Day of Remembrance: Terrorist Attacks on Rohingya Christians, 26–27 January 2020

Dear brothers and sisters,

Respected elders, church leaders, and all who carry this pain in their hearts,

Today we stand together in sorrow, in remembrance, and in courage.

From the night of 26 January 2020 at 10:00 PM until the Morning of 27 January 2020 at 3:00 AM, our Rohingya Christian community faced brutal and terrifying terrorist attacks inside the refugee camps of Bangladesh. These attacks did not happen in secret. They happened in front of the police, in front of the world yet our cries were ignored.

Homes were destroyed.

Churches were attacked.

Men were beaten.

Women were terrorized.

Believers were abducted.

Families were shattered.

Our brothers and sisters were attacked not because of a crime, not because of violence, but because of their faith. Because they are Rohingya Christians a small, vulnerable minority within a persecuted people.

We remember the faces.

We remember the names.

We remember the screams in the night.

We remember the fear of children clinging to their mothers.

We remember the silence that followed, when justice did not come.

Even after fleeing genocide in Myanmar, we were not safe. Even as refugees, we were hunted. Even when we begged for protection, the world looked away.

But today is not only a day of sorrow.

Today is a day of truth.

A day of memory.

A day of faith.

They tried to break us, but we are still here.

They tried to silence us, but we still speak.

They tried to destroy our faith, but our faith lives on.

To our abducted brothers and sisters we have not forgotten you.

To those who were injured your pain matters.

To those who lost everything you are not alone.

To those who lost hope let us hold hope together.

We call upon the international community:

Do not forget Rohingya Christians.

Do not erase our suffering.

Do not allow persecution in refugee camps to continue without accountability.

We ask for protection.

We ask for justice.

We ask for freedom to worship without fear.

And above all, we remember.

May this remembrance strengthen our unity.

May our tears become a testimony.

May our suffering not be in vain.

Let the world hear us today:

Rohingya Christians exist.

Rohingya Christians suffered.

Rohingya Christians deserve safety, dignity, and peace.

May God comfort the brokenhearted, heal the wounded, and give us strength to continue.

Amen.