October 2023 Persecution Magazine

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Islamic
Extremist
Groups Killed
2,500 Christians
in Six Months
Five Sentenced to Life for Murder of
American Christian in Baghdad
Five individuals—four Iraqi militia
members and one Iranian national—were
recently sentenced to life imprisonment by
an Iraqi court for the murder of American
Christian Stephen Troell that took place in
November 2022.
The five individuals stated that their
attempt was to kidnap Stephen and hold
him for ransom, but instead ended up
shooting him dead while Stephen was
driving his car in Baghdad. Stephen was
survived by his wife and three daughters.
At the time of the assassination, it was
unclear exactly if Stephen himself was
a target. Some reports highlight that
his murderers claimed that he was an
American spy and thus a target for Iran
and powerful Baghdad-based Iranianbacked
militias due to inaccurate Iranian
government media claims that he was
employed with USAID. Other reports state
that he was also targeted by the militias
due to his activity of publicly sharing his
faith online in a Muslim-majority city
like Baghdad and thus had been under
surveillance by militias for a period of time
leading up to his assassination.
Terrorists Kill Two, Burn Down Church and 10 Homes
On August 22, suspected al-Shabaab terrorists carried out deadly attacks in Kenya,
resulting in two fatalities and the destruction of ten homes and a church. In Salama
village, the Redeemed Gospel church pastor issued a distress call to an ICC staffer at
2:00 a.m., reporting a terrorist assault that had engulfed their church in flames while
also setting fire to nearby residences. The al-Shabaab militants, originating from Somalia,
specifically targeted the church and its vicinity.
Fulani militants and other allied
jihadist groups slaughtered 2,500
Christians in Nigeria in the first
six months of 2023. The data
came from a report published
by the International Society for
Civil Liberties and Rule of Law,
a Nigerian investigative firm
focusing on human rights issues.
The data highlights concern
about frequent incidents of
persecution against Christians
in Nigeria in the areas where
Islamic extremist groups, such as
the Fulani militants, operate. This
comes after Fulani militants killed
37 Christians in Nigeria in three
weeks, according to a report from
International Christian Concern
(ICC).
ICC reported on efforts to add
Nigeria to the list of Countries
of Particular Concern (CPC)
published by the U.S. Department
of State. The State Department
did not place Nigeria on the CPC,
despite the recommendation
from the U.S. Commission on
International Religious Freedom.
Authorities noted the attacks’ coordinated nature, but swift security responses prevented
further casualties. Security forces pursued the assailants into the Boni forest, a notorious
hiding place for the terrorist group responsible for multiple recent fatalities.
In a separate incident on the Lamu Garsen road, two motorists fell victim to an al-Shabaab
ambush. Travelers were forced to recite the Islamic shahada to spare their lives, with two
individuals declining and subsequently losing their lives to gunfire.
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