Abdullah is one of our church leaders in North Africa, whose seventeen-year-old son was recently arrested for transporting Bibles into the country. Since his son was a minor, the police called Abdullah into the police station, in hopes that he would reprimand his son for this offense. After much prayer, Abdullah decided to turn himself in to the authorities and allow them to question him.
When Abdullah arrived at the police station, the police released his son, hoping to resolve the matter quietly with Abdullah. They asked him about the origin of these Bibles and about what his son had done. But when it became clear that Abdullah would not reprimand his son, the police asked him simply, “What is your religion?” Abdullah boldly responded, “I am a follower of Jesus.”
The police were shocked and wondered if they had heard him right. Again they asked, and again Abdullah bravely professed, “I am a follower of Jesus.” Due to the fact that various languages were being spoken, the police requested a translator to come in and ensure that the older man was understanding the question. This time, Abdullah spoke in another language which was common among them. For the third time, he said, “I am a follower of Jesus.”
Still confused and surprised, the police gave Abdullah an opportunity to give another answer or to deny his faith in Christ. Since Abdullah was older than them, they did not want to dishonor him. They knew that he was married and had a family, and that he was well known and respected in his community. They pleaded with him to change his answer, so that the problem could be easily resolved. His honesty amazed them.
According to Muslim law, someone like Abdullah is given three days to deny his faith in Christ and to reaffirm his allegiance to Islam. If not, the courts may find his offense punishable by imprisonment or even death. It has now been two days since Abdullah was taken into police custody. We do not know what will happen next.
The churches in this North African country are shocked and upset over what has happened. There is fear and uncertainty about how this case will progress. Since it has also been publicized by national media, there is concern that the government will feel pressured to respond with a strict punishment. Furthermore, it is currently Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, which means that Muslims are very sensitive and proud of Islam during this time and will press for harsh treatment of people like Abdullah.
PRAY
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Please ask God to protect Abdullah and his family. Since this kind of story is very common throughout North Africa and the Middle East, pray for greater freedom in this part of the world, and that the preaching of the Gospel would not be hindered by any human government.
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Pray for local churches and believers in this region, that they will continue to remain firm in their faith in Christ Jesus and not go into hiding or distance themselves from other believers or cease meeting together.
- Pray that persecution will serve to strengthen the unity of our brothers and sisters with one another and the Lord.
- Pray that, by some miracle, Abdullah would be able to attend our training seminar that we plan to offer in his country at the end of May, so that he could join us as an example of the risk-taking obedience we are called to in Christ.
