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Pray for Mali, Burkina Faso, DCR, Nigeria, Mozambique, Somalia
(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us tonight in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.
Islamic Extremists are exploiting the instability in sub-Saharan the countries.
The main drivers are the Islamic extremists who have taken advantage of military coups and the resulting breakdown of governance and security, which enabled the Islamic groups to grow and flourish. This explains why the number of these sub-Saharan countries with extremely high violence has risen from 13 to 15.
Furthermore, there is another threat emerging in sub-Saharan Africa, and those threads come from China and Russia. African governments spent more than 1 billion dollars per year on surveillance equipment which will strengthen the capability of governments led by rulers with absolute power as well as the military Juntas. The sophisticated Chinese surveillance technology, as we know, is a tool for repression of religious freedom and increases the influence and power of autocratic leaders.
Also, a part of the Wagner group – a private military contractor with connections to the Russian government is known for their ruthless activities to counter Islamic extremism and active in countries like Mali and Burkina Faso as well as manipulating economic factors such as mining.
Christians find themselves in the crossfire of these groups.
Prayer Points
- Pray to the Lord to raise up Christian leaders to restrain the extremist exploitation of regional instability.
- Pray to the Lord that He will bring leaders together to have them work out conflicts to a peaceful resolution.
- Pray to the Lord that HE will guide and protect His believers in these countries where it is dangerous to be a Christian.
- Pray to the Lord to protect Christians who speak out against violence, a hedge of protection around them.
- Pray to the Lord to confuse and distract Islamic extremists who plan attacks against Christians.
- Pray to the Lord that MBB will feel empowered and remain strong in faith and able to resist hostilities from family and neighbors.
- Pray to the Lord that ambiguous laws to restrict Christian activities are abolished, such as illegally shake the faith of a Muslim.
- Pray to the Lord for the Christians who have been displaced due to violence to be connected to NGOs for spiritual and physical support.
- Pray to the Lord that NGOs provide persecution awareness training as well as trauma counseling for the people who lost loved ones or were subject to violence.
- Pray to the Lord that Pastors and elders will be effective in covert ministry that support the saints.
- Pray to the Lord that He will open doors for evangelism and believers can boldly share the good news.
- Pray to the Lord that Islamic majorities and radical Muslims will be unable to stop the growth of Christianity.
Again, we want to lift-up these persecuted witnesses to the Lord:
- Leah Sharibu, a prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
- Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
- Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison, for his family and for the church.
- Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, as he and his family are adjusting from his release from prison, that they may know what God’s will is for them now. Pray for the trauma they had to endure. UPDATE: According to Article 18, once sentenced to death for his “apostasy” has been “pardoned” and released after nearly five years in Tehran’s Evin Prison but told Nadarkhani that he still faces flogging (30 lashes) and two years’ exile 2,000km from his home. Read the report here.
- Armenian Genocide Happening Again. Read full report here: Genocide and Forced Deportation: Nagorno-Karabakh
- The Harvest: “37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38
Andy, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Moderator
Please forward prayer points to your church, prayer groups and others who will pray.
Prayer Conference Call Details
Monday through Saturday, 6 nights a week
USA Time Zone:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: (667) 770-1476
Access Code: 281207#
MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and uncomplicated way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all 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 a 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes
If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.
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 time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the two missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.
Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2015 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2016. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.
“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.
On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters are invited to join the conference call and share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is 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 are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in, and pray silently or 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!
God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.
Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader, and the Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator Team
NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up at link below to be added in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.
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.
Muslim Suspected of Killing His Christian Mother, Relative Says
(Morning Star News) – A Muslim in eastern Uganda is suspected of killing his mother last week by putting pesticide in her food for refusing to leave her Christian faith, a relative said.
Sulaina Nabirye, 50, of Kamuli, Kamuli District, put her faith in Christ on Feb. 10, and since then her 31-year-old son had tried to persuade her to return to Islam, said the relative, whose name is withheld for security reasons.
“During the month of Ramadan, she complained of her son pressuring her to stop attending church and revert back to Islam, since he was studying to become an imam at Bugembe Mosque,” the relative said. “When she refused to convert back to Islam, he stopped visiting her at her house and threatened to chase or even kill her.”
Nabirye’s fears led the source to make frequent visits, praying with and encouraging her to withstand the threats.
“She had peace and joy and was encouraged by the sermons from the pastor,” the source said.
