ICC's Persecution Newsletter: April 2014

PERSECU ION International Christian Concern | April 2014

MOROCCO

THE CHURCH UNDER PRESSURE

Moroccan Christians remember a time when they could practice their faith freely. But the military raids and secret police persecuting believers has only strengthened their faith.

Read more on page 4

IN THIS ISSUE:

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MOROCCO: THE CHURCH UNDER PRESSURE

14 A BROTHER IMPRISONED

HOPE IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING

18 YOUR DOLLARS AT WORK

Although persecution of Christians has greatly increased, so has the collective faith of the Moroccan Church.

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American Pastor Saeed has been imprisoned for over 500 days in Iran. His wife, Naghmeh, sits down with ICC to share how this crisis has only strengthened her faith.

How American Missionary Kenneth Bae is holding fast to hope in a North Korean labor camp.

Read how your support assisted in the release of Pastor B.K. from a prison in Kazakhstan!

N OT E F RO M T H E P R E S I D E N T:

Take a look at these quotes from believers going through intense persecution (all from this issue). . . .“It’s been very hard, but spiritually it is the best time in my life.

I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

We don’t feel like we’re in prison anymore. The walls (are gone); we found freedom in Christ!” . . . Even though it was bad, it was wonderful. It was a wonderful time, a wonderful experience.”

Do you hear it? In the midst of intense pain and suffering, they found the treasure that truly satisfies and it was buried right under their feet.

As Westerners, we are insulated from so many of the problems the rest of the world goes through. Because of this lack of struggle, we are too self-sufficient. This is a great danger and I personally think it’s why Jesus warned us so sternly about “the deceitfulness of wealth.”

Why is wealth deceitful? Because we don’t have to cling to God as tightly as the poor. Without this closeness, and awash in an empty and materialistic world, we live under intense anxiety and emptiness.

Listen to the antidote:

Jeff King, President International Christian Concern

“Now I realize I have to cling to him to survive; I need Him even to breathe. I feel like I am tasting part of heaven. If this is what it takes for me to be desperate for you, to need you, then keep me broken.”

The persecuted point us to the way home. Come with me and invest in their lives. Join arms with us and defend them. They are worthy of your time, treasure, and talent.

As always, we will use your donations efficiently, effectively, and ethically.

I promise!

MIDDLE EAST

MOROCCO

THE CHURCH UNDER PRESSURE

Moroccan Christians remember a time when they could practice their faith freely. But the military raids and secret police persecuting believers has only strengthened their faith.

G U I LT Y “Mohamed El Baladi, you are sentenced to two and a half years in prison and a fine of $600 [USD] for shaking the faith of a Muslim!”

Mohamed El Baladi, a Moroccan Christian, was given this sentence on September 2, 2013 for talking to another Moroccan about his faith. The case was eventually appealed and on February 6, 2014, but the conviction was overturned and Mohamed was free to go.

His case had a significant impact on a country that’s 99.4 percent Muslim. Mohamed’s conviction garnered attention both from Moroccan and international human rights groups and brought the subject of Christianity and Muslim conversion to the public’s attention. Prominent Moroccan media published numerous reports on the case and on Christianity in Morrocco. Following his acquittal, a newspaper published a lengthy interview titled, “The story of my conversion to Christianity, which led to a mental hospital and to prison.”

Mohamed—who was imprisoned for speaking openly about his

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faith—now has the Moroccan media broadcasting his story across the country. They are sharing how he came to faith in Christ and the persecution he has faced in the seven years since he became a Christian.

What appeared, at first, to be a blow to the Moroccan Church, turned out to work for the good—as God so often does (Romans 8:28).

A WAT E R S H E D M O M E N T Mohamed’s case is not the first time that God has used oppression and persecution from the government to grow the church in Morocco.

“In Morocco, the Church has had two (eras). Before 2010 we had more freedom, after 2010, it became more difficult-we’ve had a lot of oppression,” Youssef*, a Moroccan pastor told ICC. “From February 2010 until now, the government started to attack us using the army, the police, the secret police, by many kinds of authorities,” Youssef explained.

In 2010, a meeting he was a part of was raided by 60+ members of the military, secret police, and intelligence services. The believers— including mothers with small children—were taken to the police station where they were interrogated and questioned for a grueling 24 hours. They were released, but the pressure would continue.

“Everywhere I went I saw policemen. They wanted to show that they were (watching) us all the time, especially behind me,” Youssef said.

