Jordan

A Jordanian Christian has received death threats since coming to faith in Christ. While undergoing training to become an imam [an Islamic religious leader], the man placed his trust in Christ. His conversion angered members of his family, who have threatened his life if he doesn’t successfully complete his training and move to a Gulf state to take up an Islamic post. “Your head will be on the street,” one of his family members told him. Front-line workers have requested prayer for the new believer as they determine how to best serve him.

Muhammad placed his trust in Christ two years ago. When his employer recently learned of Muhammad’s decision to follow Christ, he began to harass him. After Muhammad asked his employer to stop the harassment, Muhammad’s boss forced him to work 14-hour shifts and ultimately fired him. Muhammad is now looking for a new job.

Since the 2011 outbreak of civil war in Syria, hundreds of thousands have fled to neighboring countries, including Jordan. Many refugees have had the opportunity to hear the gospel during their displacement, and a significant number of Syrians have become followers of Christ through the witness of Jordanian Christians. Some Syrian refugees now worry that the government of Jordan is planning to force them to return to Syria. “I could be killed at the border,” said one Syrian Christian.

After a woman in Jordan became a Christian, her Muslim husband began to beat her frequently. Ghazal, who left Islam to follow Christ, was beaten so severely recently that she had to be hospitalized. “He knocked her front teeth out,” a front-line worker said, “yet she is holding fast to her faith.”