Abril, Iraq—Radical Muslims in Iraq are forcing Christians to convert to Islam and exterminating those who don’t comply.

One Kurdish believer named Mansour was recently shot to death in the Christian bookstore where he worked. He had become a Christian just a year ago and carried a New Testament with him everywhere he went. In the hostile Muslim area, he was outspoken about his Christian beliefs and shared the gospel openly. In the weeks before his death, he told friends that he had received death threats.

One fellow believer in Abril said, “He was never afraid to be known as a follower of Christ.” But following Christ and his love of the Scriptures may have cost him his life.

Despite the great risk, persecuted Christians like Mansour send requests for more Bibles and New Testaments. When they read about other Christians who were martyred for their faith, they accept suffering as part of their life in Christ, and strive to share the Word with everyone they can.

The Bible League can get Bibles into the hands of believers in Muslim countries like Sudan and Iraq, and other restricted-access countries—if friends like you will help print and ship each one. Persecuted Christians need the Scriptures to be able to share the gospel, but they also need the hope and comfort that can only be found in God’s Word.

Christians in Nigeria and other African countries are pleading for more Bibles. They know they can find peace in God’s Word that transcends the violence and killing they must face every day.

In Sudan, government soldiers often raid areas where Christians live. They burn crops, poison water supplies, destroy hospitals, and seal off the area, keeping relief supplies out. Christians who don’t starve are sold into slavery—healthy Christian boys are sold for as little as $15.

In Chad, churches are under attack by any Muslims who despise Christians and their beliefs. In one village, a mob of 600 people stormed a church and stole everything. They robbed the church bookstore of every Bible, New Testament, and Christian book before they completely destroyed the church building.

Suffering Christians can’t stand against persecution without the comfort and guidance of God’s Word! Around the world they are pleading for Bibles right now—and Bibles are extremely rare in countries where Christians are hated.