Day 21
Qatar
Qatari mediators have held urgent calls with Hamas officials to try to negotiate freedom for Israeli women and children seized by the terrorist group and held in Gaza in exchange for the release of Palestinian women and children from Israel’s prisons. The United States is coordinating the negotiation process with Qatar. Qatar has been in touch with Hamas officials in Doha and Gaza after the terrorist group assaulted Israel from Gaza, storming into towns, killing hundreds of Israelis, and escaping with dozens of hostages. Pray for Qatar, a tiny but wealthy country, to succeed in mediating truces between the Islamist group and Israel. Pray that Qatari Christians will share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with their citizens and lead them to God’s saving grace(The Bible, John 11:45).
Source:
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/qatar-negotiating-hostage-prisoner-swap-between-israel-hamas-report-4464866
Qatar features at 34th in the Open Doors Persecution Index in 2023. Christians do not have the freedom to practice their beliefs openly. Expat or otherwise, there is no distinction. Immigrant workers face deportation should they try to evangelize Qatari nationals. All social statuses of Qatari citizens depend entirely on their religious identity. Only as Muslims do they have rights. If they convert, they will not only lose their social standing, they will face discrimination and isolation. All church activities and gatherings face scrutiny from local authorities. House gatherings and house churches do not get permission in Qatar. A designated space is available for all Christians to gather and worship together. However, this space is inadequate.
Day 21
Turkmenistan
Seven months have passed since the rigged elections, which resulted in the predictable win of the former president’s son. Recently, the ODIHR, an election monitoring body of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, released a report stating that the election did not meet the requirements of a free and fair election. However, despite this report, no action has been taken by the international community to address the issue. It seems that nobody is willing to take steps to change the situation in this oppressive regime. We hope and pray that God will intervene and bring change in this land. We also pray that the Church will keep growing despite the spiritual and real opposition. (The Bible, 1 Thessalonians 2:2).
Turkmenistan is an arid Central Asian country. The regime is a dictatorial authoritarian government. The country is mineral-rich with Russian and Chinese trading partners. Of late, Italy and Turkey became their biggest defense suppliers. Despite the prosperous trading, the people faced food shortages. All critics of the government face different levels of intimidation. Bloggers, Podcasters, Independent Online Press, and Social Workers are vulnerable to government-sponsored disappearances. Freedom of religion is non-existent except on paper. Christians face severe persecution in Turkmenistan. Only two denominations are legal, and even their activities face excessive scrutiny.
