February 2017 Persecution Magazine

WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG 

FEBRUARY 2017 

PERSECU ION 

COOKED! 

Turkey’s Islamist President 

Puts the Final Nail in 

the Coffin of 100 Years of 

Democracy 

PERSECU ION.org 

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN

Table of Contents 

In This Issue: 

ICC EXCLUSIVE 

14 | An Uncertain Future for 

Iraq’s Christians 

As ISIS is pushed back by coalition 

forces, many Christians are looking towards 

a complex and uncertain future. 

FEATURE 

20 | The Fulani Plague 

The view of Fulani attacks is shifting 

from disputes between neighbors to one 

of jihad and religious targeting. 

FEATURE 

24 | From Mourning to Joy: Chibok 

Girls Restored to Their Families 

After more than two years of agonizing 

uncertainty, the families of 21 of the 

kidnapped Chibok girls were reunited. 

FEATURE 

26 | The Perfect Excuse: Coup 

Attempt in Turkey 

Since the July 15, 2016 attempted coup, 

unease and confusion rule and many 

see little hope for their country in the 

near future. 

16 

LETTER 

30 | A Letter to the President 

A letter from a persecuted Christian in 

Egypt to President Trump. 

Regular Features 

3 Letter from the President 

A few words from ICC’s president, Jeff 

King, on Turkey - its location, its history, 

and its current leader. 

4 World News 

A snapshot of the persecution that 

impacts our brothers and sisters daily, in 

every corner of the world. 

8 Your Dollars at Work 

Learn how your gifts are providing 

comfort, relief, Bibles, education and 

vocational training to the persecuted. 

12 Impact Report 

See this quarter’s statistics of how 

ICC’s funds are helping the persecuted 

across the globe. 

22 

26 

25 

31 

2 PERSECU ION.org 



President’s Letter 

“‘The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our 

bayonets and the faithful our soldiers...’” 

- Turkey’s President and Chief Islamist, Recep Erdogan, reciting a poem 

Turkey is an incredibly important country in terms of geopolitics and religion. 

It has stood as a buffer between Europe and radical Islamist regimes and populaces 

in the Middle East. It is also the land bridge between Europe and Asia, and 

has been a secular democracy and important ally to the West since the 1920s. 

Jeff King, President 

International Christian Concern 

At the turn of the century though, the populace elected Recep Erdogan as president, largely as a protest against the longstanding 

secular and corrupt ruling party. 

Pretending to be a moderate, he has since been revealed to be a radical Islamist and despot who has systematically destroyed 

all opposition to his rule and has established himself as an all-powerful, Islamist, semi-dictator. 

The Christians and moderate Muslims of Turkey are very fearful of the future, and should be, as Erdogan is quite dangerous 

and has shown his desire to rule as dictator. 

The Church in Turkey is sure to suffer more and we must be ready to serve them. 

So please join with us as we bandage and build His persecuted Church around the world. As always, your donations will be 

used efficiently, effectively, and ethically. 

I promise! 

Jeff King 

President 

International Christian Concern 

www.persecution.org 


INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN 

3

News 

Eighteen Killed in Al-Shabaab Attack 

1 | KENYA In the month of October 2016, the Islamic 

terror group al-Shabaab was responsible for killing 18 

Christians in the town of Mandera, Kenya. On October 

6, six people were murdered when al-Shabaab militants 

attacked a residential building. Several more were 

wounded. During this attack, the police chief noted 

that the al-Shabaab militants were also singling out 

non-locals. Thankfully, he also reported that police 

intervention prevented further violence and led to the 

rescue of 27 others who may have otherwise been 

injured or killed. 

Later, on October 25, al-Shabaab carried out another 

attack on a hotel, killing an additional 12 Christians. 

The attackers stormed the front gate with explosives 

to gain entry, before fatally shooting residents in their 

rooms. These people were all needlessly murdered in 

the night simply because of their faith. Shortly after 

the attack took place, al-Shabaab claimed responsibility 

for the attack. 

4 

3 

1 

2 

5 

6 

Eighteen families 

and countless loved 

ones are now grieving 

the loss of their family 

members due to these 

brutal acts of violence. 

Al-Shabaab has justified 

violence against 

Mandera’s Christian 

community by saying 

that the attacks are a 

response to the Kenyan 

military’s presence in 

Somalia. Yet, these 

attacks and many others 

specifically target 

Christians, proving 

that there is also religious 

motivation. 

While some parts 

of Kenya maintain 

relative peace among 

differing religious 

communities, the border 

between Somalia 

and Kenya, where 

Mandera is located, 

is a regular hotspot 

for violence against 

Christians. Unless the 

international Christian 

community pays 

greater attention to 

the senseless violence 

taking place in eastern 

Africa, Christians in 

Mandera will continue 

to risk their lives simply 

for placing their 

faith in Jesus. 

He has been 

the target of 

imprisonment 

largely because 

of his activity in 

the community of 

house churches 

in Iran. 

Iranian Pastor Released from Prison 

2 | IRAN Iranian pastor Behnam Irani, 43, was released 

from prison on October 18, 2016, after serving almost 

six years in prison. Irani was initially arrested and 

given a one-year sentence in 2011 based on charges 

related to his Christian faith, in the name of “national 

security.” He was later told that he would have to serve 

an additional five years for a sentence that was previously 

suspended. 

This is not the first time that Irani was imprisoned. 

He was previously arrested in 2006 on similar 

charges, but was released only one month later. 

He has been the target of imprisonment largely 

because of his activity in the community of house 

churches in Iran. Even after his arrest in 2006, he 

returned to his position 

as the pastor of 

a 300-member house 

church. 

At the time of his 

release, Irani said 

that the conditions 

in prison led to various 

medical issues, 

but he found encouragement 

through his 

faith. Despite government 

pressure to convert, 

the pastor stated 

that he held fast to 

his faith during his 

imprisonment. 




Anniversary of the Murder of the 21 Martyrs 

3 | LIBYA On February 15, 2017, the world is recognizing one of the most heinous acts of violence on the Christian community in recent history: 

the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya. Two years ago, ISIS released a report showing the photos of the kidnapped Christians. Just days 

later, a five-minute video was issued, depicting the beheading of the captives. We consider it the utmost privilege to honor the legacy that these 

men have left behind, while praising the Name of Jesus in their final moments. 

Pastor and Eight Others Killed by Boko Haram 

4 | NIGERIA On October 29, 2016, two attacks led by female suicide 

bombers left a Christian pastor and eight other individuals dead in 

Maiduguri, Nigeria. It is believed that the women responsible for 

the bombings were affiliated with the militant Islamic group Boko 

Haram. After declaring their commitment to specifically targeting 

Christians, particularly in Nigeria, Boko Haram’s attacks have ravaged 

countless Christian communities in West Africa, leaving many 

without loved ones or a place to call home. 

Christians in Kazakhstan Fined 

5 | KAZAKHSTAN Two Christians from the Council of Baptists in 

Kazakhstan were issued fines after distributing New Testaments and 

other uncensored religious materials to the public. Kazakhstan and 

many other countries in Central Asia severely censor religious materials, 

often with harsh punishment for violating such censorship restrictions. 

For those who refuse to pay fines for refusing to comply with 

these policies, punishments can vary from bans on leaving the country 

to jail sentences. 

House Church Shut Down in China 

6 | CHINA Yet another house church has been closed down as part of China’s 

ongoing campaign called “Three Rectifications and One Demolition.” The church 

was located in the Zhejiang province which has been a major target for government 

persecution, due largely in part to its significant Christian population. 

Christians and human rights advocates throughout China have found themselves 

as victims of imprisonment, church demolitions, and occasionally violence. 

The owners of the building were contacted by government officials who 

told them that they must cease religious activities due to the fact that religious 

activities were taking place in an unregistered building. Despite the ongoing 

government crackdown on Christianity, the Church continues to grow. In fact, 

the Church is growing so rapidly that experts estimate that China will be home 

to the largest Christian population in the world by the year 2030. 



5

News 

3 

5 

1 2 

6 

4 

Several armed 

men stormed 

American 

missionary 

Woodke’s home. 

Cairo University Takes Steps to End 

Religious Discrimination 

1 | EGYPT On October 11, 2016, Gaber Nassar, president 

of Egypt’s Cairo University, implemented a major policy 

change in order to reduce religious discrimination on 

campus. According to the new policies, the school will no 

longer require students or faculty to identify their religious 

affiliation on university paperwork. 

Among other factors, this decision was enacted after 

several Christian students came forward claiming that 

they were rejected from the school’s Institute of African 

Research and Studies program earlier in the year. At least 

one student alleged that his application was rejected after 

identifying himself as a Christian; the department would 

not provide him with a valid reason for his denial from 

the program. 

While ICC and other human rights groups view this 

decision as a clear step in the right direction, some do not 

feel similarly. Member of Parliament Atef Makhalif spoke 

out strongly against the decision and called for Nassar’s 

resignation over the matter. Others, while also in support 

of the decision, are hesitant to believe that discrimination 

will truly decrease as a result of this policy. 

