Christians Under Attack

Three men including Mr Y, the leader of a group of Kenyan missionaries supported by Barnabas, had travelled to Nairobi on the morning of Wednesday 15 September to help three Christian women to move out of their apartment to a safer location. The three men arrived safely, but when Mr Y’s wife called them later that day, she could not get an answer. By 9pm she began to realise something serious must have happened. Going to Nairobi, she found the apartment door unlocked but no trace of the missionaries.

The police began an investigation and at 4am on 18 September the group were found – dumped at the side of a main road. They all had their eyes and mouths tightly sealed with tape, and their legs and arms were bound, but they were all alive. The three women had been systematically raped and were deeply traumatised; still suffering from shock, they were not even able to talk. At the hospital they were given drugs to reduce the risk of their contracting AIDS. They will remain in hospital for two weeks of comprehensive care to help them recover from the physical, psychological and emotional distress.

The three men had been tortured and their bodies were covered in bruises; one man needs treatment for a dislocated shoulder after he was thrown “like luggage” into a truck. The men will remain in hospital for five days to receive counselling. But Mr Y’s wife said, “No matter the agony, they praised the Lord.”

Early in the ordeal, the Muslim men asked one of the women, “Who’s the saviour of this world?” When she boldly answered, “Jesus Christ is the Saviour,” they slapped and spat at her and shouted “You’re wrong, you prostitute, it’s Osama who’s the saviour.” When the group was finally released, they were told, “You’re lucky … we’re directed to free you. We could have killed you this night. Maybe your Jesus saves you. But warning … stop leading Muslims astray with your corrupt Bible. Nobody shall be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet.”

Kenya has a strong Church, yet Christians face challenging opposition, and the situation of converts and women can be particularly difficult. In July, 18 converts from Islam met on a secluded beach to be baptised by Mr Y and his team, when they were suddenly attacked by a crowd of around 100 Muslim men who beat them with pipes and wooden clubs. Five had to be hospitalised for several days, including a woman who had been beaten unconscious and a man with a broken arm.

Barnabas Fund is covering the hospital fees of the missionaries and converts involved in both these incidents.

 

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