August 2017 Persecution Magazine

WWW.PERSECUTION.ORG AUGUST 2017 

PERSECU ION 

#BringBackOurGirls 

AN ICC EXPOSE 

Islam’s abduction, rape, and 

forced conversion of Christian girls

Table of Contents 

In This Issue: 

FEATURE 

14 | Kidnappings & Forced 

Conversions 

Christian women around the world face 

abductions and attacks everyday for no 

reason other than their minority status 

in both gender and religion. 

FEATURE 

19 | Nigeria: Beyond the 

Hashtag 

When 246 Christian girls were abducted 

from a school in Chibok, the 

world cried out in pain at the loss. Now 

almost three years later, we have exclusive 

interviews with their families. 

FEATURE 

26 | Systemic Injustice 

Radical Islam, impunity, poverty, and 

corrupt governments are all part of the 

systemic problem which allows for 

kidnapping and forced conversions. 

14 

FEATURE 

28 | Holy Text, Horrific Acts 

Islam’s historical, theological, and 

textual support for abuse of women and 

the growing tide of fundamentalist interpretations 

of the Quran are explored. 

FEATURE 

32 | The Way Out 

Overview of ICC’s assistance work to 

serve the needs of Christian girls and 

women affected by abductions and 

forced conversions. 

Regular Features 

3 Letter from the President 

A few words from ICC’s president, Jeff 

King, on the Lord’s care for His suffering 

daughters. 

4 World News 

A snapshot of the persecution that 

impacts our brothers and sisters daily, in 

every corner of the world. 

8 Your Dollars at Work 

Learn how your gifts are providing 

comfort, relief, Bibles, education and 

vocational training to the persecuted. 

12 Impact Report 

See quarterly statistics on how ICC’s 

funds are helping the persecuted. 

25 

31 33 

2 PERSECU ION.org 

AUGUST 2017 

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN

President’s Letter 

Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, 

I will now arise, says the LORD, I will protect them. 

Psalm 12:5 

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. 

Revelation 7:17 

One issue that always breaks my heart is the abduction of Christian girls in fundamentalist 

Muslim countries. 

The typical case is a girl that starts getting approached by a Muslim man who tells her 

she is too pretty to be a Christian and that she should convert to Islam and be his wife. If 

the girls refuse repeatedly, they are abducted off the street and enter into a personal hell, 

with many of them lost to their families forever. 

Jeff King, President 

International Christian Concern 

This month’s edition is focused on this very heavy issue and just may break your heart. 

I’ve heard too many of these accounts, and as I often do, I think about the fact that nothing is hidden from our Lord. Just as 

He is watching the victim in the secret prisons of North Korea, He is also watching and in the room with our sisters as they 

go through horrendous trials. 

He sees each one as she is huddled in a dark room, tears staining her torn clothes with her mind overwhelmed by shame and 

terror. His heart, I know, breaks over the treatment of each of His daughters. 

And then I wonder what the Lord whispers to His daughters in their midst of their overwhelming pain and shame. Knowing 

Him, I would suspect it would be something close to the following. . . 

“Daughter, no evil from the outside can stain you. You are still my daughter and my bride and you are still dressed in white. 

You are not trash but so beautiful to me and still my treasure.” 

As you will read in the following articles, most of these girls can’t be rescued and yet we do get to rescue some. We can also 

help those who escape (see pg. 32) and those in the way of danger by providing education, skills training, and microfinance 

loans. 

As in so much of life, though, we have to wait in expectation for true justice and a better world. Until then, we must cry out 

to the Lord on behalf of our sisters, “how long O Lord” (Revelation 6:10) as we wait for the last of their tears to be wiped 

from their eyes (Revelation 7:17). 

As you read the following pages, please consider prayerfully and practically helping these young girls. As always, your 

donations will be used efficiently, effectively, and ethically. 

I promise! 

Jeff King 

President 

International Christian Concern 

www.persecution.org 

PERSECU ION.org 

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN 

3

News 

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6 

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Christian Rights Lawyer is Finally 

Released in China 

1 | CHINA In June 2015, a Christian human rights lawyer 

named Li Heping was arrested as part of the notorious 

“709 crackdown.” This campaign targeted people, primarily 

lawyers and human rights activists, who defended 

those who were persecuted by the Chinese government. 

Heping was convicted of “subversion of state power” and 

sentenced to a three-year prison term with a four-year 

suspension. He was also stripped of his political rights. 

On May 9, after nearly two years of imprisonment and 

torture, Heping returned home to his family. 

However, although he is now safe with family, the 

wounds of his time in the government’s hands remain. 

His wife reported that his hair turned gray and he became 

“weak and thin” during his time away. Thankfully, he 

appeared to be in good spirits; some prisoners in similar 

situations never fully recover from the mental trauma. 

Heping’s brother was also held by police for more than a 

year and is now showing signs of schizophrenia. 

Those who dedicate their careers to helping Christians 

and other religious minorities naturally position themselves 

in opposition to the Chinese government. Not only 

do they risk losing their careers, but also their freedom 

and sometimes their lives. However, as the government 

tightens its grip on the freedom to worship, the Christian 

community continues to unify and support one another in 

the midst of persecution. 

Heping is in good spirits while recovering physically. 

Man Dies 

Defending 

Christians from 

Mob 

2 | SUDAN As part of 

the government’s 

ongoing assault 

against churches in 

Sudan, an armed 

mob with governmental 

ties attacked 

a Presbyterian 

church compound in 

Omdurman. 

The government 

has created a “committee” 

which has 

forcibly sold church 

property to government-affiliated 

businessmen 

since 2013. 

On April 3, a group of 

Christians protested 

the illegal appropriation 

of their property 

by a local businessman 

who also serves 

as a police officer. 

In response, police 

arrived on the scene, 

arrested the Christian 

men, and attacked the 

women with weapons. 

Two church members 

who attempted 

to defend the women 

as they were attacked 

were stabbed, resulting 

in the death of one 

man. 

Church Attacked by Mob in Rural 

Bangladesh 

3 | BANGLADESH On May 10, a small mob 

of Bengali Muslims burst into a church in the 

rural Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. 

After storming into the building, the attackers 

attempted to sexually assault the pastor’s sister 

and niece. Thankfully, local Christians intervened 

in time when they heard the commotion, 

causing the attackers to flee. The pastor reported 

that the two women moved to the area to obtain 

an education, but are now dealing with the 

trauma of their assault. 

The pastor noted that although his church does 

not have any personal problems with the local 

Muslim population, there has been an ongoing 

land dispute with the local Muslims. In response 

to the attack, the church filed a complaint, but 

avoided a criminal case in fear that doing so would 

spark further violence. 

This region of Bangladesh has experienced tension 

among different religious groups, including 

Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists, since the 

1970s. In the past few years, several Christians 

in the region have reported that their children 

have been kidnapped and forcibly converted to 

Islam by Muslims pretending to be employees in 

Christian schools. 

The Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. 




Lines of Syrian refugees wait to cross the border into Germany. Photo by Mstyslav Chernov. 

Christians Thrive Despite Attacks 

4 | GERMANY Since the beginning of the Middle Eastern refugee 

crisis, Christians have faced attacks from their Muslim counterparts 

in refugee camps. Attacks on Christian converts in German refugee 

camps have steadily increased since 2015. However, according to 

Deutsche Welle, the number of Muslims converting to Christianity in 

these camps has also increased sharply, despite the risks that accompany 

conversion. As more refugees realize the true nature of Islam, 

the need to share the Gospel has never been more apparent. 

Christian Family Beaten in Vietnam 

5 | VIETNAM According to reports from persecution watchdog 

group Open Doors, a Vietnamese man and his family were beaten 

by the man’s brother for refusing to denounce their newfound 

Christian faith. Only one day prior, government officials threatened 

to cut off social services, including education and medical care, to 

the man and his family if they maintained their faith in Christ. In 

addition to property damage, the man’s daughter was injured during 

the attack. 

Another Christian Murdered in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula 

6 | EGYPT In yet another incident of violence in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, a 

Christian man named Nabeel Saber Fawzi was fatally shot in his barbershop. 

In January and February, seven Christians were murdered in El-Arish, 

causing hundreds of Christian families to flee the city in panic, including 

Nabeel and his family. By April, Nabeel decided to return in search of work so 

that he could better support his family. Shortly after his return, four masked 

gunmen stormed into his shop and shot him in the head. Nabeel was the first to 

be targeted since the killing spree took place earlier this year. 

Within the past few months, ISIS has increased their attacks in the region, 

both in scale and frequency. One ISIS affiliate claimed that they would eliminate 

Christians in Egypt, noting that Egyptian Christians were the group’s 

“favorite prey.” 



ISIS has targeted Chrisitians in El-Arish, Egypt. 

5

News 

4 

1 

6 

5 

3 

2 

Released Sudanese pastors. 

Two Christians Released from Prison 

1 | SUDAN In early May, Reverend Hassan Abduraheem 

Tawor and Abdulmonem Abdumawla were released from 

prison in Sudan through a presidential pardon. The men 

were arrested in December 2015 and were both given 

12-year prison sentences on charges of espionage and 

“inciting hatred between sects.” 

The charges centered on a receipt showing that the 

Christians had provided medical assistance to someone 

who was injured during anti-government demonstrations. 

The situation escalated when the Sudanese government 

accused them of aiding rebel movements through 

this donation. The evidence was flimsy at best and 

the charges were largely condemned by human rights 

organizations around the world. The pastors were also 

imprisoned alongside two other Christians, Reverend 

Kuwa Shamal Abazmam Kurri and Petr Jasek, a Czech 

national. Reverend Kuwa was released earlier this year 

in January, while Jasek was released in February. 

