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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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PICKING UP THE PIECES Tragedy in Niger
A family that lost everything reflects on loss and hope in the deadly and destructive aftermath of Charlie Hebdo protests. By Rebecca Seiler, Communications Coordinator
Y
ou hear angry shouts rising from afar, but that is nothing out of the ordinary, so you are not alarmed. However, around midnight a neighbor hurriedly approaches you and warns you to go home immediately. He has just heard that your house and church are about to be set ablaze. Panic rushes through you as you think of
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your children waiting for you at home, trembling in fear as you see flames rising outside their window. This is exactly what happened to Pastor Lawrence* (name changed for his security), a victim of the Charlie Hebdo riots in Niger.
Rise in Islamic Extremism
The West African country of Niger has been praised by the international community for years for its religious tolerance toward minorities and its secular government. Despite the
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fact that an overwhelming 98 percent of the population of the country professes Islam, there has been relative peace between religions in the past. Since 1990, however, there has been a sharp increase in radical Islam within the borders of Niger. The often praised secularism of Niger was undermined by the emergence of democracy, which has led to the development of dozens of fundamentalist Muslim groups willing to use violence as a means of asserting control. This increase in radicalism may be attributed APRIL 2015
Though covered in ash, parts of a Bible remain unburned after protesters set fire to a church in Niger. to the teachings of severely conservative Gulf state imams, the increase in recruiting efforts among extremist Islamic groups and growing sympathy toward such groups. The rise in Islamic extremism has given way to a movement striving to restrict the freedom of religious minorities. This has led to a rise in fear among Christians who no longer feel safe in their own towns. This recent shift toward strict, Islamic regulation in Nigerian culture may be seen in numerous outlets, ranging from voting pat-
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terns to fashion trends. Reports indicate that it is not uncommon for Christian girls who are found at the market wearing Western outfits to be sexually abused for not adhering to the harsh regulations.
Protests Turn Deadly
On January 16, 2015, what began as protests against a cartoon portrayal of the Prophet Mohammed by the French satirical publication, Charlie Hebdo, quickly spiraled into aggressive mobs looting and burning down
Christian homes, businesses and churches throughout Niger. In one week alone, the mobs were responsible for the destruction of more than 70 churches. The protests began in the southern city of Zinder before spreading rapidly north to the capital of Niamey only a day later. Though security forces attempted to gain control by firing tear gas into the crowds, their attempts were futile against the angry mob. It is reported that at least 10 Christians died in the attacks. 3
Niger Christians worship in the midst of persecution. According to a local missionary, the Nigeriabased extremist insurgency Boko Haram, was responsible for the attacks. During the demonstrations in Zinder, their iconic black flag was waved. In a video posted shortly after the original attacks in Paris, the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, praised the attackers, saying in Arabic that he was “very happy with what happened at the heart of France,” while holding his AK-47.
Picking up the Pieces
“I could not imagine such wickedness and hatred toward Christians,” said Pastor Lawrence, whose home and church were robbed before being set ablaze by radical Muslims. Now without a home, Lawrence, his wife and their six children have been forced into living with his older sister. Much of the shock among Christians in Niger stemmed from the fact that though the protests were supposedly against secular media house Charlie Hebdo, the attacks were aimed specifically at Christians. For those affected by the senseless violence, countless unanswered questions remain as they are left to pick up the pieces of all that they have lost. During the attack, Pastor Lawrence lost nearly all of his property: amounting to over 5 million CFA francs in damages. Not only did they lose their home and church, but also all that was left inside. All six children lost their
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birth certificates, graduation papers and many other certificates in the fire. All of their school materials and uniforms were reduced to ashes. Even the family’s most basic necessities were consumed in the fire, leaving Pastor Lawrence and his family to rely on others for clothing, food and a place to temporarily call home. Looking back at where his home once stood, all that remains are the memories of what once was and the clothes on their backs. Though Pastor Lawrence used to have a steady income to support his family, his business has been devastated since the attacks, cutting his income by over 80 percent. Due to the fact that Pastor Lawrence lost all of his work materials, primarily art supplies, he is unable to produce enough to support his family. For now, Pastor Lawrence must rely on others in order to provide for his family.
Loving Our Enemies
– WIFE OF PASTOR LAWRENCE
Thankfully, Pastor Lawrence and his family were safe during the attack; however, two young men associated with the attackers were killed. When the men tried to enter the home, attempting to loot the property, they were trapped by the flames and smoke. In spite of their difficult situation and the damage done, Pastor Lawrence’s wife admitted her feelings of grief for those lost. She admitted that “it pains [her] too much to see these two young men who came to destroy” lose their lives in the fire because they “died without knowing Christ.” In the midst of their pain and loss, it is abundantly clear that Pastor Lawrence and his family cling to the love of Christ as their rock and foundation. In spite of the hate and violence surrounding the protests and attacks, Christians in the region are responding out of love. Local pastors and missionaries have called upon Christians worldwide to turn to Christ to forgive those responsible for the attacks. Countless Christians in Niger, including Pastor Lawrence and his family, are holding fast to Matthew 5:44, which says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Their dedication to show love in the midst of such hurt is a true testament to the grace found only in Christ.
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‘It pains me too much to see these two young men who came to destroy [lose their lives, because] they died without knowing Christ.’
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Protests Around the World 1 One piece of a cross clings to a burnt church’s entry Unfortunately, Pastor Lawrence’s situation 2 One of 70 churches looted and burned by protesters is not uncommon. Charlie Hebdo riots have 3 A wooden cross remains unsinged in the ashes plagued much of Africa. Though the most violent riots took place in Niger, there were many similar incidents in Sudan, Somalia, Algeria and Kenya. During one particular incident in Algiers, the capital of Algeria, a peaceful protest quickly devolved into a violent riot during which police fired pellets at protesters who were throwing bottles and rocks at the officers. Dozens were arrested and several, including multiple police officers, were injured during the incident.
Rebuilding from Ashes
While Christians in Niger are attempting to rebuild their lives, there is still much left to be done. In addition to immediate relief needs such as food and shelter, long-term rebuilding efforts are also a great concern. With the countless churches, homes and businesses that have been reduced to ashes, many are being forced to rebuild not only the buildings they lost, but also their livelihoods. Many families that were once financially stable do not even know where they will find their next meal. In addition to the immeasurable financial loss, it seems as though the emotional toll was even greater. Uncertainty weighs heavily, as Christians are unsure who they can trust. Many have been driven to rely solely on family because friends and neighbors who were once trusted have turned to violence. Those who endured such tragedy have been thrust into a life plagued by worry and fear for the future as they begin to rebuild their lives, quite literally, from the ground up.
Pray for Niger’s Christians
As Christians in Niger begin to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, we ask that you support them in prayer. • • •
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Pray for provision for Pastor Lawrence and his family and that their spirits would be lifted. Pray that the country of Niger would return to the state of religious tolerance that they were once famous for. Pray that both the immediate and longterm needs would be fulfilled among those whose lives were struck by tragedy. Pray for the hearts of the persecuted, and that the violence would stop. Pray for peace.
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Faith Refined by Fire An American Missionary’s Eyewitness Account of Church Burnings in Niger
I By Isaac Six
n almost every direction, columns of black smoke billowed into the sky. Every few minutes, the roar of an angry mob marching past the church walls would grow louder and then fade as they moved on down the street. Sitting on the porch of the mission compound, a small group of American missionaries could do nothing but wait and pray as phone call after phone call came in. The churches of Niger were on fire and their turn could be next.
A Call to Full-Time Missions
Abigail Deblois, who goes by Abi, had only been a missionary in Niger for four months the day the attacks started. An MBA grad from Boston, Abi had been pursuing a successful career in accounting when she felt God begin to lead her in a different direction. “I worked full-time, sort of traveling around the world for about ten years, and finally I felt like the Lord was saying, ‘Ok, this is not the point. This is not it,’” said Abi. “He told me it was time to ‘pursue the things that you’re passionate about, because I have put those passions in your heart.’” Abi didn’t waste any time. Leaving her job, Abi took a short-term trip with her church to Niamey, Niger, and immediately felt that God had opened a door for her to serve full-time in West Africa. Saying goodbye to friends and family, Abi plunged into full-time mission work just two months later in September 2014. Little did she know how quickly her commitment, and her faith, would be put to the test.
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Churches Attacked On Friday evening, January 16, reports of churches being attacked in the city of Zinder started to trickle in. Protesters had taken to the streets, reportedly angry over the publication of a depiction of the Prophet Mohammed by the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in France. The danger seemed distant. Zinder was nearly 500 miles and an 11-hour drive away from Niamey.
The missionaries could do nothing but wait and pray as phone call after phone call came in. The churches of Niger were on fire, and their turn could be next. PERSECU ION.org
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That next morning, Abi was awakened by a phone call from the head of her mission in Niamey, telling her, “Abi, people have broken into our compound in Maradi and burned our church, and there are rumors that things are going to get bad here. Start praying.” Abi said as soon as she hung up the phone she burst into tears. Her thoughts went to the thousands of pounds of food, literature and Bible supplies kept at the Maradi church. If it had all been destroyed, how would they continue to do any kind of ministry? A few minutes later, Abi grabbed her passport and joined her mission director and his family at a compound up the street. For the rest of the day, Abi said they simply had to sit and wait as call after call came in from Christians around the city. “They would call and tell us, ‘The pastor’s house has been burned’ or ‘They’ve gotten into the church’ or ‘They’ve broken into the compound, the gates have been stormed, there is fire here,’” said Abi. Soon, they could see smoke billowing in every direction. “We could hear big groups of people going by and then explosions as they hurled big glass bottles of gasoline into the fires,” said Abi. “People were yelling everywhere. The air was filled with the smell of burning rubber as the mobs would light tires on fire and hurl them over the walls of the churches.” Miraculously, Abi’s compound was spared. They discovered later that teenagers had been racing around on motorcycles, marking churches for the mobs to attack. At one of the churches connected with Abi’s ministry, the church youth had to physically brace themselves against the walls of the church as an angry mob on the other side attempted to APRIL 2015
Abigail Deblois After only four months as a missionary to Niger, Abi came face to face with persecution as Muslim protesters set fire to Christian homes and churches.
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force their way in. The next day, Sunday morning, Abi and her fellow missionaries made their way out of the compound through streets littered with broken glass and burn marks. When they passed a nearby church, they were surprised to hear sounds of worship coming from windows blackened with soot. Inside, about 30 Christians were worshiping, using a stick on a metal chair to keep time since all of their instruments had been destroyed. “It was scalding hot in there. Heat from the fire was still radiating from the walls and the floor,” said Abi. Local Christians appeared to be filled with hope, and the sermon preached that morning was one of the most powerful Abi said she had ever heard, recalling, “The pastor prayed, ‘Lord, through all of this, find us faithful. For every church that was burned, let two rise up in its place, and may those who burned our churches one day become a part of the very churches they burned.’” The Christians of Niger were praying for revival. “What does hope mean? What does faith mean? What does obedience mean? And what does forgiveness mean? This experience was so life-changing because I now have a whole new context surroundings those words,” said Abi. “I will never read the words of Matthew 5:44 (love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you) in the same way again.” Those who attacked the church compounds weren’t radical groups from distant parts of the country, they were her neighbors, meaning that forgiveness and grace had to be put into action almost immediately. She pointed out that anger against those who persecute you is a real emotion to be dealt with. Abi says she would like to see Christians in the U.S. make it a priority to become more aware of what is happening around the world. “I think prayer is such a powerful tool. We need to know what’s happening so that we can partner with people in prayer,” said Abi. “Also, our dollars can go a very long way, especially when the average annual income for someone in Niger is $700.00. People don’t realize what their generosity can really do.” At the time of writing, the church in Niger remains on high alert. A little more than a week after interviewing Abi, she returned to Niger to continue her missionary work. 7
Death on the
Horizon Will history repeat itself in the Nigerian 2015 presidential election? As of press time, the world waits with hope and dread.
W By Corey Bailey
hen the smoke cleared, the dust settled and the machetes dropped, when the mobs dispersed and the dead were counted, it was clear that in retaliation for the election of a Christian in Nigeria’s 2011 presidential election, Christians had paid for the election in blood. As the March 28, 2015, presidential election nears, the world waits to see if history will repeat itself in this country that seems on the verge of disintegration. Violence seems likely as the same candidates square off, an even more entrenched Islamist terror group (Boko Haram) stalks the country, and a delay in voting has been seen as a tactic by the incumbent to delay a defeat. It will be a surprise if the election goes off without major violence and persecution while the most extreme predictions involve national disintegration.
2011: Christians Pay In Blood
The 2011 presidential elections in Nigeria had often been referred to as “Nigeria’s fairest election in decades.” However, when Christian incumbent Goodluck Jonathan was re-elected, widespread protests by supporters of Muslim candidate General Muhammadu Buhari quickly devolved into violent riots and mass murder across the country.
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Buhari’s followers claimed the election was rigged, and mobs of Muslims in Muslim-majority states targeted Christian villages, homes and churches — burning them down and murdering people en masse with machetes. There were reports of Christians being dragged from their vehicles and killed as they attempted to escape the post-election violence in Lagos. In other areas, Christians defended themselves and/ or targeted Muslims in retaliation. The country erupted into a three-day orgy of extreme violence. In the end, more than 800 people were murdered, the majority of whom were Christians. More than 65,000 people were displaced, and Christian leaders reported 350 church burnings in 10 northern states. Many observers said that Nigeria’s Muslims were blackmailing the country to ensure a Christian would not be elected again.
Nigeria’s North-South Divide
Christian minorities living in the Muslim north have faced a religious cleansing via Boko Haram for the last decade. Boko Haram has
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‘Despite the fear that our nation may not survive the elections, I remain optimistic that we have the maturity to rise above the challenges. Our nation will not disintegrate after the elections. ‘ – NIGERIA SENATE PRESIDENT DAVID MARK
killed more than 15,000 Nigerians — the majority being Christians. Christians and others have suffered an unrelenting nightmare of unending bombings and murder at the hands of the Muslim majority. Since the introduction of Sharia law in northern Nigeria in 2001, as many as 15,000 Christians have been killed. In fact, northern Nigeria has become the world’s most dangerous place to be a Christian. Boko Haram, a radical Islamic insurgency bent on establishing a separate Islamic state in northeast Nigeria, has waged a campaign of terror against the West African nation’s northern Christians for years, killing thousand and destroying hundreds of churches. Boko Haram has gained power and now controls more than 20,000 square miles of land in northeast Nigeria, essentially control of three northeastern states. In recent months, they have been called “the ISIS of Africa” as they continue to impose Sharia law on hundreds of thousands.
Imminent Meltdown?
The concern now lies with the 2015 election. Fears circulate about whether or not history will repeat itself, as well as whether Boko Haram militants will disrupt the election process by attacking Christians who attempt to re-elect Jonathan. There have already been increasing attacks from Boko Haram in anticipation of the election. Tensions are near the breaking point. Nigeria’s electoral commission delayed the election, under pressure from President Jonathan, from the original date of February 14. Why would an incumbent seek to delay an election? The obvious answer is because they see a looming loss ahead. The opposition and human rights advocates see this as the real reason
for the electoral commission’s delay. Local church leaders are hopeful that the decision was made with the right intentions, and that the election will take place in a fair and safe manner on the newly scheduled date. The delay, whether done for legitimate reasons or for vote rigging, almost guarantees an explosion of violence if Jonathan wins.
A Shaky Foundation
Nigeria was created in 1914 by Britain. It was created out of a territory that spoke more than 500 languages and was divided along Christian and Muslim lines. It was created without much thought to the cultural cohesion that comes from shared tribal, religious or language connections. Like Iraq, it has always struggled as a viable and unified country and holds together tenuously. In spite of this shaky foundation and extreme tensions over the election, the breakup of the country seems unlikely. “Nigeria has an enormous capacity to absorb risk,” ICC’s Africa Director Comfort Ero said. “While there are significant concerns about the elections, we are not predicting break-up.” Senate President David Mark, in speaking to Nigeria’s parliament last week, echoed those same sentiments, “Despite the fear that our nation may not survive the elections ... I remain optimistic that we have ... the maturity to rise above the challenges. Our nation will not disintegrate after the elections.” Pray for Nigeria. Pray for our brothers and sisters.
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