Christian Persecution – Africa

A Church building belonging to the Mountain of Fire Ministries in Gusau, capital of Zamfara State, northern Nigeria was set ablaze by suspected Islamic fanatics.

Sudanese Christian refugees living in the Maagi Refugee Camp in the Adjumani Resettlement area of Northern Uganda were attacked by 1200 members of the “Lord’s Resistance Army” on Wednesday, July 17th. Five refugees were killed and 200 were rendered homeless as LRA Rebels burned and looted over 180 homes. About 190,000 Sudanese refugees live in the Adjumani Resettlement District. The survivors of the attack sought refuge in an AIC church compound located in the camp.

Christians in the Plateau State of central Nigeria have been killed and forced from their land by extremist Islamic militants.

Katsina State Stops Christian Religious Education by Obed Minchakpu ABUJA, Nigeria (Compass) — Muslim leaders aim to eradicate Christianity in northern Nigeria, says Nigeria’s Defense Minister, Lt. General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma. Danjuma told a gathering of the Northern (Nigeria) Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) on April 20 in Abuja, the federal capital, that Christians are now under severe pressure. He urged the Christian leaders assembled at the All Saints Anglican Church not to be intimidated. “Our religion is under assault in our country. If Christians are not careful, there will be a time that the propagation of the teaching of Jesus … Read more

Two Nigerian Muslims who converted to the Christian faith in Mada village of northern Nigeria’s Zamfara state are missing, possibly at the hands of Muslim fundamentalists seeking to kill them for changing their faith.

Fourteen Churches in Zamfara State, in Northern Nigeria are now facing demolition threat by the state government, which claims that there are too many Christian worship centers in the state. Zamfara state, which spearheaded the adoption of Islamic law in northern Nigeria contrary to the country’s secular constitution, is predominantly Muslim, populated with less than a five percent Christian population.

Four Examples of Courage and Faith in 2001

There is no such thing as a “typical” persecuted Christian. Yet among the millions of persecuted believers worldwide, some qualities might be considered typical: courage, patience, persistence, and faithfulness. Below are the stories of four Christians currently under great pressure for their faith. They and their families have come to typify those very qualities. They would not claim to be “persecuted Christians of the year” or even desire it. They would only ask not to be forgotten.

Islam and Church Disunity Combine to Dull the Impact of the Church by Geoff Stamp BAMAKO, Mali (Compass) — For some time, Muslim city authorities in Magnambougou planned for a beautiful new mosque in this new suburb of Bamako, the Malian capital. They acquired land in the middle of the urban dwellings and began to build a mosque that would dominate the area and accommodate more than 2,000 Muslims for prayers, much to the distress and dismay of local Christians. The authorities had rejected the Christians’ repeated requests for permission to build new churches. “It is becoming harder as every … Read more

ZARIA, Nigeria (Compass) — Five Christian students died during a clash between Muslim and Christian students of the Kaduna State Polytechnic University in Zaria city in northern Nigeria.

The conflict broke out on Monday, August 27, during students’ union elections of the school, which saw the Christian students’ candidates sweeping the polls.

DAMBOA, Nigeria (Compass) — A Christian-Muslim conflict in Damboa in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno state resulted in the deaths of 15 Christians, and four churches were burned.

ISTANBUL, July 6 (Compass) — Officials from Egypt’s powerful State Security Intelligence (SSI) agency detained a Coptic Orthodox Christian for the fourth time in early June, interrogating him under torture on accusations of preaching Christianity to Muslims.

GARFIELD, NJ (ANS) — The indiscriminate slaughter of more than two million people, mostly black Christians, but also Muslims and animists, in southern Sudan, has been brought about by the National Islamic Front (NIF) who long ago declared a jihad (holy war) on the south. Human rights observers say that NIF violates almost every provision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.