Persecution Blog

Iran: Martyr's Son Detained in Wave of Arrests

The following news is from our friends at Compass Direct. You may read the full article here.

Four other Christians arrested as apparent crackdown continues.

LOS ANGELES, September 10 (Compass Direct News) – Five arrests in three cities across Iran in August suggest a continued crackdown on Iranian Christians by authorities, sources told Compass. The most recent of the arrests took place on Aug. 21, when Ramtin Soodmand, son of martyred Assemblies of God pastor Hossein Soodmand, turned himself in after repeated calls from the Ministry of Information in Tehran. His father was executed by the state in 1990 for leaving Islam. The week before Ramtin Soodmand turned himself in, another Christian in Mashhad, Iman Rashidi, was arrested. In the city of Kerman in south central Iran, a couple identified as Darioush and Shirin were reportedly arrested on Aug. 8. And a Christian member of Iran’s Kurdish community, Shahin Zanboori, was arrested on Aug. 9 in the southwestern city of Arak. Secret police detained Zanboori while he was evangelizing, sources told Compass. While in prison he was tortured during interrogation and suffered a broken arm and leg, but he told sources that he “felt God’s presence in spite of the horrific treatment he received.”

Where Were You on 9-11-2001?

I wanted to have an open thread here today so you can express your prayers and memories regarding the anniversary of 911.

And above all else, keep praying.

Bookstore Owner "Unrecognizable"

Yesterday when Todd Nettleton visited with Janet Parshall and spoke about the recent persecution in China, one of the stories they spoke about was the release of Pastor Bike.  And while we all rejoice wholeheartedly about the release of Pastor Bike, I wanted to remind you of a  bookstore owner by the name of  Shi Weihan who has been described as "unrecognizable" following his poor treatment in detention.

Here's part of a report from the Baptist Press concerning Shi Weihan.

One of the highest profile cases involves Shi Weihan, a Chinese bookstore owner who has been imprisoned and tortured by government authorities. Compass Direct News reported Sept. 5 that Shi is awaiting the outcome of an Aug. 19 court appearance.

The news service said Shi has been denied proper medication and diet for his diabetes. Severe weight loss has made him almost "unrecognizable" to his closest friends. He first was detained last November and then acquitted of charges in January. In March he was detained again and forced to sign a "confession" saying he had engaged in the printing and distribution of a large number of illegal publications.

Please remember to pray for this precious brother and his family.

Muslims Burn Church Down

   

On August 31, Muslim extremists burned down a Christ Apostolic Church building in the capital city of Baboko, Kwara state, complaining that it was too close to a mosque. No Christians were there at the time of the attack because they were worshipping elsewhere, following a relocation order issued by the government in response to complaints, Compass Direct News reported.

The church building, which is 500 meters from the local mosque, was also attacked by militants on June 16, when Muslims broke into the sanctuary and destroyed the property.

The Voice of the Martyrs actively supports persecuted believers in Nigeria. When churches are destroyed VOM assists in rebuilding efforts and provides Christian literature. VOM also supports The Families of Martyrs fund which provides financial aid to widows who lose their husbands because of religious attacks.

Pray these believers who have lost their church will stand firm and grow in faith as they face opposition. Pray that the passion of God’s people in Nigeria will be a light that draws others to Jesus Christ.

                          

Persecution Podcast Episode #3 Online

VOM has posted a new Persecution Podcast. In this episode:

Mark, Todd and Mary-Sue discuss Pastor Bike's release, persecution in Uzbekistan and violence in India.

A DC Talk Jesus Freak's moment

Todd speaks with a VOM employee recently back from India.

Visit www.persecutionpodcast.com to download the latest news!

Todd Nettleton to Appear on Janet Parshall's America Today!

Hi Everyone,

Happy Monday!

Here's a quick update to let you know that The Voice of the
Martyr's, very own Todd Nettleton will be speaking with Janet
Parshall LIVE on Janet's program at 2:30 Eastern Time and 11:30
Pacific time.

You can tune in live online at http://www.warv.net I hope you can listen, Todd will be talking about the latest
with Pastor Bike!

House Churches Growing in Iran

In a new article posted on the Christian Today website we see some great commentary from Todd Nettleton about what is happening in Iran.  Click here for the full article.   

Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs explains.

"The people look around, they see the poverty, they see the discontent, they're not happy so they have questions. Why isn't it working out, we're doing it the Islamic way, why isn't our country great? So, they are ripe to hear a new way," Nettleton said.

The CBN correspondent goes on to say the new way many are embracing is Christianity.

"But the faith is not new to Iran," he says, adding: "The gospel actually arrived here 500 years before Islam. Persians are believed to have been among those in Jerusalem at Pentecost."

Less than one half of one percent of the Iranian population is Christian, said Lane.

...

Nettleton continued: "The church is exploding in terms of numbers, but it is coming with a price. The people are arrested, they're harassed, they're persecuted, in some cases they are beaten severely. It is not an easy pathway."

The Destiny of Islam in the End Times

Since we often cover how Muslims convert to Christ and sometimes as a result are martyred, I wanted to share with you a podcast I did yesterday for my Active Christian Media podcast.  This is the testimony of a former Sunni Muslim who came to Christ powerfully.  I hope you enjoy the interview.

Click here to hear our intriguing podcast.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to interview Faisal Malick, a former Sunni Muslim who came to Christ, about his conversion and the message that the Lord revealed to him about how He sees Muslims and the plan of Islam in the end times.

I had first heard an interview with Malick on Janet Parshall’s Saturday program, Talking it Over, and I was so intrigued that I had to find out more. So I got a copy of the book and read it and I can tell you that it has changed how I see the plan God has had for Ishmael.

In fact, prior to reading this book I had never seen the blessings that God has for Ishmael and the cry of Ishmael’s heart to have a Father’s love and not merely be a servant.

In our interview you will here Faisal discuss the story of Ishmael and Esau and how that ties back to Islam.  And I hope you enjoy the show.

30 Days of Prayer During Ramadan

Although this is a little late, right now Muslims are celebrating Ramadan. The dates vary from country to country, but most will be fasting and praying during the day for the 30 days of September. Please use this time to lift those following Islam up in prayer.

By praying for Muslims during the time they are focusing on prayer, we can have an important spiritual impact on them. Pray their heightened spiritual awareness will draw them to the God of Bible who loves them wholeheartedly.

World Christian.com has excellent resources for these 30 days of prayer. Unfortunately, they no longer have their 30 Days of Prayer booklet available (they distributed 70,000 in North American this year!), but they have some great materials online.

Please pray with me for the 1.5 billion Muslims in the world today!

Grace to Suffer

    Upon hearing about persecuted believers around the world, Christians living in the West often say that they would not be sure if they could go through persecution and suffering for their faith and persevere. Enduring suffering for righteousness, however, is not dependent upon one’s courage or strength.

There is an important catch, however; you and I are likely to respond to persecution in a manner consistent with how we are living out our Christian life today. If we are currently walking in faith and responding to God’s grace, we can be assured of God’s presence and grace if and when we are called to suffer for his sake. If we are walking in compromise and lukewarmness before the Lord, however, then we are also likely to deny him in the time of testing. Obedience is the result of practice built through responding to God’s grace in our daily life.

-Glenn Penner and Bernie Daniel