January 2018 Persecution Magazine
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WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG<br />
JANUARY <strong>2018</strong><br />
PERSECU ION<br />
Nigeria’s Continuing Crisis:<br />
FULANI<br />
MILITANTS<br />
Christian Farmers Endure Relentless and<br />
Devastating Violence from Islam’s Army in Nigeria<br />
PERSECU ION.org<br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
Table of Contents<br />
In This Issue:<br />
FEATURE<br />
14 | Crisis in the Middle Belt<br />
Fulani militants continue to target and<br />
attack Christian farmers in Nigeria.<br />
FEATURE<br />
18 | The Latest in a Long Series<br />
of Attacks<br />
Two villages are left devastated after<br />
the most recent attacks.<br />
FEATURE<br />
24 | Emissaries of Grace and<br />
Hope<br />
ICC brings hope to the families that<br />
face continual persecution in Nigeria.<br />
FEATURE<br />
26 | Miracle of Hope in the<br />
Midst of ISIS<br />
The miraculous return of Christina to<br />
her family continues to bring hope to<br />
Christians rebuilding their lives in Iraq.<br />
FEATURE<br />
28 | Enduring the Unthinkable<br />
in Pakistan’s Schools<br />
The religious intolerance taught in<br />
Pakistan’s schools has deadly consequences<br />
for Christian children.<br />
FEATURE<br />
30 | Why We Serve<br />
Members of ICC’s staff share their<br />
motivation for serving through this<br />
ministry.<br />
Regular Features<br />
3 Letter from the President<br />
A few words from ICC’s president, Jeff<br />
King, on the plight and lessons of the<br />
persecuted.<br />
4 World News<br />
A snapshot of the persecution that<br />
impacts our brothers and sisters daily, in<br />
every corner of the world.<br />
8 Your Dollars at Work<br />
Learn how your gifts are providing<br />
comfort, relief, Bibles, education and<br />
vocational training to the persecuted.<br />
12 Volunteers<br />
Learn how members of ICC’s volunteer<br />
teams are making an impact in their<br />
communities for the persecuted.<br />
14<br />
24<br />
26 28<br />
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President’s Letter<br />
“We ran [into] the grass but they set the grass ablaze and burned my sister,<br />
my father, my brother, and me. I ran and met my brother Godfrey, but the<br />
Fulanis came and [hit my brother with machetes]. They set my stepmother<br />
ablaze and slaughtered my brother Nathaniel. They burnt my 3-day-old<br />
stepbrother on the head and umbilical cord. They burnt Peace [my older<br />
sister]. [After the attack], when we saw our people, we were brought down<br />
from the hills and they took us to Kaura Hospital and later to Jos.”<br />
Azumi Francis, Nigeria, 7, remembers Feb. 20, 2017 (pg 14).<br />
“I would like to keep the beauty of my own vineyard and not be involved in such<br />
a huge fight. I would like so much to (live) somewhere in quietness and rest. But<br />
it is not possible... The quietness and rest for which I long would be an escape<br />
from reality and dangerous for my soul... The West sleeps and must be awakened<br />
to see the plight of the captive nations.”<br />
Richard Wurmbrand, Tortured for Christ<br />
Jeff King, President<br />
International Christian Concern<br />
In this month’s issue, you will read about the devastating war against the Body of Christ going on in Nigeria and it will be<br />
disturbing. Like me, you may be led to cry out, “How long, O Lord?”<br />
We who carry the burden of the persecuted fully understand the paradox of Richard Wurmbrand. As it was for him, life would<br />
be easier if we could forget the persecuted’s plight, go back to sleep, and live out our Christian lives, blissfully unaware of<br />
the suffering of the Body of Jesus.<br />
You see, there is a cost on the psyche of knowing and living with the persecuted and their pain, Yet, like Mr. Wurmbrand,<br />
we can’t abandon them for they have few friends in the slumbering Church, a Church distracted by trivial issues of pews,<br />
carpets, basketball courts, and turf that crowd out the distant and weak call for help coming from across the world.<br />
The Kingdom of Heaven will continue to be subjected to violence (Matt. 11:12), but having been chosen, we rise to the battle<br />
and understand that to be awake is preferable to sleep.<br />
Like Simon of Cyrene, we stoop down and lift the cross off of the back of the persecuted and carry whatever portion of<br />
their load we can. And while we help carry their cross, we find ourselves transformed, bit by bit, and inoculated against the<br />
deceitfulness of riches and the twin diseases of materialism and meaninglessness that infect our Western culture.<br />
For we have seen in the persecuted what true love can be and we rise to their example of deepest devotion, while paying<br />
the highest cost.<br />
For all this, we part with our time, treasure, and talent, to bring them relief and to lift the cross off their shoulders.<br />
As always, your donations will be used efficiently, effectively, and ethically.<br />
I promise!<br />
Jeff King<br />
President<br />
International Christian Concern<br />
www.persecution.org<br />
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“Religious<br />
education would<br />
no longer be<br />
permitted”<br />
Mob Attacks Coptic Church, Damages<br />
Other Christian Buildings<br />
1 | EGYPT On October 27, a Muslim mob formed<br />
in Egypt’s Ezbat Zakaria village and attacked St.<br />
George’s (“Mar Girgis”) Church. During the attack,<br />
the mob also damaged several homes and stables<br />
owned by Coptic Christians. Many doors and windows<br />
were broken in the attack and three of the stables<br />
were set on fire. One Christian woman suffered minor<br />
injuries during the incident.<br />
A local resident of the Christian community<br />
recalled that, on the morning of the attack, they<br />
found fliers near the village mosque that read, “We<br />
opened the church in spite of you.” He noted that<br />
the fliers were forged to appear as though they were<br />
written by the Christian villagers as a ploy to justify<br />
the attack.<br />
As the Christian community seeks to recover from<br />
the incident, security officials responded to the attack<br />
by closing down the church. Approximately 1,800<br />
Christians call Ezbat<br />
Zakaria home, all of<br />
whom have lost their<br />
place of worship<br />
because of this decision.<br />
One eyewitness<br />
to the attack noted<br />
that it was the mob’s<br />
goal to close the<br />
church. When authorities<br />
restricted the<br />
Christians’ access to<br />
their facilities, many<br />
felt frustrated, as if the<br />
radical Muslims were<br />
given what they wanted.<br />
While it is essential<br />
that their church<br />
building be restored<br />
to its rightful owners,<br />
it is encouraging that<br />
the authorities are taking<br />
action to investigate<br />
the violence. At<br />
the time of writing,<br />
15 people have been<br />
arrested pending an<br />
investigation.<br />
Unfortunately, this<br />
recent attack is just<br />
one example of growing<br />
anti-Christian<br />
sentiment in Egypt.<br />
Authorities must take<br />
stronger action to condemn<br />
this type of violence<br />
or else life for<br />
minority Christians<br />
will only grow more<br />
dangerous.<br />
Eritrea Forces Christian Schools to<br />
Close in Favor of Public Schools<br />
2 | ERITREA For years, the Eritrean government,<br />
led by Isaias Afwerki (pictured), has persecuted its<br />
Christian population. Rightfully earning its moniker<br />
as the “North Korea of Africa,” the Eritrean government<br />
only officially recognizes four religions:<br />
the Eritrean Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic<br />
Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Eritrea,<br />
and Sunni Islam. Those who practice their faith<br />
outside of the government’s strict parameters find<br />
themselves subject to severe persecution.<br />
In a recent move that further restricts religious<br />
activity, the Eritrean government ruled that all<br />
schools within the nation must be public. In doing<br />
so, religious education would no longer be permitted<br />
and students are no longer able to wear religious<br />
symbols such as crosses or Muslim headscarves.<br />
The government justified the decision by saying that<br />
the church’s sole function was to address the community’s<br />
spiritual needs. When a Catholic school<br />
refused to comply by closing itself, the government<br />
allegedly shut<br />
down the school and<br />
arrested both a nun<br />
and a priest.<br />
This decision has<br />
been met with widespread<br />
disapproval<br />
which led people to<br />
protest in the capital<br />
city of Asmara. In<br />
a country as oppressive<br />
as Eritrea, protests<br />
of this nature<br />
are not a common<br />
occurrence due to the<br />
harsh consequences<br />
that often follow.<br />
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China Expels Hundreds of Missionaries from North Korea Border Region<br />
3 | CHINA Without explanation, three provincial governments in China have deported hundreds of South Korean missionaries from the North<br />
Korean border region. Many believe that the missionaries were deported because of their involvement with assisting North Korean defectors.<br />
Further still, as China’s Christian population continues to flourish, the government has tightened its grip within the past few years by cracking<br />
down on Christian house churches and other religious activities.<br />
Iranian Authorities Raid Home and Imprison<br />
Christian Convert<br />
4 | IRAN During a recent raid on his home, a Christian convert in<br />
Iran named Abdol Ali Pourmand was arrested in the city of Dezful.<br />
As part of the raid, authorities confiscated Bibles and other Christian<br />
materials from his home. Pourmand’s arrest took place shortly after<br />
the arrest of a fellow convert who, at the time of writing, is still being<br />
