Nigerian Christians Not Asking For End To Persecution
ICC Note
"They don't ask for us to pray that persecution would stop. They pray instead, that they would be strong in the midst of persecution."
By Gary Lane
11/11/2011 Nigeria (CBN)-Last year alone, more than 2,000 Christians in Nigeria were killed in clashes with Muslim extremists.
"They don't ask for us to pray that persecution would stop. They pray instead, that they would be strong in the midst of persecution," Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors USA, explained. "And to empower them to be bold witnesses despite the obvious persecution in many places."
Recently, more than 100 Nigerians were killed during a series of attacks by the militant Islamic group Boko Haram in Borno and Yobe states.
Several churches were destroyed in the city of Damaturu and others were bombed over the summer in Maiduguri.
"Boko Haram is another one of these extremist offshoots that has advocated the complete Sharia law rule in Nigeria," Moeller explained
"But the aggressiveness of Boko Haram in that country has resulted in Christian villages being raised," he added. "Over a hundred churches alone last year were burnt to the ground."
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Nigeria's Christian President Goodluck Jonathan has pledged to combat terrorism and bring Boko Haram under control.
Moeller said Nigeria's Christians, and other suffering believers around the world, need prayer beyond the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church set for Nov. 13.
"When we unite with them in prayer, we really affirm the prayer of Jesus in the upper room with his disciples where he prayed that we would be one body," Moeller said.
"When we pray for the persecuted we affirm that," he continued. "And we are able to then demonstrate that we do care for our suffering brothers and sisters around the world."
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Tags: Boko Haram
