Persecution Blog

Christian Woman in Darfur, Sudan Arrested for Evangelizing

The crime - sharing the gospel.  The punishment - possible torture.  Could you stand?  Would you stand for Christ this way if you know bodily persecution was going to happen?

Every day, around the world, Christians like the women in this story ARE standing for Jesus.  Please pray today for those who are suffering for their faith in Jesus.

Click here to read this report from Compass Direct.

Another, mother of 2-month-old, is wounded in knife attacks.

KHARTOUM, Sudan, May 24 (CDN) — Sudanese National Security Intelligence and Security Service agents have arrested a Christian woman in a Darfur camp for displaced people, accusing her of converting Muslims to Christianity, said sources who fear she is being tortured.


At the same time, in Khartoum a Christian mother of a 2-month-old baby is wounded and destitute because she and her husband left Islam for Christianity.


In Darfur Region in northwestern Sudan, Hawa Abdalla Muhammad Saleh was arrested on May 9 in the Abu Shouk camp for Internally Displaced Persons in Al-Fashir, capital of North Darfur state, sources said.


Abdalla has yet to be officially charged, but authorities have accused her of possessing and distributing Bibles to others in the camp, including children. Sources said she could also be tried for apostasy, which carries the death sentence in Sudan.

Persecution Podcast Episode 68

Usually we highlight our The Voice of the Martyrs podcast on Friday, but last week we had so much other news that we didn't.  So, why not Wednesday right?

Click here to listen to our persecution podcast from May 20th.

 

This week Todd and Dory discuss prayer updates on Colombia, Egypt, and the Arabian Peninsula. This week’s special speaker is a brother from VOM, who shares his experiences working with the Participating with Strategic Partners program in Colombia and Cuba.

Nations discussed for prayer:

Colombia

VOM workers are on high alert as violence continues to increase in Colombia. On the morning of May 12, a bomb exploded in Puerto Lleras, killing several policemen and injuring bystanders. In addition, FARC guerrillas have openly murdered individuals on town streets and burned buses throughout the region. The guerrillas have reportedly been conducting an internal purge, killing many of their own and accusing them of being traitors to the communist cause. VOM contacts believe some of those killed were secret Christians. “In all our … years in Colombia, we have never seen it this unstable,” said a VOM contact. “Yet we believe that this is also the most opportune time that we have ever seen for the gospel.” The contact said he cannot come close to supplying all the Bibles being requested by those turning to the Lord. Pray for Christian workers in Colombia as they struggle to sustain their various ministry efforts amid the increasing violence. Pray that many within the communist movement will turn to Christ.

Egypt

Seven Coptic Christians and five Muslims were killed during religious riots in the Imbaba district of Cairo on May 7–8. In addition to those killed, more than 230 people were injured and a church was gutted by fire. The violence broke out on Saturday evening after hard-line Salafi Muslims claimed the St. Mina Coptic Church was holding a woman against her will. Thousands of Muslims descended on the area, prompting Coptic residents to barricade the streets around the church. At about 7 p.m., attackers started throwing firebombs at Coptic-owned property, and Copts retaliated by throwing glass and stones. Police arrested 190 people in connection with the violence. Pray that Copts and moderate Muslims across Egypt will take a stand against further religious violence.

Arabian Peninsula

By God’s grace, a new “secret” believer has avoided an arranged marriage with a Muslim man. In the tradition of her country, “Fatima’s” father had selected a husband for her. She was worried about being forced to marry a man she didn’t know, but Fatima’s mentors encouraged her to pray for her husband-to-be rather than rebelling against her father. Recently, Fatima’s family discovered that the man doesn’t have a job, so the marriage will very likely be canceled. In Fatima’s country, women must be completely covered in public, and they are often accompanied by a male family member. A woman cannot choose a spouse without her family’s permission. Pray for Fatima. Another man could propose marriage, and she could be forced by her family to accept. Pray that Fatima will grow in faith before she faces further persecution.