Although it is too soon to predict how effective this 

policy will be in protecting religious minorities in 

Egypt’s education system, this is an encouraging development 

led by a body with a significant amount of influence 

in the region. 

Muslims and 

Christians 

Unite 

2 | PAKISTAN In an 

encouraging step 

forward for religious 

freedom, Christians 

and Muslims in 

Pakistan united to 

protect a nine-yearold 

boy from blasphemy 

charges. The 

boy and his mother 

were taken into custody 

by police after 

being accused of 

allegedly burning 

pages of the Quran. 

Upon their imprisonment, 

protests broke 

out among leaders in 

both Christian and 

Muslim communities. 

In response to the 

protests and the work 

of multiple activists, 

the charges were 

dropped. Although 

this response from 

the community is 

cause for celebration, 

we must be sure 

not to ignore the fact 

that the government 

has begun targeting 

minors under blasphemy 

laws that 

could potentially 

lead to the death 

penalty. 

American Missionary Kidnapped in 

Niger 

3 | NIGER American missionary Jeff Woodke was 

abducted in mid-October while serving in northern 

Niger. Woodke was working with a branch of the 

ministry organization called Youth With a Mission 

(YWAM) at the time of his kidnapping. According 

to local authorities, Woodke had been serving the 

region for 24 years. His ministry activities were 

largely based in community development as he 

helped provide better access to education, agricultural 

assistance, healthcare and clean water. 

It is believed that the kidnappers belong to the 

radical Muslim group MUJAO, translated in French 

as the acronym for “Movement for Oneness and 

Jihad in West Africa.” This group formally entered 

the world stage in 2011 after breaking off of the 

more widely recognized al-Qaeda in the Islamic 

Maghreb (AQIM). 

Reports indicate that several armed men stormed 

Woodke’s home in the evening, forcibly capturing 

him, before fleeing the country with him. Many 

suggest that the group took him toward Mali. The 

attack has left the local missionary community filled 

with both worry and uncertainty. Local ministries 

are operating with caution as this is allegedly the 

first incident where a Christian missionary has been 

kidnapped in the area. 




Indonesian police investigate 

the church attack that lead to 

the death of a two-year-old. 

AFP Photo. 

Toddler Killed in Church Attack 

4 | INDONESIA On November 13, 2016, a church in Samarinda, 

Indonesia, was attacked by Muslim radicals believed to be affiliated 

with ISIS. During the attack, the perpetrator threw a Molotov cocktail 

into a parking lot of children playing, leading to the death of a twoyear-old 

Christian girl who sustained burns to three-quarters of her 

body. Four other children were hospitalized. The suspect attempted to 

flee by jumping into a river, but was apprehended by a group of locals 

shortly after and taken to the police station. 

Daughter Denied the Burial of Her Mother 

5 | KYRGYZSTAN After losing her 76-year-old mother, Jyldyz 

Azaeva and her family did not think that their Christian faith would 

make the grieving process much more painful. This family in 

Kyrgyzstan was forced to bury and exhume their mother three times 

over disputes on where she could be buried on account of her faith. 

As a Baptist, both the Russian Orthodox and Muslim communities 

made the burial process a nightmare until their mother was finally 

laid to rest in an undisclosed location. 

Christian Family Beaten by Hindu Radicals 

6 | INDIA In a brutal attack led by suspected Hindu radicals, a Christian family 

was beaten in India after their home was invaded. The attackers stormed into the 

home of Sularam Kashyap, his pregnant wife, and his elderly parents, sparing 

none of the family members. All four were hospitalized due to the severe beatings. 

During their time in the hospital, an aid worker visited the family in order to 

obtain their testimony. According to reports, this visit angered the police who 

then forced the family to leave the hospital prematurely. Unfortunately, due to 

the severity of his condition and being denied adequate care, Sularam’s father 

died approximately two weeks after being forced out of the hospital. 

Furthermore, due to a social boycott against Christians in his village, 

Sularam was initially denied the right to bury his father in the village cemetery 

and was only granted access following police intervention. 



7

Your Dollar$ at Work 

Hope House 

Egypt 

Community Rebuild 

In November 2016, ICC celebrated the opening 

of its first Hope House in Egypt. For 

more than two decades, ICC’s mission to the 

persecuted has mainly focused on relief, seeking 

to bandage the wounds caused by persecution. 

Although this relief mission was successful, 

it did not address some of the systemic 

challenges faced by persecuted Christians 

around the world. 

To begin solving some of these systemic 

challenges, ICC developed a new program 

in 2016 called the Hope House. Through this 

Hope House program, ICC plans to establish 

a holistic center within countries and communities 

particularly affected by persecution. 

Through these centers, ICC will be able to 

provide persecuted Christians with a better 

education, micro-finance opportunities, 

vocational training, spiritual discipleship, and 

holistic community transformation. 

After months of fundraising, and thanks 

in large part to a generous partner church, 

ICC was able to launch its first Hope House 

in Egypt in November 2016. To start, Hope 

House Egypt will be serving primarily on 

three fronts. First, an education center has been 

established and renovated, where Christian 

children will receive tutoring and have access 

to English and computer classes that will make 

them more competitive in Egypt’s job market. 

To date, Hope House Egypt is already providing 

educational support to more than 100 

Christian children. 

Second, Hope House Egypt seeks to provide 

vocational training to Christian individuals 

seeking to improve their careers. Thus far, 

Hope House Egypt has surveyed the Christian 

communities and is preparing a relevant vocational 

training program. 

Finally, Hope House Egypt has already 

started providing access to micro-finance 

loans for Christians with quality business 

ideas. Hope House Egypt has been able to 

provide five micro-finance loans to Christians 

in the community it serves thus far. 

As ICC continues to support the Hope 

House Egypt program, please remember to 

keep it in your hearts and prayers. 




Supporting 

Somali Pastors 

Underground Pastors 

As Somalia is a safe haven for Islamic 

radicals, such as the militant group al- 

Shabaab, openly practicing Christianity in 

Somalia is a death sentence. It has been among 

one of the worst countries for Christian persecution 

for decades. Churches are forced to 

operate underground for fear of being captured 

and punished. 

Given these circumstances, it is more 

important than ever to continue to provide 

financially for those who risk their lives 

every day to share the Gospel. ICC provides 

monthly support to several underground pastors 

in Somalia. This financial assistance 

allows each underground pastor to continue 

to preach the Gospel and provide for their 

congregations. 

The generosity of donors makes it possible 

for these pastors to continue the work of the 

Great Commission in one of the most closed 

nations in the world. 



All Saints Church 

Anniversary 

Suffering Wives & Children 

In September 2013, two suicide bombers 

attacked All Saints Church in Peshawar, 

Pakistan. More than 600 worshipers were 

present at the church at the time of the 

explosion. When the dust settled, 130 

Christians were dead and many more were 

seriously injured. Since April 2014, ICC 

has assisted the victims of the attack by 

providing schooling, medical aid, food, and 

psychological healing. 

This past September marked the three-year 

anniversary of the deadly bombing at All 

Saints Church. The survivors and families of 

those killed reached out to ICC to help cover 

the costs of a memorial service to honor the 

martyrs who were killed in the attack. ICC 

covered the expenses of the memorial service, 

as well as providing food aid, in hopes 

of continuing the emotional and psychological 

healing for this Christian community 

affected by such a tragic loss. 

Aid to Family 

Devastated by 

Al-Shabaab 

Suffering Wives & Children 

E 

vans Araka was one of six Christians who 

were killed when al-Shabaab attacked 

his residential building in Mandera, Kenya, 

on October 6, 2016. He suffered several 

shots to the stomach and shrapnel injuries 

from exploding grenades that were hurled at 

the bedroom where he was sleeping. 

Araka left behind his wife and five children. 

As the main breadwinner of the family, 

his death left his family struggling for 

basic necessities. Having spent much of 

their valuable resources on funeral costs, 

the family was in dire need of assistance. 

ICC stepped in and provided enough food 

for a month as they mourned the loss of their 

loved one. 

“You are a miracle today,” said Araka’s 

wife, who expressed her deep gratitude to 

ICC and its donors. 

9


Bibles to 

Churches in 

Zanzibar 

Bibles 

On the island of Zanzibar, where the vast 

majority of the population is Muslim, the 

need to share the Gospel is crucial. Thankfully, 

many former Muslims are turning to Christ due 

to the work of faithful Christian ministries in 

the region. However, financial difficulties and 

rural locations have made it difficult for many 

new Christians to obtain a Bible of their own. 

In early October, ICC provided several 

churches in Zanzibar with Bibles to assist them 

in their ministries. The six pastors and churches 

that ICC worked with have been facing continued 

persecution which has left them without 

the financial resources to effectively preach and 

distribute the Gospel in their communities. 

With the help of generous donors, ICC 

was able to provide a stockpile of Bibles 

to be split among the six pastors who will 

distribute them among new believers hungry 

for the Word of God. Please remember these 

pastors in your prayers as they reach out to 

new believers and communities that have yet 

to accept the Gospel. 

Car Wash Business 

for Displaced 

Family 

Community Rebuild 

ISIS attacks have displaced thousands of 

Christian families from their homes in Iraq. 

