Church ransacked in eastern Algeria

The Protestant Church of Ouargla in eastern Algeria was vandalized by an unknown number of armed men on the evening of February 1, reports International Christian Concern.

After the assailants broke through the gate, they ransacked the church building. "We heard noises on the terrace, but we could not get out because the threat was real. They could kill us," said Pastor Mourad, who was inside the building with his wife and children.

The Church of Ouargla is the only church in the region and has been recognized by the government since its establishment in 1958. Pastor Mourad has been repeatedly threatened and attacked since being ordained as pastor in 2007.

In the summer of 2009, his wife was beaten and seriously injured by a group of unknown men. Then, in late 2011, rubbish was thrown over the compound walls while an angry mob shouted death threats at Pastor Mourad.

You can help by praying!

• Pray the Lord will protect Pastor Mourad, his family and church members. 
• Pray the believers will take heart and place their hope in Him. 
• Ask the Lord to grow the Church in Algeria, in number and in faithfulness.

Go to the Algeria Country Report for more on the trials believers face in Algeria.

Extremists in Somalia arrest man whose sons converted to Christianity

On January 14, Somali Muslim extremists arrested a Muslim man after two of his teenage children converted to Christianity in Kismayo, reports International Christian Concern.

The two teenage sons of Mo'alim Mohamud Aw-Omar converted to Christianity in late 2011. They fled their home following their conversion. Members of the radical Islamic group, al-Shabaab, accused Aw-Omar of "failing to raise his sons as good Muslims" because "good Muslims cannot convert to Christianity." Aw-Omar, who is still a Muslim, insisted that his sons had memorized the Qur'an, fasted and prayed regularly, and therefore he should not be accused of failing his duties.

According to sources on the ground, the Islamists have refused to release Aw-Omar until his two sons return to Kismayo. This is unlikely to happen because the young men will be killed if they return. According to the strict interpretation of the Islamic law that al-Shabaab follows, leaving Islam is a crime punishable by death. Radical Islamists have killed a number of Christian converts in Somalia. This is the first confirmed case of a parent being arrested for the conversion of children.

Pray!

• Please pray that Aw-Omar will also put his hope and trust in the Lord. Pray for his release. 
• Pray the Lord will protect and provide for his two sons. 
• Pray that Christians in Somalia will take up their cross, loving Christ more than anything or anyone else, even their families (Matthew 10:37-38). 
• Pray believers will remain steadfast in their faith despite increasing persecution in Somalia.

Go to the Somalia Country Report for more on Somalia's suffering Church.

Radical Muslims kill 29 Christians in 2 days in Nigeria

A wounded Nigerian in one of the many attacks by Boko Haram.
(Photo: Compass Direct News)

Members of the radical Islamic group, Boko Haram, killed 29 Christians in two days, reports International Christian Concern.

Twenty Christians were gunned down on January 6 while holding a meeting to discuss ways to transport a body of a fellow Christian who was killed in an attack a day earlier. The martyrs in the January 5 attack were attending a worship service at Deeper Life Church in Gombe when the attack took place.

The killings followed a threat issued on January 1 by Boko Haram telling Christians to leave northern Nigeria within three days (for more information, click here).
Boko Haram fights for the implementation of a strict form of Shariah law all over Nigeria, including the southern region of Nigeria where Christians are the majority. The Nigerian government declared a state of emergency to contain anti-Christian violence.

Rev. James Wuye, a northern Nigerian church leader, has urged Nigerian Christians not to resort to revenge in the face of increasing attacks. He said, "I ask Christians in Nigeria that we should exercise restraint and pray that the God of Elijah will surely fight for us. And Christians should show love for their neighbours because that is what Jesus Christ teaches."

Please pray!

• Pray the Lord will give Christians the grace and strength to resist taking up arms against their attackers. 
• Pray the Lord will bring rest and peace to this troubled nation. 
• Pray for those who have lost loved ones; may they be filled with the joy that comes from knowing that they will see them again at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18). 
• Pray for the Nigerian government, the military and the members of Boko Haram.

For more on Nigeria's suffering Church, please click here.

