Sri Lanka (MNN) — A new report from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) calls attention to Sri Lanka. The document describes increased hostility toward leaders of religious minority groups, individuals, and entire communities.
Voice of the Martyrs Canada received 84 reports from persecuted Christians in a single month.
“Here are some of the things we’ve seen just in September: two cases of physical violence; 8 cases of property damage or destruction; 35 threats of intimidation; and 34 discretionary actions or practices –funeral rights, finding a job securely, or even education,” CEO Floyd Brobbel says.
“And, there have been five incidents of hate campaign or propaganda against Christians.”
In one community, Hindus forced believers to bury their loved ones according to Hindu customs. More about that here. The funeral took place at a public cemetery in late September, but Hindus insisted the cemetery was a Hindu burial ground – therefore, they said, no Christian proceedings were allowed.
“This is one of the pressure points that a community will put on Christians, and it is something that Sri Lankan Christians face continually,” Brobbel says.
“In some cases, people have gone in and dug up the body and brought it back to the relatives.”
Help persecuted Christians in Sri Lanka through VOM Canada. Pray the persecutors will encounter Christ through believers’ love and forgiveness.
“Can you imagine the trauma of losing a loved one and then having difficulty finding a place to bury them?” Brobbel asks.
“Pray that they (believers) would be resilient in the face of opposition and persecution so that the Gospel would go forward in that nation.”
Header image courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Canada.