The number of Christians living in Iraq has 

decreased drastically, from one million in 

2003 to approximately 275,000 today. 

Simon (name changed for security) was once 

a typical 20-year-old college student studying 

engineering. However, as ISIS gained increasing 

control in Iraq, he and his family were 

forced to abandon their home in Qeraqosh. 

Shortly after the family’s displacement, 

Simon’s father fell ill, shifting some of the 

responsibility of providing for the family 

onto Simon. Therefore, Simon put his college 

career on hold in order to open a car 

wash business. ICC provided Simon with the 

necessary tools to open up this small business 

to support his family. With this business assistance, 

Simon and his family will be relieved 

of the financial burden they are facing and he 

will hopefully be able to return to college once 

his family is back on their feet. 

While reflecting on the recent changes in 

his life, Simon said, “We used to have [an] 

amusement park in Qeraqosh, half of it owned 





Indian Pastor’s Hearing Restored 

Underground Pastors 

Last year, an Indian pastor was attacked by 

Hindu radicals on his way home from a 

service. Pastor Rao was dragged out of his 

bus and taken to a deserted area. The attackers 

recorded the ordeal during which Pastor Rao 

was severely beaten to scare other pastors and 

Christians. Although he survived, Pastor Rao 

sustained major injury and lost his hearing. 

Pastor Rao desperately needed surgery, but 

had to borrow the finances to pay for the operation. 

Upon learning of his situation, ICC paid 

his debt in October. Pastor Rao expressed his 

gratitude: “ICC’s help is such great relief, from 

the burden of such big loan that would take 

years for me to clear, having [a] rural ministry, 

and with limited income is almost impossible 

to pay back. I praise God for the healing on my 

ear, that I am able to continue the ministry.” 

by my father and he used to encourage us to 

study and he will take care of everything, I 

think the day has come [for] us to take care 

of him since he is having medical treatment.” 

It is ICC’s hope that this business will help 

Simon and his family return to a sense of 

normalcy, despite the abnormal obstacles that 

they are facing. 

Simon has also requested prayer for the health 

of his father. Medical issues are always difficult, 

without the added stress of forced relocation. 

Please keep this family in your prayers this year 

as they face new challenges, with the encouragement 

that their brothers and sisters in Christ 

around the world are supporting them. 



Aiding & Encouraging Indonesian Church 

Where Most Needed 

Pastor N. (name changed for security) and 

his congregation in Aceh, Indonesia, 

are forced to hold services in a tent 

because their church has been destroyed. 

There is no electricity or shelter from 

mosquitos. Despite these obstacles, the 

believers still faithfully worship God in the 

makeshift church. 

In October, a representative of ICC visited 

the congregation and met with the pastor. 

During the visit, ICC was able to organize aid 

and encourage the believers in Aceh. 

According to Pastor N. the church has been 

unable to secure a license to construct a new 

building. Nonetheless, he is confident in 

God’s grace and ability to continue to see the 

body of Christ grow in Indonesia. 

11

Impact Report 

WHERE MOST 

NEEDED 

FUND BALANCE: 

SUFFERING WIVES 

and CHILDREN 

FUND BALANCE: 

COMMUNITY 

REBUILD 

FUND BALANCE: 

low medium high 



2016 Q3 2016 Q3 2016 Q3 

PROJECTS PROJECTS PROJECTS 

• Due to the campaign of violence led by 

Boko Haram throughout Nigeria, countless 

Christian families have been displaced 

from their homes and forced to 

live in internally displaced people (IDP) 

camps. While meeting their immediate 

needs, such as food and shelter, is 

an essential part of ICC’s ministry, it is 

also important to address the long-term 

effects of persecution. ICC has been 

able to support a school for displaced 

Christian children so that, even though 

they are away from home, they can still 

receive a quality education. 

• In September, ICC helped coordinate and 

fund a memorial prayer service in commemoration 

of the 2013 bombing of All 

Saints Church in Pakistan. During the 

service, candles were lit in honor of the 

martyrs, Scripture was read, and there 

was a time of prayer before the families 

of those affected by the bombing gathered 

for a meal. 

• One of the major roadblocks to success 

for North Korean defectors is adjusting 

to life in an entirely new community. In 

a school for defector children, ICC helps 

provide basic needs as they cope with a 

constantly changing life. Last year, ICC 

provided 28 bunk beds to the school in 

order to replace the old furniture that was 

worn down. 

• The Bridge, the annual conference on the 

persecuted Church, is a movement bringing 

together the Church along with leaders from 

Congress, government and other nongovernment 

organizations (NGOs) to learn from each 

other about how to connect and fight for the 

persecuted Church. ICC held its first Bridge 

in 2016 and began initial planning for the The 

Bridge 2017. This year, we will focus on the 

prison state of North Korea. We are calling the 

Church together to pray and to work proactively 

with NGOs and the US government to bring 

down the world’s evil regime and break the 

chains of the persecuted in North Korea. 

• In an effort to combat the abduction, 

forced conversion, and forced marriage of 

Christian women in Egypt, ICC’s advocacy 

department initiated a petition. We gathered 

more than 5,500 signatures. The international 

reach of ICC’s petitions and its 

followers serves as a major benefit in ICC’s 

work with international governments. 

• One of the most crucial parts of ICC’s 

ministry is the on-the-ground operations. In 

order to ensure that projects are effectively 

and efficiently implemented, ICC staff regularly 

travels overseas to provide aid and 

verify project implementation. In a trip that 

spanned countries in both the Middle East 

and South Asia, ICC was able to meet with 

local partners and persecution victims who 

have received assistance. 

• In 2013, several churches in Indonesia were 

forced to close their doors after radical Islamic 

groups gained influence within government 

operations. However, after receiving the 

miraculous news that they were permitted to 

reopen, the church thanked God for answering 

their prayers. With the help of generous 

donors, ICC provided this church with the 

means to rebuild and renovate, which would 

not have been possible otherwise due to the 

church’s limited financial resources. 

• Fulani attacks have ravaged many Christian 

communities across Nigeria. In these 

attacks, there are often many warning signs 

that signal that an attack is coming. In order 

to prevent future attacks, ICC provided 

several villages in Nigeria with two-way 

radios. With these devices, village leaders 

are able to connect with one another to warn 

them of impending attacks in order to protect 

their communities and prevent as much 

violence as possible. 

• As ISIS gained influence throughout the 

Middle East, thousands upon thousands 

of Christian families were forced to leave 

their homes in Iraq. One group of 10 

Christian families in particular relocated 

to a compound of tents located on a church 

yard. Due to their struggle to provide for 

themselves during this difficult time, ICC 

stepped in to provide food packages and 

shelter to the families in need. 




Impact Report 

HAND OF 

HOPE 

FUND BALANCE: 

UNDERGROUND 

PASTORS 

FUND BALANCE: 

KIDS CARE 

FUND BALANCE: 




2016 Q3 2016 Q3 2016 Q3 

PROJECTS PROJECTS PROJECTS 

• While countries in Central Asia do not 

receive the media attention that many 

other countries do, government-led persecution 

makes life for Christian leaders 

in the region very difficult. ICC had the 

opportunity to partner with pastors in 

several Central Asian countries in order 

to support them financially in their ministries 

so that they can continue sharing the 

Gospel in this region. 

• Since the rise to power of the Bharatiya 

Janata Party (BJP) in India’s 2014 general 

elections, Christians have seen a sharp 

increase in persecution. Last year, two 

pastors were attacked by Hindu radicals in 

two separate attacks. One pastor sustained 

a back injury and the other pastor suffered 

from internal injuries. With the support of 

donors, ICC covered the medical expenses 

that these pastors needed in order to 

provide them with encouragement as well 

as a full physical recovery. 

• In the summer of 2016, a pastor in Nigeria 

lost his wife in an act of violence led 

by Muslim radicals accusing her of blasphemy. 

While ultimately there is no way 

to bring back this pastor’s wife or ease his 

pain, ICC provided the pastor with a much 

needed food package and words of encouragement 

as a sign of solidarity among the 

Church during his time of grief. 

• A Christian man in Kenya found himself 

among the wounded during an al- 

Shabaab shooting in the summer of 

2015 after being shot in the hand. While 

the government provided for his initial 

medical treatment, his injuries were 

severe enough to require further surgery 

in order to regain full function. ICC covered 

the cost of his surgery to help him 

on the path to full recovery. 

• Societal discrimination prevents many 

Christians in Egypt from adequately 

providing for their families. Many are 

relegated to manual labor. Due to health 

issues, a Christian man was unable to 

work in this field and was left without 

a sustainable income. In order to assist 

him, ICC established a transportation 

business which will help him provide 

for his family. 

• In 2012, Hindu radicals in India attacked 

a Christian pastor and accused him and 

his church members of forcing conversions. 

On these unfounded accusations, 

police arrested the pastor shortly thereafter. 

Through ICC’s Hand of Hope - Legal 

Fund, ICC provided a lawyer for the 

pastor to assist him in the ensuing legal 

battle. Thankfully, the courts cleared the 

pastor of all charges, allowing him to 

return to his ministry. 

