BAGHDAD, Iraq — The International Bible Society and the United Bible Society are planning to distribute children’s Bibles in the Kurdish region of Northern Iraq, according to ASSIST News Service.
Calling the distribution the first ever, the organizations plan to distribute 20,000 copies of the book “365 Stories” later this year. This will be done despite fears about Muslim extremism in the region.
“This distribution would have been impossible in the past,” said Nova Hogopian, United Bible Society official. “Under Saddam Hussein’s regime, there were a lot of checkpoints between Kurdish-controlled areas and the rest of the country.”
Despite fears of extremist activity, both organizations are willing to take the risk due to the hunger for God by people in the area.
“We have seen that many Kurdish Muslims are asking questions and accepting Christ as their Savior,” said Hogopian. “That number is expected to increase now that the war is over.”
Many church leaders and missionaries are reporting that there are signs of a spiritual revival in many areas of Iraq. This is happening
despite reports of continued violence and persecution against Christians. Concerns also remain that radicals within the Shiite Muslim majority will cause problems for the country’s one million Christians.
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