Are you sure?
This bookmark will be removed from all folders and any saved notes will be permanently removed.
Eye on the World: Eye on Bangladesh
Police and Islamist protesters clashed in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, on Sunday, leaving at least 15 people dead and more than 60 wounded. The violence came in the wake of a police ban on rallies and protests, which were in turn a response to the tens of thousands of Islamists who gathered after the government refused to institute an anti-blasphemy law. Meanwhile, Bangladesh is also undergoing international scrutiny following two garment factory disasters earlier this year, which collectively killed more than 700 people. The country is preparing for elections this January, in which the ruling secular-leaning party will run against candidates touting more conservative forms of political Islam.
“Prayer as protest” draws a sharp line between conscientious protest, which can call attention to important societal issues, and mindless violence, which is never sanctioned by God. Our prayers for Bangladesh can include the idea that there is only one Mind, God, guiding the country and the region, and that those living there — protesters, police, and ordinary citizens alike — need not succumb to a picture of division or fear.
In “Prayer — above the fray,” the author shares a personal experience in which he was caught in the middle of a protest that had begun to turn violent. He and the group of Christian Scientists he was with began praying with the Daily Prayer found in the Church Manual by Mary Baker Eddy. The group found the prayer “an extremely powerful healing declaration of what was urgently needed: a sense of God’s omnipotent presence—”the ‘reign’ not of violence, chaos, or anarchy, but of Truth, Life, and Love.” This same Love reigns over the whole world.
Finally, you’ll enjoy reading “Mission: Possible,” an account of one individual’s repeated trips to Bangladesh to share Christian Science. The author notes that he experienced an incredible “open[ness] to spiritual things” during his visits to the country, and shares instances in which he witnessed prayer overcoming anger and animosity among individuals. In our prayers, too, let’s be open to the spiritual inspiration that God is communicating to us — the inspiration that assuages grief, ensures protection, and establishes stability in Bangladesh and worldwide.