the

LAST WORDS
of the
MARTYRS

Life-Changing Stories from Persecuted

Believers Who Paid the Ultimate Price

President of International Christian Concern

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in
any form without written permission from
International Christian Concern.

Copyright 2018
To:

From:
 Contents
Introduction............................................................ 1
1 Slaughter of the Innocents...................................13
2 Sentenced to Death Without a Trial...................19
3 Grieving the Little Ones......................................25
4 Sometimes Living Is More
Difficult than Dying.............................................31
5 Let Me Die for My God........................................39
6 Tell Them I Died Well..........................................43
7 Living by Faith and Not Fear..............................47
8 The Soul Cannot Be Killed..................................51
9 The Light of the Gospel........................................55
10 Called to Be a Martyr’s Wife...............................59
11 What Man Intended for Evil,
God Intended for Good.......................................63
12 Conclusion.............................................................67
13 International Christian Concern........................73
“For you, God, tested us; you refined
us like silver.”
Psalm 66:10 (NIV)
 introduction

The Glare
Years ago, before my name was so associated with fighting
persecution, I visited Pakistan. I had already traveled to
many, many countries, but dreaded going to Pakistan be-
cause of the depth and spread of Islamic fundamentalism.
It’s one of the worst places to live out life as a Christian.

The Islamic radicals are everywhere; some you could rec-

ognize by their beards and dress, while others were busi-
nessmen in suits, but they are everywhere.

The Christians there have to be very careful about what

they say and do because one wrong move could provoke
a response or attack that could cost you a beating, your
home, or your life.

In the most fundamental countries like Pakistan, Christian

1
girls are abducted, raped, and then forced to marry their
rapists, while the perpetrators are almost never punished.
Pastors loved for being passionate and on fire are mur-
dered after being warned, “Shut up or else.” Many other
Christians are languishing in prison for years after being
charged with blasphemy. After experiencing years of this
kind of treatment, most of us would learn to take a few
scraps, keep our mouths shut, and try to hold on to the
little we have.

My host was a brother named Shabazz, who had worked

on behalf of persecuted Christians for years and who later
in his career would be elevated to be the country’s highest
representative on behalf of religious minorities. My organi-
zation had worked with him for years, so it was wonderful
to be with him on his home turf.

This was early in my career as I was trying to understand

the Islamic mindset of hating Christians and was looking
for victims to help. We met with numerous persecuted
Christians, including Mrs. Mukhtar (see chapter 8, “The
Soul Cannot Be Killed”). During our travels around the
country, we were driving through Islamabad when we
pulled up to a stoplight.

I was in the midst of jetlag and was dreamily thinking

2
about the plight of Christians in Pakistan and how vulner-
able they are and how vulnerable I was. My window was
open and I thought, “If somebody wanted to get at me, it
would be easy enough.”

As my eyes wandered from car to car, my mind awakened

to what my eyes were taking in. A face contorted with rage
was staring back at me. Dressed in the clothes and trap-
pings of a radical, the face was looking back at me from a
van 10 feet ahead. He leaned out of the van and was mak-
ing quite an effort to look back at me and grab my atten-
tion. There was no mistaking his emotion or intent. I knew
unmistakably what he was saying with his eyes: “You are
a stranger here and not welcome; you are in danger if you
stay and I would kill you right now if I had the chance.”

Our eyes met for only an instant and I turned away imme-
diately and looked out the other side of the car, pretending
to be oblivious. Shabazz spotted the same man shortly after
and started to whisper to me to get a look at him.

Within seconds, the traffic light turned and we turned to

the right as the van went straight ahead. The hate-filled eyes
kept looking back. Shabazz relaxed after he saw that they
wouldn’t follow and the incident was over. When we later
sat down to eat and talk about security issues, he said. “It’s
3
not safe for you to come here. It’s fine this time, but secu-
rity is notified of every time an American comes here. You
never know if you are being watched.”

I have traveled all over the world, but being in Pakistan

was one of the few times I have felt vulnerable; like a
woman must feel walking at night alone in a strange
place. You are not in control and there are people out
there who would like to take you and do what they wish
with you.

That’s what Christians in Pakistan and so many other per-

secuted Christian groups feel like all the time. It’s not epi-
sodic, but rather a day-to-day reality. They often end up
cowed, beaten down, and live life as second-class citizens.

Until recently, Christians in Pakistan were referred to,

even in the press, by a word that is literally translated as
“garbage collector.” In some restaurants, Christians can-
not eat with Muslims. In other restaurants, they have to
use separate silverware.

It’s laughable, I know, but think what that would do to

your psyche over time. You might laugh at first and then
get angry, but over time it would sink in and you would
start to think of yourself as a “garbage collector” and keep
4
your head down and try not to be abused.

Shabazz
Shabazz, living in the midst of this extreme environment,
always told me that one day he would be killed by Islamic
extremists. As our relationship grew and I visited him in
Pakistan, I saw that those statements weren’t meant to
garner sympathy or political support; they were a simple
declaration of an obvious outcome.

As the government representative of Christians in Pakistan

who stood up for persecuted Christians, against the radi-
cals and their allies in the government, he had a target on
his back.

I met with him in Washington D.C. just a few months be-

fore his death and took pictures with him. His beaming
face in those pictures reminds me that the martyr often
knows his end is coming, but chooses to walk in courage
and spend his last days serving King and Kingdom with
courage and selflessness.

As it came closer to his time, he began to distance himself

from others, knowing that his end would be violent. Just a
few months later, I read how he had been gunned down on
the street outside his house.
5
 An Unwinnable War
As the president of an organization that serves the victims
of religious persecution around the world, my work deals
with the violent underbelly of the world.

Islamic terrorists, Marxist governments, and social cru-

saders are continually oppressing, torturing, and killing
those we call brother and sister, like Shabazz, as they at-
tempt to preserve or improve the “purity” of their culture,
faith, or land.