While it is encouraging news that these men have 

been released from 

prison, there is still 

much work to be done 

to improve conditions 

for Christians living in 

Sudan. Their release 

came in the midst of 

a government-led campaign 

to demolish and 

sell church property in 

Khartoum. Only a few 

days before his release, 

a church at which 

Reverend Hassan used 

to serve was demolished. 

Furthermore, 

the government has 

announced plans to 

continue this spree 

of demolitions in the 

coming months. 

In April, one 

month before the 

release of Hassan 

and Abdulmonem, 

International Christian 

Concern sent a petition 

calling for the pastors’ 

release to the Sudanese 

government. This petition 

was signed by 

people from more than 

90 countries. Thanks to 

international pressure, 

the Sudanese government 

released these 

men. However, greater 

action must be taken on 

the government’s part 

to ensure that this type 

of injustice does not 

continue to occur. 

Ahok sitting on trial for blasphemy in Indonesia. 

This jail sentence is a 

significant step in the 

wrong direction for 

Indonesia. 

Christian Governor of Jakarta Given 

Jail Sentence for Blasphemy 

2 | INDONESIA As previously reported, Governor 

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, commonly known as “Ahok,” 

found himself in the middle of controversy on the campaign 

trail following a blasphemy accusation. During 

a speech, the ethnically Chinese Christian governor 

explained that others were manipulating the Quran to 

convince voters that they should not vote for a non- 

Muslim candidate. However, someone produced an 

edited video of the speech which made it appear as 

though Ahok was criticizing the Quran itself. 

Shortly after the video began to circulate, Muslims 

began taking to the streets in massive protests, many 

calling for his imprisonment and others even calling for 

his death. After Ahok was defeated in the election, the 

media widely acknowledged religious discrimination as 

a prominent factor in his loss. 

In early May, the situation took an unexpected 

turn when Ahok was handed a two-year jail sentence 

for the blasphemy charges. This sentence came as 

a surprise to most because even the prosecution recommended 

only a suspended sentence. While many 

radical Muslims certainly called for his imprisonment, 

a member of Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization 

noted that the trial was “fabricated” for the sake of a 

prison sentence, which he also called a “dangerous 

phenomenon.” This jail sentence is a significant step 

in the wrong direction for Indonesia, a nation that 

prides itself on its reputation of tolerance. 




Chinese Pastor Locked Inside Home to Prevent Him from Attending Church 

3 | CHINA On April 30, police officers in China locked the pastor of Huoquan Christian Church in his own home to prevent him from attending 

services. The sizable church, located in the Qinghai province, has roughly 300 members who attend regularly. However, beginning in 

March, the Chinese government began cracking down on the church by ordering the pastor to “suspend all gatherings.” Furthermore, the 

government told members of the church that they would be held criminally liable if they did not comply. 

Restricting the pastor and threatening his church members are unfortunately only a piece of the government’s wider crackdown on 

Christianity in China. Thankfully, in spite of the growing persecution in this nation, Christianity continues to grow even stronger. 

Jaber showed off weapons on Facebook Live near the 

Christian conference. 

Muslim Brandishes Gun Outside of Conference 

4 | UNITED STATES A Muslim man named Ehab Abdulmutta Jaber 

is facing a felony terror charge after making threats outside of a 

Christian conference, the Worldview Weekend conference, in South 

Dakota. Jaber took to Facebook Live just outside of the conference, 

where he showed off several guns and threatened viewers 

to “be scared.” Security officers approached Jaber as he was seen 

recording the conference from his phone to inform him that filming 

videos of the event is not permitted. The conference featured 

Shahram Hadian, a Christian pastor and former Muslim. Some critics 

denounced the event as “Islamoph.bic.” 

Churches in India see increased attacks under Prime Minister 

Modi’s leadership. 

India Church Attacked Three Times in Five Days 

5 | INDIA Within a span of five days, between May 3 and May 7, 

a church in India was attacked by Hindu radicals on three separate 

occasions. Although the police were called each time, the pastor 

reports that no arrests have been made yet. During one incident, 

the pastor and church members were forced to sign an agreement 

to not hold services unless given specific permission. In addition 

to the harassment that the churchgoers faced, church property was 

damaged during the attack. Attacks of this nature have steadily 

increased since the rise to power of the BJP, led by Prime Minister 

Modi (pictured), in 2014. 

Christian Lawyer in Pakistan Receives Death Threats 

6 | PAKISTAN A Christian high court lawyer in Pakistan, Jacqueline Sultan, 

recently received death threats for her work on behalf of minorities. Specifically, 

she has spoken out against forced conversions among female religious minorities. 

Sultan’s most recent threat warned her to abandon her work or else be 

killed. She brought the threat to the attention of local authorities, who are now 

reviewing the matter. 

Several human rights groups have condemned these threats and called for 

increased security for Sultan amid these concerns. Pakistani Christians, particularly 

women, continue to face the threat of kidnapping and forced conversion 

to Islam due to their status as a “double minority.” According to the Movement 

for Solidarity and Peace in Pakistan, approximately 700 women and girls are 

kidnapped, forcibly converted, and married off to their captors each year. 



Jacqueline Sultan, Christian lawyer in Pakistan. 

7

Your Dollar$ at Work 

Support for 

Families of 

Imprisoned 

Pastors 

Suffering Wives & Children 

hristians in China face the daily 

C threat of persecution for their faith. 

They are frequently deprived of their 

freedoms, beaten, harassed and imprisoned 

for standing for Christ. For the past 

several years, ICC has provided financial 

assistance to the families of 10 Christian 

pastors who are victims of persecution, 

all of whom have served time in Chinese 

prisons for their faith. 

Thanks to the commitment and support 

of our donors, we have been able to assist 

these families with their court fees, living 

expenses, and government-imposed 

fines. The 10 families are very grateful 

for the support and encouragement that 

they have received through ICC, which is 

merely a reflection of God’s compassion 

expressed through your donations. 

One of the wives remarked, “I thank 

our Heavenly Father for His protection; 

may He give you faith and love, so that 

you stand fast in the Lord…Dear brothers 

and sisters, you are amazing people… 

May God bless you!” 

Let’s remember to pray for the spiritual, 

financial and physical well-being of 

these families that risk their lives to practice 

their faith and to share the Gospel. 

Creative Commons image by 

Flickr user Keith Tan 




Supporting 

Pakistani Pastors 

Underground Pastors 

Many underground pastors live in absolute 

poverty with little to no income 

by which they can support their families. 

Most often, such pastors are forced to work 

long, grueling hours to bring food home for 

their children, thus limiting the time they 

have for ministry. 

Sunny is an underground pastor in 

Pakistan. He has dedicated his life to service 

for the Lord. Because of his commitment 

to full-time ministry, in which he 

receives very little compensation, he is 

unable to find time to work. 

With the help of our generous donors, we 

have been able to support Pastor Sunny with 

a monthly income since February 2013. He 

has seen considerable growth in his churches, 

almost doubling his church membership. 

He’s also added 18 new church leaders, and 

sees about 12 people come to salvation each 

month. 



Small Business for 

Christian in India 

Community Rebuild 

In India, there were almost double the number 

of attacks reported against Christians 

in 2016 compared to 2015. From deadly 

assaults to social boycotts, Christians are 

struggling to survive in this country. 

In October 2016, Hindu villagers boycotted 

Daiwik and his wife, Abhaya, for 

following Jesus. The two faced extensive 

abuse and persecution, including harassment 

by Hindu radicals, intimidation, hunger, 

beatings, and job loss. It has been very 

difficult for them to endure, but through 

everything, they have remained faithful to 

the Lord. 

Daiwik and Abhaya wanted to start a 

motorbike repair shop. However, they 

lacked start-up funding. With your donations, 

we were able to provide the necessary 

equipment to launch their small business, 

including an air compressor, tool kit, and 

a shed. 

Indonesia Lamp 

Project 

Underground Pastors 

U 

nderground pastors in one country face 

many challenges in evangelism, including 

suspicion from neighbors regarding their 

ministry work. Many are questioned about 

their income without a perceivable job. This 

perception makes it difficult for pastors to 

reach new communities and some have even 

been ambushed because of it. 

In order to combat this threat, we are 

establishing cover businesses for several pastors. 

Thanks to your help, we are purchasing 

lamps for the pastors to sell in the various 

communities. This cover business ensures 

safe entry so that they can visit villages without 

the threat of suspicion or harassment. 

Selling lamps will allow them to accomplish 

their main objective of spreading the Gospel 

and bringing people to Christ. Furthermore, 

it will also allow them to continue to visit 

villages to disciple new followers and subsequently 

establish a community of believers. 

9

Bibles to Pastor Naasih 

Bibles to the Persecuted 

Pastor Naasih and his outreach team had visited their third village of 

the day. They were headed down the road to a village to preach the 

Gospel and distribute Bibles when Hindu radicals violently attacked 

them and burned their materials. The mob was out of control and the 

authorities were unwilling to step in. 

We found out about the attack on Pastor Naasih and wanted to assist 

his ministry. We provided Bibles and other literature so that Pastor 

Naasih and his church have the tools necessary to continue their ministry. 

Pastor Naasih expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank you so much 

for standing with me in the times of trouble and difficult situation, and 

providing the assistance to buy those items that are essential for the 

Church work. I feel that I am part of the larger family and there are 

people who are concerned for people who go through persecution.” 

Your generosity has helped spread the Gospel to communities that do 

not have access to the Word of God. 

Gospel Radio to Somalia 

Broadcasting the Gospel 

I 

CC supports outreach and evangelism to Somalia through the 

internet and radio. 

The main objective is to build strong relationships with listeners 

through digital and social media marketing in order to help them better 

understand the Gospel. Even though this project has faced trials 

since the beginning, God has provided a skilled workforce and the 

necessary funds. 

Our financial support has allowed for the production of various new 

programs as well as the increase and reach of stations beyond their 

targeted area, with many new listeners coming to accept Christ. 

