PERSECU ION International Christian Concern | June 2013
‘MY SON’S BLOOD WILL BE ON MY HANDS’
A Christian convert is hunted by his family P A G E 5
A PERSECUTED PASTOR IN A CLOSED MUSLIM COUNTRY APPEALS TO ICC FOR AN UNDERGROUND PRINTING PRESS
“Dear Brother Jeff, The number of Christians [in our country] is growing every day, thousands are coming to Christ… To meet the needs, Bibles and teaching materials are greatly needed... Christians have been arrested for trying to bring Bibles into the country. We need to be able to print inside the country, this is the safest way.”
Help us Bring Life into the Darkness Right now, we have an incredible opportunity: to build an underground printing press in a closed Muslim country that will open the Word of God to a million or more people, and reduce the cost and risk of smuggling Bibles inside. Each Bible is a seed of life! AN UNDERGROUND PRINTING PRESS WILL: •
Provide 1,000,000 or more Bible portions
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Lower the cost per Bible significantly
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Safeguard those smuggling Bibles from being arrested
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Bring life to millions!
H O W YO U C A N H E L P Will you join me in this amazing opportunity to bring life to the desert? Anytime ICC has the opportunity to put an underground printing press into a closed Muslim country, I get excited.... really excited. The reason? Because Satan imprisons Muslims and does everything he can to keep his prisoners in the dark. I know that once they meet Jesus, they will fall in love and find the Author of life. Will you help me open the prison doors and release the prisoners? Know that your gifts will be used prayerfully, efficiently, and effectively. I promise!
JEFF KING, President
W E A R E PA R T N E R I N G W I T H O T H E R M I N I S T R I E S A N D F O U N D AT I O N S T O P U T T H I S P R O J E C T T O G E T H E R , B U T W E N E E D T O Q U I C K LY R A I S E $ 5 0 , 0 0 0
D O N AT E T O D AY ! B Y M A I L complete the enclosed card B Y P H O N E call 800-422-5441 8:30-5:00 p.m. EST O N L I N E visit www.persecution.org and designate your gift to “Bibles to the Persecuted.�
IN THIS ISSUE
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‘My Son’s Blood Will Be on My Hands’ A Christian convert is hunted by his family.
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For One of the Least of These ICC rescues and rehabilitates trafficked children in Bangladesh.
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From the Ashes, Faith will Rise The unshakeable faith of pastors called to lead the persecuted in Indonesia is examined.
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Your Dollars at Work Read how your donations provided for an entire community in Pakistan!
MIDDLE EAST
‘MY SON’S BLOOD WILL BE ON MY HANDS’
“Run!” Omar shouted to his friends as four bearded men with clubs approached them after ramming into their vehicle. Omar and Hamza escaped, but Rayyan and Abdul were pinned, unable to open the doors on the passenger side of the car which were wedged against the wall of a building. Omar watched helplessly from a distance while the four thugs beat his friends. “Let this be a lesson to you,” Rayyan and Abdul heard while trying to shield themselves from the blows. “Do you think you can leave Islam and get away with it?” It would be months before Rayyan and Abdul would recover from their injuries. Omar, from a prominent tribal group in the Middle East, has been hunted by his father, Muhammad, ever since his conversion to Christianity in 2009. In the spring of 2010, Omar led several of his friends to Christ and began meeting in secret to worship and read the Bible. The fellowship grew rapidly and an ‘underground’ Christian movement spread in the area. In June 2010, Ibrahim—who came to Christ during one of Omar’s worship gatherings—decided to tell his family about his newfound faith. Ibrahim’s uncle said he was interested in learning more about his conversion and invited him for tea. The next morning, Ibrahim was found dead in a field near his house. His throat was slit and a cup of tea was still in his hand. Police reported his death as suicide though there was no knife at the scene. Omar went into hiding soon after.
