Arab Spring guide for missionaries
There have been a lot of changes that have taken place over the past six months. Most of my information comes from people on the field that I have met with.
Egypt, seems to have been fading into the background of most people’s mind. Being the largest Arab country (by population) it is also the largest missionary field. I have not heard much about new initiatives taking place there, but unfortunately the opposite.
It seems that due to the insecurity there has been a great increase in persecution against the Christian communities there. There have been many killings and disturbances that have broken out. All the while mainstream media is not reporting on this for fears that it could cause further sectarian divides. These persecutions do not seem to be centralized. The government has generally been turning a blind eye to incidents.
Syria, however seems to be doing better. They are still under the old regime however some of the reforms are already plain to see. A lot of the local brothers from Syria have said that they are now able to have gatherings in homes without government permission.
Under the emergency law, they were constantly being bullied by government agencies. Now that the emergency is gone, they are able to gather without problems from the government.
Lebanon, did not experience any protests however we did change governments. The government switched from being a Pro US to being a Pro Iranian government. There are still possibilities of strife breaking out, but for the most part things are calm.
Tunisia, seems to be calmed down. Generally, it seems also like there is more freedom there for preaching the Gospel.
South Sudan, a new nation has came along. South Sudan has a lot of possibilities for being a free country. However, in the North there is a big possibility of the country re introducing Sharia law into public life.
Well that sums it up, do you have any other information?
Filed under: Current Events