Persecution Blog

Coptic Blogger in Egypt Threatens Hunger Strike

Stacy L. Harp — 2009-11-10T10:15:35-08:00

Authorities deny Christian’s application for release.

ISTANBUL, November 9 (CDN) — A Coptic Christian blogger in Egypt held in prison for more than a year without charge said today he will go on a hunger strike unless authorities grant his next application for release.

Hani Nazeer, a 28-year-old high school social worker from Qena, Egypt and author of the blog “Karz El Hob,” received word today that his latest application for release, sent to the Ministry of the Interior a week ago, was denied. His attorneys said they would re-apply for his release tomorrow.

The interior ministry did not “supply the grounds for refusal” according to Rawda Ahamad, Nazeer’s lead defense attorney.

“He has no charges against him,” Ahamad said. “He is not a criminal. He must be released immediately. He’s an innocent man – anyone exposed to this severe injustice would do the same.”

Click here for the full story at Compass Direct, and join me in praying for the release of this precious saint.

Prayer Over Persecution of Christians

Stacy L. Harp — 2009-11-10T10:07:16-08:00

As most of you know, this past Sunday we had the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, and as a result, a few people have written about it. The article I want to share with you today mentions the IDOP but also gives some examples of Christian persecution that are taking place in Canada, in ways that you might not normally consider to be Christian persecution. Click here to read the full article.

Though not often reported in the media, persecution is a daily fact of life for many Christians around the world. Italian journalist, Antonio Socci, in his book, The New Persecuted: Inquiries into Anti-Christian Intolerance in the New Century of Martyrs, estimates that more Christians (about 45 million) were killed in the 20th century than in all previous centuries combined. The estimates are taken from sources such as Oxford’s World Christian Encyclopedia. Many of those murdered died in places like the former Soviet Union, and Nazi Germany. But the slaughter of some 1.5 million Armenian Christians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 must never be forgotten as well.

Persecution does not always involve martyrdom. Christians in different parts of the world are denied justice, discriminated against in their work, are in danger of losing their lives because they have converted, are captured and sold as slaves, and are forbidden to preach the truths of the Bible on penalty of fines or imprisonment. Indeed discrimination and maltreatment have a thousand and one different faces for those believers who find themselves out of favour with certain governments, and local citizens as well.

Judge Favors Prayer Ban

Stacy L. Harp — 2009-11-10T09:59:12-08:00

One of the areas of faith that is coming under attack more and more here in America is the simple act of praying in the name of Jesus. In recent months there have been numerous stories about city councils in various parts of the country that have been under attack from atheistic foundations and individuals suing the councils for praying in the name of Jesus. Today I wanted to share with you the latest story in which a judge is saying that sectarian prayers should be banned.

A magistrate is recommending that Forsyth County be barred from allowing sectarian prayers at meetings of the board of commissioners.

Magistrate Judge P. Trevor Sharp made the recommendation yesterday to U.S. District Court, which will rule on an issue that surfaced more than two years ago after several people filed a lawsuit against the county. If the court upholds Sharp's recommendation, it would issue an injunction to prevent sectarian prayer.

Sharp rejected the county's argument that its policy of allowing clergy to give any kind of prayer on a first-come, first-served basis is fair.

Sharp found that the "overwhelming frequency" of references to "Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ or Savior" in the prayers at commissioners' meetings indicates that the board demonstrates a "preference for Christianity over other religions by the government."

Click here to read the full story.

Click here to read the PDF of the actual judgement.

Seizure of 15,000 Bibles in Malaysia Stuns Christians

Stacy L. Harp — 2009-11-09T11:58:47-08:00

A few days ago I shared with you about this from CNN, and today Compass Direct is sharing about it on their website. Here is part of the Compass Direct take on the situation.

Imports confiscated for using “Allah,” a forbidden word for non-Muslims.

FRESNO, Calif., November 7 (CDN) — Malaysian port and customs authorities have seized at least 15,000 Bibles in recent months because the word “Allah” for God appears in them.

Some 10,000 of the Bahasa Malaysia-language Bibles, which were printed in Indonesia, are in Kuching, capital of Sarawak in East Malaysia, and another 5,000 copies are in Kelang near Kuala Lumpur.

The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) on Wednesday (Nov. 4) called for the immediate release of the confiscated Bibles. At the same time, CFM Executive Secretary Tan Kong Beng told Compass that the federation is striving for amicable relations with government authorities.

“We are open to and desire further discussion with officials so that this problem can be resolved,” the CFM official said.

Iran: Church Closed

Stacy L. Harp — 2009-11-09T11:50:54-08:00

Central Assemblies of God Church has been forced to close down its regular Friday afternoon services and can only hold two services on Sundays, Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN) reported.

