Persecution Blog

Nigeria Fears More Church Attacks

Nigeria (MNN) ― The Islamist group Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for a number of sophisticated attacks. The group has strong links to al-Qaeda and has been growing quickly in the nine years since its inception. 

Jerry Dykstra, spokesman for Open Doors USA, says, "We've known that the situation in Nigeria has deteriorated this past year." Recent attacks prove they're intent on making good their threats to push for a caliphate (a government established in Islam) in Nigeria.

This year, bomb attacks ripped through three churches in central Nigeria on Christmas Day, killing over two dozen people. Investigators say the blast at one house of worship near the capital city, Abuja, struck as the service was ending and worshippers were filing out. 

On Christmas Eve last year, a series of bomb blasts around Jos killed 32 people and wounded more than 70 others.  

What's disconcerting about the attacks is that they're showing the militants have gone from sporadic bursts to planning designed to create the most fear and chaos among Christians.   Dykstra explains, "As a result of them being more organized, we've seen more frequent attacks, (that has been underreported, I believe)  and more coordinated, more sophisticated and even going into the South."

Nigerian leaders have been openly criticized by opponents for their slow response to the growing security threats. Dykstra notes that the picture emerging bears a chilling resemblance to Iraq's remnant church. "According to people living in the country, the response of the government has been too slow. It looks like what happened in Iraq, where the churches were attacked, and the government did not protect any of those churches. Christians in Iraq fled."

Boko Haram's attacks risk reopening old wounds between the mostly-Muslim north and largely-Christian south. Church leaders in the most vulnerable areas are afraid they're being left to fend for themselves, a conclusion that Dykstra thinks will take the form of more violence against believers in 2012.

The terror they've created and their connection with al-Qaeda seems to have emboldened the Boko Haram. "What they want is really Sharia law all across Nigeria, and they want some of their members released from jail. I think it does not bode well for next year because there could be a civil war in Nigeria, and that could have tremendous repercussions."

Civil war would mean a significant disruption for church planters and others doing Gospel work. Pray for their partners. "Nigeria is such a key country for Christians throughout all of Africa. They send out hundreds of thousands of missionaries," Dykstra notes, adding that regardless of what happens in the days ahead, "Open Doors is involved with supporting Christians in crisis situations like this, giving holistic community development, also distributing Bibles and training up leaders."

Source: Mission Network News

Will You Help Us Write 70 More Letters to Yang Xuan?

I am very happy to share that we have had a total of 130 letters written to Yang Xuan this month and even though we were hoping to have 200 letters written to Yang by Christmas, I am thrilled that he had 130 letters written to him because that means that he has been thought about and remembered and prayed for at least 130 more times.

But there is more good news…December isn't up yet and so I think we should go for it and see if we can get another 70 letters written to Yang before the month is over and 2011 is history. Are you with me? Let’s bless our brother who is in jail for his Christian faith and let the Chinese government know that we are watching and praying for our brother in Christ.

Also remember that according to his daughter, Yang's visits in prison are very limited.

Please keep Yang and his wife in your prayers, as well as all prisoners, in your prayers.

Please add to your prayers, action by writing to Yang in prison. China persecutes Christians all of the time, and we need to let them know that we are watching what they are doing to our family in Christ.

Visit this link to write your letter today. Let’s show Yang we love him at Christmas time.

Nigeria's Worst Christmas Ever

Yesterday while many of us were celebrating a peaceful Christmas, I learned of the terrorist attacks that took place in Nigeria. I have to admit that as I read the news, I wondered how many people had been praying for a peaceful Christmas for those in nations like Nigeria, where Christians come under attack on a daily basis.

I was was happy to see many people on Facebook bringing the attacks to their friends attention, and I prayed that the devastation wouldn't be as bad as we feared. Sadly…the devastation is more horrible than I first thought.

Yesterday the White House condemned the Nigeria terror attack:

The White House on Sunday issued a statement offering condolences to those affected by the coordinated terror attacks in Nigeria that left at least 39 people dead, with the majority dying on the steps of a Catholic church after celebrating Christmas mass.

