Have you ever been persecuted for your faith? If you haven't, you're among the few. If you have, you're in the majority. Sadly, this persecution isn't just happening in the U.S., but all over the world. At the top of the list is Turkey's recent classification of Christian leaders and missionaries as "national security threats." Deporting hundreds of foreign Christians and blocking their return with this label, the international legal advocacy group reports that this move has led to deportations and renewed fears of religious discrimination.
Since 2020, over 350 foreign Christian workers and their families have been barred from the country under these threats. Internal security codes N-82 and G-87, according to the ADF International reports, prevent re-entry or deny residency permits, most times without charges or evidence of wrongdoing. Such persecution isn't just unfair, but highly common in other countries such as the U.S., the United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea, Latin America, and Europe.
Today, advocates and human rights organizations are attempting to take a stand against a multi-year issue. Again, since 2019-2020, Turkey has deported dozens of Christians, often without a valid reason or explanation. In fact, ADF International reports that "Christians are the most persecuted religious group internationally, and yet this issue receives limited attention from the international community. In Turkey, the government is systematically targeting Christians and their families by banning their reentry into the country, despite their long-term legal residence."
Turkish authorities may continue to cite "security concerns" under vague laws, but Christians continue to argue that this persecution is due exclusively to their expression and commitment to faith. Not so sure? Consider the case of Andrew Brunson, which began in October 2016. After being imprisoned for two years, Brunson was accused of being involved with the Fethullah Gülen movement. Turkish government authorities blamed this discrepancy and continued to hold Brunson hostage in harsh conditions and with potential 35-year sentences. It was not until October 2018, following significant pressure from the United States government, that Brunson walked free.
International Christian Concern, one of many advocacy groups on the frontlines of cases like Brunson's, explains this situation best: The deportations and imprisonments aren't about security, they're about silencing Christians. As the U.S. and European religious freedom organizations continue to raise alarms, Christians must stand on guard: “Turkey’s targeting of Christians raises serious concerns about freedom of religion or belief" (USCIRF).
The Church has always faced persecution, but cases like these remind us of the need for immediate intercession, fasting, and prayer. Will we stand for the gospel even in the face of advancing hardship? Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 reveal to us that persecution is in our future, but if we hold fast to what we know is true, we will stand the test of time: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body" (NIV).
Christ Jesus Himself is with us through it all. As we pray for wisdom in our own persecutions, let us not forget to pray for our global leaders, too. Our Turkish brothers and sisters in Christ, believers in God Almighty, need courageous prayers. And our prayers can make a difference.
Imagine the outcry if the roles were reversed, which they would not be and should not be. But there will be no outcry over this. Multiply incidents of this kind over 1,400 years and you see how the Islamic world was created.
Muslims Attempt to Seize Christian School in Sudan
Morning Star News,
September 30, 2025:
JUBA, Sudan (Morning Star News) – A years-long Islamist attempt to seize a Christian school in Sudan continued this month even as people displaced by war have taken refuge in the facility, sources said.
An Islamic business interest sent three Muslims who forcefully entered the embattled Evangelical School of Sudan, in Omdurman across the Nile River from Khartoum, on Sept. 3 and threatened hundreds of mostly Christian people displaced by internal war, telling them to leave the compound, said an area church leader whose name was withheld for security reasons.
The intruders made their way to the office of the headmaster of the school, which belong to the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC), and broke the office door, the church leader said. Without giving a deadline, the intruders threatened to take the facility by force, he said.
The institution suffered numerous attacks during the regime of deposed President Omar al Bashir, mainly raids by supporters of the Muslim businessman who has sought to seize the land by force accompanied by police.
On April 3, 2017, a church leader was stabbed while defending Christian women at the facility during an attempt by assailants to take it over; elder Younan Abdullah Kambu of the nearby Bahri Evangelical Church later died in a hospital.
During the same raid, elder Ayoub Kamama was also stabbed in the chest and the hand as he tried to snatch a knife from one of the assailants….
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