held after two weeks of detainment. While Christian converts often<br />
face abuse in Iranian prisons, the status of Pourmand’s health remains<br />
unclear at present.<br />
Indonesian Court Recognizes Minority Faiths in<br />
Landmark Ruling<br />
5 | INDONESIA In an encouraging step toward greater religious freedom<br />
in Southeast Asia, the Constitutional Court of Indonesia recently<br />
affirmed the status of all religious minorities as protected religious<br />
groups. In previous years, laws that affected specific religious minority<br />
groups, such as blasphemy laws, only protected six official religions.<br />
With the government making positive progress, this will hopefully pave<br />
the way for greater protection for minority groups, including Christians,<br />
throughout Indonesia.<br />
Authorities in India’s Tamil Nadu State Close Ten Churches<br />
6 | INDIA According to the local president of Synod Pentecostal Churches, authorities<br />
have ordered the closure of 10 Christian churches in India’s Coimbatore<br />
District in Tamil Nadu. Hindu radicals have also reportedly threatened 20 other<br />
churches in the region. Local Christians are speaking out against these church<br />
closures because all of the churches in question are house churches. Although<br />
authorities claimed that the services were not properly authorized, house churches<br />
are not required to seek government permission to exist.<br />
Since the Bharatiya Janata Party, as led by Prime Minister Modi (pictured),<br />
came to power in 2014, Christians and other religious minorities have experienced<br />
a sharp increase in religious freedom violations. Unless the government speaks<br />
out clearly against incidents of this nature, Hindu radicals will continue their<br />
campaign of discrimination, viewing the government’s silence as tacit approval.<br />
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Christian Human Rights Lawyer<br />
Escaped, Recaptured<br />
1 | CHINA With the aid of two friends, Gao Zhisheng, a<br />
Christian human rights lawyer in China, escaped from his<br />
home in Shaanxi where he was being held on house arrest.<br />
Gao hid in a neighboring province for more than three<br />
weeks before Shaanxi authorities mobilized a large group<br />
of officers to recapture him across the border. While<br />
many suspect that Gao is now in police custody in Beijing,<br />
his location has not yet been confirmed.<br />
One of the friends who assisted with Gao’s escape,<br />
Li Fawang, was also temporarily detained before he<br />
spoke with reporters regarding the ordeal. Li noted that<br />
he briefly saw Gao as he was being transported back to<br />
Shaanxi, but the encounter was so brief that the men were<br />
unable to speak with one another. Apart from that passing<br />
encounter, Gao’s whereabouts remain unknown.<br />
Both Li and the<br />
other friend suffered<br />
abuse during their time<br />
in detention. They<br />
were shackled, beaten,<br />
and denied important<br />
medical care. Li, who<br />
suffers from diabetes,<br />
lost his eyesight after<br />
being denied his medicine<br />
during the beginning<br />
of his detention.<br />
Gao’s disappearance<br />
is particularly<br />
concerning because he<br />
also faces health concerns.<br />
Due to years of<br />
torture and malnutrition,<br />
he suffers from<br />
severe tooth loss and<br />
other medical complications.<br />
Even when his<br />
friends offered to take<br />
him to a dentist during<br />
his brief stint of freedom,<br />
he turned them<br />
down because he did<br />
not want to risk being<br />
caught.<br />
Further still, since<br />
Gao has escaped once<br />
already, it is likely<br />
that he will face harsh<br />
retaliation after being<br />
recaptured. Please<br />
pray for Gao as the<br />
Chinese government<br />
often treats imprisoned<br />
Christians and<br />
human rights activists<br />
as they would treat<br />
terrorists.<br />
“The women are<br />
still in jail as their<br />
application for bail<br />
was not heard.”<br />
Christians in India Falsely Accused of<br />
“Kidnapping for Conversion”<br />
2 | INDIA As discrimination against Christians continues<br />
to worsen in India, false accusations of forced<br />
conversions are becoming increasingly common. In<br />
a recent incident following a complaint by a radical<br />
Hindu group, two Christian women were arrested and<br />
accused of kidnapping seven children for the purpose of<br />
forced conversion. As the women were arrested, a group<br />
of radical Hindus also attacked some of the parents of<br />
the children. The children were detained and taken to<br />
a shelter, without their parents, before being released<br />
shortly after.<br />
However, at a press conference in late October, the<br />
parents of the seven children announced that all of their<br />
children were indeed Christians. They also noted that<br />
the two women were taking the children to Mumbai<br />
with their full permission. Yet, at the time of writing,<br />
the women are still in jail as their application for bail<br />
was not heard.<br />
As of early November, there have been 27 cases of<br />
Christians in Madhya Pradesh being accused of kidnapping<br />
for conversion in 2017 alone. Unfortunately, the<br />
consequences of these accusations last long after the<br />
charges are dropped. Aside from physical harassment<br />
from radical groups, such charges also devastate these<br />
Christians financially. Furthermore, and perhaps most<br />
damaging, the charges foster the impression that the<br />
Christian community is dangerous, cementing the perspective<br />
of prejudice against local Christians.<br />
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Christian in Kazakhstan Fined for Practicing His Faith<br />
3 | KAZAKHSTAN Although Kazakhstan’s constitution allows citizens to practice their faith freely, a Christian man named Yuri Bekker was<br />
arrested and issued a fine in 2015 for handing out religious literature. He was also charged a fee for the “expert analysis” of his Christian literature,<br />
even though he never requested it. After Bekker refused to pay the fine, he was convicted in October.<br />
As a result, he has been prohibited from moving houses or visiting public places, such as shops or restaurants. If he still refuses to pay the<br />
unresolved fine, the government has the authority to confiscate his home. Despite the constitutional guarantees, the government of Kazakhstan<br />
has made it increasingly difficult for Christians to exercise their rights to religious freedom.<br />
Fulani Militants Raid Village, Kill 29 Women<br />
and Children<br />
4 | NIGERIA During a recent attack led by Fulani militants, at least<br />
29 people, mostly Christians, were killed, including many women<br />
and children. The women and children were instructed by soldiers<br />
to hide in a local elementary school, but the soldiers fled as the<br />
militants arrived. Although members of the military were stationed<br />
in the village at the time of the attack, they did little to prevent the<br />
attack, leaving the Christian community wondering if the government<br />
has their best intentions in mind. This violent attack took place<br />
only a few weeks after another attack, during which 20 churchgoers<br />
were murdered in cold blood.<br />
Five Sudanese Pastors Continually Harassed<br />
After Release<br />
5 | SUDAN Five pastors in Sudan were arrested in mid-October for<br />
allegedly causing “sound pollution” during their church services.<br />
After they were summoned to court four days later, they were told<br />
upon arrival that the case had been postponed another five days.<br />
This is one of many recent examples in which the Sudanese government<br />
has persecuted Christian leaders throughout Khartoum<br />
by disrupting their daily lives. In some instances, Christians have<br />
been forced to check in with police on a daily basis, making it<br />
nearly impossible for them to maintain consistent jobs and support<br />
their families and congregations.<br />
Christian Families in Pakistan Flee Homes After False<br />
Blasphemy Accusation<br />
6 | PAKISTAN Several Christian families in Pakistan fled their homes on November 3<br />
after a member of their community was falsely accused of blasphemy. According to<br />
reports, a fake Facebook page, made to look like a local television channel, posted a<br />
photo of a teenager named Sonu Arshad and accused him of blasphemy. The post went<br />
further to encourage locals to “burn his church and give him the death penalty.” A local<br />
Christian noted that no one knows why this young man was falsely accused.<br />
According to authorities, police are investigating the situation to identify those who<br />
created the fake Facebook page. Thankfully, the actual television channel has not commented<br />
on the matter, minimizing media attention, and therefore backlash, against the<br />
Christian community. For years, radical Muslims in Pakistan have misused blasphemy<br />
laws to seek revenge or discriminate against religious minorities, including Christians.<br />
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7
Your Dollar$ at Work<br />
Small Business<br />
for Nadia<br />
Suffering Wives and Children<br />
One Sunday morning, an explosion rang<br />
throughout St. Peter’s Church. Debris,<br />
smoke, and flames filled the church due to<br />
the 26 pounds of TNT hiding in the pews.<br />
Church member Mena Adel said that “the<br />
church bombing was planned and carried<br />
out meticulously.” The perpetrator used the<br />
crowds to sneak in and sneak out, but one<br />
person saw him leave.<br />
Nabil Habib, a church guard, saw the man<br />
leaving the church and tried to approach<br />
him, but the bomb detonated before Nabil<br />
reached him. Nabil was killed in the attack.<br />
Nabil’s wife, Nadia, remembers her husband<br />
as a man who devoted his life to the<br />
church, “He died defending the church…<br />
and everyone loved him.” With Nabil’s<br />
