Christians Facing Islamic Extremists

Al-Shabab
Region: Somalia, Kenya

“Are you Christian or Muslim?”

April 2015: Four members of the Islamic terrorist group al-Shabab pounded on dorm room doors at Garissa University College in Kenya, demanding of each student, “Are you Muslim or Christian?” Muslims were allowed to flee. Christians were shot. By the time the attack ended, 147 Christians lay dead and 79 more were wounded. The siege didn’t end until all four of the gunmen had been killed.

It wasn’t the first time that al-Shabab (“the Youth” in Arabic) had specifically targeted Christians. During an attack on a Nairobi mall, they asked shoppers, “Are you Christian or Muslim?” Those who said they were Muslims were then asked to quote a passage from the Quran or to recite the Shahada, the Islamic statement of faith. If the words didn’t roll smoothly off their tongues, they were killed. If they said they were Christians, they were killed. At least 67 people died in that attack, and more than 100 were wounded. The group again made its presence known with an attack on an upscale hotel in Nairobi that killed 14 people in January 2019.

These attacks in Kenya didn’t surprise Christians in Somalia, who have lived under the shadow of al-Shabab since 2006. Al-Shabab describes itself as waging jihad (“holy war”) against the “enemies of Islam.” The al-Qaida affiliated terrorist group has made no secret of its goal to rid Somalia of all Christians. In fact, the group circulated a list of suspected Christian converts from Islam. Having your name on al-Shabab’s list meant certain death if discovered.

The number of committed Christ followers inside Somalia is unknown. Those that are following Christ are often isolated and unable to fellowship with others. They know that their lives could end with an encounter with al-Shabab and with the now familiar question: “Are you Christian or Muslim?”

Photo Credit: Mohamed Sheikh

Boko Haram
Region: Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon

“Bring back our girls!”

The cry originally heard in northern Nigeria soon echoed around the world after one of the boldest Islamist attacks in recent memory. Boko Haram rolled into a village called Chibok, surrounded a school, loaded their trucks with 276 high-school-aged girls — most of them Christians — and drove away. To date, less than half of the girls have been rescued or have escaped. Those who have gained freedom report horrific atrocities.

Founded in 2002, Boko Haram’s official name is Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād’ (“Group of the People of Sunnah for Preaching and Jihad”). Their better known name, Boko Haram, is Hausa-language slang for “Western education is forbidden.” Their goals are clear: an Islamic nation created in the northern half of Nigeria where Sharia law is followed and every man, woman and child is a Sunni Muslim. In 2016, competing leaders split the group into two factions. The second group calls itself the Islamic State’s West Africa Province.

Boko Haram have systematically targeted Christians, bombing churches and killing pastors. More than 1,000 churches have been burned in Nigeria since 2009, when the group became increasingly violent. Tragically, some of the churches were burned while Christians were trapped inside. Boko Haram pledged allegiance to ISIS in March 2015.

Bombings and machete attacks have left hundreds of Christians maimed. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced from northern Nigeria and thousands of women left widowed are struggling to support their children.

Christians in northern Nigeria know that every time they meet for worship, they are at risk. Some churches turn the streets in front of their buildings into parking lots in order to keep potential car bombers farther away from their buildings.

Even in the midst of such dangers, our courageous brothers and sisters continue gathering to worship the One who holds their eternal future. They continue their witness to Christ’s love, even as they reach out to radical Muslims who persecute them.

Al-Qaida
Region: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and others

An inspiration to radical Muslims.

As the Russian soldiers retreated from Afghanistan in 1988, it seemed to the wealthy Saudi man that the reality of his longed-for global jihad was finally at hand. That man — Osama bin Laden — called together some of his top associates to strategize ways to spread Muhammad’s message of holy warfare.

The group and its followers attacked the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, killing more than 200 people. The world took notice in September 2001, when al-Qaida destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Attacks continued in the following years, including attacks in Bali in 2002, Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005.

In 2003, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was founded, and a year later Abu Musab al-Zarqawi founded al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI), which was the first jihadist group to post videos of beheadings online. Elements of this group eventually broke away from al-Qaida and evolved into what is known today as the Islamic State (ISIS).

While relatively small in number (growing from 200–300 in 2009 to more than 1,000 today), al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is one of the most active al-Qaida franchises. The group caught the attention of the world in 2009 when it attempted to bring down a Northwest Airlines jet on Christmas day. The group calls for the killing or expulsion of all Christians and Jews from the Arabian Peninsula.

Today al-Qaida continues to provide inspiration for radical Muslims everywhere, and its offspring are actively pursuing their jihadi agenda — and attacking our Christian brothers and sisters — in at least 16 different nations.

Photo Credit: Ishtiaq Mahsud/AP

The Muslim Brotherhood
Region: Egypt

“Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. Quran is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.”

Founded in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna, the Muslim Brotherhood is considered by many to be the source of modern-day Islamic terrorism. Al-Banna’s goal, which is echoed by the Islamic State and other jihadi groups today, was to “take back” all that Islam has lost — and more. “It is the nature of Islam to dominate,” al-Banna wrote, “to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet.”

The Muslim Brotherhood was banned in 1948 after a member of the group killed Egypt’s prime minister, but it continued to operate as an underground terrorist group. It established jihadi training programs all over the Middle East and even founded a university in Saudi Arabia.

In 2011, following the so-called Arab Spring and the removal of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood again became a legal political party. Their candidate, Muhammed Morsi, won the presidential elections the following year. When he was ousted a year later, members of the Muslim Brotherhood struck back at Christian institutions in Egypt, burning Christian-owned businesses, churches and schools.

More than 40 churches were burned in the days after Morsi’s overthrow, and captured nuns were paraded through the streets of Cairo like prisoners of war.

Hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters who protested the coup that removed Morsi from power were sentenced to death in mass trials, and the U.S. government is considering designating the group as a terrorist organization. While on trial in June 2019, Morsi collapsed and died in the courtroom.

Egypt currently has several other home grown terrorist groups, including Harakat Sawa’d Misr, ISIS-Sinai and the Army of Islam. These groups have frequently attacked Christians in recent years, especially in the Sinai peninsula.

Egyptian Christians are the largest body of Christians in the Middle East, making up less than 10 percent of Egypt’s population. They live under constant threat of attack by the Muslim Brotherhood and radical Islamists. Their homes and businesses are burned, their daughters are kidnapped and raped, and their sons are routinely murdered because of their Christian faith.

Photo Credit: Manu Brabo/AP

Egyptian pastors receiving training and encouragement.

“The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.”

— Luke 10:2, 3

HOW YOU
CAN PRAY

Pray that Egypt’s government will protect the rights of its Christian citizens, including the right to worship freely and the right to share their faith.

Pray that Christians in Egypt will grow in their faith and in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Pray for unity within the body of Christ and that Christians will stand together under threats and pressure from the Muslim Brotherhood.

Egypt, considered the intellectual hub of the Islamic world, attracts Muslim university students from all over the world. Pray that many will come to know Christ through the work of Christians who share the gospel with them.

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
Region: Iraq, Syria

“Convert, pay a tax, leave or die.”

The self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) gained worldwide notoriety when it invaded the city of Mosul, Iraq, in June 2014. Mosul, which is the ancient biblical city of Nineveh, has been home to Christians for almost 2,000 years.

Members of ISIS went door to door identifying homes of Christians and spray-painting a red Arabic “N” on their houses. The “N” (or noon, as pronounced in Arabic) stands for Nasara, a term used in the Quran to identify Christians — followers of Jesus of Nazareth.

The Christians in Mosul were given an ultimatum: convert to Islam, pay an exorbitant tax called the jizya, leave Mosul or be killed. While nearly all Christians chose to leave, some, such as those unable to travel, were killed.

While some in the secular media spread the misperception that the Islamic State is “not really Islamic,” everything that ISIS does results directly from its strict interpretation of the Quran and desire to re-implement an Islamic caliphate.

The Islamic State was proud of its exploits. Beatings, beheadings, crucifixions and other forms of execution of Christians and others were all conducted with cameras rolling. Children were taught to hate all that is not Islam and even carry out executions themselves. By 2019, following a four-year campaign led by Iraq and Syria with assistance from a Western coalition, ISIS had lost nearly all of its territory in the Middle East. Many caution against declaring total victory, as the groups’ affiliates throughout the world continue to conduct attacks.

While it would be easy for Christians facing this kind of terror to become fearful or to despair, many of those who were driven from their homes say it has caused them to grow stronger in their faith. After losing all their worldly possessions, many have discovered Christ in new ways — ways that bring them great joy amid persecution.

Photo Credit: Reuters TV

Thousands of Christians were driven from their homes by ISIS. Many still live in “tent cities.”

Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil. ... Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven. ...

— Luke 6:22, 23

HOW YOU
CAN PRAY

Pray that more ISIS fighters, and even ISIS leaders, will have a divine encounter with Christ or one of His followers and come to a saving faith.

Pray for the tens of thousands of Christians who have been displaced from areas now controlled by ISIS. Pray that God will meet their physical needs, and pray that their relationship with Christ will grow through this trial.

Pray for VOM as we seek to meet both physical and spiritual needs in areas controlled or affected by ISIS. Pray for our wisdom and for God’s protection of our staff and co-workers in the region.

The Taliban
Region: Afghanistan, Pakistan

“They’ve taken off their turbans, but the same people are still here.”

Some Afghans welcomed the Taliban to power, thinking it would bring order to the chaos that reigned following the 1989 Soviet withdrawal.

While their objectives of fighting crime and corruption sounded good, even noble, the path that the Taliban chose to accomplish these objectives was strict Sharia law. No television or music. No education for girls. No women in the workplace, and women must be covered head to toe in a dehumanizing burqa while in public places. The Taliban’s “war on women” has earned them the reputation of being one of the top oppressors of women in the world.

The Taliban was supported by the Pakistani government, including its intelligence service, which trained and armed fighters to protect a major trade route to Central Asia. The Taliban took Kabul, the capital, in 1996, and by 2001 the group controlled 90 percent of Afghanistan.

As the Taliban conquered new territory, its fighters fiercely persecuted Christians, abducting many and invading their homes. Converts from Islam were ordered to return to Islam or be executed immediately. Many were killed.

Following the attacks of 9/11, the United States began bombing Taliban military sites, driving the group from Kabul and eventually from power. But as one Christian said during that time, “They’ve taken off their turbans, but the same people are still here.”

Christians in Afghanistan must meet secretly to avoid unwanted attention from the Taliban or other radical Muslims. Rather than ceasing fellowship, however, these bold believers have developed creative ways to gather for encouragement and Bible study.

Photo Credit: Rahmat Gul/AP

Moro National Liberation Front Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Abu Sayyaf
Region: The Philippines (Mindanao)

In 2014 the Philippine government signed an agreement with an Islamist opposition group, approving the creation of a region called Bangsamoro, which previously had been known as the “Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.” The region — composed of five predominantly Muslim Philippine provinces — remains part of the Philippines but will be governed autonomously, possibly even implementing Sharia law. If this occurs, it will be the first time in modern history that a Muslim minority has gained independence and implemented Sharia law within a non-Muslim, democratic nation.

Christians in the area say the agreement will lead to increased persecution. Some Philippine leaders are still working against the agreement through legislative and legal challenges.

While Muslims compose only 5 percent of the Philippine population, they account for an estimated 24 percent in the conflict area of Mindanao. The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) appeared in the 1970s, fighting for an independent Moro nation. Although an agreement with the Philippine government was signed in 1976, it had no lasting effect.

In 1977, a group called the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) split from the MNLF, with the same goal of creating a separate Islamic state. However, the MILF placed more emphasis on Islamic rule and the use of terrorist tactics (including kidnappings and bombings of civilian areas) to achieve its goal. The MILF is now the country’s largest Islamic rebel group. Decades of conflict have led to tremendous death and displacement.

The most violent active Islamist group in the Philippines is the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), “Bearers of the Sword” in Arabic. This terrorist group has attacked Christian villages, confiscated land and livestock and killed entire Christian families. ASG snipers have shot Christians while they were working in the fields.

Both the MILF and the ASG have pledged allegiance to the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS).

Photo Credit: Darren Whiteside/Reuters

Sudanese Islamist Regime
Region: Sudan

Umar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir took power in a military coup in 1989, after which he suspended all political parties and began introducing Sharia law at the national level. He aligned himself closely with Hassan al-Turabi, the Islamic revivalist and leader of the National Islamic Front (a political organization dedicated to the establishment of Sharia law), in assisting with the reestablishment of Sharia law in northern Sudan. Opponents were executed and hundreds of political leaders and journalists were imprisoned.

By 1993, Bashir’s National Congress Party was in complete control. In 1996 Bashir was “elected” president, though he did not allow any significant opposition candidates. In 1999 al-Turabi moved to give parliament the power to remove the president, and Bashir responded by dissolving parliament. He was reelected president in 2000 in another election that he controlled and manipulated.

