Author: Open Doors Canada

Leah is Alive!

The Nigerian presidential team confirmed that Leah is alive.

Many of you have been faithfully praying for Leah Sharibu since she was taken by Boko Haram in February 2018. Over 100 other schoolgirls kidnapped along with her were released soon after. Leah was not let go because she chose to remain true to Jesus. Thank you for praying, on August 31 the Nigeria Government confirmed that she was still alive.

“Lines of communications remain open with the kidnappers, ISWAP, to secure the release of Leah Sharibu,” presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu said in a statement on August 31. ‘‘Contrary to false reports, she is alive – given assurances from our security agencies — and the government is committed to her safe return”.

We thank the Lord for this wonderful news, and request for your continued prayers.

Leah was 15 when she was kidnapped from her school. While her classmates captured by Boko Haram extremists were all taken from the Government Girls Science and Technical College in the north-east of Nigeria were released within a month, Leah was kept because she refused to deny her faith in Jesus.

When her classmates were released, Leah was able to pass on a message to her mother: “My mother, you should not be disturbed. I know it is not easy missing me, but I want to assure you that I am fine where I am. My God, whom we have been praying to with you, is showing Himself mighty in my trying moment. I know your words to me during our morning devotions: that God is very close to people in pain. I am witnessing this now. I am confident that one day I shall see your face again. If not here, then there at the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

On Saturday, a government spokesperson gave a statement saying that Leah was alive, and confirmed President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to her safe return.

Leah’s parents have urged Christians to keep praying for their daughter. Her mother, Rebecca, said “I know that all over the world believers are praying and advocating for the release of my daughter, but until now I haven’t seen my Leah. I want to plead that Christians do not get tired of praying for her, until she is returned.”

You can write to Leah’s parents, to encourage them that you are still praying for their daughter.

Please pray:

Thank God that Leah is alive and that the Nigerian Government are committed to her release

That Leah will be able to return to her family and would heal from her trauma

That God would convict Leah’s kidnappers of their need of Him, and that they would repent and believe.

*A photo of Leah, taken by her family before her abduction

Pray for the appeal hearing for six believers in Iran

Iranian Christians request prayer for an upcoming appeal hearing, scheduled for September 3rd, at which the sentences given to six Iranian Christian believers will be reviewed. The sentences to be reviewed are concerning the cases for Assyrian Pastor Victor bet Tamraz and Persian Christian converts Amin Nader Afshari and Kavian Fallah Mohammadi, who were arrested at a Christmas celebration in December 2014.

A second case will also be reviewed, this involves Amin Nader Afshari, who was re-arrested in August 2016 with another convert, Hadi Asgari, and Ramiel bet Tamraz (Pastor Victor’s son), together with two others. The third case involves Shamiram Issavi Khabizeh, (Pastor Victor’s wife), summoned by the authorities in June 2017. All three cases are expected to be reviewed on the same day.

Pastor Victor was sentenced in July 2017 to ten years’ imprisonment for ‘acting against national security’. Amin, Hadi and Kavian also received prison sentences of between ten and fifteen years on similar charges. Shamiram was sentenced in January 2018 to five years’ imprisonment for ‘acting against national security’, and ‘acting against the regime by organizing small groups, attending a seminary abroad and training church leaders and pastors to act as spies.’ In July 2018, Ramiel was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment for ‘spreading Christian propaganda.’

At an appeal hearing in Shamiram’s case on February 19, 2019, the judge, Ahmed Zargar, decided to combine her case with the two other cases.

These harsh sentences given to Pastor Victor, Amin, Hadi and Kavian were issued by Judge Ahmadzadeh of Tehran Revolutionary Court, who was subsequently suspended from duty after being investigated in relation to allegations of corruption.

These cases have attracted significant international attention. In July 2019, Pastor Victor and Shamiram daughter – Dabrina, raised the cases in person with U.S. President Trump during a summit on religious freedom in Washington D.C. On August 2, U.S. Vice-President Pence publicly referred to Pastor Victor, saying his treatment is “an affront to religious freedom.”

Please pray

May the Lord strengthen Pastor Victor, Shamiram, Ramiel, Amin, Kavian and Hadi whose cases are going to be reviewed at this time.

