Open Doors Australia

28/05/2026

Praise God for good news from Iraq!

An Iraqi court has ruled in favour of a young Christian woman, Maryam*, allowing her to have her official religious status corrected in the government’s database after she was automatically registered as Muslim under Iraqi law.

The significant ruling restores Maryam’s ability to live in accordance with her Christian faith and sets an important precedent for religious minorities across the region.

Her case was supported by Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF), a faith-based, conservative legal advocacy organisation operating globally to protect religious freedom, free speech, and the sanctity of life.

According to ADF, Iraq will appeal the decision to the Iraqi Federal Court of Cassation, the highest court in these matters.

If the decision is not revoked by the Court of Cassation, it most likely opens the door for other Iraqis to change their religious registration.

In Iraq and other countries, inaccurate or imposed religious designations can result in mandatory enrolment of children in religious education programs not of their faith, barriers to marriage, automatic assignment of children’s religion based on parental records, inheritance complications, family law conflicts, and exposure of non-Muslims to Sharia court jurisdiction.

Please pray:

🙏 Pray that a positive decision will soon be taken by the Iraqi Federal Court of Cassation in favour of Maryam.

🙏 Pray this case leads to freedom of choice for more Iraqi Christians in similar situations.

🙏 Pray for the boldness of other Iraqi Christians. It is dangerous to be a Christian in Iraq; pray for their safety, courage, and strength.

27/05/2026

Please pray with Hanan* and Elias* for the safety of their children and their extended family. Please pray for believers across the world traumatised by violence for their faith. Pray for their strength, their resilience, and their healing 🙏

*Name changed for security purposes

25/05/2026

An Open Doors field worker, who helps with our ministry to North Korean believers, recently expressed how much your support means to Christians in North Korea.

He shared a letter from a Christian in North Korea… a rare glimpse at life for believers who follow Jesus in the world’s most difficult country for Christians.

Our field worker adds: “None of this would have been possible without the steadfast prayers and generous support of believers worldwide. So, thank you, on behalf of our entire team, for everything you do.”

Swipe to read the letter. It will inspire your faith and give you new insight to pray. ❤️‍🔥

21/05/2026

On 13 May 2026, a miracle took place In Aleppo, Syria, when a crowded church of the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese was saved from a terrible explosion during a funeral service.

At 10:30 a.m., a car from the funeral company drove into the churchyard to take the coffin to the cemetery. That’s when a congregant noticed a strange object suddenly fall out from under it.

At first the object was difficult to identify, but then they realised it was a bomb. The crowd was terrified. They had all gathered in peace but now they fled in fear.

The police were called and arrived quickly. Official experts confirmed that the object was a live, handmade bomb.

One congregant says, "We thank God that the bomb fell off before it exploded. If it had gone off while we were all inside, it would have been a massacre. We are lucky to be alive."

Nearly a year ago, in June 2025, a su***de bomber’s attack on Saint Elias church in Dweila, Damascus, killed 22 Christians during Sunday mass, leaving survivors deeply traumatised.

Please pray for all Christians in Syria.

Pray:

🙏 For God’s protection over Syria’s Christian congregations. Praise Him for revealing the bomb before it caused untold destruction,

🙏 For Christians to receive a powerful and unshakeable peace in Christ, and

🙏 For extremists, that they miraculously find Jesus and become protectors instead of persecutors.

19/05/2026

Elias* lost a sister, two brothers, and four cousins when a su***de bomber crashed through the doors of his church and detonated explosives.

Twenty-five people died that day. Elias’ family remain faithful. They are scared but choose to follow God where He leads, even if that means staying put. You can read their full story here.

*Name changed for security purposes

15/05/2026

We rarely get reports from places like Turkmenistan, not because persecution isn’t happening. Rather, it’s usually hidden.

But our field team in Central Asia recently shared that police had carried out raids around the only Christian church in and around Balkanabat city.

And they’re asking us to pray…

At least 50 Turkmen citizens were detained before entering the church and taken away for questioning.

An unnamed police source told the media: "They were asked questions such as: 'Who
encouraged you to convert to Christianity? Were you offered money? Why did you leave Islam?’"

The same source said that violence, pressure, and threats were used in an attempt to make believers return to Islam.

