Day 21

OCTOBER | 2024

Qatar

PRAYER FOR THIS COUNTRY

Praise Points

Praise God for the presence of migrant Christian Believers in Qatar (The Bible, 1 Corinthians 1:9).

Praise God for the courageous few who have transformed their lives by accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior (The Bible, Isaiah 28:16).

Prayer Points

Pray for the plight of women in Qatar. Pray for them to have more rights in the future (The Bible, Psalm 68:11).

Pray for the working conditions of migrant workers to improve since nothing much has changed since the 2020 World Cup (The Bible, James 5:4).

Pray for Christian ministries to devise innovative ways to reach Qataris without exposing them to the authorities (The Bible, Isaiah 28:29).

A Call to Salvation

Let the hardened hearts soften to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let Qatar become the beacon in the Arabian Peninsula for evangelistic outreach work (The Bible, Matthew 5:13).

Promise to the Nation

And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed (The Bible, Romans 13:11).

MORE ABOUT THIS COUNTRY

Qatar is an Arabian Peninsula country with a poor record of human rights for migrant workers. The only Christians in Qatar are migrant workers, and a few converts from Islam who remain in secret. There is no possibility for a convert from Islam to attend a church service or to meet with other Christians. Migrant Christian Believers suffer discrimination amidst the already poor working conditions. Qatari women do not have any rights, and no law enforcement agency will interfere in matters of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or even honor killings. These circumstances make it even more difficult for women to consider conversion—Qatari men who convert face social isolation and, in some cases, physical violence. The majority of the Qatari Church is a result of dreams and visions of Jesus Christ. The Qatari government uses advanced surveillance technology to monitor the movements of Christians in the country. Open Doors ranks Qatar 44th on the list of persecuted nations.

CHIEF OF STATE
Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
HEAD OF GOV.
PM Muhammad bin Abd al-Rahman Al Thani
POPULATION
2,532,104
CHRISTIANS
13.7%
EVANGLICAL CHRISTIANS
0.8%
DOMINANT RELIGION
Sunni Islam
PERSECUTION RANKING
40
REFUGEES
1,200
LIFE EXPECTANCY
80.03 yrs
LITERACY RATE
93.5%
POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LINE
Unknown

Day 21

OCTOBER | 2024

Turkmenistan

PRAYER FOR THIS COUNTRY

Praise Points

Praise God for the perseverance of the Turkmen Church, even under extreme persecution (The Bible, Romans 8:35).

Praise God for the Turkmen Church’s growth, even without significant evangelistic outreach (The Bible, Deuteronomy 7:19).

Prayer Points

Pray for God’s divine intervention to prevent our Turkmen Sisters from harm (The Bible, Psalm 91:11). Pray for Psalm 91 protection upon them.

Pray for the release of all Christian leaders and pastors from prisons in Turkmenistan (The Bible, Psalm 107:14).

Pray for new Christian Believers to find fellowship at work, study, or during their daily travel so they do not draw too much attention to themselves (The Bible, Romans 8:39).

A Call to Salvation

Let Jesus Christ visit the dreams of high-ranking authority figures in the Turkmen government, military, police, and judiciary and draw them to His Kingdom (The Bible, Luke 18:27).

Promise to the Nation

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown (The Bible, Revelation 2:10).

MORE ABOUT THIS COUNTRY

Turkmenistan ranks 29th in the Open Doors Persecuted Nations List for 2024. The Central Asian country has a long history of persecution against Christians. The level of persecution is much higher than it was a few years ago, from intimidation and discrimination to arrests, assaults, sexual harassment/abuse, and interrogation with torture. Christian resources are scarce, and even downloading materials from the Internet is illegal. Christian leaders and pastors are the government’s high-value targets. They face lengthy imprisonment on false charges and severe physical harm. New Christian Believers must keep their beliefs a secret to avoid persecution from their families. All churches are within the scope of persecution. There is no respite even for the traditional church congregations that do not get involved in evangelistic outreach.

CHIEF OF STATE
President Serdar Berdimuhamedow
HEAD OF GOV.
President Serdar Berdimuhamedow
POPULATION
5,231,000
CHRISTIANS
6.4%
EVANGLICAL CHRISTIANS
0.1%
DOMINANT RELIGION
Sunni Islam
PERSECUTION RANKING
29
REFUGEES
4,463
LIFE EXPECTANCY
72.11 yrs
LITERACY RATE
99.7%
POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LINE
0.2%