MIA Prayer Intention for the Coming Week: Christians in the Middle East

May 12, 2015

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom recently released a report that describes violations of religious freedom in more than 30 countries throughout the world. The chair of the Commission said that Christians are facing some of the worst persecution in the history of the religion.

'We are witnessing levels of persecution of ancient Christian communities of the Middle East at levels that are something that we have not seen, one could almost say, in millenia. It's very disturbing and disheartening.'
- Dr Katrina Lantos Swett - Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

We pray for the Christian communities in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Israel, and especially Iraq, facing rising persecution and intolerance from Muslim extremists. We pray also for other minorities and everyone suffering because of the violence of the Middle East.

Archbishop Warda of Iraq (Erbil), in his recent visit to London, connected with the electronic pop band Ooberfuse to help highlight, through music, the plight of persecuted minorities in Iraq. More than 125,000 Christians -- men, women and children -- have been forced from their homes over the last 10 months.

In the song 'We are One', Archbishop Warda prays the Lord's Prayer in the same ancient Aramaic dialect Jesus himself actually spoke (04:07).