ICC's August E-Newsletter, Persecution

Your bridge to the persecuted church.

PERSECU ION .org

INTERNATIONAL CHRIS TIAN CONCERN

PERSECUTIONAUGUST 2012

International Christian Concern

A Killzone for Christians

ICC visits the warzone known as Northern Nigeria

and finds a religious cleansing unfolding.

Muslims are using bombs, guns, and machetes to drive Christians out of

the North. The Press is,

of course, silent.

Nigeria

INSIDE THIS ISSUEAugust 2012

Nigeria: A Killzone for Christians

Muslim radicals will stop at nothing to Islamize all of Nigeria. Violent attacks on Christians are not stopping anytime soon. Nigeria is one of the most dangerous places for Christians, as they are physically attacked on a daily basis.

It Is Well: Choosing Christ in the Midst of Loss

When Rose lost her husband to radical Muslim attacks, she prayed for death to come swiftly. But when she fixed her eyes and spirit on the Lord, her tune quickly changed.

Persecution Profile: Pastor Bukari – A Pastor in Hiding

As a Muslim mob broke into Pastor Bukari’s house to kill him and his family, God interceded to save their lives.

Persecution Profile: Dat Jik – A Mother Who Lost 11

Losing a loved one is difficult for anyone, but can you imagine losing 11 members of your family in one night?

Persecution Profile: Mary – Widowed and Alone

When Mary’s husband was killed for his faith, she did not know how she would provide for her four children. Read how ICC was able to assist her and her family.

Your Dollars at Work

ICC was able to provide financial assistance to victims of persecution. Read how your dollars are at work in Nigeria.

How You Can Help

ICC has multiple projects in the works to assist the persecuted Church of Nigeria. Learn how you can be involved!

3

9

13

15

17

19

21

Burn the Buildings so they cannot worship; kill the christians so there is no one to worship.

That is the strategy that Boko Haram is using to depopulate Northern and Middle Nigeria of Christians. They are motivated to turn all of Nigeria (starting with the north) into an Islamic State. They are organized, moti-vated, armed, and deadly. Wherever they go, death, blood, and pain are in their wake.

The Christian community in the north is being bled dry by Boko Haram, and in a few years will largely cease to exist as they are persuaded with bombs, knives, and bullets that there are better places to live.

Nigeria’s Muslim-controlled security forces turn a blind eye or are com-plicit in the cleansing. As a result, Christians are fighting back since they are not protected. The press is, of course, largely silent or misreporting the issues.

Our Regional Manager that visited Northern Nigeria last month has been covering persecution for years, but he was devastated by the pain and death he heard about first-hand from the victims.

The martyrs are the lucky ones. . .they go to the land of the living while the loved ones left behind live in fear, loss, and despair. Victims are ev-erywhere and any response we offer is the proverbial drop in the bucket. Yet, we help where we can because the death and suffering of His saints is precious to Him.

Please join us in our holy work of bandaging and building these broken ones and His persecuted Church. We will use your gifts efficiently, effec-tively, and ethically. I promise.

Jeff KingPresident, International Christian Concern

LETTER FROM THEPRESIDENT

A Nigerian Christian stands speechless amidst the devastated village of Buruku.

3 | You can help today! www.persecution.org

A Killzone for Christians

Nigeria

You can help today! 800-ICC-5441 | 4


It’s open season on Christians in Northern Nigeria. ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Jonathan Racho, recently visited Northern Nigeria to assess the damage and deliver aid to victims.

While he has reported on persecu-tion for years, he came away dev-astated by the overwhelming cost that Christians are paying for their faith. “It is high time for believers around the world to share in the pain that the church in Nigeria is going through,” Racho said.

ith a singular, unrelent-ing goal to wipe out

Christianity from the area, Muslim radicals are methodically murder-ing Christians and destroying their

homes, businesses, and churches. The radicals have been waging war against Christians for the past 12 years, but the jihad has reached a new peak over the past two years as hundreds of Christians have been killed and scores of churches have been burned to the ground.

The strategy is simple: burn the buildings so they cannot worship; kill the Christians so there is no one to worship.

To make matters worse, the secu-rity forces are not protecting the Christians. The military is Muslim- dominated and they turn a blind eye to Christian persecution to increase Islamic dominance.

Predictably, Christians in Northern Nigeria are voting with their feet and moving to Southern (predomi-nantly Christian) Nigeria.

A congregation visitsthe ruins of their church.


