Malaysia (MNN) — Indonesia’s foreign minister met virtually with his counterpart in Malaysia yesterday to follow up on missing Christians. Malay Pastor Joshua Hilmy and his wife Ruth disappeared in late 2016.
The Human Rights Commission in Malaysia held hearings earlier this month as part of an ongoing investigation. For the first time, evidence showed a connection between Hilmy and Pastor Raymond Koh, who was abducted by state agents in 2017.
A total of four Christian leaders mysteriously disappeared in Malaysia between 2016 and 2017. More about Koh’s kidnapping here.
“What happened to Pastor Raymond Koh? Is he alive or dead? Where is he? If he’s dead, where is his body? Those things need to be brought out into the open,” Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says.
“We hope the Malaysian government will hold someone accountable for these disappearances.”
Sign a petition calling for Koh’s release here.
Mysterious misplacement
Joshua Hilmy, a Malay-Muslim who converted to Christianity, and Indonesia-born Ruth Sitepu married in 2006 before moving to Malaysia. The couple’s 2016 disappearance received little attention until the Human Rights Commission in Malaysia began its investigation last year. Shortly before the couple vanished, Joshua received email warnings that he could be detained.
(Graphic courtesy of VOM USA)
Persecution watchdogs typically don’t spotlight Malaysia, but Nettleton notes it falls under the “restricted” category. “It is costly to be a follower of Jesus Christ in Malaysia,” he says.
“Sharing the Gospel with traditionally Muslim Malay people is seen as a crime, as something that will get you killed.”
Speak up for these missing pastors by sharing this story on social media. The buttons at the bottom of this page make it easy. Most importantly, pray. “I’ve had the chance to do a VOM radio interview with Susanna Koh, the wife of Pastor Raymond Koh. She talked about how hard it is not knowing where her husband is, if he’s alive or dead, not knowing what happened to him,” Nettleton says.
“I hope people will pray for Susanna; pray for their family as well as the family of Pastor Joshua Hilmy, who also disappeared.”
Header image depicts Joshua and Ruth Hilmy. Joshua Hilmy, a Malay-Muslim who became a Christian, disappeared on 30 November 2016, six days after Amri Che Mat. He and his Indonesian wife Ruth Sitepu disappeared together. Their disappearance is being investigated by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia. (Photo and caption courtesy of Citizens Against Enforced Disappearances – CAGED via Facebook)
