By Nicole Todd 1 July 2019

Mob Demolishes Pastor’s Home

A mob of 100 people attacked a pastor’s house while he and his family slept, completely destroying their home and property. 

At 2:00am on 4 May 2019, a mob descended on the house of local pastor, Mokttakim, in his small village in the north of Bangladesh. Armed with weapons, the attackers forced their way into the pastor’s home.

They dragged the pastor and his whole family out of the house and tied them to a pillar, where they were beaten. The attackers proceeded to destroy the entire home and property and even uprooted all the trees.

Pastor Mottakim’s sister suffered serious injuries from the attack and was rushed to a local clinic for treatment. The rest of the family sustained minor injuries.

Influential Islamic leaders in the community had been trying to force Pastor Mottakim and his family to leave for several months leading up to the attack. Even though Mottakim’s family have been living on the same land for generations, one Islamic leader disputed his claim to the land and forged documents to try and take it away.

Formal reconciliation meetings in the village determined that Pastor Mottakim was the rightful owner of the land, however, the Islamic community have refused to recognise this because of his Christian faith. They call Pastor Mottakim and his family, “kafir,” an Islamic insult meaning ‘atheist.’

Despite the persecution, Pastor Mottakim and his family are determined to stay in the village and continue to shine the light of Jesus.

Pray For Bangladesh:

  • Praise God that none of Mottakim’s family lost their lives in the attack and pray for them to be completely healed of their injuries.
  • Pray that God will provide for all the needs of the family as they have lost everything.
  • Pray that Christians in this area will stand together in fellowship and be unafraid of meeting together.

Stay updated with the latest news from the persecuted church.