News / Thoughts

Bangladesh: Rohingya Christians kidnapped

On 27 January 2020, a mob attacked a group a Rohingya Christians from a Muslim background in Bangladesh. Eighteen homes and a house church have been destroyed, and at least six believers have been hospitalised. A further three Christians are believed to have been kidnapped.

The attackers are believed to be connected to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a Muslim insurgent group that claims to be secular and has not pledged allegiance to any foreign Islamists groups, such as Al-Qaeda or Islamic State.

At the moment, the police have been pressured to investigate and secure the release of the kidnapped Christians, but they have refused to take serious action without a case being filed by the Rohingya. This is difficult, as the Rohingyas are refugees in Bangladesh and don’t have citizenship.

An increase in violence against Rohingya Christians is one of the reasons the Bangaldesh rose 10 places on the 2020 World Watch List, where it is now at number 38.

Pray now…

• That God will protect the lives of the missing Christians and give them strength to endure, and that they will be able to return home soon
•  That their family members will find strength, trust and courage in the Lord
• That the police will investigate properly and that justice will prevail
• For the spiritual and physical recovery of the other victims of the attacks and the entire Christian Rohingya community – they are living in great fear and insecurity.