“They tried to create family problems for church members. They tried to push the members of the congregation to accuse me that I am using money or bribes to convince them to become Christian.

But no one accepted their plots. No one denied their faith. It was a wonderful time, a wonderful experience. Even though it was bad, it was wonderful,” Youssef said. *Name changed for security.

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The raid on Youssef’s meeting was just one of a number of serious incidents in 2010. One of the most prominent was the forced closing of the Village of Hope orphanage under charges of proselytism. A legal battle is still ongoing for rights to the orphanage, as well as for parents to be reunited with orphans who they were raising as their own. In total, between March and July of 2010, nearly 130 expatriate Christians were expelled from the country.

The government’s crack down on Moroccan Christians and their expulsion of foreigners forced the Church to change. Since the crackdown, Christians have been forced to meet almost exclusively in Moroccan led house churches.

“We don’t have the freedom to meet openly,” Youssef continued. “If we do meet, it is forbidden to meet with brothers or sisters from abroad. We are followed. It is not easy, especially for the leaders.”

While this has increased the pressure and challenges for the local leadership, it is also creating a strong indigenous church that is not reliant on outside support. In the long run this may prove to be a great blessing from the Church, despite the challenges they are facing in the present.

“We have seen some leaders who cut themselves off because they are afraid. There are some members who left the church, but we have seen many others who came to the Lord. It has been like Romans 8:28,” Youssef said.

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Two Christians (left) meet with two Muslim women (right) to pray and share Christ. Please continue to pray for strength and safety of believers who openly evangelize.

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“The devil thinks these problems will destroy the Church,” Youssef said, “but, in fact, it aided the new members. There are more people who heard about Christianity, about Moroccan Christians, about Christianity in Morocco.”

C H R I S T I A N I T Y I N M O R O C C O T O D AY The pressure on Christians in Morocco remains high. The feeling that the government is always watching is very real. The situation is made worse because Moroccan Christians lack any legal status. There isn’t a legal means for most churches to be officially registered.

Morocco has not seen the same rise in religious extremism as in many parts of the Middle East and violent attacks on Christians are quite rare, but the government restrictions are very present.

“The oppression on Christians is sometimes from families and the society,” Youssef said, “but the most important is from the government. It is from the government that wants to impose the religion of the state.”

This is the challenge that Youssef, Mohamed, and the other Christians in Morocco have to face. They strive to be good citizens who love their country and yet, are true to their faith in God. When ICC asked Youssef what message he would give to the American church it was this: “First, we need from the American Church a lot of prayer. We need that God will work more and more here in our country. We need to pray for people to see more and more dreams and know Jesus, the real God. “Second, we need the Church in America...to act. The Church can push the American government, because the American government can push the Moroccan government to respect the Church here in Morocco, to give us our freedom, to respect our faith.

“That is what we need —your prayers and your acts.”

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MIDDLE EAST

HOPE IN THE MIDST OF

SUFFERING THE MYSTERY OF PERSECUTION

“The Lord has counted our family worthy enough to send Saeed to a dark place that he would be able to share with people who are in complete despair” - N AG H M E H A B E D I N I

“This has been very hard, but spiritually it is the best time in my life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

This testimony came to ICC, not from a pastor, but from a wife whose husband has been enduring intense torture and abuse in an Iranian prison, a mom who has had to comfort her kids as they ask repeatedly,“when is Daddy coming home?”

“God is holding me up,” Naghmeh Abedini told ICC’s president, Jeff King. “I can see from Saeed’s letters that God is holding him up too.”

Saeed and Naghmeh Abedini have become a powerful testimony to the hope that God gives in the midst of suffering. God had prepared them and is using them to speak out about injustice and the persecution of Christians around the world and to call the church to stand together with their suffering brothers and sisters.

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A N U N L I K E LY V O I C E F O R T H E P E R S E C U T E D Standing before a gathering of dignitaries and world leaders in Geneva, Switzerland, Naghmeh said, “Iran’s brutality and violation of my husband’s basic human rights opened my eyes to realities of injustice and suffering too many people endure. I could no longer keep silent. I was personally affected.”

In the long and agonizing months since September 26, 2012, when Saeed was taken by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to Evin Prison, Naghmeh has developed a unique platform to speak about Christian persecution.

