india
Former Hindu finds life in Christ and attends Bible College.
Volume 13 | Issue 7 | July 2011
June 19 – “Though I long to see my family,
I haven’t been home in three years, ever
since my Hindu family poured hot water
on me to show their hostility. They were
extremely upset when I accepted Christ
as my Savior as a teenager in 2006 at a
camp sponsored by my school. I stopped
worshipping idols and other gods that my
family worshipped. I began to pray and read
the Bible every day.
Beaten And Mistreated
“My practices provoked the anger of
my family. They started mistreating me by
keeping food from me and even pouring
hot meals on me. I’ve had six different
Bibles ripped out of my hands and
burned. I was beaten severely for
attending church services.
“One time during the Christmas
season, I was beaten so badly by
my father that I was half dead. Then
I heard the voice of God saying,
‘Leave your family whom you love
and follow me.’ I told my father that
I would be leaving for Bible College
to study and learn about Jesus. He
was furious, and demanded from
me money he had spent
for my upbringing. It
broke my heart. I had
to work hard to meet
the demands of my
family.
First Graduate
in Family
“Learning
of the terrible
condition I was
in, an evangelist
reached me
with help and
brought me
to Sielmat
Bible College,
supported by
Open Doors.
Now I have
completed three years at Bible College
and graduated. My father attended my
Bible College graduation in secret, coming
in late to the back and leaving early. I was
the first graduate in my family, but he did
not want to speak to me.
Strength of the Lord
“It is the strength of the Lord Jesus
that keeps me going. I’ve also received
training in the Standing Strong Through
the Storm seminar in Churachandbur
District. I helped serve the meals, and
those who taught the seminar
noticed my servant’s heart
and asked me to tell my
story.
“My family has only
given me pain and
sorrow and I think about
it and weep. But I believe
in God’s promises, and
one day I will be with
Him in His heavenly
home where there will be
no more sorrow, crying or
pain and we will be singing
praises for Him forever.”
India’s constitution allows
for religious freedom for all
faiths, yet radical Hindus
are eager for a pure Hindu
nation. “Anti-conversion”
laws in five states are clearly
biased against Christians and
Christian missionary activity.
In 2010 nine believers were
killed in India. There were
many reports of Christians
being arrested and assaulted,
and church buildings and
schools being damaged. Yet
the church is growing, and
unity is increasing as a result
of the opposition felt by all
denominations.
Medha Nongmaithem
was born at Kumbi
in Bishnupur
District in a Meetei
Hindu Family. In
September 2006,
a preacher spoke
from John 3:16
while she was
at a school
camp and God
touched her,
convicting
her that
she needed
salvation.
AFRICA
ASIA
LATIN AMERICA
MUSLIM WORLD
Open Doors
PO Box 27001
Santa Ana, CA 92799
949.752.6600
www.OpenDoorsUSA.org
MIDDLE EAST/
Africa
Asia
www.opendoorsusa.org page 2
Volume 13, Issue 7 Persecution Update July 2011
NIGERIA
Pastor, Church Official Shot
Dead
June 10 (Compass) – The Rev. David
Usman and church secretary Hamman
Andrew were the latest casualties in
an upsurge of Islamic militancy that
has engulfed northern Nigeria this
year. They were
shot and killed on
June 7. The Rev.
Titus Dama Pona
said, “Christians
have become the
targets of these
Muslim militants
– most churches
no longer carry out
worship service for
fear.”
NIGERIA
Christian Communities
Near Town Disappearing
June 14 (Compass) – In two villages
in Bauchi state, most area Christians
have been displaced as scores of
armed, hard-line Islamists destroyed
the Christians’ homes and drove them
out. The attack on Mdandi village on
Mar. 27 was preceded by an assault
on Feb. 10. Muslim extremists also
attacked Gumel, another Christian
village, in February – leaving two
Christians dead, destroying three church
buildings, burning more than 50 houses
and displacing more than 300 residents.
Sudan
Birth of New Country
Challenged by Violence
June 15 – About two-thirds of the
population have fled the violence in
Kadugli and Nuba, South Kordofan,
as disputes continue over oil rich
Abyei. The recent actions cannot be
seen as an attack on the Church,
although churches have been
attacked, especially in Kadugli.
North and South Sudan have
agreed to demilitarize the disputed
Abyei region as South Sudan is
preparing to become the world’s
newest country on July 9.
