Fast Facts:

Population:

174 million

Number of people groups:

299

Unreached people groups:

276

Largest religion:

Islam (90.4%)

Evangelical Christian:

unknown

As Christmas Eve dawned in Bangladesh, Christians—for a moment—tried to set aside the uncertainty that has plagued the country since the political upheaval of several months prior and turn their attention to honoring the birth of Christ. But in a predominantly Muslim country, believers knew this day didn’t come without its risks. And in one village that night, Christians would learn just how deep the hatred ran against them.

Worshipping With Hope, Returning Home to Disaster

When evening fell, Christians in a small village journeyed together to a nearby village, where they would congregate in the local church for Christmas celebrations. Their own village had no church; in fact, these believers had only recently returned after having been displaced many years ago. Their homes were newly built, their lives only just getting restarted.

“Today is supposed to be our happiest day, but this has turned into a nightmare.”

But just after midnight, as they continued to celebrate in the nearby church, arsonists set fire to their empty homes. When the Christians returned, they came home to ashes. “We could not save anything,” one man told a news source. “Today is supposed to be our happiest day, but this has turned into a nightmare.”

Now, as a new year begins, these Christians must start over yet again. “We have no extra clothes, we are suffering from the food crisis, and we are living in an open sky,” a villager said.

Targeting Christians Isn’t New in Bangladesh

The devastating Christmas Eve attack speaks to a larger crisis affecting the country’s religious minorities. Though Christians have long struggled against persecution here, the resignation of the country’s prime minister in August and the following months of protests and riots while an interim government struggles to set things in order has amplified the difficulties Christians face in a country where 90 percent of the population is Muslim.

“That is why our believers became very afraid and upset.”

In fact, shortly after the prime minister’s resignation, a local ministry assisted by Christian Aid Mission reported that people broke into a church as well as into several believers’ homes, warning them they must leave, or they would burn the houses to the ground while the families slept inside. “That is why our believers became very afraid and upset so they were staying somewhere else for sleeping,” the ministry leader said. “During that time, they had no work and no food, so we were praying to the Lord for them so that the Lord opens a door for them and provides for their needs.”

Your Continued Support Here is Critical

With your help, local ministries have provided for—and continue to assist—those Bangladeshi Christians targeted for their beliefs. Most recently, one ministry distributed relief among those who were threatened if they did not leave their homes. “Since their houses were totally unusable, that is why we were praying to the Lord so that they could get help to rebuild their houses again,” the ministry leader said. “We are praising our Lord that He heard our prayer and together with another ministry we both helped to make them houses.”

“Praise God and blessed be His holy, glorious, and beautiful name.”

In addition to providing relief, ministry workers were also able to hire a lawyer to help the Christians protect their land. “This time the Lord heard our prayer, and the court proclaimed a decree that nobody can enter their land and occupy it in future,” the ministry leader said. “Praise God and blessed be His holy, glorious, and beautiful name.”

But attacks such as these will continue, and Bangladeshi Christians need your support. Please pray for them during this time of political upheaval. And please consider a donation today to assist local ministries as they help those who have lost everything simply because they have chosen to follow Jesus.