In the last few months, we have seen a sharp increase of the number of arrests in Yemen. Those arrests are not linked to one church network, but to several different ones.
A spokesperson of Open Doors says, “We are specifically concerned because torture is used to force the Christians to give information about the activities of believers or names of other believers.” Some of the arrested Christians have been released, but they are struggling with the aftermath of the torture they suffered. We ask you to pray for those Christians.
“We see that their arrest and the torture had and still has a deep impact on their families too,” says the same spokesperson. “They are shocked and are struggling with their faith, as they were counting that God would spare them, that God would intervene. Their faith is shaken. Pray that they will see God as a loving and caring God. Pray for the Christian community in Yemen, that they won’t be paralysed by fear, that they wouldn’t stop visiting and encouraging each other out of fear that, for example, their mobile phones would be traced.”
The persecution of Christians in Yemen – which is number five on the World Watch List – has been extreme for many years. Believers are mostly converts from Islam, but because conversion from Islam to Christianity is forbidden in Islam and Yemeni law, they must keep their faith hidden, with pressure coming from both the government and local communities. A rise in reported incidents of violence meant the country rose two places in the latest World Watch List.
Pray For Yemen:
- Pray for the Christians who have been arrested, that they and their families would know the love, care, and peace of God.
- Pray that the Christian community won’t be paralysed by fear and won’t give up meeting together.
- Pray that the leaders of Yemen will come to know Jesus and accept Him as their personal Saviour.
Stay updated with the latest prayer requests from the persecuted church.
