“Muslims think that it wasn’t Isaac — it was Ishmael. There is a big discussion about it,” says Pastor Saleem Shalash. He serves at Home of Jesus the King Church, a partner of Beit Hallel Congregation in Nazareth, Israel.

Sacrifice is central to Eid al-Adha (Stock photo courtesy of Diyar Shahbaz via Unsplash)

Despite these differences between Christians and Muslims, the theme of sacrifice is a common thread between them. The holiday provides a unique opportunity for Christians to have gospel conversations with Muslim friends and neighbors.

“In this holiday, they give a sacrifice for their sins. And it reminds us of the real sacrifice: Jesus,” says Pastor Shalash.

Around 1.5 million Muslims are on pilgrimage to Mecca this week as part of their annual Hajj. Pastor Shalash says that Christians should be confident to speak out about Christ with Muslims.

“People are more open and not like before. Today we have a lot of ways to start asking about reality, about the truth, and Muslims start to ask,” he says. 

If you know Christ and have Muslim friends or neighbors, invite them to explore who Jesus — called Isa in the Quran — really is. Pastor Shalash says they can even begin by examining what the Quran says about Him. 

He points to Surah At-Tawbah 9:31 and Surah Maryam 19:33 as starting places. 

“A lot of Muslims, leaders (sheikhs), if you ask them who is the one that will come back to judge the world, they will tell you the Messiah, Isa, and they admit it,” says Pastor Shalash.

“If Jesus is the one that is coming to judge, that means He is representing God, because the one who judges is just God Himself.”

Shalash encourages Muslims to wrestle seriously with the Quran’s descriptions of Isa.

“Who is this prophet? Who is this one that He will judge? Who is this one that He can create life? Who is this one that He can raise dead people? You need to ask this question, and then you will recognize that you are talking about God Himself. No doubt about it.”

He also encourages Muslims simply to read the Bible for themselves.

(Stock photo courtesy of Afiq Fatah via Unsplash)

Shalash speaks directly to Muslims, and you can too: “It’s time to search, it’s time to ask, it’s time to show your questions to everyone around you. They will help you, they will lead you. And most important, ask God Himself. Ask God Himself to show you what is the truth, and He will lead you.”

Ask God to give you boldness and opportunities to speak to Muslims about Jesus. Even if your Muslim friends are not ready to receive this message now, Pastor Shalash points back to biblical truth about Jesus: 

“It was through Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Isa, that He came, and He was the real sacrifice, and He was crucified for our sins, and He is the one that is coming back to judge the world. If He is coming back to judge the world, that means He is God. There is no doubt about this truth.”

Header image is a stock photo courtesy of Masjid Maba via Unsplash. 

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs, USA says that Saudi Arabia in 2016 and Saudi Arabia today are like two completely different countries. Here are two factors of the change:

(Stock photo courtesy of Bahaa A. Shawqi via Pexels)

“One was the disempowering of the religious police, who were enforcing the Quranic code. They were the people who would grab a woman off the street if she was showing some of her hair, if her veil wasn’t covering her the way they thought it should,” he says. “Disempowering them changed the atmosphere in the whole country. You didn’t have so many people living in so much fear.”

Then, some traditions or laws that were based on the Quran have been changed. One example is that women no longer need a male relative to accompany them in order to travel. Women are also allowed to drive now. 

Nettleton says changes like these in Saudis cultural standards have created new spiritual openness.

“The average person in Saudi Arabia starts to question the foundation of those standards,” he explains. “‘Well, I thought this is what the Quran says. Did the Quran change, or did it not really ever say that? Well, then, what else is there that is permanent, that I could trust, that doesn’t change from year to year or from generation to generation?’”

There is also a desire within Saudi Arabia’s leaders to be more friendly with the West, Nettleton points out. 

“There are biblical sites in Saudi Arabia that they are right now building superhighways to get tourists to come and see them. They know many of those tourists are going to be Christians. They want to see, you know, where Moses split the rock or where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea,” he says. 

“So there is going to be a lot of opportunity for Westerners and Christians to be on the ground in Saudi Arabia in the years to come.”

A man in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Photo courtesy of Mohammad Alashri via Unsplash)

However, Christians walk carefully. Non-Muslims can live in Saudi Arabia — indeed, the nation has a large migrant worker population, Nettleton says. But for Saudi citizens, converting from Islam is prohibited by the government and severely resisted by their families. (More on that here.)