By nature, Naghmeh is not an outspoken person. She did not like to travel, but since Saeed’s imprisonment she has traveled across the globe, addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council, the United States Congress, and international human rights gatherings. She has been interviewed by nearly every major national and international media outlet, as well as spoken to churches and at Christian gatherings across the country.

“As a small town girl and everyday mom who was born in Iran and raised in a small city in America, I realized I had a voice that I had not used before, until I was personally affected by the injustice that many others have faced and continue to face,” she told the audience at the Geneva Summit.

Photo courtesy of the ACLJ You can help today! 800-ICC-5441

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This personal experience has given Naghmeh incredible opportunities to come alongside hurting families and to encourage them and to speak out on their behalf. She shared testimonies of listening and talking with the wives of other prisoners, and being able to share with them the hope that she is clinging to, her faith in God. The calling to stand with those who are suffering is found throughout the pages of the scriptures. There is a duty to support those who are facing times of trial.

“If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” – I CORINTHIANS 12:26 ESV “My new reality forced me out of my self-consumed life,” said Naghmeh.

“I realized I had a right to speak out for those who are being silenced, to speak for the Christians, for the Jews, for the Baha’i, and other fellow human beings who are being imprisoned simply because of their beliefs.”

As an Iranian – or a Persian – Naghmeh has not only a biblical calling to promote justice, but also another legacy of defending human rights that she can point to.

Woven into a carpet hanging in the United Nations building in New York City is a poem written by Sa’adi, a 13th century Iranian poet: The sons of Adam are limbs of each other, having been created of one essence.

When the calamity of time affects one limb, the other limbs cannot remain at rest.

If you have no sympathy for the troubles of others, you are unworthy to be called by the name of a Human.

“It is ironic,” Naghmeh said after sharing this poem, “that Iran, which was once at the forefront of defending human rights and religious freedoms is now considered by many to be one of the world’s worst violators of human rights.”

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Iran is actually home to what many consider the first “charter of human rights.” On a cylinder from the 6th century B.C., King Cyrus laid out an early charter that protected basic human rights, including the right for everyone to choose their own religion. This declaration is from the same Cyrus who, the Bible records, allowed Jews to return to their homeland following their captivity (Ezra 1:1-4).

‘G O D WA S P R E PA R I N G H I M F O R P R I S O N ’ Now in that same land, more than 2,500 years later, as a result of Saeed’s faith, he has endured brutal torture and is serving out an eight year prison sentence.

Saeed was born in Iran and grew up not just as a nominal Muslim, but was fervent in his faith in Islam and hostile towards what he knew of Christianity. “He had a radical conversion,” Naghmeh told ICC. “He was a follower of Islam. He was persecuting Christians and was active in the mosque.”

Following his conversion in 2000, Saeed channeled his passion into his new found relationship with the living God. He became an active evangelist and soon saw house churches multiplying throughout Iran.

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Naghmeh and Saeed would meet in Iran in the early 2000s, and marry in 2004. “A lot of the things I’ve noticed over the ten years that we’ve been married – his stubbornness, his not backing down from what he believes is right, and spending hours in prayer and worship – God was preparing him for prison,” Naghmeh told ICC.

Photo courtesy of the ACLJ

“HIS STUBBORNNESS, H I S N OT B AC K I N G D O W N F R O M W H AT H E B E L I E V E S I S R I G H T, AND SPENDING HOURS I N P R AY E R A N D W O R S H I P ; G O D WA S P R E PA R I N G H I M F O R P R I S O N .”

- N AG H M E H A B E D I N I

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In 2009, the Iranian government had detained Saeed and pressured him to stop his work with the churches. He told them that his love for the Iranian people compelled him to do something.

So they directed him to start a humanitarian work and he began to establish an orphanage.

When he was arrested in 2012, while doing the work the government had given him permission to do, Saeed was insistent that he had done nothing wrong. “Saeed told them that as a Christian he believed in following the law,” Naghmeh told ICC. “He was going to stay in Iran until they told him why they wouldn’t let him leave.”

The charges brought against him that led to his eight year sentence were that in his work with churches in 2000-2008, “Saeed was committing soft war,” Naghmeh said.

As he serves out his prison sentence, God continues to use Saeed in incredible ways inside the prison. “Saeed has seen so many give their hearts to Christ,” Naghmeh told ICC.

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“Some have shared with their families: ‘the ten year prison sentence or the death penalty, it means nothing anymore!’ ‘We don’t feel like we are in prison anymore. The walls don’t feel like walls because we found freedom in Christ!’”

