Georges Sada, General to Saddam, speaking in Tinley Park, IL

An invitation from Christian Life Center, Tinley Park

What’s really happening in Iraq?

As our presidential election approaches, both Senator McCain and Senator Obama are focused on a few issues, with the economy, energy/fuel prices, and Iraq being at the top of the list. Every pundit seems to have opinions as to what went wrong there, what’s happening now, and when we need to get out. But how many of them really know from an insider’s perspective what’s happening there?
This weekend, August 23-24, you and your friends will have an opportunity to hear this important topic from a true insider: a man who was intimately involved with Saddam’s murderous reign as one of his top military advisers, was on the ground when U.S. forces brought liberation, and who has been a part of the rebuilding of that nation, now serving as a spokesman for the Iraqi prime minister: General Georges Sada.

General Sada has been a guest of Hannity & Colmes as well as numerous other newscasts; he was recently on the Daystar network’s Celebration; he’ll be a featured guest on the Sandy Rios show this week (details to follow); and this weekend he’ll be on our stage at CLC Tinley Park campus. We have invited local mayors, council members and even Senator Barack Obama to join us - now I’m inviting you.

Here’s the cool thing: if you have a question about Iraq that you’d like the General to answer, you can submit it here any time this week until Friday, and we’ll get those questions to him, hopefully to address in one of the services this weekend. We announced this offer at South Bend and Shorewood yesterday, but it’s also good for anyone else reading this blog: submit your question now, or just leave it in the comments below.

30 Days of Prayer - Kurds in Canada

Muslim Kurds in Canada

Ramadan 2007 / 1428 : Day 16 for September 28

Kurds have been coming to the United States and Canada from Turkey, Iraq and Iran for decades. Thousands of Kurds fled Iraq during and subsequent to Saddam Hussein’s mass killings of Kurds through chemical and conventional warfare. Those who have gone to North America as refugees are survivors. Some of them were Kurdish freedom fighters who were tortured under Saddam Hussein’s regime. Perhaps six thousand Kurds now live in Southern Ontario, Canada. Hamilton, Ontario, a city of half a million people, is home to about 2,000 Kurds. Most of the Kurds in Hamilton come from Northern Iraq and speak a Kurdish dialect called Sorani. All of them are weary of the violence, persecution and killing still continuing in Iraq today.

Identity Crisis

Over 90% of the Kurds in Hamilton are from a Muslim background (although some are communist or atheist and a few are Zoroastrian). Today, many of the Kurds in Canada have shed their identity as Muslims. A few have even become anti-Muslim. Although still believers in God, they tend to be suspicious of any religion.

Pizza Anyone?

In Hamilton, Kurds have specialised in the pizza business. They operate and work long hours in small pizza shops that are open seven days a week. The Kurdish refugees and immigrants love the freedom they have found in Canada to be Kurdish, to gather freely and to speak their language. However many are drying up spiritually and becoming materialistic. Kurdish children in Canada are growing up between two worlds. With English as their most familiar language, they’re more comfortable in Canada than back “home” in Kurdistan. In Hamilton the Kurdish community runs a Kurdish language school for their own children in order to maintain their cultural and language roots.

Reaching Out

In recent years some local Christians have made efforts to proclaim Christ among Ontario’s Kurds. These believers desire to establish a movement of Kurdish house churches. They really want to help Kurds discover Christ and to live their new found faith in a fully Kurdish manner. In 2006, two Kurdish brothers professed faith in Christ. The family of these brothers is open to the Gospel, but not ready to make a commitment. Unfortunately this seems to be a repeated pattern.

Prayer Requests:

* Pray that Canadian believers can show their Kurdish friends how to follow Christ. May the Lord Jesus Christ be glorified as Kurds, find the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).

* Pray that God will send dreams and visions in order that the Kurdish community will see their spiritual need and God’s provision through Jesus.

* Pray that Kurds will want to understand more of God’s story through the Bible and Christian films.

Background information, map and statistics about Muslims in Canada are on our site here …>>