Their Cry: Barnabas Fund - Aid Agency For The Persecuted Church

barnabasaid
BARNABAS FUND - AID AGENCY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

Timeline
The Armenian and Assyrian

Genocide as it unfolded
Boko Haram
Origins and objectives
barnabasfund.org
May/June 2015
Church partners
A partner from New Zealand

encourages others to take on the role
Hear
their cry
What helps make Barnabas Fund distinctive from other

Christian organisations that deal with persecution?
The Barnabas Fund Distinctive

We work by:
directing our aid only to Christians, although its
benefits may not be exclusive to them (As we

have opportunity, let us do good to all people,
especially to those who belong to the family
of believers. Galatians 6:10, emphasis added)
aiming the majority of our aid at Christians

living in Muslim environments
channelling money from Christians through

Christians to Christians
channelling money through existing structures

in the countries where funds are sent (e.g.
local churches or Christian organisations)
using the money to fund projects that have
been developed by local Christians in their own

communities, countries or regions
considering any request, however small

acting as equal partners with the persecuted
Church, whose leaders often help shape our
overall direction
How to find us
UK
9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX
Telephone 024 7623 1923
Fax 024 7683 4718
From outside the UK
Telephone +44 24 7623 1923
Fax +44 24 7683 4718
Email info@barnabasfund.org
Registered charity number 1092935
Company registered in England
number 4029536
For a list of all trustees, please contact
Barnabas Fund UK at the Coventry
address above.
Australia
PO BOX 3527,
LOGANHOLME, QLD 4129
Telephone (07) 3806 1076
or 1300 365 799
Fax (07) 3806 4076
Email bfaustralia@barnabasfund.org
barnabasaid the magazine

of Barnabas Fund
Published by Barnabas Fund
The Old Rectory, River Street,
Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK
Telephone 01672 564938
Fax 01672 565030
From outside UK:
Telephone +44 1672 564938
Fax +44 1672 565030
acting on behalf of the persecuted Church, to
be their voice making their needs known to

Christians around the world and the injustice of
their persecution known to governments and
international bodies
We seek to:
meet both practical and spiritual needs

encourage, strengthen and enable the existing
local Church and Christian communities so
they can maintain their presence and witness
rather than setting up our own structures or
sending out missionaries
facilitate global intercession for
the persecuted Church by providing

comprehensive prayer materials
We believe:
we are called to address both religious and

secular ideologies that deny full religious
liberty to Christian minorities while
continuing to show Gods love to all people
in the clear Biblical teaching that Christians
should treat all people of all faiths with love

and compassion, even those who seek to
persecute them
tackle persecution at its root by making
in the power of prayer to change peoples lives
inform and enable Christians in the West
Whatever you did for one of

the least of these brothers of
mine, you did for me.
known the aspects of the Islamic faith and

other ideologies that result in injustice and
oppression of non-believers
and situations, either through grace to endure

or through deliverance from suffering
to respond to the growing challenge of

Islam to Church, society and mission in their
own countries
(Matthew 25:40)
You may contact Barnabas Fund at the following addresses

Germany
German supporters may send gifts for
Barnabas Fund via Hilfe fr Brder who
will provide you with a tax-deductible
receipt. Please mention that the donation
is for SPC 20 Barnabas Fund. If you
would like your donation to go to a specific
project of Barnabas Fund, please inform
the Barnabas Fund office in Pewsey, UK.
Account holder: Hilfe fr Brder
International e.V.
Account number: 415 600
Bank: Evang Kreditgenossenschaft
Stuttgart
IBAN: DE89520604100000415600
BIC: GENODEF1EK1
USA
6731 Curran St, McLean, VA 22101
Telephone (703) 288-1681
or toll-free 1-866-936-2525
Fax (703) 288-1682
Email usa@barnabasaid.org
To guard the safety of Christians in

hostile environments, names may
have been changed or omitted.
Thank you for your understanding.
Every effort has been made to
trace copyright holders and obtain
permission for stories and images
used in this publication. Barnabas
Fund apologises for any errors or
omissions and will be grateful for
any further information regarding
copyright. Barnabas Fund 2015
New Zealand
PO Box 27 6018, Manukau City,
Auckland, 2241
Telephone (09) 280 4385
or 0800 008 805
Email office@barnabasfund.org.nz
Northern Ireland and
Republic of Ireland
PO Box 354, Bangor, BT20 9EQ
Telephone 028 91 455 246
or 07875 539003
Email ireland@barnabasfund.org
Singapore
Cheques in Singapore dollars payable
to Barnabas Fund may be sent to:
Kay Poh Road Baptist Church, 7 Kay
Poh Road, Singapore 248963
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture

quotations are taken from the
New International Version.
International Headquarters
The Old Rectory, River Street, Pewsey,
Wiltshire SN9 5DB, UK
Fax 01672 565030
From outside UK:
Telephone +44 1672 564938
Fax +44 1672 565030
To donate by credit/debit
card, please visit the
website
www.barnabasfund.org or
phone 0800 587 4006
(from outside the UK phone
+44 24 7623 1923).
100% recycled. The paper used

is produced using wood fibre at a
mill that has been awarded the ISO14001
certificate for environmental management.
Front cover: Displaced Iraqi

Christians
Barnabas Fund 2015. For permission
to reproduce articles from this magazine,
please contact the International
Headquarters address above.
The paper used in this publication comes
from sustainable forests and can be
Editorial
Contents
Hear the cry of

our brothers and
sisters in need
Thy Kingdom, O Christ, is an everlasting Kingdom,
and Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
Timeline
Three decades of Christian

massacres in the Middle East
Albrecht
Hauser
from Germany, is the

Chairman of the Board
of Trustees of Barnabas
Aid International
Do we really
hear the cry of
our brothers and
sisters in need, or
are we constantly
preoccupied by
our own wellbeing?
10
Experts in the Art of Dying
Personal stories from

the genocide
Pull-out
Trusting God amid death

threats in Indonesia
Albrecht Hauser Chairman of Barnabas Aid International
his Greek inscription from Psalm 145 on the

central lintel of a closed, walled-in gate of the
present day Umayyad Mosque in Damascus
reminds us that, during the Byzantine period,
this building was the Christian St Johns
Cathedral. For some time, the entrance may
have served both Christians and Muslims; at the beginning of the
Islamic conquest of Syria in the 7th century the church building
was used by both, before the Christians were expelled from it.
This inscription also reminds us of the decline of Eastern
Christianity under Islam. There have been many waves of
persecution and a long trail of martyrdom, with the destruction
of churches and the periodic disruption, suppression and exodus
of Christians from the heartland and cradle of Christianity. The
Genocide of Armenian and Assyrian Christians a hundred years
ago is well documented, yet still denied
and belittled by the authorities in Turkey.
It is therefore especially painful for all
Christians in the Middle East that their
right to exist in their ancient homeland is
questioned and challenged afresh by the
forces of an Islamic jihad ideology.
When talking about the persecution
of Christians throughout history we
hear often the third century words of
Tertullian, often quoted as : The blood of
the martyrs is the seed of the church. But
is this really the experience of the Church
under Islam? We are surely witnessing
afresh the historical persecution, with
suppression, destruction, displacement
and expulsion all taking place with renewed vigour. History is
repeated as historic Christianity is in danger of extermination in
the region where its roots go back to the beginning of the Church.
As Christians we are called to stand with Christs Church.
We must hear and understand afresh that when one member
suffers, all share in that suffering (1 Corinthians 12:26). What do
we hear? Do we really hear the cry of our brothers and sisters in
need, or are we constantly preoccupied by our own wellbeing?
We see and hear the voice of chaos, destruction, religious
strife and hate. We are perplexed at events and at the tragedy
of dehumanisation. Yes, change and decay we see all around
us. May we also hear the voice of Jesus: Take up your cross
and follow me, and know that as we stand with Christ in His
suffering we share in His glory to come.
4 Compassion in Action
Dawa
Conversion and Islamisation

through violence
11
Barnabas Church Partners
12
Advocacy
A partner from New Zealand

describes a rewarding role
Last chance to return

Christians in the Middle East petitions
12
15
Newsdesk - Behind
the headlines
16
Grace upon Grace
18
In Touch
Boko Haram
Stories of Gods mercies

amidst persecution
Barnabas supporters
in their own words
how barnabas is helping

