With a heart to share the gospel, Kenneth Charles has experienced the different forms of persecution Christians in Pakistan face. Kenneth experienced the reality of being persecuted for Christ even as a young boy. He first learned of The Voice of the Martyrs through Tortured for Christ; the book was translated into Urdu by Kenneth’s brother. Growing up in a Christian family living in an Islamic context, Kenneth knew persecution would come. When he was a young boy, a peer attacked him with a knife. He still bears the scar. Kenneth came to know Christ through a miraculous healing; a pastor then helped deepen his understanding of Biblical truth. The very next day, Kenneth was accompanying that pastor in ministry – sharing the gospel in villages around the country. Now, through God’s Vision Ministries, which he founded, Kenneth is distributing audio Bibles in the Urdu language, conducting street ministry, and giving seminary training to church leaders throughout Pakistan—and even in other nations. Listen as Kenneth discusses the great need for leadership training in Pakistan and equipping believers there to answer questions from their Muslim neighbors—many of whom are curious about Christianity. Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the podcast.
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When Mustafa learned that his younger brother, Omar, had become a Christian after hearing the gospel from a visiting evangelist in their Moroccan city, he felt he had no choice but to act. On that day in 2005, he grabbed his brother’s Bible, a book he considered counterfeit and unclean, and burned it along with the rest of Omar’s Christian literature. As the oldest son, he then kicked Omar out of their family’s home; his hatred of Christians barred him from sharing a house with an apostate. In Morocco, Islam is entwined with every aspect of life, and the country is ruled by a monarch believed to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. Mustafa stayed in contact with Omar, hoping to draw him back to Islam. He eventually visited his brother and asked him for a Bible; he thought that if he could show Omar the Bible’s errors, he would return to Islam. Omar gladly gave his older brother a Bible and pen, suggesting that he mark each verse that he found problematic. The brothers then discussed the verses that Mustafa highlighted, and Mustafa felt increasingly torn between Islam and Christianity. When he read Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and
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Since her one of her daughters died, Gate has lived with her 15-year-old granddaughter, Noi. Another of Gate’s daughters with her husband have supported them with food and necessities. On May 15, 2021, an evangelist visited Gate and Noi at home, and both put their trust in Christ. When Gate’s daughter and son-in-law learned of their conversions, they scolded Gate and told her to renounce her faith.
Read MoreSister F is a long-time Christian leader in Iran. Last year, one of her discipleship groups was raided by the police, and Sister F was beaten, tortured and placed in solitary confinement. She was then sentenced to a two-year prison term because of her faith in Christ.
Read MoreIn March 2022, Eritrean officials raided a house church gathering and arrested 29 Christians – 12 men and 17 women. All are currently being held at Mai-Serwa prison.
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Mourning the loss of her martyred father in Iran, Rashin promised the Lord she would follow in his footsteps. On Dec. 3, 1990, 13-year-old Rashin Soodmand’s life changed forever. That day, she learned that the Iranian government had executed her beloved father for leaving Islam, a decision he had made at age 17. Rashin had grown accustomed to her father’s repeated confrontations with Iran’s Islamic authorities. While still a toddler, she moved with her parents to the city of Mashad, Iran, where her father had been raised as a Muslim. In 1980, during the early days of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, her parents started a church in their basement, and after learning of the gatherings, the religious police repeatedly arrested her father, Hossein Soodmand, and other believers. Despite suffering physical and psychological torture during his brief stints in jail, nothing prevented Hossein from sharing Jesus Christ. While Hossein’s bold faith inevitably led to persecution, it also helped protect and eventually inspire Rashin’s faith. She and her siblings were the only Christians at their school, so her father taught and quizzed them on fundamentals of the faith in order to counter their mandatory Islamic studies. “That was a challenge for me,” Rashin
Read MoreThroughout the Middle East, Muslims are surrendering their lives to Christ—in spite of family pressure and overt persecution. VOM’s Middle East regional leader, Aaron Miller, shares stories from the region, and how we can pray for Christian brothers and sisters there. Join as Aaron discusses the situation for church planting in Turkey and the persecution in a place where being Muslim is seen as part of one’s national identity. You’ll also hear about a young husband who was training to be an Imam, qualified to teach the Quran, but has become a devoted follower of Christ. Facing persecution from their family, he and his wife have found a new family through fellow believers. Aaron will also share the intensity of persecution in Iraq, where lawlessness runs rampant. He will equip us to pray for the believers there. There are many individual cases of persecution—often coming from one’s own family. Aaron shares the heartbreaking story of a young daughter persecuted by her own father—all to punish her mother for leaving Islam to follow Jesus. Aaron reminds us that as God’s Kingdom advances, the enemy will fight back. Yet we see God’s kingdom prevailing and spreading throughout the Middle East. Pray for these dear families and churches living for Christ in spite of the cost. Pray for gospel workers in the region, and for VOM international ministry staff, that they would be renewed in their faith as they see and hear stories of persecution and seek to encourage believers living through it. Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the podcast.
Read MoreCarla, age 16, came to faith in Christ in 2021. Though she grew up in a culturally Christian home, her widowed father practices animistic beliefs. When he learned about Carla’s decision to follow Jesus, he tried to force her to marry a non-believer.
Read MoreFiladelfo Santos Perez trafficked drugs before he came to faith in Christ. Now a pastor, he has been persecuted many times for his Christian faith. He has been arrested for failing to participate in pagan festivals and charged heavy fines.
Read MoreOn April 3, police raided Zion Reformed Church’s worship service. The authorities detained seven Christians, including the respective spouses of the church’s pastor and another member who were detained in late 2021 under the guise of preventing the spread of coronavirus.
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