I would dearly love to see the day when there will be no

more Shabazz’s and to see the end of religiously motivated
hatred and murder, but unfortunately, this is not a war that
can be won. Jesus promised that those who hold dear the
name of Jesus would be hated and persecuted in this world.
He said, “If they hated me, they will hate you.”

The details and stories of victims like Shabazz continu-

ally pass before me, as if on a stock ticker display. Over
and over, I have been visited by the ultimate victims of
persecution. Each one has leaned forward and whispered
a message to me, but as if in a crowded and noisy restau-
rant, I could never make it out.

I would shout over the din and ask them to repeat it, but
6
they were gone and the unintelligible whisper was all that
was left.

Life and the Church Adrift

As someone who has traveled a lot, I am continually mov-
ing in and out of our culture and comparing it with others.
I’m often struck how modern life in the West has become
unmoored for most.

We are cut off from loved ones by our busyness, our mo-
bility, our devices, our wealth, and our culture. We are cut
off from the past in that we are without the traditions that
typically give cultures order, boundaries, and a sense of
continuity to life.

We are cut off from God by our secular culture, and cut off
from hope as the media continually portrays the future as
apocalyptic and dark. Western culture is adrift and without
paddle, rudder, or wind, in a sea of meaninglessness. The
Church in the West, which also swims in this sea, is affected
by living in the midst of it and is also adrift.

While our culture is quickly turning anti-Christian, there

is no heavy persecution, and so we live our Christian lives
without real cost. Understandably, but tragically, this pro-
duces a weak and flaccid Church.
7
 The Free vs. The Persecuted Church
Not only do we live out our lives without real cost to our
faith, but we are asleep as to the plight of those who do. It
amazes me how most Western Christians just don’t know
what is happening to their brothers and sisters in Pakistan
or throughout the persecuted world.

They also don’t know how safe they are, how rich they are,
and how easy their lives are. In the free Church, preach-
ers and laypeople often speak of receiving blessings and
enlarging our tents. “Words of knowledge” are spoken that
are unerringly positive and speak of more blessing.

They are gentle cooings in the ears of a soft and drowsy

Western Church and don’t reflect the experience of most of
the world’s Christians. All of this wearies me. I’m weary of
our (and my own) lazy Christianity and I long for the fire of
personal revival for the Western Church.

Wounds and Scars

Witness Lee (a protégé of the great Watchman Nee),
the great Chinese pastor of the early twentieth century,
spoke to this point eloquently.

“The biggest problem today is that it is hard to find any

wounds or scars in most Christians. Most of us do not
8
have any wounds, scars, marks of death, or experiences
of the cross.”
-The Crucified Christ, Chapter 1, Witness Lee

While we may not have any wounds or scars, the per-

secuted have them in abundance, and for the last 15
years I’ve heard their stories on a daily basis. It has
been a supreme privilege to work with them and learn
from them.

The Lord has used them in my life, mind, and soul, to con-
tinually act as witnesses who have been called to testify re-
garding what our Christian life should or could be.

The Whisper
For many years, I felt like they were trying to commu-
nicate with me. It’s as if I could see their faces and see
their lips moving, but couldn’t hear them as they were
only whispering.

I knew their message was of great importance, but the

message was always fleeting, given to me as they were
rushing out the door to a heavenly appointment. Now, 15
years into ministering to them, I feel like the unintelligible
has been heard and I long to share with you what has been
whispered to me.
9
I sincerely feel that this secret, whispered from those with
“wounds and scars” is the great secret to life. Their words
last spoken will point you to the way home and just may
transform your life and take you to the place God has been
leading you to all along.

So allow me to introduce you to those who have paid the

ultimate price for their faith and I hope that you too will
discern their whisper as they leave their mark on you and
lead you to the deep.

Jeff King
President
International Christian Concern
www.persecution.org

10
 “He will rescue them from
oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood
in his sight.”

Psalm 72:14 (NIV)

11
“Then said Jesus, ‘Father, forgive them;
for they know not what they do.’”
Luke 23:34 (KJV)
 one

Slaughter of the
innocents

On April 18, 2007, German missionary Tilman Geske

hugged his wife and kissed his son, saying, “Goodbye son,
I love you,” as he left his home to minister in Malatya,
Turkey. Pastor Necati, Tilman’s coworker, also left his
home for the last time and said goodbye to his children
and his wife, who had led him to Christ a few years earlier.
Their families would never see Tilman and Pastor Necati
again, as they would join the great hall of the faithful
who have been murdered for their witness of Christ.

On April 19, 2007, I was on the way to a USAID confer-

ence in Washington, D.C. with a friend when I heard the
news about three believers murdered in Turkey. My friend,
who was also friends with the murdered men, received a
call telling him that his friends had been killed.
13
This is what my friend told me about the incident.

Ten young men had arranged to meet the victims for a

supposed Bible study, but only five showed up. The young
Muslims had previously attended a Bible study Tilman
had conducted in a hotel conference room. Since they
appeared to show some interest, it seemed that these
Muslims were “seekers.”

The Bible study began, but it did not go as planned. After

Necati began reading the Bible, the young men forced
Uğur, Necati, and Tilman to sit in chairs as they bound
their hands and feet, tying them to the chairs. The attackers
took out knives and a nightmare began as the young men
videotaped their torture on their cellphones.

For three hours, Uğur, Necati, and Tilman experienced un-

imaginable torture that was described in a letter from the
Protestant Church of Smyrna.

Tilman was stabbed 156 times, Necati 99 times, and Uğur’s

stab wounds were too numerous to count. The Muslims
disemboweled the men and sliced their intestines up in
front of their eyes. They were emasculated and their fin-
gers were chopped off. Their noses, mouths, and anuses
were sliced open. Possibly the worst part was watching as
14
their brothers were likewise tortured. Finally, their throats
were sliced from ear to ear, heads practically decapitated.

