{"id":1204,"date":"2021-12-11T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-11T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/?p=1204"},"modified":"2022-01-11T16:47:41","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T16:47:41","slug":"deny-christ-and-live-or-remain-faithful-and-possible-face-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/deny-christ-and-live-or-remain-faithful-and-possible-face-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigerian Couple Attacked by Muslims; Wife, Mother of Five Killed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As Micah and Dorcas Magaji walked through their Nigerian village the morning of Dec. 18, 2014, they were confronted with a choice. A group of Muslim men surrounded them, demanding that they deny Christ. Micah and Dorcas could deny Christ and live, or remain faithful and face possible death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were born into a Christian family,\u201d Micah told them. \u201cWe are still Christians today. There is no way we are going to turn around from our past.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The men then threatened to cut off Micah\u2019s arm and kill him if he didn\u2019t renounce his faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n\t

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Request your free magazine<\/p>\r\n\t\t\tSubscribe<\/a>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\n\n\n

\u201cOnly God can take life,\u201d he responded. \u201cIt is from God, so you cannot take my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Muslims then tried to intimidate Dorcas, but she also remained faithful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m married to a Christian,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s no way I would go back. Wherever my husband goes, that is where I\u2019ll go. I\u2019m not changing from this faith to any other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dorcas\u2019s response infuriated the men. They shot her to death and then hacked at both of Micah\u2019s forearms with a machete before leaving him for dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe story of the attack got to Christian elders, so they sent people to rescue me,\u201d 35-year-old Micah explained. \u201cIt is the power of God that has kept me up to this point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reaching Out to the Enemy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While it is unclear who the attackers were in this case, their methods point to Boko Haram. The jihadist group is known for its brutality and public allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS), but it also works behind the scenes. Boko Haram is often the inspiration for, if not a direct influence on, \u201caverage\u201d Muslims who attack their Christian neighbors, especially in northern Nigeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost of those who attack us are people who know us,\u201d said Micah\u2019s pastor, Rev. Jerry Agabison. \u201cYou\u2019ll find that your next-door neighbor will be the one to bring out their gun and start shooting you and your family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the attackers left Micah for dead, they stole his cellphone. Islamic extremists routinely take their victim\u2019s phone so they can identify Christian contacts. It also allows them to break the news of the killing to loved ones who call the phone, further terrorizing the Christian community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After being taken to the hospital, Micah borrowed his brother\u2019s cellphone to call his attackers on his own phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI told them, \u2018You people thought you have killed me, but my God has saved me,\u2019\u201d Micah said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surprisingly, the attacker responded by apologizing. He even told Micah he would like to ask his forgiveness in person once his wounds had healed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am a Christian,\u201d he told them. \u201cI don\u2019t bear grudges. I don\u2019t keep records of wrongs. I have already forgiven you,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even after the men killed his wife and attempted to dismember him, Micah said he is willing to meet them in person. While he is unsure if it is a trap, he is certain God is in control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGod will show a way,\u201d he said. \u201cThey may cancel. If they have the courage to come and meet me, I don\u2019t have a problem. I will meet with them. God is involved in this. I will meet with them and they will not attack me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continuing to Heal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Micah spent two months at a rehabilitation hospital. He received a blood transfusion for blood loss, and doctors had to amputate his right arm. His left arm is in a cast and continues to heal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boko Haram attacks on Christians have increased dramatically in recent years. VOM helps victims of these attacks receive quality care and support to help them heal. In May 2015, a doctor examined Micah\u2019s arms and recommended transferring him to another hospital for nerve repair and further examination of the fracture in his left arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In late May 2015, he was transferred to an orthopedic hospital, where he was diagnosed with a nonunion fracture, a fracture that will not heal. He underwent surgery in mid-June and began receiving medical care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Micah said he is grateful for the support he is receiving through VOM, from Christians around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is the grace of God that people help from all walks of life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Micah had been married to Dorcas since 1993. He misses her deeply and is reminded of her by their five children, who range in age from 10 to 20 years old. He hopes his left arm will heal so he can continue his work as a yam farmer to provide for his children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d love prayer for God to strengthen and heal, not only me, but people in similar situations elsewhere,\u201d he said. \u201cMy prayer is that this hand will heal completely and I will go back to the work God has given me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Micah and Dorcas Magaji walked through their Nigerian village the morning of Dec. 18, 2014, they were confronted with a choice. A group of Muslim men surrounded them, demanding that they deny Christ. Micah and Dorcas could deny Christ and live, or remain faithful and face possible death. \u201cWe were born into a Christian family,\u201d Micah told them. \u201cWe are still Christians today. There is no way we are going to turn around from our past.\u201d The men then threatened to cut off Micah\u2019s arm and kill him if he didn\u2019t renounce his faith. \u201cOnly God can take life,\u201d he responded. \u201cIt is from God, so you cannot take my life.\u201d The Muslims then tried to intimidate Dorcas, but she also remained faithful. \u201cI\u2019m married to a Christian,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s no way I would go back. Wherever my husband goes, that is where I\u2019ll go. I\u2019m not changing from this faith to any other.\u201d Dorcas\u2019s response infuriated the men. They shot her to death and then hacked at both of Micah\u2019s forearms with a machete before leaving him for dead. \u201cThe story of the attack got to Christian elders, so they sent people to rescue me,\u201d 35-year-old Micah<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1205,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43],"class_list":["post-1204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-field-stories","tag-nigeria","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nNigerian Couple Attacked by Muslims; Wife, Mother of Five Killed - Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As Micah and Dorcas Magaji walked through their Nigerian village the morning of December 18, 2014, they were confronted with a choice.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/deny-christ-and-live-or-remain-faithful-and-possible-face-death\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nigerian Couple Attacked by Muslims; 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