Life for Muslim-background believers who made the courageous decision to leave Islam for a relationship with Jesus is vastly different from what they are used to. Not only are they adjusting to a relationship with a loving and compassionate Heavenly Father, not a judgmental master like Allah, but there is often a steep price they pay to follow Christ.
Persecution for these believers can look vastly different – sometimes they are able to keep their new faith a secret while they are living with their families, like Salma’s story below, but for others, like Abdo and Heba, this is not the case.
As you read these accounts, pray for these believers and the countless others who have left Islam for Christ and are always at risk of losing their lives.
These are true stories, but the names and key identifying features have been changed. The third story includes violence.
The cost of leaving Islam for Christ and the persecution of Muslim-background believers
Majed and Jamila left Islam and found Christ together
Majed and his wife Jamila were always proper Muslims in Yemen. They had 5 children and worked hard to be devout to Allah. Majed’s mother and uncle had secretly left Islam to follow Christ, but he was determined to stay true to his religion.
One night, Majed had a dream that his house was burning down. He ran outside to find a man extinguishing the fire for him. A bystander in his dream explained to Majed that it was Christ putting out the fire.
Majed could not resist the pull of discovering more about Christ, and after finding our satellite channel, he invited his wife Jamila to watch with him. Together, they learned about Jesus and called our contact center with questions.
Once they understood who Christ truly is, Majed and Jamila accepted Jesus as their Savior on the phone with our contact center team! Now they are in our secure online Arabic church growing in their faith and learning how to build their family on Christ. They live in Yemen and cannot share their faith in their community, but thankfully they have freedom inside their home to worship the Lord as a family.
Abdo from Yemen - From Sharia Law to Christ
Abdo is forced to live in Jordan because of persecution. He had been studying Sharia law in his country when God opened his eyes to the lies of Islam. Abdo immediately began sharing Christ’s love with others, and despite being threatened and beaten many times, he wouldn’t stop.
He moved to Saudi Arabia from Yemen to escape persecution from his family, but he was arrested in Saudi Arabia for talking about Jesus. In prison, the Lord enabled Abdo to establish a secret church! Later, Abdo was deported to Yemen, where he planted another church. Then the Lord called him to move to Jordan and used him to start a third church. He was taken by the Jordanian Intelligence Department and held for two days– they interrogated him and tried to convince him to stop sharing the gospel.
Through our secure online Arabic church, we support Abdo to be able to endure life as a refugee in Jordan.
In spite of persecution, Abdo tells us, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. Nor will I deny my beloved Christ who saved me. I am in Christ and Christ is in me.”
Heba from Egypt - Miraculously, the knife could not pierce her daughter’s skin
Heba and her children all found Christ through dreams of Jesus speaking to them. One day, they were secretly visiting a pastor in their neighborhood, and one neighbor saw them and reported it to their Muslim neighbors.
The next night, Heba’s house was surrounded by Muslims who dragged her family into the streets and began to beat them. Heba saw they had knives to kill them so she told her children, “Do not be afraid, for when you close your eyes, you will open them to see the Lord Jesus.” Her children said they were ready to meet the Lord.
A man approached the youngest daughter and brought his knife to her throat, but the knife could not pierce her skin. The Muslim leaders were shocked and accused Heba’s family of witchcraft. They continued to beat the family, but God would not let them die.
Heba took her children the next day and went into hiding. After successfully escaping their attackers, they traveled to Lebanon and were connected with our secure online church, where they are receiving counseling, discipleship, and financial support.
These are three vastly different examples of what life looks like for believers in Islamic countries and communities. Through God’s goodness, all three have stayed strong in their faith and continued to proclaim His name.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12
Prayer for persecuted Christians around the world
Dear Lord, please put a hedge of protection around your people in this world. Please give my brothers and sisters in Christ who have escaped Islam a safe refuge to know you and find rest. Amen.