Please pray for guidance and wisdom for the judge, Ahmad Zargar, as he prepares for the hearing.

May justice prevail and believers be acquitted of all false charges against them.

(Source: Middle East Concern)

Iranian Christian arrested for reporting an attack

If you go to the police to report a crime, you hope to be taken seriously. You don’t expect to be arrested yourself. Iranian Christian, Fatemeh Mohammadi (19) went to file a complaint about being assaulted on a bus. According to an eyewitness, a woman had insulted Fatemeh for not wearing her headscarf ‘properly’, then shoved her and hit her in the face. The assailant was not penalized. She was considered to be acting in accordance with a law that says it’s acceptable to stop others committing ‘disgraceful acts’. Fatemeh, on the other hand, was arrested. She was released on bail the following morning.

This wasn’t the first time that Fatemeh has been targeted. In 2018, she served a six-month sentence for ‘Christian activity’, ‘membership in proselytizing groups’ and ‘acting against national security through propaganda against the regime’. Bravely, and by God’s grace, she continues to run a campaign for Christians in Iran to be allowed to worship in a church – crucially, including believers who have converted from Islam.

The situation is getting worse for Iranian Christians. Iran is number 9 on the Open Doors World Watch List. While Article 23 of the country’s constitution says that ‘no-one may be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief’, the current government of Iran is committed to expanding the influence of Shia Islam. Hardliners within the leadership are very anti-Christian, and the Bishop of Truro’s recent review of Christian persecution for the UK Foreign Office highlighted that the situation had reached an alarming state: “Christians with a Muslim background are most vulnerable and face tougher persecution from all actors and especially from their families and communities.”

Last year, in November and December alone, more than 250 Iranian Christians were arrested across the country. Thankfully they are often released after a few hours or days, but have their mobile phones confiscated and know they are not safe. Longer prison sentences have been given to leaders of house churches for Christians from Muslim backgrounds. These churches are frequently raided.

Your support and prayers enable Open Doors to advocate for Iranians who are imprisoned for their Christian faith, and to offer trauma care to former prisoners now living outside Iran.

We know that God ‘leads out the prisoners with singing’ (Psalm 68:6) – please continue to pray for those who have been imprisoned for their Christian faith in Iran.

UN CHRÉTIEN IRANIEN ARRÊTÉ POUR AVOIR SIGNALÉ UNE ATTAQUE

Si vous allez à la police pour signaler un crime, vous espérez être pris au sérieux. Vous ne vous attendez pas à être arrêté vous-même. Fatemeh Mohammadi (19 ans), une chrétienne iranienne, est allée porter plainte pour avoir été agressée dans un bus. Selon un témoin oculaire, une femme aurait insulté Fatemeh pour ne pas avoir porté son foulard “à bon escient”, puis l’a bousculée et frappée au visage. L’agresseur n’a pas été pénalisé. Elle a été considérée comme agissante conformément à une loi stipulant qu’il est acceptable d’empêcher d’autres personnes de commettre des “actes scandaleux”. Fatemeh, en revanche, a été arrêté. Elle a été libérée sous caution le lendemain matin.

Ce n’était pas la première fois que Fatemeh était ciblée. En 2018, elle a purgé une peine de six mois d’emprisonnement pour «activité chrétienne», «appartenance à des groupes de prosélytisme» et «action contre la sécurité nationale par la propagande contre le régime». Courageusement, et par la grâce de Dieu, elle continue de mener une campagne pour que les chrétiens d’Iran soient autorisés à adorer dans une église – de manière cruciale, y compris les croyants convertis de l’islam.