While this cruelty continued, a fourth believer, Gokhan,

came to the office for the Bible study. He had planned to
attend a little later in the morning. He arrived at the of-
fice, only to find that his key did not work as the door was
locked from the inside. He called the office, but did not
hear any ringing inside. He then called Uğur’s cellphone.
After several failed attempts, Uğur finally answered. Uğur
responded in an abrupt manner, “We are not at the office.
Go to the hotel meeting. We are there. We will come there.”

Sounds of weeping and a strange snarling noise met

Gokhan’s ears when he arrived at the hotel room. It was
Uğur warning him to flee.

Gokhan immediately called the police who reached the of-

fice five minutes later. When the police arrived, they too
heard an odd snarling noise and a gurgling moan. The po-
lice loaded the clips of their guns, and entered the building
only to encounter the worst sight of their lives.

Tilman and Necati were dead, and Uğur was barely

breathing. Uğur was rushed to the hospital, but died
shortly thereafter.
15
Necati and Uğur were coworkers in Malatya, Turkey, a hot-
bed of Turkish radicalism. They are generally described as
Bible workers, but they loved their country.

Necati was a convert to Christianity from Islam, as well as

a husband and father of two young children. He met his
wife when he boarded a bus and the only available seat was
next to a girl who was reading her Bible. He was intrigued
and began to ask her questions about the Bible. Eventually,
he came to Christ and they married. Uğur was saving up
money to get married to his fiancée.

Both Necati and Uğur wanted to make Turkey a better

place. In fact, they had recently been involved in reha-
bilitating three Turkish schools that had fallen into dis-
repair. These small life details always get lost in cases
like this, where victims become symbols for greater
struggles. In the end, they were simple, gentle, and kind
human beings whose blood was wasted by overzealous
youths intent on protecting Turkey from its one percent
Christian population. Hürriyet newspaper quoted one of
the suspects as saying,

“We didn’t do this for ourselves, but for our religion…Our

religion is being destroyed. Let this be a lesson to enemies of
our religion.”
16
Semsa, Necati’s wife, responded by saying, “Necati’s death
was full of meaning, because he died for Christ and he lived
for Christ...Necati was a gift from God. I feel honored that he
was in my life, I feel crowned with honor. I want to be worthy
of that honor.”

Tilman’s wife Susanne publicly forgave the killers on

Turkish national television, saying, “Oh God, forgive them,
they know not what they do.” In a country where an eye-
for-eye revenge is the norm, many reports flowed to the
Church in Turkey of how Susanne’s comment had shaken
the nation.

One columnist wrote of Susanne’s comment, “She said in

one sentence what 1,000 missionaries in 1,000 years could
never do.”

17
 “For our light and momentary troubles
are achieving for us an eternal glory that far
outweighs them all.”
2 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV)
 two

Sentenced to
Death Without
a Trial

Shehzad and Shama, a Christian couple from Pakistan,

knew hardship long before they were martyred. The hus-
band and wife worked in a Pakistani brick factory, the
modern equivalent of indentured servitude. In short, brick
factory workers are enslaved. The factory owners notori-
ously give their “employees” an advance on their earnings,
but then forbid the workers from leaving until they pay off
all their debt.

The only problem is that it is almost impossible to pay off

the debt due to exorbitant interest. Although Pakistan has
19
abolished this type of indentured servitude on paper, it is
common among generationally poor and marginalized
Pakistani Christians.

Shehzad and Shama toiled under this oppression. They

were forced to live and raise their children on the factory
premises where they were accused, tried, sentenced, and
executed by a mob of Muslim fanatics.

Muslim extremists accused Shehzad and Shama of burn-

ing pages of the Quran. Most Christians in Pakistan cannot
read the Quran since it is written in Arabic, so it is unclear
whether they accidently burned the pages, not knowing
they had, or whether the charges were false, which is often
the case. We will never know.

Regardless, a charge of blasphemy carries a death sen-

tence. The question is whether it is judicial or extrajudi-
cial. For Shehzad and Shama, theirs was an extrajudicial
death sentence.

Within 30 minutes of their accusation, a mob of 1,000 en-

raged Muslim extremists gathered at the brick factory to
execute them after their offense and death sentence was
announced at the local mosque. They beat Shehzad and
Shama, broke their legs, and dragged them with ropes to
20
the furnace of the brick factory.

Shehzad’s brother, a witness of the crime, told ICC what

happened.

“The mullahs shouted over the loudspeakers at the mosque.

They said that all their Muslim brothers must come and teach
the Christians a lesson. In about 15 or 20 minutes, thousands
had gathered at the brick kiln, shouting they wanted to kill
my brother and his wife.”

He continued, “When Muslims heard the news through

the loudspeakers, they called their friends and relatives
and shouted the news as they came to the brick kiln.” Word
spread and the mob grew.

“The mob,” continued Shehzad’s brother, “put them over

the holes of the brick furnace where the flames come out.
They were so badly beaten that they were unable to roll
off the flames. Shama tried to escape the flames, but the
mob forced them to stay on top of the flames. Heaven
opened its pearly gates for the souls of these martyred
believers.”

The police did nothing but watch while the violence

unfolded. When reinforcements finally came, all that
21
was left to do was recover fragments of the couple’s charred
bones. Even if police had prevented the mob from killing
them initially, Shehzad and Shama would have been sen-
tenced to death row for “insulting Islam” due to Pakistan’s
infamous blasphemy laws.

When I think about Shehzad and Shama’s martyrdom,

my heart breaks on several levels. I think about what
they were experiencing as they were murdered in such a
violent and brutal way.

I mourn for the baby Shama was carrying when she was
senselessly murdered. I mourn for Pakistan’s Christians as
they have been victimized for centuries by their Muslim
countrymen. I mourn for their orphaned children left be-
hind to be raised by relatives.