“We condemn this senseless violence and tragic loss of life on Christmas Day. We offer our sincere condolences to the Nigerian people and especially those who lost family and loved ones. We have been in contact with Nigerian officials about what initially appear to be terrorist acts and pledge to assist them in bringing those responsible to justice,” White House said in a statement.

The first explosion on Sunday struck St. Theresa Catholic Church just after 8 a.m. The attack killed 35 people and wounded another 52, said Slaku Luguard, a coordinator with Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency.

Reuters is also reporting on the terrorist attacks today saying,

Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner and former military ruler who lost a presidential election in April to incumbent Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian southerner, told a Nigerian daily that the government was slow to respond and had shown indifference to the bombings.

The attacks, described by the country’s top broadsheet daily Thisday as “Nigeria’s blackest Christmas ever,” risk reopening old wounds and reviving tit-for-tat sectarian violence between the mostly Muslim north and largely Christian south, which has claimed thousands of lives in the past decade.

The Boko Haram Islamist sect, which aims to impose sharia, Islamic law, across Africa’s most populous country, claimed responsibility for three church bombings, the second Christmas in a row it has caused carnage at Christian houses of worship.

The most deadly attack killed at least 27 people in the St Theresa Catholic church in Madalla, a town on the edge of the capital, and devastated surrounding buildings and cars.

Security forces also blamed the sect for two explosions in the north targeting their facilities. Officials have confirmed 32 people died in the wave of attacks across Nigeria, though local media have put the number higher.

But the church bombs are more worrying because they raise fears that Boko Haram is trying to ignite a sectarian civil war in a country split evenly between Christians and Muslims, who for the most part co-exist in peace.

Additional coverage of the deadly attacks can be read at the following links. As always, please pray for Christians in Nigeria and also for those who are persecuting them.

Five Nigerian Churches Bombed Christmas Day

Nigerian Leaders Rapped After Islamic Attacks on Churches

Nigeria Vows to Bring Christmas Bombers to Justice

North Korea Update and Year-End Donation Opportunity

The following was sent to our The Voice of the Martyrs supporters in email yesterday. In case you don't receive our email updates, I wanted to share it with you also. — Stacy

As this e-mail is being written, VOM-sponsored workers are on a boat off the coast of North Korea launching helium-filled scripture balloons over one of the darkest nations on earth. As workers packed the vessel and prepared to leave, they learned that North Korea's iron-fisted dictator, Kim Jong Il, had suddenly died of a heart attack.

While the world speculates about the future of North Korea, VOM's field director says, “It's business as usual. We're in ministry, not politics.”

Christians in North Korea continue to face brutal persecution. Many are imprisoned in labor “death” camps, where they are subjected to starvation and torture.

Sister Yang was tortured for a month after being suspected of being a Christian. A woman sitting near Sister Yang had overheard her praying quietly and reported her to authorities.

“They beat me with a shovel,” Sister Yang told VOM. “Eventually my whole body had turned blue.”

Learn more and watch a short video clip of Sister Yang's powerful testimony of faith and perseverance.

Extreme Devotion Quotable - Galina Vilchinskaya

The following quote is in our book Extreme Devotion.  As you consider the depth behind this message, consider if your passion to speak about Christ is at this level of devotion.

I didn’t come here to sit silently with my hands folded on my lap. I came to speak about Christ.

GALINA VILCHINSKAYA, TWENTY-THREE-YEAR-OLD PRISONER FOR CHRIST IN RUSSIA IN THE EARLY 1980S. SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR TEACHING CHILDREN IN A CHRISTIAN SUMMER CAMP.

'Muslim Mafia' Targeting Religious Freedom?

This story is extremely important and we're thankful that CBN News has continued to report on how this could choke the freedom of Christians. Read the full news article here.

Please take a moment to watch this video report.

O Little Town: Christians Vacating Bethlehem

The following news item is courtesy of our friends at The Christian Broadcasting Network.

JERUSALEM, Israel—Tourists are expected to return to Bethlehem in droves for Christmas, but many Christians living in the town of Jesus’ birth want to leave.

Unpredictable—that’s how Israeli author and human rights lawyer Justus Weiner describes the plight of Christians in Bethlehem and the West Bank.

For years they've suffered from human rights violations such as land theft, beatings, and even forced marriages between Christian women and Muslim men.

The worst persecution has come against converts to Christianity. Full story here.

14 Car Bombs in Iraq, Remaining Christians Fear for Their Lives

The following news is from our good friends at Mission Network News and highlights a recent trip Greg Mussleman from The Voice of the Martyrs Canada went on.

Greg shares his concern about the church and highlights that the church is afraid of the increasing violence in Iraq and most of the church has left the area. Since Iraq is only .2% Evangelical, the church is an extreme minority and needs our continual prayers. Please pray for those courageous to stay in this area and minister peace to their neighbors.

Iraq (MNN) — A series of strategically-planned car bombs claimed the lives of 63 people in Baghdad, leaving many wondering about the security of the nation. With American troops now out of Iraq, many fear sectarian violence could erupt into civil war.

Greg Mussleman with The Voice of the Martyrs Canada recently returned from Iraq where he met with Christians. “Their fear was that this was going to happen. I think around the world, this was the fear that as soon as the Americans left, al-Qaeda [activity] and those that have their agenda would increase—terrorists wanting to make Iraq what they want it to be. They were just waiting for the American troops to leave.”

Mussleman believes this is just the beginning of increasing amounts of violence.

While many reports indicate things are better in Iraq, Mussleman doesn’t expect that to be the case in Baghdad, Mosul, and Basra.

Many Christians left these cities for safer areas. “There's a fear for those who left Baghdad, Mosul, and some of those other hostile places, going to the north where it’s been relatively secure,” says Musselman. “Now there’s concern that the violence will even increase in what has, in the last number of years, been relatively safe compared to the rest of the country.”

The church has been decimated during the Iraq conflict. Mussleman says, “Half to two-thirds of the Iraqi church have left the country. The pastor we talked to said no matter what happens, he's not leaving. And he’s hoping his brothers and sisters will stay. To leave and not have a witness for Christ, the salt and light, would be tragic.”

Mussleman says Christians aren’t the only ones being attacked. Other Muslims who don’t agree with al-Qaeda are also in the crosshairs.

Could Iraq descend into civil war? “There are those who are motivated to turn Iraq into a [radical] Islamic nation [with] Sharia law. It could descend into that. We certainly pray that it doesn’t, but it certainly has all the signs for that at this point.”

VOM Canada just returned from distributing 4,000 Christmas Blessing Packages, “which included blankets and Bibles—we worked with the United Bible Society of Iraq. We brought food supplies and those kinds of things."

It’s a desperate situation for Christians, and they are telling Mussleman, “We have hope—eternal hope in Christ, but we have no future.”

Pray for believers in Iraq that God will protect them, help them be a strong witness, and give them courage to stay.

If you’d like to help VOM, Canada, visit this link.

VOM-USA Prayer Update for December 23, 2011

As we all go into this weekend and remember the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, please take time to pray for our persecuted family in Christ.

Pray for those who are persecuting Christians around the world and remember that Jesus came to die for their sins also.

South Sudan—Attacks Continue in Border Region
Source: VOM Field Reports

Psalm 20:1

Sudan and South Sudan appear to be on the brink of war as security in the border region continues to deteriorate. Sudan continues to attack and bomb areas along the border, including areas inside the new sovereign nation of South Sudan. The border region is home to vast natural resources as well as majority-Christian ethnic groups. "We are following this situation very closely as we plan projects and outreaches to respond to the crisis and encourage the persecuted church in the Nuba Mountain region," wrote a VOM field worker. In early December, Christian aid organizations serving refugee communities along the border were forced to evacuate their field workers because of intense aerial bombing and shelling by Sudan. Members of AIM Air, who transport aid to the refugee communities, said the biggest obstacles affecting relief efforts are the bombing, shelling and fighting in Jau and Yidra, communities inside South Sudan. These regions are home to the largest Christian community in South Sudan and Sudan. More than 300,000 people have been displaced by the conflict, which began on June 6, 2011. Please pray that God will continue to sustain his people there.

