Salah was a devout Muslim and an imam in North Africa. As a cleric, his role included leading prayers and calling the faithful to worship from the mosque loudspeaker five times a day. With his beautiful voice and deep devotion, Salah was well-respected in his...

The countries that make up North Africa – Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt – have a lot in common. They are Muslim majority and Arabic-speaking, though the dialects are different. In every place, converts who leave Islam suffer terrible social pressure. The...

This is Aasiya* and Shae.* Aasiya’s husband, Sohail, is a mechanic. One day, a man came to his shop to pick up his motorbike, which Sohail had repaired. When Sohail told the customer how much he owed for the work, the man became angry. He said, “I will not pay you. I...

Pray for persecuted Christians to persevere. Pray that Pakistan does not implement Shariah (Islamic) law. Pray for people from higher social classes to come to faith. Pray that God meets radical Muslims in a supernatural way. Pray that God will give secret believers...

Christians in Pakistan are treated poorly and often exposed to persecution. They need our prayer and help.

Pakistan is the fifth-largest country by population in the world. It’s not illegal to be a Christian, but they are only about 1% of the population. Most Pakistanis are Muslim (about 97%). Pakistan’s historic Christian population dates to 1947, when Pakistan and India...

Meet Bina. Bina’s father was a Christian living in Pakistan. His neighbors pressured him to convert to Islam, but he refused. One day, as he went to the village well to bathe—just like everyone else—a mob of men attacked him with iron rods. They accused him of...

They came without warning in the middle of the week. The coalition of armed rebel groups swept into Syria’s second largest city, Aleppo, overwhelming it in a matter of 72 hours.  On the ground, people were terrified. Syrian government forces had driven the Islamist...

Year Syrian revolution started: 2011 Number of Syrians who left the country: 6 million Number of Christians in 2020: 677,000 Comment from ICR field worker: “What will happen to Syria when the world looks away?”

ICR seeks to address the needs of persecuted children in ways that are appropriate in each context. Helping children often involves education. Part of this is simply so they don’t fall behind in school due to displacement or war, but another reason why this support is...

Persecuted Christians will suffer under an Islamist rule in Syria. Christians look to the future with trepidation.

PERSECUTION AFFECTS CHILDREN. And it’s usually because of their parents’ choice to follow Christ rather than something they chose themselves. This suffering can cause deep trauma. The children of persecuted Christians may lose homes, family relationships, and even future opportunities when they miss years of school or when their families lose jobs.

As another conflict brews in Syria, ICR workers already saw how difficult life there was. Another war will only make things worse. A recent study by the Central Bureau of Statistics in Syria showed that most Syrians live on one meal per day. According to the study,...

“Hello, I am Halil*. I was born in a Muslim family. The first time I had a seizure was on the morning of June 1, 2020, during the pandemic. I was on my way to the bathroom when I fell and lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes, there were paramedics around me. They...

Yerik was ready to face his family. He wanted to marry Rebecca, a woman he met at his church in Istanbul, Turkey. They had both prayed about marriage and were convinced it was God’s will for them. Yerik knew his devout Muslim family would want an elaborate Islamic...

Although Turkey was the home of the early Christian church, it is now more than 96% Muslim. In recent years, it has been a difficult place to make disciples of Christ because of an Islamist government and strong anti-Christian propaganda throughout society. However,...

I'm Oğuzhan*. I am 29, and I am from Turkey. At first, I was a person who prayed to the wrong god. Then I began to question the false prophet in whom I had put my faith. When I realized that Allah was not answering my prayers, I decided to break with him and go my own...

There are two Chinas: the one where people smile on the outside and are “free,” and the other where the government closely watches everything its citizens say and so. Christians risk persecution to live out their faith without restrictions.

Surveillance in China is intense. Video cameras with facial recognition technology monitor everyone, inside and outside. As an ICR field worker walked down the street in a major city, he watched the cameras turn to follow him. Inside high-rise apartment buildings,...

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, persecution against Christians in Uzbekistan was intense for several decades. But today, that’s less of a focus for the government. Instead, those who decide to follow Jesus encounter trouble from their families, friends, and...