The Plight of Christian Refugees in Libya.

A report by Amnesty International has catalogued the serious abuses experienced by Christian migrants and refugees whilst trying to reach Europe. Christians attempting to travel to Europe from Libya frequently face danger and are targeted by both people traffickers and Islamist groups within the country.

Amal, a 21-year-old Eritrean Christian, was near Benghazi, Libya, when she and the 71 people she was travelling with were abducted by armed men. They separated the Christians from the Muslims and then the women from the men.

Amal, and the other women in the group were held underground and used as sex slaves for nine months.They were also forced to convert to Islam.

Even Christians in official immigration detention centres face ill-treatment, as Loweth, a Nigerian woman explains: “The guards, they are Muslim. We are Christian. Whenever we would start to pray … They would come with hoses and would threaten us with beatings if we don’t stop praying. Sometimes they would beat us.”

The report concludes that “Religious minorities, in particular Christian migrants and refugees, are persecuted and are at highest risk of abuse from armed groups that seek to enforce their own interpretation of Islamic law.”

• Pray for Christian refugees and migrants in Libya. Pray for their protection and that official immigrations centres and organisations will do more to protect them from harsh treatment and abduction.
• Pray for places of safety and refuge to be available for Christian refugees, and for them to know the comforting presence of their Father God within and around them.
• Pray that more countries will be willing to take in Christian refugees. Often they are not able to live in official refugees camps due to persecution from within the camps, and, as a result, are not eligible for official resettlement.
• Pray for and end to the war, violence and political situations that force many Christians from their homes and countries. Pray for a move of the Holy Spirit over these nations, and for the light of the glory of the Gospel of Jesus to over come the darkness.

1 Peter 3 vs 12: “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.”

Source: https://www.barnabasfund.org/news