Meet persecuted Christians in The Gulf

In many Gulf states, Christians are outcast from the predominant society and are sometimes targeted by religious extremists. Due to security concerns, much of Open Doors' work in the Gulf cannot be publicized, but our projects are extensive.

Open Doors teams support believers by delivering Bibles, Scripture resources and training, and by providing believers with means of earning an income.

Meet S K Daniel from India

• A convert from Hinduism
• Runs an orphanage for 20 Dalit ('untouchable') children
• Threatened, assaulted, arrested and his house was stoned by a violent mob

Pastor SK Daniel and his wife run a home for orphans in India. Along with their own four children, they care for 20 Dalit ("untouchable") children, their ministry motivated by the love of Christ.

A converted Hindu, he has experienced severe persecution from fundamentalist groups opposed to his Christian activities.

Since 1995, he has been severely beaten and left for dead, and his house stoned by violent mobs who once besieged his home for 15 days. To date, the police have failed to arrest those responsible and in fact arrested Pastor Daniel once, on trumped-up charges.

Hindu extremists have ordered him to leave the region or "We will burn you alive!"

Meet Ruth Hussein and her boys from Iraq

• Widowed when pregnant with her second child
• Struggles to support and raise the children on her own

Ruth's husband, Mansour, was shot dead in 1997, in the Christian bookshop where he worked.  Days later Ruth discovered she was pregnant with their second child.

Ruth still misses Mansour terribly and her two boys, Kevin and Danny, are growing up without their dad.

Download our Letter-writing Guide in PDF format (234k) so you can send a note of encouragement to Ruth and other persecuted Christians.

Meet Matthew from Sri Lanka

• Under pressure from military activity in the area
• Targeted by Buddhist extremists
• Attended Open Doors' "Standing Strong through the Storm" seminar

Christians in Sri Lanka are not only caught in the crossfire of the ongoing civil war, but are frequently the target of raids by Buddhist extremists as well.

Attacks against believers and churches are on the increase and Christians like Matthew have known great suffering and pain in recent years.

Matthew is grateful for being able to attend one of Open Doors' "Standing Strong through the Storm" seminars, which equips Christians to remain faithful to the Lord in times of persecution and pain.

Meet Santosh from India

• Beaten and threatened by Hindu extremists who attacked an evangelistic meeting he was leading

Along with six other evangelists, Brother Santosh had travelled to Tasra in Gujarat state to show the Jesus film to a large group of villagers. Suddenly, in the middle of the film, a mob of Hindu extremists descended on the gathering.

They smashed the film projector and then turned their wrath on Santosh and his friends. When Santosh refused to pledge allegiance to the Hindu deity Ram, the assailants began to pour boiling water over him. Santosh was thankfully released without serious injury.

"I thought I was going to die," admits Santosh. "I was terrified. But I am glad to suffer for the Lord.”