Daughter of Muslim ruler under house arrest for Christian faith

Najima (not her real name) is the daughter of a Muslim ruler. She had firmly believed in and practiced Islam from childhood—reciting the Qur'an, praying (namaz) five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan and giving alms (zakat) to the poor and needy.

While she went to a western university for her higher education, she still never missed practicing ‘the pillars Islam’.

One day she noticed a small piece of paper stuck in a crease at the table at which she was sitting. She pulled it out and read: "For God made Christ who had no sin to become sin for us, so that in Christ we could become right with God." (2 Cor 5:21).

The verse struck her. ‘How can Jesus possibly be made to be sin for us?’ she asked herself, then threw the tract into the waste paper basket. But the verse kept invading her mind. Trying to forget it, she went bed.

But as much as she tried, she couldn’t get the verse out of her thoughts, nor escape into sleep.

Suddenly, she saw and felt her room fill with light. From that light, a voice spoke.

"Daughter, you're a sinner.  There is no one righteous, absolutely none. All have messed up and fallen short. But I came to take away all of your sins. I paid the ransom for many. Believe me and accept me … and I will give you eternal life."

She knew it had to be Jesus’ voice. Undone, she knelt down and accepted him as her personal savior and Lord.

She declared her new faith to her friends first. When she told her family, her father and brothers exploded in rage. They stripped her naked, bound her to a chair, and wired it up to a metal plate to electrocute her. She asked them to at least lay a bible in her lap.

"If you want to die together with your false religion, so be it," her father replied,

"That will show that your religion is powerless," one of her brothers added

Although they had bound her, she could still touch a corner of her bible. She then noticed a strange peace, as though someone were standing beside her.

Her father and brothers pushed the plug into the socket—and nothing happened. They tried four times with various cables, but it was as though the electricity refused to flow.

Finally, her father, angry and frustrated, hit her and screamed, "You are no longer my daughter!" He then threw her out into the street, naked.

Najima ran through the neighborhood, humiliated and in pain. People looked at her, curious rather than shocked. Shaking and tearful, she finally made it to a friend’s house. Her friend let her in, clothed her and gave her shelter.

The next day, her friend asked neighbors what they had thought when they had seen a girl running naked through the streets.

"What are you talking about?" they responded. "We saw a girl running with a wonderful white dress, like an angel.  We asked ourselves why someone so beautifully clothed had to run through the streets. With that dress, she almost looked like she was flying!"

God had hidden her nakedness from their eyes, clothing her in a beautiful white dress.

She became stronger in her Christian faith. But her father learned of her location. Her mother and  brothers went to see her to convince her to come back. But she would not, and reiterated her solid faith in Jesus Christ.

Her father then went himself, and took her back to their home by force. She remains there under house arrest. Because of her change of faith, he banned all other religious movements and activities in his region.

Recently, two women missionaries of Bibles for Mideast visited Najima at her home. Wearing veils, they introduced themselves as her university classmates, and so got permission to see her. Happy to see them, she prayed with the women. She asked that children of God around the world pray for her. She also asked that we pray that her father, mother, brothers, sisters and all the Muslims of her country experience the salvation of Jesus Christ.

"The Lord Jesus Christ gave me freedom from sin and death,” she said to the missionaries. “I experience that real freedom and peace in my mind."

She concluded with, “Amen and Halleluiah!”

Radical Muslim terrorist ‘terrified’ by the Light of Jesus now serves as pastor!

Rashid* had been one of the commanders in a group intent on converting as many as possible to Islam, and with the goal of bringing all nations under Islamic rule.

As the men strove fanatically toward these objectives, they began hearing of formerly strong Muslims who had converted to Christianity and worse, were now spreading the Gospel. So they appointed a special commando unit from among themselves to either convert these ‘infidels’ back to Islam, or wipe them from the face of the earth.

Rashid voluntarily took on leadership of the wing. As time went on, some of their terrorist operations succeeded.

They eventually heard about the work of Bibles for Mideast: how they boldly evangelized people—especially Muslims—in Asia, the Middle East and several third-world nations; how their leader was himself a former Muslim; how they distributed bibles in many languages and were forming underground house churches in various regions.