One year later, no answers to Egypt church bombing

Survivors of the Saints Church’s bombing
in Alexandria examine bodies of victims.
(Photo: Watani)

(Sources: AP, International Christian Concern)

Just over a year ago, Amira Maurice was attending a New Year's Eve Mass in the Saints Church in Egypt's Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria with her fiancé, their marriage set for only a few months away. Then a bomb blast ripped through the church.

Now, the 28-year-old pharmacist is in Germany undergoing the latest in a string of surgeries to save her leg and deal with her burns. Her fiancé is dead, one of the 21 people killed in the suicide bombing targeting the church (for more on the attack, click here).

The one year anniversary of the bombing of the Saints Church in Alexandria has passed with no new insights to the case. Named as Egypt's most dramatic anti-Christian attack, the bombing killed 21 people and wounded many more.

While a few suspects were detained, they have since been released and no other inroads have been made in the investigation.

Please continue to lift this situation to the Lord in prayer.

• Pray for those who continue to grieve the loss of loved ones. 
• Pray for the wounded who continue to heal from the attack. 
• Pray that the perpetrators will be located and that the authorities will justly investigate the event. 
• Pray that religious freedom will be respected in Egypt.

For more on the trials believers face in Egypt, go to the Egypt Country Report.

Radical Muslims seek to turn Ethiopia into an Islamist state

In a recent press conference, the Ethiopian government expressed its concern over the growing violence against moderate Muslims and Christians by radical Wahhabi Muslims, reports International Christian Concern.

The government also announced discovering plans of the Wahhabi Muslims to turn Ethiopia into an Islamic country governed by Shariah law.

"We have found evidences and pamphlets were publicly distributed during the month of Ramadan calling on the Muslim community to stand up against all non-Wahhabi Muslims and followers of other religions," said Mersessa Reda, the Director General at the Ministry of Federal Affairs of Ethiopia.

Please join us in praying. 

• Pray for protection and courage for Christians living in Muslim-dominated areas of Ethiopia. 
• Pray that the Father would frustrate every plan of the Wahhabi Muslims to turn Ethiopia into an Islamist state, which would lead to increased persecution of Christians. 
• Pray for the leaders of Ethiopia.

To read the full report, click here. For more information on persecution in Ethiopia, click here.

Sexual assault used as weapon of persecution in Pakistan

A Christian mother of five has been raped in the village of Mustafabad, Kasur district. ASSIST News Service reports that Arifa Mushtaq (name changed for security reasons) was coming home by bus from her work in a garment factory when two locals grabbed her while another accomplice held a gun to her head.

Mushtaq Masih, Arifa’s husband, is devastated by the assault and has filed a complaint with the local police. ASSIST has learned that Arifa’s family is being threatened by two of the alleged rapists. Mushtaq was told that if he did not withdraw his complaint, his children would “go through what his wife has gone through.”

This is only one example of sexual assaults being used by Muslims as weapons of persecution against Christians. Advocacy group International Christian Concern (ICC) reports that in Pakistan, which is a Muslim majority country, Christian girls and women are particularly vulnerable targets.

ICC reports that an 18-year-old woman was working alone on a Muslim-owned farm when three of her employer’s relatives allegedly raped her. She was told not to tell anyone or they would kill her and her brother. She says it is impossible for her to bring her case to the police because of the threats.

Jonathan Racho, ICC Regional Manager, says the police would provide little assistance.

“In Pakistan, when Christians bring their case to court or to the police there is a reluctance from the government to protect them,” said Racho.

Nazir Bhatti, president of the Pakistan Christian Congress, said the instances of rape and forced conversion of Christian women to Islam is on a continual rise. He said 99.9% of cases of rape in Pakistan are not reported.

“If a Muslim man rapes a Christian girl, then he easily forces her to convert to Islam, marries her and covers up his heinous crime of rape under Islamic law,” Bhatti told ICC.

You can read ASSIST’s article here and ICC’s article here.

You can help by praying!