Sometimes, God rescues his children in mighty and dra-

matic ways. I have no doubt that God could have shown
up at that brick kiln and delivered Shehzad and Shama
from death, but He didn’t.

I’m convinced that Shehzad and Shama are now free from
pain, fear, and oppression. We can mourn for their chil-
dren, mourn the injustice that led to their murder, but at
the same time we can rejoice that these brave Christians
22
were ushered into the presence of God Almighty to an
existence of freedom and rest that we can only imagine.

23
“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised.”
Job 1:21 (NIV)
 three

Grieving the
Little Ones

As Christians, we are called to surrender our earthly trea-

sures, including our children. God doesn’t ask us to love
them less, but to rightly orient God as first in our heart.
Anytime something or someone else usurps this position,
it becomes an idol. However, it’s not easy to make the Lord
our consummate treasure or to keep Him there.

So much of the Christian journey is like that — a daily

struggle that involves grace and discipline to live out our
walk in true obedience and submission.

Whatever you cling to, you can’t guarantee its stability. As a

parent, I can implement basic safety measures for my chil-
dren, but those measures can’t guarantee their safety. I sim-
25
ply can’t guarantee them a safe and good life. I can’t even
protect them from themselves.

In the end, like so much of life, I have to let go and give

to God what is truly His and accept anew that I am only
stewarding what He has given me. I think of a former
young employee who endured multiple bouts of cancer
that eventually claimed her life, who liked to remind me,
“Control is an illusion.”

Easier said than done, though, right? Especially when we’re

talking about our own kids. That’s what makes this next
story so hard. It deals with the death of one’s children.

Raad is a kiosk-owner from a Muslim neighborhood in

Baghdad. During the second Gulf war, he was too poor
to flee the region, and so he remained. “Muslim terrorists
found out I was a Christian, so they came to my home to kill
me,” he told ICC.

Unfortunately, instead of finding Raad at home, these ter-

rorists found his 15-year-old daughter, Ranin. When she
heard a noise at the door, she thought it was her father
coming home from work. She jumped up and flung the
door open to greet him. Instead of her father’s warm em-
brace, Ranin was met with four bullets. She died instantly.
26
Another single shot took the life of Raad’s only other child,
his five-year-old son who was playing nearby. A single shot
to the head ended his playtime and his life.

In 10 seconds, Raad’s life was forever changed.

Stop Raad anywhere and he will pull out the pictures of

the bloodied and lifeless bodies of his children. He walks
through life surrounded by ghosts and the memory of these
lives that are forever gone. “I will never forget,” Raad said.
“They took my life from me when they killed my children.”

His children died because Raad was a Christian in Baghdad.

That’s all.

No parent should ever have to mourn their own child’s

death. Yet such is the lot of so many Christians like Raad in
Iraq and around the world. In my years with ICC, as well as
in my personal life, I’ve only experienced a fraction of the
grief through which Raad has lived. But like you, I’ve had
my share of struggles and hardships. My consolation is that
“the path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining
ever brighter till the full light of day” (Proverbs 4:18).

If the Lord is living in you, then you are not heading to-
wards death, but rather life. Real life!
27
What is in store for us is better than any fairytale ending.
One day, Raad will be reunited with his children. All will
be made new, and his sorrows will be forever healed. Think
about it. We will see God in all His glory and splendor.

Furthermore, the day is coming when evil will die. Children

will no longer add their names to the annals of martyrs, and
parents will no longer grieve their babes. All things will be
made new, and all tears will be wiped away.

This is not a fairytale. This is the greatest plot twist in all the
history of all the world’s stories.

It is coming.

Remind yourself and others of that truth often as we wait

for that day.

28
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Philippians 1:21 (NASB)
 four

Sometimes Living Is
More Difficult than
Dying

It’s a quiet night in Indonesia. Christien is sleeping, but she

is not resting. Her dreams are consumed with images she
wishes she could forget.

The memories torment her. She remembers seeing her

grandfather killed. She remembers hearing her little broth-
er’s cries in the moments before they killed him. She hears
the wailing of her mother as they strip her, abuse her, and
press weapons into her flesh.

She hears the jeers and taunts of the jihadi warriors as they
tell her she is a pig like her father. Her dreams replay the
fear she felt when her mother was forced to marry a Muslim
31
man. She flinches in her sleep as she recalls the abuse from
her new stepfather.

She and her mother embrace every night as they fear being
attacked and raped.

In 1999, Christien and her mother Adel were abducted by

jihadi warriors and forced to live under their rule. The ji-
hadi warriors attacked their village, and Adel, her husband
Methu, and her two children tried to escape to the jungle.
However, in the confusion of the village raid, Methu be-
came separated from his beloved family and he managed
to eventually escape the extremists. Adel and her daughter
Christien were not so fortunate.

Since that time, much has happened in the life of the little
girl and her family. Christien is only 13 years old, but she has
cried enough tears to last several lifetimes. She knows what it
feels like to have loved ones killed before her eyes. She knows
what it feels like to be spat upon. She knows what it feels like
to be called slanderous names. And this little girl has experi-
enced what it feels like to have one’s life ripped apart for no
other reason than that of being a Christian.

After being taken captive, Adel and Christien were forced

to “convert” to Islam. They were given Islamic names and
32
were daily instructed in Arabic and the tenets of Islam.
Adel chose to be abused by one man rather than many. Her
forced marriage to a Muslim saved her life and the life of
her daughter, but it was a degrading and humiliating expe-
rience fraught with abuse. Adel became pregnant and gave
birth to a daughter named Cerah.