Radical Islam has been emboldened by their success in the North and is intensifying their push to Islamize the whole country. Attacks are now concentrated around the border states (known as the “Middle Belt”) between the North and the South.

To conquer the Middle Belt, the radicals have been instigating at-tacks on Christians over multiple issues such as politics, competition over resources, and tribal rivalry.

But the root cause of the attacks is radical Islam’s desire to drive out the Christians. The tip of the spear of these attacks is Boko Haram (BH). BH is a Nigerian Islamic group which fights to impose a strict form of Sharia law over Nigeria. It is the same as al-Qaeda and a hun-dred other Islamic groups around the world that have a theological goal and use violence as the means

to reach the goal.

Boko Haram considers Christianity an obstacle towards their goal of establishing an Islamic state in Nigeria. The group’s spokesman, Abu Qaqa, recently told the media, “We will create so much effort to end the Christian presence in our

Muslim radicals destroyed the village of Kafanchan.

Women and children have become main targets for

attacks.

push to have a proper Islamic state that the Christians won’t be able to stay.”

The group believes that by killing Christians, they are carrying out Allah’s will and com-mand. In a state-ment to the press after they bombed three churches in Kaduna state on June 17, 2012, Qaqa jus-tified the killing of Christians by citing Quran 9:29: “Fight those who believe not in God nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which has been forbidden by God and His Apostle, nor acknowledge the religion of truth (Islam), [even if they are Christians], until they (are subdued).”

BH’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, boasted about mur-dering Christians: “I enjoy killing anyone that God commands me to kill, the way I en-joy killing chickens and rams.”

When asked when the group will stop killing Christians, a represen-tative replied: “Christians must all convert to Islam in order to have

peace.” For millions of Christians living in Northern Nigeria and in the Middle Belt, this is an unaccept-able condition.

One believer who re-fused to convert was Pastor George Oji. When he did not em-brace Islam, he was murdered in front of his congregation.

An eyewitness recalls: “[Pastor Oji] was sing-ing and praising God and praying. Suddenly, I saw [Boko Haram mem-bers] cut his neck and he fell down. His body was rolling on the ground for a long time before he finally gave up [his spirit].”

With no one coming to their aid, Christians have retaliated with attacks on

Muslims, adding fuel to the fire.

The Nigerian military is controlled by Muslims. Until they get in-volved, nothing will change and Christians will continue to migrate south.


Nigerian Christians are fleeing their homes for fear of dying.


INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED (IDOP)

To raise awareness of the persecuted Church, ICC is providing a free prayer bulletin insert for your congregation to become better informed about the persecuted. This year, the bulletin features four of the dark-est countries in the world that are in desperate need of your prayers.

Simply go to persecution.org/idop and download the bulletin, available October 1. Bulletins are free of charge. It is our gift to you to

help inform Christians of what is happening in the world today.

The bulletins are non-date specific, so you are free to host an IDOP on a date most convenient.

November 11, 2012


The hymn “It is Well with My Soul” has brought comfort to countless people since its origin. Could you still believe that “it is well” when your husband is killed for his faith? Rose Northcot was faced with this question on February 21, 2000.

That year, a number of unprec-edented attacks took place against Christians in Northern Nigeria.

It is WellChoosing Christ in the Midst of Loss

Pastor Northcot and his widow, Rose.

When Rose lost her husband to radical Muslim

attacks, she prayed for death to come swiftly. But

when she fixed her eyes and spirit on the Lord, her

tune quickly changed.


Anti-Christian violence was trig-gered when Muslims introduced Sharia law in the region, causing all residents to live under Islamic law regardless of their religious beliefs. Christians opposed the implemen-tation of Sharia law because they feared the impact of the law on their religious freedom.

The Kaduna state has become one of the epicenters of Islamic attacks on Christians; more than 1000 peo-ple, Christians and Muslims alike, have been killed there since Muslim groups started killing Christians and burning down churches.

The Northcot family was directly affected by these attacks when Pastor Northcot was killed by Muslim attackers, leaving Rose and their three children with the pain of losing their husband and father.

The morning of February 21, Rose felt overwhelmed with sadness and could not stop herself from cry-ing. She couldn’t explain her emo-tions but something just didn’t feel right. Her husband comforted her by wrapping his arms around her and reassuring her that “it is well.” Those were the last words Rose heard from her husband.