Let’s remember to pray for the protection of the staff members 

who spread the Gospel and for the listeners who are hungry for 

Christ. 


Muslim Discipleship 

Broadcasting the Gospel 

We have partnered with one of the few Muslim outreach ministries 

in Egypt to spread the Gospel to Muslims living in the country. 

The ministry team focuses on evangelism to Muslims though radio, 

website, chat rooms, and other internet correspondence. Seven fulltime 

employees run this ministry; however, most of the employees are 

volunteers due to limited funding. These staff members are crucial to 

the operation of ministry. 

Because of your generosity, since May 2013, we have been able to 

fund two media staff members, which allows consistent and creative 

outreach ministry to reach Egyptian Muslims with the Gospel. While 

evangelism is their main focus, also have a variety of other outreach 

programs: training and development, media, programs for children, 

curriculum and tools, social work, and spiritual life programs. 




Egyptian Widows 

Receive Assistance 

Suffering Wives and Children 

Many Egyptians unable to find work in Upper Egypt due 

to marginalization and discrimination travel to Libya 

where they find work and better pay. Such was the journey of 

three Coptic Christian brothers, Ammon, Wasfy, and Sabry. 

They went to Libya to work in the field of construction. 

Unfortunately for Ammon and Wasfy, it was their last job. 

They were kidnapped by Islamic extremists and shot in the 

head in the Libyan Desert. 

The widows moved in with their father-in-law, but without 

their husbands they had no way to support themselves. We 

were able to provide a goat business that enabled them to 

create a sustainable income for themselves and their fatherin-law. 

“My two sons [were] martyred on the Name of Jesus Christ. 

They kept the faith until the last breath. They didn’t renounce 

their faith, they enjoy with Jesus in Heaven now and that comforts 

us. May God bless you ICC and bless your great services.” 

Your generosity makes it possible for the wives of these 

two martyred men to be able to provide for their family. 


Gifts to Victims of ISIS 

Suffering Wives and Children 

O 

n April 19, 2015, ISIS radicals released yet another video of 

Christians being executed. The video showed the beheading and 

shooting of at least 33 Ethiopian Christians in southern and eastern 

Libya. 

Sadly, in addition to the grief of losing a loved one to violence, 

the families of these victims also lost their primary providers, adding 

to the already extensive list of challenges of living as a religious 

minority in their country. Therefore, we decided to provide some 

support to these families that were still grieving the loss of their 

loved ones on a very special holiday. Thanks to the prayers and 

assistance of our donors, we were able to provide food and supplies 

for each family to have a proper and cheerful Christmas dinner. 

Additionally, we provided gifts for the children of the 33 martyrs to 

encourage and support these suffering families. 

The implementation of this small, but significant project served as a 

reminder to us and these families that God is always in control and never 

forgets his children. Let’s pray for our brothers and sisters overseas, who 

are ever vulnerable to these types of attacks, but continue to spread the 

Gospel. Remember to ask God for His provision and protection for these 

families that are victims of radical terrorists and other persecutors. 



11

Impact Report 

WHERE MOST 

NEEDED 

FUND BALANCE: 

HAND OF HOPE 

FUND BALANCE: 

UNDERGROUND 

PASTORS 

FUND BALANCE: 

low medium high 

low medium high low medium high 

2017 Q1 2017 Q1 

2017 Q1 

PROJECTS PROJECTS PROJECTS 

A key aspect of ICC’s ministry is connecting 

the Western Church to the persecuted. 

One way of doing this is through 

our annual pastors’ trip. Earlier this year, 

we brought several American pastors to 

Egypt to learn about persecution firsthand. 

During this trip, the pastors discovered 

the history of Christianity in Egypt and 

visited prominent locations in Egypt’s 

Christian history. Most notably, they were 

able to meet with Christians who are currently 

suffering under persecution. The 

pastors were able to learn about their ministry 

firsthand, worship together, and pray 

together. We also checked in on several 

local projects while we were there. 

Upon the conclusion of the trip, the 

pastors expressed how impactful the trip 

was to them personally. While it’s important 

to read the news and stay informed 

about persecution around the world, it 

is life-changing to witness it firsthand. 

These pastors will be able to take their 

experiences and the information they have 

learned back to the US and determine the 

most effective ways for their congregations 

to support persecuted Christians. If 

you are interested in participating in next 

year’s annual pastors’ trip, please visit 

page 35 for more information. 

Vietnamese Christians who have fled to 

Thailand are often treated poorly by the 

Thai government—considered illegal 

immigrants despite their refugee status. 

Many are blatantly denied the right to 

work, while some who are able to find 

employment are subsequently imprisoned. 

However, it is essential that these families 

find the means to afford the basic expenses 

of day-to-day life. 

In order to aid these refugees in earning 

a steady income without fear of discrimination, 

ICC helped several women set up 

a textile business to support their families. 

We purchased the raw materials and 

building space for these women to operate 

their business, and also helped provide the 

training necessary for the women to create 

and sell their products. 

As a result, 15 Hmong Christian women 

have learned artistic sewing skills which 

they use to create canvas bags, pillows, 

embroidered pocket designs, Christmas 

decorations, and notebooks. When they 

sell these products to the public, they 

receive the full profit which they use to 

provide for their families. 

This program has proven very successful 

and our goal is to eventually expand it 

so that more women can benefit from this 

business. 

As Hindu radicals gain more influence in 

India, Christian pastors face increasing 

violence and discrimination. In response, 

ICC hosted a persecution preparedness 

training which taught 23 pastors in 

Telangana, India, proactive techniques 

to face persecution and continue their 

ministry. Among the 23 in attendance, six 

different denominations were represented 

along with several independent churches. 

Holding the training in Telangana was 

especially significant because Christians 

in this region have faced the most severe 

persecution of any other state in southern 

India. The two-part training session taught 

attendees how to advocate for themselves 

using India’s religious freedom law, as 

well as an overview of India’s penal codes 

and criminal procedure codes. 

Christians living in rural India are often 

uneducated about their legal freedoms, 

and are thus taken advantage of by both 

attackers and authorities. Due to the fact 

that the majority of attendees were pastors, 

they will be able to take this knowledge 

and effectively share it with other 

local Christians in their congregations. 

This training has armed and equipped 

the pastors to more effectively spread the 

Gospel in a country with ever-increasing 

persecution. 




Impact Report 

SUFFERING WIVES 

AND CHILDREN 

FUND BALANCE: 

COMMUNITY 

REBUILD 

FUND BALANCE: 

HOPE HOUSE 

FUND BALANCE: 




2017 Q1 2017 Q1 

2017 Q1 

PROJECTS PROJECTS PROJECTS 

Families that have been forced to flee 

their homes because of persecution deal 

with more than their fair share of physical 

and emotional hurdles. One of the most 

damaging, long-lasting effects of persecution 

in a child’s life occurs when they 

are forced to abandon their education. 

As children escape the violence in their 

hometowns, their education is brought to 

a halt, limiting their future job opportunities 

and continuing the cycle of poverty 

and oppression. 

In January 2017, ICC opened a school 

in an internally displaced persons (IDP) 

camp in Nigeria for those who have 

been displaced due to attacks by Boko 

Haram. In this school, students receive 

an education based on a curriculum of 

mathematics, science, and English. These 

subjects teach the students essential skills 

which will make them more marketable 

as employees as they enter the workforce, 

thus escaping the cycle of generational 

persecution. With the help of generous 

donors, we purchased and delivered textbooks 

and the necessary materials for the 

teachers and 28 children in the program. 

Through this new school, thankfully, 

these families are able to rest secure in 

the fact that their children are obtaining 

a quality education with long-lasting 

impact. 



When ISIS attacked the predominantly 

Christian town of Qeraqosh, Iraq, in 

2014, thousands of Christianswere forced 

to flee, leaving behind not only their 

homes, but their livelihoods as well. 

In response, ICC has helped start several 

small businesses so that displaced 

Christians families can begin to support 

themselves again. One of these businesses 

includes a copy shop for a man named 

Samer and his family. 

Samer, his wife, and their two teenage 

children were among those who fled 

Qeraqosh in the summer of 2014. After 

bouncing around to several locations and 

a year of living in Erbil, Samer was 

still unable to find consistent work. In 

response, we funded a microfinance project 

so that he could open up a copy shop 

outside of a local library. We worked 

together with this family to purchase 

the materials he needed to operate this 

business, including a laminator, camera, 

laptop, printer, photocopier, generator, 

and batteries. 

This copy shop will not only help 

Samer support his family with day-to-day 

expenses, but also allow him to send his 

children to school. Small businesses of 

this nature help these families get back on 

their feet financially, and also allow them 

to do so with dignity. 

Following generations of discrimination 

in Egypt, Christians have found themselves 

in the lowest rung of society, often 

socially abandoned and denied access to 

quality jobs and education. In response to 

the ongoing systemic persecution facing 

Christians in Egypt, ICC opened its first 

Hope House in late 2016. 

Now, 92 Christian students are being 

tutored in mathematics, English, and 

Arabic so that they receive the supplemental 

support they need to build a quality 

education. Those who go through this 

program will learn marketable skills so 

that they are better equipped to end the 

cycle of persecution in the workplace. 

Furthermore, ICC is also in the process 

of hiring computer teachers so that older 

students may gain computer skills that are 

crucial in the digital age. There are a total 

of 14 classes offered to students at both 

primary and secondary levels. We plan to 

expand the program to reach even more 

Christian students. 

In addition to the tutoring assistance, 

we are helping several of these families 

financially by providing microfinance 

loans and vocational training. This holistic 

approach to healing the wounds of 

persecution seeks to address the root 

causes of persecution and end the cycle of 

oppression in this community. 

13

KIDNAPPINGS 

& FORCED 

CONVERSIONS 

Christian women 

around the world face 

abductions and attacks 

every day. 

