A blog for plight of persecuted Christians

PAKISTAN PAKISTAN: Armed Muslims Attack Christians in Pakistan – VOM Sources/ Compass Direct News
On June 17, 40 Muslim men armed with guns, axes and wooden sticks attacked several believers while they were preparing for an evangelistic meeting at a Salvation Army church in the village of Bismillahlpur Kanthan, near Faisalabad. Seven Christians were injured and the church was desecrated. Local Christians said the attack was sparked by their refusal to cancel the meeting. The night before the attack armed Muslims stormed the house of Sawar Masih, one of the meeting’s organizers, and assaulted his two young children and demanded he cancel the event. Christians injured in the June 17 attack were forced to leave the hospital early because the doctors under-reported their wounds due to pressure from the Islamic extremists. Police initially refused to file a complaint against the attackers and did not so only after lobbying efforts of Christians. Several Christians have fled the area in fear of further attacks. Pray for those hurt in the attacks. Ask God to encourage Christians in Pakistan to remain strong in their faith despite persecution. Romans 8:11, Psalm 107:20

INDIA INDIA: Christians Beaten by Hindu Extremists – VOM Sources
On June 24, a Carmelite priest and four other Christian men were attacked by a group of Hindu militants in Kundapurna, Karnataka state. While the men were in the waiting room of a hospital with a neighbor, Islamic extremists started insulting then and accused them of forcibly converting Hindus. The attackers threw the priest down a flight of stairs and beat him. When the other men came to his aid, they were also beaten. The Christians were then taken to the police station where the militants filed a complaint of forcible conversion against them. All five Christians have been hospitalized for their injuries. Pray for healing for the injured believers. Ask God to encourage and protect Christians in India who face increased persecution. Psalm 103:1-5; Isaiah 53:4-5; 1 Peter 2:24

BAGHDAD CHRISTIANS TERRORIZED, FLEEING (Friday Church News Notes,
July 6, 2007, www.wayoflife.org [email protected], 866-295-4143) -
The following is excerpted from a report in the Jewish World Review, June 14, 2007, entitled "Is Islam Incompatible with Democracy, Decency?"
The report uses the term "Christian" to describe any type of Christian, and the groups that predominate in that part of the world are Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox: "An al-Qaida-affiliated insurgent group is giving Christians in Baghdad a stark set of options: Convert to Islam, marry your daughters to our fighters, pay an Islamic tax or leave with only the clothes on your back. A U.S. military official said American force became aware of the threats only last month and now have erected barriers around the largest Christian enclave in Baghdad's Dora neighborhood in an effort to protect its residents. Christians in Baghdad refuse to discuss the threats for fear of retribution. But in Syria, where thousands of Iraqi Christians have fled, tales abound of families that were killed or driven from their homes because they either refused or couldn't afford to pay the jizya, a tax usually levied on non-Muslim men of military age ... Iraq long had been home to thriving Christian communities, primarily Assyrians and Chaldean Catholics, who trace their roots to ancient Mesopotamia. Some of Saddam Hussein's closest confidants were Christian, including his foreign minister, Tarik Aziz. Christian communities were prominent in many major Iraqi cities, including Mosul in the north and Basra in the south. Baghdad had major Christian enclaves in the central neighborhood of Karada, the eastern mostly Shiite neighborhood of New Baghdad and nearby al-Ghadir and the notorious Sunni-dominated Doura in the capital's south. As Iraq has descended into chaos, however, many Christians have fled, joining an estimated 2.2 million exiles, including 1.4 million Iraqis now estimated to be living in Syria. ... A Christian Iraqi legislator estimated Tuesday that a half-million Christians have fled Iraq since 2004

For God So Loved ... A Hezbollah Terrorist 1/2/2007

At 12 he was pronounced a man and, in addition to memorizing the Koran, Afshin learned to make bombs. Arrested at 17 while trying to enter Malaysia with 30 forged passports, this hate-filled young man received a surprise visitor in prison and gave up a frightening past for an eternal future. Join Charles Morris for a story of pure grace with an Iranian pastor on a special HAVEN Today called "For God so loved ... a Hezbollah Terrorist."
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COLOMBIA Evangelical Pastor Killed - Associated Press
Pastor Diego Armando Bejarano, 27, was killed recently in the region west of Bogotá. Witnesses say hooded men took Bejarano by force and stabbed him. The motives for the killing are unknown; however, it is common knowledge guerrillas groups view Protestant pastors who encroach on territory under their control as military objectives. In the last 10 years, guerrillas have assassinated 133 pastors, Protestant missionaries and Catholic priests, according to the Evangelical Council of Colombia. Ask God to encourage and minister to the pastor's family and church as they mourn. Pray his testimony draws his attackers and nonbelievers into the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Matthew 5:4

INDIA Five Nuns Beaten; Militants Attack Church Service - VOM Sources

• MADHYA PRADESH - On October 25, five nuns were beaten by 20 Hindu militants in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The militants surrounded the house of a local believer, where the nuns were attending a prayer meeting, and accused the nuns of forcibly converting local Hindus to Christianity. When the meeting was over, the militants attacked and beat them until the police arrived and took the nuns to safety. All five nuns were injured, and one is in serious condition due to head injuries she sustained in the attack. Pray God encourages them as they heal from their injuries. Psalm 107:20
• MAHARASHTRA - On October 23, Pastor Victor Periera and a group of local villagers were beaten by Hindu militants. The militants were angered because the pastor had organized prayer meetings attended by Hindu tribes in the Thane district of Maharashtra state. Pastor Periera was conducting a prayer service at a local church when the attackers stormed the building. The attackers shouted curses at Christianity and beat the pastor and several believers. The pastor's rib was broken in the attack. Pray for Pastor Periera's healing. Ask God to give believers in India boldness to share Christ with nonbelievers, despite persecution. Psalm 91:16