A Muslim Family meeting Jesus
A rural Muslim family in Egypt had their lives changed when they met Jesus and became Christians, but the road that follows after conversion isn’t always easy. Rania shares about the roller coaster her family has been on ever since her husband first accepted Christ.
This is her story.
“My name is Rania, I am 33 years old. I am a Christian now, but I was born a Muslim. If I would show you my face, this could cost me my life. Fanatics, or even my own family, would kill me if they saw my picture online and read I rejected Islam. But I want to share with other believers what it is like to be a mother in a secret-believing family. That’s why I’ve asked a friend to draw my story.
“We come from a simple village near Cairo. My fellow villagers were fanatic Muslims, and our family was no different. When I went out I would go fully veiled, always afraid that even my fully covered body would be seen as seductive, and I would bring shame to the family. From an early age I was told that my purpose was to get married, have children and satisfy my husband. I didn’t feel like I had much value.
“My husband came to Christ first, I did not like it at all. I had always learned that Christians were dirty and that converting to Christianity was a sin. But, one day, our oldest son became so sick that we were afraid to lose him. My husband prayed for him, I didn’t think much of it.
“But, as my husband was praying, my son suddenly stopped shivering and his temperature went back to normal. My son opened his eyes and told us: ‘I saw the Christ on the cross looking at me, and he called me, saying: child arise.’ I couldn’t stand on my legs anymore. I fell down, kneeling next to my husband crying and thanking this God I never knew. At that very point I gave my life to Jesus.
“Often the story stops here. ‘And they lived happily ever after’. I can tell you that this was certainly not the end of my story, but rather the beginning.
“We were living in a strictly Muslim village. From the outside nothing had changed: I couldn’t stop wearing my veil all of a sudden. Converting to Christianity is seen as a shame for the family, something that fanatics say should be forbidden. If we wanted to live, we had to become secret believers.
“If you’re a secret believer in a family, that family is your first church. Sameh and I do Bible study together, share about Jesus with our children, and pray together. It’s a journey. We were never very close, now we are learning what it means to support each other in marriage.
“If you grow up as a Christian, I think you don’t realize how different your worldview is compared to that of Islam. The things I learned about myself ever since I was young – harmful things – are engraved deep into my soul: ‘You have no value, you have to hide yourself’. It takes time to fully let go of those convictions.
“If you’re a secret believer in a family, that family is your first church."
“The women’s seminars of Open Doors local partner here, that I was invited to, were so helpful for me in that perspective. Sisters helped me to overcome the traumas of my past and God himself told me that I am of value, that I am in fact His Beloved Daughter!
“Recently, a new chapter in our story started: we now have a discipleship group in our home, a house church if you will. I am a clever lady, I just never had the chance to develop myself. The ministry is offering us leadership training, and I am excited to start it.
“Please pray for us if you read this. Changing everything in life was not an easy step, but God was supporting us all the time and we were able to move on. We decided as a family that we will not give up. God is good.”
Open Doors, through its local partners, supports believers from a Muslim background throughout the Muslim world with different types of discipleship training and practical support. With your help we can continue to support families like that of Rania and Sameh.
*For security reasons we changed the names in this article.
