Barnabas Fund 19 February 2019
An Uzbek mother was killed by her husband on 9 February because she had recently become a Christian.
“Umida”, a Muslim-background Christian, was attempting to flee the country to seek refuge in Istanbul with Christian friends, when her husband confronted her at Tashkent Airport and slit her throat.
Previously, he had locked Umida in their home to prevent her from going to church and banned her from seeing their two-year-old son after discovering she had asked a friend to get her an Uzbek Bible.
Her parents had taken their daughter to live at their home and allowed her to go to church, but she continued to receive threats from her husband. Umida’s friends ask for prayers for her parents and her son.
Uzbekistan, a former Soviet Union republic, is secular but more than 90% of the population is Muslim. Uzbek Christians (converts from Islam and their children) face persecution and violent raids on meetings and homes.