Migrant crisis will reveal Europe’s true colours
As hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war, repression and poverty cross Europe’s borders, the continent is struggling to cope. There is growing consensus that the EU’s legal framework and individual member states are poorly equipped to confront the problem. Politicians will have to act fast if they want to avoid a humanitarian emergency this winter. They should also be aware that quick solutions will not make the bigger issue go away. The migrant crisis is, in fact, about Europe’s identity. The coming weeks and months will be a test of European unity in the hardest times, with nationalist and extremist voices gaining ground and EU leaders strengthening border controls. So Europe's open door is soon to be closed in face of the tide that has overwhelmed Italy, Greece, Macedonia, Hungary, Serbia and Croatia and created problems throughout Europe.
Germany: Netanyahu cancels Germany trip amid terror wave
Thursday’s meeting to strengthen diplomatic progress between Angela Merkel and Benjamin Netanyahu has been postponed due to a surge in Palestinian terror attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank. (see this week’s Prayer-Alert world article) Prayer is needed for a strengthening of Israel’s relationships with Germany. In the middle of his address to the UN General Assembly Benjamin Netanyahu stood silently for 44 seconds and glared at all the representatives assembled as a protest against an absence of criticism of threats against Israel. Thursday’s cancelled consultation meeting took on a special significance. In 2008 Chancellor Merkel’s speech to the Knesset said that ‘the historical responsibility for Israel’s security is part of our raison d’état’. It would remain unchanged and continue to be one of the foundations of Germany’s foreign policy.
Witness of Christian workers in Syria
The sorrow of the ministry team leader who lost 11 workers and one of their children last month has been deep, but he takes heart that their faithfulness could help change the hearts of persecutors. ‘They kept on praying loudly and sharing Jesus until their last breath,’ he said. ‘They did this in front of the villagers as a testimony for others.’ He asked for prayer for surviving family members and for himself.
‘These things have been very hard on me,’ he said. ‘What wrong did those people do to deserve to die? However, what is happening is more and more people are being saved. The ministry is growing and growing. In the past we used to pray to have one person from a Muslim background come to the Lord. Now there are so many we can barely handle all the work among them.’
Pakistan: asylum needed for Christians
The president of Pakistan’s Christian Congress has urged Western nations to open its doors to persecuted Pakistani Christians. According to the Daily Pakistan, Nazir Bhatti said Christians seeking asylum should be accommodated in the USA, the UK, and other European countries. Bhatti’s plea comes after the announcement that refugees from Syria will be welcomed by both the UK and Germany. Thousands of Pakistani Christian asylum-seekers are not economic immigrants but persecuted Christians who can’t afford to pay human traffickers to reach the shores of Europe, wrote Bhatti. Christian asylum-seekers in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand and other Southeastern Asian countries have been waiting years for word on their immigration cases, without any support from the UNHCR, IRC or other international NGOs.
