You probably know that more Christians are killed for their faith in Jesus today than ever before. There are many countries around the world where people who turn to Christ for salvation don't live very long after doing so.
There are many countries where this is the case. For instance North Korea, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, India, China, Pakistan and Iran are all at the top of the list of countries where Christians are being killed regularly (if not daily). These countries along side Eritrea and Vietnam are the worlds 10 worst persecutors of Christians.
Take for example the following story from Somalia:
David Abdulwahab Mohamed Ali was born and raised in Somalia until he was forced to flee to Yemen following the political turmoil that engulfed his home country.
Like almost all Somalis, David was also a Muslim. He was exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ when he was living as refugee in Yemen. In 1995, he committed his life to Jesus Christ. But living as Christian in Yemen was difficult for him and he was forced once again to leave for another country. This time he headed to Ethiopia, where Christians make up the majority of the population.
After long years in exile, he traveled back to his native Somalia to visit his family and friends. His relatives must have observed the change that David had undergone. They wanted to know if he was still a Muslim.
On April 22, 2008, at 4:30 PM, one of David’s cousins led two other members of the Islamic extremist group Al-Shabab to David and asked him if he was a Muslim or an infidel. He answered, “Neither.”
They asked, “Then what are you?” He answered, “Waxaan ahay Masiixi,” which means, “I am a follower of the Messiah.”
At this, David’s cousin was enraged and humiliated. In Somalia’s strict Muslim society, David’s conversion to Christianity brought enormous shame on his family. His cousin’s response was to pull out a gun and shoot David. The other two extremists did the same, and the three continued shooting David until their Muslim “honor” had been avenged.
This and many other stories are chronicled in the International Christian Concern “Hall of Shame” for 2009. The Hall of Shame reads a bit like a cross between a political summary and Foxes Book of Martyrs, but is well worth reading.
It is also worth subscribing to the Voice of the Martyrs newsletter or contacting a VOM representative at your church. We who live safely in the west should be actively seeking to help our brothers and sisters in Christ who are subject to persecution. We must start by understanding the situation they are in. We also need to pray and give to help them out.
There are a number of organizations I would recommend. One is the Voice of the Martyrs which is dedicated to helping persecuted believers and telling their stories. The other is the Barnabas fund which is only focused on helping believers, but not restricted just to countries of persecution.
Take the time to find out more, and see what you can do to help – we can help!
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