“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”
Colossians 3:15
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Pakistan – Saba Shafique rescued two months after abduction
Please lift up in prayer a 22-year-old Pakistani Christian hospitalised after sustaining severe injuries to the throat in an attack by a Muslim co-worker.
Waqas Masih was attacked at his workplace in Sharaqpur, Punjab, where he had been working for six months as a scrap contractor in the cardboard packaging department.
Co-worker Zohaib Iftikhar called Waqas aside on 21 March and asked him if he had converted to Islam. When Waqas said that he had not, Zohaib slashed his throat with a sharp blade used for cutting cardboard.
Waqas was rushed to hospital in Lahore, where he was reported to be in a stable condition. Police have since arrested Zohaib.
Ryasat Masih, Waqas’s father, said that his son was assaulted for refusing to accept Islam.
Waqas, initially unable to speak because of the severity of his injuries, wrote in a statement that Zohaib falsely accused him of desecrating a copy of an Islamic textbook by touching it with “unclean hands” while gathering scrap material. “I struggled with a slit throat, tied my shirt around it, and ran to the office,” wrote Waqas. “He had planned to kill me.”
Subsequent police enquiries confirmed that no desecration of Islamic texts or photographs had taken place.
Ryasat Masih urged the government to apply the maximum sanction against his son’s attacker and ensure all of Pakistan’s religious minorities are protected. “This is not just an attack on my son; it is an attack on humanity,” he said. “My son was targeted because of his faith.”
Waqas has since been transferred to a military hospital for extra security amid fears of retaliation from friends and family of the assailant.
Give thanks for the medical care that Waqas is receiving and pray that he will recover fully from this horrific attack. Ask that he and his family will be shielded from any hostility resulting from his firm stance for his faith. Pray that justice will be served and a fair verdict against the perpetrator reached that will deter any tempted to resort to violence against God’s people in Pakistan. Ask the Lord to expose the emptiness of the false accusations against Christians through the faithful testimony of His servants (Ephesians 5:11).
Iran – Two Christian converts sentenced to four years in prison
Two Iranian Christian converts, Mahmoud Mardani-Kharaji, 56, and his brother Mansour, 50, have been sentenced to four years in prison for their membership of a “house church”.
They were convicted under Iran’s amended Article 500, which criminalises “deviant propaganda activities contrary to the holy religion of Islam”.
The brothers were first arrested at a “house church” meeting in December 2022 when plainclothes officers raided the gathering.
In addition to their prison terms, Mahmoud and Mansour were each fined 150 million tomans (£1,250; $1,500; €1,375). After their release they will be banned from joining any social groups, including churches, for five years and barred from their home province of Isfahan for two years, a stipulation known as “internal exile”.
Two other Christians arrested alongside the brothers had their charges dropped, although the reasons remain unclear.
Christian converts in Iran are often pressured to renounce their faith or agree to cease their involvement in Christian activities (see Prayer Focus Update, March, April 2025).
Call on the Lord to instil a deep assurance within Mahmoud and Mansour that they belong to Him at this most trying of times. As they contemplate their sentences and reflect on the authorities’ attempts to deny them fellowship with their Christian family, pray that the fellowship of the Holy Spirit will sustain them powerfully (2 Corinthians 13:14).
Give thanks that the other two believers’ charges were dropped; pray for their protection as they will be subject to constant surveillance. Ask that the Church in Iran will grow stronger in the knowledge that God watches over them and He can bring about His purposes in every circumstance.
Nigeria – Suspected Fulani Islamists kill 40 Christians in Plateau State; Church minister rescued from abductors in Anambra
Yet again Nigeria’s Plateau State has been the scene of anti-Christian violence as at least 40 people were killed and more than 1,000 displaced in attacks on several communities on 2 April.
The attacks targeted the villages of Hurti, Josho and Daffo and other communities in Bokkos Local Government Area (LGA).
The assailants reportedly arrived on motorcycles and launched coordinated assaults, looting and destroying property. They also burned 383 houses and stole food and other items.
Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang described the incidents as a “coordinated crime sponsored by conflict merchants”, rejecting the narrative of farmer-herder clashes.
Solomon Dalung, former Minister of Youth and Sports in Nigeria’s federal government, also condemned the killings in Bokkos LGA as acts of “terrorism” and “genocide”.
