In Kyrgyzstan, a woman was threatened and attacked by her family because of her conversion to Christianity.
Amira* is from a Muslim family and grew up in a small village in the north of Kyrgyzstan. Two years ago, she moved into a larger city for work, where she met a group of Christians and came to follow Jesus.
When Amira’s parents learned of her new faith, they invited her to come back home to “visit the family”. But when Amira arrived, her family became angry and trapped her. They said that she was bringing shame and disgrace to the family and beat Amira, in an attempt to make her to return to Islam. They also planned to force Amira to marry a Muslim man.
Amira was able to escape from her family, but also had to flee her new home in the city for her own safety.
Amira was left feeling isolated and alone. In Kyrgyzstan, persecution from a Christian’s own family is common, especially when they have left Islam. Many are locked up for long periods of time and beaten. Local Islamic teachers preach against them and even expel them from their communities.
Though Kyrgyzstan fell outside the World Watch List’s 50 most dangerous countries to follow Jesus, there was still an increase in persecution against Christians last year.
Pray For Kyrgyzstan:
- Pray that Amira will find fellowship with other Christians, and that this will help her to feel less isolated.
- Pray that Amira’s family will come to know Jesus and be reconciled to one another.
- Pray for perseverance for other believers in Kyrgyzstan whose families threaten and attack them because of their faith.
*Name changed for security purposes.
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