Day 27
Türkiye
Türkiye transitioned to a presidential system in 2018, with the President expanding. Controversies, including concerns about the concentration of power, restrictions on media freedom, crackdowns on dissent, and allegations of human rights abuses, have marked the current leadership.
Pray for the LORD to rebuke the dictatorship in Türkiye and permit them no more to harm the civilians (The Holy Bible, Psalm 105:14).
Once the land of Paul’s missionary journeys, Turkey is now predominantly Muslim. Following a failed coup in 2016, President Erdogan began irradicating anyone deemed to oppose his regime, increasing the atmosphere of state control over the last 7 years. Dozens of long-term Christian missionaries have been deported or refused entrance, however interest in the Gospel among Muslim Turks has soared. Predominantly Syrian refugees that overwhelmed Turkey were a financial and infrastructural burden on the nation. As a result, anti-refugee attitudes have increased in the wider community, though Christian ministry amongst the refugees has been fruitful. At the start of 2023, Turkey was devastated by a massive earthquake that impacted the lives of more than 14 million people and resulted in the deaths of more than 50,000 people.