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PERSECUTION HEIGHTENS As the underground house fellowship grew, persecution increased. Alya, a teacher by profession whose husband had divorced her because she could not bear children, had also come to faith through Omar’s ministry. Alya’s brother learned about her conversion after finding her cell phone and the names of the Christians she worshipped with. Locking Alya in her room, he warned her that she had three days to recant Christianity and return to Islam. Alya refused. Three days later, Alya was killed. Fear swept through the underground church movement following Alya’s murder. Members of the fellowship, which had reached 85 by late 2011, scattered. Omar, Abdul, Hamza, and Rayyan were all that remained. After being attacked in their vehicle, Omar and Hamza did their best to nurse Abdul and Rayyan back to health and found assistance from foreign organizations to pay for LET THIS BE A LESSON TO YOU. medical bills. Still, Rayyan’s health DO YOU THINK YOU CAN LEAVE ISLAM AND GET AWAY continued to deteriorate and docWITH IT? tors said his leg needed to be amputated. Instead, Rayyan was flown to -ATTACKERS TO RAYYAN Europe for better treatment and three AND ABDUL, AFTER THEIR months later he finally recovered. CONVERSION WAS DISCOVERED A night after Rayyan’s return home, a man approached him on the street. “Do you know Omar?” the man asked. “No,” Rayyan lied. The man was not convinced and shot him. The bullet went through Rayyan’s abdomen, sending him back to the hospital. Rayyan is still recovering today. Threats against Omar also continued. “If anyone kills my son, his blood will be on my hands,” Omar’s father Muhammad told people, according to reports Omar received from friends. “Omar has shamed our family and deserves to die.”
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MIDDLE EAST
Devout Muslim men praying in a mosque.
IF ANYONE KILLS MY SON, HIS BLOOD WILL BE ON MY HANDS. OMAR HAS SHAMED OUR FAMILY AND DESERVES TO DIE.
Police also refused to protect Omar because of Muhammad’s tribal influence. “‘Why don’t you return to your father?’ police asked me. They meant that I should return to Islam so that all this would be over,” Omar told ICC.
-MUHAMMAD, OMAR’S FATHER, TOLD THEIR COMMUNITY
In October 2012, the four men who rammed into Omar’s vehicle and beat his friends were taken to court. Though the prosecutor insisted that Rayyan and Abdul’s injuries were the result of a car accident, substantial evidence, including an insurance claim, a doctor’s statement, and contradicting police reports, revealed that a car accident, which did minor damage to the vehicle, could not possibly have caused the injuries. The bearded men finally confessed to the crime in court. “These men converted to Christianity. They deserved it,” they told the judge. “Is it true?” the judge asked Omar. “What difference does it make?” Omar responded. “This trial is about an attack, not my religious convictions.” The judge smiled and agreed. The four men were sentenced to prison. 7
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WILLING TO DIE Omar and his friends continue to live in hiding today. In December, three armed men—commissioned by Omar’s father— found their ‘safe house’ and were looking to kill Omar. Fortunately, Omar was not home, but the threat was enough to convince Omar that it was too dangerous for his friends if he continued living with them. Omar now resides in cheap hotels, changing locations every several days and trusting that the Lord will protect and provide for him. “I have no desire to leave the country. My ministry is here, to my people,” Omar told ICC. “They may as well kill me, because I will never deny Christ. I will continue the work God has called me to by sharing my faith with my Muslim friends. For this I am willing to die.”
ICC has helped Omar and his friends with rent and food while in hiding and continues to monitor Omar’s situation. Omar and ICC are working together to determine how to support and revive the underground Christian movement in this persecuted land. Please pray for Omar and his friends who continue to lay down their lives to follow Christ.
Note: The names of Omar and his friends have been changed for their protection. No one in this article is pictured.
A FATHER’S LOVE Muhammad attempted to kill his own son, Omar, because he had abandoned Islam. This is known as apostasy. The Quran indirectly teaches that apostates should be killed, while the Hadiths explicitly teach Muslims to kill apostates. One example: “By Allah, Muhammad never killed anyone except… a man who deserted Islam and became an apostate” (Bukhari 83:37).
