Religious conversion always involves change. Internally, the person who converts changes much of their worldview. Externally, they may appear and act differently to their loved ones.
Conflict is unfortunately common, especially when a Muslim becomes a Christian. When a Muslim becomes a Christian, they are often at odds with people around them because of differences in views about God, salvation, and important figures like Jesus and Muhammad.
We explain below what happens when a Muslim becomes a Christian, as well as how native missionaries in Muslim countries help and respond.
Complex and Diverse Response to Conversion
Every Muslim community around the world will respond differently when a Muslim converts to Christianity. Individuals and families within these communities may also have their own unique response.
Europe
We think of Europe as part of the Western world, with many of the associated personal freedoms, such as freedom of religion. While this is true, a Muslim who converts to Christianity may still face dangers.
Muslim families and communities who aren’t as strict may still disinherit the new Christian because they believe the convert has dishonored their family and culture. If the convert stays in the area, they may struggle to maintain a job and develop relationships. Some stores may refuse to sell to them.
Strict families and communities could perform various legal and illegal tactics to try to make the convert return to Islam. For example, they may subject the convert to a meeting with an imam or disinherit them and kick them out of the community. In extreme cases, family members have killed converted relatives to restore the family honor and avoided police detection. If they’re immigrants from a Muslim-majority country, they may alternatively send the convert back to their home country to marry a strict Muslim.
Middle East
The Middle East is predominantly Muslim, and Muslims who convert to Christianity face persecution on many levels. When the government is based on Islamic law, everyone from a stranger to a family member to a government official may persecute a convert.
Persecution often starts at the family level. First, the Muslim family would require the convert to reflect on their choice for three days and talk to an imam. If the convert is still sure of their new faith, then they will lose their inheritance. Family members may also lock the convert in a room, forcibly marry them off to a strict Muslim, or physically hurt them. Beatings, rapings, and killings are all legally permissible because the convert is an infidel and the Quran commands Muslims to kill infidels. In these cases, obedience to the Quran and Allah override love for a converted relative.
If the convert has children, Muslim family members may keep or kidnap those children to raise them as Muslims.
Converts also face job loss, refusal of medical services, eviction, arrest, police brutality, and even death.
Download our free guide to praying for the persecuted church in Muslim countries so you know how to pray for these converts.
Central Asia
While Central Asia is geographically close to the Middle East, the culture is very different because these countries were once part of the Soviet Union. Islam is still a majority religion, but the Russian Orthodox Church is also present. Some of the governments are atheistic.
The atheistic governments of Central Asia are concerned about religious extremism that can lead to terrorism. To prevent extremism and terrorism, they closely monitor and sometimes control religious activities. While this monitoring and control can make it difficult for Christians, especially Protestants, to meet and evangelize, Muslims can convert to Christianity without fear of government reprisal.
The biggest issue that most converts will face in Central Asia is social problems: alienation or pressure to return to Islam from families and communities who see conversion as abandoning one’s culture and people. Many new Christians struggle to persevere in their faith under this pressure.
South Asia
A few countries in South Asia are predominantly Muslim. Christian converts there face similar persecution to converts in the Middle East, with additional legal issues.
The legal issues come from blasphemy laws, which some governments designed to prevent people from showing disrespect to Islam, the prophet Muhammed, and the Quran. It is legal to arrest and even torture someone accused of blaspheming against Islam. False allegations frequently occur and can go beyond arrest to mob violence against blasphemers, their businesses, and their property. Converts rarely receive legal or physical protection from courts or the police.
Family and community members may also forcibly marry the convert to a Muslim. Some have permitted or participated in abductions and rapes to force the convert to return to Islam.
Southeast Asia
While Southeast Asia is very diverse and has some Christian-majority countries, there are also Muslim-majority countries. While these Muslim-majority countries legally claim that there’s freedom of religion, Muslims in these places often persecute people who convert.
Persecution typically starts at the family level since family members are the first to learn about a relative’s conversion. They may invite imams and other Muslim leaders to pray over the convert and exorcize evil spirits from them, since the family thinks the evil spirit is responsible for the conversion. If the convert doesn’t return to Islam, then the family may physically hurt them.
If a convert publicly shares their story, such as on social media, then strict Muslims may try to hunt them down and harm them. In some cases, they even kill the convert for being an infidel.
Pray for the Persecuted Church today.
The Head and Heart Change of a Former Muslim
It’s not just other people that change when a Muslim becomes a Christian — the convert changes too. While the biggest transformation happened at the moment of conversion when they accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, the changes continue as they grow in their faith.
Converts change how they worship and learn a new holy book. They may also have to learn how to hide their new faith or how to exist without their family and previous community. Hiding their faith requires changes such as discerning how to live with Muslim family members, safely navigate relationships, raise children, and do their job. Leaving their community requires finding a new place to live and work, as well as changing how they develop relationships.
Depending on where they live, they may also have to change ID cards. A new ID card can impact where they live, work, and travel, as well as who they’re allowed to marry and how they can raise their children. Some countries don’t allow adults to change their ID cards, so converts must learn how to live two lives: one public, in accordance with the ID card, and the other private, in accordance with what the person actually believes.
All these changes are an ongoing process that takes time and assistance. Without native missionaries to patiently guide someone through these changes, a convert may struggle or give up entirely.
Native Missionaries in Muslim Countries
Many Muslim countries don’t allow Christians to evangelize, or even safely live and practice their faith. Native missionaries in these countries face many challenges, but persevere and continue to serve.
They often serve through underground churches, safe houses, Bible distribution, and humanitarian aid such as feeding refugees or providing free schools. Job training, financial guidance, microloans, food and clothing programs, and healthcare are other ways native missionaries serve fellow Christians and reach out to Muslims.
A lot of changes happen when a Muslim becomes a Christian, but native missionaries are there to help.
If you also want to help these converts and native missionaries, download our free Praying for the Persecuted Church guide.
