January 2023 Persecution Magazine
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WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG<br />
JANUARY <strong>2023</strong><br />
PERSECU ION<br />
PERSECU ION<br />
TORTURED BY TERRORISTS<br />
A Daring Escape from<br />
Jungle Captivity<br />
PERSECU ION<br />
PERSECU ION.ORG<br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />
PERSECU ION.ORG<br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN<br />
PERSECU ION.ORG<br />
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
Contents<br />
JANUARY <strong>2023</strong><br />
FEATURES<br />
HOTSPOTS ON<br />
THE HORIZON<br />
Emboldened to Terrorize<br />
RECURRING<br />
04<br />
06<br />
08<br />
26<br />
YOUR HANDS AND FEET<br />
ICC NEWSROOM<br />
MURDER IN<br />
THE CONGO<br />
From Tragedy to<br />
Thanksgiving<br />
FRONT LINES OF MINISTRY<br />
HOPE FOR THE PRESENT<br />
ICC Projects Made Possible by Supporters<br />
Your Source for <strong>Persecution</strong> News<br />
THE GREAT<br />
ESCAPE<br />
A Family Leaves<br />
Everything Behind to<br />
Freely Follow Christ<br />
ON THE COVER<br />
Kahindo’s life was<br />
completely torn apart<br />
when ADF terrorists<br />
killed almost her entire<br />
family. She recounts her<br />
story in her own words<br />
on page 16.<br />
12 16 20 24<br />
OUR MISSION: Since 1996, ICC has served the global<br />
persecuted church through a three-pronged approach of<br />
advocacy, awareness, and assistance. ICC exists to bandage<br />
the wounds of persecuted Christians and to build the church<br />
in the toughest parts of the world.<br />
THE SAHEL<br />
A Hotbed of Terrorism<br />
A Deep Dive Into the Lives of Church Planters and Pastors<br />
Find Hope and Victory in the Messages of the Persecuted<br />
@persecuted @persecutionnews @internationalchristianconcern International Christian Concern<br />
DONATIONS: International Christian Concern (ICC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) (all<br />
donations tax-deductible). ICC makes every effort to honor donor wishes in regards to<br />
their gifts. Occasionally, a situation will arise where a project is no longer viable. ICC<br />
will redirect those donated funds to one of our other funds that is most similar to the<br />
donor’s original wishes.<br />
Jeff King, President<br />
International Christian Concern<br />
Author: The Last Words of the Martyrs and<br />
Islam Uncensored<br />
A Year Like No Other<br />
2022 was a challenging year. Just a glance at the<br />
spread on page 10 can remind you of some of<br />
the low points.<br />
Our persecuted brothers and sisters face hardships<br />
we can’t even fathom in the West. Yet, I marvel at<br />
their tremendous strength, their faith, and even the<br />
optimism I see in them. They remind us that despite<br />
what the world sends our way, we can rise above<br />
through the power of the Holy Spirit.<br />
On page 16, you’ll meet a beautiful soul, Kahindo<br />
(featured on this cover). The Allied Democratic Forces<br />
(ADF) attacked her village in the Congo, killing<br />
her parents, husband, two children, and two brothers.<br />
Kahindo and her remaining daughter were kidnapped<br />
and taken to the forest where the mother<br />
was abused for days. Immeasurable suffering and a<br />
river of tears followed.<br />
Because of your help, we were able to give Kahindo<br />
a safe place and a fresh start with a small business.<br />
Thanks to your investment, she’s waking up out of<br />
a long nightmare, beyond touched that some Christians<br />
around the world were willing to rescue her.<br />
But this is the Lord’s work we do together. We bring<br />
the touch of God’s healing and restoration to those<br />
Satan sought to destroy.<br />
I am incredibly grateful to do this work in partnership<br />
with you and always remember, your gifts will<br />
be used ethically, effectively, and efficiently!<br />
I promise.<br />
- JEFF<br />
© Copyright <strong>2023</strong> ICC, Washington, D.C., USA. All rights reserved.<br />
STAFF<br />
Publisher Jeff King<br />
Permission to reproduce all or part of this publication is granted<br />
MEMBER<br />
Editor Mike Anderson<br />
provided attribution is given to ICC as the source.<br />
Designer Hannah Campbell<br />
2 <strong>Persecution</strong> | JANUARY <strong>2023</strong><br />
PERSECUTION.ORG 3
Your Hands and Feet<br />
ICC PROJECTS MADE POSSIBLE BY SUPPORTERS LIKE YOU<br />
Making a<br />
difference,<br />
one project<br />
at a time.<br />
MIDDLE EAST<br />
From Betrayal to Redemption<br />
RESTORE: LIVES & COMMUNITIES<br />
Mona struggles to provide for her six daughters as her handicap<br />
makes it difficult to find work. She successfully found a job at a<br />
public school where she befriended a kind teacher, Mr. M. They<br />
would talk about her family and her Christian faith and he even<br />
offered to help her pay her debts on multiple occasions, but she<br />
refused.<br />
When her job shifted and she began working the copier machine,<br />
she asked administration if she could bring the copier home to<br />
better support her daughters. Suddenly, Mr. M showed his true,<br />
extremist colors and accused her of using the machine to print<br />
money to pay her debts.<br />
The school opened an investigation, but because Christians are<br />
not often believed, she was suspended for a year. During that<br />
year, she attempted to take her own life because of the mounting<br />
pressure of her debts.<br />
Recently, Mr. M offered to get Mona’s job back in return for letting<br />
him marry one of her daughters. Mona swiftly rejected his offer.<br />
