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Mostafa found the answers he was looking for in God's Word. Photo: Flickr / Jesus Solana

Mostafa Najafi, an Afghan convert to Christianity who fled his home country to seek asylum in the Netherlands, is facing the risk of deportation. After his immigration case was rejected, he was imprisoned for four months. Now, during his detainment in the immigration camp, he faces the possibility of deportation at any time. He also has received threats from hardline Muslims within the camp.

Mostafa, formerly a Muslim, became a Christian about nine months ago. "The first time I got a chance to read the Bible, I realized that I had found answers to many of the unanswered questions I had all my life," he shared.

His acceptance of Christ comes at great risk, as conversion from Islam is considered a crime punishable by death in his home country. When asked what happens to Christians who return to Afghanistan, Mostafa gave this troubling response: "Everyone is aware of the religious extremism in Afghanistan. Even my own father, when he found out that I had become a Christian, told me that 'killing you is my duty, it is my mandatory jihad.'"

Please join us in praying that Mostafa's case will be reviewed with great heartfelt concern and that, as a result, he will be permitted to stay in the Netherlands. Also raise in prayer the immigration officials, asking the Lord to help them recognize the very real dangers facing converts from Islam so they will serve as humanitarian rescuers by offering security to Mostafa and other believers like him. May God shield Mostafa from harm while in the immigration camp. Pray that his devotion to Jesus will lead others to the Christian faith.

Pray for the safety and success of evangelistic efforts in Afghanistan.

A member of Afghanistan's parliament has stated that, according to Sharia Law, all who have converted from Islam to Christianity should be executed in order to stop the rapid growth of Christianity among Afghans...both within the country and beyond it. The Afghani MP, Nazir Ahmad Hanafi, stated in a published report (Ava): "Numerous Afghanis have become Christians in India. This is an offence to Islamic Laws and, according to the Quran, they need to be executed."

Pray that many more in Afghanistan will come to Christ.

Afghanistan, a country long suffering from civil wars, has not experienced peace for many years. Ongoing bombings by fundamentalist Muslims have stolen peace from the lives of Afghanis. However, the country has recently seen signs of change as people hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.

According to Mohabat News, "Informed Afghan authorities acknowledge that Christianity has obtained a special place not only among youth, but also among various layers in society. (In addition), house churches are growing tremendously." Further, an independent Shi'ite website in Iran reportedly quoted a knowledgeable Afghan official as saying, "There is evidence of widespread Christian propaganda in Afghanistan, and the existence of more than 10 churches that operate secretly in residential houses have been proven."

New reports indicate that some members of the country's parliament have embraced Christianity. A Farsi news service also published a report on these conversions, writing, "Evangelism and Christian propaganda is taking place in the country at a high level, but this is the first time that those who call themselves representatives of the Afghani people not only have become 'apostates' but have joined Christian ministries to evangelize. This time they want to present their Christian services to Muslim people through parliament."

Muslims make up the vast majority of Afghanistan's population at 99.85 per cent. Christians account for 0.05 per cent. While there is limited freedom to practice other religions, there is no freedom to propagate another faith or to convert from Islam.

Thank the Lord for the way He is working in this nation. Ask Him to give Afghani Christians a strong and mature faith with a bold desire to share the gospel. Pray the Lord will continue to work to bring many more to repentance. Pray for protection of believers in Afghanistan.

For more on the trials Christians face in Afghanistan, please visit the Afghanistan Country Report.

An Afghan convert to Christianity was reportedly released from prison on March 31. Shoaib Assadullah, 23, was imprisoned in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif. He was arrested in late October 2010 for giving a Bible to a friend (click here for more information). While detained, Shoaib was physically abused and threatened with death by fellow prisoners. He refused to recant his faith in Christ in exchange for his freedom.

Thank the Lord for Shoaib's release! Pray for healing and strength for him, as he adjusts to life outside prison walls. Pray he will continue to entrust his life and future to the Lord. Pray for the release of other imprisoned Christians. Pray that believers in Afghanistan will stand strong in their faith and reach out to their neighbours, despite their small numbers.

Learn more about the trials facing Christians in Afghanistan by visiting the Afghanistan Country Report.

