Iraq Archives - Stories

Christian Convert Arrested, Status Unknown

vomtechsupport — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 08:07:07 +0000

The whereabouts of a Christian convert arrested in Iraq remain unknown. Kazim became a follower of Christ while living abroad. His Iranian wife and their children eventually came to live with him, and they too became Christians. However, the family was unable to establish residency outside Iraq and feared returning to southern Iraq as converts to Christianity. They also didn’t want to move to Iran because Kazim’s in-laws had threatened them after learning of their conversion. The family eventually moved to Iraqi Kurdistan, a safer part of Iraq for Christians. However, Kazim had to return to his hometown to update his children’s identity cards and was quickly arrested there. Front-line workers are concerned about his condition. “I pray for him every night,” said a front-line worker. “And I worry that he might be tortured or may have already been killed.”

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Iraq and learn how to pray.

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Iraq: “Heaven Is Rejoicing”

vomtechsupport — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 16:53:05 +0000

When a fully veiled woman came to his church and asked to be baptized, this pastor from Iraq wasn’t sure how to respond. But the woman had been reading and memorizing the New Testament, and her faith in Christ was genuine. In spite of terrorism and radical Islam, God is moving in Iraq. Listen this week to hear an Iraqi pastor’s first-hand account of how God is working, how the church is growing and how the Islamic State is pushing Muslims toward Christ.

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Iraq: Standing with Displaced Christians

vomtechsupport — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 16:48:43 +0000

Tens of thousands of Christians have been displaced by the advance of the Islamic State in Iraq. Many families were forced out of their homes with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. This week Todd and Adam discuss traveling to Iraq to deliver aid from VOM to those displaced Christians, hearing their stories of suffering and seeing first-hand how God is working even during this time of upheaval and suffering in Iraq. We’ll also discuss how listeners can pray for and support these believers.

Listen to this episode on VOMRadio.net

Christians Arrested, Accused of Evangelizing

vomtechsupport — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 08:07:06 +0000

An Iraqi Christian who often helps disciple Christian converts from Islam was arrested and detained alongside two other Christians. They were released after a few days but are being accused of evangelizing, which is a criminal act as the country’s official religion is Islam. A front-line worker has requested prayer for the Lord to intervene in their cases and that all three Christians will be able to return to their families.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Iraq and learn how to pray.

Post a prayer for Christians in Iraq on iCommitToPray.com

Christian Family Flees Threats

vomtechsupport — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 07:07:26 +0000

When Qasim and his wife, Zaynab, became followers of Christ in 2016, their Shiite Muslim family immediately rejected them and threatened their lives. Zaynab’s brother beat her and told her to leave her “infidel” husband. Eventually, the couple and their young children fled Iraq, but Zaynab’s brother continues to harass them over the phone, saying he will kill them if he finds them. Islamists seeking their location attacked Qasim’s father and one of his younger brothers, sending him to a hospital with broken legs and in a life-threatening coma. The constant threats have severely affected Zaynab’s mental health, and she struggles to function and care for her children. Front-line workers request prayer for Zaynab to experience the Lord’s peace, for a safe place for the family to live, for healing and salvation for Qasim’s brother, and for wisdom for Zaynab.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Iraq and learn how to pray.

Post a prayer for Qasim and Zaynab on iCommitToPray.com

Christian Student Murdered by Former Friends

vomtechsupport — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 07:07:05 +0000

One day in May 2023, an Iraqi pastor answered his phone, not knowing it would be the last call he would receive from a young Christian friend. On the line was a university student who had recently converted from Islam. Some of the student’s former friends had arrived at his home, saying, “We know about your new faith. We are going to give you a chance to come back.” The group told him he could claim not to believe in any god, but he could not remain a Christian. The assailants gave him 24 hours to recant, or they would kill him. They allowed him one phone call, so he called his pastor, who prayed for him and told him the decision was his alone. The pastor also reminded him of the eternal hope and home awaiting all followers of Christ. The young man said he would share the good news of Christ with his former friends and remain faithful. He was executed for his faith the next day.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Iraq and learn how to pray.

Post a prayer for Christians in Iraq on iCommitToPray.com

IRAQ: The Love of Christ Was All I Had

vomtechsupport — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 17:09:01 +0000

“Jesus is here already; He’s just waiting for us.”

In 2014, just as ISIS was declaring an Islamic caliphate in Iraq and Syria, God called Jerry and Stacy to go to Iraq. “It was a clear word from the Lord,” Stacy says. Others—including their mission board—told them NOT to go, that it wasn’t safe or smart. But they obeyed God, landing in northern Iraq days later.

Years before, they’d answered God’s call to Tanzania—leaving behind an “American Dream” life to serve in east Africa, where they saw the overwhelming need of the people and learned how to focus on serving the person in front of them. The hospitality of the African people, despite their overwhelming needs, and the sweet sound of Swahili hymns struck a chord in the hearts of Jerry and Stacy.

Jerry and Stacy will challenge listeners to serve the Lord, not with busy work but with lives committed to prayer and fasting, seeking the Lord and His plan and will for each situation. Stacy, who had never read her Bible or finished a Bible study before moving to East Africa, reminds us that God qualifies those He calls. The couple saw God open doors for impactful ministry in Africa, and so they went to Iraq with complete trust in what He was going to do.

Founders of Love for the Least, Jerry and Stacy help refugees in Iraq and serve them through providing education and job training. They provide trauma care for girls sold into ISIS slavery, young widows and children who have witnessed the dark side of Islam. To see a documentary about their work in Iraq, watch “Don’t Forget Them” on Amazon.

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From Islam to Atheism to Christianity

vomtechsupport — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 08:07:02 +0000

Nader, 17, grew up in a Muslim home, but he rejected Islam and became an atheist. After some time, he began to have visions of Christ, and he sought someone to help him understand his dreams. He searched online for answers to his questions and discovered a website for those who have had visions of Jesus in dreams. Through the website, he connected with front-line workers and shared that, though he did not know Christ, he would wake from his dreams feeling safe, comforted and at peace. He also asked to read the Bible, so front-line workers have begun actively discipling Nader to help him understand the gospel and answer his questions about the Christian faith. Pray for Nader as he grows in his relationship with Christ, and thank God for how he showed Himself to Nader.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Iraq and learn how to pray.

Post a prayer for Nader on iCommitToPray.com

Christians Displaced by Islamist Extremists in Nigeria and Iraq

Megan — Sat, 20 Nov 2021 18:59:00 +0000

In 2014, the world was reminded of the threat posed by Islamic extremists when the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group overtook Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul, in a matter of hours. Within a few weeks, ISIS had also claimed areas surrounding Mosul — areas that have been historically home to Christian populations. The ISIS terrorists gave Christians a choice: they could convert to Islam, pay a high tax, leave or be killed. Most Christians fled the area within days.

When ISIS declared a caliphate over regions of Syria and Iraq, Boko Haram declared its own caliphate in Nigeria after seizing the mostly-Christian city of Gwoza on Aug. 24, 2014.

Between 2010 and 2014, an estimated 11,500 Christians were killed, 3,500 injured and thousands more displaced as Boko Haram has advanced through Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states in northern Nigeria. Throughout this time, VOM has worked to meet the needs of injured and displaced Nigerian Christians. After each attack, medical workers are dispatched to document the needs of the injured and help get them the best possible medical care.

One Nigerian Christian we helped in 2014 is John Yakubu. After surviving multiple attacks by Boko Haram in the Gwoza area of Borno state, the then 43-year-old believer escaped with his family to a refugee camp in Cameroon. Unable to feed his family, he returned home to gather some of his livestock.

When Boko Haram members saw him enter his house, they captured him and demanded that he convert to Islam. John refused, so the terrorists tied him to a tree and cut him on the head, back and legs with large knives before leaving him for dead. He was later rescued and taken to a hospital, where he is being helped by VOM. Despite his ordeal, John told a VOM worker, “I have forgiven the Islamic militants because they did not know what they were doing.”

Many Nigerian Christians forgive their persecutors, and some even share the gospel with militants. Philemon Dabou lived in Attagara, Adamawa state. When Boko Haram overran his village, he escaped into the hills. But he soon felt convicted to share Christ with the insurgents, who were lost and needed to hear the gospel. He returned to the village, but before he could say anything, he was shot in the abdomen. VOM has helped him get medical care while he recovers in a refugee camp.

Helping Iraqi Christians

The situation for Iraqi Christians who fled ISIS remains critical. “In a storm, it is very dusty and you can’t see what is happening,” said a VOM worker in Iraq. “You have to wait for the storm to pass and the dust to settle. Then, you see what God has done. We are in the storm right now.”

Before Pastor Kubria left Mosul, ISIS painted the Arabic letter nun, or “N,” on his home to indicate that they had confiscated his property. Although this brother lost everything to ISIS, he told a VOM worker that his greatest concern is not for himself. “I feel sorry for [the Islamists],” he said. “They are victims.” Pastor Kubria continues to lead his church and helps minister to the thousands of refugees. “[The current crisis] is a lot of pressure,” he said. “God is giving us grace. We are doing what we can.”

The needs of the refugees are overwhelming. VOM workers meet the refugees’ needs by providing basic housing, mattresses, food supplies and potable water, but refugees have a lot of time on their hands and little to occupy it. “The worst thing about the camps is there is nothing to do,” a VOM worker said. “People just sit around. They don’t have jobs. They don’t have things to do. It is utter boredom.” One of the ways VOM is helping address this is by providing the children with Action Bibles, a Bible illustrated with graphics by a former Marvel and DC Comics artist.

