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This week, our Sunday School teacher taught us about a Christian teacher from India who worked in the island nation of Maldives. His name is Shijo Kokkattu.
In 2011, Shijo left his home in India for Maldives, a country off of the southwest coast of India made up of a whole bunch of little islands. Shijo was a good teacher, and no one ever complained about him.
But one day, some school officials found some Christian materials on his school computer. He had accidentally downloaded the material from a removable drive he owned.
When school officials reported him to the authorities, they raided his house, found his Bible, and arrested him! The police held him for more than two weeks before they sent him back home to India.
What I wanted to know was why they would do that. After all, why couldn’t Shijo be a Christian and still teach school?
You know what I learned? The country of Maldives claims that 100% of its population belongs to the religion of Islam. They do not let a non-Muslim become a citizen. And they do not allow foreigners to tell anyone about another religion. You cannot display or express any religion other than Islam.
We really need to pray for the people of Maldives. This small country is full of people who do not know Jesus loves them or that He died for their sins to give them life forever with Him in Heaven. We need to remember that every single human being in Maldives matters so much to God that Jesus died for them. And, we need to pray for ways to let the people know that Jesus is alive again today and loves them!
“Dear God, please help every person in Maldives to hear about how much You love them and want to take care of them. Help the Christians in Maldives to show Your love to others. Please keep them all safe. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
The facts of this story are based on a World Watch News article published on October 21, 2011.
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