Persecution Watch: Praying for Believers in Brunei and Oman
(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us on Thursday September 30, 2021 in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.
Brunei: Population: 445,000, Christian 52,000 (11.7%)
Brunei is a Muslim-majority nation under the rule of a dynastic sultan and Islamic Sharia law. There are about 20 churches in Brunei and few opportunities for Bruneians to hear the gospel. While oil wealth has ensured that few people lack in material needs, spiritual needs are great. Despite the risks, a few bold evangelists and missionaries continue to bring the light of the gospel to this dark land.
Almost 80 percent of Bruneians are Sunni Muslims, and nearly all of the 9 percent who are Christians are ethnically Chinese. The government is the main persecutor of Christians.
Brunei is a Muslim-majority nation under the rule of a dynastic sultan and Islamic Sharia law. There are about 20 churches in Brunei and few opportunities for Bruneians to hear the gospel. While oil wealth has ensured that few people lack in material needs, spiritual needs are great. Despite the risks, a few bold evangelists and missionaries continue to bring the light of the gospel to this dark land.
The government is the main persecutor of Christians. Bibles in Malay, the country’s official language, are illegal and are confiscated if discovered. No bookstores in Brunei sell Bibles.
While some historic churches exist in Brunei, no new church buildings are allowed. In 2015, all Christmas displays were banned. Churches are often afraid to reach out to Muslims because they are monitored closely by the religious police. Even inviting a Muslim to a Christmas celebration would be problematic. The penalty for evangelizing Muslims is a $15,000 fine, up to five years in prison or both. Nevertheless, several secret believers have been baptized.
- Pray that seekers and new believers will be protected from persecutors among the country’s leaders.
- Pray that more Brunei Muslims will think critically about what they believe.
- Pray that more leaders in the country will hear the truth and want to know Jesus.
- Pray that Muslims will learn the truth about God and Jesus Christ.
- Pray that secret believers will wisely witness for Christ to their friends and family.
- Pray that God will break that squeeze and release His church to be a blessing to this nation. As Islam grows, pray that God will strengthen the church there.
- Pray also for the church in Brunei, that God would bless them and use them for His kingdom. Pray for wisdom for pastors and church leaders, as they identify ways to encourage their members to be faithful to Him, as well as be salt and light for the nation.
OMAN Population: 5,25 Million, Christians 185,000 (3.6%)
The Sultanate of Oman is less restrictive than its neighbors on the Arabian Peninsula. There are a limited number of church buildings, and the few Omani Christians in the country usually meet covertly and only carefully discuss their faith because of the risk of persecution from family, community and govern
Nearly all Omanis are Muslims, including around 70 percent Ibadi Muslims, with the remainder a mix of Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Family members and communities pressure those who convert from Islam to Christianity, and the government intervenes if Christian converts become well known or are viewed as a source of shame in their community.
Leaving Islam is not a criminal act in Oman, but Christian converts can face legal challenges in several other ways. There are so few Omani believers, and the risk of persecution is so high that Christian converts must meet in small groups and use caution in sharing their faith. Foreign Christians are permitted to meet, but they are not allowed to meet in homes or to evangelize other Omanis.
The government allows the Bible Society to sell Bibles and Christian literature to foreigners inside the country, but not to Omanis. There is only one Christian bookstore, in Oman’s capital, but Omanis can easily access digital and audio Bibles online.
- Pray for local believers who lost their jobs because of their faith.
- Pray for the protection of missionaries serving in the country.
- Pray that the truth of God’s Word will overcome the falsehoods of Islam.
- Pray for the undercover work of NGOs who provide Bibles and discipleship materials and spiritual support.
- Pray to the Lord that new believers will not fear of what will happen when they start following Christ. That the Lord will take away the fear that one of their new fellow Christians will betray them. Please pray this bondage of fear will be broken.
- Pray to God to bring isolated secret believers into fellowship with other believers. Pray for whole families to come to the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Pray for Christians who desire to raise up families who love and honor God through Jesus. Pray for God to connect believers to one another for the purpose of marriage. . Pray for God to raise up families who glorify His name.
- Pray that The Lord will direct the steps of the NGOs who support the Christian community.
