Persecuted Christians

When Boko Haram stormed Amina’s home in Nigeria in 2012, her husband and two sons could have escaped harm if they denied Jesus. They refused – but it came at a tragically awful cost. That wasn’t the end of the story: five years later, Amina was abducted and held deep in the Sambisa Forest under the yoke of Boko Haram. Asked to deny Jesus, she refused too. This is Amina’s story and the...
Read More About You’ve helped Amina in Nigeria ‘realise the love of God’ »

For decades, Antti and Esko would smuggle Bibles into the Soviet Union and Eastern block nations starting from his hinterland farm in Finland. It was a private, top-secret volunteer operation they’ve kept mum until now. “We never spoke to anyone about this,” Antti recounts on a 2018   Stefanus  video . To do so could jeopardize their safety and cut off the supply of Bibles...
Read More About Scripture meditation gave them courage to smuggle Bibles »

Our colleagues at Open Doors have now ranked India as one of the top persecutors in the world! In fact, the current ruling government has overseen a doubling of the persecution of India’s Christians over the last three years. In 2016, I testified to Congress about how India’s fundamentalists were trying to crush Christianity in India. Most people have no idea that radical Hindus believe...
Read More About Persecution In India Is Exploding »

The persecution of Christian women and girls around the world is hidden, complex and violent. They are vulnerable for both their gender and their faith. Leading up to International Women’s Day on 8 March, we’ll be sharing some stories of those who’ve been persecuted simply because they are Christian women. The aim of Open Doors’  See. Change.  campaign is that every woman who...
Read More About Lucina's story »

Restrictions, repression and refusal – this is typically the story of Christianity in Central Asia, where in many places it is immensely difficult for believers to openly express and share faith in Jesus. But as Christians have courageously stepped forward in the fight against Covid-19, unique opportunities to share about Jesus are emerging. Read on to find out more and your role in it… ...
Read More About Pandemic opens up remarkable opportunities to share the gospel in Central Asia »

The military coup in Myanmar on 1 February, leading to widespread protests and anger across the nation, is bringing back awful memories for many familiar with life under the sceptre of military rule between 1962 and 2011. Brother Lwin is an Open Doors partner who has served the church in Myanmar for decades. Here, he sheds light on those dark days and why a return to military rule spells...
Read More About Return to the Junta – why the military coup in Myanmar spells fear for Christians »

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us experienced a little of what it is like to be confined. But for some persecuted Christians, their ‘lockdown’ is much more severe and long-lasting. So how do you cope if you are labelled as an enemy of the government and thrown in jail? How do you live out your faith in solitary confinement, where it’s just you and God?     Mojtaba...
Read More About What if you were put in prison for your faith? »

Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan issues order, after a visit to the province. Online posts against religions and Catholics are multiplying: their "development" endangers the "socialist system". Up until yesterday, over 800 positive cases have been recorded in Hebei, of which 771 in Shijiazhuang. Beijing () - The Covid-19 epidemic has reappeared in Hebei, the province surrounding Beijing. From...
Read More About Hebei, religious activities blocked: 'they spread Covid' (even if unproven) »

International Christian Concern (ICC) learned that police officials in India’s Karnataka state banned a community of Christians from gathering for worship services indefinitely. The officials justified this unconstitutional action by claiming that none of the approximately 50 Christians were Christian by birth and must have been coercively or fraudulently converted to Christianity. On...
Read More About Christian Community in India Banned from Religious Services »

Since 2002, North Korea has been the place where Christians face the most extreme persecution. Thanks to you, Open Doors secret fieldworkers are supporting Christians who've managed to flee to China, through underground networks. Now, first, imagine that you can’t meet in person.  That won’t take a big stretch of the imagination, given the past twelve months. But now imagine...
Read More About How do Open Doors fieldworkers support North Korean Christians? »

In Cuba, I sat down with Oleda to learn the spiritual history of Cuba. She was chosen to speak with me because the government wouldn’t arrest her. She was 80 years old and almost done with her race, so she could convey to me the amazing but dangerous story of the Church’s rise in Cuba.   The first thing she said to me was, “My body wants to die and I feel like dying, but I am...
Read More About She was chosen to speak with me because she would die soon… »

12/15/2020 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that the Lahore High Court has acquitted Imran Ghafur Masih, a Christian sentenced to life in prison under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. According to Imran’s family, they have moved into hiding following the acquittal due to potential threats from extremists. On December...
Read More About Court in Pakistan Acquits Christian Sentenced to Life in Prison for Blasphemy »

A family wonderfully transformed – and you played a massive role. Abnober is from Colombia. When he got involved with the wrong crowd as a youngster, his parents sent him to the Open Doors Children’s Centre. Little did they know that this one decision would change the whole family. At just 12 years old, Abnober – who grew up in a broken home where his father was a heavy drinker – got...
Read More About From drink and drugs to a different person – Abnober’s story »