La situation s’aggrave pour les chrétiens iraniens. L’Iran est le numéro 9 sur la liste de surveillance d’Open Doors. L’article 23 de la constitution du pays stipule que “personne ne peut être molesté ni accusé pour la simple conviction”, mais le gouvernement iranien actuel est déterminé à accroître l’influence de l’islam chiite. Les durs parmi les dirigeants sont très anti-chrétiens, et le récent rapport de l’évêque de Truro sur la persécution des chrétiens par le ministère britannique des Affaires étrangères a souligné que la situation était alarmante: “Les chrétiens d’origine musulmane sont les plus vulnérables et font face à une persécution plus sévère des acteurs et notamment de leurs familles et de leurs communautés. “

L’année dernière, rien qu’en novembre et décembre, plus de 250 chrétiens iraniens ont été arrêtés dans tout le pays. Heureusement, ils sont souvent libérés après quelques heures ou quelques jours, mais leur téléphone portable est confisqué et ils savent qu’ils ne sont pas en sécurité. Des peines de prison plus longues ont été infligées aux responsables d’églises de maison pour des chrétiens d’origine musulmane. Ces églises sont fréquemment attaquées.
Votre soutien et vos prières permettent à Open Doors de défendre les intérêts des Iraniens emprisonnés pour leur religion chrétienne et d’offrir des soins traumatologiques aux anciens prisonniers vivant actuellement en dehors de l’Iran.

Nous savons que Dieu “conduit les prisonniers en chantant” (Psaume 68: 6). Merci de continuer à prier pour ceux qui ont été emprisonnés pour leur foi chrétienne en Iran.

India: Religious minorities face more difficulties

India celebrates its 73rd Independence Day today. The worrying question in the minds of many in India today is if Independence is merely a thought and a word. Dissention and strife in the name of caste and communities, race and religion divide the country deeply today.

Churches in India, across denominations, are gathering for a day of prayer on August 18th in what are worrying times for the country’s religious minorities.

It is the third time the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) has organized the event on the Sunday that is closest to India’s Independence Day, 15 August.

“The state of our nation and the challenges it faces, stirs us to look to the face of the Almighty God and to pray for His unceasing blessings on India,” said Rev. Vijayesh Lal, EFI’s General Secretary.

The prayer day comes at a time of heightened anxiety about the future of Kashmir, a disputed area bordering India, Pakistan and China. Earlier this month, India’s BJP-controlled government canceled Kashmir’s protected status, which had allowed it to govern itself to some degree and had been enshrined in India’s constitution.

The BJP-led government, with a Hindu-nationalist agenda, has now revoked the article in the constitution dealing with Kashmir’s autonomy, sending the state into lockdown and leaving the Kashmiri people in great uncertainty about their future. Christians in Kashmir are concerned for what could be the outcome of this decision in the days to come.

A majority of the Christians in Kashmir are from a Muslim background, and are already experiencing severe pressure from their community.

‘Called to pray’

Meanwhile, media reports suggest the Indian government is considering proposing an anti-conversion bill before parliament with the aim to prevent any kind of religious conversion nationally [Zee News].

India’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion and for the bill to pass, a two-thirds majority in parliament is needed. However, eight of India’s states already have such a law in place and it has been used to marginalize religious communities. Violence against Christians in these states “is significantly more prominent” than in states without an anti-conversion bill, according to an OD report, “We are Indians too”.

Last year more than 30,000 local churches joined in praying for the country, its leaders and citizens.

Read more about India.

Kyrgyzstan accelerates church registration, but religious oppression continues

We have some good news: Since December, Kyrgyzstan’s government has approved the registration of more than 60 religious communities, most of them Protestant churches. There is some bad news as well: The right to exist does not mean the right to actually meet.

“Communities cannot have public meetings outside their registered addresses unless they receive prior permission for each event from the authorities, and our experience is that the authorities do not normally give permission”, a Christian from the country said. “The authorities have punished people for sharing their beliefs in public places with adults”. Forum 18, reported this on their website, but did not disclose the identity of the Christian, to safeguard against government reprisal.

Religious literature still needs to pass a government review. No one is allowed to share religious information with children.

The question comes up to ask, what explains the sudden burst of registration approvals? Perhaps the government would like to improve its reputation among the international community. Also, early next year Kyrgyzstan is due for a review of its human-rights record before the United Nations Human Rights Council.

image

In the past, radical extremists have spread hatred and fear amongst the Christian community. The picture above is of a church that was broken into, with a hateful message inscribed on the wall.

Please pray
For those in position of leadership in Kyrgyzstan to make concrete steps to promote religious freedom.
Pray for Christians who gather in secret, may they find protection. May they continue to be a strong witness for the Lord despite the repression they live under.

