Five stories of faith in the face of persecution

When following Jesus could cost you everything

Persecution takes many forms. For Christians across the Middle East and North Africa, following Jesus can mean losing family, freedom, fellowship or even home. On the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (1 November), their experiences reveal the human cost of faith, and why solidarity matters.

More than 388 million Christians worldwide experience high levels of persecution or discrimination. [1] ,It is a number equivalent to the combined populations of Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden and Greece.

But behind the staggering figure are individual lives. People with families, homes, hopes and fears. People whose faith can cost them their freedom, their loved ones or their homes.

Persecution has many faces. And each raises the same question: what does it mean to hold on to your faith when doing so could cost you everything?

WHEN FAITH MUST BE HIDDEN

Meersa in Afghanistan has been a believer since she was young. But her husband does not share her faith. Instead, he leaves her fearful for her safety.

“I desperately need your prayers,” she told SAT-7. “I have been a believer since I was much younger, and my husband knows about my faith and keeps threatening to hand me over to the Taliban. I am alone and have no one but my Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.”

For Meersa, home offers little refuge from the fear. Yet even in her isolation, she continues to hold on to her faith, reaching out for the prayers and support she cannot find elsewhere. Through its Viewer Support Teams, SAT-7 offers prayer, encouragement and a listening ear to isolated believers such as Meersa, who have few people they can safely turn to.

WHEN BELIEF DIVIDES A FAMILY

For Kübra in Türkiye, persecution takes a different form. The pain comes from someone who should be among her closest companions.

“My sister belittles me every time we talk because I believe in Jesus Christ,” she recently told SAT-7 TÜRK, responding to a section of the interactive Christian devotional programme Encouragement Hour.

Yet Kübra’s response is not anger or retaliation. She asks for prayer: “Would you please pray for my sister, that her heart may be changed?”

Her words reveal something easily overlooked. Religious persecution is not always experienced in public. Sometimes it unfolds quietly, within the relationships on which people depend for love and acceptance. 

WHEN FREEDOM IS TAKEN AWAY

In 2008, Pastor Nihad Hassan spent 55 days in solitary confinement in Syria.

He was detained again in July 2026 and questioned about his Christian activities. For two weeks, he was held without charges.

But something unexpected happened. While believers across denominations united in prayer for his release, other prisoners discovered the pastor’s previous testimonies on SAT-7 ARABIC. And they began asking questions about Christianity.

Even within the prison walls, Nihad’s faith proved that persecution cannot always silence the beliefs it seeks to suppress. His experience also reveals the reach of SAT-7’s broadcasts, as his testimony continued to speak to others even during his imprisonment.

WHEN THERE IS NO CHURCH TO ATTEND

For Elika in Iran, one of the greatest hardships is the absence of fellow believers.

“We who are in Iran do not have a church and cannot participate in fellowship,” she explains.

For Christians accustomed to gathering freely on Sundays, it can be difficult to imagine the loneliness of following Jesus without a congregation, shared worship or the simple comfort of praying alongside another believer.

Through SAT-7 PARS Bible studies on Zoom, Elika has found a way to connect with other Christians.

Similar initiatives are helping believers such as Elika find fellowship where traditional church gatherings are difficult or impossible. SAT-7 ARABIC’s Home Church brings worship and Bible teaching to Christians affected by church closures in Algeria, while SAT-7 PARS’ Church4Afghanistan connects Afghan believers separated by distance and insecurity.

WHEN BELIEF FORCES YOU TO FLEE 

Alborz’s family fled Afghanistan after experiencing devastating persecution.

His brother had been abducted and murdered after his captors discovered a small Bible and cross. Further attacks and threats against the family eventually forced them to leave their homeland.

In Tajikistan, Alborz recalls washing mouldy bread so the family could eat. Yet they continued to establish home churches and support others.

Their suffering did not end with displacement. But neither did their determination to live out their faith. “There was never anything that would stop me from sharing the word of God with others,” says Alborz.

A FAITH THAT WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN

Five believers. Five different experiences. Yet each reveals something about the extraordinary cost of following Jesus in places where faith can bring rejection, isolation or danger. And each reminds us why the International Day of Prayer matters.

Through its programmes, digital platforms and Viewer Support Teams, SAT-7 offers Christian teaching, prayer and companionship to believers who may have nowhere else to turn. And in its work promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), SAT-7 raises awareness of the right of every person to choose and practise their faith freely, encouraging greater understanding, tolerance and respect.

Because behind those 388 million lives are 388 million stories. 

And none of them should be forgotten.

Sources:

[1]: Open Doors World Watch List 

PRAYER POINTS: 

PLEASE PRAY:

• That God will protect from harm Christians who are facing persecution and give them courage and strength to remain steadfast in their faith.
• That believers facing rejection, isolation or displacement will find comfort, fellowship and practical support, and know they are not alone.
• That Christians around the world will hear the voices of persecuted believers, remember their suffering and stand alongside them in faithful prayer.