This week’s special speaker is a brother from VOM, who shares his experiences working with the Participating with Strategic Partners program in Colombia and Cuba.

The Participating with Strategic Partners program—or PSP—provides pastors the funds they need to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves and their families. To learn more about the PSP program, visit http://www.persecution.com/psp.

Despite Persecution Chinese Christians Still Meet Knowing They Could Be Arrested

We have been following what has been happening in China especially with Shouwang Church in Beijing where Christian persecution has increased in recent weeks and months.

According to China Aid and The Baptist Press twenty five more Christians were arrested during worship services on May 22nd, making it the seventh week in a row that Christians were targeted from Shouwang Church.

The good news is that at least eighteen of those arrested were freed by the end of the day.  Please keep on praying for real religious freedom to come to our brothers and sisters in China.  This is an amazing amount of faith in Christ we see, week after week, coming from this church in China.

Here's a little more on this vital story.

In one possible sign that the confrontation is not nearing an end, the last two weeks have seen an increase in the number of church members attending the illegal service. After 13 members were arrested in the fifth week, 20 were arrested last week, and now 25.

The confrontation between the church and the government began in April, when Shouwang -- one of Beijing's largest illegal churches -- said it would meet at a public square in Beijing, despite warnings from the government not to do so. Each week it has tried to meet at the same spot, only to be stopped by police. The church has been forced to try to meet outdoors because the Chinese government forced it out of its indoor facilities.

Hundreds of church members have been placed under weekend house arrest during the seven-week stretch, prevented from even leaving their homes. The church has nearly 1,000 members.

Please ask your friends and church to pray today for China. 

Prisoner Alert: Write Yang Xuan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last week we highlighted persecuted prisoner Zhang Huamei and asked you to take some time to write him and encourage him.  I'd like to thank those of you who did.  We started out with 581 letters written and as of today we show that 616 letters have been written to Zhang.  This means 35 more letters were written to bless Zhang last week! Thank you all so much for doing that.

Today I wanted to ask you to write our brother Yang Xuan who has been imprisoned since 2009, and as of today 545 days.

Yang was arrested at the same time Zhang Huamei was and is serving a two to seven year sentence. 

Yang also isn't blessed to have many visitors to come and see him.  Please pray for Yang today, and also write your letter to bless him.  Ask the Lord to make sure provision is made so he will receive the letters and also for a quick deliverance from his time in prison.

To read more of Yang's story, click here.   To write a letter to Yang using our Prisoner Alert page, please click here.  Please forward this post to your friends so they can write him a letter too.

Thank you for all of your support!!

Christianity: Growing, and Under Siege in Africa and Asia

Mark Granquist has written a very sobering oped at the Star Tribune that I want to commend to you all to read.  Mark hits the nail on the head and tells it how it really is concerning Christian persecution.  Click here to read his oped.  Here's an excerpt:

Violent persecution around the globe must not be ignored as it is now.

Around the world, and especially in Africa and Asia, Christian populations are suffering severe discrimination and brutal attacks. Thousands are being killed. Systematic campaigns are being waged against Christians simply because of their faith, and it is not too dramatic to suggest that these are forms of ethnic cleansing and genocide.

Yet there is little awareness of these continuing atrocities in the West, and even less response.

Christianity is no longer a predominantly Western religion. Since 1900, there has been a startling growth of Christianity in Latin America, Africa and Asia, to the point that now, 65 percent of the world's 2 billion Christians live on one of those three continents. Christians now constitute the largest single religious group in Africa. Close to 350 million Christians live in Asia. But this dramatic growth has also fanned the flames of religious persecution and hatred against them.

In northern Nigeria, deadly religious violence occurs with regularity, killing hundreds at a time. Christians in Ethiopia have seen the destruction of 57 churches; thousands of Christians have been displaced, and some have been killed. In Sudan, the government has waged a decades-old war against Christians in southern part of the country. In Egypt, radicals now use the façade of democratic reforms to ramp up their continuing war against Coptic Christians, while the army looks the other way. Christians have lived in Iraq for 1,800 years, but recent violence threatens their very existence as a community. In Pakistan, religious violence and anti-blasphemy laws are used to suppress Christians, while prominent Christian politicians and their defenders are assassinated. In India, religious radicals attack Christian converts, while courts and political assemblies take away their rights. Religious violence against Christians occurs with depressing regularity in Indonesia, while the Chinese government cracks down on Christian churches, especially those that have chosen not to register with the communist government. In many countries around the world, anti-Christian activists have hijacked political processes to codify severe discrimination against Christians, making it illegal to convert to Christianity, while encouraging conversions from Christianity.

Take action:  Please share with your pastor, friends, family and any one you think may listen, about the ministry of The Voice of the Martyrs.  Let's wake up more of the Western Church to the atrocities that are happening to our family in Christ.  Begin here by requesting the free monthly The Voice of the Martyrs newsletter.

China: Restraining Churches

The Chinese government enacted new regulations this week in a further attempt to control its growing Christian population.

The pastors of some of China’s house churches face new reporting regulations, according to VOM workers. The pastors must provide police with weekly reports detailing their whereabouts and how many people attend their church meetings. If pastors leave their city, they must report their travel plans, and they are restricted to short trips. If the pastors fail to report and police are unable to contact them, they are arrested. VOM workers say these regulations primarily target large house churches that organize under a specific name, advertise and meet publicly.

In early 2011, the Chinese government announced its goal of bringing House Church Movement (HCM) churches within the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) organization. “Since the government knows that this goal is physically impossible to achieve — the TSPM only has enough pew space every Sunday for about 20 percent of the Christians in China — we can only assume that the government’s meaning is that they will start to force the HCM churches under government authority in some manner so that [house churches] can be totally controlled by the government,” said a VOM worker.

Though only the state-sanctioned TSPM churches are officially recognized by the government, Chinese Christians say three types of churches now exist in China: TSPM churches, registered churches and HCM churches. The term “registered” refers to a new policy enacted about three years ago by the Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB). The RAB told house churches they could obtain registration if their pastors completed a degree from a TSPM seminary. These registered HCM churches would also be required to report all of their activities to the government, essentially coming under government control. A VOM worker said he isn’t aware of any house churches that have registered.

Source: VOM contacts

A Testimony of Taking Communion in Secret While Imprisoned

The following excerpt is from the book Extreme Devotion which we like to highlight every Monday to give you all a boost in your faith.  This particular devotion describes what Tom White and his wife Ofelia White did while Tom was imprisoned in Cuba.  Tom is the current Director for the USA The Voice of the Martyrs.

For those who have suffered in prison for their faith in Christ, Holy Communion is a precious ceremony; however, it is rarely shared under the watchful eye of prison guards.

    Tom White and a pilot named Mel were flying over Communist Cuba in a small plane, dropping thousands of leaflets that communicated the gospel of Christ to the oppressed people under Fidel Castro’s dictatorship. They got caught in a thunderstorm and were forced to make a crash landing. Although Tom and Mel were unharmed, they had landed in Cuba, and Communist guards were waiting with loaded guns. Tom and Mel were sentenced to twenty-four years in prison.
    

Tom was allowed two visits from his wife, Ofelia, who had a mission of her own. She smuggled a tiny packet of powdered grape drink enclosed in plastic and a rubber band. Tom would take the drink back into the prison cell so that he and the other Christian prisoners could share communion when the guards were not watching.

    Tom and Ofelia White both understood one thing. Celebrating Jesus Christ and his shed blood on the cross was the most powerful symbol holding their marriage and mission intact.

    Tom and Mel were released after eighteen months. Today Tom and Ofelia continue to celebrate Christ’s sacrifice for them in Oklahoma, where Tom directs the work of The Voice of the Martyrs.