Sri Lanka two months after the Easter bombings

“We were only stewards of Peter”

Two months ago, on Easter Sunday three bombs exploded in three churches in three different parts of Sri Lanka – St Anthony’s Church in Colombo, St. Sebastian’s Church in Negombo, and Zion Church in Batticaloa. Three hotels were also targeted. Responsibility for these coordinated attacks, which killed 253 and injured hundreds of others, was later claimed by so-called Islamic State extremists.

No child should ever have to witness violence, but six-year-old Peter, died in the blast at Zion Church, that day. His parents have a memorial to him on the floor of their sitting room. His cricket bat stands proudly in the memorial with a teddy and his blue helmet. A framed photo of Peter wearing a shiny silver bowtie leans on a wooden cross engraved with his name.

There’s a cardboard hospital that Peter had made a week before the bombing with a person entering on a stretcher in a brownish red t-shirt. Peter wore the same colour on Easter Sunday.

“I’m glad that he’s with Jesus but it’s painful he’s not with me,” said Peter’s mom. “We were only stewards of Peter. God took him back,” said his dad.

There were 136 children in Zion Church on Easter Sunday. Fourteen of them died.

Ten year old Nerukesh has shrapnel in his spine from the attack. He is still on strict bedrest at home. Sixteen-year-old Sujiv’s mother died in the church. He said, “She is with God now, and God is with us.”

Senior leaders of Zion Church, Ramesh and Sasi, spoke to the suicide bomber in the church foyer. They stopped him from getting to the main congregation.

Chrishanthini, Ramesh’s wife, said: “We were about five minutes into the worship when we heard a loud bang, but I didn’t know what happened at that time. We thought it was the generator.”

Ramesh and Sasi died instantly.

“If the bomber had gone inside, more than 200 people might have gotten killed,” said Kumaran, an associate pastor of Zion Church.

Pastor Kumaran also lost his son, Malkiya in the attack. “When I think of what happened to my son, there is a pain in my gut,” he said. “But it’s not a question of why it’s happened, no – I’m not going to ask that. It’s a question of, ‘Lord, how can I pass through this? And how long?’

“I am a pastor,” he said. “I have to be strong.”

Tala*, an Open Doors fieldworker, travelled to Sri Lanka just after the attacks took place, to visit the affected Christians.

Open Doors and its local church partners have been helping the affected families in Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa since the Easter bombings.

Open Doors has provided traumatized Christians with trauma care and counselling and is running persecution preparedness training in the three affected towns.

Local Open Doors partners are meeting with pastors and Christians from Batticaloa for prayer and encouragement. “That’s good ministry,” said Kumaran, when Open Doors partners visited his house to pray with him. “This is what the people need.”

Through livelihood and education support, Open Doors is helping families get back on their feet. At the beginning of June, Open Doors workers went to Batticaloa to buy new motorcycles for six Christians who lost theirs in the explosion. Open Doors worker, Liyoni* said: “Even the managers of the stores were very eager to help and at two stores they gave us very reasonable discounts on the bikes and the registration costs. We were also able to buy helmets for a few of them who did not have any left. The pastor and the believers send their thanks.”

Please pray for families who have lost loved ones and others who are critically injured to find healing and restoration. Please pray for peace to prevail in the nation. Sri Lanka is number 46 on the World Watch List. Visit the page Stand with Sri Lanka to read about the Easter Sunday attacks and how you can help.

More Christians killed in an attack in Burkina Faso

The grip of Islamic militants on northern and eastern parts of Burkina Faso is growing. Over 200 churches have been closed to avoid further attacks.

On Sunday 9 June at least 19 people died in another jihadist attack. “Several dozen armed men carried out an attack on the district of Arbinda, shooting several people dead,” said a local official who wished to remain anonymous.

INCREASING VIOLENCE

Burkina Faso had been known for peaceful coexistence between different religious and ethnic groups. But in 2014 a revolution ended the 27-year rule of President Blaise Compaoré. The power vacuum was quickly filled by extremist groups, exploiting ethnic fault-lines and fanning ethnic strife.