God is at work amid the storm. “One of the opportunities that ISIS has given us is that they have united us as Christians,” a local Christian leader said. “As Christians, we are prepared not just for good days, but for the black days, too. The next generation will forget who persecutes us. But they will not forget those who help us and support us.”

Iraq: Christians Forced to Flee During Mosul Crisis

Megan — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 18:59:00 +0000

Rebekah and her family climbed into the small vehicle that VOM had given her two years earlier after her husband was martyred for his Christian witness. Under cover of darkness, the family turned their backs on their home and began driving up the road to Kurdistan. Thousands of others had fled along that same road, many walking for 10 to 14 hours to escape the horrors of the Islamist militia known as the Islamic State (ISIS). After capturing the city of Mosul, Iraq, in June 2014, the militants gave all Christians until July 19 to convert to Islam, pay a high tax, leave the city or be killed. Thousands chose to flee, leaving everything they owned behind.

Along the way, families encountered roadblock after roadblock of ISIS soldiers guarding their recently conquered territory. The soldiers robbed them of everything, taking wedding rings and ripping passports in half before the horrified owners’ eyes. In some cases, soldiers told people to strip, and then robbed them of even their clothing.

Flight from Mosul

By God’s grace, Rebekah’s family made the journey safely. They had fled to Erbil, in Kurdistan, a semi-autonomous region of Iraq that ISIS had not yet penetrated. But Rebekah hadn’t had time to plan or pack, and they had nowhere to go in Erbil, so they followed a group of Mosul refugees to an evangelical church.

Although the church welcomed them, it was overcrowded with refugees, so Rebekah took her three children to look for a better place. When they arrived at the next church, they found that it, too, was crowded with refugees. When ISIS invaded Iraq, Erbil was already hosting 300,000 Syrian refugees who had fled the civil war in Syria. Families were camped in any available space — parks, churchyards and half-constructed buildings.

After a couple of days, Rebekah was able to contact a VOM worker, Mahfuz, who was a close friend of her family (her children began to call him “Dad” after their father was killed). Mahfuz arranged for them to stay in the offices of a Christian ministry in the city.

Forcing the Christians Out

More than 700,000 people fled to Kurdistan after the ISIS takeover of Mosul, and others fled to surrounding countries. The refugees include Muslims, Christians and others, but only Christians were issued the July 19 ultimatum of converting to Islam, paying an exorbitant jizyah [levied only against non-Muslims] tax, leaving the city or being killed.

One Christian man from Mosul told a VOM worker that he had not heard of the July 19 deadline. On the night of July 19, he heard bombs going off and soon realized that only Christian homes were being destroyed. He quickly gathered his wife and daughter, and they ran from their home. They were among the Christians who were robbed, stripped and humiliated at ISIS checkpoints.

The refugees from Mosul lost much more than homes and possessions. A VOM worker spoke with a Christian woman who had just completed four years of college and was about to take her final exam on July 20. She missed her exam, and it’s likely that all records at the university were destroyed by ISIS. She will probably never receive her degree. Rebekah’s oldest daughter, Miriam, is in a similar position. She was unable to take her final exams for her second year of university, so she won’t receive credit for her work.

In Place to Help

Before the crisis in Mosul even began, VOM workers were aiding Syrian refugees in the region, putting them in position to help the estimated 100,000 displaced Iraqi Christians when they arrived. VOM partners with an evangelical church in Erbil that supported 30 displaced Iraqi families. The church provides half the families’ rent, and VOM provides the other half.

Other churches in Erbil have also opened their property to refugees, allowing them to camp on church grounds and in their buildings. VOM workers are distributing items such as food, blankets, mattresses, baby formula and fans. Conditions are made more difficult by the region’s extreme heat.

The crisis has created many opportunities for Christians to demonstrate the love of Christ. A Christian businessman in Erbil cleared out an office building that he owns so refugees from Mosul could live there. And an Iraqi VOM partner who was working with Syrian refugees in Erbil encouraged the Syrians to help the displaced from Mosul. The Syrians shared relief supplies from the little that had been given to them earlier.

As always, God is providing hope in this massive crisis. One refugee told a VOM worker, “If Islam is like [ISIS], then I don’t want to be a Muslim.” That man and other former Muslims who have turned to Christ are learning about their new Christian faith from a team of evangelists in the area.

As for the Christians who fled Mosul, those who put their hope in Christ are not defeated. One family told a VOM worker, “We have lost all our possessions, but we still have our faith in Jesus. No one can take that away from us.”