death, Nadia is left to grieve and try to provide<br />
for her family.<br />
Nadia has three children who need her<br />
support, Marian, Justina, and Fady, ranging<br />
from ages two to 15-years-old. Two-yearold<br />
Fady still waits for his father by the<br />
door, crying until Nadia brings a photo of<br />
Nabil for him to hold.<br />
ICC sent a representative to determine<br />
how to best help Nadia earn a sustainable<br />
income despite having lost her husband.<br />
Nadia told ICC that a bedding and bath shop<br />
would be both manageable and financially<br />
lucrative.<br />
Thanks to your support, ICC was able<br />
to purchase the initial inventory for Nadia,<br />
including bed sheets, quilts, bedspreads,<br />
duvet covers, blankets, towels, bath robes,<br />
shower curtains, and bed sheets for kids.<br />
Nadia can now sell these goods to customers<br />
to both provide for her family and increase<br />
her inventory.<br />
After receiving the goods, Nadia said,<br />
“I thank you, ICC, so much for everything,<br />
for standing with my children and<br />
me after the martyring of my husband<br />
and making this great project for us. This<br />
project will help me to earn sustainable<br />
income for my children. May God richly<br />
bless you.”<br />
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Education for<br />
Rachael Gikonyo<br />
Suffering Wives and Children<br />
Several students, staff, and teachers<br />
were killed or injured by al-Shabaab<br />
during the terrorist attack at Garissa<br />
University in 2015. Rachael Gikonyo, a<br />
student, survived despite sustaining seven<br />
gunshot wounds to the chest, leg, and<br />
back. Unfortunately, she now has paralysis<br />
in her lower body and is forced to use<br />
a wheelchair.<br />
Thanks to the support of generous donors,<br />
ICC was able to help with some of her medical<br />
and food expenses during 2015 and 2016. This<br />
year, ICC covered 75 percent of her tuition at<br />
Kenyatta University so she was able to return<br />
to college. She started her sophomore year in<br />
September.<br />
Remember to pray for Rachael’s academic<br />
goals and health, as well as for God’s provision<br />
for her family.<br />
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Housing for<br />
Pastor in India<br />
Hand of Hope<br />
In southern India, Pastor Aryan led a small<br />
congregation in his rented house until radical<br />
activists closed the church and forced<br />
the pastor to move. The poor community<br />
could not afford to replace their church so<br />
Pastor Aryan found an isolated, empty piece<br />
of land to quickly build a shack for his family.<br />
The unsafe shack also proved to be a<br />
home for poisonous snakes, insects, and the<br />
sun’s harsh rays.<br />
To serve the pastor, his family, and church,<br />
ICC paid for housing materials, including<br />
walls, a roof, and a door to protect them<br />
from the elements.<br />
When the home was finished, Pastor<br />
Aryan was overwhelmed, “I have never<br />
expected to have a safe place for me and my<br />
family to live, as I did not have resources to<br />
build a house.”<br />
Iraq Bible<br />
Assistance<br />
Bibles for the Persecuted<br />
W<br />
hile there are a few Christian-majority<br />
areas in Iraq, there are far more dangerous,<br />
Muslim-only areas that many evangelists<br />
will not enter. One Iraqi ministry,<br />
however, is daring to minister in those areas<br />
and create a foundation for spreading God’s<br />
Word. The ministry’s work is even more<br />
timely in light of ISIS’ brutal reign and<br />
recent exit.<br />
Many Muslims are reconsidering their<br />
faith because of ISIS and our friends are<br />
ready to share an alternative with them.<br />
A major component of this ministry is<br />
literature distribution in the streets, so<br />
we supported the evangelists with 5,000<br />
Bibles.<br />
Continue to pray for this ministry,<br />
including safety, wisdom, and continued<br />
provision.<br />
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Your Dollar$ at Work<br />
Medical Clinic in South Sudan<br />
Suffering Wives and Children<br />
The conflict between the government and<br />
the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement<br />
has ignited a civil war in South Sudan. As<br />
a result, many people in South Sudan have<br />
either died or fled to different areas of the<br />
country with their families. Unfortunately,<br />
these victims have also lost their access to<br />
basic necessities such as food, water, shelter,<br />
health services and medicine, in addition to<br />
their homes.<br />
In the midst of this turmoil, a local medical<br />
clinic has been serving South Sudanese<br />
victims including malnourished children,<br />
nursing or pregnant mothers, and any other<br />
patients needing medical attention, medication,<br />
or medical testing.<br />
Thanks to the assistance of loyal donors, ICC<br />
was able to partner once again with this clinic<br />
to purchase $1,000 worth of medicine. The<br />
clinic depends exclusively on outside support<br />
to continue running; therefore, the acquisition<br />
of this medicine was indispensable since the<br />
demand for antibiotics and other medication<br />
is very high in the war-torn area. The clinic is<br />
now able to continue its assistance and service<br />
to the local community that is in desperate need<br />
of spiritual and physical help.<br />
ICC hopes to continue its partnership with<br />
this clinic since it is an effective ministry<br />
and also a tangible way to show God’s love<br />
and mercy toward others. For that reason,<br />
please remember to pray for the civil war that<br />
is taking place in South Sudan and for the<br />
Christians and non-believers who are being<br />
affected by it. Pray that these victims are able<br />
to seek God during times of despair and that<br />
God can work in their hearts. Pray also for<br />
God’s provision for this clinic as it continues<br />
to serve so many people.<br />
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Assistance to Chawai<br />
Victims in Nigeria<br />
Your Dollar$ at Work<br />
Suffering Wives and Children<br />
In November 2016, a group of Fulani<br />
militants attacked the Christian district<br />
of Chawai, Nigeria. Approximately 40<br />
people were killed, over 100 houses and<br />
crops destroyed, and two church buildings<br />
burned down. The majority of residents in<br />
the five villages that compose the district are<br />
Christian farmers who depend on their crops<br />
to survive. Therefore, these victims not only<br />
lost their properties, but the means to provide<br />
for and feed their families.<br />
In the midst of such hardship, we were<br />
able to assist 200 of the affected Christian<br />
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families by providing them with the necessary<br />
materials to begin cultivating their crops<br />
again. Thanks to our donors, we supplied<br />
these farmers with over 250 bags of fertilizer<br />
and 10 irrigation water pumps.<br />
The victims were very grateful because<br />
God had provided for them once again.<br />
“They saw our plight, and God also<br />
made them think graciously to help us,”<br />
said Emmanuel who received one of the<br />
fertilizer bags.<br />
Please remember to pray for safety and<br />
provision for these Christian families that<br />
continue to live in fear of their persecutors.<br />
Food and Prison<br />
Assistance to<br />
Yasir and His<br />
Brother<br />
Hand of Hope<br />
Yasir ran a small bicycle repair shop,<br />
servicing Muslims and Christians until<br />
police threw him in jail for a false blasphemy<br />
charge. A Muslim customer leveled<br />
the charge against Yasir after Yasir asked<br />
him to pay for bicycle repairs. The Muslim<br />
customer told Yasir that he would not pay for<br />
the repairs because he was a Muslim. Yasir<br />
responded that he only believed in Jesus<br />
Christ. The Muslim customer claimed that<br />
Yasir’s statement was blasphemous and filed<br />
an official charge against him.<br />
Yasir was imprisoned and his family has<br />
gone into hiding, fearful of being attacked<br />
by radical Muslims. To ensure that Yasir still<br />
receives food and visitors, Yasir’s brother<br />
has been visiting the prison and bringing<br />
food to Yasir, despite the brother’s own<br />
financial needs.<br />
In order to support both brothers, ICC provided<br />
Yasir with three months’ worth of food<br />
and financial assistance for Yasir’s brother.<br />
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are a continual<br />
source of persecution for Christians because<br />
they are often used by Muslims to settle<br />
personal disputes or vendettas. The result<br />
often ruins the lives of accused Christians<br />
and their families.<br />
11
Volunteers<br />
Volunteers Support International<br />
Day of Prayer for the Persecuted<br />
Spreading the<br />
Word<br />
Throughout the year, Christians around the<br />
world pray for their persecuted brothers<br />
and sisters. Once a year, however, the global<br />
Church specifies a particular day to pray for<br />
the persecuted Church. This day is called<br />
International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted<br />
(IDOP) and is traditionally recognized on the<br />
first Sunday of November.<br />
On this day, more than any other, ICC’s<br />
faithful volunteers mobilize their communities<br />
by raising awareness and prayer support<br />
for the persecuted. Many volunteers<br />
addressed the awareness aspect of this event<br />
and sought out several different avenues to<br />
spread awareness. Some distributed copies<br />
of <strong>Persecution</strong> magazine in their communities.<br />
Some took to the pulpit and spoke about<br />
persecution before their congregations. Some<br />
shared informational resources about recent<br />
news stories related to persecution. Some<br />
