January 2023 Persecution Magazine

ICC Newsroom
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Kachin Bible School Shelled by Burmese Army
The Burmese Army (the
Tatmadaw) attacked a
Baptist seminary in northern
Myanmar, injuring four men in the
dormitory. The Tatmadaw launched
a series of attacks on the Theological
Seminary when there was no active
fighting in the area at the time.
The victims were hit by shrapnel
and sustained non-life-threatening
injuries.
“The attack against this Kachin
Bible school was certainly not
an accident,” said Gina Goh, ICC
regional manager for Southeast
Asia. “The Tatmadaw deliberately
targeted a Christian facility knowing
how important faith is to Kachin
people.”
Christianity account for more than
90% of Ethnic Kachin in Myanmar.
Forty Children Abducted by Militants in Northern Nigeria
Unidentified militants have abducted 40 children in a farm attack
in Katsina state, in northern Nigeria. The Nigerian newspaper ‘The
Premium Times’ reported that the kidnappers had demanded the
payment of 30 million Naira (about $70k USD) as a ransom.
Laws in Algeria Restrict Mission Work
Officials in Algeria make it difficult for
missionaries to evangelize or challenge
the Islamic faith in any capacity. Any
attempt to convert followers of Islam is
met with the possibility of jail and hefty
fines.
Algeria’s population is about 99% Suni
Muslim. The country has blasphemy
laws, anti-proselytization laws, and laws
governing worship that make mission
work nearly impossible. Anything that
could be said or seen as going against
Islam is criminalized.
Algeria discourages the practice of faith
systems outside the Sunni Muslim sect.
As a result, mission work has become
dangerous.
One Hundred Killed in Somalia Terror Attack
Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliated
terrorist group, launched a deadly attack
in Somalia’s capital city, Mogadishu, at
the end of October.
Two cars packed with explosives blew up
within minutes of each other near a busy
intersection. Following the explosion,
militants opened gunfire on passerbys.
“The ruthless terrorists killed mothers.
Some of them died with their children
trapped on their backs,” he said.
The attack took place at the same
intersection where a truck exploded in
2017, killing 512 and injuring 200 more.
The attack, attributed to al-Shabaab,
was the deadliest in Somalia’s history.
Archbishop Warns
About the Extinction of
Christians in Iraq
Iraqi Archbishop Bashar Warda of
Erbil warned hundreds of religious
leaders of the impending extinction
of Christians in Iraq. He spoke at
the G-20 Religion Forum in Bali,
Indonesia.
If the level of general violence and
persecution toward Christians and
other religious minorities continue,
there will be no religious diversity
left in Iraq.
Militant Islamic groups and non-
Christian government officials
perpetrate much violence and
oppression, leaving most Christians
to practice secretly.
Without a change in the overall
culture of Iraq, the number of
Christians within the country will
continue to dwindle.
The militants have contacted the parents of the children asking for
the money.
Attacks against Christian farming communities in northern Nigeria
have become a common occurrence. But they are becoming more
concentrated in regions previously not affected by this violence,
signaling a rising tide of terrorist activity across Nigeria.
At the time this article was written, the children are still held hostage.
For the latest updates, please visit our website, persecution.org. Please
pray that the abducted children will be returned to their families.
“So far the number of people who died
has reached 100 and 300 are wounded,
and the number for both continues
to increase,” said Somalia’s president
Hassan Sheikh Muhamud.
Police spokesperson Sadik Dudishe
released a statement following the
attack describing some of the victims
of the attack, which included women,
children, and the elderly.
“The ruthless
terrorists killed
mothers.”
- Police spokesperson Sadik Dudishe
6 Persecution | JANUARY 2023
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