An Open Doors worker said, “There are many factors contributing to the violence in Burkina Faso, including political, economic, tribal and religious reasons. Many Burkinabe youths have been radicalized by the teaching of Islamist preachers and leaders of extremist groups.”

Church leaders told Open Doors that the church in Burkina Faso was not prepared for the present situation. They reported that no one expected the scale and speed of the deterioration in security.

Many pastors and their families have been kidnapped and remain in captivity. Over 200 churches have been closed in northern parts of the country to avoid further attacks and Sunday worship services are discouraged in most rural areas for safety reasons.

“This is the biggest shock of our lives as Christians. Never in our wildest imagination did we think this would happen and that today we would be left at the mercy of other believers in safer areas. We have left everything we laboured for. Our children have been pushed out of school. Some of our men have been killed without provocation,” Pastor Daniel Sawadogo told Open Doors.

Since the start of 2019, 90,000 people have been displaced. Health centers have been forced to shut or have cut back services, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without medical care. Over a thousand schools remain closed. One teacher told Open Doors, “The Jihadists are replacing state schools with Arabic schools. We received severe warning to leave. The government succeeded in relocating some pupils and teachers to safer areas.”

Churches all over the country are arranging collection of food items to support the affected believers but are unable to keep up with the need.

An Open Doors team member said, “The level of trauma among the displaced believers is extremely high, and they will live with it for a very long time if they are not helped. The situation needs urgent attention. The believers need practical help with things like food, clothing, shelter and medicine, and spiritual support like trauma care and prayer. They also need discipleship training and help in how to respond to this situation in a biblical way.”

Some churches are determined to remain: “During the revolution, the church was threatened by the state and experienced growth. So, the church will come out stronger than it is now,” said Pastor Phillipe Bamogo. “Pain may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning. We are suffering today, but our hearts are strong in the Lord. He will come to our rescue in due course.”

Burkina Faso sits just outside the World Watch List – the top 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. It is categorized as having high levels of persecution and is on Open Doors’ list of Persecution Watch countries. Violence against Christians has risen dramatically in Burkina Faso this year. In the last 12 months, the increasing violence across Mali and Niger, as well as Burkina Faso, has led to a five-fold rise in the displacement of the local population.

Please Pray

Pray for Peace in the Region of Arbinda and Toulfe, where Christians are being attacked

Ask the Lord to touch the hearts of those affected by the tragedies; families who have lost loved ones and people who have been hurt

Pray for change to happen in Burkina Faso, as well as neighbouring Mali and Nigeria.

FACTS

  • WWL 2019 Rank: 61 on the list of Persecution Watch Countries
  • Main drivers of persecution: Islamic Oppression
  • Population: 19.7 million
  • Religion: Christian 25%; Muslim 54.5%, Ethnoreligionist 19.9%

 

 

Believers from a Muslim background threatened in southern Philippines

Muslims in the Philippines, especially in the southern part where the majority of the Philippines’ Muslims live, are celebrating Eid’l Fitr today to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The Festival of Breaking the Fast or Eid’l Fitr is traditionally celebrated for three days by praying at the mosques, giving alms to the poor (which is part of the five pillars of Islam), and visiting relatives and friends to give and receive gifts.

Eid’l Fitr may be a marker of the end of Ramadan – the month considered to be the most peaceful in Muslim areas in the southern Philippines – but this event also marks the return to war or bloody clan feuds commonly known as rido.

A local Christian worker, Isagani*, is trapped in one of these feuds, and it’s endangering his life and his ministry with Muslim background believers in certain parts of Mindanao.

Sometime last year, a rido happened between Isgani’s family and the family of Isagani’s wife, Lila*, after his relatives were found guilty of brutally killing one of Lila’s relatives. The two families are from different tribes, and this incident has led to Lila’s tribe waging a bloody revenge against Isgani’s tribe.

Most of the discipleship activities that Isagani carries out are in or nearby the areas where Lila’s tribesmen live. Lila is very afraid for the safety of her husband, who she believes is also being targeted by this rido revenge.

Aside from the threat of the rido, Lila’s uncle has spread rumors that Isagani is working with Christians from a metro city and recruiting Muslims to become Christians, which is highly offensive among the Muslims.