By Amy Penn 

Imagine that you are a young teenage girl living somewhere 

like Nigeria, Egypt, or Pakistan. Imagine that 

you’re going about your daily life – perhaps you’re 

attending school, shopping at the market, or working 

to help your family survive. Because you’re a 

Christian though, life is challenging as you and your 

family experience discrimination and hatred at work, 

home, and school, but you persevere. 

One day, a Muslim man approaches you and 

demeans your faith and calls you an infidel. He tells 

you that you are too pretty to be a Christian and pressures you 

to convert to Islam. 

But you keep walking, head down, trying to keep the annoyance 

from escalating into something truly frightening. But then, 

in broad daylight, in the middle of your neighborhood teeming 

with neighbors and police, he and another man grab you and 

throw you into the back of a car. 

Immediately, a bag is put over your head and everything goes 

dark. You’re in a moving vehicle, surrounded by men defiling 

your religion, calling you names and touching you. You’ve 

heard of this happening to other girls and women, but now it’s 

happening to you. The worst part is that you know the rest of the 

story and are in terror of the hell you about to descend into, and 

all you can think is, “This can’t be happening to me.” 

When you arrive at your destination, the men remove your 

blindfold. The first man who approached you again demands 

that you convert to Islam. When you refuse, he and the others 

begin to verbally and physically abuse you. They strip off your 

clothes and then begin to rape you…over and over again. 

They threaten to kill your family, but you still refuse. When 

they see how stubborn you are, they remind you of the shame 

you will face when you return home. To your family and 




neighbors, you are dirty and ruined. No one 

will want to marry you. Eventually, beaten 

down to nothing, overwhelmed with pain, 

grief, and shame, you finally say the words 

they have demanded, but that you never 

could have imagined you’d say. . .“There 

is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the 

messenger of Allah.” 

Then, in a final act of tragedy, you’re 

forced to marry your rapist and spend your 

life in service to him. 

Your parents, upon learning about your 

disappearance, run to the police to register 

a complaint and press charges. 

They know who kidnapped you because 

multiple bystanders witnessed the abduction 

and are now talking about it. In fact, 

your kidnapper has bragged about his new 

trophy. It should be an open and shut case. 

But the police ignore your parents. 

They delay investigations, and falsify 

evidence. Sometimes they participate in 

your abuse since, like your abductor, they 

are Muslims, and in their eyes, once you’ve 

confessed the shahada (“There is no god but 

Allah”), you are a Muslim for life. Your rapist, 

in their eyes, has saved you from being 

an infidel. 

This case is unfortunately not fictional, 

but is a composite of several cases. 

Tragically, it is in fact a regular occurrence. 

Hundreds, if not thousands, of 

girls and women experience a similar 

hell each year. 

There are differences in the cases – the 

Chibok girls, for example, were kidnapped 

in a group of almost 300 girls instead of 

individually – but the terror, torture, and 

tragedy doesn’t change. 

From Pakistan to Nigeria, India to 

Egypt, the kidnapping, rape, forced conversion 

and marriage of Christian girls has 

been going on for more than a thousand 

years, but these cases are escalating. 

The media rarely reports accurately on 

disappearances and forced conversions and 

that opaque reporting makes it difficult to 

gather data on the scale of forced conversions; 

yet as a persecution ministry, we 

hear enough accounts from broken parents 

to paint a gruesome picture of what occurs. 

Our hearts break for these girls and their 

families as most of them, once abducted, 

are lost to their families forever. Some do 

escape and we help protect them, aid them, 

or seek legal remedies. 

But most of them are remembered only 

by their cries as they are taken forever. 

Christian girls in fundamentalist Muslim 

countries are at risk for kidnapping, rape, and 

forced marriage/conversion. In the following 

pages, you will read firsthand accounts of real 

victims and their families that ICC interviewed. 

From the three-year long wait for the 

return of the Chibok girls (pg. 18) to the lost 

girls of Egypt (pg. 22) and Pakistan (pg. 24), 

you will learn how systemic injustice (pg. 26) 

and radical Islam (pg. 28) contribute to and 

undergird this most heinous form of persecution. 

You will also see how we aid the few that 

do escape and work proactively to empower 

Christian girls and young women so they are 

not vulnerable (pg. 32) and can live long and 

safe lives as they would choose. 

Maryam Mushtaq made international headlines when, like so many others, she was stuffed in a van on her way home from class. 



15

Women are specifically targeted for kidnappings 

Their stories have gone untold, and their pain has been kep 

special ICC investigation 

NIGERIA 

EGY 

“The day they were abducted…was a 

day of wailing,” lamented Ntakai, the father 

of one of the kidnapped Chibok 

girls. “Since that day, grief 

overwhelmed us.” Pg. 18 

“They clothed me [i 

and tried to convert m 

times, but I refused,” 

“They were attackin 

beating me 




and forced conversions in these three countries. 

pt a secret. Until now. The following three articles detail a 

into the subject matter. 

PT 

PAKISTAN 

[in] a black cloak 

me to Islam many 

,” Sandy told ICC. 

ng, torturing and 

e.” Pg. 22 

“Muslim men…entered my 

house, abused us, and kidnapped 

Humaira, dragging her to a car in the 

street,” recalled 

Sajid to ICC. Pg. 24 



17

BEYOND 

THE 

HASHTAG 




NIGERIA 

By Amy Penn 

A series of recorded cellphone calls 

between Yama (one of the kidnapped 

Chibok girls) and her father. 

8:00 PM, APRIL 14, 2014 

Yama: Daddy, something bad is happening 

in town. 

Dauda: Why don’t you flee? 

Yama: We are already trapped here. 

Dauda: By who? 

Yama: We don’t know who they are! 

Dauda: Tell me more. 

Yama: I can’t…they will kill me… 

[Phone call abruptly ends] 

11:00 PM, APRIL 14, 2014 

Yama: They are taking us away. 

Dauda: Which way? 

Yama: Towards Damboa. 

Dauda: Can you escape? 

Yama: No… 

[Yama hangs up again] 

12:20 AM, APRIL 15, 2014 

Yama: They’re loading us into 

trucks… 

[Yama hangs up] 

2:00 AM, APRIL 15, 2014 

Yama: They’re taking us out of the 

trucks and putting us into a smaller 

car. 

Dauda: Can’t you run away? 

Yama: No, we’re already in the 

trucks. They’re covering us with 

leaves, I don’t understand this… 

[Yama hangs up for the last time] 

Yama was 17 when she was abducted 

with 275 other girls from a school in 

Chibok, Nigeria. She is among the 

172 who are still missing. 



Since Boko Haram kidnapped 

276 school-age 

girls from a school in 

Chibok, Nigeria, we’ve 

somehow forgotten 

about the families. 

#BringBackOurGirls 

didn’t tell us the struggle 

and despair families 

felt when they learned 

that their daughters were gone. We don’t 

know how the families have responded to the 

release of their daughters or the frustration 

they feel that the girls are not yet home. We 

don’t know the agony of some of the families 

still waiting for their daughters. 

This month, we talked to the parents. This 

is their story. 

The Parents 

Maryamu was among the 276 girls taken 

from Chibok on April 14, 2014. 

Wavi is Maryamu’s father. He told ICC, 

“The night they were abducted, we [the family] 

heard gun shots so we fled to the bush,” 

trusting that their daughter would be safe 

behind the school’s walls. “The next day, we 

returned and one girl told us that our girls had 

been abducted. Maryamu was among them.” 

We asked Wavi what he and his family felt 

after they learned of Maryamu’s kidnapping. 

“Our hearts were grieved,” Wavi responded. 

“But we declared that God was alive; we will 

be patient.” 

Musa, the father of 16-year-old Palmata, 

told us, “I went to the school and saw their 

clothing scattered, my heart was cut. I wept 

profusely.” Ntakai, Hauwa’s father, remembered 

that “the day they were abducted…was 

a day of wailing. Since that day, grief overwhelmed 

us whenever I see [the schoolgirls’] 

friends. For me, I lost my appetite.” 

Comfort’s father, Bulus, told us that 

“our hearts were so distressed in the house. 

Sometimes…her younger siblings would 

ask,‘Where is Comfort? How is she?’” The 

only answer parents had was, “I don’t know.” 

Almost immediately after the kidnapping, 

54 of the girls escaped. But since then, recovering 

the girls has been a slow process. The 

next girl was not discovered until spring 2016, 

when Amina Nekeki and her baby were found 

wandering outside of Boko Haram’s stronghold. 

Her mother, Binta, told us that Amina 

was 16 when she was kidnapped. When Binta 

saw her daughter for the first time, “I shouted, 

‘Amina’ and started crying. Then my daughter 

told me not to cry because I saw her alive.” 

For the next several months, families waited 

and hoped until October 2016, when Boko 

Haram released 21 more girls. In May 2017, 

Boko Haram traded 82 girls in exchange 

for several militants. These releases have 

given hope to families, but a month after 

their release, families are becoming frustrated 

again. 

Released…Or Not? 

Wavi remembers how he heard of his 

daughter’s release. “Later in the night, as I lay 

down, my phone rang. I picked it up.” It was 

his brother. “What is it?” demanded Wavi. 

“By the grace of God, Maryamu is among 

them [the 82 freed girls],” replied his brother. 

“I couldn’t sleep anymore! I just kept 

singing till dawn. Then I went and told my 

mother…When we saw her photograph, I 

couldn’t eat for joy. It is a thing of happiness. 

When one relies on God, He preserves.” 

Naomi was the eighth of Yaga and Rebecca’s 

ten children. Rebecca told us, “When I heard 

that 82 girls were released. I was so thankful 

to God…but then I began to doubt if this was 

true. ‘Could this really be true?’ I thought to 

myself. I was so confused. But I am thankful 

to God. So grateful.” 

19

Feature Article 

ICC staff sat and prayed for a quick 

return and healing with parents of 

the missing Chibok girls. 

