Global Unrest About Anti-Islam Video
A video shot in the United States that mocked the Muslim prophet Muhammad set off a string of violent protests around the world at US embassies and the embassies of several US allies. It has become a political hot spot and even though protests in Europe and the United States have been few if any there is still much to learn about why people reacted the way they did, and how will this incident effect future encounters between Westerners and Muslims.
One insight that I read recently helped me to understand why so many people protested at the US Embassies even though the government of the US had nothing to do with the videos. In many Muslim countries all speech is regulated by the government and censorship is a reality for them. Most people who live in countries where their speech is limited or censored also have limited access to information that would help them to understand that in other countries someone can say whatever they want with out any government sanctions. This was the case for many of people protesting, they thought the US was just like their government and that the US government had given permission for the film to be released essentially giving the video their seal of approval which obviously wasn’t the case*.
There are many more aspects to explore to understand what is happening in the Muslim world, but this incident concerns us because many of the countries where there were violent protests are very close neighbors to Spain and there is a huge Muslim population in Granada. We should pray that God gives us wisdom in dealing with our Muslim neighbors to win them to Christ and to understand them more. We also should pray for divine protection of those who are currently working with Muslims and pray for supernatural favor.
*EDIT: I want to make my point clear, my point is to help us understand why the Muslims are enraged with the US as a whole by the video and I want to be clear that their reaction however is entirely un-acceptable and the violent acts of some protesters is reprehensible and disgusting.
Source: Viewpoints: Anti-Islam film and self-censorship
More Refugees From Africa Arrived In Granada
A boat carrying 42 immigrants from Sub-saharan Africa was rescued by the Spanish Civil Guard this week. A pregnant woman was taken immediately to the hospital for a check up, and several passengers including children were treated for hypothermia.
The incident reminds us of the plight of the African refugees who embark on extremely long and dangerous journeys to seek a better life and highlights one of the areas that we will be working in while in Spain.
Please pray for the work of CFC in Almeria (one of the CFC network churches) as they reach out to the displaced people in their region.
Source: Small boat arrives in Spain with 42 immigrants
Jeremy And Karen Still Waiting On Documents From Spain
We are still waiting for our documents to arrive from Spain so we are keeping busy with the kids home schooling and taking on a few work projects while we wait as well as starting work on the 7000 Project.
