How are Christian children persecuted in Bangladesh?

A local Open Doors partner explains how Christian children are persecuted for their faith in Bangladesh, and how Open Doors help.

Around the world, children are particularly vulnerable to faith-based persecution. Sometimes they are targeted to destabilise families and communities and to undermine the future of the church. Sometimes, if they choose to convert, they are persecuted by their own families.

You can find Rumana’s story from Bangladesh on the Open Doors website. Bangladesh is just one of many countries where young believers face persecution. In this interview, Sister Hadassah – an Open Doors partner who supports Rumana and her family, among many others – explains the persecution they face and how their faith remains resilient, with your help.

Why are Christians persecuted in Bangladesh?

The Bangladesh Constitution gives every citizen the right to ‘profess, practise or propagate’ any religion, and also states that no person attending any educational institution shall be required to receive religious instruction. However, this so-called freedom is on paper only; the reality is quite different.

The Constitution also mentions that, though Bangladesh is a secular country, the state religion is Islam. That shows the government is pro-Islam. At the same time, we need to understand that 90% of the population is Muslim. Due to social and religious prejudices, Christians are facing more direct persecution and pressure from their family, relatives, non-believing community and radical Muslims – and indirect pressure and persecution from individual Muslims who work for the government.

How are Christian children persecuted in Bangladesh?

The main persecutors of Christian children are non-Christian relatives, neighbours, non-believing classmates, playmates, their parents and teachers.

Christian children and youth endure considerable levels of violence as their parents choose to follow Jesus – including verbal, physical, psychological and sexual violence. Often, they are bullied, mocked and discriminated against at school. They are isolated and can be even a target for abduction and drug addiction.

Adult Muslims take their revenge through young children of converted men and women. For instance, as just one example, recently I was talking to some women and one of the mothers shared that her 13-year-old boy was about to be sexually assaulted by his Muslim cousin. By the grace of God, he was able to escape. As Christians are a minority, persecutors know that they and their parents don’t have enough means to fight back.

How does age contribute to how children experience discrimination?

Age is one of the biggest factors in how children experience discrimination. When someone is young, they are more vulnerable. They don’t have the physical or psycho-social strength to bounce back from what has happened to them.

Why are children particularly at risk?

I always say that children are strategically targeted because, through their persecution, they can bring damage or ‘shame’ to the family or individual. Our culture is a shame- and honour-based culture. Also, we need to understand that these children and youths are the future Christian leaders and influencers. If Christian persecutors can damage or destroy them, they can destroy the next generation of Christians.

How many children are at risk?

Mostly, the children at risk come from the believers who converted from Islam to follow Jesus. But all Christian children are at risk. Often, the church is not aware of the persecution because it is hidden from view. We are a religious minority, so discrimination is often considered normal.

For example, in any school, there are few Christian children. The school dictates that students study Islamic studies, because religion is a compulsory subject and the children will need to write a board exam on it. Schools cannot provide a Christian teacher for only a few Christian students. Interestingly, most Christian parents think this normal and logical, but they are not aware of how Islamic influence can shape and challenge their child’s identity.

Is persecution of children in Bangladesh different from other countries?

It is quite similar to other countries, but since Bangladesh has a strong community-based culture, the community has the greatest influence on every individual’s life. Hence, when the community cuts off all kinds of relationships with the converts and isolates them, that brings huge emotional damage to the Christian children. Also, when they are discriminated against at their schools, children lose courage to attend school and many drop out, resulting in a greater illiteracy rate among converts.

Why do you think Rumana and other persecuted children show such resilience?

The reason they have demonstrated such resilience is due to their parents and the efforts of their church, which have always been united in prayer and fellowship. Though these churches are not at all financially stable, they have – with the help of Open Doors local partners – in-house persecution survival training, Sunday school, youth and women discipleship, socioeconomic development, and all other ministry support that impacts the church.

Parents are grounded well in the faith they have embraced. Parents of these children teach them to love and obey the Word of God above everything. Even at this young age, parents taught them that these pressures or persecutions cannot separate them from the love of Jesus. They teach them to love and pray for those who persecute or push them down. The resilience these children have is reflected in their parents’ deep faith, love and the assurance of salvation in Christ.

What impact is persecution having on families and church communities?

The impact can be positive and negative. Persecution weakens believers financially because, when they become Christians, they often lose their jobs, or people stop business relationships or partnerships, or they lose inheritances and property. They also become the targets of physical, psychological, sexual violence, abduction, etc.

At the same time, those pressures also build resilience, and believers become robust – like transforming from coal to diamond. And in my context, persecution makes believers not only fearful but also makes them more careful. In this case, Open Doors persecution survival training plays a vital role.

What is the vision for Open Doors’ ministry among Christian children?

As an organisation, our vision is to focus on the critical issues of leadership development, persecution survival, self-sustainability and discipleship, especially among churches with believers who have converted from Muslim, Hindu and tribal backgrounds. We want to ensure that the men, women, teenagers and children of the church are strong enough to live and also proclaim the faith they have embraced.

How is Open Doors supporting persecuted children in Bangladesh?

Open Doors partners extend various means of support to persecuted children and their families. For example, we provide immediate food assistance, medications, house repairs, tube wells, sanitary latrines, secure shelter, home education for the children, Sunday school classes, children’s camps, special Christmas celebrations with other persecuted families, legal assistance, persecution survival training and other ministry support and training to build their resilience and sustainability.

Why do persecuted children need the support of Christians around the world?

The support of Christians around the world is urgent because, without it, the future of these precious children would be uncertain. Without support, persecuted believers cannot grow and sustain their faith in Jesus. Ultimately, the churches made up of converts from Muslim, Hindu and tribal backgrounds would die.

It is a request from us that the ‘free church’ or global church give their urgent attention to the Christian brothers and sisters in Bangladesh who are paying a huge cost to follow Jesus. Because, without their help, the persecuted church in Bangladesh would die. Without support from the global church, building resilience and sustainability of the persecuted church in Bangladesh is virtually impossible.

We are so grateful to the Lord for preparing the hearts of the global church to stand for the suffering parts of the Body of Christ in our country.