Busy prison
ministry
The prison ministry work supported
by Barnabas Fund in Sudan has
never been as busy as it is now.
They are helping an unprecedented
number of imprisoned Christian
women, mainly arrested for breaking
Islamic sharia law.
The number has risen to 1,100
Christian women, as well as 135
children who are imprisoned
alongside their mothers. Many of
the women are converts from Islam,
a group that the Sudanese Islamist
government has started targeting
more intensively in recent years.
The workers, who risk imprisonment
themselves for their work, provide
the women with medicines, blankets,
clothes and Bibles and help chaplain
volunteers provide Sunday services
and Bible studies.
The number of Christian women

imprisoned for their faith in Sudan
has increased
6,750 for prison ministry

(US$10,425; 9,198)
Project reference 48-575
Jesus has never

ignored me
I really can never regret my
accepting Jesus as a personal Saviour,
because of how much he has done
for me, said Margaret, a Ugandan
convert from Islam, whose education
Barnabas is funding.
Coming from a Muslim family, my
parents were really not happy when
they learned of it and indeed they
ignored me.
But Im so happy Jesus has never
ignored me. I have always seen Him
making a way where there seems to
be no way.
For three years, Barnabas Fund
is paying the accommodation and
educational fees of Margaret and
two other young women disowned
and persecuted by their families for
converting from Islam, so that they
can complete their education even
though their parents have stopped
paying their fees.
Margaret's Muslim father cut off all

educational support after she
became a Christian
607 for education and

accommodation of three
convert women
(US$937; 826)
I can pay my rent

Bira, who now has her own sewing
business in Uganda thanks to
Barnabas Fund, recalls the difficult
place she was in after leaving
Islam and turning to Christ. I was
harassed by my family... I had no
place to stay, she remembers.
The church picked me up and
took me to vocational skills
training in tailoring, supported by
Barnabas Fund.
Because of the sewing machine
[Barnabas Fund] gave me, I can pay
my rent, get food to eat and clothes
to wear.
Besides Bira, another 299 converts
from Islam in Uganda are now selfsufficient thanks to Barnabas Fund.
All received vocational training for
one year and tools to start a trade.
These converts from Islam can now

provide for themselves again
20,000 for 300 small

businesses
(US$30,835; 27,508)
Strengthened and encouraged. This is what we often hear from Christians

who have received support from Barnabas Fund. Thank you for making this
possible. The following pages are just a few examples of the many ways
we have recently helped persecuted and pressurised Christians
Barnabas Aid May/June 2015 5
Armenian
winter survival
Saved by books
Sawra Village:
shelter for
displaced
Robens life was turned around

after reading several Christian books
purchased locally in Bangladesh
thanks to Barnabas Fund.
Up to 1,000 displaced Iraqi

Christians will soon find a
comfortable, temporary home in
Sawra Village, well-equipped, tented
accommodation in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The books led the young man to

dedicate his life to Jesus Christ, a bold
decision in a country where violence
against Christians has increased and
the family and friends of Christian
converts will often put much pressure
on converts to give up their faith.
In their new abode, the displaced

families will have bathrooms, laundry
rooms and access to electricity
that will provide heating and air
conditioning against summer
temperatures which can soar to the
upper 40s Celsius.
Since then, Roben has not kept

silent. He has shared his faith with
many and as a result 32 families
have been baptised.
The village will be a major help for

these families, who fled to Iraqi
Kurdistan last year when Islamic
State (IS) seized their towns and
villages. They have been homeless
ever since, living in church halls and
unfinished buildings.
Last year, with help from Barnabas

Fund, the ministry that Roben bought
the books from made available over
450,000 Christian books and tracts
in Bangladesh.
One hundred years after the worst

year of the Armenian Genocide
(see pages 8-10), Armenia is a free
and independent country and feels
honoured that it has remained a
Christian nation down the centuries.
Although surrounded on three sides
by Muslim-majority countries, it
continues to provide a safe and free
homeland for Armenians who have
suffered greatly for their Christian
faith in times past. At the same time,
the country remains desperately poor.
Last winter, Barnabas Fund provided
400 Christian families in the north
with monthly food baskets for four
months. And, to warm themselves
against arctic temperatures of minus
10 to 35 Celsius, 200 families
received a four-month supply of
wood, coal or gas.
Barnabas Fund also continued to help
500 Christian refugee families from
Syria. Through the latest grant,
they received aid for basic needs for
four months.
Christian refugees from Syria in Armenia

with food parcels from Barnabas Fund
Last year, Barnabas Fund made over
450,000 Christian books and tracts
available in Bangladesh
7,209 for Christian books

and tracts
(US$11,176; 9,845)
Sawra Village (land in front) will have a

Christian village (back) as its neighbour
501,769 for Sawra Village

(US$770,993; 690,179)
87,249 for winter needs

(Ref. 79-719)
(US$134,581; 120,000)
72,766 for Syrian Christian
refugees in Armenia
(Ref. 00-1032)
(US$112,151; 100,000)
Project references 79-719 and 00-1032
The flood-damaged home of this family in Sri Lanka was repaired with help from Barnabas Fund
This seminar in Central Asia helped convert leaders to realise how their lifestyle
had to change to become more Biblical, in the midst of an Islamic culture
Rudiman, a church planter, and his family live in complete

reliance on God
Compassion in Action
bringing hope, transforming lives

Flood disaster:
Jesus in control
Malani will not easily forget

the moment her house in Sri
Lanka was ripped apart by torrential
monsoon rain last year, nor the
moment of realisation soon after that
God would take care of her care that
He used Barnabas Fund to provide.
Incessant rain and strong winds
brought havoc to large areas of western
and central Sri Lanka last June.
They lashed against the little house
where she and her five children lived,
uprooting trees around it. Suddenly
their roof collapsed. Rain water gushed
into the home and submerged the
familys few possessions.
Malani was faced with a grave

situation. Having no husband, she
needed to find a safe place for her
children. And as Christians living in
a remote area where Hinduism and
Buddhism are strongly represented,
the family had already experienced
discrimination and marginalisation
for their faith. She also knew it
was unlikely they would receive
government aid.
But soon her worries and fear subsided:
she remembered the Person she had
come to know when she converted to
Christianity, Jesus Christ. Even during
these difficulties, she could trust Him.
With help from Barnabas Fund
Malanis roof was repaired. In total
Barnabas repaired twelve flooddamaged churches and the homes
of 208 Christian families in Sri
Lanka last year.
16,002 for house and

church repairs after floods
(US$24,710; 21,685)
Project reference 00-634 (Church and
house repairs for victims of monsoon
floods in Sri Lanka)
Challenged
to change
Amir, a Christian from a

Muslim background, was not
the only participant to express
astonishment at what he learnt last
November at a Barnabas-funded
seminar in Central Asia on Islam.
I was very surprised so many things
in our culture are from Islam. It was
a big challenge for me and for many
others, he said.
Together with 53 other pastors and
ministry leaders, Amir learnt that,
because their society is so strongly
influenced by Islamic culture, many
converts to Christianity unwittingly
continue to lead a Muslim lifestyle.
We are Christians but we live in
families as Muslims. It must
be changed urgently! exclaimed
Nasim, another participant. This
seminar has opened our eyes to the
reality of our lives.
The participants of the four-day
conference were encouraged to focus
completely on the truth in the Bible.
Amir said, Today I understand it
and can explain it to other believers
from a Muslim background.
When inviting people to the seminar,
the organisers had intended to invite
more. But they soon realised that
e-mailing or phoning some converts
with details about the teaching
would put them into too much
danger, as the government is known
to tap believers phone lines.
1,023 for seminar in

Central Asia
(US$1,580; 1,386)
Trusting God
amid death threats
I think that if I had ever tried

to do this ministry in my own
strength, I would have given up
long ago. But the Lord is my joy
and strength, confided Rudiman, a
Barnabas-supported church planter
in Indonesia.
Rudiman and another 39 Barnabassupported pastors felt led by
God to plant new churches in an
impoverished Muslim-majority area
of Indonesia. Their work does not
come without opposition or danger
but also provides opportunities to
learn to rely on God.
One such opportunity arose when
Rudiman received death threats. His
little congregation became very fearful
at the thought of their pastor being
killed. They begged him to hide in his
house to avoid any risks. But Rudiman
encouraged his congregation to trust
God. He told them, Pray, and leave
this to the Lord.
Over time it became clear that
Rudiman was right, and this built up
the faith of his members. What he
teaches his flock, is how he leads his
own life. He said, I strongly believe
that I should trust in His promises,
build on Him and live in full
surrender. That will never be in vain.
Barnabas Fund will help these 40
church planters with approximately
28 (US$42; 39) each every month
for four years as they build up their
churches and become self-sufficient.
They are now in their second year.
13,600 for 40 new church

planters in Indonesia for
one year
(US$21,006; 18,424)
Armenian Genocide
Forgotten
genocide:
as it unfolded
1878
The second Baltic War ends;

Turkey and Russia sign the Berlin
Treaty, which requires Russia to
withdraw from Western Armenia
leaving it under the control of the
Turkish Sultan
1891
The Turkish Sultan establishes a