• In Upper Egypt, children of impoverished 

Christian families often do not have the 

same opportunities that children in other 

communities have. In partnership with 

a local ministry, ICC is able to provide 

these children with the tools for success 

that they may not otherwise receive, such 

as school supplies, medical care, food, 

and Christian mentorship. 

• The harsh reality in many countries is 

that children are often not spared from 

persecution. A young student in Pakistan, 

who is the only Christian in her class, 

often found herself as the target of harassment 

from other students and occasionally 

even faculty. Once, conflict escalated 

so severely that a teacher fractured 

the girl’s hand by punishing her with a 

cricket bat. In order to ease her pain, 

ICC covered the medical expenses from 

the incident and provided a food package 

to the family. 

• In 2008, anti-Christian riots in Orissa, 

India, left many Christian children 

orphaned. Years ago, ICC provided a new 

home for these children by setting up an 

orphanage for Christian children who lost 

their families in the riots. In this ongoing 

program, children receive an education, 

food, a place to call home, and, most 

importantly, the Gospel. 



13

ICC Exclusive 

An Uncertain 

Future for 

Iraq’s Christians 

As ISIS is pushed back by coalition forces, many Christians are left 

looking towards a complex and uncertain future. 

By William Stark 

I 

was living with my husband and two 

sons when ISIS attacked Qeraqosh. 

We were lucky as we had sent our 

daughter out of the village a week 

earlier to be with her aunt.” 

Sana’a was speaking of that fateful 

day in 2014 when ISIS militants 

began their assault on Christian towns 

and villages across the Nineveh Plain, 

the homeland of Iraq’s Christians, to 

establish their caliphate in northern Iraq. 

“Our house was far from the center of the 

city,” Sana’a explained. “That’s why we didn’t 

know that ISIS occupied our city and why we 

didn’t try to flee right away. After three days, 

we realized that ISIS occupied our town. We 

tried to hide in our house, but three armed men 

broke the lock on the gate and then knocked 

down the door when we didn’t reply to their 

knocking. That was when the most terrible 

period of my life started.” 

Immediately, the armed men took the 

“ 

Christian family to a local mosque where 

other Christian families were also gathered. 

The Christian men and women were then 

separated by the armed men they soon discovered 

were ISIS militants. 

“They told us that they would be releasing 

the elderly women,” Sana’a continued. “When 

they started separating us, I realized that this was 

the last time that I would see my husband and 

two sons. I wish that they would have left my 

youngest son with me at least. But they didn’t. 

When they forced [the elderly women] to leave 

the mosque, my youngest son waved his hand 

at me, telling me not to leave. I can’t forget my 

son waving his hand. I didn’t have [a] choice.” 

Over 200,000 Christians were forced to 

flee their homes, becoming either internally 

displaced people (IDPs) in Kurdistan or refugees 

abroad. 

Since ISIS captured international headlines 

over two years ago, many have questioned 

what the future holds for Iraq’s Christians. 

Often, this gets broken down into a simple 

dichotomy. Will the violence unleashed by 

ISIS cause Iraqi Christians to fade into the 

pages of history or will Iraqi Christians, now 

more visible on an international level, rebuild 

the towns and villages devastated by ISIS? 

Unfortunately, both the questions and the 

answers surrounding the uncertain future of 

Iraq’s Christians are likely more complex. 

Despite its complexity, the future of Christianity 

in Iraq is one of the most important issues that 

must be answered for the Church today. 

Life as an IDP 

Truly, no one will be able to detail the full 

suffering endured by Christians during the 

initial stages of the crisis. Many were faced 

with life or death decisions, like Sana’a and 

her family, and were forced into IDP camps 

spread across northern Iraq. 

Those who were displaced were totally 




Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been displaced by ISIS; many Christian communities were afraid to move into IDP camps because 

of safety concerns, so they chose to live in tents on church properties or move into half-finished construction sites as seen above. 

dependent on aid from both the international 

community and local churches. The numbers 

of internal refugees were massive and little 

attention could be given beyond meeting their 

needs beyond basic survival. 

“After more than two years of displacement, 

we have noticed a difference in 

Christians’ situation,” Rabea Soran, an IDP 

camp manager in Erbil, told ICC. “Still, the 

situation doesn’t meet the minimum requirement 

of a suitable life.” 

“I can remember how Christians lived here 



and there and everywhere in parks for several 

months,” Soran recalled. “Some of them were 

able to move to caravans, others to unfinished 

buildings during the first year.” 

Despite sheltering in Erbil for two years, 

many Christians still struggled to meet basic 

needs. “Christians couldn’t find good jobs in 

Kurdistan to support their families because the 

government was already overloaded because 

of the war,” Soran explained. “Also, the official 

language here is Kurdish and no one speaks it, 

so it’s hard for Christian IDPs to communicate.” 

“Most Christian IDPs are completely 

dependent on the aid they get from churches 

and non-profits,” Soran continued. While 

that’s painful, their most haunting question 

is when and how they can get back to their 

homes and what life will be like after ISIS. 

A Fighter’s Perspective 

As many Christian IDPs look with uncertainty 

towards the future, there are some among 

them who are taking action in order to secure 

15

The entrance to a church ransacked by ISIS in Qeraqosh. 

their own vision of that uncertain future. 

Last October, the long anticipated operation 

to liberate Mosul and the other areas occupied 

by ISIS began. Christian militants among 

the IDPs participated in the operations that 

ultimately recaptured many of the homes and 

businesses formally seized by ISIS. 

“We attacked Qeraqsoh with the Iraqi army 

and Christian [militia] NPU,” Habib, a member 

of the Nineveh Plains Protection Units 

(NPU), told ICC. “ISIS didn’t put up much 

resistance and everyone thought that Qeraqosh 

had been recaptured.” 

“An experienced general commanded us to 

withdraw from part of Qeraqosh and saved 

many lives because ISIS started a heavy attack 

that night,” Habib said. “At 10:00 p.m., ISIS 

fighters started attacking from tunnels we 

discovered. These tunnels lead to Mosul. ISIS 

must have asked for support from Mosul and 

that’s why they didn’t resist at the beginning. 

The length of tunnel was 27 kilometers.” 

When the operation to liberate Mosul and 

the surrounding areas began, Christian militias 

insisted on participating in the fight, Habib 

explained to ICC. “After what happened in 

2003, both the Shia and Sunni Muslims and 

even the Kurds created their own militias. The 

Christians didn’t though. They had neither 

the arms or the political vision. There was 

no Christian militia until ISIS devastated the 

Christian villages, and then the Christian militias 

formed,” Habib said. 

Early in the morning of May 3, 2016, ISIS 

fighters launched a heavy attack on Telskuf, 

a Christian village near Alqosh, where Habib 

and other Christian militias were stationed. 

Similar to other Christian villages in the 

Nineveh Plain, Telskuf residents had deserted 

the village in the summer of 2014 when ISIS 

swept through the region. In late 2014, ISIS 

forces withdrew from the village, which was 

recaptured by the Kurdish Peshmerga and, 

more recently, guarded by Christian militias. 

“We were able to prove ourselves as 

Christian forces when ISIS attacked Telskuf,” 

Habib told ICC. “I saw that Christian women 

were kidnapped and no one hurried to help. 

“Most Christian 

IDPs are completely 

dependent on the 

aid they get from 

churches and nonprofits.” 

– RABEA SORAN, IDP CAMP MANAGER 

IN ERBIL 

ISIS took everything and no one was able 

to push them back far from our families, 

region and belongings. That’s why I joined the 

Christian forces.” 

When asked about what the future holds for 

Iraq’s Christians, Habib explained that there is 

wide disagreement over what’s next. “Many 

say they will not go back without guarantees 

and restitution,” Habib said. “More than 60 

percent of homes are destroyed and burnt. My 

parents had nine homes; seven of them are 

destroyed.” 

For Habib, who has already risked his life to 

push back ISIS, the future is much clearer. “As 

soon as the government provides clean water 

and electricity in Qeraqosh, I will be living 

there again,” Habib stated with confidence. 

“Most people will not be doing the same.” 

A Community Destroyed 

Weeks after Qeraqosh was secured in 

October 2016, many displaced Christians 

began visiting the area once considered Iraq’s 

largest Christian town. Curious to see what 

remained, many were devastated to discover 

that they had lost everything. From homes, 

to places of worship, to vehicles, everything 

in Qeraqosh has been marred by ISIS and the 

battle to drive them out. 

For many Christian IDPs, the prospect of 




“Our country is like 

this for Christians... 

It’s hard to live, it’s 

hard to leave and you 

don’t have any other 

comfortable choice.” 

– RAMI HEKMAT, CHRISTIAN RESIDENT 

OF QERAQOSH 

returning to these homes and trying to rebuild 

their communities in Iraq looks to be a daunting 

task. Furthermore, the Christian community of 

many villages will forever be changed by the 

fact that many Christians fled Iraq as refugees. 

