Pastor flees Christian persecution in Syria only to face death threats in faraway Norway

A new centre for refugees and migrants is pictured in Kirkenes, Norway. Reuters

This pastor thought he had escaped from the horrors of war in his native land, Syria.

Eventually ending up in faraway Norway after failing to find asylum in Russia, Pastor Saeed Ziadah thought he had found peace at last while sharing God's love to fellow Mideast migrants in the hope of leading them to Christ, CBN News reports.

He thought no one could do him harm in the sleepy Norwegian city of Finnsnes located above the Arctic Circle.

Sadly, he was mistaken.

After he started sharing Christ on social media and comparing biblical teachings to Quranic doctrine, in the hope of warning Norwegians about the dangers of militant Islam, Saeed began receiving death threats through Facebook.

It appeared that his social media posts angered Muslims both inside and outside of Norway. As a result, Pastor Saeed started receiving death threats, with one of them warning him "that they are so close to us," living in the same immigrant housing centre where he and his wife Rana are staying and could easily kill him if he did not stop posting his thoughts and beliefs on the Internet.

But Pastor Saeed has gotten used to receiving such threats and refused to allow himself to get intimidated.

"I didn't stop writing on Facebook because I believe in free speech, I also believe in the power of God's Word. The Western world has to know what is inside the Quran. The world is in trouble and chaos because of radical Muslim teachings. A lot of them are coming to Europe and America," he said.

Dismissing the death threats, Saaed and Rana still venture outside their immigrant apartment house to meet new friends and share the love of Christ with other immigrants.

Refugees with serious illnesses invite him to their houses to pray with him, knowing his reputation as a healing evangelist when he was still conducting his ministry in Syria.

Saeed and Rana say despite the challenges of adapting to life in a foreign country, they have actually grown to love their new home.

"A lot of Norwegian people have drifted far from Christ. But I believe they will return to Him and they will not allow other cultures and religions to destroy this beautiful society which was built on biblical, Christian principles of peace, love, charity, forgiveness and human rights," Saeed says.

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