Kurdish cavalry called Hamidie with
the goal of orchestrating massacres of
Armenians across the Ottoman Empire
1894-1896
The Turkish military massacres

approximately 300,000 Armenians;
100,000 are forcibly converted and
expelled from their homeland
Victims of a massacre in Erzerum

gathered for burial. Image Source:
W. L. Sachtleben, Wikimedia
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the worst year

of the Armenian and Assyrian Genocide. Over a 30year period, a series of premeditated deportations and
massacres resulted in the deaths of up to 3.75 million
Christians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks.
On 24 April 1915 Armenian intellectuals and leaders were
murdered, which is why Armenians commemorate it as the
day their head was cut off. Overall, in that year alone some
800,000 Armenians were killed.
But the killing had started over two decades earlier. And
besides 1.5 million Armenians, a further 750,000 Assyrians
and 1.5 million Ottoman Greeks were murdered before the
genocide came to an end.
1915 January
Young Turks leader, Talaat: no
room for Christians in Turkey
(Reported by New York Times)
Under the guise of military
stratagem, Turkish authorities
begin a violent relocation of Greek
Christian communities located
around the Black Sea
1914
Turkish boycott of Armenian

businesses declared. Police collect
names and biographies of leading
Armenians. Mass executions of
Armenian soldiers in Turkish army in
public squares
Turkish authorities begin a violent,
systematic approach to removing the
Greek Christians of western Anatolia
as all Pontic Greeks ages 21-45 are
mobilised, rounded up and displaced
during the summer months
Talaat Pasha ordered the deportation
of Assyrians living along the border of
Turkey and Persia (Iran)
Two of the Young Turks Leaders. Image

Source: Library of Congress, Wikimedia
1915 March
Deportation of Armenians from
Zeitun begins
Turkey disarms Armenian men serving
in Ottoman army
1911
1915 April
Zeitun ends (total 25,000)
Armenian intelligentsia deported and
later killed
Staff of a leading Armenian
newspaper arrested and later killed
1909
1915 May
Ezerum Province: mass
deportations begin; 200 Armenian
leaders arrested
Assyrians declare war on Turkey
The Allies (England, France,
and Russia) issue a joint official
declaration holding the Ottoman
The Young Turks hold a secret session

called the Salonika conference and
adopt an official genocidal policy
to Turkify all non-Turkish nations in
the empire including Armenians,
Assyrians, and Greeks
1908
A Turkish, nationalist movement

called Young Turks overthrows the
Sultan, yet continues to carry out
massacres in order to create a pure
Turkish state
1915 February
Young Turks leaders Talaat, Enver
and Jemal create the Executive
Committee of Three who were
responsible for the organisation and
implementation of the deportation
and massacre of all Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire
An anti-Christian mob murders

approximately 20,000 Christians
including 1,272 Assyrians
Armenian Genocide
You can view a more detailed version of this timeline at:

www.barnabasfund.org/armenian-timeline or scan this with your device
1915 August
1,000 Armenians burned alive in Bitlis
Adabazar, Mersin, Izmir, Bursa
1915 July
2,000 Armenian soldiers in Turkish
army massacred
Deportations from Trebizond,
Sivas (48,000), Aintab, Kilis and
Adiaman. Many slaughtered en route
to the Syrian desert
1915 October
Turkey blocks exit of Armenians to US
1915 November
Turkey blocks attempted relief effort
by US organisation
1915 December
Deportations of Armenians
from Constantinople
1939
Hitler gives instructions to: kill

without pity or mercy all men,
women and children of Polish race
or language asking, who still talks
nowadays of the extermination of
the Armenians?
1923
Republic of Turkey declared

New law prevents Armenians from
returning to Turkey
1916
Armenians being deported. Image

Source: narek781, Wikimedia
1915 June
Coordinated attack to drive
Assyrians out of Turkey into Persia
and Armenians told to leave within
five days
Turks massacre Assyrian
settlements in the Bohtan region
leading to the death of the Assyrian
scholar, Addai Sher
Armenians from Erzinjan deported to
Syrian desert
Massacre of 25,000 Armenians from
Erzerum province
Armenian notables of Trebizond
thrown, tightly bound, into
Black Sea
Empire responsible for the massacre

of the Armenians
Massacre of Armenians from Khnus
region of Erzerum province
The Allies officially warn Turkey to
stop the anti-Armenian massacres
2000 Armenians deported
from Marash
Further deportations of the

Armenian population; many
massacred along the way, others die
from starvation/dehydration
Greeks evacuated from the Black
Sea and other areas
July September, 70,000 troops
massacred in Sivas
Massacre of at least 260,000
deportees
3,000 elderly women and children
are sent on a white march
Total deaths around 750,000
Armenian refugee children near

Athens after population exchange
between Greece and Turkey.
Image Source: Quoth, Wikimedia
1922
1917
Abolition of Ottoman Sultanate

10,000 Armenians massacred.
More Armenian deportations
100,000 Greeks massacred.
Mass deportations
1918
Greeks again forced to relocate
12,000 Armenians murdered

Greeks displaced and 100
villages burnt
Turkey accepts WW1 defeat, making

provisions for return of Armenians
which is never enforced
Armistice allows Greek Christians to
return to Western Anatolia
Republic of Armenia established
More than 30,000 massacred in Turkey
1921
1920
Sultan in control of the Ottoman

Empire, supported by the British
14,500 Armenians killed in the course
of unrest because of political changes
Turkish military captures Armenian
city of Alexandropol
Armenia annexed by Soviet Union
1919
Armenians orphans. Image Source:

Trustees of Anatolia College, Wikimedia
Turkish nationalists led by

Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) split from
Young Turks and aim to establish
a Turkish State, engaging in the
Turkish War of Independence
against WW1 allies as represented
in the region
Armenian Genocide
Experts in the
art of dying
Christ-like conduct during the Armenian Genocide
Armenians marched by Turkish soldiers, Image Source: Project SAVE, Wikimedia
How did Armenian Christians respond to the atrocities they underwent?

Seven years into the worst period of the Armenian Genocide, Sisag Manoogian
set down his thoughts and recollections. He tells how some Christians remained
firm in their faith and Christ-like towards their enemies.
Not less than one million Armenians
have perished during these last seven
years. Some, by the grace of God, were
experts in the art of dying, and these
saved the name of Christianity in the
presence of their enemies.
Some ferocious gendarmes marvelled
when seeing men and women, even
children, instead of trembling in the
presence of death, show calm and
dignity, and instead of cursing, pray
for the forgiveness of their murderers.
In their defencelessness they tried to
defend the weaker ones; in their hunger
they shared their last piece of bread
with the poorest.
The pastor of the Syrian church in
Ourfa saw thousands of women and
children, who were exhausted with the
journey, and so had to spend one night
on the ground there, and march on
next morning. He said nearly all were
hungry, thirsty, and literally naked.
Some of them found pieces of charcoal
and wrote on the rocks: As Jesus did
not deny us, do not deny Him; We have
not denied Him, follow us.
These women were asked to repeat
a short sentence after the Turkish
teacher, or lift up their testimonial
finger to show that they were willing

to accept Islam, which meant they
could stay free in their homes, but they
refused, choosing rather to suffer and
die in the desert.
The victorious Turks will acknowledge
that the Armenians gave up everything
precious, but clung to their Bibles;
how they thanked God first before
they drank water after five days hot
journey in the desert without anything
to quench thirst; how innocent victims
showed wonderful peace and offered
earnest prayers for the salvation of
Turks and Turkey, before the rope was
around their necks to hang them.
It is not, of course, intended by this
account to give the impression that all
Armenians show the Spirit of Christ
under persecution. This would be far
from the truth; but the role of true
martyrs, whether living or dying, is a
noble and long one.
These excerpts are taken from Armenian

Experts in the Art of Dying by Rev. Sisag
Manoogian, (2014). Our sincere thanks to his
descendants, who have kindly allowed us to use
the quotations.
The Turks packed and tied poor young

widows in the Oriental oxen carts
and drove them through the crowded
main markets, while the victims were
screaming and pulling their hair in
agony. In those helpless, hopeless days,
the writer, his wife and his old mother
repeatedly knelt down to pray for the
forgiveness of such a matchless sin.
Rev. Sisag Manoogian
On one occasion Elmas saw a line of

Armenian children being systematically
beheaded by Turkish soldiers. Terrible
thunder and lightning broke out, which
the Turks relished as showing the
approval of Allah for the killing of the
Christian children. But when a bolt of
lightning killed some of those doing the
beheading, the rest of the soldiers were
terrified, stopped the beheadings, and
sent the remaining children away.
AC and LC
After been threatened, from Cilicia

region in South-west Turkey, [my
grandparents] fled in mid-April 1915
from Hajen city, leaving behind all their
belongings, documents, and other
things. They took the Der El-Zor route
and after few months they reached
Baghdad as a safe haven. During those
days, they used to collect animal dung
and take the seeds and grains from it to
feed their children.
Dr Jany Haddad
The Turkish authorities rounded up
[the elderly, the women and the children]
and told them they were going to walk
to a Der El-Zor, near Aleppo, where they
could settle and live. All of them, even
the pregnant women, were forced along
the route in the heat of the summer of
1915. Eventually they realised that their
promised destination was an empty
desert region, with no settlements, no
food and no water.
AC and LC
The Armenian men were told by their
captors, Convert to Islam and you will
be safe. The Armenians shouted, We
are Christians! In response the Turkish
soldiers doused the church building
[where the men were imprisoned] with
flammable liquid and set it on fire.
AC and LC
...Pull-out
DAWA
The Islamic Strategy for
Reshaping the Modern World
3
Dawa and Islamisation
through violence and jihad
Pull-out
Barnabas Aid May/June 2015 ii
Dawa linked to jihad
Dawa is linked to jihad, as both have the same aim: to

