Source: www.csw.org.uk
Date: August 1, 2020
I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. (Psalm 30:1)
King David wrote Psalm 30 as a song for the dedication of the Temple, celebrating the countless times God had rescued the Israelites from their enemies. This week, join us to celebrate the news that Mexico’s National Supreme Court of Justice (SCJN) has ruled in favour of a group of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who had been forced out of their homes because of their beliefs.
The ruling grants reintegration and protection to the several families of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who in December 2017 were violently removed from their homes in Tuxpan de Bolaños, Jalisco State, after they refused to participate in some community activities because of their religious beliefs. Since then they’ve been in temporary accommodation.
The Supreme Court decided that they must be reintegrated into their communities, and ordered the state authorities to guarantee their safety while that happens.
However, we’re concerned that the Court also ruled that they must be relocated to another plot within their territory, as ‘it is legitimate that their rights and obligations as members of this [community] are taken away from them, as they no longer share an essential element, their religion.’
In summary, please pray:
- Thank God for the news that Mexico’s National Supreme Court of Justice has ruled that a group of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who were violently forced out of their homes because of their beliefs, must be allowed to return home safely.
- Pray that the reintegration process goes smoothly, and that each person affected will experience an overwhelming sense of peace.
- Pray that the Court’s ruling that it is ‘legitimate’ for this group to be stripped of their rights as community members, will not embolden other communities to harass and intimidate religious minorities.