April Persecution Magazine (2 of 4)

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APRIL 2015

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Rising from the Ashes Christians around the world face persecution and martyrdom with hope, joy and compassion.

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Faithful in Their Final Mom Remembering the twenty-one Coptic Christians martyred

by ISIS in Libya

By Rebecca Seiler, Communications Coordinator

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orror and sorrow spread from nation to nation as people across the world opened their computers and witnessed the gruesome beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians.

In a video uploaded by the media branch of the Islamic State and titled, “A Message Signed With Blood to the Nation of the Cross,” ISIS militants are shown walking along what appears to be the shoreline of the Mediterranean Sea of northern Libya, leading 21 Coptic Christians in orange jumpsuits to their deaths. With unparalleled brutality, the militants then forced the captives to kneel before beheading them one by one in a similar fashion to their other execution videos.

The incredible cruelty of ISIS should no 2

longer shock us, but each new event seems to be more satanic than the last.

The video features an English-speaking militant who menacingly says, “The sea you have hidden Sheikh Osama bin Laden’s body in, we swear to Allah, we will mix it with your blood.”

One of the ISIS militants also issues a threat, saying, “O crusaders, safety for you will be only wishes,” as he links the terrorist group in Libya to the Islamic State, which has a stronghold on many parts of Iraq and Syria.

Radical groups throughout Libya and other regions within North Africa have pledged their loyalty to ISIS and allowed them to advance operations throughout the country.

Plight of Coptic Christians

Throughout Egypt, Coptic Christians are being forced to flee the country for both social

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and economic reasons. As religious minorities making up only eight to 11 percent of the country’s population, Coptic Christians are ostracized from the Muslim-majority community. Those who are able to find work are often forced into menial, low-paying positions such as garbage collection and recycling, leading them to live in the slums. For those unable to find work, many emigrate to neighboring Libya in search of job opportunities in order to provide for their families.

Unfortunately, Egyptian Christians often find themselves in a worse situation in Libya than they had ever imagined. Coptic Christians often fall victim to the kidnapping schemes of Islamic radicals, which lead to the potential for their enslavement, torture and death. Many Christians become trapped in Libya with no way to return home to their families without risking more abductions.

APRIL 2015

ments

In response to the callous executions of these 21 martyrs, there has been widespread outrage throughout the international community. Both the U.S. State Department and the White House have condemned the attack, saying that the Islamic State’s “barbarity knows no bounds.”

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry agreed to keep in close contact with Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry as the Egyptian government contemplates the best course of action in response to the murders. The UN Security Council has also strongly condemned the attack, calling it a “heinous and cowardly apparent murder.”

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt officially declared a seven-day period of mourning following the confirmation of attacks.

Shortly after, Egypt launched an aerial attack against ISIS militants in Libya, killing up

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Photos Below: Families Mourn Martyred Sons

Though the martyred men who repeated the name of Jesus as they knelt awaiting their deaths have certainly found eternal comfort, their fathers, mothers and families are left to mourn. Please join us in prayer for these families to find solace in the Father and in the testimony their sons lives have left to the world.

to 64 militants and destroying the group’s weapon reserves and training grounds.

A Badge of Honor

In the midst of tragedy, one of the only things that provides solace is the proclamation of faith that these 21 martyrs made in their final moments. In the video of the executions, many of those killed were seen repeating the words “Lord Jesus Christ” until the moment of death. Since the release of the video, multiple bishops in Egypt have encouraged the construction of churches dedicated to these men because of their faith.

Greater still, the brother of two of the murdered men, Beshir Kamel, thanked his brothers’ killers for including their final words in the footage. He stated that he was proud of them and that that they were “a badge of honor to Christianity.”

The faith and bravery displayed by the 21 Christian martyrs as they faced their imminent deaths is truly remarkable. Kamel said that rather than fear driving Christians in the region away from their beliefs, the attacks have only strengthened their faith. By seeing the peace on the faces of the victims, it is abundantly clear that they were confident in their faith as they faced death.

Kamel stated, “We are proud to have this number of people from our village who have become martyrs.”

ICC helped families of an earlier group of Egyptian Christians that were killed in Libya, and we are working out which of these families need help, as well. Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of these men during this time of tragedy. We commend these 21 men for clinging to Jesus in their final moments.

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Your Dollar$ at Work ICC Providing Education for 30 Children Impacted

by Suicide Bombing

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Kid’s Care

n September 22, 2013, the Christian community of Peshawar, Pakistan, was devastated when suicide bombers attacked All Saints Church. As Christians were leaving the church following a Sunday morning service, two bombers from the Pakistani Taliban attacked, exposing over 600 Christians to the deadly blast. When the dust settled, over 130 Christians were killed and scores more were seriously injured.

Though often overlooked, children were among those most affected by the bombing.