• Pray for Arifa and her family. Pray they would be given the strength and peace of their Saviour.
• Pray for the 18-year-old woman who faces death threats if she reports the heinous crime perpetrated against her.
• Pray for the Muslims who commit such terrible acts. Pray they would be overwhelmed by the love and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christian worshippers brutally beaten by police in Vietnam

Sixteen Christians were recently attacked
and seriously injured in Vietnam. 

A violent attack against minority Degar Montagnard Christians in the central highlands of Vietnam took place in July, leaving 16 Christians severely injured, reports International Christian Concern. One Christian man remains under arrest, his condition unknown.

On July 7, at approximately 8 p.m., Vietnamese security forces and police descended upon a worship service in the village of Buon Kret Krot, Gai Lai Province, and began kicking and beating the attendees. Security forces threatened the villagers, stating: "If anyone worships like this way, we will return to arrest you all and put you in prison for five years." Of the Christians attacked, 10 men and two women were beaten to the point of unconsciousness.

You can help by praying!

• Pray the Lord will bring swift and complete healing to those who were injured. 
• Pray for the release of the believer who was arrested. 
• Ask the Lord to strengthen the faith of these believers. 
• Pray Christians in Vietnam will continue to meet together in spite of the opposition. 
• Pray for the perpetrators of this attack. 

Please consider adding your prayers in the comments section!

Threatened churches in Algeria remain open

Pray for religious freedom in Algeria!

On May 7, we shared that seven Algerian churches were ordered to close.

At a press conference on June 2, Algeria’s Minister of Interior Dahou Ould Kablia stated the Protestant Church of Béjaia will be “allowed to continue their activities until they receive the necessary authorization,” reported International Christian Concern.

In May, the president of the Protestant Church Association (EPA) was informed that seven Protestant churches in the Béjaia province were ordered to permanently close. The demand is in accordance with a 2006 law known as Ordinance 06-03.

The ordinance requires non-Muslims to obtain permission to meet. The ministries responsible for granting permission have not made the registration process an easy one, and it can often take years for registrations to be approved.

In April 2011, a church in the village of Makouda was given 48 hours to shutdown. The commissioner did not accept the documents the pastor presented proving his affiliation with the EPA. However, that church, too, remains open.

Thankfully, the seven churches in Bejaia ordered to close on May 7 did not shut their doors and continue to meet in the face of opposition.

One church congregant said, “We worship out of conviction. We are not afraid, because we did nothing wrong. We were never forced to choose Jesus, but we did so voluntarily. Whatever the circumstances, we will continue to say: we are here to praise your name Lord.”

You can read the whole article here.

Algerian Christian given 5-year prison sentence for blasphemy

Siagh Krimo and family

On May 7, we shared that two Algerian Christians were scheduled to appear in court on charges of proselytizing and blasphemy. On May 25, one of those men was sentenced to five years imprisonment, reported International Christian Concern.

The verdict came days after authorities forced the permanent closure of seven Protestant churches in Algeria’s Bejaia province.

Siagh Krimo was charged by the Criminal Court of the Djamel District in Oran, who based their decision on Article 144 bis 2 of the Penal Code which criminalizes acts that “insult the prophet and any of the messengers of God, or denigrate the creed and precepts of Islam, whether by writing, drawing, declaration, or any other means.”

Krimo has 10 days to appeal the sentence.

Krimo, who is married with a 9-month-old child, was arrested on April 14, along Sofiane, after sharing his Christian faith with a neighbour. Sofiane was released soon after the arrest, while Krimo was detained for three days. Krimo was known to hold weekly prayer services at his home, which Algerian Christians suspect were being closely monitored by the police.

Krimo was sentenced in spite of the prosecutor’s inability to produce the neighbour who accused Krimo of proselytizing and making defamatory statements against Mohammad.

Aidan Clay, ICC Regional Manager for the Middle East, said, “Algerian Christians have been under attack in recent weeks as laws have been increasingly enforced to discriminate against them. Earlier this week, seven churches in Bejaia were ordered to close. Now, an Algerian Christian is on the verge of being unjustly imprisoned for accusations of criticizing Islam. While Algeria professes that it upholds religious freedom, it also embraces a blasphemy law that, by its very nature, can be used to prosecute anyone who does not adhere to the religion of Islam. We urge Algeria to acquit Siagh of all charges and repeal Article 144 bis 2 of the Penal Code.”

