Seth Udinski, FISM News
Chaos has reigned in Afghanistan over the last week with the recent Taliban takeover of the region. Sadly, Afghanistan is not the only Middle Eastern nation in turmoil.
Multiple reports surfaced Thursday that a bomb went off during an Islamic religious ceremony in Pakistan. Shiite Muslims were celebrating the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Islam’s founder Muhammad and one of the most revered figures in Islamic history. Hussein was killed in the year 680 AD during the Battle of Karbala in Iraq. The bomb exploded in the city of Bahawalnagar in the Punjab province of Pakistan, killing three and injuring fifty more. This comes only days after a grenade attack killed twelve civilians in Karachi in the southern region of the country.
For Christians, we must always mourn the senseless loss of life, especially when we know they do not have the hope of salvation. This is especially true considering the current tension in the Middle East. Pakistan is a heavily-dominated Sunni Islamic region, and it is highly likely this attack was perpetrated by Sunni radicals, well-known for violence against Shiites.
Christians also need to be praying for the light of the gospel to shine into the hearts of these Shiite Muslims. They are facing persecution likely from their own Islamic “brothers,” and this could cause good discontentment for them as they consider the true violent nature of their faith. Hopefully, this will result in fertile ground for gospel growth.