spread Islam and its dominion. The concept of jihad
has been part of Islam since its beginning. The Arabic
word means striving and Muslims interpret this as:
(1) personal spiritual struggle for moral purity; (2)
trying to correct wrong and support right by voice
and actions; (3) military war
against non-Muslims.
The early Islamic state
imposed Islam by persuasion
if possible, by force if not.
Likewise, all forces hindering
the spread of Islam and its
dominion had to be fought and
eradicated. After a Muslim
victory, the non-Muslims
brought under Islamic rule
could be converted more easily
with the help of the Islamic
state and its institutions.
This doctrine of early Islam
remains a guiding principle of
21st century Islamists for whom one of the purposes
of jihad is to to eliminate all elements that are acting
as obstacles for the rest of the people converting to
Islam. In this view jihad is dawa by force.
While dawa can be propagated by peaceful
persuasion, jihad enables it to function freely to
its fullest extent. Dawa is most effective when the
state enforces sharia and uses all its resources to
support dawa. Islamist movements see themselves
as committed to both dawa and jihad, or rather, see
both as different stages of the same enterprise.
method for keeping society in check as well as for

the expansion of Islam. Even moderate Muslims
seem to accept the need for violence against infidels,
apostates, those who criticise Muhammad, and
perceived enemies of Islam.
In the West violent Muslim riots are sometimes
organised to try to force non-Muslim governments
to accept Islamic demands.
Such protests occurred in
many countries following
the Rushdie affair in Britain
in 1989, Pope Benedicts
Regensburg speech in 2006,
and the Danish cartoons
of Muhammad in 20052006. Governments usually
respond by conceding to
radical Islamic demands.
The fear of Islamist violence
creates an atmosphere of
excessive political correctness
and self-censorship by nonMuslims in the West. As a
result Islam gains a privileged position in Western
society in which it is never criticised.
Even moderate Muslims

seem to accept the need
for violence against infidels,
apostates, those who
criticise Muhammad, and
perceived enemies of Islam
Violence in Islam
There has always been a strand of radicalism

and violence in Islams traditional theology. This
is based on passages in the Islamic source texts,
on Muhammads example, and on early Muslim
history. Because the Quran and hadith (traditions)
contain many passages encouraging violence,
they have provided a strong justification for those
Muslims seeking to further the power of Islam by
aggression and violence.
Numerous verses in the Quran command or
commend fighting against non-Muslims, especially
in the parts of the Quran revealed to Muhammad
in Medina towards the end of his life. Peaceable
Quran verses, dated earlier than the belligerent ones,
are considered by most Islamic scholars abrogated
(cancelled out) by the later belligerent verses. A
favourite verse of Islamists is the Sword Verse:
But when the forbidden months are past,
then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye
find them (Q 9:5)
It is said to have abrogated all peaceful verses and
to be the basis for militant jihad.
Through the centuries, Muslim societies have
tended to view the use of violence as an effective
Military jihad
The principle of military jihad is based on the

example of Muhammads life and of the first caliphs
who expanded the Islamic empire. Later, during the
Abbasid caliphate this strategy was codified as the
sharia doctrine of jihad.
Military jihad was practised up to the time of
the Ottoman and Mughal Empires and their jihads
into Europe and India respectively. Islamic history
also shows repeated cycles of puritanical revivals,
such as those of the Almoravids (1054-1147) and the
Almohads (1121-1269) in North Africa, the Wahhabis
in Arabia (since the mid-18th century), Usman dan
Fodio (1754-1817) in West Africa and the Mahdi
(1844-1885) in Sudan. These all practised aggressive
jihad as part of their programmes of reinstating
original Islam and expanding its territorial base.
Only under severe constraints, when non-Islamic
power was overwhelming, could the jihad imperative
be put on hold for a while. This concession derived
from sharia principles of darura and maslaha
which permit the breaking of sharia principles
when Muslims are weak and Islam is in danger.
Such suspension of jihad was always temporary, and
jihad could be reactivated at any time if Muslims
considered their strength sufficient to change the
balance of power and reassert Islamic dominance.
Violent jihad is an important aspect of the resurgence
of Islam since the 1970s and is fuelled by the growing
dominance of Islamism across the Muslim world.
Violent Islamists: jihadists
Violent radical Islamist groups wage a constant

campaign of terror against a variety of targets:
the regimes in their own Muslim-majority states;
Western states, especially the US and their interests
Pull-out
Barnabas Aid May/June 2015 iii
worldwide; progressive and liberal Muslims

labelled heretics and apostates; and Israel and
Jews. Some focus on what Islam calls the near
enemy: Muslim rulers and regimes. Others focus
on the far enemy such as the US, the UK, Israel,
and other non-Muslim regimes.
Using a process called takfir, some condemn
their more moderate fellow-Muslims as infidels or
apostates. As sharia decrees a death penalty for adult
male apostates and for all infidels (pagans), those
classified as infidels or apostates can then be lawfully
killed, at least in the view of the takfiris who have
condemned them. This process is applied to liberal
and progressive Muslims, to more secular Muslim
governments and even to whole Muslim societies
that the radicals consider to be insufficiently devout.
This kind of reasoning allows violent jihadists to
legitimise the horrors of the indiscriminate killing
of Muslim innocents, as in the Algerian civil war and
in Iraq post-2003.
The extent of activity by violent Islamists
across the world, especially that involving suicide
operations, is phenomenal. The range stretches from
Pakistan and Afghanistan through Iraq, Syria and
Yemen to Somalia, Nigeria, Algeria and Kenya. The
terror they unleash is evident in daily news bulletins
that recount suicide bombings, assassinations and
shootings across the globe. The call for jihad has a
powerful emotive attraction that constantly brings
in new recruits from all over the Muslim world,
replenishing the many fighters killed.
Religious cleansing
Islamist violence and threats of violence are causing

whole populations of non-Muslims to flee their
homelands. In some cases this policy appears to
be deliberate; the Islamists intentionally seek to
cleanse a country of its non-Muslim population
in the religious equivalent of ethnic cleansing.
Examples include:
Iraq
Following the downfall of Saddam Hussein in 2003,

Islamist militant groups, both Sunni and Shia,
targeted indigenous Christians in a programme
of sustained violence that included kidnapping,
assassination and bombing of churches. This
resulted in the displacement of about half the
countrys Christian population. Many Christians
received threats by letter, phone call or SMS (text
message), telling them to convert to Islam, leave or
be killed. The Islamic State group (IS) renewed this
drive with great vigour in 2014 as it expanded the
area of Iraq and Syria under its control causing a new
displacement of hundreds of thousands of Christians
and other minorities.
Syria
As the Arab Spring unfolded in Syria from 2011

onwards, the rebels became increasingly dominated
by radical Islamist jihadi groups. These factions
attacked Christians, accusing them of supporting
the Assad regime, and used violence to intimidate

them and cause them to flee.
Christians were threatened, kidnapped and
killed. Church buildings and clergy were especially
targeted. Many thousands of Christians left their
homes, some seeking refuge in Lebanon or further
afield. Ironically, many of the Christians who fled
the anti-Christian violence in Iraq a few years
earlier had found safety in Assads Syria; they then
had to face religious cleansing once more, this time
in their country of refuge.
Nigeria
The resurgence of Islam has radicalised many

Nigerian Muslims. Modern Islamism fits well with
the traditional Northern Nigeria model of revival,
creation of an Islamic state under sharia and jihad
as exemplified by Usman dan Fodio (1754-1817) when
he established the Sokoto Caliphate. Following the
imposition of sharia in twelve northern states (19992001), radical Islamists have been demanding the
Islamisation of all Nigeria, including the south of the
country, which is predominantly Christian.
The militant Islamist group Boko Haram, now
linked to IS, has been responsible for countless
violent attacks on Christian churches, villages and
individuals, resulting in thousands of deaths and in
the displacement of huge numbers of Christians in
the north. Boko Haram has stated that it is engaged
in a war on Christians in Nigeria, and Nigerian
Christians believe that the group is coordinating
attacks with the aim of eradicating Christians from
those parts of the country where Boko Haram is
trying to establish an Islamic state.
Islamic liberation movements
Many Muslim states and organisations such

as the powerful OIC (Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation) support Muslim-minority demands
for independence or autonomy as well as outright
rebellions against non-Muslim central governments.
This is evident in Kashmir, the Philippines, southern
Thailand, Xinjiang Province in China, Chechnya and
elsewhere. The theological basis for such rebellions
is that Muslims believe they should never live
under non-Muslim rule and must always work to
expand the territory under Muslim political rule.
Insurgency and terrorism to support such causes
are accepted as legitimate jihad, and funds, arms
and fighters are provided by wealthy Muslim states
and organisations.
Resistance to non-Muslim rule is considered
a sacred duty in Islam and Western leftists often
accept this view of Islamist activities as a valid
liberation struggle.
Destabilisation of states
Destabilisation is currently occurring in Nigeria, Ivory

Coast, Kenya, the Philippines, India and elsewhere.
Muslim minorities are urged to increase their power
in the state and its institutions and to defy secular
constitutions. They demand the implementation of
Pull-out
Barnabas Aid May/June 2015 iv
sharia in Muslim-majority regions of the country as

a prelude to imposing sharia on all the population.
At the same time Islamist jihadists destabilise
the status quo by violent and indiscriminate attacks
on civilians. The population becomes polarised
as the state increases its defensive measures and
focuses on possible sources of terrorism in the
Muslim population.
Seizing power by military force
Violent Islamists of the Seleka rebel group

overwhelmed the armed forces of the Central African
Republic in March 2013 and seized political power.
This happened despite the fact that Muslims are only
15% of the countrys population.
Preventing individuals
from leaving Islam
Apostasy from Islam is viewed in sharia as a very

serious crime, equivalent to treason against the
umma (Islamic nation). Adult male apostates are
to be punished by death, and most schools of sharia
decree the same penalty for adult female apostates.
A few Muslim-majority states include in their
legal systems the death sentence for a Muslim who
changes religion (Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan
and Qatar, among others). However, in most Islamic
contexts no specific state law exists for execution
of an apostate. Nevertheless, authorities may find
the convert guilty of another offence linked to a
perceived threat to the public order.
Sharia sets out a wide range of punishments for
apostasy in addition to the death sentence. These
include dissolution of the converts marriage, loss
of custody of children and loss of inheritance rights.
The authorities often discourage conversion from
Islam simply by refraining from punishing Muslims
who harass or even kill the convert.
Persecution of liberal Muslims
Heresy in Islam is almost as serious a charge as

apostasy. Sometimes state authorities condemn as
heretics liberal Muslims who have wandered too
far from the true faith. Once they are classified as
heretics, they can be punished and silenced.
Dr Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd in Egypt is a good
example. Abu Zayd was a liberal academic who
extended his linguistic research to the study of Islamic
source texts, including the Quran. This enraged some

Islamists who declared he had blasphemed against
Islam and called for his death. In 1993, seven Muslim
lawyers brought a case of apostasy against him. He
was found guilty of apostasy by the Cairo Appeals
Court on 14 June 1995 and ordered to separate from
his wife. This ruling was based on the Islamic principle
of hisba, which permits any Muslim to defend Islamic
morals and behaviour. The landmark ruling against
Abu Zayd, the first of its kind in modern Egypt,
emboldened Islamists to file hisba lawsuits against
other liberal and secularist Muslim intellectuals. It
was an effective way of silencing them.
Persecution of Christian minorities
In the post-communist era, Islam has emerged as the

main persecutor of Christians. This is partly due to
the rise of Islamism and its doctrines of hostility and
contempt for non-Muslims.
In Muslim-majority countries, Christianity is
often presented as the religion of the hated Western
colonial powers. When Muslims seek to retaliate
against Western air strikes that accidentally kill
Muslim civilians, the local Christians unarmed
and few in number are easy targets. Christians in
Muslim-majority contexts are thus bearing the brunt
of the Wests war on terror.
In the grand plan of Islamisation, the persecution
of Christian minorities serves to encourage their
conversion to Islam or is intended to cleanse a country
of all Christians.
Anti-Christian violence is sweeping across the
Muslim-majority world. If the trend is not reversed,
this generation will witness the eradication of the
Christian presence in many nations. Everywhere,
Christians are now living in fear of further attacks,
with no one to protect them.
1 Islamisation is a form of dawa that aims to convert whole
societies and their structures. It can be defined as a process
by which not only individuals but also groups, societies and
cultures become more and more Islamic. The process of
Islamisation will be considered in later instalments of this
series of Dawa pull-out supplements.
2 Muhammad Qasim, Destroying the Country Idol, published
in the Talibans magazine Azan, Issue 3, 24 August 2013
Barnabas fund hope and aid for the persecuted church

UK
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From outside the UK
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From outside UK
Telephone +44 1672 564938
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Barnabas Fund 2015
Interview
r
neve
e
r
a
You
ng
u
o
y
too
Cameron Blair
was 28 years old when he became

a Barnabas church partner at his
church in Invercargill, New Zealand. In
an interview he advocates that being a
Barnabas speaker or church partner can
keep a young person on fire for God.
I started receiving
Barnabas Aid and
Barnabas Prayer
when I was 18 years
old. Last year one of
the magazine issues had a call for
church partners throughout New
Zealand. I thought, I can make a
difference here.
I think theres great potential in
younger ages. Young people can be
on fire for God, especially in the late
teen years, early twenties.
The question is, how can you keep
that fire alive? Being a Barnabas
Fund speaker or church partner is
a great way.
Doing this work has helped me grow.
I mean, you can pray for your
friends, you can pray for your family.
You can pray for church members.
But thats only good enough for so
long. Eventually youre going to start
asking for more.
Its about putting yourself in the
mission of God for the benefit of the
Church. You can make a difference
in peoples lives, both in the country
that you live in and also in other
countries. Its about knowing the
work that youre doing is helping to
sew the Church together.
People often respect

genuineness and
sincerity and a love for
Christ, for the Gospel
and for the church,
more than they do a
good speaker
You dont have to think, Oh, can
I do this? Oh, I am too young and
so-and-so is probably a better speaker
than I am. You dont have to be the
best person. People often respect
genuineness and sincerity and a love
for Christ, for the Gospel and for the

church, more than they do a good
speaker. Its about recognising in your
heart that this is a passion and part in
which God could play through you.
Thats something which is critical for
me: helping others to see that
theres more to life than just what is
in New Zealand.
What I like about a lot of the
information from Barnabas Fund that
Im sharing is that it is eye-opening.
You get to see what different people
go through in different countries. The
testimonies of Christians undergoing
persecution are inspiring and, at
times, sad. But they
show an awful lot of
God. Theres a lot of
humility in there and
a raw working of God
in their hearts.
We need more Church Partners!

Hundreds of Christians volunteer for Barnabas Fund
in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the United
States. Would you like to know more about becoming
a church partner? Have a look at:
www.barnabasfund.org/get-involved/partnership.
You could also scan this code with your device.
Campaigns
URGENT
April 2015
Last chance to send in your Save the

Christians of the Middle East petitions
30
th
Deadline
Would you like to do something practical to support your

persecuted brothers and sisters in the Middle East?
At Barnabas Fund we have been running a campaign to
urge our governments and the United Nations to save the
Christians of the Middle East, who are facing severe persecution
at a level not seen for generations.
We are calling upon our

government and the
United Nations:
To intervene actively to protect
Christians and other minorities
in the Middle East, especially
Iraq and Syria, from genocide,
persecution and terror;
To allow Christian refugees
into our countries and to
take active steps to promote
humanitarian asylum and a
positive welcome;
To support and give
humanitarian aid to
Christians in Iraq, Syria and
elsewhere in the Middle East
and to provide assistance to
those fleeing as refugees.
Please sign the petition and
gather other signatures, too. You
can get a copy of the petition by
contacting your nearest Barnabas
Office, by downloading it from
www.barnabasfund.org/MEpetition,
or by signing it online at the
same address.
You could also write a letter to
your elected representative. A
letter sent by post will be more
effective than an email, but any
letter sent by any method will help.
So far we have received over
28,864 signatures worldwide.
Why act?
In June 2014 Islamic State

(IS) militants shocked the world
when they seized vast amounts
of territory in northern Iraq and
in Syria. Hundreds of thousands
of Christians were forced to flee
as IS confronted them with the
choice of converting to Islam,
paying the jizya tax as a sign
of subjugation or being killed.
Many women and girls were
seized and sold as slaves.
But for those Christians who have
escaped, predominantly to Iraqi
Kurdistan, a humanitarian crisis
has been unfolding. Nearly one
year on from ISs major offensive,
their situation is still desperate.
In our emergency we Christians
looked for help everywhere, but
they didnt help us I plead to
the international community,
to churches, to human rights
organisations, to the UN, to all
who promote peaceful living
together, to help us!
Iraqi Christian woman
(speaking to Ishtar, an Assyrian TV channel)
Correction
In the example letter provided in

Barnabas Aid March/April 2015
it was incorrectly stated that An
estimated 800,000 Armenians were
killed in 2015 alone. This sentence
should read: An estimated 800,000
Armenians were killed in 1915 alone.
Displaced Christian children living in empty offices

