Tags

Bangladesh

• Christian convert falsely accused of theft

  A Christian convert from Islam was falsely arrested last weekend in an attempt by influential Muslims to stop his Christian activities. Day labourer Abul Hossen (41) was arrested on August 21 for alleged cattle theft in Dubachari village in Nilphamari district. Christian villagers reported that Hossen was the victim of "dirty tricks" by influential Muslims. "There is another Abul Hossen in the village who might be the thief, but his father-in-law is very powerful," a local Christian reported. "To save his son-in-law, he imputed all the blame to a different Abul Hossen who is a completely good man." Abul, who converted to Christianity from Islam in 2007, is very active in the community. Muslims are allegedly harassing him with the charge so his ministry will be discredited and villagers will denounce his faith. A former union council chairman who is Muslim, Aminur Rahman, also reported that Abul was a scapegoat. "There are two or three people named Abul Hossen in the village," Rahman said. "Anyone of them might have stolen the cattle, but I can vouch for the arrested Abul Hossen that he did not do this crime." Some 150 villagers, about 20 percent of them Christian, went to the police station to plea for Abul's freedom. (Source: Compass Direct)

  Thank the Lord for the faithfulness of Abul. Pray that the Lord will greatly strengthen him and all other believers in the area during this trial. Pray he will have wisdom when dealing with those in authority. Pray God will use his imprisonment to further the gospel (Phil. 1:12-14).

  Go to theBangladesh Country Report for more information on the suffering Church in Bangladesh.

• Two Christian families suffer extortion, beatings

  Johura Begum with her husband, Bablu Miah Photo from Compass Direct

  Two Christian women in Bangladesh's northern district of Jamalpur said village officials extorted relatively large sums of money from them -- and severely beat the husband of one of them -- for proclaiming Christ to Muslims. Johura Begum (42) of Pingna village said a member of the local union council, an area government representative and the father of a police officer threatened to harm her daughters if her family did not pay them 20,000 taka (approximately $290 CAD). The police officer whose father was allegedly involved in the extortion was investigating allegations that Christians had paid Muslims to be baptized by leaders of the Pentecostal Holiness Church of Bangladesh on May 26. According to Christian leaders, only six men of the 55 converts were baptized that day because of intimidation by protesting Muslims.

  Villagers backed by a political leader of the ruling Bangladesh Awami League party also allegedly extorted 250,000 taka (approximately $3,660 CAD) from another Christian woman, 35-year-old Komola Begum of Doulatpur village. After the baptisms in the Brahmanputra River in Mymensingh district, local Muslims beat her husband to such an extent that he received three days of hospital treatment for his injuries. "My husband is a scapegoat -- he simply does business," she said. "But he was beaten for my faith and activities." Police forced one of those present at the baptism, 45-year-old Hafijur Rahman, to sign a statement accusing four of the Christian leaders of offering him and others money to attend. He reported that he is illiterate and did not know what he was signing, and that he was not offered any money to go to the baptism service. For three days after the baptisms, local villagers announced through bullhorns the punishment Christians would receive for their activities, chanting among other slogans, "We will peel off the skins of the Christians." (Source: Compass Direct)

  Please pray for the Lord's protection upon these people. Pray for justice and favour from the authorities. Pray the Lord will heal and fully restore the husband of Komola Begum.

  Go to theBangladesh Country Report to learn more about the suffering Church in Bangladesh.

• Christians held captive

  Three tribal Christians are being held captive at a pagoda in Lemuchari village, Khagrachari district, Bangladesh by Buddhist members of an armed rebel group and their sympathizers. The three Christians -- Pastor Shushil Jibon Talukder (55), Bimol Kanti Chakma (50) and Laksmi Bilas Chakma (40) -- are all members of the Maddha Lemuchari Baptist Church. They were taken to the pagoda on April 16 after being beaten in an attempt to force them to return to Buddhism. Pastor Shushil was injured so severely that he couldn’t walk and was taken to the pagoda on a stretcher. The Regional Sub-district Chairman has stated, "They became Christian, and they were breaking the rules and customs of the Buddhist society, so elders of the society were angry with them.... That is why they were sent to a pagoda for 15 to 20 days for their spiritual enlightenment, so that they can come back to their previous place [Buddhism]." The next day, armed Buddhists seized blankets, Bibles and song books from the believers' church building and forced Christians to dismantle the building. (Source: Compass Direct)

  Pray for the safe release of the three believers. Pray that they will remain steadfast in the faith (1 Peter 5:8-10). Pray that those inflicting harm on Christians in Lemuchari village will repent and accept Jesus as their Saviour.

  For more information on the plight of believers in Bangladesh,click here.

• Christians targeted and threatened

  The Voice of the Martyrs received several reports in recent weeks from AsiaNews about attacks on Christians in Bangladesh by militant Muslims.

  William Gomes interviewing Photo from AsiaNews

  On September 25, Muslim militants attempted to kill a convert from Islam to Christianity, along with his wife and child, by setting his home on fire. In the days before the arson, militants had threatened William Gomes with death for intervening in an assault on his cousin by a Muslim man. Gomes, a journalist and human rights activist, had sought protection from police following the threats. However, it was only after the fire that they guaranteed police intervention.

  Anup Rodrigues (25) was brutally beaten on September 27 by members of an Islamist group after attending evening Mass. Rodrigues was waiting at a park for friends when four men dressed in traditional Muslim clothes attacked him from behind with iron rods and bamboo sticks. They accused him of insulting Muhammad and said Christians were a "curse on the nation" who wanted to convert Muslims. Rodrigues was eventually able to escape his assailants. The week before, he was threatened by a Muslim man who overheard him speaking with friends about the prophets of different religions. The Muslim stated that he belonged to an Islamist group and that they had the duty of carrying out jihad to punish people like Rodrigues.

