PERSECU ION International Christian Concern | July 2014
Sending Light Into The Darkness: The Life of the Underground Pastor
With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, & great grace was upon them Acts 4:33
IN THIS ISSUE:
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Fishing for Men in Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka radical Buddhist monks lead the way in persecuting Christian leaders. Pastor A’s story is one of loss and struggle but also one of hope in following God’s plan.
10 A Light in the Dark
These stories of faithful pastors who stay on fire in the face of persecution provide a greater light in the midst of darkness.
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12 Doubly Persecuted
Christian women in Pakistan face abduction, forced conversion to Islam and marriage to Muslim men. Zoya’s story is just one example of the hundreds of victims who face this persecution.
16 Your Dollars At Work
Underground pastors in Pakistan, vocational training for Christian women, church building in Bangladesh, and new believers coming to faith in North Africa.
N OT E F RO M T H E P R E S I D E N T:
There’s a quote from a Chinese church leader that I think sums up so much of persecution ministry and the reason we love to get behind underground pastors: “When foreigners read the Book of Acts they see inspiring stories. When we Chinese read the Book of Acts we see it in our lives.”
Jeff King, President International Christian Concern
The power of a life abandoned to God and His calling is so inspiring. I’ve met many of these brothers and sisters and the usual effect on me is as if a mirror has been held up to my face and I hear “if they are a Christian, then what are you?” These leaders have signed up for a very rough ride in life and it doesn’t always look triumphant. They are well acquainted with beatings, attacks, and the constant roar of the prowling lion. But when you combine a heart that has thrown away the world to go “all in” with God and a true anointing from the Holy Spirit, then you have a light that blazes in the darkness and attracts many to the Kingdom. These pastors are our heroes and we count many of them among our ranks of supported underground pastors. Please join with us in serving these Christians and their flocks. As always, we will use your gifts efficiently, effectively, and ethically. I promise!
EAST ASIA
FISHING FOR MEN IN SRI LANKA THE PERILOUS JOB OF PASTORING IN SRI LANKA
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By William Stark, Regional Manager
A beautiful island natio Buddhist majority (70%). trip, I was aware that rad were responsible for the across the island, but it w image of the peaceful mo Colombo and met with Fueled by an ideology of B the radicals attack Christi China’s Rally to Defend Their On my trip, I Christians also rediscovered something truly Churches lieve that to truly be Sri beautiful about the pastors of the persecuted Buddhist. Church. Amidst the violence, the Sri Lankan pastors I met with exhibited incredible strength “These Buddhist radicals and faith that helped them endure all forms of leader of one of the largest persecution, and single-mindedly pursue God’s told me. “They target the calling on their lives. get the strong. If you imag ike most Westerners, my image of a Buddhist monk has always been of a saffron robbed, detached individual, in peaceful meditation. The idea that they could be violent religious extremists never would have occurred to me. My pre-conceived image was shattered by what I witnessed on my recent fact-finding trip to Sri Lanka.
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nation, Sri Lanka has a 0%). When scheduling my t radical Buddhist monks the attacks on churches it was hard to shake that l monk. Then I landed in with persecution victims. y of Buddhist nationalism, hristians because they beSri Lankan, one must be
in Sri Lanka like a tree,” the pastor said, “the radicals are attacking the twigs at the end of the branches. These targets are the small house churches in the rural area. They have, for the most part, steered away from attacking large established churches.” When I expressed my preconceived notions about Buddhist monks to the pastor, he laughed.
