Sisters' Stories

Women

• Five Years After Chibok

  

  April 14th marked the fifth anniversary of an attack which shocked the world and devastated the lives of many in Nigeria. On that day, members of the Boko Haram militant group attacked a girls' school in Chibok, forcibly removing at least 276 young students, most of them Christians.

• Kidnapped Girl Forcibly Converted to Islam

  

  Sadaf Masih, a 13-year-old from Bahawalpur, has been kidnapped, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to a Muslim. Despite evidence, the family's cries for justice have fallen on deaf ears.

  On February 6th, Sadaf was abducted by influential men in her community. Her parents reached out to the family of the abductors and was assured that she would be returned. Yet after eight days, the perpetrators returned to say that Sadaf had converted to Islam and was now married. They showed the family a marriage certificate which falsely stated that she was 18 years old.

• Woman Killed for Her Faith

  

  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.

• One Year of Captivity for Leah

  

  On February 19th, 2018, members of a Boko Haram faction entered the town of Dapchi and ordered 110 schoolgirls into trucks. (An initial report on the abduction is available here.) Just over a year later, one of these girls remains in captivity because of her Christian faith.

  The original attack reflected the group's opposition to any formal education, particularly when granted to girls. A month after the attack, 104 of the students were released with strong warnings to stay away from school. Five had unfortunately died during the incident. However, one of the surviving girls, Leah Sharibu, was denied freedom from captivity.

• Sudanese Woman Facing Threats

  

  A Christian mother was struck with fear last November when her Muslim brother arrived at the church she attended with a photo of her husband, asking members if they knew where he could be found. Less than two years before, Ebtehaj Mostafa had been tied to a chair in a darkened room. The abductors gave her an ultimatum: return to Islam or they would kill her husband and daughter.

• Ongoing Arrests of Christians

  

  Iranian Christians are requesting prayer for a series of recent arrests. Shortly before Christmas, five Iranian women were taken into custody, including 65-year-old Ruhsari Kamberi. Following her arrest, Ruhsari faced ten days of intensive interrogation. Authorities had also searched the senior woman's home, where they confiscated her phone, Bibles and Christian materials. After eventually being released on bail, Ruhsari was brought before the prosecutor in mid-January to answer charges of "acting against national security." During the court hearing, she was ordered to meet with an Islamic religious leader to be "instructed" and offered the opportunity to return to Islam.

• Christian Beaten and Arrested

  

  A Christian man named Hassan and his widowed mother, who were both living in Ngong, located on the outskirts of Nairobi, have been facing constant pressure to recant their Christian faith and return to Islam. Pressure has included threats, bribes and beatings on several occasions. On January 19th, Hassan was arrested. The police officers, along with two others, then severely beat him -- knocking out teeth and causing leg, chest and back injuries.

• Asia Bibi Freed; Pervaiz Masih Acquitted

  

  In a much-anticipated decision, Pakistan's top court has rejected a challenge to the acquittal of a Christian woman on blasphemy charges. The ruling is the final legal option, allowing Asia Bibi to freely leave the country.

  Originally convicted in 2010 after accusations of insulting Mohammed, Asia spent eight years on death row. The case has polarized the country, and government leaders who provided their support have been killed. The Supreme Court threw out all charges against the accused believer on October 31st, at which time she was taken into protective custody due to threats against her life. Although a final appeal was filed, the Supreme Court ruled on January 29th that the petitioners gave no evidence that the original acquittal was wrong. In fact, the Chief Justice stated that, if the case had not been so sensitive, her accusers would be guilty of perjury and should be jailed for life.

• Christian Couple Arrested

  

  Amir Taleipour and his wife Mahnaz Harati were at their home in Mashhad with their seven-year-old daughter on December 6th when several intelligence agents entered. At last report, the couple were still being held in detention and not allowed to communicate with family members. They have also been denied legal assistance. In the meantime, their daughter is being cared for by extended family.

• Over A Hundred Arrested

  

  On the evening of December 9th, police in Chengdu, Sichuan, began a coordinated attack on members of the Early Rain Covenant Church. Throughout the night and the next day, homes were raided and church members dragged away. Thus far, around a hundred church leaders and seminary students have been arrested. Some who have since been released claim that they were abused and deprived of food and water while in custody.