Three masked members of a militant Islamic group shot to death a Somali Christian who declined to wear a veil as prescribed by Muslim custom, according to a Compass News Direct source in Somalia.
Members of the Suna Waljameca group killed Amina Muse Ali, 45, on Oct. 19 at 9:30 p.m. in her home in Somalia’s autonomous Puntland region, according to the source.
Ali had told Christian leaders she had received several threats from members of Suna Waljameca for not wearing a veil, symbolic of adherence to Islam. She said members of the group had long monitored her movements because they suspected she was a Christian.
The source said Ali called him on Oct. 4 saying, “My life is in danger. I am warned of dire consequences if I continue to live without putting on the veil. I need prayers from the fellowship.”
“I was shocked beyond words when I received the news that she had been shot dead,” the source in Somalia told Compass by telephone.
Please Pray!
The slaying of Amina Muse Ali adds one more name to the list of Christians murdered in Somalia at the hands of Islamic extremists in recent months. Pray God will comfort their grieving families and bring them peace that passes understanding.
Pray the Holy Spirit will touch the hearts and minds of Muslims in Somalia to bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
It is unknown how many secret Christians there are in Somalia. Compass sources indicate there are no more than 75, while The Economist magazine hedges its estimate at “no more than” 1,000. What is certain is that they are in danger from both extremist groups and Somali law. While proclaiming himself a moderate, President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has embraced a version of Shariah that mandates the death penalty for those who leave Islam.
Sunday, November 8, 2009. International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. The least and the most you can do is intercede for our brothers and sisters who are bleeding, burning, and dying every day in the name of our Precious Savior. Praise be to God for their devastating faithfulness.
Leaders in Uzbekistan’s Baptist Union went to trial over their children’s camp ministry on false charges of tax evasion and illegally teaching children religion. According to a report by Mission Network News (MNN), Bob Provost with Slavic Gospel Association said a judge convicted the leaders on Oct. 29, despite evidence to the contrary. The verdict means the president of the Baptist Union, the director of the camp and the bookkeeper will lose their jobs and have to pay a $14,000 fine, according to MNN. The leaders plan to appeal the judge’s decision within 10 days.
The move is so hostile it is raising more questions. “The camp director believes the authorities want to change the leadership of the Baptist Union and somehow gain control over the churches,” Provost said. “We have a government that wants to eliminate evangelical Christianity from their soil. The Bible says God can change the heart of a king. If he can change the heart of a king he can change the heart of a judge.”
Please Pray!
Let us come before the throne of grace in agreement with Bob Provost! Pray the Lord will change the heart of the appellate judge and move him to drop these false charges against the Christian leaders.
Pray for strength for these and other Uzbek Christians who suffer harassment and hostility by the government for their witness in Christ.
On Oct. 18, a radical Hindu group, Rashtriya Swayam Sevaks (RSS), viciously attacked three pastors, one woman and one child while they were having a prayer service in Hyderabad, Andra Pradesh state.
About 40 believers were gathered in Siluvai Kumar’s house for the prayer service, according to VOM contacts. At 9 p.m., RSS radicals barged into the house and began beating people. Pastors Phillip, Timothy and Siluvai Kumar were badly injured. The radicals also beat Pastor Phillip’s pregnant wife, Kezia, and their 18-month-old daughter. Bibles were destroyed and musical instruments, metal doors and windows in the house were damaged.
Pastor Timothy was dragged to the police station where the radicals lodged a false complaint against him alleging he urinated on idols in a nearby temple. The police detained the pastor but he was later released.
RSS activists had warned the pastors against having prayer meetings in the area.
Please Pray!
Please pray for a rapid recovery for those who were injured in this attack; not only the injuries they sustained physically, but also psychologically and emotionally. Pray the testimony of the believers will lead RSS members into fellowship with Christ.
