Woman Killed for Her Faith

Tashkent, Uzbekistan - Photo: Wikipedia / Atilin
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Photo: Wikipedia / Atilin (c)

A Christian mother in Uzbekistan was killed by her husband on February 9th because she had recently accepted Christ. The attack happened at the Tashkent airport as she was attempting to flee the country.

Problems for "Umida" (not her real name) began when her husband discovered that she had asked a friend for a Bible. In addition to locking Umida in their home to prevent her from going to church, he also banned her from seeing their two-year-old son. Eventually she was able to go live with her parents, along with their daughter. While living there, Umida attended church but continued to face threats.

In a final move to find safety, the threatened woman attempted to leave the country. While at the airport, she was confronted by her husband who ruthlessly slit her throat. Friends are asking for prayer on behalf of Umida's grieving parents, as well as her distraught children.

Pray for God's comfort and strength to sustain Umida's parents, children and friends. May justice in this case prevail. Also lift up this woman's husband to Christ, that he will come to realize the seriousness of what he has done, along with an understanding of the truth contained in God's Word which speaks volumes of His saving grace.

Uzbekistan Information

  • Current Ministry Project

    VOMC has been working with project partners over the past couple of years to affirm and equip Christian women for continued ministry and to encourage unity among them.

    Project Fund: Equipping the Saints

  • Country Information

    Population
    31,360,836 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Uzbek (83.8), Tajik (4.8), Kazakh (2.5), Russian (2.3) Karakalpak (2.2), Tatar (1.5), other (4.4)

    Religion (%)
    Islam (88), Eastern Orthodox (9), other (3)

    Leader
    President Shavkat Mirziyoyev (2016)

    Government type
    Presidential republic; highly authoritarian

    Legal system
    Civil law system

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for Uzbekistan

    Thank you for praying on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Uzbekistan who are undergoing severe mistreatment by those governing over them. Ask the Lord to remind these persevering believers that they are truly His beloved children. As their Heavenly Father, He is the One who governs their souls and eternal destiny. May they have a heightened awareness of His abiding presence, everlasting love, help in times of trouble – and whatever else they specifically need – as conveyed through the infallible promises of His powerful Word.

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Uzbekistan News

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    Photo: Baptist Council of Churches

    As the members of a Baptist church in the city of Urgench began to increase in numbers, they soon found themselves exceeding the capacity of their worship facility. To accommodate the growth, the congregation purchased a plot of land and began to construct a new church building. They had received all the necessary building permits to do so, and other developments were being built around them in various parts of the same vicinity.

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  • Proposed Law Introduces New Punishments for Religious Education
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    Children in Uzbekistan.
    Photo: Flickr / eatswords (cc) 

    A draft law, which is purported to "further strengthen the rights of children," recently passed its first reading in Uzbek parliament. However, the proposed legislation seeks to punish parents or guardians who allow their children to receive "illegal" religious education before reaching the age of 18.

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    Pray for wisdom as Uzbek Christians gather.
    Photo: VOMC

    While members of the Baptist church in Karshi, Uzbekistan, were gathered for worship on Easter Sunday, April 9th, police broke open the door and forced their way inside. Using electrical prods, they incapacitated some of the attendees while others cried and prayed. Ten members, including young people, were taken to the police station where they were held in custody until mid-afternoon. The detained believers were released after records of offence were drawn up against them.

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  • Christian Fined for Distributing Magazines
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    This past Christmas, a neighbourhood celebration in Uzbekistan was hosted by Tatyana Akhmadiyeva, a member of a local Baptist church. At the event, she offered Christian magazines to 15 of her neighbours. Local authorities received a report about the distribution and summoned Tatyana for questioning. She was told that the publications had been imported illegally, since they had not been evaluated by the "Struggle with Extremism and Terrorism Department." As a result, the officials confiscated the magazines, which they claimed were unlawfully distributed, and fined Tatyana the equivalent of two weeks' average wages.

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