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ASIA
FOR ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE ICC rescues and rehabilitates trafficked children in Bangladesh BY COREY BAIL E Y As you may remember, in January we reported about the discovery of children in Bangladesh who were trafficked from their homes and sold to Islamic training centers (madrassas) for jihad training. At the time ICC was caring for the first 13 children rescued from this plight. Since that report, another 113 children have been rescued and are now safely in the care of ICC and our partners. “Sister, there was a rescue,” ICC’s partner Maria told me. “We have found more Christian children rescued from the madrassas. It’s even been on the news all day. Can you help?” ABOVE: A photo Regional Manager Corey Bailey received from Maria of rescued children
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I take a deep breath, and quickly do the math in my head. Five more. That brings the total to 126. Thank you, Jesus. I replied quickly to Maria and told her to bring them to safety; we would care for the children. THE INJUSTICE OF CHILD PERSECUTION ICC partners uncovered a disturbing trend of child trafficking and persecution last spring; Christian children from poor communities continue to be targeted and are disappearing into madrassas. To date, a little more than one-third of reportedly missing children have been found and are being cared for by ICC. As reports and pictures flood in from our partners, tears pour from my eyes. They are tears of joy for their rescue, and sorrow for their horrific experience. The faces of the recently rescued children remind me of the ones I saw with the original 13 last year: piercing eyes, simultaneously empty and filled with sadness, staring at me from the computer screen. I close my eyes and try to remember that, like those rescued last year, their sadness will not last forever. Christ is the hope. THE NEWEST TARGET: GIRLS Ranging in age from 4 to 16, many of these children report working “as slaves” during the day in the homes of Muslim families, while being forced to read the Quran, pray five times a day, and learn Arabic in the evenings. “They were only given one meal a day,” said an ICC contact. “They were very hungry. This is not enough food. All the girls were also forced to wear Muslim style veils all day.” As we continue to work on this case, there seems to be a trend of younger girls being targeted. As opposed to the first round of rescues, the majority of which were boys, nearly half of those rescued this time were girls. Multiple girls reported that their families were told that not only would the girls receive a quality education in the big city, but that they would receive training to be beauticians—guaranteeing each girl a career and a future. It was an empty promise that would prove to be too good to be true.
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ASIA
BY THE NUMBERS 126 CHILDREN HAVE BEEN RESCUED AND ARE BEING CARED FOR BY ICC
130 CHILDREN ARE STILL MISSING— PLEASE KEEP THEM IN YOUR PRAYERS
“The girls were promised to work in a beautician’s parlor,” an ICC partner said. “But when they arrived to the city, so far from their homes, this did not happen. Instead, they were sent to local hotels to work in the sex trade.” HOW THEY WERE RESCUED The rescue of these children was made possible by one man, Sumon. A bus ticket seller, Sumon noticed a man named Norbert Tripura frequently travelled to Dhaka with groups of children. When asked what he was doing, Norbert replied that he was taking the children to a Christian missionary school “where they can eat and live in comfort with a good education.” A Christian himself, Sumon wanted his daughter to have the opportunity for a quality Christian education. Sumon asked Norbert to take her to the Christian missionary school, and became suspicious when he was refused. “Doubt was created in my mind when Norbert continued to avoid me,” he told ICC. Sumon began to investigate the matter and soon discovered that countless families had sent their children with men, including Norbert, who were later discovered to be traffickers. With the help of an ICC ministry partner, he arranged for the rescue of the first 13 children in July 2012. Sumon and his team immediately began searching for the rest of the missing children,
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ICC recently delivered care packages to the rescued children. The kids were asked to raise their hands if they enjoyed their lollipops. As you can see, they did!
who were rescued by Sumon’s team and through police raids on madrassas in the city. All of the children share stories of similar experiences, including being forcibly converted to Islam. Sumon and our partner estimate that there are still over 130 children missing. “We think they [were] also sold to madrassas and we are searching for them,” he said. “It is my dream that all the children will be rescued and receive a higher education so that they can stand on their own two feet.” As of now, the rescued children are in a secure location and beginning to feel safe. When our representative visited them, he brought gifts on behalf of ICC donors and shared the love of Jesus with the children. “The children did a welcoming dance for us and said thank you many times,” he said. “They honored us with their song, and I was moved by their experience of persecution. I will do anything for these children,” he said. Though their eyes are sad right now, a hint of hope is visible. As each day passes they believe more and more that they are safe, enabling them to sleep, study and play. A day will come when they will smile again, just like the first 13 children who were rescued last year do now. “Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning” Psalm 30:5 (NIV) P R E S I D E N T ’ S N O T E : The need has overrun our capacity and we urgently need help to care for the rescued children. Please make a special gift to our “Kids Care” fund today! You can help today! 800-ICC-5441
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SOUTHEAST ASIA
From the Ashes FA I T H W I L L R I S E The unshakeable faith of pastors called to lead the persecuted in Indonesia It’s hot, and it’s hard to distinguish the sweat from the tears on the faces of the Christians in the crowd. Suddenly a woman screams as the metallic arm of a backhoe tears through the brick wall of her church. The air is filled with cries of despair mixed with the strange staccato rhythm of applause as dozens of local radical Muslims pump their fists in the air while chanting “Allahu Akbar!” (God is Great!) The Christian woman slumps, fainting as a large section of the church wall collapses to the ground. Just a few weeks ago she and her fellow church members worshiped there peacefully, never suspecting the church was about to be targeted for demolition. Pastor John (name changed for security) watched in dismay, helpless to stop the demolition of this beloved place of worship. Heavy-hearted, he observed the crowd and saw the delighted faces of Muslim men, women and children who were yelling and clapping as the church walls were smashed to rubble. “I almost couldn’t believe my eyes. There were teenagers and even small children cheering with joy,” he said in an interview with ICC. Sadly, Pastor John, who was visiting from another part of the city,
The remains of a demolished church near Jakarta, Indonesia.