VOM assists persecuted Christians and their families in India through the Families of Martyrs Fund, by providing Bibles in nine languages to pastors, evangelists and believers, as well as legal support for pastors and Christians who have been arrested and held in custody. VOM also provides emergency bail funding to release Christian workers falsely accused by the RSS radical Hindus.
On Sept. 21, Pastor Manuel was shot and killed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas in San Jose del Guaviare, Colombia, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. FARC guerrillas made an appointment with Pastor Manuel and his family. “He thought they were going to authorize him to have an official church, which he had requested before,” said VOM contacts. The guerrillas came and shot Pastor Manuel five times outside his home. A FARC guerrilla who was in the house with the rest of the family yelled, “Make sure that dog stays dead,” referring to the pastor. The pastor was shot once more, in the neck.
Following the shooting, Pastor Manuel’s wife, Gloria, ran outside and cleaned his face. With the help of her children, she dragged his body under a tree. “She ran and got her Bible and, shaking with tears, preached to all those who got near,” VOM contacts said. “Her 10-year-old son said to her, ‘Don’t worry, Dad died for Christ and now he is with Christ.’”
Please Pray!
Please pray that God will bring peace and comfort to Pastor Manuel’s family. Also pray for the protection of other pastors who are under threat in Colombia. Pray that they will not be hindered in their ministries but will continue their faithful witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray for a spiritual awakening that will overcome and bind the powers of darkness that have such a stronghold in Colombia.
VOM assists Christians in Colombia by providing ministry tools and training, Action Packs and prayer ministry to widows of Christian martyrs.
I’m going to have to go with Amanda on this. You’re wrong.
~My darling husband.
Let me back up a little. I recently did a book review of sorts where I told everyone to read Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand. (You can read that post here.) In the comments, some readers and I got onto the subject of persecution in America. I boldly claimed that Christian Americans are not persecuted and that it’s disrespectful to say so. I still stand by my words, but I want to make some clarifications.
Amanda disagreed with me. She even busted out her fancy lexicon to prove me wrong. Persecution is:
1. to make to run or flee, put to flight, drive away
2. to run swiftly in order to catch a person or thing, to run after
1. to press on: figuratively of one who in a race runs swiftly to reach the goal
2. to pursue (in a hostile manner)
3. in any way whatever to harass, trouble, molest one
1. to persecute
2. to be mistreated, suffer persecution on account of something
4. without the idea of hostility, to run after, follow after: someone
5. metaph., to pursue
1. to seek after eagerly, earnestly endeavour to acquire
I will completely concede that, when looking solely at the definition, she and my husband are correct. But, I’m looking at context, too, so that makes me shy away from reaching the same conclusion.
A definition doesn’t always communicate the full weight of the word. When hearing a story about someone being religiously persecuted, most of us probably don’t imagine a suburban housewife with a big, silver cross around her neck tearing up at a snide remark about her outdated and unscientific beliefs. Rather, the word “persecution” carries with it a certain weightiness, seriousness, or painfulness. There is a connotation that the word carries which should not be ignored. Another example would be the word “bastard.” Technically, it means one thing. In usage, however, it carries with it a more serious meaning.
I just have a hard time saying that Americans — who have the legal right to religious freedom and who can win cases in a federal court of law to protect and defend those freedoms — are persecuted. Especially in light of the fact that people in other parts of the world are having their flesh ripped off and their children murdered because they dared to own a few lines of Scripture, and then when they go to court, their testimony is worthless because they’re Christian.
Does that mean Christians in America don’t suffer? Of course not. Sometimes we get overlooked as ignorant. Sometimes we are called judgmental. (By the way, there’s no argument for those things being persecution if they’re true!) There is a subtle, yet steady, climate change going on in America. It’s no longer in fashion to go to church or to uphold traditional values, much less to actually devote oneself to Christ. As a result, people mock what they don’t understand. There is a growing hostility toward those who hold firm in the faith. But our little hurt feelings over people’s opinions are petty compared to what’s going on out there. It’s not appropriate to use the same term to describe both situations.
