Prayer

All around this world people are persecuted for their belief in God, others don't even know who He is. Christians are unable to attend church and must read their Bible and worship in secret. It is our responsibility as their brothers and sisters in Christ to constantly pray for them. Pray for their government's leadership, the protection of the people, and their attempts at spreading the Word of God throughout the nation. Below are some specific countries you can pray for and learn more about what they are struggling with. 

SUDAN 

Head of State: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir

Religion: Muslim 97% Christian 3%

Ideology: Islam

The civil war, which ended in 2005, claimed the lives of 2 million people. A continuing conflict in Darfur has driven 2 million more from their homes and killed over 200,000. Sudan and South Sudan split into two separate countries in 2011, and, according to USCIRF, “conditions in Sudan have deteriorated since South Sudan’s independence.” 

TAJIKISTAN

Head of State: President Emomali Rahmon

Religion: Muslim 93.9%, Christian 1.0%

Ideology: Islam/Communism

Tajikistan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The country remains the poorest of the former Soviet republics, suffering from corruption and the effects of a civil war that ended in 1997. Although 90 percent of its citizens profess to be Muslim, few regularly practice Islamic rituals. Nearly half the population is under the age of 14, and economic hardships are driving some young Tajiks toward a more radical form of Islam. 

CUBA

 Head of State: President Gen. Raul Modesto Castro Ruz

Religion: Christian 56.5%, Non-Religious 25%

Ideology: Communism

In 2008, Fidel Castro turned leadership over to his brother, Gen. Raul Castro, and the country is now run by him and a team of Communist Party loyalists. Raul is slowly implementing economic reforms, and Cuba’s relationship with the United States appears to be improving. Despite constitutional protections for religious freedom, the Cuban government seeks to control most aspects of Cuban life through the Communist Party, government bureaucracy and state security.

NEPAL

 Head of State: President Ram Baran Yadav

Religion: 75% Hindu, 2.9% Christian

Ideology: Hinduism/Militant Marxism

Nepal is one of the world’s poorest nations. Once the world’s only Hindu kingdom, the nation is now officially a secular democracy. After a decade-long conflict between government forces and Maoist combatants, the two groups signed a peace accord in 2006. Politicians have yet to agree on a new constitution, and in May 2012 the national assembly was dissolved, leaving the country without a legislature. The Maoist Party is in control of the government.