The threats from Nabirye’s son, Arajabu Mukiibi, intensified during Ramadan, and the source was present when Mukiibi visited on April 9 to tell Nabirye that his wife would prepare dinner for them.
“At 7 p.m. he came with food, which he gave to us, and he left,” the relative said. “I was praying and fasting, so I did not eat the food. Shortly after eating the food, Sulaina started vomiting, and then followed diarrhea. I tried what I could, but things were worsening, I called a nearby clinic officer who came with medication. He tried to put her on drip, but all was in vain.”
Nabirye died that night at 2 a.m., April 10. The relative’s bitter weeping and wailing at Nabirye’s death alerted neighbors, who arrived to learn of the tragedy.
The source had the food tested at a medical clinic and discovered that it contained Methanol, a toxic alcohol used as an industrial solvent and pesticide.
“Her son did not come to help his mum,” the relative said. “He and his wife who were living close by did not show up. This made me conclude that he is the one who planned the poisoning.”
Area people have condemned Mukiibi for allegedly taking his mother’s life for becoming Christian and have vowed to take revenge, the source said. Relatives planned to file a report with police.
Nabirye, whose husband died in an auto accident in 2019, is also survived by a second adult child.
Nabirye attended church services every Sunday after putting her faith in Christ, the source said.
“On Feb. 9, I shared with her the Christian faith, and the following day we attended an open-air preaching,” the relative said. “After the preaching, she requested the pastor to prayer for her salvation. She was prayed for and received Jesus as Lord and Savior.”
The killing was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.
Uganda’s constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate one’s faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Uganda’s population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.
Young Christian Woman Killed by Muslim Family Member
(Morning Star News) – The Muslim brother of a 19-year-old woman in eastern Uganda on March 29 killed her for putting her faith in Christ, sources said.
Namukuve Sawuya had come to faith through a Christian Union Fellowship at her high school, a relative said. When her father, 60-year-old Alhaji Muzamiru, noticed she was not attending Muslim prayer times during Ramadan, he became angry and called her and her six siblings together at their home in Nawaningi village, Bulamagi Sub-County, Iganga District.
Muzamiru asked her why she had not attended the prayers, the source said.
“Namukuve kept quiet for a while and later replied that she had converted to Prophet Issa [Jesus Christ],” the relative said. “This angered her elder brother, Abdul Rahim Munaabi, and he got hold of a wooden chair and hit her on the head. She cried out once, saying, ‘Oh Mum,’ and then stopped breathing.”
Her mother was away checking on a relative who was ill in Naluwerere, the source said.
“Namukuve’s body was removed from the house and dumped in a swamp near the River Naigombwa,” the relative said.
Rice farmers in the swamp discovered the body and informed police. Officers took it to a mortuary for autopsy and were investigating the crime.
Sawuya’s body, abandoned in the mortuary, was buried on hospital land, the source said.
Evangelist Beaten
In neighboring Mayuge District also on March 29, Muslim extremists severely beat a Christian as he was preaching at an outdoor market, sources said.
Timothy Wambi, a 26-year-old father of two children, also lost his motorcycle as the assailants set it on fire in the attack at the Kyoga trading center, said Pastor Jimmy Tibiringwa.
The attack occurred after Good Friday worship services at about 5:30 p.m., said Moses Mweru, who accompanied Wambi.
“Arriving at the trading center, we started preaching the message of the crucified Christ,” Mweru told Morning Star News. “Two Muslims came and asked us many questions and said we were not permitted to preach at Kyoga center during the holy month of Ramadan. We were not given time to answer any of their questions, and immediately they started beating us with sticks.”
Mweru managed to escape, he said.
“My friend was badly beaten, with bleeding on his forehead, and he sustained a fractured left hand,” Mweru said. “A local leader rescued us, who made a telephone call to security personnel who arrived immediately, but unfortunately by the time they arrived, our motorcycle had been damaged and set ablaze.”
Wambi’s children are ages 4 and 6.
The attacks were the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.
Uganda’s constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate one’s faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Uganda’s population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.
Family of Slain Christian in Pakistan Receives Death Threats
Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – Muslim relatives of the alleged killer of a 20-year-old Christian in Pakistan are threatening the victim’s family with death if they do not drop charges, sources said.
Muhammad Zubair initially confessed to killing Farhan Ul Qamar in his house in Talwandi Inayat Khan village, Pasrur tehsil of Sialkot District, Punjab Province, shooting him in the presence of the Christian’s family members on Nov. 9, 2023. He later retracted his confession in court.