Again, we want to lift up persecuted witnesses to the Lord:
- Leah Sharibu, prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
- Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
- Pray for Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison.
- Pray for Anita, a Christian convert facing a long prison term who escaped from Iran and praying to go to a country where she can express her faith openly.
- For the release of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, and his family as their Persecution continues. Pastor Nadarkhani is serving the second year of his six-year sentence.
Andy, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator
Prayer Conference Call Details
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
From any location on your phone
USA Time Zone:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: 712 775-7035
Access Code: 281207#
Recommended: For those who may be subject to added charges for conference calls. Please download the app, it’s free!
MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and easy way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all of your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD you can instantly dial into a conference call via 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes
If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.
What is Persecution Watch?
Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.
Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2013 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2015. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.
“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.
On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters have been invited on the conference call to share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.
Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.
We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in and pray silently or on mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!
God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.
Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader and the Persecution Watch Prayer Team
NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up link below to be included in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.
Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.
Persecution Watch: More Than Conquerors (Part 2)
Tuesday, September 28, 2021: Dear Prayer Warriors, we will continue praying through last week’s prayer points on the Persecution Watch prayer conference call, tonight.
View prayer points here. Join us on the call!
The Lord’s servant,
Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Leader
Prayer Conference Call Details
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
From any location on your phone
USA Time Zone:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: 712 775-7035
Access Code: 281207#
Persecution Watch: Praying in season of Sukkot
(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us on Saturday, September 25, 2021 in a conference prayer call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.
Dear Prayer Warriors, we are in the season of Sukkot, or Tabernacles. It is a seven-day festival to the Lord.
(Lev. 23:33-44)
Verse 41 says “Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month.”
This is a picture of us, the Saints, being with the Lord forever; therefore, we can celebrate no matter what our circumstances.
Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
- Pray we would all be able to celebrate and have joy because of the joy set before us.
- Pray we would fix our eyes on Messiah Jesus, setting our eyes on the goal set before us.
Matthew 13:44 “The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
- Pray no one will regret confessing Jesus as their Messiah or regret losing everything.
Nehemiah 8:10 “…for the joy of the Lord is our strength”
- Pray for joy in the Lord to give us abundant strength to endure.
The mourners’ Kaddish prayed for many, many centuries and perhaps millennia by the Jewish people is not what one might think.
It is a prayer exalting and praising the creator.
The first line is translated as “May your great and holy Name be sanctified”
The last line may be translated as “He who makes peace in the high places, may He make peace to you and all Israel. And we say “Amen”
The word “Amen means faith, or faithful, sometimes translated as “I believe”.
- Pray for a spirit of praise in every circumstance, knowing that all things are working together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. If we try to love Him, even if we are not feeling it, this is loving Him and counted as loving Him.
- Pray for those who are grieving; may exalting Elohim, the Creator, change their focus to God and the eternal Kingdom.
- Pray we may dwell in the high places, in the heights. Psalm 18:33 “He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.”.
- Pray for a spirit of peace upon all who are grieving.
- Pray for a spirit of peace upon those in fear; also, in all Israel; pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Habakkuk 2:4b “But the righteous shall live by his faith”
Acts 11:24 “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.”
- Pray have access to the Word by whatever means to build our faith.
- Pray Holy Spirit would give needed scriptures supernaturally or remind us of needed scriptures.
- Pray believers would be able to meet together, helping build each others’ faith.
- Pray the Holy Spirit and with a strong faith would bring a great number of people to the Lord; pray for the harvest.
We will also remember these dear ones:
Leah Sharibu and Alice that they will be set free from Boko Haram captivity.
- Leah Sharibu was kidnapped along with 109 other students on February 19, 2018 when Boko Haram attacked a boarding school in the city of Dapchi, Maiduguri Diocese, in north-eastern Nigeria. A month later, some of the girls died in captivity and all the others were released, except Leah. She was the only Christian in the group
- Alice Loksha Ngaddah was kidnapped during the Rann attack on March 1, 2018. She was a nurse working with Unicef and is a mother of two.
- Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison, for his family, the children, and the church in China. Pastor Wang Yi who is currently serving his prison sentence.
