Persecuted Christians

Handwritten letters are making a tangible difference in the lives of imprisoned believers around the world. in 2009, Maryam and Marziyeh were taken before the Iranian Revolutionary Court and commanded to recant their faith. In return, they would be granted their freedom. “We will not deny our faith,” the women responded, “If we come out of prison, we want to do so with honor.” Bible...
Read More About Bringing Light to THE DARKNESS »

Podiya finally receives healing through prayer for her long-term illness, but she must choose between her family’s approval and her newfound Savior “I [was] the talk of the town as a mad woman; things were going worse,” Podiya shared, remembering that day when she stood on the precipice of mental illness, looking down into an abyss of endless suffering. For months, Podiya had experienced...
Read More About FORSAKING EVERYTHING »

05/02/2020 Pakistan  (International Christian Concern) – On Sunday, April 26, a 14-year-old Christian girl from Madina Town, located in the Faisalabad district of Punjab, Pakistan, was abducted by a group of armed Muslim men. According to local reports, the Christian girl’s family has filed a police report and is begging police to recover their relative. According to the First...
Read More About 14-Year-Old Pakistani Christian Girl Abducted in Faisalabad District »

Sadiya Amos, aged 17, went missing from north central Kaduna in northern Nigeria on the night of 5th January. On 7th January, some men came to force her father Amos Chindo to attend a Sharia court in Anchau (in Kubau) without telling him what offence he had committed or even allowing him to tell his family where he was going. A self-proclaimed lawyer, together with the Sharia judge,...
Read More About Nigerian girl, 17, escapes month in locked room after abduction and forcible conversion to Islam »

His 25-year-old brother was tortured and killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Consumed with hate, he wanted to avenge the atrocity, but Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount shook him to the core. “When the Taliban found out my brother was a Christian they hung him upside down, broke his hands and fingers, and burned his face with cigarettes,” Alborz* shared with SAT-7 PARS. “They...
Read More About After the Taliban tortured his brother, he wanted revenge, but God showed him a different way »

In recent years, Christians are facing increasing persecution across West Africa, as Islamic extremism has spread. Countries where attacks had been infrequent are suffering at the hands of Boko Haram, Fulani militants and others. Often women are particularly vulnerable to the long-term effects of such attacks: even if they aren’t killed, they can find it very difficult to earn a living if...
Read More About THE IMPACT OF YOUR SUPPORT IN WEST AFRICA »

Mother’s Day is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the mothers in our lives, whether biological, adopted or spiritual. Motherhood is not easy – and for some persecuted Christian women, becoming a mother has required extraordinary courage and faith.  Ijanada from Nigeria is a 20-year-old mother of two. When she was just 14 years old, Boko Haram kidnapped her and took her to a camp,...
Read More About A CAPTIVE MOTHER'S COURAGE: IJANADA'S STORY »

When people think about Christian persecution, they usually think of the Middle East or perhaps China. Kenya isn’t exactly on their radar.  Many are surprised when we bring them news of persecution in Kenya or talk about our work there. They picture safari rides and tourist venues – the picture of stability in Africa. Those things exist, but there is a darker side to Kenya.  ...
Read More About Persecution of Christians in Kenya nowadays »

03/05/2020 Egypt (International Christian Concern)  – An unknown Egyptian woman and man are making serious attempts to target vulnerable Christian women and girls, according to local media. The individuals pose as a nun and priest, prompting Pope Tawadros to make a statement denying that they have any affiliation with the church. Their real identity remains unknown. The individuals...
Read More About Pair Targets Egyptian Christian Girls »

02/28/2020 India  (International Christian Concern) – According to Morning Star News, three Christians from northern India have been released from prison after more than two months of imprisonment on false charges. According to the freed Christians, their time in jail was a “ nightmare ”, but they were still able to share the Gospel with other prisoners. On November 26, 2019,...
Read More About Indian Christian Pastors Describe “Nightmare” Imprisonment on False Charges »

Our brothers and sisters in North Korea are facing a new kind of danger in the form of the coronavirus – please pray for their protection and for the provision of the right medical treatment.  North Korean defector Timothy Cho knows just how dangerous viral diseases are to those living in poverty in the country. He says, “If there really are people infected with the coronavirus in...
Read More About THE DEVASTATING IMPACT OF THE CORONAVIRUS IN NORTH KOREA »

How many terrible things can happen to one person? And how many miracles? Hearing Eun Hye’s* story is a bit dizzying – because half the time, you’re wondering how a person can sustain so many appalling incidents and still keep going. And the other half of the time, you are marvelling at God’s interventions and His plan for Eun Hye. Eun Hye’s grandmother had told her a little bit...
Read More About ONE WOMAN’S EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF ESCAPING NORTH KOREA »

In Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday more than 250 people, 45 of them children, were killed in attacks on three churches and hotels; more than 500 people were injured. • Bombs killed 20 at a Catholic church in Jolo in the southern Philippines. • In China, state-sanctioned and ‘underground’ churches have been harassed or shut down in at least 23 provinces. In Xinjiang, at least one...
Read More About From sub-Saharan Africa to China, Christians experience ‘high’ levels of persecution »

Three things held centre-stage in Nadhir’s* life: marijuana, clubbing and rap music. Although he had grown up in a Muslim family, Nadhir later rebelled. He dropped out of attending the mosque and joined the local rap scene. Then, in his late teens, a friend and fellow rapper handed him a Bible and everything fell into place. “I read this Bible and when I’m reading, I’m feeling like...
Read More About WORLD WATCH LIST CASE STUDY: NADHIR »

Think of your phone. All that technology in the palm of your hand. It listens out for your voice commands, it knows where you are, it can recognise your fingerprints or even your face.  And some governments are very interested in technology like that.  Persecution is going digital. Among the trends discovered in the analysis of the data for the World Watch List 2020 is the...
Read More About WORLD WATCH LIST: PERSECUTION IS GOING DIGITAL »

01/06/2020 Nigeria  (International Christian Concern) – On December 26, 2019, the same day that Boko Haram’s affiliate, Islamic State West Africa Province, beheaded eleven hostages on film, they also killed 3 bridal party members who were heading to a wedding in Adamawa State. This attack killed the bride and two of her close friends who were supposed be in the wedding that would take...
Read More About Boko Haram Beheads Bride and Bridal Party Members on the Way to Wedding »

Three Coptic churches in the Upper Egypt region were hit by fires in the last three weeks which, the Copts say, is “not a coincidence”. On Friday morning 1 November  a fire started in an adjacent hall of the Mar-Girgis (St George) al-Gyoushi Church  in the Shubra district of the capital Cairo; it was extinguished before causing severe damage and no-one was injured. However,...
Read More About Egypt: Series of fires in their churches ‘not a coincidence’, say Copts »

Kim Sang-Hwa* knows God is with her at all times, including when she met secretly with other Christians in North Korea. What she didn’t know was whether one of the other secret Christians would betray her. “We have a saying in North Korea,” says Sang-Hwa. “‘When three of us are meeting, one of us is a spy and will report to the government.’” DISCOVERING THE HIDDEN BIBLE Many North...
Read More About WHEN TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED IN MY NAME… ONE COULD BE A SPY »

At Christmas, we see Bethlehem – a small, then-backwater town in the Middle East – take centre stage for one of the most significant events in the Christian calendar. We sing carols about it, set up Nativity scenes, and reflect on it as a place of great peace and blessing. But what is Christmas like for believers in the Middle East 2,000 years after the birth of Jesus? Nadia* lives...
Read More About WHAT IS CHRISTMAS LIKE IN THE MIDDLE EAST? »

German version Ende 2018 hatten wir zu einer Ermutigungsaktion für Eldos aus Kirgisistan aufgerufen. Der damals 25-Jährige war im Oktober 2018 Opfer eines Angriffes von drei extremistischen Muslimen geworden. Bei einem nächtlichen Einbruch in das Haus seiner Familie prügelten die Angreifer brutal auf Eldos ein. Sie wollten ihn zwingen, zum Islam zurückzukehren. Neben Knochenbrüchen und...
Read More About ELDOS UND NURZHAN SAGEN DANKE »

Christian converts from Islam   The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”...
Read More About Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe, the part of report 2019 »

The Jharkhand police raided the missionary house in Dumka. Two other complaints about child trafficking. The bishop asked for an inquiry into the state commission that deals with adoptions. "They want us to lose credibility, but our faith is strong."
Read More About Bishop Mascarenhas: Attacks on Sisters of Mother Teresa continue »

Gonila Gill is married to Husnain Jamil, a Muslim. Neither the man nor his family ever imposed her conversion to Islam. This is why everyone is persecuted. "I ask the government to protect mixed faith families like ours." Lahore (AsiaNews) - Persecuted for her faith by colleagues and insulted for not having converted to Islam after marriage with her Muslim boyfriend. This is the story...
Read More About Lahore, a Christian journalist, persecuted at work, resigns »

Churches have been shut down in Jiangxi and Fujian. Underground priests have been driven from their parishes. Young people under 18 have been dragged away from churches. Religions’ subordination to Chinese culture closely resembles the policy of Qing emperors. The Pope's authority must be subservient to that of the emperor. the Church must be part of the structures of the state and obey political authorities
Read More About Sinicisation crushing official and underground communities »

Tired of poverty, famine, and deprivation in North Korea, one man escaped to China to find a better life and entered into an unexpected journey with God. “After 46 years of constant hardship I made my way to China,” Seo-jun* recounted to Cornerstone Ministries. “There I met a fellow Korean and heard from him about God.” The Christian man gave Seo-jun a Bible, which he began to read....
Read More About North Korean found Jesus in China, returned to homeland and paid a price »