raised awareness about this vital issue on<br />
social media.<br />
In addition to spreading awareness, countless<br />
others recognized IDOP by gathering<br />
together for prayer. Some hosted prayer gatherings<br />
for members of their church. Some distributed<br />
prayer requests with others either in<br />
person or electronically. Many more set aside<br />
part of their day to pray, either individually or<br />
with their families.<br />
As part of IDOP 2017, ICC also hosted a<br />
petition on behalf of persecuted Christians<br />
in Nigeria. The petition calls on the Nigerian<br />
government to offer greater protection to persecuted<br />
Christians who are targeted by radical<br />
groups such as Boko Haram and Fulani<br />
militants. Several thousand signatures from<br />
countries all over the world have already been<br />
gathered in response.<br />
In ministries that serve the persecuted, volunteers<br />
don’t always have the ability to see the<br />
fruits of their labor. However, on International<br />
Day of Prayer for the Persecuted, it is undeniable<br />
that the global Church is making progress<br />
in alleviating the suffering of the persecuted.<br />
While there is still work to be done, it is<br />
encouraging to see the Church coming together<br />
year after year to support heroes of the faith.<br />
‘And pray in the Spirit on all<br />
occasions with all kinds of<br />
prayers and requests. With<br />
this in mind, be alert and<br />
always keep on prayer for all<br />
the Lord’s people.’<br />
– EPHESIANS 6:18 (NIV)<br />
This ministry would not be possible<br />
unless the general public was aware<br />
of the plight of persecuted Christians.<br />
Therefore, ICC is always looking for new<br />
ways to reach out to various communities<br />
to inform them about different religious<br />
freedom issues. In doing so, ICC’s volunteers<br />
participated in a recent campaign that<br />
challenged them to reach out to their local<br />
newspapers to write letters to the editor<br />
about persecution.<br />
Specifically, volunteers contacted newspapers<br />
to write letters about the issues<br />
facing Christians in North Korea. In the<br />
midst of political tension surrounding<br />
North Korea, volunteers encouraged readers<br />
not to forget the egregious human<br />
rights violations that the Kim regime is<br />
constantly committing against its own<br />
people. By using local newspapers as a<br />
means of communication, these volunteers<br />
are reaching out to new communities<br />
that might not otherwise hear about these<br />
issues, specifically those that are affecting<br />
minority Christians. As long as persecution<br />
exists, it is vital for the free Church<br />
to continue spreading the word about the<br />
atrocities that its brothers and sisters in<br />
Christ are facing.<br />
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INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
Looking for a Way to Make a Difference in the World? Join Our Team of Volunteers!<br />
For those wishing to assist the persecuted Church, many are not sure how to get started. However, volunteers all over the world are making a<br />
difference within their own communities as members of ICC’s five different volunteer teams: Advocacy, Awareness, Office, Prayer, and Special<br />
Projects. By standing up for the persecuted in countless different ways, ICC’s volunteers play a crucial role in connecting the global Church by<br />
bridging the gap between the persecuted and the free Church. It only takes one person to make a difference – are you willing?<br />
Fighting for Justice<br />
One of the most important duties of volunteers who serve on<br />
ICC’s Advocacy Team is supporting ICC’s petitions. Between<br />
September and November, ICC hosted a petition that called for<br />
the release of four prisoners of conscience in Iran. Each of these<br />
men was sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly committing<br />
“actions against national security.” In response, volunteers all<br />
over the world called upon their churches, their families, and their<br />
friends, encouraging them to sign this petition on behalf of these<br />
wrongfully imprisoned men. As a result, this petition garnered<br />
nearly 4,500 signatures.<br />
The Power of Prayer<br />
In addition to praying on International Day of Prayer for the<br />
Persecuted, it is essential that volunteers pray for the persecuted<br />
on a consistent basis. As a result, several members of ICC’s Prayer<br />
Team address this need by forming prayer groups specifically<br />
dedicated to praying for the persecuted. These volunteers meet with<br />
their groups on a regular basis, ranging from daily to monthly, to<br />
pray over various issues related to religious freedom. Many focus on<br />
specific countries that experience severe persecution to ensure that<br />
their needs are lifted up in prayer.<br />
Volunteer Teams<br />
1 Advocacy Fight for justice for the persecuted through petitions, congressional<br />
calls, and more.<br />
2 Awareness Raise your voice by speaking in churches, writing, and social<br />
media.<br />
3 Office Lighten the load of our staff by helping with administrative assignments.<br />
4 Prayer Intercede for our brothers and sisters in Christ, both individually and<br />
as a church.<br />
5 Special Projects Volunteer on your own schedule through one-time projects.<br />
PERSECU ION.org<br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />
Are You Interested<br />
in Serving?<br />
Online<br />
Apply online at:<br />
http://www.persecution.org/how-you-canhelp/volunteer<br />
Or send an email to:<br />
volunteer@persecution.org<br />
Phone Want more information? Feel<br />
free to call us at (301) 585-5915.<br />
13
A CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE<br />
By Nathan Johnson<br />
ran [into]<br />
the grass<br />
but they set<br />
the grass<br />
ablaze and<br />
burned my<br />
“We sister, father,<br />
brother, and<br />
me. I ran<br />
to my brother Godfrey, but the Fulanis<br />
[attacked him with machetes]. They set<br />
my stepmother ablaze and slaughtered my<br />
brother Nathaniel. They burnt my 3-dayold<br />
stepbrother on the head and burned<br />
[my older sister]. [After the attack], they<br />
took us to [the hospital] and later to Jos.”<br />
This is how 7-year-old Azumi Francis of<br />
Nigeria’s Plateau State remembers February<br />
20, 2017. Early that morning, as Fulani<br />
militants raided the villages of Ashim,<br />
Mifi, Zilang and Bakin Kogi in the Attakar<br />
District, Azumi and her family fled from the<br />
sounds of gunfire and the smell of burning<br />
houses in the village. They ran toward the<br />
safety of the surrounding grasslands to wait<br />
for the attackers to leave. They laid low,<br />
breathlessly hoping that the tall, thick grass<br />
would protect them. Sadly, it didn’t work.<br />
The militants set the grass on fire. The<br />
flames drove the villagers out of hiding,<br />
towards the Fulani guns and machetes.<br />
By the end of the attack, Azumi lost her<br />
stepmother, stepbrother, and one of her<br />
brothers. She and her sister, brother, and<br />
father were taken to the hospital where ICC<br />
paid for medical support. Unfortunately,<br />
despite the treatment, Azumi’s father and<br />
older sister died. Now, Azumi and her only<br />
living brother, Godfrey, must grow up without<br />
any other immediate family.<br />
A Common Occurrence<br />
Azumi’s experience is common for<br />
Christians living in Nigeria’s “Middle Belt”<br />
region. Despite the large number of incidents<br />
and massive number of victims for more than<br />
a decade, the Fulani’s murderous violence<br />
has gained little attention from the Nigerian<br />
government, national media, or the international<br />
community.<br />
“The government and the media in<br />
Nigeria are tone deaf when it comes to facing<br />
up to outrageous human rights abuses<br />
in Nigeria,” said Stephen Enada of the<br />
International Committee on Nigeria (ICON).<br />
“[The government] doesn’t want the international<br />
community to be aware of the level<br />
of atrocities committed against [Christians]<br />
[and because the] government [is] in charge<br />
of the public conversation, serious skewed<br />
reporting and editorializing occurs.”<br />
The war against Christian farmers has<br />
gone on for many years and there are many<br />
explanations as to why it continues. Boko<br />
Haram’s destabilization of the North is a<br />
contributing factor as is the desertification<br />
of Fulani lands, as well as the fact that the<br />
Fulani are historically nomadic but becoming<br />
more stationary. Although there are<br />
several complex factors for the attacks, the<br />
simple truth is that the nomadic cattle-herding<br />
Fulani want the land that the Christian<br />
farmers are on. The other factor is that<br />
they are predominantly Muslim and their<br />
doctrine justifies violence toward infidels<br />
who oppose them. In the end, they murder<br />
infidels whose land they want.<br />
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BELT: FULANI ATTACKS<br />
No Protection<br />
What makes the situation so difficult,<br />
however, is that the government is not protecting<br />
the Christians caught in the crosshairs<br />
of the Islamic violence.<br />
Victims cry out for help and have begged the<br />
government’s security agencies to adequately<br />
protect them from the marauding Fulanis, but<br />
nothing changes.<br />
The governmentstationed<br />
military units,<br />
part of Operation Safe<br />
Haven, have failed to<br />
protect those under their<br />
charge. Their blunders<br />
have been large and<br />
have led to the death<br />
and destruction of many<br />
villages. Communities<br />
have responded to the<br />
government’s failure by<br />
creating their own militias<br />
to defend themselves.<br />
While the government’s<br />
failure may initially be<br />
attributed to the vast<br />
