FACMinistry - The Friends of Arab Christians Ministry

Continuing from the time of Christ, the country of Egypt has maintained a Christian congregation, which now constitutes as the largest in the Middle East. According to the Voice of the Martyrs, Christianity is the secondary religion which results in its followers being looked upon as second-class citizens.

Rights such as political representation, employment and “freedom of conversion” are being deprived of the Christians. The constitution even denies the privilege to note the conversion of religion on the identification cards of Christians. Because of this hindrance, especially for Christian women who seek to marry Christian men but cannot because of their written religious affiliation, false identification cards have been constructed. Consequently, when the actions have been discovered, the Christians are prosecuted.

If a Christian would desire his status to be changed to be a Muslim, no problems arise. Muslim men are attracting Christian college girls into a life of immorality and some girls are being kidnapped, raped and forced to marry Muslims.

Iraq is in many ways the birthplace of humanity. It was here that several early Genesis accounts took place, and even to this day, it captivates the attention of Christians, Jews and Arabs.

Only 3.3 percent of the population of Iraq (approx 26 million) is believers in Jesus Christ. The Muslim influence on this country is overwhelming. Many Christians endured worse persecution in the year 2007 than any other since the United States took control of the country. Church bombings, killings and kidnappings were plentiful. According to one pastor of an Anglican church, 36 members were apprehended in one week alone. Since 2003, nearly one million have been forced to leave the country.

Currently there is a shortage of Bibles and Christian literature. In a country ruled by instability and fanatic killing, God's word is the only thing that can bring lasting peace.

Jordan is considered a relatively modern Muslim country which maintains a friendly relationship with the Western World. The state religion of Jordan is Islam. The government appoints and financially supports all Islamic clergy.

Jordan’s Arab Christians trace their history to Pentecost. The “Arabs” were among those who heard preaching in their own language (Acts 2:11). Christians are officially recognized and allowed to worship freely. As with most Muslim countries, Jordan’s legal system is based on Shar’a law. It is illegal to convert to Christianity from Islam.

According to some statistics, the Christian community in Jordan has declined in recent decades. From 1970-2000 Jordan’s Christian population dropped from 6.5% to 3.25% of the population. In March of 2008, the government deported many missionaries.

Prayer Requests

- Pray for more Christian leaders. Only 30% of churches in Jordan have full-time pastors.

- Pray for the ministry of Jordan Evangelical Seminary. JET plays a vital role in training and preparing church leaders for Jordan and the Arab world.

- Pray for the ministry of Christian media (radio, TV, internet, video, films, and literatures).

Kuwait is often considered a safe haven or a refuge for Christians. The thriving communities of Kuwait offer everything from fast food to today’s most modern trends.

Though the Kuwaiti believers are presently experiencing freedoms in the area of religion, radical Islam is attempting to remove those liberties.

However,the government is nearly encouraging Christianity. The government permits the largest evangelical church in Kuwait to meet in one of its own buildings, not only allowing meetings but also providing the means to do it. Each week more than 20,000 people are filing through the doors of this building to hold services in which Jesus Christ is preached.

There are an estimated 250,000 followers of the one true and living God in Kuwait; most of the believers are foreign born. The Nation Evangelical Church (protestant) has three main congregations and is averaging roughly 15,000 attendees. They meet in the National Evangelical Church Compound along with a few other denominations.

Lebanon is a Middle Eastern country nestled between Syria and Israel. Ninty-five percent of Lebanon is Arab, which leads to Lebanon’s normally being associated with the Islamic religion, but there is a very prominent Christian and Catholic Church in Lebanon.

Lebanon has the largest percentage of Christians out of all the Middle Eastern countries, with as many as 30%-35%. Christianity is legal in Lebanon; it is protected under the law in Article 473 of the Penal Code.

The legality, however, does not mean that the Christians are not persecuted. Sixteen years of civil war took place between the Christians and Muslims. There is no longer any more fighting, but the Christians are under constant attack from Islamic militant groups. The tension between the two religions is very high. Missionaries in this country are also in danger. There have been several attempts to kill missionaries, some successful. The largest group of Catholics is called the Maronites. The Greek Orthodox and Protestant churches are also prominent. Christians and Muslims currently hold an equal number of seatsin the Lebanese elected body.

The Christian Church is deteriorating in Lebanon. About 40 years ago, this Church made up the majority of the population.

The church in Libya is large, but because very few nationals are believers, it consists mainly of expatriate Christians. The church faces hardships such as opposition from the Islamic community and government, the inability to freely meet for worship, the fear of infiltrators, and the need for shepherding and leadership. Libya is an overwhelmingly Islamic country: 96.5% of the country is Muslim, while only 3% is Christian, .3% is Buddhist, and .2% is either non-Religious or belongs to some other religion.

