Bangladesh: Pray for Marjina and her son Monju

Christians in Bangladesh face different kinds of persecution. For some it is around their livelihoods, with businesses being destroyed or come limited. For others persecution involves social exclusion and rejection by family and community. And for others, like Marjina, it is physical and violent.

When Marjina found out that her son Monju had become a Christian, she was devastated. In Bangladesh, the majority of people are Muslim – and, in some communities, almost everybody is. Christians who convert from Islam face the worst persecution. Marjina was worried for her son’s safety, but also horrified that he had abandoned his Muslim upbringing.

Local religious leaders insisted that Marjina was the one to bring Monju back to Islam – and she did her best. She wasn’t violent or manipulative, but pleaded with him to abandon his new faith. But Monju had other plans – and so did God.

“I began to speak to her about Jesus and why I converted,” Monju says. Marjina loved hearing her son’s story so much that she wanted to know more and more about Jesus. Eventually, she decided to become a Christian herself. Her attempts to lead her son back to Islam had, instead, brought her to Jesus. Not long afterward, Marjina was baptised.

Sadly, this wasn’t the end of the story. In early September, when local Muslim leaders found out about Marjina’s new faith, they turned violent. They dragged her to the ground, hitting and kicking her. She had to be rushed to hospital, and still isn’t able to eat properly. Marjina and Monju are standing firm in their faith, and ask for prayers from their global family. Local Open Doors partners have supported Marjina with her medical treatment and are still supporting and praying for these brave believers.