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Congregants cry out in despair as they watch their church (left) being demolished.
says this church demolition in Jakarta on March 21 was just one event in the now all-too-common saga of churches being forcibly shut down across Indonesia. In 2012, ICC estimates that at least 50 churches were forcibly closed by local governments around the country eager to comply with the demands of radicalized Islamic groups. Unfortunately, 2013 is proving to be just as bad, if not worse. PASTOR JOHN’S STORY If not for the saving grace of Jesus, there was a day when Pastor John might have been one of the cheering Muslims in the crowd. Born a Muslim and the son of poor tenant farmers, Pastor John spent his early years helping his family stave off hunger. As a teenager, a family member came home with a Bible and started talking to him about their new faith. At first he didn’t pay much attention, “I told them I had my religion and that they could have theirs, but I was getting tired of hearing about it so I told them to keep silent.” It wasn’t until this family member asked him point blank, “Do you think you’ll enter heaven if you were to die today?” that Pastor John began to consider Christianity. He recalled that, at the mosque, they often prayed for Muhammad to enter into heaven, and it occurred to him that if even Muhammad needed prayer to get into heaven, what chance did he have?
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SOUTHEAST ASIA
Congregants had no idea their church was targeted for distruction.
LISTEN, YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS INTERRUPTING MY SERVICE. LEAVE NOW, AND I WILL COME SPEAK TO YOU WHEN I AM FINISHED IN A FEW MINUTES. -PASTOR JOHN, TO A MUSLIM MOB BOMBARDING A CHURCH SERVICE
After that, he started sneaking away to read bits and pieces of the Bible without his parents finding out. Soon enough he found himself sitting in the back pew of church, his heart pounding with a feeling he couldn’t understand, and his eyes filling with tears as the pastor read John 14:6 (NIV) “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” CALLED TO LEAD THE PERSECUTED Pastor John gave his life to Jesus that day. Little did he know that he would not only become a pastor, but that God would lead him to plant a church in one of the most radical Islamic areas of Indonesia. After graduating Bible school, with little more to go on than faith and a gritty determination that he would follow after God no matter what, Pastor John began to minister to the people of Bekasi, Indonesia. A few months later, that determination was dramatically tested. As Pastor John was delivering his Sunday morning message, 15 men clothed in traditional Islamic garb stormed up the steps of his church, shouting and yelling at the church members. They demanded Pastor John 15
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Pastor of the demolished church on March 21, being held back by members of his conregation.
halt services immediately and vacate the premises. A small man, John strode forward to meet the raging group. Speaking with a courage he says could have only come from the Lord, John forcefully told them, “Listen, you have no business interrupting my service. Leave now, and I will come speak to you outside when I am finished in a few minutes.” Amazingly, the men quieted, turned around, and walked back out the door. This was not the end of their attacks. The church now meets in different locations almost every Sunday, trying to avoid detection and the harassment that comes along with it. Other churches in recent years have not been so fortunate, sometimes facing angry mobs of hundreds or even thousands as they try to gather for services. Yet John still reflects on that first encounter, and how God was with him when he quieted the mob. FROM THIS RUBBLE As Pastor John watched the destruction of a Christian church on March 21, he resisted the temptation to lose faith. He grabbed the hand of the church’s pastor, climbed on top of the rubble and led the congregants in a prophetic prayer: “Lord, we believe that even from this rubble you will raise up a new church, stronger than ever before.” For Pastor John, a man who overcame one obstacle after another to serve the Lord, it is and always will be faith, not persecution, that wins in the end.
