Bangladesh

“IF YOU ARE INSULTED BECAUSE OF THE NAME OF CHRIST, YOU ARE BLESSED, FOR THE SPIRIT OF GLORY AND OF GOD RESTS ON YOU.“  

(1 PETER 4:14 NIV)

 

In Bangladesh, two Christians were beaten and detained by police during a recent escalation of violence against believers. This incident occurred on 5 September during a visit to a local house church that was invaded by a mob. Their aggression was focused on one of the Christians, who was interrogated on whether he was a former Muslim. When he could not provide a definitive reply, the mob leader called the Christian’s wife to get an answer.

Police intervened but detained the two Christians overnight without medical treatment for their injuries. One has since been released on bail but is left traumatized, while the status of the other remains uncertain. Christian leaders are actively seeking ways to support the victims and are calling for prayers during this difficult time.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of the interim government that took over from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has made assurances that no one would face discrimination based on religion or political beliefs. However, attacks on churches and minority communities have surged since PM Hasina’s dramatic resignation and departure from the country on 6 August after an anti-government movement by millions. Extremists targeted converted Christians and other minorities, leading to widespread violence, including attacks on churches and the homes of believers.

Reports indicate that tribal homes belonging to Santal Christians in Dinajpur and Rajshahi were attacked, with a church vandalized in Narayanganj. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council stated that hundreds of families were affected, with some receiving death threats. In Khulna, the offices of Caritas, the Catholic relief and development agency, were attacked, and a Catholic diocesan building in the capital, Dhaka, was ransacked and set ablaze, alongside numerous Hindu homes and temples.

Although the situation has since improved, Christians continue to live in fear due to sporadic incidents of violence across the country. Many are praying for protection and healing. As one leader expressed, “My people are grieving.”

Bangladesh ranks 26th on the 2024 Open Doors World Watch List, indicating a high level of persecution for converts.

** Prayer Requests **

– For the safety of believers and other religious minorities, and an end to the ongoing persecution

– For comfort and protection for those affected by the unrest, seeking God’s provision and hope

– For healing and restoration for victims of violence, along with strength and wisdom for local partners aiding them

– For transformative encounters with Jesus for those hostile to Christians

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”

(Romans 12:11–12 NIV)

Pastor Tomal, a local pastor in Bangladesh working for Forgotten Missionaries International (FMI), is free on conditional parole after he was arrested in late November because of a family dispute.

The Supreme Court in the capital city of Dhaka granted Pastor Tomal bail so that he could be released after 3 months of confinement.

Earlier during the dispute, Pastor Tomal was beaten by his father and brother-in-law as they accused him of converting Muslims to Christianity. They pressed charges against him, and he was later arrested by the police and imprisoned.

Subsequently, Pastor Tomal reconciled with his family, and they dropped the charges. However, he was not released and was denied bail twice. He later became aware that local imams had taken the opportunity to file a separate case against him, accusing him of being involved with a local terrorist organization and of being an activist for a political opposition party.

Both Pastor Tomal and FMI deny these accusations and believe they have been fabricated in an effort to keep him incarcerated and prevent him from leading his two local church congregations.

“He is a Christian pastor with absolutely no political affiliations. His only aim is to support the Church and preach the gospel,” says FMI in an official statement.

Despite his situation, in prison Pastor Tomal shared the Gospel with those who might otherwise not hear it.

“Light shines best in the darkness. So if I’m in the prison, this is where I’ll still do ministry, and there’s still hope,” he says.

The pastor, his wife and three children remain in a vulnerable position in the community. While he was in prison, another local pastor has stepped in to help take care of his family and the two church congregations.

Bangladesh is a predominantly Muslim country, and converts to Christianity face a difficult time, with restrictions, discrimination and attacks. Last year, two other pastors in northwestern Bangladesh were charged with “hurting religious sentiments” and trying to encourage Muslims to convert by offering them money, charges they categorically deny. The pastors, who work for the Faith Bible Church of God were released on bail on 17 November, but could each face two years in prison if convicted.

Christians in Bangladesh account for only around 0.3 percent of the total population, or around 500,000 in a country of over 170 million. They mostly live in rural areas and regularly face persecution from Muslim communities and radical groups. In order to worship together, they are often forced to meet in underground house churches.

Home Group Prayer

Dear Lord,

We pray for your persecuted church in Bangladesh and ask that you will protect them from harm and strengthen them in their times of trial.

We particularly pray for Pastor Tomal and his family as he readjusts to home life after prison.  We pray that his regular church ministry will be resumed and he will be still able to disciple the six men who have given their lives to Jesus and are serving out their prison sentences. 

Give Pastor Tomal a sense of your presence, protect him and embolden him to remain full of faith and hope. And allow him to still share the good news of the Gospel and bring others into relationship with you.

In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen.

“So Jesus answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions — and in the age to come, eternal life.’”
(Mark 10:29–30 NKJV)

Christians in a southeastern Bangladesh village are living in fear after a group of Buddhist extremists attacked their small Baptist church twice and damaged the building. Local reports said the attacks came after weeks of threats to force church members to recant their Christian faith and return to Buddhism. The Christian residents of Suandrapara village in Rangamati district of the Chittagong Hill Tracts fled after they and the church were finally attacked in July.