PERSECU ION.org<br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />
“The ongoing<br />
conflict<br />
between<br />
Christian<br />
farmers and<br />
Fulani militants<br />
has been a<br />
problem for<br />
many years.”<br />
“Unless [the] administration is fully ready<br />
to condemn the violence... the safety of<br />
all Nigeria is at risk.”<br />
amount of distance to cover, it is not an<br />
acceptable excuse. These militants often<br />
attack the same areas repeatedly, because<br />
locals who initially flee<br />
from the attack usually<br />
try to return and rebuild.<br />
ICC’s Nigerian staff<br />
noted that, after villagers<br />
return, “the [Fulanis]<br />
often return to demolish<br />
the structures being<br />
rebuilt by the farmers,<br />
or [mow down villager’s<br />
crops.] They ambush<br />
and attack the men or<br />
abduct their women<br />
on the farms and rape<br />
them, or continue to send<br />
threats to intimidate the<br />
villagers.”<br />
The attackers also often occupy the land<br />
which they have just attacked and taken<br />
from these farmers. “In other cases, the<br />
[Fulanis] actually occupy and settle down<br />
in the villages they have sacked, regarding<br />
them as ‘conquered territory’ and setting<br />
up their own camps and build[ing] homes<br />
there.”<br />
This reoccupation is devastating for<br />
Nigerian farmers, where land is seen as<br />
ancestral and ownership has been with a<br />
single family for decades.<br />
A denunciation of Fulani militant violence<br />
from President Buhari would be particularly<br />
meaningful because he is Fulani himself.<br />
Unless his administration is fully ready to<br />
condemn the violence, hold the criminals<br />
accountable, help rebuild communities, and<br />
protect vulnerable citizens like Azumi, the<br />
safety of all Nigeria is at risk.<br />
15
The Forgotten<br />
Terrorists:<br />
Fulani Militants<br />
in Nigeria<br />
29<br />
From<br />
<strong>January</strong> to<br />
October 2017<br />
alone, there<br />
were more<br />
than<br />
68<br />
7<br />
8<br />
71<br />
90<br />
attacks*<br />
10<br />
9<br />
100<br />
injured<br />
400<br />
killed<br />
35<br />
67<br />
65<br />
2<br />
30<br />
53<br />
73<br />
100<br />
houses burned<br />
and tens of<br />
thousands<br />
in damages<br />
*Not all attacks represented. Map features 50 of the worst<br />
attacks from 2017, numbered in chronological order.<br />
16 PERSECU ION.org<br />
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INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
33<br />
84<br />
3<br />
15 31<br />
69 12<br />
11<br />
32<br />
52<br />
92<br />
91<br />
56<br />
63<br />
66<br />
37 40<br />
34 64 55<br />
61<br />
18 39 46 62<br />
1<br />
60<br />
87<br />
49<br />
21<br />
23<br />
13<br />
14<br />
25<br />
How<br />
you can<br />
help:<br />
6<br />
47<br />
1-5 deaths<br />
6-10 deaths<br />
11-20 deaths<br />
$30<br />
$100<br />
buys fertilizer to<br />
restart farming<br />
buys food for<br />
a month<br />
>20 deaths<br />
$150<br />
buys a water<br />
pump for farming<br />
$1,000<br />
buys the internal supplies<br />
for a home to be rebuilt<br />
PERSECU ION.org<br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />
17
The Latest in a Long<br />
Series of Attacks:<br />
Fulani Militants Hit Ancha and Nkedoron Villages<br />
By Nathan Johnson<br />
In 2017, Fulani militants perpetrated<br />
no less than 92 attacks on Christians<br />
and their communities. These attacks<br />
caused the deaths of more than 392<br />
people, with many more injured, and<br />
thousands of homes, farms, and essential<br />
pieces of equipment destroyed. The<br />
death and destruction caused by this<br />
group in Nigeria is only surpassed by<br />
Boko Haram. The two most recent Fulani<br />
attacks have shown the true brutality and insidious<br />
nature of the Fulani militancy.<br />
Ancha Attack<br />
On September 7, 2017, Fulani militants raided the<br />
small village of Ancha in Plateau, Nigeria. During<br />
this attack, they killed 20 Christian villagers, 19 of<br />
whom attended one church.<br />
“My heart is terribly heavy. I haven’t been able<br />
to sleep. I was called (on the phone) at about 12:00<br />
midnight when the Fulani militia came into the village,”<br />
mourned Rev. Nanchwat Laven, the pastor of<br />
Salama Baptist Church in Ancha village, which lost<br />
19 members in the attack.<br />
One villager, Lami Ishaya, a mother whose four<br />
children were killed, recounted, “They hit the front<br />
door, then I ran into the second room and jumped off<br />
through the window to the back of the house and fled<br />
into the bush. They killed four of my children and<br />
a daughter-in-law. The mother of this 2-year-old<br />
small boy was killed. Monday Musa is his name.”<br />
When the Fulani attack, they do not only target<br />
the men in the village. They indiscriminately kill<br />
women, children, and the elderly alike. To add to<br />
the brutality of their gruesome attacks, they use fire,<br />
machetes, and automatic gunfire.<br />
Another villager, who lost his father, mother, and<br />
brother, told ICC, “I was sleeping, and got woken<br />
by sound of gunshot. I came out and looked behind<br />
the house, then I saw three persons holding guns.<br />
I quickly ran back into the room and locked the<br />
door. After a little while, I hear movements towards<br />
my father’s hut, then heard gunshots. I heard loud<br />
screams. I was so scared. And they continued<br />
shooting. After a little while, it got quiet. I peeped<br />
out to see as there was moonlight. I saw them beck-<br />
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JANUARY <strong>2018</strong><br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
Lami Ishaya lost her four children<br />
and Monday Musa lost his mother<br />
due to Fulani attacks.<br />
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INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />
19
Feature Article<br />
oning each other to leave. It appears they<br />
distributed themselves to different houses.<br />
When I peeped into my parent’s room, I saw<br />
them on the floor motionless, dead.”<br />
To add to the Ancha villagers’ trauma, the<br />
attackers left the bodies of the people they<br />
killed in the streets. This means that families<br />
that returned to the village from their hiding<br />
places were surrounded by dead friends and<br />
family. Sometimes, however, there is no one<br />
left in the family to return. One entire family<br />
was killed in the attack on Ancha. They<br />
were the last surviving members of their<br />
direct line.<br />
When ICC asked why the Fulani attacked,<br />
Rev. Nanchwat stated, “We didn’t have a<br />
quarrel [with the Fulani militants]. Some<br />
of the herdsmen [would] relax among the<br />
villagers, sometimes way into [the] late evening,<br />
when the local vigilante would advise<br />
them to go home. Of course we have had<br />
issues from time to time with the herdsmen<br />
letting their cattle graze into our farms and<br />
destroy our crops. It would appear [that] the<br />
Fulanis [launched this] attack because they<br />
had…some provocative attitude [about] their<br />
cattle graz[ing] on our farms.”<br />
While some observers will use the agricultural<br />
dispute to downplay the religious<br />
nature of the conflict, it is important to<br />
recognize that Fulani militants don’t attack<br />
Muslim communities for grazing land.<br />
Fulani herders allow their cattle to graze<br />
on land owned by Christian farmers and<br />
militants use violence to ensure that herders<br />
keep the land. Militants use the justification<br />
that Christians are infidels who are not worthy<br />
of the land that they own.<br />
Nkedoron Attack<br />
The attack on Nkedoron on October 16,<br />
2017 was just as horrific and violent as<br />
Ancha. Fulani militants killed 29 people,<br />
mostly women and children. The victims<br />
were led to the local elementary school by<br />
military personnel to hide. Unbeknownst to<br />
‘[Islamic] Fulani militants<br />
have increased their<br />
attacks against defenseless<br />
Christian farmers and they<br />
must be held accountable<br />
for their actions.’<br />
them however, the military personnel fled<br />
the scene and provided no protection during<br />
the attack.<br />
Rev. Andrew Okebe, the Zonal Coordinator<br />
of Christian Association of Nigeria, Miango<br />
District, told ICC, “The soldiers had told the<br />
women and children to go and hide in the<br />
primary (elementary) school class at night<br />
while the men in the village constituted a<br />
vigilante group and join[ed] the soldiers in<br />
patrolling the area. Sadly, the [Fulani] militia<br />
descended and the soldiers fled, leaving<br />
the defenseless villagers to be massacred by<br />
the terrorists.”<br />
According to Rev. Okebe, these persistent<br />
attacks have left villagers feeling like the<br />
security agencies and personnel assigned to<br />
protect their communities are not committed<br />
to protecting their villages from aggressors<br />
whom they believe to be Islamic jihadists<br />
who want to occupy their land. These soldiers<br />
are a part of Operation Safe Haven,<br />
which is the government’s attempt to confront<br />
the Fulani militant violence and reprisal<br />
attacks in the Middle Belt. Even though<br />
these soldiers were on the scene before the<br />
attack, and the entire area was under curfew,<br />
their only action was to gather all of the<br />
women, children, and elderly into a central<br />
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INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
Opposite Rev. Nanchwat Laven speaks with ICC about the murder of 19 of his church members.<br />
Top This house was destroyed by Fulani militants as the roof was ripped down.<br />
Bottom In the middle of this Anglican church that was burned down, the cross survived the flames.<br />
location before fleeing.<br />