The victim’s father, Noor Ul Qamar, said that on the evening of March 18, his family was busy in their routine chores when six armed Muslims led by the alleged killer’s father, Afzal Bajwa, intruded into their house and held them all at gunpoint.
“The intruders threatened us that if we do not stop pursuing the case and reach a settlement with them to free Zubair from prison, they would kill us all,” Ul Qamar told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
The armed Muslims were present in their house when one of Ul Qamar’s brothers, a pastor who lives in the neighborhood, called police, he said.
“God knows what would have happened to us if the police hadn’t come on time and took the intruders into custody,” Ul Qamar said. “I filed an application for the registration of a case against them, but instead the police released the men after a few hours.”
The head of the police station told him that he had let the armed Muslims off with a warning to not intimidate the family again, Ul Qamar said.
“The accused’s family has a criminal background and are also politically influential, which is perhaps why the police did not take any legal action against them,” he said.
Area residents have advised him not press charges regarding the armed break-in and death threat as it could endanger his family, he said.
“Zubair’s family started threatening me to withdraw the case a couple of months after they saw that the hype around the murder had settled down,” Ul Qamar told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “They first sent reconciliatory messages through different people, but when we refused, their tone became more aggressive, and they threatened to kill me if I did not surrender to their demand.”
On the night of the killing, Zubair showed hatred for Christians and Jews, mistakenly referring to the family as Jews as he ranted at them before killing Farhan Ul Qamar, family members said. Police arrested Zubair from his home a few hours later, and while in police custody he confessed to killing the Christian. He is awaiting trial in Sialkot District Jail.
Though shaken, the family is determined to pursue justice for the killer, Ul Qamar said.
“Zubair’s elder brother and a paternal cousin were gangsters and were killed in police encounters,” he added. “Zubair also has a police record and was involved in several heinous crimes before he committed my son’s murder. We know that if he is not punished in accordance with the law, no Christian family of our village will be safe from his violence.”
Among 20-25 other Christian families in the village, Ul Qamar’s family has resided in the area for generations, often facing religious bias and discrimination.
The youngest of Ul Qamar’s four children, Farhan Ul Qamar had been enrolled in a four-year medical technician program and was excited about becoming a health care professional after graduation, but all their dreams were shattered in front of their eyes, the grieving father said.
Tehmina Arora, director of advocacy in Asia of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, said the crime is a reminder of the vulnerability of Christians in Pakistan.
“Mobs and individual are emboldened because, over the years, the Pakistani government has failed to ensure swift prosecution and justice for Christians who have been attacked in their homes and churches,” Arora said. “Sadly, even after 10 years of the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court directing the government to undertake measures to ensure the protection of religious minorities, little has changed on the ground.”
ADF International is supporting the impoverished family’s pursuit of justice through its allied lawyer, Lazar Allah Rakha. He expressed concern for the safety of the victim’s family.
“Who will be responsible if any member of Ul Qamar’s family is harmed by the accused party?” Rakha told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “Families and friends of such criminals can go to any extent to save them from the law. It’s unfortunate that not only the complainants but also their lawyers and judges hearing the cases are threatened and attacked.”
He said that Christians were particularly vulnerable in Punjab Province, where they are easily coerced into reaching settlements with suspects belonging to the Muslim majority.
“I fear that the situation may become risky for them when the trial begins, because the accused party will try their best to influence and intimidate the complainant and prosecution witnesses,” Rakha said. “It would be better for them to relocate to a safe place during this crucial time, because one cannot rely on the police for their security.”
ADF International’s Arora added that it was imperative that the Pakistani government take steps to ensure the protection of religious minorities, and that no one is targeted because of their faith.
Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors’ 2023 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian, up from eighth the previous year.
Pray for Afghanistan and the ISIS-K
(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us on Thursday, March 28, 2024, in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.
Afghanistan: Ethnic groups: 42% Pashtun, 27% Tajik, 31% are 5 other groups
GDP Per capita: $500 (2018 estimate, probably much less now.)
At least 244,000 Afghans have been displaced since the US Military has left; 80 per cent are women and children. Christians who remain in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover routinely face persecution and torture from the Taliban government. The Taliban denies that Christians exist in the country.
Friday March 22, a fiery terrorist shooting on a Moscow Concert Hall killed 137 people. American officials attribute it to ISIS-K, active in Iran and Afghanistan. Recently ISIS-K has threatened attacks against the Chinese, Indian and Iranian Embassies in Afghanistan.
