Pastor’s Wife Gang-Raped in Bangladesh

A Quiet Night in Vennabari
This blog has been submitted by ICC representative Sylvia Thompson.

It was a quiet night in Vennabari, Bangladesh.  Reverend Shankar Hazra and his wife did not hear a sound as they stumbled through the darkness–trekking slowly along the dirt path that led to the church toilet.

“You may go first,” whispered Reverend Hazra’s wife, nudging him forward.

Reverend Hazra slowly reached for the outhouse handle, but his hand never made contact with the wooden shaft.

“Oh, no!” he cried as the barrel of a gun pressed against his chest.

The enraged man behind the trigger snarled at Reverend Hazra and said, “Keep quiet or we will kill both you and your wife.”

Reverend Hazra nodded in compliance as cords of rope were wrapped around his hands and feet–assuring the attackers that their prisoner would not escape. 

Reverend Hazra’s wife cried softly as they staggered through the darkness–trekking slowly along the dirt path that led back to the church.  Her cries morphed into sobs as they thrust her into the church–leaving her husband tied to a pillar on the porch.  The Reverend wailed with horror as they gang-raped his wife repeatedly through the night–her screams reverberating into the Bangladeshi sky. 

Hours later the attackers left–their arms filled with Reverend Hazra’s money, clothes, and valuables.   When he thought it was safe, the reverend freed himself from the tight cords and ran into the church.  He bumbled over looted trunks and ransacked chests until he found his wife–unconscious, beaten, and bleeding.  With tears running down his cheeks, Reverend Hazra gently lifted his wife off the floor and cradled her in his arms.  “I am so sorry,” he sobbed, nuzzling his face into her neck.

It was a quiet night in Vennabari, Bangladesh.  The only sound Reverend Hazra could hear was that of his wife’s breathing–her quiet respiration proclaiming the fact that she was alive.

Why Help the Persecuted?

This blog was submitted by ICC representative Shane Bazinet.

“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12

This may seem like a silly question, but it does make sense to ask such a question: if Jesus said, “Blessed are they which are persecuted,” why help the persecuted if they’re already blessed?

In August, I was listening to Way of the Master Radio, and during the news segment the reporter broke the story about the persecution in Orissa. It sounded quite serious to me.

Of course, I prayed about the situation, but after I said, “Amen,” I decided to find more information about the situation. I googled it and clicked on a link that brought me to International Christian Concern (ICC)’s website.

After I read about Orissa, I then read about ICC, and after learning about what they stood for, I immediately became interested in helping my brothers and sisters in Christ facing persecution.

Why did I want to help out?

First of all, I must say I am overly blessed living in Canada. I can own as many Bibles I want, go to church every Sunday, share my faith in public, hold Bible studies – all without facing hardly any persecution at all. I would like to share at least a bit of this blessing with a Christian in another country.

Secondly, I can’t think of anything more important to have than a Bible. This is God’s Word we’re talking about. It contains the Gospel message, introduces us to the Savior, teaches us how to live a Christian life, and so on. ICC sees Bible-smuggling as a huge priority, and I support it all the way.

Finally, I just want my brothers and sisters in Christ to be in good enough conditions to simply read their Bibles and fellowship with other believers. How can they do this if they’re constantly being harassed? We can help through prayer, signing petitions, writing to governments, et cetera – all of which ICC makes known.

As the song says, they will know we are Christians by our love. The persecuted will certainly receive quite a reward in heaven, but in the meantime, they’re suffering and they need our love and support.

One of the reasons Paul wrote to the Philippians was to thank them for sending him a contribution when he was in the Roman prison (Philippians 4:10-18). There is so much joy expressed throughout this letter.

When I read about Christians who have lost their families and their homes as a result of persecution, but they jump for joy when they’re given a Bible, I ask myself why I complain about anything when I have the Word of God.

No wonder the persecuted are so blessed. May we keep them in our prayers and seek to support them.

Pakistani Sisters Lured into Horrific Trap

Two Trusting Sisters are Too Trusting

This blog has been submitted by ICC representative Sylvia Thompson.

 

Pastor Sharif Alam looked sadly at his two daughters and sighed.  “I don’t know,” he said shaking his head. 

 

Parvisha set the tea kettle down and gently clutched her father’s wrinkled hands.  “Our family is struggling, Papa,” she whispered. “Let us help you.”

