Voice of the Martyrs, July 8, 2021 (excerpts)
After Mannan left Islam to follow Jesus Christ in Bangladesh, area Islamic leaders called for villagers to ostracize his relatives, even telling local vendors to deny them food.
As animosity toward Mannan and his relatives grew, the Islamic leaders and angry Muslim villagers called for police to arrest him and his relatives, falsely accusing them of causing trouble.
On June 15, village police called Mannan, his relatives and the Islamic leaders to the police station. In front of about 100 villagers, the police called for peace and coexistence, and worked to calm tensions. The police official said there were no grounds for an arrest to be made and stated that Bangladeshi law allows for freedom of religion.
Praise God for the police officers, who prioritized peace and religious freedom. Pray for Mannan to remain firm in Christ and for his relatives to decide to follow Jesus as well. Pray that the hearts of the Islamic leaders and villagers will be softened and that they turn toward Jesus for forgiveness, salvation, and everlasting life.
Churches are careful when offering relief to the poor and needy because they do not want to encourage false conversions among people claiming faith in Christ solely for economic benefit.
While Bangladesh is a majority-Muslim nation, the government avoids undue influence from Islamists and actively fights extremism. Millions of Bangladeshis are learning about Christ and the Bible through media outreaches.