icals are like lions,” the “That image doesn’t apply in Sri Lanka,” he rgest churches in Colombo said laughing grimly. “You will see.” t the weak*name beforechanged they tar-for security And see, I did… imagine Christianity You can help today! 800-ICC-5441
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SOUTH ASIA
Pastor A’s Testimony I met with many Christian pastors whose churches have been attacked by mobs of Buddhist radicals. Pastor “A” and her husband especially stood out. The level of persecution they had been through astounded me. “I started my ministry in ‘X’ village in 2000 (a 100% Buddhist village) after God gave me a vision of what He wanted me to do with my life,” Pastor A told me in an interview. “I began my ministry by conducting prayer walks throughout the village, preparing the way for my ministry. “When people saw what I was doing, they asked me why I had come to ‘X.’ I explained that I had been given a vision. This amazed them.” Until the Buddhist monks got involved. When the monks saw Pastor A and heard about her vision, they became very angry and confronted her. “They told me that the village was 100% Buddhist and that there was no room for Christianity,” Pastor A recalled. “The monks told me I should leave and never come back.” Despite the threats, Pastor A stuck to the vision she had been given and stayed, prepared to face the consequences of following God’s calling. Shortly after making the decision to stay, the first wave of persecution began. “At first, many of the villagers were open to renting space (for a church) to me. But after the Buddhist monks confronted me, they went around
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the village and told all of the property owners to not rent to me.” It took years for her to find a space to rent for her home and church. Every time she found a place, the monks would confront the property owners and she would be asked to leave. Despite her struggles, the ministry grew and after 2 1/2 years, 30 people were attending her church. At that time, someone donated land to build a church but this incredible blessing only brought more persecution. Attacked, Beaten, Charged with Prostitution “In September 2003, I and three church ladies were staying at the home of the family who had donated the land where the church was being built when it was attacked.” One night, a mob of 60 Buddhists led by local monks attacked the house and the church that was under construction. When the women heard the attackers trying to break into the house, they were terrified and tried to escape but the house was surrounded. Trapped, they waited for the worst. “The mob finally broke the door down and began to beat us severely. They dragged us into the jungle and demanded that we renounce our faith on the spot. Then the screaming mob forced us to march across town, two by two, shouting the whole way that they had captured and beaten prostitutes who they were bringing to justice. They forced us to march for two kilometers, shouting and kicking us the whole way.” When they arrived at the police station, she was able to see how badly she and the others were injured. “In the dark, I was not able to see the injuries I had received during the attack,” Pastor A said. “But in the Even Time magazine recognizes the growing problem of Buddhist radicalism You can help today! 800-ICC-5441
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SOUTH ASIA
light of the police station, I saw that I was covered in blood and bruises were forming all over my legs, waist, head and face.” Surprisingly, the police were merciful to them and brought them to a local hospital but asked them why they were causing trouble in the village. As happens so often with persecution victims, the officers treated them as criminals. Pastor A, who was the focal point of the mob’s rage, spent 10 days in the hospital. On the 10th day, she was dragged out by force to the local court where she faced charges of prostitution. When Pastor A finally recovered from her injuries and left the jail (as she waited on a verdict), she discovered that the land where her new church was being constructed had been attacked. “All of the progress we had made was burned to the ground.” Any normal person at this point would have given up or gone to a new location, but Pastor A began to hold open air services since she no longer had a home or church. Every Sunday, the church would meet at a different location and time, shifting to avoid being attacked again. Pastor A was then informed that a court case had been filed against her building the church. Unwilling to fight a legal battle in a kangaroo court, she abandoned her plans to build the church and moved to a new location in the village. Regrettably, the persecution continued. Since moving to her new location, she and her flock have found themselves under near constant attack. “The level of persecution changes over time, sometimes it is very high, sometimes it is very low.” During one of these low periods, the prostitution charges against Pastor A were thankfully dropped and she was able to marry another pastor, have two children, and build a house that doubles as her church. Unfortunately, with the dramatic rise of Buddhist nationalism in recent years, the level of persecution faced by Pastor A and her community have skyrocketed. The most recent broken glass in the front door from a rock thrown at the house
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Pastor A & Family
In the last year, Pastor A’s children were barred from attending the local school and the church was denied the right to bury one of the members who had died. Then the stones started to fly. Every Sunday, a mob shows up at the church and throws stones and fireworks through the windows of the church in an attempt to disrupt the services and harm the church members attending. Rumors spread that the monks were going to harm Pastor A’s children by poisoning their food and water. Things have gotten so bad that she has been forced to send her children away. Incredible Strength and Faith As I listened to her story, I saw something truly beautiful. Under all of the rocks, fireworks, broken glass, threats and beatings, there was her story of incredible strength and faithfulness. Even as she recounted brutal details of her story, she was smiling and able to laugh and trust God’s plan for her life. I asked how she was able to endure; “I am following God’s vision for my life. It is not easy, but it is an honor to work for the Lord and suffer on his behalf.” Her answer stuck with me for the rest of my trip especially as I saw the same sentiment again and again as I interviewed other pastors who were experiencing similar persecution.