Reverend Billi and the other 

families believe that the girls 

should have been released 

and allowed to continue 

their education in Christian 

schools. “We are unhappy 

that the girls are still being 

held.” 

No one knows why the 

government has not released 

the girls. 

Yaga echoed his wife’s gratitude, 

“Now our joy is overwhelming! Like 

I should stand and jump up because 

of the joy!” 

Despite the joy surrounding the 

recent release of 82 girls, confusion 

still exists. 

Reverend Joel Billi, a pastor who 

works in Chibok, told us that none 

of the girls have been released from 

the government’s custody to the parents. 

In fact, the girls have never 

been home. The government transports 

parents to government facilities 

where they meet with their daughters 

under official supervision. 

“Security forces eavesdrop and… 

have time limits on family visits…we 

are concerned for the girls’ spiritual 

well-being,” reveals Rev. Billi. “The 

girls are still in captivity because no 

one has free access to them.” After 

the government administered the 

proper medical care, Reverend Billi 

and the other families believe that the 

girls should have been released and 

allowed to continue their education 

in Christian schools. “We are unhappy 

that the girls are still being held.” 

No one knows why the government 

has not released the girls. Some 

families believe that there is a “skeleton 

in the [government’s] closet,” 

so they are trying to ensure the girls’ 

silence. Others worry that the girls 

have been brainwashed and could 

be sleeper cells for Boko Haram. 

Perhaps the government is providing 

legitimate medical care or questioning 

the girls to see what they know 

and don’t know. 

This mixture of joy and confusion 

haunts the Chibok families whose 

girls have been released. As they try 

to understand why their daughters 

are not at home with them, other 

parents, like Dauda, still await their 

daughters’ release. Dauda wept as he 

told us how his hope crashed when 

he learned that his daughter was not a 

part of the 82 exchanged girls. 

Still Missing 

“When the names of the recently 




Feature Article 

Some of the 82 Chibok girls who Boko Haram exchanged in May 2017. 

freed girls were released and ours 

was not among them, we felt distressed. 

Pray for us,” Dauda stated. 

“There’s nothing we can do. When 

we fall sick and visit the hospital, 

we are told we have issues with 

high blood pressure. I didn’t previously 

have issues with high blood 

pressure.” 

Galang Pogu, Rifkatu’s father, 

asserts, that “It is normal for 

thoughts to run through our minds 

as to why our own daughter has 

not been released…we are praying 

every day, hoping that God will 

release them.” 

Some parents don’t have to wonder 

what happened to their missing 

daughters. They’re taunted about 

the girls’ fate. The same phone 

that Yama used to call her father, 

Dauda, during the kidnapping, is 

now in the hands of her captor. 

“Till this day, the phone number of 

my daughter is still active. We get 

calls [from the number] and are 

insulted…” 

We asked him what kind of calls 

he receives. “The man tells me 

she [Yama] is his wife, blah, blah, 

blah, that’s what he says to me… 

this bothers me a lot.” 

When we asked Dauda if he had 

given Yama’s phone number to the 

authorities, he said that “the phone 

number has been collected from me 

for some investigations, but I don’t 

know the position of things…” 

Would he ever change the number 

to end the torturous calls? “As 

long as they are calling from my 

daughter’s number, even if I will 

be killed…I won’t change my own 

phone number.” 

What Now? 

For the parents of the released 

girls, they spend their days in 

thanksgiving and gratitude. “We 

are grateful to missionary organizations 

who came [to our village]…We 

are so thankful a thousand 

times. They kept praying for 

us, sympathized and encouraged 

us; we are grateful,” rejoiced 



“Till this day, the phone number of my 

daughter is still active. We get calls [from 

the number] and are insulted…” 

– DAUDA, FATHER OF MISSING CHIBOK GIRL 

Bulus Bwata. 

Many families also thanked the 

Nigerian government and President 

Buhari for their efforts, which 

“through God’s help” are seeing 

results. To the people around the 

world who prayed and supported 

the girls, the families say ‘thank 

you’ and assured us that they will 

“present them to God.” 

Difficulties remain, however. 

Binta Nkeki, Amina’s mother 

recalled how she and her son “reprimanded” 

Amina, slapping her, 

when they found out she had converted 

to Islam. “Why would you 

go back to Islam…after mother 

brought us to Christianity?” 

demanded Amina’s brother. 

Navigating the spiritual reconciliation 

of the forcefully converted 

girls back into their predominantly 

Christian families and villages will 

be challenging. 

Furthermore some of these 

girls left as teenagers but have 

returned as mothers. These babies 

are reminders of the trauma and 

devastation experienced by both 

the girls and their families for the 

last three years. Will these children 

be forever associated with Boko 

Haram’s atrocities toward hundreds 

of men, women, and children? 

Will the babies be accepted 

or shunned? 

For the parents of girls still 

missing, they grieve and pray. 

Yes, they rejoice for the families 

whose daughters are no longer in 

Boko Haram’s custody, but are 

more acutely aware of their daughters’ 

absence. “Those of us whose 

daughters are not yet freed…now 

have greater grief….that’s where 

we are,” admitted Yaga. “We are 

still pleading with God to free 

them, if they are still alive…may 

God grant our desires. That’s what 

we want.” 

Parents like Galang, Yaga, and 

Dauda “ask for more prayers” 

from people like you because “we 

have no more strength to bear it.” 

21

Profile 

EGYPT 

LIVING IN FEAR 

For years, ICC has kept a 

close record of kidnappings 

in Egypt. Among 

these cases, many are 

instances of young women 

being abducted and forcefully 

converted to Islam. 

Most of these Christian 

women and girls never 

return to their families. 

Most become slaves to their captors for the 

rest of their lives. In the following article, you 

will read the personal accounts of two such 

women, one who escaped this harsh fate, and 

one who did not. 

Mary, 18 

“I bear witness there is no god but Allah,” 

a young woman’s voices chillingly echoes 

across the television screen. The video shows 

a young woman, shrouded in black, speaking 

quietly, but clearly, almost as if she had 

rehearsed the lines. 

According to her family, Mary was kidnapped 

at gunpoint from her front porch on 

May 1, 2016. Family members rushed to the 

front door at the sound of her screams, but 

were stopped by indiscriminate gunfire. She 

was 18 years old at the time. 

“After it happened, we headed immediately 

to Girga police station and filed a formal 

complaint,” Emad Wahib, Mary’s cousin, 

explained. “We accused a young Muslim 

man named Islam Ahmed of kidnapping her, 

because he had attacked her before.” 

Police asked for two days to investigate 

the matter before making any arrests, but 

the Wahib family could not wait that long. 

Instead, they, along with many other Coptic 

Christians, hosted a demonstration outside 

of the police station in a desperate attempt to 

bring attention to Mary’s plight. 

On May 4, three days after she was taken, 

the video clip of Mary surfaced on Facebook. 

In it, she revealed her name, age, and location, 

as well as her decision to convert to 

Islam. She emphasized that she had not been 

kidnapped and that her conversion was by her 

own will. 

“I bear witness there is no god but 

Allah,” she concluded. “I bear witness that 

Muhammad is his messenger.” 

According to testimonies from other 

Christian women who were kidnapped and 

forcefully converted to Islam in Egypt, the 

truth behind Mary’s conversion could be more 

sinister. Many of these women have reported 

being repeatedly beaten and raped by their 

captors, who were videotaping the atrocious 

acts all along. When the women refused to 

“I braced up 

myself and 

walked until 

someone found 

me,” said Sandy. 

convert to Islam, their kidnappers threatened 

to publish the humiliating footage online, 

leaving the victims little choice but to submit. 

It’s been more than a year since Mary 

was taken. While her family continues to 

desperately search for her, they refused to 

speak further with us on the matter as these 

cases are often shrouded in scandal and 

grave repercussions. 

Sandy, 16 

In April 2016, Sandy, age 16, left her 

house at 4:30 p.m. to go shopping with her 

aunt for new Easter clothes. Sandy never 

reached her destination. 

“I went to the mobile shop before going to 

my aunt,” Sandy later recounted. “While I was 




Recent Cases 

from Egypt 

When Christian women are 

kidnapped, they are forced to live 

out their lives under the strict and 

degrading rules of Islam. 

Creative Commons image by Flickr user 

Ksenia Mikhaylov. 

Case #2288 – Noura 

21 years old. Kidnapped Wednesday, 

April 20, 2016. Husband accuses 

Moustafa Sayed based on previous 

harassment and neighbor’s testimony. 

Police found no evidence or need for 

investigation. Still missing. 

Case #2545 – Amal 

19 years old. Missing since Sunday, 

March 27, 2016. Student at Cairo 

University. Previously kidnapped on 

April 4, 2011 and found by family on 

April 20, 2011. Assailant’s verdict not 

executed. Still missing. 

Case #4169 – Mariam 

16 years old. Kidnapped by Ahmed 

Gamal Ahmed Gadallah on Thursday, 

May 12, 2016. Located and released 

on Thursday, May 26, 2016 after 

kidnapper called father for ransom. 

Returned home. 

Case #6142 - Marian 

20 years old. Disappeared Monday, 

August 5, 2016. Investigation pending. 

Still missing. 

Case #15345 - Nada 

26 years old. Mother of two. Kidnapped 

on Saturday, July 30, 2016. 

Husband accuses Ahmed Samir Mahrous. 

No investigation. Still missing. 

Case #3458 - Nermin 

21 years old. Disappeared Tuesday, 

May 16, 2017. Student at Beni Suef 

University. Still missing. 

leaving...a beard[ed] man hit me on my head, 

and I then passed out.” 

When Sandy never arrived at her aunt’s house, 

her family searched the streets for her. The crude 

reality for Christians in Egypt looks much like 

this: relatives and friends alike searching in 

hospitals and alleyways hoping to recover their 

loved ones. 

