SOURCE:
CHRISTIAN POSTURL:
http://www.christianpost.com/news/thousands-of-muslims-converting-christianity-bangladesh-despite-rising-persecution-166768/by: Samuel Smith
Even though persecution against Christians in Bangladesh is on the rise, so is the number of Muslims converting to Christianity in the south Asian nation.
Just as in other countries where the population is dominated by a Muslim majority government, Christians in Bangladesh are at risk of being killed or persecuted because of their faith in Jesus Christ.
But while nearly 90 percent of Bangladesh's population of 165 million people is Muslim, Christianity is gaining traction.
According to the human rights organization Christian Freedom International, it is estimated that as many as 91,000 Muslims across Bangladesh have converted to Christianity in the last six years, even though apostasy in many Muslim cultures is punishable by death.
Pastor Faruk al-Ahmed, a Christian convert from Islam who has been preaching since the mid-1990s, personally attested to the rise of Christianity in his own community in Northern Bangladesh during an interview with the British news site Express.
"When I began my ministry in Kurigram, there was only one traditional Christian family and one Muslim background family," the pastor explained. "Now, almost 1,500 believers from Muslim backgrounds are glorifying God in this area."
"Persecution will come more but the believers and I are ready to face it," al-Ahmed added.
The number of Christians in Bangladesh is estimated at 1.6 million, which comprises around 1 percent of the country's total population.
Despite reports that Christianity is growing in the country, CFI emphasizes that Christians are forced to keep their worship activities secretive to prevent "retaliations" for their faith.
"Churches, especially house churches where Muslim-background believers meet, prefer not to display any Christian symbols in order to avoid being recognised," a report from the Christian persecution watchdog ministry Open Doors U.K. states. "Sometimes, even historic or Mainline churches face opposition and restrictions in putting up a cross or other religious symbols."
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