“I am happy that my two brothers arrived in 

Germany with their families because they went 

through the sea,” Rami Hekmat, a 28-year-old 

Christian from Qeraqosh, told ICC. “But at 

the same time, life will not be the same if my 

family goes back to Qeraqosh. I used to work 

with my brothers for many years, but because 

of ISIS they left. Moving back to Qeraqosh 

will never be the same.” 

“Our country is like this for Christians,” 

Hekmat concluded to ICC. “It’s hard to live, 

it’s hard to leave and you don’t have any other 

comfortable choice.” 

An Uncertain Leadership 

Even among the Christian leadership of 

Iraq, there is uncertainty over what the future 

holds for their community. 

“Sure, we don’t want Christians to leave 

the country,” Archbishop Nicodemus, the 

Syriac-Orthodox Bishop of Mosul, told ICC. 

“Because immigration is another type of 

death. It’s an unknown fate.” 

“We want Christians to stay, but only if they 

are given dignity.” Nicodemus continued. “In 

many ways, we are strangers in our homeland. 

We are minorities in this country, we have 

been killed and we have been robbed here.” 

“No one is sure what the future for 

Christians in Iraq is,” Pastor Malath of 

Alliance International Church in Erbil simply 

told ICC. 

As Iraq’s Christians face this complex 

and uncertain future, ICC is committed to 

supporting this devastated community. To 

date, ICC has spent hundreds of thousands 

of dollars providing relief for those displaced 

and affected by ISIS. Looking forward, ICC 

will remain committed to helping rebuild 

the Christian communities of northern Iraq. 

Whether it be rebuilding homes, repairing 

churches, or restarting businesses, ICC is 

prepared to stand as one body with these 

Christian brothers and sisters. 



Top: These Christians displaced by ISIS violence chose to live outside of IDP camps in a 

construction site that became an unofficial Christian IDP camp. 

Middle: ICC staff follows a member of the liberation militia into one of the many tunnels 

ISIS dug throughout Qeraqosh. 

Bottom: Shops and businesses along a main street in Qeraqosh were burned by ISIS as they 

pulled out of the city. ISIS has left scars that will take many years to heal and rebuild. 

17

ICC’S 

THE BRIDGE 

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON THE PERSECUTED CHURCH 

THE CHURCH, GOVERNMENT LEADERS, & NGOS 

UNITING TO BREAK THE CHAINS OF THE PERSECUTED 

MAY/JUNE 2017 - TBD 

Breaking the Chains of 

North Korea 

At Saddleback Church 

Los Angeles, CA 

www.thepersecutionconference.org 

18 

www.thepersecutionconference.org

“Imagine what the Church could do if it tore down 

the denominational, ideological, and societal fences 

that separate us. Imagine if the Church, leaders of the 

US government, and ministry leaders came together in 

unity against the persecutors with prayer and action. 

The Word tells us that the Lord commands a blessing 

where there is unity. In unity, we shall do what none 

of us could do separately. Together, we will tear 

down the gates of hell and break the chains 

to set the prisoners free.” 

Jeff King 

President 

ICC 

The Bridge is an annual 

conference for the persecuted 

Church where the Church, government 

leaders, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and 

ministries unite to break the chains of the persecuted. 

Join us at Saddleback Church in Los Angeles for 

The Bridge 2017: NK-LA. 

For the latest info, visit: 

www.thepersecutionconference.org 



19

THE FULANI 

PLAGUE 

When the Fulani attacks first began, many saw 

them as farming and herding disputes between 

neighbors, but as their armory increases and 

their attacks grow in number, the narrative is 

shifting to one of jihad and religious targeting. 

By Sandra Elliot 

Fulani nomads herd their 

flock through the brush in 

central Nigeria. Though not 

all Fulanis are part of militias, 

as attacks on Christian 

farming villages continue 

and raiding parties gain 

better arms, the death toll 

continues to grow. Flickr 

Creative Commons image 

by user Rita Willaert. 




NIGERIA 

GTI RANK 3 

GTI SCORE 9.213 

ATTACKS BY TARGET 

Private citizens & property 

Military, militia or terrorist groups 

Religious 

Business 

Other 

DEATHS BY GROUP 

Boko Haram 

Unknown 

Fulani militants 

Other 

In 2014 Nigeria experienced the biggest yearly deterioration in 

terrorism on record. There were 5,662 more people killed from 

terrorism in 2014 than in 2013, an increase of almost 300 per cent. 

This is largely due to the increasing ruthlessness of Boko Haram, 

an Islamist terrorist group based in north-east Nigeria. 

Boko Haram was the world’s deadliest terrorist group in 2014 

killing 6,118 people in Nigeria through terrorist attacks. In 2013 

Boko Haram had killed 1,595 people. Despite this very large 

increase in deaths, the proportion of the total deaths that Boko 

Haram was responsible for fell slightly. In 2013 Boko Haram was 

responsible for 86 per cent of deaths in Nigeria, whereas in 2014 

they were responsible for 81 per cent. 

The reason for this change is the Fulani militants who killed 1,229 

people in 2014, up from 63 in 2013. They now pose a serious threat 

to stability. There has been an ongoing conflict over access and 

control of land between the semi-nomadic Fulani herdsmen and 

farmers in north-eastern Nigeria. There have been reports of a link 

between Boko Haram and Fulani militants, 63 particularly in regards 

to smuggling and organised crime. However, unlike Boko Haram 

who are now affiliated with ISIL and align with Deaths 

the establishment 

of a caliphate, the Fulani militants have very localised goals, 

mainly greater access to grazing lands for livestock. 

In Nigeria private citizens are overwhelmingly targeted, most often 

with firearms resulting in very high levels of deaths per attack. In 

2014 Boko Fulani Haram killed militants on average 15 people were per responsible 

attack whereas 

Fulani militants killed eight per attack. 

INCIDENTS 

662 

DEAD 

INCREASE IN DEATHS SINCE 2000 

2000 

7,512 

MAJOR ATTACK 

PROPERTY 

DAMAGE 

1,512 

INJURED 

7,512 

Most terrorist attacks were in the northeast of Nigeria where 

Boko Haram is based, with 40 per cent of attacks in their home 

state of Borno. The most attacks were seen in Maiduguri, the 

regional capital of Borno State, and Kano in northern Nigeria 

which is the second largest city in Nigeria. There were 146 

cities that had at least ten people killed from terrorist attacks 

in 2014 and 19 cities that had at least 100 people killed. The 

two areas with the most deaths from terrorism were Konduga 

with 444 and Maiduguri with 431 deaths. Konduga is a 

community in Borno State with a population of less than 

20,000. Konduga served as a minor base for Boko Haram 

members which led to government forces clashing with Boko 

Haram members in early 2015. 

The nature of terrorism in Nigeria is different to Iraq and 

Afghanistan. Terrorist activity in Nigeria has more in 

common with the tactics of organised crime and gangs, 

focusing more on armed assaults using firearms and knives 

than on the bombings of other 1,229 

large terrorist groups. 

Firearms were used in over half of all attacks in Nigeria and 

were responsible for 67 per cent Deaths 

of all deaths by Boko Haram 

and 92 per cent of deaths from Fulani militants. 

Whilst previously the use of suicide attacks by Boko Haram was 

rare, in 2014 they were responsible for 31 suicide attacks with an 

average of nearly 15 deaths per attack. The majority of these 

Fulani attacks were militants against private were citizens responsible 

and education and religious 

institutions. No other group in conducted suicide attacks 

for 1229 deaths in Nigeria in 2014. 

in 2014. 

GLOBAL TERRORISM INDEX 2015 | Results 

*Data gathered from Global Terrorism Index, 2015, p. 22, 43-44 



2014 

2,246 

+7,492 

WORST ATTACK 

An attack at a mosque killed 122 

people and injured 270 when Boko 

Haram set off explosives and shot at 

worshippers fleeing. 

Nigeria spread in the Institute for Economics & Peace’s 2015 Global Terrorism 

Index Report, page 22. Nigeria experienced a sharp increase in terror-related 

deaths and an extremely high rate of targeting civilians in 2014. 

Focus on Fulani Militants * 

In 2013: In 2014: 

for 63 deaths in Nigeria in 2013. 

= 25 People 

That is almost a 2000% increase 

92% Civilian Attacks 

81% Civilian Deaths 

In 2014, Fulani militants overwhelmingly targeted private civilians 

and not security forces. Civilian targets accounted for 92 percent of 

Fulani attacks and 81 percent of Fulani victims – one of the highest 

civilian target rates by any terror group in the world. 

The annual cycle of a 

family farm has been 

the same for millennia 

and is the same the 

world over; plant and 

plow, reap and sow. 

Nigeria’s Christian 

farmers formerly lived 

under the simple discipline 

of this annual 

cycle until 15 years ago when they started to 

regularly face the storms of attacks by Fulani 

Islamist militias that are attempting to cleanse 

the land of Christians by burning their crops 

and homes and slaughtering their families. 

“They came upon us suddenly,” a survivor 

told ICC, “I struggled with the attackers to 

escape from my house. I was fleeing with my 

children when the bullets hit me.” 

When Fulani militants raid a village, they 

usually do so at night, armed with machetes 

and heavy firearms, murdering anyone in their 

path and leaving whole towns ablaze. 