 

Pastor Alam closed his weary eyes and thought for a moment. Although he hated the idea of sending his precious daughters to work, he couldn’t neglect the fact that his family was close to starving.  “I relent,” he said softly. “Just be careful,” said Pastor Alam nervously.  Then he turned to Parvisha and asked, “Can we trust Muhammad Irfan?  Is the job he speaks of a legitimate endeavor?”

 

“Muhammad has been our neighbor for years, Papa,” replied Parvisha.  “I am sure we can trust him.” 

 

Parvisha and Sanam waited restlessly on the front stoop–anxiously anticipating the arrival of Muhammad Irfan.  When a car finally pulled up, Sanam grabbed her sister’s arm and whispered, “Why is there another man in the car with Mr. Irfan?”

 

“Do not worry,” Parvisha whispered back.  “I am sure there is a reasonable explanation.”

 

“Hello,” said Muhammad Irfan as he opened the door for Sanam and Parvisha.

 

“Good morning,” Parvisha said gently as she stepped into the car.  Then she turned to Muhammad Irfan and said, “Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity. My sister and I will work very hard for you.”

 

“Yes, you will,” snarled Muhammad Irfan as he put the car into drive.

 

Parvisha looked over at her sister and gulped–something didn’t feel right.  When the car pulled up into the parking lot of a seedy hotel the elder sister knew that they were in trouble.  “Remain calm,” Parvisha whispered to Sanam as Muhammad Irfan shoved her and her sister through the doorway of a dingy hotel room. 

 

“I thought we were going to work in your beauty salon,” said Sanam as tears rolled down her face. 

 

“Be quiet,” growled Muhammad Irfan’s cohort as he pulled out a large, black, gun. 

 

With the barrel of a gun aimed at their foreheads, Parvisha and Sanam tried not to scream as the two Muslim men raped them repeatedly.  The next morning the two men thrust Parvisha and Sanam back into the car and drove them to an Islamic school.  Once there, they dragged the beleaguered sisters inside and forced them to convert to Islam.

 

“Are they going to kill us,” whispered Sanam?  “Maybe death would be better than this.”

 

“Have faith my sister,” Parvisha whispered back.  “The Lord Jesus will save us.”

 

A few days later, Sanam found a cell phone and quickly called the police.  Within minutes, officers arrived and rescued the two terror-stricken sisters.  

 

On January 2, 2009 Parvisha and Sanam were asked to give a statement of their harrowing ordeal to the local Magistrate.  With a quiet confidence both girls stood up and said, “We were abducted, raped, and forced to convert to Islam.  But let it be known that we are Christians.  We live as Christians and we will die as Christians.  This will never change.”

In the Dark, Yet Not Alone: A Young Mother Suffers While Children Starve

This blog was submitted by ICC representative, Sylvia Thompson.

 

The distraught mother laid her head against the cold, metal, bars and wept.  Her salt-filled tears dripped down her cheeks and plopped onto the concrete floor—slowly pooling around her bare feet.  The Egyptian jail was eerily quiet—alarmingly silent.

 

“Have mercy on them!” cried the young mother, banging her fists against the metal bars. “What have they done to you?” she screamed.

 

Suddenly, a barrage of lights flooded the jail cell and the sound of angry footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway.  “Shut-up!” shouted a red-faced prison guard, shaking his fist up and down. “Have you not had enough, woman?  Shall I teach you to be quiet?” he screamed, shining his flashlight at the young mother’s face.

 

The bereaved woman winced with pain as the glare of the flashlight fell upon her red, swollen, eyes—eyes that had been mercilessly beaten the night before. 

 

“Please, sir,” cried the young mother, falling to her knees.  “Please, just feed my children.  They are only two and four—mere babies.”

 

The prison guard glared at the woman with clenched fists and snarled, “Leave your Christianity and come back to Islam.  Then we will feed your children.”

 

“I cannot,” breathed the young mother, beginning to sob. 

           

“Then your children will not eat!” growled the prison guard, shaking the metal bars with all of his might. Then he flipped off the light switch and left the distressed woman in the dark—yet she was not alone.

 

“Lord, give me strength,” she breathed into the night.  Then she clasped her weary hands together with renewed vigor and whispered, “He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved” (Psalm 62:6).

Christianity in Light of Persecution

This blog was submitted by ICC representative, Shane Bazinet.