ICC got in contact with Mona and helped her relocate and start<br />
her own clothing business. Now, she is able to work from home<br />
and generate an income to support her family and pay back her<br />
debts.<br />
AFRICA<br />
Free to Love Everyone<br />
RESCUE: WIVES & KIDS<br />
Sofia has lived most of her life a Muslim—but it’s rarely been filled<br />
with peace. She converted after she married her late husband, but<br />
quickly began to disagree over how Muslims and Christians should<br />
be treated. Sofia wanted to love everyone, but her husband thought<br />
only Muslims deserved love.<br />
When Sofia’s husband died last year, she was free to convert back<br />
to Christianity. His family took away everything he left her because<br />
they disproved of her renewed faith in Christ. They went so far as to<br />
threaten to poison her.<br />
ICC got in contact with Sofia while she was living in a local reverend’s<br />
kitchen. ICC relocated her and helped her rent a house and bought<br />
her new household items.<br />
“I thank ICC so much for the support they have given me today...<br />
May the Lord bless you for showing me Christ-like care when I was<br />
suffering,” Sofia said.<br />
SOUTHEAST ASIA<br />
The Reality of Ministry Work<br />
MESSENGERS: UNDERGROUND WORKERS<br />
ICC works in volatile places throughout the world, and Indonesia<br />
is no exception. While we can pray and prepare that projects<br />
go as planned, there are things we cannot expect. We worked<br />
with a farmer last year who planted chili peppers and ministered<br />
to Muslim-background believers through his business. But<br />
suddenly, the land was sold and the chili crops died, sidelining<br />
the evangelist’s plans.<br />
“Without my knowledge, the land was sold partially, so my chilis<br />
just died. The soil on the remaining land was not as fertile, and in<br />
the end those chili trees slowly dried up and died,” the evangelist<br />
said.<br />
The evangelist pivoted to cultivating catfish while continuing to<br />
minister to those around him.<br />
“ICC continues to help us as field workers who are at the forefront<br />
of evangelism to help us develop a form of business that we can<br />
use as a platform for our ministry,” he said.<br />
4 <strong>Persecution</strong> | JANUARY <strong>2023</strong><br />
PERSECUTION.ORG 5
ICC Newsroom<br />
HEAD TO OUR WEBSITE, PERSECUTION.ORG, FOR THE LATEST NEWS<br />
YOUR SOURCE FOR PERSECUTION NEWS<br />
Kachin Bible School Shelled by Burmese Army<br />
The Burmese Army (the<br />
Tatmadaw) attacked a<br />
Baptist seminary in northern<br />
Myanmar, injuring four men in the<br />
dormitory. The Tatmadaw launched<br />
a series of attacks on the Theological<br />
Seminary when there was no active<br />
fighting in the area at the time.<br />
The victims were hit by shrapnel<br />
and sustained non-life-threatening<br />
injuries.<br />
“The attack against this Kachin<br />
Bible school was certainly not<br />
an accident,” said Gina Goh, ICC<br />
regional manager for Southeast<br />
Asia. “The Tatmadaw deliberately<br />
targeted a Christian facility knowing<br />
how important faith is to Kachin<br />
people.”<br />
Christianity account for more than<br />
90% of Ethnic Kachin in Myanmar.<br />
Forty Children Abducted by Militants in Northern Nigeria<br />
Unidentified militants have abducted 40 children in a farm attack<br />
in Katsina state, in northern Nigeria. The Nigerian newspaper ‘The<br />
Premium Times’ reported that the kidnappers had demanded the<br />
payment of 30 million Naira (about $70k USD) as a ransom.<br />
Laws in Algeria Restrict Mission Work<br />
Officials in Algeria make it difficult for<br />
missionaries to evangelize or challenge<br />
the Islamic faith in any capacity. Any<br />
attempt to convert followers of Islam is<br />
met with the possibility of jail and hefty<br />
fines.<br />
Algeria’s population is about 99% Suni<br />
Muslim. The country has blasphemy<br />
laws, anti-proselytization laws, and laws<br />
governing worship that make mission<br />
work nearly impossible. Anything that<br />
could be said or seen as going against<br />
Islam is criminalized.<br />
Algeria discourages the practice of faith<br />
systems outside the Sunni Muslim sect.<br />
As a result, mission work has become<br />
dangerous.<br />
One Hundred Killed in Somalia Terror Attack<br />
Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliated<br />
terrorist group, launched a deadly attack<br />
in Somalia’s capital city, Mogadishu, at<br />
the end of October.<br />
Two cars packed with explosives blew up<br />
within minutes of each other near a busy<br />
intersection. Following the explosion,<br />
militants opened gunfire on passerbys.<br />
“The ruthless terrorists killed mothers.<br />
Some of them died with their children<br />
trapped on their backs,” he said.<br />
The attack took place at the same<br />
intersection where a truck exploded in<br />
2017, killing 512 and injuring 200 more.<br />
The attack, attributed to al-Shabaab,<br />
was the deadliest in Somalia’s history.<br />
Archbishop Warns<br />
About the Extinction of<br />
Christians in Iraq<br />
Iraqi Archbishop Bashar Warda of<br />
Erbil warned hundreds of religious<br />
leaders of the impending extinction<br />
of Christians in Iraq. He spoke at<br />
the G-20 Religion Forum in Bali,<br />
Indonesia.<br />
If the level of general violence and<br />
persecution toward Christians and<br />
other religious minorities continue,<br />
there will be no religious diversity<br />
left in Iraq.<br />
Militant Islamic groups and non-<br />
Christian government officials<br />
perpetrate much violence and<br />