Adel suffered physically at the hands of her captors. While

her physical wounds have healed in time, it is her emo-
tional wounds that have continued to plague Adel. Her
shame is evident in a letter written to her true husband,
Methu. This letter was smuggled to him during her cap-
tivity. She writes:

“I know that everybody knows that I have become a trai-

tor, both to you, and even worse than that, to our faith...
Methu, don’t think that I got married and now I’m happy!
No way! My body is like a kedondong fruit: smooth on the
outside, but on the inside, full of thorns. I’m crushed into
little pieces.”

In the letter, her shame is evident as she pleads for her

husband’s forgiveness, yet she clearly emphasizes that she
does not consider herself worthy to receive it. The follow-
ing excerpt describes the abuse Adel and Christien were
subjected to and Adel’s attitude towards her new marriage:
33
“He punched me and Tien, he pushed me over with a chair...
he wanted me to serve their lusts, but I did not want to...I had
to marry a man I do not love because he protected me when
the others were going to kill me. However, inside my heart: I
feel like committing suicide.”

She continues to explain the guilt and shame she feels at

being forced to betray her husband, Methu:

“Dear Methu, if now or whenever you are looking for a

spouse to replace me, look for someone who will be suitable.
Don’t choose one like me...I am not worthy to live on this
earth anymore...When I remember the time that the two of
us married, I feel like dying. All the responses I gave turned
out to be lies.”

Adel is not alone in her shame. Other Christian wom-

en who have been forced into sex slavery have experi-
enced these same feelings. In the extremists’ war against
Christianity, the Muslim warriors in Indonesia are using
forced marriages to control Christian women. This prac-
tice of abducting Christian women and forcing them to
marry Muslims is a very common practice in many parts
of Indonesia. It has been confirmed that on at least four
different Indonesian islands, Christian women are living
in ongoing rape situations under the guise of “legal mar-
34
riages.” Although these women are subjected to constant
physical abuse, it is the emotional trauma that seems to
plague them the most.

While they were enduring untold abuse at the hands of

their captors, Methu was desperately trying to rescue his
family. Events soon transpired that reunited their family.

One day, Adel’s new Muslim husband suggested that she

visit her family and show them their new daughter. As a
caveat, he told Adel that he would keep Christien with him
for ransom so that Adel would not be tempted to escape.
However, he underestimated this family.

Christien told her mother, “Mummy, you go ahead, it will be

easy for me to escape later...you go – I can look after myself.”

During her visit to see her family, Adel did escape and
Christian brothers and sisters helped her go into hiding.
Now that he knew the whereabouts of where his wife and
daughter were being held captive, Methu traveled to where
his daughter, Christien, was being held, and he was able to
escape with her by foot.

Thankfully, this family has now been reunited, but they

must continue to live in hiding. If found, Adel will be
35
forced to return to her Muslim husband, and she will likely
face unimaginable punishments for her escape. Already,
the family has been pursued by Muslim extremists. The
situation is still very dangerous for Adel and her family,
and they must relocate constantly to avoid being found.
May God guide this precious family and give them many
years of blessing after the years of hardship they have expe-
rienced. They have proven that they will remain faithful to
the one true God through many trials and tribulations, but
they need the continued prayer support of their brothers
and sisters across the world.

36
 “For if we died with Him, we will also
live with Him; if we endure, we will also
reign with Him.”
2 Timothy 2:11-12 (NASB)
 five

Let Me Die for

My God

On August 26, 2008, Hindu extremists of the radical group

Bajrang Dal carried out attacks on Christians in Orissa,
India. This militant group believes that Christians are a
threat to Indian culture, and Hindus are the only legitimate
citizens of India. This group of radical Hindus believes that
Christians and other non-Hindus should be exterminated.
Pastor Naik’s story is one of many from these attacks.

The radicals approached the house of Pastor Samuel Naik

in Orissa, India. When they arrived, Pastor Naik was read-
ing his Bible. The radicals immediately snatched the Bible
from his hands, threw it down, and began to beat him
severely. Following the beating, the radical group poured
kerosene all over Pastor Naik’s body and dragged him out
of his house. They gave him a frightening ultimatum: “If
39
you leave your God, we will leave you alone. Or else, you will
be killed right now.”

The pastor then earnestly replied, “I have invested so much

of my time to win many souls for God. Now if I deny God, all
my work will be in vain. So let me die for my God.”

When Pastor Naik replied humbly as he did, the radi-

cals became incensed. Some held him, while one radical
raised his axe, ready to strike Pastor Naik. The radical or-
dered Mrs. Naik to tell her husband to deny his God. He
warned, “These are the last moments of your husband; have
a look at him.”

Mrs. Naik fervently responded, “He cannot deny our God

and even I cannot deny.”

Pastor Naik’s final request was to ask the Hindu extremists

to give him his Bible. After they handed him his Bible, he
cried, “God, these people don’t know what they are doing!
Please forgive them and take my life.”

The Hindu radical immediately swung the blade of the axe,

and the pastor’s body fell to the ground. The martyr’s wife
clung to her husband’s body. She pleaded with the radicals
to leave her husband’s body in order to bury him properly.
40
They began to beat her severely on the back, and tried to
burn her as well, but Mrs. Naik escaped.

The extremists then set the family’s house on fire. They

found Pastor Naik’s mother hiding nearby. They brutally
threw her into the flames that engulfed the house, where
she burned to death.

Pastor Naik is survived by his widow and son. His son is

now studying theology.

41
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the one who brings people
back to life, and I am life itself. Those who
believe in me will live even if they die.’”
John 11:25 (GW)
 six

Tell Them
I Died Well

The Nigerian Muslim radical shouted out the simple but

devastating ultimatum that Pastor George Orji knew would
be his death sentence:

“If you deny Jesus, and say you no longer desire to worship
Him, you will be set free and live. If you refuse to deny Him,
we are going to torture you and then kill you. Your decision
may also affect the life of your family and others you love.”

Pastor Orji was a husband and proud father of three small

children, with his wife expecting a fourth. Sadly, he would
never see them again.