- Anita an Iranian Christian, persecuted by the Islamic regime seeking asylum.
- Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, for his release and his family as their persecution continues. At present he is serving his six-year sentence.
The Harvest
“I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18)
Valerie, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator
Prayer Conference Call Details
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
From any location on your phone
USA Time Zone:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: 712 775-7035
Access Code: 281207#
Recommended: For those who may be subject to added charges for conference calls. Please download the app, it’s free!
MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and easy way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all of your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD you can instantly dial into a conference call via 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes
If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.
What is Persecution Watch?
Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.
Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2013 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2015. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.
“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.
On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters have been invited on the conference call to share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.
Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.
We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in and pray silently or on mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!
God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.
Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader and the Persecution Watch Prayer Team
NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up link below to be included in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.
Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.
Persecution Watch: Praying for Believers in Burkina Faso
(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us on Thursday September 23, 2021 in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.
Burkina Faso: Population: 20.9 million, Christian 4.9 million (23.8)
Burkina Faso has seen a sharp rise in Islamist activity since 2016. Militants linked to ISIS and al-Qaida, who had been largely contained in neighboring Mali and Niger, have crossed porous borders in the north to broaden their influence in the Sahel region. Christians have been a primary target of the jihadists’ campaign since April 2019, when approximately 70 Christians were killed, and five churches were attacked. More than 200 churches have reportedly closed in northern and eastern Burkina Faso due to security issues and threat of attack. As many as 10,000 Christians have fled their homes as a result of violence and threats against Christians. Nearly 800,000 people in total have been displaced by the conflict, adding to an already strained economy amid political uncertainty.
Just over half of Burkinabe are Muslims. The main persecutors are Islamists linked to the al-Qaida and ISIS terrorist groups.
Large churches in the capital city operate openly, and until recently even Christians living among Muslims in some villages had freedom to practice their faith. However, attacks against Christians increased dramatically in 2019. Today, few Christians remain in the north or east of the country
Bibles in French and the Moore language are readily available in the capital city, but few Bibles are available in local languages. Distribution is difficult because of security issues in the countryside. The literacy rate is less
Fearful of more attacks, Christians in northern Burkina Faso are beginning to flee the conflict area for safer towns in the country’s southern area. Those who remain are living in what is rapidly feeling more and more like a ghost town. Churches and schools are now closed. And Christians are in hiding, said a local church leader who asked to be unnamed for security reasons. He told Open Doors: “No one dares to sleep in his house because of fear of being killed. It’s very hard for us.
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, reported fatalities from attacks targeting civilians have risen by 300 percent in Mali (No. 24 on the World Watch List), 500 percent in Niger, and a staggering 7,000 percent increase in Burkina Faso compared to the same period last year.
The news agency reports that “home-grown militant groups, as well as extremists linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, have been in the country’s north (bordering Mali) since 2016, but have expanded to new fronts in the east and southwest, threatening the stability of neighboring countries.”
- Pray that God will bring peace and restoration to Burkina Faso.
- Pray for the Lord’s provision to all the displaced in their physical needs. Please pray the government will receive wisdom and display accountability as they seek to create order in the affected areas.
- Pray that strong Christians will be elected to government positions and that Christian leaders will stand boldly for Christ as they endure persecution.
- From a pastor in Burkina Faso: “Pray for Burkina Faso, so that the peace of God will reign in the country, and our people will be able to go back to their villages and continue their daily activities. Pray also for our pastors who have been displaced, that God will equip them and put His words of hope on their lips as they minister to their congregations.”
- Pray for protection for those involved in evangelism, discipleship and church planting, to continue despite Islamist attacks.
- Pray for unity and wisdom among those facing persecution.
- Pray for the Lord’s provision in the lives of our displaced brothers and sisters in Burkina Faso. Pray that they will not be ruled by fear but experience the peace only the Lord can give through His Spirit.
- Pray for grace for Christians to remain firm in the faith as they face increased hostility. Many people, including Christians, have been severely traumatized by the deterioration in security and the displacement they have suffered. Please pray the Lord will be at work in their lives to bring healing and comfort.
- Thank the Lord for the efforts by the church to provide for the needs of fellow Christians through church collections.