Many Christian children had lost either both parents or their family’s breadwinner in the attack. In addition to the immense emotional pain of losing a parent, many of these children might have been forced to drop out of school because their extended families were not able to afford to provide for their educational expenses. Without proper education, the next generation of Christians in Peshawar were faced with a bleak and uncertain future.

Fortunately, your gifts to ICC’s Kid’s Care fund are helping to ensure a brighter future for 30 Christian children whose lives might have otherwise been devastated by the bombing of All Saints Church. Over one year ago, ICC reached out to the families of these 30 children and has since been paying for their school fees, books, uniforms, tutoring and other education related expenses.

In 2015, ICC hopes to continue to provide this necessary support to Peshawar’s Christian children. Through partnership with donors like you, ICC hopes to continue to invest in the education of Christian children affected by persecution and provide them with a hope and a future.

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APRIL 2015

Rejoice in all Circumstances

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Underground Pastors

astor Agbe and his wife were out for a walk when the protest against Christians began. As the mob grew in size and volatility, the pastor received a phone call from his Muslim neighbor telling them to “go home quickly because your house and church are about to be burned.” The couple ran home and, finding their house and church on fire, piled their six children in the car and sped away to avoid conflict with the enraged Muslim mob.

ICC was able to assist this family in Niger with a disaster relief packet filled with their immediate needs such as water, food, blankets and clothing. We were moved by the family’s response to losing everything they owned: “God’s Word tells us to rejoice in all circumstances, and that is what we are currently doing because everything contributes to the good of those who love God.”

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Family Rises Small Gifts, from the Ashes Big Changes

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Underground Pastors

astor Zabeyrou and his wife, six-monthspregnant Salamatu, fled for their lives, along with their three children, as an enraged Muslim mob descended on their town in midJanuary.

Both their home and church were set on fire, and all of their property was destroyed.

When ICC heard of the attacks on Christians in Niger, we were quick to send aid. Pastor Zabeyrou’s family was one of the families you were a part of helping. This project restored water and electricity to his family’s home and church building so he and his family could move home and begin the rebuilding process.

When asked how we could pray for them, they asked, “Pray for our family in our time of need, and that our church would rise from the ashes stronger and bolder in Christ.”

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Community Rebuild

n the wake of violent attacks against Christians in Niger, churches were burned to the ground, businesses were destroyed and believers were beaten. Dozens, if not hundreds, of Christians have been left homeless, hungry, thirsty and impoverished in the wake of the riots.

ICC partnered with organizations on the ground to bring relief to 10 families with the most immediate needs. These families all received relief aid packages to help them get through the first weeks after the attacks as they began to put their lives back together and make plans for the future. Water, food, blankets and temporary shelter are just the first step as plans are being made for long-term, large-scale relief and development efforts in service of Niger’s persecuted church.

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Your Dollar$ at Work

ICC Secures Release of Prisoners

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Legal Assistance

n Ethiopia, two Muslims, Soka Araro and Obsa Ogeto, found Christ but were confronted by Muslims and pressured to recant.

When they refused, Muslims planted false criminal evidence on their land and notified the police. They were arrested and detained.

These situations are common in Muslimmajority areas of the country, but ICC has had success in these cases by reminding officials of the laws that afford citizens religious liberty.

In November 2014, both men stood before a federal court facing charges that could result in sentences of up to seven years. ICC hired a lawyer for the men and, though Araro was briefly detained, he was released on bail after negotiations between ICC’s Ethiopian staff, our lawyer and prison officials. Ogeto was released on bail shortly thereafter and acquitted of all charges in January. Araro was fully acquitted in February.

Bibles for Christians of Burned Church Bibles to the Persecuted

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lim Fire Church was demolished by Indian authorities in the early morning hours of November 1, 2014. Claiming the church to be an illegal construction, Indian authorities arrested the pastor of the church, Pastor S. David, and sent him to jail in Hyderabad.

Following the arrest and demolition, ICC assisted the Christians of Elim Fire Church by providing vital emergency support. Pastor S. David was soon released from jail, but returned to a broken church and a discouraged congregation.

Through its Bibles fund, ICC provided the Christians of Elim Fire Church with their very own Bibles. Due to their poor economic status, most of the Christians never dreamed they would ever own a Bible in their own language.

ICC hopes that with these Bibles these Christians will be able to find comfort and security in the Word of God.

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APRIL 2015

Your Dollar$ at Work

1,632 Hmong Bibles to Vietnam

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Vocational Training for Christian Girls

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Bibles to the Persecuted

hat a challenge to get Bibles to Vietnam in the native language of the people — but worth all the effort!

Last quarter, we delivered 1,632 Bibles, printed in the Hmong language, to underground churches and believers in Vietnam.

The Bibles first had to be printed, packed and shipped from our partner to the drop location

in Vietnam. Then the Bibles were loaded onto the motorcycles of excited Christians to be taken deep into the jungles and other villages nearly impossible to reach by other types of vehicles. As our partners headed back home, the Bibles made their way into the hands of believers, many of whom held a Bible in their language for the first time.

