We serve Christians around the world whose brave faith in Jesus means they are, beaten, threatened, imprisoned, tortured, falsely accused, disowned and hated.
There are only a few hundred Christians. Extremist Islamic groups target Christians and control large parts of the country. Nearly all Christians come from Islamic backgrounds, so many will keep their faith a secret. Those who are found to have converted can be excluded and harassed by family – some will face a worse fate.
EVERY £8
Could provide a young person from Central Asia with a Bible in their own language
EVERY £26
Could provide trauma care for a victim of violent persecution
“Jesus had changed me… I didn’t choose Him, but He chose me.”
Nala, a Somali Christian who fled the country
SOMALIA: QUICK FACTS
Extremist Islamic groups target Christians and control large parts of the country.
Nearly all Christians come from Islamic backgrounds. Many will keep their faith a secret.
Those who are found to have converted can be excluded and harassed by family – some will face a worse fate.
SOMALIA: THE BASICS
Violent attacks by Islamic militants, targeting Christians, remain common in Somalia and have been for more than 25 years. Groups like al-Shabaab operate with seemingly little pushback and control large parts of Somali territory, and they consider Christians ‘high-value’ targets for killing.
The small number of believers in Somalia are largely Christians who have converted from Islam. This conversion is seen as a betrayal to family and community, and even someone suspected of conversion is likely to face harassment, intimidation or even murder. If their conversion is suspected, Christian men are also denied their inheritance, and boys are denied education.
Young female converts to Christianity remain one of the most vulnerable populations in Somalia. It is common for a Somali woman suspected of being a Christian to be publicly abused, kept under strict house arrest, forcibly married to a radical sheikh or even killed.
SOMALIA: MORE DETAIL
NALA’S STORY
When Nala (name changed for security reasons) heard about Jesus online, from Somali converts living abroad, she was initially shocked. But she kept exploring: “I started to look for more videos and found others who shared the Word of God,” says Nala. “I connected with them through Facebook and asked them to tell me about Christ. One girl, Hani (name changed), shared with me some things from God’s Word.”
After a while, she chose to follow Jesus! She met with other secret believers and was eventually baptised. She had to keep her faith secret from her Muslim family, of course, because she knew how furious they’d be. They might even kill her.
Unfortunately, while Nala was exploring her new faith, her family became increasingly suspicious and tricked Nala into coming home by telling her that her mother was dying. “When I got home, the men in my family were waiting for me,” Nala says. “They beat me and took my mobile phone and locked me up in a room.”
The following days and weeks were torturous. “They tried different rituals to fix what was ‘wrong’ with me. Sometimes they put a lightbulb against my head and repeated words from the Quran over and over… They even tried some concoctions on me.”
Her family then pledged her in marriage to a sheikh who already had two wives. But a few days before the wedding, Nala ran away and hid with friends, who helped her to escape the country. Her life has changed completely and she lives in danger, but does not regret choosing to follow Jesus.
“Jesus had changed me. I realised that I didn’t choose Him, but He chose me. I didn’t go out looking for Him, but He found me. Previously I didn’t have happiness, but now I have joy… I know that until I came to know Jesus, I knew nothing at all.”
What’s life like?
Society expects all Somalis to be Muslim. Imams in mosques and madrassas state publicly that there is no room for Christianity, Christians or churches. Christians from Muslim backgrounds are regarded as high-value targets and may be killed on the spot if discovered.
Believers continue to face an extreme level of violence, which has worsened in recent years. Islamic militants have intensified their hunt for people who are Christian. Their goal, as they have stated on many occasions, is to rid Somalia of any Christians.
Christians also face serious persecution from their family and community. Leaving Islam is regarded as a betrayal, and anyone even suspected of being a Christian convert is closely monitored by the elders in the community, and even by their own family members. ‘Church life’ is simply not possible, so the few believers must meet in secret.
If a woman is suspected of being a Christian, she may be kept under strict house-arrest, raped, abducted, forcibly married to a radical sheikh or killed. If she is already married, her husband is likely to divorce her and take her children away. Christian men and boys are at risk of verbal abuse, physical assault, abduction, imprisonment, torture or death. Converts find it impossible to trust even their own family members.
How is Open Doors helping?
Open Doors partners support Somali believers across the Horn of Africa with discipleship training and equipping them to cope with severe persecution.
PRAY NOW
Father God, we recognise the dangers that our Somali brothers and sisters face, simply for following Christ. Cast Your protection over secret believers, and those whose faith has been discovered. Heal those who have been harmed physically and emotionally. Comfort those who have lost a family member because of their faith. Intervene in the hearts of extremists to put an end to the violence and restore peace to this region. Move in powerful, supernatural ways to eradicate fear, intimidation and violence. Amen.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.
North Korea is the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian. The leadership are viewed as divine, so those following Jesus pose a real threat to their ruling status. Those suspected of following Jesus will be arrested and interrogated. Up to 70,000 Christians are living in horrific labour camps.
LEVEL OF PERSECUTION:
Yemen
A few thousand
YEMEN: QUICK FACTS YEMEN: THE BASICS There are only a few thousand Christians in Yemen (most of whom would be migrants or workers from other countries). Those that haven’t fled because of the war have become doubly vulnerable during the current conflict which sparked a massive humanitarian crisis. Yemen is a strongly Islamic nation, and all […]
LEVEL OF PERSECUTION:
Eritrea
1.7 million (47%)
There are 3.7 million people in Eritrea. Of these, 1.7 million are Christian, which is almost half the population.
LEVEL OF PERSECUTION:
Libya
35,400 (0.5%)
Libya: QUICK FACTS Libya: The basics Libya is effectively a lawless land where to be a Christian is to live a secret life of faith. Those who leave Islam to follow Jesus face immense pressure from family to renounce their Christian beliefs. Their community excludes them, and they can be left homeless, jobless and alone. […]
LEVEL OF PERSECUTION:
Nigeria
100.4 million (46%)
Nigeria: QUICK FACTS NIGERIA: THE BASICS The persecution facing Christians in Nigeria is extreme and often brutally violent, as Islamic militants and armed bandits attack with increasing impunity. This mostly affects believers living in the Muslim-majority north and Middle Belt, but it’s also spreading to the south. Although all civilians are subject to threats and […]
LEVEL OF PERSECUTION:
Pakistan
4.2 million (1.8%)
PAKISTAN: QUICK FACTS PAKISTAN: THE BASICS In Pakistan, Christians are considered second-class citizens and are discriminated against in every aspect of public and private life. Believers who have converted from Islam are the most vulnerable to persecution. Christian women and girls are particularly vulnerable. Reports indicate there is a silent epidemic of kidnappings, forced marriages […]
LEVEL OF PERSECUTION:
Iran
1.2 million (under 1.4% of the population)
IRAN: QUICK FACTS IRAN: THE BASICS Converts from Islam to Christianity are most at risk of persecution, especially from the government and to a lesser extent from society and their own families. The government sees the growth of the church in Iran as an attempt by Western countries to undermine Islam and the Islamic regime […]
LEVEL OF PERSECUTION:
Afghanistan
Thousands (in a population of 41 million)
Here will be really short description to the video/ Lorem Ipsum is simply
LEVEL OF PERSECUTION:
Sudan
2 million (4.3%)
SUDAN: QUICK FACTS SUDAN: THE BASICS Despite Sudan making positive strides towards religious freedom in recent years, persecution of Christians remains at a high level in the country, and there are fears this will worsen following the military coup in October 2021. The seizure of power occurred following an escalation in hostilities between conservative Islamists […]