This has shaken both Lila and Isagani, and they have no idea what will happen next. Isagani has decided to lay low from the ministry until the situation cools down, but he still hopes to visit his disciples when needed.

Isagani now lives in the metro city and his family plans to visit him there every month. A few days ago, he was able to meet with his family. Open Doors has provided financial help so that he could meet with his family.

Please pray

· For God’s added provision for Isagani’s business – his income from this will be affected by these recent challenges, which will affect his ability to provide for his family

· For God’s protection for Lila and their daughter and all relatives affected

· For peace and comfort for Lila as she is very much concern for the safety of her husband

· That believers from Muslim backgrounds will continue to serve the Lord despite this situation and multiply rather than being crushed

· For peace and reconciliation between these warring families

· For salvation for those people who have caused this threat to Isagani and that they would have a miraculous encounter with Jesus Christ.

· That God will use this situation to show His eternal glory and salvation to the tribes of Mindanao and the nations of the world.

*Names changed and places withheld for security reasons.

UN: New International Day for victims of religious persecution

Good News! The United Nations has declared August 22 as the International Day [for] Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.

The General Assembly said in its draft resolution that it is “seriously concerned at continuing acts of intolerance and violence based on religion or belief against individuals” and condemned “all acts of violence against persons on the basis of their religion or belief”.

“This is wonderful news”, said Gary Stagg, Executive Director, Open Doors Canada. “Freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right – and no one should suffer violence or discrimination on the basis of religion or belief. Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world and the issues faced by the persecuted church are real and deserving attention. We urge the United Nations, the international community, and leaders of each country to use this resolution as a foundation to bring about real change and to move beyond awareness to impacting the lives of vulnerable religious individuals.”

Ewelina Ochab, a veteran researcher for UN reports and a human-rights activist who concentrates on the persecution of minorities, wrote May 28 in Forbes that with violence based on religion or belief being a growing problem, establishing such a day was “a historic step” with “great potential”.

“Until now, there has been no UN-led day focused exclusively on religiously motivated violence (or any other aspects of freedom of religion or belief)”, she wrote. “Furthermore, the day is intended to provide a springboard towards an action plan that addresses the growing issue of violence based on religion or belief”. It is not a goal in itself but a means to an end, she stressed.

“Nobody should be persecuted because of their faith. We welcome this clear statement from the United Nations that persecution on the basis of religion or belief cannot be permitted and the victims must never be forgotten. All people have the right to peacefully live out their faith,” said Kelsey Zorzi, President of the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief at the United Nations and Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom for ADF International.

The decision by the UN General Assembly follows reports that Christians are the most persecuted religious group, according to a review commissioned by the British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

 

Please pray:

That the day is used for more than just awareness. Pray that it will inspire people of influence to bring impactful change for those who face violence for their faith.

The issues faced by the persecuted church are be brought to the attention of the world.

That our brothers and sisters who cannot speak up for themselves will have many more voices standing up on their behalf as a result of this declaration.

Iranian church closed down, cross torn down

Please pray! The church in Iran continues to suffer. Advocacy organization, Article 18 recently reported that an Assyrian church in northwestern Iran has been closed down and the cross removed from its tower.

A “large number” of agents from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and EIKO, an organization presided over by the Supreme Leader, reportedly stormed the 100-year-old-church on May 9th, changed all the locks, tore down the cross and ordered the church warden to leave.

The authorities made it very clear that the Assyrian people are no longer allowed to hold any worship service there. It has been known that church members have been fearful since Christmas, when pastors from other churches were prevented from visiting for a joint service with other Assyrian and Armenian Christians.

In Iran, members of the historically Christian Assyrian and Armenian communities are a recognized religious minority, whose freedom of religion is protected by national law. However, churches that have attracted Muslim-born Iranians by holding services in the Persian language have been forced to close, or to at least stop those services and hold them only in their respective native languages.

Church members who are found to have evangelized to Muslims, such as the Assyrian pastor Victor Bet-Tamraz, have been charged with “actions against national security” and handed long prison sentences. There are many Christians imprisoned for their faith in Iran.

With the help of our advocacy partners, Article 18, we are able to deliver letters of encouragement to some of these imprisoned Christians. You can find out more here.