The Assemblies of God authorities announced at the conclusion of their Oct. 30 service that Friday worship services would no longer take place and only Sunday services, in two separate shifts, would be conducted. The church, which is the largest public and formal gathering of Iranian Christians in Iran, was forced to close by the Iranian Ministry of Information.

The church has faced extreme pressure from government authorities. “Reverand Soorik … has been under ongoing pressure from the officials of the Ministry of Information to close down the church on Fridays, the official weekly holiday in Iran, and lately was warned that the Pasdaran Militia (The Revolutionary Guards) had been demanding the closure of the church,” FCNN reported.

The Rev. Soorik decided to voluntarily close the church instead of waiting for security officials to close it. Central Assemblies of God Church is the latest church to be forced to close services in Iran. According to FCNN, the Assyrian Pentecostal Church of Shahrara was shut down in 2008. It had offered services on Fridays and Sundays in the Farsi language to Farsi speaking Iranians for more than eight years.

Even though the government has not given reasons for shutting down the services, believers in Iran think the recent wave of media and Web-based attacks on Christian media, satellite channels, and evangelistic activities demonstrate the Iranian government’s intent to prevent Christians from worshiping.

The Voice of the Martyrs stands with and supports persecuted believers in Iran. VOM encourages you to pray for believers who face challenges daily as they live for Christ with courage and faith.

Escape for Thy Life

Stacy L. Harp — 2009-11-09T11:46:56-08:00

It wasn’t too late to flee the country; thousands were still able to buy their way out. The pastor and his wife struggled with the decision to go or stay. “If we go to prison, it could be for years. What about our son?”

But they did not want to leave their church. The members looked to them for strength and support, and the couple felt guilty for being tempted to leave. A friend reminded them of the angel’s words to Lot, “Escape for thy life; look not behind thee.”

The pastor wondered, “Was that a message from God? Should we escape for our lives?”
His wife read another verse. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:35).

So the debate continued until one night at a secret house-church meeting, where fifty believers had gathered for an all-night vigil. Around midnight, a woman kneeling with the rest cried out, “And you, the one who is thinking of leaving—remember that the Good Shepherd did not desert his flock. He stayed to the end.”

This dear woman knew nothing about the struggle of the pastor and his wife, but to them the message was clear. They stayed and chose to serve their flock, and later suffered with them in prison.

Like the Wurmbrands, we must pray about our decisions, search the Bible, and listen to others’ counsel. And, like the Wurmbrands, we must be committed to obeying God’s answer before we receive it. That is the key. It is as if we begin our prayers with a firm “Yes” before we even ask what we should do. We must be willing to let go of our own lives and lose all sense of ownership. Only then can we find our true life and accept God’s full will for our lives. Do you often keep such a tight grip on your life that if God wanted to change your mind about a certain decision, you wouldn’t allow him to do it anyway?

I Beg You to Take Revenge

Stacy L. Harp — 2009-11-05T15:10:20-08:00

“I beg you to take revenge . . . ”

The readers of the letter from Spanish martyr, Bartolome Marquez, were shocked to see a call for revenge in his final letter. Then they saw that his call was not for human bloodshed to avenge him, but for more people to come under the blood of Jesus.

“I beg you to take Christian revenge by trying to do good to those who do me evil,” Marquez challenged other believers. “I hope to see you where I will be soon, in heaven.”

The Spanish Communists killed Marquez, along with many other pastors, in 1939. His final letter was an epistle of joy to his wife and Christian brothers and sisters.

“In a few hours, I will know the inexpressible joys of the blessed. How easy is the death of those persecuted for Christ’s sake! God gives me an undeserved privilege: to die enjoying his grace.

“As long as my heart still beats,” he wrote to his bride, “it will beat with love for you. When I was sentenced for defending the high ideals of religion, fatherland, and family, the doors of heaven were opened for me. In remembrance of our love, even more intense now, please consider the salvation of your soul as your supreme duty. Thus we will be united for eternity in heaven. There, nobody will separate us.”

Those who suffer for Christ must have the ability to see the bigger picture. The Bible is filled with stories that teach us about individual lives. Those lives, however, fit into a greater scheme—the battle between God and evil. The bigger picture enables us to see how Satan is behind oppression and suffering; therefore, we need not take revenge upon our oppressors. They are merely pawns in Satan’s plan. Christian martyrs like Marquez remind us that there is no greater revenge for Satan’s attacks on Christians than when the attackers are led to Christ. Pray for leaders of oppressive governments and regimes. Support those missionaries and others who are in a position to share the gospel with them.