Dohuk, Kurdistan - a long way from home
A familiar story?
One hundred years ago Christians were

massacred at the hands of the Ottoman
Empire. In 1900 about 32% of Ottoman
Turkeys population was Christian. Just
27 years later, the Armenian and Assyrian
Genocide, which peaked in April 1915,
reduced the Christian population to 1.8%.
Numerous Christians were forced to
leave their homes with nothing but the
clothes on their backs and walk hundreds
of miles across the desert to concentration
camps. Huge numbers died of hardship
and deprivation on their journey and many
others were deliberately murdered in
organised killings. Their plight was largely
ignored by the international community.
Thankfully, today you can make a
difference by contacting policymakers and
signing this petition. If you have not yet
sent in your petition form, please send it to
your nearest Barnabas Office by 30 April.
(Addresses on inside front cover.)
UK readers can find their local MPs details at the following website: www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-your-mp/contacting-your-mp
Newsdesk
Kazakh courts sentence Christians

for illegal religious activities
Kazakhstan
A court order has fined a Christianrun drug and alcohol rehabilitation

centre and closed it down for three
months after police seized religious
books and materials, and accused
the Centre of illegal activity (religious
worship without authorisation).
On 19 January the court order
was upheld meaning that the
Centre, in the Pavlodar Region,
had to pay a fine of 185,200 tenge
(660; 880; US$1,000; AU$1,300;
NZ$1,360). The Centres director was
also fined. In November 2014,
another case accusing the same
Centre of inciting religious hatred
was dropped after police admitted
to finding no evidence.
Furthermore, in separate
incidents, two Christians have
received heavy fines for exercising

their right to freedom of religion
without state permission but have
refused to pay, making them subject
to further punishment.
In Uralsk, West Kazakhstan,
Nikolai Novikov was fined three times
between 2013 and 2014 for meeting
to worship without state permission.
He described the fines as illegal
indeed, they violate legally binding
international agreements.
Maksim Volikov was fined on
19 December for talking to people
on the street about his faith whilst
giving out religious literature in North
Kazakhstan. He was also issued a
three month ban on his activity,
but he intends to appeal the fine and
seizure of his materials.
Around 280 Christians

taken captive in Syria
Syria
Displaced elderly Christian among the many who have fled their homes along the
Khabur River
Islamic State (IS) fighters in the
north-eastern region of Hassake
raided numerous villages along the
Khabur River in the early hours of 23
February, abducting those who did
not manage to flee.
Men, women and children, including
the entire population of the village of
Tel Shamiram, were captured. Local
residents overheard the militants
confirm on wireless devices that they
were holding the crusaders, who were
alive but the men had been separated
from the women and children.
Four churches were burned during

the raids and a car bomb and mortars
were heard going off in subsequent
days. At least 1,200 families have
been displaced.
At the time of writing, 23 of the
hostages have been released, 19
arriving safely in the city of Hassake
on Sunday 1 March and another
four on 3 March. According to the
Assyrian Human Rights Network, a
sharia court ordered the release of the
captives after paying the humiliating
jizya tax.
Islamic State in
Libya behead
21 Christians
Libya
Twenty-one Christians executed on the

Libyan coast
On 15 February a video was released
depicting the co-ordinated beheading
of 21 Christians by Islamic State
militants. Twenty were Egyptians
working in Lybia, most of whom had
been abducted from the Libyan city of
Sirte on 4 January. The twenty-first
man was an African also working in
Libya. His nominal Christian faith
had been re-kindled by the Egyptians,
so that when IS came looking for
Christians he refused to save his life
by embracing Islam, but instead
embraced martyrdom.
All crusaders: safety for

you will be only wishes,
especially if you are
fighting us all together.
Therefore we will fight
you all together
The five-minute long video
footage shows the hostages being led,
handcuffed, in single-file before being
made to lie face down. The Christians
were then executed simultaneously.
One jihadist, speaking in NorthAmerican accented English, declared
All crusaders: safety for you will
be only wishes, especially if you are
fighting us all together. Therefore we
will fight you all together We will
conquer Rome, by Allahs permission .
(See Grace upon Grace, p. 16)
In Brief
Christian
Rise of antiTaliban suicide
Montagnards
Christian violence bomb church
in Tanzanias
attacks Pakistan flee Vietnam and
take refuge in
coastal areas
At least 16 people were killed and over
Cambodia
70 injured when suicide bombers
Pakistan
Tanzania
The church in Kisota Gamboni, in Mafia,

has been closed since November
On 20 January at around 2.00 a.m.,
a church building in Mashewa, in the
Muheza district of Tanga Region, was
set on fire. The churchs pastor had
been threatened repeatedly by local
Muslims. On 2 November in Zirai,
Muheza district, a Christian woman
who converted from Islam was beaten
and burned by her parents after
choosing to marry a Christian man. In a
separate incident, on Mafia island, part
of the Muslim-majority Pwani (coast)
Region, a pastor who had converted
from Islam was ordered by the local
area leader to close the church.
belonging to Jamaatul Ahrar, a splinter

group from the Pakistani Taliban,
attacked two Lahore churches in one
of the largest Christian communities
in Pakistan on Sunday 15 March. The
attacks occurred during morning
services in the predominantly Christian
neighbourhood of Youhanabad in
Lahore, capital of the Punjab province.
Stopped at the church gates by church
members acting as volunteer security
guards, both bombers were unable to
enter and blew themselves up at the
entrances. Two of the guards died in
the explosions and their brave actions
prevented many more deaths.
The Montagnard Christians of

Vietnam are fleeing their homes in the
Central Highlands of Vietnam due to
persecution from the authorities. Four
different groups fled to Cambodia in
January alone. Hiding in the jungle in
the north-eastern Ratanakiri province
of Cambodia, these groups were
afraid of being arrested and forcibly
deported to Vietnam. On 1 February
a Montagnard family of five who had
crossed into Cambodias jungle were
arrested and taken to a secret location
by the police.
Indian Prime
Minister speaks
out for religious
minorities
Nepalese
Christians forced
to convert to
Buddhism
Vietnam
Nepal
India
Kenyan church
leader shot dead
in Mombasa city
Kenya
On Sunday 11 January church

official, George Karidhimba Muriki,
was gunned down by unidentified
assailants on a motorbike. George
Karidhimba Muriki was standing
inside the entrance gate of his
church, located in the Majengo
neighbourhood of Mombasa City
when the attack occured. It was
reported that police stopped the
gunmen from getting inside the
church, preventing greater carnage.
No one has yet claimed responsibility
for the attack, but many suspect
Somali Islamists Al-Shabaab to be
behind the incident.
Narendra Modi breaks his silence on religious

violence Global Panorama / CC BY-SA 2.0
On 17 February, Indias Prime

Minister Narendra Modi gave a speech
condemning religious violence stating,
We consider the freedom to have, to
retain, and to adopt, a religion or belief,
is a personal choice of a citizen. This
is a welcome message from the Hindu
nationalist leader of the BJP. The
speech followed arrests at a large-scale
protest in New Delhi on 5 February
when hundreds of Christians gathered
to protest the recent spate of attacks
against Christian buildings. There have
been six such attacks since December.
Some 200 Christians were reported to
have been arrested during the protest.
Commissioned by a leader of the RPP,

a Nepalese nationalist party, a Buddhist
monk was sent to convert the Christian
community in Borang village in Napals
Dhading district. The Christian villagers
were detained and forced to accept
Buddhist teachings. Church leaders
who did not comply were attacked. A
pastor was captured, beaten for three
days and forced to sign a document
agreeing not to report the incident,
not to leave the village and to close
the church. On 1 February a group of
assailants attempted to set the church
building ablaze. They also attacked the
pastor's home, cutting off the electricity
and phone lines. Unable to leave or
contact authorities, the pastor is still
in Borang and local Christians are
concerned about his health.
To view our most current news
scan this with your device
Behind the Headlines
Image Source: brian.ch, Flickr
Boko Haram violence