 

Please pray:

For Iran to respect, protect and fulfil the right to freedom of religion or belief of Christians and other religions minorities.

For those who are suffering imprisonment for their faith, for God to comfort them and their families.

Christians in India seek prayer for their nation

India’s general election results announced today declare a landslide victory for the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) led National Democratic Alliance. Prime Minister Modi returns to power for another term of five years.

Christians in India seek prayer for God’s wisdom and guidance for their nation in the days ahead. The last five years saw an intensification of persecution upon religious minorities, with freedom of religion deeply infringed for many.

Local church leaders told Open Doors’ contacts that the BJP government has already created a lot of problems for them in their work and that they had hoped the government would change so that they would have more freedom.

“Now that the ruling party comes in again, Christians might have very difficult times,” Sujal*, a church leader, said. “It will be difficult for the churches to function. There will be more violence against Christians. The BJP is a pro-Hindu party and is polarizing the minds of Indians on the ground of religion, spreading communal disharmony. It rouses religious intolerance, promoting Hinduism, crowning it as the only religion in India and belittling Christians and Muslims as intruders.”

Since the BJP came to power in May 2014, India has risen from number 28 to number 10 on Open Doors’ World Watch List, the annual list that measures the 50 places around the world where it’s most difficult to follow Jesus.

While Open Doors’ local partners recorded 147 incidents of violence against Christians in India in 2014, they have recorded 216 incidents in the first quarter of 2019 alone, including two murders. These are just the incidents that Open Doors local partners have verified; it is likely that many other incidents have gone unreported.

 

Seeking your prayers

While many Christians in India are disappointed to see the BJP return to power, one church leader told Open Doors partners, “Most mature Christians are talking about God’s will. During these times, we believe what Proverbs 16:33 says: ‘The lot is cast into the lap, but it’s every decision is from the Lord.’ And we also meditate on Proverbs 21:1, which says, ‘In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.'”

Another believer told us, “I don’t support any party and have peace believing Romans 8:28, which says ‘In all things God works for the good of those who love him.'”

A local church partner says, “We are not happy or sad. We trust the Lord is in control and He will help us through it all. Most of the Indians are happy that Modi is back. They believe he will bring about change. Some Christians are discouraged, yes, but they have also been preparing for this to happen. It is also true that neither Congress nor other parties work for the welfare of Christians. We would have faced opposition anyhow. So we instead prepare ourselves to face what God has prepared for us.”

Another church partner, Pastor Samuel*, says, “It seems that at the moment nobody can beat the BJP in the elections. We hope and pray that the international community will engage with the Indian government. It is possible that the Indian laws and even clauses in the constitution will be altered in this tenure, giving the government more tools to persecute minorities.”

In partnership with local churches, Open Doors provides emergency aid, training, Bibles, advocacy support, and legal seminars to people who have suffered persecution.

Sixty-four million Christians live in India which is less than five percent of the population. In a country with a total population of 1.3 billion, they make up a tiny minority. In rural areas, Christians are often very isolated. Christians in India face high levels of violence from extremists, with thousands of attacks taking place every year.

 

Please pray

 

For the political leadership in India, that God may soften their hearts towards religious minorities.

Please pray for protection for our brothers and sisters, especially in the states where there is an anti-conversion law, as this can bring increased persecution for them.

For an increase in unity among the various Christian denominations in the country.

*Names changed for security reasons

YOUR YEAR-END GIFT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER.

Persecution is growing, and so are the needs of persecuted believers. More Christians need Bibles, discipleship, trauma counselling, and relief aid as they face violence, displacement, and loss. 

The Canada Post strikes slowed the arrival of gifts during this critical time of year. Will you help?

Your support will empower persecuted believers through Bibles, training, relief aid, trauma counselling, and more. 

Give a Year-end gift

Your year-end gift is more important than ever.

Persecution is growing, and so are the needs of persecuted believers. More Christians need Bibles, discipleship, trauma counselling, and relief aid as they face violence, displacement, and loss. 

The Canada Post strikes slowed the arrival of gifts during this critical time of year. Will you help?

Your support will empower persecuted believers through Bibles, training, relief aid, trauma counselling, and more. 

Give a year-end gift