Iran 30 Discover, Pray, Transform » SOCIETY STRESSED

Mosque bombing in Zahedan, the cruel wheel of revenge

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:34:12 +0000

On Thursday 15^th July, two Sunnis blew themselves up among worshippers celebrating the birth of Imam Hussein at a large Shia mosque in in Zahedan, the capital Baluchistan. The second bomber waited till a crowd had gathered round the mayhem of the first blast before detonating himself to maximise casualties. They now stand at 27 dead and over 200 injured.

This is the cruel wheel of revenge for the government executing Abdulmalike Riga, the leader of the Jundullah, a terrorist group campaigning for Sunnis, a minority in Shia Iran. Nothing can justify such wanton cruelty against innocent people. It is important that Christians intercede with zeal for the authorities to bring this cruel wheel of revenge to a halt.

Pray for

Grieving families, for the Holy Spirit to give comfort and hope
Injured to be healed
Terrorist group to be uprooted.

New bank note, old tensions

admin — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:18:17 +0000

The Central Bank of Iran has issued a new 100,000 Rial note (worth about $10). Before now, the largest bill has been the 50,000 one. More than ten million of these new notes have been printed so far. Some quickly concluded that the new bill was about dealing with inflation, a familiar scourge for Iranians. However the inflation rate this summer has dipped down to under 10%. So the new note has been printed probably to make cash transactions a bit easier. But it will help if there is another sudden hike in consumer prices, quite a common event in Iran.

There are two other old tensions on this new note. On the front is a picture of the Islamic Republic’s founder, the late Ayatollah Khomeini, the representative of clear cut revolutionary Islamic values. But on the back there is a picture of the tomb of the poet Saadi, and a famous line from his poetry in English. ‘Human beings are members of a whole in creation of one essence and soul.’ Here is the representative of the more enigmatic and flexible tradition of Iran’s poets, who were willing, as seen in this one line, to take a more mystical view of things. And so in this one banknote, there is this tension regarding Iran’s identity. It is certainly Islamic – but there’s another pull on their soul, the pull of their poets.

A final tension on this new note is that some of it is in Persian, some of it is in English. A healthy part of the Islamic revolution was fuelled by a loathing of the West, and meddling England in particular. The revolution duly down graded English, and up graded Arabic. And yet Iran, even on its banknotes, cannot dispense with the language of international commerce. ‘Neither east nor west, Iran is best’ was a popular revolutionary slogan. But there is this tension that will not go away, seen on this new bank note, that Iran still has to relate to the wider world, however proud it is of its own history and recent revolution.

These tensions, the threat of inflation; religion and poetry; Persian and English are all openings for the Gospel where only one identity matters: being in Christ.

Pray for

Inflation to be kept under control
Iran to continue to relate to wider world
Believers to know their secure identity in Christ

Another anniversary, probably best to move on

admin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:34:16 +0000

June 12^th is the anniversary of last year’s disputed presidential election result. The government have made it clear they will not tolerate any disturbances. Given that hundreds were put in prison and at least two have been executed it is likely that those inclined to protest will stay at home. For the church this is better. A calmer atmosphere will mean more normal activities can continue. Another season of protests followed by a strict crack down would not provide for that. From last year’s events there are thousands of hurting people who need to know that only true peace and justice can be found in Christ. All societies have stress, and Jesus is the only real stress buster.

Pray for

June 12^th to be peaceful
For Christians to continue to honour all those in authority
Many hurting people from last year’s troubles to find Christ

Nice speech, but we want jobs

admin — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:41:23 +0000

President Ahmadinejad likes to travel the country making speeches to the faithful. Usually he gets a good hearing. But in Khorramshahr this Monday (24^th May 2010) where he was speaking on the anniversary of the city’s liberation from the Iraqis, the crowd started chanting, ‘Bi Kari, Bi Kari!’ (The unemployed, the unemployed). The official figure for the number of jobless is 12.1% of the population. Others say it is 25%. Add to this inflation running at around 16% or more and it’s easy to see why people want to complain. It’s not so easy though to see how the President can meet the demand for jobs without further upsetting his critics. They already say he has allowed government expenditure to grow too fast. Unemployment for Christians is usually worse, especially if they have become believers having belonged to another faith. If their employer finds this out, they will often face dismissal. And then finding another job is hard. Likewise the job situation is a challenge for the church. Certainly the unemployed in the congregations can be more active – but also they will need help. Pastors need real wisdom to know who to help financially.

Pray for

All those responsible for the Iranian economy
Christians out of work
Pastors to know who to help

Director’s cut, causing pain

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 10:26:03 +0000

Iranians love cinema. They watch about eleven films a month. It’s their entertainment of choice. So with one of the country’s most celebrated directors Jafar Panahi in prison for allegedly trying to make a film about last summer’s post election demonstrations, there is a certain amount of pain in the air. This tension among the film-makers is underlined by the fact that Abbas Kiarostami, probably Iran’s most famous director, shot his first movie outside the country, in Italy. It has been screened at the Cannes Film Festival where Pahani was to be a judge. In the early days of the revolution cinema shuddered to a halt, but then experienced a resurrection, guided by the then culture minister, ex reformist president Mohammad Khatami. Working within strict guidelines, Iran has consistently produced first class films dealing with universal themes. Hundreds of people are involved in Iran’s film industry, an important group to reach with the Gospel.

Pray for

Christians to get involved with the film industry
Sense of freedom and security for film makers
Themes in cinema to lead people to consider Christ.

Earthquakes, Women, The UN: all connected, all stressful

admin — Tue, 04 May 2010 09:23:35 +0000

The statement by Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi that women ‘who do not dress modestly…increase earthquakes’ has caught the attention of the world as a rather odd explanation for the rumblings of our planet. For Iranian women it is a rather shocking reminder that they need to dress conservatively. Underlying that is the much more serious – and indeed stressful – issue of the place of women in society. Obliged to be under the authority of either their father or husband; their word worth half that of a man in the courts; and having to accept that it is legal for their husband to have up to four permanent wives and as many temporary ones as he wants – it is not difficult for women to suffer low self worth. Given this sort of record on women’s rights there has been uproar over Iran being given a seat on the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Women activists in Iran, some who have suffered imprisonment, are not impressed.

Thankfully when women become Christians they soon learn the immense value they have in Christ and the church. And then the church goes onto impact the wider society. For wherever Christianity has spread, so the lot of women has improved. May this be true for Iran too.

Pray for

Women suffering from low self esteem to find Christ
For church to emphasize the value of women
For laws in Iran to be more sympathetic to women

More babies, and here’s $1,000 to help

admin — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:59:22 +0000

The government is not happy with the birth rate being just above 1%. More babies are needed, and President Ahmadinejad is offering $1,000 for every one born. Given the unemployment today’s young are facing, some might query this enthusiasm to increase the birth rate. Others are wondering about where the money will come from. However, President Ahmadinejad argues it is right not to worry too much about the practicalities and concentrate on the bigger picture which is that Iran will need a young population to support the generation that will retire in twenty years time. In the meantime the unemployment looks set to continue, and that is causing a lot of stress.

Pray for:

Church to be able to reach out to unemployed
Wisdom for economic leaders
Against violence erupting due to pressures on economy.

Fear of future, not surprising

admin — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:51:48 +0000

There’s plenty for the average Iranian to worry about: inflation, unemployment, political fragility, arbitrary arrest, crippling sanctions, and worst of all, war. And if you are one of the ten million who live in Tehran, there are earthquakes to worry about as well. The city is built on two major fault lines and just this week President Ahmadinejad has announced incentives to try and get people to move to other parts of Iran. All of this builds up to an unspoken uncertainty about the future. There are so many ‘ifs’. For the church this constant stress is an important opportunity to preach Christ both as the anchor for our soul today, and also our sure hope for the future.

Pray for

More evangelists to preach of the hope Christ brings
More resources that teach on the practical security Christ brings
Wisdom for people in authority to allow people to live in peace

Inflation and petrol sanctions, time to talk prices again

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:57:11 +0000

This week parliament passed the President’s budget which included cutting the state’s generous subsidies for food and energy, subsidies that have long kept the price of a litre of petrol at ten cents for limited amounts. This budget is trying to balance the books, but commentators are saying it could send Iran’s inflation rate up to 30%. This will hurt all wage earners, especially those who work for the massive state sector, because their salaries cannot keep up with inflation. Add to this the shortage of gasoline due to the Iran’s lack of refineries and the US’s keenness to put sanctions on imported petrol, and there could be very steep rises at the pumps. During the 1980’s when Iran experienced galloping inflation everyone talked prices, especially food. It looks as if it will be time to talk prices again, as expensive petrol impacts the whole retail trade. .Christians too will be hit by this inflation and will need to be ready to sacrifice more to get around.

Pray for

Wisdom for officials responsible for Iran’s finances
Safety nets for the vulnerable
Christians to look to God to supply their needs, whatever the price of petrol.

Cancer rate due to triple: Christians need to talk eternal life

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:44:50 +0000

According to the Health Minister, Marziyeh Vahid-Dastjerdi, the number of people being diagnosed with cancer is set to triple over the next ten years. She mainly puts the expected increase down to people’s diet and lack of physical exercise. Given the impressive expansion of the nation’s health care in recent years cancer patients can expect reasonable treatment. There is a network of clinics across the country, and some Iranians are at the forefront of international research.

There are many testimonies in Iran where the family of the ill call on Christians to come and pray. So when cancer strikes a family, Christians need wisdom. As death looms on the horizon, people need to hear about eternal life in Jesus Christ. Certainly there should be prayer for healing, but Christians should also make sure that the patients are ready for eternity.

Pray for

All health professionals dealing with cancer
Christians to know when to pray for healing
Christians to learn how to prepare people for death