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2019-05-09

• Reaching Out in Love

  

  As the devastation of the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka fades into the memory of the media, the suffering of hundreds remains an ongoing concern for The Voice of the Martyrs Canada. As of May 6th, the total death toll stood at 257, including 40 foreign nationals. The hundreds who survived the attacks continue to face physical suffering, the horror of lost loved ones, and the trauma of witnessing such horrendous violence first hand. (For a previous report on the attacks, go to this page.)

• Six Slain for Refusing to Convert

  

  After attending a meeting on April 28th, Pastor Pierre Ouédraogo, 80, and other church members were talking together in the church courtyard when gunmen on motorcycles suddenly stormed in. The armed assailants demanded that the believers deny their Christian faith. Bibles and mobile phones were seized and the Christians were then taken one at a time behind the building where they were each shot. In total, six Christians died that day for refusing to convert to Islam. One other, Adama Sawadogo, was injured but thankfully his condition is not considered life-threatening.

• Gunmen's Attempts to Intimidate

  

  Christians in Palestine request prayer following the attempts of armed militia in Jifna, near Ramallah, to intimidate them through acts of violence.

  On April 25th, a Christian woman was involved in a minor car accident, which she reported to police, filing a complaint against the driver of the other vehicle. That driver, however, was the son of a prominent member of Fatah, the ruling party in the West Bank. Later that day, approximately 30 gunmen entered the Christian community, firing guns in the air, throwing gasoline bombs, and demanding that the complaint be withdrawn. No one was injured, though there was property damage in the vicinity of the attack which included some vehicles.

• Asia Bibi Possibly in Canada

  

  If reports from CNN and other notable sources are accurate, Asia Bibi finally arrived in Canada on May 8th, more than six months after all charges against her were dismissed. Following multiple false rumours since the October 31st court ruling, it is now reported that Asia has arrived in Canada with her husband, and the couple are staying in an undisclosed location with their children. Further information on the family's location will remain confidential for security purposes.