Three men were killed by suspected Fulani Islamists in Bassa LGA, Plateau State on Sunday 23 March.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Irigwe Youth Movement, Joseph Chudu Yonkpa, confirmed that those killed were John Avia, 48; Sunday Vickson, 32; and Peter Vickson, 30.
Yonkpa identified Fulani militias as responsible for the killing. He said it was one of a series of attacks on the Irigwe community, which resulted in the wholesale destruction of crops.
The Christian-majority Irigwe people have been targeted by suspected Fulani Islamists several times in recent years, including a 2022 attack on a cultural festival in which 12 people were killed.
Meanwhile, church minister Stephen Echezona has been rescued from his kidnappers in Anambra State, south-eastern Nigeria.
Echezona was abducted while refuelling at a petrol station in Anaocha LGA in the late hours of 22 March.
A joint security team of military and police pursued the kidnappers, who in the early hours of Sunday 23 March abandoned their captive in order to escape.
Pray for the communities in Plateau State that are mourning for loved ones who paid the ultimate price in these attacks. Ask God to comfort the bereaved and sustain them with His Word (Jeremiah 15:16), practical aid and guidance as they seek to rebuild their lives. Give thanks for the rescue of Stephen and pray that he will draw strength from the Lord as he recovers from his ordeal. Pray for increasing success for the authorities in preventing such abductions
Iraq – Three injured in axe attack at annual parade by Assyrian Christians
Prayers are needed for the Christian community in Iraq after three people were injured by a man wielding an axe during the annual parade by Assyrian Christians in the city of Duhok to mark their new year on 1 April.
The attacker, since identified as Louay Abd al-Rahim Ramadhan, also known as Abu Jahiman al-Baghouzi, a Syrian refugee in his early 20s, struck three people with the weapon before being overpowered by participants in the parade and security forces. In video footage after his arrest Baghouzi confessed to being influenced by Islamic State (IS - also known as ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) ideology and being taught to “target and kill Christians”.
Subsequent online videos showed the assailant pinned to the ground, repeatedly shouting, “Islamic State, the Islamic State remains”.
The parade, in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, marked the beginning of the 6,775th new year according to the Babylonian-Assyrian calendar. It was attended by more than 5,000 Christians from Iraq and across the Assyrian diaspora.
A 17-year-old youth, Fardi Abdullah, and a 75-year-old woman, Yoniyah Khoshaba, suffered skull fractures. A member of the local security forces was also injured. All three were hospitalised, local security officials confirmed.
Ninab Yousif Toma, a spokesman for the Assyrian Democratic Movement, condemned the attack and said, “We marched today to show that we have existed here for thousands of years. This attack will not stop our people.”
Despite the attack, the Assyrians’ holiday celebrations proceeded and were completed successfully.
Confirming the immediate arrest of the assailant, Duhok Governor Ali Tatar said, “Throughout history, Kurdistan has always been a bright example of coexistence and tolerance for Christians, Jews, Yazidis, and all other components. Such attempts to disrupt our coexistence will not be successful.”
Tens of thousands of Christians fled to the region in northern Iraq in 2014 to escape the occupation of their historic homes further south by Islamic State.
Lift up our brothers and sisters in Iraq to the Lord and ask that they will not be intimidated by threats from extremists. Pray that they will instead gain confidence from fellowship, prayer and devotion to the Word (Acts 2:42). Pray that Fardi, Yoniyah and the security guard will recover from their injuries. Give thanks that the celebration was concluded without further incident and pray that the Christian community will continue to abound in love, strength and knowledge throughout Iraq.
Guatemala – Food aid shipped to Christian orphans
Barnabas Aid is excited to be partnering with a Christian ministry in Guatemala that serves more than 50 orphanages, providing care for an average of 2,300 children each month.
We are sending a 40-foot container of food aid from the United States to nourish and sustain these children.
Guatemala is one of the poorest countries in Central America. Many people cannot afford even the most basic food. Nearly half of all children under the age of five suffer from stunted growth due to malnutrition. Orphans are at even greater risk.
Praise God for this opportunity to minister to these needy Christian orphans. Pray that both their physical and spiritual needs will be met abundantly in these orphanages. Ask that those without earthly parents will know the riches of their Heavenly Father’s love through this ministry and grow in faith in the years ahead (Psalm 68:5).