Christ instructed his disciples to celebrate two traditions: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. They are symbols of devotion to him—a celebration of his death and resurrection. As much as they are Christian traditions, however, they ought never become merely traditional events. We may not understand believers who risk their lives to commemorate the Lord’s Supper because the tradition has never been at risk in our own cultural setting. But those who are persecuted for their faith find their priorities are reordered. The symbols become precious expressions of devotion. What do the Christian symbols of baptism and communion mean to you? How will you heighten your celebration the next time you observe Christian baptism and participate in communion?

VOM-USA Prayer Update for May 20, 2011

The power of prayer is the greatest power the Lord has given the Christian.  Please use that power today and pray for the following prayer needs.

Colombia--Violence Intensifies in Colombia
VOM Sources

Romans 1:16

VOM workers are on high alert as violence continues to increase in Colombia. On the morning of May 12, a bomb exploded in Puerto Lleras, killing several policemen and injuring bystanders. In addition, FARC guerrillas have openly murdered individuals on town streets and burned buses throughout the region. The guerrillas have reportedly been conducting an internal purge, killing many of their own and accusing them of being traitors to the communist cause. VOM contacts believe some of those killed were secret Christians. "In all our ... years in Colombia, we have never seen it this unstable," said a VOM contact. "Yet we believe that this is also the most opportune time that we have ever seen for the gospel." The contact said he cannot come close to supplying all the Bibles being requested by those turning to the Lord. Pray for Christian workers in Colombia as they struggle to sustain their various ministry efforts amid the increasing violence. Pray that many within the communist movement will turn to Christ.

Egypt--12 Killed in Religious Riots
Release International

Psalm 23

Seven Coptic Christians and five Muslims were killed during religious riots in the Imbaba district of Cairo on May 7-8. In addition to those killed, more than 230 people were injured and a church was gutted by fire. The violence broke out on Saturday evening after hard-line Salafi Muslims claimed the St. Mina Coptic Church was holding a woman against her will. Thousands of Muslims descended on the area, prompting Coptic residents to barricade the streets around the church. At about 7 p.m., attackers started throwing firebombs at Coptic-owned property, and Copts retaliated by throwing glass and stones. Police arrested 190 people in connection with the violence. Pray that Copts and moderate Muslims across Egypt will take a stand against further religious violence.

Arabian Peninsula--New Believer Avoids Forced Marriage
VOM Sources

2 Thessalonians 1:3–4

By God's grace, a new "secret" believer has avoided an arranged marriage with a Muslim man. In the tradition of her country, "Fatima's" father had selected a husband for her. She was worried about being forced to marry a man she didn't know, but Fatima's mentors encouraged her to pray for her husband-to-be rather than rebelling against her father. Recently, Fatima's family discovered that the man doesn't have a job, so the marriage will very likely be canceled. In Fatima's country, women must be completely covered in public, and they are often accompanied by a male family member. A woman cannot choose a spouse without her family's permission. Pray for Fatima. Another man could propose marriage, and she could be forced by her family to accept. Pray that Fatima will grow in faith before she faces further persecution.

Video: A Message from Asia Bibi's Daughters

Yesterday on our The Voice of the Martyrs Facebook page, we posted a new video of Asia Bibi's daughters talking about their recent visit to see their mother. 

Please continue to pray for Asia as she sits in prison awaiting a decision about whether or not she will be put to death.  She has been sentenced to death, but by the grace of God, right now, she is still living.

If you haven't joined our 94,000 plus followers on Facebook, please click here to follow now.

 

Prisoner Released: Yan Caizhen - Needs Our Prayers Because She's Very Sick

We would like to thank those of you who prayed for and even wrote Yang Caizhen while she was in prison.  We are happy to share that she is now out of prison, but she was released in very poor health.

Our sister ministry, VOM Canada is reporting on their blog today that Yang was released in February, but is still very ill.

In September 2009, Yang Caizhen and four other members of the Fushan church in Linfen, Shanxi province, were sentenced to two to several years of criminal detention for organizing a prayer rally. She has been ill and in the hospital several times since her arrest and was reportedly released in February due to her poor health. At last report, she was still in a very fragile state.

We rejoice in Yang's release and ask for your prayers today for her complete healing and witness for Christ.