On Tuesday, April 19, Sandy’s grandfather 

reported the disappearance to the Helwan police 

station. Sandy’s case was filed under report 

number 5696. 

At the same time, in a remote mountain location, 

Sandy woke up to find herself surrounded 

by older Muslim men. 

“They clothed me [in] a black cloak and 



tried to convert me to Islam many times, but I 

refused,” Sandy told ICC. “They were attacking, 

torturing, and beating me.” 

The men relentlessly assaulted Sandy for her 

entire two-week captivity. After each beating, 

Sandy would pass out until they woke her up 

again to continue. 

On May 3, Sandy awoke to being thrown 

from a truck in the middle of nowhere. 

“I braced up myself and walked until someone 

found me,” she recalled. 

A shop owner from Abassia, Cairo, was driving 

along the road when he saw Sandy. Noticing 

her distress, the man offered his phone for her to 

call her family. 

“When I heard Sandy’s voice, the tears fell 

from my eyes,” her mother recalled. “I thanked 

God for answering our prayers.” 

While Sandy survived her kidnapping, her 

assailants have not been pursued by local authorities. 

According to her family and neighbors, she 

has recovered well, picking up the pieces of her 

life and moving forward once again. 

Christians comprise only 10 percent of Egypt’s 

population, but they are entitled to equal protection 

under the law. It is an obscene injustice that 

their cries for justice are ignored and that these 

girls are nothing more than case numbers to 

authorities. No woman or girl should fear for 

their safety because of their gender and religion. 

Yet they still do. 

23

PAKISTAN 

“I WANT MY SISTER BACK” 

By William Stark 

“ 

Humaira is my sister-in-law, 

a dentist 

by profession, 

and a very dedicated 

Christian,” 

Sajid, a Christian 

in Pakistan’s Sindh 

Province recently 

told International 

Christian Concern 

(ICC). “She has a heart full of charity. I am 

so proud of her.” 

“It was an ordinary evening,” Sajid recalled, 

thinking back to the day Humaira first went 

missing. “The sun was about to set and everyone 

was moving home from their offices and 

other stations. I was also on my way home 

when I stopped at a department store to purchase 

some stuff for my daughter.” 

“I was about to pay at the cash counter when 

I received a telephone call from Humaira’s 

cell number,” Sajid explained. “I picked it up, 

but was shocked because I heard a male voice 

ordering me ‘not to follow him or search for 

Humaira.’ The caller said, ‘Humaira is in my 

custody.’” 

“I was stunned,” Sajid said. “I felt the building 

would collapse. My senses almost stopped 

working when the caller said, ‘You will be 

alleged for committing blasphemy against Islam 

if you take legal proceedings against me.’” 

“Humaira had been kidnapped,” Sajid stated 

flatly, recalling that moment. “Four armed 

Muslim men took her when she left her clinic. 

It was October 22, 2012.” 

“The news was like a bomb for her parents 

and my wife,” Sajid continued, visibly upset 

by the memory. “It affected all of us.” 

Taking a sip of water to steady himself, Sajid 

continued, saying, “It was an unbearable situation 

for the family. I had no strength to decide 

what to do. It was the moment when I felt that 

Pakistan is an unsafe country for Christians. It 

was like mourning a death in the family.” 

As Humaira was kidnapped, converted, 

and married to one of her abductors, Sajid 

reported the incident to local police, but, like 

most cases of forced conversion, found the 

authorities not only unhelpful, but actually 

working against him as he tried to bring his 

sister-in-law home. 

“My application to the police station 

regarding Humaira’s kidnapping was not 

even entertained by the policeman,” Sajid 

explained. “I was shocked and disappointed 

“The news was like a 

bomb for her parents 

and my wife,” Sajid 

continued, visibly 

upset by the memory. 

“It affected all of us.” 

-SAJID 

when I received a call from an officer stating, 

‘We are closing Humaira’s complaint file; we 

could not do anything because Humaira has 

converted to Islam. Let her live her life.’” 

When all felt lost, Sajid’s family was 

shocked to see Humaria show up on their 

doorstep. “Our sorrows turned into happiness 

and laughter when Humaira returned home 

after about eight months of captivity,” Sajid 

remembered. “She managed to escape from 

her kidnapper’s custody when most of them 

were sleeping during the month of Ramadan.” 

Smiling slightly, Sajid said, “We celebrated 

Humaria’s brave initiative [for] escaping from 

her kidnappers. She wasn’t even wearing 

shoes or covering her head when she arrived 

on our door.” 

Fearing that Humaira’s abductors would 

follow through on their threats to accuse Sajid 

of blasphemy, Sajid, his family, and Humaira 

decided that they had to leave Pakistan for their 

own safety. 

“Since we were facing many challenges, we 

decided to leave Pakistan and seek asylum in 

Thailand,” Sajid explained. “We dreamed of a 

happier life, but that was not our fate.” 

“Humaira waited for her asylum status for 

more than two years, but she never received it 

before her visa expired,” Sajid said. “She was 

arrested and forced to return to Pakistan. She 

landed in Pakistan on April 11, 2016.” 

Visibly distraught, Sajid continued, saying, 

“Humaira’s suffering did not end there. In 

May, her Muslim ‘husband’ came to know she 

had returned to Pakistan.” 




“One of the 

kidnappers hit 

me with a gun 

and warned me 

not to follow 

Humaira; 

otherwise they 

would also take 

my daughter.” 



Pakistani Christian women are 

among the most targeted when it 

comes to kidnappings and forced 

conversions. 

Having also returned to Pakistan, Sajid and 

his family attempted to reconstruct the life they 

had before Humaira’s abduction and forced 

conversion. Sadly, Humaira’s abductors were 

keen to bring her back into their custody. 

“I was watching TV, Humaira was washing 

clothes, and my wife was cooking when around 

12 armed Muslim men entered my house,” 

Sajid recalled. “They destroyed some of our 

house stuff, abused all of us, and kidnapped 

Humaira, dragging her to a car in the street.” 

“One of the kidnappers hit me with a gun 

and warned me not to follow Humaira; otherwise 

they would also take my daughter,” Sajid 

continued, tears forming in his eyes. “I did not 

want to put my family in more danger, therefore 

I didn’t have the courage to register a police 

complaint against the attackers. Humaira is still 

in the custody of that illegal ‘husband.’” 

When ICC interviewed Sajid and his family, 

they were still facing a difficult situation. Due 

to threats, Sajid has been forced to move his 

family to a new area where he has been unable 

to secure a quality job. His children also 

struggle to enjoy any sort of social life as Sajid 

fears that one day they will also be abducted 

and forcibly converted to Islam. 

Still, the family’s thoughts are with Humaira. 

“I want my sister back,” Sumaira, Humaira’s 

sister, told ICC. “I have strong faith in my sister 

that she is still a Christian, committed to 

Jesus. She is a true follower of Jesus and will 

never betray Him.” 

25

S Y S T E M I C 

INJUSTICE 

LEGISLATURE JUDICIARY RELIGION POLICE 

Imagine losing a sister, wife, or daughter, and then having 

authorities laugh at your misery. Imagine being forced to 

testify in court against someone you must later go home 

with. Imagine being grabbed by a stranger and dragged 

into a car in perfect daylight while people stand around 

and watch. Christians around the world are living this 

very hell every day. They have nobody advocating for 

them, but rather, whole governments working against 

them. The injustice is cemented into law by legislatures 

and carried out by disengaged, prejudiced authorities. 

Christian families consequently face generational 

poverty, a lack of political and social representation, and 

job discrimination. More sinister still, they face criminals 

that are often aided or abetted by law enforcement. To 

break this vicious crime cycle, we must understand the 

laws and systems which allow for it in the first place. 




NIGERIA 

EGYPT 

PAKISTAN 

For the many problems facing 

Nigeria as a nation, the government 

has maintained its stance on religious 

and personal freedoms as outlined in 

section 38 of the Nigerian constitution. 

Unfortunately, when Boko Haram 

kidnapped 276 girls in 2014 from a 

government school in Chibok, the 

government was slow to respond. 

#BringBackOurGirls dominated social 

media in the US and across the world. 

The Boko Haram insurgency became 

well-known for its brutality and the 

kidnapping, but it still took until 2016 

before the first group of Chibok girls was 

released. Now, over half of the girls have 

been released, but they still haven’t been 

returned to their families. 

The government has instituted a 

system in which the freed women and 

girls are kept in federal compounds, 

away from their families and under 24-7 

supervision. Naturally, Chibok families 

are suspicious of the underlying reason 

for this, as well as frustrated at the delays 

of having their daughters at home. 

Some have questioned if the 

government is trying to hide corrupt 

behavior while the girls were missing. 

Some wonder if authorities are vetting 

the girls to ensure they are not going 

to attack their families. Still others 

hope that the government is providing 

necessary medical care. Families are 

thankful for the girls’ release, but are 

growing frustrated that they cannot begin 

helping their daughters recover from 

the kidnapping and forced conversions. 

The government’s incompetence, and 

perhaps corruption, are reinforcing the 

trauma these girls have experienced. 

Egyptian kidnappings have existed 

in waves since the 1970s, when 

Wahhabi ideology first took root in 

the nation. ICC has closely monitored 

victims and upsurges in this practice 

through the years. 

Egyptian girls are often kidnapped in 

daylight and in public places. In many 

cases, witnesses can name the perpetrator 

and give the family all the information 

necessary to prosecute the offender. 

Sadly, such information rarely helps rescue 

the kidnapped women and girls. 

Families must wait 24 hours before 

they can file a missing person report, regardless 

of how violent or public the abduction 

might have been. Many families 

must endure apathetic attitudes from authorities 

who avoid making arrests, going 

so far as to accuse families of lying 

about the kidnapping. Meanwhile, girls 

as young as 14 are being taken to remote 

locations where they endure mass beatings 

and sexual violence, often recorded 

for blackmail when it’s time to convert 

the stolen child. 