“It has been amazing knowing that the Lord has counted our family worthy enough to send Saeed to a dark place that he would be able to share with people who are in complete despair,” Naghmeh reflected.

A C A L L TO T H E C H U R C H The testimony of Naghmeh and Saeed – a story that is not finished – has a powerful message to the American church. Through their experience of intense suffering, it is a call to stand with those who are in pain. It is also a call to speak, to use your voice – big or small – to speak against injustice.

Their testimony also speaks to the incredible transformation that takes place when a person comes to faith in Jesus. It compels the church to love and take the message of Christ to those who have not heard – in spite of the challenges – whether across the street or across the oceans.

“ N O W I R E A L I Z E I H AV E TO H AV E G O D I N M Y L I F E TO S U R V I V E . I H AV E TO C L I N G TO H I M . I N E E D H I M E V E N TO B R E AT H . I ’ M H A P PY B E C AU S E O F T H AT. I F E E L L I K E I ’ M TA S T I N G PA R T O F H E AV E N .”

- N AG H M E H A B E D I N I

Their story also is a testimony to the incredible comfort that God gives in the midst of pain, when we can cling only to him.

“Those times when things were going well,” Naghmeh said, “they were scary because I was not desperate for God. Now I realize I have to have God in my life to survive. I have to cling to him. I need him even to breathe.

I’m happy because of that. I feel like I am tasting part of heaven. I’ve prayed ‘if this is what it takes for me to be desperate for you, to need you, then keep me broken.’ I’ve found new strength because I have a relationship with the living God.”

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EAST ASIA

A BROTHER IMPRISONED How American Missionary Kenneth Bae Is Holding Fast to Hope in a North Korean Labor Camp For most Americans, North Korea is one of the last places in the world they could ever imagine visiting. Simply owning a Bible is punishable by death, Christianity is illegal, and it’s believed that as many as 50,000 Christians are being held in unimaginably horrific prison camps across the country.

Yet in November 2012, that’s exactly where Kenneth Bae, a devout Christian from Lynnwood, Washington, found himself. Kenneth was leading his 18th tour group into North Korea, and neither he nor his family could have known that this trip would be far different from the 17 that came before.

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Kenneth Bae has taken tours of Christians into North Korea 17 times. On the 18th trip, he was arrested and detained by North Korean authorities.

Kenneth’s tour groups were always legally registered, and according to his family, he was always very careful to respect North Korean laws. But the tour groups were also often made up of other Christians, and sometimes Kenneth would be so bold as to lead them in times of prayer during their tours, which is strictly prohibited for citizens within North Korea.

Ultimately, it proved to be Kenneth’s identity as a Christian that led to what happened next.

On November 3, North Korean authorities arrested Kenneth. A little over a month later, news finally started to reach the rest of the world that an American citizen had been detained in a country widely known for its brutal family of dictators and its threats to start a nuclear war. On December 21, North Korea announced it was officially charging the missionary with plotting to overthrow the government based on a sermon he had given years before at a church in the U.S. Five months later in May 2013, Kenneth was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.

Initially, everyone expected Kenneth to be released quickly, but this was

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not so. As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, the news coming from Pyongyang became more and more alarming. Kenneth was reportedly suffering from serious health issues, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and back pain. In August, just three months after being sentenced to a labor camp, Kenneth was moved to a hospital for treatment.

His sister, Terri Chung, reported that he had lost more than 50 pounds.

After spending almost six months in the hospital, Kenneth was deported back to a “Special Labor Camp,” where he is now living and forced to do hard labor eight hours a day, six days a week. In an interview just a few weeks later, Kenneth was noticeably thinner and talks about his health continuing to deteriorate.

Yet, despite being watched closely by guards listening to every word, Kenneth also asks the interviewer to tell his family, “I have not lost hope and I have not given up on anything.”

Kenneth with North Korean children from one of his visits.

Photo courtesy of www.freekennow.com.

For Terri, Kenneth’s resolve isn’t surprising. “[Kenneth] is not one to get easily discouraged,” Terri said in an interview with ICC. In fact, according to Terri, this time in prison may have even strengthened his walk with God. A few months after his imprisonment, Kenneth’s family was actually able to get a Bible delivered to him in prison, no small miracle in a nation where Bibles are completely illegal.

