May 2023 Persecution Magazine

Blackma
by Radic
Islam
We will often hear stories of Christians
living in areas of the Middle East
who are targeted and discriminated
against for their faith in Christ. This is
the case for Farah, Omar, and Arman.
Farah is a 50-year-old woman, who is
married to her husband, Omar. Together, they have two
married daughters and two sons. One of the sons, Mina,
is 22 years old and works in a blacksmith shop. The other
son is 12 and is still in school.
The family lives in a village that is 94% Muslim, leaving
them in the minority. Omar struggled to find a job in the
village, so he traveled to a larger city where he worked
at an iron factory, and because of his honesty and
intelligence, he was quickly promoted.
Two stories of Christians facing intimidation and
discrimination at the hands of radical Muslims.
He worked for seven years until a new
boss came along. This new boss was an
Islamic extremist and hated Christians.
He used to curse Omar and insult
Christianity, but Omar chose not to
respond to the harassment.
Omar’s new boss asked him to convert
to Islam to promote him. When Omar
refused, Hassan and some of the
workers accused Omar of negligence
and began to file complaints. One day
they gathered and beat him severely,
damaging his spine, and eventually, they
fired him.
Omar was unemployed due to his spinal
injury, and his son Mina supports the
house even though he earns only 50
pounds a day. The family wants to start a
clothing business to generate income to
support their daily expenses.
ICC rented a storefront and provided
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Persecution | MAY 2023