Muslims Threaten to Kill Pastor to Keep Church Out of Village

Compass Direct News reports from Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh – Muslim fundamentalists in a village 192 kilometers (119) miles north of the capital have threatened to kill a pastor as part of an effort to keep his church from constructing a church building, according to the head of the Isha-e-Jamat Bangladesh Jesus’ Church denomination.

Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, chairman of the Dhaka-based denomination, said the Muslims are trying to wrest land from the congregation in Lokmanpur village, Gaibandha district. The church planned to erect a worship building on the land, which the denomination purchased in January.

“We enclosed the land with a brick wall after buying it from a believer,” Chowdhury said. “The local Muslims came to know that there would be a church inside the enclosure, so they demolished the boundary wall in February 11.”

Upon learning of the damage, that same day 30-year-old pastor Rezaul Karim went to the site, where local Muslims and supporters of the country’s largest Islamic political party, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, beat him and threatened to kill him if he pursued plans to build a church in the village, Chowdhury said.

“They drew a dagger at my chest and threatened to kill me if they see me in this place again,” said Pastor Karim.

Read the full story at Compass Direct News.