For a regular newsletter, this is grim stuff, no getting around it. It’s not light Sunday afternoon reading before tea.
Which, given the subject matter, is
probably what we should expect.
Professing Christians throughout Asia and
the Middle East are dying for their faith daily and the Gatestone Institute has the details, if you want them. Many, perhaps most, are our brothers and
sisters in Christ.
Gatestone is far from a Christian
entity. Their “About Us” page says:
“Gatestone Institute, a non-partisan, not-for-profit international policy council and think tank is dedicated to educating the public about what the mainstream media fails to report …”
The Gatestone boards of
directors and advisors read like a Who’s
Who of prominent American and Israeli Jews with the occasional Arab tossed
in for good measure: Alan Dershowitz, Elie Wiesel, Baroness Caroline Cox, Ahmed
Charai. The site is unapologetically political, geared toward promoting human
rights, a strong economy, energy independence and a capable U.S. military
presence in the world, so be advised.
Not all those being persecuted are
Christians either. Ayatollah Boroujerdi is called “Iran’s Mandela”, but is held
for political and not religious reasons. Robert Levinson is a retired DEA and
FBI operative arrested and held hostage in Iran in 2007 while doing research.
The stories of suffering Christians are sprinkled among those of others.
Most of the reporting is secondary, in the
sense that it has been gleaned from other internet sources rather than
witnessed personally. It is not usually sensational or graphic. Writers
like Raymond Ibrahim diligently link and reference everything they are alleging,
and it’s pretty appalling. Western Christians unaccustomed to specifics may
find certain articles on the Gatestone Institute site tough to stomach. I can well understand the reluctance of some believers to read too much about how common sex slavery or
beheadings are becoming.
Still, if you care what’s actually happening to Christians on the ground in Pakistan, Syria, Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Yemen, Ethiopia, Iraq, Iran and even Canada — and especially if it matters to you in your prayer life to make your requests specific, personal and relevant — I have not found more carefully documented detail on the subject anywhere on the internet.
Still, if you care what’s actually happening to Christians on the ground in Pakistan, Syria, Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Yemen, Ethiopia, Iraq, Iran and even Canada — and especially if it matters to you in your prayer life to make your requests specific, personal and relevant — I have not found more carefully documented detail on the subject anywhere on the internet.
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