- Pray for Christian safety during terrorist attacks!
The Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, is one of the last significant antagonists that the Taliban face in Afghanistan. It has carried out a bloody drumbeat of attacks throughout the country in recent years, seeking to use the violence to undermine the Taliban’s relationships with regional allies and to portray the government as incapable of providing security in Afghanistan.
- Pray Christians can navigate the violent civil war.
ISIS-K seeks to outperform rival jihadis, by carrying out more audacious attacks to distinguish its jihadi brand and assert leadership of the global jihadi vanguard.
- Pray members of ISIS-K would find the real meaning of life in the Creator Jesus.
It has been two years since the withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan. To this day, Christian minorities live in deep fear and face violent persecution.
- Pray for the safety and protection of believers from being discovered.
Drug addiction has become worse under the Taliban government.
- Pray for healing and restoration for many who are under the clutches of drug abuse.
Many people are forcibly evicted from their homes in various provinces if they are perceived to support the former government.
- Pray for the families who must leave everything behind as they flee to safety.
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” – Maybe someone will accuse you of something that you have not even done, but they fear for their own lives that they must give the Taliban something. So, it’s a country ruled by fear now.
- Pray against the spirit of fear.
- Pray for the Lord to comfort, console and have His hand on the young Christian girls and women who were kidnapped and forced into marrying Muslims.
- Pray for protection of teenagers and men from being forced into the Taliban military.
- Pray for the Christian refugees who are trying to restart their lives in a strange country and culture.
- Pray that these Christians who stayed behind will connect with other believers for fellowship and encouragement.
- Pray to the Lord that He will give wisdom and discernment to those who want to return to Afghanistan to be His witnesses.
- Pray to the Lord that Christians will forgive and love their persecutors.
- Pray for the NGOs working to equip and encourage Afghan Christians and that the Lord will show them creative ways to distribute aid and support.
Reversal of progress for women – Girls’ schools remain closed.
- Pray for a change of heart for the Taliban government, to see girls and women as equal contributors to the economy and society.
Female literacy had improved from 11% in 1979 to over 55% in 2018.
- Pray this will bring more Afghan women to read material that will lead them to Jesus.
Again, we want to lift-up these persecuted witnesses to the Lord:
- Leah Sharibu, a prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
- Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
- Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison, for his family and for the church.
- Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, as he and his family are adjusting from his release from prison, that they may know what God’s will is for them now. Pray for the trauma they had to endure. UPDATE: According to Article 18, once sentenced to death for his “apostasy” has been “pardoned” and released after nearly five years in Tehran’s Evin Prison but told Nadarkhani that he still faces flogging (30 lashes) and two years’ exile 2,000km from his home. Read the report here.
- Armenian Genocide Happening Again. Read full report here: Genocide and Forced Deportation: Nagorno-Karabakh
- The Harvest: “37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38
Michael Laird, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Moderator
Please forward prayer points to your church, prayer groups and others who will pray.
Prayer Conference Call Details
7 nights a week on your phone
USA Time Zone:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: (667) 770-1476
Access Code: 281207#
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 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
If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.
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 time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the two missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.
Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2015 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2016. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.
“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church was moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.
On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters are invited to the conference call and share the trials they are 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 are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in, and pray silently or 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!
God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.
Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader, and the Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator Team
NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up at link below to be added in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.
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.
Persecution Watch: Praying for Believers in Iran
(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us Thursday, March 21, 2024, in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.
IRAN – Population: 87 million, Islam 99% – Shia Islam -90% to 95%; Sunni Muslims – 4% to 8%, Christianity – 0.15%
Iran – officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, also called Persia.
Iran has numerous ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups – Persians, Azeris, Kurds, Mazandaranis, and Lurs.
The Persian-speaking Jews descend from those exiled to Babylon 2,700 years ago. Their numbers decline as more and more move away to escape harassment.
Prayer Points
- Some Persian-speaking Jews have become active, witnessing Christians. Pray for their number to grow!
- The 1979 Islamic Revolution promised peace and prosperity. Widespread protests in 2022 demonstrated that the younger generation is fed up. Pray people look for new answers with Jesus.
- Iran’s government has been in an unofficial war with Israel. Pray the country would look at their own problems instead.
- Pray for the Iranian women, girls, Christians, and all who are protesting Iran’s government.
- Iranian authorities surveil and raid the house churches where converts from Islam to Christianity attend. Pastors and church members are often arrested and imprisoned, often on charges of threatening national security or promoting Christianity. Pray God would hide believers under his wings! (Psalm 91:4)
- Converts may also be cut off from their families. Pray for Christians who have converted from Islam.
- There are now at least 10 Christian prisoners of conscience in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison and many more at various prisons throughout the country. Pray for Christians who are imprisoned for their faith.
- Pray for the Iranian regime – Keep Praying that a Great Wave of the Holy Spirit in Iran will Continue Bringing Muslims to Faith in Jesus Christ.
- Pray the death curses spoken against America and Israel will be broken and turned to the Blessing of Knowing Life in Jesus Christ.
- Many protestors have been arrested, their families do not know where they are, many people are afraid to even leave their homes. Some are so hurt and angry they are consumed by it. Pray they find comfort in Him.
- Pray the church to be courageous as they go out to share with those hurting. May the Holy Spirit protect them as they pray, speak words of hope, and minister to people practically.
- Pray the fear of God would enter the hearts of Iran’s leaders: that they would repent and turn to you.
- The Iranian diaspora is over 4 million, usually in places easier for missionaries and ministries. Pray that they hear the Gospel!
- Despite external religiosity, drug addiction, and prostitution are widespread. Pray for freedom from sin by the great Deliverer.
- Iran contains some of the largest unreached, unengaged peoples in the world. Missions are not free to minister in Iran, but some tentmaking opportunities exist. Pray for the door to Iran to open in God’s perfect timing.
Again, we want to lift-up these persecuted witnesses to the Lord:
- Leah Sharibu, a prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
- Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
- Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison, for his family and for the church.
- Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, as he and his family are adjusting from his release from prison, that they may know what God’s will is for them now. Pray for the trauma they had to endure. UPDATE: According to Article 18, once sentenced to death for his “apostasy” has been “pardoned” and released after nearly five years in Tehran’s Evin Prison but told Nadarkhani that he still faces flogging (30 lashes) and two years’ exile 2,000km from his home. Read the report here.
- Armenian Genocide Happening Again. Read full report here: Genocide and Forced Deportation: Nagorno-Karabakh
- The Harvest: “37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38
Michael Laird, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Moderator
Please forward prayer points to your church, prayer groups and others who will pray.
Prayer Conference Call Details
7 nights a week on your phone
USA Time Zone:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: (667) 770-1476
Access Code: 281207#
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 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
If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.
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 time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the two missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.
Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2015 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2016. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.
“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church was moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.
On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters are invited to the conference call and share the trials they are 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 are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in, and pray silently or 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!
God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.
Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader, and the Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator Team
NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up at link below to be added in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.
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.
Islamic Extremists in Indonesia Targeting Youth, Women
Indonesia (Morning Star News) – The head of Indonesia’s counter-terrorism agency said officials are [focusing] on protecting teenaged children and women from Islamic radicalization as they have become the most targeted groups.
Citing a report by the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, Rycko Amelza Dahniel of the National Counter-terrorism Agency (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Terorisme, or BNPT) on Feb. 20 said that from 2016 to 2023, the percentage of high school students in five cities who moved from “passive intolerant” to “active intolerant” doubled, from 2.4 percent to 5 percent.
While those categorized as “intolerant” intensified from passive to active, tolerance among teens overall increased during the period, with those in the “tolerant” category moving from 61.6 percent to 70.2 percent, he said, citing The Setara Institute’s survey, “The Tolerance of Senior High School Students,” of May 2023.
Along with the increase among teenagers from passive intolerant to active intolerant, “those who are active become exposed to radicalization,” Rycko said at the BNPT 2024 National Working Meeting in Jakarta on Feb. 20. High school students exposed to radicalization groups increased from 0.3 percent to 0.6 percent, he said.
As active intolerance increased, the proportion of “passive intolerant” high school students shrank from 35.7 percent o 22.4 percent over the period, he said.
“In the results of research conducted from 2016 to 2023, although the increase in migration is only single digit, this vulnerable group is the nation’s next generation,” said the three-star police general.
Rycko said the Indonesia Knowledge Hub (I-Khub) BNPT Outlook 2023 showed that women, children and teenagers were the groups most targeted for radicalization, both offline and online.
As a result, women, children and teenagers are the focus of the counter-terrorism agency for both protection against radicalism and the threat of terrorist acts, he said.
Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy chairman of Setara Institute, told Morning Star News that, “In the eyes of the Islamists, young people and women are not only beneficial for the future but also demographically the largest age group.”