An Afghan who was arrested for his conversion to Christianity remains behind bars one month after the release of Said Musa, another convert who was quietly granted asylum in Europe after an abusive nine-month imprisonment. Shoaib Assadullah, 23, was arrested on October 21 in Mazar-e-Sharif for giving a Bible to a friend. While in prison, Assadullah described being physically abused and receiving death threats from fellow prisoners. He also fears he may face the death sentence for his conversion if he is summoned back to court. While Afghanistan's constitution upholds freedom of religion, apostasy is tried under Islamic law and is punishable by death.

In a phone conversation with a friend on March 24, Assadullah said that he will not return to Islam in exchange for his freedom, but is willing to die for his Christian faith.

Please pray for the release of Shoaib Assadullah and pray for his protection while he is in prison. Ask the Lord to take away any fear and renew his strength. Pray the Lord will use the testimony of this faithful Christian brother to encourage the faith of secret believers throughout the country.

Learn more about the trials facing Christians in Afghanistan by visiting theAfghanistan Country Report.

Said Musa

Said Musa, who was imprisoned for converting from Islam to Christianity, is reportedly facing execution. A 15-year employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kabul, Afghanistan, Said, 45, was arrested on May 31, 2010, after a television station in Kabul broadcast images that allegedly showed Western Christians baptizing Afghans. Since his arrest, he has remained in Kabul Detention Center, where he has reportedly suffered sexual assault and torture and been denied access to a lawyer.

In the second week of February, an Afghan judge reportedly informed Said that he would be hanged within days if he did not renounce his faith in Christ and reconvert to Islam. Godfrey Yogarajah, the Executive Director of The Religious Liberty Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance, recently called attention to the illegal and unjust treatment of Said. "The arrest of Said in the first place and the subsequent demands for death for apostasy violate at least three provisions of the Constitution of Afghanistan," he said. Said's trial is reportedly the first for apostasy that has reached near execution since the Taliban's fall.

Pray for God's enduring comfort and peace for Said in prison. Pray that, even in chains, he will exalt and praise his Lord -- a God of compassion, justice and truth. Pray for his release. Pray also for Said's wife and six children, who fled to Pakistan after his arrest, that they, too, will continue to find strength in Christ.

To find out more about the opposition facing followers of Christ in Afghanistan, go to theAfghanistan Country Report.

Tom Little, team leader Photo from International Assistance Mission

Please pray for the protection of Christians in Afghanistan. Pray the Lord will give the small Christian community in this nation a spirit of faithfulness and confidence. Ask the Lord to use this recent tragedy to accomplish His purposes in Afghanistan (Rom. 8:28).

Please visit theAfghanistan Country Report for more information about persecution in Afghanistan.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the killing, saying that she "came to Afghanistan to teach Christianity to the people." Williams worked with SERVE (Serving Emergency Relief and Vocational Enterprise), a Christian organization that helps the disabled.

Thank God for organizations like SERVE that demonstrate Christ-like love to their communities. Pray for comfort for those grieving the loss of Gayle. Pray that those in militant groups come to know Christ's love in their lives.

To learn more about the persecution Christians face in Afghanistan, click here. To view a news video on this incident click here.

In Afghanistan, members of the Afghanistan Islamic Council warned President Hamid Karzai not to allow foreign missions into the country, especially to the impoverished areas. The council claimed that missionaries in Kabul and in the provinces were forcibly converting Muslims, enticing them by giving them Bibles and promising to send them abroad. The Islamic scholars warned of serious consequences if the government did not stop Christians from preaching and evangelizing.

In Algeria, the head of the Algerian Association of Muslim Scholars, Sheikh Abdul-Rahman Al-Shayban, called on officials to counter Christian missionary campaigns, claiming they had "reached the point of aggressions against Algerians." According to the Arabic TV station, "Al Arabiya," Shayban called for the crackdown under the religious practice law for non-Muslims, claiming that Christians in tribal villages give people money and university scholarships for converting to Christianity and that the Protestant church rewards its clergy for every Muslim that is converted.

Ask God to thwart the attempts of those who seek to hinder His work in Afghanistan and Algeria. Pray that His servants in these countries will be emboldened to carry on their service to Christ wherever God leads them. Pray that those who accuse Christians of forcible conversion will see that that the Gospel message is one of a free gift, not coercion (Ephesians 2:8-9).

For more information on the persecution of Christians in these countries, go to Afghanistan's Country Report and Algeria's Country Report.