The Commander of OPSH, Maj. Gen.<br />
Anthony Atolagbe, stated to the media,<br />
“Soldiers have been sent to the headquarters<br />
of the OPSH for a proper investigation<br />
on how the attack took place in the village<br />
under their watch, especially when curfew<br />
was imposed in the village and there was<br />
supposed to be restriction on movement.”<br />
It has left many questioning the dedication<br />
of these men to protecting the communities<br />
with which they are charged, and possibly<br />
even being complicit in some of the actions<br />
that have taken place.<br />
A 74-year-old man, Goh Rohu, was left<br />
completely devastated by this violence. He<br />
lost his wife and 15 relatives in the attack.<br />
He and his extended family were deeply<br />
wounded during this attack. Five of his brothers,<br />
four of their wives, and six children were<br />
killed that day. He told the New Telegraph, “I<br />
want Federal and State Government to investigate<br />
these killings; it was carefully planned<br />
to wipe out the entire village and my house<br />
was mostly affected.”<br />
Something must be done to end these<br />
atrocities. Fulani militants have increased<br />
their attacks against defenseless Christian<br />
farmers and they must be held accountable<br />
for their actions. The government of Nigeria<br />
must not only condemn these attacks, but also<br />
take major steps to ensure that the perpetrators<br />
are punished and unable to commit these<br />
acts again. They must help rebuild the lives<br />
and communities of these families to show<br />
their commitment to their citizens. Until then,<br />
Christian villagers in the Middle Belt will be<br />
left wondering which village is next.<br />
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INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />
21
A NEW<br />
FOUNDATION<br />
Building Hope in Nigeria<br />
Stones, bags of cement,<br />
and cement-molded<br />
blocks. Wood and zinc<br />
roofing sheets; plaster.<br />
The building materials<br />
for Mrs. Laraba’s<br />
new home are simple,<br />
yet they formed a new<br />
foundation: a visible<br />
placeholder for the<br />
hope she held inside her heart as she and<br />
her six children endured months of living<br />
in an internally displaced persons (IDP)<br />
camp. With the help of generous donors,<br />
ICC built this new home which will serve<br />
as a safe place for this family to recover<br />
from the trauma they have walked<br />
through together.<br />
After her husband was killed and her<br />
home was destroyed by militants, Mrs.<br />
Laraba became one of thousands in Nigeria<br />
who have been displaced by the relentless<br />
assaults of Fulani militants. They chased<br />
farmers from their land, subsequently occupying<br />
the abandoned real estate with thousands<br />
of cattle for grazing.<br />
Many are still waiting to recover, but we<br />
can pray for peace in Nigeria’s tumultuous<br />
“Middle Belt” region. We can pray for help<br />
to come to victims who still need it. And we<br />
can pray that Mrs. Laraba and her children<br />
will continue to serve the Lord and be a<br />
light to others in their community.<br />
Pray that their light will spread across<br />
Nigeria, that there won’t be one soul untouched<br />
by the grace they have received.<br />
‘I am very happy for<br />
the work you’ve done<br />
for me. If not for God’s<br />
intervention, I couldn’t<br />
do this myself. Words<br />
fail me to express my<br />
thanks to God for this<br />
great thing you’ve done<br />
for me. I thank you<br />
greatly for this work<br />
you’ve done.’<br />
– MRS. LARABA<br />
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Top Left Mrs.<br />
Laraba sits with<br />
some of her children<br />
at the village<br />
celebration.<br />
Top Right<br />
Despite facing the<br />
devastating effects<br />
of the militant attack,<br />
Mrs. Laraba’s<br />
faith remains<br />
steadfast.<br />
Bottom The entire<br />
village comes<br />
out to celebrate<br />
the new home<br />
built just for Mrs.<br />
Laraba.<br />
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23
Feature Article<br />
Emissaries<br />
of Grace<br />
and Hope<br />
ICC brings hope to the families<br />
that face continual persecution<br />
in Nigeria.<br />
By Amy Penn<br />
As Boko Haram<br />
and Fulani<br />
militants carry<br />
out simultaneous<br />
campaigns<br />
of violence,<br />
Christians<br />
throughout Nigeria continue to<br />
be devastated as their villages<br />
are repeatedly destroyed. Further<br />
still, the government has proven<br />
largely unsuccessful in pushing<br />
back against these groups’<br />
attacks. Despite the destruction,<br />
Nigeria’s Christians want to<br />
restart their lives. They want to<br />
recover and rebuild, but they lack<br />
the resources to do so. With the<br />
support of generous donors, we<br />
responded to the call.<br />
Between October 15-17,<br />
2016, Fulani herdsmen attacked<br />
Godogodo and surrounding<br />
villages. As a result, 30 were<br />
killed, 326 were injured, over<br />
300 families’ crops were burned,<br />
and over 27,000 people were<br />
displaced. Of the 27,000 people<br />
displaced, approximately 1,000<br />
people registered at an internally<br />
displaced persons (IDP) camp in<br />
Kafanchan with no food, clothing,<br />
or shelter. As we monitored<br />
the IDP situation, we discovered<br />
that they had yet to receive any<br />
government support.<br />
Sustaining the families became<br />
our top priority, so we purchased<br />
one month’s worth of food packages<br />
and clothing for these displaced<br />
Christians. Food packages<br />
included necessities like rice,<br />
beans, cooking oil, salt, and nutritional<br />
supplements for children.<br />
On behalf of the IDPs, the community<br />
leader noted, “We are<br />
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Feature Article<br />
“We are grateful for all these relief materials that you have brought<br />
for us... You promised to return and here you are again today.”<br />
grateful for all these relief materials<br />
that you have brought for<br />
us… You visited some time ago to<br />
ascertain the plight of victims on<br />
this camp. You promised to return<br />
and here you are again today.”<br />
In November 2016, Christians<br />
in the Chawai district lost their<br />
homes, neighbors, family members,<br />
businesses, and food supplies<br />
in yet another Fulani militant<br />
attack. Forty people were killed,<br />
over 100 homes were demolished,<br />
including two churches, and the<br />
militants ensured that Christians<br />
had no food supplies. By destroying<br />
food storages, irrigation<br />
pumps, transportation vehicles,<br />
sewing machines, and other tools,<br />
the militants did everything in<br />
their power to starve out Chawai’s<br />
Christian community, physically<br />
and economically.<br />
When we heard about the<br />
attacks, we asked the families<br />
what would be the most helpful<br />
as they worked to restore their<br />
community. The families determined<br />
that agricultural supplies<br />
like seed, insecticide, and irrigation<br />
equipment would provide<br />
sustainable development for their<br />
villages. After testing the soil,<br />
we bought and distributed more<br />
than 400 bags of fertilizer as well<br />
as irrigation equipment to ensure<br />
that the families would have a<br />
bountiful harvest. “By the grace<br />
of God,” said Kiri, “this [water]<br />
pump will be very beneficial and<br />
profitable.”<br />
In February 2017, Fulani militants<br />
attacked Attakar, killing 26,<br />
injuring 19, and destroying 70<br />
homes. Of the 19 injured, seven<br />
required expensive medical treatment<br />
at Jos University Hospital,<br />
totaling over $4,000. The injuries<br />
included lacerations from<br />
machetes, extensive burns, and<br />
gunshot wounds. We were able<br />
to pay the medical bills to ensure<br />
that these Christians had the best<br />
possible care in response to such<br />
tragedy. One young girl who<br />
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Opposite Food and clothing assistance are necessary after an attack.<br />
Top One farmer receives his seed from ICC.<br />
Bottom In addition to providing seed, fertilizer, and herbicide, we<br />
also train farmers to ensure that they use the supplies correctly.<br />
received skin grafts after being<br />
burned said, “I have nothing to<br />
give to ICC, but to say thank you.<br />
I also thank God.”<br />
The Fulani militants, however,<br />
are not the only problem<br />
in Nigeria. Boko Haram has<br />
destabilized much of Nigeria<br />
by kidnapping, attacking, and<br />
killing Christians. One of their<br />
most notable acts of persecution<br />
included the kidnapping of the<br />
Chibok girls in 2014. Militants<br />
took nearly 300 schoolgirls<br />
from their school to unknown<br />
locations. #BringBackOurGirls<br />
became an international,<br />
resounding cry as celebrities,<br />
politicians, pastors, neighbors,<br />
and family members shared the<br />
hashtag on social media and in<br />
the news.<br />
We went beyond the hashtag<br />
to bring assistance to the broken<br />
families and raise awareness<br />
about the realities of life after<br />
the kidnapping. Using exclusive,<br />
in-person interviews with the<br />
families, we fought to share the<br />
families’ stories, but also alleviate<br />
some of their needs. Many<br />
of these families have struggled<br />
to provide for themselves since<br />
the event because of Nigeria’s<br />
economic struggles and a high<br />
inflation rate. Without crops, the<br />
families faced imminent starvation.<br />
We were able to provide fertilizer,<br />
herbicides, and corn seeds<br />
in 2016 to ensure that the families<br />
could harvest in the next season.<br />
We will continue to seek ways to<br />
support the families and girls who<br />
have been released.<br />
In the midst of the persecution<br />
facing Nigerian Christians, we<br />
may not be able to bring back their<br />
loved ones. We may not be able to<br />
wipe away the horrible memories<br />
of the attacks. But, we can restore<br />
hope through God’s grace and<br />
provision in difficult times, helping<br />
Nigerian Christians rebuild<br />
their homes, replant their crops,<br />
and restart their lives.<br />
25
Miracle of Hope in<br />
the Midst of ISIS<br />
The miraculous return of Christina to her family<br />
continues to bring hope to Christians rebuilding<br />
their lives in Iraq.<br />
By Claire Evans<br />
Rapturous joy paints<br />
the faces of the poverty-stricken<br />
parents,<br />
lighting up a room of<br />
expressionless white<br />
walls. Though blind,<br />
the dark sunglasses<br />
of the father can<br />
hardly hide his happiness.<br />
The mother’s<br />
delight is indescribable, her wide smile signaling<br />
the end of three years of uncertainty.<br />
Between them sits the source of their happiness:<br />
a 6-year-old girl named Christina,<br />
dressed in her customary polka dots and<br />
wearing a large cross necklace.<br />
In June 2014, hundreds of ISIS militants<br />
raced across Iraq’s Nineveh Plains, intent on<br />
erasing all signs of Christianity from Iraq. The<br />
Nineveh Plains is the historic home of Iraq’s<br />
Christians; the target of ISIS’s famed brutality.<br />
Most residents fled, but not everyone was<br />
able to escape the fury of ISIS. The elderly,<br />
frail, and disabled were unable to quickly<br />
flee and thus stayed behind, hoping that ISIS<br />
would show them some mercy. Such was the<br />
case with Christina’s family.<br />
The youngest in a family of nine, Christina<br />
is her family’s treasure. Her name, which<br />
means “follower of Christ,” was a symbol<br />
of her family’s faith. Her father, Khader, is<br />
blind; her mother, Aida, is slightly disabled.<br />
Christina was only 3-years-old when ISIS<br />
swept through Qaraqosh, images of which<br />
forever remain seared in the memory of her<br />
family and friends. Her older siblings left<br />
when the other residents fled, but Christina<br />
and her parents remained in the city. Her<br />
mother Aida recalled, “My husband, a blind<br />
man, was sick and unable to escape. I sent<br />
my older children to run away with people<br />
in town. I stayed behind with my husband<br />
and younger daughter, Christina, and I<br />
thought she would be safe, no matter how<br />
cruel they were.”<br />
However, it quickly became apparent that<br />
ISIS would show no mercy to those who<br />
remained behind. Just a few weeks after the<br />
militants seized Qaraqosh, on August 22,<br />
Girls taken<br />
captive by<br />
ISIS often<br />
disappeared,<br />
their fate<br />
unknown.<br />
2014, the militants rounded up the town’s<br />
remaining Christians under the guise of conducting<br />
medical checkups. Instead, all of<br />
their possessions were confiscated. Money,<br />
cell phones, ID cards, jewelry—whatever it<br />
was, ISIS took it. The frightened Christians<br />
were then shuttled onto a bus. Aida placed<br />
Christina onto her lap, holding her close in<br />
an attempt to shield her from whatever horrors<br />
ISIS had in store for them. Then, without<br />
explanation, a militant walked up to Aida,<br />
picked up Christina, and walked away.<br />
One eyewitness, Kafah, later explained<br />
to local media: “I saw a bearded ISIS guy<br />
carry off a girl, about 3-years-old, called<br />
Christina. Her mother started to scream and<br />
cry. [She said,] ‘Poor girl, what has she done<br />
wrong? For the sake of Allah, for the sake of<br />
Muhammad, what do you worship? Give her<br />
to me; I’m nursing and she’ll die if she’s not<br />
with [me].’” She added that Aida started to<br />
follow the man, who then “drew his machine<br />
gun and said, ‘Go quickly to the bus. If you<br />
come close to this little girl, you will be<br />
slaughtered. We will slaughter you.’”<br />
Dejected, Aida returned to her seat in tears,<br />
unsure of what would happen to Christina<br />
and the other young women taken from the<br />
bus. One of the hostages later managed to<br />
find a cellphone and report that the captives,<br />
including Christina, were taken to Mosul.<br />
Meanwhile, the families remaining on the<br />
bus were driven far from their homes and<br />
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Top Joy radiates from Christina’s face as<br />
she sits with her family upon her return.<br />
Bottom ICC provides aid to Christina’s<br />
family after her return.<br />
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released. Christina’s family was completely<br />
devastated. After all, girls taken captive by<br />
ISIS often disappeared, their fate unknown.<br />
Over the next few years, the family would<br />
hear rumors about Christina. They heard that<br />
Christina was living with a Muslim family in<br />
Mosul. But after two years, the rumors faded<br />
away. Aida would wander from camp to<br />
camp, asking if anyone knew what happened<br />
to her little girl. Posters reading “Lost Girl”<br />
and featuring Christina’s photo were scattered<br />
throughout the displacement camp her family<br />
called home. At one point, Christina’s father<br />
thought he heard the voice of a young girl.<br />
He recalled, “I heard, ‘Papa! Papa!’ I called,<br />
‘Christina! Christina!’ but she didn’t reply.”<br />
The hope of Christina’s family for her<br />
eventual return was an inspiration to other<br />
displaced Christians. Their hope was memorialized<br />
in a stage play written and performed<br />
by Qaraqosh Christians, Christina’s former<br />
neighbors. In one scene, a girl portraying<br />
Christina wanders onto the stage as another<br />
character cries out, “Christina, where have<br />
you been, beautiful? Your mother is looking<br />
for you. She looked for you everywhere. Where<br />
did they take you, beautiful?”<br />
Three years after ISIS took Christina<br />
from her family, that question was finally<br />
answered. Iraqi Special Forces found her in<br />
Mosul in June 2017, just days before her<br />
sixth birthday. Joyous ululation echoed<br />
along the dirt street as a huge crowd sang<br />
and danced to welcome Christina home. Her<br />
mother cried tears of joy as she hugged her<br />
child closely; her father beamed with happiness.<br />
Aida noted, “The best day of my life<br />
is when Christina came back.” Christina<br />
moved to sit between her parents, and contentedly<br />
said, “I’m with mum and dad.”<br />
Although her family has yet to return<br />
home, the emotion of that moment continues<br />
each day. Thankfulness fills the entire family;<br />
the haunted expressions previously worn by<br />
Christina’s parents are replaced with radiating<br />
joy. Her family never lost hope during<br />
the three years of Christina’s disappearance,<br />
and that hope continues to provide strength to<br />
their community.<br />
27
ENDURING THE<br />
UNTHINKABLE<br />
IN PAKISTAN’S<br />
SCHOOLS<br />
By William Stark<br />
For many parents, sending<br />
their child away for the first<br />
day of school is anxietyprovoking.<br />
Concerns such<br />
as, will my child make<br />
friends, will my child sit<br />
alone at lunch, and will my<br />
child get teased, are what<br />
most parents worry about.<br />
In Pakistan, Christians<br />
must accept the possibility that their child<br />
will be mocked by classmates, beaten by the<br />
teacher, or even forced to convert to Islam<br />
because of the religious intolerance pervading<br />
Pakistan’s educational institutions. Some<br />
worry that they’ll never see their child again.<br />
Unfortunately, two families have already<br />
endured the unthinkable this school year.<br />
In August and again in October, Christian<br />
students were killed at school. In each case,<br />
authorities quickly claimed that the students’<br />
religion had nothing to do with their deaths,<br />
but the victims’ parents believe otherwise.<br />
Sharoon Masih<br />
Sharoon Masih, a bright 17-year-old<br />
Christian, started the new school year<br />
at MC Model Boys Government High<br />
School in Pakistan’s Punjab Province.<br />
Unfortunately, Sharoon’s first day, August<br />
25, did not go well. According to Sharoon’s<br />
parents, his teacher pulled him in front of<br />
the class, in which Sharoon was the only<br />
Christian, and berated him for not wearing<br />
the proper uniform.<br />
Ilyasab Masih, Sharoon’s father, told<br />
Pakistan Today, “His mother told me that<br />
Sharoon told her the teacher hit him in front<br />
of the whole class and also called him a<br />
‘Choora’ (a derogatory word used for Pakistani<br />
Christians that denotes them as “unclean”),<br />
“Sharoon faced<br />
high-scale<br />
religious hatred<br />
[at] the school.”<br />
among other curse words. She said he was<br />
quite upset at being humiliated in front of the<br />
whole class on the very first day of school.”<br />
After the brutal reprimand, Sharoon was<br />
ordered to stand outside the classroom for the<br />
rest of the day. There, his Muslim classmates<br />
began imitating the prejudiced behavior<br />
modeled by their teacher.<br />
Being teased and singled out as someone to<br />
be mocked had such a deep effect on Sharoon<br />
that he skipped his second day of school,<br />
August 26, and used the money he earned<br />
over the summer to buy a new uniform. When<br />
Sharoon returned for his third day of school,<br />
August 27, the stage was already set for<br />
something terrible to unfold.<br />
According to his classmates, Sharoon<br />
and Ahmed Raza, a Muslim classmate, got<br />
into a quarrel after Ahmed tripped Sharoon<br />
on his way out of the classroom. In this<br />
quarrel, Ahmed’s cellphone was damaged<br />
which he quickly blamed on Sharoon. For<br />
this, Ahmed became enraged with Sharoon<br />
and beat him to death.<br />
“The teacher was not present in the<br />