The extremists had been angered when the church members built the brick and tin-roofed church in January. The Bangladesh Bawm Tribal Baptist Church had funded this building project, since the Suandrapara Christians, who were previously Buddhists, had been worshipping in a small house since they “met Jesus Christ” in 2005.

The United People’s Democratic Front, a violent political party based in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, led the first attack on 15 July. During this attack, the church gate, cross and parts of the building were broken. The church members were given seven days to stop all church activities and re-convert to Buddhism. A week later on 22 July, the church was again attacked, and a wall, doors, and tin roofing were damaged.

The Christians were told to destroy the church themselves. However, the assistant pastor, Tubel Chakma Poran Adetion, said they refused to comply: “If we have to sacrifice our lives, we will. They threatened us to return to our old religion, but we will not return. Jesus Christ is our saviour. We will die for him.”

Pastor Adetion added that the church did not report the attacks to the police for security reasons: “We are a minority and Buddhists can do anything to us. We want to live in peace with them and discuss things with them.” However, the church may have to seek legal redress against the attackers if the standoff continues.

No mainstream media in Bangladesh reported the incident, but some people have posted about this on social media. The attackers have threatened serious consequences if the incident was shared with the media or the police.

Church leaders in Bangladesh are worried about the attacks. Rev. Leor P. Sarker, general secretary of the Bangladesh Baptist Church Fellowship, said he was concerned about the Suandrapara church members: “There are about 50. They live in fear. Most of them are staying away from their homes to protect their life after the attack. We are praying for the attackers, that they may change their way of thinking and let our people live there in peace.”

Christians represent only 0.4 percent of Bangladesh’s 166-million population, more than 90 percent of whom are Muslim. At the Chittagong Hill Tracts, however, there are roughly equal percentages of tribal peoples who mainly follow Theravada Buddhism and Bengalis who follow Islam. Open Doors ranks Bangladesh at number 31 on its 2021 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the greatest persecution.

Home Group Prayer

Lord Jesus!  May the light that sincere Buddhists seek be found through the gospel witness of the Suandrapara village church. Strengthen your followers, Lord, and let your perfect love cast out all fear. Confirm their witness with signs following. Help them find the people of peace whose hearts are ready to receive the good news of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Change the hearts of those who hate them and you. For you delight over your word to perform it. Amen!

 

“For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”
(Psalm 1:6 ESV)

                                                                                                                                                         (Photo courtesy UCAnews)

Christians in Bangladesh have called on the government to protect them after a group vandalized and looted a church in the northern part of the country.  Pastor Lovlu S. Levy of Emmanuel Church in Aditmari upazila, Lalmonirhat district, which is the northernmost part of the country, said four men on motorcycles broke the lock on the church door, damaged the church’s sign, and cut down trees. They also took 30 chairs and two floor mats worth 14,000 taka (US$165).

Pastor Levy said this was not the first time he and the church had come under attack and received threats. He received death threats in 2015 from extremists and in 2019 a group attacked him on his way to church.

Bangladesh continues to wrestle with Islamist militancy, which has been on the rise since 2013. The church has traced the recent violence against Christians to a locally organized waz mahfil (religious discussion). The hate speeches that resulted against minorities, especially Christians, have been circulated on social media platforms, such as YouTube and Facebook.

Pastor Levy said he has been afraid since the attack took place and the 46 members of the church are also living in fear: “Our constitution allows freedom of religion in the country but fundamentalists have put the freedom under threat. The waz mahfil made various provocative statements about minorities and especially Christians, which encouraged the fundamentalists to attack our church.”

The church filed a complaint at the local police station, but the police have so far failed to take any action or arrest those involved. Instead, local Muslim leaders have accused the pastor of converting Muslims. The police have since dismissed the incident as a land dispute and denied the presence of any church, an officer even claiming there were no records or listing of the church in government documents.

The Bangladesh Christian Association rejected the claim, saying that they know the pastor and church well, and that they had provided blankets and some money for the church members before Christmas. The Association’s president, Nirmol Rozario, stated, “The incident is a result of the predominance of Islamic fundamentalists who want to intimidate Christians. The government must take proper action to stop such violence.”

Bangladesh is one of the world’s most densely populated countries, and has a moderate Muslim majority. The Christian population comprises less than 1 percent of the population, yet faces persecution from radical Muslim groups.

HOME PRAYER

Heavenly Father,

We ask for your blessing on the Christians in Bangladesh, and cry out in particular for the Emmanuel Church in Aditmari and their Pastor Levy. We ask that you protect them from further violence and attacks. We ask that they be left in peace to worship you without disturbance. We thank you for their songs of praise in your name in spite of the difficulties they face and their steadfastness in the face of suffering.

May your righteousness be an example for all in Bangladesh to put aside religious persecution and violence. We ask that the government of Bangladesh and local communities and the police take the necessary actions to protect the Christians of Emmanuel Church and all minorities in Bangladesh.

May we all pray for the Christians of Bangladesh and be emboldened by their courage to stand up ourselves for an end to religious persecution in Bangladesh and elsewhere in the world. Comfort the Christians who are fearful and keep them in the palm of your hand. May you guide us with your wisdom so that we may help persecuted Christians throughout the world to be able to worship you freely.

In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen.