When local Muslims attacked ten Christian converts in Nilphamari and threatened to kill them if they did not leave the community, the authorities stationed a special force in the community for three months to protect the Christians and allow them to stay in their homes (read the details). According to a July 18 report from Compass Direct, however, the force stayed only a week before leaving. The believers are continuing to be intimidated and ostracized in an attempt to force them from the community. On July 10, a local Christian named Hatem was questioned about his faith, beaten and bound. He was released the next day after the village chairman intervened. In the days that followed, other Christians were threatened and some escaped serious injury only because they were forewarned of plots against them. Area church leaders are calling for renewed intervention to protect these Christians.
To find out more about the persecution facing Christians in this country, visit Bangladesh's Country Report.
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