“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:10
Download A4 version Download A5 version Download large-print version
Vietnam – Pastor in Central Highlands shot with rubber bullet
Christians in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam need our prayers after a pastor was wounded in a shooting on Sunday 1 December.
Pastor Y Hung Ayun, 62, who leads an independent house church in Tara Puor village, Dak Lak province was shot in the left knee with a rubber bullet while riding a motorbike home.
Two men with faces covered rode a motorbike alongside Pastor Y Hung. The passenger shot him twice before the attackers made their escape.
Y Hung believes that the attack was a warning for him to stop his work as a house church pastor.
In an earlier incident in the same province, Pastor Y Pho Eban, 57, leader of a 200-strong independent house church in Cue village, was shot in the leg on 25 September.
Pastor Y Pho was left with a small fracture and other injuries. The bullet was removed in hospital but weeks later he is unable to walk properly.
Y Pho also believes he was shot because of his position as leader of a house church. In November district police summoned five church members and warned them against attending worship at Y Pho’s home, saying, “He is a bad person and is about to be arrested.”
Vietnam’s constitution states that citizens “can follow any religion or follow none”. The 2018 Law on Belief and Religion requires authorities to protect religious freedom but bans any religious activity that could “harm social order and/or national unity”. Authorities closely monitor unregistered independent house churches and target their leaders for harassment and intimidation.
Pray that both pastors will make a full physical and psychological recovery from the incidents and be able to pursue their leadership roles unhindered. Pray that local authorities in Vietnam will understand unofficial house churches as a source of social cohesion and unity rather than a threat to social order. Ask that both congregations will draw strength from following their Lord (John 15:20) and be able to take joy even in sharing in His suffering (James 1: 2-4).
Libya – Introduction of “morality” measures raises concerns for Christians’ safety
Please pray for the small Christian community in Muslim-majority Libya after the introduction of a Public Morality Protection unit, also referred to as the “morality police”.
Christians are among those who may be at risk from greater repression and more extensive application of sharia (Islamic law).
Emad Trabelsi, the acting interior minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity, announced the creation of the morality police in a statement in early November, saying that there is “no space for personal freedom in Libya”.
Political rule in Libya is contested, with two rival governments: the Government of National Unity in Tripoli, and the Government of National Stability in Benghazi.
Women are particularly affected by the “morality” measures. Among restrictions on clothing, female students will be required to wear the hijab, and women will be banned from travelling without a male guardian.
The new measures “signal a concerning shift toward policies that limit civil liberties and could pose risks to vulnerable communities, including Christians and international residents in Libya”, explained a Barnabas Aid contact.
There are also concerns that these measures could embolden Islamist groups, with consequences in both Libya and the wider region.
Most Christians are migrant workers, and church congregations have representatives from many nations. There is a small number of Libyan converts from Islam.
In 2022 a Christian convert was sentenced to death for apostasy from Islam. Six others were arrested for apostasy in 2023. It is not known whether any death sentences have been carried out.
Pray for the safety of Christians in Libya, especially those who may face persecution arising from recent government measures. Pray that they will be shielded from harm, that their faith grows stronger, and that their witness for Christ will increase in clarity. Ask the Lord to empower Christians to demonstrate true freedom based on a relationship with Him and not on following human laws. Pray that our brothers and sisters’ righteousness in Christ will shine as light in the darkness of the legalism pursued by Islam (Psalm 37:6). Pray that any others affected by these changes will be directed to enquire about the One in whom there is fulfilment of the law (Romans 10:4).
Iran – Three Christian converts released on bail
The welcome news of the release on bail of three Iranian Christian converts from Islam, detained by agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), must be viewed in the light of the Iranian authorities’ ongoing crackdown on Christians.
Javad Amini, 40, was arrested on 17 November and released on 27 November, the day after he was scheduled to appear in court. Two women, unnamed, were arrested and released on the same days as Javad.
All three converts were required to pay 1 billion tomans (£12,500; $15,000; €13,750) for bail. They had previously been arrested alongside more than 20 others at Christmas 2023.
At least 12 Christians from Nowshahr, northern Iran, had been due on 27 November to answer charges of “propagating a religion contrary to Islam” and “collaborating with foreign governments”.
After Javad’s arrest on 17 November, IRGC agents visited his home and confiscated Bibles, Christian literature and notebooks he used for Biblical study. His wife Farzaneh was interrogated by both Ministry of Intelligence and IRGC agents, who used coarse language of a sexual nature in applying psychological pressure.
The prosecutor in court described the 12 converts as “Shia Muslims” who had “identified themselves as Christians” and deduced that since the 12 had “set up groups to teach the Christian religion” they had committed a crime.
Unlike the historic Armenian- and Assyrian-speaking Christian communities, Farsi (Persian)-speaking Christians are invariably converts from Islam – that is, apostates – and therefore punishable according to Islamic law.
The trial on 26 November took place in Javad’s absence. The outcome has yet to be announced.
Give thanks for the release on bail of Javad and the two women. Pray that justice will be administered for them and the other Christian converts. Ask the Lord to break through Iran’s rigid judicial system that punishes its citizens for choosing to follow Jesus. Pray that each of the converts will know the reassurance that God chose them to bear much fruit for His kingdom (John 15:16) and His choice remains firm even in their moments of doubt. Pray that they will all be released and able to practise their faith in peace.
Mozambique – Islamists kill 10 Christians in wave of violence
Please redouble your prayers for our brothers and sisters in northern Mozambique. At least ten more Christians were killed in late November as the continuing violence spread across the region.
Fighters from Islamic State Mozambique (IS-M) attacked a Christian village in the Ancuabe District of Cabo Delgado, the worst-affected province, slaughtering six.
Four others were captured and killed in the neighbouring province of Ituri.
In another attack on 27 November, IS-M fighters burned homes and church buildings in the Chiúre District of Cabo Delgado, but no casualties were reported.
More than 14,000 people have been displaced from Chiúre and Anacuabe districts in recent weeks.
IS-M has killed thousands of people in northern Mozambique since the beginning of an insurgency in 2017. At least four Christians were killed in Cabo Delgado in the first two weeks of November.
The Islamists exploit thinly stretched security resources by providing material support along with religious indoctrination to Muslim communities while targeting Christian villages.
Pray for an end to the violence in Mozambique. Ask that our brothers and sisters, and all who are at risk of attack by Islamists, will be allowed to live in peace. Ask the Lord, for whom nothing is impossible (Matthew 19:26), to confound the plans of the terrorists and blunt their weapons (Psalm 37:15). Pray also that the Lord will comfort the bereaved in their time of sorrow.
Kyrgyzstan – Stringent religion law passes first reading
The prospect of the Church in Kyrgyzstan facing severe restrictions has moved a step closer with the approval of a repressive new religion law at its first reading in parliament on 12 December.
Among numerous restrictions, the draft Religion Law maintains the ban on all unregistered exercise of freedom of religion or belief. All local religious organisations must provide evidence of at least 500 adult founder members resident in a single region to qualify for registered status. (The current law stipulates a minimum of 200.) Groups that violate such restrictions face sharply increased fines.
“We have difficulty collecting signatures of 200 persons at the moment to register in one locality,” one church leader said, adding, “They want to limit our exercise of freedom of religion or belief as much as they can.”
The Religion Law is a new version of an earlier bill drawn up in October 2023 and rejected by parliament in June 2024 (see Prayer Focus Update, October 2024). If adopted by the Kyrgyz parliament in its current form and signed by the President, it is set to come into force on 1 February 2025.
Pray that, even at this late stage, these repressive proposals will not be signed into law. Pray especially that the unreasonable demands concerning the size of congregations will be withdrawn and that Kyrgyz Christians will be able to meet for worship unhindered and not threatened with arrest. Ask the Lord to shine His light in the dark corridors of political power (John 1:5) to build His Church in every region of Kyrgyzstan.