“The idea of reaching Saudis, that’s sort of the red line for persecution. That’s the red line for what the government will or could or might tolerate,” says Nettleton.

Please pray for open doors for gospel workers already in Saudi Arabia, slowly planting seeds that may take years to grow. Pray for more ambassadors to join them.

“Pray, pray, and pray,” says Nettleton. “The other thing I would encourage people [is] go to Saudi Arabia. Be on the ground. Pray inside the country for God to move. I think it’s great when Christians go with a proactive idea that we are ambassadors for Christ … even for a week of tourism.” 

Header photo: Makkah, Saudi Arabia (Stock photo courtesy of Muhd Emy Jailani via Unsplash)

Today marks the first day of Islamic fasting, Ramadan — a significant time for Muslims to reflect on their relationship with Allah. Lana Silk from Transform Iran explains:

“There will be an increased amount of interest in Iranians and all Muslims for spiritual things, for truth, for discussions on subjects like: How do we talk to God? How do we know He heard us? What does a healthy prayer life look like?”

These questions set the stage for Muslims’ hearts to seek the Light, but the journey is not always straightforward.

Many Muslims explore these questions through the lens of Islam, yet often find themselves unsatisfied. The Qu’ranic Allah rewards actions — good or bad — but His mercy remains vague. This creates an opportunity to engage with Muslims on these topics and share the certainty of Christ’s promise.

However, prejudice against Muslims can act as a barrier in reaching them. Lana Silk says: “I would love for people to understand the genuineness of most Muslims’ pursuit of God and truth. And in that process, may there be empathy and a vision tied to the Great Commission to reach them.”

Muslim women talk (by RDNE Stock project, via Pexels)

The religious fervor that many Muslims exhibit toward Allah is filled with reverence and a sincere desire to please Him. “That kind of pursuit pushes people deeper and deeper into their Muslim faith,” Silk explains. “They try to pray more, study more, and be better, hoping that maybe then they’ll please God and that He will reveal Himself to them.” The void for a personal relationship with God leaves them yearning for more. And as they search for Him, often, it is Jesus who reveals Himself to them.

Then, years of Biblical teaching follow, gradually clearing the way for a deeper understanding of God’s loving nature, as many questions still await answers.

One of the ways Transform Iran addresses these needs is through their apologetics center. As they work to bring the love and power of Christ to Iran – and beyond – you can visit their website to learn how you can help and pray for their ministry.

Before His ascension, Jesus declared: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matt. 28:18) — and left a Great Commission for His disciples to carry out in His stead. As He declared His authority over the earth and its people, this included those who observe Ramadan. As His authority extends to Muslims, pray that many will earnestly seek the Truth and find Him, through visions, dreams — and His disciples.

Header image courtesy of Unsplash.

Yernathen with A3 says an Algerian pastor has been falsely accused of threatening national security. “He’s never done anything wrong in terms against the law. But it’s just the fact that he’s a Christian. He proclaims his faith but also speaks about the right to exist as Christians in Algeria, and the government doesn’t like that.”

This pastor is just one of many cases of Christians facing charges for faith-based activities.

“Most of the cases that have been gone through the court are all in standby status,” Yernathen says. “Most of them have appealed. There are probably 15 to 20 pastors now that have been tried, and all of them have appealed. They are expecting their case to be handled by the Supreme Court. Sometimes they have to wait for 10 years.

“It’s a vicious cycle because they (the Algerian government) would say that we allow the people to make the appeal or to make requests for having authorization to have a building or to have an organization. But actually, most of the governments in Muslim nations don’t really grant anything.

Man with Algerian flag. (Photo courtesy of Nasro Azaizia/Unsplash)

“It’s all bureaucracy. It’s just politically correct to say that we’re appealing so that it would show that the country is open for diversity or for other minority groups. But, in reality, it doesn’t give freedom of other religions to exist within the country.”

Yet, there is encouragement! Yernathan works specifically among North African Muslims, trying to share the Gospel with them.

“Over now the past few years, we have seen people becoming disillusioned…with Islam because they realize that Islam or the Quran has a lot of lies, and it doesn’t stand for the time we live in,” says Yernathen.

“Many other people are quitting Islam because they think there is another option, and they have a choice. If they have this choice, they would likely accept Christianity [and] accept Jesus because He offers love, opportunities for their life, and freedom.”