oppression, leaving most Christians<br />
to practice secretly.<br />
Without a change in the overall<br />
culture of Iraq, the number of<br />
Christians within the country will<br />
continue to dwindle.<br />
The militants have contacted the parents of the children asking for<br />
the money.<br />
Attacks against Christian farming communities in northern Nigeria<br />
have become a common occurrence. But they are becoming more<br />
concentrated in regions previously not affected by this violence,<br />
signaling a rising tide of terrorist activity across Nigeria.<br />
At the time this article was written, the children are still held hostage.<br />
For the latest updates, please visit our website, persecution.org. Please<br />
pray that the abducted children will be returned to their families.<br />
“So far the number of people who died<br />
has reached 100 and 300 are wounded,<br />
and the number for both continues<br />
to increase,” said Somalia’s president<br />
Hassan Sheikh Muhamud.<br />
Police spokesperson Sadik Dudishe<br />
released a statement following the<br />
attack describing some of the victims<br />
of the attack, which included women,<br />
children, and the elderly.<br />
“The ruthless<br />
terrorists killed<br />
mothers.”<br />
- Police spokesperson Sadik Dudishe<br />
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PERSECUTION.ORG 7
Front Lines of Ministry<br />
A DEEP DIVE INTO THE LIVES OF CHURCH PLANTERS AND PASTORS<br />
“ICC was a huge blessing<br />
to our situation over here,<br />
many times many people<br />
say we will help and no one<br />
helps...ICC was there with<br />
us from the beginning of<br />
this incident.”<br />
- PASTOR RAJVEER<br />
An Enduring Faith<br />
The earth-toned walls echoed with the praises of believers<br />
lifting their voices to the Lord. Pastor Rajveer led his<br />
congregation in worship, when an eruption cut through<br />
the house. The group of radicals that had been threatening the<br />
congregation had finally followed through.<br />
Led by none other than Pastor Rajveer’s brother, the group of<br />
Hindu radicals began tearing down the roof, setting things on fire,<br />
and physically beating members of the congregation. Then they<br />
turned their wrath toward the pastor.<br />
Two men grabbed Rajveer’s wife and held her back and another<br />
group began kicking and punching Rajveer.<br />
“Please, please, I beg you to stop this!” She pleaded. But the<br />
radicals ignored her and continued. When it was all over, Pastor<br />
Rajveer and his congregation were left with bruises and a broken<br />
home, but not a broken spirit.<br />
The days and weeks following the attack, the congregation<br />
continued to face bullying and intimidation from the group of<br />
radicals that had just attacked them and destroyed their place of<br />
worship.<br />
Stock image used to protect the true identity of Pastor Rajveer.<br />
Through the difficulties, Pastor Rajveer continued<br />
his ministry to his congregation and community. He<br />
conducted a weekly prayer gathering in the church<br />
with the sky peaking through the half-demolished<br />
ceiling. Many nonbelievers saw his endurance and<br />
heard the word of God through his preaching.<br />
The church began fasting and they prayed for God to<br />
provide them the means to rebuild their church. “We<br />
prayed by faith that God will help in rebuilding the<br />
house,” the pastor said.<br />
ICC got in contact with Pastor Rajveer and his<br />
congregation and helped rebuild the church, which<br />
was also the pastor’s home. The attack could now be<br />
put behind them.<br />
“ICC stood with us when we were lonely and<br />
discouraged, saying, ‘We are with you.’ Your support<br />
was a huge blessing to us and helped to rebuild the<br />
damaged house...In tough times, ICC’s support was so<br />
amazing, and we are very touched by their love and<br />
support.”<br />
Once construction finished, the church had a<br />
thanksgiving meeting to give praise and thanks to the<br />
almighty God who had answered their prayers.<br />
“We as a family are so thankful to God for ICC’s<br />
assistance in rebuilding the house that was completely<br />
in bad shape,” Pastor Rajveer said. “Now that the<br />
house was rebuilt, we as a congregation are meeting<br />
for worship in the house again.”<br />
8 <strong>Persecution</strong> | JANUARY <strong>2023</strong><br />
PERSECUTION.ORG 9
2022 Snapshots<br />
A LOOK BACK AT ICC’S MINISTRY FROM THIS PAST YEAR<br />
The Stories Their Scars Tell<br />
ICC staffers checked in on young survivors of two earlier<br />
horrific bombings in Indonesia.<br />
The first attack occurred in November 2016 and injured<br />
toddlers Alvaro (4), Anita (2), Intan (2), and Trinity (3). Intan<br />
died from her injuries, and the others endured suffering and<br />
surgeries.<br />
ICC, along with other organizations, helped the families of<br />
Alvaro, Anita, and Trinity and have chronicled their recoveries.<br />
Breaking News on the Ground<br />
Gunmen burst into a Catholic church in Nigeria on a Sunday<br />
morning in June, opened fire on congregants, and set off<br />
explosives, reportedly killing dozens of worshipers as they<br />
celebrated Mass on Pentecost Sunday.<br />
The attack surprisingly occurred in the southwestern state<br />
of Ondo, which rarely sees this kind of violence.<br />
ICC obtained footage after the attack of bodies lying<br />
between pews as worshipers wailed in mourning.<br />
ICC works with our international staff in every region to<br />
report news straight from the source. With this specific<br />
attack, ICC was the first major western outlet to break the<br />
news.<br />
Screenshot of ICC footage taken after the attack.<br />
“What I see through these young victims is resilience,” said<br />
Gina Goh, ICC’s regional manager for Southeast Asia who<br />
visited the young survivors and stayed in touch with their<br />
families over the years. “They are doing well and recovering.”<br />
The second suicide bombing occurred at the Sacred Heart<br />
Cathedral in March 2021.<br />
The blast injured friends Edeline, Karina, and Valeri.<br />
ICC came alongside the survivors from the get-go, supporting<br />
their basic needs and covering travel costs for family<br />
members to and from treatments.<br />
“We walked with them through this process from the attack<br />
until today; we reached out to them at the beginning,” said<br />
Goh. “Edeline said it meant so much when we visited them<br />
at the hospital and offered to pray for her, knowing she was<br />
being cared for by someone she didn’t know.”<br />
ICC staffers visited Valeri and Karina (Edeline already returned<br />
to her hometown) this past year. Valeri started an internship<br />
as a hospital nurse. Karina is a nursing student and Edeline<br />
works for a government outsourcing firm.<br />
Left Alone in the World<br />
More than 200 little ones packed a children’s refugee<br />
shelter in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The<br />
orphans’ parents were killed by terrorists of the Allied<br />
Democratic Forces. An ICC staffer visited the shelter and<br />
orphanage and bought mattresses and food for the kids. ICC<br />
will also install a fishpond to supply long-term sustenance.<br />
Valeri’s scared hands from the blast.<br />
Two children play tag in the open space surrounding the<br />
refugee camp an ICC staffer visited in 2022.<br />
1.<br />
INDIA<br />
April 12, 2022 March 30, 2022 March 19, 2022 April 2, 2022<br />
The Supreme Court of The displaced and traumatized<br />
Christian comtian<br />
pastor, was mur-<br />
Yalam Sankar, a Chris-<br />
India rejected a petition<br />
for a nationwide law munity was attacked for dered when five masked<br />
against religious conversions.<br />
The court statitants.<br />
They destroyed tor’s house, dragged<br />
eight days by Fulani mil-<br />
men broke into the pased<br />
that people above their farm crop and attacked<br />
the community. him to death. Local rad-<br />
Mohamed,<br />
him out, and stabbed<br />
the age of 18 are free to<br />
choose their religion of Local security forces ical Hindu nationalists<br />
choice in a huge win for watched as militants threatened the pastor<br />
international religious burned down Christian two days before they<br />
freedom.<br />
homes.<br />
killed him.<br />
The Islamic State ravaged<br />
many Christian<br />
historical sites during<br />
its rampage in Iraq. Recently,<br />
archaeologists<br />
restoring a church discovered<br />
about a dozen<br />
ancient relics and<br />
parchments connected<br />
to several saints.<br />
TOP-STORIES-FROM-PERSECUTION.ORG<br />
2.<br />
NIGERIA<br />
Maria, a 20-year-old<br />
Christian TikToker was<br />
murdered by her family<br />
after she posted a video<br />
singing a worship song.<br />
She converted to Christianity,<br />
but her Muslim<br />
family was unaccepting<br />
of her conversion.<br />
3. INDIA<br />
4. INDONESIA<br />
A Nigerian Christian<br />
documented his kidnapping<br />
on Twitter after<br />
Fulani militants ambushed<br />
his vehicle in<br />
Jos, Nigeria. When his<br />
attackers found out him<br />
and his brother were<br />
Christians, they kidnapped<br />
them and killed<br />
his brother.<br />
An Indonesian Christian<br />
YouTuber was sentenced<br />
to 10 years in<br />
prison for a viral Youtube<br />
video allegedly<br />
insulting the prophet<br />
offending<br />
Muslims across the<br />
country.<br />
5. IRAQ<br />
6. IRAQ<br />
7. NIGERIA<br />
8. NIGERIA<br />
June 23, 2022 March, 8, 2022 <strong>January</strong> 16, 2022 May 14, 2022<br />
At least 896 civilians<br />
have been killed in violent<br />
attacks in Nigeria<br />
during the first three<br />
months of 2022. Open<br />
Doors cited a report by<br />
SBM Intelligence, a Nigerian-based<br />
research<br />
firm, for the reported<br />
killings in the West African<br />
country.<br />
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PERSECUTION.ORG 11
HOTSPOTS<br />
O n t h e h o r i z o n<br />
EMBOLDENED TO TERRORIZE<br />
We recently sat down with Darius*, who is involved<br />
with ICC’s international relief efforts and projects<br />
and asked him to assess trouble spots as we look<br />
ahead to <strong>2023</strong>. Where are Christians in peril? Where can<br />
they find hope? And what is ICC doing to relieve the suffering<br />
of those who put their faith in Jesus?<br />
What were some of the overarching contributors to<br />
global persecution in 2022?<br />
In 2022, two significant events affected persecution: the<br />
Ukraine War and the sour global economy. Radically empowered<br />
dictators, regimes, and terrorist groups took advantage<br />
of the situation. With the world’s attention distracted<br />
by this new war and the financial crisis, villainous<br />
leaders saw an opportunity to accelerate their actions<br />
and pursue their agenda—to the detriment of Christians.<br />
The U.S. government doesn’t have a lot of leverage right<br />
now, displaying the limited impact a leading world power<br />
can have. As a result, the regimes and the groups do<br />
more of what they want to do without the world’s big<br />
reaction to them.<br />
These situations will worsen for Christians without a<br />