When I first heard about Jamaa, he had just received his second prison sentence for sharing his faith. This time, it was a 15-year sentence under the pretense of property damage. Jamaa found Jesus while studying abroad in Europe. When he returned to Morocco, he persisted in practicing his beliefs and sharing the Gospel, leading to his first arrest in 1995.  The judge charged...
Read More About Morocco »

In October, a 13-year-old Christian girl named Arzoo Raja was abducted as she played outside of her family’s home in Karachi, Pakistan. Arzoo’s parents reported the abduction to local police but were told two days later that their daughter had willingly converted to Islam and married their 44-year-old Muslim neighbor, Ali Azhar. Since then, Arzoo’s case has made headlines in Pakistan and...
Read More About Christian Teen Shares Survivor’s Testimony of Abduction and Forced Marriage in Pakistan »

Like many young people, Wanda* from Indonesia had dreams of what her life would look like. But circumstances dashed her dreams, prompting questions that led to a dream where she was asked a crucial question. Today, Wanda follows Jesus, but it’s not easy – and Covid-19 has only added to her challenges. Your support has enabled partners to help her, and she is deeply moved by it. ...
Read More About Dashed dreams to a decisive dream: Wanda’s story »

After Mao Zedong (1893-1976) declared the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, missionaries and Chinese clergy flooded out of mainland China to escape the coming anti-Christian persecutions. There were some clergy, however, who remained with their beleaguered flock, such as the American Jesuit,  Father Charles McCarthy, SJ,  (1911-1991) and the Chinese Jesuit, Father...
Read More About Chinese Catholics who changed China and the world »

On July 5, 2013, jubilant Vietnamese Catholics celebrated the closing of the diocesan phase of Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan’s beatification process. Although he is not yet canonized, the Vietnamese faithful already consider him a saint and view him as an icon of the Vietnamese Church. Cardinal Thuan, being a man of faith, hope, and charity, epitomizes the virtues of past and...
Read More About Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan: An Icon of the Vietnamese Church »

To many people, 10 October is just a normal day. But to North Koreans, it is Party Foundation Day – an annual public holiday to celebrate the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea. This year is the 75th anniversary. If you’re wondering how Kim Jong-un’s government came to be, and what they value, we’ve answered some key questions below.  What is the Workers’ Party of Korea? ...
Read More About Pray for North Korea on the 75th Party Foundation Day »

Sumitra is an Indian woman whose decision to follow Jesus ushered in a decade of grave hostility. But her faith remained unshaken, and today, whilst some opposition remains, she is in a much happier place – thanks in large part to your support in establishing a chip-making business. Ten years. That’s how long Sumitra* prayed that her husband would stop tormenting her for...
Read More About You chipped in to bring Sumitra stability and happiness »

An unlikely encounter led to Alya, from a Muslim background in Syria, giving her life to Jesus. Here’s her story, and how your gifts and prayers are helping Syrian believers like her.  Alya has had to escape a terrible situation more than once. She, her husband and their five children fled Deir Ez-Zor in 2012, because of Syrian rebels. They were in Raqqa for two years when...
Read More About How a ‘coincidence’ led Alya to Jesus »

Over the past two years, I have traveled frequently to the Middle East and worked as an international missionary and humanitarian under my grandmother, Dr. Michelle Corral. My eyes were opened and my cultural understanding was deepened. I have gained a new understanding of people and a new sensitivity to social norms. Although America is a melting pot of people from all nations,...
Read More About How This Missionary Discovered A Muslim Woman’s Secret Love For Jesus In Saudi Arabia »

Ani has been hearing God’s call since she was 13 years old. With frequent interaction with Christian friends, sometimes she would hear Bible verses running through her head. Even when she was only an elementary school student, she was curious about faith. One time, a teacher talked about Heaven in class. Little Ani asked,  “Where is Heaven?”  Her teacher only responded, ...
Read More About An Indonesian Muslim Woman Drawn to Christ »

In Malaysia, the Bahasa language, which is spoken by the majority, does not have a Bible readily available. The authorities in Malaysia have seized more than 20,000 Bibles in recent years, as the reference made to God in these Bibles are printed as “Allah,” a term considered offensive in the Muslim-majority country. These Bibles were written in the country’s official language, Malay – in...
Read More About The Bible Ban in Malaysia »

Rajesh is an Open Doors partner in India. Even before the pandemic, his role and calling involved a great deal of risk - but he sees the joy of serving the persecuted church. Open Doors partners like Rajesh* are courageously going out to take vital resources to Indian Christians who are the last in line for Covid-19 aid. He is taking great risks despite the virus and ongoing persecution...
Read More About A life of risk”: Open Doors partner Rajesh on serving the persecuted church in India »