Jesus taught us to love our neighbour as ourselves, regardless of whether or not we believe the same things as them.

When we see the repression suffered by Christians around the world, we are moved to speak out. And we are also moved to speak out for all those suffering because of their religion or belief. The Rohingya in Myanmar, the Uyghurs in China, atheists in Egypt, Muslims in India – each of these groups suffer injustice because of their religious beliefs, as do many others.

1. Pray for peace.

Religiously motivated violence can take many forms. In some countries, such as Nigeria, it is primarily perpetrated by terrorist groups driven by religious extremism, or using religion as a rallying point. In other countries, like Egypt and India, mobs are often emboldened by a lack of consequences – or even by inflammatory remarks from government officials.

• Pray for peace where there is conflict and sectarian violence.
• Ask God to strengthen the work of peacemakers, and to inspire the church to model radical forgiveness, love for enemies and peaceful co- existence.

2. Protection for religious leaders.

Call on God the protector to watch over religious leaders whose work and influence often places them at risk. Ask him to grant wisdom to speak truth to power, while keeping them and their families safe from those who seek to harm them.

Case in focus: Pastor Jose Otoniel Ortega was the eleventh church leader to have been assassinated in Colombia in just over a year. He was shot dead on New Year’s Eve while celebrating with his family. Illegal armed and criminal groups often see churches and their leaders as a threat to their control.

3. Freedom for prisoners.

Countless people around the world have been detained in connection with their religion or belief. Many of them are denied access to lawyers, visits from family members, or even access to religious texts.

• Appeal to the God of justice – who came to this earth to proclaim freedom for prisoners – to move powerfully even in the most complicated cases.
• Pray boldly for the release of those who have been detained for peacefully exercising their fundamental human rights. Ask God to comfort their loved ones in the meantime, trusting that no injustice goes unnoticed.

Case in focus:Over one million Uyghurs and members of other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups have been detained without charge in so-called ‘political re-education camps’ in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region since 2017. Many detainees have been subjected to torture or other forms of severe mistreatment.

An estimated 1 in 5 cotton garments in the global market may be linked to Uyghur forced labour. (Source: enduyghurforcedlabour.org)

4. Pray for displaced people.

It’s impossible to estimate how many people have been displaced on account of their religion or belief. It is a global problem – from religious minority families forced from their villages in India and Mexico, to hundreds of thousands displaced by religiously motivated violence and discrimination in Afghanistan, Iraq and Nigeria.

• Ask God to provide for those who have been displaced because of their religion or belief, war, natural disasters or economic hardship.
• Pray they would be able to return to their homes, towns and countries without fear of violence, discrimination or harassment.

Case in focus:Over one million members of Myanmar’s predominantly Muslim Rohingya community are currently residing in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Most were forced to flee in August 2017, after the military launched so-called ‘clearance operations’ in Rakhine State. A United Nations Fact-Finding Mission has since concluded that the campaign of atrocities should be investigated as a genocide.

5. Pray for those in positions of power.

Read Ephesians 6:12 and affirm God’s authority over every power and principality. Give thanks that no government or political party or system will ever outlast him. Pray that he would change hearts or even entire regimes so that the right to freedom of religion or belief is afforded to everyone, everywhere.

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