What You Can Do

1. Pray for Siagh Krimo. Pray he would remain strong in Jesus while he faces time behind bars. Pray he will be a witness to those around him in prison. Pray for Algerian authorities.
2. Write to the Algerian embassy in Canada to express your concern.

His Excellency Smail Benamara
Ambassador
Embassy of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
500 Wilbrod Street
Ottawa, ON K1N 6N2
Canada

Muslim attackers kill 17 Christians in Nigeria

Charred remains of Assemblies of God
church in Kafanchan, Kaduna state

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Muslim attackers killed 17 Christians yesterday, including the wife and three children of a pastor, and burned down several Christian homes in the village of Kurum, Bauchi state, Nigeria.

Christians have suffered many casualties in northern Nigeria since April 16, after supporters of Muslim presidential candidate Muhammudu Buhari lost the federal election to Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian.

Many Muslim voters claimed voter fraud, although international observers praised the polls as the fairest since 1999.

Reportedly, as many as 300 Christians have been slain, with 14,000 fleeing their homes after Islamic attacks. 

Over the weekend Christian leaders in northern Nigeria called for a federal probe into the post-election violence, saying more than 200 church buildings were burned.

Click here to read an update on the violence by Compass Direct News.

4 Ethiopian Muslims beat evangelist to death, assault his pregnant wife

Pray for Ethiopian believers today!

International Christian Concern (ICC) learned that four Muslims beat an evangelist to death and assaulted his pregnant wife in Worabe, Ethiopia, on April 21.

An ICC spokesperson told ASSIST News Service that the Muslims lured Evangelist Abraham Abera from Kale Hiwot Church, his home and place of ministry, telling him that his friend was sick and needed his immediate attention.

Abraham left with the men; they turned on him and began to beat him with rods. The minister’s wife, Birtukan, ran to intervene, but the Muslims beat her as well.

Abraham died on the spot and his wife, who sustained a severe head injury, was left unconscious in the street. She was found and taken to a hospital in Butajira, where she regained consciousness on April 22.

Birtukan spoke with an ICC source and said that she knew two of the attackers. She said that as the Muslims were beating her and her husband, they told them, “You (Christians) are growing in number in our area. You are spreading your message (the gospel). We will destroy you.”

Birtukan’s unborn baby fortunately survived the attack.

The attackers remain at large. A Christian leader in the area told ICC that the men may not be arrested because the local officials are also Muslims. The area is 97 percent Muslim.

Nepalese Christians on hunger strike

Pray for Nepalese believers today!

On March 20, thousands of Christians marched with empty coffins and empty stomachs in front of Nepalese government offices, reported International Christian Concern. The believers were begging the government of Kathmandu to allot them plots of land to bury their loved ones.

In recent years, land available to Christians has been limited, forcing them to bury their dead on top of one another in the same tomb.

In 2009, Christians were given the Shleshmantak Forest as a place to bury their dead. However, this forest was right next to a Hindu temple. The decision sparked protests from Hindus around the country, forcing the government to ban Christian burials in Shleshmantak Forest.

Although the Nepalese government has lifted the ban, radical Hindus continue to stop Christians from burying their dead in the forest.

Pray the Nepalese government will have compassion for these believers and grant them land. Ask the Lord to provide for them. Pray these believers will be the light of Christ to their Hindu neighbours.

Afghan Christian remains behind bars

Pray for Shoaib Assadullah who
remains imprisoned in Afghanistan.

An Afghan who was arrested for his conversion to Christianity remains behind bars one month after the release of Said Musa, another convert who was quietly granted asylum in Europe after an abusive nine-month imprisonment.

Shoaib Assadullah, 23, was arrested on October 21 in Mazar-e-Sharif for giving a Bible to a friend. While in prison, Shoaib described being physically abused and receiving death threats from fellow prisoners, reported International Christian Concern. He also fears he may face the death sentence for his conversion if he is summoned back to court.

