Bangladesh: Christian persecuted for hosting fellowship
Silpi (pictured, pseudonym used), is a persecuted Christian woman from Bangladesh. Her house was attacked after she hosted a fellowship group.
Silpi, 30, is a secret Christian convert. Being open about her faith is difficult in the region of Bangladesh where they live, but over the years she has been able to have many quiet conversations about faith, and has seen a number of locals join her in following Jesus.
In September, Silpi hosted a fellowship in her home. Around thirty people gathered to learn the Word of God from two pastors. As the gathering was wrapping up, a group of Muslims arrived at the house.
“They just came in and started destroying everything,” said Silpi. The mob attacked her and beat her in several places, while others vandalized her home. Everyone gathered for the meeting ran for their lives. Some tried to intervene to help Silpi, but were shoved to the side.
After much struggle, Silpi managed to escape her perpetrators, fleeing with nothing but the clothes on her back, leaving her home and her two children behind.
Silpi – tired, in pain, and afraid of what might happen to her children – hid in her relative’s house. But they too were afraid to keep her there for long. “They’re going to come here. They’re going to find you and if you stay here, our home would be gone too,” said her relative.
So she had no choice but to leave. Currently, she remains homeless and has no idea where her children are.
Open Doors local partners were able to support Silpi with some emergency items when the incident happened but since then, they have not been able to reach her. “She might’ve moved to another place. We have tried several times to reach her but failed every time,” said a local partner. “We are ready to support when we find her, but there’s nothing we can do right now.”
This is the unfortunate reality for persecuted believers. Especially believers who are so heavily persecuted for their faith. “We will still uphold them in prayer and hope for the day we get to help them again,” said another local partner.
The trauma that Silpi endured is life-changing – will you pray for her today?
Pray
Pray for her and her children. Pray for God to protect them wherever they are now. She needs much healing – physical, spiritual, and emotional. Pray for God to comfort her and release all her pain and anxiety.
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Pray for the villagers and the perpetrators who stirred up trouble for this family. Pray that God will reach them and let them understand the rights of other religious people and respect their faith.
Pray that Silpi will find a home, and that her relatives – even those who disagree with her faith – will support and love her in her time of need.
