Palestine: Update – Israel reconsiders restrictions on movements of Gazan Christians during Christmas
Christians in Israel and Palestine are grateful that the Israeli authorities have reconsidered a directive restricting Gazan Christians from visiting family and friends in the West Bank and Israel over the Christmas holiday season. Yesterday (22 December) the...
Palestine: Israel restricts movements of Gazan Christians during Christmas
Christians in Israel and Palestine request prayer after Israel issued a directive restricting Gazan Christians from visiting family and friends in the West Bank and Israel over the Christmas holiday season, citing security concerns. The coordinator of government...
Iran: Updates to recent prayer requests
On 11 and 12 November, Middle East Concern requested prayer for Ebrahim Firouzi, who is serving two years’ internal exile, and for two court hearings, one for Ismaeil Maghrebinejad and the other for Assyrian Pastor Victor bet Tamraz, his wife Shamiram Issavi Khabizeh,...
Syria: Call for prayer following murders of Christians
The Middle East Council of Churches is leading calls for renewed prayer for Syria, following the murder of a church leader and his father in a spate of violence in the northeast of the country on 11 November. Father Hovsep Bedoyan, priest of the Mar Yousef Armenian...
Iran: Appeal hearing for pastor Victor and four more Christians
Iranian Christians request prayer for an appeal hearing, scheduled for 13 November, at which the sentences given to five Iranian Christian believers will reviewed. The hearing will combine three long-standing related cases. The first involves Assyrian Pastor Victor...
Iran: Ebrahim Firouzi goes into internal exile
Friends of Christian convert Ebrahim Firouzi request prayer as he is now on his way to Sarbaz on the border with Pakistan to spend two years in exile there as part of a sentence he received in 2013. Ebrahim was released from Rajaei Shahr prison in Karaj on 26 October...
Iran: Hearing for Ismaeil Maghrebinejad
Iranian Christians request prayer for a court hearing on12 November for Christian convert Ismaeil Maghrebinejad. Ismaeil (65) was arrested in Shiraz on 25 January and charged with “propaganda against the state and insulting the sacred Iranian establishment.” At a...
Turkey: Christian convert teacher dismissed from duties
Turkish Christians request prayer for Christian convert, Esma, who has been withdrawn from her teaching duties and is being investigated by the National Education Board after the Turkish press accused her of missionary activities through her social media account. Esma...
Iran: Update on court hearing for Ismaeil Maghrebinejad
On 1 November MEC requested prayer for the court hearing of Christian convert Ismaeil Maghrebinejad on 2 November. Close contacts with Ismaeil report that the hearing went well, that the judge accepted the lawyer Ismaeil proposed for his defence and that Ismaeil was...
Iran: Court hearing for Christian convert
Iranian Christians request prayer for Christian convert Ismaeil Maghrebinejad who is scheduled to attend a court hearing on 2 November. Ismaeil (65) was arrested in Shiraz on 25 January and was harshly interrogated with no respect for his age. He was charged with...
Iran: Ebrahim Firouzi released from prison
Iranian Christians are delighted to report that Christian convert Ebrahim Firouzi has been released from prison. Ebrahim was released from Rajaei Shahr prison in Karaj on 26 October, but will soon begin to serve two years’ internal exile in Sarbaz on the border with...
Algeria: Another church to be closed
Algerian Christians request continued prayer as the systematic government campaign to close churches escalates. On 17 October, another church was informed that it will soon be closed. Christians, who demonstrated peacefully were violently arrested by the police....