Persecution & Prayer Alert

Three Christian teachers were killed when suspected Al-Shabab terrorists attacked the town of Kamuthe in eastern Kenya during the early morning of January 13th. The teachers of a residential school were asleep in their staff housing when their room was raided. According to a surviving teacher who fled out the window, the local Somali Muslim teachers were separated from the non-locals, whom they presumed were Christians. One of the attackers reportedly said, "We cannot allow infidels to teach our children," and then the three Christian men were shot to death.

The pastor of a house church in China's Hubei province, along with two other women from the church, are facing charges of fraud because they collected offering money for their church. Officials claim that the church is illegal and its pastor does not have a legal ordination; therefore, they allege the money was collected fraudulently. The pastor, Hao Zhiwei, could face more than 10 years in prison if convicted.

Christians who have fled war-ravaged areas of Syria are facing continued persecution while trying to seek refuge in camps set up in Jordan, Lebanon and elsewhere. A substantial number of them are being blocked by United Nations officials when attempting to enter the camps because the majority of UN officials working in these countries are Muslims. Subsequently, many of the rejected refugees are being forced to live in hiding elsewhere, risking the danger of deportation and/or possible death if found.