The radical militant group Boko Haram has waged war

against Christians and government officials in northern
43
Nigeria for years. In 2009, one of their violent campaigns in
Maiduguri ended Pastor Orji’s life.

Pastor Orji and his friend Emmanuel Ndah, a business-

man, went into town to visit a church member and pick up
a few items from the market. After stopping by the church
member’s house, they walked back to their car and were
met by two enraged men carrying knives. Both Pastor Orji
and Emmanuel knew that they carried guns as well and try-
ing to escape would be futile.

One of the armed men demanded to know what their

occupations were. Emmanuel told them he was a busi-
nessman and Orji told them he was a pastor. The armed
men forced the two Christians into their car, and
warned Emmanuel that they would cut his throat if he
tried to escape.

The Islamists took the men to Boko Haram’s camp where

both Christian men were bound and forced to lie on
the ground.

Pastor Orji told Emmanuel that “they would likely see

Heaven today.” Orji whispered to his friend, “If you sur-
vive, tell my brothers that I died well and [am] living with
Christ. And if we all die, we know that we died for the Lord.”
44
Pastor Orji encouraged and ministered to the other believ-
ers who were captured by singing and praying to Jesus.

The captors then separated those captured, including Pastor

Orji and Emmanuel. They placed Emmanuel in a separate
area, where he later managed to escape. Emmanuel never
saw Orji again. Another man, Okechukwu E. Nwankwo,
however, witnessed Orji’s murder at the hands of Boko
Haram. The radicals grabbed the pastor and dragged him
to the leader of Boko Haram at the time, Mohammed Yusuf.

Orji continued to pray and sing praises to God. When

again offered the choice to be free if he would only turn
away from Christ, he once again refused to deny Christ. A
member of Boko Haram raised his machete and brought it
down on the back of Orji’s neck.

Orji’s body fell to the ground and his spirit rose.

45
“For I hold you by your right hand—I, the Lord
your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be
afraid. I am here to help you.’”
Isaiah 41:13 (NLT)
 seven

Living by Faith and

Not Fear

“Only those who can see the invisible can do the impossible.”

Thomas Jefferson said these words many years ago, but

this profound statement influenced a young American
man centuries later as he embarked upon an incredible
journey to change the lives of an unknown people in a far
off foreign country.

Tennessee native Christopher Leggett knew he wanted to

make a difference in the world, and he did so by mov-
ing his wife and four children from his Tennessee home-
town to northwestern Africa. He responded to the call of
Christ to love the world, by faithfully serving as a teacher,
providing humanitarian aid, and spreading the Gospel in
Mauritania, Africa.
47
Christopher Leggett taught in the lower-class neighborhood
of El Kasr of Nouakchott, Mauritania. He taught computer
science and was the director of a non-profit that mentored
and equipped men and women in the Mauritanian prison
system to be productive members of society when released.
His non-profit also assisted locals with literacy and sewing
skills so people could develop a sustainable trade.

Leggett also directed a micro-loan program that helped

finance numerous small businesses in the capital of
Mauritania, Nouakchott. Leggett wanted to help people
in a very practical way. He worked in Nouakchott for six
years, selflessly giving of himself and his family, impact-
ing numerous lives in the community.

On the morning of January 23, 2007, Leggett drove his car

as usual to the school where he taught. As he got out of his
car, he was approached by two Muslim radicals who were
tasked with abducting him. They attempted to force him
into the car, but when Leggett resisted, they shot him in the
head and then his body several times, leaving his body in
the street where US embassy officials later found him.

A statement was released by Al-Qaeda’s Islamic Maghreb

spokesman Salah Abu Mohammed. “Two knights of the
Islamic Maghreb succeeded Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m.
48
to kill the infidel American Christopher Leggett for his
Christianizing activities,” the statement said.

Although Leggett’s family desires justice for those who

murdered Christopher, they offer forgiveness and harbor
no ill will towards the people of Mauritania for the death of
their beloved son, husband, and father.

The murderer of Christopher Leggett got the death sen-

tence and two accomplices received long prison sentences.

Christopher once said:

“My prayer is that people, when they see your life, when they
see my life, they will see Christ and Christ alone. Let us live
our lives as if they were not our own lives, to truly be strang-
ers in this world, to be aliens in this world, because our citi-
zenship is in Heaven.”

Christopher Leggett hoped to live by faith, and not by fear.

The world saw by his inspiring testimony that this amazing
husband, father, son, friend, and humanitarian did indeed
live by faith, and not by fear.

49
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the
body but cannot kill the soul.”
Matthew 10:28 (NIV)
 eight

The Soul Cannot

Be Killed

His watch remained on his wrist. His money remained in

his wallet on his person. It was not an attempted robbery. It
was a murder, for the only thing taken was Pastor Mukhtar
Barkat’s life.

Pastor Barkat was martyred for Jesus Christ one early

morning in a train station in Pakistan.

Parveen, the martyr’s widow, said, “All he [Mukhtar] did

was love people.” Her husband was a bold, outspoken pastor.
He lived in Pakistan, where five times a day people heard
the call to prayer from the top of a mosque.

The pastor was just as passionate about the Gospel of Jesus

Christ, and he received permission to install a loudspeaker
51
on top of his church to broadcast short prayers and sections
of Scripture to the neighborhood.

He became known for having a great love for Muslims,

and many came to Christ because of his outreach to them.
As a result, he was warned to stop reaching out and con-
verting Muslims. Strangers began to visit his house to tell
him that what he was doing in the Muslim community
wasn’t good.

The threats grew less subtle. Finally, he was told that he

would be killed if he didn’t stop. After each visit, his wife
Parveen would ask him, “Who were those people and what
did they want?” “It’s nothing dear...just business,” he would
answer. He kept these continual threats from his wife so she
would not worry.

