On April 13, a mob of suspected Islamic militants attacked a group of Christians who were peacefully marching through the town of Gwada in an Easter Monday celebration in Niger State, Nigeria. Approximately 25 were injured and three churches were torched in the violence. Attacks also occurred in the capital city of Minna, where assailants attempted to set a church building on fire. Cars were burned and vandalized and several believers were stabbed. At last report, approximately 110 suspects were arrested for their involvement in the attacks.
Pray for lasting peace in Nigeria. Pray that Christians will exemplify the love of God through consistent love and prayer for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:43-48).
For more information on Nigeria's suffering Christians, please visit the Nigeria Country Report.
A pastor and his wife were murdered on April 25 in the predominately Christian city of Manado, North Sulawesi province, Indonesia. At approximately 7:00 a.m., two unidentified men approached the home of Frans Koagow and his wife, Femy Kumendong, and were told that Koagow was dining nearby. The men joined Koagow, ate with him and accompanied him back to his home. The assailants then used machetes to kill Koagow and Kumendong, who was in bed recovering from a stroke. Since the men did not steal anything from the believers' home, authorities have ruled out theft or extortion as possible motives.
A mob of Taliban militants attacked the Christian community in Taiser Town, near the city of Karachi in Sindh province on April 22. Armed men approached a group of Christians who had gathered to remove insulting messages from the walls of a church building and local homes. The graffiti included the words "Long Live the Taliban" and demands for Christians to pay a tax imposed on non-Muslims. A mob soon gathered and gunshots were fired indiscriminately into the crowd, seriously injuring three Christians, including an 11-year-old boy, Irfan Masih. The attackers then ransacked several homes belonging to Christians, burned Bibles and beat believers. Two Christians who resisted the militants were reportedly executed in front of their families. Masih died five days following the attack. The Pakistani government recently allowed the Taliban to establish Islamic law in Swat Valley, North-West Frontier Province and Christians in Sindh are concerned that their province could be the next to fall under Taliban rule.