In Turkmenistan, police and security services monitor the places where people gather, ensuring the regime maintains strict control of religion.

The detainees’ further fate is unknown. They and their families remain silent out of fear of further persecution. Will you pray with us?

14/05/2026

Outrage and protests are erupting across Pakistan at the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court that ordered a 13-year-old Christian girl to return to her abductor, a 30-year-old Muslim man.

In July 2025, Maria Shahbaz was kidnapped, forcibly converted, and married to her captor. Her parents' pleas for justice were rejected when the court released its decision at the end of March this year.

Now, citizens and human rights groups alike are calling for change, and a national consultative committee has been assembled to review the case.

Stand with them and pray for Maria, her parents, and the protection of all vulnerable girls in Pakistan.

Please pray:

🙏 Pray that the national committee has the power and will to make positive changes.
🙏 Pray that the court ruling will be reversed and that Maria can return to her family.
🙏 Pray that recent new laws to restrict marriage to women 18 years and above is legally enforced.
🙏 Pray for a societal change that sees child marriage as detrimental to the well-being and future prospects of girls.

11/05/2026

Churches in Cuba, a country in deep crisis, are crying out for help.

Food is scarce. Electricity fails. Medicine is limited. Water is unreliable. Pressure on religious communities is rising.

“We plead with God to have mercy on our nation. We ask for strength to endure,” says Edgar, a pastor in Cuba.

His prayer reflects a growing reality across the island. As Cuba's worst humanitarian crisis deepens, thousands of believers now cry out for support.

“We have nothing to eat. Everything is extremely expensive. It now costs twice as much,” Edgar shares.

Basic items are limited. In some regions, bread is only available for children. The ration system is failing and supplies often arrive incomplete. For 7 out of 10 families, three meals a day is no longer possible.

Churches are among the few places offering help. Despite limited resources, they share what they have. Many depend on money from relatives abroad, yet nearly 90% of households live in poverty or extreme poverty.

Please pray
🙏 For God’s provision of food and resources for Cuban families.
🙏 That those facing physical and emotional exhaustion, especially pastors and Christian leaders, will be strengthened.
🙏 For those detained, including minors, that they receive justice, care, and support.

You can read the full story on our website.

Cuba is in deep crisis. Life-threatening factors have pushed the country into the worst humanitarian crisis it has ever faced.

10/05/2026

Happy Mother’s Day

Today, we remember the incredible mothers in our lives—our own and those who treated us as their own. On this day, persecuted mothers across the world, like Hanan* in Syria, remember other things, too. Their children for one, whom they love and fight to protect. Their little ones, who so easily could have been lost to them but for the grace of God.

Thank you for loving them and for praying for their families.❤️

07/05/2026

In the Narayanpur and Bastar districts of Chhattisgarh, tribal Christians received an ultimatum from the Sarva Adivasi Samaj (All Tribal Society) to reconvert to Hinduism by 30 April 2026.

Now that the deadline has passed, council meetings have increased and continue to pressure tribal Christians into renouncing their faith. Additionally, some village councils have restricted Christians from collecting Tendu, the leaves of the east Indian ebony tree. Tendu leaf collection is a major livelihood activity for tribal communities in Chhattisgarh.

Christians are also prevented from collecting wood from the forests, essential for building homes and cooking food. They continue to live under relentless pressure and threats from villagers to either convert or leave the village.

Open Doors’ local partner, Dhruv Baiga* states that since February 2026, village councils and priests have banned several pastors from entering villages. With recent restrictions, the residing tribal Christians are losing their livelihoods and are living in fear of an uncertain future.

Local pastors and believers in Narayanpur and Bastar districts are praying and waiting to lodge an official complaint against the ultimatum given to them.

🙏 Please continue praying with them.

*Name changed for security purposes

05/05/2026

Grief and emptiness. Not much else remains after such horrific violence.

In less than a minute, Elias* lost one sister, two brothers, and four cousins.

He nearly lost his life, too.

“People were shouting. The church had turned red,” he says of the chaos following the blast.

A year later, the church is still being repaired. A hole remains in the reinforced concrete floor where the su***de bomber detonated his backpack.

And like the church, Elias, Hanan* his wife, and their five children are also being gently restored, thanks to the trauma care supporters like you have helped provide. 🙏

*Names changed for security purposes