Wave of persecution sweeps across the Middle East and North Africa

(Image courtesy Open Doors USA)

Nigeria (MNN) ― Believers in northeast Nigeria are reeling after Islamic militants killed their pastor and his son, and set fire to their church building and five homes.

The Associated Press reports Islamic militants attacked the church in Yobe state just before dawn yesterday; the incident went unnoticed by nearly all major media outlets.

Dr. David Curry, President and CEO of Open Doors USA, points to the attack as the latest in a rising tide of persecution sweeping the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

"We've had situations in the last three weeks in Iraq, in Syria, in Pakistan, and now last night in northern Nigeria, where people are targeting believers," says Curry. "My greatest concern is that there won't be any pressure to follow-up on this attack.

"Attack after attack on Christians seems to go by the wayside."

Thousands have fallen in Nigeria alone at the hands of the Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram. Their name means "Western education is sinful," and their four-year-old terror campaign seeks to rid northeast Nigeria of all who follow Christ.

Yobe is one of three northeastern states currently under emergency rule, as Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan tries to quell Boko Haram insurgents.

"The threat of terrorism in a few states in the northeastern part of our country has proven to be a challenge to national stability," Jonathan told UN leaders earlier this week. "We will spare no effort in addressing this menace."

Terror goes by a different name in the nearby Central African Republic: Seleka. This band of Islamic terrorists rose to national power in March following the ouster of former President Francois Bozize.

Their primary target soon became the Church.

"The various atrocities that preceded, accompanied, and followed Seleka's rise to power have been specifically aimed at the Christian population," states a letter from the CAR Evangelical Alliance to Seleka Islamist leader and CAR President Michel Djotodia.

"Churches and Christian institutions have been desecrated and plundered, priests and pastors have been assaulted, and nuns raped."

In CAR, 50% of the population is Christian and 15% are Muslim. Despite outnumbering the followers of Islam, Christian communities in CAR claim their Muslim neighbors are joining Seleka’s violent campaigns.

"It’s not like Christianity is a minority religion, but ever since the coup in March, the Muslims have increased their persecution of Christians," said Open Doors spokesman Jerry Dykstra in a July 5 article.

To the north, a similar situation unfolds as violence against Christians in Egypt reaches historic levels. Members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) were quick to blame Coptic Christians for the July removal of MB proponent and former President Mohamed Morsi from office.

It was a summer of rage for many believers as they endured beatings, their homes and businesses were looted and destroyed, and churches were set aflame. In August, one church was forced to close its doors for the first time in 1,600 years.

And yet, most believers and secular media alike remain unaware of the deadly trend.

"Open Doors has been trying to raise this awareness among Western believers and the media in general," says Curry. "We believe it's worthwhile asking the question: 'Are these attacks coordinated?' Certainly they seem to be intentional and directed at believers.

"Over the last decades…the population of Christians in the Middle East has gone from 20% to 4%. Why is that? It is because there is a concerted effort to force Christians to convert. There is a concerted effort to persecute Christians, to drive them from their home."

As the plight of believers in the MENA continues on, largely unnoticed, you can take action.

"There are so many ways we can support the Persecuted Church," Curry states, "but you won't know how until you get this International Day of Prayer packet, an IDOP packet."

The International Day of the Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) gathers believers worldwide in continuous prayer for those who are persecuted. This year, IDOP falls on November 3.

"What we're asking is that every believer in the Western world that worships in freedom takes part on November 3rd in praying and supporting the Persecuted Church," explains Curry.

"We're not a political organization, but what we can do is rally believers to defend and to pray and support their brothers and sisters in the Persecuted Church."

CAR morphing into another Somalia?

(Cover photo courtesy of Africanarguments.org.
Story photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

Central African Republic (MNN) ― The Central African Republic (CAR) has been on a tightrope ever since Seleka rebels overthrew the government in March.

But now this no man’s land may be developing into a humanitarian crisis, according to NGO groups.

“The CAR has been lost in everything that is happening in Egypt and Syria so it’s not on a lot of governments’ or people’s radars or the media.... We don’t want this to turn into another Somalia,” says Jerry Dykstra with Open Doors USA.

Workers with Open Doors in CAR say locals are talking about this "Somalization" of their nation. There are some differences between the situations, but also some similarities.

Dykstra explains, “Somalia has been without a government for years and years. In CAR’s case, the shaky government was overthrown in March and there was a group called Seleka. They forced the leaders out, took over, and since that time there has been tremendous unrest among the people; a lot of violence.”

After the March coup, a new government was established on June 16. Most of the leaders are Seleka with few opposing politicians. 180,000 people have been displaced in the chaos.

International groups suspended aid to the CAR after the coup. They look at what happened in Somalia with several NGO workers killed by rebel domination over the years. Aid organizations in CAR similarly fear for their safety. But when aid was pulled out of Somalia, citizens were hit the hardest with little access to vital resources.

As order in the CAR disintegrates, reports of rapes, robbery, and torture come out. Most recently, a Seleka colonel in Nola sent soldiers to kidnap a 13-year-old girl. The colonel raped her, and soldiers assaulted her parents when they tried to intervene. A co-worker with Open Doors writes, “In the Seleka movement, soldiers are only answerable to their commander and not the president.”

Dykstra says Christians’ safety is also in jeopardy. 50% of the population in CAR is Christian and 15% are Muslim. Christian communities in CAR claim their Muslim neighbors are joining Seleka’s violent campaigns, according to Open Doors.

“It’s not like Christianity is a minority religion, but ever since the coup in March, the Muslims have increased their persecution of Christians at the expense of Christians fearing for their lives,” says Dykstra.

Somalia is 5th on Open Doors World Watch List for worst persecution of Christians. Several other African nations aren’t too far behind. Dykstra states the developing situation in the CAR raises concern. “I would think CAR would move up the list next year, and so we pray that won’t happen, that things will settle down and that Christians and Muslims will get together and respect each other’s faith.”

NGO’s have brought together leaders in Christian, Catholic, and Muslim communities to dialogue and prevent further unrest. Four imams, four pastors, and four priests are part of the initiative and will train on how to prevent conflicts. Then they will spread out to various cities and hold meetings to prevent conflict.

The Catholic clergy also sent a letter “to convey the message of peace and hopefully to implore the new leader, Michel Djotodia, to break his silence on the violence of the Seleka group and for him to say hold off and to promise not to bring Sharia law into that country,” says Dykstra.

Open Doors workers ask through Dykstra, “We need your prayers. We hope this does not turn into a wild state, a gangster state, a jungle. Pray for the future.”

Central African Republic: Coup leader tightens grip on power

Central African Republic (MNN) ― The issue of child soldiers haunts the troops in the Central African Republic.

South African soldiers sent to support the CAR government reported their suspicions following the fall of the capital and the ouster of the president.

Steven Wolcott, a Regional Executive Officer at Africa Inland Mission (AIM), commented, "That is a very common occurrence with rebel groups in Central Africa." However, he went on to note that "I haven't heard anything specific that way, other than some news reports. From sources on the ground that we have, I haven't heard that directly."

So, while the reports may still need further investigation, it does reveal an underlying chaos at the heart of the CAR. After days of looting and chaos, rebel soldiers seem to have secured the area. In the meantime, CAR's Prime Minister formed his new government. Seleka, a coalition of three rebel groups, launched its insurgency in December, accusing ousted president Francois Bozize of failing to honor earlier peace deals signed with rebels in the conflict-prone country.

The concern comes from the high percentage of Seleka rebels who form the cabinet leadership. Wolcott explains, "The new leader has come in from the north of the country and has ties, it seems, with Sudan and also with Chad and some of the Islamic groups up there. So it does seem as though there's tension."

Reports from groups like Open Doors confirm the reality of religious tensions. Wolcott says it's hard to figure out what their team is doing because of how uncertain things are. "From the church people that we're in contact with, that is a huge concern. What is going to be the long-term impact, the future impact against them?"

It's also not an isolated incident, he observes, noting similar changes in Arab Spring countries. "They (Islamists) want to cover all of Africa, and so they're pushing hard to do that in whatever way they can, trying to bring in leaders who are in tune with that."

The questions that have to be answered before more outreach strategy forms are: "'What is the security situation really on the ground?' and ‘Is it really possible to do ministry in a way that's effective?' Those are issues with the Church and as a mission." Wolcott says an assessment team is going in. "There's a trip planned for next week to go and look and talk with the Church to figure out what the next step should be. It's just really difficult with the LRA and now, with the Seleka rebel group coming in."

An already difficult ministry field, there is a risk that the coup could interfere further. AIM has been trying for years to get teams into the CAR. "The Lord's Resistance Army and [leader Joseph] Kony have been up in that area since 2008. Because of that, it's been really difficult to actually move ahead, to function, to do discipleship." Wolcott explains that it's not logistics they're assessing. It's much more basic. "The bigger issue is just one of survival of the local pastors, believers just being able to survive the things that are going on against them: the LRA coming in, raiding their gardens, abducting people, killing people."

What can be done? Pray. Wolcott cited the story of Gideon in the Old Testament and noted its similarity to the situation facing believers in CAR. In a seemingly impossible situation, God intervened and used Gideon and a handful of faithful leaders to save Israel. "I'm praying that the Lord would raise up Gideons, and that as we pray together against the schemes of Satan that are opposed to us, we will actually see advances and see God intervene on our behalf, just as he did in the Gideon story."