A 2005 peace agreement — ending 21 years of civil war — gave South Sudan the opportunity to secede in 2011. Christians enjoyed a time of relative peace in the first years after the agreement, as the northern government tried to woo the people of South Sudan with overtures of religious freedom and infrastructure projects. That ended in January 2011, when South Sudan voted unanimously to secede.

Bashir made history in 2009 when he became the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the International Criminal Court for his personal involvement and approval of war crimes, including genocide, in the Darfur region of Sudan.

After months of anti-government protests, the Sudanese military ousted Bashir on April 11, 2019. On the following Sunday, churches gathered at the military's headquarters to pray and praise God for the brutal dictator’s removal from power. During his 30 years in office, Bashir committed untold atrocities against his country’s citizens, seeking to eliminate those who weren’t ethnically Arab and Muslim. His campaign against the native people of Sudan, specifically Christians, is considered by many to be among the worst cases of genocide and religious persecution since World War II.

Many in Sudan are hopeful of significant, lasting change in the wake of the military coup, but Christians are more cautious. After three decades of persecution under Bashir, they have low expectations of seeing any real improvement.

Photo Credit: AP

Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb
Region: Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco, Libya

The group that today calls itself al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) traces its roots to a group called the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), formed in 1999.

The group was pushing for the overthrow of the Algerian government and the creation of a Sharia state, but in 2005 there was word of an agreement with the Algerian government that offered GSPC fighters amnesty in return for laying down their arms. Hard-core Islamist elements in the group denounced the amnesty plan and in 2006 announced a “blessed union” between GSPC and al-Qaida. Early in 2007, the group changed its name to AQIM.

Partly in response to radical Islamist pressure, the Algerian government passed a law in 2006 restricting non-Islamic religious practices. Many house churches were closed, and by 2008 house church Christians were being arrested and accused of “insulting Islam.”

In 2009, AQIM murdered American aid worker Christopher Leggett in Mauritania’s capital city during an apparent kidnapping attempt. They later released this statement through Al Jazeera TV:

“Two knights of the Islamic Maghreb succeeded Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. to kill the infidel American Christopher Leggett for his Christianizing activities.”

According to a 2012 U.S. Army report, AQIM was attempting to synchronize and coordinate activities with Somalia-based al-Shabab and Nigeria-based Boko Haram. The groups were said to be sharing funds, training and explosives.

In 2013, AQIM threatened to kill a pastor and an American missionary living in Timbuktu for “converting Islamic children to Christianity and for preaching the Bible.” Both had to relocate.

Photo Credit: Mohammad Hannon/AP

Map of extremist groups and hotspots

AQAP: Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula
AQIM: Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb
MNLF: Moro National Liberation Front / Moro Islamic Liberation Front / Abu Sayyaf
ISIS: The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria

The Voice of the Martyrs

Javascript Disabled

Christians Facing
Islamic Extremists

Major Islamic Extremist Groups

Al-Shabab
Region: Somalia, Kenya

Boko Haram
Region: Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon

Al-Qaida
Region: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and others

The Muslim Brotherhood
Region: Egypt

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
Region: Iraq, Syria

The Taliban
Region: Afghanistan, Pakistan

Moro National Liberation Front Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Abu Sayyaf
Region: The Philippines (Mindanao)

Sudanese Islamist Regime
Region: Sudan

Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb
Region: Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco, Libya

Map of extremist groups and hotspots

Javascript Disabled

Major Islamic Extremist Groups

Al-ShababRegion: Somalia, Kenya

Boko HaramRegion: Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon

Al-QaidaRegion: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and others

The Muslim BrotherhoodRegion: Egypt

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)Region: Iraq, Syria

The TalibanRegion: Afghanistan, Pakistan

Moro National Liberation Front Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Abu SayyafRegion: The Philippines (Mindanao)

Sudanese Islamist RegimeRegion: Sudan

Al-Qaida in the Islamic MaghrebRegion: Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco, Libya

Map of extremist groups and hotspots

Christians Facing
Islamic Extremists

Al-Shabab
Region: Somalia, Kenya

Boko Haram
Region: Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon

Al-Qaida
Region: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and others

The Muslim Brotherhood
Region: Egypt

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
Region: Iraq, Syria

The Taliban
Region: Afghanistan, Pakistan

Moro National Liberation Front Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Abu Sayyaf
Region: The Philippines (Mindanao)

Sudanese Islamist Regime
Region: Sudan

Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb
Region: Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco, Libya