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Remembering Said Musa
Posted by Strider in Church & Missions, News & Culture
Normally I use pseudonyms when writing to protect those I work with. In this case I am giving you Said Musa’s name for two reasons, one because I don’t live or work in his country and second because he asked me to. A good friend and coworker of mine, Fredegar (yes, a return to pseudonyms) traveled to Afghanistan at the request of Advocates International to check up on Said Musa’s situation. Said is a former Muslim who converted to Christianity a couple of years ago. Earlier this year a man that Said claims is an Iranian spy infiltrated some Christian groups, filmed a baptism and sold it to the main television station in Afghanistan. The uproar was predictable. The government immediately arrested scores of believers. It was interesting to note that they knew where they all were. The West immediately put pressure on the Afghan Government to release the prisoners and ensure the basic human right of freedom of religion. Afghanistan doesn’t really believe in freedom of religion but when your entire budget is underwritten by someone else you have to dance to their tune- unless your a banker apparently. Never the less someone recently discovered that Said Musa who had been arrested in the north of the country had been sent to Kabul instead of being released. He was to stand trial two Sunday’s ago, be charged, convicted, and sentenced to death but then some good hearted westerner stepped in and publicized the case. The trial was postponed until this last Saturday and with my friend and others asking about the case the judge threw it back to the Attorney General. Said remains in prison today awaiting new and improved charges.
Fredegar got to see Said Musa on the steps of the courthouse. Said was shackled to the man he accused of being the Iranian spy- I guess they are being tried together, your guess is as good as mine as to why this would be so. Fredegar said that Said was nervous but in good spirits. He gave Fredegar a letter and asked him to publicize his case. That Said would ask that we pray for him and attempt to intercede for him is not surprising what is surprising is what he has asked us to pray for. I wonder if you will be able to pray with me what Said Musa has asked us to pray?
Pray that his trial will go forward and that the case will not be dismissed. He says that the Government must be made to face its own laws and choose between Sharia and the international agreements it has made.
Pray that he will remain in the Country. Too many Afghans come to faith and then leave. Said wants to stay and be a witness for Jesus until all Afghans come to know the King of Kings.
Pray that all Afghans will have access to the Good News of Jesus Christ. Pray that their eyes and hearts will be opened and that they will bow down to the only God deserving of worship.
Pray that the Church will stand strong in the face of certain persecution. Said Musa asked that we pray that believers will stand up for their faith even when it will certainly cost them their lives.
It will cost us to reach places like Afghanistan. Are we ready to pay that kind of price? Too many of us want a ‘happily ever after’ tag on our lives now. Resolutions to your issues today are not coming. You are not going to become the person you long to be. The problems you have will not all be solved. The longing in your heart for more will remain until your heart stops beating. Too many of us- yes, me included- want there to be a ‘happily ever after’ now and it has costs us too much. Said Musa is right. We should not make him leave Afghanistan even though that is probably what the Afghan Government is now hoping for. He does not want his best life now. He knows that this life is toil and struggle. There is a great resolution coming. Better than any vacation or retirement that you could possibly dream of there is an eternity coming. The marriage supper of the Lamb is going to be big so don’t miss it. On your way there let’s take as many Afghans- and people from every other people group on this planet- as we can. Let’s not pray for Said Musa to have a happy life touring Europe and the US giving speeches about how hard it is in Afghanistan as he stays in five star hotels. Let’s pray that he lives and dies well in Afghanistan. Let’s pray that our Savior is glorified in his witness. Let’s pray that thousands of Afghans dance and sing with us at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
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Strider,
I will pray for Said. Please keep us updated if the news outlets don’t pick this up.
Andrew
Father,
We pray for Said that You will fill him with Your grace and give his speech the peace and confidence of heaven. Let his witness be clear and Your Holy Spirit be seen by all through him. We also pray for all missionaries who carry the true gospel of Jesus Christ that they be protected by Your armor and filled with Your Spirit in order to stand in the face of danger. Protect their families, too. Above all, may Your name be glorified.
“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Cor. 12:27)
“If one member suffers, all suffer together.” (1 Cor. 12:26)
My situation and context right now are so different from that of Bro. Said Musa. I don’t like to suffer. I don’t like to have to think about suffering. I’ve got my own issues to think about. But he is my brother, and a member of the same Body as I.
Father, teach me what it means to suffer together with Said Musa this morning.
Father, I pray that his trial may go forward and the case will not be dismissed.
Father, I pray that he will remain in the country.
Father, I pray that all Afghans will have access to the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Father, I pray that their eyes and hearts will be opened and that they will bow down to the only God deserving of worship.
Father, I pray that the Church will stand strong in the face of certain persecution.
Father, I pray that believers will stand up for their faith even when it will certainly cost them their lives.
Amen and amen!
Thanks for the prayers guys. Fredegar just wrote and said that they moved Said to the western section of Kabul (different jurisdiction, different judge). The new judge confirms that Said is charged with being a Christian and bluntly told some French reporters there that he would be killed or imprisoned for life. Comforting to hear a judge announced the sentence before the trial.
Looks like Afghanistan is ready for Christianity:
it seems so like early Rome with Christians imprisoned and martyred for their faith . . .
Pray for a ‘pentecost’ that takes the fear of persecution away from Afghani Christians, and sends them out among the people,
like the Apostles of old.
Then the martyrdoms may come, but the WITNESS will remain.
The word ‘martyr’ comes from the Greek ‘martys’ which means
‘one who brings a testimony’.
An amazing letter, Strider. My prayers are with Said. Would that American Christians had such clear vision of how the spiritual conflict is to be waged.
I just got an update from Fredegar. The prosecutor’s office is insisting that since Sharia is God’s law it can not be overturned by any international agreements. Fredegar says that there is a showdown coming between the progressives and the fundamentalists and it is not clear at all what will happen. In the meantime, Said remains in prison even though by Afghan law he must be released because it has been more than fifteen days and no charges currently filed.
On a more positive note there is another believer in jail in Kabul facing the same charges (or lack thereof). Our Boss is on the move in Afghanistan!