South Asia is incredibly diverse and complex, and Christians in the region are sometimes discriminated against, harassed, or even killed for their faith.

CSW has been working with activists in the region for many years, to combat religious intolerance and to make religious freedom a reality for all. The people we meet and work with, especially our local partners on the ground, are a constant source of inspiration, but they need our prayers as much as the victims of religious freedom violations.

HEROES OF FAITH

Michelle and Cecil S Chaudhry are an inspiring brother-and-sister team working to improve life for Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan. Continuing the legacy of their late father, a human rights campaigner and long-term CSW partner, their mission is to “initiate personal and social change by providing an opportunity to strengthen and sustain their lives for the better.”

This week please:

• Pray for the most vulnerable people in society – those at high risk of mistreatment and least likely to get justice – particularly the victims of targeted sexual violence;
• Thank God for the elections in Pakistan earlier this year, and pray for peaceful elections in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, due later this year;
• Pray that religious nationalist groups across the region would not resort to violence to achieve their aims;
• Pray that God would take away the divisive and fear-inducing power of blasphemy laws in the region;
• Pray for strength in CSW’s South Asia team, especially as they work to facilitate cross-border cooperation and collaboration among CSW’s partners on the ground;
• Pray for the complex situation of religious refugees who flee between countries in the region;
• Pray for indigenous minorities in the centre of Bangladesh and in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, who are marginalised because of their religion and ethnicity.