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CENTRAL ASIA
A Light in the Dark Pastors in Central Asia
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ersecution faced by pastors and gospel workers in Central Asia comes in all shapes and forms, from the mild job discrimination to assassination. Daily they minister the Gospel in this hostile territory. They run small house churches, children’s programs, family groups, and prayer meetings. They are excited, humbled, and blessed as they see God moving in the hearts of those who would persecute them.
Rustam Rustam, an ICC supported pastor (and former Muslim) and his family live in a city surrounded by rural villages populated mostly by practicing Muslims who see Christianity as shameful and offensive. He told us, “I never had peace when I was a servant of Islam. When I was Muslim, the devil would visit me in my dreams. There was no peace in my heart before Jesus.” Rustam came to Christ as a child, and as a result of his conversion suffered persecution at the hands of children at school, who threw rocks at him, as well as at the fists of family members who attempted to beat him back to Islam. Now in his mid-twenties, he is a fervent messenger of the gospel to the villages surrounding his home.
Benoit
Benoit was an “unofficial” pastor in his village. He was very bold to share his faith in his village because when he found Jesus, there wasn’t a church 10
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or even other believers there. As he shared the Gospel with enthusiasm in his village he angered the Muslim villagers, but he didn’t care. He had found the truth and absolute freedom and hope in Christ, and he wanted others to share the good news and join him for worship and prayer. However, this village, like most rural villages, was hostile to Christians and didn’t want anything to do with Jesus. So one day they called Benoit onto his front porch and beheaded him, causing him to pay the ultimate price as a church planter, hopeful pastor, and follower of Christ.
Pastor BK One of the better known cases of persecution as of late is that of Pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev (BK) of Kazakhstan who spent much of 2013 imprisoned for his faith. ICC worked on his case for months after he was imprisoned after complaints from a Muslim mother who was angry over the conversion of her adult daughter to Christianity. While imprisoned, Pastor Kashkumbayev was subjected to psychological torture and denied much needed medical help. He was finally released from prison. However, he was convicted of “harming the health” of his congregants and is awaiting a decision on his appeal. His arrest has led many pastors and believers in Central Asia, and Kazakhstan specifically, to live in fear. The pastors don’t know what they might do which might find them arrested as well. “Now we are telling our parishioners to be careful who they pray for and how they pray,” one pastor told ICC. “We tell them not to hold hands to pray; not to lay hands on each other to pray because someone might accuse them of harming the health of the other person.”
Prayer Needed
A spirit of fear has crept into the churches and pulpits and this is the intended effect of the authorities’ (and Satan’s) attacks and imprisonments. This reaction is quite normal but represents the first stage of persecution. Some pastors and Christians will wash out of the churches, but those who stay will be more determined and more on fire. If they stay close to Jesus, they will be lights in the darkness and draw many to Christ. Please keep them in prayer.