SUDAN
Military, Militias Kill
Christians
June 17 (Compass) – A student
at St. Paul Major Seminary was
shot on June 8 near the gate of
the United Nations Mission in
Sudan. He and other Christians
were fleeing the town after Muslim
militias looted at least three church
buildings in Kadugli. On June 8 in
Kadugli Market, Islamic militants
loyal to the government slaughtered
a young Christian bus driver whose
father is an elder in the church. “The
churches and pastors were directly
targeted,” said the Rt. Rev. Bishop
Andudu Adam Elnail.
Egypt
Muslims Attack Christian
Homes, Threaten Priest
June 27 (Compass) – Enraged
Muslims burned down several
Christian-owned homes on June 25
after villagers had begun circulating
a rumor that a Coptic Christian was
constructing a church building on
his property. On June 23 in another
village, Muslims surrounded the
Church of St. George and demanded
that the Rev. Gorgy Thabet leave the
village or they would kill him and hold
Muslim prayers in the church building.
Security police removed the priest from
the village.
INDIA
Christian, Visiting Lepers
Beaten, Jailed
June 20 (Compass) – A retired Indian
army officer invited about 80 leprosy
patients to his home on June 12 to
celebrate Pentecost and receive gifts.
He and two of his Hindu visitors who
helped bring others were beaten,
arrested and charged with forcible
conversion. The leprosy patients told
the police the men were innocent.
One of two church buildings destroyed in
Tafawa Balewa, Bauchi state, earlier this year.
Rev. David Usman,
shown at his 2009
ordination, was
shot by Muslim
extremists.
INDIA
Incidents Of Persecution
Hindu extremists:
• threatened a pastor on May 19,
stopping construction of his church.
• beat a Christian for his faith,
destroying his house, on May 20.
• beat five Christian families for their
faith on May 28.
• filed a false complaint against
Christians, who were then
arrested on June 5.
Two women read the Bible in their church in
Bauchi state, Nigeria.
Christians in India have long complained
of a culture of impunity.
Asia
CHINA
Members of Shouwang
Church Arrested, Expelled
June 30 (Compass) – After authorities
pressured the property owners of
Beijing’s largest unregistered church
to stop leasing to the congregation in
April, they have been forced to meet
outdoors for the past three months.
Police detained 16 members of the
Shouwang house church between
June 10-12 and placed several more
under house arrest. On June 26,
police arrested 15 more people
who showed up at Shouwang’s
designated outdoor worship venue.
Urged to Leave House Church
Members of China’s governmentapproved
churches have gone
to police stations to “admonish”
detained house church members,
urging them to leave Shouwang and
join TSPM churches.
Church Members Expelled
A church member was arrested on
May 8 and expelled to his hometown
in Hubei Province. A second church
member was detained on June 27,
his identity card was confiscated
and he was sent to his home town in
Shandong Province.
Legal Assistance
Leaders of the troubled Shouwang
house church in Beijing have
established a legal committee to
assist church members facing
arrest or house arrest, the loss of
employment or homes and forced
relocation to their home towns.
Viet nam
Growing in Places Hidden
June 15 – The majority of Christians
in Vietnam are from tribal backgrounds
who live in provinces where the
government’s grip on Communism is
still strong. Village leaders continue
to pressure believers to recant their
faith, while church activities are
either strictly monitored or prohibited
altogether. Open Doors has reached
these Christians with an underground
Bible school, although Bible teachers
have been “invited” to the police
station and classes raided. The Bible
school will provide discipleship and
leadership training to 1,842 students
from 18 tribal groups this year.
Latin America
Volume 13, Issue 7 Persecution Update July 2011
www.opendoorsusa.org page 3
Indonesia
Turning Fear Into Faith
June 13 – Muslim Background
Believers in Java province take
great risks when attempting to meet
together for fellowship and baptism.
They do so secretly in small groups
of no more than 10 or 15 to avoid
suspicion from locals. They change
their meeting place each time
they gather in order to cover their
tracks. While some are fortunate to
participate with their families, many
come with fear because their Muslim
relatives do not even know about their
new faith.
Colomb ia
Indigenous Christians
Attacked by Witchcraft
June 15 – Witchcraft is being used
by traditional Indian authorities in
western Colombia in an attempt to
weaken and even stamp out the
faith of indigenous Christians, who
now number around 3,000 believers.
Congregations have already faced
NEPAL
New Criminal Code
Forbidding Evangelism
June 2 (Compass) – Five years after
it abolished Hinduism as the state
religion, Nepal is working on a new
criminal code forbidding a person from
one faith to “convert a person or abet
him to change his religion.” Offenders
could be imprisoned for a maximum of
five years and fined.
Nepal’s
Constituent
Assembly
Building
Indonesia
Anywhere Safe for Christians?