The extremists grew tired of this man’s efforts to spread

the Gospel of Christ. One day at the train station, Mukhtar
was finally shot.

Mukhtar’s widow, Parveen, is determined to remain in the

area and continue her husband’s ministry. She feels specifi-
cally called to women’s ministry.

Her church still plays the loudspeakers, despite the threats.

52
“We will not stop using the loudspeakers,” said Parveen,
“Though our lives may be in danger for using these loud-
speakers, many Muslims have come to the Lord Jesus.”

Parveen explains, “My husband said many times, ‘The body

can be killed, but the soul cannot be killed.’”

53
“The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5 (NIV)
 nine

The Light of
the Gospel

It was late in the evening when a Muslim group approached

Abraham Abera and his wife Birtukan, who were on their
way home after evangelizing in Warobe, Ethiopia. Three
Muslim men confronted the couple, asking to speak
with Abraham.

Birtukan watched as the men led her husband away and

suddenly began to beat him with rods. When she rushed
in to attempt to protect her husband, the assailants turned
on her — beating Birtukan, then seven months pregnant,
until she fell unconscious.

With his pregnant wife lying unconscious in the dirt, the

men continued beating Abraham with the rods until they
55
broke both of his hands and his legs. Finally, they raised
their machetes and brought them down on his head —
killing him on the spot.

When Birtukan finally awoke in the hospital, though

she was surrounded by supportive friends and fam-
ily, she immediately realized that her husband was not
among them. Terror gripped her heart the moment her
friends told her that her husband had been killed in
the assault.

Devastated by the news, but thankful for the miraculous

survival of her unborn child, Birtukan chose to move to
a remote village to live with her mother once she was re-
leased from the hospital.

On July 6, 2011, Birtukan gave birth to a baby girl whom

she named Berhane, which means “light” in Amharic.

“We named her Berhane—it means light. The shedding of

her father’s blood has shed the light of the Gospel on the
Muslims in the city where he gave his life.”

Abraham’s zeal for the Gospel drew the hatred of Muslims

who resented his success in bringing Muslims to Christ.
Following his death, a number of Christian leaders in the
56
city were invigorated with fresh enthusiasm to continue
the work that Abraham carried out so faithfully while he
was alive.

57
“Bear one another’s burdens, and
thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:2 (NASB)
 ten

Called to Be a
Martyr’s Wife

Rami locked his Christian bookshop as he closed up his

business for the evening. Suddenly, a vehicle raced around
the corner and jerked to a stop beside him. Several men
jumped out, tackled Rami, and threw him in the backseat.
One of them handed Rami a phone and told him to call
home to his family.

His wife, Pauline, answered. “I’m going with some young men
somewhere, but I’ll be home soon,” her husband reassured her.
It was the last time Pauline would hear Rami’s voice.

Rami Ayyad ran a Christian bookshop for the Bible Society

near his home in the Gaza Strip. Living in one of the most
densely populated, impoverished, and volatile pieces of
land in the world wasn’t easy. With two children and a third
59
on the way, Rami and Pauline struggled to make a meager
living. But Pauline knew that God had a purpose for them
in Gaza – to serve the needs of the community and share
the love of Christ with their neighbors.

Leaders of the Bible Society contacted the police within

hours of the call. Though many were searching for Rami,
he was not found until 2:00 a.m. the next morning.

Rami had been tortured and shot in the head and chest.

“It was a big shock for everybody,” said the leader of the
Palestinian Bible Society. “We don’t know the scenarios
that took place with him or what they had done to him...but
we know that a fundamentalist group did it, probably the
Militant of Islam, and that the government in Gaza [Hamas]
didn’t do much about it.”

The Bible Society began to work tirelessly to get Pauline

and her family out of Gaza to safety. Miraculously,
Pauline and her three children were able to escape Gaza
and flee to Israel.

The daily reminders and memories of Rami tortured

Pauline. “I was so broken after the death of my husband,
and I hated the people who did it,” Pauline admitted. She
60
questioned why God would allow such a horrible thing to
happen to her husband. Pauline was not able to provide
enough money for her family with the part-time job that
she found. Bitterness consumed her, and she felt lost, lone-
ly, and helpless.

Pauline eventually realized that she could not carry the

burden of grief alone. She turned to Christ and asked for
the ability to forgive her husband’s murderers. She began
to feel whole again and, in her words, like “a new person, a
positive person full of forgiveness.”

Pauline now sees the blessings of the cross that she bears.
She reflects, “The Lord told me, ‘It’s not everyone who gets to
be called a martyr’s wife. And it’s not everybody who gets to
be called the children of a martyr.’ That’s a great honor.”

61
 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,
but on what is unseen, since what is seen is
temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)
 eleven

What Man Intended

for Evil, God
Intended for Good

Her nightmare began with the funeral of her 18-month-old

baby girl. Sonadei’s daughter’s death was sudden.

Completely devastated, the heartbroken mother began to

mourn the loss of her daughter. Together with Christians
from her village of Bendaguda, Orissa, Sonadei sought to
bury her daughter the very next day.

Unfortunately, Sonadei would never be able to bury her

child with dignity. Hindu radicals surrounded the proces-
sion of mourners and put a stop to the funeral. Enraged,
the radicals denied Christians the right to bury their dead
on Hindu land.
63
Within moments, the child’s funeral turned into a scene of
violence. Even the bereaved Sonadei was not spared, de-
spite being eight months pregnant at the time. Sonadei suf-
fered severely from the attack.

Though Sonadei began to bleed profusely, she and the other

Christian villagers were forced to flee into hiding to escape
the Hindu radicals. Because there was no hospital in the
village and it had already grown dark, Sonadei was forced
to spend the night in hiding, still carrying the decomposing
body of her 18-month-old daughter.

Terrified that the Hindu radicals would kill them if they

tried to escape the village, and worried that Sonadei might
not make it through the night, the Christians spent the
night in fear. Sonadei was losing blood rapidly, and her de-
ceased daughter had yet to be buried.

