The murder of Rami Ayyad in October 2007 left members of Gaza’s only evangelical work in shock and fear. Now they need your help.
The murder was not a total surprise. When Hamas took over Gaza in mid-2007, it announced that a new chapter in Islam had arrived. Officials said non-Muslims, especially Christians, would have to fully submit to Islamic dictates or leave.
But Christians in Gaza cannot leave. Only those who get permits from the Israeli government are allowed outside Gaza’s borders, and permits are hard to come by.
About two weeks before Ayyad’s martyrdom, a Muslim representative suggested that he convert. When Ayyad, a worker for the Palestinian Bible Society and member of Gaza Baptist Church, declined, he was told that Hamas had ways to make one abandon the Christian religion.
The warning came after two employees of the church were killed in shoot-outs between Hamas and its rival Islamic faction, Fatah.
The night before Ayyad’s body was found, he called friends to tell them he was being followed. He was kidnapped about 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon. The next day, his body was found with multiple stab and gunshot wounds.
‘People are afraid’
Prior to Ayyad being killed for his faith, about 200 people participated in church activities each week. Now that number is less than 25. “People are afraid,” said a Baptist worker in Gaza. “They know that to attend a Baptist function is laying their lives on the line. Most are just staying home, and many meetings have been cancelled.”
Shortly after the murder, some of the leaders of the Gaza church were allowed to relocate to Bethlehem. But now the leaders are returning, knowing that they may be the next martyrs.
“The Christians in Gaza feel they have been forgotten and abandoned by the Christian world,” the Baptist worker said. “They need to know that fellow believers know about their plight and are praying for them.”
The worker asked that Baptists not only pray for their fellow believers in Gaza but also that cards and letters be written to encourage these believers in their Christian faith. “These faithful Christians have served the Lord in the face of immense pressure. Now they need the Christians around the world to stand with them,” the worker said.
Cards and letters for members of Gaza Baptist Church can be addressed to GBC, P.O. Box 7364, Jerusalem, Israel 91072. The cards and letters will be collected and hand delivered to the church.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Information for this story came from an interview conducted in Jerusalem Jan. 14. Names have been omitted for security reasons.
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