 Pray for Algerian Christians’ faithful witness in persecution. Ask the Lord to open Algerians’ eyes to the freedom and truth of the Gospel.

Yernathen says, “If we believe in God, then God is sovereign, and God is using us. So whatever happens to us, even in persecution, I think it’s going to bear fruit.”

Learn more about A3’s ministry.

Header photo representative, courtesy of USCIRF.

A six-year-old Christian student from Khanewal in the Punjab province of Pakistan was recently attacked by his schoolteacher and beaten within an inch of his life. The Muslim teacher accused the child of blasphemy.

FMI has been in contact with other local ministry leaders regarding the attack. Bruce Allen with FMI says, “This boy had a workbook. He was just fiddling with it, he cannot really read it, and he’s making rips or tears in the notebook. But because that notebook or the curriculum had Quranic verses printed in it, it’s considered desecration against the Quran.

“Now, this boy has no intention of committing blasphemy. He probably doesn’t even understand what blasphemy is. And yet, because he’s a Christian, the teacher who is Muslim uses that incident as an excuse to beat him severely enough — not just that he’s hospitalized, but he nearly loses his life.”

(Photo courtesy of FMI)

The boy was initially fighting for his life in the hospital after the attack. FMI now knows he has been released to his family’s care. But there is no word yet on if he was truly fit to be released from the hospital or his current physical state.

Allen says, “In this town in Punjab province, even now, the Christian families are fleeing for their lives. So when I hear that this boy is recuperating with his family, I don’t know that he’s at home. They could be on the run for their lives. I don’t know that they have the medical resources to take care of his wounds.”

Pakistan’s constitution establishes Islam as the state religion. Blasphemy laws are often used to encourage vindictive targeting of Christians.

In praying for this Christian boy and his family, Allen says, “I’m gonna get really practical. [Pray that] they can sleep well at night. We know our bodies don’t heal whether emotionally or physically very well if we’re not getting good sleep.

“Can you imagine the nightmares that a six-year-old boy could have replaying the scene in his mind? In what he expects is the safety of his classroom, and the one who’s in authority beats him brutally? So pray that the family sleeps well.”

Pray also for the family to access any additional medical resources needed for their son’s care. Pray for their protection and for justice.

Also, Allen asks, “Pray for his future because God can raise up from this boy someone who could have such a strong voice in the Christian community as a strong testimony of what forgiveness looks like [and] even a strong voice to say, ‘I’m a survivor of what society tried to do to me, and we need to change society.'”

Header photo of school desks, courtesy of Hiroyoshi Urushima/Unsplash.

Yesterday, a mob of hundreds of people stormed the predominantly Christian neighborhood Jaranwala in Faisalabad. So far, at least five churches have been burned as well as many believers’ homes.

Nehemiah with FMI says, “Before they burned these churches and houses, they tortured Christians, they vandalized and they demolished everything. While I’m talking to you right now, riots continue in Jaranwala in the same city and radical Muslims have blocked all major highways.”

Pakistan (Photo courtesy of FMI)

Videos show some local police, rather than stopping the violence, actually joined the protestors. Other police, “even if they’re not part of the riots, they are just standing there alongside with these mobs and watching them burning these churches and then vandalizing everything.”

The Gospel is needed more than ever in Pakistan.

Nehemiah asks, “Please pray for FMI partners because we have partners in the same city. I was able to connect with him and, of course, he was scared, he was afraid. But he’s still standing on the ground and…he is serving in this very, very difficult and dangerous situation.”

Ask God also for protection over churches and Christians in Faisalabad.

Header photo of the Minar of a Masjid in Faisalabad, Pakistan. (Photo courtesy of Asfand Yar/Unsplash)

(Photo courtesy of GR Stocks/Unsplash)

The backlash has been fierce. Morocco recalled its ambassador from Sweden. Protestors stormed the Swedish embassy compound in Baghdad. There have been arrests in both Sweden and Germany that stopped retaliation terrorist attacks.

Swedish police had granted permission for the protest to take place. But now, the incident is being investigated for incitement of hatred. Sweden’s Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer says the country is considering banning protests that include burning the Quran.

However, Denise Godwin with International Media Ministries (IMM) says it highlights a double standard.

“I find it sad because people are looking away when other kinds of religions are disrespected. There’s the increase in anti-Semitism. There is definitely an upsurge in anti-Christianity. So it’s fascinating that disrespecting a document or a book can become an international incident, when in other cases, it’s swept under the rug by the media or by the community.”

