.

And so the hope is that, with this election, the mentality of the previous administration will be replaced: “They want people to be born and die and live as Muslims. But, the reality is, people have a free will. They should have the ability to read, think, decide for themselves what they believe. If you don’t have the ability to change your mind, are you free at all? And the answer is fundamentally, no, you’re not.”

(Photo courtesy of World Scouting via Flickr)

Curry gives another example from last year of how Christians might be treated if they share their faith: “There were three to four missionaries—pastors—kidnapped. One of which… notably was Pastor Raymond Koh who on February 13^th of 2017 was kidnapped. They found the closed-circuit television camera that showed men in blue vehicles surround his car.”

Curry says the government has been “notably unhelpful” in investigating his kidnapping. In fact, when his family reported the disappearance, the government interrogated his wife in connection to the kidnapping for hours. It casts a suspicious light on the government’s involvement.

“These people look a lot like trained special forces in Malaysia. Maybe the government is behind some of these kidnappings because they felt he was doing something illegal as in sharing his faith. So, there’s lots of questions around the government of Malaysia as regards to persecution of Christians.”

So, regardless of what’s ahead, the reasons to pray are many. Pray that the leadership will transition smoothly and for the future leader of Malaysia to bring justice and order for all people.

“Malaysia is a country that could tip into a very, very virulent form of the Muslim faith and so, therefore, the message to the churches there is, be very thoughtful about how you pray. Lives are in the balance. Freedom is in the balance.”

Confusion in the Middle East

(Image courtesy Google Maps)

However, when Hariri announced his resignation on TV from Saudi Arabia, it ushered in accusations that Sunni aligned Saudi Arabia had pressured Hariri to resign and was holding him against his will. The Shia Islamist political party, Hezbollah, even went as far to claim Saudi Arabia was declaring war with Lebanon because of Hariri’s debated detention.

Considering the Sunni-Shia Muslim rivalry and power struggle in the Middle East, Hariri’s resignation and then pause to do so could tip a very delicate scale in the Middle East’s politics, begging the question: what is going on?

Rex Rogers with SAT-7, a Christian satellite television ministry to the Middle East and North Africa, shares, “It’s hard to know from our perspective (SAT7, of course, doesn’t get involved in political things) but having just visited Beirut here in the last month when a lot of this was going on—we found that folks were in a sense almost used to this. The rest of the world interprets things one way or the other, but, they see these things come and go.”

Tolerance in Lebanon

But, despite the political storm that was stirring in the country, Rogers shares that the people of Lebanon seem to have a real perspective of diversity. In other words, despite having different beliefs, the Lebanese find a way to get along.

Flag of Lebanon
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

“Even groups like Hezbollah are not viewed as negatively in Lebanon by most people as some outside view that group, because they provide certain stability and they are Lebanese,” Rogers explains.

However, a breakdown in stability in Lebanon could threaten minorities in the country, like Christians and refugees. Right now, the country is doing a lot to help provide for refugees, both Syrian and Iraqi, who’ve sought refuge within its borders.

“There [are] a lot of families there that wouldn’t have anywhere else to go if Lebanon hadn’t opened its doors,” Rogers shares.

Pray

Regardless of tensions in the country, SAT-7 offers hope through the Gospel to the people in Lebanon. Through its satellite TV ministry, SAT-7 helps meet needs of kids growing up illiterate through its new channel, SAT-7 Academy.

“They grow up so fast and you need to provide them with an ability to function in a free society, and the ability to be employed, and avoid extremism if they have opportunities to care for themselves,” Rogers explains.

And while the recent clamor in Lebanon mightn’t worry the Lebanese as much as the outside world, will you pray? Pray for peace in Lebanon and protection and encouragement for the people.

More now than ever, people in the Middle East and North Africa are looking for spiritual answers. Please pray these people would encounter Christ, the Gospel, and have their lives transformed through it.

To financially support SAT-7’s work in Lebanon, click here!

Learn more about SAT-7 in Lebanon here!