During the next three days, Kaduna was overrun by Muslim mobs. Rose and two of her children locked themselves in their home; without

cell phones, it was almost impossi-ble to get any information about the

whereabouts of their family. It was a terrifying time for the Northcots.

The Muslims were carrying out co-ordinated attacks. From her home, Rose could hear speeches by imams calling Muslims to attack Christians and to destroy their property. State security forces offered no protec-tion for the Christians, as most were Muslims. Some of the Muslim at-tackers were even dressed in mili-tary uniforms, giving them an op-portunity to attack Christians who ran to them seeking protection.

When the government failed to give them protection, some Christians started to fight back. Referencing the Biblical mandate to “turn the other cheek” when struck, a Christian youth said, “Our two cheeks have been slapped already. We don’t have another cheek to

Rose’s husband, Pastor Northcot, was martyred for his faith. He was one of thousands of people

killed over a three-day attack by Muslim

radicals.


turn.” Kaduna turned into a war zone.

When the attacks subsided, Rose was reunited with her missing daughter but heard no word of her husband. After days of search-ing, Rose was informed that her husband had been murdered by Muslim attackers. According to an eyewitness account, the final words of Pastor Northcot were to two other pastors he was with, saying, “I am leaving you with a work to continue.” He was referring to the church he and his wife had just started. The Northcot’s had a vi-sion to expand the kingdom of God in Kaduna and beyond. In his last minutes, the Pastor’s thoughts were of his ministry.

Rose was devastated on hearing the news. In her pain, she prayed for God to kill her and her three chil-dren rather than be killed by the Islamic radicals.

Instead of answering her prayer, God began a slow healing process in her life. The Holy Spirit remind-ed her of Isaiah 26:3 (NIV), “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Rose started to pray for peace and began to fix her eyes on the Lord. The Lord began to heal her mind and heart. “When my heart breaks over my husband, I put my focus on God and He helps me. I focus on God and He and His Word strengthen me,” Rose ex-plained.

Rose was devastated. In her pain, she prayed for God to kill her. She then remembered her three beloved children, and rather than die at the hands of the radicals, she prayed that they could all be killed together.


Another verse that brought her comfort was Psalm 27:13 (NIV), “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” While Rose may not know what this will look like, she trusts in God’s goodness.

As an eyewitness to the warzone in Nigeria, one would expect Rose to have extreme feelings towards the Muslim attackers. Yet when asked about them, she said, “I decided not to have any particular feelings to-wards them, then and now. I decid-ed to forgive. I decided to choose the difficult path… to relate with Muslims out of my free will. I work with them, but I don’t trust them. There is no bitterness or [anger] in my heart towards them. I don’t look for revenge. I encourage my chil-dren to forgive. We decided to trust God. He knows everything. He can handle everything.”

Rose chose forgiveness in her dev-astation and faith in her loss. She not only set an example for her chil-dren, but for all of us. Today, Rose’s daughters are going to college and studying economics and her son is in high school.

Rose assured her children that, “Daddy is in heaven, and he isn’t coming back,” but we can only imagine the reunion that will take place on the golden streets, and know that it will be well.

We were touched by Rose’s testimony. She was one of the many widows that

ICC was able to help finani-cally through gifts to our

Suffering Wives & Children fund.

“I decided not to have any particular feelings

towards them, then and now. [Instead] I

decided to stay in the path of forgiveness. I decided to choose the difficult path…

that I still relate with Muslims out of my free

will.” - Rose

With an angry mob approaching his home, Pastor Bukari* frantically looked for a place to hide his wife and infant son.

“Where is the leader of the infi-dels?” he heard the mob shout as they approached his house, located next door to his church.

Outnumbered, cornered and de-fenseless, Bukari began preparing his family for death. He told his wife, “Do not be afraid of death. They will come and kill us; but we will then go to heaven.” Bukari is one of the countless pas-tors in Northern Nigeria who face death and persecution daily for the sake of the Gospel. He planted his church in the midst of a Muslim village and preached the Gospel boldly. When a Muslim woman in the village decided to give her life to Jesus, he became a target for en-raged Muslims who watched and waited for an opportunity to kill him.

In April 2011, the Muslims in Bukari’s village attacked. While hiding in their home, Bukari and his wife prayed fervently for the baby to remain silent. The mob burst into their house and began to go room to room, searching for them. He heard them shout, “if we see the family, we will finish them!” Miraculously, the mob searched every room except for the closet where they were hiding.