spreads into Niger and Chad
For the first time Nigerian-based jihadi group Boko Haram
have launched attacks in neighbouring Niger and Chad.
Niger and Chad
On
Analysiss
Saturday 21
Febr uar y
Boko Haram
militants
attacked an
island on
Boko Haram was founded in 2002 by Nigerian Islamist cleric Mohammed
Nigers side of Lake Chad, but were
Yusuf. The popular name, which is in the local Hausa language, is usually
repelled by the Nigerien army.
translated as Western education is forbidden but they themselves want to
Preceding this, the border town Diffa
be known by the Arabic name Jama'atu ahlis sunna lidda'awati wal-jihad
saw a wave of raids by the militants,
means People committed to the propagation of the prophets teaching and
and on 9 February five people were
jihad. The group developed out of African post-colonial dissatisfaction.
killed in a car bomb.
Newly-formed governments attempted to oversee largely destitute peoples
Boko Harams first fatal attack in
whose primary identity was a mixture of religious, ethnic and tribal. These
Chad took place in Ngouboua, a village
government territories did not reflect cultural, ethnic or religious divisions.
near Lake Chad, on 13 February. A
In Nigeria, the Muslim-majority north is more impoverished than the
spokesperson for Chads armed forces
Christian-majority south. The north had previously been
said five people died in the
NIGER Lake Chad
CHAD
subject to sharia law, but a settlement in 1960 reduced
raid: a local chief, a police
Bosso
Ngouboua
sharia laws influence in favour of state-run systems.
officer and three civilians.
Fotokol
Kano
In the next two decades as Islamic fundamentalism
Dozens of militants arrived
Potiskum
Kolofata
Biu
became prominent in the Middle East, so it emerged
by motorised canoe, burning
Jos
in discontented northern Nigeria, culminating in riots
houses, and then attacked a
NIGERIA
against the Nigerian government in the 1980s.
police station.
Yusuf was a Salafi (Wahhabi) Muslim and came
Boko Haram, which has
CAMEROON
BENIN
from the Kanuri ethnic group (as do most members of
also continued to wreak
Boko Haram violence spreads to
Boko Haram). He rejected the infidel secular state and
violence in Nigeria and
strove for a purer Islamic one. He wanted to re-establish
Cameroon, is believed to be Niger and Chad
a caliphate in lands that had belonged to the successful,
expanding its movements
and later Islamic, Kanem-Borno Empire: predominantly northern Nigeria,
in response to the formation of the
Cameroon, Chad and Niger. This explains the groups opposition to any kind
Multinational Joint Task Force, a
of education that is nor purely Islamic, and their violence towards Christians
regional force made up of soldiers
(whom classical Islam says should be fought until they submit to Islamic
from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger
rule), to governmental security forces who try to hinder their agenda, and to
and Benin, numbering around 8,700.
moderate Muslims who do not share their vision for a pure Islamic state.
The forces formation was backed by
In 2009 Boko Haram further radicalised after escalating violence
African Union countries to combat
between it and the Nigerian police resulted in the killing of around 700
Boko Haram on 30 January and has
militants and the execution of Yusuf. His successor, Abubakar Shekau,
successfully reclaimed some land
increased the groups insurgency, drawing many fighters from poorly
captured by the Islamists, most notably
educated, disadvantaged backgrounds.
Baga town in which up to 2,000
Boko Haram originally had a mostly local focus for its jihad (holy war)
residents were killed on 3 January.
mainly in north-east Nigeria and more recently across the borders into
The militant group hold around
neighbouring states. But it is thought to have had guidance and help from
20,000 square miles (approximately
Al-Qaeda or one of its affiliates. However, in early March 2015 Boko Haram
50,000 square km ) of territory (the
pledged its allegiance to Islamic State (IS); this may mean that Boko Haram
size of Belgium) in north-east Nigeria
will be able to develop a more sophisticated propaganda and information
and have established an Islamic
strategy. It may also lead to Boko Haram striking more at Western targets.
Caliphate (state under sharia law).
The origins of Boko Haram
Grace upon Grace
The Lord is doing amazing

things in the lives of
persecuted Christians,
despite the difficulties they
face. Here are just a few of
the ways in which He has
blessed our brothers and
sisters recently.
Faith and solidarity grow

in the midst of persecution
A stretch of the Libyan coast. Twenty-one Egyptian Christian hostages were killed near here.
When asked what he would say if he
were asked to forgive Islamic State
(IS) militants for killing his two
younger brothers, Beshir Kamel gave
this response:
My mother, an uneducated
woman in her sixties, said she would
ask [the executioner] to enter her
house and ask God to open his eyes
because he was the reason her son
entered the Kingdom of Heaven.
Kamel, whose brothers, aged
23 and 25, were amongst 21
Christians beheaded by IS in Libya
on 15 February, spoke bravely in an
interview with a Christian television
channel. He particularly thanked
"the Bible told us

to love our enemies
and bless those
who curse us"
IS for not editing out the last words
of some killed; many had cried out
Lord Jesus Christ! as they met their
deaths. Their declarations, Kamel
said, strengthened his own faith:
Since the Roman era, Christians
have been martyred and have
learned to handle everything that
comes our way. This only makes us
stronger in our faith because the
Bible told us to love our enemies and
bless those who curse us.
Further messages of forgiveness
and prayers for the IS executioners
have been expressed across Egypt by

Christians and their leaders, and by
those bereaved by the Islamists. But
many Muslims, too, have shared
in their pain and condemnation of
ISs actions.
A video created by a young
Christian woman in May 2011,
during the early days of the Arab
Spring, was viewed by huge
numbers on social media in February
in response to the executions.
Muslims and Christians alike shared
the video, widely distributing its
message of forgiveness, mercy and
solidarity across Egypt as they did
so. In the film, the woman reminds
Christians to have hope and calls
not for hateful retaliation, but recites
Jesus own words from Luke 23:34:
Father, forgive them, for they do
not know what they are doing. The
video has now been watched over
680,000 times.
Ramez Atallah, General Director
of the Bible Society of Egypt, also
spoke of unity in Egypt. Christians,
he explained, have felt comforted
following the sympathetic and
caring response of Muslims all
over the nation The execution
shocked the country and has united
Christians and Muslims as
never before.
When invited to pray for his
brothers murderers, Kamel spoke
not of retribution or anger, rather
he prayed:
Dear God, please open their
eyes to be saved and to quit their
ignorance and the wrong teachings
they were taught.
Grace
Struck down but not destroyed:

a Bangladesh congregation grows
after their building was ruined
Pastor Sunils congregation in their new building

In 2012 the shed that Pastor Sunils
congregation used for church meetings
in Kusot, Bangladesh, was destroyed
by a cyclone. With a foundation of
mud and a roof of tin, the building
frequently flooded and in the end
did not stand up to the violent winds.
Later that year, Barnabas funded the
construction of a brick building for
the church. Since the completion of
calling him to ministry and started

attending a Bible College.
Sunil finished his training in 2008
and went on to plant the church in
Kusot, Bangladesh. However, Pastor
Sunil said that the village leaders
threatened to kill me and the new
believers, so he began to conduct
church meetings in family homes
secretly during the night.
Sunil has seen a rise in Sunday attendance

and baptisms, as God continues to build His
Kingdom one soul at a time
this new church building, Sunil has
seen a rise in Sunday attendance and
baptisms, as God continues to build
His Kingdom one soul at a time.
Sunil was raised as a Hindu in
Bangladesh a country that is less
than 1% Christian. Struggling with
guilt, Sunil was driven to seek a
god who could forgive his sins. One
day, while studying both Hindu
and Islamic religious texts, Sunil
discovered a New Testament. Reading
the words of Jesus, Sunil found the
forgiveness he had always desired.
Soon afterwards Sunil felt the Lord
Things have changed since

the early days of Pastor Sunils
ministry. By 2009 nine families had
been baptised and joined Pastor
Sunils church. As his congregation
became more established within the
community, they began meeting in
a church building. Despite facing
persecution daily, the church
continues to grow with the support
of Barnabas Fund, which not only
financed their new building in 2012
and but also sponsors a feeding
programme to help support the
church members.
Christian child
in Syria can live
and smile again
Amid all the tragic news from Syria
about childrens lives blighted by war,
comes a story of hope.
"Milad", an eleven-year old Syrian
Christian boy now considers a shelter
built and funded by Barnabas as his
home. He lives there with his family
and eleven other Christian families.
Milad describes it as a place where"we
can hope and dream".
I love everything [about the
shelter], he said. We have nice
rooms and a big lobby, we have a huge
kitchen and a big yard to play in, and
of course I love it because it is so close
to the church.
Milad and his family fled from
their home in Homs in February
2011 after armed rebels took over
their neighbourhood. He remembers,
I always wished that what was
happening in my city is not real and
that it is only a bad nightmare it will
disappear when I wake up.
Last year, after hearing that their
neighbourhood had been cleared
from armed groups, they went to
see what remained. My house was
ruined and my room was burned.
I lost my books, toys. I only have
memories now in my mind and
heart, he says.
Now this shelter is my house after
we lost our house in Homs, he says.
We are like a family. I have so much
fun with all the children. Being here
has made me believe that we still have
a bright sight in the world we can live
and smile again.
In some areas of Syria Christian children

like Milad can still grow up in safety
...
In Touch
ords
w
n
w
o
ir
e
th
in
ters
d at
Barnabas suppor
ho visited our stan
thank ever yone w
from
would like to
of the comments
rnabas Fund UK
er. Here are a few
et
Ex
in
n
All of us here at Ba
tio
bi
hi
ian Resources Ex
hibition:
this years Christ
ho attended the ex
w
rs
te
or
pp
su
as
Barnab
I cant believe it quite, but

I was 80
last week! I asked my friend
s to give
to Barnabas Fund because
I already
have a house full of STUFF.
The most
significant gift for me was
from
who gave to Barnabas 1 for
every
year of my life!
Gill
1st-8
th
We have supported Barnabas Fund

for quite a few years now. The reason
we support you is that your work with
the persecuted church is essential
Barnabas is about giving a coat to a
Christian who is freezing. A tent for
someone whose house was stolen. A
meal for someone who has lost their
job. They support and help those whose
family members have been killed. God
bless you Barnabas.
John Maithome
nd,
es the need a
Barnabas se
,
racious help
with Gods g
er.
sw
n
a
e
ide th
seeks to prov
ds love
reat, but Go
The need is g
ter.
is much grea
John Eustice
k 2015
Suffering Church Action Wee
8 November
ay
nd
Su
r
be
em
ov
N
1
ay
nd
Su
Church Action Week

This years theme for Suffering
quered. Please join
will be Struck Down but Uncon
uted Church and taking
us in remembering the persec
as Fund invites you to
action on their behalf. Barnab
ber, or any other week
set aside the week of 1-8 Novem
r, and start planning
that suits your church calenda
how you could get involved.
thians 4: 8-10:
The theme is from 2 Corin
side, but not crushed;
We are hard pressed on every
persecuted, but not
perplexed, but not in despair;
not destroyed.
abandoned; struck down, but
body the death of
We always carry around in our
may also be revealed
Jesus, so that the life of Jesus
in our body.
help, prayers and

