Source:         www.assistnews.net

Date:            September 24, 2007

Open Doors Urges Prayers For Persecuted November 11

OPEN DOORS USA
Jerry Dykstra, Media Relations Director
Phone: 616-915-4117
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: www.OpenDoorsUSA.org

For Immediate Release

SANTA ANA, CA (ANS) -- Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) are among the most severely persecuted Christians in the world. Throughout the Muslim World, brothers and sisters who formerly followed Islam - but now follow Jesus - are paying a high price for their faith. Every day they wake up to the possibility of:

* Isolation and being disowned by their families, friends and community
* Interrogation
* Arrest and torture
* Kidnapping
* Surveillance and threats
* Death

One example of the persecution MBBs face was reported by Compass Direct News this spring. An Egyptian Christian convert couple living in a Cairo district far from their relatives was targeted after aggressive Islamists noticed the husband did not attend mosque prayers. Mounting a deliberate watch, the Islamists followed the husband until they finally saw him go into a church.

Soon afterwards, a group of 10 men stormed the couple's home without warning, accusing them of committing "apostasy." They made a neighborhood spectacle by searching their house and dragging them off to the police station. There the wife was raped twice and her husband savagely beaten. When the extremists finally released them a day later, they threatened the couple with prison if they dared to tell anyone what had happened to them.

The husband was subsequently fired from his well-paying job, and local shopkeepers refused to sell them food or other goods. They were eventually forced to move to a remote village, where he found work as a day laborer.

Because of persecution and suffering the MBBs face daily, Open Doors USA has made these hundreds of thousands of "Secret Believers" the focus of this year's International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), says Jane Huckaby, Vice President of Program Services for Open Doors USA.

"Muslim Background Believers come from all over the world - the Middle East, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Nigeria. There are thousands who choose to stay in their homeland, paying an incredibly high price, because they feel the burden of reaching their family and friends with the love and salvation of Jesus Christ," Huckaby says.

IDOP, which falls on Sunday, November 11, gives the free church around the world the opportunity to support these courageous believers. During that day churches will focus on prayer and support for our 200 million brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. IDOP is one of the largest prayer events in the world and has heightened awareness of the persecuted church since its inception in 1996.

IDOP's goal this year is to raise prayers for MBBs and others, but also to send 50,000 Bibles to MBB's around the world.

Help your church, small group or Sunday school class be part of the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Request your Day of Prayer Kit today. You will receive:

* Country profiles where Secret Believers face hostility
* Testimonies of Secret Believers
* DVD presentations
* Other visual helps to guide you as you pray
* Children's activity pack
* And more!

Call 888-5-BIBLE-5 (888-524-2535) or go to www.OpenDoorsUSA.org and request a free IDOP Kit. The kit can be used not only on November 11, but all year long.

"The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church presents a tremendous opportunity for millions of people to make a difference in the lives of those being persecuted for their faith in countries like North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq and many more," says Open Doors USA President Dr. Carl Moeller. "Those persecuted believers have asked us who live in freedom to pray for them - always their number one request. On November 11 we have the opportunity to collectively lift our petitions to the Lord on their behalf."

An excellent resource on MBBs is the new book "Secret Believers" (Revell, 2007) co-authored by Brother Andrew, founder of Open Doors, and Al Janssen. To order the book and for more information on MBBs, go to www.secretbelievers.org.

Campaign Targets 2008 Olympic Games in China

The eyes of the world will be on China in the year leading up to the Olympic Games which will be held Aug. 8-24, 2008, in Beijing. To help believers unite in prayer for their Chinese brothers and sisters in the faith, Open Doors USA is sponsoring a special prayer campaign called "One Minute/One Year/One Country." Christians are asked to pray for at least one minute each day; if possible at 8 p.m. Beijing time. The current time in Beijing, a countdown clock to the start of the Olympics and a signup site can be found at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.

An estimated 200 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with another 200 to 400 million facing discrimination and alienation. Open Doors supports and strengthens believers in the world's most difficult areas through Bible and Christian literature distribution, leadership training and assistance, Christian community development, prayer and presence ministry and advocacy on behalf of suffering believers. To partner with Open Doors, call toll free at 888-5-BIBLE-5 (888-524-2535) or go to our USA website at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.

(For more information or to set up an interview, contact Jerry Dykstra at 616-915-4117 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ).