October 2009

Arrested for her faithful witness: [Pakistan] "Many of the local women work on the farm of Muslim landowner Muhammad Idrees, including Asia Bibi.... [On June 19] there was an intense discussion among the women about their faith, with the Muslim women telling Asia about Islam. Asia responded by telling them about her faith in Christ. Asia told the Muslim women Christ had died on the cross for our sins, then asked them what Mohammed had done for them.... She told them Jesus is alive, but Mohammed is dead....  Then some men came and took her and locked her in a room. They announced from mosque loudspeakers that she would be punished..." See The Loneliness of the Christian

Islamic extremists in Somalia hunting Christians: "Somalia's Muslim militants are hunting down converts to Christianity. According to Voice of the Martyrs Canada, Al-Shabaab members have murdered 14 believers since July 15." See Persecution

Suspects in attacks on Christians freed: "A Pakistani judge has released six more of the suspects in a series of attacks on Christians... and rights activists say the decision just adds to the victimization of the members of the religious minority.... Judge Toba Sek Singh recently released the suspects, who are accused of the murders of 11 Christians and with burning down more than 40 Christian-owned houses in Gojra."

Islamists kill Somali church leader: "The day before the shooting, Sheikh Arbow sent his wife to visit Hussein's home and pretend she was interested in learning about Christianity. During the visit, Hussein read passages of the Bible with Arbow's wife and told her that she could visit regularly to discuss God's Word. Arbow's wife then confirmed to her husband the presence of Bibles in the home.

      "The next day, Arbow visited Hussein along with some other Muslims. He requested a Bible from her. Hussein gave one to him and he revealed that he was looking for 'Christians who have defiled the Islamic religion.' Arbow then ordered her to show him the other Bibles that she owned. When she handed them over, he shot her three times...

      "Thank the Lord for working through the life of Mariam Muhina Hussein. Pray that those who mourn for her will draw near to Christ for comfort. Pray for encouragement and strength for Somali Christians facing trials for their Christian witness." See Persecution

September 2009

Beijing Public Security Officers Seize House Church Pastor Hua Huiqi: "Pastor Hua was returning home from 'forced vacation' in Shanxi, when five PSB officers immediately surrounded his apartment home. ...his wife, evangelist Ju Mei, received a phone call from Hua. Secretly from his cell phone, Hua told her that he had been forced into a PSB car on the highway....

    "...a Beijing PSB officer named Ding Xu went to Hua's home to pick up some clothes for Hua. When Ju Mei asked him what had happened to her husband, and whether he was dead or alive, Officer Ding Xu refused to answer. He reportedly pointed to his police badge and said, 'Don't you know who I am? I have no obligation to answer your questions!' ... Hua's 79-year old mother, wife and daughter fear for Hua's safety; they identified one of the police officers who seized Hua as one of men who beat Hua severely in the crackdown leading up to June 4 of this year. Pastor Hua has been repeatedly arrested, beaten, and interrogated by PSB officials within the last two years..." See Chinese Government’s Campaign against Unregistered Churches

Persecution of Christians in England: "Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang.... who are members of an evangelical congregation, were arrested by police after getting into a discussion with the woman about the differences between Christianity and Islam earlier this year.... The woman, who has not been named, is said to have told them that Jesus is considered a 'minor prophet' in Islam while the debate also touched on the status of Mohammed.... Mr Vogelenzang denies calling the Prophet Mohammed a 'warlord'. It is unthat she used the word 'bondage about Islamic dress but denies deliberately causing offence." More information at Seeds of Persecution

August 2009

Judge keeps Christian convert in Florida -- Muslim parents demand she immediately be returned home to Ohio: "Fathima Rifqa Bary, 17, an honor student and cheerleader, was raised in a Muslim family in Columbus, Ohio. She became a Christian four years ago as a result of her interactions with children at school. But Bary, a native of Sri Lanka, hitchhiked to a bus station and ran away from home July 19 because she says her family will murder her in what is known as an 'honor killing.'...

       "In the Columbus area, where she lived, 'There is a densely populated group of Muslims with connections with radical Islam and al-Qaida.... She made a statement in open court that she loved her parents very dearly, but she also feared for her life. She did not want to go home. The judge did the right thing, acted in the best interests of my client,' he continued. 'She was shaking but she was very honest, and her statement was from her heart. She professed her faith in Christ.'" See Not Ashamed

2-month-old killed to stifle 'religious' dissent -- Reports cite victim being used for 'target practice': "'We are told, by some of the Lao Hmong survivors of the recent military attacks in Laos, that the LPDR (Lao Peoples Democratic Republic) soldiers of the LPA (Lao Peoples Army) used the… Lao Hmong girl, while she was still alive, for target practice.… [O]nce she was captured and tied up; they mutilated her little body and continued to fire their weapons, over and over… until her head just eventually came off after so many bullets severed her head.' The rest of the children, ranging up to 8 years old, remain missing and Vang's concern is that they likely would be tortured and killed by soldiers. ...the decapitated child's body was found next to her mother, also a torture victim of the soldiers.

       "Unfortunately,' the ICC said, 'this level of brutality against women and children is not uncommon for Lao soldiers. It is standard procedure for soldiers to surround and isolate pockets of Hmong people and starve them out to be killed when they venture out to forage. ...

       "'Let the international community not be guilty of the same by its silence in the face of a regime who... has reached the heights of sadism...'

       "....the Hmong people of southeast Asia, many of whom cooperated with American forces during the Vietnam War, still are hunted and killed for actions of four decades ago." See Executed for Distributing Bibles

Pakistan: Eight believers killed: "On Aug. 1, a mob of angry Muslim extremists attacked Christians in... Punjab province, killing at least eight believers, including a seven-year-old child.... Dozens of homes and a church building were looted and burned. Reports indicate the violence resulted from rumors that Christians had desecrated pages from the Quran several days earlier at a wedding in a nearby village. This was the second attack because of such a rumor. On July 30, Muslim extremists attacked Christians, burning more than 50 homes.... [T]he attackers used a fuel that is particularly difficult to extinguish to set the fires."

      These persecuted Christians are part of our family in Christ, yet today's churches seem sadly silent about such suffering. Please pray for God's strength and provision for our suffering brothers and sisters everywhere. See Biblical Unity

Christians beaten, accused of forcible conversion in Karnataka, India: "Hindu militants... barged into a tea stall attended by Sharada, the wife of Pastor Nagaraj, and questioned her about her faith.... The militants demanded to know how much money her family received for converting to Christianity and accused her and her husband of forcible conversion. They also threatened to burn her alive. Sharada was dragged to the police station where a complaint was filed against her. Pastor Nagaraj was also summoned to the station and upon his arrival was beaten by the militants while police looked on." Scriptures on Persecution

Christian orphanage workers beheaded: "Four Christians working in Somalia to provide services to orphans have been executed by beheading by al-Qaida-linked interests who told their families that is the penalty for apostasy. .....According to ICC, al-Shabaab, an Islamic extremist organization, claimed responsibility, and confirmed the Christians were killed when they refused to renounce their faith in Jesus."

False accusation: "...a Chinese court sentenced Christian bookstore owner, Shi Weihan,38, to three years in prison for 'illegal business operations,' and imposed a US$21,975 fine.... Shi Weihan operated a legal bookstore and only sold books with the government’s approval. His Holy Spirit Trading Company printed Bibles and Christian literature and distributed then freely to local house churches." See His strength in my weakness

Muslims Persecute Christians: "On Saturday, a frenzied mob of three thousand Muslims stormed the tiny Pakistani Christian village of Gojra. Enflamed by (unconfirmed) charges that a Christian had burned pages of the Qur’an, the mob burned down fifty homes, burned eight Christians alive, and wounded twenty others. [Such false charges are common]Thousands of Christians fled the area. Last Thursday, enraged by the same report of blasphemy, another Muslim mob torched seventy-five Christian homes, along with two churches, in Koriyan, a village near Gojra.

      "Muslims are not persecuting Christians only in Pakistan. On July 18, Muslims in Alexandria, Egypt kidnapped a sixteen-year-old Christian girl... Shortly thereafter her mother received a phone call: '...He introduced himself as Sheikh Mohammed, and said that my daughter is fine and will convert to Islam....'” See Chronology of Conquests in the Name of Allah

July 2009

Muslim mob targets Christians for building church: "Hundreds of Muslims over the weekend tried to set a local Egyptian Christian's home on fire after he announced he would turn the structure into a church..."

Activists claim Christian executed in North Korea: "North Korea publicly executed a Christian woman last month for distributing the Bible.... Ri Hyon Ok, 33, was also accused of spying for South Korea and the United States and organizing dissidents. She was executed ... near the border with China on June 16... Ri's parents, husband and three children were sent to a political prison camp....

     "The government has authorized four state churches, one Catholic, two Protestant and one Russian Orthodox, but they cater to foreigners and ordinary North Koreans cannot attend. However, defectors and activists say more than 30,000 North Koreans are believed to practice Christianity secretly." See They Gave Him Their Lives

Christians beaten, accused of forcible conversion in Karnataka, India: "Hindu militants in the city of Chitradurga barged into a tea stall attended by Sharada, the wife of Pastor Nagaraj, and questioned her about her faith.... The militants demanded to know how much money her family received for converting to Christianity and accused her and her husband of forcible conversion. They also threatened to burn her alive.... Pastor Nagaraj was also summoned to the station and upon his arrival was beaten by the militants while police looked on."

Chinese Human Rights Attorneys Defend North Korean Refugees: "Li Mingshun is Chinese Korean ... [who] co-founded an underground seminary with a Korean pastor.... On April 11 [she] was escorted from her Qingdao home by case handlers from the Border Brigade.... The case handlers later demanded 100,000 yuan fine for her release, which Li Mingshun’s family members were unable to pay....

    "The Chinese government supports the North Korean government, and considers all North Korean refugees illegal immigrants. North Koreans caught in China are arrested, detained and forcibly deported back to North Korea where they face harsh punishment, labor camp or death. Many Chinese house church Christians are actively involved in reaching out to the refugees, providing food, shelter and underground Bible training." See Martyrs who model faith and joy

North Korea threatens foreign Christians: "North Korea, busy in recent weeks launching test missiles, exploding test bombs and warning the world it will respond with a barrage of weapons should it be attacked, is not neglecting its assault on Christianity. The nation has responded to a campaign to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the world with a threatening fax sent to the Christian ministry Voice of the Martyrs. The organization confirmed an anonymous fax... [stating] that 'something very bad will happen to you' if the ministry continues a special Gospel project.

     '"This fax is good news,' said Todd Nettleton, VOM's director of media development and the author of a book on the history of Christianity in North Korea. 'This means that (our) faxes are getting through, and they are being read." See She Dared to Save the Bibles

June 2009

For Christians, Vietnam war rages: "...repression against Christians in Vietnam is decades old, and it was in 2004 that the U.S. State Department first added Vietnam to the 'Country of Particular Concern' (CPC) designation, the official 'watch list' of nations that commit serious religious persecution.... However, after negotiations with Hanoi, the CPC designation was removed as the communist authorities 'promised' to undertake religious reforms [as did China, but such political promises are quickly broken], including stopping forced renunciations of faith.... Today, however, the question remains whether Vietnam ever intended to honor such reforms and whether the State Department conveniently accepted Hanoi's dubious promises in order to gain trade, military and diplomatic relations. If the State Department did so, it is clear the Degar Montagnards - who were America's loyal allies during the Vietnam War - have been relegated to little or no importance." See Persecution

Al-Qaida-linked thugs now executing children: "An al-Qaida-linked terror group has been identified as the organization that dragged off three children of a Christian father in Somalia and executed two of them by beheading..... 'I watched my three boys dragged away helplessly as my youngest boy was crying,' said the mother, Batula Ali Arbow. 'I knew they were going to be slaughtered.' A short time later, 7-year-old Abdulahi Musa Yusuf, came running back to his mother, wailing and crying.... Now the killers continue searching Kenya's refugee camps to find the father, Musa Mohammed Yusuf, who was gone at the time....He was the leader of an underground church in Yonday village in Somalia before April when the family fled to a Kenyan camp." See Persecution

21 Human Rights Attorneys Experience Chinese Government Crackdown: "The Chinese government has launched a major crackdown against human rights attorneys, canceling or refusing to renew the licenses of at least 21 attorneys who have challenged the Communist government’s abuse of Chinese citizens.... ChinaAid has received reports of human rights attorneys who have been recently kidnapped, beaten, and tortured by officials for practicing normal legal defense work..." See Persecution  

Christian Man Raped, Murdered for Refusing to Convert to Islam: "Pakistani police reportedly found the body of Tariq 'Litto' Mashi Ghauri — a 28-year-old university student in Sargodha, Pakistan — lying dead in a canal outside a rural village in Punjab Province on May 15. He had been raped and stabbed at least five times. 'They have sexually abuse him, torture him with a knife on his testicle and genitals,' Ghauri's brother, 24-year-old Salman Nabil Ghauri, said. 'They have tortured him very badly, and after that they have stabbed five times with a knife and killed him.'"

      [These cruel murderers seem to be ordinary Muslim villagers, not radical extremists. They simply followed their human nature and their religious lessons concerning infidels]  Persecution

May 2009

Muslims attack Christians following blasphemy accusations in Pakistan: "On May 1, a mob of approximately 500 armed Muslims launched attacks on Christians in the village of Chak, Punjab province, after five local believers were arrested for blasphemy. [Such false accusations are common.] The Christian men were accused of breaking into a government-run primary school for girls a week earlier and smearing a page of the Quran with ink and gum....  The militants... vandalized homes and threatened believers with death....

      "Pray that the arrested Christians will be released. Pray that the assailants will come to repentance and salvation. Pray that Pakistani Christians will know God's care and provision." See Persecution

Pastor Lou Yuanqi Released From Prison After International Attention: "...on April 24, Pastor Lou Yuanqi of Xinjiang [Western Uyghur Region] ...was released from prison.... Xinjiang authorities could not find evidence sufficient to continue his prosecution.... According to family members, Pastor Lou looked fragile, because of the horrible conditions he suffered in prison....

     "Alimujiang Yimiti, a Uyghur Christian, was first detained on the charge of 'endangering the security of the state,' then was officially arrested on February 20, 2008 for 'suspicion of inciting secession and organizing people in stealing, spying, buying and illegally providing state secrets or intelligence to overseas organizations.' However, sources say the real reason for his detention is because of his Christian faith and witness among the Uyghur people....

      "Wusiman Yiming, another Uyghur Christian, was sentenced to two years of re-education through labor in September 2007 for 'revealing state secrets' and 'illegal proselytizing.' ChinaAid sources say that he was, in fact, sentenced was because of his boldness as a Christian and a leader in the Uyghur church. Sources report that he has aged dramatically in the labor camp and his health is deteriorating due to harsh conditions." See Persecuted for sharing God's love

April 2009

Molotov cocktail hits Christian mayor's car: "'It's in retaliation for the Passover festivities we held two weeks ago,' claimed one Bethlehem Christian leader.... 'There are many cases where Christians have their land stolen by the [Muslim] mafia.... They go to a poor Christian person with a forged power of attorney document, then they say we have papers proving you're living on our land. If you confront them, many times the Christian is beaten. ...there may be no Christians left in Bethlehem in 15 years." See Risking her life for Jesus

Taliban Executes Two Christians in...Pakistan: "On April 20, residents of ... Karachi woke up to find pro-Taliban messages chalked onto the walls of two churches. The messages included, 'Long Live the Taliban' ... and 'Embrace Islam or Prepare to Die.' The next day, the Christians residents staged a protest in the hopes of attracting the attention of the local government to provide protection. Officials, however, did nothing.

     "The night of the protest, April 21, more than 100 masked terrorists invaded Taseer Town with automatic rifles.... The Taliban leaders shouted, 'You infidels have to convert to Islam or die. Why did you wash up warnings inscribed on walls of church and home doors? How dare you are to take out procession against Taliban?' The terrorists sexually assaulted several women and physically abused dozens more with clubs, iron rods, and whips. They set a number of homes on fire. When two Christians resisted, the militants killed them execution-style directly in front of their families." See Persecution and Hope in Christ

Orphanage burned, believers attacked in India: "An orphanage in Bargarh district, Orissa, India [first] torched by Hindu militants last August was burned to the ground a second time on March 20, according to a March 27.... The orphanage was placed under police surveillance following the August attack, during which a young teacher was thrown into the building and burned alive...."

