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Kidnap

• Kidnapped Girl Returns to Family

  

  On Saturday, December 5th, 2020, police in Faisalabad, Pakistan, found 12-year-old Farah Shaheen chained in the home of Khizar Hayat. Five months earlier, Khizar had kidnapped her, taken her to the local mosque to be converted to Islam, and then forced her to marry him. According to police, the dark marks on her ankles indicated that she was chained for most of her time in captivity.

• Christians Targeted in Village Raids

  

  At least 30 Christians have been killed in a string of attacks on villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo between November 20th and December 3rd. Along with these deaths, ten women and girls were raped and fifteen were abducted. An Islamist rebel group, Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), is believed to be responsible.

• Christians Targeted in Islamic Militant Attacks

  

  On the morning of November 1st, armed Islamic militants associated with the Boko Haram terrorist group invaded the village of Takulashi. With the use of automatic weapons, they shot everyone in sight -- burning and looting homes during the rampage. When the militants left the area two hours later, 12 members of the primarily Christian village were found dead, including a church pastor. The attackers also took three women and four children hostage.

• Missionary Executed in Captivity

  

  In January 2016, Beatrice Stockli was kidnapped in Timbuktu. The militant group, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), has claimed responsibility, stating that Beatrice had "declared war against Islam in her attempt to Christianize Muslims" (read more). Six months after her arrest, and again a year later, videos were released showing that she was alive.

• A Healing Journey Ahead for Arzoo Raja

  

  On October 13th, Arzoo Raja was abducted from her family home. She was forced to convert to Islam and marry her kidnapper, even though she was only 13 years old. On November 5th, a court ordered that her age be determined and, in the interim, she be moved to a shelter. (More information on this incident is available here.)

• Kidnapped Pastor Released

   

  

  On October 19th, Rev. Polycarp Zongo from the Church of Christ in Nations went missing, along with two Christian women. Ten days later, it was discovered that the three Nigerians had been kidnapped by militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). This faction is a breakaway from the formerly reported Boko Haram terrorist group.

• Hope for Young Teen Forced into Marriage

  

  According to Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights, the Sindh High Court has ordered that Arzoo Raja, a 13-year-old Christian girl, be recovered by police and moved into a shelter. This comes almost a month after she was abducted, forcibly converted to Islam, and married against her will to a 44-year-old Muslim neighbour.

• Teen Girls Kidnapped for Forcible Marriages

  

  On April 28th, 14-year-old Maira Shahbaz (also referenced as "Maria") had been abducted at gunpoint by Mohamad Nakash and his two accomplices while she was walking to her home near Faisalabad. She was then forced to convert to Islam and marry her abductor. The teen girl's parents challenged the validity of the marriage but Mohamad presented a marriage certificate falsely stating that Maira was 19 years old. The kidnapper has also issued death threats against Maira and her family if they continued to pursue this action.

• Teen Girls Kidnapped for Forcible Marriages (Sample)

  

  On April 28th, 14-year-old Maira Shahbaz (also referenced as "Maria") had been abducted at gunpoint by Mohamad Nakash and his two accomplices while she was walking to her home near Faisalabad. She was then forced to convert to Islam and marry her abductor. The teen girl's parents challenged the validity of the marriage but Mohamad presented a marriage certificate falsely stating that Maira was 19 years old. The kidnapper has also issued death threats against Maira and her family if they continued to pursue this action.

• Pregnant Teen Confined to a Single Room

  

  In October 2019, 14-year-old Huma Younus was kidnapped from her home, forcibly converted to Islam, and then married to her kidnapper (read more). Since the abduction, her parents have been working on her behalf, seeking to annul the marriage, which by law is forbidden before the age of 18 without parental permission.