IMM’s Gospel-based media ministry reaches countries with large Muslim populations where Christians and other religious minorities are often targeted with blasphemy accusations and persecuted.

Ministry in this context is difficult. Even simply sharing the Gospel can be construed as blasphemy against Islam.

(Graphic courtesy of IMM)

Godwin says, “There are people who want hope… But there’s also danger. There’s danger for the missionaries, for the workers, and also for the expats.

“As International Media Ministries, we’re trying to find ways using media to help get the Good News in the local language into places that are living in very difficult times with persecutions going on, and it’s important for us to pray for our brothers and sisters.”

Please pray for protection for minority Christians and others who could be targeted in retaliation for blasphemy accusations. Pray that the Gospel message of Christ’s compassion and truth would diffuse anger.

Header photo courtesy of Marcel Strauss/Unsplash.

The employee has been suspended, and authorities have started an investigation.

Nehemiah with FMI says the whole incident was caught on security footage. “This Muslim man added while he was shouting at this woman that he will bring clerics to frame her in a false accusation. And then he said that he was mad at her and he will cut her down. The female officer can be heard calling the man out for threatening her and daring him to register a blasphemy case against her.”

Blasphemy laws

It’s an example of how blasphemy laws in Pakistan can be used against Christians, even outside of religious situations. The laws forbid saying anything against Muhammed, the Quran, or Allah. It gives Muslims a feeling of power over Christians, even in petty disputes.

Nehemiah says the law was first passed in the late 70s and early 80s. “This is one of the laws that is strictly enforced. Most of the time, people don’t go to court. Right away, they decide the situation on the street.”

“This is one of the reasons why mob culture is very common in Pakistan.”

Ask God to strengthen Pakistani Christians who live under this constant threat. Nehemiah says, “They live on the sharp edge of a sword. Many of these people who are being accused of blasphemy are part of congregations with these brothers and sisters who are serving with FMI. Pray for safety, security, and wisdom, how they can deal with such situations.”

Header photo courtesy of FMI.

Muslims believe this month marks the giving of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammed. The date changes each year because Muslims have traditionally used a lunar calendar, rather than a solar one.

Gospel of John

Bibles For the World has collaborated with other ministries to reach Muslim refugees in Europe while they celebrate Ramadan. John Pudaite says, “The partner to whom God gave this vision, he had done this in a small way in previous years. It can be called an iftar package.”

Iftar is the word used for the meal eaten directly after sunset. Pudaite says, “[The baskets] provide them with some fruits and some sweets for them to break their fast. But we have added a Gospel of John to it.”

BFTW will provide 500,000 Gospel of John copies in several different languages to reach refugees from Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, and other nearby countries.

Prayer

During Ramadan, Muslims want to hear from God and come closer to Him. Pudaite says, “We just need to pray that the Holy Spirit will reach through and show them the truth. As we provide God’s word to them, we pray that He will work in their hearts and their minds.”

Pray Muslims all over the world will emerge from Ramadan this year having encountered the risen Jesus.

The header photo shows an empty but decorated street just after sunset while people break their fast. (Photo courtesy of Synaps commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Nehemiah with FMI says the crowd wanted to burn the man alive. “I want to tell you that he did not burn the Quran. There was a page with a verse from the Quran inscribed in it, and he burned that piece of paper.”

The man has a mental illness, and he didn’t realize what he was doing would offend the mob. Religious violence in Pakistan often targets religious minorities, the poor, or other outcasts.

TLP movement

It’s part of a larger mob mentality in Pakistan, says Nehemiah. Any perceived slight against Islam has the potential to draw violence. Most of those involved in this incident belong to the TLP, a violent religious organization and strong political force in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s government had imprisoned the TLP leader. But they released him last week.

Nehemiah says, “This is a mindset that has grown in Pakistan. It’s a very bad situation. Cases of blasphemy, killing people, and mob culture has grown in Pakistan. We have many partners in the same area who are serving in this city and in this district.”

Pakistan’s government

Ask God to give Christians courage as they face such a hostile and violent society. Nehemiah says the government of Pakistan doesn’t officially support the violence, but many officials do in secret. “And this is the reason why you see every day a new story of blasphemy charges, or a new story or forced conversion.”

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recently labeled Pakistan as a Country of Particular Concern. Pakistani officials criticized the move, claiming the country has positively handled religious freedom.

Photo courtesy of David_Peterson from Pixabay.