The Voice of the Martyrs USA: www.persecution.com
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
INDIA — Churches Attacked, Believers Beaten — VOM ContactsIn recent weeks, The Voice of the Martyrs has received several reports of violence against Christians. On May 5, Hindu extremists attacked approximately 200 Christians gathered together for a meeting in Mumbai. Extremists forcefully entered the building, blocked the exits and ordered the believers to chant "Jai Shri Ram" (Praise Lord Ram). Those who refused were beaten. Several were injured, including a 5-year-old girl and a pastor who required five stitches in his head. Meanwhile, on May 5, a church building was set on fire by Hindu extremists in Andhra Pradesh state. Neighbors alerted the pastor and church members of the fire and by the time they arrived on the scene the furniture, pulpit, carpet and audio equipment had been destroyed. Also, on May 7, Hindu extremists disrupted a prayer meeting held in a home in Madhya Pradesh state. The extremists shouted abuses and assaulted the believers present. One believer suffered a broken arm. Five of the believers were arrested and taken to a police station. All were granted bail the next day. Pray for peace in India. Pray for healing for injured believers. Ask God to strengthen Christians in India to continue to be salt and light in the midst of oppression.
TURKMENISTAN — Formerly Imprisoned Christian Under Fire — Forum 18 NewsAuthorities have threatened to seize the property of a formerly imprisoned Christian man unless he pays a large sum of money they claim he acquired illegally in 1995, according to Forum18 News. Shageldy Atakov was imprisoned in 1999 on charges of swindling another individual out of US$12,000 during a car deal. Atakov and other local Christians maintain that the charges were fabricated in order to stop his Christian activity. While in detention at the Seydi Labour Camp, Atakov was beaten repeatedly, received inadequate medical attention, poor diet and given psychotropic [mind-altering] drugs for refusing to abandon his faith. He was released in January 2002. He served the full prison sentence, thus he is already cleared of the alleged debt now being demanded by authorities. On April 29, a local official visited his home in order to assess the value of their property and examine ownership documents. Pray that all false allegations against Atakov will cease. Pray for strength and protection for Atakov and his family. Pray that Christians facing trials in Turkmenistan will remember that they will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which they are suffering.
INDONESIA — Christian Families Driven Out of Their Villages — VOM SourcesTwo families were driven from their villages in West Java, Indonesia, in March after they converted to Christianity from Islam, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. When one family returned home from a mass baptism, their landlord asked them to vacate his property they were renting. He was angry because they were now Christians. “The Muslim leaders [in the village] supported the land owners to drive out the family,” VOM contacts reported. “The husband and father [was] also fired from his job because they had converted to Christianity.” Meanwhile, on March 19, another family in a different village in West Java was also evicted from their home after being baptized. “They were summoned by a Muslim leader [in the village] and told they should leave the village because Christians make the village unclean,” VOM contacts added. Pray for these families and many believers in Indonesia who face persecution because of their faith.
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