The Qatar crisis is deepening – and Christians in the Middle Eastern nation are calling for prayer for their country.
Nine nations have now moved to sever diplomatic ties with Qatar, which is scheduled to host the World Cup in 2022 after a controversial selection process.
The oil-rich country's inhabitants are now facing steep price rises for food and other goods as almost all food is imported. Airlines have halted flights and diplomats have been withdrawn.
The move is in response to Qatar's alleged support of the Muslim Brotherhood, regarded as a terrorist organisation by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia also distrusts its closeness to Iran, and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Al Hamad Al Thani was recently reported to have made critical comments about US President Donald Trump; however, US analysts believe the reports were the work of Russian hackers intent on destabilising the relationship between allies.
While Qatar is a Muslim country, tens of thousands of Christian foreign workers live there.
Persecution watchdog Open Doors has spoken to Christian leaders who have asked for prayer for their situation.
'Life goes on, almost as normal,' said one. 'For us believers, life is same as last week, but please do pray for our safety. There are crowds in the supermarkets because people are scared and are buying food to stock.'
The same church leader said there have been special prayer gatherings by Christians to intercede for the leaders in Qatar and its neighbouring countries. 'Because of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for the Muslims, most of the companies have cut the working hours by 50 per cent. Also, Christian workers only have to work half days, so they have more time go to Church and to pray.'
Another believer asked for prayers to be focused on peace and calmness. This believer asked for prayer that pride would not stand in the way of resolution.
An Open Doors worker expressed the hope something good would come from the crisis: 'Many Christians in Qatar already live with strict limitations in expressing their faith, and extra pressure on them is not what we want. But hopefully the current media attention on Qatar will spark people to pray for the country and the people living and working there.'
Qatar is number 20 on the Open Doors World Watch list, a ranking of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
