Status of the Persecuted Church in the Islamic Context

In 2008, Algeria passed laws forbidding conversion to Christianity and giving the government the right to oversee and regulate all aspects of religion. Despite this chokehold on the church, the Body of Christ in Algeria is growing. A pastor reports, “We have churches that have grown 800%. Many converts have come from Islam with no Christian heritage, no Christian background, no resources whatsoever, no training. But they just believe in God and His Word.” Another eyewitness reports, “In every village and town there are Christians, and there are churches. In one town, actually there are more churches than mosques, which is a big miracle to happen in the Middle East.”

The Church is preparing for the inevitable persecution that comes with rapid and enthusiastic growth in an Islamic country. Muslims are already reacting with great violence—on Christmas Eve, dozens of Muslims gathered around a church chanting “Here is the land of Islam, go pray somewhere else!” and threatened to kill the pastor.

Christianity, though permitted under the Constitution, is strictly regulated. All churches must be registered and approved, and all Christian websites are blocked. Those who choose to evangelize publicly are persecuted, often by their friends and family. Most believers in Bahrain choose to gather in secret.

In spring 2006 the country elected a Christian President. Over 44% of the population is under 14 years old, and many Muslim youth are dissatisfied with Islam and are starting to investigate Christianity. Students have formed Bible study groups and churches are being created across the country. But along with the growth has come persecution as many evangelists have come under attack by outraged Muslims. A further great challenge to evangelism is the presence of 43 different state languages. Over half these dialects have no translations of the Bible at all, while those remaining have only a partial translation.

Though the government has long favored Islam over Christianity, it is now supporting a Bible translation and distribution project. At long last Chad’s Christians have access to Bibles in their own language. Despite this encouraging development, there is still much governmental favoritism toward Muslims—they receive tax benefits and financial support as well as expedited permissions for meetings and building projects. There are many mosques but few churches. And the church in Chad now has great need for sound doctrinal teaching.

Djibouti’s location at the mouth of the Red Sea and its relative calm due to the French military presence make Djibouti a key base from which missionary efforts can be launched. The situation is somewhat precarious because neighboring Somalia is mostly controlled by a very aggressive Muslim terrorist group, Al-Shabaab, with announced intentions to conquer both Djibouti and Ethiopia. Several fanatical Muslim organizations persecute the small Christian community in Djibouti despite government guarantees of religious freedom. Christians must meet discreetly for fear of terrorism. The church in Djibouti is isolated and needs solid doctrinal training.

In 2001, President Afewerki banned evangelical churches. Despite officially even numbers of Christian and Muslims, active Christians face harsh penalties for their faith. Over 3,000 believers are imprisoned. Some have been kept in shipping containers in the desert; many have waited months or years for charges to be filed. An observer reports, “Not a single one of them has been charged with anything. Not a single one has had a trial. None of them has been allowed a lawyer to represent him or her. Christians basically disappear into the Eritrean prison system.” In these prison camps torture is routine, and medical care is withheld.

Though historically a Christian country, active Christianity has been waning in the country for decades. Now, small evangelical churches run the risk of being labeled as cults or sects and being declared illegal. There are at least 4 million Muslims in France, and they are multiplying at 4 times the rate of the Christian population. Many of the Muslim youth harbor dreams of establishing a new Muslim nation to replace the Judeo-Christian roots of the now-secular country. Over the past 30 years, while churches have emptied, over 3,000 mosques have been built. More and more Muslim parents are sending their children to traditional Muslim schools, and women are fighting for the right to wear the veils of Islam in all venues. Many of the suburbs of Paris have become Muslim enclaves and “no-go zones” for non-Muslims, including the Parisian police.

Although nearly 70% of Germans call themselves Christians, only 45% say they believe in God and less than 10% go to church. Religion is seen as irrelevant to daily life. Christianity is especially failing among young people. More than half of Germany’s believing population is over 50, while youth turn to the occult, New Age religions, and Islam.

Germany has Europe’s second-largest Muslim population. Many Muslim immigrants refuse to learn to speak German and cling to their native languages. Few try to become citizens. While there are comparatively fewer mosques in Germany than other European countries, 200 more are planned to be built in 2010.

