Persecution of Christians in Sudan: we reported here at ChristianPersecution.com on the burning of the church here. That church and others have been burned because the attackers believe that they were built in “Muslim areas.” That is bitterly ironic, as many centuries ago, during the time of the Emperor Justinian (AD 527-565), Nubia (modern-day Sudan) was a center of Christianity. Today, most of the small minority of Sudanese who are Christians are Roman Catholic or Protestant, and there is also still a small number of Greek Orthodox Christians there.
May Almighty God bless Sudan with a genuine transformation, and turn the hearts of the governing authorities and the people to Christ in repentance.
For previous ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in Sudan, see here.
“Christian Leader in Sudan Detained and Beaten, Sources Say,” Morning Star News, February 22, 2021:
JUBA, South Sudan (Morning Star News) – A Christian leader in Sudan was detained and beaten on Friday (Feb. 19) for speaking out against the burning of a church building, sources said.
Masked men believed to be national security personnel seized Osama Saeed Kodi, chairman of the Christian Youth Union of Al Jazirah state, on Friday morning (Feb. 19), handcuffed him and blindfolded him, Christian leaders in Sudan said.
“They told him, ‘We will kill you if you continue with Christian activities in Tambul,’” said one church leader, whose name is withheld for security reasons.
They beat him and threatened to kill him if he continued voicing objections to the burning of a Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC) worship hall in Tambul, and then released him after a few hours, the sources said.
“I have been brutally beaten by national security personnel on my chest and on my right leg,” Kodi told Christian leaders in Al Jazirah state. “I am still in pain as a result of this beating. I thank all those who stood with me during the detention. I shall continue to defend the right of the church despite all these obstacles.”
Suspected Muslim extremists on Jan. 3 set fire to the church building, the only worship hall in Tambul, which is used by various denominations in the rural area. It was set ablaze shortly after SCOC members left their Sunday service.
With church burnings continuing through last year following the deposing of President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019, church leaders and other Christians in Sudan are concerned that persecution is continuing under a transitional government that has promoted religious liberty.
Opposition to Christian TV
At the same time, hard-line Muslims last week urged government officials to ban TV programs with Christian content following the airing of a Christian program on the Sudan TV network, the Sudan National Broadcasting Corp., earlier this month, Christian leaders said.
The broadcast of “Sunday Meeting” (Likha Al Ahad in Arabic), the only Christian program in Sudan, sparked widespread anger among radical Muslims. Discussing forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ, it attracted mixed reactions, including outrage among Muslim leaders on social media.
“Christians and Jews are not only infidels, but they are cursed by Allah,” Muzemil Fakhiri, a well-known imam in Sudan, said in a Facebook video in Arabic, saying Christians do not deserve a place on national TV to promote a faith.
Fakhiri told his audience that the Bible of Christians is corrupt and blamed Sudan TV for broadcasting a Christian program instead of live airing of Muslim Friday prayers. He asserted that Sudan is an Islamic country.
“Now Sudan TV is openly broadcasting infidel programs instead of playing Islamic programs,” Fakhiri said. “Yes, Christians are infidels.”…