- Pray for the Lord’s provision to all the displaced in their physical needs. Please pray the government will receive wisdom and display accountability as they seek to create order in the affected areas.
- Pray for that the Lord will appear to Muslim extremists in their dreams and convert them to honor the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Pray that God would be near to our brokenhearted brothers and sisters in Burkina Faso. Ask God to make His presence felt to them.
- Ask God to pour out His Spirit of love, order and calm over Christian communities. Pray for safety and protection in the days ahead.
- Ask God to intervene against violence and bring the persecutors to justice.
- Pray for Ministries and NGOs who are supporting the families of pastors martyred by terrorist groups linked to al-Qaida and ISIS. Providing aid to numerous displaced Christians who have fled recurring attacks in the northern part of the country.
- ·Pray that Believers can love and forgive their persecutors.
- Pray that the Lord will protect, strengthen, and encourage His believers and give them supernatural ability to continue to rebuild churches and that many Muslims will become believers.
Again, we want to lift up persecuted witnesses to the Lord:
- Leah Sharibu, prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
- Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
- Pray for Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison.
- Pray for Anita, a Christian convert facing a long prison term who escaped from Iran and praying to go to a country where she can express her faith openly.
- For the release of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, and his family as their Persecution continues. Pastor Nadarkhani is serving the second year of his six-year sentence.
Andy, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator
Prayer Conference Call Details
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
From any location on your phone
USA Time Zone:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: 712 775-7035
Access Code: 281207#
Recommended: For those who may be subject to added charges for conference calls. Please download the app, it’s free!
MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and easy way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all of your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD you can instantly dial into a conference call via 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes
If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.
What is Persecution Watch?
Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.
Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2013 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2015. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.
“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.
On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters have been invited on the conference call to share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.
Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.
We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in and pray silently or on mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!
God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.
Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader and the Persecution Watch Prayer Team
NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up link below to be included in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.
Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.
Children in Burkina Faso (Photo: by RobertoVi)
Persecution Watch: More Than Conquerors
(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us on Tuesday, September 21, 2021 in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.
Dear Prayer Warriors, it is written in Romans 8:26-39:
“26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
God’s Everlasting Love
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Amen!!!
Our dear brothers and sisters, we are more than conquerors through the One who loved us!!!
Tonight, we are going to pray for them through the Holy Scriptures.
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.”
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.”
“And whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.”
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
“Pray without ceasing.”
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (The Parable of the Persistent Widow)
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
“Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “
“If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.”
“I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling”
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
We will also remember these dear ones:
Leah Sharibu and Alice that they will be set free from Boko Haram captivity.
- Leah Sharibu was kidnapped along with 109 other students on February 19, 2018 when Boko Haram attacked a boarding school in the city of Dapchi, Maiduguri Diocese, in north-eastern Nigeria. A month later, some of the girls died in captivity and all the others were released, except Leah. She was the only Christian in the group
- Alice Loksha Ngaddah was kidnapped during the Rann attack on March 1, 2018. She was a nurse working with Unicef and is a mother of two.
Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison, for his family, the children, and the
church in China. Pastor Wang Yi who is currently serving his prison sentence.
Anita an Iranian Christian, persecuted by the Islamic regime seeking asylum.
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, for his release and his family as their persecution continues. At present he is serving his six-year sentence.
The Harvest.
“I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18)
The Lord’s servant,
Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Leader
Prayer Conference Call Details
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
From any location on your phone
USA Time Zone:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: 712 775-7035
Access Code: 281207#
Recommended: For those who may be subject to added charges for conference calls. Please download the app, it’s free!
MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and easy way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all of your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD you can instantly dial into a conference call via 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes
If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.
What is Persecution Watch?
Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.
Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2013 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2015. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.
“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.
On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters have been invited on the conference call to share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.
Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.
We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in and pray silently or on mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!
God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.
Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader and the Persecution Watch Prayer Team
NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up link below to be included in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.
Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.
Persecution Watch: Praying for the faith of every Believer
(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us on Saturday September 18, 2021 in a prayer conference call for Believers hosted by Persecution Watch.
