Morocco
Foster Parents Seek Appeal
UPDATE: Accused of proselytism but never formally charged, Christian foster parents and orphanage staff in MOROCCO were deported earlier this year. Now the Moroccan government is trying to dismiss their appeal.
Pray that the parents will be able to return to their foster children. “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."
Continued Deportations
UPDATE: The number of Christians deported from MOROCCO has risen to 128. Recently a Lebanese Christian married to a Moroccan was deported and was forced to leave her 6-year-old daughter behind—even though the woman is battling cancer.
Pray that she will be reunited with her family and that God will encourage them during this time. “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.”
Christians Vilified in Morocco
In MOROCCO, a Muslim has publicized Christians’ identifying information, written defamatory statements about them, and accused them of trying to “shake the faith of Muslims,” which is a violation of Moroccan law. Meanwhile, over 7,000 Moroccan Muslims have signed a statement calling Christian aid work “religious terrorism.”
Pray that God will give these believers courage and protect them from harm. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Authorities Interrogate Convert
In MOROCCO, authorities interrogated an MBB for eight hours, followed him for three weeks, and threatened him with imprisonment or death. Other Christians are being kicked out of their homes by Muslim relatives.
Pray that God will provide support and fellowship for these rejected believers. “Our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him.”
Believer Endures Long Sentence
A Muslim background Believer in MOROCCO has been in prison for 5 years of a 15-year sentence. He was convicted of trying to “shake the faith of a Muslim.”
Pray that God will give him endurance and courage, and that his government will stop persecuting Christians who are open about their faith. “Pray without ceasing.”
Christian Outreach in Morocco
Even as Christians are being deported from MOROCCO , a Christian satellite television station is beaming words of hope. The president of the station reassures the world that the church is still on the ground in Morocco.
Praise God for the spread of His Word! “My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which You have redeemed.”
More Christians Deported
UPDATE: Over 100 Christians have been deported from MOROCCO. Many of them were given only 48 hours notice that they must leave the country. Wives who were allowed to remain longer were forced to pack up and sell belongings on their own before they rejoined their husbands. Officials forcibly drugged one man who resisted.
Pray that the believers will be able to return to Morocco, and that their Muslim neighbors will see the testimony of their lives. “I will remind them of Your righteousness, Yours alone.”
Christian Convert in Danger
UPDATE: A MOROCCAN Muslim background believer whose church was raided earlier this year is now being followed.
Pray that God will protect him and enable him to have fellowship with other believers. “On Him we have set our hope that He will deliver us again.”
Christians Arrested in Morocco
A MOROCCAN pastor was arrested with his wife and a relative. They were released the next day, but now MBBs fear further persecution. A government spokesman declared last year, “The freedom of belief does not mean conversion to another religion.”
Pray that God will give these believers boldness to proclaim His name. “My heart exults in the LORD; my strength is exalted in the LORD.”
Continued Deportations in Morocco
Over 60 Christians working in Morocco, not including children, have already been deported, and others fear they may be next. Some were given only 48 hours to leave the country. Wives who were allowed to remain longer were forced to pack up and sell belongings on their own before they rejoined their husbands.
Hope for the Least of These
In Morocco, children of shame are not wanted. Their young mothers are forced to abandon them because the women will have no prospects for marriage if they have already had a child. One hospital uses its top floor as an orphanage because mothers give birth there and leave their children behind. These institutional orphanages, however, offer little hope for the children’s future. In the midst of this suffering, Village of Hope was born.
Foster Parents Forced to Leave
In MOROCCO, the government is sending away Christians who care for orphans. After interviewing the house parents and the children, police are forcing foreigners to leave the country, perhaps never to see their foster children again.
Pray that God will watch over these orphans with his loving kindness. “And the LORD remembered her.”
An Open Door
“But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has been opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.” I am reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 16:8-9 as I read the news today. In Morocco, many Christian foreigners have been deported and Christian citizens “have been questioned by the police and are under great pressure.” And in Iran, the government continues to push an Islamic agenda.
Raid on Bible Study
April 6, 2010
In MOROCCO, Muslim officials raided a church Bible study and interrogated the Christians for fourteen hours. Five of the eighteen Christians who were arrested were children, ranging in age from under six months to four years old. Authorities also confiscated Bibles and other personal belongings.
Pray for the Christians’ perseverance and that they will not give up meeting together. “These forty years the LORD your God has been with you.”
Why is love persecuted?
I was reading an article by Elizabeth Kendal titled “Fitna in Morocco.” She explains why Christian orphanage workers in Morocco were accused of proselytizing, even though the Christians never pressured the children to convert:
Hope for the Least of These
The Father of Compassion
I was reading about orphans in Morocco whose Christian foster parents are being deported. Assist News Service says that many children there are “abandoned at birth because they were illegitimate—a despised stigma in Muslim Morocco. Unwanted babies are often discarded in hospitals or left in trash bags to die.” The Christians who try to help these orphans face persecution. I cannot understand how anyone could place a precious child in a trash bag—the thought horrifies me.
Christian Radio Reaches Muslims
March 20, 2009
A young Muslim in MOROCCO found a Christian radio station. He says, “I have now accepted Jesus as my personal savior. May the Lord bless you richly and use you more to lead many to Christ to be saved from darkness.”
Pray that this new disciple will be used mightily to bring others to the hope of Jesus. “For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
Young Convert Suicides
A young Muslim man in MOROCCO told his family of his conversion to Christianity. They threatened and savagely beat him. He went into a deep depression. He tried to flee the country and then to drown himself. He was rescued and sent to a mental home, but he was released by his father who "under no circumstances wanted a Christian for a son." Upon his release, he apparently hanged himself.
Five Women Expelled
Authorities expelled 5 foreign women from Morocco for inciting Muslims to convert, after they caught them in a Sunday meeting with native Moroccans. They also seized evangelical materials.
Pray that the Gospel will continue to reach open ears and hungry hearts in Morocco. "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."
Moroccan TV shows Christian testimonies
A recent television series in Morocco featured testimonies from Christian converts.
Praise the Lord! Pray that many lives will be touched and many hearts drawn to the truth. "As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live."
Friend of Christians tortured
One Moroccan who befriended Christians was arrested. Interrogators tortured him with electric shock treatments, demanding information about Christians' activities. Later, when he himself came to Christ, he was sent to a mental institution and treated with mind-altering drugs by officials who thought he must be insane to leave Islam and begin preaching Jesus. But he perseveres. "My suffering is a gift from God."
Moroccan Imam's son turns to Christ
A Moroccan imam's son, drawn to a God Who loved him, accepted Christ. When his father asked why he did not attend mosque, he said he was no longer Muslim. The man began throwing whatever he could lay hands on at his son. The young believer has fled town; his father is determined to kill him.
Pray that this imam, too, will come to know the God of love. "I am praying for them."