“When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” Acts 7:54-60

The stoning of Stephen, a brutal act of mob violence, is known as the first case of Christian persecution in history.

Why was Stephen stoned to death? For condemning the Jewish leaders for rejecting Jesus – for being a defender of the Christian faith. After the stoning, Saul of Tarsus “made havoc of the Church (8:3).”

Today, more Christians are being persecuted than ever before.

On Nov. 1, a Bangladeshi woman and her family, who converted from Islam to Christianity, were beaten with sticks, iron rods, knives and machetes, when a group of Muslim neighbors demanded “owed” money from the mother. The attackers then filed a false case against the family and threatened to burn their house to the ground if they attempted to file a case against them.

When we see stories like this, a good question that arises is: why become a Christian? Certainly not for peace, joy and happiness. For what then? So you can go to heaven? So you don’t have to go to hell?

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.”  Matthew 5:6a

We don’t need peace, joy and happiness. What we need is a right standing with God, because we will all stand before God on the Day of Judgment. Praise be to God that He made a way for us to get right with Him. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross so we wouldn’t have to go to hell – so we could have a right relationship with Him and receive the gift of eternal life. It’s the kindest thing that anyone has ever done.

How can we get right with God? Through repentance and faith – turning from our sins and trusting in the Savior.

Once we understand the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, we’ll view persecution in a much different light, and it will never drive us away from the Lord, but bring us closer to Him.

A Somali Refugee’s Story

This blog has been submitted by ICC representative Sylvia Thompson.

Salat Mberwa grabbed his bloody shoulder and winced.  Never before had he felt such pain–such agony.  Mberwa’s quivering thumb tried to plug the bullet hole in his shoulder, but the rich, red, fluid would not stop flowing.  “What a life,” Mberwa whispered as his mind jumped in and out of consciousness.  “What a life.” 

As his eyes fluttered closed, Mberwa began to dream of his beautiful relative, Miriam Hassan.  He could see her so clearly–as if she was standing right in front of him.  Mberwa watched as her tiny frame courageously walked around Somalia and distributed the Word of God–the Bible.  He wanted to call out to Miriam, to tell her to run, but Mberwa’s voice would not work.  His unconscious face twisted in fear and every muscle in Mberwa’s body tensed as he watched them kill her–punishing Miriam for spreading the Gospel.  “No!” cried Mberwa to an empty house.

Mberwa’s mind then returned to the day following Miriam’s death–the day he and his family decided to flee to Dadaab, Somalia.  Mberwa had thought they would be safe in a Dadaab refugee camp–a facility built to house and protect many Christian converts–but he was wrong.  Muslim gangs were constantly breaking into the Dadaab camp, raping Christian converts, burning refugee homes, and killing faithful believers.  A safe haven it was not.

Suddenly, Mberwa’s comatose eyes dripped with tears as electrodes in his brain “zipped and zapped”–taking him back to October 13.  “Don’t open the door,” Mberwa whispered through entranced lips. 

“You are the enemy of the Islamic religion!” the fundamentalists screamed into the night.  “You will pay for propagating a different religion!  If you do not open the door, we will kill you!” they howled.

“Don’t open the door,” Mberwa repeated, trying to push the traumatic day out of his mind, but it would not leave.  The ear-splitting sound of iron sheets being ripped open filled Mberwa’s brain.  He clenched his teeth and reached out for an imaginary stick as visions of Islamic assailants bathed his corneas.  “Stop,” Mberwa wailed as his eyes flew open!

Suddenly, a cool cloth was gently placed on Mberwa’s fevered head and a loving voice whispered, “Be still.”

Mberwa cried softly as his relatives tended to his wounds–his marks of persecution. “I thought this time they had killed me,” said Mberwa between sips of cold water.  “I tried to escape through the back window…but I was too late.”

“When will this end?” asked Mberwa’s relative as she wrapped a thick piece of gauze around his shoulder.

“Maybe never,” replied Mberwa.  Then he tenderly touched the cross around his neck and whispered, “But I will never give in.  I will happily suffer for Christ.”  Mberwa looked up at his relatives and smiled, “What a life.”

Christmas Anxiety in Vietnam

This blog was submitted by ICC representative, Sylvia Thompson.

Lien popped her tiny head up and waved to her best friend–smiling from ear to ear as her little hand flapped up and down.  Trang was not as brave as Lien.  Her mother had warned her about showing any sort of emotion or unity on this night–had scolded her for singing too loud. 

“Trang, you must act completely normal today or they will come for us,” her mother had whispered.  “Do not go near the window and do not sing your songs.”

“But, Mama, it is Christmas,” Trang had said with tears in her eyes. 

“Shhh!” Trang’s mother had cried.  Then she gently placed a finger over her daughter’s lips and whispered, “The Vietnamese government is not allowing us to celebrate Christmas, not even in our own homes.  If they even sense that we are having festivities, the authorities will come for us.”

“Why, Mama?” asked Trang, beginning to cry.

Trang’s mother wrapped her arms around her sorrowful daughter and held her tight.  Then– after shifting her eyes back and forth– Trang’s mother leaned over and murmured, “We can still celebrate the birth of Christ in our hearts and in our heads.  They cannot unlock what is in your mind, Trang.”

Her mother’s words reverberated within Trang’s conscience as she stared at her best friend Lien–still fluttering her hand with unabashed glee behind the frosty window pane.   Trang quickly shifted her eyes back and forth–searching the Vietnamese streets for policemen.  When she thought it was safe, the nervous child lifted her hand and waved to Lien.  “Merry Christmas,” she mouthed before dunking below the window and throwing the curtains closed. 

Top Evangelical News of 2008?

This blog has been submitted by ICC representative Shane Bazinet.

As 2009 begins, there are many top 10 lists for 2008 in the media – top 10 celebrities, top 10 songs, top 10 news stories, et cetera.

Christianity Today listed the top 10 evangelical news stories of the year, which the magazine’s editors and writers, “believe have shaped, or will significantly shape, evangelical life, thought, or mission.”

Number one was “Election 2008: Democrats woo evangelical vote, making only slight gains from Bush era.”

Although Christian persecution in Orissa, India was number three, I think it should have been number one.

I can’t think of a more important and under-reported Christian news story of 2008 than the persecution in Orissa, India. Over 50 Christians have been killed by Hindu mobs. Some Christians were burnt to death or buried alive, while about 50,000 more fled their homes.

Hindu extremists have ransacked more than 300 villages where Christians lived, targeting pastors for assassination and torching all houses belonging to Christians in the village.

The Hindu mobs blame the Christians for the murder of a Hindu leader, while evidence points responsibility at the communists.

I watch the news everyday and I recall seeing this persecution story reported only once – on a news ticker. If there was mass persecution of Buddhists, I wonder how often that story would be reported.

However, the story being under-reported shouldn’t shock us. Secular media is quick to report on Christians (or so-called Christians) involved in scandals, but when Christians are in danger, for some reason, it’s not as newsworthy.

It’s been proven that when mass Christian persecution takes place in an area, more people in that area tend to put their faith in Christ. Persecution could very well be the number one reason to believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Why? Because almost every apostle was tortured and killed for what they said and wrote about Jesus.

No one would be willing to be tortured and killed for a false claim, a work of fiction or even an exaggeration.

Persecution is also one of Jesus’ promises to His followers.

John 15:19 says, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”

As Christians, we’re not promised health, wealth and prosperity – we’re promised trials, temptations and persecution, which virtually no other religion promises.

Lastly, though persecution in itself is terrible, it ultimately brings us closer to God and helps us become stronger in our faith.

Why would God allow His children in Orissa to be persecuted? To bring those Christians closer to Him and help them become stronger in their faith – and greater will their reward be in heaven.

When Paul Washer spoke at the 2002 Youth Evangelism Conference in Montgomery, Alabama, he addressed errors in American Evangelicalism. He said in order for there to be revival in the North American Church, there would either have to be another reformation or mass persecution.

Reading about the persecution in Orissa on Persecution.org this year has really touched me and brought me closer to God. It’s taught me just how serious the Gospel really is and that God will help us persevere our suffering.

“The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them (Acts 16:22-25, NIV).”

Praise God that we can not only persevere suffering, but God will end all suffering one day.

Like a surgery, the Christian life will bring much suffering, but when we go to be with the Lord, we’ll know it was more than worth it.

This is why I believe the Christian persecution in Orissa was the number one Christian news story of 2008.

To learn how you can help our brothers and sisters in Orissa, visit Persecution.org.