doubt. To some, the U.S. influence has diminished,<br />
though it continues to pursue diplomatic efforts, freeze<br />
accounts, support embargoes, and more. North Korea is<br />
a good example, emboldened to expand its nuclear program.<br />
You can imagine what’s happening for Christians<br />
and others living there.<br />
The same thing applies to radical groups. So, you see terrorists<br />
like Boko Haram, the Allied Democratic Forces, and<br />
Fulani militants in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Democratic<br />
Republic of Congo getting a free ride to spread terror.<br />
Also, socioeconomic factors significantly contribute to<br />
Christian persecution. With increased poverty, desperate<br />
people take desperate measures. If the only way to get<br />
food is to attack a Christian village and take what they<br />
have, they just don’t care.<br />
The way we struggle now—a deficiency of resources, currency,<br />
and inflation—creates more desperation. Minority<br />
groups and Christians in many areas are being taken advantage<br />
of.<br />
* Name changed for security reasons<br />
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PERSECUTION.ORG 13
How is this playing out in some of the<br />
trouble spots?<br />
China CHINA<br />
In China, we see more acceleration in<br />
the crackdown on house churches and<br />
religious leaders than ever before. Our<br />
comprehensive reports on China show<br />
this concerning rise. We have been<br />
tracking persecution incidents for several<br />
years and concluded that persecution<br />
in China was worse in 2022 than in<br />
any other year.<br />
Myanmar MYANMAR<br />
The political coup in Myanmar in 2021<br />
led to a crackdown on all minorities, including<br />
Christians. As a result, we see a<br />
lot of attacks on churches and bombings<br />
of churches. The internally displaced<br />
often use churches as shelters.<br />
Iran IRAN<br />
Iran is another example of how a regime<br />
took advantage of the world being<br />
distracted by the war in Ukraine<br />
and the poor global economy. The government<br />
did the biggest crackdown on<br />
churches, Christians, and Muslim-background<br />
believers this year, with more<br />
arrests and torture of Christians.<br />
India INDIA<br />
More states enforce anti-conversion<br />
laws, which many Indian scholars agree<br />
are unconstitutional. More states try<br />
to stop any evangelism or outreach to<br />
Hindu communities by adopting anti-conversion<br />
laws.<br />
ARTSAKH (NAGORNO-KARABAKH)<br />
About 100,000 Christians remain stuck<br />
in Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian: Artsakh)<br />
and don’t have access to the<br />
world. The government took more<br />
land and closed the only road that gave<br />
Christians access to Armenia, essentially<br />
putting them in a big, geographical<br />
prison. The Russian peacekeepers are<br />
not doing anything, which has made<br />
this so much worse for Christians.<br />
Afghanistan AFGHANISTAN<br />
I think the desperate situation in Afghanistan<br />
will remain, unfortunately.<br />
They have an economic crisis, and<br />
funds are not coming into the country.<br />
This financial crisis will allow the government<br />
to enforce more restrictions<br />
on freedom, rights, and religion because<br />
no other entities have a strong<br />
hand to control the country. It’s already<br />
as bad as it can get with a mob that<br />
doesn’t know how to run the country.<br />
No national income exists, and all the<br />
country’s assets are frozen worldwide.<br />
Afghanistan is not a country that has<br />
natural resources or oil or anything. It<br />
has created a desperate situation for all<br />
Afghans. The case for many Christians<br />
“As believers,<br />
however, despite<br />
what’s happening<br />
in this world, we<br />
have an eternal<br />
hope in Jesus Christ..<br />
<strong>Persecution</strong> will<br />
never go away; it is a<br />
Biblical promise.”<br />
is primarily unknown because it’s illegal<br />
to be a Christian, so all worship occurs<br />
underground. We continue to work in<br />
the country, support those who have<br />
either chosen or been forced to stay,<br />
and help others escape to safe havens.<br />
It’s a big mess.<br />
Turkey TURKEY<br />
Turkey is taking advantage of the international<br />
climate at all levels. Their persecution<br />
is outward, not inward. They<br />
spread persecution in Libya, Syria, Iraq,<br />
and all neighboring countries. They<br />
monopolize terrorist groups and harass<br />
Christians in Iran. Turkey stays a big<br />
player in this game—and its influence<br />
goes beyond its border. Recep Tayyip<br />
Erdoğan and his cronies are more emboldened<br />
than ever to persecute Christians.<br />
Where do you see hope?<br />
I do not see immediate but more longterm<br />
hope. There tends to be this global<br />
malaise as people are discouraged.<br />
As believers, however, despite what’s<br />
happening in this world, we have an<br />
eternal hope in Jesus Christ. It is hard<br />
to see any light coming soon for persecuted<br />
Christians. <strong>Persecution</strong> will never<br />
go away; it is a Biblical promise.<br />
The immediate relief that we do, where<br />
we come in and help persecution survivors<br />
after an attack, will always be our<br />
core ministry work.<br />
I see great hope in our long-term sustenance<br />
initiatives. ICC implements<br />
programs that empower Christians and<br />
improve their socioeconomic status<br />
through job training and entrepreneurship.<br />