March 2009

February 2009

January 2009

China reaches out to house churches; raids, arrests continue: "In recent months Chinese officials have attempted to build bridges with the Protestant house church movement even as police raided more unregistered congregations, arrested Christian leaders and forced at least 400 college students to swear they would stop attending such worship services.... Experts presented reports on the rapid development of house church networks, including the number of Christians, geographical distribution, cultural and ethnic make-up and connection with foreign Christians.... A month earlier, the chairman of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM)... told a gathering of 200 Hong Kong church leaders of his desire to assist Chinese house churches and provide them with Bibles...."

     That sounds like a trap. Any partnership with the TSPM would pressure House Churches to conform to government rules for Christianity. See She Dared to Save the Bibles

Egypt: Judge tells Christian: 'I would kill you' Reportedly threatens woman who chooses to worship Jesus: "A woman arrested at the Cairo airport because her identity card described her as a Christian has been threatened for her faith by the judge. ... [A]uthorities in Egypt deprived the woman's two children, ages 2 and 4, of food to try to coerce her to abandon Christianity and return to Islam."

     "Multitudes of Christians have been attacked, and many killed, yet not one Muslim ever has been convicted in the attacks, he said. '...because Shariah law says the blood of the Muslim should not be shed for the blood of an unbeliever....'

     "'In the last 10 years, more than 5,000 Christians have been massacred in Egypt.... Hundreds of businesses and homes first have been looted, then burned and destroyed. Churches have been burned and destroyed.' ... Coptic Christians in Egypt have been harassed, tortured and killed by Muslims for 1,400 years.'" See Islam

China: Hua Zaichen Dying, Request to See Imprisoned Wife Denied by Authorities : Hua Zaichen and Shuang Shuying are Christians and have been persecuted for years by the Chinese government, because of their family’s work in caring for the poor and oppressed and allowing persecuted Christians to stay in their home. Shuang Shuying’s imprisonment, and the authorities’ refusal to allow her a visit with her dying husband, is the latest in a series of attempts to intimidate the family into stopping their Christian activities." See Persecution

China: Communist court conclusions: Re-education Through Labor for Shu Wenxiang,Tang Huoyong and Xie Zhenqi: Official Facts of violation of the law and evidence: On March 14, 2007, [Shu] attended a gathering of the Chinese Gospel Fellowship at Tanmiao Village, Nanwan Township of Xinyang and was caught by the police who lectured and educated him. After that, he would not mend his ways [i.e. stop sharing the gospel]. ... December 2, 2008, he went together with Tang Houyong... to engage in illegal proselytizing.... On December 3, 2008, he was caught on location by... Domestic Defense Protection Squad. [Does that sound like America's new SWAT Teams or civilian national security force?]

     "That gathering was attended by 45 people [Christians] from four places.... After an inspection of the site, the following items were seized by the authorities: 22 copies of the textbook 'Training in Ministering the Gospel to Children' designed for proselytizing for the children, seven optical discs, 15 pages of proselytizing series lessons and other illegal items. The above facts are proven by the confession of the party concerned." See Persecution

Sri Lanka: Anti-conversion law under review in Sri Lanka: "On January 6, an anti-conversion bill that has been proposed in various forms in recent years was again presented by the Buddist-led Jathika Hela Urumaya (National Heritage Party) to the Sri Lankan Parliament. The purpose of the bill... is to 'provide prohibition of conversion from one religion to another by use of force or allurement or by fraudulent means.'  ...the bill, if passed, will introduce serious penalties for those found guilty of 'forcibly' converting people, including jail terms...."

       The word "forcibly" can take on broad "convenient" meanings in the minds of those who despise Christianity! See Persecution and Three Sets of Meanings

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Previous Persecution testimonies:   Years 2000-2002  |   2003-04  | 2005 | 2006-7

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