Two believers stand firm in their faith despite threats in Bangladesh

Please pray for Masud and Akram in Bangladesh, who are facing constant threats and harassment from their communities – and yet they continue to stand firm in their faith.

The rise of Islamist fundamentalism in Bangladesh continues to target believers from Muslim backgrounds, who face direct threats, social exclusion, economic boycott and constant pressure to renounce their faith. Yet in the midst of these challenges, courageous individuals like Masud* and Akram* stand as living testimonies of unwavering faith in Jesus Christ.   

Persecution intensifies for Masud and family 

Masud (38) lives in western Bangladesh with his wife and their five-year-old son. Many new believers in this context choose to keep their faith undercover, because they know the dangers they face – but Masud is desperate to share Jesus with the people in his community. He serves as a local evangelist, regularly worshipping God in the open yard of his house with five fellow house church members.  

Like many other converts from Islam, his first and most painful challenge was rejection by his own family. They pressured him to renounce his faith, but Masud refused and has continued to stand firm in his Christian beliefs.   

• What’s it like to be a Christian in Bangladesh? 

This pressure has only intensified recently – and it doesn’t just affect him. He couldn’t enrol his son in their local school because the people in his area were harassing him – even though he’s only five years old. Fearing further mistreatment, Masud enrolled him in a school near his in-laws’ home instead. His wife also faces harassment from other women in the community, who attempt to manipulate and pressure her because of Masud’s faith. 

His community have turned against him too. His neighbours constantly ridicule him for his faith, making daily life difficult. During Ramadan, when Islamic religious practices intensified, a government official who had been threatening Masud for months publicly declared that, if Masud did not renounce his faith before Eid, he would be beaten so brutally that his ‘flesh would be torn from his bones’.   

Masud: “I am not afraid of these threats” 

Following the threats, local Muslim leaders instructed people not to buy from his small medicine shop, significantly reducing his customers. Not only does he now live in fear, but he is also struggling financially as he tries to navigate these challenges while providing for his family.  

Masud shared, “Ever since I received Christ, I have faced countless persecutions and struggles, but these recent threats are by far the most intense. But still, I am not afraid of these threats, because I know my Saviour will carry me through this storm, just as He has done before.”   

Masud and his family are currently safe for now, but he requests prayers for the continued safety of his family and for strength from the Lord to endure.   

Akram’s sons used against him 

Masud and Akram don’t know each other, but they share similar stories. In south west Bangladesh, 81-year-old Akram has been a Christian for about 30 years. So have most of his family, except for two of his four sons, who are still Muslims. Recently, their neighbours have been using Akram’s Muslim sons to pressure the rest of the family to return to Islam, but they have not given in.  

“The pressure for Akram and his family is getting worse and increasing day by day,” shares one of Akram’s church leaders. “Previously, the local people destroyed Akram’s son’s shop, which was their only source of income for the whole family. And now, the neighbours have even offered Akram that, if he renounces his faith and returns to Islam, they will rebuild his shop and will give him back everything that was lost – but Akram remained faithful in the Lord.”   

After that incident, an arbitration meeting was called in the police station among the local Muslims and Christian converts (including Akram’s family). On that day, the police told the Muslims not to disturb nor persecute the Christians. Unfortunately, the Muslims didn’t listen to the police and are still persecuting and pressuring coverts.   

Open Doors local partners are supporting Akram and his family in prayer and looking for other ways to help them. Please pray for them – and for all believers who have to make difficult choices about sharing their faith and the risk of persecution that comes with it. 

*Names changed for security reasons