With no help from authorities and regular 

repercussions from the local community, 

Christian families are frequently 

forced into traditional reconciliatory sessions 

with perpetrators, which exist primarily 

to undermine the judicial process 

and intimidate Christians into surrendering 

their legal rights while Muslim assailants 

avoid any punishment. 

Extrajudicial meetings such as these 

predate the modern judicial systems of 

Egypt, yet they are still used to enforce 

binding agreements that silence victims 

and their families. This only furthers the 

cyclical nature of forced conversions. 

Pakistan’s legislature only interprets a 

marriage to be ‘valid’ if there is mutual 

consent between both parties involved. 

This is ironic, since Pakistan sits at the 

top of countries in which forced marriage 

and conversions take place. Estimates 

range between 100-700 cases annually 

in which girls from 12-25 years old are 

abducted and married to their captors 

after being forcefully converted to Islam. 

When this happens, the initial action 

taken by the victim’s family is to file a 

first information report (FIR). Herein 

lies the first hurdle as police officials will 

often refuse to follow the proper criminal 

procedures by denying this right to 

minority populations. Next, if the FIR is 

actually filed, the abductor husbands will 

file a counter-FIR, leveling accusations 

against the already suffering family. If 

both FIRs are filed, the case will go to 

court. 

Families face corrupt or unwilling 

lawyers, a biased lower judiciary, and 

external threats from the community 

when trying to save their daughters. Still 

worse, court magistrates will often allow 

the ‘husband’ to provide biographical 

information on the victim, meaning 

that a 15-year-old girl can suddenly 

become 18 because the abductor claims 

so. Without the protection of minority 

status, girls are often forced to live with 

their abductors while testifying in court. 

Most cases end with young women 

being forced to testify against their 

families and remain captive wives to 

their abusive husbands. Women in 

Pakistan who fall victim to this fate 

will face cycles of abuse and human 

trafficking. 



27

HOLY TEXT, 

HORRIFIC ACTS 

ISLAM’S TROUBLING RECORD OF 

TREATMENT OF WOMEN 

Islamic State militant Amar Hussein says he reads the Koran all day in his tiny jail cell to 

become a better person. He also says he raped more than 200 women from Iraqi minorities, 

and shows few regrets. 

Hussein said his emirs, or local Islamic State commanders, gave him and others a green 

light to rape as many Yazidi and other women as they wanted. 

“Young men need this,” Hussein told Reuters in an interview after a Kurdish counterterrorism 

agent removed a black hood from his head. “This is normal.” 

-Reuters, 02/17/2017 

Part of what makes 

Islamic militant groups 

such as ISIS, Boko 

Haram, al-Shabaab, 

etc., so troubling is 

that they claim to be 

true believers of Islam. 

Does this mean, then, 

that violence is at the 

core of Islamic teaching? 

Or is Islam truly a “religion of peace” 

as many claim, and these misguided militants 

are simply using religion to justify 

their evil deeds and impulses? 

Their practice of the continual raping of 

their captured (i.e. the Yazidi women or 

the Chibok girls) is particularly troubling. 

Especially when they claim that this custom 

is not only allowed, but encouraged by the 

teachings of Islam. 

The militant quoted above was instructed 

by his Caliphate’s (an Islamic religious/military/political 

state) leaders to rape as many 

women as he wanted. Militants are told that, 

when doing so, they are in line with God’s 

will, the example of their prophet, and the 

teachings of his texts. 

Historical Nature of Islam 

The natural conclusion is that they must 

have a corrupted view of Islam. This logically 

leads one to examine Islam. 

In 610 AD, Muhammad started a religion 

that incorporated aspects of Judaism 

and Christianity, but departed from many 

core teachings of those faiths. One incredibly 

important distinction is the difference 

between the god of Islam, Allah, and the God 

of the Bible, Yahweh. 

At the core of the Bible is a loving God who 

is on a long path to rescue a fallen and broken 

world and humanity that have been captured 

by Satan. His gift to mankind is His peaceful 

and loving son as a means to cover their sin, 

which mankind is incapable of doing. Jesus 

said that his followers would be known by 

their love for one another. This doesn’t mean 

that it is always so, but this love, humility, 

and peace marked Him and was the stamp He 

wanted on His followers. 

Allah on the other hand is revealed in the 

Quran as distant, cold, legalistic, and domineering. 

His core intent is to bring a fallen and 

sinful world into submission (“Islam” means 




Recent Radical Islamic 

News 

Top Left 

Reuters interview with Amar Hussein - an ISIS 

fighter who admits to raping over 200 women and 

abducting hundreds of others with little remorse. 

Bottom Left 

A Human Rights Watch report highlighting the 

plight of Iraqi women of minority populations. 

Above 

Abu Islam - better known by his nickname, the 

“Ghost of ISIS” - an ISIS fighter who Iraqi media 

labeled a senior ISIS emir. He planned public targets 

to kill soldiers and civilians. He talked about 

his jihad in terms of playing a chess game and even 

after his capture he reveled in recounting the power 

he once held. 

“submission”) to himself and his prophet 

Muhammad by war. 

“And fight them until persecution is no more, 

and religion is all for Allah. But if they cease, then 

lo! Allah is Seer of what they do.” (Surah 8:39) 

He has called all people to strict obedience 

of his laws and has commanded that those 

who fall away should be killed. 

Perhaps most disturbing is that Allah in 

the Quran has divided the world into the two 

spheres. The house of peace is where Islam 

rules and is dominant. The house of war is 

everywhere else, where people and land are 

not under submission to Islam. These people 



are considered infidels and rebels toward 

Allah and should be treated according to a set 

of rules laid out by Islam’s holy books and its 

religious leaders. 

While there are peaceful passages in the 

Quran that deal with non-Muslims like Surah 

2:256, which states, “There is no compulsion 

in religion,” there are far more like Surah 

5:33, which explains, “Indeed, the penalty for 

those who wage war against Allah and His 

Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] 

corruption is none but that they be killed or 

crucified or that their hands and feet be cut 

off from opposite sides or that they be exiled 

from the land…” 

Rules of Engagement 

The rules of engagement for how these infidels 

and “rebels” are to be treated are shocking 

to say the least…especially regarding the 

treatment of women. 

The Quran lays down rules for the women 

Muslim men can or cannot have relations with 

or marry according to Muhammad’s practice 

as recorded in the Quran (Surah 4:23-25). 

However, within this context (Surah 4:24), 

when Muslims conquer non-Muslims, women 

and girls of any marital status are fair game 

29

The Quran and other Islamic holy texts have been cited to justify violence against women 

and those of other faiths. 

for rape, forced marriage, and abuse. 

This teaching even shocked some of 

Muhammad’s most hardened soldiers as we 

learn in the Hadiths (Islam’s other holy book, 

the sayings of the prophet). 

After a battle in which many married 

women and young girls were captured, some 

of the Muslim men were concerned that raping 

the captured married women would be 

committing adultery since they already had 

husbands. However, to avoid any guilt over 

the sexual assault of the captured women, 

Muhammad gave another revelation from 

Allah, stating that captive women and slaves 

were lawful to be raped since they were 

infidels. 

“The Apostle of Allah sent a military 

expedition to Awtas on the occasion 

of the battle of Hunain. They defeated 

them and took them captive. Some of the 

(Muslims) were reluctant to have relations 

with the female captives because 

of their pagan husbands. So, Allah the 

exalted sent down the Qur’anic verse 

‘all married women [are forbidden] to 

you [except for those you’ve taken captive 

in battle]’” 

- Sunah Abi Dawud Book 11, Hadith 

2150 

These Islamic laws are still being employed 

today to justify rape. 

In the wake of the capture of Christian 

and Yazidi villages in Syria and Iraq, ISIS 

practiced systematic rape and sex slavery, 

providing a uniquely evil cocktail of motivation 

for its male adherents as it transforms 

lust, violence, and rape into piety. The young 

jihadist can simultaneously satisfy his sexual 

desires with any captured woman or girl and 

be told that he is following the teaching of his 

god and the example of his prophet. 

Abrogation 

Part of the confusion when trying to summarize 

Islam is that Muhammad changed 

over the course of his life. This evolution is 

captured by the holy books (the Quran and 

Hadith). The Quran’s more peaceful verses 

were from Muhammad’s early period when he 

had little military or political power. 

After he solidified power, Allah’s “revelations” 

that came through Muhammad became 

increasingly violent, intolerant, and self-serving. 

For example, although Allah set down the 

rule of a maximum of four wives for all 

Muslims early on, once Muhammad gained 

“Jews are apes 

and Christians 

are swine.” 

– ISLAMIC TEXT BOOKS 

undisputed control, Allah decided that 

Muhammad could have as many wives as he 

wanted. 

Thus, through the largely arbitrary will of 

the founder of Islam, the religion grew the 

peculiar ability to maintain contradictions in 

its theology. Sadly, though, due to the conflicting 

nature of many of the Quran’s verses, its 

theologians have agreed that the more recent 

(violent) verses overrule the earlier (more 

peaceful) verses. This is key when you hear 

the more peaceful verses used by apologists or 

those with only minimal knowledge of Islam. 

Fundamentalist Islam 

If these misogynistic and abusive teachings 

are historically and theologically justified, 

why are they not more universally 

enacted by the 1.5 billion Muslims around 

the world? Many Muslim cultures and countries 

ignore these and other more radical 

teachings and rules of Muhammad; yet, 

there are powerful forces within Islam that 

are seeking to make these views the dominant 

perspective of all Muslims. 

According to many experts on radicalization, 

the most dangerous and effective 

disseminator of these teachings is Saudi 

Arabia. This Gulf State spreads a virulently 

intolerant and troubling form of Islamic 

teaching called Wahhabism through fundamentalist 

Islamic textbooks donated to 

Muslim communities around the world. 