So they set about in earnest to formulate a plan to hunt down a Bibles for Mideast leader’s family in their area operations. If they could destroy his family and force him back into the Islamic fold, what a great weapon they would have in their war against Christianity.

So they devised a plan to attack and kill the family as they slept at night. But on arriving at their home, they saw what appeared to be gunmen surrounding the house and abandoned that plan.

They then learned from some of the children going to the same school as the leader’s children that since they lived in poverty with little to eat, they were always hungry.

“So we sent a woman with some poisoned fast food to give to the children,” Rashid recounts.  “But on the way, a dog bit her so seriously she couldn’t get the food to them.”

So they tried sending another woman with poisonous chocolates to give the young ones, thinking for sure this would kill them. All three children got sick, but the two boys recovered fairly quickly. The third, a young girl, ended up near death in hospital.

"I was watching with two others from an ambulance near the hospital,” Rashid explained. They planned to wait till they saw the family take the girl’s dead body from the hospital, at which point they would kidnap them all and speed away in the appropriated ambulance.

But nothing seemed to be happening. So they went into the hospital, found the girl’s room and quietly stood watch outside.

“Then I saw a ball of light came down from the sky and stand over the room,” Rashid remembers. “I saw a hand came out from the ball and stand her up. There was a hole in the middle of that hand and the blood was flowing down. I trembled with fear.” Overcome, he fell over and had to be whisked away by his fellow conspirators.

But he couldn’t sleep that night. Whenever he began to drift off, Rashid explained, he’d see the same hand, with blood flowing from it.

“Next night I saw a shadow of a human face appear behind the hand.” He said the face asked him, ‘Why are you nailing me?’

Rashid, utterly unnerved, feared telling his friends anything “because they would suspect me, and I would be killed."

He did however have a bible—for no other reason than to find verses to criticize Christianity and justify Islam. So he turned to it now with questions.

Opening it, he read: “That was the true Light which gives light to everyone coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world did not know Him.” (John 1:9-10)

 “I understood it was about Jesus,” he said with certainty. “And also, I knew that the ball of light that came from above to protect the sick girl was the same Jesus, who suffered crucifixion on the cross by the nailing of his hands and legs.”

Feeling unbearably burdened, he managed to locate Pastor Paul, Director of Bibles for Mideast, and confessed everything. Yet instead of being turned in to the police as Rashid expected, he was embraced with tears.

“When I was an enemy of Jesus Christ, He loved me, too,” Pastor Paul explained. “He was crucified, rose from the dead and gave His life for me. In His love I have to love you, because Christ loves you. I believe Jesus Christ Himself brought you here to share this love and salvation. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and He gives you peace. Accept Him as your Savior.”

And Rashid did! Soon after he was baptized and now walks and serves in all the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As a leader and anointed pastor within Bibles for Mideast he, alongside his wife, lives to evangelize others.

________________________
Name changed for security reasons

Indian Christian abducted in Libya

Reji centred.jpg

Tripoli, April 5, 2016: An Indian Christian, Reji Joseph, has reportedly gone missing in Tripoli, the capital of Libya. Mr. Joseph, 43, has been working as an IT professional attached to the CRA (Civilian Registration Authority) in Libya. He is a native of Kozhikodu in Kerala State, India. He has not has been heard from for four days.

Reji’s friends and relatives suspect he and three others were abducted. According to information received by his relatives, a gang abducted them from their workplace in Tripoli.

Reji along with his family had moved to Libya two years ago. His wife Shinuja is serving as a nurse in Tripoli. Their three children are in Libya as well.

Reji serves as a voluntary minister with Bibles for Mideast.

Reji’s relatives are communicating with the Libyan authorities. They complain that his employer is reluctant to share sufficient details.

Please pray for Reji Joseph and his family.

++++++++++++++
[July 6, 2016] UPDATE: REJI JOSEPH RESCUED!

Bedridden Arab Muslim woman healed by Jesus; she and her family now believe

Fadila (name changed for security reasons) grew up in an Arab family in the Middle East. She works in a government institution, and her father owns several farms and date plantations in the desert. One of eight children of her Muslim father and mother, she also has four half-siblings by her father’s second wife.

A strong devotee of Islam, Fadila always wore the abaya (a large, black cloak wrapped around her body), recited the required ritual prayers five times a day, fasted for the month of Ramadan, and gave the obligatory Zakat (alms to the poor).

One of her brothers, however, ended up running with the wrong crowd and became alcoholic and drug-addicted—despite Islam’s strict prohibitions against alcohol and drugs.

He’d sometimes become violent, she says, and would make up stories to get money from his parents to pay for his habits. They began fearing he would influence his other brothers to stray as well.

“So we lost our peace,” Fadila says. “We prayed and prayed for a change of my brother and peace at home. No answer we got.”

Her mother's strength and well-being began deteriorating, and family members began thinking the stress of her wayward son likely contributed to or even caused her health problems.

“Her condition became worse day by day,” Fadila remembers. “She consulted with many doctors, but nobody could diagnose the cause of her illness. She had a stroke too, and became completely bedridden.”

One day, another of her brothers brought two visitors to the house. He introduced them as “men of God who had gifts of healing. If they pray for our mother, she might be healed,” he added.

What could they lose? As other brothers and sisters showed interest, the men were given permission to pray.

“I felt uncomfortable,” Fadila recalls. “It was different than a Muslim du’a [personal supplications by Muslims beyond required formal prayers—Ed.] He was using Jesus’ name in his prayers. ‘In the Name of Jesus’ he prayed to heal my mother!” She figured out they were Christian pastors and, as she says, “shouted at them to get lost from my house.”

By then, though, they noticed their mother struggling to get up.

“We helped her, and she sat erect and then stood on the floor!” remembers Fadila with wonder.

“She told us that while the man was praying, she saw Jesus Christ and he touched her with his scarred hands. At once, she felt something go away from her body, and a light covered her, and she felt total healing!”

The mother then asked the men to forgive her daughter. And please, could they pray for her alcoholic son as well?

So one of the men prayed over Fadila’s alcoholic brother.  As he did, the brother fell to the floor at the man’s feet and began weeping. He promised to leave all his bad habits. Confessing his sins, he took the next step and accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Lord!

“We noticed an unspeakable joy and peace in his face,” Fadila remembers vividly.

The men explained they were pastors with Bibles for Mideast. The one who had prayed for the alcoholic brother shared his own story of conversion from Islam, and explained more fully the message of the Gospel to the family gathered round.

“Jesus Christ was crucified, died and rose from the dead for all of our sins, to give us eternal life. Jesus paid the ransom for us,” the pastor made clear.

Fadila’s mother readily replied that she believed. Fadila and her other brothers and sisters followed suit. The pastor then presented the family with a bible.

Unfortunately, Fadila’s step-mother and half-siblings felt provoked by their family members leaving Islam.

“Sometimes they threaten us that they will inform the religious authorities,” she says. “If they do, certainly we will have to face persecutions.”

While her father now believes in Jesus Christ as well, out of fear of possible reprisal from the threats of his other wife, he keeps his faith quiet. The rest of the family read and meditate on the bible daily, and attend secret prayer and worship services organized by Bibles for Mideast.

Please keep this family in your prayers: that all will be saved and come to the glorious knowledge and freedom possible only in and with Christ!

EXCITING UPDATE TO THIS STORY:
Saved first from Islam, then by a giant bird of prey from Islamic extremists!

Jesus protects persecuted new convert from Islam by the 'power of His right hand'

Maheen* had always been an observant Muslim. When given a Bible by a team distributing them in his neighbourhood, he took one, brought it home, but never looked at it. Why should he? He had the Koran.

One night while he slept, he says an angel came to him and touched him on the shoulder.

“Read Acts 26:23 from the Holy Scripture which you received,” the angel told him. Whether a dream or a vision he wasn’t sure, but it certainly struck him as strange. Too tired to react otherwise, he fell back asleep.

A short while later, the angel touched his shoulder again, more firmly this time. “Get up and read Acts 26:23 from the bible you were given. It is a verse for you.”

Still groggy and half-asleep, Maheen had a hard time trying to process what was going on. So he decided to ignore the unusual occurrence again, and go back to sleep.

The angel appeared a third time, nudging him forcefully. “Get up and read the verses as I said!”

Maheen bolted out of bed, frantically grabbed his new bible, and began to read from the Book of Acts.

“That the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He should be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.” (Acts 26:23)

The striking visitation, the power of God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit brought Maheen to his knees. He acknowledged his sins before God and accepted Jesus as his Savior and Lord.

He became a strong believer in Jesus Christ. As much as he tried to convince his wife Muneera* of her need for salvation, of the importance of reading and meditating on the Bible, the Word of God—she would have none of it. Further complicating the situation were the attitudes of her brother Siddhiq*, an Islamic extremist working nearby in Saudi Arabia.

Maheen desperately wanted to be baptized, but waited months, hoping and praying his wife would join him in his new faith and be baptized with him. He finally decided to take the step alone.

When Muneera told her brother of the new development, he flew in immediately from Saudi Arabia. He implored Maheen to return to Islam, offering him an outstanding employment opportunity if he’d move to Saudi Arabia. He could even have an immense home and property as part of the deal.

"My Lord Jesus is far, far above any of the offers of this world,” Maheen replied. “I may be killed, but I will never deny Jesus, for He is my Lord and Savior, and granted me eternal life."

This infuriated Siddhiq. While his sister watched in horror, he joined with others he had traveled with and brutally beat Maheen. They then locked him in a dark room. For 17 days he remained locked away in darkness, without proper food or facilities, and unable even to see his wife.

Everyone felt sure Maheen would change his mind and come back to Islam. Instead, he grew stronger in his faith with each passing day. So they decided the only way to save Muneera from her husband would be to kill him.

She couldn’t believe it. How could her own brother, her own family, including her own father, even think of killing her husband? So she implored God, the Almighty, to intervene.

While praying, she had a vision of heaven and saw the Lord Jesus seated on the throne. And there was Maheen, her husband, at His right hand being held safe, praising Him along with the angels! While she couldn’t understand it, she could see human souls being washed by blood which flowed like a beautiful stream from the heart of Jesus.

When she tried to reach out to her husband, she couldn’t even get close. A huge gulf spanned the distance between them. Then she noticed a bridge in the shape of a cross over the gap, but when she tried to go towards it, it was taken back to heaven.  

Shaken to her core, Muneera began to weep. She took her own step of faith and accepted the Lord Jesus as her Savior. Who else could this be but the savior of humanity? She prayed that Maheen would not be harmed.

She then phoned the leader of the team who had been distributing the free bibles and holding the underground worship services Maheen had been attending. She explained to him all that had happened.

He explained that he too was a convert from Islam and often faced similar hardships. He arranged to visit the area, meeting up with a group of local believers first, all also converts from Islam. They prayed together, then met with a politician in the region. With his help they were able to secure the assistance of a senior police officer who freed Maheen from the dark room that had been his prison for over two weeks.

That same evening, a mob under Siddhiq’s leadership gathered with weapons to attack the church leader. A group of secret believers in Jesus heard of it and Immediately moved him to another house where the terrorists couldn’t find him. The prayers of the children of God certainly moved to save and protect Maheen as well as the Christian leader.

Maheen with bibles for distribution

Maheen with bibles for distribution

Maheen and Muneera now have two children, a boy and a girl. They work with Bibles for Mideast, distributing bibles, Christian literature and helping establishing house churches in their area of the Middle East.

“It is a great task,” they explain. “We have to work very secretly. We worship secretly. We collect bibles for distribution also in a secret way. We are in need of support, but we don’t get it.”  Both retain secular jobs to earn enough for themselves and the work of their team. Please pray for them!

If you feel led to support the work of acquiring and distributing bibles and establishing house churches for new believers, please use the form here.

_________________
* names changed for security reasons