We help Christians stand up for<br />
themselves and improve their situations.<br />
For ICC, we see great promise and results<br />
through programs such as Generation<br />
Transformation, which helps<br />
young adults and families rise above<br />
the harassment as they gain new job<br />
skills and start small businesses.<br />
Investing in children (through ICC’s<br />
Hope House in the Middle East) and<br />
young adults (through ICC’s Generation<br />
Transformation) gives me hope to educate<br />
kids with the hope of becoming<br />
a doctor or engineer. It’s an incredible<br />
investment that will have a ripple effect<br />
on families and the Christian community.<br />
The ICC Communal Farms initiative in<br />
Nigeria, where we launch sustainable<br />
farms, offers immediate relief for Christian<br />
communities. But we are looking<br />
at what we can do to widen the community<br />
rebuild and turn it into something<br />
bigger—to invest in women and<br />
kids, literacy programs, and look at the<br />
situation from multiple angles where<br />
we are investing in communities at all<br />
levels.<br />
14 <strong>Persecution</strong> | JANUARY <strong>2023</strong><br />
PERSECUTION.ORG 15
HOTSPOT: DR CONGO<br />
IN THE<br />
FROM TRAGEDY TO THANKSGIVING<br />
On March 20, 2022, Kahindo, 25, and her two-yearold<br />
daughter, Nuela, were captured from their village<br />
by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamic<br />
extremist group operating in the Congo. Kahindo and<br />
her family are all Christians, as were much of the people<br />
from her village.<br />
Following the ADF raid, during which her husband, two<br />
children, two brothers, and both of her parents were brutally<br />
murdered in front of her, Kahindo and her daughter<br />
were imprisoned by the militants at their camp in a nearby<br />
forest for more than three weeks.<br />
This is a recounting of her story.<br />
Scan this QR code with your<br />
mobile device to have Kahindo’s<br />
story read aloud.<br />
“They killed over 30 people in our small village in Luna.<br />
They said that they wanted to kill all unbelievers because<br />
they have defiled the call of Allah and the teaching of Mohamed.<br />
My child and I are the only ones who survived. My two children<br />
were shot dead while escaping and I could also see<br />
their little bodies crumpled on the ground. I was lying next<br />
to my husband’s dead body, pretending to be dead as well.<br />
I lay there for about 30 minutes as the rebels went on to kill<br />
my parents, brothers, and other villages.<br />
I scooped the soil that was soaked in my husband’s blood,<br />
hoping to keep it as a reminder of him if I survived. They<br />
saw my body moving and they pulled me up from my husband’s<br />
body. They shouted that they had found a wife for<br />
their leader.<br />
16 <strong>Persecution</strong> | JANUARY <strong>2023</strong><br />
PERSECUTION.ORG 17
So, they took me and my child away to the forest. They<br />
abused me for days.<br />
During the three weeks that they held us, we were not given<br />
any food. Desperate, I took the dirt soaked in my husbands<br />
blood and mixed it with wild green leaves. This is what my<br />
child and I ate to survive. We had no water, but we could trap<br />
some with our hands when it was raining.<br />
There were many of us being held at the camp in the forest.<br />
Those who did not cooperate were being shot dead or slaughtered.<br />
They were speaking Arabic words as they slaughtered<br />
them—one of them was taking a video. We were forced to<br />
sleep on dead bodies.<br />
When the army attacked the rebel camp, they were shooting<br />
all over and two bullets barely missed me. They scratched<br />
my right hand as I ran for my life and the life of my child. I<br />
escaped from my captors and fled the battling forces.<br />
I found more dead bodies along the way. They were people<br />
who had been killed by the rebels.<br />
I walked for five days until I reached Kasindi where I was registered<br />
as a refugee. I was tired and had given up. I even contemplated<br />
ending my life to be in heaven with my husband,<br />
my children, and my family members.<br />
It is not easy to lose all family members in one attack, and you<br />
can only wish to die and escape from this ugly reality.”<br />
The Healing Begins<br />
In March 2022, ICC stepped in to rescue Kahindo and her<br />
daughter Nuela. ICC set them up in a safe home and helped<br />
her start a small grocery business at the local market.<br />
“Thank you, I now have a shop of my own. Today we will be<br />
sleeping in our own home, cook our own food, and sleep in<br />
our own bed. By running a grocery stall in the market, I will<br />
now be able to provide for myself and my child. Thank you,<br />
ICC, for visiting me and organizing my resettlement and empowerment<br />
in a very short time.<br />
My child and I are now starting to see life from a different<br />
perspective. We see the Lord as the Shepherd for all people<br />
and gracious to the widows and the orphans. We are slowly<br />
coming out of the bondage of emptiness after so much loss.<br />
This has been made possibly by you together with other<br />
Christians who have been praying for us after hearing our<br />
story.”<br />
We can never erase the evils of persecution, but we can act<br />
as Simon and help them carry their crosses.<br />
Kahindo’s shop has become very successful and she often<br />
turns over all her inventory. She continues to heal from her<br />
physical and emotional scars.<br />
Kahindo remains hopeful as she builds a future for her and<br />
her daughter.