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PA K I S TA N
Doubly Persecuted Pakistani Christian Women Struggle to Survive By William Stark, Regional Manager
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n Pakistan, Christian women are among the country’s poorest and most despised citizens due to the fact that they are both the “wrong religion” and the “wrong gender.” Christian women are abducted from their families, converted to Islam, married to a Muslim man, and raped – all by force. Christian women face these attacks because of their gender and their religious identity. Forced to live on one of the lowest rungs in Pakistan’s Islamic society, Christian women have their lives destroyed by this form of “double persecution” that is visited upon them because of their faith and gender.
A Disturbingly Organized & Established Form of Persecution The Movement for Solidarity and Peace (MSP) estimates that up to 700 Christian women between the ages of 12 and 25 are kidnapped and forcefully converted to Islam every year in Pakistan. The figure presented in the report was only taken from major newspaper sources and NGOs working 12
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on the issue, making it likely that the actual number of Christian women being forcefully converted to Islam every year is much higher; many cases go unreported due to threats against victims and their families. These attacks on Christian women are, disturbingly, both well organized and well established. Muslims perpetrating these attacks coerce their captives into signing documents stating they have embraced Islam by their own free will and then force them into changing their names to Muslim names. After the forced conversion, forced marriage (often they are essentially servants) to a Muslim man and rape are used as tools Rozi Munir was abducted from her family in May 2013 to trap the victim. Pakistan is a very traditional society and a good marriage is one of the few ways in which women are able to advance themselves. The shame and stigma associated with being a victim of rape destroys a Christian woman’s potential to find a good marriage and thus leaves her feeling trapped and married to her rapist. The women also can’t escape their captors due to the fact that they and their families are threatened with violence if they resist from the perpetrators and their accomplices, the police and the justice system. Police officials will counsel the victim that she is better off just living as a Muslim, or, worse still, will threaten the victim’s family. Even if a complaint is actually registered and the matter is brought to court, a sham verdict is usually the result. Incredibly, throughout court proceedings, Christian abductees are forced to stay in the custody of their abductor/ rapist instead of being returned to their families, or with an independent third party. This puts the victims in an extremely vulnerable position and usually leads to most women giving forced statements that they have converted to Islam by their own free will and that they are happily married to their abductor/rapist.
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PA K I S TA N
A Father Protects His Daughter While traveling in Pakistan, I witnessed this form of “double persecution” first-hand when I met with Zoya Mary and her family. Zoya, a 14-year-old Christian girl, is one of the estimated 700 Christian women taken in 2013. Meeting in secret at Zoya’s family’s home in Pakistan, Zoya and her father told me about what it was like for her to be abducted, forcefully converted and then married to one of her Muslim abductors. On May 4, 2013, Zoya’s life was radically changed when Muslim radicals armed with guns and grenades broke down the door of her family’s home. Led by Zoya’s own uncle, the group of radicals abducted Zoya from her home and held her captive for 12 days. Months earlier, Zoya’s uncle, no longer able to deal with the poverty and stigma associated with being a Christian in Pakistan, converted to Islam. Unfortunately, the imam he converted under was a radical. As part of his conversion to Islam, Zoya’s uncle was pressured by the imam to kidnap Zoya and forcefully convert her and her family to Islam as well. With Zoya in their custody, her uncle and his radical counterparts called Zoya’s family, threatening to kill Zoya unless the entire family converted to Islam. During her 12 days of captivity, Zoya was raped by her captors, forcefully married to a Muslim man as a second wife and forcefully converted to Islam. Due to stress and a congenital heart condition, she suffered a major heart attack. In the ultimate display of disregard for Zoya, her captors dumped her on the side of the road where she was discovered by passersby who took her to a nearby hospital. After recovering from her heart attack, Zoya was able to reunite with her family. After returning home from the hospital, the family was contacted by her Muslim “husband,” “A,” who was demanding his “wife” be returned. When the family refused, “A” initiated a court case against Zoya’s father for kidnapping his wife. To date, Zoya and her family continue to fight “A” in court. Zoya’s father has extensive documentation regarding her case proving that the marriage and conversion were illegal. Outside the court, “A” has approached Zoya’s family, offering them bribes to concede. That strategy did not work and now he is threatening Zoya’s family with attack. Despite these efforts, 14
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Zoya’s father has been steadfast in his protection for his beloved daughter.
