Sudan: Islamic Leader Calls For More Decisive Action Against Christians As Muslims Convert To Christianity

For this “Religion of Peace” leader, raiding Christian bookstores, destroying churches, bombing Bible schools, arresting, beating, threatening to crucify and bury Christians alive isn’t working well enough to stem the tide of converts to Christianity. When Christians in Sudan and around the Islamic world are taking the Word of God to heart, why should it? …

Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

ICC – “An Islamic leader has rebuked his government for not taking decisive action against Christians operating ‘boldly’ in the country, typifying the disturbing response of Islamic leaders to the growth of the Church in Sudan.

On May 14, Ammar Saleh, the chairman of the Islamic Centre for Preaching and Comparative Studies, bemoaned the increase in apostasy, the growth of the Church and the alleged failure of the state to protect Islam from the double threats of Christianity and Atheism.

Saleh pointed out the disturbing decline in people’s interest in converting to Islam, stating that it was non-existent. He argued that anyone who believes there’s growth in Sudan’s Islamic faithful is ‘living on Mars,’ drawing attention to increasing proselytizing and an exodus of Muslims to Christianity.

Taking Khartoum as a pattern of things, he pointed out that aggressive missionary work resulted in 109 ‘apostates’ who abandoned Islam and turned to faith in Christ. He also added that cases of apostasy and atheism are on the rise, while authorities are negligent in addressing the issue. He expressed concern over the way the figures were rising in a ‘continuous’ and ‘scary’ fashion, especially with the presence of atheists and homosexuals.

Although Islamic law has not yet been fully implemented, Saleh derided his government for neglecting the issue of apostasy, appealing to official bodies and the community to take a stand against the ‘Christianization’ of Sudan and find a long-term solution to the problem. He also stated that the government’s efforts to curb the rise of Christianity were timid as compared to the efforts of missionaries to lead people to Christ.

In response to his comments, Open Doors USA Spokesman, Jerry Dykstra, says, ‘The bad news is that he wants to put more pressure on the government and the army to crack down on the Christians there. But the good news is that many there are coming to Christ. It’s been difficult for them obviously, but they are growing in numbers’…

In February, at least 55 Christians linked to the evangelical church in Khartoum were detained without charge. On Feb. 18, the cultural center of the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church in Khartoum was raided by the National Intelligence and Security Services. Three people were arrested and several items were confiscated, including books and media equipment, according to Charisma News.

Churches are being forced to close down, foreign workers are being kicked out of the country and Christians are constantly pressurized by the government and society in all kinds of ways, so much so that the recent increase in Christian persecution in Sudan moved the country from being ranked 16th on the 2012 Open Doors World Watch List to 12th in 2013.” Read more.

Flashback: Christianity in Sudan

• Christian Bookstores Raided, Churches Demolished, Christians Arrested, Beaten
• Sudan Gov’t Continues Crackdown On Christians In Effort To Implement Islamic State
• Sudan Bible College Bombed By Islamic Government While Students Studied In Class
• Christian Persecution Increases, Told They’ll Be Buried Alive During Interrogations
• Christian Religion No Longer Accepted, Muslims Attack Christians Rebuilding Church
• Sudan’s President Rewriting Country’s Constitution To Implement Sharia Law
• Islamic Gov’t Bombs Christians, ‘The International Community Is So Silent About The Killing’
• Christians Under Pressure As Sharia Law Imposes Amputation, Crucifixion, Stoning
• Sudan Imam: ‘We Will Never Forgive Christians For Not Being Muslims’, Suggests That Christianity Must Be Eliminated Throughout The North