“We live in fear every day”
A family of believers from Muslim backgrounds are facing increased persecution from their community after attending a Christian event, and have been forced to take their children out of the Children’s Centre supported by Open Doors.
Early December, in the northeast part of the country, the family was returning home from a Christian gathering when they were stopped by a group of local Muslims from their village.
They threatened to kill the family, insisting they renounce their faith in Jesus and return to Islam. “If you join any Christian program again, disobeying our orders, then you will pay a high price. You must listen to our orders, otherwise you cannot survive in this village.”
This family has faced persecution from their relatives and neighboring Muslims for a long time, but this time it was more aggressive. The local Muslims are doing everything they can to stop the believers from living out their faith in Christ and having fellowship with other believers.
Ratna, one of the Christians, says, “They are now guarding us every day, and interrogating us – where we go, why we go, and so on. Even when we go out for our daily work, they follow us and ask us where we are going. They are becoming more excessive this time. This is more than what we can tolerate. We are living in fear every day, being threatened every day.”
The persecutors also forced the family to take their children out of the Children’s Centre that Open Doors supports. The parents brought them home on December 14, saying that if they do not do as they are told, they will be persecuted more.
Our partners at the Children’s Centre said that the children were very sad at leaving. The partners are worried about where the parents will send their children for their education – they might be forced to study Islam in their new school, or they might stop going to school altogether.
Please Pray
1. Pray for the safety of the family members and for protection from harm.
2. Pray also for the persecutors, for God to soften the hearts of their relatives and neighbours who are opposing this family because of their faith in Jesus Christ.
3. Pray for the children, that God will make a way for them to continue their Christian education.