Yemen—Kidnapped Aid Workers Still Missing
Source: Praying Through the Arabian Peninsula

Psalm 38:15

Four of nine foreigners kidnapped in Saada, northwest Yemen, are still missing two and a half years after their abduction. Among the nine were a German doctor, his wife and their three children; a British man; a South Korean woman; and two German women. The six adults had been working in a hospital in Saada. Three of the women were found dead shortly after their abduction, and two of the children were freed on May 17, 2010. The welfare and whereabouts of the German couple, Johannes and Sabine, their 3-year-old son, Simon, and the British man, Tony, are unknown. Those close to the situation are hopeful that the transfer of power from President Saleh to the vice president and the formation of a unity government will lead to a release of information about the missing foreigners. However, the political situation in Yemen has not improved, and protests and violent clashes continue. Pray that the missing four are still alive and that information on their welfare might be released. Pray for their families, especially for Johannes and Sabine's 5-year-old and 7-year-old daughters, who are with relatives in Germany.

Syria—Christians Prepare for Christmas amid Lockdown
Source: VOM Contacts

Luke 2:10

As Christians around the world prepare to celebrate Christ's birth, Christians in the Syrian city of Homs are afraid to leave their homes. "Troops are surrounding the city, and people don't go out of their houses, as they will get shot," said a VOM-supported evangelist. Another VOM contact who lives in the city said, "Everyone is afraid of huge massacres and ethnic violence. There has been no electricity for a week and no fuel for heating. No one goes out because he will die. Really, it's a terrible situation. Anyway, we trust that Emmanuel is still with us. Please pray for the peace of Christ to enter the hearts of the people in Homs."

Santa Really Does Exist

Are you familiar with this question?

“Mommy, Daddy, who is Santa Claus?”

If we haven’t heard it from our children, we may remember asking it ourselves. Thus proceeds an onslaught of stories and wild tales. “Well, Santa Claus is this fat man that delivers toys to all children around the world. He slides down the chimneys, and you leave him Christmas cookies as a welcome gift.”

You hear the familiar words everywhere you go: “He’s making a list. He’s checking it twice. He’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice. Santa Claus is coming to town.” It becomes almost unbearable, but you must endure. Children love the festivities.

I also asked this question as a child. In my mother’s wisdom, she guaranteed me that Santa Claus did, indeed, exist — but I never left him cookies or sneaked downstairs to see him. Instead of telling me about reindeer and a fat man sliding down our chimney (which was impossible, because my house doesn’t have a chimney), mother told me where “Santa Claus” came from.

Most of you know the story of Saint Nicholas, so I will spare you the details. If you don’t know the history, please look it up. It is quite moving. Ultimately, the fictitious Santa who delivers presents to children, eats cookies, wears a red suit and laughs a very jolly “Ho Ho Ho!” is a representation of God’s unceasing grace — impossible in reality but in God’s majesty, possible. Here is a man who delivers free gifts, even though you don’t deserve them.

Even if you tell your children about the true meaning of Christmas, they may lose the message to the modern Claus. For a child, the story of Jesus Christ is distant — something untouchable from the distant past. Christmas is coming! And when children are warned to be on their best behavior for Christmas presents, that becomes their reality. Their understanding of grace is warped. Grace is not earned; it is given to the undeserving. We need to remember that no matter how hard we work, no matter how much we try, God’s grace — salvation through faith in Jesus Christ — is never earned.

Our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ have a deep understanding of this beautiful grace. They celebrate it every day without the Christmas trees, presents or cookies. They understand it so deeply that they willingly risk their lives in gratitude. 

Just like me, you will probably wake up on Christmas day and follow all the family traditions. Enjoy this. Take advantage of it. There are many Christians who cannot openly celebrate this beautiful day. However, don’t forget that the true message isn’t the presents under the tree, but the Christ inside your heart.