Pastor and Wife Assaulted

01 April 2005

The Voice of the Martyrs has learned of the brutal assault of a church leader's wife in south-west Bangladesh on Thursday, March 31, 2005 that requires your immediate prayers. Details of the location of the attack are being concealed to protect the believers there, but VOM is able to report that, as a church leader and his wife were returning home on the evening of March 31, he was attacked. When his wife attempted to assist him, she was brutally raped with a soft drink bottle. Both of them were taken to the local hospital where the wife is reportedly in critical condition.

VOM sources have said that this couple has been one of the keys to a church planting movement in their district. The husband is reportedly, "on fire to tell the world about Jesus." They have two small children; a son and a daughter. Please pray for their healing and for the work that God is doing in this area of Bangladesh.

To learn more about the persecution facing Christians in Bangladesh, click here.

Bangladesh

Current Ministry Projects
The people of Bangladesh are hungry for the Word of God, and in response VOMC is helping to provide Bible training to a group of Christian men who have a strong desire to learn and grow.

Project Fund: Equipping the Saints
Country Information
Population
167,184,465 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Bengali (99), other indigenous ethnic groups (1)

Religions (%)
Islam (91), Hinduism (8), other - includes Buddhism and Christianity (1) (2022 est)

Leader
President Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppi (2023)

Government type
Parliamentary republic

Legal system
Based on English common law and Islamic law.

Source: CIA World Factboo
Pray for Bangladesh
As the Word of God goes forth in Bangladesh through the Christian radio and television broadcasts, may the "Good News" of the Gospel accomplish mighty things in the lives of all who hear it! Pray that the seeds sown in hearts will take root and bear healthy and lasting fruit, and that the spiritual leaders of this country will be ready and equipped to disciple the resulting influx of new believers.

Bangladesh News

Church Faces Ongoing Oppression

The church in Suandrapara before and after the attacks.
Photo: AsiaNews

For several weeks, a small church in Suandrapara, a village of southeastern Bangladesh, has been facing threats from militant Buddhists who were attempting to coerce the Christians to return to Buddhism, even though many of the churchgoers had converted several years before. As a result of the oppression, most of the 50 members of the Bangladesh Tribal Baptist Church have been forced to stay away from their homes for fear of attack.

Read more...
Rohingya Christians Deal with Aftermath of Attack

One of the victims of the attack recovering in the hospital.
Photo: VOMC source

In last week's "Persecution & Prayer Alert," an urgent prayer request was issued for Christians who were recently attacked in a Rohingya refugee camp and the imminent forced marriage of a pastor's daughter to a Muslim man (read more). Since the previous report, more details have continued to come to light.

The attack occurred in Kutapalong, the world's largest refugee camp. More than 20 Christian families were attacked with at least 12 people injured. A similar attack happened in May 2019 by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army who claim to be fighting for the liberation of the Rohingya. Local police insist that the ARSA is not involved and have downplayed the number of injured.

Read more...
Urgent Prayer Needed!

Please immediately stop and pray for this critical need right now as it's a very time-sensitive situation and in the process of happening as you read this.... The Voice of the Martyrs Canada has just received news that three Christian families were attacked in a Rohingya refugee camp this past week.

Read more...
Christian Convert Released from Prison

Photo: VOM USA

A Christian convert from Islam, who had been imprisoned for more than two years, was released on bail recently. Sisir Islam became a believer in 2012 and immediately began sharing Jesus with others in his community, leading 17 friends to Christ.

On September 23rd, 2014, after returning home from a VOM-supported training centre, Sisir was charged with the murder of a local business man. He later learned that Muslim leaders in his village had accused him of the murder as retribution for his conversion to Christianity.

Read more...