  Pray for safety for William Gomes, Anup Rodrigues and their families. Pray that they will not be fearful but will trust God (Revelation 2:10). Pray that attacks on Christians in Bangladesh will cease.

  Go to theBangladesh Country Report to find out more about the trials Christians are facing in Bangladesh.

• Update: couple pressured to withdraw rape accusation

  Photo from Compass Direct

  Last month, the wife of a Bangladeshi pastor was gang-raped by Muslims who ambushed the couple outside their home in Gopalganj district (click here for the details). According to a February 19 report from Compass Direct, local Muslims have threatened Pastor Shankar Hazra (55) and his wife Depali (45) with violence in an attempt to force them to withdraw their charges of robbery and rape. Local believers and human rights activists believe that Muslims paid a doctor to falsify a medical report which alleged that there was no evidence that Depali was raped.

  For more updates on the persecution of believers in Bangladesh,
  click here.

• Bible student beaten and threatened by Muslims

  Photo from Compass Direct

  Rajen Murmo (20) was attacked by a mob of approximately 50 Muslims in the town of Uttara, Bangladesh, where approximately four million Muslims had gathered for an annual Islamic conference on February 1. According to a February 5 report from Compass Direct, Murmo and some fellow students from Believers' Church Bible College were distributing Christian literature when a man approached them and said that the Quran had superseded the Bible, rendering it outdated. Some men then grabbed Murmo and demanded to know who gave him the Christian literature. They also demanded that he give them the addresses of religious leaders and of his school. When he refused, the attackers beat him and threatened to kill him unless he gave them the information. Officials eventually arrived and were able to rescue Murmo. The mob pressured the officials into sending Murmo to a local police station where he was held until the principal of his school secured his release.

  Pray for healing for Murmo. Ask God to strengthen him to remain steadfast in the midst of opposition (1 Peter 5:12).

  For more information on the persecution facing Christians in Bangladesh, go to theBangladesh Country Report.

• Pastor attacked, wife gang-raped

  Pastor Shankar Hazra and his wife Depali Photo fromCompass Direct

  Pastor Shankar Hazra (55) and his wife Depali (45) were attacked by Muslims outside their home on the Chaksing Baptist church property in Gopalganj district, Bangladesh on January 6. According to a January 20 report from Compass Direct, in the early morning, the couple went outside to use the washroom when approximately seven Muslims surrounded them. They tied Pastor Hazra to the porch and blindfolded Depali and forced her inside the house. The assailants looted the couple's belongings and gang-raped Depali. Upon leaving the house, they broke into the nearby church building where they urinated and defecated on the floor. Pastor Hazra was eventually able to untie himself and get help for his unconscious wife.

  Although the couple testifies that their attackers were Muslim, police officers, Muslim-owned media and some influential citizens have made the claim that the crime was actually committed by two Christians and a Hindu under the direction of another local pastor. When the police stated these allegations in the initial report, Pastor Hazra signed the document without reading it because he was so shaken from the attack. Depali has since written a corrected statement of the events. At last report, the couple was living with relatives to avoid further attacks.

  Ask God to heal Depali from the physical and emotional scars of the rape. Pray that those who are truly guilty will be found and convicted. Pray that Pastor Hazra and Depali will continue be a light that draws others to Jesus (Matthew 5:14-16).

  Find out more about the persecution of Christians in Bangladesh at theBangladesh Country Report.

• Christians held captive

  On December 10, thirteen believers who converted to Christianity from Buddhism approximately four months earlier were forcibly taken to a pagoda in Rangamati district, Chittagong division, Bangladesh by Buddhist clerics and local council officials, according to a December 18 report from Compass Direct. In an attempt to coerce them to reconvert to Buddhism, the Christians were reportedly pressured into undergoing Buddhist rituals, such as shaving their heads and wearing saffron robes. According to Bangladeshi Christian leaders, believers in this predominantly Buddhist area often face eviction from their homes or bodily harm if they refuse to return to Buddhism.

  Pray that these Christians will be released unharmed. Pray that they will cling to God for their strength (Psalm 63:8). Ask God to work in the hearts of those who oppose His followers in this area.

  To learn more about how Christians suffer in Bangladesh, go to theBangladesh Country Report.

• Update: Suspects facing charges of raping pastor's daughter Two persons accused of raping a pastor's daughter in the village of Laksmipur (click here for more information) are now facing charges, according to an October 1 report from Compass Direct. On September 7, police submitted to the district court a charge sheet based on an extensive investigation following a positive DNA test. If convicted, the two will receive life terms in prison.
• DNA indicates assault on pastor's daughter in Bangladesh

  On May 2, Pastor Motilal Das's daughter, Elina (13), was gang-raped by five Muslim men in the village of Laksmipur, Bangladesh. A forensics test was conducted following the attack but the results allegedly proved that her claims of sexual assault were false (click here for more details). According to an August 18 report from Compass Direct, a second DNA test was conducted by a different hospital and confirmed that Elina was either raped or sexually assaulted. Mymensingh Medical College Hospital Forensic Department head Akhteruzzaman Talukder has denied accusations that the relatives of the accused men paid the hospital to falsify the results of the first forensics test. Pastor Das claims that the same relatives have threatened and bribed him in an attempt to have him withdraw the case.

  Pray for Elina Das and her family. Pray that they will not be fearful, but trust in God (Revelation 2:10). Pray that the authorities will act with integrity in determining the guilt of the accused men.

  For more information on the persecution facing Christians in Bangladesh, go to theBangladesh Country Report.