King Salman “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques”
WHO IS KING SALMAN?
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud became king of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in January 2015, at the age of 79. He is the absolute monarch of Saudi Arabia, head of the house of Saud, and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. King Salman has worked closely with his son, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, the eldest son of his third wife, and the power behind the throne, in instituting many seemingly significant reforms.
KING SALMAN’S BACKGROUND
King Salman is the 25th son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia. He was raised in the Murabba Palace in Riyadh. He studied religion and modern sciences under religious scholars and sheikhs at the Princes School under the close guidance of his father. He was appointed the Governor of Riyad region when he was just 19, and he held that post for 48 years – until 2011. He has been married to three wives and has 11 sons and two daughters, ranging in age from 63 to 30. His sons Fahd and Ahmad both died in their forties. Prior to becoming king, he often mediated disputes among the estimated 4,000 princes in the Royal House of Saud. He has funded mujahedeen fighters in Afghanistan and has been closely associated with radical Wahhabi factions in the country..
KING SALMAN TODAY
As king, Salman has streamlined the administration of the Kingdom by eliminating eleven government departments and merging them into just two. He also launched a war against the Shia Houthi in Yemen, and his soldiers have been accused of numerous human rights abuses. In 2017 he ordered an unprecedented purge of princes and government officials, accusing them of corruption. In 2018 King Salman also got rid of the law prohibiting women from driving. Both King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman are committed to the extremely conservative Wahhabi sect of Sunni Islam. There is no religious freedom and little political freedom under their rule. King Salman has a net worth of more than $50 billion. He lives in enormous luxury in the royal palace. But the king’s health is failing. He did not fully recover from a recent stroke, and he reportedly has Alzheimer’s disease.
PRAYER POINTS
- Pray for an open and soft heart towards the Gospel amid failing health.
- Pray for encounters with global Christian leaders that challenge his faith in Islam.
- Pray for the entire royal family to put their trust in Jesus, impacting Muslims around the world.
- Leah Sharibu and Alice, both held captive by the Boko Haram.
- For Pastor Wanh Yi from China, who has been sentenced to 9 years in prison for sharing boldly the love of God.
- For Anita, a Christian convert recently sentenced to 10 years in prison for sharing the Gospel in Iran.
- For Pakistani Christians and other minorities who are facing discrimination and persecution during the coronavirus crisis. Muslims are denying Christians relief food packages because of their faith in Christ.
“Our prayers do have an impact on the things of eternity and the souls of men and women to find truth in him who is the Living Word. Please join us on the prayer conference call to lift prayers up together. As ever, I remain your brother and prayer partner in our Lord Jesus. Meet you on the call! If you are unable to participate on the call, or cannot join us on a particular evening, you can still use the prayer points and pray in your personal prayer closet. The only thing I would urge you is, please do it. Whether you pray privately, in a group, or on our call, please pray for a great harvest of souls during this time of Ramadan.” – Blaine Scogin, Founder of Persecution Watch and former Prayer Director of Voice of the Persecuted.As Blaine Scogin did each year, the team will continue to host nightly calls during Ramadan. We will be following along with the Prayercast Team’s platform in praying for Muslims for the next 30 days, which began on April 24. Please sign up here to receive the daily video and prayer points from Prayercast which we will cover on the nightly prayer conference calls. If you have yet to do so, it’s not to late. Dear brothers and sisters, we challenge you to join us on the conference call to pray with us during these 30 nights of prayer for the persecuted, the harvest, and for Muslims to come out of the dark, receive the truth and follow Jesus. In Christ, Voice of the Persecuted and the Persecution Watch Prayer Team Nightly call schedule through Ramadan From any location on your phone Time: 9:00 PM Eastern 8:00 PM Central 7:00 PM Mountain 6:00 PM Pacific Call in number: 712 775-7035 Access Code: 281207# Recommended: For those who may be subject to added charges for conference calls. Please download the app, it’s free! MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and easy way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all of your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD you can instantly dial into a conference call via 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes What is Persecution Watch? Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted and our missions became one. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch is an important part of our own. With the passing of Blaine into glory on December 26, 2019, Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with our dedicated prayer warrior team. On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters have been invited on the call to share the trials they’re facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs. Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone. We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you’re new to the call and can’t find your voice, listen in and pray silently or on mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call! NOTE: Persecution Watch has a new email address for the prayer team and those who would like to receive urgent prayer requests, weekly call prayer points and notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers. Please fill out the form below to be included in our new distribution list to receive this important information. Since the passing of Brother Blaine Scogin, we thank you for your patience as we have transitioned into this new season. We are grateful for your prayers and to the Lord for guiding us as we continue the Persecution Watch prayer call mission. Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.
