Tags
Kidnap
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Christians Targeted in Village Raids

Pray that the Lord will continue to bring people to Himself, despite the threat of persecution. 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.
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Christians Targeted in Islamic Militant Attacks

Rev. Johnson Oladimeji,
killed in Ekiti state, Nigeria.
Photo: Morning Star NewsOn 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.
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Missionary Executed in Captivity

Beatrice Stockli
Photo: World Watch MonitorIn 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.
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A Healing Journey Ahead for Arzoo Raja

Arzoo (second from the left) and Syed Ali Azhar (far right) with police in Karachi, Pakistan.
Photo: Sindh governmentOn 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.)
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Kidnapped Pastor Released

Photo: Screenshot from YouTube 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.
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Hope for Young Teen Forced into Marriage

Arzoo (second from the left) and Ali Azhar (far right) with police in Karachi, Pakistan.
Photo: Sindh governmentAccording 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.
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Teen Girls Kidnapped for Forcible Marriages

Maira Shahbaz and Saneha Kinza Iqbal
Photo of Saneha (on right): Church in ChainsOn 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.
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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.
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Justice Declared for Kidnapped Girl

Photo: Facebook On August 12th, 2015, a 13-year-old girl named Ese Rita Oruru was kidnapped from her home in Bayelsa State of southern Nigeria. After being taken to the northern state of Kano, she was raped, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to her kidnapper.
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Christian Woman "Converts" after Kidnapping

Photo: Flickr / Jay Galvin (cc) Rania Abd al-Meseh was kidnapped on April 23rd by two veiled women in the Monufia Governorate. Three days later, a video began circulating in which she allegedly announces her conversion to Islam. Those who know her, however, are convinced that she was under duress at the time of the videotaping, based on her body language.