Zoya and her family
Hope Remains
Unfortunately, the attack endured by Zoya is only one example of the horrific pandemic of abduction, rape, and forced marriage of Christian women in Pakistan. Christian women are considered “soft targets” due to their low social status. With a society and a legal system that is biased both against non-Muslims and females, pursuing justice in many of these cases is near impossible, especially for Christian women who often come from meager social and financial settings. Because of stories like these, International Christian Concern (ICC) has made it a priority to help Christian women in Pakistan through its Save Our Sisters Fund. From projects aimed at empowering Christian women to pursue justice, to assisting Christian women achieve a higher social and financial standing, ICC hopes it can help make stories like Zoya’s become part of a horrific past for Christians in Pakistan. If you are interested in assisting Christian women in Pakistan, please check out and donate to ICC’s Save Our Sisters Fund at www.persecution.org. You can help today! 800-ICC-5441
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YOUR DOLLARS AT WORK ICC SUPPORT OF LOCAL PASTORS HELPS MAKE DISCIPLES IN PAKISTAN Underground Pastors Fund
An ICC supported Underground Pastor leads a gathering of Christians in prayer.
ICC has been quietly building an extensive outreach and follow up network in a very closed Muslim country. While the Gospel has been going out, we have trained a select group of very brave pastors from around the country in how to do outreach and discipleship in a high security setting. We’ve also equipped them with Bibles for new believers and with thumbdrives filled with the best discipleship and follow-up materials. 16
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ICC VOCATIONAL CENTERS HELP CHRISTIAN WOMEN START SMALL BUSINESSES Save Our Sisters
Christian student shows finished sewing assignment to instructor of one of ICC’s SOS Vocational Training Centers in Pakistan.
In the last year and a half, over 90 Christian girls in Pakistan have had their lives transformed by going through ICC’s Vocational Training Centers. These centers, funded through the Save Our Sisters fund, enable Christian women to overcome the unique form of persecution they face due to their faith and gender.
The women who graduate our training programs leave with a job skill, equipment and inventory to start a business, and small business training. After graduating, they are able to provide for their families while avoiding the menial jobs that would otherwise expose them to abuse and persecution.
EYES AND EARS TO GOD’S WORK AMONG THE PERSECUTED Hand of Hope - Middle East ICC has over a dozen staffers on the ground in persecuted countries. They are the eyes, ears, and feet of ICC in these persecuted countries. We call them representatives or reps for short. They act as early warning systems and are the reason we often know of attacks before the press does. After the attacks we send them to work with victims. One of our reps in Egypt recently met with parents of abducted girls and with pastors after their churches were attacked or burned down. After those visits, we sent him to work with a martyr’s widow to set up a small business so that she and her children would have a means to survive. You can help today! 800-ICC-5441
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NEW EYES OPEN TO TRUTH Broadcasts “I was just watching your show and I heard a brother from Algeria telling you that he left Islam and wanted to become a Christian after watching your show. I want you to know that I am just like this brother. I feel like I am filled and touched by Jesus’ love. My eyes have been open to the truth; I feel total joy and peace when I think of Jesus.” This message came to an ICC partner from a new believer in Morocco. ICC is broadcasting the truth of the Gospel across the Muslim world.
CHURCH BUILDING IN BANGLADESH Hand of Hope
Nearly finished construction of a new church in the rural areas of Bangladesh.
With funds from the Hand of Hope South Asia fund, ICC has been able to assist a small Christian community in rural Bangladesh complete the construction of a new church. This new church building will allow these faithful Christians to worship comfortably during Bangladesh’s tough rainy season and will be a sign to their Muslim neighbors of Christ’s love for his global Church. 18
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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.
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