Missions Blog

A sect of Islam practiced in Iran allows for temporary marriages.  It is often look down upon because it is viewed as a cover for prostitution.  However, some government officials are promoting the practice, believing it can help solve the country’s social problems.  Here is an excerpt:

Iran’s interior minister, himself a cleric, said marriage was a human need and temporary marriage should not be used just for sex but to solve social problems.

He said there needed to be a cultural change to allow this.

The article goes on to say that there is even a cunning travel agent, advertising in Tehran, offering holidays by the Caspian Sea for couples and a Muslim cleric who can temporarily marry them for the trip.

Darfur diary: Indian perspective

I found this article interesting. An Indian journalist writes about her countries involvement with the Sudan and their failure to care about the genocide in Darfur.

With the olympics coming up there are groups trying to shame China to ends its involvement with Sudan. One of their strategies is to get major athletes that will be participating in the olympics to sign a petition. Having recently heard about that story on the radio I find this article fascinating. Here is a small excert

Trading with a country without any social responsibility, and turning a convenient blind eye to a conflict of gargantuan proportions, does not bode well for the emerging economic and political giants of China and India.

But, while there has recently been a chorus of international disappointment that China is not pulling its economic weight in Sudan, India too cannot be excluded, for its hands are very much in the honey pot.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Bible translated for Aborigines

The BBC is reporting that a Bible has finally been translated for the Aborigines of Australia. The translation was over 30 years in the making. Here is a great quote that explains many of the complexities of Bible translation.

One of the biggest challenges for researchers was to translate the Bible not just literally, but culturally, to give it a distinctly indigenous feel.

Linguist Peter Carroll said the phrase “to love God with all one’s heart” was particularly tricky.

“The Gunwinggu people use a different part of the body to express emotions, and they have a word that is, broadly translated, ‘insides’,” he said.

“So that to love God with all your heart was to want God with all your insides, and it was that use of the word ‘insides’, not the word ‘heart’, that established the right connection with emotions and made the translations effective.”

“It’s being called genocide — the wave of ethnic killing in Darfur, Sudan. NBC’s Ann Curry traveled to the border between Chad and Sudan to cover the deadly conflict that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Curry tells the stories of people caught in the crosshairs: a mother, an orphan, an aid worker, and others who have been largely forgotten and as the chaos continues. In an iTunes exclusive, Curry talks to New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof about where Darfur is headed, and what can be done. Includes a special introduction by Brian Williams.” — iTunes Store

Download here

India-Pakistan talks ’start well’ Two countries desperately in need of peace with each other start peace talks again. Talks were previously derailed after a train bombing killed 200 people in Mumbai. Pray for peace between these two countries.

Refugees cut off by Kenya floods Somalis’ already suffering as refugees, are now suffering from flooding in Kenya. Thousands of shelters have been destroyed and several have died. Pray for the end of their suffering

Vietnam off Us religion blacklist Despite this decision by the U.S., Christians in Vietnam are still persecuted. Pray for believers to stay strong in the midst of tough times.

As faithful as I can keep up with it, I would like to highlight some international news every few days that you can be praying about. Taking 15 minutes of your day to read international news at news.bbc.co.uk is great way to keep up with the happenings of the world.

Sri Lanka recruits child fighters On a recent fact finding mission, the UN reports they discovered evidence of the Sri Lankan government rounding up children to fight with the renegade Karuna rebel group.

Darfur militias in deadly attacks About 30 people have been killed in Sudan’s Darfur region by pro-government militias.

“Taleban law” passed in Pakistan Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province has passed a bill setting up a Taleban-style department under a cleric to enforce Islamic morality.

Rocketboom offers an update on the situation in Uganda since the ceasefire. They also have a short interview with Senator Edwards about his recent trip there. Click the image to check it out.

Does any of this news give you more hope for the situation there?

Edit: Fixed the Link