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YDAW
YOUR DOLLARS AT WORK DELIVERING AID TO PAKISTANI VICTIMS Community Rebuild
Over 100 local Christians volunteered to distribute aid to victims (in blue shirts).
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When a mob of fundamentalist Muslims burned 200 Christian homes to the ground in Lahore, Pakistan, ICC donors wasted no time reaching out to our brothers and sisters in need. Over $60,000 was raised in just four short days, and a few weeks later, aid was distributed to 250 families. ICC understood that the undertaking of a mass distribution program in the colony would be more efficient and also render a more positive outcome by working with local churches and Christian organizations in the area. Not only would churches be able to follow-up and minister to families once supplies were distributed, but partnering with local Christian leaders would also give the community ownership of the project. For that reason, ICC engaged more than a dozen local churches, colleges, and organizations to participate in the project. “There is usually a lot of competition between organizations in Pakistan, but this was the first time that any organization had clearly named the budget amount for the project and engaged the local community,” said a local Christian leader. On March 30, the 250 Christian families received the following supplies: a heavy blanket, towels, an iron, a gas stove, a fan, dresses for women and school uniforms for children, socks and undergarments, backpacks and school supplies, cooking utinsels, kitchen supplies, water storage container, soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, and a food package. The victims were overjoyed by the support that was provided. “No organization had provided the victims with such durable relief items of very good quality,” said a member of the distribution team. “They were so happy because the relief items had been selected with their consultation and exactly met their needs.”
Victims say “Thank You” to ICC donors.
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YDAW
STARTING OVER: FAMILY OF DEATH ROW VICTIM Suffering Wives and Children The wife of a Christian wrongfully sentenced to death, Ameena needed assistance like no other. After moving their family out of an extremely unsafe neighborhood, we recently furnished her new heated home, put the kids into quality Christian schools, and provided a self-sustaining business for Ameena to provide for the kids.
BACK TO SCHOOL! ORPHANAGE RECEIVES AID Kids Care After much private tutoring to play catch-up, all 14 children of ICC’s India orphanage will be heading to school for the first time this spring! Two of the children qualified for entrance to a prestigous private Christian institution. Your donations covered the cost of tuition for all 14 children, including uniforms and school supplies.
FANS TO CHILDREN IN BANGLADESH Kids Care As the summer weather arrives early in Bangladesh, ICC sent much-needed fans to persecuted children residing in our safe home who were rescued from Islamic traffickers. Although a small purchase, it is another reminder to the children that they are not alone, and that God cares for and provides all of our needs, both big and small. 19
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SMALL BUSINESSES, BIG ASSURANCE Suffering Wives and Children ICC provided funds to start 14 small businesses (such as small shops and livestock businesses) for persecuted families in India. These families were affected by the 2008 violence and had not been helped until now. Many of them were visted by ICC’s Regional Manager on location. He was able to record their stories and pray with them.
SEWING SHOPS TO INDIAN CHRISTIANS Community Rebuild ICC provided funds to initiate five sewing shops for women in India. This provides persecuted families with an additional resource during the off-season of fishing, the husbands’ trade. After assessing the families in need, it was determined that these five needed the most help, as two women were pregnant.
GOOD LIFE CLUB UPDATE Community Rebuild ICC funded seven Good Life Club (GLC) missions, in which trained professionals hike into the foothills of Burma to aid about 1,000 Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) per camp. These missions offer minor medical aid, dental work, survival training and basic sanitation. GLC also provides discipleship, like Vacation Bible School.
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DON’T FORGET US THIS SUMMER!
In the summer, ICC often faces a severe drop in funding. Can you please make a special gift this month?
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GIVING TO ICC VIA YOUR WILL Provide now for a future gift to ICC by including a bequest provision in your will or revocable trust. If you would like more information on giving to ICC in this way, please give us a call at 1-800-ICC-5441.
ICC makes every effort to honor donor wishes in regards to their gifts. Occasionally, a situation will arise where a project is no longer viable. In that case, ICC will redirect those donated project funds to one of our other funds that is most similar to the donor’s original wishes.
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ICC IS BUILDING A PRINTING PRESS IN A CLOSED MUSLIM COUNTRY