The government does not allow open evangelism, and the last missionary outpost was closed in 1960. While expatriates do have increasing freedom, evangelism towards Libyans is not allowed. The secret police pose a major obstacle to those expatriate witnesses who would evangelize indigenous Libyans. Personal freedom is restricted in the country.

Christians continually attempt to reach the Libyans by the following means: broadcasting over radio and television; literature, audio, and video cassettes; internet access; and witness to Libyans outside of their country. Broadcasting is made possible by radio and satellite stations. Because up to 50% of Libyan households may have a satellite dish, communicating the Gospel by these means is both practical and effective. Personal face-to-face follow-up is nearly impossible because of the nature of satellite and radio communication. Internet access is also becoming more available, though it is still strictly limited. However, much of this progress is overshadowed by the fact that no Scriptures exist in the Libyan Arabic language.

The country of Morocco, situated in the northwest corner of Africa, first received Christianity during Rome’s rule of the Mediterranean world. In the seventh century AD the Arabs invaded all of North Africa and brought Islam to the whole region including to Morocco. The native people all converted to Islam during this time and/or mixed it with whatever religion they had been following. The Christian church came back with the European influence in the country that lasted up to the 20th century. The church continues to exist in Morocco though the vast majority of it is made up of foreign workers who live and work in the country.

The overwhelming majority of the population (over 99%) is Arab or Berber leaving less than 1% of the population as non natives. About 1.1% of the population is estimated to be Christian while the Jewish community counts for about 0.2% of the people in the country. A majority of the Christian community appears to be centered around some of the bigger and more modern cities, but overall estimates of the number of Christians in the country vary by many thousands.

Though freedom of religion is allowed, Islam is the state-sponsored religion. It is illegal to share the gospel publicly and actively and is cause for persecution. Bibles in Arabic are generally not allowed though they are allowed in other languages. Muslims can convert legally but face extreme pressure and persecution from family and friends. New believers are often rejected by their families, discriminated against by other Muslims, and, sometimes, imprisoned. Many receive death threats and orders to return to Islam.

Sudan is the largest country in Africa with a population of over 38 million people and over 240 different ethnic groups. The country is currently entrenched in a civil war. This is primarily a result of Muslims who are trying to convert non-Muslims through whatever means necessary. Christians in Sudan face heavy persecution for their faith. Many Christian schools, churches, and relief agencies have been overrun, bombed, and destroyed. Yet God has used this persecution to spread Christians throughout the country and as a result, many people groups are hearing the gospel for the first time.

Sudan is a closed country and missionary visas are usually denied. Southern Sudan is predominately animist or Christian and as a result, the Islamic government has declared a jihad against these people. In spite of this persecution, Christianity is spreading rapidly (from 5% of the population in 1960 to 70% in 2000). Sudan's Islamic government has re-instituted the slave trade and many people of the south are captured and sold as slaves.

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Sudan as the persecution continues. Pray that the slave trade would end and that the tentative peace treaty may hold. Pray that God will continue to grow and give strength to His church.

Syria is a nation of comprised of almost 20 million people and at least nine different ethnic groups, the largest group being Arabs. Syria and Israel have been in conflict for many years. Syria's primary religion is Islam, but the government does grant some religious freedom to non-Muslims.

Christianity represents a significant minority of the population (roughly 10%). However, these numbers continue to decline as Christians emigrate to Africa and the Americas. Believers have the freedom to meet and worship together, but the government is careful to monitor any activities that they perceive as disruptive to the harmony of local communities. Missionaries are not allowed into the country, but Bibles, the JESUS film, radio, and television have been positive avenues for sharing the gospel in Syria. Certain ethnic groups tend to be more receptive to the gospel message, but the spread of Christianity is slow going.

Pray that our brothers and sisters would not lose heart in doing good. Pray that God will help them as they continue to walk the fine line of obeying government and sharing the gospel with Muslims who need to hear the good news that Jesus is life.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven emirates with a resident population of 4.5 million, of which approximately 20 percent are citizens. The seven emirate rulers constitute the Federal Supreme Council, the highest legislative and executive body. The council selects a president and a vice president from its membership, and the president appoints the prime minister and cabinet. By tradition, the emirates are generally under patriarchal rule with political allegiance defined in terms of loyalty to tribal leaders, to leaders of the individual emirates, and to leaders of the federation.

The constitution provides for freedom of religion in accordance with established customs, and the government generally respects this right in practice; however, there are some restrictions. The federal constitution declares that Islam is the official religion of the country.

At least thirty-one Christian churches in the country are built on land donated by the ruling families of the emirates in which they are located. Despite these facts, only foreign Christians have freedom to worship and witness. There are severe restrictions on witnessing to nationals.

Prayer Requests

- Pray for an effective ministry of sharing the love of Christ among the nationals.

- Pray for the churches in UAE and their ministry.

- Pray for protection of those who open their heart to the Gospel of Christ.

- Pray for the Christian media.