Standing strong in Bangladesh

This is how persecution preparedness is helping believers follow Jesus, no matter what.

Mijanur Rahman is a local pastor in northern Bangladesh.

He regularly evangelizes non-Christians in his community, and most of the people he ministers to are Christians who converted from Islam. Many people have come to know Jesus through his ministry!

But in Bangladesh, when people come to Christ, persecution is quick to follow.

“Journeying with [converts] is very difficult, especially when we do church activities,” Mijanur says.

“Often, local Muslims come to threaten us and try to kick us out of the village. [These converts] are really struggling to survive.”

Almost every day, people come to him, asking for help when they are persecuted. There have been times when believers had to go into hiding for weeks, and Mijanur took care of them.

Increasing violations

Bangladesh’s constitution grants its citizens the freedom to practice their own faith, convert to any religion, and share their faith with anyone. However, most citizens are unaware of their constitutional rights and fall victim to those who disregard the rule of law in the interest of certain religious groups. These violations seem to be increasing and are affecting the well-being of believers in Bangladesh.

Any Christian who converts from Islam becomes a moving target. Their lives can be under constant threat from the community and, sometimes, by their own family. They cannot share or practice their faith freely. And they will be at more risk if news of their conversion spreads in society.
Even in such a context, Open Doors partners tell us that more and more people are experiencing the saving grace of Jesus Christ. They’re boldly choosing to follow Him, no matter the cost. Most of these converts start as secret believers. But it is almost impossible to keep their Christian identity hidden for a long time, so eventually, they must face persecution.

Preparing for persecution

Help for this community is urgently needed. That’s why Open Doors partners offer persecution preparedness training in this part of Bangladesh, to help strengthen and support believers who may experience persecution and discrimination. The training helps prepare them for what cannot be avoided, and it equips them with principles, tools and support to respond to persecution.

“We are persecuted, afflicted and mistreated—but not broken,” Mijanur says. “We learned how to fight back and stand united as we go through persecution and hardships.”

Thanks to the training, Mijanur now feels more confident in standing up for the believers in his community.

“Without the training, it would have been very difficult for us to interact with the persecutors,” he says. “I learned how to approach and respond to those looking to persecute us with wisdom and biblical principles, even when they try to provoke and mistreat me without any reason—just because of my faith in Jesus. I learned about why they persecute me and some of their tactics.

“Because I benefited from this training, I have been encouraging others to attend the training as well. I regularly share my learnings and insights with my church members. Now many of them have gone through the training.”

The training seminars have also helped Mijanur’s wife, Shapla. “My wife does ministry with me,” Mijanur explains. “So when persecution comes, it’s just not me who gets affected; it affects my whole family. When I’m out, my wife has to manage the home and take care of the church, so I realized that she should also go through this training. Now we both are very confident when dealing with [persecution].”

Shapla saw how effective it was and how it could benefit other women in her church. She encouraged the women to participate in the training.

“When women face persecution, they come to me for help and ask me what they should do,” she says. “I encourage them and tell them to be steadfast and pray, without getting into arguments with the persecutors.

“Often my 9-year-old son complains that his Muslim friends mock him and tease him. As a mother, I have to deal with this issue wisely, in a way that he wouldn’t be hurt. I learned those things from the [seminar].”

A leader of a denomination in Bangladesh, Pastor Jagodish Roy, also took part in the persecution preparedness seminar. “This training is very important for every persecuted Christian,” he says. “It is also very important for those who are not yet persecuted. Because this training prepares believers before they face persecution, and they will be ready for what’s ahead.”

These believers all know that as they share the gospel in Bangladesh, persecution is sure to come—both against them and against the people who hear the Word of God and believe in Jesus. But the seminar’s goal is to help them face the inevitable, and learn on God through it all.

“Every year we faced persecution, but we [didn’t] have any material to train our believers,” says Anna Sarkar, a believer who took part in the training. “Not only that, but we also didn’t even have an expert to train our believers. Persecution is part of our lives, so we need this training.”

Now these denominations are regularly sending their church members to be trained by our local partners because they know that as long as they share the gospel and bring people to the Lord, there will be persecution.

Open Doors works through partners in Bangladesh to provide persecution preparedness training, along with other physical and spiritual support.

please pray

Pray for all those affected by the most recent violence. Pray that God will be a comfort to the widowed and orphaned.
Pray for peace to return to Burkina Faso.
Pray for wisdom for the church in Burkina Faso as they minister to all who have been affected.
Pray that the government of Burkina Faso will diligently, impartially and transparently address the violence and its effects.
Pray for the attackers, that they will turn from their wicked actions.

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