Former Muslims Persecuted for Leaving Islam

Mohammad & His Children

In the nation of Uganda, a 62-year-old Imam named Mohammad made the decision to leave Islam and follow Christianity.  For many years Mohammad preached about waging war on "unbelievers," but in truth, he never understood why he taught this.  In his heart, he knew that killing people was wrong, but under Jihadist doctrine, you are not to question, only obey.  At the age of 60 Mohammad was selected to engage in Dawa: the practice that "defends & advances Islam, sometimes by force."  Over the next two years, Mohammad helped teach his followers how to bomb churches and kill unbelievers while also working to show that the Bible was false.  However, Mohammad began questioning what he was doing and eventually, made the decision to not only turn against it, but to leave Islam altogether and follow Christianity.  

In Islam, the punishment for Apostasy is death (Sahih Bukhari Volume 9, Book 84, Number 57).  Despite this, Mohammad went public with his conversion and urged other Muslims to also reject Jihad and turn away from Islam.  This resulted in Mohammad nearly being beaten to death by a Jihadist mob.  Though he survived the attack, Mohammad's right him was permanently damaged.  Despite this, Mohammad soldiers on, urging Muslims to reject Jihad and turn away from the Islamic faith that drives it.  

Muhammad's case is not an isolated one.  In fact, it's all too common across the Islamic world.  In Eastern Turkey, Nurettin was born to a Kurdish-Muslim family.  Though a member of the Islamic faith, Nurettin was not a devout believer and instead focused on building businesses for himself.  However, Nurettin gradually became discouraged with materialism and eventually began studying the Bible for answers.  After meeting a Kurdish Christian, Nurettin learned that simply because he was Kurdish, he wasn't obligated to remain in Islam, he could make his own choice and still keep his Kurdish identity.  In April of 2010, Nurettin accepted Christianity and 20 days later he was arrested by the Turkish police and sentenced to two years in prison for his "political activities."  After being serving his sentence Nurettin lost all of his income but instead of rebuilding his businesses, he chose to start sharing the Gospel with others. 

Nurettin Sharing His Faith

Eighteen months later, Nurettin was arrested again and sentence to another 2.5 years in prison.  After serving this sentence again, Nurettin became a pastor and presently ministers to a small, but growing number of Kurdish Christians.  Though the "Death for Apostasy" decree may not be the "Law of the Books" in many Islamic nations, for many Muslims, it's the "Law of the Land," and it is enforced all too often worldwide.  

Sources:

"The Islamist who Studied God's Word."  Voice of the Martyrs.  April 2024.

"A Divine Misdial."  Voice of the Martyrs.  April 2024.