Rejected by their families and shunned by local communities
Prohibited from sharing their faith
Threatened, beaten and even killed

While most Islamic countries around the world claim to tolerate freedom for believers of all religions to practice their faith, the reality for isolated Christian groups and individuals is very different.

Thousands of ‘Muslim Background Believers' suffer daily persecution.

Open Doors has been working among these oppressed Christians for many years, encouraging, equipping, strengthening and supporting them, making a difference in their lives.

Women like Adilah who have turned from Islam to follow Christ have chosen to live lives of persecution.

“I am frightened,” says Adilah (name changed for security purposes). “If my family finds out I have turned from Islam to follow Jesus, they will completely cut me off. And my father could seek to have me killed in what is known in our culture as an honour killing.”

Adilah, a young woman from Malaysia, knows she has put her life at risk by converting from Islam to Christianity.

But there is no turning back for her. “I know I have found the truth,” she says, “and I will follow Christ, even though it may mean I am killed for my faith.”

Like thousands of former Muslim women who have turned from Islam to follow Christ, Adilah knows she faces the possibility of beatings, kidnappings, torture, or death every day. 
But Adilah’s home country of Malaysia is not the only place where Muslim-background believers live in such great danger… and daily fear. In Saudi Arabia, Muslims who convert to Christianity are beheaded. In Pakistan, Christians are kidnapped, beaten or often killed… and
Christian women are often raped or forced to marry Muslim men.

And in countries like Iran, Uzbekistan, Palestine, Indonesia, and Algeria—where Muslims make up a significant majority of the population—Christians also fear for their lives every day.

• Pray for Muslim-background women like Adilah who have turned from Islam to follow Christ.  Pray they will have the courage to stand strong in the face of persecution.
• Pray that Muslim-background believers living in countries like Malaysia will continue to be used by God to lead many more Muslims to Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour.
• Pray that God would continue to give wisdom and protection to Open Doors workers in Islam-dominated countries, as they seek to encourage and strengthen believers who live under such intense persecution.

God is using visions and dreams to draw many Muslims like Ibrahim to faith in Him.

“I was a teenager when I first heard about Jesus,” remembers Ibrahim (name changed for security purposes). “My friend’s parents had become Christians, and one day when I went to their house, they were hosting a prayer meeting. I remember laughing at them and making fun of their silly belief.”

“A couple of years later I found out my friend had become a Christian too, and I just didn’t understand. Why did someone so intelligent…  someone who had been so passionate about Islam… become a Christian?”

Ibrahim went on to share, “But then I began to have dreams about Jesus. I talked with my friend about these dreams, and he introduced me to other Muslims that had converted to Christianity.  A week later I went to church with my friend and gave my life to Christ.”

Men like Ibrahim are a good example of how God is moving in the Muslim world to bring many to Him. Open Doors supports these secret believers through it’s local networks and indigenous partners in the Muslim world. We deliver Scripture, training materials, study guides, and help them reach out to their community to show the love of Christ in tangible ways.

• Pray that former Muslims like Ibrahim will have the courage to share their hope of Christ with their Islamic friends and family.
• Pray that God would continue to bless and use the distribution of Christian resources in Muslim countries.
• Pray for Open Doors’ staff as they support and develop Muslim-background believers in their newfound faith.

“I was a very devout Muslim, and all I was taught was to hate,” states Abdul (name changed for security purposes), a Muslim convert to Christianity from the Middle East. “I was taught to hate those who did not worship Allah, especially Christians and Jews.”

“But in a vulnerable time of my life, when I began to question things, two families reached out to me and showed me a love I had never experienced before. It was a love that far exceeded my expectations.”

Abdul went on to explain, “I found out they were Christians, and even though they did not try to evangelize me, they gave me a copy of the Bible. So I set out to research this Jesus they said was the Son of God—the One who they said gave them such peace and joy… peace and joy like I had never seen before. It wasn’t long before I turned to Jesus and accepted Him as my Saviour.”

Muslim-background believers are used by God in a powerful way to reach out to their neighbours with the love of God.

This is why Open Doors is so committed to provide Bibles they plead for…

The Bible is the source of life to these suffering brothers and sisters!

• Pray that Muslim-background believers like Abdul would be grounded in the Word of God.
• Pray that Christians living in the Middle East would have the courage to remain in their homeland despite the persecution they endure.

International Website: www.od.org