While Afghanistan's constitution upholds freedom of religion, apostasy is tried under Islamic law and is punishable by death.

In a phone conversation with a friend on March 24, Shoaib said that he will not return to Islam in exchange for his freedom, but is willing to die for his Christian faith.

Please pray for the release of Shoaib Assadullah and pray for his protection while he is in prison. Ask the Lord to take away any fear and renew his strength. Pray the Lord will use the testimony of this faithful Christian brother to encourage the faith of secret believers throughout the country.

You can post a prayer for Shoaib or persecuted Christians in general on VOM's Persecuted Church Prayer Wall.

Christian students attacked by Muslim mob in Ethiopia

Pray for Christian college students
attacked in Ethiopia.

A Muslim mob assaulted and wounded 17 Christian college students on a mission trip in Oma village, Ethiopia, on February 26, reported International Christian Concern (ICC).

The mob overwhelmed the government militia who attempted to protect the students. When the Christians fled the village, the mob unsuccessfully attempted to set fire to their car.

The students, who were from Meda Welabu University, went to the Muslim village in Bale province on a short-term mission trip. After the students started to distribute Bibles and speak with the Muslims, one of the villagers angrily argued with them, inciting a mob to attack the students. The Muslims hurled stones at the Christians and beat them with rods.

Speaking with ICC, one of the victims who wanted to remain anonymous said, “We thank God that no one was killed. It’s sad that we suffered the attacks despite the Ethiopian laws which say there is freedom of religion and equality in the country.”

While Ethiopia’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion, Muslims occasionally attack Christians living in Muslim-majority areas.

Please pray for believers in Ethiopia today!

Islamic Somali militants confiscate Christian farms

Pray for believers in Somalia today!

Since January 19, members of Al-Shabaab, an Islamic Somali extremist group, have confiscated eight farms from Muslims who showed an interest in Christianity, reported International Christian Concern.

Christian converts from Islam owned five of the farms and three belonged to Muslims who had attended Bible studies in the cities of Afgoye and Baidawa. Most of the landowners have fled their homes and remain in hiding.

There are also unconfirmed reports of additional Christian farm seizures in Dinsor and Burhakaba districts. The confiscated lands were given to businesspersons who regularly donate to Al-Shabaab.

The Islamic group has vowed to cleanse Somalia of any Christian influence. Since January 2009, Al-Shabaab militants have killed 23 Christians, most of whom were church leaders. Militants have also desecrated three Christian cemeteries in Mogadishu and destroyed a Christian library in the Luuq district. Despite intense persecution from Muslim radicals, the Somali Church has demonstrated remarkable growth.

Pray the Lord will provide for those who have lost their land. May His provision be evidence of the Lord's goodness and mercy to those who have yet to put their hope in Christ. Pray the Lord will bring about significant change in the culture and attitudes in the leaders of this nation. Pray His Church will continue to grow in spite of the opposition.

Interested in receiving a weekly prayer alert like this one? You can subscribe to our Persecution & Prayer Alert email that is delivered to inboxes every Thursday afternoon. Subscribe here.

Vietnam’s stance on religious freedom improving?

Vietnamese believers continue to
suffer persecution. Pray!

Wikileaks recently published a U.S. Embassy cable revealing what appears to be indifference about religious persecution, reported Mission Network News today.

According to a related report from International Christian Concern (ICC), the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam is dismissing recent attacks on Christians in Vietnam as “land disputes.” The ICC report calls this document proof of "the State Department being lax in its assessment of religious persecution in Vietnam."

In the cable, the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam determined that the situations (over Christmas) did not “meet the threshold of religious persecution” and should not distract the U.S. from “the significant gains in expanding religious freedom that Vietnam has made since the lifting of  CPC (Countries of Particular Concern) designation in November 2006.”

Mission Network News spoke with Todd Nettleton of VOM USA. He recently travelled to Vietnam with Greg Musselman of VOM Canada and Denise Lodde of 100 Huntley Street, a Christian television program. Nettleton says, "It is better. Things have improved. There is less persecution than there was five or 10 years ago,” however, “we did hear stories of Christians being harassed, so persecution is still very much a part of following Christ in Vietnam."