Persecution is increasing and expanding to more and more countries, as I think we all know. This persecution from the evil one is any and every way, from Islam to Hinduism to Buddhism, to a multitude of tribal religions, to communism and now from the New World Order. Unless we go to be with the Lord, all of us will experience real persecution. Therefore, when we pray for the persecuted, we are also praying for all the Ecclesia.
I am reading the Scroll of Daniel. We need to be like and follow Messiah first, but Daniel and his three friends are a great example for us to follow. They would not bow down to the golden image or stop praying no matter what the consequences.
In these two cases, it turned out for God’s great glory. In this case it was “My God is able to save me, but even if He doesn’t, I will not bow down in Babylon.
- Pray we will spiritually come out of Babylon and not obey wicked things against the Word of God.
- Pray for an increase of faith, knowing that all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28) and nothing can separate us from the love of God. (Romans 8:35-39)
- Pray also for an eternal perspective, God’s perspective, as we are merely sojourners and pilgrims on this earth. (Hebrews 11:13; 1 Peter 2:11)
- Pray they would set faces like flint against all scorning and rejection, especially those rejected by their families. (Isaiah 50:7)
“Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore I have set my face like flint and I know I will not be disgraced. “
A Pray for a spirit of praise; for songs in the night. Ps. 119:54; Job 35:10
- Pray for a spirit of worship and thanksgiving; to worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23) and in everything give thanks.
- Pray for peace in the storm
- Pray for protection
- Pray for provision
- Pray for understanding, wisdom and knowledge as Daniel and his friends; that their gifts make room for them and give them favor.
- Pray for health and healing, especially for those who are denied health care as a testimony to God’s love and power.
- Pray they will have access to the Word through whatever means; that the Word would refresh, comfort, encourage and enable to stand.
- Pray the Holy Spirit would remind the church of scriptures that are needed and would see a vision of Yeshua and/or heaven.
- Pray for believers to be able to meet and share, as iron sharpens iron, and two will put 10,000 to flight Deuteronomy.
- Pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to operate and for us to do great things.
- Pray for all our children to grow up to know Messiah Yeshua; to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.
Again, we want to lift up persecuted witnesses to the Lord:
- Leah Sharibu, prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
- Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
- Pray for Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison.
- Pray for Anita, a Christian convert who faced a long prison term but escaped from Iran, that she will be able to go to a country where she can be free and share her faith openly.
- For the release of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran. For his family as their Persecution continues. Pastor Nadarkhani is serving the second year of his six-year sentence.
Valerie, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator
Prayer Conference Call Details
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
From any location on your phone
USA Time Zone:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: 712 775-7035
Access Code: 281207#
Recommended: For those who may be subject to added charges for conference calls. Please download the app, it’s free!
MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and easy way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all of your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD you can instantly dial into a conference call via 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes
If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.
What is Persecution Watch?
Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.
Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2013 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2015. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.
“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.
On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters have been invited on the conference call to share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.
Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.
We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in and pray silently or on mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!
God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.
Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader and the Persecution Watch Prayer Team
NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up link below to be included in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.
Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.
Persecution Watch: Praying for Believers in Tajikistan
(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us on Thursday September 16, 2021 in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.
Tajikistan: Population: 9.4 million, Christian 66,300 (0.7%)
In Tajikistan, the government puts heavy pressure on all “deviating” religious groups by tightening and strictly enforcing existing laws. All religious activities must be approved by the government, and it is common for churches—particularly Protestant—to be raided by authorities. Church leaders and Christians can be detained if they are found to have any Christian materials that aren’t government approved. The country also has a law specifically targeting religious work among young people, leaving Christians unsure of what they are legally allowed to say to young Christians.
From time to time, police officers disrupt meetings and interrogate attendees. Local authorities often impose fines on Christians because of their faith and for legal reasons, such as gathering without a permit, possessing and printing religious material without a permit, or perceived proselytization. Persecution from the state includes searches, detention, interrogation, confiscation, fines, and imprisonment—all meant to pressure Christians and keep them in line.
The government of Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic, is primarily concerned with power and holding onto control, but the surrounding society is heavily Islamic. The Tajik ethnic identity is directly tied to Islam. That is why Christians who have converted from Islam bear the brunt of persecution at the hands of both the state and from family, friends, and community.
Russian Orthodox Christians and churches experience the fewest problems from the government because they do not usually attempt to contact, or evangelize, the Tajik population. “Early last year, my church was attacked by wicked people and the church building was confiscated by the court. Our church is now gathering inside a 40-ton container. We pray for a new building for our church. We also ask you to participate in prayer and support us in this. The Lord said, ‘Call me and I will answer you … ’
Although Tajikistan fell two rankings from last year’s World Watch List, persecution and pressure rose slightly. Violence is still very low, but pressure from every sphere of life increased just a bit. Being a Christian in Tajikistan continues to be difficult and dangerous, particularly for churches trying to show the gospel and make disciples. Tajikistan’s Christians who have converted from Islam are most at risk. They are doubly targeted by both the government and their communities and families. Additionally, Christians living outside Tajikistan’s major cities are more prone to experiencing greater pressure than followers of Jesus in urban settings.
Prayer Points
- Pray for pastors and church leaders in Tajikistan, especially those who are monitored and detained by the government. Pray they will be safe and not be unjustly targeted, and that God will sustain their faith and the faith of their families.
- Pray for converts to Christianity from Islam who live in areas of Tajikistan where conversion means severe pressure from family and communities. Pray they would sense they have a community that transcends location and situation, and that they would know they aren’t alone.
- Pray that Christians in Tajikistan will have wisdom to know how to share their faith safely, and boldness to continue sharing the gospel. Pray God will soften the hearts of those enforcing the restrictions on evangelism, and that He might draw them to Himself through the courageous witness of our brothers and sisters.
- Pray that churches and places where believers gather to worship and hear the word will be safe from confiscation and attacks by radicals.
- Pray for that the Lord will appear to the radicals in their dreams and convert them to honor the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Pray that God would be near to our brokenhearted brothers and sisters in Tajikistan. Ask God to make His presence felt to them.
- Ask God to pour out His Spirit of love, order and calm over Christian communities, especially in the remote areas.
- Pray for NGOs who provide immediate aid to believers when they are imprisoned, excluded from families and communities, and deprived of livelihood and employment because of their faith in Christ. They also strengthen the persecuted church primarily through literature distribution, prayer support, training for Christians, socio-economic aid, and persecution preparedness seminars.
- Pray that the internet will have messages that encourage believers and bring hope to the lost.
- Pray that Believers can love and forgive their persecutors.
- Pray that the Lord will build HIS church and mightily add to the number of believers.
Update: Prayer point for Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli of Nepal has been removed.
Again, we want to lift up persecuted witnesses to the Lord:
- Leah Sharibu, prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
- Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
- Pray for Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison.
- Pray for Anita, a Christian convert facing a long prison term who escaped from Iran and praying to go to a country where she can express her faith openly.
- For the release of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, and his family as their Persecution continues. Pastor Nadarkhani is serving the second year of his six-year sentence.
Merlaine, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator
Prayer Conference Call Details
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
From any location on your phone
USA Time Zone:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: 712 775-7035
Access Code: 281207#
Recommended: For those who may be subject to added charges for conference calls. Please download the app, it’s free!
MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and easy way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all of your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD you can instantly dial into a conference call via 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes
If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.
What is Persecution Watch?
Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.
Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2013 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2015. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.
“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.
On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters have been invited on the conference call to share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.
Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.
We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in and pray silently or on mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!
God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.
Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader and the Persecution Watch Prayer Team
NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up link below to be included in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.
Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.
Photo: People in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. By Veni Markovski (CC BY 2.0) flickr.com/photos/veni/3482697139
Muslim Gunmen in Pakistan Wound at least Four Christians
Pregnant woman said to be among those injured.
Pakistan (Morning Star News) – Muslims in an area of Lahore, Pakistan on Monday (Sept. 6) fired high-powered weapons at the homes of Christians, wounding a pregnant woman and at least three other people, sources said.
A wounded Christian resident in the Shamsabad locality of Lahore’s Sherakot area, Asif Masih, said he heard shouts followed by bursts of gunfire from fully automatic assault rifles after he returned home from work that afternoon.
“When I was telling my kids to get inside, I saw a group of heavily armed men firing indiscriminately at a church located on the street,” Masih told Morning Star News. “They then trained their weapons on the homes of neighboring Christians and fired volleys of bullets at them.”
Gunmen eyeing him opened fire on him, wounding him in both thighs, he said.
“I barely managed to drag myself into my house and locked the gate, but they did not stop firing,” Masih said. “I could hear them shouting that they would not spare Christians living in the area and would also burn down our church.”
The assailants, identified as Dilshad Dogar, Butt Gas Wala and Chand Khencha, fired hundreds of bullets from Kalashnikov (AK-47) rifles and other weapons into homes in the area where more than 300 Christian families live, he said. Bullets pierced the gates of several homes, wounding three women identified as Nirma Bibi, Maria Kashif and Samina, and other Christians, he said.
“One of the injured women is six months pregnant,” Masih said. “She was hit in the leg by one of the several bullets fired at their gate, but fortunately her family members were able to secure her inside.”
Many people called the police emergency helpline after the shooting started at 2:30 p.m., but officers did not arrive until 8 p.m., he said, adding that local police have been lax in prosecuting the suspects as they were influential people. Masih was one of the complainants in the case against the gunmen.
“Our entire street has been riddled with bullets, and people have been injured, but the police have not included the sections related to terrorism in the FIR [First Information Report],” he said. “Moreover, I had stated in my application to the police that the accused had continuously threatened to burn the church and harm us, but even these facts were missing in the formal FIR.”
Registered the day after the attack, the FIR states that it arose out of a dispute between a Christian, Asghar Masih, and Dogar. Asif Masih denied the police version, saying officers were trying to protect the suspects.
“Ask them why Dogar and his accomplices opened fire on the homes of Christians and injured innocent people like us if they had just a personal dispute with an individual?” he said. “The police have been protecting the accused since day one because they are Muslims, and we are poor Christians.”
Attorney Javed Gill, a senior leader of the Christian Lawyers Association of Pakistan, said there were conflicting reports about the motives for the shooting.
“Several residents have claimed that the accused were opposed to the presence of a church in the locality and had been pressuring them to stop worship there, while some are saying that the incident was an outcome of a dispute over a girl,” Gill told Morning Star News. “Nonetheless, even if it was a dispute between two people, how can anyone justify the targeting of the entire Christian neighborhood with automatic weapons?”
Several hundred bullets were fired from various illegal weapons resulting in injuries, yet police failed to include Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act in the FIR, which would have made the attack a non-bailable offense, he said. Gill said police were also unable to explain why they did not intervene timely while gunmen were shooting innocent people and damaging property.
“Thank God no one lost their life in the gruesome attack, but the manner in which the accused acted shows that they would not have desisted from murdering any person who came in their way,” he said.
Police Response
Muhammad Azeem, station house officer of the Sherakot police station, declined to comment on whether officers were protecting the suspects and could not explain why they were delayed in reaching the site.
“We have arrested three men while raids are being conducted to arrest the other accused,” he said, sidestepping the question about the delay.
He also had no comment on why anti-terrorism sections were not included in the FIR when high-powered weapons resulted in injuries and kept panic-stricken people locked in their homes.
Asked why police failed to include in the FIR the anti-Christian comments the suspects made as stated by the complainants, Azeem said only that the case was registered on Tuesday (Sept. 7), “because we wanted to get to the bottom of the issue.” He said preliminary investigation showed the shooting was rooted in a personal dispute, but “further investigation will reveal the facts.”
“They [Christians] are our brothers, and we will protect them from any element who wants to disrupt peace in the area,” he said. “The incident has been noticed by the government, and all efforts are being made to bring the culprits to justice. It is not a religious issue as is being projected by the Christians.”
The U.S. State Department in December re-designated Pakistan among nine other “Countries of Particular Concern” for severe violations of religious freedom. Previously Pakistan had been added to the list on Nov. 28, 2018.
Pakistan ranked fifth on the Open Doors 2021 World Watch list of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
Photo: Asif Masih was shot when Muslim gunmen attacked Lahore, Pakistan’s Sherakot area on Sept. 6, 2021. (Morning Star News)
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