孟加拉

「如果你們因基督的名而受到侮辱，那麼你們就是有福的，因為上帝榮耀的精神將居住在你們身上。”  

（彼得前書 14 章）

 

在孟加拉國，在最近針對信徒的暴力事件升級中，兩名基督徒遭到警方毆打並拘留。該事件發生在 9 月 5 日，當時人們正在探訪當地一座家庭教會，該教會遭到暴徒入侵。他們的攻擊集中在一名基督徒身上，後者被質疑是否曾是穆斯林。當他無法給出明確的答案時，暴徒頭目打電話給這名基督徒的妻子尋求答案。

警方介入，但將兩名基督徒拘留了一夜，並未對他們的傷勢進行治療。其中一人現已保釋，但留下了精神創傷，另一人的情況仍不確定。基督教領袖正在積極尋求支持受害者的​​方式，並呼籲大家在這艱難時期祈禱。

諾貝爾獎得主穆罕默德·尤努斯是接替總理謝赫·哈西娜的臨時政府的首席顧問，他保證沒有人會因宗教或政治信仰而受到歧視。然而，自 8 月 6 日數百萬人爆發反政府運動後，總理哈西娜戲劇性地辭職並離開該國以來，針對教會和少數民族社區的襲擊激增。極端分子將目標對準了皈依基督教的基督徒和其他少數群體，導致了大規模暴力事件，包括襲擊教堂和信徒的家園。

報道稱，迪納傑布爾和拉傑沙希的桑塔爾基督教徒的部落住宅遭到襲擊，納拉揚甘傑的一座教堂遭到破壞。孟加拉印度教、佛教和基督教團結委員會表示，數百個家庭受到影響，有些家庭甚至收到死亡威脅。在庫爾納，天主教救濟和發展機構明愛的辦公室遭到攻擊，首都達卡的一座天主教教區建築遭到洗劫並焚燒，同時焚燒的還有眾多印度教住宅和寺廟。

儘管情況現已好轉，但由於全國各地時有發生暴力事件，基督徒仍然生活在恐懼之中。許多人都在祈禱得到保護和治癒。正如一位領導人所說：“我的人民正在悲痛。”

孟加拉在 2024 年敞開的門全球觀察名單中排名第 26 位，顯示皈依者遭受的迫害程度很高。

** 祈禱請求 **

– 為了信徒和其他宗教少數群體的安全，並結束持續的迫害

– 為受動亂影響的人尋求安慰和保護，尋求上帝的供給和希望

– 為暴力受害者的康復和恢復，以及為援助他們的當地合作夥伴提供力量和智慧

– 為那些敵視基督徒的人與耶穌相遇，帶來改變

「不要缺乏熱情，而是要保持靈性熱情，為上帝服務。在指望中要喜樂，在患難中要忍耐，在禱告中要忠誠”

（羅 12:11-12 NIV）

托馬爾牧師是孟加拉的當地牧師，為被遺忘的國際傳教士 (FMI) 工作，他於 11 月下旬因家庭糾紛被捕，現已有條件假釋。

首都達卡最高法院批准牧師托馬爾保釋，讓他在被監禁三個月後獲釋。

在早些時候的糾紛中，托馬爾牧師被他的父親和姐夫毆打，因為他們指責他將穆斯林轉變為基督教徒。他們對他提出了指控，他後來被警方逮捕並監禁。

隨後，托馬爾牧師與家人和解，他們撤銷了指控。但他並未獲釋，並兩度被拒絕保釋。他後來得知，當地的阿訇藉此機會對他單獨提起訴訟，指控他參與當地恐怖組織並且是政治反對黨的積極分子。

托馬爾牧師和 FMI 都否認這些指控，並認為這些指控都是捏造的，目的是將他繼續監禁，並阻止他領導當地的兩個教區。

「他是基督教牧師，與政治沒有任何關係。他的唯一目的就是支持教會和傳播福音，」FMI 在官方聲明中表示。

儘管身處困境，托馬爾牧師仍在監獄中與那些可能聽不到福音的人分享福音。

「光明在黑暗中閃耀得最燦爛。所以如果我在監獄裡，我仍然會在這裡傳教，仍然有希望，」他說。

牧師和他的妻子以及三個孩子在社區中仍然處於弱勢地位。在他入獄期間，另一位當地牧師介入，幫助照顧他的家人和兩個教會的會眾。

孟加拉是一個以穆斯林為主的國家，皈依基督教的人面臨限制、歧視和攻擊等困難。去年，孟加拉西北部的另外兩名牧師被指控「傷害宗教情感」並試圖透過金錢鼓勵穆斯林改宗，但他們斷然否認這些指控。這兩位牧師都是信仰聖經教會的牧師，於 11 月 17 日獲准保釋，但如果罪名成立，他們將面臨兩年監禁。

孟加拉的基督徒只佔總人口的0.3％左右，在這個超過1.7億人口的國家裡，基督徒人數僅有50萬左右。他們大多生活在農村地區，經常遭受穆斯林社區和激進組織的迫害。為了一起禮拜，他們常常被迫在地下家庭教會聚會。

家庭小組禱告

親愛的主，

我們為孟加拉遭受迫害的教會祈禱，並祈求您保護他們免受傷害，並在他們遭受考驗時給予他們力量。

我們特別為托馬爾牧師和他的家人祈禱，希望他出獄後能重新適應家庭生活。 我們祈禱他能恢復正常的教會事工，並且仍然能夠教導那六位將生命獻給耶穌並正在服刑的人。 

讓托馬爾牧師感受到您的存在，保護他並鼓勵他保持信心和希望。並允許祂繼續分享福音的好消息並讓其他人與你建立關係。

奉耶穌的名禱告。

阿門。

“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.

家庭小組禱告

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

天父，

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.

奉耶穌的名禱告。

阿門。