The Fulani militants are a Muslim tribe that 

spans several African countries. They are a nomadic 

people who go wherever their cattle can find 

feeding grounds, too often on Christian farms. 

While Boko Haram grabs most of the 

headlines in Nigeria, the Fulani were killing 

Christians there for years before the existence 

of Boko Haram. What is staggering is the 

growth in deaths attributed to Fulani attacks 

– from 63 people in 2013 to 1,229 in 2014 

(Global Terrorism Index, 2015, p. 44). 

The maddening part about the massive 

number of attacks and deaths is that few outside 

of Nigeria are even aware of the scale 

of what’s happening. Even worse is the fact 

that Nigeria hasn’t made serious headway in 

protecting the Christian victims from Fulani 

militant attacks. 

Unfortunately, Nigeria’s armed forces are 

controlled by Muslims and the government is 

riddled with those protecting and even abetting 

these terrorist groups. 

22 

February 21-24, 2016 

In February of 2016, the Fulanis attacked 

10 villages in Benue state, killing over 500. 

The United Nation’s High Commissioner in 

Nigeria, Angele Dikongue Atangana, said 

at the time that it was the most destructive 

attack she had seen in her more than 20 years 

of experience. 

Carrying their trademark AK-47 rifles, the 

militants invaded the villages and farming 

settlements, gunning down children, women, 

men and elderly alike. 

When aid groups and journalists arrived 

on the scene, corpses littered the roads in 

various stages of decomposition as the killings 

21

Feature Article 

Predominately Christian 

farming communities in 

the Middle Belt of Nigeria 

remain in constant fear of 

Fulani militias raiding and 

killing in their villages. Flickr 

Creative Commons image by 

user Conflict & Development 

at Texas A&M. 

occurred at different times. After the assault, 

when relatives of the deceased returned for 

the bodies of their loved ones, they were often 

ambushed and likewise slaughtered by the 

Fulani militants. 

Aside from the sheer magnitude of the attack, 

the Benue massacre marked a turning point 

for Fulani militant aggression. While previous 

attacks by Fulanis were confined to the Middle 

Belt regions of Nigeria, Benue is a southern 

state. This was the first time that the terrorists 

showed territorial expansion past central Nigeria. 

Reverend Yunusa Nmadu, chairman of the 

Kaduna Central District Church Council, told 

ICC that they have seen a significant increase 

in attacks from Fulani militants in 2016. 

“In previous years, it was an average of [one] 

attack in four months,” he said. “This year it has 

become two attacks per week average.” 

October 15, 2016 

“It came to us like it was the end of life,” 

Jummai Awuje, 65, told ICC, “The attackers 

came upon us suddenly so we fled for our lives 

carrying nothing…my husband was killed, his 

brother who was our breadwinner was also 

killed in the attack.” 

Awuje escaped with her children and grandchildren, 

running more than two kilometers 

to the nearest hospital. They have nothing left 

but the clothes on their back. Awuje was one 

of the more fortunate survivors of the October 

“We fled for our 

lives carrying 

nothing…my 

husband was killed, 

his brother who was 

our breadwinner 

was also killed.” 

– JUMMAI AWUJE, FULANI AT- 

TACK SURVIVOR 

15 attack in Godogodo, Nigeria. 

By the end of the assault, 40 Christians 

had died. It took days before the dead could 

be buried, as the Fulani militants stayed to 

occupy farms and loot crops. 

The attack in Godogodo was strategically 

planned and timed. According to some in the 

village, Muslim villagers conveniently left 

their homes a day before the attack. 

“There are Muslims and Fulanis in 

Godogodo, but we discovered that they had 

secretly informed them to move out ahead of 

the attack,” one survivor told ICC. 

Thousands were displaced following the 

attack and are now living as internally displaced 

people in their own country. 

“My very pressing need is survival—food 

for my family,” a survivor told ICC, “We 

Christians are all scattered in different places.” 

October 27, 2016 

Two weeks after the Godogodo massacre, 

Fulani militants killed another seven 

Christians in four different villages. Pasakori, 

Mile One, Misisi, and Tudn-Wadea in Kaduna 

state were all attacked. 

Southern Kaduna once maintained a longstanding 

peace with the Fulani tribes, leading 

many to wonder why such historical peace 

should be disturbed for no apparent reason. 

“The sudden turn of events where herdsmen 

have taken up arms against their host communities 

is giving us a serious cause for concern,” 

read a statement from the Kaduna state elders 

after the attack. 

November 13, 2016 

Within days, Fulani militants numbering 

around 200 attacked four more villages in the 

Kauru local area of Nigeria’s Kaduna state. 

This time, 34 villagers were butchered, some 

beyond recognition. 

“We did mass burials today in two locations,” 

an official of the Chawai Community 

Development Association told ICC at the time. 

“The attackers came over the hills, first in two 




Sokoto 

Kebbi 

Zamfara 

Katsina 

Kano 

Jigawa 

Yobe 

Borno 

Oyo 

Ogun 

Lagos 

Niger 

Kwara 

Ekiti 

Osun 

Ondo 

Edo 

Delta 

Abuja 

Kogi 

Kaduna 

Nasarawa 

Benue 

Enugu 

Ebonyi 

Anambra 

Cross 

River 

Abia 

Imo 

Bauchi 

Plateau 

Taraba 

Gombe 

Adamawa 

Nigeria 

Middle Belt region 

Bayelsa 

Rivers 

Akwa 

Ibom 

Area of particular concern 

States with major Fulani massacres 

in 2016 

groups, then converging into one, firing gun 

shots and moving in on the cluster of villages.” 

The Southern Kaduna People’s Union, 

speaking on behalf of the people, urged the 

Nigerian government to protect its citizens 

from such butchery. One of the mass graves 

held three generations of one family. 

“It is now abundantly clear to even the worst 

skeptics that southern Kaduna has become a 

killing field, where genocide is taking place 

unabated,” they wrote in a press statement. 

A Narrative Shift 

The Fulani militant incursion has brought a 

new level of devastation to Christians living in 

the Middle Belt of Nigeria. These blitzkrieg massacres 

wipe out entire communities at a time and 

create a manner of religious war in the country. 

When the Fulani attacks first began, many 

saw them as farming and herding disputes 

between neighbors. But as their armory 

increases and their attacks grow in number, 

the narrative is shifting to one of jihad and 

religious targeting. 



“This is an aggressive attack on peaceloving, 

innocent natives,” Reverend Yunusa 

Nmadu told ICC. “We hear that they appeal to 

other Fulanis in other countries to come help 

them persecute and ethnically cleanse and 

fight to occupy.” 

The jihadi narrative also comes from the obvious 

connection between Boko Haram and the 

Fulani terrorists. Where else could poor nomadic 

herdsmen acquire military weapons and ammunition 

on a large scale other than from the existing 

terrorist network in Nigeria and elsewhere. 

The difference is in their ambitions. 

Boko Haram has political objectives and 

works to indoctrinate fellow Nigerians to join 

their cause via terrorism and territorial expansion. 

Fulani militants are not aiming to indoctrinate 

since they kill every man, woman and 

child they encounter. Their actions are more 

genocidal than oppressive. 

Call to Prayer 

The Nigerian Christian community in the 

middle of the country is in massive pain. We 

spoke with survivors of the recent attacks and 

gathered prayer requests from them. We ask 

you to pray and care for these brothers and 

sisters in Nigeria. 

“Pray that God will grant us peace in our 

homeland so that we can return. Some are 

heartbroken and need consolation and encouragement.” 

–Rhoda, mother 

“That God will help us to forgive the 

attackers, and open doors for us to find help 

and the means to take [care] of our families.” 

–Bulus, father 

“Pray for us that our hearts will be 

calmed down so that we can forgive. Pray 

that God will restore us back to our homes 

and help us to return to normal life and survive.” 

–Elisabatu, grandmother 

“That God will grant us peace, restore us to 

our homes and keep away this kind of evil from 

happening again.” –Jummai, grandmother 

“Pray for the pool of orphans that are being 

created for us as a result of the attacks. We 

don’t know what to do. That God will provide 

for the Church so as to help victims.” 

–Reverend Yanusa Nmadu. 

23


From Mourning to Joy: 

Chibok Girls Restored to 

Their Families 

By Ashley Shay 

Imagine the anguish you would 

feel, agonizing over whether or 

not you would ever hold your kidnapped 

daughter in your arms again. 

Hundreds of parents experienced 

this unimaginable pain on April 14, 

2014, when their daughters were 

abducted by militant jihadists. In a 

single day, Boko Haram snatched 

276 girls from their beds at a government 

secondary school in Chibok, Nigeria, 

and promised to sell them as wives to their 

militants. A number of the parents initially 

pursued the Islamists in an attempt to rescue 

their daughters, but returned empty-handed, 

forced to wait almost two years before hearing 

a word about their fate. Though few 

could ever conceive of the pain of that kind 

of uncertainty, countless people around the 

world joined these parents in crying out to 

God for the safe return of the Chibok girls. 

Finally, after more than 900 days, mourning 

turned into joy for almost two dozen families. 

On October 13, 2016, Boko Haram released 

21 of the kidnapped girls into the hands of 

the Nigerian government in negotiations brokered 

by the International Committee of the 

Red Cross and the Swiss government. Within 

a few short days, elated parents had their 

daughters back in their arms – no doubt held 

tighter than ever. 

A ceremony in the Nigerian capital of Abuja 

to formally reunite the families revealed the 

miraculous nature of the girls’ survival and 

newfound freedom. 

“We never imagined that we would see this 

day, but, with the help of God, we were able 

to come out of enslavement,” said one of the 

girls. Another student, according to a BBC 

report, shared how she and her peers were 

forced to survive without food for 40 days. 

She escaped unharmed when a plane dropped 

a bomb near her location in the woods. 

“We thank God. I never thought I was going 

to see my daughter again, but here she is,” 

a parent told the BBC. “Those who are still 

out there – may God bring them back to be 

reunited with their parents.” 

Of the 276 Chibok girls who were kidnapped, 

57 escaped within the first few days, 

but 218 remained in captivity until a vigilante 

group found and rescued Amina Ali Nkeki 

(opposite top) on May 17, 2016. Her rescue 

came a month after the release of a Boko 

Haram video meant to establish “proof of life” 

for at least 15 of the missing girls. Though its 

date and location proved impossible to determine, 

the video, coupled shortly thereafter 

with Nkeki’s rescue, was the first real glimmer 

of hope for families who had begun to 

fear the worst. 

Sources said Nkeki was discovered carrying 

a four-month-old baby, presumably 

her child with the Boko Haram fighter who 

“Those who are 

still out there – 

may God bring 

them back to be 

reunited with 

their parents.” 

– A CHIBOK PARENT 

traveled with her and claimed to be her 

husband. Nkeki’s husband was arrested, and 

she was briefly reunited with her parents. 

She reportedly told her mother, “Wipe your 

tears. God has made it possible for us to see 

each other again.” 

In addition to being the first of the Chibok 

girls freed, Nkeki brought greater hope to the 

parents of her fellow students when she told 

authorities that all of the girls were still in the 

Sambisa Forest, where she had been found, 

with the exception of six who had died. 

Three months later, on August 14, 2016, 

Boko Haram produced another video alleging 

proof of life for approximately 50 girls 

and demanding the release of their fighters 

in return for the girls. In September, a second 

video sparked outrage when the terrorist 

group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, mocked 

the “Bring Back Our Girls” movement that 

helped raise so much global awareness for 

the girls, saying, “There’s still more to do [to] 

‘Bring Back Our Girls.’ …If you want your 

girls, bring back our brethren.” 

The families of the girls seen on the video 

and other supporters rallied the Nigerian government 

to take decisive action to rescue their 

daughters. However, details of the negotiations 

that eventually did lead to the release of 

the 21 a month later are being kept confidential. 

Some sources have reported that Boko 

Haram militants were released in exchange 

for the girls, while others suggest that a large 

sum of money was paid. The Nigerian government 

is denying both claims, but notes that 

they see this release as a positive “first step” 

in the eventual release of all the Chibok girls. 

In November, another one of the abducted 

schoolgirls was reunited with her family 

after Nigerian soldiers discovered her and her 




The 21 Girls 

Released on 10/13/16 

Amina Ali Nkeki was 

was rescued on May 

17, 2016. Nigeria 

Military image. 

The kidnapping of 

the Chibok girls started 

a worldwide social 

media movement: 

#BringBackOurGirls. 

Wikimedia image. 

On October 13, 

2016, Boko Haram 

released 21 of the 

Chibok girls after 

more than 900 days 

in captivity. 



1. Mary Usman Bulama 

2. Jummai John 

3. Blessing Abana 

4. Lugwa Sanda 

5. Comfort Habila 

6. Maryam Basheer 

7. Comfort Amos 

8. Glory Mainta 

9. Saratu Emannuel 

10. Deborah Ja’afaru 

11. Rahab Ibrahim 

12. Helen Musa 

13. Maryamu Lawan 

14. Rebecca Ibrahim 

15. Asabe Goni 

16. Deborah Andrawus 

17. Agnes Gapani 

18. Saratu Markus 

19. Glory Dama 

20. Pindah Nuhu 

21. Rebecca Mallam 

10-month-old son during a screening of escapees 

from Boko Haram’s base in the Sambisa 

Forest. According to ICC’s partners in Nigeria, 

the girl is Maryam Ali Maiyanga, who was a 

student leader in the school where the girls were 

kidnapped. She was abducted with her sister, 

but her sister is unfortunately believed to be 

among the 195 girls still in captivity. 

As we rejoice with the families of the 22 

young girls who have been restored to their 

families and rescued from a life of unthinkable 

horrors, we must remember those whose 

parents’ agony did not end in October, as 

well as all of the Christians who live in fear 

that their children may be taken or that they 

may lose their own lives. Weeks before Boko 

Haram released the 21 students, their insurgents 

attacked Christian villages in the Chibok 

area two weeks in a row – killing eight during 

the first week and two the following. 

Please continue to pray for our suffering 

brothers and sisters in Nigeria. 

25

The 

Perfect 

Excuse: 

A Coup Attempt and an 

Islamist President Send 

Turkey Spiraling Towards 

Radical Islam 

Since the attempted coup in Turkey on July 15, 2016, 

the people of Turkey are uneasy, stressed, confused, 

mistrusting, and see little hope for their country in the 

near future. 




Hagia Sophia 

Meaning “Holy Wisdom” 

in Latin, Hagia Sophia 

was built near the center 

of Istanbul in 537 AD 

originally as a church, 

then converted to a 

mosque, and is now a 

museum. Flickr Creative 

Commons image by user 

Pedro Szekely. 



27


On July 15, 2016, 

Turkey reported 

that factions 

within its military 

had attempted and 

failed to overthrow 

the increasingly 

Islamist government 

of President 

Erdogan. 

Many long-term Turkey watchers had serious 

doubts as to whether it was a real coup. It 

was seen by many as a classic false flag operation 

(a covert government-initiated operation 

to create public pressure or justification for a 

desired military response) that was designed 

by Erdogan to defang the only Turkish institution 

capable of opposing him. 

The failed coup allowed Erdogan to declare 

Turkey to be in a state of emergency in order 

to completely purge every possible opponent 

of his rule, real or imagined. The military 

and nearly every aspect of Turkish society 

has been affected. Thousands of teachers, 

judges, lawyers, police, military personnel, 

journalists, academics, and others have been 

suspended or arrested. 

It was the perfect justification for Erdogan 

to assume the role of dictator, placing the 

nail in the coffin of almost 100 years of 

secular government in Turkey and putting this 

80-million strong Muslim nation on the fast 

track toward radical Islam. 

This has had a huge impact on Turkey’s 

small number of Christians. On July 20, only 

five days after the coup attempt, ICC spoke 

with a missionary from Istanbul who accurately 

predicted the downfall we’ve witnessed 

in the country to date. 

“Honestly, this is probably the worst case 

scenario for Christians living in Turkey,” 

the missionary explained to ICC at the time. 

“Christians will probably be among those targeted 

because their lack of adherence to Islam 

could be seen as a threat to the government.” 

Christians in Turkey now find themselves 

in a country where the government 

has indefinitely suspended the concept of 

democracy in the name of national security. 

It is in this Turkey that ICC is seeing an 

“The mosques are our barracks, 

the domes our helmets, the minarets 

our bayonets and the faithful 

our soldiers. . . “ 

Poem recited by Turkey’s Chief Islamist and 

President Erdogan 

“Christians will probably be among those targeted 

because their lack of adherence to Islam could be seen 

as a threat to the government.” 

– A TURKISH MISSIONARY INTERVIEWED BY ICC 

increased crackdown against Christians, especially 

affecting those from outside Turkey. 

Andrew and Norine Brunson 

On October 7, 2016, Andrew and Norine 

Brunson were detained by the Turkish government. 

The Christian couple has lived in 

Turkey for more than 23 years, running a 

church under the full knowledge of local 

authorities. It was a huge surprise when the 

couple was summoned to the police department 

and taken into custody. 

The Brunsons’ phones were confiscated 

and they were denied legal counsel. No family 

or friends, lawyers or even the US State 

Department were allowed contact with them. 

Twelve days after their arrest, Norine was 

released. However Andrew was held for 

over two months and, at time of writing, had 

been transferred to a formal prison facility 

and accused of membership in an armed terrorist 

organization. 

“This is disconcerting to Americans living 




here,” said Mark* (name changed for security), 

a missionary in Turkey, “as it seems that now 

if anyone is detained, it will be indefinitely and 

that America will or cannot do anything.” 

Ryan Keating 



Top Recep Tayyip 

Erdogan, the 

president of Turkey, 

assumed the office 

on August 28, 2014. 

Wikimedia image. 

Bottom Left Anticoup 

protesters after 

the July 15, 2016 

Turkish coup d’état 

attempt in Bağcılar, 

Istanbul, Turkey. 

Wikipedia image. 

Bottom Right 

General Erdal 

Öztürk (left) was 

arrested over alleged 

involvement 

in the coup attempt. 

Wikipedia image. 

In October 2016, Ryan Keating’s residency 

visa was revoked. Turkey banned him for 

life after 10 years of living and studying incountry. 

Keating, 39, was refused reentry to 

Turkey after being in London for 10 days. 

“It was [a] shock to be taken into custody, and 

to hear that I was being given a lifetime ban,” 

Keating told World Watch Monitor. “No explanation 

was given, even when I asked about it.” 

Keating was forced to sign a coded document 

that clarified that he was being banned 

due to “national security” issues. This is one 

of the many ways in which the government is 

targeting Christians in Turkey. 

Shortly after Keating’s deportation, the 

Turkish government passed an emergency 

order that allows the Ministry of Interior to 

rid the country of anyone it deems a threat 

without judicial order or review. 

“There is a growing expectation among 

many in the missionary community that ‘they 

will be next’ concerning deportation or detainment,” 

Mark explained. 

Spiritual Oppression 

It’s believed that the Christian population 

of Turkey, once two million strong, now 

stands at just 120,000, less even than in ultrarepressive 

Iran. 

Since Erdogan’s party took power in 2002, 

the education system has been gradually transformed 

into a pro-Islamic training ground, 

with Erdogan himself urging the creation of a 

“devout generation” of Muslim Turks. With 

the firing of thousands of teachers, judges, 

and government employees after the coup, 

many believe that graduates of far more radical 

Islamic schools will now be chosen to fill 

the vacant positions. 

In 2007, three Christians were tortured and 

murdered by Islamic radicals who, despite being 

known by local authorities, have largely remained 

free to live and travel for the past eight years. 

Several leaders of the Turkish Church are 

laying low and advising their congregations to 

do the same. This may be precisely why we are 

seeing a greater attack against Western churches 

as opposed to grassroots congregations. 

Additionally, expressions of Islamic devotion 

have grown rapidly since July, with many 

Turkish Muslims adhering to more traditional 

Islamic customs. 

During the night of the coup attempt, calls from 

the loudspeakers of the country’s 85,000 mosques 

urged faithful Muslims to resist the uprising. 

Many thousands responded. In two cities, church 

windows were smashed by angry mobs. 

On October 20, 2016, in one of the most 

ominous symbolic moves yet, the Turkish 

Religious Affairs Directorate appointed a permanent 

imam to lead prayers in the famous 

Hagia Sophia for the first time in 80 years. 

One of the most widely recognized buildings 

in the world, the Hagia Sophia was built and 

used as a church for nine centuries before 

Muslim invaders conquered Constantinople 

in 1453 and converted it into a mosque. The 

appointment of an imam at such a major landmark 

is a clear signal of the direction Erdogan 

is taking Turkey. 

“The spirit of Islam is rising throughout 

the country,” Mark told ICC, “But at the 

same time, there is dissatisfaction with Islam 

among many youth…this has caused them to 

question Islam and has kept us busy.” 

Please pray for foreign Christians who are at 

risk of losing everything if dubbed a “national 

security threat.” With no evidence or forewarning, 

families may lose their visas, their 

ministries, and their homes. Pray also for local 

Christians to have strength as they enter into 

what may prove to be a very dark time for the 

Church in Turkey. 

29

A Letter to the President 

St. Mark Church in 

Cairo, Egypt at sunset. 

Flickr Creative 

Commons image by user 

Andrew A. Shenouda. 

A letter from a persecuted 

Christian in Egypt to 

President Trump. 

Dear President Trump, 

First, I congratulate 

you on your 

victory in the US 

presidential election. 

I send my best 

wishes to both you 

and the administration 

you will lead. 

I also pray that the 

Lord would enlighten and sustain you in your 

service to both the United States and to the rest 

of the world. 

As an Egyptian Christian, I hope that you 

will continue to forge strategic relations 

between Egypt and the United States. I am 

confident that you and President Sisi will 

continue to strengthen the unique alliance 

between the United States and Egypt and 

bring it to even greater heights. 

With that said, I would like to now draw 

your attention to the lack of religious freedom 

in the Middle East. Today, religious freedom 

for minorities in the Middle East is under 

siege and, in some places, even threatened 

with complete annihilation. 

In Saudi Arabia, a country that controls 

two of the most holy cities of Islam, Mecca 

and Medina, building a church is forbidden. 

Foreign nationals who are not Muslims cannot 

become citizens and are prohibited from 

entering Mecca. 

In Libya, although the interim constitution 

protects religious freedom, the government continues 

to prohibit proselytizing to Muslims. Also, 

attacks on Christians and their properties continue 

to go uninvestigated. Like Saudi Arabia, 

there are no churches in Libya, but Christians 

are allowed to worship in their homes. 

Extremist groups have carried out numerous 

attacks against Christians in Libya. As 




The Pyramids of Giza. Flickr Creative Commons image by user Charles Sharp. 

Cave church at The Monastery of St. Simon the Tanner. 

I am sure you are aware, Islamic State militants 

filmed the beheading of 21 Egyptian 

Christians and later an additional 31 Ethiopian 

and Eritrean Christians in two separate attacks 

in 2015. A grisly reminder of how dangerous 

it is for religious minorities when groups 

who do not believe in religious freedom are 

allowed to rule. 

In Tunisia, although it is not illegal to convert 

from Islam to another religion, converts 

from Islam face extreme pressure from their 

families and former religious communities. 

Some Tunisian Christians have even reported 

receiving violent threats. Islamic religious 

education is also mandatory in Tunisia’s public 

schools and the government continues to 

imprison people for speech deemed blasphemous 

or offensive to Islam. 

In Morocco, conversion from Islam is not 



illegal, but converts can be prosecuted for 

“shaking the beliefs” of other Muslims and 

sentenced to prison for up to three years. 

Those found guilty of proselytism or converting 

others also face criminal punishment or 

expulsion from the country. 

In Syria and Iraq, religious minorities continue 

to be targeted by Islamic State militants. 

Homes, places of worship, and entire Christian 

communities have been overrun and occupied 

by a terrorist organization that stands in 

complete opposition to religious freedom. The 

attacks on religious minorities in these countries 

have gotten so bad that your government 

has termed the situation a genocide. 

Even in my home country, Egypt, full religious 

freedom is not a reality. Coptic Christians, 

who are the indigenous population of Egypt, 

continue to make up 10 percent of the country’s 

population despite the discrimination and, at 

times, outright persecution we endure. 

In recent years, attacks by Muslim radicals 

against the Christian community of Egypt 

have increased. For example, on November 

25, 2016, Muslim radicals in El-Naghamish 

village, located in the Sohag governorate, 

attacked a Coptic Christian community 

because a rumor spread that Christians were 

building a church. 

Fanatics carrying gas canisters, rocks, and 

other weapons carried out a vicious assault 

following Friday prayers, resulting in four 

Christians being injured, a Christian guesthouse 

being destroyed, nine Christian homes 

being burned, and four Christian businesses 

being looted. Unfortunately, this was not the 

first time this has happened in 2016. In 

fact, three other Christian communities across 

Egypt suffered similar assaults after rumors of 

a church being constructed were spread. 

In many ways, our government has failed 

to protect us and, at times, are amongst those 

denying us full religious freedom. Repressive 

laws and discriminatory policies are often 

used to restrict Christians from freely practicing 

their faith. This has left many Christians 

feeling that they are not equal to their Muslim 

counterparts as Egyptian citizens. 

Truly, we Egyptian Christians often feel 

oppressed and marginalized by the laws and 

actions, or in some cases inaction, of our 

own country. 

As a member of one of these threatened 

minority communities, it is my hope and 

prayer that you and the United States will 

remain a strong leader in the Middle East and 

will continue to champion the universal right to 

religious freedom for all, Muslims, Christians, 

Jews, and Yazidis, in the Middle East. 

For generations, the world has looked to 

the United States as a stalwart advocate for 

the right to religious freedom. As you take 

the office of President of the United States, 

I urge you to continue this noble tradition so 

that someday, a religious minority like me 

could truly experience what it feels like to 

practice his or her faith freely. 

Sincerely, 

An Egyptian Christian 

31

You Can Help Today! 



SEND DONATIONS TO: 

ICC 

PO BOX 8056 

SILVER SPRING, MD 20907 

OR ONLINE AT 

WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG 

OR BY PHONE 

800-ICC-5441 

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. 

Black scorch marks 

cover a door of what 

was once a church 

in Qeraqosh, Iraq 

that ISIS burned as 

they were forced out. 

Keep Iraqi Christians 

in prayer during and 

after the battle for 

Mosul, Iraq. 

© Copyright 2017 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 as the source. 

International Christian Concern (ICC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) (all donations tax-deductible). 

ICC makes every effort to honor donor wishes in regards to gifts. Occasionally, situations 

arise where a project is no longer viable. ICC will then redirect those donated funds to the 

fund most similar to the donor’s original wishes. ICC uses 7.5 percent of each restricted 

donation to carry out the mission of its segregated funds. 

facebook.com/persecuted 

@persecutionnews

February 2017 Persecution Magazine

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?