In America, people have the right to express displeasure or disagreement about anything. In America, if those opinions cross the line and infringe upon the rights of another, all parties have equal say in court. And rights are protected. We pay a price for the freedom we all enjoy; sometimes people laugh at us. We get offended, and then we go to church in front of God and everyone, because we can.
UPDATE: VOM has learned a judge is dropping charges of anti-state activities against the two Christian Iranian women, Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Amirizadeh, who have been imprisoned in the notorious Evin prison since March 5.
Maryam and Marzieh will be charged with apostasy and propagation of the gospel instead. If convicted on these new charges the women could spend the rest of their lives in prison. Sources have informed VOM that Maryam and Marzieh are in poor health and in desperate need of medical attention. In August, the pair was summoned to appear before the court and told to recant their faith, but they refused to deny Christ.
Please Pray!
Praise the Lord the charges have been lessened, but we still need to pray for these courageous women, Maryam and Marzieh. Pray the Lord will sustain their minds and their bodies with the right hand of his righteousness while they are in prison. Pray the Lord will touch the heart of the judge and move him to release these young women.
If you know me, or if you’ve been hanging around my blog for any length of time, or if you simply glance to the left and to the right sidebars, you will see that I have a passion for the persecuted Church. It’s a recently developed passion — the Lord has opened up this world to me only within the last couple of years. But, I can’t shake it.
The book pictured is one that I read in one day. It is not a stylistically difficult book to read, but it is difficult for other reasons. It’s not even very well-written; the author even admits that. But, as the author states,
This book is written not so much with ink, as with the blood of bleeding hearts. (p. 63)
The author, Richard Wurmbrand, was the founder of Voice of the Martyrs. A fitting founder indeed, he himself underwent countless tortures for his faith in Communist Russia. This is a retelling of some of his experiences. He is not terribly graphic, as it pained him to relive those experiences. But, it is terribly powerful.
Into his testimony, he interweaves hard-hitting words:
A man really believes not what he recites in his creed, but only the things he is ready to die for. (p. 62)
I tremble because of the sufferings of those persecuted in different lands. I tremble thinking about the eternal destiny of their torturers. I tremble for Western Christians who don’t help their persecuted brethren. (p. 88)
When I was beaten on the bottom of the feet, my tongue cried. Why did my tongue cry? It was not beaten. It cried because the tongue and feet are both part of the same body. And you free Christians are part of the same Body of Christ that is now beaten in prisons in restricted nations, that even now gives martyrs for Christ. Can you not feel our pain? (p. 150)
The Underground Church represents the deepest need of enslaved people in captive nations. Help her! (p. 113)
To the Christian I say, read this book. You have no excuse; you can get it for free right here.
Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated,
since you yourselves also are in the body. ~Hebrews 13:3
UPDATE: Nine Fushan Church leaders were taken by Shanxi Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers on Sept. 25, according to China Aid Association. The church leaders were traveling to Beijing to petition the central government for justice concerning a Sept.13 raid on the church’s campus. The raid, conducted by local and military authorities, left more than 10 people hospitalized and several buildings destroyed. According to ChinaAid, the church leaders were illegally seized without warrant, and have not been heard from since.
Military police confiscated church property and closed the campus to church members. The remaining church leaders are under house arrest and surveillance.
According to ChinaAid, in the Fushan raid government agencies used a new method of military force dubbed the “Xinjiang Model” against Chinese citizens who protest the communist government. The model is named after an August raid in Xinjiang where hundreds of Uyghurs were killed.
Please Pray!
Please continue to pray for the Fushan Church members and for the release of the abducted church leaders. Pray God’s justice will prevail.
Go to ChinaAid.org to read more about this story and find out how you can contact Chinese officials to voice your outrage over this brutal attack on Fushan Church members and the abduction of its leaders.