Muslim extremists indoctrinate them with the idea that Islam is a persecuted religion, he said.
“The issue they usually raise is Islam as an isolated and oppressed religion even though Islam is the solution for all life,” Bonar said. “For them, non-Islamic parties always have an interest in weakening Islam; if Islam does not rule and Islamic law is enforced, Muslims will forever be backward.”
Growing radicalism among youth mainly takes the form of intolerance, rather than violence, he said.
“For example, exclusivity only among themselves – they cannot mix with people of different religions,” Bonar said. “[They] do not accept class presidents or student council presidents of different religions, etc.”
Some evidence of such influence occurred in October 2020 at a high school in the capital, SMAN 58 Jakarta, where a Muslim teacher in East Jakarta allegedly sent a text message discouraging students from voting for non-Muslim candidates for chairmanship of the Student Executive Organization.
The message from the teacher, reportedly a religious studies and civic education teacher identified only as TS, went virtal on social media, according to The Jakarta Post.
“Be careful not to vote for non-Muslim OSIS chair candidates number 1 and 2,” the message read. “No matter what, we are the majority. We need a leader who shares our beliefs.”
The head of the DKI Jakarta Education Department, identified only as Nahdiana, said the teacher has been moved to another school.
A Jakarta city council member discovered the incident. Council Member Ima Mahdiah told media outlet IDN Time that she received a recording of a conversation in which a teacher said non-Muslim candidates for student council president should not advance despite having passed several selection steps.
Addressing school faculty’s concerns that two of five students selected as candidates for president were non-Muslims, Ima stated that attaining the position should be based on personal abilities and capabilities, not religion.
“These teachers stated that this was done because they were afraid that if the elected OSIS president was not a Muslim student, they would be inclined to create an OSIS program that was not pro-Islamic,” Ima reportedly said.
Indonesia ranked 42nd on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
VOP Note: News to watch.
Photo: Indonesian youth in Pallawa village, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. (Rezki Sugiharto Nurdin, Creative Commons)
Father Beaten and Loses Family, Home for Becoming Christian
(Morning Star News) – A Muslim in Uganda who put his faith in Christ as the new year began has suffered serious injuries and lost his home and family, sources said.
Tambuze Marijani of Nangi village, Mayuge District sustained a broken leg below the knee and other injuries requiring nearly two weeks of hospital treatment when Muslim relatives beat him on Jan. 4.
On Dec. 31 Marijani attended a New Year’s Eve church service in Bugweri District and, as the new year began, he and 14 others put their faith in Christ, the church pastor said.
Upon returning home, Marijani joyfully told his wife about his conversion, he said.
“I shared with my wife the joy of having received Christ as my Lord and Savior, but instead of my wife sharing in my joy, she was very upset,” Marijani told Morning Star News.
She left the following morning, Jan. 2, and returned on Jan. 3 with an Islamic divorce letter, he said.
“Because you joined a bad religion,” she told him, “you are now an apostate, an infidel and not part of the family – also, you cease to be a member of the Muslim community.”
“That night my wife refused me entry to our bedroom,” he said. “I slept in the sitting room.”
On Jan. 4, while Marijani was working at his farm, he saw his older brother and other relatives arrive at his house at about 1:30 p.m., prompting him to leave the fields and return home, he said.
“Nearing my house, I saw people removing bricks from the house,” Marijani told Morning Star News. “As I drew closer, I noticed that they were my relatives: Murshidi Waniyaye, Abdullah Hamba, Abdul Wamadu and several others, including my wife.”
His older brother began insulting him, telling him he was disgrace to the family, he said.
“My younger brother got hold of me, and there and then they began beating me with sticks,” Marijani said. “I screamed and shouted for help, and neighbors arrived and rescued me.”
They rushed him to a clinic in Bwonda, and he later transferred to Mayuge District Hospital, he said. He received treatment for the broken leg, injuries to his back and chest pains before he was discharged on Jan. 16.
His house was rendered uninhabitable, and Muslim relatives have taken his former wife and four children, ages 12, 10, 8 and 7, he said.
“I do not know how I can survive without a family and being homeless,” Marijani said.
Still fearing for his life as he continues to recover, he has gone into hiding. The church paid his medical bills, but he lacks money and doubts that he will be allowed to return to his land. Missing his children, he said he prays he will see them again and that God will help him find a place to stay.
The attack was the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented.
Uganda’s constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate one’s faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Uganda’s population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country.
VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED 