Campus Crusade Mourns Murdered Bangladeshi Christian Workers, Urges Justice
by Ed Thomas
August 9, 2005
(AgapePress) - Natives from the South Asian nation of Bangladesh recently held a rally in sympathy for the families of two Christians who were martyred for their work with a Campus Crusade for Christ affiliate group in that country. The two slain Christian workers, Lipial Marandi (21) and Tapan Kumar Roy (27), were locals who taught health awareness programs and showed The Jesus Film while working with Christian Life Bangladesh. The young men had been in place in Faridpur, Bangladesh, for eight months but had received two sets of death threats only a week prior to their deaths, warning them that they would be killed if they continued with their work.
According to Campus Crusade for Christ Asia regional spokesman David Beeler, the two men had decided to respond to the threats by leaving the area. "But before they left," he says, "in the middle of the night, about 2:00 a.m. on July 29, some intruders came into their residence and stabbed them to death with machetes."
This slaying marks the second incident within the last two years in which Christian Life Bangladesh workers have been murdered under similar circumstances in this heavily Muslim-influenced area. Campus Crusade reports that police have arrested two suspects in connection with these latest murders, and the missions organization has contacted the Bangladeshi prime minister by letter, asking for zealous prosecution.
Beeler says Campus Crusade for Christ is urging the Bengali government "to bring these murderers to justice and uphold the Bangladesh Constitution, which protects religious freedom." Meanwhile, he is asking believers in the U.S. and other parts of the world to pray for the Bangladeshi Christians "to remain strong and steadfast in a time of crisis like this, and that they would really know the love of God in the example of these two young Bengali men who gave their lives -- gave their all -- for Christ."
In April 2003, Christian Life Bangladesh worker Hridoy Roy was killed in a similar incident. His killers were never convicted. Thomas Abraham, vice president of Asia Campus Crusade for Christ, says the ministry is seeing an increased trend towards persecution of Christians in Bangladesh.
Ed Thomas, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
