| WHEN HABEEL LEAVES FOR WORK EACH MORNING,
she says goodbye to her family as
if it’s the last time she’ll see them. That’s
because she lives in a part of Iraq where people
are randomly killed every day.
This ongoing threat, however, doesn’t
stop her from serving God. Since 2005, she’s been writing, producing, and broadcasting Christian programs for Iraqi believers… all through the help of a small
“suitcase studio.”
Habeel and her three coworkers
were trained to use the suitcase
studio by Feba,
FEBC’s sister
organization serving
the Middle East,
Africa, and India. For the past 10 years, Feba has
used suitcase studios to broadcast Christian programming
into places where it’s dangerous, difficult,
or too expensive to build a recording studio.
The Decline of Christianity
While most people in the Middle East are
Muslim, Iraq has maintained a Christian presence
since New Testament times. In fact, before the
1991 Gulf War, 1.4 million Christians lived in
Iraq. But now, as a result of
the war in Iraq, it’s
estimated that only 450,000
Christians remain.
Additionally, as the
fighting continues, the
hostility against Christians
continues to increase
because the American led
invasion is seen as a
Christian presence. While
many Christians are unable to leave Iraq, some
choose to stay to keep the church alive.
“The continuing decline of the Christian
population is a real cause for concern,” explains
Feba’s Development Director for the Middle
East. “Thousands are leaving because of the war,
economic hardship, religious intolerance, and
persecution.”
Looking for Hope
Initially Feba aired only 1.5 hours of Iraqi broadcasts
a week by shortwave. Then a church with an FM license offered the team air time and
they began a daily one-hour program in a
local Iraqi dialect.
Feba’s programs
are immensely popular, especially among
seekers looking for hope. It’s not unusual to
receive notes or emails like the following:
The nights were very dark,
the storms were rough, there was no
mercy, the soul was without love; we
were alone. But you were there to heal
our wounds, to support us. My soul was
refreshed and determined to continue
to live because you were there, asking
how we were doing during the hard
time. You felt our sorrow, our pain, and
stood beside us when everyone ran away.
Thank you.
Softened Hearts
While this is a very difficult time in Iraq’s history,
God is using it to soften the hearts of those
living there. One Iraqi pastor commented,
“People are open like never before because
they have no peace. When I preach on the topic
‘How do we get peace?’ everyone listens, especially
when I talk about the deeper peace that
Christ brings.” A colleague in the region sums
it up this way: “It may not seem like a ‘safe’
time to be investing resources in a country going
through violent conflict, but now is the time for
us to stand with our brothers and sisters in Iraq
for the sake of the gospel.”
 to support the broadcasts to Iraq
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Learn More "Why Did God Create Us?" - excerpts from Iraqi listeners
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