A Muslim woman was beaten for visiting a church but has now placed her faith in Christ. Isata is from a town where her father is an imam and her brother is a local muezzin (someone who calls Muslims to prayer). Despite being raised in a strict Muslim home, she began to have dreams in which Jesus Christ appeared. After having this dream three times, she decided to visit a church, which angered her husband. He felt she had brought shame upon his family and gathered some Muslim men, who tied her up and beat her.
Read MoreDuring an all-night prayer vigil on Dec. 14, 2025, hundreds of police officers who were mobilized from other counties stormed the Yayang Assembly church in the Wenzhou City area. Police forced out about 100 worshipers, sealed the church and began demolishing the church’s belltower with its cross as well as other parts of the building. Two senior church leaders, Lin Enci and Lin Enzhao, and as many as 20 other members were arrested on charges of organizing a criminal syndicate. The church had refused to comply with previous orders to display the national flag and remove the cross.
Read MoreThe family of a new Christian is enduring unexplained health issues believed to be a demonic attack. Zaynab and her family fled violence in Iraq in 2017, and she became a follower of Christ through the kindness of Christians. (Her story was shared in VOM’s December 2025 magazine.) But her former Sufi community has continually pressured Zaynab to revert. Members of the mystical Sufi community wanted Zaynab’s daughter to marry the son of a Sufi imam. Zaynab and her husband refused, and she believes the Sufis used witchcraft to cause several family members to become physically and emotionally incapacitated to the point of hospitalization.
Read MoreThe Congolese town of Tchabi is rebuilding after suffering a series of attacks from an Islamist group beginning in 2019. Over the course of two years, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) murdered dozens of residents and took many hostages. By Sept. 2023, government troops had brought some peace to the region, and residents who had fled began returning. Though the ADF was never fully eradicated and continues to operate in the eastern DRC, the town has begun to rebuild, and VOM has been active in providing spiritual care, distributing Bibles and helping residents plant community gardens.
Read MoreIn West Java, Indonesia, Muslim protesters demonstrated against a Christian worship service on Jan. 6, 2026. The group, Ahlus Sunnah Defenders, carried banners, shouted slogans and blasted loudspeakers outside the venue, calling the worship service an effort to convert Muslims and spread “religious activities which deviate from the principal teachings of Islam.” With police protection, the church was allowed to continue its worship service.
Read MoreA Sudanese refugee has been sentenced on false charges as retaliation for placing her faith in Christ. Around 1.5 million Sudanese live as refugees in Egypt, including Christians who have fled persecution. Among these is Maida, who became a Christ follower years ago and fled after her Muslim husband rejected her and took their children away as she feared for her safety. Recently, she learned that she has been tried in absentia in Sudan and sentenced to two years in prison on false accusations that she assaulted her husband.
Read MoreMany Christians have been displaced in Niger, including farmers from rural areas who need to reach their croplands to harvest their crops but struggle to do so because of ongoing threats. “Christians in Niger face danger and challenges,” said a front-line worker. In western Niger, the violent JNIM Islamist group is very active. Its name is an acronym for the Arabic phrase “The Group Supporting Islam and Muslims” and is an offshoot of al-Qaida.
Read MoreOn Aug. 2, 2025, Li Guiwen, a Christian leader among the Lisu people group, was arrested for opening his home to other Christian villagers for prayer and worship. During the arrest, police confiscated Bibles, books, audio-visual materials and sheet music. Li Guiwen was found guilty of using an unapproved religious venue and conducting illegal religious activities and sentenced to six months in prison.
Read MoreWhen a woman from an Arabian Gulf nation placed her faith in Christ, her conversion came at great personal cost. Upon sharing her Christian faith with her family, she was met with anger and rejection. Her relatives viewed her decision as a deep dishonor to their heritage and traditions. As a result, she was cast out of her home and formally disowned by her tribe. A court ruling stripped her of her tribal affiliation, meaning she has lost not only her family name but also her inheritance rights.
Read MoreMuslim protesters formed a human chain to block Christian worshipers from attending a planned Christmas worship service on Dec. 14, 2025, near the capital city of Jakarta, Indonesia. Videos on social media show the group holding anti-Christian banners and shouting jihadist slogans. Some protesters held or pushed Christians who tried to get through the line. “We only want to worship peacefully,” one Christian said in a video. “We have no intention of disturbing anyone.”
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