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Yemen

• Update: Negotiations begin for release of Christian hostages

  Johannes, Sabine and children, Anthony S.

  Authorities in Yemen have reportedly started negotiations for the release of six Christian hostages -- a family of five from Germany and a British engineer -- who were kidnapped along with three other women in June (click here for more information). The bodies of the women, Rita Stumpp (26), Anita Gruenwald (24) and Eom Young-sun (33), were found shortly after the kidnapping. Until recently, however, the state of Johannes (37), his wife Sabine (37) and their children, Lydia (5), Anna (3) and Simon (1), as well as Anthony was unknown. The kidnappers have demanded a ransom of $2 million USD as well as immunity, free passage and a guarantee that they will not be handed over to neighbouring Saudi Arabia. (Sources: Middle East Concern, AFP)

  Pray that the efforts to negotiate the release of these Christians will be successful. Pray for protection and health for the kidnapped believers. Pray that their kidnappers will come to know Jesus Christ through their witness. For more information and prayer requests, please click here.

  For more information on the plight of Christians in Yemen, pleaseclick here.

• Update: Day of prayer and fasting called for kidnapped foreigners

  The three Christians who were killed in June

  Four months after their abduction, there continues to be no reliable news on the condition of the remaining six expatriate Christians kidnapped in mid-June by unknown assailants in Yemen (read the story). On June 12, nine foreign Christians were abducted -- four German adults, three small German children, a British man and a South Korean woman -- after they ventured outside the city of Sa'ada. All of them worked at a hospital in the city. Shortly afterwards, Rita Stumpp (26) and Anita Gruenwald (24), German nurses in training, and Eom Young-sun (33) of South Korea were killed and their bodies found by local shepherds. Still missing are German doctor Johannes (36), his wife Sabine (36), their three children Lydia (4), Anna (3) and Simon (1) and British engineer Anthony S. Their whereabouts and condition remain unknown. Anthony is married but his wife did not accompany him on this trip.

  As Middle East Concern (MEC) has noted, the work of the hospital where they worked has been severely reduced as a result, affecting the city and the wider area. No one has claimed responsibility for the abductions and killings, which MEC notes is "unusual within Yemeni culture, and heightens the concern and anxiety." The search for the missing has been greatly hindered by the intense fighting between the government forces and the Houthi armed group in Sa'ada province, which has flared up again since June.

  To learn more about the opposition facing Christians in Yemen, visit theYemen Country Report.

• Christian relief workers abducted and killed

  On June 12, nine Christian foreigners were abducted and three of them killed in Yemen. Reports indicate that they were targeted because they were Christian relief workers suspected of being involved in evangelistic work.

  The Christians were reportedly abducted by armed men while returning from a picnic in the city of Sa'ada. At approximately 6:45 p.m., one of the women -- a German national -- managed to call a nurse in Sa'ada on her cell phone. However, the nurse could not hear who was calling and hung up. Investigators believe that the kidnappers executed three of the hostages a short time later. The bodies of German nurses in training, Rita Stumpp (26) and Anita Gruenwald (24), and a South Korean woman, Eom Young-sun (33), were found four days later in the Noshour Valley region -- a known hotbed of al-Qaeda activity. According to a member of the security committee in charge of the investigation, the six hostages -- Johannes Hentschel (36), a German doctor, his wife Sabine (36), and their three children, Lydia (4), Anna (3) and Simon (11 months), and an unidentified British engineer -- are alive. At last report they had been handed over to tribesmen. Two suspects have surrendered themselves to Yemeni authorities and have been arrested.

  The six abducted relief workers all worked for the Dutch-based World Wide Services Foundation, an aid organization that places medical personnel in hospitals in developing countries. Local imams were reportedly concerned that some of the relief workers were involved in evangelism while providing medical aid. The German Foreign Ministry's task force has deduced that the Germans were known locally as missionaries. Johannes Hentschel was threatened in recent months by angry Muslims who objected to his efforts to share Christ with Muslims. Missionary tracts were found in the belongings of the martyred German nurses.

  Thank the Lord for the faithful life and work of those killed. Pray that the remaining hostages will be released. Ask God to fill those in mourning with a peace that surpasses understanding in the midst of their grief (Philippians 4:7). Pray for endurance and wisdom for those serving the Lord in Yemen.

  Check out the VOMC weblog for commentary and additional details on this story. For more information on the persecution of Christians in Yemen, go to the Yemen Country Report.

• German National Terrorized for Promoting Christianity in Yemen

  On September 20, a German national living in the Yemeni region of Hadramawt had his house set on fire and his car bombed because he has been accused of "promoting Christianity."  He also received a letter saying, "Today we have set fire to your car and your house, but tomorrow we will kill your children if you do not leave Mukallah." The man, who was not identified, is the head of the Social Cooperation Association for the Middle East in the Hadramawt area and was living near the city of Mukallah.

• Sentenced to Death for Hospital Attack

  A militant Muslim, Ali al-Jarallah, was sentenced to death on September 14 for the assassination of a politician and for coordinating an attack on a Southern Baptist hospital in Jibla, Yemen last December that left three people dead and wounding a fourth. Abed Abdul Razak Kamel, who was also sentenced to death in July for these killings, said that the attack on the hospital was, in part, because he believed they were proselytizing Muslims; something that has been denied by the hospital workers.

  Pray for al-Jarallah, that he might see the truth of the Gospel of Christ which he has opposed and come to faith in Jesus.

• Death Sentence for Hospital Attacker

  Abed Abdulrazzak Kamel, 30, a suspected al-Qaeda militant, was sentenced to death on May 10 for killing three American missionaries and wounding a fourth. During the trial, he confessed to the December 30 attack, saying that the missionaries were converting Muslims to Christianity. According to the Associated Press, Kamel plans to appeal the verdict, claiming that it violates Islamic law. Kamel admitted to being part of a five-man terrorist cell, committed to carrying out operations in Yemen.

  Pray for protection for Christians living and working in Yemen, including the hospital in Jibla where the original attack took place. Pray that, in spite of the oppression in Yemen, the light of Christ will shine brightly through His people.

• Trial of Man Accused of Killing Missionaries

  Abid Abdulrazzaq Al-Kamil, the man accused of entering a Southern Baptist hospital in Yemen and killing three American missionaries, testified in court that he did it because he believed they were trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. "I acted out of a religious duty . . . and in revenge for those who converted Muslims from their religion and made them unbelievers." Residents of Jibla deny that the Americans ever discussed religion.

  Original Persecution and Prayer Alert story published December 30, 2002
  (Report received April 23 from Religion News Service)