For months, this was the only thing he had available to read. “He actually told my mom when she was there (to visit), that this time has been good in some ways. He’s been able to read through the Bible multiple times and says that this time with God has been really great,” Terri said.

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“I HAVE NOT LOST HOPE AND I HAVE NOT GIVEN UP ON ANYTHING.” -KENNETH BAE, A MESSAGE TO HIS FAMILY Pictured: Kenneth Bae with his daughter.

What’s more, Terri says that Kenneth not only believes there is a greater purpose behind his imprisonment, but that his love for the people of North Korea has not diminished. She said, “He firmly believes that there is a purpose to all this, that God is using him for a larger reason. He doesn’t have any ill-will towards North Koreans. He still really wants to help them in some way. He sincerely hopes that he can actually be a bridge between the two countries.”

In the meantime, the rest of the world continues to watch anxiously for any breakthrough in Kenneth’s case. Twice the North Koreans have invited a U.S. ambassador to come and discuss his release, and twice the invitation has been rescinded.

In February, President Obama even mentioned Kenneth by name, saying that he was praying for him and that the United States would “continue to do everything in our power to secure his release because Kenneth Bae deserves to be free.”

While no one can be sure of when Kenneth will be freed, one thing is certain: today, in the capital of the most dangerous nation on earth for Christians, at least one man is sitting there, quietly reading his Bible openly, and silently witnessing to all those around him of the hope that can only come from God.

For additional news on the persecution of Christians around the world, visit persecution.org

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YOUR DOLLARS AT WORK PASTOR B.K. RELEASED FROM PRISON FEB. 17!

Seven months of non-stop campaigning by ICC pays off!

Ever wonder how we produce pressure on governments that imprison Christians?

Here’s the inside scoop:

ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN

ICC was the lead agency Advocating for Pastor B.K.

2 Petitions with over 3,000 signatures

9 News Releases created extensive news coverage 18

2 meetings with the Kazahk Embassy

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SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

Video Produced to highlight his case and a Call to Action

#FreePastorBK central page created

#FreePastorBK Facebook page with daily updates and over 3,500 fans

Twitter Campaign Supporters taking selfies with “I Stand with Pastor B.K.” You can help today! 800-ICC-5441

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SUPPORTING THE FAITHFUL IN MOROCCO Underground Pastors

Christian are forced to meet in secret.

Christians in Morocco are forced to meet quietly. Many believers are followed by police and brought in for questioning, but if they remain quiet about their faith, they can usually avoid intense persecution. The burden on Morocco’s church leaders is heavy as they try to encourage believers to remain faithful despite the pressure on them from the government, police, and those around them. ICC was able to meet with one of the faithful pastors working to shepherd the Moroccan Church. Your dollars went to help support his work traveling throughout the country supporting those in need and sharing the life-changing truth of Christ with those who will listen.

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NORTH AFRICA Hand of Hope: Middle East ICC learned of the story of a desperate father, living in hiding, trying to find a way to reunite with his kidnapped wife and child. Norris (name changed for security) is from a Muslim background and had previously been a part of a government that had committed terrible atrocities.

Norris and his wife fled their homeland and in this new country came to Christ and became vocal witnesses for Him. When his wife’s family learned of their conversion, they forcibly kidnapped his wife and small child. ICC is helping with the financial costs to support this brother and working to see him reunited in a safe place with his wife and child.

Sunrise over a war zone.

Please continue to pray for persecuted Christians in this region.

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DISCIPLING “SECRET BELIEVERS” THROUGH HAIRCUTS Save Our Sisters After learning of the persecution Yaide and her family suffered, ICC helped by providing her a hair salon.

Not only is their reputation growing, they are also able to disciple “secret believers” when they come for a haircut. “Thanks to ICC we were able to meet the community need and be light in the village through our life. It is a good witness for non-believers that Christians are people who care after their people, neighbors.”

DELIVERING FREEDOM FROM PERSECUTION Save Our Sisters After being abandoned by her village, and having her sons taken from her due to her conversion to Christ, Freedom and her daughters had no way to care for themselves. When ICC provided a cow and chickens, their lives changed. Freedom says, “I am thankful to ICC for care and love they share with people like me. I was isolated in the village and the blessings that was given by God through ICC is a big witness for people around me that God never leaves His people.”

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YOU CAN HELP TODAY! SEND DONATIONS TO: ICC PO BOX 8056 SILVER SPRING, MD 20907 OR ONLINE AT WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG

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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