Persecuted Christians need our
violence and oppression.
support as they continue to face
istians to take time to
Barnabas Fund is calling on Chr
thers and sisters and to
learn about the needs of our bro
you and your church
remember them in prayer. Could
Action Week? Barnabas
get involved in Suffering Church
and ideas for those who
Fund will be providing resources
l include materials for
choose to participate, which wil
line, a Bible study and
childrens ministry, a sermon out
other suggestions for the week.
vember
Sunday 1 or Sunday 8 No
Church Sunday
Suggested dates for a Suffering
ser vice at your church
Saturday 7 November
Day of Prayer for
Barnabas Fund International
the Persecuted Church
YES, I WOULD LIKE TO HELP THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

Title............... Full Name.............................................................................................
barnabasfund.org
0800 587 4006
Address........................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................
If you would like to donate online please

go to www.barnabasfund.org/donate or
scan this code with your device
Postcode........................Telephone............................................................................
Email.......................................................................
MAG 05/15
PLEASE USE MY GIFT FOR

Wherever the need is the greatest (General Fund)
Other..........................................*(give reference number of project to be supported)
HERE IS MY SINGLE GIFT OF .........................................................
I enclose a cheque/voucher payable to Barnabas Fund OR
Visa
Please debit my
American Express
Mastercard
Maestro
CAF card /other charity card
Card Number
(On your transfer, please quote as your reference your postcode and house number. To receive a
letter thanking you for your donation please add the letters TY to the end of the reference.)
I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE REGULARLY THROUGH MY UK BANK

A direct debit can be set up either by completing the form below,
by telephoning the number above or by going to our website.
.................................
(amount in words) ..............................................................................
Maestro issue number

Expiry Date
I have made an internet transfer to the Barnabas Fund bank account (Sort Code: 20-26-46) Account Number: 50133299
or issue date
Signature...................................................
I do not require an acknowledgement of this gift
MAG 05/15
Please start on 7th/11th/15th/21st of ........................................(month) and

then every month/quarter/year (delete as applicable) until further notice.
This Direct Debit is a new one/in addition to/replaces an earlier Standing
Order/Direct Debit in favour of Barnabas Fund. (delete as applicable).
Instruction to your bank or building society to pay by Direct Debit

Please fill in the whole form using a ball point pen and send it to:
Barnabas Fund, 9 Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX
Name and full postal address of your bank or building society
Service User Number
2 5 3 6 4 5
Reference (Barnabas Fund to complete)

Instruction to your bank or building society: Please pay Barnabas Fund
Direct Debits from the account detailed in this instruction subject to the
safeguards assured to by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this
instruction may remain with Barnabas Fund and, if so, details will be passed
electronically to my bank/building society.
DD18
Name(s) of account holder(s)

Bank/building society account number
Branch sort code
Signature(s)
Date
GIFT AID DECLARATION
(Applicable to UK tax payers only)
Name of charity: Barnabas Fund

Please treat as Gift Aid donations all qualifying gifts of money made:
(Please tick all boxes you wish to apply)
this gift and if applicable
in the past 4 years
in the future
I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital
Gains Tax for each tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to
the amount of tax that all the charities or Community Amateur Sports
Clubs (CASCs) that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year. I
understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify. I
understand the charity will reclaim 25p of tax on every 1 that I give.
ALTERNATIVE GIFT CARD
If you would like to make a donation as an alternative gift for a

friend or relative, we can supply you with an attractive Thank you
card, which you can send to the person for whom you have made
A
the donation. Please fill in the details as you would like them to
appear on the card.
Signature.......................................................... Date ....................................
Please inform us if you want to cancel this declaration, change your name or home address
or no longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains. If you pay Income Tax at
the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must
include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self-Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue
and Customs to adjust your tax code.
*If the project chosen is sufficiently funded, we reserve the right to use designated gifts
either for another project of a similar type or for another project in the same country.
Registered Charity number 1092935 Company registered in England number 4029536
from.................................................................................
This gift will assist Christians who are persecuted for their
faith. With many thanks on behalf of the persecuted Church
Tick here if you do not want the amount to be stated on
the card
Tick here if you do wish details about the project to be
included on the card
Please return this form to Barnabas Fund at your national office or to the UK office. Addresses are on the inside front cover. Barnabas Fund will not give your address, telephone
number or email to anyone else.
Supporters in Germany: please turn to inside front cover for how to send gifts to Barnabas
Fund. Phone 0800 587 4006 or visit our website at www.barnabasfund.org to make a donation by Direct Debit, credit or debit card. From outside UK phone +44 24 7623 1923.
Dear ............................................. A gift of . ..................

has been received on your behalf
Please state your preferred card choice (see left): ..........
If you would like to have the card sent directly to the recipient, or if you
would prefer to receive blank cards and fill them out yourself, please
contact your national office (address details on inside front cover).
If you would like more cards, please photocopy the form or attach a
separate piece of paper with the details for extra cards and send it with
your donation. You can also call your nearest Barnabas Fund office
with the details and pay by credit/debit card over the phone.
If you have a special occasion coming up and would like to ask your
friends and relatives to make a donation on your behalf instead of
giving you a gift, you could pass on to them the details in this section
The Direct Debit Guarantee

This Guarantee is offered by all Banks and Building Societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits. If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your
Direct Debit Barnabas Fund will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request Barnabas Fund to collect a
payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request. If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit by Barnabas Fund or your bank
or building society, you are guaranteed a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society. If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when Barnabas Fund
asks you to. You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us.
Struck Down but
Unconquered
eek:
W
n
o
i
t
c
urch A
h
C
g
n
i
Suffer
v
o
N
1- 8
We are hard pressed on every side, but

not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down,
but not destroyed. We always carry around in
our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of
Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
2 Corinthians 4:8-12
Barnabas Fund
International
Day of
Prayer for the
Persecuted Ch
urch
Saturday
2015
7 Nov 2015
Surviving the Armenian Genocide:

a personal story
Smpat Chorbadjian
This book provides a compelling narrative of one mans
experience during the Armenian genocide in the period
of World War 1. With frank simplicity the author reveals
the appalling hardships suffered by a Christian living
in a Muslim-majority society and caught up in a global
conflict. The book challenges the reader to develop a
thoughtful, prayerful approach to contemporary situations
in which Christians face persecution.
ISBN: 978-0-9916145-7-8
Paperback
Coming
soon
To order this book, visit

www.barnabasfund.org/shop.
Alternatively, please contact your nearest
Barnabas Fund office (addresses on inside
front cover). Cheques for the UK should be
made payable to Barnabas Books.
barnabasfund.org

Their Cry: Barnabas Fund - Aid Agency For The Persecuted Church

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barnabasaid

BARNABAS FUND - AID AGENCY FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

The Armenian and Assyrian

Origins and objectives

A partner from New Zealand

What helps make Barnabas Fund distinctive from other

The Barnabas Fund Distinctive

directing our aid only to Christians, although its

benefits may not be exclusive to them (As we

aiming the majority of our aid at Christians

channelling money from Christians through

channelling money through existing structures

using the money to fund projects that have

been developed by local Christians in their own

considering any request, however small

barnabasaid the magazine

acting on behalf of the persecuted Church, to

be their voice making their needs known to

meet both practical and spiritual needs

facilitate global intercession for

the persecuted Church by providing

we are called to address both religious and

in the clear Biblical teaching that Christians

should treat all people of all faiths with love

tackle persecution at its root by making

in the power of prayer to change peoples lives

inform and enable Christians in the West

Whatever you did for one of

known the aspects of the Islamic faith and

and situations, either through grace to endure

to respond to the growing challenge of

You may contact Barnabas Fund at the following addresses

To guard the safety of Christians in

Unless otherwise stated, Scripture

100% recycled. The paper used

Front cover: Displaced Iraqi

Hear the cry of

Three decades of Christian

from Germany, is the

Experts in the Art of Dying

Personal stories from

Trusting God amid death

Albrecht Hauser Chairman of Barnabas Aid International

his Greek inscription from Psalm 145 on the

Conversion and Islamisation

Barnabas Church Partners

A partner from New Zealand

Last chance to return

Grace upon Grace

Stories of Gods mercies

how barnabas is helping

The number of Christian women

6,750 for prison ministry

Jesus has never

Margaret's Muslim father cut off all

607 for education and

I can pay my rent

These converts from Islam can now

20,000 for 300 small

Strengthened and encouraged. This is what we often hear from Christians

Barnabas Aid May/June 2015 5

Robens life was turned around

Up to 1,000 displaced Iraqi

directing our aid only to Christians, although its

aiming the majority of our aid at Christians

channelling money from Christians through

channelling money through existing structures

using the money to fund projects that have

considering any request, however small

acting on behalf of the persecuted Church, to

meet both practical and spiritual needs

facilitate global intercession for

in the clear Biblical teaching that Christians

tackle persecution at its root by making

in the power of prayer to change peoples lives

inform and enable Christians in the West