Indonesian Students View Persecution as Training

Stacy L. Harp — 2009-11-04T14:22:38-08:00

OneNewsNow has a great article today that highlights VOM's Todd Nettleton. Click here to read the full article.

According to Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), students at the school in Jakarta began facing persecution when it was violently attacked by radical Muslims in July 2008. Neighbors complained, asking government authorities to evict the students due to supposed safety concerns. Now students at the Arastamar Bible School face eviction from a west Jakarta mayor's office building, where they were living temporarily.

Todd Nettleton of VOM says persecution is commonplace in Muslim nations.

"It's interesting to also note the response of the students," notes Nettleton. "These are theology students. They're future pastors and mission workers in Indonesia, and they see this very much as a part of their training. As they look ahead to their ministry life, they know that they'll face persecution. They know that they'll face hardships, and so they simply say, 'Hey, this is great preparation because when we go out and begin to minister, we're going to face situations like this all the time.'"

4 Days Until the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

Stacy L. Harp — 2009-11-04T14:17:07-08:00

In honor of the upcoming International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church that is taking place this Sunday, November 8th, in churches all over the world I wanted to remind you of our great resource page, that has information for this year (it is still not too late) and then I also wanted to encourage you with another article on prayer.

Not Ashamed to Pray

print article download (PDF)

By Cheryl Odden

Perhaps one of the biggest stumbling blocks in our prayer life and our relationship with Christ is disappointment. We are disappointed in our spiritual life, job, country, church, and perhaps even our family.

If we get to the heart of the issue, our disappointment is directed not at these areas of our lives but at God. We may ask: How could he allow this (circumstance) to happen? Why isn’t he helping me overcome these sin issues in my life? Why isn’t he rewarding me for my hard work? Why isn’t he bringing about revival in our nation? Why isn’t he working in our children’s hearts?

The apostle Paul had every "right" to be disappointed in God. Paul was given a dramatic salvation experience and was launched into ministry. People were coming to Christ; religious and government officials were being convicted. It couldn’t get any better than that, could it? It did. Paul was thrown in jail. There he wrote several letters, which today are cornerstones of the Christian faith.

Yet Paul saw his chains not as a disappointment or a setback, but as an opportunity. He wrote to Timothy, advising him not to be ashamed of him, and used Onesiphorus as an example of one who was "not ashamed" of his chains." He invited Timothy to share in his sufferings through God’s power. Then earlier in his letter to the Philippians, he tells them that his imprisonment has furthered the gospel not frustrated it (1:12-14). And more so, his bonds have emboldened believers to preach without fear.

As we pray for the persecuted church, let us first evaluate our relationship with Christ. Spend some time alone with God, asking him to reveal any areas of your life where you are disappointed in him. If we allow ourselves to be honest, have we accused him of being indifferent toward our trials? Are we viewing our current sufferings as an obstacle for the gospel or an opportunity? Agree with him that your disappointment ultimately is sin. Thank him that he uses all things for his good purposes, and then stand on what’s true about him: Jesus is the chief cornerstone (Matthew 21:42); the earth is his and all it contains (Psalm 24:1); and he is the "ruler over the kings of the earth" (Revelation 1:5).

Then start praying for your persecuted family who is inviting you to fellowship in their sufferings according to God’s power.

Court Impedes Effort to Rescue Kidnapped Girl in Bangladesh

Stacy L. Harp — 2009-11-03T12:26:58-08:00

This story is so troubling on so many levels. Please take a moment to pray for this dear girl and those involved in trying to locate her.

Muslim men abduct Christian eighth-grader, force her to convert and marry.

DHAKA, Bangladesh, November 3 (CDN) — A bail order in Bangladesh has impeded police from rescuing a young Christian girl who was abducted and forced to convert to Islam and marry one of her kidnappers, according to police.

Four Muslim men abducted eighth-grade student Silvia Merry Sarker on July 30 as she made her way home from school in west Sujankathi village, under Agoiljhara police jurisdiction, in Barisal district in southern Bangladesh, according to her father, Julian Sarker.

Sarker filed a case under the Women and Children Repression Act against Al-Amin Faria, 24, Shamim Faria, 22, Sahadat Faria, 20, and Sattar Faria, 50.

“My daughter was abducted by Faria with the help of his cousins and other relatives,” said Sarker.

Sarker filed a First Information Report (FIR) charging that the men abducted his daughter initially to “indulge Al-Amin Faria’s evil desire.” Later she was forced to convert to Islam and marry Al-Amin Faria, which Sarker said was part of an attempt to take over his land and property.

Local police inspector Ashok Kumar Nandi told Compass that police were continuing efforts to arrest the kidnappers but had yet to find them, as the unusually early bail order had blocked their efforts.