classroom during that time,” Ilyasab reported<br />
to Pakistan Today. “Some students did try to<br />
break up the fight. Ahmed was said to have<br />
chased [Sharoon] and viciously punched and<br />
kicked him. It was probably then that he kicked<br />
him fatally in the abdomen or the chest.”<br />
To the surprise of Sharoon’s family, no staff<br />
members of the school were at the hospital<br />
when they claimed Sharoon’s body. In fact,<br />
the school’s staff had not even bothered to<br />
take Sharoon to the hospital after the fight.<br />
Instead, four of Sharoon’s classmates took<br />
him to the hospital on their own.<br />
“Sharoon faced high-scale religious hatred<br />
[at] the school,” Ilyasab shared with ICC.<br />
“Religious hatred was the main cause of<br />
killing my son, Sharoon.”<br />
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Left Christian students in Pakistani schools<br />
often face intense persecution at the hands of<br />
their teachers and peers.<br />
Arsalan Masih<br />
On October 9, the unthinkable happened<br />
again. Arsalan Masih, a 15-year-old<br />
Christian boy, was attending tutoring lessons<br />
at the Ideal Science Academy in Jhabran village,<br />
also in Punjab, when he was attacked<br />
by a group of police officers.<br />
According to witnesses, seven police officers<br />
identified Arsalan, grabbed him by the<br />
collar, and began savagely beating him with<br />
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fists, batons, and gun butts. Arsalan’s teacher<br />
tried to intervene, but was pushed aside by<br />
the officers.<br />
Mushtaq Masih, Arsalan’s father, told the<br />
media, “Arsalan was in visible pain and<br />
was screaming for the men to stop. [Police<br />
Constable] Rashid struck Arsalan’s head<br />
with a pistol which created a bleed. When<br />
they put him into the police van, Arsalan<br />
collapsed and died. Later, the police threw<br />
Arsalan’s body on the roadside and fled.”<br />
What motivated the savage assault?<br />
According to Arsalan’s mother, Arsalan got<br />
into a fight with a Muslim boy who had been<br />
bullying him and pressuring him to convert<br />
to Islam. The bully Arsalan fought with was<br />
the nephew of Constable Sardar Bilu, one of<br />
the seven police officers who killed Arsalan.<br />
As the only Christian in his class, Arsalan<br />
was separated for religious studies and<br />
would meet with a Catholic priest while the<br />
rest of the class met with an imam. After a<br />
few weeks, Muslim classmates began telling<br />
Arsalan that he needed to convert to<br />
Islam. Over time, these interactions became<br />
increasingly aggressive and insulting, leading<br />
to the fight that cost Arsalan his life.<br />
“Arsalan was killed because he refused to<br />
convert and was a brilliant student,” Mushtaq<br />
told ICC. “He wanted to become an engineer<br />
and serve the Christian community.”<br />
Pakistan’s Jim Crow<br />
To understand the motivation behind these<br />
murders, one doesn’t need to look far back<br />
into America’s own history. The discrimination<br />
and disdain with which Christians in<br />
Pakistan are treated is similar to that experienced<br />
by African Americans in the Jim<br />
Crow South.<br />
For many Pakistani Muslims, Christians<br />
are considered dirty and deserving of their<br />
low status. This is why there is such an overreaction<br />
to perceived slights by members of<br />
Pakistan’s Christian community.<br />
Unfortunately, Pakistan’s own education<br />
system perpetuates this intolerance.<br />
By allowing teachers to mock and abuse<br />
Christian children without consequence, the<br />
atmosphere of religious intolerance that led<br />
to the murders of Sharoon and Arsalan will<br />
persist and likely grow.<br />
“Being Christian is a ‘punishment’ in<br />
Pakistan,” Mushtaq told ICC. “Mostly<br />
Christians do sanitation work because they<br />
did not get an education. Now I think to<br />
save the lives of our children we should<br />
avoid sending them to school. At least they<br />
will survive.”<br />
29
WHY WE<br />
SERVE<br />
ICC staff members reflect<br />
on their experience working<br />
with the persecuted Church.<br />
By Tony Laudadio<br />
Jon, ICC’s video producer was deeply touched by Mrs. Laraba’s<br />
story (pg. 22). He saw her raw interview footage and produced<br />
a video about her plight, which led to her housing project.<br />
Another year<br />
is upon us<br />
and the battle<br />
against<br />
persecution<br />
rages on.<br />
You’ve been<br />
moved by<br />
the stories of our courageous<br />
brothers and sisters overseas, but<br />
we want to start the new year<br />
by introducing you to some of<br />
our staff. As our supporters, you<br />
are the reason we are able to<br />
effectively serve the persecuted,<br />
and we believe that you deserve<br />
to know why we do what we do.<br />
We come from diverse backgrounds,<br />
including some who<br />
have experienced persecution<br />
firsthand, and have come to ICC<br />
for different reasons, but none of<br />
us have been unchanged by our<br />
time here. In our diversity, our<br />
greatest shared lesson is that the<br />
worldwide Church is united by<br />
the fact that, together, we make<br />
up the Body of Christ which is a<br />
kingdom planted on earth by the<br />
King of Heaven.<br />
When details are stripped<br />
aside, we all came here to be a<br />
part of nurturing and building this<br />
Kingdom. Grace, ICC’s advocacy<br />
fellow and newest team member,<br />
said that she came to ICC “looking<br />
for a Kingdom-focused job”<br />
and that she “really wanted to<br />
have every day matter.” When<br />
asked why she specifically pursued<br />
the field of advocacy, she<br />
said, “I saw how powerful the<br />
government can be, and I felt like<br />
it was important that we engaged<br />
that side of [ministry].”<br />
Some of our other staff members<br />
came to ICC for more per-<br />
“Living here in<br />
the United States,<br />
you just have so<br />
much religious<br />
freedom that you<br />
are prompted to<br />
protect it.”<br />
Grace describes how the eternal impact of ICC’s ministry is what<br />
sets it apart from other professional pursuits.<br />
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“I witnessed a lot of persecution and experienced a<br />
lot of discrimination at every single level... I grew up<br />
very passionate about it. I can’t leave it behind me.”<br />
sonal reasons. Jorge, ICC’s<br />
outgoing logistics manager,<br />
is from Colombia. When<br />
asked why he came to ICC,<br />
he said, “Our family was<br />
harassed a lot by communist<br />
guerillas, and we lost a lot<br />
when moving to the States<br />
and having to be kicked out<br />
of our native land, so I identify<br />
a lot with the plight of<br />
the persecuted.”<br />
ICC’s chief of staff, who<br />
is from Egypt, has a similar<br />
story. He explained, “I<br />
witnessed a lot of persecution<br />
and experienced a lot<br />
of discrimination at every<br />
single level…I grew up very<br />
passionate about it. I can’t<br />
leave it behind me.”<br />
Even those who have not<br />
experienced persecution on<br />
a personal level have found<br />
a deeper appreciation for<br />
the plight of our suffering<br />
brothers and sisters. Claire<br />
is ICC’s regional manager<br />
for the Middle East. When<br />
asked how her view of persecution<br />
has changed since<br />
working for ICC, she said,<br />
“I remember when I was<br />
quite little I would read<br />
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs,<br />
and I would think, ‘Surely<br />
there’s not persecution that<br />
much in the world today;<br />
this is all in the past.’ And<br />
then when I started working<br />
on…religious freedom<br />
issues…I realized it’s a very<br />
real problem, and it still<br />
exists today.”<br />
Milos, an ICC intern<br />
from Serbia, shared how<br />
the internship has impacted<br />
him, “I think it opened<br />
my mind a little more in<br />
the way [of] understanding<br />
more about persecution<br />
around the world. I was<br />
aware of it, I knew about it,<br />
but I didn’t know it as much<br />
I do now.”<br />
Our staff also reflected<br />
on how this ministry ties<br />
into the broader work of<br />
furthering the Kingdom.<br />
ICC’s graphic design intern,<br />
Natalie, said, “The Gospel<br />
is all about spreading<br />
Christ’s love and sharing<br />
the message with people<br />
who haven’t heard…so ICC<br />
is helping people in the<br />
field…fulfilling their role in<br />
spreading the Gospel.”<br />
Finally, our staff shared<br />
how their time at ICC has<br />
helped them grow personally.<br />
Claire reflected that the<br />
more time she spends with<br />
the persecuted, “the more<br />
I see God’s hand in everything…and<br />
so I mention<br />
it more.” As Jorge gave<br />
a parting farewell to ICC,<br />
he noted, “I will always<br />
have a heart for the cause…<br />
specifically for religious<br />
freedom. Living here in the<br />
United States, you just have<br />
so much religious freedom<br />
that you are prompted to<br />
protect it.”<br />
As a whole, the ICC family<br />
represents a microcosm<br />
of the global Church and its<br />
mission. Some of us have<br />
spent years reading about<br />
persecution, and others have<br />
experienced it firsthand. The<br />
brothers and sisters we serve<br />
are part of our family and<br />
play a vital role in the work<br />
of the Kingdom. All glory<br />
goes to our Savior for this<br />
incredible chance to share in<br />
their mission.<br />
As ICC’s senior regional manager, William has repeatedly visited and served the victims of persecution in<br />
Pakistan. The victims’ recovery after ICC provides aid motivates him to be a constant advocate for them.<br />
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INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />
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