HOTSPOT: TURKEY<br />
The Great Escape<br />
A FAMILY LEAVES EVERYTHING BEHIND TO<br />
FREELY FOLLOW CHRIST<br />
Leyla is a loving mother and wife in her forties,<br />
married to her faithful husband, Murat. A<br />
beautiful family who loves the Lord and lives<br />
in scenic Turkey. One wouldn’t suspect that<br />
Leyla grew up in a radical Islamic family. When Leyla<br />
met Murat, he became a catalyst for her Christian<br />
journey and led her to accept Christ and become a<br />
believer. But because of her unaccepting family, she<br />
needed to hide her faith.<br />
When they found out, it marked the beginning of a<br />
trying time.<br />
“My family has a point of view that sees anyone who<br />
doesn’t think like them as infidels. If it is learned by<br />
our big family that we are Christians, they can easily<br />
reach us...even if we change the city we live in. And<br />
in such a case, our safety is in serious danger,” Leyla<br />
said.<br />
During a visit from out of town, Leyla’s Muslim father<br />
confronted his daughter and discovered their<br />
faith in Christ. Without giving Leyla a choice, took<br />
her and her children hostage.<br />
“You are never allowed to see Murat again,” he said.<br />
“You must divorce him. Or else.”<br />
While the couple was separated, they said it felt like<br />
their souls were wounded living with the fear, pressure,<br />
and uncertainty of the situation.<br />
“I was so scared that I couldn’t say anything. I was<br />
just praying to the Lord to help us overcome these<br />
problems. I spent three weeks like a nightmare at<br />
my father’s house,” Leyla recalled.<br />
Murat made the decision to speak to his father-inlaw,<br />
but this frightened Leyla because of the radical<br />
Islamic beliefs that she knew could drive her father<br />
to kill her husband. This is all because he chose to<br />
20 <strong>Persecution</strong> | JANUARY <strong>2023</strong><br />
PERSECUTION.ORG 21
“If we had stayed with my<br />
family...my children would<br />
never see their father<br />
again...This is unfortunately<br />
a common occurrence in<br />
our culture.”<br />
- LEYLA<br />
When a Muslim-background believer is discovered by their family, they often have to make life or death decisions.<br />
leave their religion and become a Christian, which means<br />
that he “lost” the right to be her husband and the father to<br />
her children.<br />
In the eyes of her family, he was contaminated.<br />
Despite the risk, he went to the home where no one spoke<br />
to him or ate at the same table with him, as it was haram according<br />
to Islam. Murat wanted his wife and children home,<br />
so he met with his father-in-law to tell him how he came to<br />
know Christ and how his life was changed. He declared he<br />
would not give up on Christ, but he would also not give up<br />
on his family.<br />
Leyla expresses what happened between her father and her<br />
husband, “Thank God, the Lord heard my pleas. My father<br />
agreed to this on one condition: my husband would never<br />
take me and my children to church. My father said to my<br />
husband, ‘If I hear such a thing, I will sacrifice you with one<br />
bullet.’ Even that was a great miracle for us because I knew<br />
my father very well. I knew I would never come home again.”<br />
Murat accepted his father-in-law’s request, but he knew<br />
they could no longer live in peace where they were living.<br />
“If we had stayed with my family, we would never have been<br />
able to get together. My children would never see their father<br />
again, and they would brand my children as ‘children of<br />
the infidel,’” said Leyla. “If I had stayed with my family, they<br />
would have married me to someone else after I divorced<br />
my husband. This is unfortunately a common occurrence<br />
in our culture. This was going to be a very difficult<br />
and heavy situation for me.”<br />
Before they were released from Leyla’s father, he<br />
warned his grandchildren, “If your father takes you<br />
to the church among the infidels again, you will inform<br />
me immediately. I’ll come and get you, and<br />
you’ll never see your father again.”<br />
Leyla’s father threatened to kill his son-in-law without<br />
caring about his daughter’s future or feelings. He<br />
believes he is justified simply because his faith allows<br />
him to do so. And as long as Murat was breathing, he<br />
would never be safe from his father-in-law’s threat.<br />
One of their children, who is afraid of what her grandfather<br />
said, cried and begged on the way home, saying,<br />
“Please let’s not go to church, mom.”<br />
Word spread throughout Leyla’s radical Islamic<br />
family, and the pressure to stay in the Islamic faith<br />
mounted. “My family is constantly video calling me<br />
to check where I am. And when they don’t call, my<br />
sister sends my nephews to our house,” Leyla said.<br />
“Since we cannot go to church on Sunday, we wanted<br />
to attend our meeting online, but we cannot do<br />
that because my family is constantly following us.”<br />
Leyla and Murat considered moving to another city<br />
to be safe, but moving would not protect them from<br />
danger. Wherever they go throughout Turkey, Leyla’s<br />
family has the power to find them.<br />
They made the decision, despite the danger, to move<br />
out of the country. Leyla and Murat desire to raise<br />
their children with the love of Christ. They plan to<br />
move somewhere where the language and culture<br />
are different. This move will be painful, and their<br />
lives will never be the same again, but it’s worth it for<br />
the chance to publicly practice their faith and attend<br />
church without fear.<br />
The Rise of <strong>Persecution</strong><br />
Incidents in Turkey<br />
ICC heard about Leyla and her family’s story<br />
after they had stepped into their new life.<br />
But telling these stories is important because<br />
Turkey adamantly denies that any such stories<br />
exist within the country. By raising awareness<br />
and telling compelling stories, we are helping<br />
counteract the false narrative that all is well<br />
for Christians in Turkey, keeping the pressure<br />
on the country and its leadership to make<br />
real changes.<br />
Turkey is taking advantage of the<br />
international climate at all levels. Their<br />
persecution is outward, not inward. They<br />
spread persecution in Libya, Syria, Iraq, and<br />
all neighboring countries. They monopolize<br />
terrorist groups and harass Christians in<br />
Iran. Turkey stays a big player in this game—<br />
and its influence goes beyond its border.<br />
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his cronies are<br />
more emboldened than ever to persecute<br />
