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. According to a
report in Christian Post.

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