Angry that they didn’t find the pas-tor, the mob began to demolish his church next door. A Christian policeman, who was a member of Bukari’s church, heard the violence and came running to the scene, fol-lowed by other members of the po-lice force. They found the pastor and his family hiding in their home.

When the mob realized the pastor and his family were hidden inside all along, they began shouting for their death. It was only because the police were armed and determined to protect the pastor, that he and his family escaped death.

A Pastor in Hiding

Persecution Profile:

Pastor Bukari

*name changed for security


Update: Despite the attempt on their lives, Pastor Bukari and his

family chose to stay in this vil-lage and continue to preach the Gospel. ICC will be helping him build a fence around his home

and church, which will give some protection to the church

and family. Please pray for their safety and that they would con-

tinue to be faithful to Jesus.


13 | You can help today! www.persecution.org15 | You can help today! www.persecution.org


For most people, May 7, 2010 does not stand out as a significant day in history, but for Dat Jik it was the day that changed her life forever.

That night, hundreds of Muslims at-tacked Godo Nawa and nearby vil-lages, killing over 500 Christians, most of whom were women and children.

Dat’s grandchildren were at her house earlier that day, but they went home to their parents that night. Dat never saw them again. In the span of one night, Dat lost eleven of her loved ones: two sons, a daughter-in-law, and eight grandchildren.

“When the thought of losing my loved ones comes to my mind, I cry and pray about it,” Dat said. She explained that she tries her best to keep busy to distract herself from the constant reminder of the family she has lost.

Dat is a modern day Job, who simi-larly lost his family in one day. Both Dat and Job have demonstrated in-credible faith, believing that God is good in the midst of tragedy and trusting Him to restore their lives when it seems that all is lost. In the

face of opposition, Dat still chooses to look for the positive and thank God for all that He has given her.

ICC had the privilege of being a tangible example of God’s provi-sion in Dat’s life. We were able to provide the financial assistance Dat needed to start a small business, giving Dat financial stability after all her descendants were wiped out.It will also be a way to keep her mind busy on a day-to-day basis. Dat’s joy and gratitude were visible as she thanked ICC:

“I am extremely happy. Words can’t express what I am feeling. Each time people come to help, I feel that I am the most favored child of God. Sincerely speaking, I have no words to say except thank you. May God bless you and continue to expand your ministry.”

Dat’s unshakable faith and unwav-ering trust in God’s faithfulness should be an example to us all. Please keep her and her surviving family members in your prayers as they continue to deal with the loss of those closest to them.

A Mother Who Lost 11


Dat Jik


Newly widowed, Mary went to her husband’s workshop to collect his belongings in hopes that she would be able to sell some items to pro-vide for her family. Her husband had been gunned down by members of the Islamist group Boko Haram, leaving her a single mother of four with no source of income. “When my husband was killed, I thought that [my life and my children’s lives had come to an end],” she said.

When she approached her husband’s workshop, a group of Muslims re-fused access to her husband’s be-longings. Mary was forced to return home empty-handed. She looked at her four children, and with tears streaming down her face, trembled at the thought of the future. Would her children have to live on the streets or starve to death? It was all too much.

Unable to sell her husband’s be-longings, Mary saw no other op-tion. She was forced to leave her home city of Maiduguri, located in Northern Nigeria. Maiduguri is the home base for Boko Haram, who killed her husband.

Mary took her children and moved to a refugee camp to escape the dangers of her hometown.

She has plans to move them to the city of Jos, where she hopes to use her sewing skills to open a business, providing a sustainable income for her family. Without ICC’s donors though, this would be nothing but a pipe dream as she is penniless.

Thanks to ICC donors, we were able to provide Mary and her chil-dren with immediate financial as-sistance to help with basic needs for her and her children. We are now in the process of purchasing a sewing machine and inventory, and renting a shop where she can run a small seamstress business.

Mary tearfully said, “I am so grate-ful for the gift…I never imagined that there were people who would come to our aid. May God continue to strengthen you and continue to bless you for the work you do.”

Widowed and Alone


Mary


YOUR DOLLARS AT WORK


A

C D

E

F

G

H

I

B

YOUR DOLLARS AT WORKMr. and Mrs. Auta lost their home when a Muslim mob demolished it. ICC provided fi-nances to help meet their needs.

Diana lost her husband due to a bomb attack by radical Muslims. ICC provided finances to assist her in caring for their children. Liyatu lost her husband in an attack by Muslim radicals. Her son was also a victim of the at-tack. The radicals also demolished her shop. ICC provided financial help to assist with car-ing for her wounded son.

