Iraq (MNN) — For months now, Iraqi protestors have called for change. Until recently, the only response they received was the Iraqi Prime Minister’s decision to step down in November and increasing violence. So far, more than 500 protestors have been killed.

Then, over this weekend, Iraq got a new Prime Minister. Mohammed Allawi, former communications minister, has already voiced his support for protestors and promises reform. The coming months will tell how realistic that mission is.

But if he brings about the change he promises, it will be just in time. Protests condemning a corrupt government have raged for months now. According to Daniel Hoffman of Middle East Concern, “The protesters continue to be critically disappointed in their governments. They tend to be very corrupt, and not to deliver even the most basic services to their people.”

In short, protestors want something to change. Hopefully, Mohammed Allawi can bring that change, because “they say the current government is corrupt and has had the opportunity for many years to show that they’re interested in the good of society and in providing what the people of Iraq need, but they have utterly failed to do so,” Hoffman says.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

And in the midst of the chaos, the Church is vulnerable. Many Iraqis suffer from the effects of corruption and a lack of basic services, but other communities have their own armed militias; most Christian groups do not have that kind of protection.

That means that as unrest increases and various militia groups expand their territory, vulnerable and unarmed groups like the Iraqi Church face more and more pressure.

That’s why they need your prayer. Ask God to remind them that they are not alone. Pray that governments move to protect Iraq’s vulnerable communities.

“[Pray] for their protection and for hope for the future. As people see more and more Christians see more and more instability, they are more and more encouraged to leave the country. And the more Christians leave, the more vulnerable the remaining Christians become.”

Follow the situation in Iraq and elsewhere with Middle East Concern.

Photo courtesy of flickr user Marco Verch.