The next day, the Christians took Sonadei to another

village for medical treatment. Sonadei survived despite
the brutal assault on her and her unborn child. She gave
birth to a baby girl on November 4. But tragically, while
in the womb, her infant daughter received head injuries
from the attack. She died three days after she was born.
Sonadei’s little girl was a martyr who was killed for the
faith of her parents.
64
The life of Sonadei’s child and the suffering that she has
endured as a mother has not been wasted. The Lord has
brought forth life out of her tragic losses.

The Lord used the martyrdom of Sonadei’s daughter for

good. The Hindu radicals who caused her death have since
decided to follow Jesus and have already been baptized.
Today, the believers are building a new church in the vil-
lage. This has opened a wide door for the Gospel in the
Hindu-dominated village.

The Lord has also continued to bless Sonadei, and she is

now pregnant with another child. Glory be to God!

65
“If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die,
we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die,
we belong to the Lord.”
Romans 14:8 (NIV)
 twelve

CONCLUSION

For years, I accepted the martyrdom of these amazing be-

lievers as the natural result of courageous soldiers fighting
on the front lines of the greatest war ever fought.

Yet, as I was confronted with story after story of martyr-

dom, a very important detail came into focus in almost all
of their deaths.

Remember, as I mentioned previously, the martyr is al-

most always given the choice to live. The only cost to live
is to mention the three words, “I deny Jesus.”

Most martyrs are like you and me and, just as you would,
67
they weigh their options and debate within themselves
whether they should utter the three little words and
go free.

They could, of course, justify saying those words, “I deny

Jesus,” by saying that they retain their inward fidelity to
the Lord.

Or, with everything on the line, they could walk away and
say the cost has been, and is, too high and decide that they
need an easier way of life. The sad but understandable
truth is that some believers choose this path.

Yet, the martyr doesn’t walk away and previous events in

his or her life often explain why they refuse to do so.

You see, it’s their life, not their death, that is the key to
understanding their martyrdom.

For so many years, I would see amazing examples of per-

secution and martyrdom and I noticed a huge gulf be-
tween the free Church and the persecuted Church. To me,
the persecuted are like a giant mirror that motivates the
free Church to ask, “If that is a Christian, then what am
I?”

68
With each new story of martyrdom, it was as if I would
see the faces of the martyrs just before they left for a
better land. Their faces were not contorted in pain,
but were marked by quiet joy, peace, and an excited
urgency as they attempted to tell me something of
great importance.

Their message though was always fleeting, as if they were

rushing off to an important appointment and only had a
moment to share. I saw their lips moving, but never could
make out their message. It was obviously very important
to them, but was never understandable.

I strained and strained to hear the martyr’s message for

years and I slowly began to hear it and understand the
simple but incredible truth of it.

While at first it was just a whisper, it has grown louder

over the years to the point that now, I hear it plainly and
long to share their message with you.

Their life secret is incredibly powerful because it is the an-

swer to the question of what it means to truly walk with
God and to be a Christian.

In the end, their secret is the key to the abundant life

69
offered through Jesus. It is of the utmost importance
that you as a “free” Christian understand their message.

The whispered message and secret of the martyrs is

spelled out in the full version of “The Last Words of the
Martyrs.”

70
To receive your free copy of the life-changing, full-length
version of “The Last Words of the Martyrs” and learn the
martyr’s secret to living abundantly through Christ,
please give a gift today to International Christian
Concern to cover postage and handling.

Your gift will be used to assist the families of martyrs and

other persecuted Christians in need.

Use the envelope we sent with this booklet or go to:

persecution.kindful.com/martyrbook

to make a donation and receive your free full version of

“The Last Words of the Martyrs.”

71
 “If one member suffers, all suffer
together; if one member is honored,
all rejoice together.”
1 Corinthians 12:26 (ESV)
 thirteen

INTERNATIONAL
CHRISTIAN
CONCERN

WHO WE ARE

International Christian Concern (ICC) acts as a bridge be-

tween believers in free countries and believers in persecut-
ed countries. This bridge carries encouragement, prayers,
and aid to the persecuted while news, requests, and love
flow back to the free Church. The bridge also allows for the
voices and concerns of the persecuted to be heard by the
free Church so that we might move the rest of the world to
action on their behalf.
73
 WHAT WE DO

We know that the pain of the persecuted is the pain of the

Church. As the Body of Christ, we are called to be one.
And if we are one, then how can we not hear? And if we
hear, then how can we not act?

ICC serves the persecuted Church through our three-

pronged approach: Awareness, Assistance, and Advocacy.

Awareness: We strive to report what the mainstream me-

dia fails to address; that Christians are persecuted more
for their faith now than in any other century in history.

Assistance: We believe in bandaging the Church as well as

building it. Through various funds and projects, we provide
assistance for suffering wives, full-time care for orphans,
support for underground pastors, Bibles for believers in
closed countries, and aid to the greatest need.

Advocacy: We believe that advocacy is a vital function

for suffering Christians, not because we believe that
we can ultimately stop persecution before Christ’s re-
turn, but because Scripture shows plainly His heart for
the afflicted and He calls us to speak up for them and
defend them.
74
 HOW TO GIVE

If you would like to partner with ICC in supporting our

persecuted brothers and sisters, you can do so by mail,
phone, or online giving:

1-800-ICC-5441

International Christian Concern

P.O. Box 8056 Silver Spring, MD 20907

www.persecution.org

75
 Monthly Magazine
on Persecution

Call 1-800-ICC-5441
or sign up at www.persecution.org
to receive your free copy of our monthly
magazine: Persecution
76
visit our website for daily news on
current christian persecution:
www.persecution.org

www.facebook.com/persecuted

www.twitter.com/persecutionnews
@persecutionnews
77