Syria

Key Facts:

Leader:
President Bashar al-Assad
Population:
20 million (9% Christian)
Majority Religion:
Islam
Type of Government:
Republic

A country of fertile plains, mountains, and deserts, it is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups. These include Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Arabs, and more than one million Iraqi refugees—the largest number of any neighbouring country. The government allows for freedom of faith and religious practice. While those of Christian and Muslim communities co-exist relatively peacefully, evangelism is frowned on and converts from Islam can find life very difficult.

Prayer

• Pray for courage for those sharing their faith discreetly.
• Pray that the thousands of Iraqi refugees would be met with the love of God as they start a new life.
• Most Christians live in urban areas. Pray for effective outreach into the isolated and remote mountainous regions.