The Suffering Church

from HotPott Summer 2023

Pott Shrigley Rose Queen 2023

In Nigeria more Christians are killed for their faith than in the rest of the world combined; at least 11,000 have been killed since 2015, and moderate Muslims and security forces have also died. This mostly affects believers living in the Muslim-majority north and Middle Belt, but it is spreading south. Although all civilians are subject to threats and violence, Christians are often specifically targeted because of their faith. Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), for example, want to eliminate the presence of Christianity in Nigeria, which in a land of 216,700,000 where 46% of the population profess the Christian faith, is a lot of people! Christian women and girls in northern Nigeria, and increasingly further south, are vulnerable to persecution for their faith and gender –they are frequently targeted for abduction, sexual assault and forced marriage by armed groups. This is what happened nine years ago, when Boko Haram abducted 276 girls from a school in Borno State. Around 170 girls have subsequently escaped, been rescued or released and two more of them were rescued by the Nigerian military in April 2023. Both women were forced to marry Boko Haram fighters three times during their captivity and had five children between them. Please pray for those who remain in captivity, and for their captors, that they would have a change of heart; please pray for appropriate support to be available to those who have escaped. Although many Christian women are attacked, men and boys are often specifically targeted by extremist groups, with the aim of destroying livelihoods and stifling Christian population growth. Christians are dispossessed of their land and their means of livelihood, and many live as internally displaced people or refugees. Terrorist attacks killed more than 100 Nigerian Christians in Plateau State on 16 May, including the family of a baby, Precious, who survived despite her wounds. Approximately 1,000 extremist militia simultaneously burned the houses in several villages of Mangu County, which caused more than 20,000 people to flee in search of safety, adding to the vast numbers already displaced. A senior Christian leader in Plateau State told Barnabas that aid was in short supply with so many looking for safety. Please pray for all the innocent victims of these attacks, especially for those who suffer because they believe in Jesus Christ.

In Libya six Christians who were arrested separately earlier this year are facing the possibility of the death penalty as apostates for having converted from Islam; they are also accused of proselytizing others in this Muslimmajority country. The six were charged under the penal code which stipulates the death penalty for anyone promoting views that aim to ‘alter fundamental constitutional principles, or the fundamental structures of the social order’ i.e. overthrow the state. Anyone found in possession of books, leaflets, drawings, slogans or anything else that supports such a cause is punishable by life imprisonment. Libyan security officials stated that the arrests aimed to ‘stop an organised gang action aiming to solicit and to make people leave Islam’. One of the six Christians is a 22-year-old woman who released a video explaining her conversion to Christianity at the age of 15. A seventh Muslim-background believer was sentenced to death for apostasy in September 2022. Libya’s interim constitution of 2011 declares Islam the state religion and sharia (Islamic law) the principal source of legislation, but it also guarantees non-Muslims the freedom to practise their religion. Please pray that the authorities understand that Christianity is not a threat to society. Pray that the death sentence will not be carried out in any of these cases.

In Pakistan a Christian woman and a Muslim man working in the Punjab were arrested and charged with blasphemy in April after they burnt some discarded waste paper they had removed from a storeroom they had been asked to clear. As both workers are illiterate, they did not realise that some of the pages contained verses from the Quran. School pupils and residents in the district raised the alarm and informed the police. Pakistan’s blasphemy laws stipulate life imprisonment for desecration of the Quran. Less than two weeks later in the same district, a Christian wedding photographer and the Muslim couple who hired him were also accused of blasphemy after Khurram Yousaf was asked to take photos of the newlyweds at a Muslim shrine; both he and the couple were accused of desecrating the site by a member of the shrine’s management who reported the incident to the police. Khurram is now in hiding. Please pray for our Christian brothers and sisters and other religious minorities, all of whom are particularly vulnerable to accusations of blasphemy, that such charges would be dropped.

And now for some good news from Iran!

In June HotPott we were asked to pray for Iranian Christian converts Homayoun Zhaveh and his wife Sara Ahmadi who were imprisoned for their involvement in a house church. In May Tehran’s appeal court acquitted them. The judge said that there was nothing suspicious about

- Interior Refurbishment Specialists

- Plastering & Joinery

- Interior & Exterior Decorating

- Wallpaper Hanging

- Experienced Craftsmen

- Professional & Reliable Service

- Insured & Accredited

“Alex and his team decorated a large area of hall, stairs and landing. They were thorough, professional and I’m delighted with the result. I would highly recommend.”

M: 07874 188 050 • T: 0161 439 9195

A: 17 Earle Road, Bramhall, SK7 3HE

E: info@springdecorating.co.uk

W: www.springdecorating.co.uk the Christian activities of Homayoun and Sara, that gathering with other Christians was legal and entirely 'natural’ and having books about Christianity was merely 'an extension of their beliefs’. This ruling is highly significant. Christian worship in Iran’s majority language (Farsi) is forbidden, as is any Christian evangelism. Farsi-speaking Christians are often charged with ‘acting against national security’ for their activities in unofficial house churches. This has been a long road for Homayoun and Sara, who were originally arrested and detained in June 2019; they have been in and out of prison since and have had two previous applications for a retrial rejected. Praise the Lord for the answer to persistent prayer with their acquittal, and for the insight received by the appeal court judge. Pray that they will recover fully from their ordeal, and that Homayoun receives the treatment he needs for his Parkinson’s disease. Pray that this ruling will be a precedent that allows more Christians to be released and prevents others from being targeted by the authorities.

With thanks to Barnabas and Open Doors for the information contained in this article.

Caleb the Midnight Milkman

In the tribute we paid to Rita Bunting in the June edition of HotPott Caleb the Midnight Milkman was mentioned; I was intrigued. As Caleb is not a common name, I considered the chances of someone being able to identify this mysterious character were quite high. HotPott readers did not disappoint… in fact so much so that I’m still gathering and collating the information. More to come in the September issue of HotPott…

“Your magazine needs you.”