VOM assists Chinese Christians by providing Bibles, Christian literature, scholarships for training and emergency aid to families of prisoners.
On Sept. 3, Thao Oun, a Boukham Church elder in Liansai village, was arrested at his home and taken to the Saybounthong subdistrict office, according to a report by Compass News Direct and Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF).
HRWLRF said the chief of police detained, interrogated and terrorized Thao for nearly six hours. Thao was charged with bringing destruction to the Lao nation and government by embracing Christianity, which the officials consider a “foreign religion to be abhorred.” The police chief demanded Thao renounce Christianity or be expelled from the village. He also said Thao would be put to death if his arrest and interrogation got out to the international community, according to HRWLRF. The chief reportedly said Thao’s harsh treatment would end “only after the death of all believers in Boukham Church.” An HRWLRF spokesman told Compass that publicizing the incident was “the most effective way of preventing Lao officials from carrying out the threats.”
Please Pray!
Lao officials have denied schooling to 10 children who attend Boukham Church and cut off access to water at village wells, according to HRWLRF. They have also deprived area Christians of civil rights and threatened to deny public medical care to Christians who get sick or injured.
Let us praise God for Thao Oun’s resolve to stand firm in his faith! May his steadfastness serve as a testimony to all the officials involved. Pray for his protection and that of the other Boukham Church members. Pray that this obvious effort to break the will of the Christians by denying services to them and their children would serve to do just the opposite: “you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20a).
VOM assists Christians in Laos by providing Bibles, Christian radio broadcasts, skills training and support for pastors.
Three masked members of a militant Islamic group shot to death a Somali Christian who declined to wear a veil as prescribed by Muslim custom, according to a Compass News Direct source in Somalia.
Leaders in Uzbekistan’s Baptist Union went to trial over their children’s camp ministry on false charges of tax evasion and illegally teaching children religion. According to a report by Mission Network News (MNN), Bob Provost with Slavic Gospel Association said a judge convicted the leaders on Oct. 29, despite evidence to the contrary. The verdict means the president of the Baptist Union, the director of the camp and the bookkeeper will lose their jobs and have to pay a $14,000 fine, according to MNN. The leaders plan to appeal the judge’s decision within 10 days.
On Oct. 18, a radical Hindu group, Rashtriya Swayam Sevaks (RSS), viciously attacked three pastors, one woman and one child while they were having a prayer service in Hyderabad, Andra Pradesh state.
On Sept. 21, Pastor Manuel was shot and killed by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas in San Jose del Guaviare, Colombia, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. FARC guerrillas made an appointment with Pastor Manuel and his family. “He thought they were going to authorize him to have an official church, which he had requested before,” said VOM contacts. The guerrillas came and shot Pastor Manuel five times outside his home. A FARC guerrilla who was in the house with the rest of the family yelled, “Make sure that dog stays dead,” referring to the pastor. The pastor was shot once more, in the neck.
UPDATE: VOM has learned a judge is dropping charges of anti-state activities against the two Christian Iranian women, Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Amirizadeh, who have been imprisoned in the notorious Evin prison since March 5.
If you know me, or if you’ve been hanging around my blog for any length of time, or if you simply glance to the left and to the right sidebars, you will see that I have a passion for the persecuted Church. It’s a recently developed passion — the Lord has opened up this world to me only within the last couple of years. But, I can’t shake it.
UPDATE: Nine Fushan Church leaders were taken by Shanxi Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers on Sept. 25, according to China Aid Association. The church leaders were traveling to Beijing to petition the central government for justice concerning a Sept.13 raid on the church’s campus. The raid, conducted by local and military authorities, left more than 10 people hospitalized and several buildings destroyed. According to ChinaAid, the church leaders were illegally seized without warrant, and have not been heard from since.
On Sept. 3, Thao Oun, a Boukham Church elder in Liansai village, was arrested at his home and taken to the Saybounthong subdistrict office, according to a report by Compass News Direct and Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF).