Persecution & Prayer Alert

Twenty Christians were seriously injured after a mob stormed the prayer meeting they attended. According to local reports, more than 150 believers were gathered together on July 2nd when 25 Hindu villagers attacked them, beating them with wooden rods. When the mayhem finally concluded, 20 Christians were severely injured; some with broken bones. Ten motorcycles were also damaged, along with furniture and musical instruments.

Six months after Christians in the village of Nayya Sarabah were stopped from meeting for worship, the community's officials are now demanding that the church building be destroyed. Local Muslims are refusing to allow a church facility within the village.

Since the construction of the church building in 2012, services have been held regularly for the past several years. However, in December 2016, local Muslims objected. After negotiations, a compromise was reached, allowing the church members to continue meeting. One year later, in December 2017, an application was submitted to the local police station and the church members were forced to sign a pledge, stating that they would no longer meet in the village. Authorities claimed that this legal agreement was for their own safety, explaining that the police were unable to provide security for them.

In April 2016, Idir Hamdad was returning to Algeria from a study trip to Amman, Jordan. When his luggage was inspected at the airport upon return, customs officials found his Bible and some other Christian books, along with some cross-shaped keychains he had been given. He was interrogated for eight hours, during which time the officers insulted his faith and told him that if he renounced Christianity, he would be freed.