Wahhabism is a movement within Islam 




founded 250 years ago by Muhammad ibn 

Abd al-Wahhab which emphasizes the example 

of the prophet and promotes Muslim 

domination over all unbelievers. The massive 

funding behind Wahhabism allows it to spread 

with a fervor that overwhelms many of the 

more moderate branches of Islamic practice. 

These radicalized textbooks have been 

widely condemned by scholars like Nina 

Shea of the Hudson Institute. In a detailed 

report, she shows how supposedly de-radicalized 

textbooks still contain troubling 

teachings that can easily be interpreted to 

justify violence and mistreatment of women 

and non-Muslims. 

For example, a 10th-grade textbook used 

by some schools in the US teaches that the 

lives of non-Muslims (as well as women, 

and, by implication, slaves) are worth a 

fraction of that of a “free Muslim male.” 

Another text states that Jews are apes and 

Christians are swine. 

Textbooks like these have been sent to 

Muslim schools in every corner of the earth. 

In addition to textbooks, the Saudis and Gulf 

states have spent massive sums of money 

on radical madrassas (boarding schools), 

mosques, clerics, and political military (terror) 

movements. 

All of this explains most of the rise of 

radical Islam over the last 40 years since the 

oil crisis of the 1970s when the Middle East 

became immensely wealthy from increased 

oil prices. 

The Outworking 

The outworking of this massive investment 

is that Muslim communities all over 

the world have been radicalized. This is 

very connected with the rise in abduction, 

forced conversion, and rape of young 

Christian women you read about in the 

preceding articles. 

Oh that our cries would rise to His throneroom 

on behalf of our sisters who suffer 

greatly as a result of twisted doctrines that 

are acted upon by enslaved men. 

A few verses from the Quran and Hadith 

that command violence against non-Muslims. 

(Muhammad speaking) I have been commanded to fight against 

people till they testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is 

the messenger of Allah. 

Sahih Muslim Book 1 Hadith 33 

Fight them until there is no more (disbelief and polytheism/worshipping 

others besides Allah) and (worship) will be for Allah alone [in the whole 

of the world]. Fight against those who (don’t believe) in Allah . . .and 

those who (don’t) acknowledge (Islam) among the (Jews and Christians). 

Quran 8:9 & 9:29 (Mohsin Khan) 

Fight (make a holy war) against those who (don’t worship) Allah...When 

you meet your (polytheist) enemies (this includes Christians) invite them 

to (accept) Islam; if they respond (stop) fighting against them. . . .If 

they refuse. . .seek Allah’s help and fight them. 

Sahih Muslim Book 19 Hadith 4294 

A common practice among Egyptian Christians is to tattoo the wrists of their children. 

Even if they are kidnapped, they will always know where they came from. 

While the acts of radical or fundamentalist 

Islamists are heinous in regards to terror attacks 

or the subject matter above, we always 

remind ourselves that they are victims as well. 

They have been trapped in a theology that 

keeps them from the truth and, just as sadly, 

causes them to spread terror and evil which 

will result in their ultimate judgement. That 

is why our prescription is not the bomb or 

bullet, but rather the Bible and the Holy Spirit 

that transforms us all. 



Saudi textbooks are used throughout the Muslim world (and in the US) to instill 

hate towards non-Muslims. 

31

THE 

WAY OUT 

By William Stark 

When serving 

the 

persecuted, 

there 

are times 

w h e n 

we very 

much feel 

like the 

guy in the 

starfish story. 

It’s about a man walking on the beach after 

a storm and the beach is littered with thousands 

of starfish that have been stranded on 

the sand. He sees a man in the distance and, 

as he approaches, he sees him pick up one 

starfish after another and throw them back in 

the ocean. 

The man looks at his efforts and questions 

him as to why he goes through all the effort 

when he obviously can’t save them all. The 

man answers by picking up a starfish and 

says, “You’re absolutely right,” and as he 

tosses that one starfish back into the ocean, he 

says, “But I can save this one.” 

The frustrating thing for us is that we can’t 

rescue most of the girls who are stolen. The 

culture and legal system work in the favor 

of the abductor/rapist. Often, we will push 

for justice and offer legal support and urge 

families to push back, but usually that only 

invites a more violent and broader attack on 

the family. Only the most determined families 

will risk the backlash. 

One of the key ways we protect Christian 

girls is by making them less vulnerable 

through teaching them job skills. This gives 

them a future and keeps them out of typically 

vulnerable jobs, such as servants in Muslim 

homes and field hands. 

In Pakistan, we started a vocational training 

center for Christian girls where we teach them 

sewing or beautician skills. We have trained 

hundreds and equipped the majority with sewing 

machines and on-the-job training. 

In Egypt, we set up an educational and 

vocational training facility to fight against 

the root problems of generational poverty. 

Part of the program is getting girls into afterschool 

classes where we teach computer skills 

and English. These kinds of skills are easily 

taught, without high cost, and make them 

highly marketable in the job market. 

Alishba 

A few years ago, I met Alishba, a young 

Pakistani Christian woman who had been 

abducted, raped, and pressured to convert to 

Islam in 2013. Fortunately, she had escaped 

from her abductors, but when I first met with 

her back in 2013, the pain of her ordeal was 

still very raw. 

I sat with her in her family’s simple oneroom 

house, and she recounted what she had 

been through. “My job was to take care of 

old people in private houses,” Alishba said. 

“As I walked home each night, a Muslim man 

named Muhammad Usman would harass me. 

“The police were 

engaged, but 

they said I should 

convert to Islam 

and marry one of 

the rapists.” 

One day, he and another man attacked me and 

hit me and I went unconscious.” 

Usman attacked her because he was angry 

that a Christian woman, someone he considered 

below him, had refused his sexual 

advances. 

“Usman and his friend took me to a 

house and when I woke up, I was naked and 

Usman and his friend raped me repeatedly. 

This happened over and over for three days. 

I escaped when one of them left the door of 

the house open. I ran through the door and 

cried out in the street for help and the community 

helped me.” 

“The police were engaged, but they said 

I should convert to Islam and marry one of 

the rapists,” Alishba told me. “I refused and 

retuned to my home.” 

As the interview progressed, Alishba’s 

demeanor noticeably changed. She started out 

distant, unemotional, and unwilling to make 

eye contact. But as we discussed the attack 

itself and particularly when she spoke about 

her interaction with the police, she became 

fully engaged…and angry. 

When I asked her how I could help, her 

immediate response was to help her get justice 

by having the men who raped her convicted, 

sentenced to death, and executed. I knew 

this was a remote possibility since she was a 

woman and Christian. 

The first thing we did was pay for her to 

work with a Christian therapist who specialized 

in sexual assault. 

Next, I asked her if she had any vocational 

skills that she could use to run a small business 

from the safety of her own home. It was 

at this point that she told me she had experience 

as a seamstress, so we bought her a sewing 

machine and some other raw materials. 

Walking away from Alishba, I initially 

felt like I had done so little for her. This is a 




Christian students at ICC-funded 

school in an internally displaced 

persons camp, Jos, Nigeria. 

Pakistani woman working at ICCfunded 

vocational sewing center. 

common feeling for us as we seek to aid the 

persecuted, but sometimes just a little help is 

all someone needs. 

When I returned to Pakistan in 2014, I made 

it a point to check in on Alishba to see how she 

was doing. What I found was incredible. Upon 

receiving the sewing machine and raw materials 

we provided, Alishba set to work filling 

orders for individuals around her neighborhood. 

When she had saved enough profit, she 

purchased a second machine and employed 

another Christian girl to fill even more orders. 

When I visited with Alishba in 2015, she 

was the co-owner of a small sewing factory 

that fulfills international orders and employs 

eight others workers. As we shared a cup 

of tea, I could see that life had returned to 

Alishba. She was smiling, joking around, 

and was so proud to show me the business 

she had started from the small help she had 

received from ICC. 

“I really want to continue to expand,” 

Alishba told me as we discussed what the 

future would hold. “I want to hire more 

Christian girls who faced persecution like me 

so that I can give them a dignified living and 

counsel.” 

Final Thoughts 

As I said earlier, often, we can’t rescue the 

abducted victim, but we can help those who 

can be rescued and we can prevent many more 

from being abducted by giving them job training 

and equipment to give them more standing 

in the community. 

We feel that this is in keeping with the 

Lord’s heart as revealed in Psalm 35:10. 

“My whole being will exclaim, Who is like 

you, O LORD? 

You rescue the poor from those too strong 

for them, 

the poor and needy from those who rob 

them.” 

Would you please join us in this effort? 

If you would like to participate in supporting 

and empowering Christian girls, please 

include the note “Christian Girls” with your 

gift. Thank you! 

Christians in Egypt wear cross tattoos 

to stand out from their countrymen. 

Mail donations to “ICC”: 

P.O Box 8056, Silver Spring, MD 20907 

Or call 800-422-5441 

Or visit www.persecution.org 



33

IDOP 2017 IS COMING 

NOVEMBER 2017 

I N T E R N A T I O N A L 

DAY OF PRAYER 

FOR THE PERSECUTED 

2017 

ICC’S IDOP 2017 KIT 

Pre-register today to receive ICC’s International Day of Prayer 

Resource Kit! Our kit will include tools and resources for your 

church and faith community: 

• Resource Guide 

• Prayer Bulletin Insert 

• Worship and Prayer 

PowerPoints 

• Sunday School Lesson 

• Sermons 

• Social Media Tools 

• Petition 

• Video 

SCHEDULE A SPEAKER 

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speak at your church? Contact us today through the web address 

below. 

Pre-register and Request a Speaker at: info.persecution.org/idop2017 




PASTORS 

TRIP 

ICC is inviting missions-minded people like you to come with us to 

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For more information, visit 

info.persecution.org/pastors-trip or call 1-800-422-5441. 



35

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