If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Romans 14:8
Akram Kattan (2005)
The Dead of Night
Akram and his family went to bed on the night of the 18 August 2005 unaware of what was to happen a few hours later. In the dead of night, three armed Islamic militants with their faces covered broke into their home in Baghdad, Iraq. They pushed Akram’s wife to the floor, saying, “You are Christians. You do not deserve to live.”
The militants then demanded money but the Christian family begged them to take whatever they liked from the house instead. Akram was shot dead and another person was shot in the leg. The family called the police, but they were too afraid to come to the scene, saying, “Save yourselves!”
This is one of the countless Muslim extremist attacks on Iraqi Christians following the US-led invasion in 2003. As a result of the intense persecution, hundreds of thousands of Christians have fled their home-land.
We pray for the people of the land of the Tigris and Euphrates. We pray for its many casualties of wars. We pray too for those within its boundaries who are persecuted and oppressed for Christ’s sake. Grant them protection by the Lord himself from those who have such hatred for them. Guide them, we pray, and bring peace to their homeland, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.