Christians.<br />
22 <strong>Persecution</strong> | JANUARY <strong>2023</strong><br />
PERSECUTION.ORG 23
HOTSPOT: THE SAHEL<br />
THE SAHEL<br />
a hotbed of terrorism<br />
The Sahel region of Africa is a belt<br />
of land immediately south of the<br />
Sahara Desert that stretches east<br />
to west across the African content.<br />
The region has garnered global<br />
attention due to the rise in extremism<br />
over the past decade, in what is now<br />
considered an epidemic of jihadism.<br />
Mali is known to be the epicenter of the<br />
Sahel’s insurgency ever since jihadists<br />
hijacked a coup attempt in 2012 and<br />
established a caliphate. Though French<br />
military troops drove out the jihadists<br />
just months later, the northern portion<br />
of the country has remained a hotbed<br />
of terrorism. Many extremist groups call<br />
northern Mali their safe haven and continue<br />
to train and recruit their militants<br />
from there while conducting attacks<br />
across borders into Niger and Burkina<br />
Faso.<br />
In 2021, Burkina Faso experienced a record<br />
year of conflict and replaced Mali<br />
as the epicenter of Sahel terrorism. On<br />
June 4, 2021, the country underwent<br />
the bloodiest attack in its six-year struggle<br />
with jihadists. Al-Qaeda affiliates<br />
killed more than 135 civilians over two<br />
nights. Seven months and several attacks<br />
later, soldiers staged a coup and<br />
announced a military-run government.<br />
In Niger, attacks doubled in 2021 compared<br />
to 2020. In March 2021, insurgents<br />
raided three villages in Niger’s<br />
Tahoua region, bordering Mali, and massacred<br />
137 civilians. Blamed on affiliates<br />
of the Islamic State, the attack followed<br />
a <strong>January</strong> attack that killed 100, as well<br />
as an attack weeks earlier which left 58<br />
civilians dead.<br />
In addition to Niger, Boko Haram has<br />
some presence in Chad and Cameroon.<br />
Most of the Boko Haram activity,<br />
however, remains in northern Nigeria<br />
where they have maintained an insurgency<br />
for 13 years. Now split into two<br />
factions, Boko Haram seems to be making<br />
a comeback after its territory was<br />
significantly reduced in 2015, the year it<br />
pledged allegiance to Islamic State and<br />
created the Islamic State West African<br />
Province (ISWAP). Boko Haram soldiers,<br />
largely forced out of northern Nigeria,<br />
entered the lake Chad Basin where<br />
weak governance has enabled them to<br />
regain strength.<br />
As jihadists continue to gain momentum<br />
throughout the Sahel, they will deepen<br />
their influence across borders and claim<br />
territory further into Western Africa. If<br />
left without international intervention,<br />
2022 is projected to be a year of expansionism<br />
for radicals on a quest for global<br />
Jihad.<br />
24 <strong>Persecution</strong> | JANUARY <strong>2023</strong><br />
PERSECUTION.ORG 25
Hope for the Present<br />
FIND HOPE AND VICTORY IN THE MESSAGES OF THE PERSECUTED<br />
Religion is not an Inheritance,<br />
but a Personal Journey with God.<br />
THE POWERFUL TESTIMONY OF A YOUNG WOMAN IN INDONESIA<br />
My name is Ruth, and I am 26 years old. I was born into a<br />
Muslim family, and we belonged to a tribal community<br />
with the largest Muslim population in Indonesia.<br />
In 2009, when I was only a young child, I dreamed of walking<br />
up a hill. When I woke up, I felt tired. Night after night for<br />
one week, I would dream of walking up the hill, and in the<br />
morning, I would feel tired, like I had actually climbed a hill<br />
the previous night. I vividly remember that dream.<br />
Later, in junior high school, the dream came again, except<br />
this time, I was not alone—I walked with a man. But when<br />
I woke up, I did not feel tired. The dream lasted about two<br />
weeks.<br />
Around that time, I met a new friend at my school who was<br />
a Christian. One day, I told her about my dream. She said,<br />
“I think I know that man.” And she showed me a picture,<br />
and I immediately recognized him. I said, “Yes! Who’s he?”<br />
She told me that He is Jesus. I was surprised and filled with<br />
curiosity. I went to a bookstore and bought a Bible. Though<br />
I still considered myself a Muslim, I started reading the Bible<br />
secretly.<br />
At the time, I was still wearing a hijab at school because the<br />
school required it. After graduating high school, I worked in<br />
a beauty clinic in Jakarta. I took off my hijab because I felt<br />
uncomfortable.<br />
In October 2019, while I was scrolling on TikTok, I saw a<br />
“You did not<br />
choose me, but<br />
I chose you.”<br />
JOHN 15:16<br />
quote from a church: “You did not choose me,<br />
but I chose you (John 15:16).” Interested in<br />
these words, I went to that church. I started<br />
attending church without anyone knowing that<br />
I was a Muslim.<br />
I remembered that Christian friend and asked<br />
her to guide me. She took me to her church<br />
leaders, and they taught me about Jesus and<br />
the Bible. In December 2019, I was baptized.<br />
In September 2022, one morning, my mother<br />
suddenly said to me, “I know you are a Christian<br />
now; what do you want to do if you become a<br />
Christian?” I realized that she had found out<br />
because she found the Bible in my room. I told<br />
her I would never pray again at home. She was<br />
still furious and told me to leave Christianity or<br />
leave the house.<br />
Heartbroken, I left my home and started<br />
living in my neighbor’s garage, which was far<br />
from my house. My neighbor is actually my<br />
family’s driver. I began to live in my family car<br />
because my parents cannot drive, and the road<br />
in front of my house was inaccessible by car.<br />
Whenever my parents need to use the car to<br />
go somewhere, they will call the driver to take<br />
it to our house. I told the driver not to tell my<br />
parents I lived there.<br />
I do not regret my decision; I’ve found the<br />
Truth.<br />
I believe that religion is not an inheritance but<br />
the spiritual journey that a person experiences<br />
with her Creator. And I truly believe what the<br />
Bible says, “Everyone who has left houses or<br />
brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife<br />
or children or fields for my sake will receive a<br />
hundred times as much and will inherit eternal<br />
life” (Matthew 19:29), and “Though my father<br />
and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive<br />
me” (Psalm 27:10).<br />
26 <strong>Persecution</strong> | JANUARY <strong>2023</strong><br />
PERSECUTION.ORG 27
PERSECU ION.ORG<br />
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