While there is much curiosity about Christianity in Guinea, Islam is both culturally strong and growing in militancy. One son of a revered imam in Guinea married a Christian girl under promise that she would convert to Islam. Instead, he came to Christianity. Now, his father has promised to kill him.

Several Christian tribes in Guinea have launched mission efforts targeting other Guinean tribes following the first Guinean missions training course in 1998. Islamic intolerance is increasing along with the evangelistic efforts of the church in Guinea.

Though Christians are guaranteed religious freedom by the government, in practice they are treated as second-class citizens. They are increasingly persecuted and face restrictions on church-building and witnessing. Despite marginalization, in the last 40 years the number of believers has increased from 1.3 to 11.5 million.

Islamic Jihad, a terrorist group with close ties to al Qaeda, has conducted a series of terror campaigns against the Christian population throughout much of Indonesia. In recent years over 600 churches have been destroyed by orchestrated mob action. Meanwhile, Muslims raided an Indonesian Christian school a year ago. Students were threatened with death if they didn’t leave. Although forced to vacate their dormitories, the students continue to live and hold classes together, first in primitive camp sites and now in decrepit buildings with no heating or plumbing.

The new year of 2010 has brought great danger to the church in Iraq. Muslims are preparing for an “ethnic and religious cleansing.” Two church buildings were bombed, gunmen forced Christians out of two other churches, and a wave of car bombs killed 118 people and wounded 200 others. Despite the rash of bombings, several abductions, and multiple murders, authorities are taking no steps to protect Christians. Many families have fled, while many more are going into hiding. A local believer claims, “The Christian community is destined to die.”

Christians face the constant threat of kidnapping. Men are held for huge ransoms while women are forcibly converted to Islam and “married” to Muslim men. Violence against Christians is common, such as the April 2009 attack in which a woman and her daughter-in-law had their throats slit by Muslim militants. In October 2009, seven Christians were murdered and 200 more were forcibly displaced. Many of these have not yet found new homes.

The constitution allows religious freedom to Christians as long as they do not “violate public order or morality or conflict with Islamic law.” Essentially Christians can worship so long as they keep their faith within the four walls of the church building.

Though the country has been traditionally peaceful, the situation is becoming more intense. Militant Islamists are attempting to force the government to establish Sharia law. Secret police keep tabs on Christian ministries, and evangelists are prosecuted. Converts from Islam risk the loss of both civil rights and their jobs while sometimes facing death threats from family and others as well.

Although a majority Christian country, the Kenyan constitution authorizes courts based on Islamic Sharia law to adjudicate personal issues such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance among Muslims.

Al-Shabaab, the Islamist terror group which controls much of neighboring Somalia, has declared jihad against the population of Kenya. Kenyan refugee camps are already overflowing with Somali Christians who have been driven from their homes. These camps offer no protection, as refugee pastors and evangelists are threatened with assault or death by the terrorists.

By law only Muslims can become Kuwaiti citizens. Christians are severely marginalized with few civil rights. The government provides tax incentives to Muslims that are unavailable to those of other faiths. Authorities have even purchased Bibles in order to burn them.

Foreign Christians are permitted to have a few worship centers. Proselytizing Muslims is forbidden.

Historically Lebanon was a Christian majority country with religious freedom. In recent years, due to internal warfare and the rise of radical Islamic groups like Hezbollah, Lebanon has seen much of its Christian population immigrate to other countries. Hezbollah, founded, funded and controlled by the government in Iran, is a ruthless Islamist terrorist organization bent on the destruction of Israel and the West.

Hezbollah is a tool of the Iranian mullahs who envision a Shia crescent of hegemony running from Iran through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to the doorstep of Israel, ultimately resulting in the end of Israel as a nation and the establishment of a Shia-controlled Palestinian state in its place.

In the June 2009 election, although not achieving a majority in Parliament, Hezbollah did win a majority (55%) of the popular vote. Following the election, 70% of the remaining Lebanese Christians including many evangelicals have aligned themselves politically with Hezbollah for security reasons in what can only be described as a “covenant of death” (see Isaiah 28:14-22).

Though formally guaranteeing religious freedom, Malaysia has declared itself an Islamic state. Ethnic Malays are not legally allowed to convert from Islam to Christianity. Christian marriages of converts from Islam go unrecognized, and Christian parents have difficulty retaining custody of their children. “Many have expressed concern that the civil court system has gradually ceded jurisdictional control to Sharia courts, particularly in areas of family law involving disputes between Muslims and non-Muslims.” Churches for non-citizens are rare and house churches are strongly discouraged. There are few trained pastors.

Jemaah Islamiah is the most active Islamic terror group in Malaysia. They seek to establish an Islamic state throughout all of Southeast Asia.

In the last 30 years the number of missionaries to this poverty-stricken country has more than doubled, but there is still a paucity of missionaries in the heavily Muslim north. Mali has greater freedom of religion than most Islamic countries.

The government of Morocco seeks to ensure Islam is the religion of all Moroccans. Churches with former Muslims among their members are not officially acknowledged. The state also refuses to recognize any Christian marriage. Christianity is only authorized for expatriate congregations.

By law, people may possess Bibles, but Arabic Bibles are routinely confiscated. One convert was hounded by his family until he finally committed suicide in despair. Five foreign Christian women who gathered for a Bible study in March 2009 were arrested and deported.

Though there are few conversions in the country, many Muslims seem willing, even eager, to listen to the Gospel. This is one of the poorest countries in the world, and children especially suffer from lack of food and water. Foreign missionaries have gained a foothold in society by bringing food and helping to provide jobs. Most of the country is too poor for any education and, as a result, few can read. The Bible has not been translated into the local languages.

There is little overt persecution of Christians, but Islam is deeply embedded into local culture, so evangelism is difficult. Islamic fundamentalists are starting to push for imposition of Sharia law.

While the government allows expatriate Christians to meet and worship, it is illegal for any Muslim to convert, and proselytizing Muslims is not permitted. Virtually the entire population of believers consists of foreign-born workers. While there may possibly be a few indigenous Christians, none openly claim Christ.

Muslims harass and persecute Palestinian Christians with little interference. Christian businesses are bombed and believers beaten. When churches are destroyed in Gaza, they are not permitted to rebuild. “Hamas digs up the bodies of Christians from burial sites in the Gaza Strip claiming that they pollute the earth,” said one Christian leader.

The manager of a Christian bookstore was martyred at the entrance to his shop in Gaza. As the Islamic persecution of Palestinian Christians has increased, their percentage of the Palestinian population has dwindled from 10% in 1940 to 1.4% in 2000.

Wahhabi Islam is the state religion in Qatar. Any criticism of the Muslim faith is punishable by death, and proselytizing Muslims is strictly forbidden. Before 1985 there were no known believers in the country, but now a few Qataris have come to the Lord outside the country and returned at great cost. One house church reports over a hundred members. Pastors face imminent arrest and deportation for sharing their faith, but still the church grows.

Expatriate believers have met informally over the years. Recently a government-authorized compound was built for worship. However, this site is for foreign Christians only.

There is a tradition of religious freedom in Senegal. Proselytism of Muslims is permitted and churches are allowed to operate publicly. However, Islamist terrorism is on the rise. Christian churches have been attacked, and pressure is being applied to the government to make Senegal an Islamic state.

There is no more lawless country on the planet than Somalia. Al-Shabaab, a well-organized Muslim terrorist group in control of much of Somalia, has sworn to kill all Christians and bring Somalia under Sharia law. Based on the teachings of the Koran and the sayings of Muhammad, draconian brutalities—death by stoning for adultery, execution of converts from Islam to Christ, and chopping off hands and feet for stealing—are commonplace.

A Christian man in Mogadishu was accused of trying to convert a Muslim boy and executed. Another believer refused to betray his teacher in the faith, and his young sons were beheaded. An evangelist bringing Bibles into the country was discovered and shot. Other Christians and converts have lost their families, jobs, and homes. Christians are forced to hide their faith since even owning a Bible is punishable by death. Yet, despite all this, believers still gather, and there is a great desire for the gospel.

While Christian minority groups experience relative freedom to worship among themselves, evangelism is not welcome and foreign missionaries are not permitted to enter the country. The secret police watch believers, especially pastors, and take note of conversions from Islam, but so far there has been no physical persecution by the government.

However, Muslim converts to Christ are in danger from their families, in the form of kidnapping, forced marriages, and sometimes murder. One woman ran away from her parents after surrendering to Jesus and refusing an arranged marriage. Her parents are attempting to track her down. She is forced to rent a new apartment every few months to avoid detection and must work outside of her specialty because she could be tracked by her professional license.

Tanzania has been a peaceful country for many years, but the island of Zanzibar is 99% Muslim and is now attempting to declare independence from the rest of the nation and govern itself under Sharia law. Hard-line Islamists are gaining in influence. However, the church is growing, and 5 million people listen to Christian radio stations.

During the first millennium of church history, Turkey was a bastion of Christianity. However, through much of the second millennium Turkey became a stronghold and propagator of Islam. During the 20th century Christianity declined from 22% of the population to less than 1% today. There are slightly more than 3000 evangelical believers in Turkey.

Turkey has considered itself a secular state since the time of Ataturk in 1923, but Islam has become much more important politically in recent years. “To be a Turk is be a Muslim” in the eyes of the people, even if only culturally Muslim. Acute pressure from family, government intimidation, and Islamist threats keep many from accepting Christ and cause others to be “secret believers”.

Many Turkish citizens believe that Christians are trying to brainwash people, turn them against the country, and spy for other nations. Government officials make negative statements about followers of Jesus. One frequent slur against believers is a charge that Christians pay Muslims to convert to Christianity. “More than half of the population of…Turkey opposes members of other religions holding meetings or publishing materials to explain their faith.” Almost 40% of Turks said they had very negative views of Christianity. Because of this constant stream of propaganda, there have been many attacks against Christians.

In April 2007 five Muslim “seekers” attended a Bible study at a Christian publishing house in Malatya, along with two Turkish converts and one German missionary. The Muslims stabbed and cut the throats of the two Turkish believers and the missionary. Recently, a Muslim left his home “determined to kill a Christian that day.” When one Christian left the local church, this man accosted him and stabbed him to death. The attacker carried a note that said “I love my homeland. Those who disagree with my thoughts or don’t like them can get out of my country.” The government does little to hinder these attacks and has arrested several Christians on charges of “insulting Turkishness.”

The government of Uganda allows freedom of religion, but Islamist activity endangers believers. Forty Muslim extremists armed with machetes and clubs raided a church. The attack left one believer severely injured and the church badly damaged. Another pastor, who has started over 400 churches and shepherds a congregation of 2,000 believers, has received numerous death threats and survived three assassination attempts leaving him with painful, chronic injuries. Once, when local newspapers mistakenly reported he had been killed, Muslims rejoiced. His response to all this? “Jesus save them, save them.”

Al-Shabaab, an Islamist terror group based in Somalia, has threatened to wipe out all Christians and has promised to seize control of Uganda. This threat, combined with the waves of Christian refugees pouring into the country from Sudan and Somalia, has made the situation in parts of Uganda precarious for Christians despite their national majority status and rapid church growth over the last 25 years.

Though long a bastion of Christianity, now much of the population of the United Kingdom is only culturally Christian at best. The Muslim population is growing rapidly due to immigration and to a Muslim birth rate that is three times greater than the rest of the population. There are presently over 1.6 million Muslims in UK and at least 1,689 mosques. Mosque attendance is growing 10 times faster than attendance at Christian churches.

Government authorities find it very difficult to cope with Muslim traditions that contradict their laws. More than a dozen women have been slain in honor killings in the last year alone. Many others are lured back to Muslim countries where they are then murdered for disgracing their families. The government is hampered in its ability to protect women by laws protecting freedom of religion, and by the government’s decision to allow Sharia courts authority in Muslim domestic cases involving divorce, custody, and spousal abuse.

Security agencies are especially concerned about the use of Saudi imams and oil money in London mosques to indoctrinate youth in radical Islam and support for Al-Qaeda. Already, 37% of UK’s Islamic youth would prefer to live under Sharia law rather than UK law. One third believes those who leave Islam should be executed.