South Asian Forum of the Evangelical Alliance Newsletter
Issue 20: October 2017
The South Asian Forum (SAF) is a grouping within the Evangelical Alliance, it was set up to provide a place for South Asian Christians in the UK to encourage, support and equip each other for mission, and to represent their concerns to government, media and the wider Church. With the support of both individual members and church members totalling more than 20,000 people, SAF is steadily growing. Visit saf.eauk.org to get involved in supporting this wonderful
S outh As i a n F orum of the
Evangelical Alliance
connecting, uniting, representing
ministry by becoming a member of SAF. Once you become a member, you will receive idea, the Alliance’s bi-monthly magazine, as well as regular newsletters from SAF detailing our progress. If you are already a member of the Evangelical Alliance you can add SAF to your Alliance membership at no extra cost. In this instance please send an email to saf@eauk.org
Because Jesus said so An Interview with Rochelle Zecher I was 19 when the World Trade Center towers fell. I remember well how the entire country stopped and for just a moment seemed to be frozen in fear. I remember watching President Bush announce that we should all carry on with business as usual lest we allow the Muslims to win. So we moved on and carried out our day to day lives mostly like nothing had ever happened. Except it had, and we were suddenly afraid of certain people in a way I had never experienced before. The city I have lived in my entire life is only 10 minutes away from a large mosque. For the first time I was afraid of the people who went there. We all were. I remember wondering if they hated us and were they planning to hurt us again. I had worked for Muslim men and had really liked them. The manager at our favourite restaurant was Muslim and one of my favourite people. But, suddenly, I was now afraid. Then one day in 2014 God decided that it was time to challenge that fear. Would I trust Him? A Muslim family moved into the empty house right next door. Not only were they Muslim, but they were from Iraq. I remember stepping out that day and welcoming them into our quiet neighborhood and then running home to call my Gujrati friend who was the first foreigner I had ever met. I was afraid of many things. My main fear was that my lack of understanding of their culture would cause me to offend. Another was that they were the “bad people” we had heard so much about in the news. My friend told me just to be a friend, because she was sure they were as afraid as I was.
As I began to spend time getting to know my new neighbors I realised how much help they needed. They had been in my country for a year and still had not learned a lot of the skills I took for granted. They didn’t yet speak enough English to have their water turned on, or the electricity. They needed help getting the kids all set for school and then the kids needed help with homework because it was hard enough for the kids who actually spoke English. So I began to help. It has been my honour for the last four years to spend time with not only this family, but many others. They have become my friends and some of them are like family to me. Najat is one of my favourite women on this planet. She has kids my age and has just decided that I am hers. Everytime I see her at a family event, she yells from across the room,
”Rah-Shell I luff you!” I adore her. Last year, Najat’s son, Omar, was trying to get a new job and he asked my husband and I for help. As my husband and Omar were talking about interviews, Najat sat down beside me with a very serious look on her face. “Rochelle, I need a Bible.” She wanted one in Arabic and English. I told her that I would absolutely order a Bible for her. I told her that I was surprised she wanted a Bible. At that point she interrupted her son and said something to him in Arabic. “My mom says,” he said with a smile on his face, “That she wants to read the Bible to find out what makes you who you are.” A while ago a friend of mine asked me why I chose to help these people. The best answer I had was, “Because Jesus said so.” In Matthew 25, Jesus is teaching his disciples telling them that when you take care of strangers [foreigners] you are taking care of Jesus Himself. That is all the reason I need. My friends are made in the image of Jesus. I help them because Jesus said so.
Deliver us from evil By Maqsood Kamil My father Kamil was born into a peasant family. His father was a practicing exorcist, well known in his community for the gift of discerning spiritual unrest such as curses spoken by enemies. It was not considered a particularly unusual thing but one that carried a certain amount of attention, maybe with a mixture of awe and fear. For young Kamil this was just a way of life. He often saw manifestations of evil and had observed many dramatic