June 10 – On April 21, police
discovered five sets of explosive
materials near the Catholic Christ
Cathedral in Serpong. They were
set to explode on the morning of
Good Friday. With the rise of a new
generation of self-trained and almostwithout-
pattern terrorists, Christians
face the constant possibility of their
loved ones becoming
the next victim of a
random attack on the
street. Now every
Muslim is encouraged
to wage the holy war—
anytime, anywhere;
alone or in small
groups.
several cases of young people and
adults who have participated in
occult rituals to destroy their church.
Indigenous students are taught
traditional beliefs in school about
preparing potions, rituals and prayers
to the spirits of Mother Earth, who
is said to be more effective and
powerful than the Christian God.
To date 59 Christian teachers have
been fired from
their positions
for opposing
the beliefs and
practices taught
in the official
curriculum.
An indigenous
medicine man
practices his craft.
Middle East/Muslim World
www.opendoorsusa.org page 4
Volume 13, Issue 7 Persecution Update July 2011
Israel
Difficulty Finding a Christian
Spouse
June 14 –
Christians
are a small
minority on the
West Bank.
Ultimately
young
Christians tend
to leave the
country, making
the small
church even
smaller. One
of the major
difficulties for
many young
Christians
besides finding
a job is finding
a boy or girl to
marry.
Middle East
Christians in Turmoil
June 8 – On Dec. 18, the wave of
revolutions in the Middle East started.
Tunisia
The tiny group of Christian believers,
numbering less than 2,000, has been
living in fear since a Polish Catholic priest
was murdered by extreme Islamists, who
have also increased pressure on the
evangelical community, especially on
the Muslim Background Believers
who have connections with the
Church outside of Tunisia.
Libya
Libya is torn apart by a bloody civil war.
Most ex-pat Christians have fled the
country. Church leadership in Tripoli
stated that 75% of the believers in their
fellowship had left. However, all the
leaders had remained.
Algeria
Algeria has stepped up its
campaign against the Church,
closing 8 churches in the area
of Bejaja. One Algerian believer was
sentenced to 5 years for handing out a
Scripture to a neighbor. The Christian
minority in Algeria makes up less than
0.1% of the population.
Yemen
Civil war is also affecting Yemen. The tiny
national Christian community has been
somewhat isolated by the political unrest, and
most foreign Christians have left the country.
A Christian radio ministry has continued,
and a number of Yemenis recently reacted
positively to these programs.
Syria
Although Syria has a sizeable Christian
minority, a pastor said this country is not
for Christians anymore and over time,
it will be emptied out. Another pastor
commented, “Just read the slogans on the
walls: Let’s send the Christians to Beirut
(meaning, forcibly move the Christian
minority to Lebanon, the only country in
the region that used to be Christian).
Iraq
Christians in Baghdad and Mosul
risk kidnapping, torture or death.
Refugee Christians are not only
struggling with finding a job or a place to
stay but also face cultural and language
barriers.
IRAN
Hostile Rhetoric Turns Up
Heat on Christians
June 22 (Compass) – Increased
public statements against Christianity
in Iran have intensified pressures
on Christians, resulting in the arrest
of more than 120 Iranian Christians
between December and January. The
statements reflect Islamic leaders’
dismay with the growth of house
churches and may signal dissension
within Iran’s leadership. In May,
Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah
Yazdi said authorities have not done
enough to quench the growth of
Christian house churches, considering
the “massive funding” the government
has spent toward that end.
PAKISTAN
Police Torture Sister of
Christian Who Eloped
June 13 (Compass) – Police
tortured a young Christian
woman into revealing the
whereabouts of the legal
team helping her family after
an influential Muslim family
kidnapped her and her sister.
Police also helped the Muslim
family beat relatives of the
Christian woman on court
premises and attacked the
offices of the organization trying
to help her family.
PAKISTAN
Families Flee After
Another Bogus
‘Blasphemy’ Charge
June 15 (Compass) – Some
60 Muslims tortured a Christian
uncle after he intervened to
help his 8-year-old nephew.
The nephew was surrounded
by Muslim boys and being
forced to renounce his Christian
religion. Area Muslims accused
the Christian of blaspheming
Islam when he rebuked the
boys on June 10. At least 10
Christian families in Punjab
Province fled their homes in
fear after the accusation.
PAKISTAN
Police Reluctant to
Prosecute Attack on
Church
June 1 (Compass) – Armed
Muslims disrupted the worship
service of a church outside
Lahore on Sunday (May 29),
cursing the congregation,
smashing a glass altar and
desecrating Bibles and a
cross. When the pastor tried
to register a case against the
vandals, police initially tried to
protect the leader of the Muslim
intruders. Later, they made him
publicly apologize.
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