Open Doors, 7 October 2022 (excerpts)
In Bangladesh, our Bangladeshi brothers and sisters face persecution – with believers from a Muslim background experiencing the most intense targeting. But these courageous Christians are standing strong in their faith.
When Marjina found out that her son Monju had become a Christian, she was devastated. The majority of people there are Muslim – and, in some communities, almost everybody is. Christians who convert from Islam face the worst persecution. Marjina was worried for her son’s safety, but also horrified that he had abandoned Islam.
Local religious leaders insisted that she was the one to return him to Islam – and she did her best. Not violent or manipulative, she pleaded with him to abandon his new faith. But Monju had other plans – and so did God.
“I spoke to her about Jesus and why I converted,” Monju says. Marjina loved hearing his story so much that she wanted to know more and more about Jesus.
She finally decided to become a Christian herself. Her attempts to lead her son back to Islam had brought her to Jesus. Not long afterward, Marjina was baptised.
In early September, when local Muslim leaders found out about her new faith, they turned violent. They dragged her to the ground, hitting and kicking her head, stomach and chest. She had to be rushed to hospital, and still isn’t able to eat properly. Marjina and Monju are standing firm in their faith and ask for prayers from their global family.