This morning I was talking to a friend who was telling me they were going to the Philippines soon and that got me thinking about how the Lord has used Filipino friends in my life to take me to church when I was younger. I also have a wonderful Filipino Christian neighbor who I absolutely love, and the culture of the Philippines is something I also love. So as I was thinking about all of the blessings that I have been given, as a result of my friends from that nation, I had to share with you all that sadly, there is a part of the Philippines called Mindanao that is suffering from Muslim persecution.
According to the Voice of the Martyrs Restricted Nations page, Mindanao is an island and has a Muslim minority that is trying to establish an independent Islamic state on this island, which is predominantly Christian.
Even today the Associated Press is reporting in a piece titled Philippines, Muslim rebels to resume peace talks that the Philippine government and Muslim separatist rebels will resume peace talks in Malaysia next week. The article goes on to say:
The rebels have been fighting for Muslim self-rule for decades in Mindanao, the southern homeland of minority Muslims in the largely Roman Catholic Philippines. It is the biggest of at least four Muslim rebel groups that have waged a bloody rebellion in the volatile south.
Negotiations collapsed in August last year when the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a preliminary accord on an expanded Muslim autonomous region.
A deadly rampage by three rebel commanders upset by the stalled deal sparked months of clashes. The fighting killed hundreds and displaced as many as 750,000 people.
So as you think of our brothers and sisters in Christ today, who are in the land of Mindanao, please pray for them. Pray for the Lord's blessing and protection on them, and pray for the Muslims who so desperately need Jesus as their Savior.