Muslim radicals burned down Pastor Waziri’s (name changed for security reasons) church twice in the past few years. He narrowly es-caped death when the radicals attacked the church. ICC provided financial help to assist the pastor and his family.

Yelmi Iliya was killed by radical Muslims re-cently. An ICC representative spoke at his fu-neral, and provided financial help to his wife and children (pictured).

Lami and Habisha are two young victims of Muslim radicals attacks. They both suffered injuries to the head when attacked with ma-chetes. ICC provided financial help to these precious victims of persecution.

Musa Bello lost his home when a Muslim mob set it on fire. His wife died shortly after from hypertension following the shock of losing her property. ICC provided financial assistance to Musa and his family.

Muslim attackers killed 29 Christians when they attacked the village of Ta-Kwok. ICC pro-vided financial assistance to 10 of the victims.

Elizabeth Ishaya is one of many Christian widows whose husbands were martyred by Muslim radicals. ICC provided her with a small business to sustain her livelihood.


A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

HOW YOU CAN HELP

IN ADDITION TO THE BENEFICIA-RIES INDICATED ON PAGES 19-20, ICC ALSO PROVIDED HELP TO THE FOLLOWING CHRISTIAN VICTIMS

OF PERSECUTION IN NIGERIA:

Nigerian Christians were thankful to know that their cries have not

gone unheard, and that the Church is praying for them.

MARY ZAKARODA BLUS

REBEECA MICHANOAH BLUS

JOSHAA VOUCHUWENGPASTOR PETER OJOMA

NICODEMUS ADOPASTOR AYOUBA MUDU

ASTER YACUBU MERCI ZAAKA

BUCHONG ZAKKA SARAWTU SAMILA

REBECCA ZEKKA


HOW YOU CAN HELP After reading their stories and understanding their plight, you may want to help mitigate the suffering of your brothers and sisters in

Nigeria. Here are some of the projects in which you can participate:

FERTILIZER AND SEED FOR CHRISTIAN FARMERS

The majority of Christians affected by violence in the area we are targeting for help are farmers. With a donation of $35, you can

purchase a 23-lb. bag of fertilizer for a Christian farmer and his family to increase their harvest.

REBUILDING CHRISTIAN HOMES

With a donation of $500, you can help rebuild Christian homes destroyed by radical Islamic attackers.

SUSTAINING WIDOWS AND CHILDREN

With a donation of $300, you can help a Christian widow start a small business. This financial gift allows a widow to rent a small shop for a

year and stock it with materials that she can sell, sustaining a livelihood in spite of her loss.

RICE FOR MUSLIM PERSECUTORS

One of the most powerful tools that we have as believers is love. Jesus told us to love those who hate us and pray for our persecutors. That is

why we are planning to provide aid to Muslims as well.

With a donation of $25, we can provide 55 pounds of rice, which feeds a family of five for almost two weeks. Local Christians will distribute

the rice. The local Muslims have been told that Christians are evil and should be attacked. Jesus tells us to bless those who persecute us

and to turn the other cheek. This is the best way to break the cycle of hatred, returning good for evil.


P.O. B

ox 8

056

Silv

er S

prin

g, M

D 2

0907

-805

6

Non

Pro

fit O

rgU

S Po

stag

e

PAID

Perm

it 15

Mer

cers

burg

PA

© Copyright 2012 ICC, Washington, D.C., USA. All rights reserved. Per-mission to reproduce all or part of this publication is granted provided attribution is given to ICC as the source.

International Christian Concern is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) (all donations tax-deductible).

ICC makes every effort to honor donor wishes in regards to their gifts. Occasionally, a situation will arise where a project is no lon-ger viable. In that case, ICC will redirect those donated project funds to one of our other funds that is most similar to the donor’s original wishes.

GIVING TO ICC VIA YOUR WILL

Provide now for a future gift to ICC by including a bequest provision in your will or revocable trust. If you would like more information on giving to ICC in this way, please give us a call at 1-800-ICC-5441.

@persecutionnews

Take us with you wherever you go.

www.facebook.com/persecuted

Persecution.org mobile app for iPhone and Android coming soon.

SEND DONATIONS TO: ICC PO BOX 8056

SILVER SPRING, MD 20907OR ONLINE AT WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG

#10988

Documents

ICC's August E-Newsletter, Persecution