Christians around the world celebrate as a Syrian pastor is released from prison in Syria. Pastor Nihad Hassan was released from prison after Christians around the world began to pray and make public pleas on social media.
Pastor Nihad Hassan, leader of the Kurdish Evangelical Church in Beirut, was arrested by Syrian authorities and held at Afrin Central Prison because of social media posts referring to the persecution of Christians in Syria.
Pastor Nihad did the unthinkable when he converted to Christianity. In Syria, converting to Christianity has traditionally been a crime punishable by death. Since the civil war in Syria, Pastor Nihad has been living in Lebanon and preaching the Gospel. He has served as a pastor, evangelist, and humanitarian worker, and has worked with BTJ missionaries to serve refugees on the ground in Lebanon and Syria.
He was arrested on July 20th which sparked widespread prayer chains around the world, as well as international calls on Christians to make their voices heard. After an outcry that was certain to reach the attention of the US and Europe, the Syrian authorities released Pastor Nihad on August 6th.
According to a social media post, Pastor Nihad will be preaching at his home church in Lebanon this Sunday.