There are many reports that seem to conflict with the strides the Vietnamese government is making for its image. “The Vietnamese government has given more churches registration; they've given permission to operate. But even one of the pastors that we talked to very clearly made the statement, ‘Registration is not the same as religious freedom.’”

Church registrations are often tools used by governments to keep an eye on what's going on with Christians. This has proven true for believers in Vietnam, too. Nettleton explains that “those churches now have to do some things to answer to the government. They have some pressure and some control that the government exerts on them that they didn't have before. One of the places where persecution is still going on at a fairly intense level is among the tribal minority groups in the Highlands.”

Reports of persecution have not stopped VOM partners from evangelising. Rather, it seems to have had a galvanising effect. “We talked to several tribal pastors who are leading unregistered churches amongst those tribal groups, and even doing missionary work, reaching out to other tribal groups.”

In the coming days, 100 Huntley Street will release a three-part series on VOM's recent travels in Vietnam. Stay tuned to this blog for details or check with 100 Huntley Street online.

Ethiopian Muslims warn Christians to convert, leave city or face death

Pray for believers in Ethiopia today.

International Christian Concern has learned that Christians in the Ethiopian city of Besheno are being harassed and physically abused after Muslims posted notices on the doors of Christian homes, warning them to convert, leave the city or face death, reported the Assyrian International News Agency.

Three Christian leaders were forced to flee the city and two Christians have been forced to convert to Islam. In the Muslim majority city, the entire evangelical Christian community consists of about 30 believers.

Evangelist Kassa Awano remains in critical condition after Muslims attacked him on November 29, 2010. A few days after the attack, nearly 100 Muslims surrounded a vehicle carrying Christian leaders on their way to negotiate for peace with Muslim leaders. Two men, Tesema Hirego and Niggusie Denano, were seriously wounded, and the other leaders suffered minor injuries. On January 2, Muslims assaulted Temesgen Peteros with a knife after he testified about the attacks on these Christians in court.

Christians in Besheno have been targeted by Muslims for many years. Unfortunately, the local Muslim officials of the city refuse to protect the Christians. The officials ignore their appeals for justice, declining repeated requests for the building of a place of worship and a cemetery.

Besheno is a city located in the province of Alaba in Southern Ethiopia. According to the 2007 national census, 93.84 percent of the population of the province is Muslim. Christians make up 5.82 percent of the population.

You can read the full report here.

Afghan Christian faces potential death sentence for apostasy; send letters

Pray for Afghan believers!

International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that a judge has given an Afghan convert from Islam to Christianity one week to renounce his faith, or else be sentenced with the death penalty or up to 20 years’ imprisonment, reports ASSIST News Service. The verdict is expected this week.

“Shoaib Assadullah was arrested on October 21 in Mazar-e-Sharif for giving a Bible to a man who later reported him to local authorities. He is currently in a prison in Mazar-e-Sharif, in northern Afghanistan,” said an ICC spokesperson. “ICC sources closely following the case tell us that at a court hearing on December 28, Assadullah was told to recant Christianity and return to Islam.”

Shoaib said he was quite certain that the court officials will give him the death penalty. He said he has given his life completely into the hands of Jesus. He is happy for the spiritual fight, saying, “Without my faith I would not be able to live.”

An ICC source in Mazar-e-Sharif was told by a court official today that Shoaib was to be summoned to court this morning at 10 a.m. local time.

You can read the full report here.

Afghanistan is a signatory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). According to article 18, “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

Please consider writing to the Afghanistan embassy in Canada to express your concern.

His Excellency Jawed Ludin
Ambassador of Afghanistan in Canada
Embassy of Afghanistan in Canada
240 Argyle Ave.
Ottawa, ON K2P 1B9

You can download a letter-writing guide (includes Prisoners List) here.

Please pray for Shoaib’s release. Pray that God will strengthen him and his family during this difficult time. Pray that God will touch the hearts of Afghan officials who are overseeing Shoaib’s case.