Petition to Secretary Clinton regarding Iraq

The country of Iraq has had one of the biggest changes this year on the 2011 World Watch List - moving up from position seventeen in 2010, to number eight!

In response to this jump Open Doors USA is launching an advocacy campaign on behalf of the Christians in Iraq whose persecution has rapidly escalated in recent months. Advocate on behalf of our Iraqi brothers and sisters by signing the petition urging Secretary Clinton to work closely with the Iraqi government to protect its Christian community. Sign the petition today and ask others to sign as well, collectively we can globally raise awareness of the situation of Christians in Iraq.

 Please sign the petition....

http://members.opendoorsusa.org/worldwatchlist/petition/

Tribute to a Brother

In the African country of Eritrea, in a small isolation cell the size of a shipping container, Mehari Gebreneguse Asgedom (42), a man who had committed his life to Christ, was denied medical treatment for complications from diabetes and injuries sustained from torture. On January 16, 2009, at the Mitire Military Confinement Center, Asgedom’s earthly life had ended. This week Open Doors and Christian brothers and sisters around the world remember Christ’s servant Mehari Gebreneguse Asgedom and the sacrifice he made for his faith. Join with us in praying that Mehari’s family is comforted, that they are strengthened in this difficult time and that their lives become testimonies to the hope that lies within all of us.
“Remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison.” Hebrews 13:1.
As of November 2010 church leaders in Eritrea estimate that there are around 1,500 believers in prison specifically for their faith, their families sometimes waiting years to hear any news of their welfare. Eritrean Christians have asked believers around the world to continue praying for their country.

• Pray that the newly arrested would remain firm in the faith
• Pray for God’s protection and provision for them as they may be facing very trying circumstances
• Pray that God would use their testimonies of faithfulness to convict their persecutors of their need for salvation in Christ.

If this story has touched you, please share your thoughts with us below:

Somali Mother of Four Killed for Her Faith

On January 5, Asha Mberwa’s husband, Abdinazir Mohammed Hassan called his wife to make arrangements to move the family out of the area because of Asha’s fears that their lives were threatened. Al Shabaab extremists, who control large parts of Mogadishu, monitored the conversation and confirmed that she had become a Christian. She was arrested the next day.
Then on January 7, in front of villagers in Warbhigly, on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Islamic extremists slit the throat of 36 year old Asha Mberwa because of her faith in Christ. She is survived by her children – ages 12, 8, 6 and 4 – and her husband of 17 years, who was not home at the time she was apprehended. According to Compass News Asha’s children are being cared by “a good Samaritan” in Mogadishu. Her children, traumatized by their mother’s violent death, continue to weep and cry out for her.
Al Shabaab insurgents have embarked on a campaign to rid the country of its hidden Christian population. With estimates of al Shabaab’s size ranging from 3,000 to 7,000, the insurgents seek to impose a strict version of sharia (Islamic law). Said to have ties with al Qaeda, al Shabaab has been designated a terrorist organization by several western governments.
The transitional government in Mogadishu, fighting to retain control of the country, treats Christians little better than the al Shabaab insurgents do. While proclaiming himself a moderate, President Sheikh Sharif Sheik Ahmed has embraced a version of sharia that mandates the death penalty for those who leave Islam. Somalia is in the number five position on Open Doors World watch List of countries where the persecution of Christians is most severe.
Thank You, Father, for Asha’s faith in You and that she is now enjoying perfect peace and joy in Your presence. We pray, though, for her children who have known more tragedy in their young lives than anyone should ever know. Our hearts weep for them, as we know Yours does. We are powerless in ourselves to help them, but we call on You to heal them from this trauma and to protect them. Strengthen their faith. We are comforted only in your promise that “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1)

China Experience: Open Doors USA

Pakistan--#11 on World Watch 2011

Islamic extremists killed a Christian lawyer, his wife and their five children in northwestern Pakistan for mounting a legal challenge against a Muslim who was charging a Christian exorbitant interest.

Police found the bodies of attorney and evangelist Edwin Paul and his family at their home in Haripur, a small town near Abbotabad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (previously known as the North-West Frontier Province).

The victim and his wife Ruby Paul, along with their five children ages 6 to 17, had been shot to death.

A group of armed men stopped Paul and took him by the collar and said, “Leave the town in 24 hours we know how to throw out Christians, we will not allow even a single Christian to live here. We will hang them all in the streets, so that no Christian would ever dare to enter the Hazara land.” 

Dear Readers,

Dear Readers,

I just wanted to thank you so much for faithfully keeping up with our persecuted brothers and sisters all over the world. I was looking at my traffic map earlier and saw just how many people I had coming to this blog.

Thank you, thank you so much for being fellow watchers with me. Whoever you are, and wherever you are, thank you. 

I will continue to post updates as I get them.

Always, always remember to pray. It's the most powerful thing on earth.


Always Fighting,
-Hannah