What does persecution look like in Comoros? What is life like for Christians?
Christians in Comoros are not able to share their faith freely in public. If they do, they face legal consequences. In some parts of the country, extremist groups threaten Christians with violence. Proselytization by any religion except Islam is illegal, and converts to Christianity can be prosecuted. Converts from a Muslim background face the most severe difficulties. They are often pressured to keep their faith private—leaving them no option but to live out their faith in secret.
Meet “Titus”
“Barely three days after I decided to follow Christ, my house was burned down. I was only able to rescue my laptop. All I had was the clothes on my back. I felt this was a test of my faith in Christ, but it turned out to be faith strengthening.”
What did Comoros enter the top 50?
The situation for Christians in Comoros has changed very little in recent years. While the country is making progress in stability and democracy, there is still a rise of radical Islamic sympathies among the population at large. However, the country has greatly improved from the 1990s when it spent several years ranked in the top 20 on the World Watch list. This year’s re-entry into the top 50 is due to the government’s pressure on all religious groups except Sunni Islam. The government believes the freedom of religion in the constitution is for foreigners, not for Comorians. That means converts have to hide their faith. The public stance of the government also gives locals a license to pressure and persecute Christians.
Who is most vulnerable to persecution?
Persecution is common in all Christian communities in Comoros. However, the level of persecution that Christians from a Muslim background experience is much more extreme than the levels other groups face.
What does Open Doors do to help Christians in Comoros?
Through local partnerships, Open Doors has come alongside Christians in Comoros since the 1990s. Through strategic partnerships with the local church, Open Doors supports and equips the persecuted church with economic development through in-depth training, leadership development, cross-cultural evangelism and care for new believers.
Population statistic: Johnson T M and Zurlo G A, eds., World Christian Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, accessed February 2020).
Pray for Comoros
- Pray for Christians in Comoros to be faithful and fruitful in their work, keeping in mind Colossians 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
- Pray for Christians in Comoros to live joyfully and blamelessly, so that others will ask them about their lives and open a door for the gospel.
- Pray for Christians who left Islam to follow Jesus. Ask God to give them wisdom, courage and support—so they know they are never alone.
- Pray that the Lord will use the programs of Open Doors to bring support and hope to Christians in Comoros. Pray that these believers will be a testimony to the Lord’s grace and encourage many to come to Him in faith.
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