On February 1, a 70-year-old convert from Islam, Rahima Beoa, died from the severe burns she suffered to over 70 percent of her body when unidentified assailants set fire to her home in the Muslim-dominated village of Cinatuly last month. According to a February 4 report from Compass Direct, on January 7, individuals set fire to the house that Beoa shared with her daughter and son-in-law, also converts to Christianity from Islam, and their children. Beoa and her nine-year-old grandson were home at the time of the blaze, but the boy managed to escape. According to a local pastor, villagers were upset by Beoa's planned February 13 baptism. They were also angered by the conversions of her daughter and son-in-law and his evangelistic work.
Pray that the loved ones of Rahima will know God's comfort, peace and boldness. Pray that her family will stand firm in their faith. Pray that Christians in Bangladesh will confidently entrust themselves to Christ (2 Timothy 1:7-12).
For more information on the persecution facing Christians in this country, visit Bangladesh's Country Report.
The people of Bangladesh are hungry for the Word of God, and in response VOMC is helping to provide Bible training to a group of Christian men who have a strong desire to learn and grow.
Ethnicity (%) Bengali (99), other indigenous ethnic groups (1)
Religions (%) Islam (91), Hinduism (8), other - includes Buddhism and Christianity (1) (2022 est)
Leader President Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppi (2023)
Government type Parliamentary republic
Legal system Based on English common law and Islamic law.
Source: CIA World Factboo
Pray for Bangladesh
As the Word of God goes forth in Bangladesh through the Christian radio and television broadcasts, may the "Good News" of the Gospel accomplish mighty things in the lives of all who hear it! Pray that the seeds sown in hearts will take root and bear healthy and lasting fruit, and that the spiritual leaders of this country will be ready and equipped to disciple the resulting influx of new believers.
For several weeks, a small church in Suandrapara, a village of southeastern Bangladesh, has been facing threats from militant Buddhists who were attempting to coerce the Christians to return to Buddhism, even though many of the churchgoers had converted several years before. As a result of the oppression, most of the 50 members of the Bangladesh Tribal Baptist Church have been forced to stay away from their homes for fear of attack.
In last week's "Persecution & Prayer Alert," an urgent prayer request was issued for Christians who were recently attacked in a Rohingya refugee camp and the imminent forced marriage of a pastor's daughter to a Muslim man (read more). Since the previous report, more details have continued to come to light.
The attack occurred in Kutapalong, the world's largest refugee camp. More than 20 Christian families were attacked with at least 12 people injured. A similar attack happened in May 2019 by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army who claim to be fighting for the liberation of the Rohingya. Local police insist that the ARSA is not involved and have downplayed the number of injured.
Please immediately stop and pray for this critical need right now as it's a very time-sensitive situation and in the process of happening as you read this.... The Voice of the Martyrs Canada has just received news that three Christian families were attacked in a Rohingya refugee camp this past week.
A Christian convert from Islam, who had been imprisoned for more than two years, was released on bail recently. Sisir Islam became a believer in 2012 and immediately began sharing Jesus with others in his community, leading 17 friends to Christ.
On September 23rd, 2014, after returning home from a VOM-supported training centre, Sisir was charged with the murder of a local business man. He later learned that Muslim leaders in his village had accused him of the murder as retribution for his conversion to Christianity.