Thank you for giving to the Bible fund!

Save Our Sisters

s part of its commitment to assist persecuted Christian girls in Pakistan, ICC has opened several vocational training schools for Christians forced to work in situations that expose them to abuse. ICC has opened three sewing centers and one beautician training salon in Faisalabad, Pakistan.

Each of these centers trains Christian girls in a skill they can use to start their own business. ICC also provides each of the girls with small business training specifically targeting skills women business owners need to run successful small businesses in Pakistan. Upon completion of the course, ICC provides each graduate with a “graduation package” and a certificate to signify they have completed a vocational training course. Included in the graduation package are items needed to help the girls launch a small sewing or beautician business out of their own homes.

In 2015, ICC is preparing for the graduation of almost 40 Christian girls who have completed their training at one of the vocational training centers.

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Overwhelming Demand for Bibles

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Bibles to the Persecuted

hristians in China are still desperate for Bibles. A pastor in connection with our partners for Bible distribution in China reports that pastors from both cities and rural areas consistently ask him for Bibles. This pastor travels extensively around China and notes that Christians living in rural areas are the ones with the greatest need. He reported to us

that so many pastors in these areas are calling to ask for Bibles that he can’t keep up with the demand!

Our partners took a team to deliver Bibles to some of those requesting Bibles and said, “The believers were delighted and grateful that we delivered to them. We had no one to interpret for us that day, but the delight was clear on their faces.”

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ICC Provides Relief to Family Forced from Their Home by Death Threats from Islamic Extremists

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Hand of Hope

eter Masih (name changed for security purposes) was born “Muhammad Nazar,” an Islamic name he bore until his conversion to Christianity in February 1996, when he changed his name and began living to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

For the last 14 years, Peter has been preaching the Word of God in different communities across Pakistan.

Before accepting Jesus, Peter was a cleric in a mosque and taught in an Islamic seminary to youngsters who wanted to become Imams or religious scholars in the Muslim community. In addition to his religious duties, Peter 8

worked at a bus service and also ran his own business selling fruit and vegetables.

As is the story for most Christians from a Muslim background, as soon as Peter’s family became aware of his conversion to Christianity, they tortured him physically for more than a year in an attempt to force him to return to Islam.

At the first opportunity, Peter fled his parents’ house and went into hiding. Since then, Peter has had to keep moving from one city to another to keep from being found and persecuted by radical Islamists.

In 2006, Peter married a Christian woman and started a family of his own. He was finally starting to live a happy life and serving the

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people of God. Unfortunately, Peter’s past caught up with him in July 2014, and he and his family were forced to flee their home again after receiving severe and credible death threats from local Islamic extremists.

When ICC heard Peter’s story and his current situation, assistance was immediately disbursed. Through ICC’s Hand of Hope: South Asia fund, ICC was able to meet the immediate needs of Peter and his family.

Food, clothes and a place to hide were deemed essentials as ICC sought to secure Peter and his family during this time of trouble.

Thank you for your gifts to this fund that enabled us to serve and bless this family!

APRIL 2015

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Caring for the Families of Coptic Christians Martyred in Libya

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Suffering Wives & Children

he world was shocked by the video showing the brutal killing of 21 Christians by ISIS in Libya. For ICC, this story is all too close to home as we have been working with victims who faced a similar fate exactly one year earlier.

In February 2014, seven men were taken from their housing complex in Benghazi, Libya, and were found executed on a beach

a few days later. These men had risked their lives because desperate poverty made it nearly impossible to provide for their families in their village in upper Egypt.

With your support, we were able to help care for the families they left behind. We provided new livestock and feed for these families. It is a simple investment, but one that adds a new source of income for the family and a new source of food for these children who lost their father. Your gifts help us to care for families like these!

House Church Raided in Beijing

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Underground Pastors

CC sponsors an underground pastor in China who is a well-known house church leader in Beijing. He is a prominent dissident who adheres to the calling of the Bible above the repressive laws of the country that restrict religious freedom. As such, his church tends to attract like-minded believers and serves dissidents, political prisoners and those who seek to serve the Lord despite persecution.

This pastor has always faced great pressure from the government. Earlier this year, the pastor and about 18 others were studying the Bible in the private home of one of the church members. The doors suddenly burst open and police came pouring in claiming they had received a report of a large gathering. The police arrested everyone, save four elderly and sick individuals, without following proper procedures. The pastor and 12 other believers were detained.

A month later, due to international attention via phone calls from Christians worldwide, they were finally released. Continue to keep this brave pastor and his congregation in your prayers.

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You Can Help Today!

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SEND DONATIONS TO: ICC PO BOX 8056 SILVER SPRING, MD 20907 OR ONLINE AT WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG OR BY PHONE 800-ICC-5441

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© 2015 ICC, Washington, D.C., USA. All rights reserved. Permission to reproduce all or part of this publication is granted provided attribution is given to ICC.

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