The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll led the news in many Middle East states last weekend and prompted messages of condolence from national leaders. Jordan and Lebanon respectively declared seven and three days of mourning. The patriarch of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Christians,
Pope Tawadros ll, led Christian tributes when he said he was “personally thankful for the interaction I have had with Her Majesty for almost three decades, and have the deepest admiration and respect for the person of Her Majesty, the Queen.” SAT-7 gave thanks for the way Her Majesty lived “out the gifts and fruits of the Spirit across 70 years of faithful service”.
Sadly, Coptic Christians also had other reasons to mourn. Some 41 worshippers, including 18 children aged 3 to 16, died when fire and smoke engulfed the Abu Sefein Church in Imbaba, Giza governorate, in greater Cairo. The multi-storey church building is situated in a densely populated working-class area that developed unplanned in the 1960s. UK-based Coptic Archbishop Angaelos said on Twitter, that the “tragic fire is a direct result of a painful time when Christian communities could not build purpose-designed churches, and would have to covertly use other buildings, not fit for purpose and lacking the necessary health and safety features and escapes”.
The fire is thought to have been caused by malfunctioning electricity connections. A series of fires in just two weeks also led some Coptic Christians to speculate that these could have been arson attacks, although evidence for that seems to be very limited. Laws affecting church construction and renovations were amended in 2016. These have allowed almost 2,500 applications to receive approval, although local pressure – including mob attacks – still prevents some Christian communities from being able to meet.
Death threats in Türkiye
Christians in Türkiye have been disturbed by being informed of an alleged murder plot in 2015 against church leaders in Malatya, Eastern Türkiye, a town where three Christians were brutally murdered 8 years before by ultranationalists. A suspect went to the Kurtuluş (“Liberation”) Church in August saying that he was given a gun and, with others, ordered to “kill missionaries” in 2015 or 2016, naming three specific leaders. Police are keeping the man “under judicial supervision” and are providing protection for the named church leaders. The incident comes after a report this July of two men threatening to kill three non-Christians they saw leaving a church in nearby Diyarbakir.
Despite such worrying incidents, churches in Türkiye used the summer holidays to arrange a number of camps and conferences to build the faith of the next generation. The Kucak Yayıncılık children’s ministry reported six camps being held in different regions and SAT-7 TÜRK staff attended and filmed Yüz Yüze (“Face to Face”), a youth camp attended by over 300 young people. Several SAT-7 staff said that it was at camps like these that they themselves came to Christ.
Largest gathering
Across the border in northern Iraq, meanwhile, the Chaldean Catholic Church hosted its largest ever gathering of young people – 1,700 attendees – in Ankawa, Erbil. Father Dankha Joola said, “By gathering in such large numbers, we will be able to say: ‘We are here, we exist, we have a role to play in this country’ – and that is so important when you think about how much we have suffered over the past few years.”
On the political front, however, the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, saw violence on the streets after populist Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr failed to form a government based on his alliance with two other parties. When Al-Sadr reacted by declaring he would leave politics, his supporters took to the streets and some 30 people were killed and hundreds injured in the resulting confrontations. St George’s Anglican Church, which runs a clinic and school in Baghdad’s Green Zone, appealed for prayer for peace and the safety of the thousands of people it serves.
Meanwhile, innocent lives continue to be lost in the Mediterranean as people from the Middle East and African states drown while seeking a better or safer future in Europe. A boat carrying 37 people sank off the shores of Tunisia, with at least 11 feared lost. This brings the number of those claimed by the sea to at least a thousand this year. DW reported that a new wave of Tunisians are migrating to sub-Saharan countries for work, since almost all formal routes to Europe remain closed to them.
The political winds of change in Tunisia continued at the end of July. A new constitution created by President Kais Saied, and giving him unprecedented powers, was backed by some 92% of those who voted. Critics, however, pointed out that only a third of the nine million eligible voters took part in the referendum.
Air wars in the Holy Land
The Holy Land saw another deadly round of violence last month. Israel launched what it termed a “pre-emptive operation” against a Palestinian group in the Gaza strip. Three days of aerial bombing by Israel killed two senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commanders but also claimed the lives of 45 others including 16 children. Over a thousand rockets were fired in return by PIJ, creating fear among Israeli citizens but without serious casualties before an Egypt-brokered ceasefire was declared.
The violence came in a year when the Israeli army has intensified its raids in search of “wanted persons” in West Bank towns. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported 2,200 raids. Some 91 Palestinians have been killed according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Another 19 people have been killed by Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank. Twenty-nine years ago this week, the Oslo Accord was signed but the violence sadly continues. Pray for the work of groups like Musalaha (“Reconciliation”), which uses biblical reconciliation principles to bring Palestinians and Israelis together, and The Parents Circle Family Forum, which connects bereaved families from both communities.
Meanwhile, Greek and Turkish leaders and ministers continue to issue provocative statements and blame each other for escalating tensions over the unresolved questions of maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean and a divided Cyprus. Both countries have elections next summer and most of the tension seems to be election-driven polemics. However, Türkiye protested after a Greek missile system “locked-on” to Turkish jets in international airspace on 23 August, raising concerns that such a febrile political climate could lead to an escalation. Pray for leaders and politicians in both countries to dial down the rhetoric and uphold peaceful relations.
Living in fear
A year after the Taliban completed its recapture of Afghanistan (15 August), its people are suffering in multiple ways. Positively, the absence of conflict between Taliban and government forces has brought some peace. But drought, rising food prices, the freezing of Afghan assets held in western banks, reduced aid, lack of administrative skills in the new government, rising unemployment, and restrictions imposed on women and girls are causing great hardship. While numbers of Christians fled the country, some of those who remain told SAT-7 that they live in fear of being discovered, reported and possibly executed. The new authorities, meanwhile, have said that Afghanistan has no need of a constitution as issues can be resolved by applying the teaching of the Qur’an and Hanafi jurisprudence, the system of Islamic law used in Türkiye and the western Middle East.
Climate emergency
For the second year, the Middle East Council of Churches is encouraging congregations to mark the international Christian “Season of Creation” (1 September to 4 October). The focus on creation care and addressing climate change is much needed in a region that is the most water-stressed in the world. Egypt will host COP27, the United Nations climate change conference, in November. Reports note that temperatures in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean are rising faster than in any other region. One UN study forecasts a rise of 5 degrees centigrade in countries including Egypt, Greece and Saudi Arabia. This would have disastrous outcomes for agriculture and water, and increase the likelihood of conflicts and tensions as well as health crises. Recent droughts in Iraq, known as the country of the two rivers Tigris and Euphrates, are already forcing farmers and their families to move away. Around 1,800 people left Nineveh, the most wheat productive region, in the second half of last year.
It is rare for the mainstream media to report on the Middle East Church, especially when there is good news to share. But a recent Guardian article highlighted how Evangelical churches in Gulf countries are flourishing as they support some of the 30 million migrant workers there. Around 80 per cent of workers are involved in construction, hospitality and domestic jobs. Sadly, many face exploitation, financial hardship and abuse. Pastors and parishioners told the Guardian of large numbers attending Pentecostal churches and turning to Christ as churches come alongside and become the first point of call in times of crisis. Pray for the ministry of these churches and those who attend them far from home and family.
NOTE: This article was updated 15 September 2022 to clarify information concerning the Malatya church story. The original article gave the impression that the alleged murder plot was current.